Nick Court reply preview Alpha F1 ( Grand Prix 4 )

[gp4.alphaf1.com]


Executive producer and studio manager, Nick Court, comments some things from my hands-off preview which were explained in wrong way:

The version available on the press tour was an Alpha build. Bug fixing and code optimisation is still very much on-going, meaning the game will crash and strange things may be experienced and frame rate problems may be noticed. All of this was explained during the press day.

I am only too well aware that gamers like you would like the game to include stop & go penalties; the safety car; parade laps; career mode etc. Believe me, many of the features on your wish list are on ours. However, none of these features can be added quickly - the game needs to be able to deal with all eventualities of new features. An example of this is the addition of the cars starting from the garages rather than the pit lane:
It is unfortunately not as simple as just moving the starting position for each car. We need to ensure all cars are able to exit the pit lanes without collisions with the walls or the other cars. Plus, on their return to the pit lane, the cars need to be placed back in the garage. All of this is made more difficult due to the addition of the animated engineers and the advanced pit monitor in which you can watch your competitors doing their qualifying - from when they are sat in the garage to when they return to the garage.

Everything we add to the game needs to add to the experience. This obviously takes time to get right, and so when, in 1999, Hasbro gained the multi season FOA license, we created a list of all features we would have liked to be in the games. Being huge fans of Formula One, you can imagine the list was extensive, so extensive there was no way we could implement everything into the next version of the game and retain the balance of gameplay & quality vs reality that has been present in the brand to-date. Our main concern is to ensure the driving experience and the game play is of a very high standard.
We therefore had to create a plan based upon a prioritised list of features, and the need to release the games on a regular basis. The plan takes us from after GP3 to the final game covered by the license.

in other words, they want to slowly add more and more features so we keep on buying the next version of the game cause the next version has a few more features than this one.

If they wanted to of course the could have put it safety cars e.t.c If rené can, then why cant he? eh?

that post post above by alex was only half of what was written on alpha, to save you the bother of going all the way over there to read it, here it is


At this time, we were aware the render engine utilised within the games needed to be replaced to enable the visuals of the game to be competitive with other games in the market place and to match the quality of the rest of the game.
We therefore took the decision to change the renderer and also change the method used to create the circuits.
These changes result in a huge step forward for the game:
The GPS data provides the game with added reality - we know the track width, height, and camber. The data also provides the game with individual profiles for each individual kerb.
The new renderer handles so many more polygons than the previous system, enabling us to increase the amount of details in the cars and the tracks - details that are necessary to enhance the driving experience.
A fast, dedicated 3D renderer is not quick to create; GPS data does not come in a format that enables it to be placed straight into the game; and building 17 tracks from nothing is a huge undertaking.

We have considered enabling the player to drive their chosen car with the attributes of the real-life counterpart - i.e. race the Minardi with the attributes of a Minardi. Development wise this should be easy to implement, but we need to balance that with the amount of dedicated testing required. In truth the implementation of this will depend upon how trouble free development to Beta proves to be.

Launch control has been implemented into the game and works very well, though requires some refinement. Due to the way the launch control works with the clutch to limit the amount of power being transmitted to the drive wheels, it is possible to cause damage to the car by over using the launch control.

I am not really sure what Matti means by "2D track format". The tracks are created in 3D Studio Max as 3D models and rendered in game as the same. I know Matti did have a problem with the fact that our fences and tyre walls do not have tops to them. As I explained to Matti, while the new render engine is fast and we can throw more polygons into the tracks, this new capacity cannot be used frivolously and has been used to generate more detailed circuits with many more buildings and objects.
With regards to run off areas, having spent a fortune on GPS data and collating a 2001 season photographic survey containing over 30,000 images, I would be most surprised if most of the run-off areas in the game do not replicate those of real-life.

The trackside television screens will show a cut down version of the "director mode" throughout the race. However this is optional.

The audio in the game has been massively altered. We spent a vast amount of time and broke a large amount of recording equipment recording the true sound of the cars from the driver's perspective.
The sound of the cars from the external views is now very much improved over that of GP3. Infact I forget how often I have heard the word "awesome" when showing the external sound.

The helmet view did not come from jumping into an Arrows Formula One car when no-one was watching. It came from being in an Arrows Formula One car at the kind permission of The Orange Arrows team.
During the development of GP3 we wanted to ensure we portrayed the view the driver has from the cockpit as realistically as possible, and Arrows offered us some help. The helmet came as an extension of this.
The lower part of the helmet has been made more transparent to enable the player to see the information on the steering wheel.

We don't have big problems with the reflections in wet weather. However, we are still working on the rain effects for all tracks. Screen shots of the wet weather will become available soon.

We have not included hands on the steering wheel in the "cockpit" for a number of reasons including the fact the arms would obstruct the view of the steering wheel data. It could be argued that this is realistic, however, in the game you would not have any control over the position of your arms - something the real life drivers do.






LS's Tip of the week
ESSENTIAL OILS aren't essential unless you're an engine, a gearbox or a twat

We have not included hands on the steering wheel in the "cockpit" for a number of reasons including the fact the arms would obstruct the view of the steering wheel data. It could be argued that this is realistic, however, in the game you would not have any control over the position of your arms - something the real life drivers do.


yeah but when ever do you look at the lcd display when cornering? its been said before that in real life the drivers only look at their steering wheel display in a lull of a moment when driving down a straight,
so that to me sounds like bullshit.

i'm sure that given the time, crammond & co could implement the arms and make them look really good, unlike the arms in f12001 which do look wooden






LS's Tip of the week
ESSENTIAL OILS aren't essential unless you're an engine, a gearbox or a twat

to save you the bother of going all the way over there to read it

Who do you think we are?




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Do I detect a tiny bit of spite and hurt ego in sentences like The helmet view did not come from jumping into an Arrows Formula One car when no-one was watching. It came from being in an Arrows Formula One car at the kind permission of The Orange Arrows team.?

Well, well, well, I think Court has put some things straight that might have been reported incorrectly by Matti (ru-off areas). I think we should give the game a chance now and see what it's like when it's out. I am slowly getting the impression it will be better tahn we all think now.

On the other hand, only the pessimist can be surprised in a positive way ...

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REHAB IS FOR QUITTERS

hmm i wonder if matti will get invited to comment on gp5 after his post about gp4?

i bet nick court was'nt too happy about what matti put






LS's Tip of the week
ESSENTIAL OILS aren't essential unless you're an engine, a gearbox or a twat

i bet nick court was'nt too happy about what matti put

True, but wouldn't you be? He didn't exactly talk up the game did he? It was a bit naughty of Matti because he clearly didn't report the whole truth and I'm not surprised that Nick Court seemed a little irritated.




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