SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - F1 2002 Mods - Part Two: The Classic Trans Am Series

BigBen: This Mod's goal is to recreate the experience of the golden age of Trans Am racing. This series is notable for featuring cars that were available to the general public, and all modifications were restricted to parts that were available over the counter. This meant that the Mustang driven by Parnelli Jones was not significantly different from what any racing fan could build. Auto enthusiasts could watch brilliant racers duke it out in beautiful cars that could be owned by the public at large.

There are two separate classes modeled. The O-2 class featured cars with engines from 2.0L to 5.0L, and was dominated by the small block V8 powered "pony cars". The U-2 class featured cars with engines of 2.0L or less, and showcased European and Japanese imports, alongside the occasional domestic Ford Pinto.

Our first task is to recreate the 1970 racing season, as it was the only year with full factory support from Detroit's "big three" auto makers. There were factory teams running Ford Mustangs, Chevy Camaros, Pontiac Firebirds, Dodge Challengers, Plymouth 'Cudas, and AMC Javelins. There were also plenty of privateer efforts run older pony cars and sedans. The U-2 class was dominated by Alfa GTVs and BMW 2002s, with the field rounded out by Volvo 122s, Datsun 510s, and Mini Coopers.

Classics Are you planning to make extra tracks for this mod? If so, which ones?

We are attempting to recreate the tracks run in the 1970 season, as they appeared in 1970. This is a fairly large task, and our goal may change as development continues.

Will the cars be just skins over existing cars, or all new handling created?

Massive quantities of data have been collected on the O-2 cars. Their handling will be modeled accurately based on the tires, engines, transmissions, suspensions, and bodies available in 1970. People who have driven these cars in real life should find their handling familiar, and players will find themselves turning in realistic lap times.

The cars feel large and brutish. The power generated by these classic engines requires respect on the track, and the weight of the cars rules out quick wheel corrections. That said, the cars handle smoothly and predictably, and are relatively easy for a novice driver to guide around the track. Guiding them around the track quickly though, requires significant skill on the part of the driver.

Why did you guys choose this series to reproduce?

We are, for the most part, enthusiasts of muscle cars powered by V8s. The muscle car era created some of the most amazing, most powerful, and most beautiful cars yet to grace the planet, and yet the cars are rarely found in racing games. We wished to honor them in the best way possible, by letting the public get a chance to see what made these cars so special.

What can we the public, look forward to in this mod?

You can look forward to thundering engines, smoking tires, bumping fenders, grit, oil, and blood. Trans Am racing is a perfect balance of finesse, brutish power, skill, and old school, low tech, wonderfully sculpted hunks of steel and iron.

Thanks to lower poly models and LOD files, the frame rates in GT Racing are better than in the original sim (F1 2002), and even better still with the BPR96 mod on moderate/old systems (meaning 1GHz). My question is: are LOD files being created for your mod, and what will the lowest recommended CPU be? Meaning, will it run on a 1GHz CPU system, or will it require a 1.8GHz or better to start a race with more than 30fps?

It is much too early to say what sort of frame rates will be expected, but LOD files are being created, and high frame rates are a priority for us.

The Dodge Challenger - yes, it was that color!

Could you explain why your team is waiting for the new F1 Challenge from EASports? Meaning, what advantages of this newer release are you looking forward to?

While work is certainly continuing under F1 2002, we anticipate many additional features in F1 Challenge that will improve the game in general, and our mod specifically. We expect to model visual damage in ways that the F1 2002 engine is not capable (crumpling body parts rather than simply having spoilers that pop off). We also expect to be able to model solid axle rear ends and analog gauges, two things very important to Trans Am racing, and unavailable under the F1 2002 engine. We should also see generally improved AI, graphics, netcode, and physics. That said, a decision to officially switch has not yet been made. We're waiting to see the actual product before we finalize our decision.

Is there any specific area of this project that you could use more help with, perhaps from a new enthusiast? Meaning, something that if someone were able to help, would help speed up a release?

We certainly need people who can flesh out tracks, skin cars, and design AIW files. Anyone who has a skill in some part of F1 editing, and has a desire to help can feel free to contact me or any other member of our team.

I understand that most fans want to see a release date, and that virtually all project managers regret giving even a tentative date so instead I will ask this: what, in your opinion, is the percentage of the project completion? Meaning are you 25% done, or 87% done?

It's an impossible question for us to answer. We have the majority of our cars modeled, but still need more skins and LOD files. Our interface is probably about 50% done, physics are around 75% done, and tracks are around 10% done. All of this might change as we add and lose team members, run into unexpected problems, and possible learn the differences in F1 Challenge.

Thanks for your time!

Sam Posey's Dodge Challenger

Take a look at the Classic Trans Am mod project at their web site here, and discuss the mod at their forum here.

Screenshots courtesy of the official web site and reprinted with permission. Thanks BigBen!

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