SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - The Status of F1 Simulations

Currently the future looks bleak for the PC Formula 1 gamer. The recent exclusive sale of the Formula 1 license to Sony has effectively ended any chance of a new PC based Formula 1 game to be based on the next few seasons while Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix team are also abandoning the self pronounced pinnacle of motorsport to concentrate on a stunt car game more akin to his early BBC Micro games. Image Space Incorporated (ISI) studios recent F1 Challenge '99 - '02 is the last to be launched by Electronic Arts for the foreseeable future. So what is in store for the you or I with our force feedback steering wheel and newly upgraded computer?

Ubi Soft, Microprose and Electronic Arts have been entertaining us for the last seven years with their frequent releases of Formula 1 titles. Ever since Grand Prix 2 modeled the 1994 season, at least one racing sim has been released to cover each year. Although the standard of simulations has varied (as has their reality) the PC gamer has had the opportunity to at least attempt to emulate the moves he or she sees on Formula 1 broadcasts worldwide.

As anyone au fait with gaming knows, the past few years have seen a pronounced change in emphasis regarding games development. The importance paid to new games has been lessened by modifications and 3rd party patches to the extent where game sequels have frequently been surpassed by mods released some months before (a particular case in point being the official add on/sequel Grand Prix 3 2000 season). As F1 simulations have grown more sophisticated, so have the patches. The initial modifications made to Grand Prix 2 tended to be focused on changing the sponsors of the cars to reflect the changes in the season. The mods to the tracks and car shapes following a discreet distance behind. Now engine and grip physics, driving style, setup dynamics and hundreds of other components are ripe for modification. Fundamental changes in the rules can be addressed just by changing a few parameters in the physics model.

The two images left and above are from Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 4.

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