[comp.sys.amiga.games] Indianapolis 500---is it any good???

mmoore@ux.acs.umn.edu (Malcolm Diallo Moore) (05/27/91)

The subject line sez it all...I just got thoo watching the real thing on TV
and I was wondering was the Amiga version any good, or was it some 
shitty IBM port kickin salt-listics.

Oh, in case U don't know, Rick Mears won it this time.

AdTHANXvance yall,

Malcolm "The Capital MD" Moore
----------Amiga: The One and Only.  All the Rest Can Get the Bozack.-----------
"I ain't never got gaffled like that, I used to do the gaffilin'--
McDonald's was my spot."
"Man, what you used to do??"
"Jack them motherfuckers for them Nissan Trucks.  Right in the drive thru."
----------------Straight Jackin...--------mmoore@ux.acs.umn.edu----------------

sbeagle@kennels.actrix.gen.nz (Sleeping Beagle) (05/27/91)

mmoore@ux.acs.umn.edu (Malcolm Diallo Moore) writes:

> The subject line sez it all...I just got thoo watching the real thing on TV
> and I was wondering was the Amiga version any good, or was it some 
> shitty IBM port kickin salt-listics.

I like it. It is ok on a slower Amiga (normal 68000) and is really
very good on a faster Amiga.

I've played the Amiga and PC versions extensively, and prefer the
Amiga version. THe mouse control is very nice...

   Sleeping Beagle (aka Thomas Farmer)  sbeagle@kennels.actrix.gen.nz
   Ph. +64-4-796306 (voice)      "You ain't nothin' but a Hound Dog."
       With this much posting, I must be a Post, Post Modern Man.

watters@favorite.cis.ohio-state.edu (david r watters) (05/28/91)

In article <4974@ryn.mro4.dec.com> collins@nodename.dec.com (Steve Collins) writes:
>
>In article <4003@ux.acs.umn.edu>, mmoore@ux.acs.umn.edu (Malcolm Diallo Moore) writes...
>>The subject line sez it all...I just got thoo watching the real thing on TV
>>and I was wondering was the Amiga version any good, or was it some 
>>shitty IBM port kickin salt-listics.
>
>I bought this game recently and rate it the best game I have . The No .1 
>feature has to be it's speed .Even on a 68000 the polygon rendering is super
>fast .The game realy does give you the sensation of hurtling down the tarmac
>at over 200 miles an hour.

I agree completely.  As an _AVID_ race fan/student I am also amazed at the
accuracy of the car setup parts of the game, and how CLOSE the fastest line
I have found around the track is to the line they have been running the last
few years.

>The Indycam replay feature is good also, for those
>times when you need to see how some bastard got past you on the inside or ran
>into your tail. 

If I could force myself to make one complaint, it would be that you can not
take on these different "camera" views during a race, just as a replay option.
Many of times I have been battling for the lead in a 60 lap race, only to get
forced out by some rookies mistake(I would never make a driving error! big :-))
and have wanted to watch and see how it turned out, and the cockpit of my
wrecked car is not the best seat in the house.

>The game runs great on my accellerator but sadly is not HD installable. Here
>in europe it uses manual lookup protection , the disk is copyable with amiga
>dos diskcopy , but you cant do a file copy to the HD as none of the files on
>the disk are visible.

I complain as much as anyone about this, but the games loads AMAZINGLY fast and
never touches the disk again, except if you tell it to load or save a setup.
The "look-up" stuff is only on a few pages and it is all historical knowledge
that is good to know anyways!


BY FAR, the best driving game on any system.  It and StuntTrackRacer are one
hell of a combo to have.  
 
BUT....
 
Here is what Indy 500 needs: (HELLO E.A.?!? David Kaemmer? Richard Garcia?)
 
More tracks!!!  An update for Michigan, MidOhio, etc.
 This would require shifting to be added.
RealTime camera views! Not just during replay.

Use the same graphics engine to do "Daytona 500", "24hrs. of LeMans", 
"The Italian Grandprix", etc.

A steering wheel.  You want a lot of money?  If anyone with the resources would
simply come out with a wheel/yoke that is optomechanical and compatible with
the mouse they would make some dough!  Almost EVERY driving game and flying
game supports the mouse......  so, get to work!

I would be more than willing to take a job working on these things! :-|
             
  ///\ _   '_/
\X//_/(/|//(/
--
"All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer by the stars. 
 All of us do time in the gutter, dreamers turn to look at the cars!" - RUSH
David watters@cis.ohio-state.edu  "It's 12:35... and Michigan STILL sucks."
_-_-_-__---_---_---__-_-_-____ TurboExpress : The Neo*Geo of portables _____

colas@celeste.inria.fr (Colas Nahaboo) (05/28/91)

In article <4003@ux.acs.umn.edu>, mmoore@ux.acs.umn.edu (Malcolm Diallo Moore)
writes:
> The subject line sez it all...I just got thoo watching the real thing on TV
> and I was wondering was the Amiga version any good, or was it some 
> shitty IBM port kickin salt-listics.

AMiga version is excellent, the PC version was very good too.

BUT: it is not playable as a game. it lacks a lot of playabilty, it should have
been better beta tested. You can buy it, you won't feel ripped off, the
programmer have made some real good work, you will show it to you friends, and
be amazed by the instant replay features... but if you try to play a game,
either you play in no crash mode (no interest), or are forced to run 50 turns,
and in the event of any crash between two cars you must wait doing NOTHING for 2
minutes while the track is cleared!!!

One more technical masterpiece ruined by poor beta testing...

jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup) (05/29/91)

In article <11489@mirsa.inria.fr> colas@celeste.inria.fr (Colas Nahaboo) writes:
>AMiga version is excellent, the PC version was very good too.

	It's beyond excellent.

>BUT: it is not playable as a game. it lacks a lot of playabilty, it should have
>been better beta tested. You can buy it, you won't feel ripped off, the
>programmer have made some real good work, you will show it to you friends, and
>be amazed by the instant replay features... but if you try to play a game,
>either you play in no crash mode (no interest), or are forced to run 50 turns,
>and in the event of any crash between two cars you must wait doing NOTHING for 2
>minutes while the track is cleared!!!
>
>One more technical masterpiece ruined by poor beta testing...

	This is a SIMULATION (as opposed to a game).  They got it _just_
right.  If you've ever watched an Indy race, that's exactly what they do
after a crash - they put out a full-course yellow, the pace car comes out,
and everyone lines up behind it while the track is cleared of debris.  Of
course, this is a favorite time to come in for fuel/tires/etc, since you don't
lose much (at worst you go to the end of the line of cars following the
pace car).  Of course, they don't actually have a pace car - so it's not
perfect.

	In a real race car, if you hit the wall or another car with any speed,
it really does nuke your car (and maybe you too).

	Minor quibbles:  They could have simulated indy qualifying (bubble,
etc).  However, since you have good equipment always, a good driver can 
easily qualify on the front row every time.  Though if you hit the wall and
had to use a backup the next session...  They also don't simulate weather
at all, really.  Weather _does_ occur - in different races different cars will
be faster, and the optimum setup and top speed changes.  However, you have
no way to find out what the weather is before going out (I suspect the reason
is that it's just random, and there's no "weather model").

	Note also there are 32 cars instead of 33.  Minor quibble (and I can
guess why).

	I haven't noticed any way to call for wing changes in the pits.  Maybe
it can be done - I haven't tried (pits are enough trouble - I overshoot
90% of the time).

	Other things I'd like to see: ability to watch replay from an
arbitrary spot, ability to slow-mo replays, ability to save replays, HD
INSTALL, black-flags/penalties (a nasty trick is to bump your opponent when
he tries to pass you, or a backmarker if you need a yellow to make your fuel
mileage - in a 60 lap race, you only want to pit once, but 9 boost the whole
time without yellows will give you about 28 laps/tank.  I've noticed you
never get any flats from debris in a crash area or from bumping another
car (I actually stopped after a serious bump from another car to change tires
just in case, but they seemed fine).

	And, of course: MORE COURSES!!  How about a whole championship?!
An IMSA GTP version?!  A F1 version?!  (ala the old F1 Ferrari game, which
was actually QUITE good).  Le Mans?  Hell, SCCA road racing.  Given the
engine they probably have under the hood of Indy 500, all of these should
be doable without immense problems.

	BTW, I still haven't won a 60-lap race - I'm too daring in passing
backmarkers.  I've been leading at 48, and just moments ago was leading
after 44 when I hit the wall coming out of 4, all by myself.

-- 
Randell Jesup, Jack-of-quite-a-few-trades, Commodore Engineering.
{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!jesup, jesup@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com  BIX: rjesup  
Disclaimer: Nothing I say is anything other than my personal opinion.
"No matter where you go, there you are."  - Buckaroo Banzai

Bruce_Wesson@tptbbs.UUCP (Bruce Wesson) (05/30/91)

The biggest trouble with Indy 500 is the difficult steering in any mode, joy,
mouse, or keyboard. Many people I know have just given up because of this.
The idea the graphics etc are very good, but the actuall playability is just
not there.