#the way i was tweaking when this released and i found out postage to the uk was like £150....
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
deltamel · 23 days ago
Text
I DID
Tumblr media Tumblr media
EVERYONE SOBBED PROBABLY
6K notes · View notes
antiques-for-geeks · 5 years ago
Text
Game Review : Formula 1 Simulator
Mastertronic / 1985 / Originally £1.99 / ZX Spectrum
Tumblr media
A promising start with a Lotus 72 F1 car on the loading and intro screen. Check out the size of the rear tyres on this bad-boy!
For many a small child, the dream of speeding along in a sports car is something of a pipe-dream. Past simple go-karts rented at a track, it becomes horrendously expensive to compete in a sport that has long been the plaything of the rich. Yes, the road to Formula One is paved in gold; yours. How far that road stretches depends on how much gold paving you (or more accurately, your parents) are prepared to lay down.
Even the competitors with the most humble of backgrounds will have made it thanks to a benefactor, be it a company such as Mercedes or individuals whose altruism may hide a burning desire to live out their missed opportunity through another.
Thankfully however, the computer revolution gaves those of us who can't afford the fire-retardant underwear, let alone anything else, the opportunity to give motorsport a go. Back in the early 1980s, games like Chequered Flag from Psion and Geoff Crammond’s Revs from Acornsoft put you in a single seater racing car, providing something of a sense of how it would be to race one around the world’s great circuits.
While these titles cost in excess of £6.95, the budget market was taken care of by Mastertronic whose title, Formula 1 Simulator tried to give you an opportunity to race ten circuits that were part of the Formula 1 season of the time. For modern motorsport fans, the names of the tracks might be familiar but the layouts will not. Much like a Hollywood actor feeling the pressure to look the way they did in their 20s while pushing 50, most circuits have had a lot of work done since 1985; Silverstone or Hockenheim as they are in the game are unrecognisable now. Even tracks that have only subtly changed over the years, like Monza seem radically different.
This however, is not just down to the passage of time; the circuits as they are realised in the game are not all that accurate. Back when Formula 1 Simulator was released, it is unlikely that track research involved taking the time to visit the circuits and capture the kind of information that would really be necessary to make this a detailed simulation. And, to be fair, the expense would not have been recouped in sales.
Tumblr media
Monza’s been on the F1 calendar since 1950; it’s a solid place to start with long flowing corners.
The turns are in vaguely the right locations; but as you go round the tracks in your car, it soon becomes clear that even on a good day you and the apex of the corner are never going to get close enough to each other to be friends. Taking any kind of speed into a corner pretty much means trundling around the outside of the corner away from the racing line, no matter how hard you steer in.
Then there’s the exit of the corner. While it's hard to get the car into the corner at speed as you try to put the power down to make quick exit, the car becomes unstable. All too often this results you being flung off the track.
You might be as good as Lewis Hamilton down the kart track of a Thursday night; you might rival Damon Hill round the Tesco’s car-park getting to the last free parking space, or you might even be a credible contender to Nigel Mansell when it comes to passing a Rover 45 round the outside of a roundabout on the A34 to Stoke-on-Trent, but these skills will not help you with Formula 1 Simulator.
Each game starts with you choosing which track you’d like to drive, configuring your car with an automatic or manual gearbox to take you through the five gears and the weather (wet or dry). This is about as much setup variation as you’ll get in Formula 1 Simulator; you don’t even get to select which team you are driving for.
Tumblr media
We’re off on a qualifying lap.
From there, it’s a choice between practicing a circuit or racing on it. Practicing doesn’t really add much here - it’s the qualifying for the race that is important. Although you can race, there is no championship to go with it. This really is a disappointing omission, the races feel a little aimless as a result. Mind you, there are times when just getting into the race is a victory in itself...
A race begins with qualifying - complete a lap of the circuit against the clock and you’re into a race. At no point are you told what time you are aiming at, which is a major disadvantage, nor is there any indication of how many laps you have to complete in the race should you get there. Everything here is implicit. You are expected to know that qualifying is a single lap by playing the game enough times.
Once a qualifying lap has been completed, then there is the race. While there are other cars on track to compete against, with no perspective on your rivals other than the graphic of their rear it becomes all too easy to hit them, either ramming into the back of them or unwittingly hitting them when you think you have passed them and resume the racing line. You really might think that this is an exaggeration but seriously, your opponents’ cars all seem to be simultaneously narrower and as wide as your car at the same time.
This game is very unforgiving; any mistake it seems and after a brief message to tell you that you’ve crashed you’ll have to start all over again. This starts to get old very quickly and what’s more, learning the tracks does not seem to make that much of a difference. With the handling of the car the way it is, crashing out feels more like a lottery, rather than down to anything else.
Tumblr media
And they’re GO! GO! GO!
Some of Formula 1 Simulator’s shortcomings come from the game having been written with a 16k Spectrum in mind. Unlike a game like Beach-Head on the Commodore 16 where the lameness could have been avoided with some careful consideration and design, many of the problems with the game stem from trying to cram as much realism as you can into such a tiny memory footprint.
Mastertronic certainly took a different approach with the title on the Commodore machines; perhaps it was for the best. While Formula 1 Simulator isn’t going to win any prizes for realism, it should at least be rewarded for being a valiant attempt to try and lever a realistic driving simulator into such a low-spec machine.
Spirit Software and the Kensington CID
Mastertronic’s Formula 1 Simulator was a re-release of a title from another company called Spirit Software who, in 1984 had released the game for the princely sum of £8.95 promising their own steering wheel add-on.
This was quite something for the time; such devices were not really seen outside of the arcades, with games like Sprint or Pole Position having basic wheels and a simple Hi/Low gear shifter.
First versions of the game are alleged to have been sent out with what has been referred to in unflattering terms as a yellow plastic ash-tray that sat on the relevant keys. We’re yet to find a picture of this device in the wild, so it might just be a reference to the instructions in the Mastertronic version that suggested using a Sellotape tin along the keys at the top at the top of the computer.
Tumblr media
The announcement from June 1984′s Your Computer magazine. [source - archive.org]
Sadly, while the cash for the enterprise readily appeared from Spectrum owners keen to try out the latest fad in games, the hardware did not and by the summer of 1984, Kensington CID (part of London’s Metropolitan Police) were investigating Spirit Software, eventually returning cheques that had not been cashed to those who had been keen to have a more realistic shot at F1 from the comfort of their own homes. Those that had been cashed, well, it seems that money was lost.
What became of the owners of Spirit Software? And more importantly the cash? It’s not entirely clear as the trail of the story dries up with the Police getting involved; presumably the enigmatic author of the game, S.C. Stephens must have sold the game on to Mastertronic, where it became a real money spinner. Across all formats, Formula 1 Simulator sold in excess of half a million copies for its new publisher...
Buying it today
Given it’s a budget title that was available just about everywhere, it’s not in short supply today. If you’re spending £5 including postage you’re spending a lot.
Commentariat
Tim : How I wish this game was different, just a few tweaks here and there could turn this from being a dog of a game into something far more playable.
The steering controls are shocking, and without the ability to change much about the setup of the car (given the release date of the game, this genuinely would be too much to ask), hobbling the game to such an extent that it’s a chore to play. The solution provided by both original developer Spirit and kept by Mastertronic, to have a control mode that needs you to roll - yes roll - a wheel across the top row of a rubber-key Spectrum’s keyboard is as much bizarre, as to how little it is future proof. Fortunately, Mastertronic also added joystick support as well as a more traditional keyboard control option.
After spending more time restarting the game after a crash than actually driving, I just pootled around Monza with automatic gears turned on at a slow speed to get into the race. Manual gears I found impossible due to their poor placing on the keyboard. I had no idea what time I was aiming for to secure pole position, so for all I knew I might be fastest. I wasn’t. Even so, I was in the race, but with no idea how long it would be. I went for it - and crashed right after passing a car.
That was pretty much it for me.
If you can afford to spend memory on a pretty title screen of a Lotus 72, you can afford to improve the in-game data. Or failing that, include a championship mode, or offer team selection, or just about anything from a long list of things that would have been cheap in memory terms, but have added a lot to the game.
With a simulation so poor it’s incredible, but entirely predictable, that Mastertronic stuck with it for the Amstrad and MSX machines instead of converting the far more playable Commodore 64 version.
If you are a driving sim fan, there is only one word for this. Avoid.
Score Lord : Hmmm. I remember this the first time round for all the wrong reasons. While many companies have taken your money and had a liberal interpretation of 28 days delivery when it came to some of their products, their kit usually turned up. Unless it’s a Spectrum Vega+.
I agree that this is hardly a realistic sim but think about what it did for society. First, it no doubt gave people the opportunity to say “I can do better than that” and produce racing titles of their own. Second, it put to bed the idea that an ashtray could be used as a steering wheel once and for all. Saved British Leyland a fortune in R&D, that.
Meat : The day I got my Spectrum, I bought this title. I was already starting to get a feel for motorsport, mostly thanks to an ever-present Nigel Mansell on the TV each Sunday lunchtime in the summer.
My disappointment as a child wasn’t the graphics or the sound, it was that the game was so hard. Even today, I like the way that the car accelerates away with a little chirp from the speaker to mimic wheelspin and that you have to brake properly into the corners. The sad thing was that it wasn’t arcade-y enough in the way it played for me and not simulator-y enough for my Dad. Formula 1 Simulator is kind of an in between sort of game with elements of both but not enough of either to make it work.
After a while I managed to get around the circuit without bouncing off to make it to the race, but when I did, I crashed more or less straight away. This cycle repeated so often I don’t really ever remember finishing a single first lap. I eventually lost interest. Even today, while I can get into the race most of the time, I don’t really want to go any further knowing that I’ll just end up hitting another car.
Due to a minor misunderstanding I was not allowed to try the Sellotape tin steering wheel back in the day, as my father misinterpreted what I intended to do and refused to let me try it out. Without my Dad to tell me otherwise, I’ve tried this as an adult and, yes, it does work but doesn’t make much of a difference. Just makes you look like a weirdo at a gaming expo.
This really seemed to be a game where the developer’s ambition was way beyond the capabilities of the technology at the time, rather than the other way round. Well, that’s how I like to think of it.
Score card
Presentation 4/10
The exciting cover art and well-drawn loading screen soon give way to a lack-lustre menu and garish colours in-game. Good choice of tracks if you had a 48k Spectrum, mind. The steering wheel control method is just, well, odd.
Originality 7/10
At a time when most driving games were top-down sprint-style games or variations on Pole Position, this certainly tried to be different and succeeds.
Graphics 4/10
Middling; the game’s colour palette is horrific, the other cars basic. The track moves nicely, but the sense of speed is diminished with a dearth of roadside objects. Corner markers while present, are so small you easily miss them, making them more or less pointless.
Hookability 2/10
Unfortunately, the game is unrewarding to play mostly because a tiny mistake means it’s all over.
Sound 2/10
While the C64 version had a cool soundtrack courtesy of Rob Hubbard, which also made it onto the Amstrad and MSX conversions, the Spectrum has some basic engine noises and that’s about all. This does add something to the game, but won't win any awards.
Lastability 3/10
Good selection of tracks, even if they are unrealistically modelled, but the unforgiving nature of the game you’d need to be a masochist to keep playing it.
Value for Money 3/10
It was £1.99 at the time of release by Mastertronic, which meant you got a half decent amount of car sim for your money.
Overall 3/10
It’s really difficult to work out if this was a valiant effort that just tried to do too much with too little, or just something that Mastertronic picked up to fill a slot in a software library. Either way though, it’s not good enough to keep you coming back.
0 notes
philstrout-blog · 8 years ago
Text
Free Playstation Store Codes
Free Playstation Store Codes
We stepped in to fix this by providing people with free PSN Cards, it took us months of planning and nearly a year of hard work, but we finally got it. It's been 3 months since we've released our website to the public and it's gone viral. If you find any Free PSN Card Code Hack that needs to be downloaded then, please avoid it. Such kind of tools contain so many virus and may harm your system. But I kept on searching and finally found many different legit ways which helped me in getting PSN Card Codes and PS4 games for free.
PlayStation Network Codes fill your PSN Wallet with cash, allowing you to download new games, DLC, and videos, as well as stream movies and music. K with Silverado Trim Package, scanning CHEVROLET on the eshop code generator no survey. If you have any questions, then please feel free to leave us a comment and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Prior to getting into why you really need an easy Response policy or how beneficial a QR Rule Generator is usually, you must know the very idea of this incredibly strong resource. You will get yours free PSN codes as soon as you compete all steps from video that you found od website.
Our Tool is developed in association with the Official SONY Team, So you can freely use our adder and get the free psn codes very easily. The PSN code generators additionally give you with a chance to accumulate membership, which is able to offer you access to even a lot of codes and games.
If the error persists, exit store and Sign-out and Sign-in to PSN at Settings > PSN. To add funds to a Sub Account, you will need to do so through the Master Account. Surely you will get all of this information and instruction after you download this free PSN Code Generator.
We offer FREE delivery on all UK orders, plus competitive postage costs on EU and international shipping on orders fulfilled by GAME. All you have to do yourself is downloading and installing the free PSN code generator. The Playstation Network (PSN) is free to employ a for regarding the PSN store and various other other gives you.
When user needs to buy a game they can visit PSN store and can buy the games with virtual currency or with the psn codes if they are available in the enough quantity for buying the game or any product from PlayStation. When you have generated your free Amazon Gift Card code you can simply write it down on a piece of paper and redeem the code in the Amazon Store.
The code generating process has started, this should not take more than 2 minutes, depending of your country. I think with the Playstation cards, you're just adding money to your wallet so you wouldn't have to use a credit card since it will be subtracting funds from your wallet.
Analysing every way to get free codes on the internet so we can bring only the best methods to you. The next gen has brought in a slew of exciting titles and in order to enjoy them all, you need prompt access to the online store besides being able to go online with ease.
You can surf the Internet on your living room television, play multi player on line games like Call of Duty, and download some free game demos. Your search is over i finally find a way to get free psn codes every day, this working for all regions. PSN signifie PlayStation Network (Réseau PlayStation), un réseau de joueurs complet organisé et tenu par Sony Computer Entertainment.
In this video i will be showing you guys how to get psn money codes for FREE within 2 minutes, check out the video for the details, if this worked for you make sure to leave a like ! Hey guys, we have finished implementing our v3 or version 3 codes into ourgenerator.
Place the ruler horizontally on the paper ps3 store codes of the first two horizontal lines and develop a mark ps3 store codes 5.5 inside. Playstation holds promotions of their games every once in a while and gives them for free. The PlayStation Code Generator allows you to create unlimited codes for you and your friends.
Start by following Psn Code Generator Tool 50640 DD5.1DTS NL Subs PAL DVDRNLU002. We succeed possible for registered users to find PSN codes without spending a dime that they may use promptly! This website comes with the ideal solution to this problem Now you can get free PSN codes in few simple steps.
Our sponsors provide us with a limited number of PlayStation Network codes that we giveaway daily. Download the program you would like to use by clicking the downloadbutton provided. In eshop code generator no survey no download, motion comes a fresh total that is commonly French but makes developed of Bitter name devices and Avoid in a 1:1 Sixaxis by motion.
The codes ar offered entirely freed from price and ar on the market in any respect times and so, is used as per convenience. To prevent Network marking IP address, select a PVT PROXY from list below running generator: We are extremely happy that we share with you type security code.
Note: It can't be the same email used by your US PSN account and should definitely be a real email you can check in case you need a password reset or something in the future. Other tweaks to the app include the ability to open the PS Store on the Android version, and comments received while streaming from your PS4 will display on your App, too.
PSN codes are like digital money that you can use to purchase recreation content material and upgrades. In this particular article, I realize a place where you can download The exorcist Elite Squadron PSP Go game together with other PSP Go games for free absolutely no additional end up costing.
Looking back, it can be said that those who have tried to get a psn code for free and failed miserably probably did not truly brief their spirit, body and mind. It is uncomplicated, initial, you must download and install our 100 % psn account recovery generator, making use of this link, then, open it, and make some codes.
We know it´s a silly question and it has probably been asked on dozens of websites that all promised you free PSN codes. The codes are not generated randomly but using a very sophisticated mathematical process, they can be determined as a result of other already used PSN codes.
0 notes