MicroProse re-leasing GP1 to GP4

[SDK]

I spent many, many hours playing these when I was younger -so it's great to see them returning with official GC approval

Available on Steam soon

https://x.com/micro_prose/status/20012463306859769...

[durbster]

Blimey, a Christmas miracle!

F1GP is where it all started for me. I had very little interest in motorsport before I played it.

[twister]

durbster said:

Blimey, a Christmas miracle!

F1GP is where it all started for me. I had very little interest in motorsport before I played it.

Strictly speaking, Chequered Flag on the Speccy was where it all started for me in terms of computer racing (I'd been into motorsport for a few years before getting my first computer), but F1GP on the Amiga was the point at which racing games stopped being either just random approximations of the real thing, or very limited attempts to replicate the real thing, and actually put in the effort to - within the limitations of the hardware - simulate everything as closely as possible. And it was therefore also the point at which I became genuinely interested in driving sims, willing to expend more time and energy on them, having previously only ever had any interest in their aviation-related cousins.

GPs 2-4 were added to the collection later on once I'd added a PC to my setup, but they never quite managed to capture my attention or imagination in the same way F1GP had done - though in fairness to them, it's not that they were bad games, more just that getting a PC also meant I now had access to far more flight sims than the Amiga had offered, and as they've always been my first love when it came to sims, my time and money was largely spent on those, leaving less to spare for driving sims...

But yeah, just F1GP itself accounted for thousands of gaming hours back then, with even more time then being spent on it again after upgrading my Amiga and being able to finally run it with all the detail settings turned up (and with the frame rate unlocked thanks to the shareware F1GP-Editor utility), so that title will always have a place in my heart, and along with Stunt Car Racer earned Geoff Crammond a spot in my personal developers hall of fame.

[andrewcliffe]

Revs was my first proper racing game on the BBC, and I was useless at it, although I had Pole Position and other arcade style games.

[FourWheelDrift]

F1GP was the first game I modded (Amiga version) as one of the magazines had an editor on it's coverdisk, you could change the colours of the cars, team names, driver names, and also make the AI cars faster.

[Ultuous]

twister said:

Strictly speaking, Chequered Flag on the Speccy was where it all started for me in terms of computer racing (I'd been into motorsport for a few years before getting my first computer), but F1GP on the Amiga was the point at which racing games stopped being either just random approximations of the real thing, or very limited attempts to replicate the real thing, and actually put in the effort to - within the limitations of the hardware - simulate everything as closely as possible. And it was therefore also the point at which I became genuinely interested in driving sims, willing to expend more time and energy on them, having previously only ever had any interest in their aviation-related cousins.

GPs 2-4 were added to the collection later on once I'd added a PC to my setup...

It was a near-identical trajectory for me (the only divergence being I stopped at GP2 on the PC due to beer and associated acitivies taking over)... 24 years later, lockdown hit and I got back into sim-racing harder than ever - I often think the 7 year old me would be so proud of what I've become!

[Downward]

Still got the Amiga and game !

[Skii]

durbster said:

Blimey, a Christmas miracle!

F1GP is where it all started for me. I had very little interest in motorsport before I played it.

I had a naughty copy from a mate (on 4 floppy discs) but bought the full game as soon as I had enough pocket money.

I still remember the big Microprose Box with yellow (F2?) car in rain tyres on the front, and the stunning user manual explaining all the circuits, driving techniques and F1 history.

Buying a Microprose game in those days was a very special thing, and yes, a passing interest in F1 turned into an obsession overnight thanks to this game.

[andrewcliffe]

Skii said:

I had a naughty copy from a mate (on 4 floppy discs) but bought the full game as soon as I had enough pocket money.

I still remember the big Microprose Box with yellow (F2?) car in rain tyres on the front, and the stunning user manual explaining all the circuits, driving techniques and F1 history.

Buying a Microprose game in those days was a very special thing, and yes, a passing interest in F1 turned into an obsession overnight thanks to this game.

I loved Microprose (and Spectrum Holobyte). The presentation was top notch with manuals, posters and lots of information.

[sanguinary]

FourWheelDrift said:

F1GP was the first game I modded (Amiga version) as one of the magazines had an editor on it's coverdisk, you could change the colours of the cars, team names, driver names, and also make the AI cars faster.

Likewise. I remember getting the editor and spending more time painting the cars than racing. I also made an analogue joystick for it using an old Futaba model aircraft transmitter and some parts from Maplins.

I still run an Amiga emulator and play Stuntcar Racer on the PC, which is still an excellent game. Not sure if I want to spoil my memory of F1 though.

[Mr Squarekins]

andrewcliffe said:

Revs was my first proper racing game on the BBC, and I was useless at it, although I had Pole Position and other arcade style games.

Ha! Revs. . I still remember the driver names, Willy Swerve and Peter Out.

[Mr Squarekins]

Also deserving a Microprose mention, Silent Service, Airborne Ranger, Gunship, Stealth Fighter.

Years of childhood staring at a screen for hours without blinking.

[Diderot]

durbster said:

Blimey, a Christmas miracle!

F1GP is where it all started for me. I had very little interest in motorsport before I played it.

I’m with you Durbster! Not my first driving game, but one of the first, Indy 500 I think was a year before maybe which I played for hours.

F1GP though. I still have the manual which came with it too. A and Z to accelerate and brake; space bar to change gear; and <> to steer. And then I got a joystick, oh and a PC that could do 24 fps. Phoenix was always my nightmare circuit though.

[wombleh]

They were great at the time, be interesting to see how they stand up to modern sims and what updates they bring. The hardware requirements on gcr4 look fairly modern.

[WH16]

Mr Squarekins said:

Also deserving a Microprose mention, Silent Service, Airborne Ranger, Gunship, Stealth Fighter.

Years of childhood staring at a screen for hours without blinking.

Microprose are on a roll at the moment re-releasing original versions or new updated versions of classics. It wouldn't surprise me if they get the treatment too soon.

FWIW, Gunship and Stealth Fighter are available in original format on Steam, I still regularly play both for bit of nostalgia.

[Mr Squarekins]

WH16 said:

Microprose are on a roll at the moment re-releasing original versions or new updated versions of classics. It wouldn't surprise me if they get the treatment too soon.

FWIW, Gunship and Stealth Fighter are available in original format on Steam, I still regularly play both for bit of nostalgia.

Thanks! I will take a look. I play a bit of Tiny Combat Area from time to time. Very similar style.

[JonnyWhitters]

Fond memories of the company and its time in the small, sleepy town where I grew up. A young kid in Tetbury in the late 80s with some bob a job activity sweeping out their warehouse and being given a bunch of games for my Amstrad was mega.

Also can remember dumpster diving with my mates for games for my Amiga outside the unit on the edge of town. Rich pickings and it meant I ended up with a decent library by the time they moved away.