''Formula 1'' is a 1996

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic raci ...

developed by

Bizarre Creations Bizarre Creations Limited was a British video game development studio based in Liverpool, best known for their racing video game, racing titles ''Metropolis Street Racer'' (Dreamcast) and the follow-up Project Gotham Racing, ''Project Gotham Rac ...

and published by

Psygnosis Psygnosis Limited (; known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Het ...

for

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. It is the first installment in Psygnosis' ''Formula One'' series. ''Formula 1'' is based on the 1995 Formula One World Championship. It is distinct from its sequels because it was made at the end of the season, meaning that it features driver substitutes. The game also allows two players to compete against each other either head-to-head or with other computer cars via the PlayStation Link Cable. Both players may then compete over a 17-race Championship season, or in a single race of the player's choice.

Gameplay

''Formula 1'' contains 17 tracks, 13 teams and 35 drivers. If a player is to complete a season after winning every race, and leading the Constructor's Championship, a special hidden circuit is unlocked. The track is a fictional lower-level city circuit called Frameout City, which when viewed at the Race Preview page is in the shape of a Formula One car. The only way to keep the track available is to save just after having completed the season, then loading the data at the next turning on of the console. Later tracks have 24 competitors on them instead of 26 because Simtek pulled out of the actual championship after the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the wo ...

. It is still possible to drive a Simtek on any course after Monaco, creating a field of 25 drivers. If two players are playing the game via the link cable setup (where players would connect two PlayStation consoles together with two copies of the game), it is possible to play as both Simtek cars, thus creating a field of 26 drivers on any course after Monaco. Every starting grid (in dry races) is the same as the real 1995 Grand Prix, timing included.

Development

The track models in ''Formula 1'' were modelled from surveyors' track data. The designers started with

wire-frame model In 3D computer graphics, a wire-frame model (also spelled wireframe model) is a visual representation of a three-dimensional (3D) physical object. It is based on a polygon mesh or a volumetric mesh, created by specifying each Edge (geometry ...

s of the track data, then exported these from their

Silicon Graphics Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and soft ...

workstations to a custom

Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft and the first of its Windows 9x family of operating systems, released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995. Windows 95 merged ...

track editor. The track editor was used to reformat the tracks so that they could be used in-game, before exporting them back to the SGI workstations where scenery and other details were added in. To create the in-car sound, a

Digital Audio Tape Digital Audio Tape (DAT or R-DAT) is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a Compact Cassette, using 3.81 mm / 0.15" (commonly referred to as 4 mm) magnetic t ...

was strapped to a driver. Car models were created based on a combination of information provided by FOCA and real life photographs of the cars. The result was that all car models were unique rather than just a single model with different coloured "skins". Though Psygnosis was the game's publisher, development team

opted to create their own 3D engine for the game rather than utilizing the one from the Psygnosis hits '' Wipeout'' and '' Destruction Derby''. To reduce demand on the PlayStation's processor without significantly reducing the game's visuals, the developers programmed a level of detail method so that when a car reaches a certain distance away, it switches from its normal high-detail model (composed of 440 to 450 polygons, depending on the car) to a low-detail model composed of only 90 to 100 polygons. The game's original release date was pushed back to allow the developers time to make last-minute tweaks, fix bugs, and make the complex graphical changes needed to remove cigarette and alcohol advertising, which is illegal in video games in some parts of the United States. Probe Software started work on a port of the game for the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...

in 1997. Psygnosis's Formula One license had expired by this time, presenting a potential obstacle to this conversion being released. It was cancelled by June 1997.

Commentary

This game saw the introduction of in-game commentary, which was done in the English version of the game by

Murray Walker Graeme Murray Walker (10 October 1923 – 13 March 2021) was an English motorsport Sportscaster, commentator and journalist. He provided television commentary of live Formula One coverage for the BBC between 1976 and 1996, and for ITV (TV netw ...

, the German version by Jochen Mass, the French version by Philippe Alliot, the Spanish version by Carlos Riera and the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

version by Luigi Chiappini.

Soundtrack

The in-game music – credited to "Overdrive" – was composed by Mike Clarke, who worked in-house at Psygnosis at the time, and Stuart Ellis, a session guitarist from Liverpool and owner of Curly Music, an independent music retailer. The soundtrack also features the songs "Juice" by

Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai ( ; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a Transcription (music), transc ...

(from '' Alien Love Secrets''), as well as " Summer Song" and "Back to Shalla-Bal" by

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...

(from '' The Extremist'' and ''

Flying in a Blue Dream ''Flying in a Blue Dream'' is the third studio album by guitarist Joe Satriani, released on October 30, 1989 through Relativity Records. It is one of Satriani's most popular albums and his second highest-charting release to date, reaching No. 23 ...

'', respectively).

Reception

The game was a best-seller in the UK. Worldwide sales across all computer and console versions of ''Formula 1'' surpassed 1.7 million units by August 1997. In August 1998, the game's PlayStation version received a "Platinum" sales award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), indicating sales of at least 200,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The PlayStation version was reasonably well-received, with critics generally commenting that the realistic handling and real-world Formula One elements make it an ideal game for the hardcore racing fan. Some reviewers added that the game was too complicated and difficult to appeal to those looking for arcade-style racing or multiplayer gaming, though most praised the selection of modes as opening up the game to both novices and experts. Critics were more divided about the graphics. Todd Mowatt wrote in ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...

'' that "the fluidity of the animations were not that realistic in terms of the way a real race car would handle", ''

GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...

''s Air Hendrix praised the detailed cars and sense of speed but complained of break-up problems, and '' Next Generation'' hailed the graphics as a major leap over the first wave of PlayStation games. ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' called the game "a high-octane masterpiece", while ''Next Generation'' said that ''Formula 1'', with its "exquisite" graphics, wide range of challenges, and startling amount of depth, is the game that changed everything in the racing genre. PSM gave the game 9/10, praising the AI, and called it a PS1 killer app of 1996. Reviewing the PC version in ''GameSpot'', Tim Soete praised the graphics and audio commentary but found the lack of depth and realism in the driving made the game become dull after a short while. Review aggregation website

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

provides an average rating for the PlayStation version of 87.75% based on 4 reviews. The PC version received an average rating of 56.40% based on 10 reviews.

References

External links