Video game development is rarely about one man, but if it was, then Terence Groening should certainly get a mention for his contributions to the genre as the man responsible for the physics of Sportscar GT, EA’s PC F1 and NASCAR games of the early 2000’s, rFactor, rFactor 2 and every title and rFpro simulator that spawned from ISI’s engine.
This interview with RSC details his early life and career, through to him joining iRacing in 2021.
RSC contains a database of 153 developers, 467 software titles, 374 cars, 42 bikes, 242 tracks and more...Originally working in military simulator design, this Michigan-based studio developed Zone Raiders for Virgin Interactive before moving to Electronic Arts for publishing their second PC title, Sports Car GT, when Westwood Studios (their SCGT development partner) was acquired by the software giant.
Known primarily for their mod-friendly SCGT and rFactor racing platforms, ISI also developed Formula One and NASCAR titles on PC for Electronic Arts, but perhaps their lasting contribution to the genre was the licensing of the isiMotor engine that allowed studios such as 2Pez, Blimey! Games, KW Studios, Motorsport Games, Reiza Studios, SIMBIN Studios, Slightly Mad Studios, The Sim Factory, Tiburon and rFactor 2‘s ongoing developer Studio 397 to begin with or release on an evolution of their software.
Another fork of the isiMotor engine, rFpro, continues to be developed and is used by a wide array of automotive companies for both road and motorsport simulation.
RSC Podcast Episode 7 – Management Simulations, F1 Managers, Always Used To Be Better?Join Jon Denton, Tim Wheatley, Simon Croft and guest(s) as they discuss sim racing and racing games past, present and future.
RSC contains a database of news items. Our #OnThisDay page shows current day and current week of years past...
RSC contains a database of videos back to the 1980s catalogued as intros, laps, trailers, unboxings and more...
RSC contains a database of emulated software you can play in your browser...
Havas, owners of Sierra, today announced that NASCAR Racing 3 will be released at retail stores in the UK in a couple of weeks.
Press release:
Racing to Retail
29/10/1999 – Havas Interactive today announces that NASCAR Racing 3, developed by Papyrus and published on the Sierra label, will ship in the UK to hit stores on November 12th.
Papyrus’ years of experience in developing racing simulations show in NASCAR Racing 3. New technology advances and significant enhancements to the graphics, sound, artificial intelligence and multi-player systems make NASCAR Racing 3 the most intense racing simulation yet.
In addition to racing against some of NASCAR’s top teams and drivers in both the NASCAR Winston Cup and NASCAR Busch Grand National Series, players will be able to build their own racing dynasties with free Internet racing.
Other new features include:
– A stunning new graphics engine that delivers cool effects including dynamic skids, translucent smoke and shadows and shaded groove
– All new 3D positional sound, which allows the driver to hear cars roaring past at 200 miles per hour, with the reverberating sounds echoing off the walls
– A highly detailed and accurate car physics model that lets the driver experience the adrenaline rush from the power of driving a 700 horsepower stock car
– Free multi-player Internet support
– Support for force feedback controllersThe release of NASCAR Racing 3 is being backed by a strong marketing and PR campaign specifically targeting NASCAR programmes on satellite channels to reach the hard-core fans and general sporting media. It is already impressing games reviewers, having scored 9.4 out of 10 from gamespot.co.uk.
NASCAR Racing 3 will be available on PC CD-ROM with a suggested retail price of Ł34.99.
Note to editors: Papyrus is the motorsports software development division of Havas Interactive. Developer of the most compelling software-based racing experiences possible, Papyrus’ best-selling products include the NASCAR Racing and CART racing lines.
Sierra is a brand of Havas Interactive. Havas Interactive is a global leader in interactive content. It is the largest publisher of entertainment software for PCs and the second largest publisher of educational software. Its various divisions – Blizzard®, Coktel, Knowledge Adventure®, Sierra, Won.net™ – are famous for releasing critically-acclaimed and award-winning titles. It has operations in the US and in Europe. It is a subsidiary of Havas, world leader in print and electronic publishing, itself part of Vivendi Communication.
N3 featured the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Grand National Division drivers, teams and tracks with the exception of Daytona and Pocono. However, Daytona was later made available via a Daytona 500 program giveaway at the 2000 Daytona 500.
A later add-on for N3 added the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and relevant content.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Expansion Pack was an official addon for NASCAR Racing 3 (1999) that added six real-world racing tracks and the 1999 NASCAR Truck and Truck Series schedule.
The pack added Evergreen, Heartland Park, I-70, Las Vegas, Louisville and Portland.
A night version of Texas was also included.
