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...
Just when you think they can’t get any better, the gearheads at Papyrus are outdoing themselves again. Led by Papyrus co-founder and the father of PC racing simulation, David Kaemmer, the team behind Grand Prix Legends is taking the genre in a new direction – into the glory days of the past.
GPL will launch you back to 1967, to the days just before corporate sponsorship and high-tech aerodynamics invaded Grand Prix Racing. This was real racing – no chicanery, plenty of high-speed corners, and drivers who constantly risked their lives in the pursuit of victory. Including the actual teams, drivers, and cars from the 1967 season (such as the world-beating Lotus 49), GPL will challenge you to tame the greatest and most dangerous race tracks of all time.
And to ensure that this challenge is complete, Kaemmer has crafted an entirely new, fully 3D physics engine which will redefine the limits of vehicle dynamics modelling on the PC. The stated objective was to “put a car in the computer,” and that’s exactly what he’s doing. Highlighted by extremely accurate suspension and tire modeling – including wheelspin and locking brakes – this model will provide the most authentic simulated driving experience available.
The only thing more spectacular than driving these cars will be crashing them. GPL will make it possible for cars to be launched into the air, vault barriers, and tumble down hillsides. Disaster is never more than a few breaths away.
GPL will also feature the first full 3D cockpit in a racing simulation. Similar to the “virtual cockpits” found in flight simulators, this will allow you the most realistic perspective possible while also providing the ability to look left or right. And by modeling the forces acting on the player’s “head,” this view should communicate precisely what the car is doing at all times. Crest a hill and the cockpit drops down the screen, immediately telling you that the car is “light” and has less grip at that moment. Hit a wall and the effect leans more towards the dramatic than the informative.
To complete the experience, GPL is being designed for – though will not require – the latest generation of 3D accelerator cards, with native support for Rendition (such as Sierra’s Screamin’ 3D) and 3DFX chipsets. With this combination of features, GPL promises to immerse you in an experience more real than anything you’ve seen before.
Scheduled for release: Late 1997.
GPL is a simulation of the 1967 Formula One World Championship. It includes 11 tracks (10 from the real-life schedule) and allows the player to choose from seven period cars.
