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...
Oops. Hercules announced their new Rendition V2200 video card before Rendition announced V2200. I gues we all knew it was coming, but not to this depth. Rendition will be formally announcing the chip in a few days.
Check out the details:
Hercules Computer Technology has surprised everyone–including Rendition–by announcing the Thriller 3D, a 2D/3D accelerator based on Rendition’s yet-to-be-announced V2200 chip.
Rendition plans to unveil the V2200 officially on August 18. The company had briefed the media, including Gamecenter, about the new chip under the terms of a nondisclosure agreement. However, in its August 11 description of the Thriller 3D, Hercules totally spilled the beans, much to Rendition’s chagrin. The official word from Rendition is that there was a miscommunication between the two companies as to when the V2200 would be announced. The unofficial word is much less polite, because Hercules’ blunder undermines Rendition’s public relations effort. Hercules’ release also confirms details about the V2200 that Gamecenter first reported last June.
On paper, the Thriller 3D looks like an exciting card with an excellent price/performance ratio. Equipped with 4MB of 125-MHz, 8-nanosecond SGRAM, the card will retail for $179; an 8MB version of the card will sell for $249. Hercules will build both PCI and AGP configurations. The V2200’s 230-MHz DAC will deliver resolutions as high as 1,600 by 1,200 with 16-bit color depth and a refresh rate of 85 Hz. With 24-bit color depth, the chip will produce 1,280 by 1,024 resolution at a refresh rate of 90 Hz.
The card will feature NTSC video out for use with a television set, but it will also have a video-in jack, for full-motion video capture, videoconferencing, and similar applications. Also on the mounting bracket: a jack for stereo 3D glasses, although Hercules apparently doesn’t plan to bundle a set of glasses with the card.
Hercules plans to ship the Thriller 3D sometime in September. Gamecenter will post a comprehensive review as soon as we can get our hands on the card.
