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, 468 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...
Studio 397 posted their development roadmap for April, 2021 today.
Here is the new information:
– Acquisition by Motorsport Games is working its way through expected legal steps.
– Screen Space Reflections (SSR) are in development (screens of Spa below).
– Lime Rock getting a PBR shader update (screens below).
– New track to be revealed next month.
– Developing a player and controls setup wizard (animated GIF shows it below).
– Various UI improvements coming to new UI such as server sorting and more.
– Next build will contain improved support for Thrustmaster and Fanatec devices (doesn’t say which).
They explained the release candidate staging system they use for releases, again, because it obviously needed explaining. It’s a system I’m not a huge fan of, and reinforces the opinion of those saying rF2 is unfinished (which it is, but… more negatively than that). Other than that they rounded up what had happened this past month.
rF2 is a simulation designed to simulate any type of multi-wheeled vehicle of any era, supports modding directly, and features an advanced physics, suspension, and tire model.
