EA Sports F1 series
| EA Sports F1 series | |
|---|---|
| File:F1 Challenge '99-'02 Logo.png
Logo for last game in series,
F1 Challenge '99-'02 |
|
| Developer(s) | Image Space Incorporated Visual Science |
| Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
| Designer(s) | Image Space Incorporated Visual Science |
| Platforms | Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance |
| Release date(s) | 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Sim racing |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer, Career mode, online |
The EA Sports F1 series consists of five racing simulation games based on Formula One motorsport. The games were released annually between 2000 and 2003, stopped selling, then continued in 2006. They were developed by Image Space Incorporated (PC) and Visual Science (Console Versions).
Contents
Gameplay
The Formula One games have a variety of 'driving aids' options that can be tailored to the users' own tastes. Thus, in terms of car handling, the game can play either as an arcade racer or a driving simulation. The game also has a bunch of hidden options. Any experimented user could activate these and optimize vehicle physics for a better racing simulation experience.
F1 Challenge '99-'02
After losing the official F1 license from Formula One Administration Ltd. to a multi-year exclusive licensing contract between FOA and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (publishers of the competing Formula One series on PlayStation/PlayStation 2), ISI developed their final release hitting stores in 2003.
Because of the progressing potential of the game engine, all cars models, mechanics and textures were made from scratch for its release, in order of make them more realistic and adaptable for less powerful PCs. Also, all the tracks were created specifically for each season, resembling the real circuits.
The use of simple text files for track, drivers and cars physics parameters led to gradually make F1C as it is known, into a powerful 3D racing platform which saw from year 2003 onwards the release of mods from independent developers who posted their work for free in their web sites tuning not only cars physics, but circuit physics and of course release every time track dependent liveries and 3D models for the cars.
F1 Career Challenge
| F1 Career Challenge | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Image Space Incorporated Visual Science |
| Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
| Platforms | Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube |
| Release date(s) | Mid 2003 |
F1 Career Challenge is the console version of F1 Challenge '99-'02. It is the first F1 game which has a career mode. It is based on four seasons: the 1999 Formula One season, the 2000 Formula One season, the 2001 Formula One season and the 2002 Formula One season.
Modifications
EA Sports F1 Series was based around various known standards, such as text files for storing player data and an industry known format for circuit geometry. Many extra circuits were created for the series, especially F1 Challenge '99-'02 (often shortened to F1 Challenge or even F1C). The complete 2003 European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) was released for free, as well as one Gran Turismo game released commercially. There were also mods in the "RH" (Ralph Hummerich) series for the following seasons, RH2003, RH2004 and RH2005. All three were released for F1 Challenge. Another mod group which also have done f1 seasons for F1 Challenge '99-'02 is the CTDP group (Cars and Tracks Development Project.) These are the biggest "rivals" for the RH Modifications as they appear to develop the game as well as update it.
Some of the best F1C non-leeched and/or made-from-scratch mods published after rFactor's release, were the F1 Seven Mods by Team CREW (which represents Formula One 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975 seasons), 1989 F1 mod by BMCM3, 1950 mod by R&G, CrashKing 1993, 1995 and 1996 mods, 1998 Cart mod by Schumacher180 and iDT, 1999 Cart mod by FisicoF1 and iDT, 2006 season by JasonXP, Luigi70's 1960-1964 mods, and the GGS 2007-2011 mods by Armos.
F1 Challenge has remained highly popular amongst sim enthusiasts up until the release of the successor rFactor in 2005, a game self-published by ISI with their IsiMotor2 game engine and a plethora of plugins. Since then, F1 Challenge '99-'02 followed a natural decline with the leechers starting to raise, because most of its growing community passed to rFactor ─ including their best modelers, and the webs who hosted the biggest communities of this game, shut down years later.
Titles
- EA Sports F1 2000, released early 2000 on PC and PS
- F1 Championship Season 2000, released late 2000 on PC, PS, PS2, Macintosh, and Game Boy Color
- EA Sports F1 2001, released late 2001 on PC, PS2 and Xbox
- EA Sports F1 2002, released mid-2002 on PC, PS2, Xbox, GameCube and GBA
- F1 Challenge '99-'02, released mid-2003 on PC. Released as F1 Career Challenge on PS2, Xbox and GameCube
