Official Formula 1 Racing

Eidos/Lankhor · released 1999 · discussed in 419 posts, 1998-2002 · overall tone negative

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Timeline

1999-05-21 Eidos released Official Formula 1 Racing in the UK, after a demo on 11 May. post post

Key threads

Randy Magruder's Official Formula 1 Racing review debated 1999-07-14 · 48 posts
Randy Magruder posted his Digital Sportspage review of Eidos's Official Formula 1 Racing, and readers argued over whether a game with simplified physics deserves praise from sim racers. Magruder said he reviews for both gamers and simracers, and several posters defended OF1R as fun for quick races while others called it closer to Need for Speed. Side discussions covered ICR2's lasting appeal, split-axis pedal support, and why real drivers like Christian Fittipaldi don't take to sims.
Official Formula 1 Racing reconsidered after a bad demo 1999-08-01 · 41 posts
Joe Marques said he had dismissed Official Formula 1 Racing after the demo but enjoyed the full game as an accessible 'sim lite'. Randy Magruder defended his positive review, claiming its graphics surpassed GPL's, which drew sharp disagreement and accusations that he was an Eidos apologist. Others criticised its easy AI, kerb behaviour and force feedback dead zone, and Magruder said he had asked the developers for a force feedback patch.
Best introductory Formula One game for a newcomer 1999-07-16 · 24 posts
A newcomer with a Logitech force feedback wheel asked for an F1 game that would help him learn. Suggestions included the Official Formula 1 Racing demo, Grand Prix 2 (with warnings about PCI sound card lockups), TOCA 2 and eventually GPL. Greg Cisko disliked the OF1R demo's handling, which led to a side debate about 'car on a stick' physics and F1RS's grass penalty.
Review claims F1 drivers slow by downshifting, not braking 1999-06-02 · 28 posts
Bobby Allen quoted an Official F1 Racing review that said F1 drivers slow mainly by downshifting rather than braking, and Papyrus's Randy Cassidy asked what universe the reviewer lived in. The group mocked the claim, someone emailed the reviewer, and the review was reworded. John Wallace reported that the reviewer had responded graciously and accepted the error.
Mixed opinions on Eidos Official F1 Racing 1999-05-23 · 27 posts
Chris Wright posted positive impressions of Eidos's Official F1 Racing, saying the full game was better than its demo. Most others were scathing about the demo's handling, physics, outdated graphics and flat tracks such as Interlagos, while a few found it fun with good replays. The thread ended in a petty argument over quotation marks and spelling.
Why so few posts about Official F1 Racing? 1999-06-01 · 20 posts
Iain Mackenzie asked why Eidos's Official F1 Racing got so little discussion. Most replied that it was an arcade game with poor physics and installation problems, unworthy of a sim group, while Mackenzie defended its driving model as more realistic than Monaco Grand Prix Racing Simulation 2 on kerbs. A critical online review was cited as summing it up.