1994 - version 4.1

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Having released version 4 of the 1994 mod earlier this year, I've continued to chip away at 1994 content and there have been numerous updates since that release. Some of that work has been on hold whilst I was creating some 2022 content for you, but now I'm happy to present to you an updated version of the mod, version 4.1.

What's new? 

New Benetton B194

Shortly after the release of the 1994 Mod, I quickly started work on the 1994 Benetton B194. The car was completed and released earlier this year in July, and the car is now included in the mod. This comes with track specific textures from Spain to the end of the year, not previously released. Track specific shape updates have not yet been done, that will be at a future date. 

As well as the car and new liveries, I've added the external steering wheel and created a new internal cockpit, which are available if you choose to race as one of the Benetton drivers.

New Minardi M193B

Similarly, I completed and released this car (after the mod was released) earlier this year in September. Whilst this car only appears in one race in this mod (the Spanish GP), the car will provide a great base for the M194 when I eventually come to do that. But until then, you can enjoy this car in the mod. Like the Benetton, an external steering wheel has been added.

Updated Ferrari 412T1B

My Ferrari has had a few minor updates since I released the stand alone car in the v4.0 mod. This time, I've gone a little further. The mirrors and rear light are taken from my 1995 Ferrari, and the front wing pylons and all the bodylines have been refined. I've also completely recreated the textures, although they are very similar to the originals. Previously, I created the original textures in PaintShop Pro, and then I lost the original file with all my layers and vectors and with it my motivation, and that's when Kedy and Aus_Doug helped me over the line. 

I wanted to update some parts of the textures to bring them in line with my more recent cars, so it didn't take too long to recreate the whole car's textures. This includes a deeper red colour and a more accurate NT texture. Lots of little changes really, but overall I think it looks a lot better.

New Shoei helmet shape

I'm grateful to ASR Formula and EKO Sim Racing for allowing me to use their Shoei X4 helmet, and whilst I did a few shape additions initially, Oggo got his hands on it and made many impressive updates to bring it in line with his already excellent Arai helmet.

Alesi's helmet is from Oggo's excellent 1993 helmet set, but for all the other 5 drivers who used the Shoei helmets, I've remade these helmets from scratch and included all their track specific helmets in the mod. There are variations where drivers did not run a visor strip, and also a fully reflective version where you cannot see the face through the visor.

Shoei X4 helmet by Oggo, Fongu, EKO Sim Racing, ASR Formula and Alesi_Fan

Pit props

Thanks again to Oggo for opening up a whole new avenue of editing in GP4 and pitprops is one of them. So I've created new front and rear jacks, a new car stand, a new hose, a new lollipop and new wheel guns. With them comes new textures for most teams, not all, as photos are limited. Again, you have to choose a driver to see the different team specific lollipops and front jacks.

External Cockpit Camera angles 

With my cars, I've been trying to bring more and more detail to the cockpits of my 1994 cars. However you couldn't really see them in game, and my make-shift importing the dashboard into the internal cockpit isn't the ideal soluton. So I've updated one of the external camera angles on each car that serves as a driver's eye view. I based the view off some YouTube videos where cameras were attached to helmets. With that, I've started to do some more external steering wheels. These will probably be updated with better quality ones at a later date.

CSM updates

Thanks to all those who have either spotted bugs in the v4.0 release, or have offered recommendations for updates. In the CSM menu, I've removed the fogging option, and replaced it with an option to not run the new DirectX file from crossire, thanks to the community for the feedback on this one. There are also a number of fixes to various codes, track specific designations and some graphics. 

Steering Wheel Font

This is not really worth mentioning, but I have amended the steering wheel font colour, which will only be visible in qualifying and practice modes. Duffer has made a great little tool to edit this for the first time. I only really did this update because I can, not for any realism reasons.

GPxPatch Cinfo

I'm not entirely sure who the original author of the pre-race grid graphics via GPxPatch was initially, but I added a few Grand Prix in HD in the initial v4.0 release. I've now completed the pre-race grids for all races and amended it to now shows on all cameras. The data is based off real life qualifying grids, so it doesn't reflect the qualifying times in your game, nor does it necessarily reflect the drivers racing in game. But I still think it's a nice touch to have. 

Happy Birthday GP4! and 1994 v4.0 Released

According to Wikipedia, the fount of all knowledge of course, it's GP4's 20th birthday today! 

The longevity of this game is quite staggering, and whilst it's diminished in popularity from its hey day, it still attracts some of its most valuable contributors. Whilst some have departed, many can't help but return. Whether you enjoy playing the game, watching races, playing your favourite seasons recreated to incredible detail, time trialling, offline leagues or youtube content creation, this game continues to live on. The influence, nostalgia, and content and legacy of this game continues to influence more modern games to this day, a testament to the committed users and modders of Geoff Crammond's game. 

To celebrate this momentous occasion, it seems like the perfect time to launch the 4th version of the 1994 Mod. 

Much has been written about this mod already, so I won't repeat myself here, but it brings me great joy to have the GP2 sub-mod included in this release. 

The only thing to say is that this is not the finished product, there's things in there that I wish were better, and there's more WIP content, but time has defeated me. Having said that, the mod is now over 7GB big, and comes in 5 updates. The Mod will install a new instance of the 1994 Mod using CSM by Zaz, so you can still keep v3.0 and earlier if you wished. I also recommend that you use the 1994 trackpack by Cleberpister and Plodekk. 

I'm indebted to the many authors who have been working on 1994 content for well over a decade. 

Konstantin (Mckey415) - 3D models, menu art and lots more...

Diego (Öggo) - Car textures, 3d models, individual tyres tweak and lots more...

Tony (btone) - Pitcrews, perfs, PLUS, loading screens and lots more...

Kev (fongu) - CSM update, 3D cars and more...

Loren (Loren) - 3D models and car textures

Manuel (Hagi)  - Helmet textures

Ulf (Alesi_Fan) & Ruben (Turbo_Lover)  - Rims & tyres, and Ruben for mod v3.0

(Gecko) - Cockpit shape

Douglas (AusDoug) - Helmet alpha layers

Carl (Carl_gpgames) - GP2 menu data, 1993 3D steering wheel

(Alesanchez) - Track specific liveries, Cockpits, some rims

Matteo (MSchumi24)    - CSM coding fixes

Andriy (Mituro_Sano)   - Sounds

(RF900R)  - Lotus early season model

(Jdaddle)  - Sauber Tissot livery

Peter (Petrus) - Some GPaedia and previews

Jurgen (quickslick) - Pitboard fix, logo finder and more...

David Marques  - F1C content sources

Kerley (KerleyF1) - Jordan helmets at Brazil and testing. 

crosire - DX8 to DX9 converter

Frank (Whills) - GP2 shape conversion and remastered

Zaz for CSM, TSM and all the rest of it :)

All the helpers, supporters and testers along the way.

Download link  

Download update 1
Download update 2
Download update 3

Download GP2 update

GP4: 1994 Mod v4.0 - Coming Soon - part 4

I mentioned briefly a third mod without giving too much away before now. I also mentioned that there were alternative menu options available for those who want a bit of nostalgia with GP2 menus, music and loading screens. 

I came across the Grand Prix Evolution mods for rFactor and Automoblista by Whills, where he basically recreated and remastered F1GP, Grand Prix 2 and Grand Prix 3 cars and made them playable in modern sims. So I got in touch with him and I'm grateful he shared with me his source files for the GP2 cars, helmets, tyres, cockpits and helped me out extracting some more stuff from the old game. 

The third mod option is GP2 in GP4. Yes, this is the nostalgia version of the basic mod. I've brought the original GP2 car and liveries, helmets and tyres into the game, and also semi-converted/semi-created a hybrid cockpit shape in the spirit of GP2. This goes great with the menu styles, and I'm working to get the sounds into the game in the near future.

I've also got GP2 performances (which are different from the main mods), which in terms of spread of BHP values, I personally prefer. I'd like to find a way of extracting some of the physics, but actually it feels pretty similar to GP2 as it is. 

This was a fun little endeavour, and Whills put lots of great effort into his mods, but for GP4, this is just a bit of fun. GP2 was the first of the Geoff Crammond series that I ever played, and though I am able to fire up the old game using DOSBox, this alternative gives me all the nostalgia I crave from the old game. 

Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix PC games series - Part 3

Competition for F1 games had increased by the late 1990s and into the early 2000s. Whilst Grand Prix 2 was the standard setting game, Grand Prix 3 barely clung onto that mantle. Much of the promised features, like a new graphics model were all missing from the already late game. So in 2002, Grand Prix 4 (based on the 2001 season) was released that gave us these promised features. Unfortunately, this would be the final game of the series of F1 games, as Infogrames went out of business, dispanding Microprose and Geoff Crammond's team. Still, nearly 20 years on, the game is still installed and regularly used on my PC.

The physics did not disappoint, having close links with Arrows Grand Prix team in its development. GPS maps were used to give us the most accurate tracks at that time. Motion capture was used for the pitcrews. The game is a development of the previous versions and once again sets the standard for F1 simulation games. Sadly, the game was riddled with bugs and a patch had to be released.

EA Sports was the main rival, with their final title, F1 Challenge (F1C) having a similarly devoted modding community. For me, and I speak of my own personal preference, I preferred GP4's graphics, I preferred driving in GP4, and so I never really devoted much time to that series of games.

I always drove on the keyboard, and it was fairly easy to pick up on GP4, but the main complaint was that it felt like it drove on rails. If you were on the racing line, it would be fine, but if you ventured too far off it, you were either dragged back towards it, or you were off the track. It meant you couldn't really find different lines or find much way to gain an advantage. It wasn't until many years later when I used a steering wheel that I began to truly appreciate the driving as a racing sim.

The graphics engine was new and there were separate car shapes for each car and a damage model that broke parts off your car depending on where you damaged it. Immediately, I was excited about the modding community and potential. I was looking forward to GP4edit, but it quickly became clear that it was not going to happen. SDI had produced the excellent GPXpatch which can be used for GP3 and GP4 that brought many great tweaks to the game. Updating the game was time consuming to learn, and the new graphics engine didn't run too great on my low-end PC. A new community grew at Grand Prix Games which is still active today, a place where I have spent many happy years being a part of:

www.grandprixgames.org

Initially, there were simply graphical updates to the cars, before zmodeler allowed car shapes to be edited. There grew excellent modding groups in the Netherlands and in Italy, and a group called CTDP produced some excellent cars for F1C and GP4 in the early days. It took a few years for tracks to be unlocked and to be able to be edited. GP4 tweaker and Zaz tools were also developed that allowed more and more of the game to be customised. 

I have dabbled in texture editing, but it's not really one of my strengths. My leanings were towards car shaping and around 2005, I decided I would learn how to use zmodeler. Initially, it was simply editing car shapes that existed, until I gained enough confidence to create my own models. I hope in future blogs to revisit some of the cars I have created as well as showing my most recent work. 

I suppose that writing now in 2019 that I am not the only one playing with a game that is 17 years old is a testament to Geoff Crammond and the Microprose team of the quality and scale-ability of this game. Though it was never the intention of the creators that such a modding community would tinker with so much of the original game, it has ensured its longevity. It's a shame the series stopped here after Infogrames went out of business, as many had hoped that a fine-tuned GP5 would continue to push the boundaries of F1 PC simulation games. It wasn't really until Codemasters took over the production of F1 games for the 2010 season that moved it forward - however, I can't put my models into any of those games, and whilst I love the driving element of the recent F1 titles, my love for car-shaping has lead me to stick with GP4 until now. 

Read Part 1

Read Part 2

Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix PC games series - Part 2

Eventually, I got myself a copy of Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 2 based on my favourite season, 1994. What was a bonus was that I got a copy of Geoff's Grand Prix Manager 2 as they came together in a pack. 

Grand Prix Manager 2, based on the 1996 season, was brilliant for its time, and it set the standard for F1 management games for at least a decade. It had so many different elements, my favourite element, as always, was developing the car. But you had to manage drivers, do you spend more money on a top star, or do you save money on a young driver with potential, or even risk taking on a pay driver and concentrate on development. You had to manage strategy, sponsors and develop your facilities and it really helped me learn how to juggle lots of different elements to make the whole operation function as a whole. 

Before I move onto GP2, I have to make mention of the manuals. Sadly I don't have them anymore, but they did more than help you get the game going, because they had introduction to the drivers, the teams, the circuits as well as some of the events that occurred during their respective seasons. It was quite the bonus to have a great little book along with the game. 

I was so happy to play GP2, and I spend plenty of enjoyable hours on that game. I loved that it was a simulation game rather than an arcade game, how setups really affect how you drive the car, the realistic tracks compared to other games, how to manage the locking up of your brakes when driving on the keyboard and so many other elements. I also enjoyed that there were different types of retirements, and if you broke your front wing, you'd have to pit to get a replacement. One of my favourite elements of the Grand Prix series is director mode, you don't have to race, but you can watch the race by choosing trackside or on-board cameras, or letting the director take charge of the feed. Accelerated time was also a very nice feature. This game set the standard for F1 games at the time and though I tried some other racing games, this was still my favourite.

What gave the game longevity was I discovered that there were tools and mods available to edit the game. GP2edit enabled pretty much every element of the game to be edited, and whose website still exists: 

http://grandprix2.de/Util/gp2edit/gp2edit.html

I dabbled at updating cars for myself, but I was never really any good at it. But there were many talented artists and modders out there that I was happy to download and use their work. 

In 2000, Grand Prix 3, based on the 1998 season, was released albeit a little late and out of date. An improved graphics engine was welcome but a step backwards for me was that all the teams shared the same carshape. Still, I was pleased with an evolution of the game and to my delight, GP3edit and more mods were developed online. However this time, there was a carshape editor. Unfortunately, you could only amend the existing shape, but at least you could change it from season to season. 

I came across a talented group of modders called EMAC and particularly Ralph Hummerich: http://emac.sportplanet.emacberry.com/index.html

For me, these guys set the standard for GP3 mods at the time. 

I enjoyed GP3, the game was a step up from GP2 and was fun, but I think in my heart, I never really loved it as much as I did GP2. Still, it had a great physics engine, reasonable graphics, and the AI were sensible and fun to race against. I never bothered with GP3-2000, especially as I heard that GP4 was being developed. 

Continue to part 3

Go Back to part 1

Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix PC games series - Part 1

From being an F1 fan, and loving video games, naturally I became a racing sim enthusiast. I had a SNES and enjoyed 'Exhaust Heat' and 'Pole Position'. I enjoyed Exhaust Heat because you could earn money and buy new parts and customise your car, but the tracks were quite poor. Pole Position had nice graphics, but I never really liked the steering input.

 

But it was the humble BBC computer that I inherited with a game called Revs on that I really enjoyed. Little did I know this was Geoff Crammond's first racing sim game.

It was an old game on an basic machine, but I loved that it wasn't an arcade game, but attempted to give you a better driving sensation. I never really got particularly good at the game, but I appreciated I needed to learn the skill to keep the car on the track and not spin every corner. My memories of this game are patchy, but what I do remember is spending lots of time on this game when I had the chance. 

When I finally got a PC to replace the BBC machine, it was time for a new game. My friend had Grand Prix 2 (I had no idea it was by the same Geoff Crammond at the time), and I loved it. I had all the same respect that I had for Revs, but it was based on the season I got into F1, 1994. But when my mum came back from the shops, I received the original Grand Prix. I was a little disappointed, but I endeavored to enjoy the game whilst trying to save up for GP2.

In the end I was glad to have owned and played the original Grand Prix game. I learnt how to drive, I learnt the tracks, and I learned a bit about the 1991 F1 season, but all the time, my heart was set on getting myself a copy of GP2.

Continue to part 2

Welcome to my GP4 blog

Hello and welcome to my blog.

I'm Kev (aka fongu, a moniker I've had for around 20 years) and I've loved making cars for GP4 for nearly 20 years and I also enjoy collecting 1/43 models. In this blog, I hope to show you some of my current works for GP4, and maybe look back at some old ones, and I will start doing some 1/43 scale F1 model reviews overtime.

I've always loved cars since I was a little boy, but occasionally I'd catch a little bit of the end of a Grand Prix when the TV was on, but I'd never watched a whole race before. I remember being  intrigued when Mansell won the championship, and kept remembering seeing a young German by the name of Schumacher on the podium in 1993. So come 1994, again I caught the end of the first race in Brazil and thought I'd make some effort to try and watch it, but not really knowing when the Grand Prix would pop up.

But it was on Saturday 30th April, 1994 that I caught the news that Roland Ratzenberger had lost his life in practice for the San Marino Grand Prix. I was going to be out on Sunday, but I set my VCR recorder to tape the race in the morning. When I got home, I was disappointed to find that I forgot to rewind the tape to catch the whole Grand Prix, it only recorded up to the end of lap 3 (thankfully!).

I watched the build up, from Ruben's horror crash, but lucky to get away without major injuries, to reports of Roland's brief career. And then the race start saw J. J. Lehto in the Benetton stall on the grid as the field sped past him. But Pedro Lamy in the Lotus did not have enough time to react and BANG into the back of the Benetton. Then out comes the safety car and my video ended. Dramatic, sad, engaging, full of tension; I was hooked.

I went to sleep and turned on the news the next morning to find out a few laps after my video had stopped, more tragedy. I was 10 at the time and pretty glad that I didn't see the accident nor the prolonged footage from the stoppage. But though I was new to the sport, I was deeply struck by Senna's death. I heard clips from the post-race press conferences, would Schumacher continue his career? And would Gerhard Berger, ex team-mate and friend to Ayrton and fellow Austrian with Ratzenberger, tearfully considered the same thing in front of the cameras. The emotions were gripping and I was keen to know how all the drivers and teams would move on from the tragedy. I don't watch the sport for crashes, I don't wish anybody be hurt in motorsports, and I'm pretty squeamish and I have to look away when I see a crash and I know the driver gets injured. But it was the human emotion and reactions and how to move on from such tragedy that got me interested. 

I don't remember much about the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, except that Andrea de Cesaris ended up in a coma following his crash in practice. Schumacher duly won his fourth race in a row. Onto Spain and I remember Schumacher's brilliant drive when stuck in 5th gear for two-thirds of the race. Though I acknowledged that Schumacher was brilliant, my patriotic side was glad that Damon Hill won, from the same team as Senna and for the rest of the season, it was the Brit who I wanted to win the Championship.

I loved the racing, but it was the technical side that drew me in. I loved it wasn't a spec series, that every constructor made their own car, and I loved the different aerodynamic solutions: high nose/low nose, anhedral lower rear wings to double-decker rear wings, how many barge-boards can you go and how would the teams handle the mid-season regulation changes. I suppose that's where my fascination with F1 and aero-surfaces comes from. 

25 years on, and I still love F1, and I'm still fascinated by the drama of the 1994 season. 

Read my GP4 Story: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Read my model collecting story: Part 1