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Games - Geoff Crammond


Geoff Crammond is a computer game designer who specialises in motor racing games. He claims to have little interest in motor racing, but he holds a physics degree, which may explain the realism of some of his programming.

Games

One of his early releases was Aviator, a Spitfire simulator marketed for the BBC Micro
by Acornsoft
. Although it had monochrome Mode 5 graphics and few of the ameneties of modern simulators for more powerful computers, Aviator was of unparalleled quality at the time of its release (c. 1983), with a realistic flight model that included g-forces that could tear the wings off in a dive. Applying forward pressure on the analog stick restored the wings, however! Bonus points could be earned for flying among city blocks or under bridges, particularly upside down.

Although better known for his Formula One simulation games on the PC
and Amiga
platforms, his first motor racing simulator was REVS
, a Formula Three simulator that debuted on the BBC Micro
platform in 1984. The BBC version of Revs featured just one track, the Silverstone circuit, but the realistic implementation of motor racing physics and artificial intelligence of the computer controlled components gave the game enormous depth and replayability.

A Commodore 64
version of the game, entitled Revs Plus, was released in 1986, which added the Brands Hatch track to the game. An enhanced edition of the BBC version was later released which included Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton race tracks.

The Sentinel was published by Firebird on the BBC Micro in 1986. It was a 3D puzzle game, featuring 10,000 levels, in which the player had to maneuver his way through a landscape of cliffs, trees and boulders to topple the ominous Sentinel. The game was a critical and commercial success. Conversions for the ZX Spectrum
, C64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC
, Atari ST
and PC soon followed. A sequel, Sentinel Returns, was published by Psygnosis
in 1998 on the PC and PlayStation
platforms.

Crammond's attention returned to motor racing simulators. Stunt Car Racer was a slightly offbeat driving simulation, rewarding the player for performing outrageous stunts on a number of elevated, roller-coaster-like courses. Although less serious in tone than his previous simulators, the game nevertheless used an impressive physics engine to offer a realistic driving experience. The game has a somekind of cult status especially among Amiga and Atari ST gamers.

Ever since the early 1990s, Crammond's primary focus has been on developing the award-winning Formula One Grand Prix series of games. The first game in the series, F1GP (aka World Circuit in the USA), was released by MicroProse
on the Amiga in 1992 and is essentially the spiritual successor to Revs. Around this time Amiga Power
magazine began referring to him as Sir Geoff, a running gag which has caught on with many others. The game was an instant success, earning a conversion to the Atari ST and PC platforms, but the inevitable sequel, F1GP2, remained in development for three years before eventually being released on the PC in 1995.

F1GP3 was released on the PC in 2000 but received only a lukewarm welcome from fans and critics alike. Crammond's series now had considerable competition from other developers, particularly Psygnosis/Sony
, who were licensed by the FIA to produce the official Formula One gaming titles.

F1GP4 was released on the PC in 2002 and is generally regarded as the most accurate game in the series.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Geoff Crammond ]


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