IndyCar Racing II
Encyclopedia
IndyCar Racing II is a racing game
developed by Papyrus Design Group
. It is the sequel to IndyCar Racing
, and was released in 1995. A little over a year later, the game was re-released, with a few minor upgrades, under the title CART Racing. The name change came about as a result of the CART
series losing licensing rights to the name IndyCar, after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
and IRL lockout in 1996. The game still used many contemporary drivers, chassis (Lola, Reynard, Penske) and engines (Ford-Cosworth, Mercedes-Benz, Honda). 15 circuits were included in this game with Miami (road course) and Indianapolis missing.
Although they are different games, see IndyCar Racing for gameplay details of the series.
and Windows 95
were created after the game's release to improve it. This game could be run in SVGA (640x480) and had some other changes in comparison with "IndyCar Racing", such as allowing outside cameras by pressing the "F10" key. This was very good on flat courses like the airport Cleveland track. This game has reached a huge editing community and is still popular in a few circles. This game may still work under Windows XP
or even Windows Vista
using an emulator
.
This is a description of only the DOS version of the game.
In "ICR2" the same menus that were used in "IndyCar Racing" are used:
Single race - Choose a track and have a whole race weekend there.
Championship season - Here you can start a new season or continue an existing season with the next race weekend on the Championship calendar. The calendar of the season can be changed in the main directory of ICR2. This file is to open with the standard "editor". You can change everything and add any newly installed track. Of course, these changes are only accepted when you start a new season because all options selected at the start of the season (weather type or race length) are always saved in the "season.bin" file.
Preseason testing - Choose any track and test there without any opponents or spectators.
Multiplayer race - This needs a modem connection between two computers.
Driver info - This menu allows you to alter your chassis or engine types. Also, all other drivers can be changed in their setup (names, setups, engines. That means that you could have the Team Penske have another name or have it to drive a Ford-Cosworth engine on a Lola chassis. If you have a read-only "drivers2.txt" where the names are included of course ICR2 couldn't save your changes.
The "cars" directory in "ICR2" has normally the "Cars95" set. But you can install other carsets that were published in the net. If you put another carset in the carset directory this meant that you opened a new folder and named it the same way like the "*.dat" file was named (for example "Lola1993.dat" needs a directory "Lola1993" in the "cars" folder).
If you don't like a carset you should be careful: Put in a normal carset that you don't want to delete. THEN delete the one you don't like. If you forget to do so, you have a problem with "gameopts.cfg" because in this file the name of the carset you last used is saved. I had a lot of different carsets in the cars folder and the game always worked.
Options - You can choose a lot in the options menu.
Some of the most important options:
Controls
Nowadays you also can use a Steering wheel.
Race length
You can choose a value from 1% to 100%.
Opponents strength
You can choose a value from 80% to 120%.
Exit
Different carsets with various directories could be installed. The informations of carshapes are saved in the *.dat file of the certain carset. Carshapes have been developed to represent a more realistic Lola or Reynard IndyCar or CART shape. Other carshapes were built to give the car a GTP car, a Lamborghini Countach or a Ferrari 308/328/348 look. Even a "IRL" carshape was published, which was relatively easy but evolved over time.
Other effects work included an updated "effects.dat" with updated graphics saved in this file (smoke and dust).
The "rol.dat" saved in the "ICR2/rol" directory included the graphics of the cockpit that in the game is used. A lot of editing work gave the option of showing more than the original ICR2 cockpit. Updated cockpits were available and even in-car GTP cockpits were simulated.
The "sound.dat" consisted of the sounds that were used in the game, such as, the sound of the engine that was heard running, the squealing of the tires when going through a turn, and crash sounds hitting another car or a wall. Also some pit sounds are used in the game. As time passed, the editors found a lot of real cart pit sounds and included them into the game. Even some music played in a start sequence or the end credits is saved in the .dat file.
The biggest field of changes was the track directory. Even if some tracks were not included in the beginning, they were included 10 years later. Editors never stopped publishing newer versions of certain files. First, editors managed it to convert tracks from NASCAR Racing
to ICR2. Later, they did the same thing with tracks from NASCAR Racing 2
. After the game NASCAR Racing 3
was published by Sierra Entertainment
, it took a little more time, but after that also these tracks were also converted to ICR2. Even tracks from Grand Prix Legends
could be used in ICR2. Of course, a certain degree of graphical loss was given, but the fans of ICR2 were satisfied. In addition all this work, some editors knew how to create their own tracks or real tracks that were not published at all. For example, they published an entirely new version of the 1995 Miami road course.
Before pitstops, you can “radio” your pit crew (via your keyboard’s function keys) with requests for specific amounts of fuel, fresh tires (you can swap tire compounds, even change your tire “stagger”), wing-angle adjustments (which affect traction as well as aerodynamic drag), and repairs to collision damage.
If you pass any car under yellow and the race goes green you will get the black flag. You'll have 5 laps time to pit.
Speeding in the pits is also punished. You again have just 5 laps time to serve a "stopandgo". If you don't, you will be disqualified.
, and 4 out of 5 by Computer Games Magazine
. Some reviewers commented on the extreme detail and customization of the racecar, and the ability to change any part. Game Revolution
remarked "There are thirteen different customizable characteristics to the car..." and "You could spend an entire week inside the garage just fiddling with the many ways to improve your car's performance." Finally some reviewers commented on the realism of the game, such as Gamespot, who noted "Even on the easiest of settings, driving an IndyCar is comparable to riding a wild bull."
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
developed by Papyrus Design Group
Papyrus Design Group
Papyrus Design Group, Inc. was a computer game developer founded in 1987 by David Kaemmer and CEO Omar Khudari. Based in Watertown, MA, it is best known for its series of realistic sim racing games based on the NASCAR and IndyCar leagues, as well as the unique Grand Prix Legends. Papyrus was...
. It is the sequel to IndyCar Racing
IndyCar Racing
IndyCar Racing, followed up two years later by its sequel, IndyCar Racing II, is a racing game by Papyrus Design Group. It was released in 1993...
, and was released in 1995. A little over a year later, the game was re-released, with a few minor upgrades, under the title CART Racing. The name change came about as a result of the CART
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
series losing licensing rights to the name IndyCar, after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
and IRL lockout in 1996. The game still used many contemporary drivers, chassis (Lola, Reynard, Penske) and engines (Ford-Cosworth, Mercedes-Benz, Honda). 15 circuits were included in this game with Miami (road course) and Indianapolis missing.
Gameplay
- For further information see IndyCar RacingIndyCar RacingIndyCar Racing, followed up two years later by its sequel, IndyCar Racing II, is a racing game by Papyrus Design Group. It was released in 1993...
Although they are different games, see IndyCar Racing for gameplay details of the series.
Development
This game is based on the 1989 game "Indianapolis 500" and on Papyrus' 1993 "IndyCar Racing". Little is known about the development of the game, but a demo for the game was released in 1995, and several patches for the DOSDOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
were created after the game's release to improve it. This game could be run in SVGA (640x480) and had some other changes in comparison with "IndyCar Racing", such as allowing outside cameras by pressing the "F10" key. This was very good on flat courses like the airport Cleveland track. This game has reached a huge editing community and is still popular in a few circles. This game may still work under Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
or even Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
using an emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
.
Gamemenus
With "ICR2" you can also use the Win95 version of the game.This is a description of only the DOS version of the game.
In "ICR2" the same menus that were used in "IndyCar Racing" are used:
Single race - Choose a track and have a whole race weekend there.
Championship season - Here you can start a new season or continue an existing season with the next race weekend on the Championship calendar. The calendar of the season can be changed in the main directory of ICR2. This file is to open with the standard "editor". You can change everything and add any newly installed track. Of course, these changes are only accepted when you start a new season because all options selected at the start of the season (weather type or race length) are always saved in the "season.bin" file.
Preseason testing - Choose any track and test there without any opponents or spectators.
Multiplayer race - This needs a modem connection between two computers.
Driver info - This menu allows you to alter your chassis or engine types. Also, all other drivers can be changed in their setup (names, setups, engines. That means that you could have the Team Penske have another name or have it to drive a Ford-Cosworth engine on a Lola chassis. If you have a read-only "drivers2.txt" where the names are included of course ICR2 couldn't save your changes.
The "cars" directory in "ICR2" has normally the "Cars95" set. But you can install other carsets that were published in the net. If you put another carset in the carset directory this meant that you opened a new folder and named it the same way like the "*.dat" file was named (for example "Lola1993.dat" needs a directory "Lola1993" in the "cars" folder).
If you don't like a carset you should be careful: Put in a normal carset that you don't want to delete. THEN delete the one you don't like. If you forget to do so, you have a problem with "gameopts.cfg" because in this file the name of the carset you last used is saved. I had a lot of different carsets in the cars folder and the game always worked.
Options - You can choose a lot in the options menu.
Some of the most important options:
Controls
Nowadays you also can use a Steering wheel.
Race length
You can choose a value from 1% to 100%.
Opponents strength
You can choose a value from 80% to 120%.
Exit
Editing
This game allowed lots of editing since the system was relatively easy to see through, because it used txt or similar files (cfg or unnamed file types). The main directory of "ICR2" included the calendar file which you could change to represent other seasons.Different carsets with various directories could be installed. The informations of carshapes are saved in the *.dat file of the certain carset. Carshapes have been developed to represent a more realistic Lola or Reynard IndyCar or CART shape. Other carshapes were built to give the car a GTP car, a Lamborghini Countach or a Ferrari 308/328/348 look. Even a "IRL" carshape was published, which was relatively easy but evolved over time.
Other effects work included an updated "effects.dat" with updated graphics saved in this file (smoke and dust).
The "rol.dat" saved in the "ICR2/rol" directory included the graphics of the cockpit that in the game is used. A lot of editing work gave the option of showing more than the original ICR2 cockpit. Updated cockpits were available and even in-car GTP cockpits were simulated.
The "sound.dat" consisted of the sounds that were used in the game, such as, the sound of the engine that was heard running, the squealing of the tires when going through a turn, and crash sounds hitting another car or a wall. Also some pit sounds are used in the game. As time passed, the editors found a lot of real cart pit sounds and included them into the game. Even some music played in a start sequence or the end credits is saved in the .dat file.
The biggest field of changes was the track directory. Even if some tracks were not included in the beginning, they were included 10 years later. Editors never stopped publishing newer versions of certain files. First, editors managed it to convert tracks from NASCAR Racing
NASCAR Racing
The NASCAR Racing series of video games, developed by Papyrus, started in 1994 and ended with the release of NASCAR Racing 2003 Season in 2003. Later NASCAR games were released by Electronic Arts who, through their EA Sports brand, took over the official NASCAR license...
to ICR2. Later, they did the same thing with tracks from NASCAR Racing 2
NASCAR Racing 2
NASCAR Racing 2 was the second game in the NASCAR Racing series. It was developed by Papyrus.The second edition of the series was released in 1996. The game featured more drivers than the previous version...
. After the game NASCAR Racing 3
NASCAR Racing 3
NASCAR Racing 3 is a racing simulator produced by Papyrus Design Group in 1999. Players can compete in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series with cars from the 1999 season....
was published by Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
, it took a little more time, but after that also these tracks were also converted to ICR2. Even tracks from Grand Prix Legends
Grand Prix Legends
Grand Prix Legends is a computer racing simulator developed by Papyrus Design Group and published in 1998 by Sierra Entertainment...
could be used in ICR2. Of course, a certain degree of graphical loss was given, but the fans of ICR2 were satisfied. In addition all this work, some editors knew how to create their own tracks or real tracks that were not published at all. For example, they published an entirely new version of the 1995 Miami road course.
The cockpit
In the cockpit of "IndyCar Racing II" you can choose between the speed, the rotations per minute or the amount of the laps that you can run with your fuel. You can alter all these values by pressing the letter "D". Other information that is given to you in the cockpit include your actual lap time, the fuel in your tank (gallons), the boost, the water temperature, the gear and the stiffness of the front and rear suspension. Also, the balance between the front wheel or the rear wheel braking is described in one column. A new feature when comparing "IndyCar Racing II" to the prior games was the ability to choose the level of your turbo. On the "9" your turbo was working on the maximal level. Switched to the value "1" it changed to the minimal level. This, of course, resulted in slower speeds that you could reach.Before pitstops, you can “radio” your pit crew (via your keyboard’s function keys) with requests for specific amounts of fuel, fresh tires (you can swap tire compounds, even change your tire “stagger”), wing-angle adjustments (which affect traction as well as aerodynamic drag), and repairs to collision damage.
Rules
"IndyCar Racing II" simulates the rules that prevailed in 1994, which includes no passing under full-course yellow-flag conditions and an 80-mph speed limit in the pits. This pit limit was able to been edited with the "PIT.LP" file. Changing it with a special editor makes this file on some tracks having a 50 mph pitroad speed for example.If you pass any car under yellow and the race goes green you will get the black flag. You'll have 5 laps time to pit.
Speeding in the pits is also punished. You again have just 5 laps time to serve a "stopandgo". If you don't, you will be disqualified.
Paintkit, paint shop and carshapes
You can also customize the way each of the cars look. Using the game’s built-in paint facility, you can replace some or all of the car designs that come with "IndyCar Racing" using paint jobs that you develop. Using this paint facility is only possible with the original carshape that the game came with. Other carshapes (for example the "CART2K" or the "Reynard" carsets) that were published used "more complicated" car textures and could only been edited in other paint programs.Reception
IndyCar Racing II received generally good ratings, such as 7.8 out of 10 by GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, and 4 out of 5 by Computer Games Magazine
Computer Games Magazine
Computer Games Magazine was a computer gaming print magazine. It was formerly Computer Games Strategy Plus, and before that, Strategy Plus, which had been founded as Games International in the UK in 1988. While its initial focus was on strategy games, it covered a wide range of game genres...
. Some reviewers commented on the extreme detail and customization of the racecar, and the ability to change any part. Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
remarked "There are thirteen different customizable characteristics to the car..." and "You could spend an entire week inside the garage just fiddling with the many ways to improve your car's performance." Finally some reviewers commented on the realism of the game, such as Gamespot, who noted "Even on the easiest of settings, driving an IndyCar is comparable to riding a wild bull."
External links
- Indycar Racing II playable demo at DOS Games Archive
- CART Racing Headquarters The remaining active community site for the game