MiSTer FPGA – F-1 Dream / Capcom Arcade

First time playing F-1 Dream and two things immediately stand out- how punishingly difficult it is, and the annoying engine sound. I did a couple practice rounds before recording, and was able to finally make some progress after a bit. Brutally punishing for even small mistakes at times, and requiring very precise inputs and timing for some of the maneuvering you’ll need to pull off to finish in a decent position. The CPU difficulty seems to ramp up to near-unwinnable levels on the third race, requiring a continue to get the AI back down to earth. Felt good cleanly getting through that tricky corner on the third race after repeated tries. I don’t think many people saw the end of this one in arcades. Once you’ve warmed up a bit, the racing is addicting and gets your heart pumping, so there is definitely something to the design of the game here. There’s a surprisingly fun game under the surface for fans of arcade racers whom are willing to take the time to learn the game.

From the Wiki entry for the game:
« Players start off in Formula 3000 (F3000) needing enough points (12) to progress to Formula One (F1) using either a non-turbo or turbo powered car. Although both had the same amount of horsepower, the turbo car is 20 km/h faster in both categories. Turbo F3000 cars started at 300 km/h top speed while F1 cars started at 400. Horsepower improvements for finishing a race 4th or better would see F3000 get up to a maximum speed of 360 and 460 in F1.

A choice of 4 circuits were available for both F3000 and F1 varying in difficulty and the player drives against seven other main cars in both categories. For the first race in each category, the player is given a one-lap qualifying run in either wet or dry conditions to determine their starting position. From then on the starting position is where the driver finished in the previous race. Races are then held over 2 laps (F3000) and 3 laps (F1) with pitstops optional for fuel and tyres and the player has the choice of turbo or non-turbo for each race which is also randomly wet or dry. To continue on to the next race, a player must finish in the top 6 (points were scored the same as Formula One at the time with 9 for 1st, 6 for 2nd, 4 for 3rd, 3 for 4th, 2 for 5th and 1 for 6th). During a race, the player has to avoid hazards including spectators running across the track or other cars (including extra back markers). Hitting either will cause the players car to spin. The player also needs to keep their car on the road as driving off the track will cause the car to slow dramatically. Wet tracks will cause the cars to slide wide when turning.

The game ends if the player finishes a race in 7th or 8th, their car runs out of fuel or is too damaged to continue.  »

Capcom core by Jotego. Support his patron for future arcade awesomeness, including CPS-2.
https://www.patreon.com/topapate

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F-1 Dream arcade core 02-12-2021 build

Filter: Gaussian_Sharp_05 // Gamma: Poly 2.4

Played using Hori Real Arcade Pro VX-SA arcade stick, with 1ms USB polling.

Video: Integer scaled to 1080p // HDMI to Datapath e1s capture card

Volume reduced 49% (Loud SFX!)

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|:=-Timestamps-=:|
00:00 – Boot
00:11 – Title & Demo
02:40 – Gameplay

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Live gameplay streams on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/WalrusFPGA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WalrusFPGA

=—————CONTRIBUTE—————=

None of this would be possible without the constant hard work of Sorgelig. It cannot be overstated how much he has done and continues to do for this project, since its beginning. You can support him either at his Patreon in the link below, or on Paypal, depending on your preference. MiSTer is a paradigm shift in how we can experience these classic games. This is a long-term preservation project that will continue to grow so that gamers today and in the future can experience these excellent systems as accurately and lag-free as possible. Donating what you can will help keep the updates coming. Thank you.

Patreon: https://patreon.com/FPGAMiSTer

PayPal: https://paypal.me/FPGAMiSTer

NOTE: I am not affiliated with Sorgelig and am only sharing these links as a fan of the project who wishes to see it continue to grow rapidly.

=—————–INFORM—————–=

Github link for this core: https://github.com/jotego/jt_gng

MiSTer Forum/Wiki/Github (source, guides and info): http://MiSTerFPGA.org

Official MiSTer Discord for live chat/help: https://discord.gg/4xKVg4XVYn
(Be respectful; this server is moderated. New users must !verify via Captcha.)

=——————BUILD——————=

Worldwide list of sellers for MiSTer expansion boards: https://misterfpga.org/viewforum.php?f=34&sid=74e1c5e7dae1b99284789d93194cfa0b

I have personally ordered all my parts from https://www.MiSTerAddons.com and have been 100% satisfied with the quality and service there. (North American seller. If in a different region, check list linked above for best local shipping rates.)

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