| Revs | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for the original Acornsoft release of Revs |
|
| Developer(s) | Geoff Crammond |
| Publisher(s) | Acornsoft, Firebird, Superior Software |
| Designer(s) | Geoff Crammond |
| Platform(s) | BBC Micro, Commodore 64 |
| Release date(s) | BBC - 1984, C64 - 1985 |
| Genre(s) | Vehicle simulation game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | Cassette, Floppy disk |
| Input methods | Keyboard, Joystick |
Revs is a 1984 Formula Three simulation written initially for the BBC Micro by Geoff Crammond and published by Acornsoft that is notable for its realistic simulation of the sport and as a precursor to its author's later work on Formula One Grand Prix and its sequels.
The BBC Micro version release featured Silverstone as its one track. There was also an expansion pack Revs 4 Tracks (released in 1985) which added Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton tracks to make a total of five. An enhanced edition of the BBC version was later released by Superior Software/Acornsoft which included all 5 tracks. The enhanced edition also included possibly the first racing simultation 'driving aid' - steering assist. This hugely improved gameplay and made it possible to truly appreciate the game which essentially set the scene for today's grand prix, touring car and rally based racing simulations.
Revs was later ported to the Commodore 64, with the standard game providing the Silverstone and Brands Hatch tracks. The 4 Tracks pack for the Commodore (released under the title Revs +) included the Nürburgring, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Donington Park circuits.
Unlike most contemporaneous racing games, Revs featured a full 3D environment with polygon-based graphics allowing the player to drive the wrong way around the track or even away from it completely. Unusually for the time, the track and terrain were not planar, but undulations in the ground were reproduced. The game was noted for its ingenious use of the BBC's hardware in achieving its display: such was the difficulty in squeezing the game into the BBC's limited memory, part of the game code actually occupied part of the screen memory - whilst this would ordinarily have been distractingly visible, timer-based manipulation of the BBC's display palette had the effect of turning all the 'code pixels' blue - thus hiding it in the game's sky!
The game featured an advanced AI for control of the opponents' cars, which were driven by individual characters, as described in the extensive manual, with humorous names. Johnny Turbo and Max Throttle were usually the fastest opponents, whereas Miles Behind was usually the slowest. It is not clear if any perceived differences in driving style, beyond outright speed, were as a result of different code or player imagination.
The full grid comprised...
- "Mad" Max Throttle
- Gary Clipper
- Desmond Dash
- Johnny Turbo
- Percy Veer
- Davey Rocket
- Gloria Slap
- Wilma Cargo
- Sid Spoiler
- Harry Fume
- Hugh Jengine
- Dan Dipstick
- Willy Swerve
- Billy Bumper
- Roland Slide
- Rick Shaw
- Miles Behind
- Slim Chance
- Peter Out
- Dummy Driver (only visible in the game's disassembly - this driver spot was replaced with the user's driver name and appears to have been present to make up the standard driver roster to the full 20 drivers)
The dashboard of the player's car did not display a speedometer. Instead it was dominated by a large, centrally-mounted tachometer. This may have influenced the choice of name for the game. The manual stressed the importance to the driver of knowing engine speed rather than car velocity, and Formula 3 cars do not have speedometers in any case, but it is possible that hardware limitations were responsible for the omission.
External links
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