Retro Racing December 2021 – Star Wars Episode 1 Racer (1999)

Join the OCAU Retro Driving Club in a different retro driving game each month and see who can lay down the fastest lap!

The Game of the Month:

Star Wars Episode 1 Racer – 1999 Everything.









The Game Description

Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a 1999 racing video game based on the podracing sequence featured in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The game features all of the racers and race course on Tatooine featured in The Phantom Menace. It also adds several new courses, some on Tatooine, others on various planets. Several single player modes, including a tournament mode, are available for play. It also features multiplayer, the format of which varies by platform. Jake Lloyd and Lewis MacLeod, who portrayed Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba in The Phantom Menace, reprise their roles in the game.

Episode I: Racer received generally positive reviews from critics. Several major media outlets listed it as one of the top Star Wars video games. As of 2011, the game holds the Guinness record as the best-selling sci-fi racing game, having worldwide sales of 3.12 million and beating other series like Wipeout and F-Zero. Two titles featuring podracing were released after Episode I: Racer's release. Star Wars: Racer Arcade, an arcade game featuring many similar tracks and characters, was released in 2000. A sequel, Star Wars Racer Revenge was released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2.

Twenty years after the release of the game, it received an HD re-release for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

The How To

There's a world of oysters available to you.
You can go full legit this month on new hardware: GOG, Steam, PS4, Xbone, Switch.
Or original with versions available for Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Macintosh, or even Gameboy Colour.

I dont like oysters so I'll be on the GOG version. But I do like the idea of beating everyone with the GBC version.

The Race

Although one of the easier tracks, it would be rude not to do the one from the movie. Its called the Boonta Training Course. Race 1 of the Amateur Circuit.

Choose whatever POD you want. But let everyone know so we can all have a go once we work out the fastest one. Let us know what platform you are on too, as there will no doubt be differences between ports.



The Entry Fee

A $5 Donation to a legitimate charity of your choice. This is not mandatory. If you cant afford it don't worry. I just figure we may as well have some “greater good” come out of this!

The Rules
• Post your best lap time in the thread for the nominated car & track. Please copy the existing leader board and insert your time to make for easy updates.
• Its basically the honour system and just for good fun.
• Dont forget a photo of your retro setup so that we can all drool over the solid collection of like every console ever.
• An uploaded video will get you bonus points.
• Stating your donations will secure you a spot on the leader board with a gold star and many likes.
• Just play the game and have a good time. Feel free to suggest other tracks or fun things to do

The Prize

The glory of telling your family and friends that you beat some strangers on the internet in some random old racing game you played as a kid.


The Leaderboard

Boonta Training Course – Fastest Lap

Trizae - 46.96 (Bullseye)
MUT - 47.90
Trizae - 49.702
JSmithDTV - 52.115
Grant - 55.668
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Boonta Training Course – Fastest 3 Laps

Trizae - 2:24.25 (Bullseye)
MUT - 2:31.81
Trizae - 2:32.385
JSmithDTV - 2:40.258
Grant - 2:54.112








Worst, movie, ever…

 

i remember being so hyped for this movie coming out then in the cinema just being overwhelmingly confused by what was beaming into my eyeballs.

I think the only other movie to match this has to be The Force Awakens - goddam Star Wars!

Oh, the game right. I will be setting my times on Dreamcast! I am wondering if a wheel will work well with this one, I don't think I've ever tried.

Is anyone going to play the Switch release, apparently it's not too bad.

 

Force feedback Wheel works on PC. Probably unnecessary for a good time though, normal controller will suffice I think.

 

Bonus points to anyone posting a photo with an original Atari Star Wars yoke.

 

Just played this for a bit using Project64, player Ebe Endocott, so thought I'd start the ball rolling even though it's probably not a great time as still getting used to the game;

Boonta Training Course – Fastest Lap

JSmithDTV - 57.769
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Boonta Training Course – Fastest 3 Laps

JSmithDTV - 2:57.767
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JSmith

 

Had a couple of goes of this on a Nintendo 64, not a clean run but got a similar time. Had to drop the resolution to "low" to get it running smoothly.



Edit: went a bit faster, still not completely sure how to take that hammerhead bit in the cave.



Boonta Training Course – Fastest Lap

Grant - 55.668
JSmithDTV - 57.769
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Boonta Training Course – Fastest 3 Laps

Grant - 2:54.112
JSmithDTV - 2:57.767
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There's more time to be had for sure;

Boonta Training Course – Fastest Lap

JSmithDTV - 52.459
Grant - 55.668
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Boonta Training Course – Fastest 3 Laps

JSmithDTV - 2:47.584
Grant - 2:54.112
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That's odd, in game finish screen is x.xx but records screen is x.xxx, seems to round up.



JSmith

 

Dammit, was looking forward to this one, but I can't get the GOG version to run

 

Same here. Some crazy 64 bit version error
I'm going to see if retro Eddie has the N64 cart and run on real hardware

 

Does WINED3D help at all?
https://fdossena.com/?p=wined3d/index.frag

GOG forums also suggest DirectX 2010:
https://www.gog.com/forum/star_wars_episode_i_racer/common_problems_troubleshooting
https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=8109

[edit] I'll poke at this tonight and see if I can replicate.

 

Yeah I tried the GOG version a while back and had the same problem, all I get is a white screen with a blue status bar that doesn't quite complete, then just closes. The N64 version runs nicely for me using the Project64 emu.



JSmith

 

now i need to try the GoG version see if it runs for me.

 

My contribution and breaking my retro racing virginity 3rd attempt since 99 when I had it on 64 playing the switch version forgot you have to unlock all the chars but I remember Bullseye Navior is like the one to beat so many great memories!

 

Cracking times there Trizae

 

OK, tested the GOG version:

* Win 11 64bit
* AMD Radeon 7 4800H
* AMD RX Radeon 5600M
* AMD video drivers 21.11.3

Default install, no good. Weird loading screens and then it crashes to desktop.

Download WINED3D:
https://fdossena.com/?p=wined3d/index.frag

Simply decompress and copy/paste straight over the installed game directory. It will ask to replace a bunch of DirectX/DirectDraw/Direct3D libraries, say yes to all.

Fired it back up again, and it loads. Videos and FMV all have messed up colours, but everything in-game and 3D racing works perfectly.

For anyone who's having troubles, give it a whirl and see how you go. Super simple fix for me with a Vulkan-capable GPU.

If your GPU is older and doesn't support Vulkan, grab the older non-Vulkan version on the same page (will use OpenGL instead of Vulkan).

[Edit] LOL, the screenshot on the site is Episode 1 Racer

 

Boonta Training Course – Fastest Lap

Trizae - 51.105
JSmithDTV - 52.115
Grant - 55.668
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Boonta Training Course – Fastest 3 Laps

Trizae - 2:38.151
JSmithDTV - 2:40.258
Grant - 2:54.112
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Cool... things are heating up in here.



JSmith

 

All right
First laps are in and it's a shocking 1:02, but very early days.
Playing on original N64 hardware and just getting used to the crazy controller, that I have a love hate relationship with, again

 

I've had the GOG version working fine on like 3 x win 10 computers with various hardware from AMD/Intel/Nvidia.

Is it just a windows 11 thing?

 

The only thing I distinctly remember from playing this game as a kid was a certain track that had a jump; if you came off the jump in 1st place and so much as even breathed on the wall to the right hand turn you would explode. If you were in a non-podium place you could run into the wall at full boost and just bounce off.

 

What have you lot done! I’m almost finished with the championship feel like a preteen again

I gather i've already missed the F-Zero/X/GC ones?