Proto:Sports Car GT (PlayStation)
This page details one or more prototype versions of Sports Car GT (PlayStation).
 | To do: Document Apr 28, 1997 prototype. |
This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.
Sony IMSA v1.15 is the internal title of a very early build of the PlayStation version of Sports Car GT (developed by Point of View), labeled "Milestone 2" and dated July 15, 1997. Features include a model viewer, a test map, and not being completely silent, compared to Point of View's other prototype also developed at this point, Command and Conquer: Commando.
The files themselves were recovered from a set of data discs that belonged to the developer by ASSEMblergames user jollyroger and released by fellow member Borman on December 3, 2014.
It is possible that the game's build was at the stage when it was originally meant to be released as Professional SportsCar Racing, the name of the International Motor Sports Association at the time, as it was originally meant to be an officially licensed game based on the IMSA GT Championship (then known as the Professional SportsCar Racing Championship, at the time when sports car racing in the United States had a split much like their open-wheel counterparts).
Contents
Overview
Much like Command and Conquer: Commando, this prototype is divided into scenes. By default, the menu is set to select the Car Viewer. It's possible to switch between scenes and exit to the main menu by pressing Start at all times. Entering any scene will automatically start playing Moby's totally not suggestive Oil 1.
Car Viewer
It's a model viewer, unsurprisingly. It comes with three preloaded models:
Aurora.
Porsche 911GT1.
Saleen, with broken UVs.
- D-Pad / Left Analog Stick - Rotates the model.
- Triangle, X / Right Analog Stick - Pans the model in the Y axis.
- Select - Changes the model.
- R2 - Toggles the display of a green box on the middle of the screen; it has no use in this particular environment.
It should be noted that out of the three featured models, only the Porsche 911 GT1 was carried to the final game.
Track Test
A copy of Road Atlanta, as seen in Commando, presumably from an early stage in development for Sports Car GT. It's possible to control the Porsche 911GT1 at a decent pace, although wall collisions have the same consistency as jelly at this point, as the car can easily get stuck and require jerking around to get out. The two other cars featured in the Car Viewer are also present here, and they actually have some AI pathing coded, albeit obscured from view. They start at a further position from the player's car, and move a few meters forward until both crash or merge with each other on the same spot, whichever happens first.
- X - Goes forward. Driving in reverse is impossible.
- D-Pad / Left Analog Stick - Maneuvers the car.
- Triangle - Switches between different camera angles.
- L1 - "Switches" between cars, even though you cannot drive them.
- R1 - "Resets" the camera attached to your car.
Debug Mode
Pressing R2 while in Track Test will summon this green informational box, listing Free Heap, the amount of processed frames, and the current framerate.
Unused Graphics
UI Elements
DATA0.BIN and TITLE.BIN have a sheet consisting entirely of fonts, cursors, arrows, and boxes, leftover from Commando. Everything but the boxes is still unused here. These were likely to be used in a more extensive debugging menu.
Supreme GT Alpha
Also a carry-over from Commando, TITLE.BIN contains a title screen for a prototype revision of Supreme GT, supposedly a working title for Sports Car GT. The text below it says "POV INC ALPHA PROTOTYPE. 4 1997", indicating it originated from a build made in April 1997.
