''F1 Career Challenge'' (''F1 Challenge '99-'02'' for the

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

version) is a

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a motor racing, racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more re ...

based on four

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

seasons: the 1999 season, the 2000 season, the 2001 season, and the 2002 season. It was the last Formula One video game to be published by

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they imitated real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) ...

until '' F1 2021'', when EA purchased

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer and former publisher based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts and managed under the EA Sports ...

. After losing the official

license from Formula One Administration Ltd. to a multi-year exclusive licensing contract between FOA and

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Team Soho was a British video game developer based in Soho, London. It was formerly the video game development division of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe before being spun off to develop ''The Getaway'' series; a second unit at Cambridge ...

(publishers of the competing Formula One series on

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

) in late 2002 that became active starting from the 2003 season, barring any developer EA included to make a game centered around these later seasons, the decision was made to produce one final game using the four seasons that EA Sports had previously licensed.

Background

Because of the progressing potential of the game engine, several assets were re-imagined in order to make them more realistic than ever before as well as making the game more adaptable for less powerful

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

s. The car models and associated textures were rebuilt from scratch, whilst the physics engine was significantly improved over prior releases to provide a simulation that was critically lauded. In order to provide a more authentic simulation, every track received minor changes for each season covered, including sponsor boards (barring tobacco and alcohol advertising) as well as external visual changes.

Legacy

The modding capabilities of ''F1C'', as it is occasionally referred to by its dedicated

video game modding Video game modding (short for "modifying") is the process of alteration by players or fans of one or more aspects of a video game, such as how it looks or behaves, and is a sub-discipline of general ''modding''. A set of modifications, commonly c ...

community, are extensive and since the game's release in 2003, has gone on to cover many different seasons of Formula One racing, as well as being able to simulate racing series outside of Formula One, such as

Le Mans Prototype A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...

s and

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

, among many others. This is due in part to the use of simple text files for several important game asset parameters such as the physics, cars, drivers, and tracks which has allowed the game to flourish on various online communities long since its release. Even a few of these developers and modders ended up years later as professionals in the videogame industry.

Errors and mistakes

* There is an error on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game: on the Teams and Drivers mode selection, the BAR Team in 1999 was mentioned as BAR Honda but in fact BAR's engine supplier was

Supertec Supertec was a brand of Formula One engines supplied by Dutch company Super Performance Competition Engineering BV, managed by Flavio Briatore and Bruno Michel. Supertec engines were updated 1997 Renault RS9 units, built by Mecachrome. In May ...

. * The Indianapolis pit lane entry takes place between turns 12 and 13 (2000-2002). * The entrance to the pit lane at Suzuka takes place before the last two corners (1999-2002).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:F1 Career Challenge 2003 video games EA Sports games F1 (video game series) Formula One video games GameCube games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 2 games Sports video games set in France Sports video games set in Germany Sports video games set in Italy Sports video games set in Japan Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games set in Australia Video games set in Austria Video games set in Barcelona Video games set in Belgium Video games set in England Video games set in Hungary Video games set in Indianapolis Video games set in Malaysia Video games set in Monaco Video games set in Montreal Video games set in São Paulo Windows games Xbox games Visual Science (game company) games