This looks….fast but pretty limited, and not sure I’m willing to punt the $1 given that it needs at least 512k to run!
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We are getting a lot of AI-powered racing games for some reason. And this is not one of the better examples.
The road stripes give me a headache.
I can’t imagine why 512K is required for this.
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wow..and charging for it… thats a bit how ya doin!..
the sound is horrible.. and im with ervin! them stripes are done really bad…
and 512k for that?? what?! theres hardly any sprites!
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A lot of garbage code?
nice BASIC game…
it’s almost tempting to buy it and then ask claude to disassemble it to find out where on earth the “512K” claim comes from. and then maybe fix the seizure-inducing road stripes.
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The dev replied to a comment I made their Itch page, where I said it didn’t look like it should require that much RAM:
“Looks can be deceiving. There’s a lot of racing content: pit stops, music, pack data for the cars, and a safety car. It all quickly adds up. There’s another version planned too, as I’m trying to capture the pack-style racing that NASCAR is known for.”
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Interesting. Ok, let’s give this person the benefit of the doubt for now.
I just really hope the road/roadside stripes are fixed.
Yeah is interesting argument. I took don’t think it looks like it should need 512K, so is it a question of taking less efficient options or is it taking advantage of the RAM for legitimate benefits?
One of the big challenges that has frequently come up in RAM expansion discussions is “Who will make all the content to fill that much RAM?” - maybe the answer is going to be AI.
Right now I can’t say I’m entirely sold on the concept, although I’m also not a NASCAR fan.
Only possible reason I can think of for that amount of memory needed is that the author uses firmware initially to load in data from disc then and bank swap it all into that 512k, and then disables firmware for good. Maybe a mass-storage compatible version?
Of course that raises questions about not using compression, and not swapping firmware back on, or maybe using direct floppy disc access instead and so on.
Its certainly not how I would approach things, shall we say. Mass-storage versions, sure, they’re a good idea as an afterthought, but what’s wrong with initially targeting a 128k machine with as much content as you can fit on two discs for example?
Ok, so, the same author seems to be a fan of racing games and among others he has made an update to Super Hang On and the description of the game reads… funny. 
NewSuperHangon.dsk (190.3 KB)
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Maybe its just a case of especially advanced autism.
This is what the author told me when I asked about memory:
Ten teams, race tracks, pit stops, victory pictures, championship, car sprites, 4 designs, 4 sizes, body colour, entry stubs, oil, road belts, road tilt, distance tables, spin frame, title picture, pace car, mini maps, grandstands, records, fast fill code, double buffering, damage. The list is a page long. There’s more going on in this game than meets the eye. I’m updating it again next week, refine the car movement and traffic simulation. Input, steering, acceleration, behavior and collisions. Separate from CPC sprite drawing and screen code
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I mean, it’s a really weird idea and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a driving game on the CPC do it before but logically it does sort of make sense.
You’d need some very clever code to ensure the sprite format for enemies or roadside objects looks right as they cross the split but it’s doable. I think it could be improved visually somewhat with smarter palette choices.
And this is why people playing with AI can be interesting, because it’s literally not an approach I’ve ever even see someone consider before.
That looks awful. Almost like a VCS game. And the sound really is painful.
The Super Hang On version on the other hand is promising and worth testing.
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I’m not sure how blunt to be. It looks like a screeching bug-ridden mess, and there’s no way that simple list of features justifies filling 512k of memory. I hate to think what is actually clogging up all that RAM.
Rally II on the 464 is much better than this and fits in 64k.
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I’d never played Rally II until I read this comment and happened to watch @Xyphoe ‘s long play review of it earlier today.
And it’s amazingly addictive considering how simple it is! Reached the final stage but crashed out seconds from the finish line 
Rally II is awesome… the track editor is something i havent seen in many other games…especially of that era
except its very easy to cheat by driving on the right side ripple strip! (except the beach and bridge stages!) 
EDIT: would be cool to update it with like road side sprites/color bands, parallax scenery/sky, maybe hills and valleys..and a fix for the cheat..might be something for me to look into down the track…
i also noticed this game has different levels of grip for each stage!..its quite advanced for its time!
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The only sensible reason for not doing that is because if you dont throw a load of good design around it, it’s going to look awful. And that hang-on version does look awful.
I absolutely agree it looks awful and AI art is never going to cut it. But it opens an interesting question of whether it could work?
No programmer I’ve ever met would’ve even tried making a game like that. They’d have seen the inherent difficulty and just said “No, the playfield area needs to all be the same mode.”
That is the interesting part to me. When you open up the possibility of someone with a very different mindset creating a prototype in a way that makes sense to them, will you introduce new possibilities that coders just wouldn’t have considered? Might someone run with the idea of mixing modes like that, where you just accept things will cross boundaries in unusual ways, and use it produce something stunning? What else might arise from letting very artistic people, who don’t have coding skills themselves, prototype games?
I think the fear that AI will replace human creativity is overblown. I think the possibilities to get interesting thoughts out of people’s head and into tangible demos, that can be refined by skilled individuals, is immensely exciting.
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