Monaco GP Remake (v1.4.1) is ready and it can be downloaded here:
****EDIT: This version is now obsolete, please see initial post (on page 1) for download links to latest and obsolete versions****
Please be a little prepared as you visit the mediafire site, you might get adverts for other software appear, trying to fool you to download something else. Just make sure you only click on the big green 'Download' button near to top right of the page, and the file that you download to your computer is called "mgpr_v1_4_1.zip" (Its about 16MB in size).
Once its downloaded, unzip it, copy the original 1979 or 1980 Monaco GP ROMs into the 'roms' directory, then double click on 'mgpr_launcher.exe', choose a configuration and off you go!
Note that you can also run a specific configuration from command line (like in previous versions), running mpgr.exe using the -cfg switch. For example, if you wanted to run the pro_arcade_1360x768.cfg configuration from command line, you would specify
mgpr -cfg pro_arcade_1360x768.cfg All the default configurations are set up for fullscreen and keyboard control (keys are Z=left, X=right, N=Accelerate, M=Gear, 5 or 6 = Coin, 1=Switch between HiScores and AttractMode).
Press the TAB key during any game's attract mode (When "Deposit coin" is flashing at you) to edit the configuration (Change Controls to Mouse, joystick, choose different artwork etc..). Some options (such as display filter, fullscreen and various audio samples and volumes) will require you to restart the game before your new settings will take effect.
My main intention for this release was to create 4 distinct games:
Monaco GP Classic - Should hopefully be very faithful to the 1979 "Monaco GP" version.
Monaco GP Pro - Should hopefully be very faithful to the 1980 "Pro Monaco GP version.
Monaco GP Pursuit - Not quite as complete as I'd like it to be. Should feel like the original Monaco GP, but include police cars, new roads, and an extra stage (There are 3 stages and a Goal at the end).
Monaco GP Stunt - Not quite as complete as I'd like it to be. Its one track, looped. Its starts off easy and gets increasingly more difficult as less time gets awarded with each lap and opponents get faster. You need to memorize where the jumps are to do more than 3 laps.
As far as difficulty goes, if you play the game with keys as is, you should be able (after a good number of goes) to get a top score, possibly get to the 3rd stage of the pursuit track, or do about 4 laps of the stunt track. So that's the sort of difficultly to aim for if you reconfigure the controls for mouse/joystick/wheel. Also, I recommended trying the different games with the '8bit' configurations I made as it does seem to give (in my option) a sort of ZX spectrum port feeling to Monaco GP (I tried to imagine if Sega had done a Monaco GP port to the spectrum, what would I have hoped it would look like). Right, I'm waffling on now, good luck and hope you enjoy it!
New in v1.4.1:
- Addition of 4 'Games'; Classic, Pro, Pursuit and Stunt. Artworks created to suit various screen resolutions (The 'Arcade' bezels for the Pursuit and Stunt track are not really complete, only the title is different at the moment).
- Classic and Pro games now loop 'easy' set of roads for 90 seconds. If you have scored 2000 or more you will then reach 'extended' play looped roads without time limit (as in arcade)
- Improve opponent car distribution and make it difficult for the player to speed match with the opponents during later stages of the game (when the opponents move faster).
- Impossible to make car come to a complete standstill after you've stepped on the accelerator (as in arcade). Thanks camilty67 for video clip.
- Car start position always on scenery (as in arcade)
- Player car can drive along verge scenery after crashing, but will not progress to the next road until the player car actually moves and stays on the actually road (as in arcade).
- In extended play on Classic and Pro tracks, after crashing player has 7 seconds to get of the scenery otherwise the car will explode (as in arcade)
- Addition of a windows launcher program, it does the job but looks a bit rubbish at the moment (I'll work on that).
- Road stops moving completely as soon as player car crashes or goes into a spin (as in arcade)
- Delay immediate return to GAME OVER if no time left and player crashes.
- Pro Monaco GP bonus operation closer to the arcade leds (2 layers, 15 leds on each)
- Extra lives, miles, overtake scoring set via track file
- Extended play off road scenery and verge grace times configurable.
- New mpgr_launcher.exe to help quickly run a configuration.
- Greater choice of LED tilemaps.
- More accurate Pro-Monaco GP (Trophy & Wreath symbol, star symbol and orange boarder). Thanks to Dr. Morbis for the screen capture.
- Addition of boat (Stunt Track)
- New police cars with radio chat sounds (Can be switches off in the configuration).
- New Lola T70 opponents (Will only appear during Stunt Track. Currently behave the same as police cars), with radio chat sounds (Can be switches off in the configuration).
- Roads with Twin Lanes.
- Ramps
- When a Firetrunk is encountered during a Tunnel/Night section, it can only be viewed if within the player's head light beam, otherwise only its flashing red siren can be seen (As in arcade). Thanks to Dr. Morbis for video clip.
- Track downward scrolling at high speed now the same as the arcade (Previous versions had been much to fast).