Update [Wed 11th Dec, 2024 14:00 GMT]: Jonathan Thomas's racing game for the Atari STE is now available for free on itch.io.
Faster, as the game is now called, features smooth 50 fps racing, a bunch of large full-colour sprites courtesy of the STE's blitter chip, and 30+ colours that take full advantage of the machine's enhanced palette over the original Atari ST. That's in addition to a day & night cycle, a YM soundtrack that plays alongside digital engine noises and other sound effects, and screen shaking to provide the sensation of travelling at speed.
As Thomas describes it, it is "pure, unfettered and uncomplicated 1980's-style arcade action", so don't expect endless modes, achievements, tutorials, or lengthy cutscenes.
You can download the game here. It is playable on real hardware and can also experienced on emulators such as Steem SSE and Hatari.
Original Article [Thu 11th Apr, 2024 10:30 BST]: Atari ST developer Jonathan Thomas is perhaps best known for his work on the Atari STE version of Pole Position and for being part of the team which is porting Gremlin's Lotus to the ST – but he's also working on his own racing game for the computer, and it's looking very impressive indeed.
It only has a working title at present – Atari STE 50fps Racer – but the footage released by Thomas so far more than makes up for the lack of a solid name. As the title suggests, the aim is to have the game running at 50fps, offering a surprisingly smooth experience.
Inspired by Konami's 1986 title WEC Le Mans, Atari STE 50fps Racer even manages to imitate the sprite scaling techniques seen in some of Sega's arcade titles from the period, despite the ST lacking any sprite scaling capabilities.
We think it's amazing to see computers like the ST get new titles – and we'll be keeping a close eye on the progress of this one. Let us know what you think by posting a comment below.