Stunt Car Racer gets a 50 FPS Amiga upgrade with a new track editor

Stunt Car Racer is getting a serious speed boost on the Amiga, more than 35 years after its original release. A new performance patch from developer Timo Heimonen brings Geoff Crammond’s racing game up to 50 frames per second, complete with smoother handling, adjustable difficulty and a built-in track editor. It’s a substantial update for a game best remembered for its enormous jumps, narrow tracks and the unpleasant experience of landing a little too hard. The patch goes beyond making the original game run faster. Players can create their own circuits, change the pace of races and switch off vehicle damage. The original championship remains intact, with its eight tracks and head-to-head competition.

A racing game with a difference

Released in 1989, Stunt Car Racer was developed by Geoff Crammond and published by MicroStyle. It appeared on the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and PC, among other home computers, offering a rather different approach to racing from contemporary titles.

Instead of competing against a crowded field of cars on conventional circuits, players faced a single opponent on elevated tracks suspended high above the ground. Each course featured steep climbs, sharp corners and jumps capable of sending the car flying through the air. Keeping four wheels on the track was only half the challenge.

The game featured eight circuits spread across four championship divisions, with tracks including The Roller Coaster, The Draw Bridge and The Ski Jump. A limited supply of turbo boost provided extra acceleration, but using it carelessly could send the car over the edge.

Vehicle damage added another complication. Heavy landings and collisions affected the car’s performance, turning an ambitious jump into a potentially expensive mistake during a championship race.

Smoother racing at 50 frames per second

The biggest change comes from the patch’s improved performance. Stunt Car Racer can now run at 50 frames per second on suitable accelerated Amiga emulators, providing a much smoother experience than the original release.

It’s a welcome improvement for a racing game where judging the next corner or preparing for a jump requires precise timing. With more frequent screen updates, players get a clearer view of the approaching track and the car’s movement. The changes aren’t limited to graphics, either.

Heimonen has updated the game’s physics to operate alongside the higher frame rate, keeping vehicle movement and handling consistent with the faster display. Improvements to the original three-dimensional graphics address visual issues associated with running the game at increased speeds. The familiar cockpit perspective and original track designs remain unchanged, so existing players won’t need to learn an entirely different racing game.

Build your own circuits

Perhaps the most interesting addition is the new track editor, introduced with version 1.3.0 of the patch. Players can now create their own Stunt Car Racer courses using a selection of track sections, arranging bends, slopes and other elements to build custom layouts.

The editor works directly within the game, allowing players to preview their designs, make adjustments and inspect the complete circuit before taking it for a test drive. Custom tracks can be saved for future sessions, and the editor checks each design before making it available in practice mode.

There’s room for experimentation here. Players can create compact circuits with tight corners or longer courses built around steep climbs and ambitious jumps. The original eight championship tracks remain available, with custom circuits getting their own lap records.

More speed, tougher opponents and unlimited turbo

The patch introduces a selection of gameplay settings for players who want something different from the original championship. Game speed can be increased to 150 per cent, making races faster without changing the track layouts. Computer-controlled opponents have their own difficulty setting, allowing players to adjust the competition independently of the game’s overall speed.

Unlimited turbo boost is another option. With the usual restrictions removed, players can keep the accelerator pressed for longer and approach the game’s ramps at higher speeds. There’s an option to disable vehicle damage, too, removing the need to worry about the consequences of heavy landings or repeated collisions. Players interested in recording lap times can still use the standard racing settings. Custom-track records require normal game speed, limited turbo and the original damage system.

What you’ll need to play

The Stunt Car Racer Performance Patch targets accelerated Amiga emulation rather than standard, unmodified Amiga hardware. Players will need a suitable emulator, such as FS-UAE or WinUAE, configured to run an accelerated Amiga with a Motorola 68060 processor. A compatible copy of the original Stunt Car Racer disk is required, with the patch creating a separate modified version of the game.

The update retains the original championship and its distinctive racing format, adding smoother graphics, adjustable settings and the opportunity to build entirely new circuits. For players returning to Stunt Car Racer, there’s now considerably more to do beyond competing for the championship title.

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