Grand Prix Manager 2:
Grand Prix Manager 2 was made in 1996, by a company called MicroProse, the same guys that made the series Grand Prix. I have to say, since the game came out until today, about 10 years later, I still play this game. Why? Because I love it. The game is perfect, it has a race, manager, fun and good gameplay, music (you can hear the sound of the engines working), many ways to watch the race and you can play with the real teams from that time that run in the Formula One. The name of the pilots are a little different because they couldn’t get their permission, but since the game has an editor before beginning the game, you can change them, and if you want, you can put the names of the teams and drivers that run today in F1. Like I said: perfect. I have to say that this game works only in Windows and in 256 colors mode, so after installation, go to the icon of the game and set it to 256 mode.
If you want to begin the game and win some races, you need to choose between Benetton, McLaren, Williams or Ferrari. If you pick some other team, don’t expect too much from your team in the first year of racing, and like in real Formula One, it's not enough to hire the best drivers for your cars to win the races, you need to find sponsors (the best sponsors only will give you much when you can win races), train the most efficient crew (mechanics, engineers, etc...). You also need to manage the team's finances, like in real life. The F1 team can spend millions in a few months. Therefore, you need to find a financial advisor, because in this game, management is just as important as technical improvements. When you run out of money, you should think about a loan from the bank. This should be a short term measure only, because if you get a large debt, you will probably go bankrupt. Beware, if you take out a loan on top of an existing one, the bank will increase the interest on all the money you use from them.
When you begin the game, you have several ways to play, like a quick start, or you can play a long term contract or a short term contract. You have 5 types of difficulties, like Rookie, Amateur, Semi-pro or Ace.
To improve your team the best way at the beginning, and you only have a bad car, you'll have to acquire technology from other teams, because it is faster and you spend less money than developing. However, car designs from others teams are guarded, so first you have to find someone to pay to get it. If you find out that another team also have better components, you can either do a deal with that team (buying the technology or stealing), but you can only do this one time per race. It is vital that you complete the design of your new car chassis before the end of the season. If you don't, you'll have to start the next year's season using this year's technology, which means you can expect to see your cars being out-performed by practically every other car on the track.
When you are trying to configure your car to some track (all tracks have different configs), the car's aerodynamics are the most important, and you need to focus on the balance of your car. You can either set the car to run as fast as possible in a straight line, or have more downforce, which improves grip but reduces overall speed. Try to find the best level of downforce for the circuit you're racing. In several circuits, like Hockenheim or Spa, put the max of your car to the straight line speed, while on winding tracks, like Monte Carlo, look for faster cornering. Also check tire pressure and wing balance to avoid steering problems.
Another very important part in any racing car is its engine. The most Modern F1 engines are lighter and more fuel-efficient than ever before, and are capable of generating up to 900 horsepower. Most teams have to buy their engines. Only if your team is one of the best can they offer the best engines and this can be one of the biggest single costs a team ever has to meet. The top teams receive massive technical support from the supplier of the engines, in exchange for advertising. The value of this kind of support cannot be over-exaggerated.
The principal aim in the construction of your car is to make it as powerful and reliable as possible. Any component failure will make you lose race. Keep an eye on weight. Also, don't fit a 100% capacity fuel tank if you are making some pit stops, and always try to set gear ratios as tight as possible, especially for slower circuits. If the next race will be raced in a circuit that involves a lot of hard braking, make sure you balance the brakes to the front of the car.
When you have some spare money, owning construction facilities is the hallmark of a top F1 team. The benefits of facilities are so many, and you will improve the parts to your cars more cheaply.
You will not make a lot of money with the merchandising, but any cash your team makes, is good. Also, if your team is successful, more money can be made from such licensing, and if all the items on the shelves are goods manufactured by other people, who wants to pay you for the rights to use your team's name more? All the team goods on the right are made and paid by each one, but on other hand, they are a very good way of promoting the team's image and help to attract more companies to sponsorship.
Today, Formula One racing is a very competitive and successful business. Each team invests a lot of money in research and car technology is a well-guarded secret. It is important, then, that you hire the best security group you can pay. Low security can mean information on your car designs, and even some specific components, being made available to other teams by stealing it. Good security contacts will also be able to help you with any inquiries you made about your rivals.
To finish: like I said, try this game. It is a 5 star game, and you will love to see the races, manage a F1 team, it's all perfect. This game runs well in Windows.
The circuits available in this game are:
Interlagos- 71 Laps
Buenos Aires- 72 Laps
San Marino Grand Prix- 63 Laps
Catalunya- 65 Laps
Monaco Grand Prix - 78 Laps
Montreal - 69 Laps
Magny-Cours - 72 Laps
Silverstone - 61 Laps
Hockenheim - 45 Laps
Spa-Francorchamps - 44 Laps
Monza - 53 Laps
Estoril - 71 Laps
Nurburgring - 67 Laps
Aida - 83 Laps
Suzuka - 53 laps
Melbourne - 58 Laps
Hungaroring - 77 Laps
Adelaide - 81 Laps
Jerez - 69 Laps
Kyalami - 72 Laps
Reference accessed HERE Dec 2010
Manual:
http://www.abandonia.com/files/extras/28445_manual.pdf
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2iUmuxqEls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJoQPaOrZDI
Download:
Download Grand Prix Manager 2 HERE