F1 Pole Position 64

F1 Pole Position 64 is a Formula One game that started out as unlicensed (in sense of having the FIA Formula One World Championship license) in Japan, but turned into an officially licensed title when localized (only for the localizer to lose and briefly regain (through Video System) the license again).

Debug Menu#

A small debug menu can be enabled with the below code. You can view various result screens and enter a model viewing option.

With the above code on, press and hold R while the game is booting. To enter different menu options, press the following buttons:

• C-Up for GAME. This enters the game normally.
• C-Left for KONNO. This enters a race. It will finish immediately then crash the game.
• C-Right for NOGUCHI. This enters a sub menu.
• C-Down for KATOU. This enters the game normally.

COLOR and FLLOAD controls:

• Analog Stick to move model around.
• R/L to move model in/out.
• Z to reset model position.
• A/B to tilt model.
• C-Up/C-Down to move model up/down.
• C-Left/C-Right to move model left/right.
• Start to change option selected.

Build Dates#

1997 May 04 10:51:12

1997 May 04 10:51:12

1997 Jan 27 19:00:24

Development Text#

Present at 0xA58D0 in the ROM is what appears to be additional supporting text relating to the debug menu.

FRM
CPU
RSP
RDP
<../indysrc/system.c> LAUDA Aug 22 1997 21:43:06
Push start button to continue
PROGRESS DL OVER  ..%d
MAIN DL OVER  

Regional Differences#

Japan	US/Europe

The Japanese version is known as Human Grand Prix: The New Generation and features a completely different title screen and word order in the "press start" prompt. In addition, the Japanese version is unlicensed and features fake brandings and driver names as well as 1997 championship year (although the game's content is still based on the 1996 season), while the international versions is an officially licensed FIA Formula One World Championship product with real names and sponsors based on the 1996 season (all references to 1997 are changed to 1996 as a result), except for Jacques Villeneuve (in which he was instead referred as an American driver named "Driver-X"), due to a licensing dispute not resolved until 1999.

Additionally, the following changes were made:

• The Japanese version has slideshow intro with car models occasionally appearing, while the international ones jump to a live demo gameplay.
• The Japanese version features a rename option to rename driver, team, and engine names.
• All drivers have their portraits reshot/redrawn for international versions. This includes the free agent drivers, where almost all of them were completely altered, with subtle ones in Driver-2 only having a suit change and Driver-4 having the mustache shaved.
• Free agent/original drivers were significantly altered to remove connections to F1 drivers not driving in 1996:

It should be noted of all free agents that are in the Japanese version, two of them were still in lower series in 1996 (Ralf debuted in 1997 and Takagi in 1998), and one of them had passed away two years before the game was set.

Japan	US/Europe

The controller configuration tab in the Machine Setting menu also had some changes in the international release, with the option itself going from "RACE HANDLE" to just "CONTROLLER". The d-pad control option, "FAMICOM POSITION", is localized simply as "SUPER NES", and meanwhile now a fourth option intended for a steering wheel is also present, represented by a picture of a MadCatz Analog Steering Wheel. The international version also fixes the "Steerling" typo seen on both the controller diagram as well as on the vehicle statistics, and also uses a slightly different font for that.