Stunts
“Stunts,” also known as “4D Sports Driving,” is a 3D racing game crafted by Distinctive Software and launched by Broderbund in 1990. The game focuses on navigating through stunt-filled tracks and includes a feature for creating custom tracks. It draws inspiration from the arcade game “Hard Drivin'” and shares similarities with “Stunt Driver,” which debuted in the same timeframe. “Stunts” is a part of the 4D Sports series, which also includes titles like “4D Sports Tennis” and “4D Sports Boxing.”
Gameplay Highlights
The essence of “Stunts” revolves around racing a single lap on a circuit as swiftly as possible while avoiding crashes. The track is peppered with unique features such as loops, jumps over skyscrapers, slalom paths, and corkscrews. The racing area is confined within a large, square, fenced boundary designed to keep players from veering off the designated track. Gamers can compete against the clock or select from six computer-controlled opponents, with the game lacking real-time multiplayer capabilities. “Stunts” boasts a garage of 11 cars, offering a choice between automatic and manual transmissions, and includes a replay feature to save and review race highlights. It supports four camera angles for both replay and live driving, with an optional dashboard overlay. A notable inclusion is the track and terrain editor, allowing players to craft new tracks or tweak existing ones.
The game’s cars can navigate various surfaces, including paved, gravel, icy, and grassy terrains, each offering different traction levels. It features a sophisticated physics engine for its era, capable of simulating vehicle dynamics like oversteer and understeer, with grip levels adjusting to the curve’s banking. “Stunts” employs a 3D engine utilizing flat shading, polygonal graphics for most objects, and a few sprites, rendering in a 320×200 resolution with 256 colors. Players have the option to adjust the graphical detail level. Designed for DOS, the game operates in real mode.
“Stunts” incorporates a unique copy protection mechanism. Players are prompted to enter a specific phrase from the game manual each time they launch the game. Failure to input the correct phrase three times allows the game to start, but shortly into the race, it simulates a security system activation, resulting in a crash and returning the player to the main menu.