Carmageddon

Overview

Carmageddon is the first in a series of graphically violent driving-oriented video games produced by Stainless Games and published by Interplay and SCI. It was inspired by the 1975 cult classic movie Death Race 2000.

Carmageddon started out as "3D Destruction Derby", a banger-racing (stock-car) sim prototyped by Stainless. This was signed by SCi in 1995, but the banger-racing angle was quickly dropped and for a while the game was going to use the Mad Max license. This also fell through, and was replaced by the Death Race 2020 license, as a sequel to the original film that was being planned at that time. This is what introduced the running-over of pedestrians into the game.

When this license also fell through, SCi and Stainless took the decision to carry on with the game anyway without a license. The name "Carmageddon" was thought up, and development carried with the designers allowed unusually free rein with the content of the game, this could be why the game became so bloody.

Cars

Carmageddon (PC)

Name	Photo	Driver	Information
Annihilator			Opponent number 29 Short name Vlad Race number 20 Top speed 420 mph Kerb weight 1.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 2.2 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 1 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
The Bear			Opponent number 15 Short name Ivan Race number 28 Top speed 150 mph Kerb weight 1.4 tons 0 - 60 mph in 9.4 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
Cleaver			Opponent number 28 Short name Val Race number 21 Top speed 220 mph Kerb weight 1.3 tons 0 - 60 mph in 5.5 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Merciless Cullwing			Opponent number 17 Short name Wanda Race number 69 Top speed 210 mph Kerb weight 1.1 tons 0 - 60 mph in 6.7 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Caddy Fat Cat			Opponent number 19 Short name Otis Race number 9 Top speed 180 mph Kerb weight 1.8 tons 0 - 60 mph in 7.7 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
Countslash			Opponent number 16 Short name Kutter Race number 7 Top speed 280 mph Kerb weight 1.1 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.1 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 1 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Electric Blue			Opponent number 24 Short name Stella Race number 17 Top speed 230 mph Kerb weight 1.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.5 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Fearari F666			Opponent number 26 Short name Scarlett Race number 11 Top speed 270 mph Kerb weight 1.1 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.1 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 1 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Fraud Broko			Opponent number 18 Short name OK Race number 8 Top speed 170 mph Kerb weight 1.9 tons 0 - 60 mph in 8.9 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Grunge Buster			Opponent number 6 Short name Mech Race number 16 Top speed 220 mph Kerb weight 0.4 tons 0 - 60 mph in 3.3 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
Hevy Impaler			Opponent number 9 Short name Hunter Race number 25 Top speed 160 mph Kerb weight 2.3 tons 0 - 60 mph in 9.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
King Merc			Opponent number 10 Short name Heinz Race number 4 Top speed 160 mph Kerb weight 3.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 7.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Lumberer			Opponent number 14 Short name Harry Race number 26 Top speed 170 mph Kerb weight 1.9 tons 0 - 60 mph in 9.4 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Leadpumper			Opponent number 2 Short name Orange Race number 12 Top speed 150 mph Kerb weight 1.7 tons 0 - 60 mph in 7.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Razorbill			Opponent number 21 Short name Scum Race number Skull / Piranha symbol (-3) Top speed 210 mph Kerb weight 0.6 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.5 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Red Eagle			Opponent number 0 Short name Max Race number ♂ (100) Top speed 200 mph Kerb weight 1.1 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.01 seconds Strength (1 - 5) -1 Stealworthy Yes Network availability eagle
Road Bratt			Opponent number 5 Short name Scum Race number Skull / (-1) Top speed 220 mph Kerb weight 0.6 tons 0 - 60 mph in 3.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Pinkpulveriser			Opponent number 23 Short name Shirley Race number 27 Top speed 170 mph Kerb weight 2.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 9.9 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
The Plow			Opponent number 7 Short name Dumpy Race number 24 Top speed 100 mph Kerb weight 2.6 tons 0 - 60 mph in 14.8 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
Project X			Opponent number 13 Short name Hammer Race number 6 Top speed 210 mph Kerb weight 2.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 6.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Squad Car			Opponent number 3 Short name Cop Race number 500 Top speed Unknown Kerb weight Unknown 0 - 60 mph in Unknown Strength (1 - 5) -1 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Street Eater			Opponent number 8 Short name Scum Race number Skull / (-2) Top speed 180 mph Kerb weight 0.9 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.5 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Stiffshifter			Opponent number 12 Short name Grimm Race number 5 Top speed 230 mph Kerb weight 1.2 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.2 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Suppressor			Opponent number 4 Short name Cop Race number 501 Top speed Unknown Kerb weight Unknown 0 - 60 mph in Unknown Strength (1 - 5) -1 Stealworthy Yes Network availability Never
Tanka			Opponent number 11 Short name Fire Race number 99 Top speed 100 mph Kerb weight 2.1 tons 0 - 60 mph in 8.9 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Tashita Coupe			Opponent number 27 Short name Ed 101 Race number 10 Top speed 280 mph Kerb weight 0.9 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.2 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 1 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
The Twister			Opponent number 22 Short name Screwie Race number 12 Top speed 220 mph Kerb weight 1.7 tons 0 - 60 mph in 6.4 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
Towmeister			Opponent number 20 Short name Pitbull Race number 22 Top speed 160 mph Kerb weight 2.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 9.1 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy Yes Network availability all
Volkswerker			Opponent number 25 Short name Stig Race number 33 Top speed 150 mph Kerb weight 1.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 11.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Yellow Hawk			Opponent number 1 Short name Anna Race number ♀ (101) Top speed 250 mph Kerb weight 0.8 tons 0 - 60 mph in 3.15 seconds Strength (1 - 5) -1 Stealworthy Yes Network availability hawk

Carmageddon Splat Pack (Only added cars)

Name	Photo	Driver	Information
Annihilator II			Opponent number 29 Short name Vlad Race number 20 Top speed 420 mph Kerb weight 1.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 2.2 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 1 Stealworthy No Network availability All
Blood Mobile			Opponent number 13 Short name Sawbones Race number 911 Top speed 100 mph Kerb weight 2.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 9.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Bugutti			Opponent number 21 Short name Lady B Race number 88 Top speed 170 mph Kerb weight 1.5 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.5 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Carrerasaur			Opponent number 25 Short name Stig Race number 91 Top speed 180 mph Kerb weight 1.3 tons 0 - 60 mph in 3.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy Yes Network availability Never
De Gory'Un			Opponent number 9 Short name Mikey Race number 89 Top speed 150 mph Kerb weight 1.6 tons 0 - 60 mph in 6.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Doozer			Opponent number 8 Short name Su Borg Race number 72 Top speed 120 mph Kerb weight 1.9 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.5 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
Eagle II			Opponent number 0 Short name Max Race number ♂ (100) Top speed Unknown Kerb weight Unknown 0 - 60 mph in Unknown Strength (1 - 5) -1 Stealworthy Yes Network availability eagle
Fearari F999			Opponent number 26 Short name Ash Race number 51 Top speed 270 mph Kerb weight 1.1 tons 0 - 60 mph in 2.1 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 1 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Hawk II			Opponent number 1 Short name Anna Race number ♀ (101) Top speed Unknown Kerb weight Unknown 0 - 60 mph in Unknown Strength (1 - 5) -1 Stealworthy Yes Network availability hawk
Killer Coop			Opponent number 16 Short name Kane Race number 64 Top speed 100 mph Kerb weight 0.7 tons 0 - 60 mph in 7.2 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 1 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Killer Kitty			Opponent number 17 Short name Pussy Race number 83 Top speed 220 mph Kerb weight 1.2 tons 0 - 60 mph in 5.7 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Monster Masher			Opponent number 18 Short name Herman Race number 155 Top speed 130 mph Kerb weight 2.9 tons 0 - 60 mph in 5.9 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 3 Stealworthy Yes Network availability Never
Piecemaker			Opponent number 5 Short name Moon Race number 80 Top speed 100 mph Kerb weight 0.6 tons 0 - 60 mph in 7.0 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Ramraider			Opponent number 11 Short name Big D. Race number 8 Top speed 100 mph Kerb weight 1.9 tons 0 - 60 mph in 8.9 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Rig O'Mortis			Opponent number 210 Short name Ma Truck Race number 74 Top speed 160 mph Kerb weight 5.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 7.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy Yes Network availability All
Roadhog			Opponent number 23 Short name Helga Race number 436 Top speed 130 mph Kerb weight 3.0 tons 0 - 60 mph in 3.9 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
The Sled			Opponent number 2 Short name Sinthea Race number 73 Top speed 150 mph Kerb weight 1.7 tons 0 - 60 mph in 7.6 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 4 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Stiletto			Opponent number 28 Short name Alfonso Race number 71 Top speed 170 mph Kerb weight 1.3 tons 0 - 60 mph in 5.5 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 2 Stealworthy No Network availability Never
Stodge Barger			Opponent number 14 Short name C&C Race number 76 Top speed 180 mph Kerb weight 1.7 tons 0 - 60 mph in 4.4 seconds Strength (1 - 5) 5 Stealworthy Yes Network availability Never

Gameplay

At the start the player must choose between two drivers: Max Damage and Die Anna. Each has their own cars which are essentially the same, but with minor differences. Die Anna's is yellow and is slightly faster, while the red one is Max's, which is slightly tougher than that of the yellow version.

In Carmageddon, the player races a vehicle against a number of other computer controlled competitors in various settings, including cities, mines and industrial areas. The player has a certain amount of time to complete each race, but more time may be gained by collecting bonuses, damaging the competitors' cars or by running over pedestrians.

Races are completed by either completing the course as one would in a normal racing game, "wasting" (wrecking) all other race cars, or running over all pedestrians on the level before anyone else.

The game was notable for its realistic and ground-breaking physics and for its in-game movie making features. It was also one of the earliest examples of a sandbox 3D driving games, and may have influenced later games including Driver and the GTA series.

Each of the games levels had a pun in the title. For instance, "I Scream in the Sun".

Game Boy Color Version

The Game Boy Color version of the game is played from a top down perspective rather than the traditional style. Instead of pedestrians, Carmageddon for the Game Boy Color has the player instead running down zombies. When the player runs over a zombie they explode leaving behind a green mark on the road.

Controversy

In many countries including Germany and, for a short time the United Kingdom, the game contained zombies or robots with green blood instead of people, as running over the undead was considered more acceptable by their respective ratings boards. In the UK, SCi wanted to gain publicity for the game by submitting it to the BBFC to get an 18 rating, even though this was not necessary as the game contained no video footage. This backfired when the BBFC refused to certify the game unless all blood and gore was removed. After 10 months of appealing, the BBFC certified the original version.

Technology

Carmageddon was developed using the Blazing Renderer (BRender) from Argonaut software. BRender was a 3D graphics engine that could be used to develop games for the Windows, MS-DOS and the Sony PlayStation.

Notable features of the BRender engine

• Z-buffer and scanline renderer
• Hierarchical, linked objects
• Goraud shading
• Multiple cameras and light sources
• Collision detection
• Sprite scaling and deformation effects
• 32-bit libraries for Watcom and MS Visual C
• Support for hardware accelerators such as GLiNT

Soundtrack

The game's soundtrack was a mix of 3 instrumental tracks from Fear Factory and 4 from Lee Groves. Fear Factory provided heavy metal while the Lee Groves songs were ambient tracks.

The CD-ROM on the game had Track 1 as the game data, while Tracks 2-8 provided the game's soundtrack while playing randomly through the game or playing in a CD player:

Track Listing:

1) Data Track

2) Fear Factory - Demanufacture (instrumental)

3) Lee Groves - Industrial

4) Lee Groves - Coastal

5) Fear Factory - Zero Signal (instrumental) [intro cutscene song]

6) Lee Groves - Desert

7) Lee Groves - Winter Wonderland

8) Fear Factory - Body Hammer (instrumental)