Lotus STE Enhanced: comparison with Amiga version

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This shows the STE Enhanced and Amiga versions of Lotus running next to each other. The eagle eyed amongst you may notice a few minor differences:
The Amiga runs at a higher framerate;
The Amiga has a start/finish gantry whereas the STE has a start/finish ground marking;
The Amiga has a '1' on the player car and working brakelights;
The Amiga has a more colourful status panel;
The STE has a depth cueing effect on the road lines.

[@AmbersKnight]

Its a pretty good version. I was an Amiga owner back in the day but I never got involved in the ST/Amiga rivalry nonsense back then and makes even less sense now. Both computers were superb and I am happy to see either computer getting newere versions of old classics or brand new games.

[@gridleaderretro]

Thanks Ronnie! It's great that people still have passion for these old platforms after 30 years and we're really pleased to be able to make our contribution to the community that has given us so much pleasure.

[@AtariCrypt]

I find that Amiga ppl are always looking over their shoulders whereas ST folk are happy and busy enjoying their computer. Comparison videos are fine and this one shows the hard graft you've done 👍🏻

[@gridleaderretro]

It's probably fair to say that we're not going to surpass the Amiga version, but I like to think this vid demonstrates at least how close we can get :)

[@AtariCrypt]

@@gridleaderretro faster framerate, more colours, sounds, etc etc... All in the STe. That's what I've seen. Never once looked at the Amiga game and thought grrrrr those guys... Lol Well, that's my pov 🤓

[@gridleaderretro]

@@AtariCrypt That's true - I've always had a bit of a thing for the underdog! Atari ST, Atari Lynx, N64, Dreamcast - owned all of them!

[@AtariCrypt]

@@gridleaderretro Same. And Cube too! But not a sausage since then... btw, the Dreamcast was amazing. Loved it.

[@dbug64]

I'm pretty baffled by the comments and info in here. It was a long time since I watched a Let's Compare video of this game. But I was under the impression that the game was pretty much identical fps-wise on ST and Amiga. Are you saying that the Amiga version actually did use the custom chips and were a bit faster than the plain ST version?

[@gridleaderretro]

Amiga Lotus runs at a steady 25fps all the time from what I've seen. Standard (non-STE) Lotus looks as if it runs at a steady 25fps most of the time, but it's quite a significant graphical downgrade from the Amiga version, which gives a lot of people the perception that the framerate is lower! The Amiga version made heavy use of the hardware. The blitter, copper and hardware sound mixing are all in play. I suspect hardware sprites may be used by some of the on-screen displays but I can't be sure. With this enhanced STE version, I'd say we're running at a slightly slower framerate then the standard ST version most of the time, but the Amiga-like graphics and superior sound seem to make a lot of people think that the framerate is actually higher! I think a lot of the illusion relates to the fact that the cars and roadside details judder across the screen at 16 pixel intervals on the standard ST version, whereas on the STE version they move smoothly across the screen at 1 pixel intervals.

[@chloedevereaux1801]

so why no enhanced audio on the ste........ way better sound than poxy amiga

[@gridleaderretro]

The STE version does feature sampled sound effects and engine noise, both of which are absent in the standard ST version. To include MOD music on the STE would be something of a stretch to be honest, as the STE lacks the hardware sound mixing functionality that's built into the Amiga. The STE does have some redeeming audio features but (putting aside the MIDI ports in the ST range) I'd say that the Amiga is overall far superior in the realm of audio.

[@mortenera2294]

@@gridleaderretro What about an in-game MODTracker you could toggle on and off in case you're playing on a Mega STE or faster machines in general?

[@masterhoshi]

As I understand the best way to get the hardware sound would be to stream it vs mods. Similar to a sound blaster. MIDI would be interesting if you could attach an mt32 or something like PCs did back in the day.

[@d_vibe-swe]

I wouldn't say that STE has better sound capabilities than the Amiga. Only two channels and no master volume on individual channels.