In my quest to make sure I'm playing the best version of the game, I've undertaken a bit of research. The general consensus seems to be, that in terms of gameplay, this is the order of which Sega Saturn version of Sega Rally is the best:
- Sega Rally Championship Plus NetLink Edition (US)
- Sega Rally Championship Plus (JPN)
- Sega Rally (PAL)
- Sega Rally (US)
- Sega Rally (JPN)
The reasoning for this seems to be that the JPN and US versions came out first, whereas the PAL version had a bit of extra time spent on it, which improved the game (as they had to optimise it for the PAL region). However, the Plus and then NetLink Editions then came out, with the latter being the pinnacle of the series. Do you agree with this? For what it's worth, as a PAL gamer who has just played the Plus NetLink Edition for the first time, the Plus NetLink Edition is much smoother.
But for speed running, I've seen people discussing how the PAL version is the best, as it runs faster. Is this true? Something to do with 60Hz vs 50Hz? From playing 30 minutes on the PAL version last night, and then 30 minutes on the Plus NetLink Edition, this does seem to be true, as I couldn't match my PAL time. Also, when I start a race, I hold the accelerator down until a certain part of the, "3, 2, 1, GO!" countdown, let go of the accelerator, and then slam it back down...but the timing is slightly different between the versions. It's noticeable.
So, which is the best Sega Saturn version of the game overall, and which is the best for speed running? And why? Do your experiences and research match mine?
I have a JPN Saturn I want to play real discs on while that's still possible so it's #2 for me.
I did some human reacting time reading a while ago. A respectable reaction time for a visual cue is 200 milliseconds and 100 milliseconds is crushing the world record. We respond to audio cues about 50 milliseconds faster, which seems logical if you think about the less brain processing required. Stimulants such as caffeine help visual cues a small amount. Men have slightly faster visual reaction time than women on average and equal audio times.
Using 200 ms as a baseline, that's 12 frames in 60 Hz NTSC and 10 frames in 50 Hz PAL. You miss less of the action in 50 Hz, making it easier. People get higher scores playing PAL shoot 'em ups versus the NTSC versions for this reason. All world records in SNES Mario Kart are set on the PAL version since in-game time is used. That game has frame perfect tricks and turns out a frame being 20 ms versus 16.7 ms is an advantage.
Of course, if you anticipate what to do, you aren't reacting. With enough attempts, I got 80 ms on an online reaction test by guessing when the change would appear and clicking without seeing it. If you do need to react, use an audio cue if possible.
Thank you NewSchoolBoxer! That is the best explanation I've ever read on this topic.
It's bit of a shame though to need to play the less smooth version of the game in order to set a faster time. :crying
