Sega Super Circuit (Japanese: セガスーパーサーキット) (SSC for short) was a medium-scale attraction designed and built by the Sega Mechatronics R&D Department in the 1980s.
Overview
Sega Super Circuit is an elaborate arcade racing game, where players control R/C cars around a specialty-sized racetrack. Each car has a CCD video camera attached to it. The visual feed of these cameras are relayed to the screens of specially-modified Outrun deluxe cabinets, from which the players can remotely control their cars. The camera is mounted on the front of the car, creating a first-person perspective for players. The game can support up to eight players at a time. It also has an electronic scoreboard that displays the current position of the racers during a game. The system board in the modified cabinets keep track of information related to the game.
Because the game takes place in the real world rather than in a virtual world, human operators are needed to set the cars up for each race and cleaning up the track afterwards, as well as to provide commentary during races. The track itself is reportedly said to be 80 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width. It has light-up props that, when combined with the first-person perspective created by the cars' cameras, create the scenery of a futuristic city. It also features several corners, with signs that warn of upcoming turns, in addition to a straight tunnel section part-way through.
Gameplay
As with generally any racing game, the first player to complete a set number of laps around the track is the winner. The player controls their car using a steering wheel and pedals for acceleration, brakes, and reverse, the last of which being useful for getting unstuck.
History
Sega Super Circuit @ Yokohama Expo ('89) (セガ・スーパーサーキット 横浜博覧会（'89）)
Sega Super Circuit first started out as a joint effort between Sega and Nissan Motors under the name Super Game Z. It was first unveiled and showcased in July 1987 at the Dream Factory '87 exposition. In 1989, the game was installed in its current form at Sega World Tokyo Roof in Yokohama, Japan, where it operated until 1990. As of current, its fate is uncertain.
Trivia
- The game, in its original form of Super Game Z, was different in appearance. The layout of the track was a far cry from its later form, and the design of the cars were different, too. The modified Outrun deluxe cabinets used for the game, prior to their current form, kept the original artwork. Another difference between Super Game Z and Sega Super Circuit, was that the former featured an HUD (heads-up display) on the screen of the cabinets. Another important aspect, was that Super Game Z featured a scale-model futuristic cityscape, which also boasts searchlights, what appears to be a miniature rollercoaster, and a giant monster prop that rises up at certain moments during gameplay.
- Reportedly, Super Game Z had wait times of up to five hours.
- There was also a model kit of the R/C racing cars featured in Super Game Z distributed at Dream Factory '87.
