Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 92: Hampton Muscles In

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 92: Hampton Muscles In

1966: Hampton's First Muscle Car Debuts

1966 marked a major milestone for the Hampton Motor Group - the Warwickshire-based company took the lucrative American market by storm with its first muscle car, the Valiant V8 5.0. The regular Valiant wasn't a bad car - in fact, it was quite decent, but this high-performance flagship was making all the headlines that year, thanks to its superb all-around performance. Not even the fact that it was more expensive than its rivals could stop it from being voted the best muscle car by the fictional Motor Review World magazine at the time of its launch.

Left to right: Some of the cars offered by the Hampton Motor Group in 1966 - Ferret II 1.8 (far left), Valiant II Prime (left), Valiant II V8 5.0 (right), and Transtar 2.0 van (far right).

The smaller Ferret II was more divisive, though; it was more comfortable than other competitors in its class, and offered competitive economy and practicality, but at the expense of inferior reliability and being more expensive to buy and run than most of its counterparts. Realizing this, Hampton began drawing up a second compact model line that would better suited to the economy car role (which would turn out to be the Fennec), while also planning to enlarge the Ferret for the next few generations and shift it upmarket.

Meanwhile, in the utility sector, their refreshed Transtar remained a popular choice among fleets seeking vans to use for hauling cargo. It was as cheap to buy as ever, and had a high load capacity. It was not as capable of off-roading as some of its rivals, though, but this was not much of a problem given that Transtars were primarily designed for (and used on) paved roads.

Revised versions of the Peregrine (above) and Shrike (below) were also new to the Hampton range for 1966.

As for its sports cars, the Peregrine received the Valiant's V8, but in a slightly more aggressive state of tune, while the smaller Shrike received an enlarged and more powerful engine displacing 2.2 litres. The extra power was decidedly welcome in both models, and kept them relevant even into the next decade.

Speaking of which, founder and CEO Toby Hampton announced in the fall of 1966 that the rest of Hampton's core range would be updated by 1972 to keep them competitive. As part of that plan, the Valiant II would receive more powerful engines, as would the new Vanguard II (which was scheduled for launch in 1969); the latter would also be the first Hampton to use hydropneumatic suspension, with a new semi-trailing arm rear end providing improved comfort over its predecessor's coil-sprung live rear axle.

1972: Hampton Powers Up Again

The Vanguard II was initially offered with six- and eight-cylinder engines at launch; however, from 1972, only the V8-powered versions remained, with the top 5.0-litre trim now endowed with 200 horsepower. Unlike its predecessor, it was also available as a two-door coupe as well as a four-door sedan. Also in 1972, the Vanguard range received more advanced safety equipment commensurate with its positioning as the company's flagship. As with all other Hampton models, US-spec examples were fitted with rear side marker lights and front parking lights, while passenger's side mirrors were now standard across the board. In addition, an 8-track player was also offered as standard equipment for the first time.

As for the Valiant II, the high-performance Sprint trim could now be upgraded to a SuperSprint package, which finally added the high-lift camshaft, high-flow intake and long-tube headers that had been standard on the Peregrine V8 for so long. With 270 net horsepower, this was the most powerful version of Hampton's original overhead-valve V8. Production was cut short after the first oil crisis, but with all the performance improvements, it was a great way to go out. Lesser six-cylinder models also received engine tweaks that boosted their performance and efficiency. However, all trims of the Valiant II would also receive safety upgrades as regulations tightened during the 1970s, along with the addition of extra standard equipment.

Some of the new models introduced by Hampton in 1972, from left to right: Valiant II 3.5 Prime, Valiant 5.0 V8 Supersprint, and Vanguard II V8 5.0. 

Postscript

Given that the Ferret was proving to be somewhat more expensive and less reliable than anticipated, but still a competitive choice due to its comfort and economy, Hampton also chose to develop a second compact car platform, one that would underpin a more affordable entry-level offering as the Ferret slowly moved upmarket. This was, in fact, their first-ever transverse-engined, front-wheel-drive car, and it would ultimately be called the Fennec when it debuted in 1974. That model line would go on to have a long and successful production life, and would even receive a facelift in 1985, before being replaced by an all-new Fennec in the early 1990s as part of a company-wide model range refresh - but that is a story for another post.

Game of Life Generations, Ranked: Which One is the Best of them All in my Opinion?

Game of Life Generations, Ranked: Which One is the Best of them All in my Opinion?

As you may already have known by now, Hasbro's Game of Life - its second most recognizable board game after Monopoly - has been around for 60 years now, having been introduced in 1960, and is still going strong in 2020. In that time, it has evolved through four distinct generations, with the first two of those receiving a redesign partway through their lifespans. So which one is the best, according to my humble opinion? To determine a definitive ranking, I will consider a variety of factors, such as difficulty, balance, and most importantly of all, fun factor. In addition, I won't treat redesigns of the same generation separately, nor will I include any of the spin-offs such as the Adventure, Fame and Twists & Turns Editions due to their different rule sets. So here they are, from worst to best - relatively speaking, since there has never been a bad version of the Game of Life, only good ones.

4th: Generation 1 (1960-1989) - Strong Start Squandered By An Overstayed Welcome

Some of you are wondering why the original version of Hasbro's Game of Life isn't the best. Part of this is due to relative unfamiliarity among younger fans, including myself, but also because it was less balanced gameplay-wise than any of its successors - something that its original creator, Milton Bradley, could not have foreseen. For example, it was possible to be eliminated from the game altogether if you failed to spin the number you had bet on after attempting to become a Millionaire Tycoon upon landing on the Day of Reckoning space (which led straight to the Poor Farm) - not an ideal way to finish a game. Besides, anyone who actually becomes a Millionaire Tycoon will win the game, thereby preventing others from retiring normally unless they have already done so - and where's the fun in that?

On the other hand, the original Game of Life introduced all the basic principles of the game we are familiar with, and many of its features (such as Share the Wealth Cards and Lucky Day, the latter being known as Spin To Win in recent years) would be present in at least one subsequent edition of the game. Moreover, Stock certificates were depicted more realistically than in any subsequent version of the game: some Collect Spaces could only affect players who had already purchased stocks, while on the other hand, there were also Pay Spaces that, if landed on, would cause any stock owner to lose money. Finally, it is the only version to support eight players instead of six or four, as in later versions, and it was the longest-lived one as well, with a total lifespan of 30 years - although for some reason, this was a much longer run than anticipated, which meant that it almost became stale by the late 1980s, thereby necessitating a redesign (more on which later).

3rd: Generation IV (since 2013) - A Decent Idea Compromised By Oversimplification

The latest version of the Game of Life isn't the greatest either, but at least it's not the worst. Unlike all previous versions, it only supports four players, which would've been fine if Hasbro kept some of the more interesting features found in earlier editions. But they didn't, and so this version falls short on fun factor compared to its predecessors. In particular, players now compete not for money, but for points. At least the Action Cards in this version are well worth collecting (100,000 points each), and the game now incentivizes early retirements by giving larger cash bonuses to players who reach the end of the board and retire before their opponents do.

Giving each career an investment number from the get-go (as opposed to having to buy one) seems odd to me, though, especially since you can now use it to collect money from opponents, not just the bank. And to confuse matters further, some video game adaptations of this version also change the amount of money awarded through careers' investment numbers, making some of them needlessly overpowered - an issue that is sadly not unique to this version of the Game of Life, and especially undesirable here.

In fairness, the decision to downsize the game to four players makes sense given that many recent spin-offs of the Game of Life also support four players each. In my opinion, those off-shoots benefit greatly from the faster pace that ensues from having to support only four players. However, in the regular Game of Life, it only serves to create a game that I consider to be too short compared to what it once was. Finally, the fact that house purchases are now optional (rather than mandatory), and even then can only be done upon landing on a House space (of which there are now several, has traditionalists up in arms, to say the least. All things considered, this still isn't the worst version of the Game of Life to have been released, but it's a long way from the best. Speaking of which, the next entry is a much stronger contender for that title.

2nd: Generation III (2007-2013) - Intensity that was Too Good to Last
Picking a winner proved to be more difficult than I had realized, so I'll start with the merits of Generation III. Firstly, it was the first version of the Game of Life not to be significantly redesigned in any way during its production run, since much of it was fundamentally right from the outset. It also reintroduced Spin to Win (formerly known as Lucky Day), wedding and baby gifts, and Share the Wealth Cards after a long absence, while also discarding insurance policies due to the fact that they had lost much of their effectiveness in Generation II. Moreover, it introduced us to the all-new Lawsuit mechanic, which allowed you to take money directly from another player ($100,000) unless they had an Exemption Card, in which case they had to hand that card in to the bank instead.

This version of the Game of Life also spawned more video game adaptations than any other, which explains my familiarity with it. Returning to the subject of gameplay, it made house purchases more manageable than previously, since you could no longer make a loss upon selling a house. Better still, stock cards, which were now referred to as Long-Term Investments, now cost much less to purchase; as such, buying them was now more worthwhile than ever before, especially in the early stages of the game. Life Tile values had already been decreased midway through the previous version's life cycle, but they were still useful here. Finally, Generation III turned out to be the last version of the Game of Life ever to support up to six players, which I feel is the ideal maximum for this sort of game.

So why isn't it my all-time favorite version of the Game of Life? Blame it on balance and unpredictability, or in this case, the relative lack of either at times. Some of this stems from the fact that this was the first version of the game in which College Careers were overpowered (especially the highest-paying ones), for three reasons: First, they tended to pay out more over the course of a game (at least initially) than most regular careers. Second, it was quite easy to obtain higher-paying College Careers early on, especially with the newly introduced mechanic of returning to school to either swap your current career with any unused College Career, or earn two Pay Raises worth $10,000. Speaking of which, they're the third reason why this game is not as unpredictable as I'd hoped, since there are just four careers which don't have a maximum salary limit.

There are other areas where the game lacks balance. For example, a player who loses too much money from lawsuits will struggle to get back into the game, and losing your job after passing the Return to School space is more detrimental than if it occurs earlier, since there is no way to regain your previous job. Most egregiously of all, winning $500,000 in Spin to Win can potentially put a player very far out of reach of any opponent, especially if that player manages to do so multiple times - yet another reason why this version of the game is not always as unpredictable as its predecessor, and it may even (at least partially) explain why this version of the Game of Life had such a short print run of just six years.

Even so, I consider this to be among the most enjoyable versions of the Game of Life ever to be released. In particular, with four or more players, it becomes very intense, especially in the later stages of a game. And the fact that this is the only version since the original to feature Share the Wealth Cards also adds a strategic element not seen since the original. Nevertheless, it must still finish second in my order behind its predecessor - and I am about to show you why.

1st: Generation II (1991-2006) - The Best Version to Date... But Only Just
Surprised that this version of the Game of Life is at the top of this list? So am I. It may be due to the fact that, for the first fifteen years of my life, the second edition of the Game of Life was the only one I ever knew about, and therefore the first one I ever bought; I played it quite often in my youth. However, it's not the only reason why it sits atop my list. It also represented a major turning point in the history of the Game of Life, where it attempted to become more relevant with the times - and succeeded. This is borne out in its longevity - it was in print for a total of fifteen years, which, while only half as long as its predecessor, is still a very long time, and twice as long as the lifespans (to date) of both the third and fourth generations combined.

What else can possibly explain why the second edition of the Game of Life is somehow still my favorite even after all these years? I suspect it comes down to the fact that, unlike any other version of the Game of Life, each career was compatible with multiple salary values instead of just one; in fact, prior to the 2002 redesign, any career could be combined with any salary value. Also, you were far less likely to lose your job (and salary) than in Generation III, and in addition to that, had two chances to change your career (and salary) voluntarily instead of just one, and at a lower price to boot ($20,000 instead of $50,000).

Unlike its immediate predecessor, Generation II also lacked any instant loss or win conditions, which I believed ruined the fun if any of them were met. Instead, everyone would be guaranteed to retire at the end of the game. Speaking of which, this was the first version of the Game of Life to refer to the two retirement options as Countryside Acres or Millionaire Estates - a trait shared with all later versions.

Choosing either option over the other was also more likely to decide the outcome of a game than in any subsequent version of the Game of Life. Countryside Acres retirees would receive a Life Tile (taking from another player if necessary, unless there was nobody to take it from) and could not have their Life Tiles taken from them, but could not receive the stash of four Life Tiles at Millionaire Estates. Millionaire Estates retirees, on the other hand, could have their Life Tiles taken from them if the draw pile ran out, but they would receive four Life Tiles if they were the wealthiest player to retire there. This could lead to some unexpected outcomes, especially before the 2002 redesign which we will discuss later.

In addition, although this version had only nine Career Cards in all, only two of them required a college degree, whereas exactly half of the 12 Career Cards in Generation III had this requirement. On top of that, you could choose from one of three each of Career and Salary Cards if you earned a college degree at the start of the game. Moreover, this was the first version to feature Life Tiles, which were originally worth between $50,000 to $250,000 in increments of $50,000, thereby providing players with a means of gaining yet more money if they had little cash on hand upon retirement. All this led to a level of overall unpredictability, intensity and competitiveness more often seen than in any other version of the Game of Life - one that I fear may never be seen again.

In fact, even after the 2002 redesign (the 40th Anniversary re-issue was nothing more than an aesthetic makeover) which sorted salary cards into one of four color groups (red, yellow, green or blue), restricted every Career card to a salary belonging to either of two of those groups, and even reduced the value of all Life Tiles five-fold (to between $10,000 and $50,000, in $10,000 increments), it was still quite possible to have a close, exciting game - if anything it was even more likely than before the redesign. Another reason for this competitiveness is that unlike in other versions, there were several spaces where you could trade your Salary Card with one belonging to another player, and if your salary was low relative to your opponent's, it would leave you in a strong position while at the same time also putting your opponent at a disadvantage. However, this meant that the best salary to have was often the second-highest-paying one among all players - the player(s) with the highest-paying one would often be the target of salary trades as a result.

As icing on the cake, this was the first version of the Game of Life to receive a computer game adaptation while it was still in print - something to be expected in modern times, but totally out of the question with its predecessor due to the absence of the technology required for such a project. Crucially, though, the virtual board game version added extra modes and features that the source material did not have, thereby improving the fun factor. This trend would continue in all subsequent video game adaptations of the Game of Life, which explains their popularity, especially among casual gamers. There was even a mobile phone game based on the original release of this version in the mid-2000s, and while it had a different set of mini-games, it too proved to be as enjoyable as expected.

It's not perfect, though. For starters, players originally did not sell their houses upon retirement, making the cheaper options more attractive (hence my preference for a house rule requiring every house to be sold for 50% more than its original price at the end of the game). Even though the first major redesign finally added resale values for houses (and a space where you could sell your current house mid-game in place of a Life Tile space), they were all dependent on the number(s) you could have spun when you attempted to sell them, and this meant that, as before, some houses were still less worthwhile to purchase than others.

Another problem with this version is that although some careers are more lucrative than others, it's arguably more pronounced here than it was before or since. For example, the Accountant is especially coveted since anyone with that career not only collects taxes from others, but doesn't have to pay them in return. On the other hand, the Police Officer is the least prized career, despite its ability to collect $5,000 ($10,000 after the redesign) from any player who spins a 10; it has only one space associated with it, and even that one yields the officer only $15,000 when someone with another career lands on it. To counter this, all other non-College Careers received special abilities in the 2002 redesign. Even so, the problem of different levels of lucrativity remained, and thus all career-specific abilities were omitted altogether from all future installments.

As a side note, in this version of the Game of Life, Stock Cards were less useful than they (or their equivalents) were in other versions; although they yielded $10,000 when anyone spun their number after someone bought them, each one cost $50,000 to purchase. To mitigate this shortcoming, Hasbro added a space which would yield a free Stock Card if landed on (unless every Stock Card was already in use), along with a pair of spaces that would cost you one Stock Card if landed on, to balance this out.

Nevertheless, for all its faults, Generation II still remains my favorite version of the Game of Life - and deservedly so, but only by a whisker.

Conclusion

Having played every version of the Game of Life to date, I have learned that the best ones stand out mainly for a few things: well-judged gameplay balance, decent length (but obviously not as long as Monopoly, which Hasbro also publishes), and enough fun factor to keep you interested for hours on end. The second and third generations of the Game of Life, more than any other before or since, had these qualities in spades, and as such these versions remain firm favorites of mine to this day. Hopefully, Hasbro can bring back these elements for future versions of the Game of Life and restore the fun factor that made earlier versions so great in the eyes of players and fans.

Doll Maker's Diary, Part 38: Reinforcements

Doll Maker's Diary, Part 38: Reinforcements

This is my 200th(!) post on this blog, and to mark the occasion, I have decided to give the four new CRASH recruits from the defunct STAR Power initiative a full-fledged data sheet each. So here they are.

First up is Katie Palmer, a melee specialist whose ability involves slightly sacrificing one offensive stat for a huge but temporary boost to another.

Next in the list of new recruits is Tiffany Ward, a specialist in defensive techniques who can also cloak herself temporarily to avoid detection.

The third new recruit is Jessie Barton, whose abilities are mostly based on ice, and can designate a target to improve her attacks' accuracy.

Last but not least is Mara Hart, a pyrokinetic whose fire-based attacks can deal damage over time to any target.

Above, from top: Data sheets for the four newcomers to CRASH Chronicles - Katie Palmer, Tiffany Ward, Jessie Barton and Mara Hart.

This should give you an idea of what these new X-Girls are capable of - so stay tuned for a more detailed analysis on each of them.

A Brief History of Black Holes in Infinite Space: From Navigational Hazards to Interstellar Shortcuts

A Brief History of Black Holes in Infinite Space: From Navigational Hazards to Interstellar Shortcuts

Every game in the Infinite Space trilogy has featured black holes on every randomly generated map. However, their depiction varies slightly between individual games, although they are generally considered to be navigational hazards throughout the whole series. With that in mind, let's take a look at these vast cosmic whirlpools and how they came to be regarded as potential gateways to interstellar shortcuts in later games.

In the original Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, black holes had to be avoided at all costs, since their immense gravitational pull would ensnare and destroy any flotilla that got too close to them (with the exact distance depending on how fast that flotilla could travel between star systems); if that flotilla was your own, the game would immediately end. Black holes were spawned randomly at the start of a game, and would remain hidden unless you discovered them by getting close enough. Unlike in later games, however, you could rename any black holes you found, and there were hardly ever more than two of them on any map.

Discovering a black hole in the original game. Note that you can rename any black holes you find in Strange Adventures, a feature omitted from both sequels.

Black holes were left mostly unchanged for Weird Worlds and Sea of Stars, with a few exceptions. Having an Anti-Graviton Shunt (a new item introduced in Weird Worlds) installed on any ship in your flotilla would render it immune to the effects of a black hole, and you can even visit them, although you won't find any items there. While orbiting a black hole, you can even enter it and emerge in another black hole (including the one you just entered), regardless of whether or not you have already discovered it. Doing so, however, would run the risk of damaging a random piece of equipment in your fleet, but only in Weird Worlds.

In addition to this, if the map contained the hidden space station Primordius, it would always spawn at a black hole. In Sea of Stars, it was also immune to detection via a Continuum Renderer Array; as for the black holes themselves, there were now always five of them on any map (whereas in Weird Worlds, smaller maps would have fewer black holes), and each one would be marked in red on the map after it was found, unless you were using an Anti-Graviton Shunt.

Interestingly, Weird Worlds also allowed you to completely remove NPC fleets (except for the Klakar Frigate) from the map without actually attacking and destroying them in direct combat. This trick requires the use of an Aethric Mirror and an Anti-Graviton Shunt. To pull it off, you'll need to visit a black hole, and use the mirror on an NPC fleet (except for abandoned vessels and Primordius, all of which are immune). If successful, you will swap places with the NPC fleet and destroy it in the process. 

From my own observations, this is an overpowered tactic. In fact, one theory as to why the Aethric Mirror was removed from Sea of Stars is that the developers deliberately wanted to prevent players from completing the game in such anticlimactic fashion. Then again, considering how much easier it is in that game to destroy hostile fleets by conventional means, it may not even have been necessary to consider including the Aethric Mirror on the list of obtainable items this time around.

Above, from top: Three types of black holes in Sea of Stars: hazardous (red), explored (green) and non-hazardous (purple).

Given that traveling through black holes no longer damages any of your ships (or any equipment installed on them, for that matter), it is now more viable than ever to use them as shortcuts through interstellar space if you have an Anti-Graviton Shunt. If you want (or have) to visit a distant star system on the map that would take a very long time (around 365 days, or 1 Earth year) to reach via conventional means, it may be faster to find a nearby black hole, then enter it, and from there, keep entering other black holes until you find the one closest to your desired destination. From there, it should be a short hop to your final destination - saving you plenty of time compared to a direct approach.

In short, black holes seem intimidating for newcomers to the Infinite Space trilogy, but you'll quickly learn how to avoid them - unless you have an Anti-Graviton Shunt, in which case you would be better off exploiting them instead for a faster trip through Sector Prime.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 91: Revisiting Old (And Breaking New) Ground

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 91: Revisiting Old (And Breaking New) Ground

As the year 2020 A.D. rolls on, it's becoming clear that there may not be many (any?) real-life motor shows left to base Automation forum motor shows on, given that the game does not support designs made in 2021 and later. However, a few devoted Automationeers have come to the rescue by revisiting the idea of historic motor shows. It's not a completely new idea, though: it dates back to the Kee era of Automation, but ever since the shift to UE4 a few years ago, many longtime users have wanted it to return, and given the current circumstances, it has made more sense than ever.

This trend started off on the right foot with the 1960 Automation Detroit Motor Show, which had a decent turnout and provided me with a chance to showcase some of the new or revised models from the Hampton Motor Group, which I created specifically for the Generations II tournament. I chose to send four of its model lines to Detroit: the Shrike (a small entry-level sports car), the Peregrine (a larger, more upmarket sports car), the Valiant (a mid-sized sedan, coupe and wagon), and the Vanguard (a large luxury car). A detailed description of these 1960 models can be found in an earlier post in this series.

Moving forward, the next historic motor show on the forums is the recently launched 1985 Automation Frankfurt Motor Show, which concludes early in June. It was here that, according to company lore, the Hampton Motor Group returned to the sports car market with an all-new Peregrine, powered by the same 3.5-litre straight-six as the Valiant Sprint. Speaking of which, that model could now be ordered with a Performance Pack (which included more aggressive gearing and high-performance tires) for the first time.

The 1985 Hampton Peregrine II, in coupe (left) and convertible (right) forms.

According to company lore, the original Peregrine was in production between 1956 and 1974, but there was initially no immediate successor due to the oil crisis. It wasn't until the early 1980s that the Hampton Motor Group contemplated developing a replacement, but eventually it arrived within a few years. At launch, the Peregrine II was offered solely as a two-seater, with the only available body styles being a fixed-roof coupe or soft-top convertible. Unlike other rear-wheel-drive model ranges in the Hampton lineup, it was built on a bespoke platform, with a shorter wheelbase and double-wishbone suspension at each corner to set it apart under the skin. Clever suspension tuning made it very agile in the corners, and it was even faster than the Valiant Sprint, thanks to a lighter curb weight.

Another one of Hampton's new arrivals at the 1985 Frankfurt Auto Show was the fourth-generation Vanguard. This full-sized four-door luxury car was offered with either a 3.2-litre or 3.5-litre straight-six, with the latter being a detuned version of that found in the Peregrine and the Valiant Sprint. To distinguish the Vanguard from its lesser brethren, its interior was much more lavish, and hydro-pneumatic suspension was standard across the range, as was a four-speed automatic transmission.

Two trims for the 1985 Hampton Vanguard: the 3.5 Supreme (left) and 3.2 Deluxe (right).

The higher-end Supreme trim was also offered as a two-door coupe, something that was never considered for the previous Vanguard. Unlike the smaller Valiant, no attempt was made to offer this generation of Vanguard in convertible or wagon form. As with the Valiant, a Sprint version was offered as the flagship of the range, with a driveline taken from the Peregrine, but mated to the Vanguard's automatic transmission and viscous limited-slip differential.

A 1985 Vanguard Supreme Coupe in dark metallic green (left) and a Vanguard Sprint Coupe in silver (right.

Even more significant was the presence of the 1985 Valiant range. Available as a coupe, sedan, convertible or wagon, this executive car was available in four trims:

• Prime: The base model, with a premium interior and audio system, powered by a 3.0-litre (91 RON) engine.
• Deluxe: Another premium trim, but with more features than the Prime, including optional ABS; 3.2-litre engine (95 RON) optional.
• Supreme: The flagship of the regular Valiant range with 3.2-litre engine and ABS as standard; 3.5-litre (95 RON) engine optional.
• Sprint: Dedicated high-performance variant, available only as sedan or coupe, with a more highly tuned version of the 3.5-litre straight-six, a 5-speed manual transmission, mechanical LSD and sportier suspension tune as standard features; Performance Pack (including high-performance tires and more aggressive gearing) optional.

Some of the 1985 Valiant variants. Above, left to right: 3.0 Prime wagon, 3.2 Deluxe sedan, 3.2 Deluxe convertible, and 3.5 Sprint coupe with Performance Pack. Below, left to right: 3.5 Supreme coupe and 3.5 Sprint sedan without Performance Pack.

Sitting below the Valiant was a redesigned Ferret, built on a shortened Valiant platform and powered almost exclusively by the same engines as its larger sibling, except for a twin-cam, alloy-head 2.2-liter version of the straight-four engine first used the original 1956 Ferret. This would be reserved for the entry-level Prime trim, though: all the others were available only with six-cylinder engines. Unlike the Valiant, there would not be a Sprint version of this generation of the Ferret; that would have to wait until its successor arrived several years later.

The 1985 Hampton Ferret range, from left to right: 2.2 Prime wagon, 3.0 Deluxe sedan, 3.2 Supreme coupe, and 2.8 Deluxe convertible. 

With this expanded lineup, the Hampton Motor Group was able to fill a wider variety of niches, catering especially to a broader spectrum of high-end buyers than it was able to at the start of the decade. However, to safeguard its position, all of these models would be significantly updated for the 1990 model year. As part of this plan, Hampton's venerable straight-six was given a comprehensive redesign, incorporating an aluminum alloy block and four-valve heads with variable intake (and later exhaust) valve timing, providing significantly improved efficiency and performance - but that is a story best reserved for another time, and another post.

Update (June 7th 2020): The next historic motor show on the Automation Discourse (not Discord) forums is the 1994 New York Auto Show. Expect a blog post discussing this show to be published soon.

Doll Maker's Diary, Part 37: Getting the Band Back Together

Doll Maker's Diary, Part 37: Getting the Band Back Together

Revisiting CRASH Chronicles recently made me consider the idea of integrating the four characters from my other series, STAR Power, into that series' lore. And after some deliberation, I finally went ahead and did it. To accommodate this, I have made a few changes. The red-clad, raven-haired X-Girl/Heroine Fan Art Creator character I had made a few years ago is now called Jessica Barton, and has gained the ability to create something resembling a laser beam (which can temporarily stun targets and render them vulnerable to subsequent attacks) using her fists, while her dark-skinned best friend now has the snappier, simpler name of Mara Hart, and has gained the ability to generate small fires. Tiffany Ward retains her original name and powers (the latter of which involve boosting her defenses, especially by reducing the accuracy of enemy attacks), but the last member of STAR Power is now called Katie Palmer, and has the exact opposite ability to Ward's: a temporary buff to her offensive capabilities.

Combine the women of CRASH Chronicles with their buddies from STAR Power, and you have a virtually unstoppable force on your hands.

The premise of this collaboration is that, after a series of battles, the original four women of CRASH Chronicles are in desperate need of reinforcements - and they find them in the form of the recently disbanded STAR Power initiative, of which Ward, Palmer, Barton and Hart are the only surviving members. All four of them decide to join CRASH Chronicles by volunteering for its enhancement program, thereby explaining how they got their new powers. CRASH promises that they will provide all four newcomers with the expertise needed to team up with any existing CRASH agents, and they do just that. With all eight members now working together, CRASH will be better equipped to handle threats that no other agency will want (or be able) to deal with.

The eight women of the CRASH Alpha Squad again, in their respective teams' training outfits (above) and in fancy color-coded dresses (below). Jessica and Claire are on the White Wolves, Ellie and Katie on the Blue Eagles, Kayla and Tiffany on the Purple Lions, and Alexa and Mara on the Golden Dragons.

To reflect their diverse roles and powers, the CRASH Alpha Squad has been split into four divisions. The Blue Eagles specialize in offense, while the Purple Lions place an emphasis on defense. The White Wolves, meanwhile, focus on speed and precision, while the Golden Dragons prefer a balance between these attributes. Each division carries a total of five members, led by two co-captains, and ever since the CRASH Alpha Squad's expansion, each co-captaincy position has been held by an X-Girl from that team.

Now that the Alpha Squad is ready for battle once again, who knows what dangers they will face? Only time will tell.

Doll Maker's Diary, Part 36: Back to the Forties

Doll Maker's Diary, Part 36: Back to the Forties

The recent coronavirus pandemic has brought with it an especially severe side-effect: the worst recession since the Great Depression, and with it the strong possibility of a return to austerity since the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. With this in mind, I have decided to depict the original four characters from CRASH Chronicles in yet another Azalea's Dolls dress-up game - one themed after 1940s fashions. Here are several examples of the artworks I made there.

Examples of artworks made in Azalea's Dolls' 1940s Fashion Dress Up Game, showing two artworks each for the four original characters from CRASH Chronicles (Ellie Watts, Claire Hayes, Kayla Brooks and Alexa Lowe).

The left-hand side of the screen shows the current design of your doll and the background against which it is displayed; the right-hand side shows a variety of design options in the currently selected tab. Speaking of which, there are a total of eight tabs. The first one contains options for your doll's physical appearance (skin tone, eye color and shape, make-up, hair style and color, lip color and shape), while the next few tabs are dedicated to clothing options and colors.

The second tab is where options for 1940s-style lingerie can be found. Long, one-piece dresses can be found under the third tab, while the fourth and fifth tabs are dedicated to tops and skirts, respectively; in those three tabs, you also have the option to add a pattern in a contrasting color (or two), with the exact type of pattern being dependent on the items you chose.

The sixth tab is where you'll find overcoats and shawls, while the seventh tab is for shoes, hats, gloves and accessories (jewelry, bags, other hand-held items, etc.) The last tab is where you can select different backgrounds (either a street scene such as a marina, bedroom or street corner, or a choice between solid colors and gradients), apply filters (normal, sepia, or grayscale), and save your picture when you are finished. Thus ends this brief overview of this game.