GrogHeads Forum

But for any enthusiasts of F1 there's a 2016 coming out at some point (soon hopefully).



Sounds pretty good...a pre-purchase/day 1 purchase for me  O0

He mentions the "return" of the safety car, but I don't recall a Codies F1 game with a safety car...maybe it was just too long ago

I was disappointed in the 2015 release. Very simplified. Crappy console interface. Really nothing like the F1 games of old where you can set up your car yourself.

Plus for some reason it insists that you cannot use a joystick. That's just idiotic, a joystick a perfectly fine hardware UI for center-focused, variable steering input.

Too bad they have an exclusive license.

Thought I would update people on this game having 17 hours in it - I know there's a few into driving sims.

I've bought every one of these since Codemasters started the series. Whilst I am not one of those that thinks they've done a bad job, I'm also not one of those who thinks they've been outstanding. I've always viewed the series as a cross of sim and arcade but generally leaning to sim. Sure they've not got all the features of a sim - but I'm talking really about the driving aspect.

In general each of their games have been a hit in some aspects and a miss in others. I really can't think of any one particular one that stood out as head and shoulders above the rest. Probably their last game (or was it the one before) where they shamelessly stripped everything out and left a bare bones game was a slap in the face to anyone interested in the series.

However - I am please to say that I think they have released an absolute belter here.

I choose Manor Marussia and a full career mode meaning 2x90 and 1x60 minute practice sessions, full qualifying and full race. I was dubious about the full race, but actually it turned out great. You have unlimited flashbacks. Considered cheating by some, I love them. They help for those moments when you have to pause to go to the toilet or you pause to catch something on TV or are just interrupted through no fault of your own. Sitting back down and "getting in the swing of the drive" can be difficult and often leads to a lapse in concentration and a crash...hence my love for Flashbacks. You can also save the game or save and exit, allowing you to continue next sitting



Good Points
Immersion
The feeling of actually being in an F1 team is very much here - at last! Meeting your PA (manager?), the practice options, car upgrades, sitting on the grid, slowing for pit entry, safety car, manual starts, formation lap - everything is here to make you believe you are driving in the F1 world.

Practice
It now has a purpose. No longer is it about how the car feels, how the tyres hold out, what it feels like in full fuel. You are doing those things, but with a view to garnering points to assign to upgrades on the car. The more points you get the more upgrades you can get. I'm also pleased to inform you that not only are they difficult to do - so a challenge - but they seem to differ from team to team. I was in a Manor and finding the tyre management OK. I went to Renault, and found it much more difficult to gain any points.

Once you've had your fun on practice you get to choose the upgrade(s) you want to focus on. Each upgrade you highlight will show your cars improvement over the rest of the field.

Qualifying
Doing Full Qualifying is the full format. 3 sessions with the slowest being knocked out in each session. It's very immersive, setting a time and watching to see how you do. Of course in a Manor, I was never getting out of session 3.

Weather
Weather and lighting are fantastic. I was racing Melbourne which started off dry. Some rain started and it came to the point where I knew I needed intermediates on. So in the pits and inters were put on. Further on, the rain was getting heavier. This wasn't just noticeable on the track - it was noticeable on the screen and in the spray being kicked up. It really was seamless dry, light rain, heavy rain, light rain, dry again....very, very well done.

There was also a dry line being made as the heavy turned to light and then to dry.

Race
The race was great and the AI wasn't too shabby. It is of course, an AI - but it was quite aggressive (I have it on Expert). Not to the point of running you off the road, but it won't give like it used to - so you better make sure you keep on track - because contact will likely be made.

Yellow flags are implemented and also Virtual Safety Car. In my full race I didn't come across the VSC but the Safety Car was out once so it's not like the safety car is over used (anyone remember Nascar 2003?)

Blue flags are implemented and they seemed to be well implemented, though perhaps a bit early at times. I was jumped twice by a car I was racing by having to let a faster car through...so you'll have to be on your game with blue flags. And if you don't let them by, a stop go penalty will be awarded.

Communication
Quite good. Engineer was letting me know when a faster car was behind me and to let it through "We are not racing the car behind...".  You can select from a variety of options and the engineer responds with meaningful information. You can also tell him to reduce or increase his input and to shut up altogether - that's handy.

I highly recommend using a microphone - the options on the comms menu are many and the comms menu only stays up for 5 seconds - so driving, bringing up the menu, looking through the first page and the second page to get the option you want can be very trying and very hit and miss!

Rival
Early doors for rivals at the moment, but your team mate is your first rival. Points are awarded to you for when you better him (position, sector 1, sector 2 etc) and awarded to him when he beats you. It seems to be done pretty well. These points determine your position within the team and your position in the team will eventually influence any contracts that might be forthcoming.

Tyre Wear
It does seem to be very well modelled. You can certainly feel when the tyres are going off and getting past their best. Also, blistering is modelled visually which was a nice touch. I'd liked to have seen flat spots worked in also though.
Update - the marks on the tyres appear to be marbles from when going offline


Not So Good Points
I'm not calling them bad points, 'cos I don't think they are that bad.
Practice
The Practice element docked me a chance at some points because it said my pace was relative to position 22 in qualifying when my actual target was 21. However, my pace in practice was around 18th or something...so I found that odd (and as it happens, I did qualify 18th!).

Qualifying
It finished rather abruptly. What I mean by that is I was sitting in 14th and there were several cars on track - a lot of whom were going to beat me. But when the session ended, it simply ended...I didn't see each of the cars beating me...which they did and I ended up 18th. I would liked to have watched as one by one their times tumbled and they pushed me down.

Pits
Your car is still automated once you enter the pits. Why? I would like to drive into my pit box - though I do understand that without a pit limiter button it would be very hard to drive at a constant 37mph down the pits.

Formation Lap
Once you get round to the form up stage, your car is automated...again, why? It's great that the formation lap is here - but it would've been nice to take the car to the startup grid.

Comms
Very hard to go through the menus with the controls. Fast keys would've been handy, though they have implemented voice comms. This seemed to work pretty well, even with my Scottish accent.

Weather Forecast
I think this could be better implemented. I knew rain was coming, but it was a bit of guess work when it was going to hit. This made selecting the pit strategy a bit of a guess also.




So in summary, this is imo the best one by far - for giving you that F1 feeling, that sense of belonging, the feeling of having purpose in the team, the AI, - this really is gripping. I've deducted a couple of points for the auto take over of your car and the other "not so good" points.

Score : 8/10

If I find anything else during my season, I'll post here - especially if anything pops up that changes my mind.

Nice review...if I was into driving games (and had a wheel controller), I would certainly be all over it.....but just nothing that has ever clicked with me before.

I follow F1. Don't usually play racing games but must admit this title has my interest. Thanks for sharing your thoughts JD.

I was disappointed in earlier versions of this series. Nowhere near the detail level of Grand Prix Legends and GT Legends/GTR Evolution Series (On Steam). Sounds like the 2016 is a better sim than before. I will keep an eye and maybe grab it later when it hits a sale.

So at the request of Asid on DoW forums, here's a little video of track familiarisation and tyre management tests

Bear in mind I literally woke up this morning, fired this up and jumped on track...so familiarisation of the track is rusty at first. Also for tyre management, I am on very used soft tyres - so not optimum at all. I had already maxed my points for both of these tests yesterday (as you can see from the opening few seconds) - so this was a run through to show how it works.

Track Familiarisation
So you have some "gates" to go through. You have to go through them at an optimum speed. Going through them slower than the optimum, and you will simply get a "green" light. Miss a gate, and you get a red light. Go through at optimum speed and go through "a set" of gates at optimum speed, and you get purple. It seems Perfect has some tolerance of green lights...I'm not sure how many, but as you can see, I had 3 green sectors and I got Perfect.

I believe you can run the test any number of times...though when you get 50/50, then that's good enough.

Tyre Management
This test involves 10 laps. The team chooses the tyre they want to test. You have to stay under a Target Lap Time (shown in the top right) in order for the lap to register. You get Red for heavy tyre wear and that gives you 5 points, Green for medium tyre wear and you get 10 points and for light use you get Purple and 15 points. Invalid laps times (going over the Target Lap Time) gets you a red lap but no points).

I don't know how the (optimum/expected) lap time is calculated - but it has nothing to do with anything going on in practice as far as I'm aware. That lap time does differ depending on the team you choose.

It makes absolute sense to do your track familiarisation before doing tyre management. The better you know the track, the less you'll be locking up and the better your entry and exit on corners, maximising your tyre endurance. So do track familiarisation first. I'd even say leave tyre management until near the end of the first practice or even until the next practice session...I don't believe you have to do them all in the one practice session.

As you can see from my tyre management section, tyre wear really does show in the game. I had set perfect scores on tyre management the previous practice session on fresh soft tyres. Using used, I was hardly able to grab a green never mind a purple lap!!

I've found both the above things really help with my lap times and familiarisation of the track. They also give the practice a meaning.

In the Tyre Management section (15:20) you can see Vettel squeezing up the inside of me into the hairpin at turn 1. The AI will do that. One of the "Not So Good" parts of the game is the mirror is blocked by the hud at the bottom right (of course, it wouldn't if I was a real simmer and sat down in the car properly!!). But you have to know the AI will do this a lot now.

Thanks for posting the videos and info JD.

The last of this series I bought was F1 2013 as they have seemed to be just skin updates each year since, but I'm glad to hear they've now added much more depth this year, I'll definitely be picking this up.

No problem. My pleasure.

I forgot to mention in more detail about the race start and manual starts.

It's a fantastic feature. No more does the AI go hurtling off down the pit straight to the first corner. It seems to work incredibly well...though I have only done Australia so far.

The AI isn't super outstanding at the first corner still, but it definitely seems to be much better than previous games.

Quote from: Capn Darwin on September 03, 2016, 01:23:32 PM
Grand Prix Legends and GT Legends/GTR Evolution Series (On Steam).

Good games!

This is a great title too.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/273840

Great mods too.

I gave up on F1 2013  :-[

Looks fun even in practice mode.  Teaches you how to do a lap properly.  O0

Judge, do you have any experience with rFactor2 or iRacing? I'm a long time Grand Prix Legends online racer, looking to get into something more modern. Any suggestions?

does the game accurately model Rosberg being a douchebag?

Quote from: Slick Wilhelm on September 11, 2016, 09:02:15 PM
Judge, do you have any experience with rFactor2 or iRacing? I'm a long time Grand Prix Legends online racer, looking to get into something more modern. Any suggestions?

I'm not Judge but Im an old GPL fan from back when. I've messed with most of the sims out there at the moment except of course rFactor 1 or 2, and many of them along the way since GPL. GTR and family, Race 07 and family, Live for Speed, Forza, Gran Turismo and Grid Autosport, Raceroom Racing Experience, Project Cars, Game Stock Car Extreme and Automobilista, NetKar Pro etc etc.
I have to say that the online racing experience in iRacing has made it difficult for me to spend much time with the rest, even though many of them are still installed on my computer.

I avoided iRacing like the plague when it came out, and only recently gave it a try last year at the urging of a buddy. I went in pretty skeptical, I'd heard it called "iCeRacing" and whatnot. And it did take a little time to come to grips with driving the cars there. A new wheel and more importantly a set of load cell pedals certainly helped. But mostly it just took some time to learn the cars. And I took my time before I ever actually raced, I was under the impression that iRacing was much more strict than it actually is (still much more strict than any of the other sims, part of what makes it work) and was afraid to mess up. So I had a lot of practice before my first race. And there I was, on the grid in the lowly MX-5 with a bunch of other novices, and my heart rate was zooming like it never had in any other driving sim. These were real people, not bots, and iRacing would  track my performance. It... mattered. In a way it doesn't in other sims. And it was a blast.

I still get starting line jitters, though not as bad as that first race and I've made an effort to try and keep calmer for my own good lol. But the online racing against real people is simply unmatched. I like Pcars, and RaceRoom Racing Experience, and they both have online racing. But both lack the oversight that iRacing has and the races are quite often just a crashfest as there are no consequences. Not to say low level iRacing races are crash free, far from it, but troublemakers will find themselves in timeout, or banned entirely if stupid enough.

At any rate, after a year and little, I find it hard to take much interest at all in racing AI. It really isn't very satisfying. I was excited to hear a new version of Live for Speed was finally out after years, but when I ran against the AI there I lost all interest. It just wasn't exciting.

You can try iRacing out for pretty cheap for a month or three depending on what the current deal is. But my advice would be to go watch some iRacing vids by EmptyBox on Youtube and some of the other guys and if you think you would like it, buy a year at the new members price. You'll save a lot more $$ than buying the cheap month trial and then paying full price for a year if you like it.  You get the entry level cars and tracks for free, later on you will need to buy the cars and tracks you want to run depending on what series you want to race.

There are races in the lower, more populated classes nearly every hour, as you get into the fancier cars races are less likely to go official due to participation numbers but even then most series get several official races in each week.

Sorry to derail Judge's thread. To get back on topic I would note that F1 2016 was getting some fairly positive reviews on the iRacing forum and they have slammed the previous titles pretty hard. I've been half tempted to pick it up but I'm trying to learn how to drive the Lotus 49 for the upcoming season lol!

Cheers!

Quote from: Bardolph on September 11, 2016, 11:20:15 PM
I'm not Judge

Phew!  ;D

Quote
...I took my time before I ever actually raced, I was under the impression that iRacing was much more strict than it actually is (still much more strict than any of the other sims, part of what makes it work) and was afraid to mess up. So I had a lot of practice before my first race. And there I was, on the grid in the lowly MX-5 with a bunch of other novices, and my heart rate was zooming like it never had in any other driving sim. These were real people, not bots, and iRacing would  track my performance. It... mattered. In a way it doesn't in other sims. And it was a blast.
I still get starting line jitters, though not as bad as that first race and I've made an effort to try and keep calmer for my own good lol. But the online racing against real people is simply unmatched.

I agree absolutely with iRacing. For online racing, it's hard to beat. rFactor comes close but with rFactor, you need a good community - otherwise you can have a mare. My experience of rFactor was mostly positive with most servers I joined having a good racing experience. But with no enforcing, it can be hit and miss. iRacing is monitored for you and penalties assigned appropriately and Bardolph is correct...the perception of the of the penalties is actually worse than the actual penalties...but it helps to keep good clean racing.

So Slick - to your question.

Yes I have played rFactor and rFactor2 and, like Bardolph, a whole host of fantastic racing games. Some proper sim, like GP Legends, others a bit lighter like pCars and RRE. I love driving games and the more sim like, the better. I think my ultimate gaming experience in driving sims was GTR2.

I couldn't compare these to F1 2016 though. F1 2016 gives something else all the other driving games I have do not give - an F1 experience. And for the first time, it does it really well. I really do feel immersed in the F1 world. However, in this iteration there's something else...a better AI. Honestly the game is like F1 itself. You could find yourself running the race with no-one around you. And slowly but surely the AI will be catching or you will catch one. And like F1, they can't hold off the inevitable and nor can you. If you are going to be overtaken because you're on older tyres, then you will be taken.

I had a Race in Dubai last night where the car in front had jumped me in the pits. It was a front runner to me anyway (Renault perhaps?). But anyway, I wasn't making any in-roads and about 5 or so laps gone, I started to notice I was catching him. Slowly but surely, I started to reel him in...and caught him. Why? He was on super soft tyres and I was on soft. I do believe that's why I noticed the difference. The reason I think that was the reason is because of the practice sessions. Running full practice, I could see not only how long the tyres were going to last, but also what they felt like as they started to degrade.

Also, how my driving affected the wear. For accelerating out of corners with your wheels "less than straight" will cause wear. Do this with a higher degree of turn in the wheels, and you'll notice the wear even more and you'll notice this when driving the practice laps for tyre wear.

When I caught the Renault, it wasn't a straight swap of spaces either. It can be if you do charge in...the AI will try and avoid you. If it can't, you'll make contact and this will likely result in a damaged wing - and that will affect your downforce in corners. So there's as much emphasis on you avoiding contact as there is the AI...but you can both go into a corner and duke it out and there doesn't have to be contact. I haven't had the AI hit me where I've actually thought "That wasn't my fault"...it has been my fault everytime, whether that be a too tight turn in, and over shoot under braking or lack of awareness...it has honestly been my fault each time.

The AI isn't without it's faults. But it is a whole decade better than it has been in any of it's other games imo. Some aspects are repetitive - cut scenes for example - but not overly so. The engineer coming up to you to hand you a sheet telling you how the research has gone between races, your PA coming up to you to tell you various things, your Engineer. The engineer is damned annoying actually on track. Hearing your engine is absolutely essential for changing up and down and him yacking about no inclement weather is just frustrating...made more so when he says it at the wrong times - but you can tell him to shut up and then ask him things with the excellent speech in game comms.

I've now performed 2x90 and 1x60 minute practice, full qualifying and full race at Australia and Dubai and I'm not in the least bored with any of it and am looking forward to China because it's put me in the game.

Overall, if you like driving F1 games, then I could not recommend this highly enough. YMMV - everyone's abilities are different. But imo this is the best F1 game out there if you're looking for an F1 experience with good AI, excellent tyre modelling, great driving model and a feeling of contributing to the team, then this has to be the one.

For the record, I'm driving one below the top AI level. My Marussia does seem to qualify well, but race wise it's a different story. Again, I think that's down to the tyre modelling because in Qualy, you can throw the car about and not care about the tyres. Do that in the race and your tyres won't last and you'll need an extra pit stop. Take care of your tyres and you will be caught by the cars you would imagine catching you.

In Australia, I qualified 18th and finished the race somwhere like 16th. In Dubai I qualified 8th and finished 14th. I don't really know if that side of it is porked - comparing it to real F1 - but I like the fact my car can get better.

Good
AI
Tyre modelling
Feeling of being in an F1 team
Driving model
Speech comms
Manual race starts
Safety Car
Virtual Safety Car

Not so good
AI - it's not always on the ball...but it is mostly
Safety Car - more an AI issue - the AI seems to take an age to catch up with the Safety Car sometimes and fluctuates it's speed considerably...there's no way I should get a safety car call, pit to change tyres, come out and not catch the safety car again before it's pulled in because the AI is driving too slow (or perhaps the Safety Car AI is driving too fast!)
Virtual Safety Car - this is likely AI also - they seem to fluctuate ALOT in driving style, causing you headaches trying to keep a delta

What I want to get to is not using the Flashback system - that certainly helps my position within a race. I don't mind using it if I have to get out the chair, cause it takes a bit to get back in the cockpit, but other than that (using it because I over cooked a corner), I should stop.

Crucially though, 2 races in (remember - FULL races...over 5 hours per race in total) and I've not got any points, though I have felt the experience rewarding. I've felt like progress has been made and, as such, points are a secondary issue to me. I'm beating my teammate. I'm getting resource points for development of the car. I'm finishing roundabout where I would imagine and having a hoot whilst doing it.

Thanks for all the info on F1 Judge, it's the first one I've been tempted to try and a lot of that is based on what I've read here and over in the iRacing forum.
Given the sorry state my internet has been in for the past 6 weeks with no real apparent effort on the part of my ISP to fix it I may not be able to run this season in iRacing and something fun that I can drive offline might be just the ticket.

I did forget to mention multiplayer - and the truth is I can't pass judgement on this. I haven't tried it and in all honesty, I wouldn't bother. I may be tempted if I was in an online league, but even then, it's unlikely because in the past when I've tried it, being an arse and crashing into people is just as bad as being super competitive and not understanding it's a game - especially with warping over the webz...and I've met plenty of those types too.

I definitely think the AI in this is much improved. It won't give up so easily in corners and under braking. Also, anyone can make the AI look bad by undertaking and crashing into the AI or trying to outbrake and over cooking the corner and crashing with the AI...that doesn't make the AI bad.

IMO, where I have given the AI room and not "pulled a Rosberg" on them, the racing has been clean and tight. Where I have not, they haven't bailed out (an old criticism of the AI giving up).

I found this video I must've made of qualifying in Bahrain

It's just Q1 and Q2...I didn't record Q3 where I think I qualified 8th or something. I've noticed though that my qualifying pace isn't like my race pace. When you get to select your pit strategy, you get an "aggressive" and "conservative" choice.

If you select the aggressive option, it means your going to be pushing a lot and therefore it's MORE pit stops. Conservative means you're looking after your tyres and therefore you'll have less pit stops.

Because I know I'm aggressive, I choose the aggressive strategy and hence have another pit stop. Determining how you use the tyres and which pit stop to go for by the way is all due to the tyre management test - you can see where you're pulling too much in the corners, stretching that rubber or where you accelerate before your wheels are at the optimum angle - so these tutorials help massively



I did say I would post some negatives if I came across them - and here's two gripes I have with the game thus far...

• Safety Car - AI!
  More an AI issue than the safety car probably - either the AI is waaaaay too conservative when trying to catch up with the safety car or the safety car is way too fast. But sometimes the result is you not catching up with the safety car at all before it goes back in the pits.
  
  I had a race where the safety car was out and I was heading on the final part of the lap - so I changed strategy and boxed for fresh tyres. When I came out, I had to stay behind the car in front of me and we were trying to get attached to the safety car line - but the AI was driving so slow (or the safety car was so fast) that in the end it was called in (after 3 or 4 laps I think) which meant we didn't get attached to the queue.
  
  Another time, we did catch the safety car (I didn't pit this time because I had done so the lap before) and were instructed to overtake it as it was waiting to pick up the leaders - it took us 3 laps to catch it which I thought was hugely excessive.
  
  So that's a pain in the arse
• The Engineer!  >:(
  The engineer is a dick. He says things at the wrong time (coming into a corner etc, etc) or is just rubbish. For example, I had picked my pit strategy. My first stop was going to be between lap 10 and lap 13. I got the call from the engineer at the start (towards the end?) of lap 10 that the pit lane was open. I checked my tyres and thought I would extend a bit - knowing I could pit up to lap 13 where the window would close (presumably for my team mate).
  
  Anyway, I carried on, ignoring the pit lane open message...all good. I also got a call from the engineer telling me the pit window would close - again, a great point. However, I selected to pit on lap 12 and told the garage I was pitting. During my in lap, which is crucial, I then get this long bloody speech as I'm twisting round corners, that "We have a viable change of strategy...let us know whether you want to change or not"...what comes up is "Pitting lap 12 for soft tyres or pitting on lap 10 for soft tyres"
  
  Well lap 10 IS GONE and I've already let you know I'm pitting this lap!!! This is really annoying because of two things - first it's a long old speech he's giving you and you're trying to go through corners and navigate traffic whilst he's blabbering on so you aren't concentrating on engine revs and secondly, it's bloody pointless. I've told you I'm coming in!
  
  He also seems to give an "alternate strategy" soon after the race starts - which again is annoying.
  
  So the engineer needs ALOT of work.

However - more positives
Another great point however is the excessive fuel and how it's portrayed to you (and fuel use in general). First, how much fuel you have left is displayed great - not at all confusing like in previous titles and second, the amount you have "in excess" is very easy to understand - AND it doesn't magically "disappear" like in previous titles.

For example, in 2015, you could be shown you have +1 lap of fuel. Put the mix to rich, and that extra lap of fuel would be gone by the time you've done a lap. In this version, if you have say, +2.50 laps of fuel in excess, switching to rich could give you about 5 or 6 laps of running rich. This allows you to hugely change how you overtake and defend. Also the amount is relayed to you perfectly.

It also seems like you can build up excess fuel by driving conservatively on Standard fuel mix. So if you "change up" prior to max revs (called short shifting) then you can slowly build some extra fuel for those in and out laps.

Another great feature is the "beep" for changing gear.

Absolutely loving this title. Best F1 game by far in an absolute age - both from a driving experience and from an immersion perspective

And here's me at Sochi - part of 1st Practice

What you're seeing here is an absolute n00b on the track. I've never raced this, so buckle in and watch how I try and learn a track, overshooting, breaking too early, scrubbing the tyres and generally not doing too well.

I'll do a few laps like this (using the hardiest tyres available for durability - because they will take punishment) and then move onto the Track Familiarisation task. You could argue I could be doing that right away...that does make sense, particularly as you can run the tasks multiple times. But I just like to have a recce before hand.


Again, when exiting the pits, I had to go into the menu and setup my controls because for some reason if I don't do so, the brakes and accelerator seem to be "on" or "off"...resulting in too much torque and very, very easily locking brakes.

I don't know why this is - but it's been the same for EVERY Codemasters F1 game (maybe for Dirt too...I can't recall). I only have to do this when booting the game up (and should try and remember to do it in the menu system before jumping in). I don't have to do it each time I leave the pits.

Thanks for the videos, JudgeDredd. I may finally upgrade to 2016 from 2013. The game looks very good!

My pleasure. It's a great game.

I will be doing a few videos of Sochi, including some of the test sessions, the race start and first few laps

Sochi Track Acclimatisation

I have not raced this track before. Only recently I've had about 10 laps practice, so my track acclimatisation test shows my n00bness

how is Monaco modeled?

I've not been there yet...and I'm not looking forward to it. Historically I do terrible at Monaco

just have to channel your Senna.
without the crashing and dying part.  :'(

Quote from: GDS_Starfury on September 20, 2016, 12:34:34 AM
just have to channel your Senna.
without the crashing and dying part.  :'(

I've done a video for you - showing how bad I am at Monaco and how bad I am at situational awareness - and you need it with the AI - they are aggressive (fairly though I should point out). Seems to me they genuinely know when they should back out and when they shouldn't.

A few points to note

• I am actually proper terrible at Monaco
• My situational awareness is poor - especially on a circuit I don't know because I'm looking mostly at the map or the car in front trying to find the bends - hence why I turned into Raikkonen
• The AI pit crew is back to front for me (not for Ferrari going in here) - so a wee bug
• The "mfd" at the bottom right doesn't help with situational awareness because it's right over your mirror (maybe my fault for driving in T-Cam mode!)

What is good about this is my season will definitely tail off. I have only ever once finished a season in an F1 game. So alot of the upcoming tracks, I don't really know. So I expect my team mate and rival will be able to close the gap on me.

Heh I nearly got knocked down on this very corner

Well some of us can mix with the "hoity toity"!!  :P

omg - this is going to be a painful race. As expected, having never raced or practiced to any degree at Sochi, I am going to be beaten by my teammate. I didn't manage a single point for my Tyre Wear test and will not likely grab any from the Qualifying Pace test

This could be where my team mate grabs ground back (currently I am leading significantly in the rival battle).

Also - seems to be a bug here where the text wouldn't disappear.

Not pretty, but points earned. I certainly can't drive like this in the race...unless I want to do 5 pit stops

Interesting videos!

Just wondering if you're using any kind of auto-shift or auto-brake help functions or it is all manual?

All manual. I think I have the lowest traction help, but all other player aids are off...which you can probably tell from my trials at Sochi

the trick to Monaco is drinking mimosas first.

is it possible to play this without a steering wheel control?

Quote from: GDS_Starfury on September 21, 2016, 06:14:30 PM
is it possible to play this without a steering wheel control?

I played the old version without a wheel.

I play F1 2013 with just a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro and it works fine with the game.

Watching  your vids I'm fairly sure this thing would kill my poor old comp trying to run it on triples. And I'm not sure I can go back to a single monitor anymore  :))

^ I don't know - it's one of the few games that does not set my fans alight.

I actually do not know if triple support is there anyway as I don't have that kind of setup.

As for playing without a wheel. It's possible - but as with all driving games, I could never recommend it. The absolute best experience with a racing game is with a wheel. It's like flight simulators. Sure, they can be played with a joystick, but your experience will be greatly enhanced with a joystick.

It doesn't have to be a FFB wheel. A standard wheel would do, though again, FFB will again enhance your driving experience. For example, you can feel the car going "light" when you are losing the back end of the car...without FFB, you wouldn't get that.

A bit of Practice 2 - just a few laps. I think things are coming together...definitely locking up less and finding the right braking, entry and exit points.

Roll on Practice 3

I waited and watched for a decent sale, and finally was able to score a set of three 24" monitors that would work with my laptop vid card (had to use one Thunderbolt to HDMI adaptor) for ~$100 each. My iRacing ratings went up almost immediately. I can maintain decent frames in iRacing, but Project Cars for example was a slide show. Raceroom was noticeably slow and I couldn't figure out how to set my fov properly in Automobilista so I don't really know how it runs. Older sims seem to do ok. But I'm only running a Geforce 670m.

Being able to see the apex before you get there and have more peripheral vision to see when someone is beside you is a game changer.  I thought I needed 27"+, I know it is what all the cool kids have, but to be honest 3x24" is plenty big.

May still give it a try, Steam refund is always an option ;)

That sounds cool.

It's never been something I've thought about tbh. But people have different "immersion" requirements. Sometimes, not even requirements but once you "do" something, it's a game changer. One day when I'm a bit more affluent or I stop spending money on some other things you never know - it might be something that interests me.

As I said, I don't know if there's support for it in the game (does it need support or is it just FOV change?) or whether it would run well. Hell, the game doesn't even support TrackIR.

I do know it runs smooth as silk on my system with not seeing any noticeable frame drop

Do any of you amateurs do Iracing?   If you do not, I humbly request your presence so that I can blow your doors off.      O0

I used to. Too expensive and too stressful

Sochi Qualifying

I changed my tyres at the start from Super Soft to Soft - being cocky. Actually just not wanting to waste a set of Super Soft tyres if I could help it. Turned out, I slipped down quite quickly and had to go out again in Q1 to get a better time on Super Soft tyres.

Q2 I went out in scrubbed Super Soft tyres and quickly realised I should've used my new set - so again, I had to go out a second time in the session



There's a couple of "chinks" noticeable in the AI.

First, there's really no way a Marussia - even with the developments being made - should be qualifying so high (I won't spoil the surprise...watch the vid). I've had some development done on the car, but the car is still bottom of the pile in terms of overall performance (when you go to the development screen, you can see other team performances in relation to your team).

I'm playing on 1 below the top level of AI (I think I'm on Expert and the top level is Legend) and given that level, I'd expect a Marussia to be stuck in the first part of qualifying, regardless how good the driver is.

I know I won't do so well in racing - which highlights a separate issue which is where in previous F1 games, you used to qualify fairly low and in the race you could be first by the first corner...it seems to be reversed here where you qualify high and run the race lower down...which is actually a better representation of how it is in the real F1 world.

So - there's that. I don't think I can change the AI level - but I may have to do that because the car is out performing it's performance.

Secondly, you will notice at some point during qualifying (5 minutes in) I have just finished my fast lap and requested to box - so coming into the pits. I'm on my in lap and I see Hulkenburg behind me. I slow down to let him past, which he does, and then proceeds to slow down a couple of times because I'm close. This highlights to me that the AI is not programmed to understand that I have just requested to pit. If the AI could detect that, then it shouldn't be making such an effort to let me past.

So I said I would keep people informed of perceived issues that I cam across and so I am.

It still doesn't ruin the game - it's a fantastic racing sim. Although the Marussia qualifying so high does irk me somewhat

Just found out that I can change the AI setting before each session throughout the career which is good - means I don't have to start over and can up the challenge

I also found out that I am on 2 below the top level AI. I am on Expert, but there's two other increased levels - Legend and Ultimate  O0

Right - Sochi race start, first few laps and Virtual Safety Car



Unfortunately I crashed out on lap 18. As I said previously, I'm only going to use the Flashback feature if it's my fault. For AI issues, I'll use it. Unfortunately, this was my fault, so I took the hit and didn't finish.

For the next race, Catalunya in Spain, I've upped the AI to Legend

My new rival is Gutierrez in the HAAS as I've beaten my teammate and been promoted to primary driver within the team (just means more bonus points on offer I think).

I am winning the rivalry to Gutierrez by 1 point. I was winning by 5 or 6, but crashing out of Sochi put paid to that lead.

Quote from: bboyer66 on September 23, 2016, 06:56:58 AM
Do any of you amateurs do Iracing?   If you do not, I humbly request your presence so that I can blow your doors off.      O0

I'm there, we need to lure Judge back in  ;)

Gorgeous looking game and great immersion.  Yet another game to add to my wishlist. 

How would you guys compare the physics and Force Feedback of F1:2016 to say, Project Cars?

great driving JD.

Quote from: Slick Wilhelm on September 27, 2016, 07:42:32 PM
How would you guys compare the physics and Force Feedback of F1:2016 to say, Project Cars?

Different racing genres, so apples and oranges really when it comes to physics at least.

The F1 cars appear to act like F1 cars - at least, how we're led to believe - in that they are glued to the ground with some twitchiness when in the dry and putting the power down too early or clipping a kerb and like riding a bull that's wearing a snow board on each hoof on ice when driving in the rain (though not quite that bad).

The physics in the F1 game are great imo. The force feedback is good too, but I don't particularly go a whole lot on FFB. I would think, iirc, that pCars would win the FFB stakes.

But both games are superb.

Quote from: Rekim on September 28, 2016, 12:57:13 AM
great driving JD.

Thanks  O0

I think there is actually something wrong with the AI.

I have upped the AI level to Legend (from Expert) and currently going round Catalunya in Spain I'm 11 seconds off the pace. Worse than that, I'm 6 seconds behind my team mate. That is just a ridiculous jump in AI performance. It's not like this is a circuit I don't know or am particularly bad at...I've raced it a lot.

So, whilst I didn't want to be qualifying 3rd, I don't want to be driving around constantly dead last all the time...and I don't even mind that so much - it's the fact the times are so stark!

So it'll be back to Expert in the next race I'm afraid.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/391040   25% off this weekend

Worth every penny imo - go get it  :knuppel2:

Quote from: JudgeDredd on September 29, 2016, 03:43:55 PM
go get it  :knuppel2:

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bhsmo.net%2Fpub%2Fimg%2Fmisc%2Fby_your_command.png&hash=97b6c24ea6314ff58452a10810407590a4c479dc)

Quote from: Pete Dero on September 29, 2016, 12:24:59 PM
http://store.steampowered.com/app/391040   25% off this weekend

Kinguin has for $33, if you purchase using paypal.

https://www.kinguin.net/paypal-exclusive-sale

I definitely need to lower the AI. Not only is it kick arse on Legend, but any hopes of managing to perform anything related to times is just completely out of reach.

Here's my rather sorry attempt at the tyre test - not a single point. And this is not down to not knowing the circuit - it's down to what the game has deemed an acceptable lap time for what I set the AI to.


The game needs an "in-between" here. I find it too easy on Expert and I'm out performing where I should be and yet I'm left stationary one level up.

I need to find a cheap steering wheel so I can finally try these games....no way can I survive using a controller.

I could never recommend a good driving game with a controller. I'm sure they've got better over the years, both controllers and how they are implemented, but there's nothing like having a good wheel with good feedback.

You don't need the best wheel out there. I think mine was £80. I understand that if driving games aren't your thing then that's a lot of money - but it could be your just missing out on a genre because you don't have the kit to enjoy it.

There's some superb driving sims out there.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 01, 2016, 05:12:58 AM
I could never recommend a good driving game with a controller. I'm sure they've got better over the years, both controllers and how they are implemented, but there's nothing like having a good wheel with good feedback.

You don't need the best wheel out there. I think mine was £80. I understand that if driving games aren't your thing then that's a lot of money - but it could be your just missing out on a genre because you don't have the kit to enjoy it.

There's some superb driving sims out there.

Yep, have always been interested...still remember playing a TON of Pole Position in the arcade as a kid:)  But have never owned a wheel and any racing game I have owned, quickly lost interest because couldn't control things well.  I have been eyeing this one, pretty cheap and maybe not too much of an investment if I don't end up liking.

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-VG-Ferrari-Racing-Wheel-PlayStation/dp/B00FB5R1AQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475316314&sr=8-1&keywords=pc+racing+wheel

I pulled the trigger.

Quote from: jomni on October 01, 2016, 05:57:24 AM
I pulled the trigger.

Cool - hope you enjoy it.

It has some issues, as laid out in this thread, but the experience is by far overall positive (I love it in short) and it's a superb immersion into the world of F1.

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 01, 2016, 05:26:52 AM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 01, 2016, 05:12:58 AM
I could never recommend a good driving game with a controller. I'm sure they've got better over the years, both controllers and how they are implemented, but there's nothing like having a good wheel with good feedback.

You don't need the best wheel out there. I think mine was £80. I understand that if driving games aren't your thing then that's a lot of money - but it could be your just missing out on a genre because you don't have the kit to enjoy it.

There's some superb driving sims out there.

Yep, have always been interested...still remember playing a TON of Pole Position in the arcade as a kid:)  But have never owned a wheel and any racing game I have owned, quickly lost interest because couldn't control things well.  I have been eyeing this one, pretty cheap and maybe not too much of an investment if I don't end up liking.

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-VG-Ferrari-Racing-Wheel-PlayStation/dp/B00FB5R1AQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475316314&sr=8-1&keywords=pc+racing+wheel

I don't know about that wheel personally, but Thrustmaster have a good reputation when it comes to wheels I believe.

This is definitely the time to get a wheel and get into driving sims if you are into driving sims. Not just because of this game but because there are lots out there that give hours of gaming fun...some more open on the series (pCars, Assetto Corsa, Race Room Racing Experience) and then more focussed series like F1, Dirt Rally and Nascar (though I haven't heard great things about the Nascar games) and never rule out iRacing if you want to take on some MP racing with a structure.

Just curious, which wheel do you have?

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 01, 2016, 06:45:15 AM
Just curious, which wheel do you have?

I have the Logitech Driving Force

http://support.logitech.com/en_us/product/driving-force-gt

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/191969414181?lpid=122&chn=ps&adgroupid=27377119746&rlsatarget=pla-181479822786&adtype=pla&poi=&googleloc=9045043&device=c&campaignid=620794543&crdt=0

Oh, and there's also the very cool Euro & American Truck Simulators which are very good for chilling out - driving around, transporting goods and building your business.  :smitten:

Looks like a nice setup...little too much for my casual use, but looks good:)

I do own the truck driving games, haven't played much, likely for the same reason since using controller/mouse leaves a lot to be desired.

Well, I guess the holidays are upcoming, maybe something for the wife and kids to buy:)

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 01, 2016, 06:40:59 AM

Quote from: jomni on October 01, 2016, 05:57:24 AM
I pulled the trigger.

Cool - hope you enjoy it.

It has some issues, as laid out in this thread, but the experience is by far overall positive (I love it in short) and it's a superb immersion into the world of F1.

Well always last place on easy. Hehe

Practice - practice - practice

Started P2 at Catalunya on full wets as it was raining. The car was like a hippo on roller blades so I changed to intermediates which helped - still well down on pace

I was holding off until there was a good sale. Surprised to see I was put to the test so soon, just a month after release. Anyway, I broke down and just finished installing F1 2016. About to find out if my ancient Logitech Wingman Formula Force wheel works with Windows 10.

Does F1 2016 support TrackIR?

Quote from: Rekim on October 01, 2016, 01:10:09 PM
I was holding off until there was a good sale. Surprised to see I was put to the test so soon, just a month after release. Anyway, I broke down and just finished installing F1 2016. About to find out if my ancient Logitech Wingman Formula Force wheel works with Windows 10.

Does F1 2016 support TrackIR?

Rather surprisingly, no. I think one or two previous iterations did iirc.

Curse all you...ended up buying even without the darn wheel!

JD, I am holding you accountable :)

lol - to be fair, I did say a wheel was highly recommended

If you do get a wheel and you are "into" Formula 1, then I'm sure this iteration will please you

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 01, 2016, 03:00:39 PM
lol - to be fair, I did say a wheel was highly recommended

If you do get a wheel and you are "into" Formula 1, then I'm sure this iteration will please you

Yep you did, but choose to ignore that after reading a lot of positive reviews and your feedback...so your still on the hook:)

Many places seemed to indicate a controller can be setup reasonably well so hoping that is true...otherwise, I guess a future wheel purchase will be done.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 01, 2016, 10:17:37 AM
Practice - practice - practice

Well the good thing about the career mode is you're competing against yourself and they set small achievable goals for you even if you're last. Still gives you a sense of achievement.

By the way, can you change Race Settings mid-way or you're stuck with them?

You can change race settings between races...what you set at the start of the race weekend is what you're stuck for that race weekend.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 02, 2016, 12:29:47 AM
You can change race settings between races...what you set at the start of the race weekend is what you're stuck for that race weekend.

Yeah it asks during the start of the weekend.
I got best qualifying time at Bahrain

I am no F1 racing expert (or any racing), but this game appears very detailed and the graphics are very good.  Using the controller for driving is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I do imagine the wheel being obviously better.  Just have scratched the surface and of course I absolutely stink right now, but I do see good potential.

JD might be taken off the hook:)

I lost the race in Bahrain as I lost places due to the pit stop.  I guess 25% race length has something to do with it.  Not enough laps to build a lead or make up for list time.  But I don't want to race for 2 hours.

I just complete my own quick race....not very good results, but I didn't finish in last place :)  Finished in 17th out of 22.  Not going to lie...its tough out there...some tight tracks and really hate when there is other cars on it, they seem to get in my way:)  I am sure they hate it to since I have a habit of crashing into them!

Good fun though...just need a LOT OF PRACTICE!

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 02, 2016, 06:09:37 AM
I just complete my own quick race....not very good results, but I didn't finish in last place :)  Finished in 17th out of 22.  Not going to lie...its tough out there...some tight tracks and really hate when there is other cars on it, they seem to get in my way:)  I am sure they hate it to since I have a habit of crashing into them!

Good fun though...just need a LOT OF PRACTICE!

Practice makes perfect.

Rather than race quick races here and there, I'd suggest get into a career. You'll have 3 practice sessions and a qualifying. I think you can reduce the practice times but I'd suggest full race distance to get the full benefits of the safety car and pit stops and tyre wear/strategy.

Also - you can save between sessions. So if you only want to do 10 minutes of practice, then just do 10 minutes of practice and go back later. Same with the race. Do full race distance but have a nice long straight that you can go to the pause menu on and save the session. When you continue your career, it'll pick up from your last save.

If you are going to save mid session (2 hours is a long time to sit in the one place), then before jumping back in when you come back to play, sit down and do a few laps of Time Trial on the track you were racing on...that will allow you to get back "into position" and to familiarise yourself with the track.

So treat the game like one of your strategy games - just load it up, do what you want, save and exit, rinse and repeat.

You will get the best racing experience from full race weekend (P1 90mins, P2 60mins, P3 60mins, full qualifying sessions and full race distance). Also you can fast forward through P1,2,3 and Q1,2,3 if you wanted. So once you've had enough practice, just fast forward through the rest of the session and other sessions if you wish. Obviously make sure you set a time to get you through each qualifying stage or that will end quicker than you thought.

I've started on Expert, went up to Legendary and going back to Expert. If you don't want to be bow beaten, start on the easier levels and you can change before each race until you find where your comfortable. For me, that's not streaking ahead and winning but fighting midfield and making the best of a bad car. I'm also in the Marussia which isn't a fantastic car.

Enjoy.

Thanks for the advice, will certainly look into it....right now I am actually playing on the easiest level with a lot of the assists turned on....gradually I'll start moving away from them.  Part of my problem right now is I just don't understand a lot of the racing terms and strategy so have to come to grip with that.  For example, on a pure straightaway early in the race....my car is dead middle on the racing line with max throttle, but other cars just blow by me....I am guessing it has something to do with car setup or the overall car itself.

Didn't know about the saving options, which that is good since no way I could sit in front of a race for multiple hours:)

Setups...the cars, iirc, all start the race weekend with the middle ground setup which is a balance between straight line speed and grip for cornering.

When you go to the setup screen, you'll see your current setup highlighted. there are two to the left and two to the right. The arrows are kind of self-explanatory - but basically the far left will be geared towards pushing the car into the ground to get maximum grip...you'd use that setup for Monaco for example. The far right one is for pure speed. You'd probably use that one for Monza.

Once you select one of these you can adjust various aspects of the setup to make it custom. So for example, in Malaysia where there's two very long straights, I might want to select the far right setup, but then I'd probably go in and add some front wing downforce to help me through the fast corners (because it has those too).

But I'm not too clued up on the individual setting options...so mostly I stick to selecting one of the basic 5 options depending on what the circuit looks like.

Out of curiosity, what track where you on when the AI was blowing past you?

Also - don't forget all through practice and qualifying, you get to use the DRS (Drag Reduction System). It's a button which you press when it becomes active (you'll see an indicator on the bottom right of the screen) and it opens the top part of your wing. It automatically closes when you brake. During the race, the DRS is only available when you are within 1 second of the car in front. So the AI might be blowing past you because they've got the benefit of DRS.

They could also be using a rich mixture...something that you can change. You will likely be running in Standard fuel mix. Moving it to rich gives more power. Beware though - you can't run in rich mix for too long or you'll not have enough fuel to complete the race.

Anything you don't understand in terms of terminology or what something does or when something happens and doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try and help. Like I said, I'm not a whole lot clued up on the various setup options (like anti roll bar etc)...so I might not be able to help with those kind of things.

For the fuel mixtures, I generally start the race on rich and go for a few laps. I'll then change to standard and move to rich again if there's an AI car gaining or I'd go to rich mix a couple of laps before my pit in for tyre change and then stay in rich mix for a couple of laps after leaving the pits.

You only really need to go to lean fuel mix if you've burned too much fuel in rich.

Also, I'm pretty sure changing gear at the right time (you'll hear a beep which tells you to change) saves fuel and allows you to build an excess to use when you need to call on the rich setting

Ah never knew I can save mid race. Then full 2 hrs is the way to go.

I have read a couple places (maybe isolated) that mid session saves can be buggy some times...not sure whether just certain circumstances, but something to watch out for.

JD....

Any recommendation of what level of team a newbie should start?  I don't care if I actually win races right away, just want something that will allow me to learn and gain experience.

And are you able to switch teams during your career so that if I start out low, some day I can make it to the top team?

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 02, 2016, 10:03:31 AM
I have read a couple places (maybe isolated) that mid session saves can be buggy some times...not sure whether just certain circumstances, but something to watch out for.

I hadn't heard of that and nor have I come across it. I haven't saved mid race though I have saved mid practice sessions.

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 02, 2016, 10:04:39 AM
JD....

Any recommendation of what level of team a newbie should start?  I don't care if I actually win races right away, just want something that will allow me to learn and gain experience.

And are you able to switch teams during your career so that if I start out low, some day I can make it to the top team?

Well, the best teams are the best for a reason...they have better cars and that is modelled in the game. The Mercedes has much more grip than the Marussia.

As for career, depending on how you're doing in the team (I think it's down to how you are doing against your assigned rivals - but there may be other factors) will depend on whether you are offered a drive with a better team. So yes - you will be offered contracts with other teams as you progress depending on your progression.

You can also get dropped from the team I believe...though you have to be really, really bad I think.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 02, 2016, 10:25:07 AM

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 02, 2016, 10:04:39 AM
JD....

Any recommendation of what level of team a newbie should start?  I don't care if I actually win races right away, just want something that will allow me to learn and gain experience.

And are you able to switch teams during your career so that if I start out low, some day I can make it to the top team?

Well, the best teams are the best for a reason...they have better cars and that is modelled in the game. The Mercedes has much more grip than the Marussia.

As for career, depending on how you're doing in the team (I think it's down to how you are doing against your assigned rivals - but there may be other factors) will depend on whether you are offered a drive with a better team. So yes - you will be offered contracts with other teams as you progress depending on your progression.

You can also get dropped from the team I believe...though you have to be really, really bad I think.

Well, I am sure I'll be able to tell you about the drop because if it will happen, it will happen to me:)

Though a word of caution, top teams with the good cars demand better performance from the driver.

Although I have felt good about my progress, my practice lap times still about 5-6 seconds off the other drivers....at Australia I am about at 1:45 while others coming in at 1:37-1:39....I am sure they have better teams and cars then me, which likely accounts for it, can't be my lack of skill:)

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 02, 2016, 05:17:49 PM
Although I have felt good about my progress, my practice lap times still about 5-6 seconds off the other drivers....at Australia I am about at 1:45 while others coming in at 1:37-1:39....I am sure they have better teams and cars then me, which likely accounts for it, can't be my lack of skill:)

Being a novice myself, I found Australia difficult.  I have managed to get the fastest timings in Bahrain and China but I guess my car has been improved by then.

Some tight turns for sure, but thought I was doing pretty well even though time does not reflect that.  I am guessing not taking advantage of car setup is likely holding me back right now.

I am extrememly surprised and pleased that my Xbox controller is actually very reasonable to use and I have even used the headset to use voice commands which is cool.

I've literally jumped onto my computer this morning, jumped into the Marussia and done a lap of Australia on Soft tyres with the default "Preset 3" setup and logged a 1:34:081.

It might be your driving. It might be the fact you are using a controller. It might be your setup...have you changed anything? It might be the assists you have on.

The thing is, it might look like a good lap in the sense that you are staying on the racing line but in Australia - and actually as with every circuit - there's some corners where you think you might be going through OK but actually losing a load of time.

Turn 1 is crucial. Brake just before the 100 meter mark and shift down to 3rd or 4th and try and turn in nice and early so you have as straight a line through it as possible. The straighter the line your car takes through a bend the better your speed will be through it and that means a better lap time.

People often think keeping speed up and braking late is the best way to a good lap time and it's not - it's the worst. Finding the optimum braking point is crucial. When you find that, you'll get a good turn into the corner (at the apex) and that means a good exit trajectory. A good exit trajectory means more power being put down sooner.

All turns are crucial to find the optimum braking point and the apex and the optimum exit trajectory...practice.

So in Australia I'd say turns 1 and 2, 5 and 11 and 12 and a good exit trajectory out of 16 are the best places to improve your lap times.

What tyres are you on? Perhaps try with the assists off. I don't know what using a controller with no assists will be like, but for example having the traction control assist on will limit your power to prevent the car sliding and if you're limiting your power, then you're slowing the car down.

By the way - I don't think I'd get anywhere near your time with a controller!  O0 Again - I highly recommend a wheel to get the best experience out of driving sims...otherwise you'll get frustrated at the difference between you and the AI.

Track acclamation practice does help a lot but I can't perfect them for now unlike the qualifying program.
The tire management practice is hit or miss for me too. Some tracks I burn too much rubbe or go too slow. But I guess it is a matter of cornering straight as much as I can.

Any tips on pit strategy and tire selection?

Good thoughts jd....it certainly could be some of the assists, I have them all still turned on and will gradually work myself off most of them.  Also, I am playing on one of the lowest level teams somguessing that has an impact too.  In turns I am getting better with them but still have room for improvement.

As for controller, certainly can be part of it, but for the most part I have been able to reasonably stay in control and not as sloppy as I thought I would be.  Interestingly I have read that in some cases people with controllers often actually record the fastest times but I am sure it all comes down to skill and comfort.  Some day I will investigate using a wheel if the game keeps my attention, just don't want to drop a ton of investment at the moment.

Quote from: jomni on October 03, 2016, 03:03:45 AM
Track acclamation practice does help a lot but I can't perfect them for now unlike the qualifying program.
The tire management practice is hit or miss for me too. Some tracks I burn too much rubbe or go too slow. But I guess it is a matter of cornering straight as much as I can.

Any tips on pit strategy and tire selection?

Tire Management test - it's heavy braking (locking wheels) and going through high speed corners carrying too much speed that'll kill the tyres. Of course, you have a lap time to stick to so the urge is to try and be fast - but the actual test will fall into your lap if you take the right line into and the right speed out of the corners.

You can do the tests multiple times (though on scrubbed tyres it does become more difficult).

Best thing to try and do is nail the Track Acclimatisation and keep practicing it until you do because that will show you the best entry and exit points. If you miss an entry point, you've carried too much speed...brake a bit sooner. If you hit an entry point but you're too slow, you need more speed...so brake later or throttle more. If you miss the exit point, you're probably going too fast for the bend.

When you nail the Track Acclimitisation you'll be in a good place for the Tyre Management test.

For the races I've done, I have selected more pit stops than has been suggested meaning better pit windows and also I know I'm heavy on the tyres so I choose more stops than less. But it's really down to personal preference. If you think you can make the tyres last, go for the lower option. I generally don't mess around with the pit stops except to select one of the two offered options.

You can always change the pit stops on the fly anyway and just go how the car feels. If you're noticing the tyres go off and it's affecting your time (delta of the car behind is decreasing) then request a pit stop.

Thanks.  I'm really bad at keeping tires fresh so I'll try the more stops option (and longer races).

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 03, 2016, 04:31:09 AM
Good thoughts jd....it certainly could be some of the assists, I have them all still turned on and will gradually work myself off most of them.  Also, I am playing on one of the lowest level teams somguessing that has an impact too.  In turns I am getting better with them but still have room for improvement.

As for controller, certainly can be part of it, but for the most part I have been able to reasonably stay in control and not as sloppy as I thought I would be.  Interestingly I have read that in some cases people with controllers often actually record the fastest times but I am sure it all comes down to skill and comfort.  Some day I will investigate using a wheel if the game keeps my attention, just don't want to drop a ton of investment at the moment.

I'm not sure what assists are there, but I know the traction control one can heavily affect your speed out of corners meaning poorer lap times. It has it's good side too, of course - helping you not spin.

If you think about it, these cars vary in terms of speed by very little. The bulk of your lap times won and lost will be in the corners.

Agreed....certainly turns seem most important and I am sure with time I'll get better.  My first racing game in a very long time so will take me a bit.

Come to think of it, I can do 2+ hour flights in X-Plane in one sitting. How bad can a 2 hour race be?

Quote from: jomni on October 03, 2016, 09:10:45 AM
Come to think of it, I can do 2+ hour flights in X-Plane in one sitting. How bad can a 2 hour race be?

I think the concentration levels required are different. Travelling at 500mph 30k feet up is less taxing than driving round a very bendy circuit with 21 other cars at 200mph  :2funny:

Excellent news

Quote
Hey guys,

We've just set a brand new patch live, you can find the notes below.

Added the Master difficulty option to bridge the gap between Expert and Legend.
Changed the tyre rules so the tyre you start the race on counts as mandatory for the race.
Corrected a few translation issues.
Fixed a bug that could cause race sessions to occasionally never end.
Fixed a number of crash bugs.

Anything you spot that isn't the way it should be, please let us know.

I KNEW there was something wrong with the jump from Expert to Legend!  :))

If it's any consolation I just qualified 22nd at Catalunya  :'(

It's going to be a lonely race  :)

Glad to see the patch...but at least for me, unless they put in a "super very easy" mode, that won't impact me anytime soon:)

I put in my first couple of hours over the weekend and had a great time. It turned out that my antiquated Logitech racing wheel is supported and appears to be up to the task. I love the player aide which displays the optimal driving line and breaking zones. It really helps with learning unfamiliar tracks, which is all of them at this point.

Anyone have advice for how to setup MDF controls on a racing wheel. I have 6 buttons to work with, minus one for DRS.

 You may also need comms / radio control of that matters.

I'd like to thank JD for sharing his thoughts and promoting this game.  I'm only exposed to F1 via the Singapore Grand Prix but I can foresee this game is a real time sink.  I think I have F1 2014 but this one is really interesting and rewarding even if you are at the bottom the pack. It's definitely good on beginners with assists turned on. Practice programs are fun themselves and teach you to be a better driver.  You spend more time practicing than racing. My goal is to eventually remove that racing path assist and increase AI difficulty to a comfortable but challenging level. 

Sochi is a turning track compared to Bahraina and Shanghai.  Tracks are narrow and walled.  Would be pretty scary with lots of cars at the same time.

I finally managed to perfectly nail the track familiarity program. And almost perfected the tire program. Doing the full 100% time allotment helps.  Practice (and race) time is too short at 25%.   Not enough laps to turn it to muscle memory.  And during the race, not enough laps to recover from a pit stop.

My pleasure.  O0

The game really shines in full race weekend. I like to use ALL the time given to me but I realise not everyone has the luxury of time nor wants to spend that long on one game (6.5hrs?) so you can skip or fast forward any of the sessions and even end them.

And there's always the mid-session save...so doing full race distance doesn't have to be 2 hours...you can do as much or as little as you like. Like I said, if you do use the mid-session save, I'd highly recommend saving at the beginning of a long straight and when coming back in, jumping onto Time Trial for a few laps to get yourself "in the zone".

In the last iteration (and all previous games) I ran in 50% mode during the race. It's harder to recover from a Safety Car situation or a Virtual Safety Car on anything less than full race distance.

Quote from: Rekim on October 03, 2016, 07:37:14 PM
I put in my first couple of hours over the weekend and had a great time. It turned out that my antiquated Logitech racing wheel is supported and appears to be up to the task. I love the player aide which displays the optimal driving line and breaking zones. It really helps with learning unfamiliar tracks, which is all of them at this point.

Anyone have advice for how to setup MDF controls on a racing wheel. I have 6 buttons to work with, minus one for DRS.

Glad your old wheel is back in business.

I use, predominantly, 4 buttons and the D-Pad on my wheel.
The two buttons behind the wheel are the gear shifters (obviously)
The four buttons over on the right hand side of the wheel are used for DRS, looking back, bringing up the Comms menu and brining up the car status (fuel, tyre temps, tyre wear etc)
The D-Pad is used to navigate the menus

As mentioned previously, Comms is really best done through a headset because activating comms by a button to navigate the menu is awkward - there's just not enough time (5 seconds I think) to look down the list, find the right one, use the D-Pad to navigate to that option and press the button to communicate...MUCH easier saying the phrase.

I've attached a list of the "spoken word" used when pressing the comms key. Pretty much what it says in the menu you bring up, but I find it handy to have a printed list so I don't have to remember or even look at the on screen list.

I find using the practice sessions very, very useful. At Sochi, I was waaaay off the pace because I didn't know the track. I was locking brakes, running off the track, crashing into other cars, too fast into corners, too slow out of them. After the 3 practice sessions, I qualified 3rd. It's incredibly rewarding to get that progress through the weekend.

I think saving during pit runs would be best.

Thanks for the headset suggestion

Thanks for the info JD. I had no idea voice commands were an option. I have use a headset so explore this further.

As for the MDF, do you use them to make car adjustments on the fly, or monitoring only? Not sure one could be competitive at the higher difficultly levels without adjustments (brakes, engine mode, etc).

I use the MFD to display tyre wear for determining whether I can pull a few more laps out the tyres before I need to stop, though generally you can tell your tyres are wearing...I think it;'s modelled very well in the game - I can definitely feel when my tyres are getting old.

I also use it extensively to change the fuel mixture - often moving from Standard to Rich and occasionally moving to Lean to build up a reserve that I may need for a fast in lap and fast out lap.

I haven't changed brake bias and generally never do. I'm playing through my career with (for the most part) one of the offered setups with some minor changes (mostly wing). Next season, I plan to do some testing of changing the setups to see how they affect my car.

I would like the game to simulate testing...so giving a few extra tracks to use for testing and limiting the testing time and I'd like that within the career mode too. Maybe in a future installment of the game.

Echo other people's comments....lot of good advice in this thread and if I didn't see it, would have never purchased.....

Still a lot of learning to do, but no regrets at all...someday I will actually complete a race itself:)

By the way, started to remove some of the assists....didn't realize how helpful they were until I no longer had them.....reducing traction control was ok, but then I started on breaking assistance and I couldn't keep my car on the track:)  Gotta practice with that....

Kicking butt tonight!  Got my lap times down to 1:37, leading the field so far.....starting to get the hang of things.

I just raced Catalunya in Spain last night.



Example of tenacity...

I qualified 22nd (because I had put the difficulty up!). I raced full race distance - 66 laps - in the rain. It was throwing it down for the whole race. On wets for the entire race with 1 pit stop on lap 35. I was lapped twice by Hamilton - and pretty much lapped twice by all the drivers up to something like 10th place and my team mate lapped me once too.

And I finished the race. It took around two hours (1:48 per lap). I wanted to give up. I don't like Catalunya anyway and the weather made it really difficult - and add on seeing your team mate lap you  :'(

Driving in the rain requires a huge amount of concentration because it's just so hard to race in those conditions.

Meant to say in the video above that Raikonnen tagged me on lap 34 - twat - but he did have to come in for a front wing change  :buck2:

Also if you watch the steering wheel, I'm hack-sawing at the wheel to keep it in a straight line - and that mirrors my movements on my wheel...it was that hard to keep the car on the ground.

I would also say the wet track is well modelled. Go off the racing line and you lose a lot of traction. Stay on the racing line and it's slightly better...a bit more grip but not like being on rails.

I pitted on lap 34

Also - I said it was going to be a lonely race. It wasn't...I had lots of blue flags to keep me company  :(

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 04, 2016, 05:29:56 PM
By the way, started to remove some of the assists....didn't realize how helpful they were until I no longer had them.....reducing traction control was ok, but then I started on breaking assistance and I couldn't keep my car on the track:)  Gotta practice with that....

And they will tumble away.

The reason the braking assistance change is so much more noticeably is because it's on or off iirc. Traction Control assistance can be reduced. Switch Traction Control completely off and you may well notice the difference.

Immersion will come with removing those...but I'd always recommend keeping as many on as keeps you entertained on the track...it's a game afterall - not a challenge in patience.

For myself, I don't take the cockpit view...I take the T-Bar view. That's my preference. Maybe next season I'll take in the cockpit view and embrace it. The T-Bar view is easier to learn circuits because you have a better idea of what's ahead. I also have Traction Control on medium, though I'm toying with removing that next race.

The other thing I have been able to do is reduce the difficulty from Legendary to the new Master level. I'll see how that goes. I've got Monaco next...that'll be a tough one

Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 04, 2016, 07:17:49 PM
Kicking butt tonight!  Got my lap times down to 1:37, leading the field so far.....starting to get the hang of things.

here it comes...practice, practice and more practice. Once you've done enough practice, races become enjoyable because you can keep it on the track

oh - another thing I meant to say.

The crowd noise is really, REALLY annoying. Throughout that whole race they were really loud. Unfortunately, there's not an option that I could find to reduce it. I tried the Sound Effects, but that reduced other things and may have had a slight impact on the crowd noise...I'll have to check see if switching it off gets rid of it.

But "ambient" sound needs to have a slider.

What's the video recording software you use again?

D3DGear

It's payware. I think I paid £20 ro £25. When I was looking for something I was looking for software that didn't impact the game and I have to say, I do not notice I have this recording.

It creates 2GB segments. I use VLC to play those videos and I also use Microsoft Movie Maker to join them together to create one video for uploading to Youtube. Movie Make is a great little tool with a fair few options for editing. One day I'm going to create a full race video and edit it to keep any juicy bits.

Maybe Monaco...but it might be cut short with a meeting of car and wall  ;D

Half way my first 100% length race and there was a safety car.
I'm first in line and Hamilton was behind me.
As I slowed down to follow the safety car, Hamilton just sped past me and the safety car.
He eventually got disqualified. LOL!  :2funny: :2funny: :2funny:

Perfect time to save the game and go to bed.

He is impetuous

What track are you on? Australia?

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 05, 2016, 03:24:50 PM
He is impetuous

What track are you on? Australia?

Russia.  AI at Easy. 

Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 05, 2016, 02:56:15 AM
D3DGear

It's payware. I think I paid £20 ro £25. When I was looking for something I was looking for software that didn't impact the game and I have to say, I do not notice I have this recording.

It creates 2GB segments. I use VLC to play those videos and I also use Microsoft Movie Maker to join them together to create one video for uploading to Youtube. Movie Make is a great little tool with a fair few options for editing. One day I'm going to create a full race video and edit it to keep any juicy bits.

Maybe Monaco...but it might be cut short with a meeting of car and wall  ;D

Thanks debating getting this or action...

I won in Russia.  But by teammate sabotaged me.  His engine failed at lap 45 and the yellow car closed the gap.  So I really had to fight it out until the last lap with worn out wheels.  I'm increasing AI difficulty to Medium.  So many DNF in this race.

Check you out - taking the stabilisers off   O0

Finished 14th in Spain.

Started at 6th and it was raining heavily. Instant Safety Car as we left the grid.  Rain stopped and maintained 10th.  But it began to rain again at lap 40.  We had to do an unplanned change of tires (suggested on the radio but nothing was set at the pit). THEY TOOK OFF MY MEDIUM TIRES AND RETURNED IT!  I wasted a lap sliding around with old tires.  Apparently I must call in and tell them to prepare the Intermediate tires since I have already exceeded the planned stops for the race.  Anyway, lesson learned.  There was another safety car incident 3 laps before finish.

Quote from: jomni on October 10, 2016, 07:55:54 AM
Finished 14th in Spain.

Started at 6th and it was raining heavily. Instant Safety Car as we left the grid.  Rain stopped and maintained 10th.  But it began to rain again at lap 40.  We had to do an unplanned change of tires (suggested on the radio but nothing was set at the pit). THEY TOOK OFF MY MEDIUM TIRES AND RETURNED IT!  I wasted a lap sliding around with old tires.  Apparently I must call in and tell them to prepare the Intermediate tires since I have already exceeded the planned stops for the race.  Anyway, lesson learned.  There was another safety car incident 3 laps before finish.

I've done that before  ;D Not informed the team which tyre to use and they've put on slicks on a wet track!

Monaco is killing me.

I always kind of think of Monaco as (in the famous words assigned to the UK during the Eurovision Song Contest"...nil point

It's a swine and I'm never good at it at all.

Figured you might like this video  :)

^ I watched that ages ago and meant to post here - very cool.

I eventually finished Monaco. It was impossible to finish without using the flashback....I used it loads. I could've easily not used it - I was thoroughly fed up with Monaco and hitting walls, damaging the front wing, getting punctures, losing wheels. But I genuinely didn't want to "give up"...so I kept going. Finished in a very poor 17th and 3 laps behind the leaders and 2 behind my team mate - vene though I went for a different strategy - done 40 laps on the soft tyres. It was getting hairy towards the end.

But I'm back. Canada next. I like Canada.  O0

Just did a Ruf GT3 race at Suzuka last night. Ugh. What a tough track. Blew my first qualy lap and didn't do that great on the second. Gridded in the back half of the pack. Got hit from behind T1, lap 1, which set the mood. Managed to claw my way up to 8th place by the end, but with several off tracks, one light wall contact and two spins in consecutive laps coming out of the last turn onto the home straight. Thank goodness the series is somewhere else this evening ;)

It's funny, watching those vids the first thing I noticed was the Ferris wheel, but I don't think I noticed it at all last night during the race.

Had a great race in Canada (I love Canada anyway).

I was lucky in qualifying which put me out of position on the starting grid...I qualified 1st.

I was placed 10th in the first qualifying session, went through to second qualifying session and placed 9th. In the final qualifying session I was placed 1st out of the 10 remaining. That was because I went out and banked an early lap and whilst I was on my final sector of my fast lap, the rain started to fall. So the rest of the 10 were either doing their lap on slicks and having a hard time, or they had to go out on intermediate tyres.

Whatever the reason, I started Pole Position.

When the race started, I had a good start and started to pull away. The track was wet and the rain was falling. The entire grid was on intermediates though the rain wasn't forecast to last long. There were lots of tricky moments, but I kept it on the track and out the wall and pulled out a 6 second gap between myself and the pack. Hamilton and Rosberg were the closest behind me about 4 seconds back.

The track started to dry and the engineer was telling me it wasn't quite time to change tyre. So I stayed out and stayed out but watched as Hamilton and Rosberg were getting faster and faster and closer and closer.

On lap 15, I got an engineer call telling me Hamilton was going slow and had a problem with the car.

2 laps later there was a yellow flag situation along the back straight...it was Hamilton going slow!! I flew past him with Rosberg still on my heels. I then got a message saying Hamilton was out the race. Another lap past and Rosberg was nowhere to be seen...another message, Rosberg had a terminal car issue and they were retiring the car.

This left me 10 seconds ahead of the next car which was Verstappen.

I decided to jump in the pits and stick a nice fresh set of Ultra Soft boots on in lap 19. I was back on the pace...but Verstappen was catching, lots of them had pitted too.

Slowly but surely Verstappen was catching...but very slowly. On lap 35, I jumped in for another set of boots. As I had 35 laps left and the Ultrasoft tyres had lasted 16 laps, I decided to NOT go for another set of Ultra Soft, fearing I would have to do another pit stop and so I went for the Soft tyre.

This put the pressure on - Verstappen was catching more and more after that, faster and faster. On lap 58, he took me on the pit straight. He has the Super Soft tyres on. DAMN! Why didn't I think about the SS tyre? getting 16 laps out of the US, there was a good chance the SS would've lasted.

Next behind was Ricciardo closely followed by Raikkonen and Vettel. They were catching me - slower - but they were catching. However, as they were embroiled in their own battle, I was relatively safe. From about lap 64, I continually had to defend against one of them (as they kept swapping places between themselves).

Always down the back straight and always at Champions Wall. I always took the inside line into that chicane and they always backed out, giving me some breathing space for the rest of the lap.

I held them off - came in 2nd.   :clap:

I found out that what the rest of the field had done (or most of them) was put Supersoft tyres on in both their pit stops. That's why their Supersoft tyres lasted that final stint. Where I had put Ultrasoft tyres on, I changed earlier giving me a longer second stint to complete. Two sets of Supersoft would've done and I might well have managed to keep Verstappen behind.

Super race. Very close. The weather helped stick me in a position I shouldn't have qualified in but the racing was all me. I had lowered the difficulty for this race and thinking about it, perhaps I shouldn't have as it's a race track I'm familiar with.

Next is Baku in Azerbaijan - not a circuit I know at all!! I'm not expecting a repeat. I will leave the difficulty where it is as I'm not familiar with the circuit.

Doing Track Acclimatisation at Baku and it's fubar.

Turn 10 has you hugging the right hand wall...makes no sense as it's a terrible line to take up the hill towards the right hand corner. Apparently racing line shows there too (I don't know as I don't have it on).

Point is - you will not get ANY points for turn 10 in Track Acclimatisation