Codemasters presents F1 2010

[toonarmy]

Well, after calling a couple dozen places (literally) today within a 2 hour radius I about gave up. Every Gamestop I called told me the game is in fact not delayed, but not even coming to those specific stores I called (7 stores). Best Buy told me their computer shows they are not getting the game at all either, but that I could order it online. Walmart said they will not be carrying it in stores either. I finally found a copy at an EB Games. The guy said they only got one copy, so obviously I took it even though it was a gutted copy with a damn price sticker on the case. I asked him out of curiosity when they would get more in and he said they were not getting any more in. So this brings me to my question: What in the living hell is going on with Codemasters and the distribution of this f***in game? I want to blame Bernie for this fiasco since I blame him for everything else wrong in the world. I understand that an F1 game is not a huge seller, but my goodness, if you're going to release a game don't make people have to drive 2 hours to get it (what I had to do), and that was to get the only copy in the region to boot. I mean, the Wii and PSP F1 games from last year were readily available in all the Gamestops and EB Games stores. Surely they would think they could sell some PS3 and 360 versions. From what I can tell there are some areas of the country where this game is not even being distributed.

In any case, I'm just in from a nice long drive of fighting traffic, so it's time to pop open a cold one and start racing. Very glad to finally have this game I have been looking forward to since its announcement last year.

[dbdynsty25]

Yeah, the Gamestop next to my work said they are getting their copies in tomorrow. I think he said only 3. I'll stop by and grab it then. I really want the 360 version in case it takes off around here, but if I have to, I'll save the 20 bucks and get the PC version. I had it preordered and cancelled that because I changed my mind. Guess that was stupid.

[Rodster]

The guy said they only got one copy, so obviously I took it even though it was a gutted copy with a damn price sticker on the case. I asked him out of curiosity when they would get more in and he said they were not getting any more in. So this brings me to my question: What in the living hell is going on with Codemasters and the distribution of this f***in game? I want to blame Bernie for this fiasco since I blame him for everything else wrong in the world. I understand that an F1 game is not a huge seller, but my goodness, if you're going to release a game don't make people have to drive 2 hours to get it (what I had to do), and that was to get the only copy in the region to boot. I mean, the Wii and PSP F1 games from last year were readily available in all the Gamestops and EB Games stores. Surely they would think they could sell some PS3 and 360 versions. From what I can tell there are some areas of the country where this game is not even being distributed.

They probably told you that so you wouldn't take back the gutted copy.

Anyway's here's the problem as posted on cheapassgamer.com and the Kmart rep who is in charge of swinging all the deals basically said they screwed up their distribution so the game is arriving late to the stores. But they expect they'll get more.

Tomorrow I plan on getting the 360 version as well and take advantage of the $15 off deal at Kmart.

[toonarmy]

The guy said they only got one copy, so obviously I took it even though it was a gutted copy with a damn price sticker on the case. I asked him out of curiosity when they would get more in and he said they were not getting any more in. So this brings me to my question: What in the living hell is going on with Codemasters and the distribution of this f***in game? I want to blame Bernie for this fiasco since I blame him for everything else wrong in the world. I understand that an F1 game is not a huge seller, but my goodness, if you're going to release a game don't make people have to drive 2 hours to get it (what I had to do), and that was to get the only copy in the region to boot. I mean, the Wii and PSP F1 games from last year were readily available in all the Gamestops and EB Games stores. Surely they would think they could sell some PS3 and 360 versions. From what I can tell there are some areas of the country where this game is not even being distributed.

They probably told you that so you wouldn't take back the gutted copy.

Anyway's here's the problem as posted on cheapassgamer.com and the Kmart rep who is in charge of swinging all the deals basically said they screwed up their distribution so the game is arriving late to the stores. But they expect they'll get more.

Tomorrow I plan on getting the 360 version as well and take advantage of the $15 off deal at Kmart.

Haha! Just got through running some laps. Damn, glad I put in the effort to get this game. I know it doesn't have all the frills some people want, but this is one heck of a fun game in terms of control and gameplay. I probably need to go ahead and get the protection plan for the PS3. I've been burning things up with it since I got it, and now F1 and NHL are going to make it see more action than ever. So far it looks like Codies came through with a decent F1 game.

[Zeppo]

I am loving this game. It's fun as hell to turn lap after lap, and the little bit of racing I've done against the AI has been really fun and not at all the kind of AI-on-rails you get in Forza or the GT games. I like the career set up quite a bit, especially how they concentrate on your competition with your teammate, so even in the lower cars it can stay compelling. I'm easing into it with 'traction control' set to 'medium' and the magical line set to 'always on,' mostly because the first race was at a track I never raced before, but I'm sticking with that for a while I think. I'm hoping to tone down these cheats after my first career or as I progress. I chose the shortest option, 3 years, which gave me the choice to drive the Torro Rosso, and I'm racing against the 2nd highest difficulty in AI which is hard to tell how hard it is since I'm in a lower-grid car, but it doesn't seem that hard because I'm already kicking Seb Buemi's butt.

They seem to have found a great system to make it as hard-core or as pick-up-and-play as you want, including all kinds of assist options. I love that you can do all the weekend sessions with real timing, including all three practices and all three qualifying sessions ( you can accelerate time as you sit in the garage to see times get posted and let the track rubber in a bit). Or you can do the 'quick race weekend' option where you get one practice, a single qualifying session and then the race.

You can fiddle with setups if you are into that, or you can go with the pre-set setup options which are pretty various and easy to understand, and themselves help you taylor the difficulty of the driving.

One thing the geek in me likes is that you can choose to 'drive out' for practice or qualifying, so you have that seamless entrance from the garage onto pit lane and out onto the track. Or you can choose 'flying lap,' and get thrown out onto the track at speed and set a time right away. In practice, you can actually choose to start your flying lap on any of the three sectors.

Online seems to have a wealth of options, as well as the ability to set it up so you have a quali session to set the grid and have a race of any of their pre-set lengths. You can also just have races with the grid set randomly, or according to reverse session standings, or what not. You can set all cars to be even, or you can have real cars which can then be set to be chosen by the drivers or to be randomly assigned race to race. That's pretty cool.

There are a few 'quick race' options for random matchmaking, which you can bring a party to if you wish. I assume these races have the even cars. I've tried out a number of the 3-lap sprint races, and they've been pretty good fun. I'd like to try more of the 'grand prix' style quick races, which have a 7-lap race preceded by a 15 minute quali session. If this session were 10 minutes, it would be even better.

I think the game looks amazing. There is some aliasing which takes you out of it a bit at times, but it is downright incredible how near photo-realistic it can be. I've seen some chugging but only in replays. When driving and even at the crowded start of the race, it's been very smooth. I've yet to really see the dynamic weather, but I did run a few time trial laps in the light-rain at Spa, and it was pretty amazing looking, especially the water on the roadway.

For time trials, you can download ghosts from the internet, including your friends. That's awesome and I know I will get a lot of use out of that.

I've been sucked in and I'm glad I was, because I've missed F1 gaming, and this one seems to be put together very, very well for what I'm looking for, at least so far in these early days. I hope you guys can get your hands on it soon, because I don't think any of you will be disappointed.

[DChaps]

Simo, i notice a lag between player input and on screen input is it just a delay graphically or is it noticed while your driving?

If it is lag that was one of the things that ultimately put me off F1CE.

Cant get this thing anywhere yet.

Jimmy, I assume you are talking about the PC version. If so, there are several different solutions I have seen that could correct this. Some seem to have the issue more than others. What steering controller are you using?

Anyway, here are some posts from the iRacing forums about this issue:

Everyone should give this a shot, if you haven't already! It makes the game run better. Like going from utter junk to smoother less laggy junk. Switched it from "Rapture" to "Software" in the options menu. World of difference. Not just the sound either, it improved the FFB and the handling (I believe the Rapture driver was clearly bugging out and making the game laggy). So, if you're having trouble with lag, try that. My opinion is now that it is actually decent. Not as crisp handling as say FVA, but acceptable."

Changing the audio driver from Rapture to Software improved everything for me, especially the downshifting problem

I can confirm that on my system changing the sound engine from rapture to software fixed the shifting and throttle sound lag problem. There's still a small delay in the shifting but that's there by design according to codeMasters. It's barely noticeable now. HUGE improvement, thanks for the suggestion!!!

Hey, just tried this (although I switched to hardware rather than software) and I can also confirm immediate massive improvement. The downshifting lag is gone, and overall the controls feel much more immediate. Also gained 3-4 fps. Please try it out guys...game coming alive a bit for me now...

Maybe it's just because in the audio is now in-synch, but to me it sounds better (cleaner, criper) switching to 'hardware.' I think rapture is just their proprietary sound software that creates some simulated 3d positional audio effects. Maybe (if anything) you miss some of these simulated echoing effects but they are certainly not worth the havoc it's creating. I don't remember rapture causing such problems in DIRT2, but something is definately wrong with it in F1 2010...

[DChaps]

Thanks for the impressions Zeppo. What version are you speaking of, 360? Could thos game be the one that finally gets the old DSP console racing league going again (pit stops and all)? While I have had the PC version since Tuesday, I have yet had the time to even try it out. I am almost thinking I may have to pickup the 360 version as well.

[GB_Simo]

Jimmy, I'm on 360 using the standard controller and there's no delay at all between my control input and the on-screen reaction to it. Everything's fine in that regard.

I haven't gone into the career at all yet, beyond doing the bits at the start of the game where I'm asked my name, who I'll be driving for and all that, but I've ran a couple of time trials and a few quick races with all the aids off and the hardest AI. The cars feel great, and appreciably different - my little time trial at Spa with the McLaren was a joy, my race in a Sauber slightly more of an effort in a car that was more reluctant to turn corners. You can spin under power, unsettle the car by taking too much kerb and slide straight off the road with your brakes locked up, this being by far my most utilised method of completely tossing things up, but once you pick up a bit of speed and get the benefit of downforce, you're pretty much glued to the track. The game does a really good job of conveying that, so you can start attacking the racetrack straight away.

The AI seem very impressive so far. They're kind enough to give me racing room if I've done something to deserve it, but very eager to gain positions too. Defend the inside line, as you should when under pressure, and they'll go to the outside instead, as I found when Jarno Trulli went booming past me on the first lap of my first race. Get a run on them down a straight and they'll cover the line, sometimes making a late and desperate attempt to block if you catch them by surprise - I've seen de la Rosa dart across to the inside entering the braking zone for a corner upon realising I was coming, nipping back to the outside once he realised that it was too late and I was coming through.

It also hasn't been possible to bully them. F1 fans, and anyone who played Grid or NFS Shift, will be familiar with Spa's daunting Eau Rouge, the just-about-flat-out uphill left-right at the beginning of the lap. With past F1 games, it's been possible to scare the AI into submission on the run into that corner by holding your line while alongside them and waiting for them to lift. Here, for the first time I can recall, I can't do it. I'm having to acknowledge when the corner isn't mine to take and drive accordingly. It's also genuinely challenging to get right, as are some of the other famous corners in the game, another gold star for the handling model.

Oh, and you must must must try Monaco in the heavy rain with no aids. Never before have I had to back out of an overtaking move because I really couldn't see where I was.

[GB_Simo]

Thanks for the impressions Zeppo. What version are you speaking of, 360? Could thos game be the one that finally gets the old DSP console racing league going again (pit stops and all)? While I have had the PC version since Tuesday, I have yet had the time to even try it out. I am almost thinking I may have to pickup the 360 version as well.

Zeppo's on my friends leaderboard (driving the Toro Rosso, as he said - the man's slavish devotion to the Red Bull empire knows no bounds) so he'll be speaking of the 360 version too, Don. It's very early days - I've only had the chance to put in 90 minutes or so - but it's shaping up to be really very good indeed.

[Jimmydeicide]

Well i got it finally (gamestop southern California) Am i missing something is there no quick race option i raced once thru grandprix but that was cos i turned every track to be melbourne then all my other stuff has been like a season kinda frustrating a bit as all i wanna do right now is do some racing on the tracks i know.

I ve driven the Lotus and mercedes so far and it says ive turned all assists off but ill be damed if its like stuck to the track, i havnt seen the brakes lock up , im almost full throttle exiting slow corners and there is no traction loss at all only a couple of times after ive done several laps in practice and i felt that was due to maybe tire wear.

Dont get me wrong im enjoying the heck out of it, the driving with a wheel is dead nuts but it all seems too easy right now, im not blitzing any ai times on hard at all it just seems im glued to the track, even started to rain in melbourne and im out on slicks matching my best dry lap.

Im on ps3 and something feels off, am i an elitest sim prick under the covers or what.?

Im confused with it right now but its good.

[JRod]

Well i got it finally (gamestop southern California) Am i missing something is there no quick race option i raced once thru grandprix but that was cos i turned every track to be melbourne then all my other stuff has been like a season kinda frustrating a bit as all i wanna do right now is do some racing on the tracks i know.

I ve driven the Lotus and mercedes so far and it says ive turned all assists off but ill be damed if its like stuck to the track, i havnt seen the brakes lock up , im almost full throttle exiting slow corners and there is no traction loss at all only a couple of times after ive done several laps in practice and i felt that was due to maybe tire wear.

Dont get me wrong im enjoying the heck out of it, the driving with a wheel is dead nuts but it all seems too easy right now, im not blitzing any ai times on hard at all it just seems im glued to the track, even started to rain in melbourne and im out on slicks matching my best dry lap.

Im on ps3 and something feels off, am i an elitest sim prick under the covers or what.?

Im confused with it right now but its good.

Don't think there's the ability to just race. Gran Prix is basically it. Though I think you can just sim to race day.

In setting you can customize them, I think some of the settings default to easy and turn stuff off. I'm not at the PS3 but in the race set-up screen (that's not what it's called) I think you hit X and it brings up more difficulty options.

[GB_Simo]

To just race, select Grand Prix and make sure the participation option is set to Race Only. Jimmy, the track selection is a bit fiddly - scroll through the tracks, select the one you want, push X or whatever your 'confirm' button is set to, then underneath that you should see a little track map appear, with a little arrow in a box next to it. Click the arrow and you're rolling.

That's from memory and might not make complete sense, but it should get you going in the right direction. Speaking of which, I can definitely spin under power with the XBox pad, and lock brakes too. There's no smoke when the brakes lock, but the front wheel stops rotating and the car won't turn so that's definitely what's happening.

[TCrouch]

Played the PC version most of the night and definitely lost the ability to steer when I locked the brakes up. I didn't see tire smoke or anything, but it was most definitely a lock up. I spun it a few times coming off of corners as well.

All in all I'm pretty impressed. My first career race (I started my first season with Virgin) I was battling through the field (I set it to Hard, not Expert...probably should have bumped it up) and worked my way up to 3rd. I just absolutely could not pass Button. He'd block me low, beat me off the corner, and take the line in for a good 2 laps. While we were dueling, the first place car just drove away. I never did pass him, either. Finished 3rd, which is kind of silly for a low-dollar team in their first race ever, but it was a hell of a lot of fun all the way through.

[Jimmydeicide]

Got it now , if you want to select just one track for grand prix after you select you d pad down and it highlights the arrow .

After playing it all night i have to say the game IS the porn star tits it pretty much nails the driving and it does have that gp3/4 feeling of where you can just concentrate on your driving meaning it puts you in the car with enough control as if you are already an F1 driver ( as it should be ) so you can concentrate on your line and hit your next breaking point a perfect blend of simulation and fun factor.
The ai is very racy which just adds to it all, they make mistakes are skitish in front of you, at least the back markers seem to be with the lesser cars seeming more difficult to get dialed in.

It just does what it says it does and puts you right in the midst of the F1 circus.

Upon further testing im seeing lock ups and spinning as i get more aggressive it may have been the fact that i was at melbourne which doesnt have many slow exits.

And finally im buggered if Simo isnt my crew chief, glasses, facial hair, Hartlepool accent.
So for those of you who didnt know unless he took elocution lessons thats what Simo sounds like.

Great great first impressions.

[fsquid]

I know nothing about racing (as Crouch can attest from our NASCAR racing days). But, I can't wait to fire this up today. What is the put strategy in F1? Pit during yellows if you can like in NASCAR?

[TCrouch]

No, there are required stops. It's perfect for you, Squid. They come over the radio saying "PIT THIS LAP".

Not much trial and error involved.

[fletcher21]

Guys at Operation Sports are saying there is a game killing pitstop bug, where you will be held in the pits after your stop until every other car has passed you. So you exit in last place. The workaround seems to be to pit on the lap before or after the game tells you to, to avoid the traffic jam. Anyone with insight on this?

[TCrouch]

Haven't had it happen yet, but I've only run about 4 races.

I came in in 3rd place, left in 4th in the one race where I pitted with other cars.

[Zeppo]

Last night after hockey I wen to run my qualifying for Melbourne and I got the dread 'corrupted save.' That sucks, but I guess I'm happy I only wasted one race and two or three time trial ghosts. I nosed around the interwebs and it seems this is an issue on the PC version and very similar to one from Dirt 2. I didn't find any mention of console problems except one lone post that said 'apparently this is happening on the PS3 as well' with no further details.

It's possible that I quit to the dashboard while it was saving or something of that sort, but wow, this puts an uneasy feeling in me about starting up another career. I had loaded and loaded and loaded multiple times to that point, so it's not like this was only the third or fourth time I had booted up the game.

Also I have read at the Codies' forums about the pit stop bug and it is an acknowledged issue. The work around given by the official guy is exactly that, to pit the lap after your engineer wants you to. That's what I've done myself. He mentioned a couple of other work arounds but that one is easiest and the one he uses. Running longer races was also mentioned as the pit stops get more spread out and the field is more widely spaced around the track as well, but for the shorter races this traffic jam is a problem. They are apparently working on a fix.

[fsquid]

No, there are required stops. It's perfect for you, Squid. They come over the radio saying "PIT THIS LAP".

Not much trial and error involved.

required stops? There is a rule saying you have to pit on these laps?

[pk500]

No, there are required stops. It's perfect for you, Squid. They come over the radio saying "PIT THIS LAP".

Not much trial and error involved.

required stops? There is a rule saying you have to pit on these laps?

In F1, you must run at least one lap on both the standard and alternate tires during a dry race. So a pit stop is mandatory at some point during the race to change tires. There is no refueling this season in F1.

[pk500]

The PC version of this game already is being modded. New camera angle mod available:

http://www.virtualr.net/f1-2010-camera-mods-released/

[dbdynsty25]

FYI...just picked the 360 version up at Frys Electronics for 49.99...if anyone has one nearby.

[ScoopBrady]

FYI...just picked the 360 version up at Frys Electronics for 49.99...if anyone has one nearby.

Thanks for the heads up. KMart didn't have it yesterday and that's only $5 more than their price. I have a Fry's right by work.

[fletcher21]

I picked up the last copy at my Gamestop. He said he ordered 3 copies for 360 and 2 for PS3. I am a bit worried how the PS3 controller will do, but I am done with 360. The 360 controller is far and away the better racing controller, sadly.