Rodster wrote:Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 4 was and is still the benchmark for racing AI. The AI in GP4 were almost humanlike. From what I've read in that review it doesn't appear it's been dethroned.
I wouldn't say GP 4 has been dethroned, but F1 2017 comes darn close. I HIGHLY recommend doing durability / general wear upgrades straight away as gearboxes are lasting only 3 races for some people. Oh and there is apparently a bug on parts wear when racing 25% races.
I got lucky with timing, finally got a drive with Ferrari in F1 2016, so started with them in 2017
pk500 wrote:Free trial of this OUTSTANDING racing game available on XB1 and PS4.
I'll download that as soon as I hit the "submit" button for the XBox One. I'm not a huge fan of modern F1 racing, but I have been curious about this one after reading mostly glowing reviews of it. I'm anxious to see how much my Thrustmaster TX Leather wheel adds to the experience as well.
Wow, the driving model in this game is fantastic. GameStop has it for $30 on Black Friday, but I might not wait that long since it is on sale digitally for just a little more.
The trial is a full trial and I just went through a race week at Melbourne. I'm very impressed by what I've seen. The AI is as good as I've seen. It's difficult to pass a car, as it should be, playing this game at the "Experienced" level. The force feedback effects for my Thrustmaster TX steering wheel were darn near perfect at their default settings!
I'd love to see what the XBox One X enhanced version of this game looks and feels like, as it seems to be a bit muted compared to Forza . I see it got the full 4K HDR treatment. I can see me possibly picking this up once I get an XBox One X, as it seems a bit graphically muted compared to Forza 6 & 7.
There's something about driving an F1 car that feels a bit elusive to me. I don't feel the loss of grip coming as readily when racing them as I do with most other car types, and my mistakes are fatal, race ending mistakes. OTOH, when I'm hitting my best lap times in them, it's eerily stimulating
I feel you there...I've never connected with a Formula 1 car, either. My driving style is generally to brake early and roll through a corner, try to be precise, etc.
An F1 car is going faster and faster to get the downforce to work, and it's too "aggressive" for my tastes, as lame as it sounds to type that. I enjoy the games, but I'm always partial to sports car racing or something in that mold. It always takes a lot of seat time to re-train my brain in how to attack a course whenever I fire up an F1 game.
I caved after finishing Australia in the trial, it was too easy to just buy the damn game at the prompt.
Probably need to up the difficulty by a point or two after having raced the Williams into a clear 'best-of-the-rest' position through a few races.
China was a great experience -- lucked out in qualifying by putting in a lap just as the rain started, the Mercedes duo got a grid penalty, then had Hulkenberg and Verstappen make contact behind me. Bottas got through traffic and blasted past me, but Hamilton only cleared the slower cars until a few laps remained. Can't remember a more stressful experience trying to hold onto 3rd, Hamilton was over a second a lap faster but ran out of time. I can only imagine what Jacques Villeneuve would be saying about Lance Stroll at this point.
A game like this is a nice change of pace from the 'push-push-push, advance-advance' grind of a Forza.
I'm enjoying the career mode more than any other recent racing game I can remember. The strategy of working through programs for development points, making the most of the limited lifespan of engine/transmission components, and the qualifying/race strategy decisions are all so well done.
Now I just need the Williams team to stop f*cking up all of my development upgrades, have lost almost all of my resource points to failed aero/chassis work.
The 1988 McLaren is absolutely BRILLIANT to drive in this game. It's so refreshing to be behind the wheel of a car that relies far more on mechanical grip than aerodynamic grip, unlike current cars.
I could drive that '88 car all night.
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
pk500 wrote:The 1988 McLaren is absolutely BRILLIANT to drive in this game. It's so refreshing to be behind the wheel of a car that relies far more on mechanical grip than aerodynamic grip, unlike current cars.
I could drive that '88 car all night.
Hopefully it gets a nice price drop before the start of the season.
The start of the F1 season got me back into this game and it remains a joy to play.
One of my only complaints is that engine parts can get pretty useless around the 75% wear mark. My next race is at Monza, so I have to go into qualifying and the race with fresh components. Definitely looking at some grid penalties down the road, even if I focus solely on reliability R&D.
The VSC and safety car procedures can be a little messy, but nothing game-breaking.
Dave wrote:The start of the F1 season got me back into this game and it remains a joy to play.
My thoughts as well. I started a career with traction control turned off and I picked Sauber as my team. Whew those cars are a handful with assists turned off and require maximum concentration.
Dave wrote:One of my only complaints is ........
If you go to the Codemaster's forums you would think F1 2017 is the biggest steaming pile of gaming software ever created. Some of the complainers are either boycotting Codemaster's and want to petition for EA Sports to pickup the F1 license. If memory recalls, EA's F1 games were an arcade disaster. It was so bad that sales plummeted to the point that EA had no choice but to pull the plug on the series much like Nascar.
Rodster wrote:If you go to the Codemaster's forums you would think F1 2017 is the biggest steaming pile of gaming software ever created. Some of the complainers are either boycotting Codemaster's and want to petition for EA Sports to pickup the F1 license. If memory recalls, EA's F1 games were an arcade disaster. It was so bad that sales plummeted to the point that EA had no choice but to pull the plug on the series much like Nascar.
Gamers love being miserable, what are the complaints?
It's not just EA hailed as the saviour on the Codies forums either. It's also Polyphony (who aren't good at F1 cars), Turn 10 (who really aren't good at F1 cars), Eutechnyx (who aren't good at cars) and on it goes. There's the occasional sane voice in there but it's very difficult to hear over the noise of those insisting that we all get refunds for the most broken game ever released. I'm not kidding.
F1 2017 is currently 16 quid in the Easter Sale on the PS Store. Very tempted to have another nibble at that price.
Only the biggest PC gaming snob or someone who has no clue about motorsport could complain about F1 2017. It's a superb game, one of the most comprehensive, enjoyable racing experiences ever released on a console.
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
pk500 wrote:Only the biggest PC gaming snob or someone who has no clue about motorsport could complain about F1 2017. It's a superb game, one of the most comprehensive, enjoyable racing experiences ever released on a console.
I might have been one of those whiners 20 years ago, when I had more time than smarts. As much as I am enjoying F1 2017, let's be clear - the game is no IndyCar Racing II with custom paint jobs and the Indy 500 modded in from the first game with the help of The US Pits!
The other night I managed to win at Monza in my Williams career, again proving I need to kick up the difficulty but whatever. Stripped every bit of downforce I could out of the car, slipped into the lead at the first chicane, and drove as flawless a race as I can remember since some stellar runs at Long Beach or Portland in the aforementioned IndyCar Racing II. Both Ferraris were faster but ran out of time in pursuit.
Dave wrote:The other night I managed to win at Monza in my Williams career, again proving I need to kick up the difficulty but whatever. Stripped every bit of downforce I could out of the car, slipped into the lead at the first chicane, and drove as flawless a race as I can remember since some stellar runs at Long Beach or Portland in the aforementioned IndyCar Racing II. Both Ferraris were faster but ran out of time in pursuit.
Dave if you haven't done so already, try turning off "traction control". The F1 cars come alive in a convincing manner. Now it takes full on concentration on both entry and exiting a corner. Again it doesn't feel cheesy but adds to the realistic feel of the cars. I started a career with Sauber F1 Racing with no traction control and the cars become a handful but in a realistic way. In fact I had to dial down the AI because I was having to nurse the car as well as fighting the AI. But when I worked my way into the mid-pack cars it felt like a massive accomplishment.
