Tag: f1 2015

Codemasters to launch F1 2015 game in June

Codemasters has announced that they are working on the new F1 2015 game for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The UK-based software company will launch the game for these platforms in June this year with a host of new features including a significant step forward graphically.

The F1 2015 game is being developed on an “all new version” of the EGO engine and according to Codemasters, aims to deliver the “ultimate Formula One video game experience and act as a significant step forward in the game’s visuals and physics-based handling model.”

It is surely a dream for every Formula One fan to be able to experience the sheer exhiliration of driving an F1 car and the F1 2015 game will bring gamers and fans alike just a little step closer into the world of motorsport’s top driving elite. Codemasters is making additions and improvements in more than 20 areas including aero dynamics, engine and transmission, fuel tank, force feedback and suspension. They’re even adding a brand new tyre physics model that looks incredibly promising. Codemasters says that together these enhancements will create the ultimate “breathtaking and realistic representation of how these cars handle on the track”.

“The buzz and excitement that surrounds each Grand Prix is incredible, and we wanted to transfer that to the F1 2015 game with an all-new broadcast style presentation that’ll deliver that unmistakable race-day weekend atmosphere of a Grand Prix, complete with podium and grid sequences”, the software developer said. All of this will be available in the Championship Season mode, as well as in the brand new Pro Season mode. The Quick Race and Multiplayer modes will also make a return.

A real stand-out feature is the voice recognition technology available for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. Via in-game voice commands available on the consoles, you’ll be able to interact with your race engineer like never before! You’ll be able to ask for race info, weather updates, condition of your tyres and you’ll be able to request tyre and even front wing changes!

There’s bonus content too! The F1 2015 game will include officially licensed cars, drivers, and tracks from the 2014 F1 World Championship season. According to Codemasters this content has been “built from the ground up” in order to make use of the F1 2015 game’s new handling features and more.

Codemasters released the following statement from F1 2015 game director Paul Jeal:

“The F1 2015 game marks an exciting new chapter for Codemasters and Formula One; it’s a shift in direction for the game series, on new formats and our brand new game engine, with the game set to be released earlier in the season, launching this June.

The handling is a vast improvement from our previous games. In particular our new tire model is a superb step forward towards realism, letting you explore where the limit is and allowing you to instantly feel much more connected with the car. You can now experience the changes in grip caused by temperature changes, wear, car set-up, debris, and weather conditions.

Our improved vehicle dynamics much more accurately convey the difference in performance and the feel between mechanical and aerodynamic grip. The new Force Feedback system adds to the feeling of connection with the car and track surface. The more natural and realistic nature of the game physics also serves to ensure that the racing experience is more accessible, enjoyable and rewarding for players of all skill levels.

The team is busy modelling the new 2015 cars and drivers in readiness for the game’s summer launch. You can see a tease of our first signed off 2015 content in our debut screenshots, as well as an early glimpse of the Mexican circuit. In addition to the 2015 season, we are also delighted to be able to offer the 2014 season as a bonus selectable season. Even this far out from our game’s release they truly show the power of our new game engine.”

April 1, 2015
Renault expect “significant performance step” before Australia

According to Renault’s chief technical officer Rob White, the engine manufacturer is on course to make considerable performance improvements with their 2015 Formula One power unit before the season-opening race in Melbourne, Australia.

Renault have made sweeping comprehensive changes to their F1 power unit over the winter break in an effort to reduce the performance deficit to Mercedes which they experienced during the 2014 F1 season.

Despite reliability issues hampering running in this year’s first pre-season test at Jerez for both the Red Bull and Toro Rosso F1 teams, Renault are certain that we’ll see big leaps forward before before March 15 when F1 returns to Melbourne.

White spoke to F1’s official website saying that, “First and foremost we need to run reliably, be quick and closer to front.

“Our honest expectation is that we will make a decent improvement but it is difficult to quantify the gain relative to our competitors who will also progress.

“What we can say is that we are on course to make a significant performance step and resolve the principal reliability weaknesses by the time we get to the first race.”

According to White, Renault has also opted to use the majority of their engine development tokens prior to the 2015 Australian Grand Prix in order to deliver these big performance gains, but added that the decision making around when Renault will use the remaining tokens for future upgrades during the course of the season, will be “juggling act”.

“We have used the majority of the tokens for the first race and our use of tokens during the course of the season will be relatively modest,” he explained.

“It then becomes a matter of strategy about when you introduce the remaining tokens; whether to introduce at the start of the season when the technology is relatively immature but could give greater relative performance, or later in the season when the part has had more testing miles but the impact on performance will be potentially less.

“Clearly the juggling act we need to perform is which areas of the power unit are the most worthwhile to attack for performance reasons. We have therefore prioritised token spend to make as much headway as possible with performance.”

Photo Credit: Renault Sport F1

February 18, 2015
Korean GP officially dropped from 2015 F1 Calendar

The 2015 F1 Calendar has been reduced to 20 races from the proposed 21, following the official removal of the Korean Grand Prix.

The race featured on the first official calendar published at the end of last year, but was still subject to confirmation by the FIA and was apparently added without the knowledge of the Korean GP organisers.

The Korean GP was scheduled to take place just one week before the Spanish GP in Barcelona but there was little doubt that it would be removed.

In December 2014, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said that the Korean GP was on the race calendar for legal reasons.

“[The organisers] would rather it not happen,” Ecclestone said last month. “We have a contract with Korea, we have to put it on the calendar. If we had not done they could have sued us. We let them off for a year on the understanding they would be back.”

The removal of the Korean GP sees the return of a three-week break between the Bahrain Grand Prix (April 19) and the Spanish Grand Prix (May 10).

Here is the updated 2015 F1 Calendar:

Australian GP – Albert Park, March 15
Malaysian GP – Sepang, March 29
Chinese GP – Shanghai, April 12
Bahrain GP – Sakhir, April 19
Spanish GP – Barcelona, May 10
Monaco GP – Monte Carlo, May 24
Canadian GP – Montreal, June 7
Austrian GP – Spielberg, June 21
British GP – Silverstone, July 5
German GP – Nurburgring, July 19
Hungarian GP – Hungaroring, July 26
Belgian GP – Spa-Francorchamps, August 23
Italian GP – Monza, September 6
Singapore GP – Marina Bay, September 20
Japanese GP – Suzuka, September 27
Russian GP – Sochi, October 11
US GP – Austin – October 25
Mexican GP – Mexico City, November 1
Brazilian GP – Interlagos, November 15
Abu Dhabi GP – Yas Marina, November 29

Korean GP Photo Credit: Caterham F1 Team

January 7, 2015
F1 2014: Attention F1 Gamers

It’s no great revelation that most F1 fans have fantasised about what it is like to complete a flying lap in a Formula 1 car. As most of us dreamers are unlikely to experience the breathless minute and a half of pure exhilaration we look for the next best thing – gaming.

Formula 1 games have come a long way since the early days of Geoff Crammond’s Formula One Grand Prix. From console to pc the genre has continued to progress over the decades to land with its current creators, Codemasters.

As present holders of the official F1 licence Codemasters has announced two new titles. F1 2014 will feature all the “seismic” changes to the sport while drawing on the developer’s experience in this specific category. Creators have revealed that F1 2014 will feature refined handling and a new driver evaluation system calculated according to your personal skill level. This announcement doesn’t exactly make us light up light a halogen lamp. To refine means to correct or modify something that already exists. It means that Codemasters thinks that their previous attempt at an F1 title was close to the mark; it wasn’t.

Simulation gaming is about realism and while we don’t expect a 100% likeness to the real deal we also don’t expect to win the Abu Dhabi grand prix in Kobayashi’s Caterham. For the true simulator snobs rFactor remains the Holy Grail. For the less obsessed gamer there are several arcade, read easy, racing sims to satisfy that twenty minute stretch of boredom while you wait for your Candy Crush lives to replenish. Fact is, there is a market for both and Codemasters are trying to create a happy medium to satisfy both ends of the scale.

Their attempts at F1 games haven’t been awful but they’ve been far from mind blowing. The first title, F1 2010, was well received and praised for its attention to detail and intricate weather system. However, the high praise was based on the fact that fans had been starved of a new title for several years. Thus, objectivity was clouded by the giddy anticipation of finally getting your hands on a brand-spanking new F1 game. Enthusiasm started to wane a year later with the launch of F1 2011 and the knives started to appear. A tweak to the multiplayer function and a few new rules wasn’t enough to dupe gamers who struck the fatal blow by dubbing it a meagre replica of its predecessor. In 2012 Codemasters had another go but interest and enthusiasm was lukewarm at best. The following year introduced a F1 Classics mode which allowed gamers to pound around Jerez, Brands Hatch or Imola in a classic Lotus, Williams or Ferrari. The throwback was a classy homage and was appreciated by the sport’s fans.

In an attempt to sell its 2014 title Codemasters is talking up the “exciting and refreshingly different experience” it will deliver. Of course gamers will give it a fair chance and conduct their own meticulous examination of its so-called refreshing makeover so we’ll reserve judgment too. The truth is that most are a whole lot more excited about the second announcement made by Codemasters.

The 2015 title, to be released early in the new season, will be a next-gen release. What is next-gen? First, it’s important to understand that with greater processing power comes great responsibility. Next-generation gaming means tighter, more defined graphics, and a level of realism which will increase the sense of immersion. It should require all game developers to swear on an Atari that they will utilise all of its mammoth potential and deliver a gaming experience beyond our wildest dreams.

Should F1 2015 be the answer to your gaming dreams and it continues to command your attention you’ll be happy to know that it will receive live digital updates as the season progresses.

Whether you’re an occasional gamer or the compulsively obsessed kind Codemasters wants you to buy their game. They’re trying to convince you by setting a lofty goal for them. By announcing a next-gen F1 title they now have a responsibility to deliver something special. If all they produce is a simple reproduction of previous titles they will dump the franchise into gaming oblivion. If they knock it out of the park then F1 gamers may just find themselves one step closer to that virtual F1 cockpit.

August 17, 2014