Tag: sim racing

F1 2018 Game Review

There’s a specific time of year that those gamers inclined towards F1 get a little bit giddy. It’s around mid-year when Codemasters announce the launch date for its latest installment in the F1 game franchise. To build anticipation to a fever pitch this is also underscored by the release of dev diaries and beta testers who clog up your timeline with content of what’s to come. It’s that simultaneously joyous and painful period just before you get your own hands on the latest that Codemasters has to offer.

There’s a bit of wistfulness too for F1 2017. After all, it was such a great title. But the nostalgia doesn’t last long. For as soon as you’re strapped into your virtual F1 2018 cockpit, you drive out on track, and set off on your first flying lap that nostalgia is replaced by a giddiness matched in wattage only by the mega grin on your face.

From the first fire up of F1 2018 the most evident change is to its graphics. Everything from the track surface to the way tiny blades of grass stick to your rear tyres (following a slight off at Variante Ascari) has been impeccably overhauled. The general in-game atmosphere is so comprehensive and nuanced that it doesn’t just make the player/driver feel as if you’re switching between different circuits but truly racing at a wholly different venue complete with its own ambiance and iconic features. And that’s just the visuals!

If this isn’t enough to make you buy F1 2018 then the audio on it will be. I am ready and confident enough to say/write that F1 2018 has the best sounding engine notes of any racing title on the market. Have I played every racing game on the market? No. But I don’t have to in order to know that that the audio of F1 2018 is head and shoulders above the rest. That subtle whine of the turbo, the spike in revs when you ramp a kerb you shouldn’t be on, and the unmistakably exhilarating pam…pam…pam…pam…pam…as you whip down the gears is a thing of beauty.

The handling model in F1 2018 also feels improved and importantly more immersive. The overall and accurate edge, no pun intended, to kerbs and your inability to simply ride them at will adds a level of realism and challenge that was missing from F1 2017. Clout the kerbs at Singapore consistently and it’ll come not only a cost for your laptime but will likely eventuate in you getting better acquainted with the wall.

The AI aggression too has been ramped up. There is no more sticking to the racing line as you close up and ready for a pass. Now the AI will hug the inside line tighter than their favourite granny. And that’s not all, even if you do manage to send it at the expense of compromising your speed on corner exit the AI will be there and more than ready to bang wheels if it means keeping or getting back their place. Pulling off a clean move against the more aggressive AI gives a true sense of satisfaction further ratcheting up the sense of immersion.

Career mode remains as one of the biggest draw cards for an F1 title. In F1 2018 there is much more to consider. First, you get to choose a team. Do you want to go for Mercedes and dominate Hamilton-esque? Or do you want to slum it at the back of the grid and build up your team? The choice is completely yours. Once you do make your selection you’re thrust into the world of F1. From team expectations, to R&D, to paddock interviews everything requires a level of micro-management very much akin to real-life Formula 1.

The practice programs, through which you earn precious resource points, remain with the challenging addition of ERS management. That’s right, in F1 2018 the player/driver can choose to have full control of the ERS. There are five modes of deployment/harvesting in total under your control and it’s a rather involved process to figure out the perfect lap-by-lap strategy for it. But it’s a challenge and there is, arguably, nothing more that F1 gamers love more than that. My only gripe with this addition is that the ability to swap between ERS modes is confined to the MFD (multi-function display) where you also manage engine maps, brake bias, and the differential setting. I would’ve liked to see the player/driver given the option of mapping the ERS management to a button/toggle of your own choosing.

Something else that seemed to have not received an abundance of attention is the helmet customization. It’s a fairly innocuous gripe and it doesn’t detract from the game. But I do wish there was more freedom in terms of helmet design so as to personalize your experience even more. Perhaps Codemasters would even consider allowing players/drivers to choose the colour of their gloves and racing boots in the future too.

F1 2018 is something special. Codemasters have achieved and delivered a truly amazing title that even the most ardent of naysayer cannot legitimately criticize.

It’s not an easy thing to capture the nuance and emotion and passion of such a beloved sport but Codemasters have achieved it, and brilliantly so.

The speed of technological development and the simultaneous evolution of gaming mean that gamers continually ask for more. More features, more realism, more immersion. The great news is that F1 2018 is more.

September 3, 2018
F1 2017: F1 eSports Challenge – Monza

A first attempt at the F1 esport challenge!

The aim is to get yourself, driving as Sergio Perez in the Force India, onto the podium at the Italian grand prix.

Your ranking on the leaderboard will be affected by several factors including assists you run with, level of AI difficulty, and how quickly you can get the job done.

Look out for our move on both Red Bull drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, into turn one!

September 8, 2017
Codemasters F1 2017 Game Review

In the month of August two great things normally happen if you’re a fan of Formula 1. The first is the return of the world’s most elite racing series from its Summer break to the, arguably, the greatest circuit in the world, Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps.

The second great thing that happens in August is the release of a new F1 gaming title. This year Codemasters, who’ve been in charge of the official F1 game for a number of years, released the much-anticipated title on the 25^th of August.

I’ve been playing F1 titles for a long time. We’re talking from pre-Pentium PCs and PlayStation 1 here and because of this I love the finer details that are included in these titles. For example, in F12017, as your car is readied to leave the pit garage the engine is blipped slightly and when you open the DRS, on track, the volume of the woosh of the air increases. I especially appreciate the texture of the tyres too, which look so realistic that if you were to your finger over them on the screen they’d probably feel like very expensive Pirelli rubber. These are the smaller details that can and does elevate a game.

But, arguably, the most sought after and appreciated aspect of any simulation game is realism, which goes hand-in-hand with immersion. While we’ll not ever truly replicate the F1 experience to a tee with a game Codemasters has, arguably, delivered the most seriously immersive experience in the history of the franchise.

While the core of F1 2017 is the racing Codemasters have packed so much more into the experience. The biggest draw card of F1 2017 is undoubtedly its career mode. As a female gamer the fact that you can now select a female avatar is no small thing. It says that Codemasters considers all their gamers important and it’s a classy move from them.

Once you’ve selected your avatar of choice and customised your helmet you’re set to commence your, hopefully illustrious career in Australia. Career mode retains some aspects from its 2016 predecessor such as meeting the team’s expectations and beating your rival. Likewise, the practice objectives too have been retained but in 2017 they’ve been fleshed out more with added programs such as fuel saving and race strategy sims. These aren’t just for show either as they earn you valuable resource points which you put towards the development of the car.

The area of Research and Design has received significant attention which has resulted is a massive expansion of gameplay. While in 2016 there was a linear path to follow for upgrading the performance the R&D tree in 2017 includes four branches of aerodynamics, chassis, powertrain, and durability. Within each of these branches are different types of upgrades all of which have, potentially, bigger impact than others. However, it’s not as simple as just bolting on the upgrade and gaining performance from it. In 2017, just as in real-life F1, there is every possibility that an upgrade may not perform as expected or fail completely. And to add insult to lack of pace or performance you wont get your hard earned resource points back!

Similarly, you have to manage all six elements of the power unit (internal combustion engine, MGU-K, MGU-H, control electronics, energy store, and turbo) as well as the gearbox. Overstress the components and you’ll soon have a more in-depth understanding of McLaren has been going through. This aspect of career mode demands for the gamer to make strategic calls on, firstly, management, and secondly, on when the most opportune time to fit new components is; fitting a new gearbox before its run its compulsory six races will result in a grid penalty and may not be the best decision ahead of the Monaco grand prix.

It’s not only your own team’s expectations that are important either. Other teams in the paddock are also tracking your results and performances. If you’re looking for a drive higher up the grid you’d best keep an eye on the opinion meter as it’s sure to give you a good indication as to where your next offer will come from.

In between the season’s races there are invitational events, which allows you driver one of the twelve classic cars included in F1 2017. These events are merely a bit of fun and don’t gain you any resource points. The classic cars are also available via the Time Trial and Grand Prix game modes. The classic cars included range from, amongst others, Mika Hakkinen’s 1998 championship winning McLaren, Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4-4, Nigel Mansell’s Williams to Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, and Lewis Hamilton’s title winning cars. But by far the most majestic of the classic cars is Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2004. It’s the car with which he won his seventh world title and though this is just a game the sense of history that I got from driving this car was enough to form a lump in my throat. It’s beautiful and Codemasters could not have done any better in paying homage to the great history of this sport.

On a more technical aspect F1 2017 delivers stunning graphics from the cars and to the revamped paddock area and the circuits. While the tracks are not laser scanned they nevertheless provide detailed and accurate representations of the circuit’s frequented by Formula 1. The physics of driving a 2017 car is spot on. Initially, the level of grip is mind-blowing but nevertheless accurate and makes you feel pretty arrogant when throwing the car into corners. But, be warned, a 2017 F1 car does not like to be out of position when turning and if you are you’ll be swopping ends before you know it.

The AI of F1 2017 has been improved dramatically too. Now AI drivers wont simply be scared off the racing line but instead fight tooth and nail for their position. Also, AI drivers are no longer infallible and actually make mistakes, which again adds to the realism of the title. The only criticism of F1 2017 is probably the sound of the engines, which sound a bit flat in comparison to their genuine counterparts. But this is a minor issues and certainly not one that is going to detract from how much you’ll enjoy F1 2017.

It’s as if through all of their previous F1 titles Codemasters were building towards something truly exceptional and they’ve delivered, spectacularly, with F1 2017.

Buy F12017 here

F12017 Career Mode Gameplay:

September 2, 2017
Fanatec Formula Simracing Equipment Review

For as long as I can remember I have loved simulation gaming. All the way from the PlayStation 1’s Colin McCrae Rally I have arrived here today with Project Cars, Formula 1, and many more simulators. Heck I was so enamoured with the original rFactor I wrote a treatise about it.

To fully appreciate the advancement that gaming has made over time, especially racing sims, you need to be immersed in it. And in order for you to become immersed you need to right gear. Fortunately, I have recently been privileged enough to get my hands on Fanatec gear. Endor, the company under which the Fanatec brand is sold, is headquartered in Landshut/Bavaria and was founded in 1997 by Thomas Jackermeier. Through his own gaming exploits Jackermeier appreciated the important role that input devices would have on the gaming experience.

Armed with Masters degree of Business Administration and having recently sold his own business Jackermeier bought AB-Union, which he would re-name Endor Ltd, known today as Endor AG. Initially, Endor sold various PC products including the legendary “Command & Conquer Mission Controller” Trackball. Early on steering wheels formed part of the planning stages and culminated in the successful launch of the “Le Mans” wheel for PC and the “Speedster 2” in for PlayStation. Endor also worked with Turn10 in developing the first Forza Motorsport wheel for the Xbox.

The Fanatec brand today is completely focused on the sim racing market with a range of high quality products including, amongst others, steering wheels, pedals, and shifters. They’ve coined the phrase ‘Germaneering’ which includes a network of highly qualified German engineers and technological partners as part of their product development team.

What was immediately obvious is that ‘Germaneering’ is evident throughout your entire Fanatec experience.

Packaging

The gear arrives professionally, and importantly safely, packaged in specially designed boxes. All the products are well packaged with polystyrene for added protection. Further, the steering wheel and pedals are placed in a bag emblazoned with the Fanatec logo for extra protection.

The only item not included with the gear is the drivers need to install them to your PC or console. However, these are easily obtainable via a quick and easy download on the Fanatec website.

Look and feel, quality

The aesthetic quality of the Fanatec gear is right up there with anything on the market if not the clear leader. The Formula wheel, used in this review, has beautifully moulded grips covered in genuine Italian Alcantara, which is a suede-like material, normally found in luxury cars, that presents increased durability. It might ostensibly seem like a minor detail but the Alcantara grips make a big impact on the feel and level of comfort with the wheel. If you have, for example, ever played with leather stitched rim, for a few hours you would know how important the comfort factor is. After all, you can’t afford to be distracted when you’re trying to eek out that final half a tenth of lap time. What the Alcantara grips further illustrate is that Fanatec has left no stone unturned in production and every detail, no matter how seemingly small, is considered important.

ClubSport Steering Wheel Formula Black

Immediately out of the box the Formula wheel feels sturdy without being too heavy. It’s elegantly black finish and CNC machined and anodized aluminium front plate gives it a polished and well-designed look.

The diameter of the Fanatec Formula wheel sits at 26cm and is the perfect size to allow the flawless level of comfort throughout long races.

The wheel is also fitted with a quick release system, which, while improving ease of use, certainly ups the realism stakes in terms of making you feels like you’re driving a real racing car.

The one feature that I was goner for is the row of LEDs runs along the top of the wheel, which are utilized as rev lights. Formula 1 has been my greatest passion for a very long and I’ve been gaming for even longer than that. The one thing I’ve always wanted was a steering wheel with rev lights. It’s enough to reduce any open wheel racing fan to a geeky mess.

Coincidentally, Fanatec’s Formula style wheel is the only one of its kind that has this feature built into its wheel and if you’re an open-wheel racer you more than appreciate this addition. Directly underneath the rev lights is a full LED display ready to show all your telemetry ranging from speed, gear, and any other parameter you need during gameplay.

There are eleven programmable buttons, which are colour-coded in an arrangement of black, grey, blue, purple, and red. While the Formula Carbon wheel rim’s range of buttons are colour-coded predominantly in black and grey my personal preference is for the more colourful assembly as they are easier to pick up in your peripheral vision.

In addition to these eleven buttons the wheel further includes a fully programmable analog joystick and a 7-way encoder switch that has several different mapping options. If you needed proof that Fanatec considered every last detail the two paddle shifters, made of metal, are fully adjustable in terms of angle, distance and travel.

Not one but two vibration motors are integrated into to the wheel and is especially impressive in relaying the feeling from the tyres and circuit, down to the small bump on the track surface. This function, and several others, is directly adjustable through the wheel’s on-board menu that includes the ability to save up to five different profiles.

A word of advice would be to tinker with the setup of the wheel, outside of your preferred sims, until you find a combination of settings suited to your driving style and preference. Be warned now, Fanatec is serious gaming gear and if you’re Force Feedback is set relatively high it will have a physical impact in long sim racing sessions.

CSL Elite Wheel base

The front of the base has the Fanatec name emblazoned on it and is set in a beautiful mosaic-inspired design. The material used for the outer shell of the base is nicely moulded in high quality plastic with visual contrast of space grey and black.

The wheelbase is rather heavy but it makes up for it by being quite compact. Because it doesn’t take up a lot of space you can adapt it to fit just about any rig. Further, the base is absolutely silent with the exception of when the fan kicks in. But even then it’s barely noticeable and no louder than your CPU fan.

It’s effortlessly hard-mounted to a rig with its easily accessible mounting points at the bottom on the base. Alternatively, the base comes equipped with a mount for attachment to any desk. It’s as simple as lining it up and tightening the bolt to your desk.

The CSL Elite Wheelbase is compatible with PC, Xbox and can be easily switched between the two platforms with the use of the mode button on the front of the base. The wheelbase is also compatible with all other Fanatec wheel rims.

Arguably, the most important feature for any sim racer is precision. With the Fanatec Formula wheel and this wheelbase a single belt driven brushless servo motor with 6Nm of torque manages the precision of your inputs to the steering wheel. Because of this combination the lack of dead spots or lag is non-existent and whatever you input is directly transmitted in game. The smoothness is also instantly perceptible and no matter how many laps you rack up everything will continue to run pleasingly smoothly for as long as you can turn the wheel, which, by the way, is up to 1080 degrees of rotation.

ClubSport Pedals V3

As a gamer nothing is going to make you happier than taking these pedals out of the box. The entire assembly is made from CNC machined aluminum and there is no denying that this is a gorgeous piece of gear that looks racy before they’re even hooked up.

The high-resolution pedals include 12bit resolution and have a pressure sensitive brake with 90-kilogram load cell sensor. However, if you feel that the brake stiffness is not to your preference it’s easily modifiable but adjusting simply turning the knob directly on the brake pedal. In addition, the stiffness of the throttle pedal can be adjusted by exchanging the spring in the pedal with a stiffer provided spring. But Fanatec didn’t stop there because not only can the stiffness of the pedals be adjusted but the brake and throttle also include vibration motors, which simulate wheel spin and locking tyres. It is important to note though that these vibration motors are not compatible with all sim racing titles and may require third party plugins or software in order to coax them to life.

But what if these pedals aren’t comfortable? The great news is that regardless of your requirements these pedals can accommodate any preference thanks to the fact that they are completely adjustable. From the position of the pedals, to the angle can be fiddled with. Heck, if you don’t like the custom pedal plates Fanatec even includes a full set of D-shape pedal plates as an alternative. Didn’t I tell you that they though of everything?

Fanatec’s “germaneering” is mostly definitely extended to their pedals too. Often times gear can be adjustable but actually making changes require a degree in engineering. It’s not the case here though and many a sim racer will appreciate the thoughtful engineering that went into it and the simplicity of making changes.

Naturally, there was quite a bit of fiddling with the stiffness of the throttle and brake pedal. While the throttle was adjusted to my liking pretty quickly I found that I just wasn’t getting the feel from the brake pedal that I wanted. But fear not, should you find yourself with in the same scenario Fanatec does offer a brake performance kit which allows you to configure your brake pedal just the way you like it.

While I did alternate between the two sets of pedal plates I didn’t note a major difference between them. I ended up reverting to the stock pedal plates just because they look, to my eye at least, racier than the D-shape plates.

Overall the performance of the pedals cannot be faulted. And no matter how hard you stamp on the brake pedal there is no fear that it’s either going to be damaged or fail at any time.

Compatibility

Even though this is high level sim racing gear it’s still as straightforward as simple as plug and play. You can choose whether to attach the pedals straight to your PC or plug them directly into the wheelbase.

While you can easily switch between PC and Xbox all Fanatec wheel rims are also compatible with the wheelbase and easily interchangeable with the quick release system.

FanaLEDs

For most PC games you will need to download FanaLEDS in order to make the rev lights on the wheelbase and the wheel, as well as the LED display function.

The good news is that FanaLEDs is a third party software program that is freely available for download. It allows you to customize the display on your wheel to your own preference. Configuration ranges from setting the REV light sequence, to programming each individual LED to your own preference.

Performance

Once I’d set up the wheel to a spec that I was comfortable with I ran about 200 laps on Project Cars and roughly 400 laps on F1 2016. The Fanatec showed no signs of laboring at any point. In fact, it was clear that it would keep running as long as I did.

I’ve never been known to be kind to pedal sets but despite my consistent hammering of the brake pedal it never once complained. The same goes for the Formula wheel and CSL elite wheelbase and, in my opinion, if I were to find fault with any of the components I’d be nitpicking and there genuinely isn’t anything to be dissatisfied with here.

Will it make you a better and/or quicker driver?

In truth there is no racing gear in the world that will make you a quicker racing driver if you don’t have the basics down. Speed comes from an inherent feel, an understanding of just when to start applying throttle, how much steering angle to input, or when to start bleeding off the brakes. What the Fanatec gear will give you though is incredible feel and precision. Feel through your hands and feet that will allow for finding the cars limit a bit easier, to feel where the grip is and when you’re on the limit of the braking potential.

It will also allow you the ability to be marvelously precise. With the Fanatec wheelbase and Formula rim there is no lag whatsoever meaning that whatever input you put through the wheel is instantaneously replicated in game. With this set-up you can catch the back-end if it steps out slightly, correct a slide, and even feel the tiniest bumps in the surface of a circuit. It is this level of staggering precision which sets Fanatec apart from the competition.

While it may not make you better and/or quicker it will provide a sim racing experiencing that is unparalleled in terms of immersion and enjoyment.

Finally, while all of these components deserve to stand and be lauded individually the most impressive aspect is not in the Fanatec Formula rim, or the v3 ClubSport pedals, nor is it in the CSL Elite wheelbase. Instead the most impressive aspect is in how well all of these components combine to deliver a simulation experience that every gamer dreams of. Fanatec gear is quite simply sim racing art.

August 4, 2017