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Codemasters 2009 F1 game wish list
We learned last week that Codemasters had snatched the rights to produce the official Formula 1 game from Sony, and the first installment in the series will arrive next year.
Codemasters have a clear choice in how to approach this. They can cynically exploit the F1 brand and just stick the official drivers and team colours on a bog-standard racing engine.
Or they can create something truly original that will court both young newcomers to the sport and long-term fans; those looking for a quick race, and those hankering for an immersive, long-term challenge. Here’s what I think they should do with the new F1 game.
Cater for both crowds. Racing game fans are generally split between those who want pick-up-and-play arcade fun, and those who are happy to while away hours with a realistic simulator refining setups and chasing lap times.
Geoff Crammond’s excellent Grand Prix series proved you can create a game that caters for both crowds. Turn all the driving aids on, and you can ricochet off the Monte-Carlo walls to your heart’s content. Turn them off, and try tackling the same event with full race distance and the weather changing as you drive, and it suddenly becomes exponentially more demanding.
Proper career mode. Inevitably the game will have to be based around the current season. But why not throw in a few of the last years’ teams, drivers and tracks as well?
If the new game covered the seasons from 2001 to today then fans of Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa could re-create their heroes paths from the likes of Sauber and Minardi to to Ferrari and Renault.
Why not take the idea a step further and offer expansion packs bundling different seasons together? A ‘Michael Schumacher years’ kit would go down a storm in Germany and I’d love to have a go on a ‘turbo era’ version.
Challenge mode. While we’ve nicking ideas from the past, let’s merge F1 history with Gran Turismo’s ‘Challenge mode’. A sub-game could re-create famous moments from F1’s past - you could be Nigel Mansell chasing down Nelson Piquet at Silverstone in 1987, or Kimi Raikkonen racing from 17th to first at Suzuka in 2005, or Juan Manuel Fangio reeling in the Ferraris of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins at the Nürburgring in 1957. Complete the challenges to unlock bonus tracks or cars.
Evolving cars. We all know that a Ferrari at Monza looks totally different to one at Monte-Carlo. The graphics should reflect that, with tea tray wings on the super-fast tracks, and aerofoils bolted onto every available surface at the street races.
Checklist. No official F1 game should go to market in the 21st century without the following: race control modelling including safety car periods, car damage and reliability modelling, online play, changeable weather and convincing computer driver intelligence.
What do you want from the new Codemasters F1 game? What other racing games should it borrow ideas from? And what should it avoid?
Read more: Good news, bad news: Codemasters to make 2009 F1 video game
F1 97 was great as it had a fun Arcade but yet real Grand Prix mode too. F1 world grand prix (also from 1997) had challenge modes from real situations from that year. One being trying to get Damon Hill to the finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix without losing too many places.
I only have a wii and a PC, I doubt it will come to wii and also rfactor is the only racing game you need now really
id like to see a driver & team rating system which actually affected the outcome of races.
eg for drivers you could have 10 different categories with mark out of 10. for instance you could have for drivers..speed,qualifying, starts, wet weather, overtaking etc
and also something similar for the teams such as reliability, straight line speed.
basically id liike it to be as realistic as possible, so eg at monaco mclaren are stronger than ferrari, massa being stong at turkey.
what i dont want is what happens with the last game. masssa always seems to outpace shcumacher, alonso never wins and honda are always up there even though they wernt that strong in 06.
so this game wont be out until next year then???
There’s some nice ideas here Keith - especially challenge mode. This reminds me of the challenge mode in the old ISS (an alteration of Pro Evo) football games, where you’d be 2-0 down and have to win 3-2 in the last 20 minutes, for example.
Codemasters really need to add as much detail as possible into this new game, and make it both fun and realistic at the same time, and as you said Keith, make it appeal to both casual and more hardcore gamers.
I think they should focus primarily on you as the driver, and allow you to change teams and get fined for causing accidents.
Why don’t they let you control the celebration scenes, where you could spray champagne over the drivers/cameraman at your will? Players will probably like this kind of fun freedom.
oh an also better AI. on the last game when the computer cars tried to oivertake yo they just stayed slightly offline and didnt really move or anything. needs to be better.
the thing is with the next gen consoles ps3 and xbox so many things are possible. iv just bought the new grand theft auto on ps3 and some of the things they have done on there are incredible. i just hope codemasters have the same ambition.
Keith, I stand by you for your idea of “Evolving Cars”. That’s what I dearly miss in the F1 games I play and it’s quite disappointing when you see a Monaco spec wing in Monza–which is exaclty what I see while I play F1 ‘07. The “Safety Car” idea is valid too. I would like to have the following: ‘varying degree of damages’–for example, a slow punture and associated vibrations from the tyre when the car hits a shard of carbon fibre; sidepod and radiator damage during a first lap incident and the consequent gradual loss of cooling efficiency; wind direction and speed affecting the handling; cars getting coated with brake dust as the race progresses on; visible blisters and chunkings; occassional pit-stop fumbles by the pit-crew; the driver’s hands visibly fiddling with the steering wheel controls when the gamer changes the brake balance etc. from the controller; engine dyno; a replay that has the option of showing a ‘translucent car’ to show how the gamer used the brake and gas pedals and heel and toe-ing… I’ve much more to add but I’m running out of time!
simple really!
good/realistic physics, a challenging AI (that takes risk overtaking moves and aggressively blocks you!) and online play!
challenge/career mode etc is good but all i want is similar to the old “grand prix” series!
those games, to me, are still the best f1 games for the above reasons!
they are simple, challenging and realistic! u could even re-release those with todays graphic ability and cars/tracks etc and there you go, perfect!
unfortunately i’ve never had the opportunity to play any of these games yet. does anyone know what todays F1 drivers think of the games and how realistic do they find them?
sudden groudhogs at montreal and dogs at istanbul map pack.
Decent multiplayer options \ with quality netcode.
So you can set plenty of rules options on the race server.
and release a free mod editor to allow the race sim community to edit and add their own content.
Haha Sush!
Chas your not missing much, every game has been poor since F1 97. I dont no about the official games but i read in F1 racing that Karthikeyan and Chandok play GP4 together
I would like to see a career mode that allowed you to develop different aspects of the car… Give a set budget and allow it to be spent on areo, engine reliability/ power, driver development, etc….
Isnt Lewis having his own racing game with EA sports? Does this meen we could see the driver name as ‘McLaren Number One’ similar to ‘Williams Number One’ that was used on the games when Villenueve had his own game
yer add ur own content etc with NO MISMATCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Include a “coaching” segment to actually tell people how to do it right (who wouldn’t want the in car voice of Jackie Stewart telling you what to do as you enter Loews telling you to trail brake and to go as deep as you can before spinning the wheel left to full lock). You have to follow him in the 6 wheeler as he shows you the circuits maybe too.
Always have full video available of every session (games that don’t do this drive me nuts).
Have a pit crew challenge mini game, same for “team boss” mini game (who doesn’t want to wear the red sweater in Thailand?!)
Aero Editor where you can talk to the designer at the beginning of the season and “help develop the car” You can be Ralf, or Michael (ie hurting or helping the car) for the whole season.
I love the idea of the turbo years, also I’d love to roll in the 1993 fully active stuff too. (oh and the opportunity to generate the rainbow explosion of Jos Verstappen would be, horrifying/awesome.
Most of all, coaching though. I know I’m slow (that’s why I’m not a professional driver). Help me to get faster. I know it’s a game, I want to get better. That’s how you can help everyone.
Basically the F1 games need to be more involved with the people who are playing them. I also agree totally with the idea of coaching - on the last F1 game I managed to stick it in the wall for 2 weeks until I got the hang of it.
Any car alterations would have to be an option, though, as you could risk alienating people who just want a normal game if you overload it with high-tech stuff.
Nathan play Rfactor….
“Why don’t they let you control the celebration scenes, where you could spray champagne over the drivers/cameraman at your will? Players will probably like this kind of fun freedom.”
That is a fantastic idea. And actually making the celebration sequences look good, and not just limiting them to the podium either would be great. It’s all about making it feel more realistic…
I can’t think of any ideas, all of the ideas that Keith put forward are solid gold. Please pay attention, Codemasters, don’t screw this up.
One thing to avoid is model the current F1 aero regs. You won’t be able to pass and it will be a snoozefest
For a proper career mode they could include the junior racing categories that f1 drivers go through - karts, formula ford, formula BMW, formula renault , formula 3, gp2 etc.
And then having to go through a best-of-three shootout in an f1 car to hopefully land a drive. Your win ratio in the junior categories can determine which team will make an offer to sign you up.
I think this will be brilliant being as you’ll have to work all on the way up to being a fully fledged Grand Prix dirver.
Another addition which i think will be neat is including classic f1 cars from the past as well as circuits that f1 has raced on but doesn’t anymore - Brands Hatch, Nordschleife etc.
Also i reckon they should poach the team that worked on the brilliant physics engine for the otherwise completely rubbish Gran Turismo series.
amen to all of the above. a lengthy preseason development session with options for development over a number of user-determined areas (front/rear wing/sidepods/nosecone/monocoque/engine cover/rear diffusers/etc >:)) would provide limitless replay value. i suppose a lot of these items could be classified as being past the “point of diminishing returns” since it appears we all would buy this game anyway. but we won’t harp on that.
since hd to regular tv is like color to black/white i just can’t complain as even 720p is a blast. advancing f1 vidgames to 1080i will be quite an achievement. can’t wait.
if its on the Wii they will no doubt make a spanking minigame as is the tradition with the Wii and minigames.
I think too much imagination is already killing it.
IF (and only if) the physics modelling was well achieved from the start, and the IA drivers’ ability and aggressiveness levels correctly implemented too, THEN a “Max Mosley substitute” mode could be added, in which you could, let’s say, forbid wings, enable wider or slick tyres, etc. at the start of a hypothetical session, with cars and drivers reacting accordingly…
Only a dream, of course.
Well, don’t make it too realistic, or the racing will be dull like F1!
Codemasters are very good and experienced at making driving games. I trust them to do a good job.
“Why don’t they let you control the celebration scenes, where you could spray champagne over the drivers/cameraman at your will? Players will probably like this kind of fun freedom.”
Make Kimi down the Champagne!
agree with oliver!
all they have to do is make it same as GP series with current cars/drivers etc
BTW they r apprently modelling the engine around that of the game GRID.
well………
i played the demo for it and it’s completely shithouse!
graphics n damage seems ok (didnt play for long) but physics are a joke!
most things are out there, like in rfactor or ea’s old f1 games, wich are great with all those mods! like the turbo mods
Keith could you send theese ideas codemasters? Otherwise they’ll probably go nowhere.
I think the most important thing for codemasters is to sort out the handling of the cars. Games like GRID give the player no feel of whats going on. Games like forza 2 are so much better at this, as you get a feel for when the car is on the limit.
On the subject of handling they have got to understand that whilst the cars are similar they have completly different characteristics. You should be able to tell what car you are driving by the handling alone. For instance Ferrari has better high speed grip and traction than the Mclarens, at least this year!
I think a career mode that starts you off fighting to get a Formula 3 seat and then if you do well you move on to a GP2 ride, then you finally get to F1 and yet again have to fight your way to spot with a top team would be great fun!
i agree with the idea of safty cars also cars should be more offensive and defensive also drivers should make mistakes under pressure
you need lots of driving views ie down low tv cam like on tv etc..
The game should include proper pre-race build up. In C.E, you only hear the voices of martin brundle and every one else. Also, the drivers inside the cars should move around more than they do on C.E - change a setting on the steering wheel or visable gear shifts would be good.
The new f1 2009 should have realistic driving aids, changing weather for example there may be dry and wet conditions in the same race, and a race can be paused and it can be resumed even if the game is closed,the graphics should be complete with full detail, there should be videos of podium victories,safety car should appear in the race completely,all rules must be included ,all the tracks in which f1 has gone through these years should be included,night race option in some races,with more realistic telemetry,with customised car setting on which victory depends on the driving style and car settings,with realistic crowds, realistic pit crew and pitstop,it may be done with 8gb ,with a nvidia/ati basic video card support(the most important thing official broadcast of race and multiplayer and online gaming of the race should be possible,with official commentary , radio messages….
1. let u control the replys
2. no oil leaks like 06 , yeah some stuff on the track taht will screw u up slow u down this and dat , but not make u crash cut corners ect
3. career mode similar to 06 one with the news mail and stuff,
4. season like f1 career mode , but this one from 05-09
5. MONTOYAAAA should be in it
6. make the celebrations longer with anthems and driverss look realistic
7.safety cars , you be able to drive to the actual pit line and stop do car for the crew to do the work
this is being realistic, none of this talk about turbo bull and f197 seasons to far bak.. make it fun,realistic, good comentary and ill buy it
I think they should have a manager mode on it like in Fifa 08. You should be able to manage a team (create your own team) hire young upcoming drivers develop the car negotiate sponsors and also pick a driver and drive for the team.
I also think that it would be great if you could create your own track to race on out of templates already made for you (like on some of the skateboard games where you make your own skate park).
They need to take a look at how detailed Geoff Crammonds GrandPrix 4 was, in terms of being able to change all aspects of the car, the ride heights/springs/dampers/brakes/gear ratios/wing angles. etc.
Also in terms of tire-wear/fuel-load effects the handling of the car very subtly but realistically. (that may sound like a given, but y’never know somtimes :] - It was done very well in GC’s GP4 6 years ago so i dont see that being a problem to do)
A Safty-car when theres been a serious incodent would be cool (optional, for those who just wana get on with racing), i dont think i’ve ever seen that before in an F1 game.
Again, like GC’s GP4 - Changable weather through-out a race, which realistically effects a cars handling.
If this game turns out be decent, im definatly going to spend a nice penny on a wheel/pedals.
i think the f1 game should include: a 8 year career mode,in which you start a teamand gradually develop new aerodynamical devices for example i would start 2 make an f1 team in 2001 and in 2008 i wud have a sharkfin on my car and by 2009 slick tryes and the new CDG rear wing.
quick race mode like in F1 06 CE,time trial,create an f1 team,(which you basically create an f1 team.)
quick season(just play a season with a car and driver of your choice.
a good feature would be create a driver-create the helmet the suit everything.
include some test tracks-and be able to download upgrades for example new f1 tracks nd teams that weren’t availible during the making of the game.
also there should be retro races where you can race 1994 imola as aryton senna or micheal schumachers last race or montreal 2007 or suzuka 2005 and many more historic races.
also a 3D world like in forza 2 when you can rotate the screen around the car to view every possible angle.
a photo mode would make this game a classic-picture your crash’s that microsecond you crossed that line.
also a replay mode would be another good feature which is a must to record that brilliant battle for a podium or that time you narroly avoided a crash.
secondly you should be able to crash test in career mode-that would make a good pastime.
a good thing would be for the game not to overexagerate the loss of traction control,and ABS and when you crash you have the option of reversing the damgage EXACTLY THE SAME AS RACE DRIVER-GRID,the game should have extensive TV coverage the podiums and trophies should be unique to each track and the way the driver gets out the car and celebrates takes his helmet and HANS system off before putting on a bridgestone cap and popping on his rolex or tag heurer before walking off to the podium.
a safety car should only come into place when 4 or more cars are involed in a crash,also when a car crashes into a wall the car AND WALL should be damaged,spinoffs should be vast with no traction conctrol and ABS but as i said earlier no TCS AND ABS SHOULD’T BE EXAGERATED it makes for a very frustrating game like in R-FACTOR you cannot get to 65 without having a severe crash.
also rather like GT5 you should be able to wacth the driver watching his pit crew working on the car during pratice sessions.
also before the driver goes out in the car you seem him with his visor up andd watching the live tv,
also the game should include interactive pit stops and on the grid before the race you should see an umbrella lady the pit crew taking off the trye blankets and watching the tv interviewer interview people,
i think in career mode other drivers should change teams like button to ferrari or alonso to honda, to make the game different their should also be rookie drivers each year like with hamilton and kovalinen who
and maybe this could be in a constructors mode where you race and pick your drivers that wud b awesome
i would without a doubt like the multiplayer mode to be alot better than the recent one. The online mode to me is terrible and i think the fact that u cant split screen is odd. things needed: safety car- pit stops improving (lessfuel quicker the stop)- updates aviable- different cars work better round different tracks etc..