[All] F1: 2012

[Swarley]

I'm starting to not like you

:kobe:

I love that thing. It's sturdy as hell, but still small and compact.

 

[Garrett67]

:kobe:

I love that thing. It's sturdy as hell, but still small and compact.

Is that what women tell you?

 

[Swarley]

Is that what women tell you?

:what:

 

[Jayrock]

Just ran a 1:23:846

Starting to get easier as I get used to the car. It seems so much heavier than in 2011.

 

[Swarley]

Just ran a 1:23:846

Starting to get easier as I get used to the car. It seems so much heavier than in 2011.

Not bad. You now have the fastest lap time at Monza.

Oh, that 2nd to last post on the CM page of wheel setups worked great for me. It is for a Fanatec wheel, but you might give it a try with yours.

 

[Jayrock]

Not bad. You now have the fastest lap time at Monza.

Oh, that 2nd to last post on the CM page of wheel setups worked great for me. It is for a Fanatec wheel, but you might give it a try with yours.

Ha. Guarantee that won't last long. Once people start figuring out Sector 2 the times will skyrocket.

 

[dave]

Love this new wheel stand. 10x better than the homemade one I had. Also a HUGE plus that I can fold this up.

Also learned that you can't jerk the wheel real fast in this game or your car wont respond (which makes a lot of sense actually).

The ladies instantly drop their panties when they get into your living room.

 

[Swarley]

The ladies instantly drop their panties when they get into your living room.

bama:

 

[Garrett67]

Swarley, what level are you playing on?

When I goto season challenge, my difficulty is on hard.

Is that what you're on?

 

[Swarley]

Swarley, what level are you playing on?

When I goto season challenge, my difficulty is on hard.

Is that what you're on?

Of course. When I start my season in single player I'll probably bump it to legend (wish they'd have included that in the demo).

Raced twice today. Took pole and won and then qualified 5th and finished 2nd. Just maybe a second or so slower on the wheel now than I was with the controller.

 

[Swarley]

Wow. Just ran a 1:25.340 in qualifying and I'm starting 11th. Don't think I've ever seen the field this fast in qualifying.

 

[Garrett67]

Did you change AI difficulty? I think mine is intermediate, which is hard enough

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[Garrett67]

I haven't even watched this yet.. from Andrew Bortz (the F1 racer I watch on Youtube)

This is on PC btw and he uses head tracking

I guess its not that great of a video but I just realized something, I always pick the same rival. If I pick another, do I drive a different car?

 

[Swarley]

I guess its not that great of a video but I just realized something, I always pick the same rival. If I pick another, do I drive a different car?

No. Once the game comes out, if you beat the rival you choose, you will take over that car for the next race (in this particular mode). But you're always Senna's car at Williams for the demo.

 

[Swarley]

IGN's Review: Hard and fast. 9/10

Yearly sports titles tend to face an uphill battle. While the likes of EA’s FIFA and Madden could easily get by on roster changes alone, most other games really need to prove their mettle to get punters to pony up their hard earned cash again. Yet for its third outing with the Formula One license, that’s just what Codemasters have done with F1 2012, delivering numerous small-but-notable improvements over the last two years’ offerings.

Everything starts with the young drivers test in a meticulously recreated Yas Marina Stadium and racetrack in Abu Dhabi. Taking you through everything from vehicle handling, acceleration, and breaking to the more advanced elements of the sports such as KERS and DRS, a mixture of hands on time and short instructional videos prove invaluable to those either unfamiliar with the sport or new to its digital recreations. Depending on your inherent skill, the young drivers test will take about 40 minutes to 1 hour to complete but this solid foundation in gameplay mechanics will prove time well spent. Even returning F1 players should appreciate this refresher course in basic training, as there are plenty of nuanced differences to pick up on that reflect the changes the FIA has introduced to the motorsport since F1 2011 hit shelves.

It’s just one small aspect of the game’s commitment to authenticity. Obviously, a number of recognisable drivers were practically a given – Raikonnen, Button, Hamilton, et al – but appearances by real-world team members, such as Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner and race commentary from former F1 driver Anthony Davidson, helps craft a truly immersive experience. From the training mode onward, F1 2012 does a fantastic job of placing you in the mindset of an up-and-coming driver. Emails from agents and teammates advise you of race specifics or analyse your performance afterwards, helping put your head in the game. The tension, the weight of expectation of your colleagues, almost feels palpable, all creating a determination on your part to improve.

Improvement is something you’ll have to work hard for though, and rarely does a game make you fight so hard for a fraction of a second’s performance on a lap time. The overall difficulty could be placed somewhere between the brutal F1 2011 and the challenging F1 2010 – not easy then. With even minute deviations from the track resulting in time penalties or outright disqualification, learning to control the cars properly will be your number one priority. Given just how specific the game’s demands are though, there’s temptation to become over-reliant on Codemaster’s trademarked Flashback feature; zooming backwards to take one more pass at an awkward hairpin or avoid a collision. As such, it can become difficult to gauge any sense of genuinely improved performance.

Throughout the game, vehicle handling proves simultaneously precise and punishing. Veering onto the grass causes the green stuff to accumulate on your wheels, adding a perceptible slide and minimises traction, while deploying KERS (strip back the complexity of the rules and it’s a horsepower-boosting equivalent to a speed power-up in lesser titles) affects your braking times and accuracy as a side-effect of its eye-watering forward momentum.

Thankfully, with a range of braking assists, traction control and a racing guideline available, F1 2012 remains accessible for newcomers who want something perhaps closer to a typical racing game but still serving as an entry point to the sport. Ramp the difficulty up though, and every turn of the car, every gear change, and even aspects of pit time are your responsibility. That responsibility is even felt prior to races, with your car’s customisations – best tires, engine optimisations, fuel types – largely determining victory before you’ve even hit the tarmac. It’s more to learn and can feel frustrating if you just want to jump into a game, but the results really pay off once you know what you’re doing.

Moving into the main game content, the Proving Grounds area feels closest to an Arcade mode and is likely to be where more casual players spend a lot of their time. Champions Mode offers a selection of six challenges seeing you outwit and out-race some of the biggest names in the sport, and is immediately more accessible than the career or even the quick play modes. The difficulty curve on these is blistering though, and as you put yourself through races spotlighting Formula One’s finest, you'll find yourself having to put every speck of training you've gathered from elsewhere in the game to its utmost use. Proving Grounds is also where you will find the Time attack and Time Trial modes, the former seeing you attempting to set speed records on some of the world’s top racetracks, the latter testing your racing skills against the demands of international race teams.

While these more casual modes allow you free reign to select racing team and cars, the full Career Mode instead sees you racing up the league tables, beginning with a lower tier team before your successes earn you promotion after promotion. Impress the global press and industry observers and you’ll attract contract offers from more prestigious teams, your choices of which to accept affecting progression. It’s a lengthy outing, though the new Season Challenge mode allows a more relaxed approach, still putting you through the paces of a competitive chain of races but proving less of a time demand than your full career.

In addition to expected online multiplayer, split-screen and LAN options make welcome appearances. With no noticeable decline in frame rates or overall visual quality in split screen, the chance for some deliciously tense competition with your real-world mates is one to be relished.

Visually, the improvements in F1 2012 are harder to spot – 2011 already looked amazing. Most notable is a refined weather system, where rain can, and frequently will, sweep across a track during weekend-long events. Storm clouds are visible from a distance, and the look of the track as it gets soaked is perceptible. Best of all, this forces a gameplay change, as you’ll need to switch out tires to continue at optimum efficiency. Racetracks new and old – the main attraction being the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, hosting this year’s US Grand Prix – are authentically modelled, each delivering a unique atmosphere and, as with last year’s entry, there’s a brilliant soundtrack to accompany you.

Essentially, if you enjoyed F1 2011, there’s more than enough here to keep your attention: everything that was great last year returns, with enough tweaks and improvements to warrant a return. Newcomers will find F1 2012 a shock to the system compared to more conventional racing games, but the ample tools provided to get into the sport provide a gratifying experience with just a little bit of commitment on the player’s part.

September 17, 2012
CLOSING COMMENTS
While Formula One is a racing sport, F1 2012 is far more than just a racing game. Equal parts simulation and re-creation of the real world events, Codemasters Birmingham has done a magnificent job of capturing the precision of the vehicles and the excitement of individual events. It's a title that demands skill and tactics over thoughtless speeding, and as such will likely lose the interest of less committed players. For those willing to play by the rules, there’s an amazing wealth of content to be found here – easily Codemasters’ finest Formula One outing.

 

[Swarley]

RaceNet will be available for F1: 2012 once the game drops. It's an advanced stat-tracking system kind of like Battlefield and COD have online (but it's free for F1). Once the game drops you can get a code to link your Codemasters account and your XBL account.

 

[jms493]

yeah I think I signed up via DIRT Showdown.

 

[Swarley]

yeah I think I signed up via DIRT Showdown.

Yeah I just went in and tried to link my XBL, but that was the only game it was available for so far. I'll have to wait until tomorrow. :crying:

 

[Swarley]

Oh, if you sign up for RaceNet now (or if you already are) you will get some bonus in-game helmets for F1: 2012.

 

[Swarley]

Game Informer's Review: No Sharp Turns Here. 7.75

Codemasters has a reputation for leaning towards the simulation side of racing, and it's certainly understandable with the F1 license. This year's changes show that there's more than one way to get at the heart of a sport.

The majority of additions revolve around making the game more accessible. Thankfully, this doesn't mean overhauling the fundamentals of how to drive a car with as much power as an F1 ride has, but instead changing everything related to the experience to make it easier to get into.

A small but noticeable tweak for anyone who's previously played the franchise is that there is now the option to shorten the race weekend. If you don't like to go through full practice and qualifying sessions, you can now dive into a one-lap qualifying period followed by the race.

My favorite addition is the Season Challenge mode, which features a shortened 10-race season that tasks you with picking a rival and beating them in best-of-three race series for their car. It's a fun way to change up the familiar season format while retaining a small taste of a career mode. If you want things even more trimmed down, you can also take on six F1 champions via scenarios that not only test your mettle, but also teach you a bit about the sport and its cars.

I like the way the new modes accommodate new players, but we've seen these features before in other games. Instead, Codemasters should further flesh out the life-as-a-driver career mode it has left relatively untouched since it took over the F1 license two years ago. I like what's there – especially the frenemies relationship with your teammate – but I hope that Codemasters can still provide more meaningful change to the normal racing career mode.

Perhaps another lost opportunity lies within the game's online modes. While being able to pair up with a friend as teammates and drive through a season is great, there is no larger online structure that imbues that sense of rivalry with others. Experience earned online is mainly for matchmaking purposes, and single- and multiplayer are separate affairs.

Racing cars of this magnitude is not like hitting the streets with some jacked-up sports car. F1 cars are a special breed, and Codemasters has done a great job conveying that. Some of the racing moments are challenging and exciting the likes of which you won't find in other titles. A little more depth in the series' career mode could go a long way into making that portion of the game just as special.

Concept:
Make the game more accessible without sacrificing any of the racing goodness

Graphics:
The bright color palette and lighting make the visuals stand out

Sound:
The voiceover of your engineer is invaluable, telling you about your opponents during races and when DRS can be used

Playability:
Don't be afraid to play with the assist settings and turn some of them down or off completely

Entertainment:
Those new to the series will find a lot to like about this year's game

Replay:
Moderately High

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/f1_2012/b/ps3/archive/2012/09/17/no-sharp-turns-here.aspx


I have a little bit of a problem with this review. Not b/c it's lower than IGN's, but b/c the score doesn't really add up with their points being made. The only thing that they say they don't like is the Career Mode, which it seems like they want more of a story for that. I find that completely stupid. This is a sports game. Sports games do not do that. This isn't Elder Scrolls: Formula One or some shit like that. No impressed with their review. By their points they made, this game should be in the 8s. I shouldn't be surprised, Game Informer definitely isn't a site where sports games are a big deal.