CODEMASTERS acquire F1 Racing License from FOM (merged)

[Cap'n Jack]

I'm sooo... confused. I thought EA had it. I guess I'm glad Codemasters has it now.

EA has a license to Lewis Hamilton's name, I believe.

 

[MagpieRacer]

I dont know why people think its bad that codies get it. I mean, codies EA or none?

 

[Muzaffar]

I dont know why people think its bad that codies get it. I mean, codies EA or none?

I rather download 3rd party mods on GPL,GTR2 or rFactor if I we're complaining (besides, you'll save money in the long run..... )

 

[nitro_2005]

I'm kind of torn between two arguments:

Yes: Codemasters have really made racing games their mainstay in the gaming world. They have got racing game experience ever since their first game on the Playstation, TOCA Touring Car Championship. The TOCA range is one of the most popular racing game brands of all time, along with GT and Colin McRae, which they also do. OK, visually their games in the past weren't the best, but with the introduction of the NEON graphics engine, and now the EGO physics and AI engine, we are seeing big improvements, if not more graphically than physically. Also, they were the first developers to include a story line into a racing game, with TOCA Race Driver, and they managed to build on it in the further two installments. This would make for a great career mode, and an enhancement on Sony's efforts. Being able to have cutscenes showing a rivalry with another driver and such. Plus the NEON engine would change the way we crash an F1 car forever. Imagine flying off at Eau Rouge and ploughing into the tyre wall, tyres going everywhere and bits of debris strewn across the track. Or a multi-car accident caused by one of the computer drivers. That is definately something we can look forward to.

No: The current physics engine HAS to be improved. The GRID demo shows that the handling of the cars is a bit too arcadish. I mean, if you look at the in-car view when racing, the wheel gets turned 90 degrees just to go through a sweeping corner. It's not as realistic as I'm sure people would like. Also, Codemasters has very little experience of working with F1 cars, the only time being for RD3 with Williams, and that was only 1 modern-day machine. Also, they haven't been able to do pit stops properly either. They haven't even grasped the idea of doing motion-captured pit crews. Maybe they might do something with that for the new game.

Things I would like to see in the new F1 game include:

Use of a safety car - OK, some people might not want to be stuck behind one for an amount of laps, but I personally wouldn't mind it. It would give me a more realistic racing experience, and there can also be the option to skip the safety car and rejoin the game just before the restart, just like NASCAR 09 is implementing with caution periods. Plus there can be the added element of pitting under the safety car to try and gain an advantage and also having to keep the tyre temperatures up while behind it.

Car development in Career/Championship mode: I would actually like to be able to go to test sessions or to the factory and be able to develop the car I'm driving. Using the wind tunnel to find better air flow on certain parts of the car would be great and I think really give you a sense of personal improvement. You're more involved in the game by being able to develop new aero parts and enhancements.

Manager mode: People who play Grand Prix World or Grand Prix Manager or EA's F1 Manager will know that being able to take on the managerial role in an F1 team can be good fun. Either running a manager mode as a seperate game, like some recent FIFA games, would be a great new option for players more used to being behind the wheel than behind the pit wall. You could even take it online, and be able to run online races with 2 drivers and a team manager in each team, talking to the 2 guys on track and sorting out pit strategies. It could an added fun and competitive feature of racing online.

Active Settings Changes: What I mean by this is a similar in-game feature to what GT5P has now. The ability to change things like brake bias, suspension/ARB, engine maps, fuel settings, diff settings and more. I know F1CE has the ability to switch brake bias and TC to pre-set setting, but being able to change them in more detail along with other parts would be great.

Telemetry: Being able to look at telemetry of your quickest lap and finding areas where you can be faster can help you learn where to change your driving style appropriately to get the ultimate out of the car and the setup. By looking at areas on the circuit where you could improve by braking later, or getting on the power earlier, you can make yourself a better driver just by looking at the data collected, making the appropriate adjustments and running for a few laps.

 

[icelt]

\
No, F1CE isn't perfect, no game is, but in my opinion it's far better than most driving games, and certainly one of the best F1 games to date.

Remember, Codemasters has never even made an F1 game before, let alone feature all of the criteria you listed in any of their games.

I certainly hope your faith in Codemasters is well placed, but based on what Studio Liverpool has already delivered, they have a great deal to live up to.

Like biggles I'm in well agreement with DN here..

And like most I'd love to see more features, settings and options but being realistic all I'm hoping for is a good driving engine. I mean this group is going to have barely a year to get everything thrown together, and that just seems an awfully short time period to accurately model the complexities of the modern F1 car, tracks and then adequately test it to get iron out all the wrinkles. Understandably the fans are going to expect much more than this basic effort, and even with 350 strong, I just don't see it happening. I'm optimistic they will surprise us, but I'm pretty well reserved to the likelihood it will be a middling result at best.

Edit----
Forgot to mention, and I think those of us with good 5.1+ setups would all agree, that F1:CE is clearly superior to the Dirt & Grid games in the audio and sound effects department. I wonder how well CM will sonically reproduce the anger of the f1 engine and chaos of the f1 start.

 

[rexc]

Also, Codemasters has very little experience of working with F1 cars, the only time being for RD3 with Williams

Yeah but they did do that car particualary well. That is the best F1 car I have enjoyed driving in any game. Not only on the legit F1 tracks, but blasting that FW27 around Bathurst, now that was a drive. Also there were a couple of older Williams models in there that I thought were also done well, so there definately is hope for Codemasters to do a good game, as long as they haven't sold their soul forever to the Arcade. I really don't care about things like safety cars, I just want a great driving experience

 

[Sprite]

I don't know why this upsets me but it does, I've never liked F1 games (to be honest im not a fan of F1 anyway) but after hearing the rumors of an F1 game based on the GT formula I was looking forward to it. Now I've actually worked alongside some Codemasters guys while at uni (they were working on Jericho ) and the attitude of the guys was enthusiastic, but to me its not the talent at Codemasters that lets them down its the management they have turned into a corporate Jaba the hut just like EA and they are no longer making anything i find worth playing, they used to make one of the best games TOCA the original was really good and I spent so much time playing it but from then they just got progressively worse and then now they have done Grid which is just a more washed down version of EA's Needs For Speed franchise.

 

[nissan tuner]

this F1 game is supposed to use the codies ECO engine. i wont expect it to be better than F1:CE

 

[MS7XWDC]

 

[m7ammed]

after downloading the GRID demo , I feel pretty disappointed that Codemasters got the license , the physics on the demo are no where near sim levels , so unrealistic .

 

[icelt]

I'm fearing that the results of this poll hint at what CM is thinking about where to take this series and therefore does not bode well for us "sim" racing fans :

Gamefaqs - what's you favorite style of racing?

Although we can always hope they are focused more on serving the combo "licensed/realistic" demographic. Having only hope at this point is not all that comforting though.

 

[paolopepper]

YES!!!!!codemasters the next best thing to sony it will be great and good online after seeing the new grid game which has fantastic online anynews on the 2008 game if there si 1 i thought EA had somehting on it

 

[Pepsi0]

FINALLY! I've had F1 Championship Edition for quite a while now and I was getting annoyed that there hadn't been any new F1 titles out for the new season...but thankfully Codemasters have saved my day. I can wait until 2009. I've got GRID so I know how the engine will feel, but I just hope they don't make the steering so sensitive again...

 

[amar212]

After you play GRID you'll be crying out loud. Race Driver: GRID is a piece of crap game, at least as handling is concerned.

 

[GT4 genius]

I thought they were using the physics engine from Dirt and the graphics engine from Grid? If so whats Dirt physics like? And although I do hate the physics in Grid its damage simulating is brilliant, its the first time I've seen a barrier be affected by someone hitting it, although I care more about the driving because I've been playing F1CE a good bit the last few days and I've only crashed twice.

 

[amar212]

I was too late in canceling my PS3 order, since I had a chance to play X360 version. Handling is crap, AI is dirtier then 14-year kid on methadone, while game lacks any soul whatsoever. Tremendous fail in my book, despite all effort in technical fields which resulted in very impressive graphics, damage modelling and superior sound.

 

[Rainmaster]

After you play GRID you'll be crying out loud. Race Driver: GRID is a piece of crap game, at least as handling is concerned.

I agree.
codemasters is crap. for me they cant do anything good since cmr2005. even BTCC TOCA1 (1998) is better than grid (speaking as simulation game)

and R.I.P F1 sims

 

[GT4 genius]

I was too late in canceling my PS3 order, since I had a chance to play X360 version. Handling is crap, AI is dirtier then 14-year kid on methadone, while game lacks any soul whatsoever. Tremendous fail in my book, despite all effort in technical fields which resulted in very impressive graphics, damage modelling and superior sound.

Are you talking about Dirt here?

 

[amar212]

GRID, unfortunatly.

 

[Pepsi0]

I enjoy GRID and DiRT, but having an F1 game with the same engine...I like the idea but I'm worried about hadling and the performace of what Codemasters decide to do with the game.

 

[MS7XWDC]

The future of F1 videogames - exclusive with Codemasters’ Rod Cousens

Earlier this month Codemasters secured the exclusive rights to produce Formula One videogames in an agreement that will see the company develop a new generation of the multi-million selling franchise across multiple platforms. We caught up with Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens to discover a little of what the future holds for the millions of would-be Formula One drivers eager to take on the likes of Raikkonen and Hamilton…

Q: Congratulations on securing the Formula One rights. Why do you think Codemasters were successful?
Rod Cousens: Codemasters has a history in racing, particularly in the fields of rallying, with Colin McRae, and TOCA (touring cars), with Race Driver. As the company has grown up we’ve tried to broaden those franchises to have a more global appeal and started to reposition them - as DiRT™, where the last release got an unheard of 40 percent of sales from the US, and GRID™, which goes out at the end of this month. So with our roots in motorsport, we believe we are the home of racing and we felt that Formula One would make a marvellous fit. The best case we could make to Formula One was in the quality of our games - we may not be the biggest, but I do think we are the best.

Q: The first game will be released next year. Talk us briefly through the development process that will be taking place over the coming months?
RC: It depends partly on format - portables are a lot easier as they don’t have such a rich graphical experience - but on dedicated consoles and PCs the way we write stems from what we call an ‘engine’, which for us is Codemasters’ EGO Engine. This is what drives DiRT™ and GRID™, so its pedigree on next-generation systems such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is already proven. The Formula One games will have the benefit of this. It typically takes us two years to develop such a game, but a lot of the assets have already been created - we have a number of the tracks because they already exist in GRID™, and we have the basics of the car dynamics and handling.

Then there’s the issue of which format when - clearly we’ll be targeting formats where there’s been no Formula One experience for a number of years, and the Nintendo Wii, the fastest-selling hardware console in the world today, where the plan is to use the controller like a steering wheel. We’ll go through a parallel development process on that, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The artwork involved will be intense and a lot of that will be done overseas to make sure we’re up to speed.

Q: What lessons have you learnt from developing previous driving games and how will they help you with the Formula One project?
RC: The real context of racing is to make it an absolute adrenalin rush for the consumer when they are playing, a real fix. The way we look at it now is akin to a TV broadcast. For example, if you look at the way rallying was traditionally broadcast on television and compare it to the way extreme sports are now televised in the US, with the use of the amazing camera angles, the overhead shots, the commentators - similarly, we want to make Formula One gaming incredibly exciting. We want that top-down, wheel-to-wheel racing experience that nothing else can give - we’ve got to get that to the consumer and we believe we can do it

Q: Presumably you will be working closely not just with Formula One Management, but also with the Formula One teams, the circuits etc?
RC: What we want to do is forge a very close relationship with the teams and to be what the Americans would describe as ‘joined at the hip’. If this game is to be authentic we will want to get very close to the teams in all sorts of areas, recognise the integrity of what they have and hopefully replicate that in the game - we won’t let them down.

Q: What new features can we expect to see on the game?
RC: What we’re trying to achieve here is to take Formula One gaming around the world and in terms of the technological aspect, that’s largely related to online developments. Another thing is car damage, or as we call it, deformation. This is a real racing experience and we all know what people want (and expect) - if there is a collision and that car spins off the track, through the gravel, into the tyres, they want to see that actually happening. It’s a big consumer buzz and so we’ll put things in like that and give it a different perspective.

Q: Some F1 games of the past have been rather hard for the beginner to get to grips with - perhaps understandable, given how hard it is to drive a Formula One car. How will you cater for both ends of the spectrum - the novice player at one end and the hardened petrol-head at the other?
RC: Yes, simulation versus arcade. Codemasters’ history in TOCA Race Driver has been very heavily weighted towards simulation, appealing to the real hardcore fan - be they V8 supporters in Australia, DTM fans in Germany etc, we have always recognised international traits. But if you want to take the game to an even wider audience, particularly the United States (for us the largest gaming market in the world), then you have to appeal to a mass audience and so we blend the simulation with an awful lot of arcade elements too.

The issue people have today is time. This is time-based entertainment and the one thing we all know is that time is constrained. People want to be able to pick up a game, do whatever you do very quickly, post their times up on a leader board and then go off and misbehave elsewhere. We want to be able to offer both things within the game - simulation for the hardcore gamers, but also an arcade experience that you can truly pick up and play. I believe we’ve balanced that in GRID™ and I believe we’re going to balance it in Formula One.

Q: So the online element will be an increasingly important part of the game, helping in effect to reinforce the global Formula One community?
RC: Today, if it’s interactive entertainment then it goes online. It may take five years around the world because of broadband penetration, but ultimately online is it and hopefully we can be an integral part of Formula One as they branch out and open up new markets. In theory the game could almost become quasi-TV. For example, you could speak to drivers during practice and ask them, ‘how are the tyres, how is the suspension?’ They may not give much away, as they have to race, but it’s all part of the compelling experience that you could replicate in the game - and with every extra piece of information the player can adjust his or her racing experience accordingly. Virtual F1!

Q: An increasing number of gamers are playing on High Definition displays - what challenges and opportunities does that give you as game developers?
RC: We are in the HD era and visualisation - particularly with identifiable aspects such as drivers, teams etc - is one of the challenges facing in broadcast media today, in that it also creates a lot of flaws. It’s down to minute particles. We can even differentiate different types of paint that are used on the car, so it’s that defined and obviously visual flaws are very evident if you don’t get it right. Those are the challenges - it’s very art intensive and what we want to do is make sure it’s faithfully replicated and it appears almost as a glass-like vision before you. That’s what we’re trying to do

 

[paolopepper]

Well i think GRID is a great game im buying as soon as i get my new wheel. I definitly prefer it to GT5 its more real not in driving but with the cars i jsut prefer it because your doing real competitions GT5 is jsut a racing game nothing else.Also the online on GRID is awesome to with game lobbys and vote to kick people who deliberatly ram you off the track!

 

[GT4 genius]

I like the idea of "quasi tv" being able to keep up with a real GP weekend would be really good. But how can he suggest that Grid is a balanced game between Sim and Arcade, its a complete arcade game. Also it worries me that he is putting so much focus on the American market, sorry American F1 fans, but do all gaming companies think that an American wont play a racing game unless its cars traveling in a circle (nascar) or cars apparently rocketing along at 40mph with blue flames coming out the exhaust (Need For Speed). And F1 is not or should never be the type of game you just pick up and race, a race needs a well developed set up, thought with pit stops and a decent lenght so as its not just the 1st lap, the pit in lap and the finish lap. F1 races develope slowly over time and I know thats why a lot of people find them boring but chances are those people would never buy an F1 game anyway because they'll think its like that, not this glorified NFS codemaster sounds like its bluiding.

Sorry there my rants over, now we just have to hope against hope that it will be good. But even if it isnt that great I'll probably buy it anyway! (I love F1 too much).

 

[icelt]

MS7 - thanks for posting the interview, great find 👍

However just about every remark made that relates to the car physics or driving engine sounds like he is confirming our worst fears, it's just gonna be dirt & grid with F1 cars. It'll probably be titled "FO'SHiZZLE-1" or something

I just knew when I saw that gamefaqs poll that it was an insight into how CM sees the racing game world... I'm still gonna hold onto a sliver of hope they magically get the sim part right but with statements like this:

...simulation for the hardcore gamers, but also an arcade experience that you can truly pick up and play. I believe we’ve balanced that in GRID™ and I believe we’re going to balance it in Formula One.

I'm concluding it's a bad day to be a sim racing fan

@GT4 - basically I agree with you.

 

[MS7XWDC]

that can also mean 2 separate modes

We want to be able to offer both things within the game - simulation for the hardcore gamers, but also an arcade experience that you can truly pick up and play

 

[icelt]

It could, but as an example of how they achieved that in past games they cite dirt and grid. Although I haven't played as much grid, I've played dozen of hours of dirt and even in its "hardest" modes dirt sure as heck ain't nowhere near a sim.

I hope they pull it off "best of both worlds" goal fantastically, I just see no reason why we should expect them to.

 

[Studentdriver]

From what I've heard of DiRT and GRID, it seems to me that they CM would be better off trying to make a game like RD3 in terms of having both arcade and sim aspects. I could be wrong, though, as I haven't played either of their newer games.

 

[Biggles]

However just about every remark made that relates to the car physics or driving engine sounds like he is confirming our worst fears, it's just gonna be dirt & grid with F1 cars. It'll probably be titled "FO'SHiZZLE-1" or something

/

If the Gamefaqs info is correct, it's pretty clear where the money is. The lukewarm reception given F1:CE probably pointed to the logic of adding the SHIZZLE to F1, just like Codies did with the CM rally series when they brought out DiRT.

The only ray of hope is the example of the Gran Turismo series, which has been a huge commercial success, in spite of being so "boring". However, I sometimes wonder if the long-term success of GT hasn't been largely the result of successfully establishing the brand strongly in the early days, when there wasn't much in the way of competition. It will be interesting to see how sales of GT5 end up, given that there will be so many other sim/arcade racing games available on the PS3 & 360 by the time it finally appears.

 

[Robin]

Most of what was said in the interview was worrying.... oh handhelds are easier to dev for..... we already have some of the tracks from grid so we dont have to redo them..... sounds to me like a lazy bunch of sods!

That coupled with.... we have ditched simulation so we can sell in the US is just pitiful.... GT sells all over the world!

I really hope they dont mess this up...

"FO'SHiZZLE-1"

Indeed!....... hell i would buy it if it was called that just for the comic value!

Robin

 

[MagpieRacer]

Im really excited to see what they come out with after reading the interview.