F1 2016: First ScreenshotsF1 2010-2016

[Dionisiy]

From pcgamer:

1 - The return of career mode: yes

This is the headline feature of F1 2016 at announcement, and it's no wonder, really. F1 2015's driving was great and everything, but with just single-season and race weekend modes to enjoy it on, it felt as though the series had taken a step backwards. Like, right back to the pre-F1 2010 days, when career mode was first implemented. But don't worry, it's back for 2016 with a ten-season lifespan.

"In the new career mode," reads the announcement presser, "players select an avatar to represent them within the game world as well as choosing a number to take with them through their career.

"They are then free to choose from any of the FORMULA ONE teams, all with different goals and expectations. It may be more challenging to start further down the grid, but it will also be easier to exceed team expectations. Players can earn contracts and move from team to team, or choose to develop their favourite team into a championship contender."

So that's great. I wasn't the only one who wanted to see career mode return - it was perhaps the most frequent request on community message boards and social media following F1 2015.

2 - Better custom helmets - and an editor: unknown


I'm not altogether surprised that this isn't addressed in F1 2016's very first info drops. It's fairly esoteric and not reflected that frequently by other fans of the series (although there are a few). I'm hoping against hope that if a 10-year career mode is the focus of this game we'll have at least a half-decent selection of lids to wear during that decade, but in reality it's probably not crucial to the game's success. I'm willing to let it slide. And by slide, I mean wait for the modding community to sort out.

3 - The return of classic cars and tracks: no


This isn't the sort of thing you keep under your hat at announcement stage if you're planning on implementing it in this year's game. Sadly there's no mention of classic content of any description in the F1 2016. I'm not altogether surprised about that one, either. It took a tremendous amount of work on Codemasters' part to get the cars and tracks they did in F1 2013, and even then it wasn't quite enough to turn into a coherent game mode in its own right. To make it work properly, you'd need the rights for an entire season - every car, driver, engine, and sponsor. Good luck sorting that all out.

4 - Team management mode: maybe



It doesn't sound as though it'll be implemented as I originally conceived it - something akin to GRID's team management elements - but there may be some increased player agency in team matters in F1 2016. There's this from the press release:

"To complement the on-track experience, and to expand the realism of the Career mode, F1 2016 includes stunning hospitality areas for each team that act as the player’s game hub. In this area they will work with their Research and Development Engineer and Player Agent to develop their progress both on and off the track. To further enhance the immersion, players will also be able to spot other key figures from the paddock within the hospitality areas."

So you're probably not going to be hiring and firing drivers or choosing sponsors, but you might get a bit more control over car development than in prior titles, and that'd be very welcome in itself.

5 - Formation laps and safety cars: yes (to the latter)


There it is! Ensuring safety for all those behind it, and a career-ending scandal if your name ends with Piquet Jr, the safety car (and virtual safety car) make their long-awaited return to Codemasters' F1 series this year.

As for formation laps, there's no mention. It's not the sort of thing you put in a press release, is it? And like the custom helmets, it isn't going to sink the game if the formation lap isn't included. It's just one of those touches whose inclusion conveys that the developer really gets what you want to get out of a game like this, isn't it? There's still time, so let's keep our eyes peeled, ears pricked, and remain crouched and ready to pounce on new information.

6 - Proper pre-season testing, with performance ramifications: maybe


This might fall within that aforementioned Research and Development Engineer's remit, but the extend of his role and how car development is implemented remains to be seen. Codemasters have experimented with young driver tests and mid-season test runs in the past, so it's not out of the question that we'd see a fleshed-out mode based on those foundations find its way into F1 2016. Developer and publisher aren't saying anything more about it for now, though.

7 - Junior Formulas: no


This is another one of those things you'd be shouting about right out of the gate if you'd managed to pull off. Formula One Management aren't the most easygoing of organisations, to the extent that they continually insist on styling 'formula one' in block capitals no matter how idiotic it looks, so I can't imagine it's easy to wrange the rights to other Formulas and chuck them in your game just because it'd be fun.

Still, it's a shame. And it's something MotoGP, a series that itself owes hugely to the F1 games, manages to pull off with Moto1 and Moto3. Maybe next year, eh? Or the year after that. Or when it starts dropping nippy in hell, maybe then.

___________________

We’re entering E3 announcement season and that means sports games. Racing is the first to start, with the announcement of F1 2016 coming today. This year’s official adaptation of the world’s most popular form of motor racing brings with it a singificant single-player upgrade, letting you string together 10 seasons of play into one massive career mode. It also sees system changes with the reintroduction of the safety car and virtual safety car, as well as one new track based on the street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan.


Our own Phil had a think about what he’d like to see in F1 2016.

Lee Mather, Principal Games Designer at developers Codemasters, calls it a “massive step forward for the franchise” and promises that the career mode “sits at the heart of the game.” It has you creating an avatar and driver number to begin with, before letting you choose which team to race for. Each expects different things from you - some just want you to cross the finish line in the majority of races, while the likes of Mclaren and Ferrari will be expecting championships.

“Beyond improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming,” continues Mather, “F1 2016 uniquely offers the drama and vehicle development that goes on behind the scenes. A rich car upgrade system is fully integrated into a new and deep practice development programme which mirrors the tests carried out by the teams in real life.”

Practice will be key to ensuring you don't draw out the newly reintroduced safety car, seen below in all its glory.

As part of these off-track additions, there’s new hub areas where players interact with agents and team engineers, improving their car and managing their career. Naturally you can choose to move between teams as you improve and impress, or stick with your early choices to get Sauber that cup they truly deserve.

Lastly, F1 2016 adds the new team and track that have come to the real-world thing this year, with Azerbaijan’s European Grand Prix in Baku, as well as the Haas F1 Team. Codemasters say the game will be out this summer on Steam, and they’ll have more details soon.

 

[ukfan758]

Great to see the safety car and career mode added 👍.

 

[PletdeKoe]

Awesome!

 

[Formula1269]

Safety car and career mode return to the game and Codemasters calls it a massive step foward? Codemasters F1 games are a bit arcadey. Hopefully the terrific Dirt Rally has rubbed off on F1 2016 and it turns out to be more of a sim rather than a button masher. Be nice to have good engine sounds this year too, as well as the ability to adjust FOV and remove the wheel.

 

[Eva]

Looks absolutely beautiful.

 

[shoemaker]

I filled in the survey that codemasters sent out, it seems as though they paid attention to the fans, having said that,they never should have removed the safety car and career mode in the first place.Formation lap needs to be there ! Screenshots look good, hopefully this will be released shortly as AC has been delayed until August.

 

[Mike_grpA]

Here's a bit more info, from F1.com. http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2016/5/f1-2016-game-coming-soon.html

Career will span 10 years, so twice as long as the old Codies F1 games' careers. Also, it seems the returning upgrade system is more in depth, and they mention staying with one team to turn them into title contenders, so updates must carry over from one season to the next, which would be awesome. Imagine starting with Manor, and staying with them for like 5 or 6 seasons, constantly improving the car until you can fight for the titles lol.

Also good to see the safety car is back, and they're also including the virtual safety car. They also mention creating an "avatar" and choosing your race number, so we're back to creating our own drivers, which is nice. They also hint at some other new features yet to be revealed. This is shaping up to be the best Codies F1 title yet. Fingers crossed they don't release it with a ton of bugs this time

 

[Gadge]

From the the look from those pic it's gonna be a lot better than f1 2015, so I can't wait.

 

[jake2013guy]

If we can choose our own number, it would be nice for it to actually display it on the car.

 

[True-blue-8]

Game looks to be even better then 2015, that's going to be brilliant. 2 issues I have though;

1. How will they go about the whole Red Bull situation? There must be people who still want to play as Kvyat in a Red Bull?

2. The box art. Is it me or does it look like Hamilton's face has been graphically altered? It looks like he refused to do a photoshoot so they had to add last year's in game image to the box

 

[Lizard]

Game looks to be even better then 2015, that's going to be brilliant. 2 issues I have though;

1. How will they go about the whole Red Bull situation? There must be people who still want to play as Kvyat in a Red Bull?

On that note. How will they deal with qualifying? Which system is in?

 

[True-blue-8]

On that note. How will they deal with qualifying? Which system is in?

Aah of course, another thing I wondered while they were messing around with that.

I think they'll use the original qualifying, although I do hope they add the new one in as an option, even if it's just for quick race

 

[JBF77]

I suggest you watch all his info videos, can't wait for this!! Finally looks like the game we've all been waiting for

 

[UkHardcore23]

Safety car and career mode return to the game and Codemasters calls it a massive step foward? Codemasters F1 games are a bit arcadey. Hopefully the terrific Dirt Rally has rubbed off on F1 2016 and it turns out to be more of a sim rather than a button masher. Be nice to have good engine sounds this year too, as well as the ability to adjust FOV and remove the wheel.

If they made this a sim 98% of us would not be able to drive these cars.

Not played the f1 games for 3 or 4 years, how did they turn into a button masher game?

 

[Mike_grpA]

Exactly what I had hoped for. Absolute game changer, this is going to be the best F1 game ever. Check out this guys other videos everyone, there's a lot of info on his channel.

Edit: @UkHardcore23 , it's not a "button masher". 2015 was more realistic than the previous Codies F1 games. It still wasn't up to the level of the hardcore sims, but it was definitely more sim focused than previous codies F1 titles. The only way you could mash the buttons would be if you only played it with the assists turned on. Without things like traction control and ABS you can very easily lock up and very fine throttle control is required to prevent wheelspin. The tyre model of 2015 is also a massive step in the right direction, and no doubt they will have built on that progress.

Edit #2: Just finished watching all of those videos, and wow, they haven't *just* brought back career mode and safety cars, they have dramatically improved everything about the game.

-The number you choose for your driver will stay with you throughout your career, and will be on every car you drive

-They managed to get FIA approval to have custom characters displayed in the podium ceremony.

-You have full control of your car behind the safety car, unlike previous games with the safety car where the game would prevent you going too fast or too slow. VSC will mean driving to a delta like real life, and depending on the crash severity, the game will decide whether a SC or VSC is deployed, so it will be a game changer in career, as it can make an enormous difference to strategy in a race, and also SCs bunch up the field obviously.

-Your career "hub" if you will, is in the team's lounge type area in the paddock, and you will control things from your laptop in there in first person. The surroundings of the paddock will obviously change depending on which circuit you're at. You will have a PR manager and a performance engineer, both of whom you will have interactions with.

-You gain XP from all sessions depending on your perormance, and practice sessions have a lot of specific objectives you have to meet in order to maximise your XP. Testing each tyre compound requires you to do a stint on each tyre, staying within a delta, and this will help decide your race strategy. Doing a quali sim near the end of practice, as in real life, will not only help you get your setup right for quali, but the result of your quali sim against the other cars at the end of practice will determine what your race engineer sets as your quali objective. Meeting objectives is important for XP, and doing the full practice program will also be important. Each program will also net you different amounts of XP depending on how well you do.

-Your XP is used for performance parts. There are 5 different areas such as chassis, aero, engine, etc. and each has a tired upgrade path, like level 1 engine, level 2 engine, etc. It's up to you to prioritise the upgrade path, and each level of upgrade will cost more than the last. However, choosing level one for everything before going level 2 stuff might not be the best idea. Say if you're at Red Bull, you might want to just go for engine upgrades only until you can match Mercedes for power, because you already have a very good chassis. The Ai will also apply upgrades, so it won't be easy to catch up to better teams, as they are a moving target, like in real life. You'll have to be smart in choosing how to upgrade your car to catch up to rivals. The law of diminishing returns applies too, so a Manor car will gain more from upgrades than a Mercedes in the beginning. Upgrades carry over from one season to the next, so it is theoretically possible to get a Manor up to the level of the Mercs and Ferraris, as their returns on upgrades will get smaller and smaller as they maximise their cars' potential, and you will eventually catch up if you stay with Manor for enough years, and maximise your XP.

-The time of day will change depending on the time of each session, and this will be displayed properly on track. Outside of career, so for time trial or single race etc. you can choose what time of day the session/race will be. You can choose between early morning, to late afternoon for normal races, and for night races like Bahrain and Singapore, you can even choose to do them in daylight.

All in all, it sounds like exactly what I was expecting, and much more, when we found out how limited F1 2015 was. I remember saying that 2015 was likely so small because they had focused on building the new game engine, and the more realistic physics models, and because of needing to release a game every year, this meant they had no time for a career mode, so instead of doing it poorly, they focused on the foundation, in order to build a much deeper and more detailed career for 2016. Every thing they've brought back from previous games has been completely re-designed so it's massively improved from the previous versions, and the realism and immersion of the career mode will be unmatched. I'm really looking forward to this now!

 

[Formula1269]

If they made this a sim 98% of us would not be able to drive these cars.

Not played the f1 games for 3 or 4 years, how did they turn into a button masher game?

Button masher is probably a little harsh, but the physics and racing aren't very realistic. Jump into PCARS open wheelers, which feel satisfyingly raw and alive, and then into Codemaster's lifeless machines and you might see what I mean. That being said, with the recent release of the stellar Dirt Rally, I have high hopes for F1 2016, although screenshot #6 worries me a bit. Not a fan of that fluff.

 

[Mike_grpA]

Button masher is probably a little harsh, but the physics and racing aren't very realistic. Jump into PCARS open wheelers, which feel satisfyingly raw and alive, and then into Codemaster's lifeless machines and you might see what I mean. That being said, with the recent release of the stellar Dirt Rally, I have high hopes for F1 2016, although screenshot #6 worries me a bit. Not a fan of that fluff.

It wasn't as realistic as Pcars for sure, but if you turn off the assists, the cars are very alive. You have to be really careful with inputs without the assists on, otherwise you'll chew up the tyres and won't be very quick. The tyre model in particular is way ahead of previous F1 games. I'ts not meant to be a full on hardcore sim, but to call it "arcade" is just wrong. It's definitely more sim focused than any of their previous F1 games. With that said, they need to improve the FFB to give you more feel for what the car is doing. I don't think it's a problem of the physics engine, as it's more advanced than the engine in Dirt Rally that everyone praises for realism, it's a problem with how they've implemented the FFB in F1 2015, not enough detail comes through.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I think that the issue is that they have always gone for a fifty-fifty split between realism and arcade-iness because they have been afraid - for want of a better word - to put more emphasis on the realism lest they drive players away.

 

[shoemaker]

An arcade mode and a sim mode would be very popular. You have to appeal to kids and casual gamer's whilst catering for people like us. Then they would maximise their sales. Either way though, i will be buying it. Just hurry up with the release codies !

 

[CarreraGT]

Safety car and career mode return to the game and Codemasters calls it a massive step foward? Codemasters F1 games are a bit arcadey. Hopefully the terrific Dirt Rally has rubbed off on F1 2016 and it turns out to be more of a sim rather than a button masher. Be nice to have good engine sounds this year too, as well as the ability to adjust FOV and remove the wheel.

Engine sounds are pretty authentic already and I think the balance between sim and arcade at the moment is pretty good. Remember - the F1 franchise is huge and Codemasters have a role in promoting the sport, so they still need to cater to a diverse audience. They had a little more freedom with Dirt Rally in that it's not officially licenced to any particular series and they could pretty much do what they wanted. I would also be interested to compare the sales numbers between F1 2015 and Dirt Rally...

Sure, I would always love for the F1 games it to be as realistic as possible, but with all assists off F1 2015 is still pretty damn challenging.

 

[Mike_grpA]

Engine sounds are pretty authentic already

To be fair, the engine sounds are atrocious in 2015. About the only thing close to right about them is they are the right pitch lol. They lack any depth, they have little to no turbo whistle, especially when off throttle, when in the real cars all you can hear is the turbo on downshifts thanks to the MGU keeping it spinning. It's also completely missing the off-throttle cylinder shutdown and dieseling the engines all incorporate to varying degrees. I'd love authentic sounds in 2016, but it would be admittedly pretty tricky to perfect the sounds of those V6s, as they're just so unique and complex.

I totally agree with the rest of your post though.

 

[Formula1269]

You guys are probably right about catering to a diverse audience. I hope at least Codemasters can improve the physics and road feel for F1 2016. Engine sounds definitely need work too. Mike explained it well. Really helps with the immersion.

 

[Mike_grpA]

From what I've read, the physics have been refined, but not to expect dramatic differences. Considering 2015 was an all new game engine, it seems they've refined the physics to get rid of the rough edges so to speak. Still, 2015 was a decent step in the right direction, and was more realistic than the previous codies F1 games, so I'm glad they haven't tried to make it more arcadey again.

I agree with @Formula1269 with regards to road feel. The FFB can be pretty numb in 2015. When I was playing it a fair bit I got used to it, but then after I'd been playing Pcars a lot, and switched back to F1 2015, it really stood out. The feeling of the front tyres losing grip as the car starts to understeer is pretty decent, and the self alignment is ok, even though it's quite weak, but the FFB is severely lacking road detail, and is also lacking weight. All of the effects are there, but just way too subtle.

If they can make a good step in the right direction with FFB and sound, I'll be very happy indeed.

 

[MagpieRacer]

F1 2015 was fun for the most part but I agree with you all in that refinement will get the best results because the underlying engine is pretty good. I think, and this is just personal opinion, the suspension and the tyres are the 2 key areas that I think need to be refined. If the cars felt like they had a bit more flex through the suspension and the tyres had a bit more character then we would be onto a winner. Only then should they look at the effects of the MGU-K and the various effects it has on braking. It would be nice if on say Monza the car flexed and moved a bit more through Ascari. I don't want it to become unplayable on a pad but look at the work they did with Dirt, you rely on suspension movement so much. I know F1 is less reliant on that regard but it should still be there.

Early signs for the new career mode are good as well, I think that is something that really killed the replay value and lifespan of 2015. And helmet customisation is a good thing too plus picking our own numbers and having a 10 season career means we should have a good solid racing game.

I'd love to see them do the whole formation lap thing but I would rather they discussed more on the race starts, we need a full manual launch mode, perhaps even with its own set of controls. So think, for the launch, left trigger becomes the clutch with a progressive release whilst X becomes the brake so you can hold the car, then once launched revert back to standard. Could work, don't know how feasible it would be.

 

[Mike_grpA]

I honestly don't care what they do with pad controls, but I would really like manual starts. As it is in 2015, the only thing my clutch pedal gets used for is a foot rest on long straights lol.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

For all your accurate sound and physics needs, there's Automobilista



Honestly, I'll probably end up skipping F1 2016 as well. Since the turbo era F1 just haven't been exciting for me. I'll probably get F1 2017 because of the massive aero changes the cars will look much better (and faster!). Otherwise yearly sports games with only tiny changes between them are not really worth it unless you're a hardcore fan.

 

[McLaren]

Based on what I've read in this thread, I am very excited for this & have high hopes. My last F1 game was 2013 I believe when they had the Classic cars which were so much fun to drive & loved their sound.

Similar to Legend's last sentence, it also probably helps I haven't bothered with the series in so long. The lack of an personal career in the last game was the deal breaker for me.

 

[PAWEL17]

Here's a bit more info, from F1.com. http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2016/5/f1-2016-game-coming-soon.html

Career will span 10 years, so twice as long as the old Codies F1 games' careers. Also, it seems the returning upgrade system is more in depth, and they mention staying with one team to turn them into title contenders, so updates must carry over from one season to the next, which would be awesome. Imagine starting with Manor, and staying with them for like 5 or 6 seasons, constantly improving the car until you can fight for the titles lol.

Being able to improve your team in a career mode will make this game soooooo much fun.

 

[Mike_grpA]

Being able to improve your team in a career mode will make this game soooooo much fun.

I know, it's been something I've wanted to see in an F1 game for years. Manor for WCC!

Our American friends will also like the fact they will be able to develop HAAS into title contenders.

 

[dopedog]

If they made this a sim 98% of us would not be able to drive these cars.

Not played the f1 games for 3 or 4 years, how did they turn into a button masher game?

Yes its amazing how much money they pump into the F1 cars, how many expert genius engineers work on the cars and develop them, and all to make sure they are impossible to drive................

Oh and I bet your in that 2% lol....