Who'll miss "Rob the Race Engineer"?F1 2010-2016

[JSAllen]

If you've seen the inaugural trailer for the upcoming game "F1 2011" (and, chances are, you have), you'd have noticed that, among many things, the sequel to Birmingham's BAFTA winner won't be featuring a certain Geordie race engineer.

It must be said that, based on what on all the YouTube video comments and forum posts I've read regarding "F1 2010", 'Rob the Race Engineer' wasn't the most popular 'character' to feature in the game.

However, I quite liked having a Northern accent dictate pit strategies and the performance of my team mate to me. In an environment where everything is stereotypically portrayed as serious and focused, it was nice to hear an informal regional dialect dictate grid position and race results to me.

And, being a Ferrari fan, I loved the idea of being a driver for the Scuderia with a Geordie race engineer called 'Rob'. Oh, how depressed I was when I discovered 'his' surname was "Stanton" instead of "Smedley"...

Despite my disappointment with the 'missed opportunity surname', I'll miss having Rob tinker away in the pit garage - in my eyes, the new guy has big boots to fill.

The question is, will you miss Rob as well, or are you glad that the Geordie's taking some time off?

 

[Furinkazen]

I'll miss what I heard in my first career race this morning:

"FANTASTIC DRIVING MATE!!!! GREAT TO SEE A LOTUS ON POLE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!!! *rob cries*

 

[BlacqueJacques]

What I did not like was the confused messages; or simply wrong ones

I did not mind the actual voice

 

[Mutu20]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[Brend]

Would love a Scottish accent, like on the 'ol TOCA Race Driver 3!

 

[MagpieRacer]

I will miss Rob, my dad is a Geordie so its almost like having my dad as my engineer.

 

[xX_F Alonso_Xx]

I will miss him when he use to say "Fernando's just put on a set of intermeeediates" lol

 

[Ardius]

Didn't mind the accent obviously being sort of used to some rather unusual ones anyway . It didn't affect the environment and seriousness for me because there are many engineers and mechanics with such accents in real life, just like good old Smedley, Massa's engineer.

I did get a little tired of his blatant errors and his obsession with the Ferrari pit crew...even when I am at Ferrari he still tells me when "Ferrari are readying for a pit stop".
He never talked enough when it was important and he talked too much when it was unimportant. He rarely gives you the gaps to other cars but he will always tell you "nice overtake, next car is <driver>/<car>". I don't need to know who is in front, just how far ahead they are!

It doesn't really have the same appeal as James Allen randomly screaming "ITS SCHUMACHER!!!" or Murray Walker's "That was a mega, mega, mega move by <driver>".
While having a race engineer is more realistic, I much prefer the atmosphere of proper commentators commentating on your race and enthusiastically exclaiming. Even if I do dislike James Allen, it was at least quite amusing (although sometimes irritating) to have him randomly scream half way through a lap about one of the AI crashing.

 

[dhandeh]

Im still playing this at the moment, so his annoying voice is still with me, but with the next installment, it would be nice if the messages were more relevant.

 

[crooky369]

Doesn't he mess you around by telling you to copy your teammates setup despite NOT being able to do it on the game?

 

[Cowboys965]

Exactly what I thought almost! I was hoping that there would be an option to go back to him in 2011 if I ever got it new guy sounds good though

 

[Ardius]

Doesn't he mess you around by telling you to copy your teammates setup despite NOT being able to do it on the game?

He says something more along the lines of "have a look at your teammate's setup if you're struggling", which yes is quite misleading. No doubt someone raised this as an issue in QA and it was swiftly back-handed by the producers/designers.

 

[Tom]

It seems as if they have gone back to the race engineer from F1 2009 if i'm not mistaken?

 

[Peter.]

He says something more along the lines of "have a look at your teammate's setup if you're struggling", which yes is quite misleading. No doubt someone raised this as an issue in QA and it was swiftly back-handed by the producers/designers.

No, it's actually more like "Massa's a lot quicker than you, maybe you should copy his setup." I think it was originally put in to be a joke statement.

I'll miss his enthusiasm when you win a race or do well in general. Taking a win in a Sauber, he was ecstatic. Win for HRT, he spontaneously combusted. Hell, take points for HRT, and he will explode. But, realistically, win for Red Bull, not too enthusiastic.

 

[s4marsh]

Rob smedley is not a geordie and he wouldnt be very happy you calling him one either....He's from Middlesbrough, about a mile away from me which is 50 miles away from newcastle where all the geordies live in a big cave

Rant over!!

 

[MagpieRacer]

Rob smedley is not a geordie and he wouldnt be very happy you calling him one either....He's from Middlesbrough, about a mile away from me which is 50 miles away from newcastle where all the geordies live in a big cave

Rant over!!

As opposed to the Smoggies living in their pits with the Mackems?

 

[MorleyGP]

Rob my be gone but he will live on in all of us...Still remember when i got my first race win he was so joyfull, poor rob he will be missed.

 

[JSAllen]

Rob smedley is not a geordie and he wouldnt be very happy you calling him one either....

Whoops! My bad! Goes to show I should do my research before I post anything on the Internet! Fingers crossed he didn't read that bit! XD

 

[s4marsh]

As opposed to the Smoggies living in their pits with the Mackems?

You sound like a geordie thats moved down to brighton to be near "your type of people"

 

[Aqua F1]

I won't miss him. I'd punch him in the face if I could as a leaving present .

 

[Lizard]

I love rob. Its starting to rain.

 

[buggs1a]

I actually like his voice.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

After suffering through Christian in DIRT 3 ("You gotta thrill the hills if you wanna fill the tills, amigo!"), I would not complain about Rob returning.

 

[banana123]

After suffering through Christian in DIRT 3 ("You gotta thrill the hills if you wanna fill the tills, amigo!"), I would not complain about Rob returning.

Haha +1

 

[Dan Hill]

After suffering through Christian in DIRT 3 ("You gotta thrill the hills if you wanna fill the tills, amigo!"), I would not complain about Rob returning.

He is a pain in the backside but at least he's nowhere near as bad as the professional drivers they got to do Shift 2.

 

[fissionproject]

^^ Shift 2 is the worst

especially Vaughn Gitten Jr

He sounds like a 12 year old

 

[Condogg]

I actually enjoyed when he would congratulate me and stuff. I thought he was an excellent voice actor. Except I freakin hated "We had a good result in the last race. Let's try and better it this weekend." FFFFUUUUUU!!!

 

[DwightSchrute12]

^^ Shift 2 is the worst

especially Vaughn Gitten Jr

He sounds like a 12 year old

I agree. DiRT 3 is pretty bad (and DiRT 2 was sometimes annoying, mainly Ken Block) but I cannot STAND Gitten Jr.

I actually enjoyed when he would congratulate me and stuff. I thought he was an excellent voice actor. Except I freakin hated "We had a good result in the last race. Let's try and better it this weekend." FFFFUUUUUU!!!

Yeah, I liked his excitement. "BRILLIANT! WELL DONE MATE! FANTASTIC VICTORY!" And even when you finished 7th for Ferrari or something, you could sense the disappointment.

 

[alvin23a]

After suffering through Christian in DIRT 3 ("You gotta thrill the hills if you wanna fill the tills, amigo!"), I would not complain about Rob returning.

Never played F1 but I would argee with ^that^.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

He is a pain in the backside but at least he's nowhere near as bad as the professional drivers they got to do Shift 2.

To the credit of the 'writers' the very next line was "... What does that even mean?". I suspect they realised very early on that Christian was going to be universally despised, and so had Jack the mechanic use him as a punching bag. And at least all three had distinct personalities (Christian tried way too hard to be trendy, Ellie was super-enthusiastic for everything you did, and Jack just thought his co-workers were idiots). The dialogue was still pretty lame, though.