Old graphics, old menus, OLD BUGS?! Is F1 2014 worth it?

[MadMax1998 0]

Hey there Codies community. I've been buying and playing the F1 series since 2010 and have been pretty critical of the game in general, but with every step Codemasters took, they seemed to up their game. F1 2013 was the first F1 game that (except for graphics) was a really good all-round package. I greatly enjoyed learning the new handling with finer throttle control and tyre wear during the Young Drivers Test. Then I went on to career racing (although I rarely do more than one season in total) and enjoyed every bit of it.

I'm coming from a simracing background, running the F1 games on PC, maxed out graphics, with my trusty G25 wheel and modified pedals. I know we can't compare F1 to iRacing or other more "serious sims", but I can look past that if the game provides a believable experience of being an F1 driver and follows the rules of the sport. Handling with no assist was pretty good in F1 2013 and gave me something to do while not being too complex.

So with that said, I just got into F1 2014 and... wow... it's the same game with new sounds, underwhelming handling and the same old bugs that were never fixed in 2013. Here goes:

1) The menus are really exact replicas. This means we get the same problematic settings that were there last year. What does the setting "pit lane assist" do? Nothing! Why can't we still set race length at 10% steps (like in F1 2010)? Why do I have to press button 3 on my wheel to start up the game in "wheel mode"? The new "car on track" backdrop doesn't give me a feeling of "home" as in a garage or in my driver's trailer, plus it's easy to spot the background being just a skybox texture (you can see artifacts all around the "edges").

2) This is really annoying: the "pit cameras" option (under "difficulty"... where it should not be) has completely stopped working this year. It worked intermittently in F1 2013 with some later patch breaking it, and it IS STILL BROKEN IN 2014. *headdesk* I hate the pit cameras with a passion. I want to remain in my cockpit seat when I go to the pits, not be dragged out by an external camera. The option is there. People reported the bug in 2013. Why has this still not been fixed?!

3) The engine sounds aren't great (except maybe the Ferrari), but they do seem to be close to what we hear on TV. The "off throttle" sound though is basically the engine cutting all power. This could have sounded way better. The turbo is audible but misses all the punch. Shifting sounds, once Codemasters' forté, are weak if even there. The music in the menus has once again be changed to a new style, only this time it sounds more at home in a Deus Ex game than an F1 game. No "glory", "rock" or "pompousness" is in the music; definitely the weakest soundtrack of all the F1 games.

4) The handling... I was eager to see how Codies would replicate the real life difficulties of the new cars in a game that is supposed to be accessible. I'm pleased we have to be even more careful on the throttle now, but braking distance is practically halved from last year, with practically no lockup. Russia last week showed us that locking up and flatspotting is in fact very prominent in F1, so it should be in this game too. The handling feels too simple even for a Codemasters game... cars seem to be gripping the track better than the real life "drifters" we have now. And these are world-class drivers battling these cars!

But what I'm most disappointed in are the graphics. I know, the next game is in the works and it will (hopefully?) have a new engine, or at least an updated EGO version (I'm not holding my breath). But seriously, the graphics haven't changed one bit since F1 2011. Even with the same engine for three years, a few upgrades to texture resolution (the steering wheel displays!), texture filtering and LIGHTING could have been made. The latter is so bad at times, especially when running under cloudy weather, that it looks like there isn't any lighting at all, just a fullbright track with all elements at same brightness and color intensity. I really, *really* hope for an upgrade next year that will improve on this.

And finally, why the hell did you take out the Young Drivers Test this year? I don't need it per se, but with the new handling model I'd have loved to collect some medals while learning how to properly apply throttle, use the shorter braking distance etc. all over again. Instead we get a lame one-lap evaluation. There was no reason to take this feature out; it actually made you feel like you were testing for a team before entering F1 (yeah I know, they don't do beginners tests in real life, but you get what I'm saying). Since all the other "live the life" stuff has been replaced by boring and repetitive e-mails and press clippings, the current game doesn't make you feel a lot like an F1 driver outside the cockpit.

I wonder if the AI has seen improvements. I still have to do my first race.

All in all I'm pretty disappointed this year and I can't understand what Codemasters is charging FIFTY EUROS for. This game feels much more like an add-on to F1 2013 than a standalone game. Maybe it should have been.

[SamuelTrautman 0]

fifty euro's?? omg they have no shame whatsoever. you can be guaranteed it will be 25 euro after xmas!

[johnbe2 0]

I totally agree. $50 is too much for this. If it wasn't for the updated teams and engine noise, I wouldn't even realize that it's a new game. Really hoping for 2015 now. I think they should give people that bought the 2014 a discount. Also, I can't find a manual for the game anywhere. I have some things that I couldn't figure out yet, like what all the colored dots all mean on the track map are and such.

[JasonWilko 33]

Try the game for yourself, then you can make a judgement on it, if you dont like it take it back and get your money back its that simple, there are plenty of people who say the game is crap or a copy and paste and there are people like me who have played it and can tell you it is a great game and gets me pumped for next gen

[EnsiFerrum 84]

F1-2014 is definitely not worth to pay ~50,-€ for.
20,- € maybe. It might have been a great add-on to F1-2013, but not a full-price stand-alone title.

IMHO!

[JasonWilko 33]

EnsiFerrum said:

F1-2014 is definitely not worth to pay ~50,-€ for.
20,- € maybe. It might have been a great add-on to F1-2013, but not a full-price stand-alone title.

IMHO!

In australia its $58 AUD when usually they are $90 so thats a big save here, dont know the conversion to euros though

[SamuelTrautman 0]

JasonWilko said:

Try the game for yourself, then you can make a judgement on it, if you dont like it take it back and get your money back its that simple, there are plenty of people who say the game is crap or a copy and paste and there are people like me who have played it and can tell you it is a great game and gets me pumped for next gen

tell me somewhere that will refund you for a games that's already been used? nowhere will refund a game that's been opened, codemasters wont refund you, sony wont refund you, steam wont refund you and game stores certainly wont. if they done a downloadable demo we could try it out.

[JasonWilko 33]

SamuelTrautman said:

JasonWilko said:

Try the game for yourself, then you can make a judgement on it, if you dont like it take it back and get your money back its that simple, there are plenty of people who say the game is crap or a copy and paste and there are people like me who have played it and can tell you it is a great game and gets me pumped for next gen

tell me somewhere that will refund you for a games that's already been used? nowhere will refund a game that's been opened, codemasters wont refund you, sony wont refund you, steam wont refund you and game stores certainly wont. if they done a downloadable demo we could try it out.

Do you live in Australia? Cause you can take the game back here with the reciept and you get your money back

[SamuelTrautman 0]

no but I think I need to move there :P

[Darhour 3]

methinks that Codies are EA next-gen!

[JasonWilko 33]

SamuelTrautman said:

no but I think I need to move there :P

Haha yeah :p

[SamuelTrautman 0]

so even if the game is opened and clearly been used, maybe even pirated then the shop will give you a full refund as long as you have the receipt? sounds too good to be true lol

[SamuelTrautman 0]

yes I agree

[JasonWilko 33]

SamuelTrautman said:

so even if the game is opened and clearly been used, maybe even pirated then the shop will give you a full refund as long as you have the receipt? sounds too good to be true lol

Yeah its true haha

[Seniku 0]

MadMax1998 said:

Hey there Codies community. I've been buying and playing the F1 series since 2010 and have been pretty critical of the game in general, but with every step Codemasters took, they seemed to up their game. F1 2013 was the first F1 game that (except for graphics) was a really good all-round package. I greatly enjoyed learning the new handling with finer throttle control and tyre wear during the Young Drivers Test. Then I went on to career racing (although I rarely do more than one season in total) and enjoyed every bit of it.

I'm coming from a simracing background, running the F1 games on PC, maxed out graphics, with my trusty G25 wheel and modified pedals. I know we can't compare F1 to iRacing or other more "serious sims", but I can look past that if the game provides a believable experience of being an F1 driver and follows the rules of the sport. Handling with no assist was pretty good in F1 2013 and gave me something to do while not being too complex.

So with that said, I just got into F1 2014 and... wow... it's the same game with new sounds, underwhelming handling and the same old bugs that were never fixed in 2013. Here goes:

1) The menus are really exact replicas. This means we get the same problematic settings that were there last year. What does the setting "pit lane assist" do? Nothing! Why can't we still set race length at 10% steps (like in F1 2010)? Why do I have to press button 3 on my wheel to start up the game in "wheel mode"? The new "car on track" backdrop doesn't give me a feeling of "home" as in a garage or in my driver's trailer, plus it's easy to spot the background being just a skybox texture (you can see artifacts all around the "edges").

2) This is really annoying: the "pit cameras" option (under "difficulty"... where it should not be) has completely stopped working this year. It worked intermittently in F1 2013 with some later patch breaking it, and it IS STILL BROKEN IN 2014. *headdesk* I hate the pit cameras with a passion. I want to remain in my cockpit seat when I go to the pits, not be dragged out by an external camera. The option is there. People reported the bug in 2013. Why has this still not been fixed?!

3) The engine sounds aren't great (except maybe the Ferrari), but they do seem to be close to what we hear on TV. The "off throttle" sound though is basically the engine cutting all power. This could have sounded way better. The turbo is audible but misses all the punch. Shifting sounds, once Codemasters' forté, are weak if even there. The music in the menus has once again be changed to a new style, only this time it sounds more at home in a Deus Ex game than an F1 game. No "glory", "rock" or "pompousness" is in the music; definitely the weakest soundtrack of all the F1 games.

4) The handling... I was eager to see how Codies would replicate the real life difficulties of the new cars in a game that is supposed to be accessible. I'm pleased we have to be even more careful on the throttle now, but braking distance is practically halved from last year, with practically no lockup. Russia last week showed us that locking up and flatspotting is in fact very prominent in F1, so it should be in this game too. The handling feels too simple even for a Codemasters game... cars seem to be gripping the track better than the real life "drifters" we have now. And these are world-class drivers battling these cars!

But what I'm most disappointed in are the graphics. I know, the next game is in the works and it will (hopefully?) have a new engine, or at least an updated EGO version (I'm not holding my breath). But seriously, the graphics haven't changed one bit since F1 2011. Even with the same engine for three years, a few upgrades to texture resolution (the steering wheel displays!), texture filtering and LIGHTING could have been made. The latter is so bad at times, especially when running under cloudy weather, that it looks like there isn't any lighting at all, just a fullbright track with all elements at same brightness and color intensity. I really, *really* hope for an upgrade next year that will improve on this.

And finally, why the hell did you take out the Young Drivers Test this year? I don't need it per se, but with the new handling model I'd have loved to collect some medals while learning how to properly apply throttle, use the shorter braking distance etc. all over again. Instead we get a lame one-lap evaluation. There was no reason to take this feature out; it actually made you feel like you were testing for a team before entering F1 (yeah I know, they don't do beginners tests in real life, but you get what I'm saying). Since all the other "live the life" stuff has been replaced by boring and repetitive e-mails and press clippings, the current game doesn't make you feel a lot like an F1 driver outside the cockpit.

I wonder if the AI has seen improvements. I still have to do my first race.

All in all I'm pretty disappointed this year and I can't understand what Codemasters is charging FIFTY EUROS for. This game feels much more like an add-on to F1 2013 than a standalone game. Maybe it should have been.

You knew it would have the same issues, but you still bought it.   Codemasters(lol masters.. irony much??) will do NOTHING to improve the game unless they lose a heap of sales.  IF they put out the same bugs year after year (yes I have the same bug in 13 that was in 12 and 11!!!) and people still buy them, they have no incentive to work harder. 

The ONLY thing that will get their attention is to not buy it and hurt them in the only place they care about, their wallet.  Then and only then will they take notice and actually work to improve the game.

[johnbe2 0]

matt231985 said:

johnbe2 said:

I totally agree. $50 is too much for this. If it wasn't for the updated teams and engine noise, I wouldn't even realize that it's a new game. Really hoping for 2015 now. I think they should give people that bought the 2014 a discount. Also, I can't find a manual for the game anywhere. I have some things that I couldn't figure out yet, like what all the colored dots all mean on the track map are and such.

Green dots a DRS zones. And activation points.
Moving dots are other cars..

and what is that green triple circle for?

[isamu99 0]

I heard the game is actually pretty good

[sjsharp2010 225]

isamu99 said:

I heard the game is actually pretty good

it's an understated good but ues it is good and a lot of fun or at least the races I've had with it so far have been and I was very sceptical about getting it after 2013 but after finding a site willing to sell at a price I was willing to pay I decided to take the plunge and I couldn't be happier as this is exactly how I like my racing games at least on the level I play them at.

[SpecOps1UK 0]

SamuelTrautman said:

JasonWilko said:

Try the game for yourself, then you can make a judgement on it, if you dont like it take it back and get your money back its that simple, there are plenty of people who say the game is crap or a copy and paste and there are people like me who have played it and can tell you it is a great game and gets me pumped for next gen

tell me somewhere that will refund you for a games that's already been used? nowhere will refund a game that's been opened, codemasters wont refund you, sony wont refund you, steam wont refund you and game stores certainly wont. if they done a downloadable demo we could try it out.

Incorrect! I took 2012 back when I discovered that a full race weekend was removed from the game. Got a full refund via Blockbusters.

[Bowet 0]

I'm really enjoying the game.  The new tracks are interesting. The Austrian track's setting is beautiful.  The track itself is a lot of fun to drive, but a bit bumpy.  Looking forward to F1 2015 on the PS4 of course.  In the meantime this version should fill up my time over the winter.  Maybe not for everyone, but very much worth it for me.

[MadMax1998 0]

After playing the career for a few races I have warmed up to the game somewhat. I do enjoy the turbo tipping out the rear if you're not carefully applying throttle, and after setting brake saturation at 20% (formerly 0%) I can actually lock up slightly (albeit without smoke) if I press them too hard. Still it's amazing how hard you can brake and get away with ridiculously short braking distance. It does seem to be necessary though as the AI is pretty quick (playing on "professional" after "expert" turned out to be way too fast for me). Some situations I had with AI cars were actually quite believable and it seems they are passing more cleanly and also don't stop dead in corners anymore. The occasional unexpected rear bump is still there, though :/

I'm driving for Williams for the first time in any F1 game and in some races I can't go beyond the top 10 while I placed my car on the podium in Bahrain. So it seems like Williams are as much of a "semi-strong" team as in real life, even though the tier is wrong. Also I had some nice fights with Massa which seems to be much better than last year, where my team mate was always lightyears ahead of me.

I also have to partially correct myself about the "pit cameras" option: it *does* work properly when you are making a pit stop in the race. However, the option is supposed to keep you in the car when off *also* when you are wheeled back to the garage in practice. Right now this does *not* work.

Rain AI is laughably quick, though... as others have pointed out.

[aktisti 0]

The only reason me and a lot of people bought the game for was to play the next season of  our online leagues.

I couldn't care less for career, AI tyre degradation AI fuel consumption, AI agressiveness,  etc etc.

Career is for newbies. CM never got AI right from the beginning. Never was a real challenge and never will.

All I care is equal conditions for everyone in multiplayer, Which is not happening right now. Two separate games for pad and wheel.