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[Wax Free Vanilla]

Here are some impressions of the latest F1 game (Formula One 2005) by gagarin over at F1Gamers.

E3 REPORT PART ONE – PLAYS BETTER, LOOKS BETTER, IS BETTER

Hi everybody!

I’ve been on a fantastic trip to L.A. and the games convention, with an overall great time and some really, really cool games. If you ever get the chance to go to the show, don’t hesitate! I saw Ozzy Osbourne on the Airport, Steven Spielberg on the show and went to see StarWars III in a theatre with a crowd going berserk… So much fun!


I met with Studio Liverpool as planned, and I gotta tell you: They are the nicest, friendliest and coolest guys! Their Studio Manager (a big guy with a shaved head, looking like a mix between a teddybear and a football hooligan) was there and he personally showed me the game and walked me through as much of it as he could. Their Online Programmer (long-haired, witty and beer-drinking) was there as well, and he told me everything he could about how they have re-programmed a lot of stuff, and what the impact of that is. Finally, their marketing guy (an intense, superfriendly, thin guy with a heavy Liverpudlian accent) took great care of me and we had a very interesting chat about f1gamers.com. It turns out that their games designers actually look into the forum pretty often, sometimes daily, and that they use our forum to get an idea of both expectations and our perception of the game. I understand that they spend a lot more time on the forum when a) they are about to start developing the next verison and b) when the game is just out, to follow our reactions and see if we find any glitches. (They even know a lot of our forum-names, and referred to posts by specific people. For a while they called me “gagarin” rather than David, which is my real name )

- So, if you ever though anything else, the Studio Liverpool guys are a bunch of very hard-working guys with a passion for Formula One and real racing that is probably on par with ours. They want nothing but to develop the best F1 game ever.


The big question, of course, is how is the game?
Well - I got to play the game as much as I wanted to, but spent so much of my time talking to the guys and interviewing them, that I only sat down and played it for about 20 minutes. It may sound stupid, but I was thinking I’ll probably see enough of F105 in my life soon enough, and I’d rather take my time with Studio Liverpool, seeing that as more of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

My verdict is simple: This will be by far the best F1 game that has been developed in a very long time! I can’t wait to get a copy of my own! If I was a journalist I’d rate it 85/100 and recommend everyone who likes F1 to get this game and no other. It is a very cool, fast, good-looking, and good-racing game. Rich in detail, and highly polished in some of the physics details. The handling is the best I’ve ever tried, and the sense of actually driving a F1 car is much more developed than in the previous SL titles. There’s motion blur at the edges of the screen, the car vibrates, and the feeling of heavy G-forces pulling at you when you hit the brakes is pretty convincing. Obviously, I am biased after getting some VIP treatment by the studio guys, but I am convinced that my evaluation of the game is objective.

From the top of my head, I’d say that there are three improvements that make a huge difference to the overall experience. The first one is the AI, which has been completely updated. Absolutely everything about it is better. I set the difficulty to Medium, and only gained a couple of positions in the start (where the opponents not only defeneded their positions, but also tried to overtake eachother), I found it way harder to overtake, and I didn’t catch up with front cars without quite a bit of work… Very good racing, no question about it. Second thing that really impressed me is how they have enhanced the physics in the game. There was so much going on with that, that I felt like a beginner again. The car handles differently if the tyres are warm or cool, and there’s an icon that shows you the status of them. Brakes too handle differently as you wear them down, and if you nudge the car in front of your own, you can get a small dislocation or vibration in the front wing that again causes the car to handle differently. Same goes for in and out laps, where there was a noticable difference in driving a car empty vs full of fuel. I didn’t play long enough to really evaluate this aspect, but it felt so much more exciting to have all the tiny parameters to take into consideration, and I would guess that we will have to use our intelligence much more to win the races in F105. You actually need to take care of your car as it is in F105. The third thing that made me very happy is a complete update on all the track textures and the track elevations. You’ll recognize most of the graphics and surroundings from F104, but they simply look better and are more fun to drive in. It’s pretty nice on the eye to have a realistic looking track rather than just repeated textures that cause stroboscopic effects. When you come up on the hills in Suzuka, you could see the whole valley stretch out below, and it was really quite beautiful. I crashed my car on several tracks just cause I started enjoying the surroundings too much I said there were three things that I really liked, but to mention one more, they have cleaned up everything to a degree where the game feels very solid. Simple stuff like intermediate timing, grass causing low revs, corner cutting, graphical glitches and so on… All of that appears to be fixed. Stuff that means you don’t need to be forgiving or in denial to really enjoy it.

I mentioned the AI, which according to me was the weakest point in F104. I understand that they are working on a 5-year plan with the AI, and that we’re on the second year for that. We should expect very deep and advanced improvements in the coming years, and especially when they move to PS3. In the present version, the AI thinks 6-9 seconds ahead. It’s like chess, really. The longer ahead the AI can plan, the smarter it will appear. In the final installation of the AI, it will plan more than a full lap ahead. You’ll discover that it has been plotting to overtake you in specific spots and that it “knows” where you prefer to overtake. Can’t wait for that!


I’ll type out my Q&A notes and post them as an interview below, but before that I’d just like to wrap up by saying that there’s one thing to look forward to even more than F105, which is currently being developed at Studio Liverpool, and that is the first F1 game based on next gen technology, i.e. PlayStation 3! They were not allowed to tell me much, but judging from the smiles on their faces and the little they could say, that game is more than likely to fulfill all our dreams about the ultimate F1 game. Hold your breath until the day we get our hands on that… Super-realistic photographic graphics, an AI that plots moves 90 seconds ahead, real mini-debris on the track that affects the car, side-winds, fog, smoke, complex accidents, full-sim options… Man, it sounds fantastic!

And here is a interview he conducted with the developers at E3 2005, using forum posters questions.

E3 REPORT PART TWO – INTERVIEW WITH STUDIO LIVERPOOL, FIRST HALF

Right, so here’s the interview I did with the developers. Thanks to everyone that posted questions, and my biggest thanks to MurraysMic who helped out more than anybody else. Cheers mate!


2005 PERFORMANCE

F1Gamers - To what degree will there be accurate 2005 performance? Renaults having a great start, Ferrari not so good, Bridgestone’s good on cooler tracks, Michelin better on hotter circuits, BARs ban…

Studio Liverpool - Yeah, this is hard, and we can’t really do it even if we want to. The production “locks down” after the first two races. The performance and events in the game are based on the test season more than anything else. Even though it’s pretty hard to interpret the test results, it’s all we have. Who would have thought we would see a season where Ferrari (or is it Bridgestone?) are performing so poorly?

DAMAGE

F1G - Will The Damage model be improved? (E.g. more sensitive, and more complex)

SL - Oh yes, absolutely! It’s way better. If you crash, you’ll destroy the car of course, but if you only touch or nudge others, you can get very small damages. You can chose to drive on and have a car that handles differently, or you can pit and have it fixed. The front wing can move only a little, cause vibrations or just get dislocated. You have similar stuff happening to tires as well. There’s an icon at the top right that shows you the status of your car, you’ll need to keep an eye on that.

PIT STOPS

F1G - How are the pit stops in F105? Do you drive into pits by yourself? Are they properly animated? Are they interactive?

SL - OK, we’ve tried something new with pit stops this year. You don’t actually drive in the pits, but the transition from full speed to pit speed should be smoother than in F104. Once you’re in the pits, it plays like a mini-game, where you can make fast pit stops if you get it right. The PS button-icons will show up and tell you what to do. It’s all animated, and you can have everything on the car fixed in every pit stop. To make it more realistic, your tires will cool down when you’re standing still, so on the out-lap the car will handle differently than on the in-lap. This happens to the AI too, so you should find overtaking opportunities as your opponents exit the pits.

PHYSICS

F1G - Is there real physics on cars? Is the feeling of the cars “heavier” than in F104?

SL - There’s always been “real” physics in our games, but in this installation you’ll see that it’s more enhanced and affects play more. There’s tire temperature, weight, slipstream, car-balance and break wear to begin with. Those are noticeable to most players. But there’s also effects on your down force and top speed depending on the general condition of the car, so if you have a wing or a tire that is slightly damaged, there’ll be small differences in how the car behaves. The accidents are probably not spectacular enough, but that’s one of the things that will be vastly improved in the PS3 version where it will look 100% accurate. The car handling is not really “heavier” than in F104, but that’s because the weight of the car is accurate. A F1 car is very light! Talking physics, there’s a more enhanced graphic representation of speed too. There’s more motion blur and vibrations going on than in F104.

F1G - After accidents will there be debris (with physics) on the track?

SL - The only reason there’s not small debris, oil, dust and grass on the tracks is that it’s too demanding of the processor with everything else that is going on. It’s completely do-able with our physics engine, but it would slow down the game. Still, if there’s an accident right in front of you and a piece of their car falls off, you’ll be able to crash with the object and trash your own car or puncture your tires on it. The marshals will clean it up pretty fast though, so after a lap, the loose objects are gone.

CUTTING CORNERS

- In Time Attack Mode, will the rules for cutting corners be stricter than in F104?

SL - Oh yes! In all modes it will be stricter. Not only is there a time penalty in some cases, but the physics outside the tracks is better too, so if you’re on the grass, your car will be slowed down and the grass on the tires makes your car harder to handle for a little while.
It’s much more difficult than you’d think to get every single corner and chicane right. The game has to track you at every second, and as I said, it’s harder than you’d expect. In F104 we missed a couple of spots, and we think we’ve got them all right in this installation.

HANDLING

F1G- Is the handling (controls) the same as in F104?

SL - To a degree. Most people liked the handling in F104, but we have improved it a lot without changing the basics. You’ll notice when you play that it’s more varied and more detailed. It also means that you can lose control of the car easier than in F104, if you turn off all driver assists.

RELEASE DATES AND VERSIONS

F1G - Release date for Europe? Release date for Australia?

SL - That should be simultaneous, but I’m not sure when exactly. End of June sometime. It’s up to Sony to decide the final date. We’re working on the Japanese version now, and that should be ready soon, but it won’t be out in Japan until later.

F1G - Will there be a US release?

SL - No. That is decided by Sony Computer Entertainment America.

REPLAY

F1G - What about replays? Will they be in Authentic TV Style (w static cameras), or as in F104?

SL - They are more realistic in this version. We’re not trying to simulate a TV-broadcast style replay, but the “floating” cameras from F104 have been reduced and calmed down. The replay is a mix between static cameras and some that can float a short stretch.

CAREER MODE, ARCADE MODE

F1G - It is said that Career Mode has been developed to get deeper and more realistic. Can you tell us more about it?

SL - It’s deeper and contains more situations. You’ll have the other drivers on the team pushing you to get their positions back, there are more tests, more offers and so on. More pressure to perform. It should last longer and provide more variation.

F1G - How’s the arcade mode?

SL - There is none. In this game, there’s only “one” type of game: Formula One. We don’t call it a simulation either. For beginners, there are more driver assists than in F104, but they can all be turned off. Most people will be able to set up the game so that it suits them and their taste.

F1G - Are there different difficulty levels in career mode?

SL - Yes!

F1G - Are there full race distances in career mode?

SL - No, they are 10%.

TRACK UPDATES

F1G - How accurate and updated are the track layouts?

SL - They are very accurate. We send people to the different tracks each year, and we have access to all the architects’ plans. In F105 we have made a complete update on elevations, which you’ll notice, especially on some tracks. Another update that makes a difference is all the textures for the tracks. The asphalt is very varied and detailed. You will not get repetitive graphical effects when you’re driving.

MIRRORS

F1G - Will we be able to see our mirrors in the cockpit view?

SL - No, but it’s on the wish list and will be included in the next installation. Remember we only have 9 months to produce each installation, so there’s always a lot of discussion about what to prioritize.

SAFETY CAR

F1G - Will there be a safety car?

SL - No, sadly enough. We’ve always wanted to put it in, and we will, sooner or later. But it’s not in F105. It’s an anomaly and will require a lot of additional programming and a complete set of new rules. Also, there are license issues involved there, where the concept of the safety cars are not a part of the Sony’s license for F1 games.

TIMING

F1G - Is the intermediate/sector timing fixed? In all modes?

SL - Yes. That should be airtight.

F1G - Will there be Siemens timings during qualy and the race as are shown on TV?

SL - That’s a different license and not part of the Sony deal.

RACE UPDATES

F1G - During races, will we get information as to the rest of the field not just the top 8?

SL - We can’t do that, since there’s too much data. The updates for the top 8, however, is more detailed and useful. The team-radio will tell you if another team is preparing for a pit stop or if an opponent is having trouble.

F1G - Will we see gaps and # of stops each driver has done?

SL - The team radio may tell you about their pit stops. On screen, you’ll see the split times to the driver in front and the driver behind.

VARIABLE WEATHER

F1G - Will Variable weather return? (Weather that can change during race or quali).

SL - If you set the option to Forecast, yes.

COMMENTARY

F1G - What has been improved on the commentary side?

SL - We have tried to improve it as much as we can, but there’s more to be done in that area.

UNLOCKABLES

F1G - Are historic cars and tracks included?

SL - There are 4 historic cars, but no historic tracks. Using historic tracks is also license-dependant, and not as easy to achieve as one might think.

F1G - So, no extra tracks?

SL - Actually, there is one! There’s a fantasy F1 track that we’ve done, one that we really wanted to drive on. But it’s made like a realistic track, I can’t remember what we ended up calling it, we had so many names on suggestion…

F1G - Other unlockables?

SL - Yes, quite a bit more than in F104, but people will have to play to find out!

FORMATION LAPS

F1G - Will there be formation laps where you actually have to warm the tires and brakes?

SL - No. The tire temperature does matter, though, and so does the brake wear. But we don’t have formation laps. It’s like the security car, something we want, but also something that causes a large degree of extra work. Additional programming, a new set of rules… If it should be included, it must be right.

SPECTATOR MODE

F1G - Will there be a TV/Spectator Mode?

SL - Yes, sure!

LOGITECH GT4 WHEEL

F1G - Will the Logitech GT4 wheel be supported fully?

SL - Absolutely.

TEAR-OFFS

F1G - Will tear off’s make a return and will they be controlled by the player such as using the Triangle Button? If not controlled by player, are they removed from mid-turn situations?

SL - We’ve removed the tear-offs, both manual and automatic.

BUILDING OUR OWN TRACKS

F1G - Is there a feature to build our own tracks? If not will there be in the future?

SL - There isn’t one in this game, and we’re not planning to add one in future editions. It’s pretty hard to do, and then you’ll have to have a system that guarantees that all the rules function properly, and on top of that the AI would have to be so smart that it could “learn” to drive well on the different tracks. I don’t think we’ll try to include this.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

F1G - Will the AI be more varied and randomized than in F104?

SL - Yes, we have a five-year plan for that, and we’re on the second installation. We were not happy with what we had in F104, and it feels real good to have this one out. We already know where we’re heading with this, but it’s not until we hit the nextgen consoles that we can really do everything we want with the AI. There are 19 AI cars on the track, and it’s pretty demanding of the processor and the memory to use advanced AI for all them. In this installation, the AI plans and plots 6-9 seconds ahead. It will defend its position as well as actively look for overtaking opportunities. It will overtake both on the inside and on the outside, if possible. The single-file behavior is completely gone, although the AI tries to stick the optimal racing line to get good lap times.

F1G - So, will the AI behave differently during races, depending on external circumstances? (Putting in better laps when under pressure, but with an increased risk of making mistakes etc)

SL - Not really in this installation of the AI, but stuff like that will certainly come later. Again: As soon as the PS3 is out, it will be possible to do very advanced stuff with the AI.

F1G - How has the AI been improved in starts?

SL - You’ll see when you try it. It not only defends its position, but it also looks for overtaking opportunities. If you’re a good driver you can still gain a bunch of positions in the start, but when the game is set on the hardest difficulty level it should be quite difficult.

F1G - Is the AI better at defending their position when you’re attacking from behind?

SL- Yes, but it’s better at attacking than defending.


http://f1gamers.com/f1/bb/?a=topics&n=49&d=0

Wow! nine months to turn each game over - shocking, Sony are the milker's, and slave drivers. :lol I do hope this next game is the bees wax though, because the last three have been complete shit. I am hopeful reading these impressions, come on Studio Liverpool.

 

[Midas]

I'm enjoying this game online, I've never played an F1 game before so my judgment isn't to be trusted. But it's a nice game.

 

[thorns]

fuck sony and fia for getting the exclusive license.. pc f1 games have been FAR better.

 

[Guy LeDouche]

SCEA, please release this

 

[ram]

uo - never played the online beta ~_~

 

[Shinobi]

F1G - Will there be a US release?

SL - No. That is decided by Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Stupid useless dumb shit company...

I'd love to see Sega publish the F1 and WRC games over here.

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

I want my F1 fix..

Raikkonen is kicking ass right now..

GOOOOOOOOOOO KIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

 

[Shinobi]

Kimi owns your mother...

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

I'm enjoying this game online, I've never played an F1 game before so my judgment isn't to be trusted. But it's a nice game.

Yeah, I've had a go online and it's decent but it's the single player mode I'm most interested in, I do hope it's good. Afterall I have sent them 6 pages of Word to go with my beta report. :lol

 

[Kleegamefan]

Will we get a good Formula One game on PS2 at last???


I sure hope so...