Hands On: F1 2010 (PS3)
TSA starts off in Pole.
Published: 9:00, 06/09/2010 by Alex C [nofi].
22Ever since Geoff Crammond managed to shoehorn an entire F1 season onto an Amiga I’ve been hooked on the sport’s videogame representations. Not so much the sport itself, which has long left me behind, but in terms of the high octane racing sims that come and go on a regular basis I’m usually there day one for my often annual fix of motorsport goodness. I even still have my launch copy of the PS3′s Formula One game that I bought on a whim with Virtua Tennis 3, Motorstorm and Resistance. Somewhere.
I don’t confess to be an expert, though, by any stretch, but I know we’ve got some hardcore F1 fans here on TheSixthAxis so I’ll try my best to be comprehensive with this preview and cover all the areas which I think I’d like to know in advance of the game coming out. If I’ve missed anything obvious that you’d like us to take a look at, drop a comment below and I’ll take specific looks at the game, within reason. What I’d hope you’d like to know first and foremost, though, is how F1 2010 plays.
Well, rejoice – it’s racing nirvana. Whilst the game takes much of its physics (and graphics) engine from Codemasters’ earlier racer DiRT the team have clearly made some tweaks to the handling here and thankfully ditched the drift heavy mechanics and opted for twitch-based steering that marries exactly how I’d imagine a car like the ones in the game to handle with what I’ve seen from in-car footage from the real thing. It’s precise, immediate and works at both speed on the straights and when navigating the toughest hairpins.
Speaking of hairpins, the courses in the game are, from what I can tell, as close as most of us will ever get to racing on them, let alone visiting them in person. From the night race of Singapore to the go-to circuit of Monza, every corner, every banking, every trackside detail is present and correct and the Ego graphics engine handles everything Codemasters can throw at it, albeit at 30fps. Still, that’s a locked tight 30fps that doesn’t falter regardless of how many vehicles are in view at any time, and yes – that includes the Monaco course.
F1 2010 also sports dynamic weather, with serious effects on both your pit strategy and your driving, not to mention your visibility. Probably the most impressive implementation of rain we’ve seen in a videogame yet, Codemasters have really pushed the visuals in order to create the right sort of sensations: uncertainty, panic and, when it all gets a little bit busy on the first corner, terror. The weather comes and goes, so if you’re taking your career seriously here you’ll need to plan ahead and keep an eye on your computer back at the pits.
Speaking of which, the way Codemasters have tried to keep everything in first person seems like the natural evolution of what they’ve attempted before with the DiRT and GRID series: all the menus are seen through the player’s eyes and the only time this fourth wall is broken is when the game needs to switch out to a loading screen. From the paddock, where you can choose your game time (from a fully customisable Grand Prix, through to time trial, multiplayer and career) to the onboard pit computer, everything is consistently presented, and very attractive too.
Once in the pits, you can check out the live race times, the weather and the race information on your computer ahead of you, or you can chat to the engineer to fix you up a pre-set car setup. Naturally, this being a sim you can tweak several aspects of your car’s mechanics yourself, from the aerodynamics and braking through to the suspension, gearbox and engine and you can load and save past setups too, so you can quickly swap out to another set of sliders should the need arise.
I haven’t yet had chance to test out the game’s full Career mode, only having sampled the Grand Prix and time trial options (there was nobody else online to test Multiplayer, either) but from what I’ve seen it looks like continuing the ethos behind the similar modes in DiRT 2 where you get a trailer and an agent and must fulfill certain criteria at each race event (such as finishing on the podium) to work your way up through the various teams and cars. All the racers, vehicles and brand are completely official, too, so don’t worry about any of that.
What did surprise me a little are the consessions to easing in players more used to arcade racers. A series of assists (braking, abs, traction control, racing line, gearbox and pit limiter) ensure that even if you don’t know the courses you’ll stick to the tarmac and not run off, and the flashbacks, again, another carry over from past Codemasters racers, offers the player the chance to correct a mistake should they make one, depending on how hardcore you make your race settings. Sure, it’s not a Forza III rewind (and it’s obviously limited to single player modes) but it’s something that some might find a little odd.
Still, F1 2010 is absolutely still a sim, albeit one that’s got a couple of arcade leanings. For me, that’s perfect, few of us could ever handle a car like this without years of training so it’s nice to be able to jump in and just fly around the courses without knowing them inside out. The in-car pit crew is a much better substitute for tv-style commentary, the game handles fine with a Dualshock and – yes – you’re looking at one hell of a good looking game. If F1′s your thing, your pre-order should already be in. Let’s hope the TSA community rallies behind this one and we can look forward to some great Meets down the line.
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06/09/2010 at 10:29
Member since: Jan 2010
Nice preview nofi, looking forward to this one!
What are the in-race setting adjustments like? Can you adjust things on the fly without pausing (like brake bias, engine revs / fuel mix, wing angle etc). Can you adjust your pit strategy on the fly, how easy is it? These are all things that are critical to immersion (imho) and also awesome for serious online racing leagues.
Oh, when you pit, do you have control of the car from pit in to pit out?
Did you try it with a wheel? Any chance to comment on the FFB if it’s practicable to try one?
How does it SOUND?
Is the cockpit view drivable? I normally drive from the airbox view, but I think that’s because most F1 cockpit view representations have been woeful to date.
06/09/2010 at 12:04
Member since: Feb 2009
A lot of your questions are answered already in the forum (http://www.thesixthaxis.com/forum/playstation-news/f1-2010-news/page-6/#p142675) which should save nofi a lot of time answering the questions you dont need to play the game to know.
06/09/2010 at 12:16
Member since: Forever
True. But in short:
What are the in-race setting adjustments like?
- not sure. will check.
Oh, when you pit, do you have control of the car from pit in to pit out?
- yes, although you can set (for example) to start on a rolling lap so you skip the initial one.
Did you try it with a wheel? Any chance to comment on the FFB if it’s practicable to try one?
- no comment. :)
How does it SOUND?
- great.
Is the cockpit view drivable? I normally drive from the airbox view, but I think that’s because most F1 cockpit view representations have been woeful to date.
- i tried both, both are fine although the cockpit, whilst realistic, is too low for me. the bumper cam is pointless (far too low) and the two chase cams aren’t my thing.
06/09/2010 at 12:21
Member since: Jan 2010
Cheers! Good info :)
06/09/2010 at 10:33
Member since: Forever
Getting this game day one. I LOVE Formula One. Are those screenshots taken from a recent build of the game though? Because the Red Bull has out board wing mirrors, which makes me sad.. As they were banned earlier on in the season :( Also the Mercedes GP car has the old air intake and not the sexy, split in two air intake as seen now :(
Still, awesome looking game.
06/09/2010 at 12:14
Member since: Forever
Screenshots were provided by Codemasters, we’re not allowed to use our own yet, sorry. Licensing issues.
06/09/2010 at 12:47
Member since: May 2009
There’s also screenshots of the RBR with mirrors attached to the monocoque. Which ties in with the whole idea of fighting your team mate for the latest updates to the cars.
So it seems that there’s lots of rather accurately detailed updates to the cars throughout the season.
06/09/2010 at 12:51
Member since: May 2009
Oh and the first of the 4 shots has the double air intake thingy…
06/09/2010 at 18:58
Member since: Forever
No it doesn’t Not like this: http://kereta.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/TECH-MGP-W01-AIRBOX-ROLL-STRUCTURE.jpg
06/09/2010 at 10:34
Member since: Forever
oh and how is the F-Duct represented (if at all) all in the game?
06/09/2010 at 10:38
Member since: Dec 2008
The F-Duct isnt represented in the game as such according to one of the Dev diaries. As it is banned for next season they didnt bother developing it for the game.
I believe cars (e.g. Mclaren) that have a good F-Duct system have just been given a slightly higher top end I think.
06/09/2010 at 10:47
Member since: Forever
Ahh ok, Shame, would be cool to see some drivers, drive one handed through corners :P
06/09/2010 at 11:12
Member since: Jan 2010
Although with the exception of perhaps Eau Rouge (staggering!), they generally don’t use it on corners as that is precisely where you need your rear wing down force ‘unspoilt’. :)
When I saw screen shot 2 I thought OMG they have modelled Red Bull’s flexing front nose (notice front wing end plates appear closer to the ground than the other cars). But in other shots it appears the same. Shame.
Also a shame, it seems the lighting in Singapore isn’t multisource. It’s almost like they have just kept the single source (aka: sun) but made a dark skybox. Would have been awesome to see 4 or 5 shadows being cast off your wheel and flickering at high speed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSptUunxLxs
06/09/2010 at 12:50
Member since: Dec 2009
No after much are you guys ;)
06/09/2010 at 10:34
Member since: Jan 2010
Great Hands On. Thanks, can’t wait now.
06/09/2010 at 12:07
Member since: Feb 2009
Great hands on nofi. Cant wait for this game! Your not the first to mention the words terror and panic when talking about this game, which makes me think its really going to have a true F1 atmosphere :)
06/09/2010 at 12:19
Member since: Forever
yep, switch off all the assists and it’s a very tense experience.
06/09/2010 at 12:12
Member since: Dec 2008
You’ve made me want this game even more. Didn’t know that was possible but you have. Great hands on Nofi :)
06/09/2010 at 12:22
Member since: Aug 2008
Any news on 3D? I haven’t gotten in to F1 games, and after a read of this (thanks nofi) 3D would sway me, otherwise I have quite a few other games to finish.
06/09/2010 at 12:25
Member since: Forever
Not that I know of.
06/09/2010 at 12:28
Member since: Aug 2008
Could you ask Codemasters if possible, unless AG can give me an answer, he has his fingers in many pies.
Thanks anyway.
06/09/2010 at 12:34
Member since: Jul 2009
No mention of it whatsoever on the official site.
06/09/2010 at 13:41
Member since: Jan 2009
Thanks very much for the hands-on. Really looking forwards to this. A couple of questions:
1) Does the version you have include the latest ‘suspension update’? I read that Anthony Davidson had signed off the handling as complete but Codies implemented a significant change that Anthony would have liked but may not have had chance to approve. This change was done in the last week or so (I think) and was not in the latest build at Gamescom.
2) Any word on the damage model?
06/09/2010 at 13:57
Member since: Forever
I need to check with Codies regarding the version I have before commenting further, sorry.
06/09/2010 at 14:06
Member since: Dec 2008
More of career mode plez, that’s the bit they were championing the most. Can you really get hassled by the paparazzi and asked awkward questions which in turn affect your popularity?
06/09/2010 at 14:15
Member since: Jun 2009
i have had this on pre-order for a while and i really cant wait to play it