F1 2011 big improvement over 2010

[Val Hoggard]

Howdy all,

Just wanted to let you in on my experience with the new F1 2011 sim. I bought it last night and I have to say, that I am impressed!

First of all, I also have the F1 2010 and it is a good sim but seemed to be lacking in the ffb dept along with a few minor bugs. But the 2011 has a whole new look and feel. I like it 100% better than any F1 sim out there. The ffb is much more responsive and feels more like the real deal. I have a G25 and tweaked the settings in its control panel so that the game gives me a very satisfying experience.

You get to play around with the KERS and DRS during races and with the new multiplayer options, dual screen layouts, new tracks, and all current drivers and teams, you will have a great racing experience.

I have a feeling that Codemasters is going to become a big player in the online racing experience. So far, they have F1 2011 setup so that up to 16 people can race with AI added to fill the field.

If you would like more information on the sim, go here:
Formula 1

I recommend this game to anyone who loves F1 or just for a great racing sim in general. Probably the only downside to this sim is not having all the car setup options like what we have in rfactor. But it is about the racing afterall.

PS, I am feeling a little better so I plan to show up at the races coming up. I am out of the points; but hell, it is respect I want to win, not points.
Val

[davidan]

Thanks for sharing Val, I have been eyeing this one as well and will probably pick it up soon. - David

[JMH714]

Is AI smarter than previous version? I haven't play any of Codemaster's F1, but I have heard that AI wasn't great in 2010.

[Val Hoggard]

Hi John,
I have noticed the AI seem to be more aware of where you are and will try to avoid contact - much better than in rfactor or GTR2 where they drive around pissed off. In F1 2011, you can set them to race you clean and they seem to adhere to that much better than F1 2010. So far, I have raced two races all the way through and I really enjoyed the rain where I could watch the racing line dry out as the race progressed and I also really like the pits and the crews both in the garage and in the box.

Disclaimer: If you buy the game and don't like it, it isn't my fault.... LOL But I think you will... and the price will drop in a few months and specials on it will come out too.

[davidan]

Val, what about accidents from the AI and DNF's? In the 2010 version they almost never crashed and always finished the race, which is quite the opposite of real life F1, where attrition can be high. Is it improved in that area?

[Val Hoggard]

Well if this is any help, in the first race at Melbourne, turn one looked like turn one at Monza for the big boys last race. Cars and parts were flying everywhere! I drove through the mess going, "Wow..." On the other question, there were a few dnf's but I need to test that further to see what the statistics are.

Val, what about accidents from the AI and DNF's? In the 2010 version they almost never crashed and always finished the race, which is quite the opposite of real life F1, where attrition can be high. Is it improved in that area?

[JMH714]

I'll try it out later - but first, I need to get DiRT 3 to work. I'm getting errors when I tried to launch it. I think the error appears when I installed triple monitors through I have AMD video card and DiRT 3 should be working with triple screen.

Oh, by the way, I saw your PM while I playing Oblivion. Thanks.

[davidan]

Thanks Val. Is there a way to export race results or anything where you could save a few race results for us so we can see how they look?

[Davis Braun]

Val, have they made it so when it rains you must run the wets or inters to get any sort of traction? I know in 2010 I could ride around on Hards in the rain and be just as competative as if I had inters or wets on? Haven't decided whether I want to buy this when they have a special like last year, or store the money away and save it for iRacing.
May think of more questions later.

[Val Hoggard]

Davis, I run some tests in-game in the rain using the hard slicks. I ran two attempts; and I say attempts because that is all I could make happen.

First of all, even using full Traction Control, I couldn't get off the line without letting off the throttle so the tires could grip. And after I did get going and everyone had passed me, I couldn't keep the car on the track. I was sliding around like a greased monkey. So I would say that they have fixed the "Hards in the rain" (sounds like a lude movie...) problem. So without running wet tires, it is very difficult to get a decent laptime if you can even stay away from the walls.

Val, have they made it so when it rains you must run the wets or inters to get any sort of traction? I know in 2010 I could ride around on Hards in the rain and be just as competative as if I had inters or wets on? Haven't decided whether I want to buy this when they have a special like last year, or store the money away and save it for iRacing.
May think of more questions later.