F1 2012 Review thread

[kimi123]

Everyone can post your review or opnion on this thread. Also post comparision with previous F1 game.

This game is getting mixed reaction. Had a look at gamerankings and metacritic reviews. Gaming sites do not talk much about gameplay and say it is improved game in every department ? Had a look a codies forum. Lots of people complaining which is not unsual. But what's up with steering ? I hate understeer

Understeering is with controller or just issues with wheel ? Overall is it, good or 2011 a better game

 

[SKD420]

The people who are complaining are trying to drive like its 2011 still. If you drive with proper technique its great. Brake hard, ease off as you turn it, ease on to the gas WHILE straightening the wheel. Most people are giving the wheel to much steering input without letting all the way off the brakes. Turning the wheel tighter doesn't work like the last broken game. You have to be going the proper speed for the corner. Lap times are realistic because of this. With the pad, it doesn't letyou go past the ideal turning radius so that's why people thing its easier. If you use the wheel correctly its an incredibly enjoyable experience. Minus the idiots online

 

[Ford Driver]

The people who are complaining are trying to drive like its 2011 still. If you drive with proper technique its great. Brake hard, ease off as you turn it, ease on to the gas WHILE straightening the wheel. Most people are giving the wheel to much steering input without letting all the way off the brakes. Turning the wheel tighter doesn't work like the last broken game. You have to be going the proper speed for the corner. Lap times are realistic because of this. With the pad, it doesn't letyou go past the ideal turning radius so that's why people thing its easier. If you use the wheel correctly its an incredibly enjoyable experience. Minus the idiots online

Have to agree with this. I was suprised by the understeer at first. Now I love it after a few minor adjustments to the wheel settings (DFGT). You just have to be gentle with your steering input and possibly adjust your driving style a little. Go for a slow in fast out approach where possible. Cars felt like they were on rails in 2011, the looser feeling keeps you on your toes, makes you think about how you approach the corners, and will make better drivers of most of us. Plus in reality, F1 cars spend most of their cornering time sliding in some way, even if you can't see it on camera.

 

[TheCadabers]

Have to agree with this. I was suprised by the understeer at first. Now I love it after a few minor adjustments to the wheel settings (DFGT). You just have to be gentle with your steering input and possibly adjust your driving style a little. Go for a slow in fast out approach where possible. Cars felt like they were on rails in 2011, the looser feeling keeps you on your toes, makes you think about how you approach the corners, and will make better drivers of most of us. Plus in reality, F1 cars spend most of their cornering time sliding in some way, even if you can't see it on camera.

May I ask what your settings are for the DFGT?

 

[Maxitsu]

After doing one GP weekend and some quick races this are my pro & cons for now.

Pro's:
- Graphics, everything looks good (if you step up from F1 2011(ps3) to F1 2012(PC))
- Fun to drive (after spending alot of time to setup the wheel)
- Rain and a wet track still looks awesome

Cons:
- Still only 5 years career. why you can't do 20 years like Barichello or Schumacher.
- At starts you can jump from the back to the front even on a high AI difficulty
- Still auto-pilot pitstops, no formation laps or be able to jump-start, still those weak grid scenes just before the start where you see the polesitter, your TM and yourself. The rest of the grid isn't importent.
- some bugs in the graphics (cars look black at singapore, surface of spa looks like a static tv in the wet.
- Still a very weak damage model
- Still the game has that brown-ish filter
- Still a arcade feel


my own problems:
I have learned to drive whit shifting very recently.(more or less) It took me a very long time to switch from AT to MT.
I am certainly not used to drive a car whit 7 gears combined whit using Kers and DRS at the same time. Using it all at once it happens my fingers get stuck between the wheel

 

[RACECAR]

Got the game earlier. Love the physics, not that big an adjustment for me but the cars do seem a tad more prone to spinning, which means more finesse.


Edit: Abit of my take on the sounds. So here's a comparison of the real car and the game






Excellent improvement, very close to the real cars (even has that juddery noise with the upshifts). The downshifts seem muted though.

 

[Ford Driver]

May I ask what your settings are for the DFGT?

DFGT
Sterring deadzone 1%
Linearity 5%
FF
70
100
100
Everything else 0

Courtesy of SKD420, these settings are good for me. The most important thing is not to turn too much with your wheel. Less is more.

 

[RACECAR]

Yesterday's first lap times at Circuit Of The Americas in the Lotus E20:

1:45.376

1:44.340

1:43.266

And today's attempt:

1:42.202


I've loving that circuit, just need to be more aggressive on corner exit.

 

[Davis]

Started out hating the understeer, probably because I played 2011 a lot up until 2012's release. After 3 hours of time-trialing at Singapore, I'm starting to grow more fond of it.

--I have a lot of issues, but I'll try and keep this brief...

I play without driving aids. Every time I run semi-wide at Singapore, the game cuts out my inputs, and slows up the car like I have traction control. After I just screwed up a corner, and slid wide, I want to floor it and forget about it. I don't care if I burn my rubber, I don't care if I use up my KERS, I just want to move on. For some reason, the game keeps cutting my power when I do this and its driving me nuts. What really ticks me off is when it cuts my speed when I "invalidate" a corner. Surely Codemasters knows that drastically slowing a car down mid-corner with full lock is going to cause a spin, but the game still cuts my power and the car turns way more than I intended. Then I do a 180 into a wall. Sorry if I'm not making sense here, its hard to explain what exactly is going on. Its like an artificial slowing. It doesn't make a car understeer like braking and turning does in game, its some weird gravitational magnet witchcraft that they pull that makes the car over-rotate.

Then the penalties are another story, hence I put invalidate in quotes earlier. Some corners one wheel off penalizes you. Other corners I can put all four off and it doesn't do anything. They're just so inconsistent, I don't know what to make of them.

The high speed driving is weird too in my opinion. Slight movements of the wheel do more than they should in my experiences. This is one of my smaller complaints that I don't really mind, its just awkward to deal with.

I hope I wasn't dreadfully confusing with this. It seems my late night posts never make sense. I'll also have to try out the wheel settings mentioned earlier.

 

[Ford Driver]

The high speed driving is weird too in my opinion. Slight movements of the wheel do more than they should in my experiences. This is one of my smaller complaints that I don't really mind, its just awkward to deal with.

Have you set a steering deadzone in advanced wheel settings? 1% should do it, although it is still very sensitive at 180+ MPH. What makes it fell strange is there is no feedback when it happens.

 

[Fondo458]

How are the track graphics and detail in comparison to Gran Turismo? Looks pretty real, but do Codemasters go for dead on realism like PD?

 

[Davis]

How are the track graphics and detail in comparison to Gran Turismo? Looks pretty real, but do Codemasters go for dead on realism like PD?

The graphics in comparison are worse. The logos on the cars are a noticeably low resolution. The game has a slight brownish-grainy look to it and sometimes the shadows underneath the cars look odd when compared to GT. Smoke isn't as good as GT. Night racing looks over-exposed, but maybe its just the insane lights at Singapore. The game's graphics are realistic enough, but definitely less polished than GT.

 

[F1sjb]

F1 2012 has massive issues with steering ,control ,graphics ,bugs ,actual game play,, staying on the track ,but all in all its a really good game well done codemasters " NOT". I'm afraid I'm going for return and refund and stick with fast paced and fun F1 2011 not this guff they have dumped on us now.Have posted this up in the technical forums as well but i thought it could go in this thread as well, if it might catch Codies attention:
*
'Thought I'd post up what bugs I've had so far, and will start the post by voicing my disgust at letting such a bug ridden game go to market.*
*
I've played the career on 25% races all the way through till Suzuka on Pro.
*
Not being able sometimes in race to change my fuel mix, i.e.. it selects RICH 3 fine but doesn't activate it when the car status screen is brought up, and no change in top speed. One race this was extremely annoying as I was saving fuel at the beginning to go faster at the end, but for 2-3 laps could not select the map.
Frame rate slows right down occasionally.
Every race weekend it has rained either in qualy or more often the race, its ridiculous, I have not had a completely dry weekend all season
I find that in the wet or changeable conditions the AI is lightning quick, even when on dry tryes when the rain is bucketing it down. Most of the time 2-4 seconds a lap quicker than me. Really not happy at all with how the player's car handles in the wet compared to the AI
When starting a race on inters the whole field comes in after lap one and puts on a new set of inters. Some times happens with wets too.
Generally feel that slides from the back end or 4 wheel drifts cannot be caught or held however your reaction times are, *feels totally like 2010 in that regard, yes 2011 was twitchy but at least you could hold the odd slide or too.
Career mode, when moving to a new team mid season, it comes up the you've signed up for next year.
Parc Ferme thing that has been mentioned before, but also I believe when Qualy has been dry and the start of the race is wet that you can change more settings than just the front wing. I thing you can adjust ride heights in real life as it is declared 'a change of climatic conditions'
The penalty system is way two harsh, particularly at Monaco and Singapore. My last race (@Singapore) I spun at the 3 kerb chicane half way through the lap whilst leading by 5 seconds, whilst recovery straight away the two cars behind obviously caught up as I was correcting my position and I was given a drive through for blocking. Why on earth is the leader of a race on single player on a street circuit getting a penalty for blocking? Ridiculous.
I'd also state that the handling model really doesn't lend its self to constistant lap times, the car spits and slides unpredictably most of the time even through the middle of corners.
Racing for Sauber in career then brake inlet ducts always seems to blincking in a highlighting red, what the hell is this?
Theres probably more, but I do not remember them all.
*
Since this game arriving on Thursday, it has been enjoyable, but only in parts. The stupid bugs and stupid things that crop up through this game really do make the game often infuriating, it will be a lovely F1 game after it is fixed. I reiterate what I said at the top of this post, this game should not have been released in the state it is in, frankly if I personally had my name to this I would be ashamed, the games release should have been put back until this was all sorted.' hope this helps with the bugs thing .i think they should have put 2012 graphics on the much better 2011 and tweaked that some . A little bit goes along way?.

 

[RACECAR]

The graphics in comparison are worse. The logos on the cars are a noticeably low resolution. The game has a slight brownish-grainy look to it and sometimes the shadows underneath the cars look odd when compared to GT. Smoke isn't as good as GT. Night racing looks over-exposed, but maybe its just the insane lights at Singapore. The game's graphics are realistic enough, but definitely less polished than GT.

What racing game's graphics on the console hasn't been less polished then GT?

Graphics are fine to me, but the upclose look at the logos and the bad pixelation of them is abit of an eyesore, even more so since its been like this for the past three games.

F1 2012 has massive issues with steering ,control ,graphics ,bugs ,actual game play,, staying on the track ,but all in all its a really good game well done codemasters " NOT". I'm afraid I'm going for return and refund and stick with fast paced and fun F1 2011 not this guff they have dumped on us now.

Mind explaining the Steering and control issues abit there? Also, what bugs?

 

[Terronium-12]

F1 20112 - A Fierce Love and Hate Relationship with a Game Suffering a Severe Identity Crisis

Codemasters recently released the third consecutive title in their series of Formula One video games, F1 2012 and while it's only been on the shelves for a week now that's served as enough time for it to be thrown under the most critical of eyes - and now it's my turn.

Let me start off by saying that it's by no means a bad, nay, a horrible game but it isn't a great game either. Instead it seems to sit comfortably in the area between good and bad, otherwise known as 'mediocre'. Yes, that's how I'd best describe the game to another person on the best of days but it isn't for the reasons you're probably thinking of. Okay, the reasons you're thinking of do play a factor in the mediocrity but there's more to it than just the known foibles.

For one, and this is perhaps my biggest peeve with the franchise itself, is for an official F1 title it doesn't really seem to be all that... official. 3 games in 3 years and Codemasters seems hellbent on avoiding using the entirety of the sports graphic overlays - the speedometer, the throttle and brake pressure indicators, the color coded speeds, no, instead they've opted to go the route of a more stylized effort and don't get me wrong I do like the effort, but it doesn't go a long way before I begin to wonder why they just didn't use the official overlays for an official game. It just doesn't mesh with my brain. Another thing that doesn't mesh with my brain (and there are plenty of things involving this series, believe me) is the release window for the game; in theory the logic behind it is absolutely brilliant: it's nearing the end of the season so here's your official (there's that word again!) game, replay and relive all of this year's events and race your heart out, and then when the season ends you'll be free to keep on racing until the next season begins.

Now if you're paying attention you'll notice that logic is flawed. Why? A couple of reasons: For one, it would be far more productive to release the games closer to the beginning. of the season when everyone is still pumped and everything is still new. Released as they are now being closer to the end of the season isn't necessarily the best of choices as everyone is already looking forward to the next season and it's related gossip. Now that's not to imply that the current season is being forgotten about because that's obviously not the case, especially when the sport is having a year like it's had throughout 2012. Let's not forget to mention that by the time the game actually does release the chassis' featured are literally quite outdated which leaves a bitter taste in my mouth because I'm unable to sport the latest aerodynamic upgrades. Of course one could argue that this point is a double-edged sword which is entirely true, however, that thought would be tossed to the wind because the game itself is on the scene early.

Let's move on to the actual game now shall we? I'm on the PC platform and the issues are overwhelming. First of which is Codemasters distraught focus on the game's direction, and by this I mean last year's game had a considerably severe oversteer bias with too much front end grip. This year's game has a considerably severe understeer bias with not enough front end grip. F1 2010 still seems, at least by my approximation, the best of the three games as it seems to get the balance just right. Which brings me to my next point: what is it that Codemasters want the series to be? Simulation? Arcade? A combination of both? What? It seems that with every passing year I'm more confused about the game's direction than they are.

Let's move on to short and concise opinions:

Physics - There's a lot of potential there but it's heavily marred with the understeer bias. I'd also appreciate it if they incorporated a better slip angle model and a couple of other things, namely the ability, or should I say inability, to flick the car around (power over) when I'm facing a barrier or the likes. The real drivers can do it so why can't I?

Grade: C-

Visuals - I'm on the PC so there's a wealth of available options out there to improve the game further than what Codies have already provided, so for that reason alone I won't grade this area as it wouldn't mirror what the majority of players would experience.

Grade: N/A

Sounds - Vastly improved over last year which was vastly improved over the previous. I see a trend and I love it, keep it up.

Grade: A

Gameplay - This should have been featured in the main review up above and to avoid this turning into several sentences of ranting verbosity I'll sum it up simply as this: Promise with the veil of insurmountable disappointment.

Leaving out features in an officially-licensed title. Really now?

Grade: C-

Multiplayer - I've yet to touch it, and from what I've read elsewhere I doubt I ever will.

Grade: N/A​

Final Grade: C+

 

[BlacqueJacques]

The people who are complaining are trying to drive like its 2011 still. If you drive with proper technique its great. Brake hard, ease off as you turn it, ease on to the gas WHILE straightening the wheel. Most people are giving the wheel to much steering input without letting all the way off the brakes. Turning the wheel tighter doesn't work like the last broken game. You have to be going the proper speed for the corner. Lap times are realistic because of this. With the pad, it doesn't letyou go past the ideal turning radius so that's why people thing its easier. If you use the wheel correctly its an incredibly enjoyable experience. Minus the idiots online

Agree wholeheartedly

My only complaint is the online information about lobbies is 95% wrong ('in Lobby'). It takes forever to find a lobby that is not actually racing or qualifying

I am also still getting used to not over revving when downshifting and toasting my engine

 

[Davis]

Physics - There's a lot of potential there but it's heavily marred with the understeer bias. I'd also appreciate it if they incorporated a better slip angle model and a couple of other things, namely the ability, or should I say inability, to flick the car around (power over) when I'm facing a barrier or the likes. The real drivers can do it so why can't I?

​

This was another one of my grievances for sure. Especially running off on street circuits, flipping the car around like that is very helpful, yet it doesn't work in game. Especially after watching Singapore, I saw that quite often, and when I go to do it on the same track in the same car in the same place, and fail, its really disappointing. I even tried it with a completely lowered car and no downforce. The understeer feels scripted, like a speed barrier, and once you hit a certain speed it goes away.

 

[danardif1]

I don't think there is an understeer bias in 2012, more that the flaws of 2011 have 'taught' many players the wrong things in driving an F1 car. The slip angles on the tyres are largely correct, if you watch any real onboard laps have a look at some understeery moments and see the reasons for why it happened...

Brake correctly (ie. in a straight line, easing off on turn-in), using and understanding brake bias for your driving style (those who like cars to be on the nose should actually send the bias backwards as to not overload the front tyres), and not just chucking the car into any old corner (learn the tracks, and don't forget that whilst it's an F1 car, it's not grip unlimited, it's still a car and will only do it's best work when used properly...). Acceleration should be gradual and in line with the corner out line you've chosen.

Do all this properly and you'll love it, because it's so much better than the oversteer-laden, catch any slide, way-too-soft suspension 2011 version.

 

[Terronium-12]

I don't think there is an understeer bias in 2012, more that the flaws of 2011 have 'taught' many players the wrong things in driving an F1 car. The slip angles on the tyres are largely correct, if you watch any real onboard laps have a look at some understeery moments and see the reasons for why it happened...

Brake correctly (ie. in a straight line, easing off on turn-in), using and understanding brake bias for your driving style (those who like cars to be on the nose should actually send the bias backwards as to not overload the front tyres), and not just chucking the car into any old corner (learn the tracks, and don't forget that whilst it's an F1 car, it's not grip unlimited, it's still a car and will only do it's best work when used properly...). Acceleration should be gradual and in line with the corner out line you've chosen.

Do all this properly and you'll love it, because it's so much better than the oversteer-laden, catch any slide, way-too-soft suspension 2011 version.

Codies themselves have acknowledged the fact. Although, again, it just plays into the entire ordeal of them not knowing what direction they want the game to follow.

And neither do I.

 

[danardif1]

What I mean is that it's not as accentuated as the oversteer was in 2011, it's a natural element of how these cars are set up and how the slip angle of big fat racing slicks builds in inherent understeer.

However, I have put 3 days into this game so far, and other than my first fumbling forays where I was learning the cars and re-learning elements of the circuits, I have not encountered massive understeer unless I've made a big mistake. Taking a corner too quickly, not getting my braking done in time and properly, or just putting too much angle into the steering, that's it.

I've worked on setups that create a more pointy car (as that is what I prefer), and it's easily done in this game (I'm nowhere near in the same league as some of the tuners on this site, yet have made some simple, yet quick setups for my style within the game).

Honestly, this thing drives just great, and regarding your musings on the direction that Codies want to follow, I think the actual driving element is something they've made a big step with here and should follow and work on this. The nuts and bolts of this game are great IMO, they just need to work on the other bits, like making the career mode a bit more fun outside the cockpit, and things like that.

 

[Ardius]

The people who are complaining are trying to drive like its 2011 still.

I don't think there is an understeer bias in 2012, more that the flaws of 2011 have 'taught' many players the wrong things in driving an F1 car.

And for those who play other racing games/simulations? Oh wait. Quite a bit of an assumption saying its just because everyone played 2011.
2011 had bizarre physics too, I actually prefer 2012 as its at least a bit more controllable with understeer instead. But that doesn't make it correct.

"You're just playing it wrong" doesn't cut it. There IS excessive understeer in this game.

 

[hennessey86]

F1 cars do under steer in real life you no :/

 

[PletdeKoe]

Hahahaha
Come on guys, don't hate it or defend it. Yes every sim-ish or sim games have understeer in their physics. So does Gt5. But F1 2012 has a very crude understeer model.

You'll just have to learn to deal with it on track to enjoy the game at it's fullest.

If you can't that too bad, you can't change it. If you can, good for, but don't hate the players who can't.

 

[BanditKarter22]

There isn't too much understeer in the game, the game rewards you by sticking to the racing line and having smooth and precise steering/throttle/brake inputs, if you are getting understeer it is because of your driving and for those that think it is impossible, yesterday in career mode I won at Monaco in a Force India on Legend difficulty with no aids over 100% distance

 

[Terronium-12]

There isn't too much understeer in the game, the game rewards you by sticking to the racing line and having smooth and precise steering/throttle/brake inputs, if you are getting understeer it is because of your driving and for those that think it is impossible, yesterday in career mode I won at Monaco in a Force India on Legend difficulty with no aids over 100% distance

And I set one of the top leaderboard times at Monza and Monaco; that doesn't mean there isn't an understeer bias, nor would Codemasters have admitted to such.

 

[BanditKarter22]

And I set one of the top leaderboard times at Monza and Monaco; that doesn't mean there isn't an understeer bias, nor would Codemasters have admitted to such.

Codemasters worked with Antony Davidson an ex formula one driver in developing the game and since none of us have ever driven an F1 car I would trust them to have come up with a realistic feel and an understeer bias is much better than an oversteer bias for a racing game as the limited feeback even with top end racing wheels means that oversteer is hard to react to as quickly as in real life.

 

[Terronium-12]

Codemasters worked with Antony Davidson an ex formula one driver in developing the game and since none of us have ever driven an F1 car I would trust them to have come up with a realistic feel and an understeer bias is much better than an oversteer bias for a racing game as the limited feeback even with top end racing wheels means that oversteer is hard to react to as quickly as in real life.

And yet, once again, Codemasters have admitted to their being a slightly heavy understeer as there are varying grip levels on the tracks. I guess they were told to do that, huh?

I'll also presume they were told the cars have some type of throttle modulation device onboard in the event the cars go off the track? Or, how about the oversteer feeling more like an on/off switch as opposed to a natural occurrence?

 

[BanditKarter22]

And yet, once again, Codemasters have admitted to their being a slightly heavy understeer as there are varying grip levels on the tracks. I guess they were told to do that, huh?

I'll also presume they were told the cars have some type of throttle modulation device onboard in the event the cars go off the track? Or, how about the oversteer feeling more like an on/off switch as opposed to a natural occurrence?

Obviously it isn't perfect for whatever reason and the throttle modulation is to stop you from cheating although can be annoying. The oversteer is like an on off switch when you are in a car with that much downforce acting on it. The only difference in a real F1 car with that is that the drivers can feel when the car lets go faster than we can on these games. Also don't forget that this is the best F1 game so far and I think that instead of everyone being negative about little niggles that we just need to use it as constructive criticism so that next year the game will improve further

 

[Ardius]

F1 cars do under steer in real life you no :/

Yes they do..but due to setup, situation or driving. Not because the cars have inherent understeer.

These are cars that are meant to be the greatest driving machines on the planet. They do everything you want and can take corners at ridiculous pace. The challenge in driving them is finding the limit and going beyond it - the limit is meant to be so high in these cars that you start having to be inch perfect to find the laptime and smallest, tiniest bit of understeer or oversteer can lose a tenth or two.

The cars in this game don't fit that description to me. It always feels like a compromise. In 2011 the cars drove like they had tiny wheels and road tyres fitted on the back.
In 2012, the cars drive like an FF or 4WD car - far too much entry to mid-corner understeer.

Its not hard to understand, the cars need to be balanced. Any handling characteristics should come from the setup and track layout, not the car itself. You should be able to adjust understeer and oversteer to find the balance you want in certain corners.
It shouldn't be as simplistic as "too fast, too much steering = understeer".

There isn't too much understeer in the game, the game rewards you by sticking to the racing line and having smooth and precise steering/throttle/brake inputs, if you are getting understeer it is because of your driving and for those that think it is impossible, yesterday in career mode I won at Monaco in a Force India on Legend difficulty with no aids over 100% distance

Oh thats what I was doing wrong. I wasn't driving properly. It makes complete sense.

How is "I can win so its fine" a reason why the physics are fine? You can win Mario Kart too, is that now realistic?

 

[danardif1]

And yet, once again, Codemasters have admitted to their being a slightly heavy understeer as there are varying grip levels on the tracks. I guess they were told to do that, huh?

I'll also presume they were told the cars have some type of throttle modulation device onboard in the event the cars go off the track? Or, how about the oversteer feeling more like an on/off switch as opposed to a natural occurrence?

Regarding snap oversteer, in F1 cars that's what you get. When you are driving at the limits of adhesion, once you step over it, you go from having all the grip you want to none at all.

Have you ever seen anyone truly 'drift' a modern F1 car? No. Have you seen anyone in F1 manage a snap oversteer moment? Hell yeah, and sometimes they look great... look at Kobayashi last year in Canada qualifying. Gets a massive oversteer moment coming out of the last chicane and heading for the Wall of Champions. Keeps his foot in it as much as he can (probably not very much, most to stop the diff from activating) and controls the slide.