F1
We get an early look at the latest Formula One game from Codemasters, F1 2013.
With just under a month to go until their latest Formula One game, Codemastersopened their doors so we could get hands-on with the eagerly-anticipated F1 2013. The game is the fifth F1 title developed by Codemasters studios after gaining the license from Sony back in 2009. “The complexity of the sim has improved,” Senior Game Designer, Lee Mather told RedBull.com. “Like in Formula One you get better as you learn and adapt to what you’re working with, that’s what we’ve done really. We’ve learned a hell of a lot over the years.”
F1 2013 is not only looking like it’ll be their best effort yet but the game is also the most ambitious, being packed with brand new features. Changes are notable the second you plug in and play, with slick new menu screens and a beautifully rendered home screen. The new look fits perfectly with modern F1 but flick to ‘classic mode’ and everything changes. Wind tunnel shots are replaced with the old Silverstone pit garages and even the on-screen visuals have a retro feel.
Classic mode is of course the big new addition to the series, boasting Ferraris, Williams’ and Lotuses from the 1980s and 1990s. “One of the biggest challenges in the modern cars is maxing the lap times, there’s more movement in the classics,” says Mather. “Also the cars handled completely different, we’ve never done turbo cars so the 1980s was fun. We enjoyed doing the research as we got to watch plenty of the old videos on them.” He’s not wrong about the handling, switching from the modern Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB9 to the 1988 Lotus 100T meant a dramatic change in driving style and one small mistake would cost you, big time.
We’ve never done turbo cars so the 1980s was fun. We enjoyed doing the research.
Codemasters are well aware that mistakes are costly in short races, so they’re hoping more people will go for the full Formula One experience with 100% races, thanks to a new feature, mid-race saving. “We’ve always wanted to add in-game saving,” Mather explains. “100% is where the real action is, you make a mistake and you can still get back into the race.” The new addition will hopefully get more people into racing for the long haul and experience the in-game features like fuel and tyre wear.
Plenty of work has been put into improving the overall gaming experience and making it as realistic as possible. “We get to visit races and factories. Without the access we’d really struggle as it can be quite a closed sport at times.” It’s not just going to races that help them create the game; racing driver, Anthony Davidson has been an essential part when recreating the handling of a Formula One car in a video game. “You can see things on television and watch videos but ultimately it’s down to the feel and that’s what a driver can give you. There’s load of things that Ant’s given us over the years that we couldn’t have done without,” says Mather.
F1 2013 will be available on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 from October 4.
