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#4543010 - 11/01/20 11:40 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Using a control pad is pretty good for me.

I completed two Grand Prix events, and with full damage settings, at least I kept the car in one piece each time. Finished mid-field both events, overall a nice warmup toward an eventual season play.


WARNING: This post contains opinions produced in a facility which also occasionally processes fact products.
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#4543063 - 11/02/20 01:37 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Nicely done adlabs. I am using the reduced damage setting. A bump is enough to need a new front wing, but it takes a lot to be knocked out. An occasional retirement would be good, so maybe I should mix up the settings at some point.

I did make one change for season two in my My Team career. I changed qualifying from short (18 minutes) to one-shot. It doesn't affect me really, as even before I was only running one lap. But the AI has fewer chances to get a fast one with one-shot. So if they happen to run their hot lap and get behind a slower car it shows in the grid order and they don't have a second chance to make a flyer. This has served to mix it up a bit and shuffle the order and season two so far is much more interesting and Mercedes is not nearly so dominant thus far. Red Bull actually is leading the Constructors through about five races, and the table is much more congested. More drivers are scoring points and it's all more interesting rather than having the same cars up front all the time (like the real thing).

It would be great if Codemasters released a 2020 season DLC with the tracks being run in real Formula One that aren't in the game like Mugello, Imola and Nurburgring. I'd like to have a much longer track list to use to set my season schedule and mix it up from year to year. Running the 16-race schedule allows some flexibility but the list isn't long enough to have much leeway, especially since I am avoiding street circuits. It would be great to have 30 or 40 tracks to choose from. Maybe add other tracks like Laguna Seca, Indianapolis, Sebring, Hockenheim, Le Mans, Magny-Cours, Sepang, Estoril and a zillion more I could mention.

In my career, new teammate Sainz has already scored in three of the five races so far and as a result Riccochet Racing is a factor in the Constructors race. During season one you won't have enough money to hire an established F1 driver. But it's smart I think to be sure and save up your cash toward the end of the first season so you can afford to upgrade the second driver with someone good for season two. I got Sainz on a 8.5m contract and I think to get someone good you'll want to have at least 10m in the bank when the first season comes to a close. Team acclaim and facility tech level are also factors in which teams top drivers will sign for, so don't neglect this through the first season.



No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4543064 - 11/02/20 01:44 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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I know it's a long shot but I think it would be great if we could start a SimHQ League for F1 2020. The nice thing about the way the leagues work is that you can show up for the races you want to with no obligation to do them all. I'll be buying 2020 when it goes on sale again.

Last edited by PanzerMeyer; 11/02/20 01:45 PM.

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4543067 - 11/02/20 02:07 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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I'd be in for sure PM. I ran our GPL leagues all those years ago so have some experience running this sort of thing, not that I'm appointing myself, but would be willing. As long as we are generous with the aids allowed I think we might attract some drivers to the grid. Concept and execution are not the same however and I know that the difference between expressing interest and actually showing up each week often reveals a disconnect. Recently we were supposed to hook up to play some PGA Tour 2K21 and I thought it was all set, I even listed which days of the week I am available and nothing happened at all, despite the stated interest. This is my experience in most MP things that get bandied about, after all you and I still haven't played Borderlands lol. j/k

But a SimHQ Formula One League is a great idea and I'd be all over it, and would be happy to take care of all the administration and organization if there were several drivers who were committed to it. So when you do get F1 2020 let me know and maybe we can drum up some interest.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4543069 - 11/02/20 02:13 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Originally Posted by DBond
This is my experience in most MP things that get bandied about, after all you and I still haven't played Borderlands lol. j/k

.



Believe it or not, my friend and I just very recently finished all of the DLC's for BL 3 so for now we are done with our level 65 characters. When we're ready to do another playthrough of BL 3 with new characters I'll be sure to let you know. With the Borderlands games, the fun factor increases exponentially with each human player you add.


As for F1 2020, I'm expecting it to go on sale for Thanksgiving so that's when I'll get it.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4543244 - 11/03/20 04:40 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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A few shots from the French Grand Prix. I qualified on mediums as I had good pace in practice, which meant I could run the race on one stop. But it began raining with about 10 to go and I came in early for inters. Everyone else stayed out and my slower pace saw me drop to 12th. But as the track got wetter, my relative pace picked up, the AI drivers began coming in for tires and I finished third. Hamilton won his second in a row. Mercedes is still the class of the division, but this season not quite so far in front. Red Bull have a shot and so does my team, but I think it's a season or two too early. Ferrari are off the pace, they did not seem to deal with the regulation changes as well as some other teams have. Renault and McLaren have improved, Racing Point seemed to have regressed slightly and as a result of all of this the title chases are more wide open this season.

Kimi retired after season one, and two F2 drivers were promoted to fill his seat and the one vacated by Sainz when he signed for Riccochet. Those drivers are Ghiotto and Mick Schumacher, the two drivers I had employed in season one. They are each running at the tail end (Haas and Williams), neither has scored so far, but they've got their feet in the door.

The start

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]



[Linked Image]

Attached Files start1.jpgstart2.jpgstart3.jpgstart4.jpg
Last edited by DBond; 11/03/20 04:42 PM.

No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4543363 - 11/04/20 11:48 AM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Nice screens Dbond.

So yesterday I did something for the first time in any F1 game. I played on a public "ranked" server.

It was fun at times BUT there was one guy who refused to mute his microphone so I got to hear him blabber in Portuguese the whole time to what seemed to be other people in his house. There were also some really reckless drivers who didn't care if they barreled into you on turn 1 after a race start.


I have been fully vindicated in my decision to only play MP games with people I know.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4543378 - 11/04/20 02:06 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Thanks, yeah it's a great looking sim, and it runs beautifully. Everything's on ultra and it's like glass at all times, which is important in a racing sim. My rig is rather modest but it runs great. Have had no crashes (of the computer kind) or instability either.

I'm surprised you joined a pick up race. But points for giving it a go. Pick ups have never worked out well for me in sim racing, so I avoid them. Honestly the only ones I do anymore are in GTAO, and there as you'd expect it's a fuster cluck, but with a different mindset I'm able to shrug it off. In GTA it just seems normal to have so many d-bags around. In Formula One I wouldn't be able to accept it if someone were participating with the goal of wrecking everyone.

If the SimHQ Formula One Racing League ever gets off the ground that would be a great experience.

My second season in the My Team career continues. About six races to go in the season. Due to technical progress and driver perks my parts have lasted longer in season two. I was replacing the engine after just three races in season one. But now I'm on my third with 10 races down. So I got about five races out of each of the first two engine packages. I have been doing some swapping, that is using the worn parts for P1 and P2, then swapping them to newer ones for the business end of the race weekend.

Everything about my approach at each event has become a measured routine. I run the practice programs in a specific order and sessions, using specific sets of tires for each. I want to get the most data and resource points with the least wear on the parts, while conserving tires as best as I can. Weather, unexpected and poor results, and parts swapping all factor in as well, so not every weekend plays out precisely the same. But it's all very methodical.

The way it plays out is cool, as my pace builds over the course of the practice sessions, culminating in what I hope is my fastest lap of the weekend in qualifying. So there's some drama there about whether I will find the pace by the time it counts. The weather is a wildcard of course and you need to react well to it and change your practice routine at times to account for it. The AI seems to run rich mix a lot in practice, which masks to an extent my relative pace. I only use rich in the qualifying sim program and qualification proper.

I did give the AI strength a mid-season bump of five more points. It had gotten to the point where I felt I was a bit too strong for this point in the My Team career. But the real issue is that I've done so well with the technical/ R&D side that the Riccochet Racing car is now even with Mercedes in the performance charts. I believe I generate significantly more resource points than the AI teams due to how thorough I am with the practice programs. I also prioritized resource point generation when upgrading my facilities and selecting driver perks. Hiring Sainz has been a massive boost as well as he gets far more each weekend than the two scrubs from season one did.

You might think I could just keep bumping the AI to compensate, but doing this also bumps my teammate. It becomes harder for me, but Sainz gets faster right along with the others. What this all means is that a Constructor's title is in the near future for us, but for me to outdrive my teammate becomes much harder and I reckon next season he will be favorite to win the WDC. If I am smart and stockpile resource points over the remaining weekends I will be able to counter any regulation changes in store, meaning come the start of next season Riccochet will be the best car on the grid, and then it's only down to driver performance whether we win any silverware.

This sort of progress is far too fast, and if I were to play another I think some house rules are in order, to slow my progress on the technical side of things.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4543504 - 11/05/20 04:44 AM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Originally Posted by DBond
Hey Wolverine, how's things? Thanks for the comment. Reading that someone gets the game because of my posts is great. Well, hopefully you can work out some seat time and turn some laps.

I started season 2, and the regulation changes seems to have shaken the field a bit, and narrowed it too. Pretty interesting results so far with the top of the expected order mixed up to a degree. With a few driver changes and some shake up in running order it gives the sim that sense of variability that makes it compelling. With how robot-like the AI runs the races, and the lack of chaos I talked about earlier, this shake up is great. It may settle out moving forward, but the early results are interesting.

It's a huge shift too, to have a teammate that is capable of getting the most out of the car. With the crap drivers I employed in season one I could never be sure of my car's real capability. But with Sainz behind the wheel it shows we are in good shape. He had a poor result in Bahrain, finishing 15th, while I crossed 8th. but I could see by his pace over the weekend that we will both be scoring points this season. It's a lot of fun rooting for the AI teammate to come good. He also is able to complete more of the practice programs than the season one drivers, and generates more resource points as a result. Combined with the improvement to our facilities I've bought, our technical progress in season 2 should be much better. The tightening of the field due to the regulation changes and our improved R&D capability should see us moving up the performance charts as the season progresses.


I managed to start a driver career in F2 with the 6 race season with the one shot qualifying. Used the casual settings, but I may eventually have to up the difficulty. Have taken every pole and led every lap so far in three races...lol.

I might be into a SimHQ race season. I have a little more time in the winter usually.

#4543551 - 11/05/20 03:52 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: WolverineFW]  
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Originally Posted by WolverineFW
but I may eventually have to up the difficulty. Have taken every pole and led every lap so far in three races...lol.


Finding the right level took a while for me. Deciding on which aids I would allow and then finding an AI level that was right needed some trial and error. I don't want to run up front all the time, or at the back all the time. I want to find the right level for the car I am in. I began with F2, like you, and set the AI to 40. Of course that was too low, so I then bumped it to 60. Each point of AI strength seems to make about a one-tenth of a second difference in their laptimes. So bumping it by 20 speeds them up around 2 seconds per lap. I then went to 80, then 90, and mid-way through this current season to 95. Based on my settings and skill level this is just about right. If I run a clean lap near my limit I'll be within a few tenths either way of the best AI cars.

Part of the equation too is the fact that there is little deviance from the AI cars. They make few mistakes. I'd be fine with faster AI if they had some variability to their laptimes, a mistake here or there costing them a second or two. Without that though any mistake I make stands out more with no chance an AI car might match it at some point during the race. I'm happy to have it set where even if I run a great, mistake-free, clean race near my limit I finish 6th or 8th, or out of the points altogether even.

At the same time I am improving, getting better all the time, and as I learn the car setup I can find a few more tenths here and there with some chassis adjustment. And in My Team, my car is continually improving too. So it's a moving target. I think a great way to arrive at the proper level is to turn laps in the best car in a Driver Career practice session, say a Mercedes and set the AI where Hamilton or Bottas matches your personal best. Then, if you aren't driving the best car in your career, the difference in laptimes will be because of the car, not driver skill. And that feels right.

For years I've been a simhead realism junkie. Always running these games with no aids, always in cockpit view with as little HUD stuff as I can get away with. But with this sim I've sort of ditched that approach. By allowing aids I am better and more consistent and it imparts the feeling I have mastered it. I'm not fighting wheelspin or locking my brakes. The dynamic racing line is key to running near the edge at all times. In essence, these aids allow me to drive like the AI, and if I find the correct AI strength it results in sublime racing. It removes the rubber-banding you would otherwise get if you set the AI a little slow in order to allow you a chance to make up ground after you make a mistake, or the continual falling back you would get if the AI were set too strong and never making mistakes. At these settings the racing feels more real, ironically enough, as I can drive like one of the world's best due to the aids I am allowing. Combined with high AI pace it means I must run a great race to score. If I DO make a mistake it is punished. But the likelihood is lower and a clean run will net a good result in most cases.

I've also gotten a good feel for how and when strategy can pay off. The tracks and circumstances when running a certain pit strategy and tire combination will net me gain. One of the interesting rules is that drivers qualifying in the top ten must start the race on those same tires. From 11th on the grid and back you can choose to start on any tire. So the top-ten are always going to pit early. And there are some tracks, such as Mexico for example, where there are too many laps left to switch to a harder compound and finish the race on one stop. These top-ten drivers will need to stop twice, and at such a track I can exploit this by either qualifying on mediums and hope I get in the top ten, or qualifying outside of the top ten so I have full freedom with strategy. In some ways, qualifying 11th is better than qualifying 8th on softs. But other tracks will allow a soft start and one stop, so it takes some time to learn these nuances and be able to take advantage.

Pit strategies add so much to F1 2020. For this reason I'd suggest always running career modes at least 50% race length. At 25% pitting isn't needed, but it cuts too much out of the experience. Combine this with the dynamic weather and it all adds up to a fantastic race-day experience for me. I am really digging it. And don't forget that this sim has voice-recognition to communicate with Jeff, the engineer. It's a life saver when you need to alter strategy during the race.




No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4543692 - 11/06/20 12:29 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Congrats DBond! What skill level did you have the AI set at? Did you use any driving aids at all?



Thanks Panzer. Yes, I used a number of aids, TC, anti-lock brakes, dynamic driving line (corners only), reduced damage and assisted race start. AI is set to 95, up from 90 at the mid-point of the season. I talked a little about this in the previous post.

The second season of this My Team career was a good one. As mentioned, Riccochet Racing made greats strides in the technical department, ending the season with a car that was a match for any, even Mercedes. Teammate Carlos Sainz finished the season strong, winning the final race of the year at Abu Dhabi. I scored in every race, but failed to win any. Brazil was my best shot, I was clearly the fastest in practice. But a misjudged attempt at passing Stroll in to turn one saw me run up his ass end and damage my front wing, which killed enough pace that a win was out.

Hamilton won six races and the WDC, and Mercedes won the Constructors, although with fewer points than the year before as the field was narrowed by technical development and regulation changes. Ferrari had a nightmare of a season, and especially so Leclerc, who finished 12th in the standings, and that isn't good enough for Ferrari. Their cars seemed well off the pace all season, mirroring real life. Ferrari is the best engine, but they failed to make it work. Vettel retired at season's end to be replaced by F2 driver Matsushita for season three. Racing Point fell off a cliff. They looked to be ready to challenge for the top but failed to make an impression. McLaren and Renault continued to improve, and Gasly especially was impressive. Red Bull is strong, and Verstappen had a good season with three wins, but they need a better driver than Albon in the second seat if they are to be a factor in the title chase. Alfa Romeo, Haas and Williams scored zero points for the season.


Riccochet Racing had a great season, finishing strongly as the car came along. I failed to score any wins, but was close on a number of occasions, with eight podiums. We ended the season as the best car by a slim margin in the performance charts and I expect that to continue as we develop the car through season three. I expect we will be in the conversation for the title. Of course this is too fast, to be challenging for the top in season three, but it is what it is.

[Linked Image]

The race results reflect the mid-season bump to the AI. I scored several fastest laps (purple box) in the first half of the season, but you can see none after making the change following the race in Austria

[Linked Image]



At the start of season three I remembered to check the team details screen and was able to change my main sponsor, from Shark to Pacifico. The sponsor goal is an easily reachable score 25 championship points and will net about 6 million more over the course of the season. We also reached team acclaim level 20 which unlocked the fourth secondary sponsor, so all looks good on the commercial front.

I was planning to switch to Ferrari as the engine supplier, but ended up going with Mercedes. Each engine has a performance and durability rating. Ferrari is 100/100. Mercedes is 100/97 and the Honda I was using is 95/95. Not a big difference, but any edge can make a difference. It could mean the few tenths per lap that decide the title. With the money coming in for the league position and sponsor goal I invested heavily in our facilities, further reducing failure chance and development time for our R&D projects. Reaching tech level 3 with our HQ unlocked some new technical projects and I expect we will push on and maintain our position at the top of the performance charts. I re-signed Carlos Sainz, although his success meant he wanted more money, but I'm happy to do it and have plenty of cash to cover it. I'd rate Sainz as the WDC favorite this season. Mercedes and maybe Red Bull will have something to say about that. Their driver lineups have not changed. There were no regulation changes for season three.

At Mexico, Bottas won the race, but having two Riccochet Racing drivers on the podium is a sign of how far we have come since the start of this career.


[Linked Image]



So on to season three. Riccochet Racing are not clear favorites, but we have to be considered strong contenders. If our results can match our performance I expect we will be in with a shout.

A cool shot of my number 9 car during the pre-season car reveal


[Linked Image]

Attached Files 3rdseasonstandings.jpgpodium.jpgcareveal.jpgseasonresults.jpg
Last edited by DBond; 11/06/20 04:05 PM.

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#4543697 - 11/06/20 12:42 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Congrats DBond! What skill level did you have the AI set at? Did you use any driving aids at all?


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4543715 - 11/06/20 01:56 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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I answered that in the previous post, since I edited it to add commentary, so the answer precedes the question!


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#4543717 - 11/06/20 02:13 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Originally Posted by DBond
I answered that in the previous post, since I edited it to add commentary, so the answer precedes the question!



Ah ok, I found it! Thanks.

I suppose if all I played were racing sims then I would play F1 with no aids at all and bump up the AI to a much higher skill level. The bottom line is that I'm really a casual racing simmer.

Last edited by PanzerMeyer; 11/06/20 02:14 PM.

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4543723 - 11/06/20 02:27 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Yeah, I'm fine with the aids, as I talked about a couple posts back. Instead of constantly fighting wheelspin, I instead have it 'mastered' and it makes it feel like I am on par with the AI in terms of skill. It translates to better racing, as I am much more consistent as a result. I have the AI tuned at a high pace, and if I were losing a half second here and there as I fight to regain control of the ass end it would mean I would struggle to keep up. So like I said using the aids makes me feel like one of the world's best drivers and on the same level as the robot-like AI. I had planned of course to eliminate these aids once I got accustomed to the sim, but with about 150 hours in to it now I realize this is where I am going to have the best experience, especially using a controller. It's way better to be good against fast AI, than to be worse against slower AI. In the end I could make it so the results are the same just by tweaking AI level. But the way I'm doing it is much smoother and professional, even if the challenge is shifted to a degree from the actual driving, to the pace of the competition.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4543857 - 11/07/20 02:50 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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I had predicted that in season three my teammate Carlos Sainz would be the favorite for WDC. I could see it coming. If our car kept on the same development trajectory, then he would begin to dominate. My car is just as fast, but I'm human, he is less so. And so it is that he won the first three races of the new season. I've done well with a 5th, 2nd and 3rd so far, but Sainz looks to be unstoppable, And having set the AI pace to my limit, I have no real wiggle room to even it out.

My Team is a great mode, especially in a racing sim. Straight up my alley and I am really enjoying it. But there are clearly some balancing issues with car development. To begin as one of the worst cars and flipping it in just a couple of seasons is too fast. I have attempted to play optimally, and some players won't, meaning they'll see slower relative progress. But for players who approach it like I have the top is reached too quickly I think.

There is a limit, at some point I'll have no more R&D projects to pursue, and the technological superiority will fade as the field narrows. Until then though I suspect our team will be odds-on favorites for the Constructors. But how will I crack the WDC? Retirements and pit strategies that don't work out will see Sainz fail to win, but my chance to narrow the gap is slim. If I can continue to improve I can edge him I think, but then it's just our two cars dominating every weekend, which is not compelling gameplay.

Bumping the AI isn't really an answer as what it is really doing is slowing me down, while every other car keeps their position in a relative sense, they just go around the track faster. The only real option is to establish house rules that either limit my resource point gain or spending. I won't bother in this career, it makes sense to keep on this path so I see how it plays out. But if I were to play another I think doing something along these lines would be better. Hiring worse drivers would also have some effect. And actually, this is probably my path to a WDC, that is have the fastest car but not the fastest teammate. If over the next season or two I fail to crack it, then maybe I will hire someone fresh out of F2.

In My Team winning the constructors seems to be the true goal, as it reflects on the entire organization I have built. But personally I wouldn't feel it was a success without some individual glory smile


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4543975 - 11/08/20 01:44 AM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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I need to check out the "My Team" mode that v2020 includes. Your description kind of reminds me of another title I recall looking at a good while back:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/415200/Motorsport_Manager/


WARNING: This post contains opinions produced in a facility which also occasionally processes fact products.
#4544017 - 11/08/20 01:10 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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Indeed it does. There are many similarities between the two games. I happened to mention Motorsport Manager in the first post. It's a really fun game, and you can read my thoughts about it here. In some ways, F1 2020 with My Team is the game I had been wishing for when talking abut how I wanted a sim where I could be owner/driver in that thread from three years ago.

Motorsport Manager


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4544810 - 11/13/20 03:15 PM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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I completed seasons three and four of My Team. Season three saw my teammate Carlos Sainz dominate as feared. He won 11 of the 16 races and I won three, meaning the other AI drivers won just two between them (Bottas, Hamilton). Riccochet cruised to the constructors and Sainz the WDC.

Near the end of season three I began preparing for any regulation changes, by stockpiling resource points. With about 5 races to go regulation changes were announced, with both powertrain and chassis departments affected. By planning ahead I was able to save every single part by making it 'conform' to the new regulations. And then when season four began, our car had a massive performance lead. The game uses a line graph to compare the various constructors' performance. The scale goes to 1100, which is a fully-developed car, all upgrades completed and installed. And because the AI did not absorb these changes well, and we did, we began season four at around 1000 on the chart, while the best AI cars were around 800. So that means we are about 20% 'better' and the results simply no longer in doubt. By the mid-point of season four our car was fully developed, all improvements done. It's just too fast.

In order to give myself a shot I sacked newly-crowned World Champion Carlos Sainz and replaced him with F2 driver Nyck de Vries, a Dutchman. He had decent attributes, rated 81 to Sainz's 92. But with our car so much better than the others, even he was nearly unbeatable. The only car that could touch him was mine, and we traded wins through the season, but the constructor's race was a joke, only the tight fight between me and de Vries was interesting. After I won again, this time in Austria, I decided the thrill had gone, that it was not fun to dominate every race. Running mid-pack to finish sixth or something is a lot of fun. Lapping the field is not. So I started a new Driver's Career, basically the same but without the corporate responsibilities and no way to improve facilities and gain a massive edge over the AI in the technical department. I still choose what R&D projects we do, and have some control over how many resource points we earn, but without the ability to improve our facilities, progress is slowed. I signed with Alpha Tauri, taking Kvyat's seat. They're the worst team that isn't Alpha Romeo, Haas or Williams. So a good challenge without starting at the very bottom. I hope to earn a seat on a better team with good results and eventually a WDC. I purposely stopped my My Team career before doing so to save that one achievement for the new career.

So having done it, how do I rate the My Team mode in F1 2020? In a word, highly. It's a great way to play a racing sim, and I enjoy managing the team, R&D, customizing the livery, choosing engine suppliers, signing drivers and so on. Starting at the bottom and building a winning car and organization is very appealing. But the fact is that playing optimally is way too strong. We easily outpaced the AI in generating resource points week after week. This resulted in a meteoric rise up the performance charts, and I had plenty of money to improve headquarters and it all snowballed to a position of dominance that took away the drama.

If I were to do it again I think the obvious solution is simply a few house rules that either limit how many resource points we gain, or how many we spend. Regulation changes are not handled well by the AI, they seem to make little effort to conform parts for the following season. If the player does, it's a big shift in relative performance that allows the player to close the gap and then run away.

As much as I like My Team mode I think Driver Career might be better for long term saves. Start on a weaker team, then work your way up through the years.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4544999 - 11/15/20 05:46 AM Re: F1 2020 (the sim) [Re: DBond]  
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DBond, thanks for the link to your Motorsports Manager posting. Something I will certainly consider again someday.

I started my driver career in 2018 today. Signed with Sauber Alfa Romeo, as the #2 team driver.

The practice sessions impressed me more than expected, thanks to the team's "sim programmes". They helped me with technique, and are nicely layered with the research points system.

Overall a good opening in Australia, finishing 11th I just missed getting a point, but I did manage to finish ahead of my teammate by one place, and gained 7 placed over my starting position.

Pretty tense play session, even on my softer easy difficulty. And driving with the control pad (8BitDo SN30) worked well, and kept setup stuff simple. Still much to learn, and I'm looking forward to it at this point.

Last edited by adlabs6; 11/15/20 05:47 AM.

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