F1 2016

[JudgeDredd]

Not pretty, but points earned. I certainly can't drive like this in the race...unless I want to do 5 pit stops

 

[Longknife]

Wow you were beating those tires! I could almost see the marbles coming off them LOL Thats what qual is for though.

Congrats on 9th. You worked to earn it!

[JudgeDredd]

That wasn't qualifying proper...it was the test to get and idea for the team of qualifying pace

Still, it's an indication of pace

[Asid]

Not pretty, but points earned. I certainly can't drive like this in the race...unless I want to do 5 pit stops

Nice. You will get a podium finish at the end of the season 

[JudgeDredd]

I don't think so. I was looking at the circuits and about half of those that are left, I have never really spent any time on. So I think I'll struggle a lot through the year.

[Asid]

I don't think so. I was looking at the circuits and about half of those that are left, I have never really spent any time on. So I think I'll struggle a lot through the year.

Maybe you need better sponsors? 

[Longknife]

Maybe you need better sponsors? 

Thats like giving up your football team! Petrona is a good pick if you want to be tops in standings. As for me, you will find me in my Lotus mid pack.

[JudgeDredd]

A bit of Practice 2 - just a few laps. I think things are coming together...definitely locking up less and finding the right braking, entry and exit points.

Roll on Practice 3

 

[JudgeDredd]

Sochi Qualifying

I changed my tyres at the start from Super Soft to Soft - being cocky. Actually just not wanting to waste a set of Super Soft tyres if I could help it. Turned out, I slipped down quite quickly and had to go out again in Q1 to get a better time on Super Soft tyres.

Q2 I went out in scrubbed Super Soft tyres and quickly realised I should've used my new set - so again, I had to go out a second time in the session

 

There's a couple of "chinks" noticeable in the AI.

First, there's really no way a Marussia - even with the developments being made - should be qualifying so high (I won't spoil the surprise...watch the vid). I've had some development done on the car, but the car is still bottom of the pile in terms of overall performance (when you go to the development screen, you can see other team performances in relation to your team).

I'm playing on 1 below the top level of AI (I think I'm on Expert and the top level is Legend) and given that level, I'd expect a Marussia to be stuck in the first part of qualifying, regardless how good the driver is.

I know I won't do so well in racing - which highlights a separate issue which is where in previous F1 games, you used to qualify fairly low and in the race you could be first by the first corner...it seems to be reversed here where you qualify high and run the race lower down...which is actually a better representation of how it is in the real F1 world.

So - there's that. I don't think I can change the AI level - but I may have to do that because the car is out performing it's performance.

Secondly, you will notice at some point during qualifying (5 minutes in) I have just finished my fast lap and requested to box - so coming into the pits. I'm on my in lap and I see Hulkenburg behind me. I slow down to let him past, which he does, and then proceeds to slow down a couple of times because I'm close. This highlights to me that the AI is not programmed to understand that I have just requested to pit. If the AI could detect that, then it shouldn't be making such an effort to let me past.

So I said I would keep people informed of perceived issues that I cam across and so I am.

It still doesn't ruin the game - it's a fantastic racing sim. Although the Marussia qualifying so high does irk me somewhat

[JudgeDredd]

Right - Sochi race start, first few laps and Virtual Safety Car

 

Unfortunately I crashed out on lap 18. As I said previously, I'm only going to use the Flashback feature if it's my fault. For AI issues, I'll use it. Unfortunately, this was my fault, so I took the hit and didn't finish.

For the next race, Catalunya in Spain, I've upped the AI to Legend

My new rival is Gutierrez in the HAAS as I've beaten my teammate and been promoted to primary driver within the team (just means more bonus points on offer I think).

I am winning the rivalry to Gutierrez by 1 point. I was winning by 5 or 6, but crashing out of Sochi put paid to that lead.

[Asid]

Unfortunately I crashed out on lap 18. As I said previously, I'm only going to use the Flashback feature if it's my fault. For AI issues, I'll use it. Unfortunately, this was my fault, so I took the hit and didn't finish.



I am winning the rivalry to Gutierrez by 1 point. I was winning by 5 or 6, but crashing out of Sochi put paid to that lead.

This is what is making your season interesting

[JudgeDredd]

Well - I'll be keeping it that way from this race in. 

Next up Spain and should be a good one for me as I'm well versed in it's layout

[Longknife]

Nice! I love Barcelona, its arguably my best track.

Short clip of one of my practice laps there driving a Lotus 49 in Asseto Corsa.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xQnZL1WWU8[/yt]

[JudgeDredd]

Nice.

I'm "well versed" in the layout of Catalunya, but I don't really like it and I'm not smoking hot round there.

I just know the layout because it was always the 3rd or 4th race in F1 games and as such, one of the few I ever got to - and normally never got much further in my career because I didn't really like it and normally stopped my career there. 

[JudgeDredd]

I think there is actually something wrong with the AI.

I have upped the AI level to Legend (from Expert) and currently going round Catalunya in Spain I'm 11 seconds off the pace. Worse than that, I'm 6 seconds behind my team mate. That is just a ridiculous jump in AI performance. It's not like this is a circuit I don't know or am particularly bad at...I've raced it a lot.

So, whilst I didn't want to be qualifying 3rd, I don't want to be driving around constantly dead last all the time...and I don't even mind that so much - it's the fact the times are so stark!

So it'll be back to Expert in the next race I'm afraid.