Update from the Studio

[Guest Uff]

In attesa della prima patch, Codemasters ci aggiorna su alcuni degli elementi più discussi del gioco.

 

F1 2013 – Update from the Studio

 

Many thanks for all your comments and feedback on the game so far. The Development and QA teams have been working through the list of issues raised, trying to reproduce and fix as many issues as possible ahead of forthcoming patches. As per last year, we would like to get updates out to you as quickly as possible, so fixes will be drip fed to into the PC version of the game via steam first, before being consolidated into the various console submissions. Further details on the specific fixes made in the first patch will follow next week.

 

In the meantime, we wanted to put some information out about two of the issues in particular.

 

Multiplayer Matchmaking

 

We have identified a multiplayer matchmaking issue whereby players may not be able to join each other’s multiplayer lobbies/races. We have located the error and have prepared a fix to address this which will go live at the first patching opportunity. However, until the patch goes live you may experience problems with how many players you can connect with. In the interim we suggest the following workaround: -

 

For maximum matches in a 2013 race, a STANDARD EDITION gamer should host.

For maximum matches in a 1980s race, a STANDARD EDITION gamer should host.

For maximum matches in a 1990s race, anyone with the content can host

 

If a CLASSIC EDITION gamer hosts, he will only be matched with other CLASSIC EDITION players or STANDARD EDITION players with both DLC packs installed when they go live.

 

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Tyre & Fuel Scaling

 

There have been a number of threads commenting on the level of severity of the tyre wear, in particular on 25% races.

 

The severity of tyre wear has been designed based off real world data. Tyre management is part and parcel of the F1 experience in 2013 – anyone who watched the latest race in Korea will notice how much both were commented on by the both the teams and in particular the drivers; Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso to name but a few.

 

The following list of areas which affect the wear and life of a tyre will help you to understand the simulation behind the tyre model, and will hopefully aide your gameplay experience in this area.

 

• First off, tyre wear in Grand Prix mode is different to tyre wear in Career due to the R&D upgrade system. In Career, cars start in their rawest configuration, i.e. with the worst tyre wear and non-upgraded base cars, and are then upgraded throughout the season as you progress and complete the Practice R&D tests. On top of that, each constructor has a different base tyre wear starting point, for example if you drive the Mercedes on a pad you’ll suffer with rear tyre wear more than the Lotus. However in GP Mode they’ll be much closer in terms of wear with all their upgrades applied. Observed wear differences for front and rear tyres are also modelled in the 2013 game. This can have an impact on a cars suitability to certain tracks. Finally, the tyre compounds Pirelli had used and announced up to the time of release are applied. Some players have noted the harder Prime tyre lasting marginally longer than the softer Option. This can happen on circuits which used compounds next to one another (e.g. Soft and Medium).

• Maintaining the temperature of the tyres is critical this year. Again using Korea as an example of a real life race, the right front tyre was under particular close scrutiny from the teams due to the load being put through it on the Korean circuit. Using the temperature HUD swipe will help you be aware when excessive temperature and therefore wear is starting to become an issue. Lifting and coasting through corners, and minimising wheel spin are things to bear in mind to bring the tyres back to the right operating temperature window.

• Car Setup modifications will affect the tyre wear much more than in previous versions of the game for those of you who like to run with setups on the extreme i.e. full negative camber, 11/11 etc.

• Contrary to some reports, the AI are affected by tyre scaling & fuel management in the same way as the player. The weight of a car has a fairly big impact on the achievable lap time so as fuel levels decrease the lap times do get faster if you can prevent the tyres from falling away. The AI do a very good job of maintaining tyre life, and utilise their fuel management well in the race, particularly in clean air, and on their in and out laps.

• Fuel is scaled in a similar way to tyres in that on a lower distance there is less of a ‘noticeable fuel’ increase on that setting. In real life, teams almost always under fuel the car for the race, knowing that the driver will have to manage it at some point, or hoping for a period under the safety car. 1 extra lap of fuel is equivalent of 0.3 seconds per lap, so starting with any additional fuel to what is needed is a luxury. Last year’s level of starting fuel mixtures  has therefore been reduced and made closer to real life based on discussions with f1 teams and engineers. Similar to tyre preservation, lifting and coasting into corners, shifting up a gear early all contribute greatly towards fuel conservation. React to the situation you find yourself in – if you don’t need to be using as much fuel consider turning it down. It might come in handy later. The AI are doing the same thing.

 

Hopefully with this knowledge, and with more game time under your belts, you’ll be better suited to maximise your race strategies in the future. We will of course continue to monitor feedback in this area, along with all others.

 

Happy gaming.