F1 2016 Codemasters F1 2016 Released

[Chris]

Featuring all the official drivers, teams and tracks from the 2016 Formula One season, the release day for Codemasters latest Formula One iteration is finally here.

Making it's return to the series is the Safety Car, along with the newly implemented Virtual Safety Car (VSC) and a host of new and improved features such as manual starts and formation laps. Players will be able to create their own character, personalise their own helmet and choose a racing number for their career.

F1 2016 is the official video game of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™ and features the full 2016 season calendar of 21 tracks, including the brand new Baku circuit in Azerbaijan, and the full roster of 22 drivers and 11 teams, including the new Haas F1 Team.

Many fans believe this to be the true successor to the original F1 2010 game with a greater focus on "Living the Life", as players will have to deal with media commitments, driver contracts and emails. In addition to these welcome improvements comes far more engaging practice sessions as drivers will need to complete programs and goals for the Free Practice sessions which are vital for the team's Research and Development program.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...earch-alias=videogames&field-keywords=f1+2016
F1 2016 is available for PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4 here

Do you own F1 2016? What are your impressions so far? Let us know!

 

[Lars Hansen]

Well, 4-5 hours in, should be enough for a first impressions.

For me, it's fun. Pure and simple.
Don't ask me about physics or any of that stuff, because I have absolutely no idea.
I have a very limited knowledge of motor-racing in general, and I know absolutely sod-all about F1 in particular.
I am however a sucker for good SP racing, and since we're still waiting on NASCAR Heat, I figured 'why the hell not?'
And I haven't regretted it for a second.

No performance problems (i5-6500@3.2, GTX970, 5760x1080), and it looks perfectly fine to me.
Not entirely sure about the AI, but I'm still figuring out which AI level to run at to get a good racing.
But they do admittedly seem to be a little aggressive.
That aside, the game delivers immersion in spades (at least to an amateur), and while it may not completely satisfy the hardcore simmer, it's great fun for someone who is mainly in it for the experience.
It should be said that I've been spending most of my time doing time-attacks and quick races, just to get a feel for the FFB, figuring out button-assignments and generally getting everything set up the way I want it.
I did start a career with Haas (something I'm sure they're regretting already ), just to get a feel for the practice options, and I love the idea of combining practice runs with performance improvements.
Granted, after a few seasons it might get a bit old, but at least it's something new.
No idea about MP. Haven't tried it, and I have no plans to ever do so.

I will say that I have gained a whole new level of respect for F1 drivers.
Gawdalmighty, but these things are fast!
I can barely keep the bastard on track, and that's running with TC and ABS assists........

 

[Vangelis Parginos]

@Lars Hansen give it time buddy, it will come to you.

For me its one of the best if not the best from the series, somewhere between or above 10 and 13.
Graphics are way way better than the blurry mess of 15. And like @Andy Jackson said huge difference in many ways from last year, career, SC, VSC, formation laps, manual start, manual pit entry, graphics,.... what else there is?
It need some time for some with the input lag, but i think codemasters will fix the issues like they did at Dirt Rally.

It was a good purchase for me.

 

[Lorenzo Bonder]

10/10 - Can't get the game loaded.

Like at all. I'm not asking for a refund, because I'm hopeful.

Found a workaround, reduced my resolution to (1600x1024, FAR FROM OPTIMAL, I KNOW) but now it works like a fly, damn a good racing game this is.

 

[Andy_J]

As for the starts, the AI seems to be rather reckless and ignore the existence of the player. Keep in mind that I only did 3 races so far. Melbourne & Bahrain they didn't give me any room and pretty much drove into me.

Now you know how us lesser mortals feel in some Race Club online races when we get divebombed by the aliens.............

 

[Andy_J]

I agree with @Vangelis pargiNOS . It is a good solid release from Codemasters. And it might just get even better.

I have started my career with Renault and I do the full practice and Qualifying sessions and 25% races, cockpit view only, full sim damage. The immersion is fantastic in the build up to the actual race. At the start I do what I do in online racing and that is to try and stay clear of the other cars for the first few corners. They settle down then and I have had 2 brilliant races so far in my career. The first one I was holding 10th place right up until the last lap where I made a mistake and side swiped a barrier breaking a wheel off. (love the damage modelling in simulation mode).

Race 2 I finished 15th. I never restart if I crash and I don't use flashbacks either. It is what it is.

So far this is the best F1 game that Codies have done and I really think they have listened to what F1 fans wanted.
Roll on tonight for race 3 of my season. Love it.

 

[kedy89]

Now you know how us lesser mortals feel in some Race Club online races.............

In my experience the other drivers in club races respect you and give you room in wheel to wheel battles, but that's going a bit off topic now

On topic, imo AI definitely needs some improvements, in my last race they again struggled to pass each other, which shouldn't be that difficult on a +1km straight in Shanghai, with DRS. SC as well seems to have some issues, cars take ages to form up behind it. In Bahrain the race was restarted with only 4 (!!!) having closed up, the rest still scattered somewhere on the track.

 

[Doug46]

At last a F1 game worth playing, Codemasters have been listening and have put many things right this time, as well as bringing back the safety car!

1) Graffics slight improvement in my eyes over 2015, it just seems to flow much better, you really feel part of the car 8/10, nice effect touches the whole picture seems clearer, faces on people could be better in places but thats being really fussy, being able to alter cockpit view angles really makes it, tracks are drawn really well.
2) Sound its improved, engine noise goes quiet on a few occasion i dont know if this is a bug or what , especially when you go past the pits when other cars are pitting, codemaster will fix i am sure if this is a bug. 7/10
3)Game play real improvement , force feedback better really feel what the car is doing this time (still could do with a little more ffb strength), using fantec csr wheel feels good, however ai can be a bit frustrating sometimes as they seem to just take you out. 7/10 so far for game play ,hopefully the ai can be improved a little. I personally like the menu system finding it easy to move about, i know some dont but i find it perfect for my needs, even though ive only spent a few hours in the game i am finding new things all the time. well done codemaster your back on track in my veiw.
I must say this time i am really enjoying this game, yes really its such a improvement nice touches, the career mode really shines here, really pleased i took the gamble with this one, its a must for any racing fan, races are much more exciting than the real thing!

There are better race games out there , but this tops the plie in my book for f1 so far, still miss Geoff Crammond games though, hope this helps those looking for a good f1 game.

i give this game a 8/10 with just a few little improvements it could be a 9.

26/08/2016, have been playing the game for a fair few hours now and thought ill give you all a update. I Have found a few bugs like really weid black textures instead of smoke rare occasions , ai still making some really too strong aggressive moves and a few graffic glitches (not many) and have seen that codemasters are well aware of these and are already on the case with a patch. There are some great mods appearing everyday for this game ,also i am really enjoying the racing it feels so much better than the past f1 games (except gc) there are some nice graffic touches and you really feel part of a team in career mode, i will not improve on the score i have given this game yet ,but it does look like we are getting a decent f1 game at last. ill update the review in a couple of months as i am digging deeper into this game.

 

[Paul Blythe]

Can't say I've got a favourable first impression of F1 2016 ... overall it feels like Dirt Rally did when it first appeared on Steam early access, promising, but still requiring work ... Menu navigation just feels awkward, luckily the control assignments are the same as Dirt Rally. With FFB & wheel setup, Codemasters did great things with DR. However, it looks like none of that knowledge was passed over to the F1 team. Which is highly disappointing!

Haven't stepped into the racing yet, just a few hot-laps at various tracks, while trying to get a comfortable on-screen view... Graphically, it all looks nice [fully maxed out at 3440x1440]. Audio is fine, though that high pitch whine is annoying straight away.

Still have high[ish] hopes for this, once I step into the game properly. Just suffering from in initial disappointment, because of the menu system and setup process...

 

[AndrewBo]

Thanks again for your reviews. I've bought the game today.

 

[Eric Rowland]

Thanks again for your reviews. I've bought the game today.

Please give it a good workout and tell us your impressions Andy. I'm still on the fence with CM. I got DR and it worked out nicely, but I'm hesitant with 2016 all down to the actual driving feel. I'd like there to be a reasonable amount of immersion. (Accuforce user)

 

[jimortality]

You know when you do time trial mode and it says you have a new set up in the pause menu, who does that belong to? cheers

 

[Lars Hansen]

You know when you do time trial mode and it says you have a new set up in the pause menu, who does that belong to? cheers

I think it's the set-up of the guy you just beat.
But don't quote me on that, it's just a guess.

 

[Luca Antinori]

I love this game, I have started the career mode with Sauber at medium and in Australia I was able to overtake Vettel at the last lap for p8
I have abused the flashback a bit as much the limits of the track
I probably should play at a higher level but I loved passing Ferrari with my Sauber so I will keep this level
By the way the best part so far is the practice and the various tests
No technical issues so far only annoyed my gadgets don't work

 

[Boby Kim]

Im glad to read so many peeps enjoying the game. I must have bought a different version

 

[PicoBp]

I must admit, the immersion factor is strong with this one. Kept telling myself to buy it at a sale, but didn't work out, it landed in my library last night... Next conscious moment is it's 4:30 AM, my hands are sore, I'm sweating like hell and I have only 2 hours to sleep till work. Only tried TT yet on the Hungaroring, but it did suck me in big time, hours flew by trying to defeat the upcoming rivals! Sim or sim-not, it has a good vibe and a bucket of fun.

P.S.: For those with framerate issues, use Ultra preset and turn down mirrors and reflections to high, those are the big hogs.

P.S.2: If anyone knows me, I'm not a modern open-wheeler guy... So spending many hours without noticing in a replica of an especially boring era of F1 cars is quite an achievement.

 

[Chris]

I do find the AI to be a bit stupid sometimes. Hopefully Codies can patch them quick smart because at the moment they pretty much never overtake you (or eachother) in a race, and they block incredibly hard in practice and qualifying when you're on a hotlap and they're not. Like they just list in the middle of the track right in the braking zone.

Another thing I've noticed is that they're pretty much always running in 'Rich' engine mode, meaning that they'll almost always have the top speed advantage on you unless you too are running in rich mode, which is a big immersion killer.

There are a ton of little things that need patching like audio issues, AI balancing and general bugs, but by and large, this has been incredibly enjoyable. I honestly didn't expect it to be this good, good stuff Codemasters

 

[Lars Hansen]

I do find the AI to be a bit stupid sometimes. Hopefully Codies can patch them quick smart because at the moment they pretty much never overtake you (or eachother) in a race, and they block incredibly hard in practice and qualifying when you're on a hotlap and they're not. Like they just list in the middle of the track right in the braking zone.

Yeah, the AI needs a little work. It's not Pcars bad, but it does need some improving.
I've been playing around with the difficulty-factor to find which one suits my level, and here's a weird thing.
The higher the difficulty, the less aggressive they become......
They get faster, but they don't attack as much.

Another minor niggle is that you can't make the game ignore USB devices.
I've got a throttle/stick combo for my flight-simming in the same USB hub as my wheel, and every time F1 gets fired up, it tells me that I haven't assigned any functions to them......*sigh*
'I know. I don't plan on getting airborne'
Minor issue, but it's starting to annoy me.

But still, all in all I'm enjoying the hell out of this one.

 

[vee10]

It's been a long while since I have played a driving/racing game that I can't wait to jump back on. I am sat at work thinking about setups and just waiting to get some time on it tonight. I am even considering going from 25% race distance to 50% just because I enjoy the strategy side so much which is not something I would normally ever do especially with a 10 year career ahead but I am in no rush at all to get to the end point.

It's not something that comes across when watching TV coverage and I know a lot of drivers moan about the management of tyres and fuel etc and probably rightly so as that should be the domain of the WEC not the other way around, but with relevance to the gaming aspect it works really well, rather just going ball's out every lap I love saving a bit of fuel for a later stint on fresh rubber or just before I make a stop, it got me into the top ten at Russia yesterday which was very satisfying.

AI does need a bit of work but when actually going wheel to wheel it is very good and does react to you in a convincing way.

On to Barcelona!

 

[Mariusz Ditch]

racing games don't require more than 30fps tbh I'm running Core I5 6600K with 750GTX TI on high setting and I'm getting 30-40fps on 1080p but game is incredible it feels more like a f1 sim great stuff

 

[McM]

racing games don't require more than 30fps

This can only come from a console player who has no clue...