F1 2012 Codemasters in denial?

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 1, 2013

Hello all,

In my 'Kula Lumpur gone mad' thread i highlighted the problems with the AI running wide at turn 14 in Malaysia. I contacted codemasters about this error and they replied asking for my dxdiag and my F1 2012 PC-DVD hub code. I sent them this information and they said they couldn't help me as my CPU was not what the game asked for. How is this error of ai cars just running straight of the track got anything to do with CPU?? The game runs perfectly on my system and this is the only error i have. I feel that this is the worst support i have ever had, it seems like codemasters just don't want to help solve this issue that me and alot of others have.

I even asked on the official forums and nothing at all! This doesn't bode well with codemasters at all!

Kristian Nenov · Jan 1, 2013

Well, when you think about it, it may be the CPU. The AI is controlled by the CPU. But it definitely is strange. If the game runs smoothly, I don't see the problem. Maybe someone else could have a better idea. =/

Victor Ivanov · Jan 1, 2013

What's your CPU actually?

Nicky Graho · Jan 1, 2013

In my game is same.In Malaysia and Canada cars crashes

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 1, 2013

Kristian Nenov said:
Well, when you think about it, it may be the CPU. The AI is controlled by the CPU. But it definitely is strange. If the game runs smoothly, I don't see the problem. Maybe someone else could have a better idea. =/

It is very odd! Here is the dxdiag file i sent to codemasters

Kristian Nenov · Jan 1, 2013

AyrtonSenna1994 said:
It is very odd! Here is the dxdiag file i sent to codemasters

Well, Henry, that doesn't tell me much. I don't think that's the problem. Some people had the exact same problem with F1 2011 too. Malaysia. Some with Suzuka too. So they probably have no idea why does it happen to some people and they just blame the hardware. Altho I've always been with a good CPU with these games, but never had any problems. So.. Don't know what to say. If you have a friend with a better PC, you could take your HDD to his house and start your own game from your own Windows and etc but on a better PC. If everything's OK, then CM are right.

Nicky Graho · Jan 1, 2013

My PC:
CPU:Intel Dual Core 3.0 with 4MB cache
RAM:4GB
GPU:AMD Radeon HD 6450 HD 2GB

All time in Malaysia and Canada are crashes.

w1n1x · Jan 1, 2013

Cpu:Amd athlon x2 255 (kinda old ) but no crash on any track

so i don't think that's related to your cpu.

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 1, 2013

w1n1x said:
Cpu:Amd athlon x2 255 (kinda old ) but no crash on any track so i don't think that's related to your cpu.

Hmm i don't know what it is. Personally i think that there is something wrong with some of the games files.

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 1, 2013

Kristian Nenov said:
Well, Henry, that doesn't tell me much. I don't think that's the problem. Some people had the exact same problem with F1 2011 too. Malaysia. Some with Suzuka too. So they probably have no idea why does it happen to some people and they just blame the hardware. Altho I've always been with a good CPU with these games, but never had any problems. So.. Don't know what to say. If you have a friend with a better PC, you could take your HDD to his house and start your own game from your own Windows and etc but on a better PC. If everything's OK, then CM are right.

Hmm codemasters asked for my dxdiag and said my PC's CPU wasn't good enough which, if it doesn't tell you much makes me wonder how codemasters came to that conclusion!

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 1, 2013

Don't know if any of this helps but Steam collected this data about my pc:

Processor Information:
Vendor: AuthenticAMD
Speed: 1995 Mhz
2 logical processors
2 physical processors
HyperThreading: Unsupported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Unsupported
SSE41: Unsupported
SSE42: Unsupported

Network Information:
Network Speed: Don't Know

Operating System Version:
Windows 7 (32 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0

Video Card:
Driver: ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series

DirectX Driver Name: aticfx32.dll
Driver Version: 8.970.100.3000
DirectX Driver Version: 8.17.10.1129
Driver Date: 3 July 2012
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 75 Hz
DirectX Card: ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series
VendorID: 0x1002
DeviceID: 0x9490
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Desktop Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Primary Display Size: 17.80" x 14.21" (22.76" diag)
45.2cm x 36.1cm (57.8cm diag)
Primary Bus Type Not Detected
Primary VRAM: 1024 MB
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x

Sound card:
Audio device: Speakers (High Definition Audio

Memory:
RAM: 1534 Mb

Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Microphone: Yes, I have a microphone.
Media Type: DVD
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 715253 Mb
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 152358 Mb
OS Install Date: Dec 10 2012
Game Controller: Microsoft PC-joystick driver detected

Ole Marius Myrvold · Jan 1, 2013

To be fair, I'm slightly surprised that you can run the game well at all! If I understand correctly, and remember correctly, you are on the limit, or under the minimum requirements on some parts.

w1n1x · Jan 1, 2013

AyrtonSenna1994 said:
Don't know if any of this helps but Steam collected this data about my pc:

Processor Information:
Vendor: AuthenticAMD
Speed: 1995 Mhz
2 logical processors
2 physical processors
HyperThreading: Unsupported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Unsupported
SSE41: Unsupported
SSE42: Unsupported

Network Information:
Network Speed: Don't Know

Operating System Version:
Windows 7 (32 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0

Video Card:
Driver: ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series

DirectX Driver Name: aticfx32.dll
Driver Version: 8.970.100.3000
DirectX Driver Version: 8.17.10.1129
Driver Date: 3 July 2012
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 75 Hz
DirectX Card: ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series
VendorID: 0x1002
DeviceID: 0x9490
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Desktop Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Primary Display Size: 17.80" x 14.21" (22.76" diag)
45.2cm x 36.1cm (57.8cm diag)
Primary Bus Type Not Detected
Primary VRAM: 1024 MB
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x

Sound card:
Audio device: Speakers (High Definition Audio

Memory:
RAM: 1534 Mb

Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Microphone: Yes, I have a microphone.
Media Type: DVD
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 715253 Mb
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 152358 Mb
OS Install Date: Dec 10 2012
Game Controller: Microsoft PC-joystick driver detected

Defenitely your cpu.What gpu you have by the way?I have a 4670 1gb ddr3 and it's good with mine cpu but yours is defenitely slow as hell. Seriously 2 core and 1995 ghz?That's way too low, I have 2x 3.1 ghz with med - high settings and i'm getting like 22-35 fps on track with full AI or players, on Time Trial i get 50-40

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 1, 2013

w1n1x said:
Defenitely your cpu.What gpu you have by the way?I have a 4670 1gb ddr3 and it's good with mine cpu but yours is defenitely slow as hell. Seriously 2 core and 1995 ghz?That's way too low, I have 2x 3.1 ghz with med - high settings and i'm getting like 22-35 fps on track with full AI or players, on Time Trial i get 50-40

Okay so my CPU is low but surely that can't be causing cars to run straight of PARTICULAR tracks? The game runs perfectly, no lag or anything at all! Surely there is an error in one of the games files causing the cars to run off? If it was my CPU surely i would have problems here there and everywhere, this is the only issue i have with the game so far

w1n1x · Jan 1, 2013

AyrtonSenna1994 said:
Okay so my CPU is low but surely that can't be causing cars to run straight of PARTICULAR tracks? The game runs perfectly, no lag or anything at all! Surely there is an error in one of the games files causing the cars to run off? If it was my CPU surely i would have problems here there and everywhere, this is the only issue i have with the game so far

I don't think that you run this without lagg with that cpu because this game is very cpu demanding?Do you play on low settings with low resolution?Because that's impossible to get high fps with your specs on med &high mix settings,By the way reinstall the game and see if it happens again,

Kristian Nenov · Jan 1, 2013

AyrtonSenna1994 said:
Okay so my CPU is low but surely that can't be causing cars to run straight of PARTICULAR tracks? The game runs perfectly, no lag or anything at all! Surely there is an error in one of the games files causing the cars to run off? If it was my CPU surely i would have problems here there and everywhere, this is the only issue i have with the game so far

Maybe it's because of the "15" corners. These corners take the data from the corner before them and re-manipulate it. It's a bit strange and I have no idea why CM have made it like this. On Canada is it the last corner that's the problem? If yes, maybe these corners take more CPU power and as you're already on the limit they don't have time to calculate the braking point or cornering speed and they just run wide or something. And is it the last corner on Malaysia?

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 1, 2013

Kristian Nenov said:
Maybe it's because of the "15" corners. These corners take the data from the corner before them and re-manipulate it. It's a bit strange and I have no idea why CM have made it like this. On Canada is it the last corner that's the problem? If yes, maybe these corners take more CPU power and as you're already on the limit they don't have time to calculate the braking point or cornering speed and they just run wide or something. And is it the last corner on Malaysia?

I didn't know thats what they did, and on Canada it is turn 6 and in Malaysia it is turn 14, the one before the big back straight behind the main grandstand

Tom · Jan 1, 2013

Well ok, so first of all: a dxdiag.txt is often useful for tech support people to see if there's the following present in the system.

outdated drivers
outdated DirectX files
obviously incompatible components
incompatible software (such as MSI Afterburner in lots of cases)

However, from my experience a bug like this is impossible to be caused by an incompatible part. Yes, they might be right that the CPU is below the minimum requirements (Steam lists the AMD Athlon X2 5400+) but even then the calculations are just slower and they're not all different and mess the AI up. So it's prolly not caused by your hardware (even tho I never experienced the issue myself), I believe.

But after all it's an easy solution for them. It's the same as if someone is calling and report lag issues in online mode. Now they ask him what kind of connection he's using and he says "Yeah, 20MBit DSL!" - so they can't easily get rid of him with that information.

What's the next step in that conversation? Right, asking about the network connection. Now he's saying "Wifi." and he's all doomed. Why's that? Because they'll simply say Wifi is not reliable (it isn't, that's true - but that's not the point) and that's causing lags.

If it's maybe because his provider isn't routing properly, his landline has some issues or if it's really the servers: doesn't matter, a reason for the lags which is not caused by them has been found and that's fine for most tech support departments.

Just so you know about a possible reason why they had requested the file in the first place. I'm not saying all tech support departments are like that but if a clients' machine is below the minimum requirements a software company can't guarantee their product is working properly. So it's not only an easy way out of investigating issues and probably having to admit it's an issue on their side, it's a proper solution as well. No company would want to spend time (and thus money) on supporting systems that are below the minimum requirements. I hope this has shed some light on the whole story.

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 1, 2013

w1n1x said:
I don't think that you run this without lagg with that cpu because this game is very cpu demanding?Do you play on low settings with low resolution?Because that's impossible to get high fps with your specs on med &high mix settings,By the way reinstall the game and see if it happens again,

I have distant cars on low but everything else is on medium.

AyrtonSenna1994 · Jan 2, 2013

Tom Endres said:
Well ok, so first of all: a dxdiag.txt is often useful for tech support people to see if there's the following present in the system.

outdated drivers

outdated DirectX files

obviously incompatible components

incompatible software (such as MSI Afterburner in lots of cases)

However, from my experience a bug like this is impossible to be caused by an incompatible part. Yes, they might be right that the CPU is below the minimum requirements (Steam lists the AMD Athlon X2 5400+) but even then the calculations are just slower and they're not all different and mess the AI up. So it's prolly not caused by your hardware (even tho I never experienced the issue myself), I believe.

But after all it's an easy solution for them. It's the same as if someone is calling and report lag issues in online mode. Now they ask him what kind of connection he's using and he says "Yeah, 20MBit DSL!" - so they can't easily get rid of him with that information.

What's the next step in that conversation? Right, asking about the network connection. Now he's saying "Wifi." and he's all doomed. Why's that? Because they'll simply say Wifi is not reliable (it isn't, that's true - but that's not the point) and that's causing lags.

If it's maybe because his provider isn't routing properly, his landline has some issues or if it's really the servers: doesn't matter, a reason for the lags which is not caused by them has been found and that's fine for most tech support departments.

Just so you know about a possible reason why they had requested the file in the first place. I'm not saying all tech support departments are like that but if a clients' machine is below the minimum requirements a software company can't guarantee their product is working properly. So it's not only an easy way out of investigating issues and probably having to admit it's an issue on their side, it's a proper solution as well. No company would want to spend time (and thus money) on supporting systems that are below the minimum requirements. I hope this has shed some light on the whole story.