F1 2010 How car upgrades work

F1 2010 The Game (Codemasters)
Here are the complete set of upgrades, for each car, for each race. I pulled this out of the game database. It might be useful to someone.



BahrainAustrailiaMalaysiaChinaSpainMonacoTurkeyCanadaValenciaBritainGermanyHungaryBelgiumItalySingaporeJapanKoreaBrazilAbu_Dhabi
FerrarinoneStandardMinorMinorPackageUniqueMinorMinorMinorStandardStandardMinorPackageUniqueMinorMinorStandardStandardnone
McLarennoneMinorStandardMinorStandardUniqueMinorStandardMinorPackageMinorMinorStandardUniquePackageStandardMinorMinornone
MercedesnoneMinorMinorStandardMinorUniqueMinorStandardStandardPackageMinorMinorPackageUniqueStandardMinorMinornonenone
RedbullnoneStandardMinorMinorPackageUniqueMinorStandardMinorStandardMinorMinorUniquePackageMinorStandardMinornonenone
RenaultnoneMinornoneMinorPackageMinorMinorStandardMinorStandardStandardMinorPackageUniqueUniqueStandardMinorMinornone
Torro RossnoneMinornoneMinorStandardUniqueMinorMinornoneStandardMinorStandardUniquePackageMinorMinornoneMinornone
WilliamsnoneMinorMinorStandardPackageUniqueMinorMinorStandardPackageMinorMinorUniqueMinorStandardMinornonenonenone
Force IndianonenoneMinorMinorStandardUniqueMinorStandardMinorPackageMinornoneUniqueMinorMinorStandardnoneMinorMinor
SaubernoneMinorStandardMinorPackageMinorStandardnoneMinorMinorPackageMinorMinorUniqueUniqueStandardMinornoneMinor
HRTnonenonenoneMinorStandardMinorMinornonePackageMinorStandardMinorMinorUniqueMinorStandardnoneMinornone
VirginnonenonenoneMinorStandardMinorMinornoneMinorPackageMinorMinorUniqueStandardStandardMinornoneMinornone
LotusnoneMinorStandardMinornoneStandardMinornoneMinorStandardMinornoneUniqueMinorPackageMinorMinornonenone


When you join a team, it already has an R&D path set. Here are the default R&D paths, again taken from the database:


Ferrariaggressive
McLarenintermediate
Mercedesbalanced
Redbullaggressive
Renaultintermediate
Torro Rossbalanced
Williamsintermediate
Force Indiaaggressive
Sauberaggressive
HRTbalanced
Virginintermediate
Lotusbalanced


The database is completely silent on what aggressive, balanced and intermediate actually mean, which is a pity because to work that out is why I went to all this trouble.

It's apparent that aggressive gives you the most upgrade opportunities, and balanced the least. Experience shows that aggressive doesn't give you 100% of available upgrades.

I posit aggressive gives you an 80% chance of the game offering you a chance for the upgrade, balanced a 50% chance, and intermediate presumably halfway in between at 65%. So if you're in a a Sauber on Intermediate R&D at Spain, there's a 65% chance the game will give you a go at winning the upgrade. I think. Everything in this paragraph is pure speculation.

I've seen suggestions that balanced gives you fewer upgrades in return for a better car the following year, if you stick with that team. The database absolutely does not support that idea. What is true, demonstrable by experiment, is that choosing balanced causes the game to set you lower race targets than if you choose aggressive. For example I signed for a second year with Sauber when the R&D path was aggressive. The game set me a target of #8 in driver standings. When I then selected intermediate for the next year's R&D, my target changed to #10. Presumably if I'd selected balanced, my target would have changed to #12.

I'm pretty sure your choice of R&D path has no effect on the tier of your car the following year; you go up a tier no matter what. There's nothing in the database to prove that, but I've yet to hear of a car that didn't consistently improve year on year.

So that, as far as I can tell, is everything to be gleaned from the database about car upgrades.
 
Nice work, I'll include that in Version 1.02 of the guide if thats ok with you?
It follows then that if your strategic objective is to win WDC you should choose the agressive path and if you want to go to a better team the balanced,or intermediate (depending on your pace) as you will earn more re points by hitting the teams quali and race target more often. (from testing/experience i can tell you that Individual race targets are made harder a well as the WDC target).

I theorised that the different paths/targets simulated higher/lower team/sponsor investment and expactations.

PS where in Sydney I am fromTurramurra- Lane Cove now Cardiff UK.
 
Please do include it, David.

A couple of extra bits, if it helps:

The database doesn't list what particular upgrade is due, only its category.

Unique upgrades always seem to disappear off the R&D achievements panel. Are they unique because they're only for one race?

The database holds the default starting tier for each car. Presumably the save game files hold the current tier for your car. I don't know of a way to read the save game files to check that theory.
 
Gopher, just because the database lists an upgrade doesn't mean you'll definitely get it. First the computer rolls dice to decide if it'll offer you the chance to win the upgrade. If the computer does decide to offer you the upgrade, for a Virgin in Spain it will always be a Standard.

Hey David, that makes a lot of sense. Now that you mention it, most of the Uniques do appear in Monaco and Monza.
 
Thanks for this. It';s helpful. I have a dilemma regarding the upgrades:

I am Lotus in first season. I haven't been asked to choose which upgrades I want at all (balances, inter, aggressive etc). If they have a path set, as you say, then how can you choose? Most of the upgrades I have had have been on engine wear.

I will get offerred a contract with Force India next year. Where will they be in terms of upgrades? I want a better car, so should I stick with Lotus or move to Force India?

Thanks
 
Rich, you only get to set the upgrade path if you're the #1 driver for the team. You set it just before the final race of the previous year, and that's it for the entire following season. First season drivers are always #2. Since you're in a Lotus the default upgrade path is balanced.
 
Rich the Force India will be faster.
I drove Lotus for 5 seasons and it gets poss 1/2 sec a lap faster each season and you can win races. It hasn't got quite enough mumbo to turn fuel sim on for all races however.
I am in the Faerrari in season 6 and its quick enough (for me) to turn on Expert Mode and win WDC.
 

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