F1 Career Mode is among the most popular game modes in the EA SportsF1 series. To create convincing depth, however, it faces a bit of a challenge.
Image credit: EA Sports
Most sim racers who grew up with a love for motorsport have probably imagined themselves making their way to a Formula One cockpit. This is where the F1 career mode in EA Sports’ and Codemasters’ series of games come in: Create your own driver, work your way up to your favorite team and lead them to glory. And in the announcement of the full announcement of F1 24, EA and Codemasters mentioned a new Driver Career mode “with new gameplay rooted in the sport“. Sounds good, right?
Well, yes, but at the same time, this approach can feel a bit one-dimensional from year to year. Sure, there is F2, which has been incorporated into the F1 career mode as well. That is about the extent of things, though. And of course, F1 is the ultimate goal and where players want to spend most of their time. But there could me a more engaging way to reach the top rung of the ladder.
Let us take a look at other popular sports game series. Some have even tighter restrictions in this regard, such as the Madden NFL series. The main highway to the NFL in American Football is through the college leagues sanctioned by the NCAA, which means a different license. Interestingly, EA Sports is set to release a dedicated College Football game in 2024 – but it is still a separate game.
Getting a roster spot on the actual NHL team was a different story, however. If you did not convince your coaches in the preseason, you could be sent to their AHL affiliate instead to cut your teeth in the pro league below the NHL. From there, you could still work your way up to the major league.
EA’s football or soccer (depending on where you live) series of games offer even more freedom. As the series formerly known as FIFA (now EA Sports FC) features leagues and teams from all over the world, career paths on each playthrough have the potential to be completely unique. You can even start as low as the fourth-tier EFL League Two (confusing, right?) to get that proper “rise through the ranks” feel.
Racing series are very different in that regard. The basics change from series to series – different cars and tracks make for a much more diverse spectrum to try and portray. Football/soccer games share the same basic mechanics every time – different racing series do not. And not all of them are sanctioned by the FIA either, especially those based in North America like IndyCar, NASCAR or IMSA.
There are countless ways to make your way to the top in racing. As you can probably guess by now, it would be extremely hard to implement all of them into a yearly F1 game and do every single series justice – if not impossible. Hence, the pool of possible additions to the F1 career mode is rather limited.
Both Formula 2 and Formula 3 race on tracks that are all on the F1 calendar as well. Like F2, F3 is a spec series, so its inclusion would only mean getting another car ready to join the F1 24 vehicle roster, if we are speculating on the Driver Career Mode. The step below that would be Formula 4, which is run in multiple regional series, making things more complicated again.
Story modes like Braking Point in F1 23 do appeal to some, but they have a set plot. Instead, it could be much more interesting to have rivalries between drivers develop depending on what is happening on track. And may off the track, too, as players could face certain decisions they need to take, similar to other EA Sports career modes like Be A Pro.
Having the grids around you evolve more would be another step. This would not just be the player passing through until they reach F1 and battle the 2024 lineup, but also see some of their rivals from the lower-tier series carve their own path, so they could keep clashing or strengthen friendships with them. The same could apply to key team personnel.
The Formula 2 Championship has been part of the F1 series since F1 2021. Image credit: EA Sports/Codemasters
Meanwhile, choosing a driver background might make for interesting starting point. A created driver with rich parents may land a drive in a decent F1 team faster, but the pressure to deliver good results might be higher. On the other hand, a cash-strapped pilot may take longer, but could develop their skills better to make a bigger impact once they reach F1. There is a lot of potential here.
Could something like this be what EA Sports and Codemasters have in mind for F1 24? Your guess is as good as ours. But these elements – or some of them – would add a lot more replay value to an F1 career mode. Even if the scope is much more limited than what we would like to see.
What would and F1 career mode need in your opinion to become truly captivating? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
Image credit: EA Sports
Most sim racers who grew up with a love for motorsport have probably imagined themselves making their way to a Formula One cockpit. This is where the F1 career mode in EA Sports’ and Codemasters’ series of games come in: Create your own driver, work your way up to your favorite team and lead them to glory. And in the announcement of the full announcement of F1 24, EA and Codemasters mentioned a new Driver Career mode “with new gameplay rooted in the sport“. Sounds good, right?
Well, yes, but at the same time, this approach can feel a bit one-dimensional from year to year. Sure, there is F2, which has been incorporated into the F1 career mode as well. That is about the extent of things, though. And of course, F1 is the ultimate goal and where players want to spend most of their time. But there could me a more engaging way to reach the top rung of the ladder.
F1 Career Mode: Limited Ladder
There is a problem with this, however. One step would be adding in Formula 3, which like F2 is also an official part of the FIA ladder. That very ladder is the restricting factor here, however. And it is nothing EA or Codemasters have any influence on.Let us take a look at other popular sports game series. Some have even tighter restrictions in this regard, such as the Madden NFL series. The main highway to the NFL in American Football is through the college leagues sanctioned by the NCAA, which means a different license. Interestingly, EA Sports is set to release a dedicated College Football game in 2024 – but it is still a separate game.
More Alternatives In Other EA Sports Series
The NHL series is a little more open, as their main source for up-and-coming hockey players is the CHL, which consists of three leagues (WHL, QMJHL, OHL) and is usually referred to as Major Juniors. In the NHL series’ Be A Pro mode, players used to be able to do full CHL seasons to develop their player right up until the NHL entry draft to get picked by one of the big teams.Getting a roster spot on the actual NHL team was a different story, however. If you did not convince your coaches in the preseason, you could be sent to their AHL affiliate instead to cut your teeth in the pro league below the NHL. From there, you could still work your way up to the major league.
EA’s football or soccer (depending on where you live) series of games offer even more freedom. As the series formerly known as FIFA (now EA Sports FC) features leagues and teams from all over the world, career paths on each playthrough have the potential to be completely unique. You can even start as low as the fourth-tier EFL League Two (confusing, right?) to get that proper “rise through the ranks” feel.
F1 Career Mode: Different Series With Different Basics
There is no doubt that motorsport can offer that same level of diversity for drivers who make their way to the top. The problem is: The F1 games will not be able to portray all of that. While the FIA is more or less for racing what FIFA is for football/soccer, there is really no crossover between the different leagues, or rather series. On the pitch, different international events see teams from different countries compete against each other, plus the national teams at continental and World Championships. They all share the same basic trait of there being 22 players on a field, trying to score goals by kicking a ball, simply put.Racing series are very different in that regard. The basics change from series to series – different cars and tracks make for a much more diverse spectrum to try and portray. Football/soccer games share the same basic mechanics every time – different racing series do not. And not all of them are sanctioned by the FIA either, especially those based in North America like IndyCar, NASCAR or IMSA.
There are countless ways to make your way to the top in racing. As you can probably guess by now, it would be extremely hard to implement all of them into a yearly F1 game and do every single series justice – if not impossible. Hence, the pool of possible additions to the F1 career mode is rather limited.
Both Formula 2 and Formula 3 race on tracks that are all on the F1 calendar as well. Like F2, F3 is a spec series, so its inclusion would only mean getting another car ready to join the F1 24 vehicle roster, if we are speculating on the Driver Career Mode. The step below that would be Formula 4, which is run in multiple regional series, making things more complicated again.
How To Solve This F1 Career Mode Dilemma?
What could be a way to make the F1 career mode more engaging, then? Well, as mentioned, including Formula 3 would be a good start. Players should be able to choose at what level they want to start their journey, though, so it would not be mandatory to drive the lower series.Story modes like Braking Point in F1 23 do appeal to some, but they have a set plot. Instead, it could be much more interesting to have rivalries between drivers develop depending on what is happening on track. And may off the track, too, as players could face certain decisions they need to take, similar to other EA Sports career modes like Be A Pro.
Having the grids around you evolve more would be another step. This would not just be the player passing through until they reach F1 and battle the 2024 lineup, but also see some of their rivals from the lower-tier series carve their own path, so they could keep clashing or strengthen friendships with them. The same could apply to key team personnel.
The Formula 2 Championship has been part of the F1 series since F1 2021. Image credit: EA Sports/Codemasters
Living Leagues
At some point, randomly generated drivers would have to take the wheel of the lower series, depending on how long you keep your career going. This is something other sports games do as well – if you are on year nine of your NHL career, many older players will have retired, but the Juniors and AHL will still have new players rising through the ranks. The leagues feel more alive that way.Meanwhile, choosing a driver background might make for interesting starting point. A created driver with rich parents may land a drive in a decent F1 team faster, but the pressure to deliver good results might be higher. On the other hand, a cash-strapped pilot may take longer, but could develop their skills better to make a bigger impact once they reach F1. There is a lot of potential here.
Could something like this be what EA Sports and Codemasters have in mind for F1 24? Your guess is as good as ours. But these elements – or some of them – would add a lot more replay value to an F1 career mode. Even if the scope is much more limited than what we would like to see.
What would and F1 career mode need in your opinion to become truly captivating? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
