MSF Italian Modding team

[jimortality]

Hi, I'm about to part with 15 Euro for their 2004 F1 pack that's just been released but I don't know anything about them so hoping for some input before I part with the dosh.

 

[learningleadfoot]

Just curious, but did it turn out to be worth the steep price?

 

[Dethrone1427]

Im curious too, it is a rather steep price considering what else is on the market at much cheaper prices. Its either a total rip pff or incredible on every front!

 

[Dethrone1427]

So i took the plunge and got the mod, overall i would say, "yes it is worth it"....

....HOWEVER!!....

The sounds can be a bit over emphasized in some cases. The TC is WAY too loud for what it is, that being the engine cutting - the noise used to show that the TC is working is far too loud and the noise used is a bit.....odd. The physics are really good, the FFB is great and the AI seem to be able to race very well - even a bit too well. For instance, they are insanely good under braking for corners so its very hard to overtake them.

The car models seem to be done well, they look good in and out. I did notice something else that bothered and that was the way the cars looked a bit like plastic cars - or cars that had been covered in plastic wrapping and not had it taken off. Not sure if this is something that can be remedied at some point or whether its a case of adding an alpha channel to the skins to darken them, but they most definitely looked SUPER shiny. But i mean, other than that, it is a good mod. Maybe not worth the asking price, no matter how much man hours were put in, £13 is still a little steep in comparison to other mods on the market, especially when you have RSS and VRC just releasing banger after banger...

I've attached a photo of what i was describing in regards to the plastic look of the cars. If the shiny skin issue and TC sound was fixed/changed/made substantially quieter it is a very solid mod. 7/10

Hope this helps.

 

[learningleadfoot]

Whoa, guess the curiosity reached a breaking point for you! The plastic appearance that the cars have is extremely apparent--almost like the reflective coating on a DVD. That is quite an odd problem for the cars to have--possibly MSF have not updated the cars to work with the current CSP updates? I figured that the physics/models would be well done, given their free offerings here on the site. I wish that they would show a changelog on their site. Maybe it is worth a purchase after all--though I wish that VRC would complete their 2005/2007 F1 car collection with more content.

 

[Dethrone1427]

Whoa, guess the curiosity reached a breaking point for you! The plastic appearance that the cars have is extremely apparent--almost like the reflective coating on a DVD. That is quite an odd problem for the cars to have--possibly MSF have not updated the cars to work with the current CSP updates? I figured that the physics/models would be well done, given their free offerings here on the site. I wish that they would show a changelog on their site. Maybe it is worth a purchase after all--though I wish that VRC would complete their 2005/2007 F1 car collection with more content.

Yeah I have minimal self control once a thought has entered my brain. As soon as I saw that mod I knew I was screwed, it would only be a matter of time before I broke and purchased it. Hold fire on the purchase for yourself though. I have just spoken to a guy over at GT Planet who said you can fix it in CM, in the paint shop section you can adjust the cars reflections, or strength of reflections. I'll try that and let you know how I get on and if it's a fix. But definitely, like you said, it looks like plastic sleeving!

 

[learningleadfoot]

I also couldn't resist and bought it as well. In my opinion, I definitely would still say that the price is quite steep for what is offered. However, I did not seem to find an issue with the plastic reflection problem, which was interesting. In my opinion, there are some shortcomings with the models, possibly due to the age of the mod. For example, consider the way in which the textures resolve in the sidepods, to the some of the steering wheel's extremely dark textures in light, or the lack of grooves/depth in the tires compared to contemporary models from other mod makers. All things considered, I think that the skins included with the mod found on RaceDepartment are of high quality. Inversely, I think that the models within this pack are not created equal. From quickly comparing the Honda BAR in the pack to the Mclaren Mercedes car, I think that throughout the mod's content, there are differences in the quality of models, with some being crafted better than others which concerns me. Not to mention more minor issues, such as the missing instructions for achieving the proper skin functioning on certain car models (ex. Williams FW26 Late Season not mentioning the instructions for the skins like the version here on RaceDepartment) or untranslated/erroneous/repetitive description texts. Weirdly enough, I noticed that one of the cars downloaded itself into the wrong place in the car directory upon installing. I would give the mod a 5/10, though in order for MSF to justify their current pricing, an update to the models would be a great starting point. Overall, it is a decent mod just in need of updating to bring it into conversation with modern mods.

 

[Dethrone1427]

I also couldn't resist and bought it as well. In my opinion, I definitely would still say that the price is quite steep for what is offered. However, I did not seem to find an issue with the plastic reflection problem, which was interesting. In my opinion, there are some shortcomings with the models, possibly due to the age of the mod. For example, consider the way in which the textures resolve in the sidepods, to the some of the steering wheel's extremely dark textures in light, or the lack of grooves/depth in the tires compared to contemporary models from other mod makers. All things considered, I think that the skins included with the mod found on RaceDepartment are of high quality. Inversely, I think that the models within this pack are not created equal. From quickly comparing the Honda BAR in the pack to the Mclaren Mercedes car, I think that throughout the mod's content, there are differences in the quality of models, with some being crafted better than others which concerns me. Weirdly enough, I noticed that one of the cars downloaded itself into the wrong place in the car directory upon installing. I would give the mod a 5/10, though in order for MSF to justify their current pricing, an update to the models would be a great starting point. Overall, it is a decent mod just in need of updating to bring it into conversation with modern mods.

Did you need a fix for that car going into the wrong manufacturer, or have you fixed it? It's quite an easy fix to get them all together. Up to you mate? That's interesting about the shiny textures I'm seeing... Might be pp filter related then? Hmmmm.

 

[learningleadfoot]

Lol the cars going into the manufacturer isn't really that big of an issue, but I'd definitely love to know your fix for that problem. I agree that your shiny textures might be due to a PP Filter quirk. It is interesting that the shininess of the model's varied materials is affected by the filter.

 

[Dethrone1427]

If you want i can supply updated ui stuff, i've also replaced their numbers if you want? Up to you. Basically from the main screen of CM go to the CONTENT tab, you'll see the car(s) you want to edit, where it says Brand (by the cars power scale) i changed all the 2004 cars to F1 2004. This then groups them all together. Let me know if you do want the new number plates. Its just a nice little finishing touch, but no worries either way! Here is what my cars look like now. Much more palatable.

 

[learningleadfoot]

Oh wow, that looks a thousand times better than the prior version! That is a really helpful tip for grouping up the content of the mod, thanks for that one! I'm not too concerned about adding number plates, but I appreciate the offer!