Not Created Equal - Main File (part 1) v1.0 beta

20/10/2016

A tiny bug was found in the Excel file which meant Force India's car builds were being reported incorrectly in the Basic and Challenge Tabs. Quick fix is below until the mod is updated to version 1.1

As a quick fix, change the formula for Force India formula in Column D from

='Performance Centre'!$AF$6
to
='Performance Centre'!$AA$6

Then it will work as intended. You need to do this for all Seasons and both the Basic and Challenge mod tabs (just copy and paste the correct formula). As this bug is minor, I'll hold off before reuploading the mod (as its 700MB) but when I update the mod, this will be fixed.

Click to expand...

Download:
This Mod is 700MB+
Download this section and:
Part 2 here – http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/not-created-equal-part-2.126701/
and Part 3 here – http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/not-created-equal-part-3.126704/


You need all three parts, probably in the same folder to ensure they un-rar nicely.

Reasons behind the mod:

While I enjoy this year’s Career mode, each playthrough has a limited shelf life. If you play a front running time, you forever spend your time at the top. If you choose a team further back, you spend the first two seasons rushing as fast as you can to upgrade your car fully, spend as long as you can at the top before all the other teams over take you back to the status quo. These first few years are fun, as different teams upgrade their cars at different times and by different amounts, meaning those first years are full of changes in the field. But after all that, it seems to get a little stale. Yes, you can keep on going. Sure, you can move to another team. But once you hit the ‘We’ve upgraded everything’ point, the game is a lot less dynamic. Which is where Not Created Equal Come in.

Note – this is a mod for the more serious career mode user who wants to see the current career mode expanded. This mod has lots of files that can be arranged in different ways, so please make sure you are confident about backing up and replacing files in the installation folder, and also reverting to original files when you want to play online.

What this mod does:

::: Feature 1 ::: Every Team Can Become A Front Runner.

Each cars now have a number of tiers which they have the potential to be in. Within each Level, each car is balanced to be ‘mostly’ the same.

- Level 0 – The Dud Cars
- Level 1 – The Worst Cars
- Level 2 – The Average Cars
- Level 3 – The Best Cars
- Level 4 – The Amazing Cars

The End Result, after everything is upgraded is this:

A Level 0 of EVERY CAR should be on the same pace as the Level 0. Mercedes.
A Level 1 of EVERY CAR should be on the same pace as a Level 1 Mercedes. Etc etc

Performance increase vs each set of RnD upgrades
http://i66.tinypic.com/w8uvd1.jpg

But A Level 4 car is going to be approximately 0.5s a lap faster than a Level 3 car once fully upgraded. So your field will end up being divided based on the Level of the car. Want something more vanilla, you can keep the cars levels at their original tiers.


Want to swap the field around, you can do that too.

With this mod, the end of the upgrade tree no longer provides a static environment where each car as a set in stone performance advantage over another. Now you can decide who goes where.

Note: Levels are only designed to be equal AFTER all the upgrades have been collected. During the initial seasons, these levels will be less noticeable because (1) of the natural Tiers the game divides the cars originally and (2) different cars will have different upgrades at any point. So while all Level 4 car will eventually end up at more or less the same point – it takes some time to get there.

Note: Driver AI is not changed. In a completely equal car, the Hamilton’s and Vettel’s, etc will still be quicker than the Nasr’s and Ericsson’s.

::: Feature 2 ::: Not Created Equal

Now, while I have taken great car to ensure that each car is mostly equal within each Level, I figures perfectly even cars would be a little boring. So this mod also adds ‘Random Performance Increases’.

Basically, the starting performance of each Car is given a little random alteration, to make it stand out of the others in the same level. Just a tenth or two maybe in it, but you won’t know until you are racing whether it’s you who has been lucky enough to get a little random boost, or if it’s your rival’s car.

Also, Each Research RnD Upgrade component has a random element added to it. Now, you will not know if your next engine upgrade will be amazingly awesome, or actually give you no improvement whatsoever. Sometime that new component which cost £1million to make and looked amazing in simulations, did nothing for the car on the track.

Put these together, and you get a cars with lots of variability – but will still end up in roughly the same place (depending on the level of the car).

This created a nice dynamic addition to the upgrade aspect of the game, and maybe a bit more of a mixed grid as team find out where they rightly belong.

::: Feature 3 ::: Alternate Car Designs (builds)

Based on the above graph, if I was a McLaren, I would not be a happy bunny. Around the time they’re getting their third level of upgrades, they’ve been unlucky with the random variations, and are fighting in the backmarker with a Sauber, two seconds away from the front of the grid!

While they may want to tough it out, there is another option. Within each Level of car, there is also a number of builds (currently 2 in this initial release). You can change builds, and with it, a new set of random variation will be applied on the car. Will this new car be better than the last? Will it be worse? You will not know unless you try.

This also lets you have a different balance to the car, and is something else you can change to try to improve your current car once all the upgrades have been applied. Between this and the previous features, you have a lot more options available to you.

::: Feature 4 (optional) ::: Excel File and Simple Game Mode

The In Game Performance and RnD Screens (as well as your report from Chris) will not show any modified performance data based on the mod (as I can see no way of editing it in). So Included is an Excel which you can update with your own and the other teams RnD Updates and will give you lots more information than the game. Just keep it up to date.



Also, there is a tab for you to use at the end of each season. You can put in everyone’s Final Constructors positions, and it will give you a balanced Recommendation for the Levels and Builds for each car for next season if you rather leave some things to chance, rather than play god.



::: Feature 5 (optional) ::: Challenge Mode

For those who want more of a challenge. This mode makes you balance your research points with your final constructors standing you believe you can achieve. Store enough resource points in your hand by the end of the season, and you’ll be able to send (or keep) your car at a higher level. Use too many on upgrades, and you’ll have a slower car next season. Remember, there’s a bonus (or penalty) to this Resource point total depending on where you are on the table too.

This is a nice way to simulate the idea of using resources on developing next year’s car this season (as opposed to the small bonus they give you if you cease development). It also prevents you from Outpacing the AI in upgrades as much (well, you can still do it but now you’ll take a performance hit next season).

::: Minor Features :::
- Fuel Consumption has been increased to each car (with some teams being more efficient with fuel then others). If you fill your car with only just enough fuel for a race, you’re going to need to balance (about 40-60) between lean and standard mapping. This makes fuel upgrades actually mean something. (in general, you will be back at Standard = 1 lap of fuel used per lap towards the final upgrade).

::: Overall :::

This mod is designed for you to have more options on the way you play the career, hopefully keeping it fresh for far longer then its original shelf life. Now you can stick with your one team forever, through thick and thin, working on finding the best upgrades and the best build of each Level while you progress your way to the World Championship, and staying there while not only Mercedes and Ferrari challenge you, but any team which you put in a high level. Or you can swap and change teams, knowing that now taking a Mercedes is not a near guaranteed win, especially if they have fallen down levels – it will be up to you to rebuild them and put them on top again.

This isn’t by far the finished version of the mod, though I will now be taking a couple of week to play through it a lot more now that it is at least in a playable state.

Installing the mod:

1. MAKE SURE TO BACKUP THE ORIGINAL FILES - THE ENTIRE TEAMS FOLDER
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\F1 2016\asset_groups\f1_2016_vehicle_package\teams

Keep these safe, we'll be modifying this folder lots.
(do NOT confuse the above folder with C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\F1 2016\f1_2016_vehicle_package\teams)

I recommend copying the original 'f1_2016_vehicle_package' and renaming it to 'f1_2016_vehicle_package_ONLINE'. Have your modded folder copied as 'f1_2016_vehicle_package_CAREER'. And swap the files back and forth when you want to move from one gameplay to another.

2. SEASON 1 - in this mod's Season 1 Folder, the 'TEAM' Folder is are already prepared to be copied into your team directory

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\F1 2016\asset_groups\f1_2016_vehicle_package\teams

Overwrite all the files. You're dune until the end of Season 1 (unless you wish to modify your starting season)

3. Season 2. The Season 2 -> TEAM folder is blank. You need to add each team into this folder

Select the Level and Build of each team from the _TEAM_PERFORMANCE Folder. Copy them into the Season2/Team folder

Once you have got a version for each time in your Season 2 Team folder, overwrite the game's folder as in Step 2.

4. All Future Season Require the same steps as Season 2, but for your respective Season

NOTES:
Manor Racing is called marussia in the game files
Renault are called lotus in the game files

I recommend only using these files when playing Career! I do NOT know if they affect performance in Online modes, Coop championships, etc. Personally, I'd switch to the original files if I wanted to play online. These files are purely for the use of creating an interesting career mode.


Planned Developments for the Mod:

- Balance and Performance Tweaks.
- Creating a few more builds (with some unique qualities. i.e., component specialisation. A new manufactures’ Engine available. Etc.)
- Modify Driver AI to be more dependent on the car performance (if eventually possible)
- Modify cost of each RnD Upgrade (if eventually possible)
- Modify Track order for the season (so that each season can be randomised a little, just to mix things up a little there)
- Engine Temperature Management (I have found the setting to make the engine get hotter the longer it is run in Rich Mix – I just need to balance it)
- Increase odds of temporary car failures (and terminal failures too – still never had one).
- Remodel Tyre and Break temperature differentials (it’s far too easy to keep them at optimal temperature. There also seems to be a tyre blistering simulation which I’ve not seen working).