F1 2012 F1 2012 Demo

[Justin Swan]

Looks like we are getting a 1st from Codemaster! A demo of an F1 game 1 week prior to its release
I'm glad to hear that because I want to make sure my PC can handle it before I buy it.

 

[belliash]

Huh... Driving on keyboard is a little bit tricky here, anyway, on YDT i was the fastest by about 1.5s on dry and 2s on wet without the use of KERS & DRS.

On Monza - i'm using both of them (KERS & DRS) and i lost about 1-1.5s in Q and about 0.5s every lap... My best was to start from 13 and finish 9. But i had to defense this position...

 

[Sohaib Ali]

im lovin this game huge improvement over 2011, had to set my g27 up from top to bottom to get it to my liking. so far the only thing i dont like is the surface in the rain it looks like a slushy icey road with nice lookin puddles,hope they fix that

Tim I cant get the twitchyness to go away on my G27 what settings u end up using?

 

[Dmitry Zaharov]

Mixed thoughts about the demo. Game feels more arcadish although I had to play only with keyboard as my racing rig is disassembled right now. On the positive it is more strict now, going to the gravel doesn't slow you so much as was in F1 2011, and going to the grass actulally slows you down a bit. Engine and car acceleration is really strange. Engine braking is virtually non-existing, just like it was in F1 2011. KERS is less powerful, so do slipstream and DRS effect. Looks like we are heading to 1/1 wings again

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

My first impressions after a few laps (PC).
- looks good
- sounds good

But on track hmm. Forcefeedback (out of the box settings) only respond HARD when you cross the rumble strips/curbstones and when you stay on the tarmac you feel absolutely nothing at all. No bumps, no cracks the tarmac on Monza feels in terms of feedback

If I didn't know better you would think its a 100% flat track surface

 

[Tim Crass]

Tim I cant get the twitchyness to go away on my G27 what settings u end up using?

Im at work right now i have my setup writen down at home i will message you when i get home. it works very well for my style. ran a 1:45:978 at abu dabi in dry free practice. Think i have about 20 laps track time in so far.i will be at it again tonight

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Forgot to add that one big is the steering. Works fab out of the box.

 

[Graham Laing]

The more I use the demo the more I like it.

Even though I don't like understeer, if the physics of the new game is genuinely closer to the real thing than F1 2011, then I am all for it. Having to adopt to a new driving style is a good thing, I think we are all are just too familiar with F1 2011's point and shoot steering, throw in lots of lock rapidly, and the car will follow.

If they do tweak the final release understeering settings, I hope they don't go too far, by going back towards F1 2011's somewhat less realistic cornering.

As for wheel settings, as someone mentioned above, it's not worth spending too much time on it in the demo, just get a baseline from which you can work from in the final release. It's also easy to forget how much F1 2011's wheel settings were massively different to F1 2010, so major changes should have been expected in this release.

As for FFB, I am going to reserve judgement until the final release, it doesn't appear too great at the moment, but by spending much more time tweaking the released version, it might show that it's not as bad as we fear.

Regarding downshifting, I quite like it, you should be in the appropriate gear for the speed. Not forgetting that they adjusted it because it was easy to slam it down the gearbox, getting major engine braking in the process for little risk. I have seen many videos with ridiculous gear changes, which you would think would lock up the rear axle. Having said that, modern F1 cars probably have some electronic management system to prevent such rapid change downs anyway.

Essentially let's say my cup is half full rather than half empty .....

 

[Ho3n3r]

The more I use the demo the more I like it.

Even though I don't like understeer, if the physics of the new game is genuinely closer to the real thing than F1 2011, then I am all for it. Having to adopt to a new driving style is a good thing, I think we are all are just too familiar with F1 2011's point and shoot steering, throw in lots of lock rapidly, and the car will follow.

If they do tweak the final release understeering settings, I hope they don't go too far, by going back towards F1 2011's somewhat less realistic cornering.

As for wheel settings, as someone mentioned above, it's not worth spending too much time on it in the demo, just get a baseline from which you can work from in the final release. It's also easy to forget how much F1 2011's wheel settings were massively different to F1 2010, so major changes should have been expected in this release.

As for FFB, I am going to reserve judgement until the final release, it doesn't appear too great at the moment, but by spending much more time tweaking the released version, it might show that it's not as bad as we fear.

Regarding downshifting, I quite like it, you should be in the appropriate gear for the speed. Not forgetting that they adjusted it because it was easy to slam it down the gearbox, getting major engine braking in the process for little risk. I have seen many videos with ridiculous gear changes, which you would think would lock up the rear axle. Having said that, modern F1 cars probably have some electronic management system to prevent such rapid change downs anyway.

Essentially let's say my cup is half full rather than half empty .....

Pretty much how I feel... Let's say cautiously optimistic

I was not at all interested in the game, until I heard about the demo.

But the demo has switched my mind slightly back again. I believe if the save game works PROPERLY for once, and the gameplay in the release version remains the same, then I would seriously consider buying it.

The game save was a game breaker for me last year, so that's what I will be looking for, first and foremost...

 

[Joao Borges]

Forgot to add that one big is the steering. Works fab out of the box.

This. I was quite impressed at how responsive the game is. Yes, the FFB is dead, you don't feel bumps, slides, but when turning, its very precise. I can be quite smooth, much smoother than 2011. Maybe a "feel real" plugin will be released and that should fix that. Not sure if I'm getting the game though. I was quite disappointed with 2011 on my PS3.

 

[Graham Laing]

Pretty much how I feel... Let's say cautiously optimistic

I was not at all interested in the game, until I heard about the demo.

But the demo has switched my mind slightly back again. I believe if the save game works PROPERLY for once, and the gameplay in the release version remains the same, then I would seriously consider buying it.

The game save was a game breaker for me last year, so that's what I will be looking for, first and foremost...

Late last night there was some Australian guy (I think), who claimed to be a games reviewer or blogger, he also claims to have the pre-release of the game (not the demo).

He says 'forget it boys', 'the game save problem is still there'

I don't know if he was genuine or just a troll, I am really hoping troll. Most people, myself included, came to the conclusion that GFWL system was to blame for the game save bug. I really hope we were right!

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

you don't feel bumps, slides, but when turning, its very precise.

Jep and as I don't want to feel rumblestrips only. Merely interested in feedback from the road itself I have disabled environmental effects for the third year in a row.

Still I don't understand why basic features that we see in real sim racing games can't be incorporated in the F1 series. Unless they are brought as a "feature" like the safety car last year (which i still haven't seen a single time lol)

 

[remydeleeuw]

I know It's a demo and I don't care much about the twitchy steering.

But when I assign the buttons of my steering wheel it doesn't save it.
Even when I only assign the pedals it won't work, so I can't drive.

The few laps I've done was with a pad, but when I setup my wheel it won't save the settings

 

[Graham Laing]

I know it's an obvious question, but you have enabled 'autosave' in the settings haven't you? Otherwise you would have to hit the save option in the main menu.

Another possibility is ensuring that the game is run as an administrator. This would ensure that any save file would have 'writing' permission in the operating system.

The game .exe file (to set 'run as administrator') is in your Steam install folder > steamapps > common > f1 2012 demo

 

[remydeleeuw]

I know it's an obvious question, but you have enabled 'autosave' in the settings haven't you? Otherwise you would have to hit the save option in the main menu.

Another possibility is ensuring that the game is run as an administrator. This would ensure that any save file would have 'writing' permission in the operating system.

The game .exe file (to set 'run as administrator') is in your Steam install folder > steamapps > common > f1 2012 demo

Thanks I will try it tonight when I'm home

 

[Graham Laing]

No problem ....

Actually to be precise (I just checked), the autosave is in the My F1 > Profile part of the game

When autosave is switched on, you get an AUTOSAVE warning widget on the screen after you have backed out of the wheel settings menu (if you have remapped or changed anything).

 

[belliash]

Hah, just did 1:45.287 on YDT.

 

[Paul Lock]

No problem ....

Actually to be precise (I just checked), the autosave is in the My F1 > Profile part of the game

When autosave is switched on, you get an AUTOSAVE warning widget on the screen after you have backed out of the wheel settings menu (if you have remapped or changed anything).

The heads up that you were gonna get a corrupted game save in 2011 was when the autosave icon you mention didnt appear when you remapped or changed anything. In that sense, you were able to anticipate that next time you started up the game with your controller 'start' button, it wasnt going to work.
(Even trying to manually save the game wouldnt work once you realised the autosave spinning icon wasnt appearing when it should).

Therefore you had an early warning (if you had noticed the missing icon) that the next time you wanted to play 2011, you needed to start the game with your keyboard and the data not corrupting, rather than starting with your controller and suffering the corruption. All you lost was your wheel settings and what didnt save from the last session, rather than an entire season.

(that was my experience anyways)

 

[Graham Laing]

Yeah, this was part of the reason that I spend some time editing all my key/button bindings directly in the G27's actionmap.xml file. You start to get get fed up with rebinding so often.

So you just end up just booting from keyboard, and selecting the G27, and the bindings were good .... If I remember correctly, you did the same.

 

[Karl Fuss]

Posting this here, where it should be

OK, so second night testing of the Demo and these things are standing out for me.

1 - There doesn't seem to be enough aero braking when you lift off the throttle
2 - There doesn't seem to be enough engine braking when you downshift
3 - There is no tyre lock up sound when you lock the front tyres, ie. no screeching or smoke unless in first gear and going really slow already.
4 - There needs to be chime or some sort of signal to let you know DRS is available. From cockpit view there is no indication you can use it unless you look behind to see the green DRS box lit up. EDIT - apparently there is a light on the steering wheel... I'll have a look for it tonight.
5 - It would be nice if there was a noise when the DRS opens and closes like there is in 2011 version.
6 - The force feedback is not right. No bumping when going over kerbs or when another driver bumps you from the side. The wheel weight seems to be wrong as well.

I am getting more used to the feel of the game. Didn't seem to have as much problem slowing down tonight as i did two nights ago. And i worked on the wheel settings a bit....
Wheel settings 3% 10% 45% 0% 0% 0% 0%
FFB 100% 100% 50%

Also, the "voices" i've been hearing appear to be an engine echo effect that is added when you pass under the overhead banners and bridges around Abu Dhabi and Monza. They sound like voices because they are lower tones and very brief due to the thinness of the banners. They were not as noticeable to me in Monza before because i was always running near other cars and couldn't hear it, but tonight i did.

Plus, tonight at Monza i almost got decapitated by Vettel in the braking zone before Ascari. His car ended up upside down in the gravel yet he still managed to finish in P18?!?!?!?!
I didn't really know he was there at the time as there was no bumping sound or FF when we locked wheels.

 

[Graham Laing]

There is a green DRS light on the steering wheel, the same as F1 2011. As you say, in the heat of the moment it's not very noticeable. A chime or some other sort of notification would have been nice, at least as an option. There has been quite a few DRS zone changes this year in the real world, I haven't memorised them all yet.

I miss the clunk of the DRS too.

I am also glad that I am NOT the only one hearing voices!

I was going to call in an Exorcist

Didn't Mark Webber finish P18 at Valencia when he flipped over last year? It must be a Red Bull thing ......







PS ..... I know he didn't finish