F1 2020 F1 2020 | Any Additional 'Replacement' Tracks Won't Be Included In New Game

[Paul Jeffrey]

Codemasters F1 2020 game director, Lee Mather has confirmed the studio have no intention of including any new for 2020 replacement circuits in the upcoming F1 game.

As we are all now more than aware, the ongoing world health situation has played havoc with the yet to begin new Formula One season. As various travel restrictions continue to blight Liberty Media and the FIA in their plan to salvage whatever then can from the year ahead, it is looking increasingly likely that Formula One 2020 style could feature at least a couple of tracks not originally on the published pre-season schedule.

With many circuits falling by the wayside, the need to ensure Formula One retains a healthy number of events this year has led to speculation that venues such as Hockenheim, Portimao, Mugello and potentially even Imola could be set to appear on the calendar, but according to Codemasters, these tracks aren't going to be included in the upcoming F1 2020 videogame.

Speaking during an interview with GP Blog, Codemasters F1 Game Director Lee Mather had the following to say:

"Circuits are the most time intense element of the development, with each circuit taking the time equivalent of 1 year of development to create. Along with building the circuits, there’s also the AI to train, the camera placement to set-up."​

​

"F1 2020 is based on the original 2020 season and we are delighted to include Hanoi Circuit and Circuit Zandvoort. Unfortunately it is not possible to add new circuits to the revised 2020 season".​

Pretty disappointing news considering the sim racing community can often put together scratch built circuits at an equal or higher quality than those within the F1 games, in a much shorter timescale and without the resources available to a developer such as Codemasters.


Original Source: GP Blog

F1 2020 is set to release on July 7th for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia.

Got questions about the game? Start a new thread at the RaceDepartment F1 2020 sub forum here at RaceDepartment, and let the community help you out!

 

[tigermilk]

To all who say CM is being lazy, perhaps they should release the game with ONLY the tracks that will be run. And for Australia, you can see the pit garage and set up the car, but can't hit the track.

Somehow I bet more folks would complain if CM truly mimicked the 2020 season.

 

[michelforest]

I'm usually very critical when it comes to CM and their F1 series approach, especially with their borderline lazy , "minor annual update" idea of releasing games, but i have to defend them here.

They're aiming for an 10th of July release and we don't even know what tracks are considered to be replacements for the 2020 season.

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting them to release the game on July 10 with the updated calendar. I was, however, hoping for some kind of update or even a DLC that would have included Mugello and Portimao, if there are races held there.

Also, it seems like the Canadian GP will be held during Canada's Thanksgiving weekend (October 9-10-11). They could have updated the scenery of the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit from summer to fall! And the mechanics would have to wear parkas instead of shirts and bermudas!

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Shots fired!

That said, I can empathise with them somewhat. Generally sim racing modders don't deal with:

• Commercial licensing negotiation
• Sponsorship obligations and nuances
• Back-and-forth with license holder to check that they're happy

It's my understanding that the F1 license covers everything in F1. Teams, Drivers and Tracks. Not like it is in NASCAR, football and other sports.
Thus also sponsors, as FOM sell track sponsorship as well (which is why all track have the same boring sponsors, no more cool, local sponsors plastered everywhere).
Back-and-forth is probably a thing, but I that shouldn't be the biggest issue as this is the 12th(!) F1 game they have made

 

[Race Squad]

I don't see the point in buying F1 2020, because this ,as always, will be a copy of last year's game with an increased size of game textures for a greater load on your hardware.

 

[metzgerov]

I don't see the point in buying F1 2020, because this ,as always, will be a copy of last year's game with an increased size of game textures for a greater load on your hardware.

Ummm you did see My Team and the other features which make this game the most un-copy pasted F1 game in this era.

I get every iteration in the past was the same but My Team adds a whole new aspect so its really a new game in that respect.

 

[mrbungle83]

That would just be too much effort for them they only have a year between releases to do all them minor tweaks.

Kunos's patches are more in depth than a whole yearly cycle at codemasters.

 

[TheSourceOfTheNile]

Codemasters couldn't even move Gasly over Toro Rosso and Albon over to Redbull after the driver changes, so of course they wouldn't bother with making an entire new track. The F1 series is just for console player who use controllers, not serious F1 fans. If people want F1 cars to handle like understeery boats with no downforce or grip, then that's fine. I just wish that things like the cars or experience of career mode could be put into a proper simulator because they are fantastic.

 

[Pepega123]

To all who say CM is being lazy, perhaps they should release the game with ONLY the tracks that will be run. And for Australia, you can see the pit garage and set up the car, but can't hit the track.

Somehow I bet more folks would complain if CM truly mimicked the 2020 season.

Somehow I doubt that. Fully upgraded cars in F1 2019 are probably better than 2020 cars (sure you won't have the same looking cars, since it is a CM game you can just download custom liveries), so if you miss your beloved tracks, you can always go back to the previous game and enjoy the recycled tracks.

 

[Ronaldoz87]

Off course they don't. They like to spend time to check their bank accounts, not spending (wasting) time for improving F1 2020 with patches. Especially not with new content. In this case because a world wide problem... and they don't improvise to 'fix' it. After so much is done because of this COVID-19 (also in E-Sport events). Sigh.. Nah, really, it would give hem much plus point by bring those tracks for free. This is just like EA, etc. Money slave Codemasters.

 

[motoliser]

Creating a realistically accurate circuit does take ages. Unless you get your hands on the actual architecture blue prints or if the laser data is already available. Not to mention the ammount of textures needed to be captured and objects to be modelled. Despite what some might think this kind of projects do take most of the time of a game production. And certainly codemasters wont be investing so much on a already lost season.
The irony is that, for the first time ever, games and reality swap scripts.

 

[Wedge]

Shots fired!

That said, I can empathise with them somewhat. Generally sim racing modders don't deal with:

• Commercial licensing negotiation
• Sponsorship obligations and nuances
• Back-and-forth with license holder to check that they're happy
• (In many cases) AI optimisation
• ...and a whole bunch of "F1 experience" things which simply don't exist in most sims.

I agree that the track quality in F1 games is lacking though. I really enjoy playing F1 2019 casually on occasion, but the version of Spa in F1 games is verging between "not great" and "completely wrong" depending on the corner, which seems pretty egregious for such a core track.

+1
Codies absolutely could build tracks with the same quality of modded ones in two or three months, but wouldn't be anywhere near the quality for a triple-A title and up to the standards of the other tracks. So yeah, a sensible decision. I wouldn't criticize that move to keep to the original calendar only.

 

[Ho3n3r]

I'm the last person on here who would defend them, but you couldn't expect anything else, really. You don't just plonk 4 or 5 tracks together in 2 to 3 months, and who knows what the schedule would look like in 2 months if things get out of hand again - the current calendar isn't even 100% decided yet as it is.

 

[ZuneGuy]

Of course there won't, because they have to keep you on the hook for F1 2021. This is why I detest Codemasters. Well that and everything is simcade, or arcade from them.

 

[Patrik Marek]

I thought the tracks in F1 were not that bad, compared to what was in Grid for example, but yeha, accuracy isnt' their priority and it's understandable

yeah, copy paste and what now, but who knows, maybe they only have like 4 people working on the updates ?

it makes no sense that they would have team of 50+ people, that they need to pay, if there are hardly any visual updates

 

[dyldo]

makes sense

 

[General_RIMT]

Yeah, this makes sense. they haven't even picked these tracks for the real calendar so it would be a crappy rush job. considering their tight development cycles, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. fine with me, as much as i'd love to have those tracks in it.

 

[Ronaldoz87]

+1
Codies absolutely could build tracks with the same quality of modded ones in two or three months, but wouldn't be anywhere near the quality for a triple-A title and up to the standards of the other tracks. So yeah, a sensible decision. I wouldn't criticize that move to keep to the original calendar only.

That sounds like positive, but that is why F1 never is that great all over. Because they only take 1 year, and then they need to focus on the next year. It's not that it's just one game that is updated every year, but full price for a 'new' game. In my opinion it's good commercial for adding older tracks. I bet that they cooperate to get Codemaster a license to develop their tracks into F1. Like Imola, almost every other sim got Imola. So why would that ever be a problem for the F1 serie? For example, Reiza got that developed for both rFactor 2 and Automobilista 2.

They would be doing well with the community if they do a COVID update.. with the updated calender. If not, then they actually fail in delivering a accurate F1 season.

 

[Acke Rosa]

Pretty disappointing news considering the sim racing community can often put together scratch built circuits at an equal or higher quality than those within the F1 games, in a much shorter timescale and without the resources available to a developer such as Codemasters.

Pretty naive and disappointing comment that.

You really think a modder can churn out a new track that runs well on PC and Console all while getting approval from a long list of licensees? Most modded tracks have rubbish AI amongst other shortcomings but then you think ah well its a mod I'm glad someone has built this for free. I bet if you reviewed F1 2020 and the tracks were made in a slapdash fashion with rubbish AI and poor track side objects you'd criticize them for rushing content.

 

[michelforest]

I don't see the point in buying F1 2020, because this ,as always, will be a copy of last year's game with an increased size of game textures for a greater load on your hardware.

As I wrote before, this idea that every edition of the game is the same is a lot of nonsense. In 2019, we got the F2 cars and in 2020, we get the "My Team" feature. These are very significant additions to the content of the game. One reviewer said that the My Team feature could have been sold as a separate game.

A lot of people post their opinions about the F1 games without really trying them, it seems. I still don't understand the level of hate that this particular title generates on this board.

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

neither do I. I know my son loved playing them when he was a teenager, even bought a wheel to enjoy it more (which is now on permanent loan to dad, good lad ), he was more than happy and when i looked over his shoulder it looked like solid entertainment. maybe folks have got a wrong idea about the aim of the title? i dunno, sticking to iRacing myself and not really that much into F1. the my team thingy might make me pick it up on black friday, though, would be my first f1 game since 2000, lol.