F1 2023 Wishlist: 6 Things that can be better.
Stimulating the mind can be a great exercise to get the creative juices going. Let’s pretend we are Codemasters's newly appointed F1 2023 game director (in real life the role is still occupied by Lee Mather). We have played the game series for quite a while, so we know what to expect each time an iteration is released. We are also aware of what the game does brilliantly, and what the game is in dire need of changing, or improving.
Here is a list of things we want for the upcoming F1 2023 video game.
A new graphics engine
Codemasters made the EGO engine back in 2007 to be used in most video games they released. The first game to have used it was Collin McRae: Dirt, which later became the Dirt Series of rally style games. Over the years, the engine has been improved and new versions have been released. The latest version is the EGO 4, and it has been used in games like Dirt 5, the remake of GRID, and also GRID Legends, and the F1 games since 2015.
Check our video of Dirt Rally 2.0 to see the EGO Engine 4.0 in all its glory.
It has almost been 10 years since Codemasters released the new version of the EGO engine. Back then, the engine was innovative because it “rendered more detailed damage and physics, as well as rendering large-scale environments”. The engine’s latest iteration was released around the time the PS4, and Xbox One X were on the market; PC video cards did not prioritize Ray-Tracing, nor monitors provided high refresh rates.
The decision is the following: do you evolve the EGO engine and release its 5th iteration for next-gen hardware? Or do you shift towards a more popular graphics engine like Unreal Engine 5, and reap its benefits?
Improved driving model (physics).
One thing the engine is good at is damage and crashes. Games like GRID or Dirt look amazing because of this. Every time you crash, you see parts flying around, and the car spinning spectacularly. In F1 this also translates to realistic-looking crashes like the front tires tethering to the suspension when you hit the wall at 200 mph; front wings braking and carbon fiber flying around.
It certainly enriches the game, and we often take it for granted. Other games like the Need for Speed series, or even staple video games like Gran Turismo lack a proper crash damage model. We just see the cars bounce and lose all momentum, and we barely see a dent in the bumper, or a cracked headlight.
Despite all the great things the current EGO engine has, it is time to evolve it into something bigger. To me the game looks great in the graphics department, but when you compare it to games like Assetto Corsa Competizione, Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, you begin to see the F1 series dwindle.
Another thing in urgent need of improving is its physics. The car's handling is just terrible in my opinion. When you compare it to Assetto Corsa and its many F1 cars (vanilla or mods), you can notice huge differences between them. It is more rewarding to drive F1 cars in an old game like Assetto Corsa, you feel a connection between you and the car; between the car and the track. The cars are drivable, and you are not on the verge of uncontrollably spinning all the time. You can recover from a spin, like in real life.
Real F1 drivers like Lando Norris have criticized the game’s physics; he said that in real life, cars are easier to drive! Just let that sink in for a second, how terrible your physics and drivability must be in your game, if your cars are more difficult to drive than a real F1 car; mesmerizing, to say the least.
Sadly, the current iteration of the EGO engine makes it impossible to drastically change how the cars drive. I think that a new version of the EGO engine will not solve this problem at all. Having played other Codemasters titles like Dirt 5, Dirt Rally 2.0, and the revamped GRID series, I started noticing patterns among the games. All the cars feel quite similar when you drive them; they all lack a sense of weight when navigating a corner, and braking feels artificial; it’s like the car lacks momentum by itself, and stopping the car depends only on hitting the brakes and downshifting.
They all have this horrible shaking the car does when you overexert the brakes and the front tires lock. In F1 games it is quite noticeable and it feels dreadful; very arcade-like and artificial. In real life F1 cars do not behave at all like this, even other titles like Assetto Corsa do this widely better.
Better engine and overall sounds.
One thing that has been the center of discussion among F1 fans is that the sounds made by the F1 engines are terrible. I agree with their point. We will have to compare it to other games, and mods made by the community to validate our point.
Don’t get me wrong, making proper engine sounds is difficult, even games like Gran Turismo have mediocre engine sounds. Assetto Corsa also has an artificial-like sound, but if you add community mod F1 cars to the game, you start to notice how superior they are, compared to the F1 games.
Downshifting the engine has proved to be tricky when designing a proper sound, Assetto Corsa has a weird noise, and you don't feel the proper revs slowing. Assetto Corsa Competizione has the best cockpit and engine sounds in the industry. I think it is a good starting point, and Codemasters should try to emulate what is happening in that game.
Here is a comparison made by F1Fun4u Gaming. Notice the downshifts and the scratching sound when the car hits the floor. Certainly, there is a lot of work to be done in the F1 games.
Improved helmet and livery creator
F1 games recently implemented the My Team mechanics to the game. In it you create your F1 team, and personalize the look of your car and team brand. It is a fantastic addition to the series; however, its livery creation is simply terrible. It is sad to see that other racing games like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport have a vastly superior livery editor incorporated in it. They even let players create their own stickers and designs, and share them online. This allows for an infinite number of possibilities when creating your own livery. They even let you personalize racing suits and helmets!
F1 games only offer from a poor selection of fake sponsors and barf-inducing designs to implement; the end result is a generic-looking car that belongs in another game, rather than an F1 title. The same goes for the helmet design section. You only get to pick from a limited list of designs and choose 2 or 3 colors to combine, the result is an awful looking helmet with no sponsors in it. Even the MotoGP games have a fully customizable helmet editor; in it, you get to see the community shine with their creative designs. Sharing is caring, and every respectable racing game has this feature implemented in one way or another, except F1 games.
I don’t know if they do it because of licensing issues, or because the EGO engine is severely limited in this department. Another possibility is that they are not interested in further developing its livery creator. Sadly, the consumers have to pay the price for Codemasters's lack of assertiveness.
Further improving My Team.
The mode allows you to select an engine supplier and develop parts like in regular career mode. You also select drivers and staff for your team. The mode is very good at the moment, but it can certainly improve other things.
In the MotoGP games for example, you can create teams in Moto 2 and Moto 3 whilst racing in the main category as well. It can serve as an academy to further develop, and promote riders. Something similar should be implemented in My Team. You can have F2 and F3 teams and develop their drivers along, to have them race in the main F1 category.
Driver's skills level, in an RPG-style of progression. It can certainly add a lot of managerial elements to the game mode, further enriching the experience.
Maybe the mode should also let you select from other engine suppliers like Cosworth, Audi, and other manufacturers interested in getting into the sport. The mode should not limit itself to the reality of the current season; it should consider possible scenarios, like having other engine suppliers on the list.
The mode should also let you snag staff from other teams; perhaps you want Red Bull’s chief aerodynamicist, or you want Toto as your team principal. Off-the-grid F1 figures like team principals and engineers have recently gained a lot of fame in the sport, why not capitalize on that and add to the whole F1 experience by letting us hire staff from other teams, not only drivers.
A Better Career Mode
The current career mode is OK to say the least, but it does not get any better than that. Maybe adding customizable elements to it will add a richer experience to the player. In MotoGP career for example, you get to choose the season length. I would make that even deeper by adding which Grand Prixes you want, and when you want them to the calendar. Not every season is the same, so it will feel a bit different year after year.
Perhaps due to licensing issues there is no transfer market in the game. Drivers stay in the same team for the whole 10 seasons. Maybe having the option to enable a transfer market can make Career Mode even better. Drivers could retire, teams can hire new drivers, or even push to get your services if you perform beyond everyone's expectations.
The mode should also have a pool of not only F2, but other interesting drivers in motorsport as well. Maybe having a small list of IndyCar drivers ready to make their move to F1, or even F2 or F3 can make the whole Career world even better.
If licensing is the issue, then Codemasters should make something similar to what Konami did with PES back then. Maybe add a list of generic names and give the players the ability to customize the drivers and their looks. That way, we can create our own Career worlds as we see fit.
Another cool option will be to have the option to modify our team's livery year after year; however, this option is not even present in other racing games like MotoGP so it is a far-fetched dream.
What are your thoughts on the list we made? Do you have another thing you wish to change in the F1 games? Let me know in the comments below.
Happy gaming.
Comments