F1 2016

[TreeWood]

RENAULT PIT CREW RELIEVED OF DUTIES

Just fired my pit crew - just in case anybody's looking for some inept F1 help.

Ran a Quick Race in Spa, as a practice exercise in the run-up to my Career Mode race there. About a dozen laps in, it begins to rain lightly. Pit crew says it's not wet enough to come in for inters just yet, so I stay out on the SuperSofts I'm running on, and manage OK for about 5 or so laps until they're worn down pretty good.

Just as they're getting unmanageable, a SC comes out. YES! I nip into the pits, still with no suggestions from the crew about tires, so I throw on a set of Softs. As I'm leaving the pits, I see everyone else is coming out on Inters. As I complete the first lap of the new stint and come through the chicane before the Start/Finish straight, Geoff and his buddies get on the radio to let me know they're considering a new strategy: To go on Inters!

Friggin' dipshits! Came in again - this time not under caution, to get fitted with Inters. Had to work like a dog to crawl back from 20th to finish 9th.

Needless to say, I'm going to be investing heavily in the Meteorology upgrade - using the upgrade points from ditching my pit crew.

[coggin66]

I finally got F1 2016 for XB1 last weekend when it was one of the Deals for Gold.  I only got to do P1-P3 practice at Australia last week but I got to run my first Qualifying and Race last night.  I'm hooked.

I've started my career at the bottom with Renault (my preferred team of that bottom tier).  Even though I have a G920 wheel setup I've started on relatively noob settings as there is too much going on for my old brain to get used too (Medium difficulty / Auto / Full traction control / Braking line / Full but not Simulation damage / selective flashbacks).  I hope to toughen these up as I progress.  I'm also still trying to get the brake pedal dialled in correctly (as I have the firm pedal issue common with the G920).

I managed to qualify in 14th - better than the team wanted but not as good as I could have done. I chose the short qualifying thinking it was a Q1-Q3 setup but with shorter sessions so I stopped early thinking I was ok for Q2.  Nope - just one session of 20mins so my drift from 7th to 14th would determine my starting position. (I will go Full qualifying next race).

And then onto the Race (which I'm doing on 50% distance). Just to ease me in, the game decides to give me a full Wet race at the start easing to light rain over the course of the race.  Some light wing damage in lap 1 turns into red wing damage on about lap 5.  I persevere for another 4 laps before pitting early , fixing the wing and going onto Inters a bit early.  My plan is to run to the end without stopping and I have no idea if these tyres will last.

A fairly dull mid-race section livens up for the last 8 laps as the pitstops wash out and I find myself in 9th - 2 seconds behind Massa with Hulkenburg and Bottas 1-2 seconds behind me.  I seesaw between pressuring Massa and fending off the two behind, using Rich mixture as much as I can to compensate for the weaker Renault engine.  When Hamilton goes out with engine damage with two to go, I know I'm at least safe for a point but can I stay in 8th? The old Inters are all over 50% wear and I'm struggling to slow the car at corners. And the fuel is getting low.

Coming into the last lap I'm pressuring Massa's tail for 7th but an error mid-lap puts me back into the clutches of the following pair. I round the last corner with Hulkenburg "2 chevrons" on my tail so I go Rich for last few hundred metres. With 50m to go the fuel runs out ... but I have just enough momentum to get me across the line in 8th. Awesome.

That's what I'm loving about this game.  A battle for 8th place feels as good as a win.  I now get some of the earlier posts in this thread as this game gives you stories that you want to share.  The missus looks at me at the wheel with the surround sound headphones on and tells me "you know you look like a nerd not a racing driver"! She's right, but that also makes her the wrong audience for my race tales.

[TreeWood]

Awesome writeup, Ken. It felt like being there in the grandstands watching the action unfold! You're so right that successfully battling it out for a point or two feels (almost) as good as taking the checkered flag. There is a lot to get used to all at once, but it sounds like you're getting to grips with it pretty well.

I also play 50%, medium, and shortened qualifying. I've just moved from FULL TC to Partial TC. Makes a fair bit of difference, particularly during braking. Would love to go the wheel route, but the wife would kill me for shelling out that kind of dough. Doesn't get the allure of gaming in any way.

Had to laugh when I read about running out of fuel.  If you haven't watched it yet, check out CrazyCanuck's Baku (Azerbaijan) race... at least the final 5-6 laps. It's the most entertaining finish to a race I've yet seen. And yes, FUEL does play a part. 

Glad you're enjoying it, and looking forward to hearing more from you as a fellow Renault driver!

[TreeWood]

Hey all,

I've found the Holy Grail ! This will be the last resource I post for detailed F1 Car Setup, Driving Tips, and Race Strategy - simply because it's the most comprehensive, detailed (including photos/illustrations), reliable and authoritative guide to both the science of F1 physics and the art of F1 driving. It's a massive PDF that covers it all. Don't be put off by the publication date - the laws of physics and the functions of the components haven't changed in the meantime.

Enjoy! F1 Guide (Click on "Download this Mod" (It's a PDF file)

[jacobkessler]

Speaking of car games... Does anyone still play Gran Turismo 6?

[Deleted]

Oct 28, 2016 11:13:36 GMT -5 TreeWood said:

RENAULT PIT CREW RELIEVED OF DUTIES

Just fired my pit crew - just in case anybody's looking for some inept F1 help.

Ran a Quick Race in Spa, as a practice exercise in the run-up to my Career Mode race there. About a dozen laps in, it begins to rain lightly. Pit crew says it's not wet enough to come in for inters just yet, so I stay out on the SuperSofts I'm running on, and manage OK for about 5 or so laps until they're worn down pretty good.

Just as they're getting unmanageable, a SC comes out. YES! I nip into the pits, still with no suggestions from the crew about tires, so I throw on a set of Softs. As I'm leaving the pits, I see everyone else is coming out on Inters. As I complete the first lap of the new stint and come through the chicane before the Start/Finish straight, Geoff and his buddies get on the radio to let me know they're considering a new strategy: To go on Inters!

Friggin' dipshits! Came in again - this time not under caution, to get fitted with Inters. Had to work like a dog to crawl back from 20th to finish 9th.

Needless to say, I'm going to be investing heavily in the Meteorology upgrade - using the upgrade points from ditching my pit crew.

bro this happened to me 2
and I promised myself if I see the engineer in person Im a F him up

[TreeWood]

Been rather quiet here of late (again). Everyone still enjoying the F1 fixes? The only persistent bug (happened twice over the course of my first Career Mode season) is having a guy pass me under yellow during a SC phase, and there's nothing I can do. If I try to retake my rightful position, I'm threatened with a penalty. It's a small issue, but one I thought would have been sorted by now. Oh well.

Getting better at driving with partial TC... quite the challenge. Can't imagine ever getting a handle on having no TC, especially with just a controller. Wheel and pedals might be easier, but with a Manor Team sized-wallet, that's not in the cards for me.

Watched the real F1 Practice Session 2 today, enjoyed seeing Fernando Alonso providing some of our TV coverage - he'd better stick to driving, I think.

[dh-nufc]

Still loving the game, still having great races. Just been given Hamilton as a rival. That's going to be a challenge. I'm 3rd in the championship and just completed a great race in Malaysia. Only bug I had was someone ghost by me on put entry.

[pablo]

Oh yeah, me too, loving the game. Except the part of destroying the tires. No matter what I do, specially the front ones die real quick

[dh-nufc]

Nov 12, 2016 10:53:49 GMT -5 pablo said:

Oh yeah, me too, loving the game. Except the part of destroying the tires. No matter what I do, specially the front ones die real quick

Same for me and if I try to look after them I'm so much slower.

[TreeWood]

For front tire wear issues, a couple possibilities to explore:

1) Check brake bias: try shifting more bias to the rear tires (even a little bit can help). If you're consistently locking up the fronts, they'll wear down much faster than the rears.

2) Check that you aren't putting in either too much front toe, or too much negative camber on the fronts. You definitely need some, but again too much of either will destroy tires like there's no tomorrow.

3) You can also try softening front suspension, if need be.

In testing, what you really want to see is relatively even tire temps. If your fronts are more than 5-10 degrees hotter than your rears, you've got a setup issue for sure. What I'll do is set up a Quick Race to check a setup, and then try a run of 7-8 laps in practice, trying as hard as possible to aim for consistent quick laps times - maybe not qualifying pace, but say 85-90% of that pace. Check your tire temps near the end of the run, and that should give you an idea of whether or not the tire wear issue is setup-related.

Driving style can also be the issue. If you're matting it around corners, running into the yellow/orange level range on the racing line indicator, you're just abusing your tires, no matter what the setup is. Resist the urge to drive the crap out of your tires, otherwise you'll end up doing two things:

1) Not get the fastest potential lap times out of your tires during your stint (excessive wear will mean losing a couple tenths per lap)

2) Necessitate taking at least one extra pit stop - turning a two-stop strategy into a three-stop one, etc., without getting much, if any, benefit from "fresher" tires.

On the tire wear front, I really wish the Codemasters F1 series provided data on tire temps at three points across the tire tread: outside, middle, and inside. Only by measuring and comparing those values can you really know with certainty whether toe, camber, or perhaps even tire pressure or ballast need to be adjusted to optimize your setup.

[TreeWood]

Hey all,

Is there any particular F1 circuit that you struggle with? I'm pulling my hair out at Suzuka. Just can't seem to arrive at a setup that:

a) Is really competitive (i.e in the top 6 for lap times)
b) Doesn't have too much understeer

I prefer a car that feels very neutral, with a setup that generates very evenly distributed tire wear, but with perhaps just a hint of understeer if I really push it to its limits in fast corners. Normally, it'll take me a full practice session to develop first a rough setup (aero and mechanical grip)  and then two additional sessions to fine-tune brakes, differential, and ballast. In Japan for whatever reason it's just not all falling into place.

It's a tough circuit, really. Winding medium speed turns in sector 1, followed by sector 2, featuring a combination of fast/slow segments culminating in the hairpin, then it's into the faster sector for the most part - including the long straight and the very fast 130R and final chicane. Seems like everything's a compromise here. But in making trade-offs, I've just neutralized the Renault's ability to do anything really well. 

[dh-nufc]

I've not got that far yet!!! I'm struggling with tyre ear everywhere though!

[mrooola]

Nov 17, 2016 2:53:47 GMT -5 TreeWood said:

Hey all,

Is there any particular F1 circuit that you struggle with? I'm pulling my hair out at Suzuka. Just can't seem to arrive at a setup that:

a) Is really competitive (i.e in the top 6 for lap times)
b) Doesn't have too much understeer

I prefer a car that feels very neutral, with a setup that generates very evenly distributed tire wear, but with perhaps just a hint of understeer if I really push it to its limits in fast corners. Normally, it'll take me a full practice session to develop first a rough setup (aero and mechanical grip)  and then two additional sessions to fine-tune brakes, differential, and ballast. In Japan for whatever reason it's just not all falling into place.

It's a tough circuit, really. Winding medium speed turns in sector 1, followed by sector 2, featuring a combination of fast/slow segments culminating in the hairpin, then it's into the faster sector for the most part - including the long straight and the very fast 130R and final chicane. Seems like everything's a compromise here. But in making trade-offs, I've just neutralized the Renault's ability to do anything really well. 

I've yet to get 2016 but I've always struggled on suzuka. Regardless of game. Tough to find a good balance. Pretty much why it's such a great track.

[lessangster]

I might get it if the price is right