F1 2011 Developer Diary Co-op Mode

Codemasters recruiting for online Formula One game

Following the success of F1 2010, it looks like Codemasters Online see a big opportunity for an online game, as they’ve officially announced they are recruiting for a new development team to do just that.

Based at the Codemasters HQ in Warwickshire, the project is described as a ‘fully official and high quality Formula One browser gaming experience… highly accesible, thanks to an innovative design approach to car control, while offering persistence and depth of gameplay for a mainstream online gaming audience’.

And if you happen to be a programmer etc, you can find available roles at www.codemasters.com/jobs by selecting Online from the Department dropdown menu.

ORD: F1 at Spa and F1 2010 comparison

Last week I went to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. And you can see the pictures I took to provie it in the gallery below. I came back from one of the world’s best circuits after three days’ camping very happy (go Lewis!), very tired and very wet, but with my appetite even more whet (yes you do spell whet like that, even if it does look like a silly word when it’s written down).

I’m whet, not wet, in anticipation of Codemasters’ F1 2010, and having already been very excited about the game which is released in less than three weeks (September 24th), seeing real F1 cars roaring through the Ardennes forest made me want to have a go myself even more.

At the age of 27 and with no track record in any form of real-life motorsport I have to admit my chances of obtaining an F1 drive are now looking slim (however I would like to confirm my availability if any team bosses are reading) and it looks far more likely that I might just have to get good at F1 on the PS3, and I was excited to find that I returned from Belgium to the availability of new in-game footage available on video.

So how realistic is the game compared to real life? Well it looks pretty good. Conveniently someone has made this video putting some F1 2010 gameplay footage of Jenson Button’s virtual 2010 McLaren against some real-life footage of Heikki Kovalainen in the 2009 car – so you can judge the comparison for yourself. Someone else has done the same thing (here) for Sebastien Buemi’s Toro Rosso lapping around a drenched Monza in against Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari doing it for real in 2008. Apart from the gorgeous-looking weather effects the game looks lovely. The cars look well balanced handling-wise and there appears to be an accurate fine line between maximum speed and total disaster.

Obviously we have no way of knowing what difficulty settings the virtual racers were using or any idea of their own skill levels, but my hopes remain high. The game isn’t going to exhilarate me in the same way as watching cars fly up Eau Rouge for real but if it can recreate just a little bit of that excitement I’ll be a happy man – and a much drier one too.

If you haven’t pre-ordered F1 2010 yet then:

• F1 2010 at Amazon: PS3. Xbox 360
• F1 2010 at Game: PS3. Xbox 360
• F1 2010 at Gamestop: Ps3. Xbox 360.
• F1 2010 at Play.com: PS3. Xbox 360. PC

F1 2010 – Developer Diary Video No.4 (Tracks and Cars)

Real World Racing Round-Up: F1,BSB,WRC,etc

It’s been a big holiday weekend of racing, hence why this round-up is coming on a Monday, following the first British Superbikes meeting of 2010 on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

Tommy Hill took the first race win at the Kent circuit after following Japanese rider Ryuichi Kiyonari clear of the field and pouncing when Kyonari made a minor mistake after 22 laps. Several riders were fighting for the third spot on the podium, with James Ellison taking it from Alastair Seeley, Josh Brookes, Stuart Easton and Michael Rutter. The new Superbike Evo class was led by Steve Brogan on the Jentin Racing BMW.

The second race saw a victory for James Ellison, who got away from the start. Second went to race one winner Hill, followed by Alastair Seeley. Michael Laverty, Stuart Easton, Michael Rutter and John Laverty took the next few spots, with Steve Brogan again heading the Evo class.

Ryuichi Kiyonari was one of the main retirements in the second race, along with Josh Brookes and Yukio Kagayama. Returned former WSB champion Neil Hodgson failed to start either race after a big crash in the morning warm-up.

Sebastien Vettel  – image by rarye on Flickr (CC Licence).

In Formula One, Sunday saw a fantastic one-two victory for the Red Bull-Renault team, with Sebastien Vettel winning after passing team-mate and polesitter Mark Webber into the first turn and holding his advantage for the entire race (aside from during a pitstop). Nico Rosberg took third place in a race which saw Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher retire with mechanical problems. Robert Kubica and Adrian Sutil took fourth and fifth, while Lewis Hamilton (6th), Felipe Massa (7th) and Jeson Button (8th) recovered from qualifying nightmares. Fernando Alonso also looked set to salvage something despite a downshift problem with his gearbox until his engine finally let go in the final few laps.

In World Rallying, business as normal saw a win from Sebastien Loeb ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala, and Petter Solberg continuing a great season so far with third ahead of the works Citroen of Dani Sordo. Mikko Hirvonen rolled in to finish 20th after a nightmare off on day 2. Former Formula One champ Kimi Raikkonen picked up his first WRC points with 8th.

In British Touring Cars, Fabrizio Gionvanardi picked up 2 out of 3 wins in the Vauxhall Vectra, heading Jason Plato (Chevrolet Cruze) and Mat Jackson (BMW 320si) in the first race, and Matt Neal (Honda Civic) and Paul O’Neill (Honda Integra) in the second. The third and final race went to the BMW of Steven Kane, taking his maiden win from Mat Jackson and Jason Plato.