Although yesterday’s early evening was mainly in the spirit of the presentation of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, the world certainly did not stop. This is proven, for example, by the people from Electronic Arts and Codemasters, who presented the new year of the F1 racing series in more detail. Although there were already signs that the first details were about to be revealed, it happened without warning through the first more coherent video and press release, revealing, for example, news related to the driving model of single-seaters or the redesigned radio communication between pilots and engineers in the pits. Yes, F1 fans will finally get the real voices of individual drivers, which EA promises an even better experience and atmosphere.
But let’s start with what is much more important for the game from a long-term perspective. Probably also thanks to the closer cooperation with Max Verstappen, the developers from Codies decided to rework the driving model to be in line with the current characteristics of single-seaters and better correspond to reality. As is customary at EA, the new driving model is called Dynamic Handling, but in the end it should simply be a new mix of properties and influences based on aerodynamics, tires and engine circuits. “All driving characteristics are improved, including cornering, rolling resistance, brake pressure or track temperature. According to EA, players should receive adequate feedback, which should ideally lead to an improvement in their performance on the track.
In terms of improvements to non-racing aspects, for example, the developers focused on changes to individual tracks. They promise refinements at Silverstone and the inclusion of news in, for example, Spa or Jeddah. I guess I’m not the only one who is really looking forward to the aforementioned news regarding radio communication, which has remained the same for years and, above all, very inauthentic. For example, F1 Manager suggested that the use of real drivers’ voices can work very well, and the developers at Codies have finally taken this step. Unfortunately, the press release doesn’t say how wide of a range of reports we can expect, but given that there are hours and hours of actual communications, the result could be decent. The developers are also adding other changes in the processing of TV transmissions, but until we see the game in action, nothing can be evaluated more closely.
Extensive changes and improvements then concern the career mode, which should mean the biggest jump since 2016 according to creative director Lee Mather. the need to meet the goals set by your current contract. The reputation of the pilot should also affect the approach of the entire team, including the research and development department. To keep players motivated beyond the desire to win races, sub-challenges will also enter the career, for example in the form of repeatedly finishing races in the points or winning the title of world champion. It will then be possible to ride the career in tandem with another player, as was the case in earlier parts. The specialty at the end are shortened seasons made up of several challenges for specific pilots, which fans will also be able to influence with their votes.
PC version specifics
Details regarding the PC version appeared on Steam shortly after the game’s launch, which are expected to include support for VR gaming, for example. In addition, this version fully applies ray tracing even during races, you can look forward to wide support for controllers and peripherals or perhaps eye tracking technology. Another interesting feature is the possibility to save complete records of your own driving and, of course, extended graphics settings.
At the end of the press release, people from EA confirm that the other game modes will continue to be grouped together under the heading of F1 World, which will naturally include the traditional Podium Pass with challenges and cosmetic rewards. And since we already know the release date – May 31st – of course pre-orders are already open for all target versions. The game is released on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and of course also on PC. The price of the standard edition is set at 1,899 crowns on consoles and 70 euros on PC. You can also pre-order the Champions edition, which costs 2399 on Xbox, 2369 on PlayStation and 90 euros on PC. Beyond the game itself, you’ll find 18,000 Pit Coins, the chance to use McLaren, Williams, Haas and Alpine skins in F1 23, three-day priority access, a VIP Podium Pass or two iconic drivers from F1’s past for career use.
