Gaming Hype: Codemasters Announces F1 2016 Game With “Virtual Safety Car” Coming This Summer
The E3 2016 hype train keeps rolling on with racing game announcements. Today Codemasters announced that their next F1 game, F1 2016 will be released this summer. The reason why this is important is because typically, Codemasters releases their F1 games towards the end of the F1 season so players get to basically relive the season they just watched. With a summer release, players now get to experience the current F1 season in-game as it happens. This is further bolstered by the fact that Codemasters has completely revamped the career mode in F1 2016 to compliment the experience.
Players can choose an avatar to represent them as well as choose their own racing number. From then players can choose what team they wish to start their career with. This is a subtle way to select the game’s difficulty as each team has their own expectations of you. Pick a back marker team and it will obviously be harder to win races but your teams expectations of you will be lower which makes it easy to achieve set goals. Pick a front running team and winning races may be a bit easier but you’ll have some hefty objectives to complete.
Codemasters also promises that the car upgrade system is deeper and the practice system has been expanded to mirror the same methods carried out by F1 teams in real life. Codemasters also announced that the safety car would be returning to the F1 franchise as well as a “Virtual Safety Car” but they haven’t explained exactly how that will work.
There are three more sizable additions to the game and that is the inclusion of the new HAAS F1 team and the Baku Circuit, a street course in Baku, Azerbaijan which will be the site for the 2016 Grand Prix Of Europe. Finally, Codemasters has added a “time of day editor” to allow players to control well, the time of day during races which should allow for some great visuals.
Codemasters will be bringing F1 2016 to E3 this year so if I get a chance to play it I’ll be sure to make a video about my gameplay impressions. In the meantime check out a small gallery of official in-game screenshots as well as the official box art. You can also read the official press release below for more info.
Codemasters F1 2016 Gallery:
Press Release:
F1 2016 TO FEATURE IMMERSIVE TEN-YEAR CAREER MODE -Safety car, Virtual Safety car and new Baku Circuit also announced-
May 27, 2016 – Larkspur, Calif. — Codemasters® and Koch Media today announced F1™ 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™. The new title will include the most immersive career mode ever featured in the franchise. F1 2016 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC (DVD and via Steam) this summer.
F1 2016’s new career mode will take drivers deeper into the world’s most glamorous, exciting and prestigious motorsport, both on and off the track. The life-like recreation of the sport will be further enhanced by the addition of the sport’s iconic Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car, as well as the introduction of the challenging new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE.
“F1 2016 is a massive step forward for the franchise,” said Lee Mather, principal games designer at Codemasters. “The new career mode sits at the heart of the game and allows gamers to create their own legend over a career that can span for up to a massive ten seasons. Beyond improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming, F1 2016 uniquely offers the drama and vehicle development that goes on behind the scenes. A rich car upgrade system is fully integrated into a new and deep practice development programme which mirrors the tests carried out by the teams in real life.”
Mather continued: “The career mode, together with the re-introduction of the Safety Car, the first inclusion of the Virtual Safety Car and a number of other unannounced improvements means that F1 2016 will have more new features than any other year of the franchise.”
In the new career mode players select an avatar to represent them within the game world as well as choosing a number to take with them through their career. They are then free to choose from any of the FORMULA ONE teams, all with different goals and expectations. It may be more challenging to start further down the grid, but it will also be easier to exceed team expectations. Players can earn contracts and move from team to team, or choose to develop their favourite team into a championship contender.
To complement the on-track experience, and to expand the realism of the Career mode, F1 2016 includes stunning hospitality areas for each team that act as the player’s game hub. In this area they will work with their Research and Development Engineer and Player Agent to develop their progress both on and off the track. To further enhance the immersion, players will also be able to spot other key figures from the paddock within the hospitality areas.
In what is already a very exciting season, the 2016 season sees Azerbaijan become the latest addition to the FORMULA ONE calendar, with capital city Baku playing host to what could very well be the fastest street circuit of the season. Early screenshots show off the new time of day editor which allows players to dramatically customise the visuals of the race experience. The brand-new Haas F1 Team makes their debut in the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, and in the process become the first all-American-led F1 team in three decades.
Follow Codemasters’ blog (http://blog.codemasters.com/f1/) and social channels on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Formula1game) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/formula1game) for future updates. Further details will be released on the upcoming game soon.
# # #
[Source: Codemasters]