Something wrong with Amateur difficulty

[♡ _GneevS_ ♡]

Hello guys,

Picked up this game (Classic Edition) in recent Codemasters sale and trying to play the carreer now on Amateur difficulty.

Is there something I don't understand but Amateur AI is insanely fast, for example I am doing 1.38 in Melbourne and everybody else does around 1.33 - in the reason of this I am always in the very bottom with Williams F1. I have tried numerous custom setups, changing wing angles from highest to lowest, adjusting gears, brake balance, fuel mix, tyres, keeping right to the racing line - no avail, always in the bottom. I am playing with PS3 compatible controller (Hama Black Force), for some reason I prefer controller (due to space on the table) to the wheel.

Can you please let me know if there any tweak to this, or this game is completely unplayable on controller? I have setup the "input device override" to "Gamepad" in settings, did some changes in deadzones, saturation, lineage, but again - no avail.

Maybe somebody can help me here with advice what to do, game seems interesting, last F1 season with V8 engines, so I would like to give it a go.

P. S. I am playing with all assistants enabled.

[shaunwengchee]

u are slow. i am 10 sec faster than u and i am slow. dont use brake assist it is slows u.

[♡ _GneevS_ ♡]

Don't use brake assist at all? I will be flying out of track in every corner, I am not a Pro in racing games so I have always played with brake assists.

There are different settings of Brake assist - high, highest etc. - which one exactly slows the car down?

[♡ _GneevS_ ♡]

BTW, can anybody explain this phenomenon - why I am slow in any car setup while keeping the racing line strictly? Is this a bug or something? The Amateur level is meant to be easy, to let novice players get into the game and grow up experience.

[TeabagJohn]

I play on "Legend" with a controller and no assists and I find the AI to be too easy. When I started with the Codemasters F1 games, however, I had the same problem as you.

Do the "Young drivers test", it'll teach you the basics. Find your own racing line, it might be faster for you. Don't hit the pedal 100% when you come out of a corner, do it gently. Try different cars (I find the Williams to be one of the more difficult cars, try RedBull for example), do the practice sessions, try soft tyres with less fuel, learn a single track first and then move on.

I still have problems with the track in China for instance. Not because it's very difficult - I just don't like the layout and don't play it very often. On the other hand I'm faster than "Legend"-AI in Canada with a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ car because I adore the canadian GP and play it a ton.

Turning off some assists might help you as well. Some are really annoying like brake assist.

PS: Setups don't really matter in this game until you hit a certain level of skill. So I'd suggest that you drive with the same car, the same setup on the same track a 100% race weekend and you'll be able to play on a higher difficulty after that.

[♡ _GneevS_ ♡]

All starting career cars are low end so Williams is not an issue here. The matter is that AI is just insanely fast in the beginning of carrer mode. I can't believe that I am 5 seconds slower than top drivers, as I am searching for appropriate setups on the web, the car behaves good and fast. There is also such strange thing that top drivers have troubles passing my car on the lap (I am not blocking them) while they are much faster on the lap times. Something is definately wrong here.

[lolschrauber]

with brake assist you have no chance to win anything, it slows you down way too early and way too much.

[♡ _GneevS_ ♡]

Originally posted by lolschrauber:

with brake assist you have no chance to win anything, it slows you down way too early and way too much.

This is absolutely stupid. How do you expect a player that selects an amateur difficulty and is supposed to be a novice player, not a hardcore simulation fan to play without braking and other assists on a controller? While controller has very sensitive braking, steering and acceleration due to the lack of adjustment options?

I am not requesting instant wins or podiums, but some grade of competition and ability to go higher in game, not to be always 22nd while I am doing everything right - this is the reason why some people are afraid of buying F1 games, because Codemasters keeps inventing some sort of crap each year and implementing it in the gameplay process thinking that it is very interesting for the potential player.

For example, I was doing a rainy Sepang carrer race yesterday, 100 procent new rain tyres heat up in the rain and keep the car on track normally during practice and qualifying while other set of 100 procent new rain tyres don't have any grip in the race (cold temperature symbol is glowing) - in the reason of this I fall back behind again. Is this normal?

[TeabagJohn]

Then don't jump into career and do some normal races first with good cars.

[coxy94ac]

exactly what everyone else is saying, brake assist will just slow you down way too much, before a race make sure you learn the track during the practice session (sometimes i spend a good 30-40 mins just going round and round) you will learn all the braking points, also watch the hot lap video on the t.v thing when in the garage and it will tell you the braking points for each corner. another tip for braking it using a marker, things like distance boards that tell you how far the corner is away (150, 100 , 50) on the side of the track. you can also use line on the track or even an advertising board overhead. you just need to learn the braking points and you'll be set without brake assist on... also if you play with keyboard it's going to be hard for you.

[♡ _GneevS_ ♡]

I play with a PS3 controller. I don't understand why the difficulty level is called Amateur (I am not a professional racing gamer) while it is not amateur in reality - you have to learn braking points, acceleration etc., otherwise you can't get any satisfaction out of the game, neither a higher position, nor the points or advance in the Carreer. Why CM keeps making games where various random bugs are installed by default? Since F1 2010 they keep baking F1 games each year where there is always a hidden "surprise" - sensitive steering, insane difficulty at lowest level etc. etc. I am not whinning here, it is just a frustration when game developers lie.

[♡ _GneevS_ ♡]

BTW, is there any chance to score some points in the carreer on Amateur (really on Amateur with assists enabled and no pain of heavy learning the tracks etc. - I play games for pleasure not for the suffering) - or I should trash this game?

[♡ _GneevS_ ♡]

Tried Season Challenge with McLaren on Amateur now - 22nd on the grid. This is last rip off game I have bought from CM. Moving to trash bin.

[Will1954]

Everyone is telling you to turn off braking assist..do it then start with one track at a time till you know it like the back of your hand. Don't drivve off like a bat out of hell, take your time to find your braking markers. To be good takes time and patience, if you dont possess that then you wont ever learn how to drive these things. Soooooo...first thing...turn off braking assist!

[Akundis]

I just got this game a few days ago, and it was my first time playing any of the codemasters racing games...I had the same frustrations as you, I kept restarting careers because I was always last etc etc...

Then I turned off braking assist, and now fighting for middle of the pack positions and consistantly beating my teammate.

[noobsbane]

I have to concur with TeabagJohn, you say the AI are too fast, but you're over 17 seconds slower than myself.

Pad users are generally slower than wheel users, but pad users can still be very quick. It's not your hardware.