I have played this game a few times in Beta. It is a fun way of wasting an hour or two. Congratulations to the developer for making the best F1 manager game since GPM2.
I have lots of ideas but aware of technical / budget restrictions on mobile app games. I really like the realistic nature of starting with a backmarker and being next to impossible to score points. It annoys me in a game like the codemasters game that I can win in a HRT for example. How about a team mate challenge to gain extra points to give you so something to aim for?
Being able to participate in qualifying would be good too. Perhaps just one lap? I would like to be able to play with the tyres more and perhaps pre arrange my pit strategy but play with the fuel and tyres in race to make the strategy aspect more interesting. Also, how about more in race retirements? I've played it three times and never had to use wet or intermediates. I am not even sure how to tell if it is raining.
One criticism I have of the game is that I do not like the in race challenges (although I do like the pit/start challenges) they do not really serve any purpouse, difficult to master on a mobile and repetitive. I understand the aim of the game is to be like New Star Soccer for F1 but in NSS there are several different in play scenarios and how you do in them effects your proggress up the leagues/cup which is satisfying. In this game you gain a second. They key to NSS is the details, every club, every division and something to aim for. I would prefer these were taken out and replaced with more strategy options.. If you are aiming at the NSS market then they may get bored with the in three in play options. In my opinion the sucsess of a game like this is tapping into the strategy/simulation market.
Having played every F1 manager game that has came out since GPM2 I appreciate getting every aspect of an F1 management sim is near impossible and probably required a massive budget for an audience that is not there, hence why there has not been a decent one since 1996.
I am no tech/app expert but I can't help think that a app that copies the GMP2 which was released 17 years ago must be transferable as an app. I prefer playing Football Manager app than the real game as it is a stripped down basic version similar to the game 10 years ago that does not take over your whole weekend. I appreciate the budget/resources maybe slightly different in this case and congratulate you for getting many things right where people with bigger budget have got it horribly wrong.
Hey Rosscamero - thanks for the feedback - that's great.
On the realistic performance - this is something I've worked pretty hard on - it annoys me that I can win in F1 2012 with a backmarker car too. Still working on it - it's far from perfect - especially when you get through a few seasons and end up in a front-running car - the performance is a little too good (not unlike the way VET wins by a mile!).
Do you think the race lengths are OK? Would you like to see them longer or shorter?
Yes, qually is on the list for the next version. Been thinking about way to make it interesting, like making it a "challenge" where you have to draw the racing line around a track (like Draw Race)? Perhaps it's still strategy, but about when you go out of the pits and what tyre you are on (could also carry over the qually tyre to the race)? I'm open to suggestions.
There are occasional retirements now, due to fuel running out - if an AI car makes a bad decision it can backfire on them. Usually only happens on the longer tracks like Spa. I'll be including mechanical failures and crashes in the next version. Wet tyres aren't used yet as I haven't built the weather engine, but that's also on the list. I think it will add a lot more to the strategy complexity which will be good.
Thanks for the feedback on the driving challenges - I've had mixed feedback on them. They were initially designed to break the monotony of the strategy screen - the last thing I want is for them to become a source of it! Will be interesting to see how it goes when released to a broader audience next week.
I think the key to a game like this working well with a low budget (one person working on it!) is to release early and release often - that's why I'm releasing now, with a commitment to continuing the evolution of the game once the feedback starts flowing. Keep it coming!
The other key is to achieve some success early in terms of downloads (I know that financial success can follow from that). On release day I'd really appreciate as many downloads as you can generate (they are free) so the game can make it into the charts - make sure you tell family & friends. Without that it will be hard to sustain.
P.S. Do you mind if I use your quote in my promo material? "Congratulations to the developer for making the best F1 manager game since GPM2"
Regards,
Nathan.