Oh, browser games. There are so many of you out there, yet if we were being honest (really brutally honest) there's only a handful of you that are actually worth the web space you occupy. The problem isn't for want of trying, as there are thousands of you out there vying for our virtual cash, yet you all tend to fall under the same umbrella: turn-based strategy.
Thankfully, F1 Online has little in common with those money-grabbing time wasters, packing a fully featured racing experience which allows players to not only race against others on official Formula One sanctioned tracks with the team and driver of their choice, but also nurturing their own custom team from scratch to dominate the online racing world without having to spend a fortune.
When we sat down to play F1 Online for the first time we were a little apprehensive. After all, how could a browser experience seek to compete with its simulation-orientated bigger brother, F1 2011 The answer is of course it doesn't, not directly. Codemasters are looking to capture casual racing fans who perhaps don't want to dedicate hours of their life learning intricately recreated tracks, and instead just want to experience a taste of what it's like to go wheel-to-wheel against 23 other drivers online.
The good news is their latest racing venture absolutely does that, but rather than sitting in the cockpit, you have a birds-eye view of the action and need to control your car only by using the mouse and keyboard. In principle this sounds like a nightmare, but after sampling a brief driving lesson around Abu Dhabi it suddenly becomes clear just how genius the control scheme really is. Effectively you use the mouse for steering, aided by a set of on-screen arrows to show you where you're pointing, and the keys to activate DRS and KERS. With the help of on-screen prompts and a 2D track layout to guide you, it becomes simple to keep your car on the grey stuff. When mistakes happen you simply reset your car and carry on racing.
Despite appearing relatively simplistic, the racing in F1 Online is a fairly accurate approximation of real-world racing. Entry and exit speeds need to be carefully considered, optimum corner trajectories need to be maintained and you need to pitch passes against fellow human pilots carefully, as to not lose speed.
Rather than racing against AI, every event either in quick race or dedicated championships has you always competing against other human drivers on dedicated servers, so nobody enjoys an unfair advantage. As a result, you do need to wait a minute or two to get into races, especially when waiting on 24 different machines to synchronize, but even in Beta stage the racing in F1 Online is absurdly good fun. It's very forgiving, with no damage system or penalty system to punish aggressive behavior, but for a browser game, Codemasters' latest is certainly impressive.
For those that just want a quick racing fix there's the official championship mode where you race with real F1 cars on real tracks, but for those that want a bit more depth there's a custom career mode where you start your own racing team, create your own livery and research components to progress up the classes. This mode is entirely separate to the license one, but you still race against other drivers and your destiny is still in your hands, with players eventually gaining access to specific championships to win more XP and in-game cash.
Upgrading your HQ for better components like new front wings, better gearboxes, improved DRS etc. is handled in real-time, and works in a similar way to browser-based strategy games. Manufacturing and research actions can take hours and need to be queued up, and as this is a free-to-play endeavor there are options to boost technological progress via XP, cash or staff boosters. These ‘convenience' items do muddy the competitive waters, but there's also more frivolous items like unlocking more exotic-looking colors and liveries for your car.
When compared with other free-to-play browser experiences F1 Online certainly stands out, not only because its separate licensed and custom race components are so well thought out, but also due to the fact that visually it's a good-looking game. Also the fact that pay-to-win items aren't tied directly to a player's competitive advantage bodes well for its longevity.
Aside from lacking any kind of social framework currently in the Beta, F1 Online is shaping up as a great online playground for those that have an affinity for Bernie Ecclestone's mega motorsport. We doubt it'll appeal much to those that don't love open-wheel racing, but luckily enough there's quite a few F1 fans kicking around.
