[suggestion] change strategy during the race

The preferred option would be to have a discussion with the engineer or for him to suggest the strategy "Plan A" +/- target laps, "Plan B" (long stint, maybe compound change) etc.

But this depends upon the voice commands being operational on all variants of the game and it would appear to be a difficulty with PS5 particularly unless you're playing the PS4 game.

It would be easy to say "Soft", "Medium" or "Hard" / "Inters" or "Wets" on the in lap before the SC line to override any potential error with tyres.

I use a wheel with both rotary and joystick (menu navigation) control so I've never found it an issue. Only issues are where a one stop strategy becomes an opportunity for more or you change a two stop at the first stop, then all bets are seemingly off with tyre selection unless you override it.

Edit: And, I have to say, I have never lost the voice control option in F1 2021, it always seems to work perfectly, unlike previous titles, so whatever the issues were, they've improved for some of us.

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@Nuvolarix wrote:

Hi,

I would like to share here my troubles when 'something' happens during the race and I'm forced or I decide anyway to change my strategy, for example when a SC or VSC comes in.

Usually the game itself asks if you want to change the strategy and my troubles start there. First of all it's not user friendly (to me), I'm not able to fast read what the engineer proposes while I drive, the only thing I need to do is 'box box box' or not. Later I will decide the strategy, I have also 3 laps of SC to do that.

Besides when that panel appears on the screen there's some kind of block with the radio, so I'm not able to ask the engineering to 'box this lap' neither with voice commands nor with clicks.

And if the SC comes in the 3rd sector and I want to box, that's a nightmare, I have few seconds to prepare the pits and that panel often prevents it to me. There I often start to use flashbacks ( 😞) to optimized my clicks in very few time or it's just impossible and I have to box with the fingers crossed, hoping the mechanics are ready (sometimes they are, sometimes they are not, cannot understand why...)

So my little suggestion would be:

1) remove that automatic strategy asking or introduce an option to choose whether to keep it or not

2) since in Formula 1 in reality the driver with few verbal exchanges of the type 'plan A', 'plan B +5' agrees the strategies with the garage and simply thinks about driving and managing the car, at least in Single Player, it would be nice if one simply could pause the game for few seconds and with some clicks change the strategy, maybe using a panel similar to the one I shared here at the top of the picture.

I share in this topic too, it's better (just a sample):

Ok that is not pure simulation (to pause the game etc.), but it's still a better compromise than having to click like crazy while driving or change a strategy (which is not fully understood) automatically or keep the engineer who talks to you during the remainder of the race about a 'window open for the pit stop 'according to an outdated strategy, whereby one must remember for himself when to actually enter the pits.

Just to share my thoughts and maybe reflect on them to improve the immersion of the game 🙂

Regards,
Nuv

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You do realise people play online so they can’t pause the game

I agree.  I'd love to see another way of changing strategy in race.  The MFD just doesn't work well.  You also don't have access to any of the data that a team/driver normally would during a race.  OK; the driver can't access it; sure but it can be accessed by the team and communicated to the driver.   I suspect that's how they created the in race strategy change suggestion originally; but it's just not functional.   Many of us understand the driver doesn't have control over alot of these things and we're playing as the driver; but the team certainly does and since the game can't recreate the team aspect of it while you're driving you should have access as the player to that data so you can change strategies.   Especially for offline racing I'd like to see a pause menu.  I know we can access the running order and race director to see some information about other drivers stops and tire selections etc, but nothing with respect to our own. 

For example if I enter a race with a strategy to do a two stop from the start, but then we end up with some safety car's etc.  I'd like to be able to access some data again similar to the start of the race when you set your strategy.  To show expected # of laps for tire wear.  In this example the safety car laps could lead to me saving tire life over the safety car laps and maybe instead of a 2 stop I can switch to the hard compound and go on a 1 stop now instead.  But the problem is currently unless I wrote it down before the start of the race I have no idea on the life expectancy of my tires now to know if that's a good call or not. 

The in game automatic strategy updates are too...  conservative I find.  I get that it's basing it off total time; but I find it always suggests far more stops than needed.  It often wants you to swap tires at like 40% wear.  That's just...  not accurate in my experience and leads to too many stops.  Problem is the AI drivers do it too.  I've seen far too many races in my time in this series where I drive another 10-15 laps past the games suggestion for me to pit and end up shaving an entire stop out of the suggested strategy.  It's a pretty big flaw in the system IMO.

However; that being said yes the ability to change strategy mid-race needs to change.   I've always hated in racing games that you have to try and change your pit option/strategy option settings while trying to drive.   Back in the day of voice commands in the old EA nascar games it was great, because you could press the talk button and tell the game what to do.  Now it's a matter of fliping through on screen menus while trying to drive.   From a wheel maybe that's doable but if you're playing with a controller it's darn near impossible.  A simple pause menu would help for off line races, online...  I dont know what the option is but there's got to be a better method than there is now.

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@petro1319 wrote:

I agree.  I'd love to see another way of changing strategy in race.  The MFD just doesn't work well.  You also don't have access to any of the data that a team/driver normally would during a race.  OK; the driver can't access it; sure but it can be accessed by the team and communicated to the driver.   I suspect that's how they created the in race strategy change suggestion originally; but it's just not functional.   Many of us understand the driver doesn't have control over alot of these things and we're playing as the driver; but the team certainly does and since the game can't recreate the team aspect of it while you're driving you should have access as the player to that data so you can change strategies.   Especially for offline racing I'd like to see a pause menu.  I know we can access the running order and race director to see some information about other drivers stops and tire selections etc, but nothing with respect to our own. 

For example if I enter a race with a strategy to do a two stop from the start, but then we end up with some safety car's etc.  I'd like to be able to access some data again similar to the start of the race when you set your strategy.  To show expected # of laps for tire wear.  In this example the safety car laps could lead to me saving tire life over the safety car laps and maybe instead of a 2 stop I can switch to the hard compound and go on a 1 stop now instead.  But the problem is currently unless I wrote it down before the start of the race I have no idea on the life expectancy of my tires now to know if that's a good call or not. 

The in game automatic strategy updates are too...  conservative I find.  I get that it's basing it off total time; but I find it always suggests far more stops than needed.  It often wants you to swap tires at like 40% wear.  That's just...  not accurate in my experience and leads to too many stops.  Problem is the AI drivers do it too.  I've seen far too many races in my time in this series where I drive another 10-15 laps past the games suggestion for me to pit and end up shaving an entire stop out of the suggested strategy.  It's a pretty big flaw in the system IMO.

However; that being said yes the ability to change strategy mid-race needs to change.   I've always hated in racing games that you have to try and change your pit option/strategy option settings while trying to drive.   Back in the day of voice commands in the old EA nascar games it was great, because you could press the talk button and tell the game what to do.  Now it's a matter of fliping through on screen menus while trying to drive.   From a wheel maybe that's doable but if you're playing with a controller it's darn near impossible.  A simple pause menu would help for off line races, online...  I dont know what the option is but there's got to be a better method than there is now.

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They can easily make  radio option  for both dry and wet tyre life  where you can know the how long a tyre can last

disagree the strategy works fine and there is usually plenty of time to react to that.

I also think this is just single player that your struggling with where as in multiplayer you have to learn to use it otherwise you struggle in races.

All the information you need is there and there are plenty of questions that give you other information if you ask Jeff for it.

personally I think the MFD is great and handy during league races and is one thing that doesn’t need to change.

I think once your used to it it’s good as you know where to go.

obviously helps being on a wheel though.