F1 2019 – Super Licence and Leagues
One of the biggest changes to multiplayer in F1® 2019 is the addition of new in-game leagues. But as with any big, complex system we know that you’ll likely have a lot of questions about how it works – and, alongside our livestream, which you can check out below, we hope to answer as many of them as we can.
Some of you will absolutely know what a league is, but for those of you who might not know, a league is a championship – a series of race events with a persistent score. Whoever has the most points at the end of the final event is declared the winner. In F1 2019 the progress of each league championship is stored on the game’s online services, meaning individual league members can interact with the league even if the league owner is offline.
You can be a member of up to 20 leagues at once, and each league can support 20 competitors (though league owners can reduce the maximum number of competitors to increase the number of spectator slots, if they so wish).
Leagues can be set to be either “scheduled” or “on-demand”. Scheduled leagues are a great option for strangers playing against each other, as the events take place at scheduled times/dates. As long as you turn up at the predetermined time, you can take part in the event (even if the owner doesn’t show up!)
If you know the people you want to play with though, on-demand leagues may be a better option for you! This style of league is a lot more dynamic – events can be kicked off whenever a league admin and at least one other competitor are present. This means you could play a couple of races one night, then leave it open as to when you’re all getting back together for the next one.
Leagues have a whole suite of other options to allow you to configure the kind of experience you want:
- League Privacy. Public leagues can appear in the Suggested Leagues list, and can be found by using the in-game search option. Private leagues are invisible – you can only join a private league by either a) being invited, or b) searching for the league using its unique access code (which must be provided by an existing league member).
- Private leagues also have access to some options public leagues do not. For example, they may play using the official teams instead of the multiplayer car, and admins of private leagues may also edit the results of a GRAND PRIX after it has ended.
- Admission Type. By default, players who ask to join a league will be automatically accepted. But if you apply to join a league with approvals enabled, your application must be manually approved by a league admin. The admins can access your OS profile and your in-game Super Licence in order to assess your suitability before approving or rejecting your application (including the all-new Attendance Rating, which rates your reliability in terms of attending/completing league events).
- AI. Allows you to define how the AI will be used. In a full or nearly full league you might want to disable the AI entirely. Or you may want the AI to be present on track (to create traffic), but not in the standings – i.e. you want the overall competition to be between the humans only. Or you may have a league with just a few of you, and you want to have a more collaborative experience competing against a full roster of AI for the championship title.
- Allow AI Substitutions. It can be annoying, but understandable when players can’t make league events. To reduce the impact upon the other competitors’ experience, F1 2019 offers the option of having the AI substitute for missing players. These AI will be presented as though they are the player they are replacing (albeit with an “AI” tag), helping to preserve the fidelity of the experience for everyone else. For maximum flexibility, the AI level of the substitutes can be set separately to that of other AI competitors.
These are just some of the options available. As well as these, you can also find a similar range of options to those seen in GRAND PRIX™ or Unranked modes: weekend structure, race options, assist restrictions.
You’ll also be able to search for a league that matches what you’re looking for in terms of schedule, gameplay options or social vibes. Or you can also create your own and invite others to join you! Owners can then promote other members to the role of admin, so they can help to share the burden of administrating the league.
At the end of the championship the winner is declared and the competitors (provided certain levels of attendance have been met) are awarded league medals based on their performance. These medals can be displayed in the player’s Trophy Cabinet (under their Super Licence), and can be favourited so that other players can see them when viewing your licence. The owner is then free to restart the league at any time, starting a new championship (optionally with the existing players or an all-new roster).
While a league championship is in progress, competitors will receive penalties to their attendance rating for quitting partway through. To prevent unscrupulous league owners from griefing members, significant changes to the league structure can only be enacted via voting. Changes to the settings or track list can only be instigated by the owner, but must be voted on by members before they can take effect. Votes to postpone an event can be proposed by any competitor, but require unanimous approval from the rest of the league. Votes to kick a player can also be proposed by any competitor, but before that drastic reprisal admins/owners can apply grid penalties or disqualifications to discourage unwanted behaviour.
With all these options, finding a league to suit your playstyle has never been easier, whether you’re looking for casual fun with your friends, or a hardcore competitive experience with the best drivers you can find.
Super Licence
This leads us very nicely onto the Super Licence! The Super Licence is the record of your time spent in F1 2019. And with the improvement to online services, you can now view other players’ Super Licences from anywhere within the game, even if that player is offline!
The Super Licence is accessible from anywhere in the game’s menu system. It comprises three main areas:
- The Super Licence itself
- Trophy Cabinet
- Stats
The Super Licence displays information like your profile name and your key ratings: Skill Rating, Safety Rating, Attendance Rating and driver level. When viewing your own licence you’ll also be able to review your XP and milestone progress.
The Trophy Cabinet is new to F1 2019 and gives you a way of showing off your in-game accolades. You can acquire trophies in many ways, some from singleplayer (winning GPs in Career Mode, completing championships in Championships mode) and some from multiplayer (completing league championship seasons, competing in Weekly Events, competing in F1® Esports Series qualifying events or live events). Of all the trophies you own, up to 6 can be marked as favourites, and it’s these that will be shown to other players when they view your Super Licence. Use your favourites to show off the performances of which you’re the most proud!
The stats page includes information about your time spent in F1 2019, and has been significantly expanded from F1 2018. The stats are split into different online categories, all of which you can view when inspecting another player’s Super Licence. Career stats are also included when looking at your own licence, but are not shared with other players.
In F1 2018, you had had to be in the same session as someone else to inspect each other’s stats, but now you can view the Super Licence of another player from anywhere you can select them: a league’s member list, the Weekly Event/Esports qualifying event leaderboards, lobbies, and so on. When you view another player’s licence it opens a slightly different interface that allows you to compare their licence/stats against your own. It’s never been easier to rate yourself against the other players you meet in F1 2019’s expanded multiplayer!
Want to pre-order F1 2019? You can pre-order F1 2019 from formula1-game.com, or on various first party stores below:
