A buzzword, as definied by Urban Dictionary, is a term or phrase that sounds good, but means nothing. Buzzwords are widely used in the media, advertising, politics and other sections of society.

Today, Codemasters released the very first official previews of F1 2015. The whole preview can be read on their very own blog, which features some downright gorgeous screenshots and huge dump of new info. The reveal today is a welcome change of pace, considering the last time we heard about F1 2015 in early February, things were looking grim for the title.

I’ll highlight some interesting things mentioned in the blog post to get to the purpose of this post:

1. “The new physics model delivers enhancements and additions in over 20 areas including engine and transmission, aero dynamics, fuel tank, force feedback, suspension and most notably a brand new tyre physics model – creating a truly breathtaking and realistic representation of how these cars handle on the track.”
2. “The handling is a vast improvement from our previous games. In particular our new tyre model is a superb step forward towards realism, letting you explore where the limit is and allowing you to instantly feel much more connected with the car.”
3. “Our improved vehicle dynamics much more accurately convey the difference in performance and the feel between mechanical and aerodynamic grip. The new Force Feedback system adds to the feeling of connection with the car and track surface. The more natural and realistic nature of the game physics also serves to ensure that the racing experience is more accessible, enjoyable and rewarding for players of all skill levels.”
4. “We know a lot of our fans wanted to play F1 ^TM 2014 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, so as well as being the official videogame of the 2015 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP we’re also including the cars, drivers and tracks from the 2014 season as bonus content. All built from the ground up with our updated handling and new game features.”

I would love to believe Codemasters is making an all-out F1 simulation for next generation consoles, but these kinds of statements are released yearly by the dev team, only for the game to finally come out and people blast it for the ridiculous amount of glitches and bugs that in some cases have made the game unplayable. F1 2014 in paticular was not well received and even suffers from a hidden traction control assist that can’t be forced off in league play.

But I think their New Tire Model comments are the strangest. This is by all means a simcade title, common territory for Codemasters as this is the type of driving games they specialize in, a type of games that don’t heavily rely on detailed physics models. It’s almost as if the phrase New Tire Model has been used somewhere else, and they’re just dropping it as a marketing technique.

Tire models had never been mentioned previously, even in racing sims, until iRacing  made it a big deal during their revitalization of the game in 2011:

Not to be taken lightly, ISI jumped on the new tire model bandwagon with rFactor and offered their own vision of what the new tire model would look like. And notice how it’s always refereed to as a new tire model.

Even Assetto Corsa got in on the tire model trend.

The point I’m trying to make, is that I’ve seen the phrase new tire model dropped so often since iRacing made it a big deal in 2011 that it has lost almost all meaning associated with it. Now with Codemasters dropping the phrase into their latest press release for a game that’s never been considered a sim, you wonder how far this nonsense is going to be taken.

In 2005, I never heard ISI brag about how rFactor’s tire model was superior to what was seen in F1 Challenge 99-02. In 2007, I never saw SimBin brag that the tire model in Race 07 was superior to the one found in GTR2. In 2001, I never saw Papyrus brag that the tire model in NASCAR Racing 4 was superior to the one found in NASCAR Racing 3.

But now, all we see is tire model this and tire model that.

It’s getting old, guys. We didn’t even know what tire model meant until iRacing told us we were getting a new one.