Complete failure at a "new" version

Aside from the R&D there is absolutely nothing new about 2014. And the fact that in the past equipment didn't provide ANY actual impact makes me wonder if that's the case still.

But the gameplay is [CENSORED] ridiculous. The AI is not AI it's just if-then statement rules that are completely predictable. But worse then that, when those rules are triggered, like to chase, the AI teams seem to not have any connect to attribute scores what so ever. My riders will be in the main field and put intot he red keeping up with a chase while the riders putting that much pressure on stay up there without any issue. I've had a sprinter that i tried to have follow another sprinter 5km out from an intermediate sprinter, They were already running at 80 effort and when I hit follow my rider actually started sprinting to try and hold onto him and STILL fell back. There wasn't even a massive difference in attributes, the flat was equal, there is no way the AI can do that unless it is completely ignoring the rules imposed on the player. Oh then there is the fact that I tried a quick simulation once and only once, that single time a 3 man break go away and won with a 1 minute advantage on a completely flat stage. It's [CENSORED] idiotic that happens when in a 3d race sprint teams never let anyone free on flat stages.

In short 2014 is no different than 2012 or 2010 in terms of gameplay. Every year you also tout enhanced graphics, yet the animations going around corners still jerk leaning both ways on some corners and in the first couple months some of the stages STILL HAVE MAJOR GRAPHICAL BUGS LIKE RIDING THROUGH WALLS OR ROADS DISAPPEARING IN THE TERRAIN.

If you can't even get your prime selling point correct each year when why are you selling it as a new game?

I enjoy the concept of the game but it is completely unplayable without causing insane amounts of frustration or just plain boredom. I'm also sending an email desiring a refund, The only hope Cyanide has of getting any money from me in the future is giving me the refund.

PS. Almost forgot the fact that sprints this year don't provide time bonuses, yet that didn't change here. You don't change something so simple yet again claim its a new game. Pathetic

More too add to this... I gave it one more chance to try and find some redeeming qualities to this game.

I made a custom team with some riders I thought were interesting. I did a preseason training camp, the Aussie NC, and started the first stage race after the NC. I attacked with one of my riders and he went basically nowhere, WTF?! Turns out all my riders but one, who haven't raced a single day have a freshness of BAD. One guy actually had an excellent like he should.

So thanks to you're absolute failure to test and fix bugs the game has completely ruined a new career before it even started. Reading PCM Daily i've seen a post there mentioning the exact same bug. Again, making your customer pay full price for not only for a product that's not really new from last years, but also a beta.

There was also another post on PCM daily saying that the game (for the TDF in this case0 felt like 9 vs 191. Meaning the so called AI reacts completely differently to the player team and riders then it does the other AI. I think that's true, or at best it's just simply confused. But I'm sure the attribute rules are broken. The Aussie NC is a good show of it... playing on normal difficulty so attributes -shouldn't- be adjusted, I attack with a rider that had 71 flat, 71 hill, 71 res. I attack and break with him, the AI will let you get away to 10 minutes ahead with 80km left, so a massive advantage. To keep that lead I'd have my rider do 70 effort and the primary chaser is always Goss, i've repeated this a couple times to get a feel for how the AI was opperating. Goss leading the field about 60-70% of the chase must have been working at least 80-85 effort and his stats aren't any different except the resistance was 66 I believe, certainly not as high as my mans. Even with considering Goss changing out with his teammates, which while watching them I rarely saw, there is no way they could sustain efforts that easily put them in the red to close 10 MINUTES in less than 100KM while I'm working to hold them back. I have no doubt if I had another rider in the race and was in the main field his energy levels with crash hard just sitting in the field.

Try it yourself, I've repeated it numerous times, you break early, get the 1-1.5 minute clear and use effort 50 until you get about an 8 minute advantage, then up the effort to 60. the field chases weakly for a little while then lets up and you'll go up to 10-11 minutes advantage before they really chase. It's easily repeatable, did it like 4 times in the last hour.

Worst about the AI was reading a preview interview where improvements to the AI were asked about and it was stated only minor changes should be expected to be cautious against breaking the AI. News for you guys, the AI always has been broken and this is the worst of it.