Any advice for newbie to AC?

[gtnoobie]

Just 'forced' to switch to AC due to GT6 hanging. Delete and reinstalled and update failed no matter what I did (update to 1.06 then stop ...Blah blah)

In short, I just bought AC with Dream pack 1 today and not sure what I am in for.

My setup is a i7 with GTX970, G27 and a 40" screen.

First impression is that that road buzz is more than gt6. Control is slightly more twitchy, clutch tough to bite with precision, effect of gear shift a lot more pronounced, a lot of minor correction to oversteering needed and character of each car being a lot more pronounced though I just did some novice career mode. I left ABS on,TC at factory and most other setting like stability off.

Any advice on settings to make the drive more realistic? Also what AI level in % do you recommend? Should I bother with career or should I be doing something else? Got gold for N1,2 and going for N3. Where is the garage for cars I own in game?

Sorry for the multitude of questions.

 

[Oso Actual]

As a relatively new AC driver (a year) best advice right now is forget everything GT...AC is in a different league!

First thing I did was get my wheel (Fanatec CSR) situated. Search online for other G27 FFB settings that work for others or experiment yourself, everyone has different tastes so it will take some time to get it to feel right for you. Or maybe default is good enough?

There are some tweaks (settings) you can make to your clutch, brake, throttle and shifter and other things to help make the feel better. Not familiar with the G27 so someone else will have better suggestions for that wheel.

I found road cars to be the most challenging, so I, for the most part, only drive GT. But again, AC does a good job with each car and its uniqueness so its whatever you prefer as a driver.

I usually have my Ai difficulty @ 90%, but sometimes adjust down or up depending on car and track.

Being someone who also comes from a AAA kinda-sim (forza) the career in AC isn't what we are used to, bland is a good description of its career but that's why I love AC, I'd rather set up a custom race and just compete and experience some of the best sim racing I can!

No garage, every car is available from start. Another straight to the point aspect I like about AC and Project CARS, no need to collect cars, just pick which car you want and go have fun! You can however save tunes for cars and tracks.

Hopefully I helped a little, welcome to AC! There are others here that will have info for you, good guys in AC.

 

[Roostaboosta]

Just 'forced' to switch to AC due to GT6 hanging. Delete and reinstalled and update failed no matter what I did (update to 1.06 then stop ...Blah blah)

In short, I just bought AC with Dream pack 1 today and not sure what I am in for.

My setup is a i7 with GTX970, G27 and a 40" screen.

First impression is that that road buzz is more than gt6. Control is slightly more twitchy, clutch tough to bite with precision, effect of gear shift a lot more pronounced, a lot of minor correction to oversteering needed and character of each car being a lot more pronounced though I just did some novice career mode. I left ABS on,TC at factory and most other setting like stability off.

Any advice on settings to make the drive more realistic? Also what AI level in % do you recommend? Should I bother with career or should I be doing something else? Got gold for N1,2 and going for N3. Where is the garage for cars I own in game?

Sorry for the multitude of questions.

On the Graphics side download Natural Graphics Mod, enable LumaSharpen and you're good to go. Read the Graphics section in " Going nowhere fast in Assetto Corsa" I have used his recommended settings from the off. Makes a huge difference IMO.

 

[TiZzla]

I haven't even touched the career mode, this is more of a pure sim than a game so I find the best way to enjoy it is just pure hot lapping or setting up custom races with similar or identical cars. I set ABS to factory and TC off, AI to 100% and tweak the FFB to whatever suits you best. You can adjust loads of FFB settings, I find some of the road and kerb effects are too strong so I turn them down and just have a strong base ffb which feels nice.

But yeah if you're coming from GT just enjoy the physics and feel the car moving around, grab one of the road cars and hit the Nordschleife 👍

 

[ralph89]

Same here never touched the career mode besides the Fiat 500 one. Also I went by the feel on G27, spent a good 1 hour to set it up to my liking. I did look at some recommendation from the official forum, but I did my own little tweak. Also the online racing is pretty good if you deal with the first corner crashes (and sometimes very competitive). All the wrecker will eventually go last and more punishment than GT6. (because you'll get ban if you keep crashing go backward, well depend on the server rule. )

 

[gtnoobie]

Thanks for the reply.
Still kind of like the career mode to get acquainted with the game ffb and physics.
Using default settings right now. Setting AI at 85% for easier wins. My tires and brakes seems to fade greatly by the 3rd or 4th lap.

Not going for online races till I can properly control my cars. AI at 95% disappears into the horizon at my current skill level so I doubt I can race any of you.

Will definitely take a spin at Nordschleife

 

[Lewis_Hamilton_]

Not going for online races till I can properly control my cars. AI at 95% disappears into the horizon at my current skill level so I doubt I can race any of you.

Just a tip from personal experience. Don't worry about setting the AI above 95%, I've given up on racing the AI at 100% because it gets a bit messy (unnecessary braking, swerving), and anyone from 3rd and lower seems to start braking 50ft too late into sharp corners, which often results in big wrecks and you being one of the victims. Plus the AI abuses the inside curbs meaning they get some serious two wheel action going on, and knock into you if you're passing on the outside. Setting the AI between 95-99% got rid of most of these issues for me.

Enjoy your time getting used to the game and prepare to have a lot of your free time occupied by it when it starts to suck you in.

 

[Whitestar]

 

[gtnoobie]

Just curious, did anyone of u do the career races? I am usually able to get >6000 points for time attack though the points needed for gold is usually 2500 to 4000.
So feeling confident, I enter career races vs AI just to have my ass handed even when they are set at a lowly 85%. Also it seems AC has their own form of rabbit in the sense that one car will be exceptionally fast. Then the second or third are more or less my pace but miles from the top driver. Then the mid pack is another good distance away. Every time I push just a little harder, I may lose control and seems as if the tires are damaged from all the skidding around (overheat? or does it simulate flat spots on tires?) as I start to lose lots of grip thereafter.
Also, the AI quite often bump my back after I recover from skids or countersteer. So it's often near hopeless once a major mistake is made.
The AI in AC is way faster than GT6 in equivalent car and mercilessly pulling away once I am behind.
Any advice?

 

[Whitestar]

I would say just keep practising lines and brake points. I'm no expert myself but I'm usually able to beat the AI on 95%. Once I did a GT3 race with a BMW on 98%. After about 10 laps I caught up to the leader. So it can be done. But first you need to get consistent lap times. And the only way to do that is to practise lines and brake points. And be patient.

I'm in the process of learning Silverstone myself, by hot-lapping. A challenging track with some tricky corners.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Just curious, did anyone of u do the career races? I am usually able to get >6000 points for time attack though the points needed for gold is usually 2500 to 4000.
So feeling confident, I enter career races vs AI just to have my ass handed even when they are set at a lowly 85%. Also it seems AC has their own form of rabbit in the sense that one car will be exceptionally fast. Then the second or third are more or less my pace but miles from the top driver. Then the mid pack is another good distance away. Every time I push just a little harder, I may lose control and seems as if the tires are damaged from all the skidding around (overheat? or does it simulate flat spots on tires?) as I start to lose lots of grip thereafter.
Also, the AI quite often bump my back after I recover from skids or countersteer. So it's often near hopeless once a major mistake is made.
The AI in AC is way faster than GT6 in equivalent car and mercilessly pulling away once I am behind.
Any advice?

The speed of the AI and race manship varies a lot depending of what kind of car you and them are driving, so do not hesitate to adjust the % slider accordingly.
GT3 are easy to drive and the AI is not too fast so it is a good combo to get started. I recommend doing a lot of lap first to really understand the better line for whatever track you are using.
Another great AI combo is the

Helicorsa is a great tool to help navigate in traffic with AI:
http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/helicorsa.5199/

If you still need idea how to set your G27, this thread should be able to help:
http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/index.php?threads/logitech-wheels-official-thread.3295/

 

[tomcat66]

Just curious, did anyone of u do the career races?

Just to answer your first question: Yes I do race in career mode sometimes. And I like them a lot. I agree that they are much more challenging than in any console racer. And it becomes harder once you go up in your career.

But a suggestion to any newby: Please dont forget that Assetto Corsa is a playground for modders. There are tons of cars and tracks out there to try. Just search the internet. There are also some predesigned Career mods out there.

I also use the "Assetto Corsa Career Generator" mod, where you can also integrate modded cars and tracks. You can design your own career any way you like it. That is what I did miss the most in GT or Forza.

 

[Chris123]

I wouldn't expect much from it if your looking for a decent interface, career mode, racing with the AI etc. Public online lobbies aren't always that great either unless you join a league. Getting the right setup is also a big factor in how much enjoyment you get out of the game. You have to calibrate your wheel properly, some cars I have to adjust the FFB to around 130-140% because some of them often feel too loose at 100%. I'm sure the dev's are putting around 80% of their effort's into the upcoming console version's of the game right now, once they're out I would expect alot of improvement to come to the PC version.

 

[Johnnypenso]

I wouldn't expect much from it if your looking for a decent interface, career mode, racing with the AI etc. Public online lobbies aren't always that great either unless you join a league. Getting the right setup is also a big factor in how much enjoyment you get out of the game. You have to calibrate your wheel properly, some cars I have to adjust the FFB to around 130-140% because some of them often feel too loose at 100%. I'm sure the dev's are putting around 80% of their effort's into the upcoming console version's of the game right now, once they're out I would expect alot of improvement to come to the PC version.

Some of this depends on your perspective. The AI for example, in GT6 it's pathetic really, in AC it's better but still not up to par. The AI are much faster in AC and scalable but maybe a bit aggressive and there's still a rabbit every race. Luckily, since you don't have to win every race, you can always set yourself up to be running further back and enjoy some good racing. It's also worth mentioning that although the FFB needs adjusting on each car, there's a dead simple app you can use to set up the FFB without having to guess. Compared to GT6 where you have no idea where your wheel is clipping or not, it's light years ahead IMO. Public lobbies are hit and miss but that's the same with any game.

 

[Chris123]

Some of this depends on your perspective. The AI for example, in GT6 it's pathetic really, in AC it's better but still not up to par. The AI are much faster in AC and scalable but maybe a bit aggressive and there's still a rabbit every race. Luckily, since you don't have to win every race, you can always set yourself up to be running further back and enjoy some good racing. It's also worth mentioning that although the FFB needs adjusting on each car, there's a dead simple app you can use to set up the FFB without having to guess. Compared to GT6 where you have no idea where your wheel is clipping or not, it's light years ahead IMO. Public lobbies are hit and miss but that's the same with any game.

When you get the setup right the FFB sensation and realism in feedback is clearly way ahead of GT6. That's what's giving me hope for the future. I never knew about the app so I'll dig around for that, thanks. For now racing in online lobbies and such is enough for me even though you never get a clean race. I'm hoping the developers include a few more cars and tracks free and don't fully rely on releasing them with DLC every few months. I know budget's can be tight, then again there are some brilliant modder's out there keeping me happy

 

[RReed43]

Just curious, did anyone of u do the career races? I am usually able to get >6000 points for time attack though the points needed for gold is usually 2500 to 4000.

The AI in AC is way faster than GT6 in equivalent car and mercilessly pulling away once I am behind.
Any advice?

I came to AC from GT6 about a year ago.

I've played a lot of career mode but am stalled in frustration on the BMW Z4 GT3 series. This is an exceptionally demanding series. It is a Championship Series run across 7 full race weekends. To be in the top three (which is required to accomplish the challenge) you have to score major points in most of the races and win at least a couple. To have any chance you need to quality in the top couple of places on the grid and then sustain a high level of performance in a race approximately 1 hour long. The AI is relentless, if you make any significant mistakes you can never recover the time.

This is much more difficult that anything in GT including the GT5 Vettle Challenge, not because the skill is greater but because of the time and perfection required.

I wish AC had a better constructed career mode to play but I like others have chosen to create my own races usually same car with random start position. The AI in AC is much better than in GT and will give you a real run for your money. I typically race with the AI at the default 94%.

 

[Johnnypenso]

When you get the setup right the FFB sensation and realism in feedback is clearly way ahead of GT6. That's what's giving me hope for the future. I never knew about the app so I'll dig around for that, thanks. For now racing in online lobbies and such is enough for me even though you never get a clean race. I'm hoping the developers include a few more cars and tracks free and don't fully rely on releasing them with DLC every few months. I know budget's can be tight, then again there are some brilliant modder's out there keeping me happy

http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/i...ack-wheel-using-wheelcheck-and-ffbclip.14319/
There's a zip file in the OP along with the wheelcheck app if you want to use that. I only used the FFB clipping app myself.

 

[gtnoobie]

I am using pro setting to get a more realistic simulation though I am far from being good.

I am using caterham x bow in career N3 time attack and has big problem preventing flat spotting my semi slicks tires by lap 3. I tried caring for the tire on first lap for going really easy. Tried braking from further distance, tried engine brake for slowing for many of the curves at imola. And yet by 2nd or 3rd lap my tire flatspot and jumping my wheels once it turns orange or red.

My lap time is about 2:20-2:24 when I care for the tires and 2:16 when I push it but flatspot the tires in less than half a lap.

Any advice from the more experienced players here what I should do?

 

[Ettick]

I am using pro setting to get a more realistic simulation though I am far from being good.

I am using caterham x bow in career N3 time attack and has big problem preventing flat spotting my semi slicks tires by lap 3. I tried caring for the tire on first lap for going really easy. Tried braking from further distance, tried engine brake for slowing for many of the curves at imola. And yet by 2nd or 3rd lap my tire flatspot and jumping my wheels once it turns orange or red.

My lap time is about 2:20-2:24 when I care for the tires and 2:16 when I push it but flatspot the tires in less than half a lap.

Any advice from the more experienced players here what I should do?

Don't push the brake pedal down as much so you don't lock up. If you aren't locking up and still getting flatspots, there is something seriously wrong with your tires.

 

[gtnoobie]

Most of the time my brake pedal is less than 1/2 way down or coasting. Could anyone try out the N3 career on pro setting and see if there's an issue there? N1 and 2, I do not have this tire problem.
In fact, I just turned damage off and could do 2:10 when I can push really hard after being frustrated with tire wear. Without tire wear to worry, I brake a lot later and can weight transfer better.
So I was really gentle on the brake with a 2:20 timing. The thing I'll prefer if I learn it the proper way.

 

[20832]

I find that the KTM X-Bow generally has a very, very senstive brake pedal and overall input. You won't have this problem with something like the F40 or the Yellowbird as you can be quite aggressive on the braking without having to fear to lock the brakes and tyres up.

Be very careful with your inputs, considering that the car is light, you probably won't need to brake incredibly hard to get down to the speed needed for the corner. However if you have this down, the X-Bow rewards you greatly as it's probably one of the hardest cars to master generally (my opinion) and the sensation you feel when you nail the braking point, turn-in, apex and the exit is just incredibly satisfying.

Don't get discouraged and keep trying. If nothing seems to help, then you may want to reduce the overall braking value in the settings. I do however not remember if there's such a setting, but there should be one.

 

[Johnnypenso]

I find that the KTM X-Bow generally has a very, very senstive brake pedal and overall input. You won't have this problem with something like the F40 or the Yellowbird as you can be quite aggressive on the braking without having to fear to lock the brakes and tyres up.

Be very careful with your inputs, considering that the car is light, you probably won't need to brake incredibly hard to get down to the speed needed for the corner. However if you have this down, the X-Bow rewards you greatly as it's probably one of the hardest cars to master generally (my opinion) and the sensation you feel when you nail the braking point, turn-in, apex and the exit is just incredibly satisfying.

Don't get discouraged and keep trying. If nothing seems to help, then you may want to reduce the overall braking value in the settings. I do however not remember if there's such a setting, but there should be one.

I think this is it. The X-Bow just has a very sensitive brake and it's easy to lock up. I was doing some laps at Magione the other day and it locked up quite easily, especially if it was off balance. You just have to adjust to the car to get the best out of it.

For the OP, if you're new to pc sims, as I was last year, this is one of those "sim" things. In a game like GT, cars tend to feel the same, brake the same etc. In a sim the cars are unique feeling and handling and each car requires some adjustment to it's various tendencies. Touchy brakes in this case, but very soft brakes in other cars for example. It's one of the great things about sims and one of the reasons you don't need hundreds of cars. Each one is created with a depth and complexity that is far superior to most console "games" and you can spend hours or days exploring a single car and still not really master it.

 

[gtnoobie]

PC sims is indeed totally new to me. I thought GT6 did a fair job differentiating cars but AC is a whole different level on this. Amazing how different generation of M3 needs totally different lines and control. And this X bow is the first car I have so much trouble with the tires though I was literally babying it.
I was lapping Lotus 98T in Monza and the tires are indestructible comparatively which is ironic given that it is a full slick and braking from longer distance and higher speed.
You guys are spot on diagnosing it as wheel locking up. It usually happens at later half of the braking and by the time I reduce the braking which is 3/4 or half way down, it turns yellow. A few such incident, it turns orange (causing wheels to shudder even on straight line) and then finally red. How do I avoid wheel lock in X bow? Hard brake then release slightly then hard brake? Slow increase in brake pressure? Consistent braking amount? Engine braking and certain braking pattern?

 

[Ettick]

PC sims is indeed totally new to me. I thought GT6 did a fair job differentiating cars but AC is a whole different level on this. Amazing how different generation of M3 needs totally different lines and control. And this X bow is the first car I have so much trouble with the tires though I was literally babying it.
I was lapping Lotus 98T in Monza and the tires are indestructible comparatively which is ironic given that it is a full slick and braking from longer distance and higher speed.
You guys are spot on diagnosing it as wheel locking up. It usually happens at later half of the braking and by the time I reduce the braking which is 3/4 or half way down, it turns yellow. A few such incident, it turns orange (causing wheels to shudder even on straight line) and then finally red. How do I avoid wheel lock in X bow? Hard brake then release slightly then hard brake? Slow increase in brake pressure? Consistent braking amount? Engine braking and certain braking pattern?

Brake at a consistent level. Might need to lower or raise it from corner to corner, but that's what I find works best. Start around half and if you don't lock up increase it, if you do decrease it.

 

[gtnoobie]

Thanks! Tried that today. Consistent 1/4 to 3/4 brake travel. Still flat spot but later. Giving up on X bow now that I finished that series.

Another question, assetto corsa is typically less forgiving than GT6 for most cars but interestingly, the Lotus in AC seems quite a bit easier to handle than Lotus in GT6. Almost felt it is easier to handle than Abarth. Which is a more accurate representation of the Lotus in your opinion?

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Another question, assetto corsa is typically less forgiving than GT6 for most cars but interestingly, the Lotus in AC seems quite a bit easier to handle than Lotus in GT6. Almost felt it is easier to handle than Abarth. Which is a more accurate representation of the Lotus in your opinion?

It might be because the feedback in AC is more communicative, so you can tell what's going on with the car better.

Once again this proves sim =/= more difficult. Sim = intuitive. The R8 LMS in GT6 is notoriously tricky with snap oversteer, something the real car definitely doesn't have.

 

[ALB123]

Well, I just finished my first ever practice laps in Assetto Corsa. I bought the game and Dream Pack 1 today. What a difference from GT6! I took the Nissan GT-R NISMO out for about 10 laps around Monza, figuring it would be an easy track to just get a feel of the physics...boy was I wrong. I very quickly learned that braking is tremendously different (at least with this car it is) in AC compared to GT6. I was driving with the Factory ABS setting on, but I still found myself braking terribly. Most often, I would brake too late or too lightly and plow through the Turn 1 chicane. I actually kept the Driving Line turned on just so I could gauge a sense of when I should brake with this car. I was able to figure out braking points with the distance markers soon after my first handful of laps, so I won't be needing that Driving Line any further.

I am extremely pleased thus far. I expect to spend many more hours today driving several different cars and several different tracks. I'm very excited to start installing the best plugins/3rd party tools/cars/tracks, but I think I'll wait a few days and grab a handle on the base Assetto Corsa before I do any of that stuff.

It took so long for my new laptop to come in - something I needed, but I ended up spoiling myself on a pimped out MSI laptop just so I could run AC (and possibly pCars) and maximum graphics settings. I probably didn't need 2 video cards in SLI mode, but they'll leave me some room for the future, I hope. I'm only running AC to my 46" LCD TV at the moment, but it is nice to have the laptop's 18" monitor right by my side.

I'm glad to be a part of the AC Community...finally.

 

[Cote Dazur]

I'll wait a few days and grab a handle on the base Assetto Corsa before I do any of that stuff.

I would recommend to wait longer, particularly in light of 1.3, coming on the 8th, there is plenty to learn discover and enjoy with the core game. Don't get me wrong, the add on's are great and I have most of them, but I had years to digest them as they came out week after week. I am now at over 1,300 hours and still feel like I have not touch half of modded available content. AC is a long journey, I hope you will enjoy every step.

 

[ALB123]

I would recommend to wait longer, particularly in light of 1.3, coming on the 8th, there is plenty to learn discover and enjoy with the core game. Don't get me wrong, the add on's are great and I have most of them, but I had years to digest them as they came out week after week. I am now at over 1,300 hours and still feel like I have not touch half of modded available content. AC is a long journey, I hope you will enjoy every step.

Yes. I am sticking to the core features for now. It's amazing just how different driving is in AC versus GT6. GT6 is the only driving game I've ever played and I do believe that PD has done an admirable job with the physics, environments, graphics, etc... One thing I always thought was completely unrealistic about GT6 was your ability to get yourself out of trouble, whereas in AC, I feel like it is more accurately representing what would happen when you get the car unsettled and out of control.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Yes. I am sticking to the core features for now. It's amazing just how different driving is in AC versus GT6. GT6 is the only driving game I've ever played and I do believe that PD has done an admirable job with the physics, environments, graphics, etc... One thing I always thought was completely unrealistic about GT6 was your ability to get yourself out of trouble, whereas in AC, I feel like it is more accurately representing what would happen when you get the car unsettled and out of control.

Welcome to the dark side

My overwhelming first impression of Assetto Corsa, my first pc game, was that the cars felt alive and communicated much more information than in GT. It took me a good two weeks before I really felt like I had a handle on things and could get anywhere near my limits consistently. It's very addictive

. GT was and is a good introduction to sim racing, but games like AC and other pc based games are on a whole different level in terms of physics, FFB and the resulting levels of immersion.