Assetto Corsa | News and General Discussion

[Arixant]

Sorry to continue the AC vs. PCars but what exactly is PCars lacking that this game, and other 'good feeling' sims, have? I've heard people say that PCars physics and FFB are great and I've heard that they suck so I don't know what to believe.

If you havent played a good sim, you'd think its good, if you have you'd return the game the second you got on track.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Thanks for the answers everyone 👍 I'm in the process of saving up for a gaming PC so I haven't had a chance to try out any of the new gen sims yet (AC, PCARS, rF2). But I have been lurking these parts a lot so I can get an idea of what I'm getting into. My sim experience so far is limited to the old gen Simbin games (GTL, GTR2, Race), rF1, LFS and the newest would be GSCE. So those would be my benchmarks.

I'm also in the camp that believes the value of a sim is from the "feeling of driving" and not necessarily having the most accurate or complex calculations. Having said that, I find it quite surprising that stuff like brake temp and oil/water/engine temp are not simulated in AC when they are all present in ISImotor games all the way back to EA's F1 2002 (which I played a lot back in the day). Even if they don't contribute to driving feel that much, I still find it mesmerizing to look at those numbers on the four corners of the car going up and down with your driving I'm not so concerned about AI or any of the online stuff as I'm mainly a hotlapper, so it's good to see that at least the core driving experience in AC is the best (even if the methods used to get there aren't quite 1:1 to real life).

In the end I will probably get all these games anyway, because I like collecting racing games and I'd like to experience each of them on my own. Once again thanks for everyone's opinions and views and I hope Kunos can continue to improve AC so it's even more perfect

P.S. Someone mentioned AC2. Realistically what stuff can't be implemented in AC1 that they have to build a new game for it? Seeing as AC is not even one year old I think it's pretty premature talking about a sequel

 

[Whitestar]

Sorry to continue the AC vs. PCars but what exactly is PCars lacking that this game, and other 'good feeling' sims, have? I've heard people say that PCars physics and FFB are great and I've heard that they suck so I don't know what to believe.

You don't really have to believe anything. Get both games and try for yourself.

Someone mentioned AC2. Realistically what stuff can't be implemented in AC1 that they have to build a new game for it? Seeing as AC is not even one year old I think it's pretty premature talking about a sequel

IIRC they said that in order to get night/day and rain they will need to do a major revision of the graphics engine, so that's for future versions. Also, I think they are doing some testing/experimenting with loose surface, i.e rally. But I'm not sure if that will come in AC1 or next version.

 

[ralph89]

Sorry to continue the AC vs. PCars but what exactly is PCars lacking that this game, and other 'good feeling' sims, have? I've heard people say that PCars physics and FFB are great and I've heard that they suck so I don't know what to believe.

Just look at Empty box, simpit, insidesimracing forum, and other sim website that's not being sponsored by SMS and you will see none of them even bother playing Pcar in a regular basis.

 

[G.T.Ace]

Just look at Empty box, simpit, insidesimracing forum, and other sim website that's not being sponsored by SMS and you will see none of them even bother playing Pcar in a regular basis.

That doesn't really answer his question at all.
pCARS is buggy as hell and has many issues, but the simulation aspect is more than solid.

 

[super_gt]

July 14, 2015Posted by John Sabol



Kunos Simulazioni have revealed that the famous British track, Brands Hatch, will be coming to Assetto Corsa. The Kunos team was on the grounds today, performing the laser scanning and taking reference pictures in preperation for the virtual recreation.

Brands Hatch is not only a staple of British racing but of sim racing. Nearly every major title out there has it in the fun 3.9 km (2.43 mi) GP configuration and the – “Can this even be considered a road course?” – 1.93 km (1.2 mi) Indy configuration. It’s good to see Assetto Corsa joining the party and building on its smallish track list. Keep them coming Kunos.

Back at the office, the rest of the team is testing out the DEV build of V1.2 of Assetto Corsa. This means it, and most likely the Bonus Pack, should be out in the very near future.

http://www.isrtv.com/assetto-corsa/brands-hatch-coming-to-assetto-corsa/

 

[Ak1504]

Zandvoort not Laser scanned...

http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/index.php?threads/zandvoort-not-laserscanned-rumor.25043/

 

[Arixant]

Zandvoort not Laser scanned...

http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/index.php?threads/zandvoort-not-laserscanned-rumor.25043/

Why are people so up in arms about this?

 

[Cote Dazur]

That doesn't really answer his question at all.
pCARS is buggy as hell and has many issues, but the simulation aspect is more than solid.

The Physic and FFB are not solid compared to what AC offers, but it is solid compare to GT5/6.

Other simulation aspect like weather change and day to night change are light years ahead of many other SIMs including AC, since there is none. if it is important for someone to have that aspect in a simulator, then Pcars is the one.

At the end of the day , anyone needs to try it for them selves and drive the one they prefer more often or even exclusively.

 

[Whitestar]

Why are people so up in arms about this?

It might have something to do with this:

 

[G.T.Ace]

It might have something to do with this:

All tracks so far are laser scanned, Brands Hatch will be too, Zandvoort is an exception.

 

[Punknoodle]

While I'm sure they will be able to produce something really good without a laser scan, it simply won't be as accurate as their laser scanned tracks and I really hope it doesn't become a regular thing.

Assetto Corsa is all about accuracy and simulation. I know that when I drive a track in Assetto Corsa, I'm hitting kerbs and bumps and adjusting my line for road camber just as the track is in real life. That matters when comparing your lap to onboard footage of the real thing.

If suddenly they start licencing and just reworking mod tracks with some improvements without bothering with a laser scan, it's a step backwards for the simulation and it means that there may be more aspects to the track in the game that differ from real life and hence that track can't be used as reliably for training.

Even if you aren't using it for training, it's just good knowing that you are experiencing pretty much exactly what the pros are (as well as a simulation can, but thats another story).

Don't get me wrong, I love some mod tracks out there like Barbagallo, but I know that it isn't as accurate as a laser scan and so when driving it I know that I'm not experiencing it exactly as it is in real life.

And let's not also forget that it's not just about the scan. If you make the track without actually visiting the track, driving the track, getting the atmosphere of the track, how do you know how to adjust the road surface grip to suit, for instance, Barbagallo is known for it's poor grip.

I hope Kunos aren't being tempted to add more content with less effort in order to make the game more appealing when it goes to consoles.

Keep it as real as possible please. I can't stand the version of Spa in Project Cars compared to the Assetto Corsa version, and that comes from quite talented track builders too - only they didn't laser scan. . It's worth it.

Edit: Incase that was tl;dr, in summary, I would rather a small track roster of 100% accurate tracks than an expanded roster of 'close enough' tracks. If I want them I'll just boot up Project Cars. I'm not trying to knock Project Cars by saying that either, it's just that Assetto Corsa is more about doing the things it DOES do with the highest realism, not about doing LOTS of things.

 

[Arixant]

It might have something to do with this:

Honestly do people think that having the CAD data to a track is less accurate than laser scanning it, this isnt some kids 2 day project on bobs track builder.

 

[FuzzyFassbender]

Laser scanning doesn't mean the end result will be perfect, there is coding involved lol.

 

[Whitestar]

I have no idea how accurate CAD data is, so I can't say much about that.
I'll say this though: Laser scanning + Kunos yields a pretty much perfect end result.

 

[Whitestar]

Zandvoort is an exception.

And Monza historic 1966, unless they had a time machine.

EDIT: But yes, pretty much all tracks that are possible to laser scan, are. It'll be interesting to see how this "experiment" (Zandvoort) turns out.

 

[LeMansAid]

I hope Kunos aren't being tempted to add more content with less effort in order to make the game more appealing when it goes to consoles.

Lucky for them that PD softened consumers up - ready for standard and premium tracks then, eh?

 

[Punknoodle]

Hahaha, I suppose so, yeah. But at least PD had a valid excuse, they already had the assets made, everything they made new they made to the best of their ability. It would be the opposite for Kunos.

 

[Arixant]

Hahaha, I suppose so, yeah. But at least PD had a valid excuse, they already had the assets made, everything they made new they made to the best of their ability. It would be the opposite for Kunos.

The track model is about a year old and they recently brought it back up to spec. I guarantee every single one of you will question why you complained in the first place when this comes out

 

[ECGadget]

Laser scanning doesn't mean the end result will be perfect, there is coding involved lol.

I know that from experience! Turning a laser scan into meaningful data at times is... Ugh!
What I will also say is that CAD Data can be as accurate as laser scanning however you need to do a lot more work to get that accuracy. Laser scans tend to highlight small details and for a sim that is absolutely crucial. It is for that very reason that AC stands out amongst others in its ability to translate reality into VR. That being said, I am sure that Kunos will still give us a highly accurate track!

 

[Whitestar]

I guarantee every single one of you will question why you complained were sceptical in the first place when this comes out

I would put it like ^that. But you have a point, I will save my judgement until I try the track of course. And I would like nothing more than to be very wrong.

 

[super_gt]

July 23, 2015Posted by John Sabol

Well…kind of a first look. As always, the latest episode of Look What the Cat Hacked, featuring Kunos Simulazioni’s Stefano Casillo, gives an in-depth look at the coding of Assetto Corsa. What is different about this episode is that it contains previously unseen content (at the 1:19 hr mark) from the upcoming Bonus Pack, in particular, Zandvoort.


The fervor over the impending release of the ex-F1 Dutch circuit is two-fold. First, its a new track and Assetto Corsa needs new tracks like a man in the dessert needs water. Second, it’ll be the first modern track in Assetto Corsa to not be laser scanned. Panic in three, two, one…

Yes, the Bonus Pack Zandvoort will be akin to the Shelby Cobra that came out last year; starting life as a really good mod, cleaned up by Kunos and sent out as official content. Kunos has stated that this is a unique situation and will not be the norm for future tracks (like Brands Hatch for example).

This is an interesting situation. It brings back the old, “laser scan or death,” question. Or was that “cake or death?” Either way, it’s a very fractured subject. Some people believe its laser scanned or nothing while others are okay with well done non-scanned tracks.

I will say that for me it varies. I do prefer laser scanned tracks but it isn’t a must. Hell, there’s even times I prefer one laser scanned track over another. For example, I prefer iRacing’s laser scanned Spa over Assetto Corsa’s laser scanned Spa. I find Project CARS non-scanned Spa to be about equal to Assetto Corsa’s. On the other hand I prefer Assetto Corsa’s laser scanned Nordschleife over Project CARS’s non-scanned version by quit a bit.

Can a non-scanned track be just as good as a scanned one? I think so. Is that always the case? No. Think we’ll just have to wait to try out Assetto Corsa’s Zandvoort and see for ourselves.


http://www.isrtv.com/assetto-corsa/first-preview-of-zandvoort-in-assetto-corsa/

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Maybe it's just me, but this whole laser scan debacle has been blown out of proportion. GT doesn't laser scan most of their tracks but they always turn out as one of the best in terms of atmosphere and accuracy. Conversely you can laser scan a track and a year later it gets repaved so it's all for nought. Also, having every single bump and crack in the asphalt mapped out is only going to be accurate for that moment you laser scan the track. Weathering and wear and tear from cars driving on the tarmac is always going to change the surface. As long as the corner profiles and kerb positions are correct and all the main undulations are there, I think it's alright if a track isn't laser scanned. I'm sure Kunos will not skimp on quality just because it isn't LS 👍

As an aside, in an ideal world we would get the track owner/operators to laser scan every track currently existing in the world. So any racing game that wants to add the track can get the raw data together with when they ask for track license. They would still need to do the modelling of environment, so the "look" of the tracks would not be the same between games, but at least the surface is. As of now the whole process is just so clunky. I mean Nurburgring has been laser scanned how many times now? AC, iRacing, Forza, GT, maybe PCARS in the future. All for the same result. If we have a centralised process we can focus on LSing as many tracks as possible in the world instead of just a select few popular ones. Imagine rFactor 1's mod track database, all laser scanned to perfection

 

[Johnnypenso]

Maybe it's just me, but this whole laser scan debacle has been blown out of proportion. GT doesn't laser scan most of their tracks but they always turn out as one of the best in terms of atmosphere and accuracy. Conversely you can laser scan a track and a year later it gets repaved so it's all for nought. Also, having every single bump and crack in the asphalt mapped out is only going to be accurate for that moment you laser scan the track. Weathering and wear and tear from cars driving on the tarmac is always going to change the surface. As long as the corner profiles and kerb positions are correct and all the main undulations are there, I think it's alright if a track isn't laser scanned. I'm sure Kunos will not skimp on quality just because it isn't LS 👍

As an aside, in an ideal world we would get the track owner/operators to laser scan every track currently existing in the world. So any racing game that wants to add the track can get the raw data together with when they ask for track license. They would still need to do the modelling of environment, so the "look" of the tracks would not be the same between games, but at least the surface is. As of now the whole process is just so clunky. I mean Nurburgring has been laser scanned how many times now? AC, iRacing, Forza, GT, maybe PCARS in the future. All for the same result. If we have a centralised process we can focus on LSing as many tracks as possible in the world instead of just a select few popular ones. Imagine rFactor 1's mod track database, all laser scanned to perfection

Non-laser scanned tracks have a tendency to be too perfect. They drive as if the ashpalt was just laid and has no character. Surfaces tend to be pool table smooth and you feel nothing through the wheel unless you are climbing curbs. Its the small dips and bumps that really make tracks come alive with a good wheel and I find most of PD's tracks rather flat and boring.

 

[Willfred_1]

The laser scanning can be implemented in to ways firstly you can 3d model the bumps and undulations this provides the most realistic model, bit cost and time makes it prohibitive. The other method is to use it as a bump map. This is more common as the bump map is separate from the track model. As a result this can be quicker and still provide a similar experience. I personally don't mind not having a laser scanned tracks. Project cars is a good example do that. The British circuits are extremely close. However I can't comment on any others.

Ultimately a lot of this commotion is down to the die hard sim guys, that perhaps don't appreciate the time, money and effort it takes to do laser scanned tracks.

 

[Punknoodle]

The laser scanning can be implemented in to ways firstly you can 3d model the bumps and undulations this provides the most realistic model, bit cost and time makes it prohibitive. The other method is to use it as a bump map. This is more common as the bump map is separate from the track model. As a result this can be quicker and still provide a similar experience. I personally don't mind not having a laser scanned tracks. Project cars is a good example do that. The British circuits are extremely close. However I can't comment on any others.

Ultimately a lot of this commotion is down to the die hard sim guys, that perhaps don't appreciate the time, money and effort it takes to do laser scanned tracks.

I believe the British circuits in PCars are scanned though... Except Silverstone and Donnington maybe, not sure on those two.

 

[skazz]

Ultimately a lot of this commotion is down to the die hard sim guys, that perhaps don't appreciate the time, money and effort it takes to do laser scanned tracks.

And yet one would expect the real die hard sim guys to know exactly how much iRacing charges for their laser scanned tracks...

I suspect the commotion is from the smaller "want it all but not interested in paying iRacing's prices" group

 

[Punknoodle]

And yet one would expect the real die hard sim guys to know exactly how much iRacing charges for their laser scanned tracks...

I suspect the commotion is from the smaller "want it all but not interested in paying iRacing's prices" group

I'm quite prepared to pay more for a good quality track, I have bought a few on iRacing, too.

 

[Ameer67]

Playing AC after a few weeks of pCARS, now I remember why I love this game so much: the FFB is just amazing. I forgot how good it was. 👍

 

[neddyie118]

I wonder if this will be the week when get update 1.2 and the free dlc