Assetto Corsa | News and General Discussion

[Wiz]

Actually, it sounds like legal reasons were at least part of the decision...

http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/i...focus-on-message-95.33408/page-27#post-700413

 

[brownninja97]

Dangit, just when I was days from releasing 3 packs with 30+ Lancia Fulvia liveries, they close their darn forum.

I really hope that steam workshop support comes soon because I cant stand RD and cant think of another good site to put my liveries up for download.

racedepartment is probably the best place to put it.

 

[BrandonW77]

Actually, it sounds like legal reasons were at least part of the decision...

http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/i...focus-on-message-95.33408/page-27#post-700413

Yep, edited that into my comment right as you posted it. Contradicts what Stefano said, but at least we finally have a straight answer.

racedepartment is probably the best place to put it.

IMO RD is the best place for mods anyway. You can see reviews, version history, and you get a notification when there's an update.

 

[Whitestar]

Funny how Aris and Stefano are almost good cop, bad cop on the forums.
Aris couldn't insult anyone if his life depended on it, lol.
Stefano on the other is often borderline Ian Bell-ish, which isn't quite so amusing to be honest.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Only time will tell what this means for the future I guess. We can all say this or that but only those guys at Kunos themselves really know the reason. I just wish that AC's modding community will grow and flourish like rFactor's did. Is that too much to ask?

By the way, I'm relatively new to Steam and hasn't had the chance to explore its various features. Are there any drawbacks if AC mods go down the Steam Workshop route (as opposed to the current direct download and simple copy-paste files method)?

 

[Wiz]

Stefano already said Steam Workshop is very unlikely to happen.

 

[skazz]

Only time will tell what this means for the future I guess. We can all say this or that but only those guys at Kunos themselves really know the reason. I just wish that AC's modding community will grow and flourish like rFactor's did. Is that too much to ask?

By the way, I'm relatively new to Steam and hasn't had the chance to explore its various features. Are there any drawbacks if AC mods go down the Steam Workshop route (as opposed to the current direct download and simple copy-paste files method)?

Steam Workshop on rF2 is really easy... Just subscribe to the mods you want and it will automatically download them into the game, along with updating them as new versions arrive. Compared to the manual approach it's ten times less effort.

The downside for modders is that if you don't bring your mod out on steam workshop your visibility is low, I guess. And not sure about copywrite restrictions on mods via workshop.

 

[mister dog]

Blaming it on Italian law now seems like an excuse for an excuse.

- After 3 years it's an issue all of a sudden?
- Why didn't they mention that in the first place?

Meh stays fishy all the same...

 

[RacingPanda]

- Why didn't they mention that in the first place?

Not only that but IIRC, Stefano even denied that the closure is due to legal reasons. Oh well ...

EDIT: Thinking about it, I think Aris' answer might be the more accurate one, though. After all, Stefano is living somewhere in the Netherlands and therefore has less contact to the team (outside of the development of the game) and less knowledge about the current events - especially since it's national, Italian law. Sounds extremely negligent, but everything's possible ... 💡

 

[skazz]

Blaming it on Italian law now seems like an excuse for an excuse.

- After 3 years it's an issue all of a sudden?
- Why didn't they mention that in the first place?

Meh stays fishy all the same...

Well it is timed with E3, which will no doubt bring big visibility to the console version. And they might well be announcing some new cars and/or licenses.

It's not like they announced an end to modding capabilities of the PC version, is it?

 

[AlvaroF]

Apparentely Aristotelis said they will keep supporting mods.

 

[mister dog]

EDIT: Thinking about it, I think Aris' answer might be the more accurate one, though. After all, Stefano is living somewhere in the Netherlands and therefore has less contact to the team (outside of the development of the game) and less knowledge about the current events - especially since it's national, Italian law. Sounds extremely negligent, but everything's possible ... 💡

I'm sure they would have sat together in a meeting (or call) before deciding this, so Stefano living abroad doesn't mean he would be out of the loop for the reasons behind it.

It's not like they announced an end to modding capabilities of the PC version, is it?

No but that’s not the point.

 

[brownninja97]

Apparentely Aristotelis said they will keep supporting mods.

well of course, its too late for them to remove it, if they did they would lose a metric ton of fans

Not only that but IIRC, Stefano even denied that the closure is due to legal reasons. Oh well ...

EDIT: Thinking about it, I think Aris' answer might be the more accurate one, though. After all, Stefano is living somewhere in the Netherlands and therefore has less contact to the team (outside of the development of the game) and less knowledge about the current events - especially since it's national, Italian law. Sounds extremely negligent, but everything's possible ... 💡

stefano is a wildcard, thing is that he either makes it seem or flat out doesnt know some of the things about his company. For example just before one of the earlier dlcs was about to be announced i asked about what happened to the abarth 595 assetto corse, asked the same thing from another dev and he told me ill get the answer the next day which was the announcement for DP#3

Stefano likely doesnt want to worry about things he doesnt have control in or he is just immersed in his code and falls a bit out of the loop. Its debatable as to whether you think that is a good idea but ultimately he guessed and he guessed wrong

 

[LeGeNd-1]

I was under the impression that all members of the AC dev team lives under the same roof in the middle of Vallelunga. Seems a bit weird that such a high ranking member would not know the progress of his own game. It would be like if Kaz suddenly lives in US and doesn't know what's happening to GT.

Steam Workshop on rF2 is really easy... Just subscribe to the mods you want and it will automatically download them into the game, along with updating them as new versions arrive. Compared to the manual approach it's ten times less effort.

The downside for modders is that if you don't bring your mod out on steam workshop your visibility is low, I guess. And not sure about copywrite restrictions on mods via workshop.

That doesn't sound too bad then, except for the possible copyright restrictions. As long as you can still install mods from outside the workshop it will be ok.

 

[fatkrakr]

If they were shutting the mod section down for legal reasons then they would close them immediately and not leave them open to copy before they close. That makes no sense to leave them to copy if their worried about legal action. Why their closing them I don't know, we will probably all find out the 17th, but it isnt for fear of legal action.

 

[Tired Tyres]

What possible new licence could they get that is very sensitive to the protection of its IP? Ferrari are but they've had that licence for ages.

 

[FLX1981]

I think you guys are seeing ghosts. They already said its not because of a new brand or whatever other conspiracy theories are floating around and frankly none of them make much sense.

None of us really know italian law and how it works, what deadlines you get to correct a situation, what responsabilities you have for the actions of thrid parties etc. I am amazed at the general willingness to jump to conclusions and instant distrust against a developer who has over the years given zero reasons to do so.

 

[mister dog]

I think you guys are seeing ghosts. They already said its not because of a new brand or whatever other conspiracy theories are floating around and frankly none of them make much sense.

None of us really know italian law and how it works, what deadlines you get to correct a situation, what responsabilities you have for the actions of thrid parties etc. I am amazed at the general willingness to jump to conclusions and instant distrust against a developer who has over the years given zero reasons to do so.

Won't they have had a lawyer go over the ins and outs before they started producing a game and release it to the public? Does it take Italian justice 3 years to find out it was supported on their forum?

Fact of the matter is that it's a weird decision to take now, given that it is an integral part of the game's success and even more with it being ready to go gold and to be released on consoles. The flip flopping on the reasons too; you don't just stick with one explanation and then backtrack to another one when the **** hits the fan.

 

[FLX1981]

It is not about their game, it is about their forum. The game will support mods just as before, but they wont allow development threads for mods and download links in their forum anymore.

None of us know how the situation went down. Maybe they received a call from another dev team who got their stuff ripped to AC and were pissed about it? Maybe some derp extraordinaire gave the carabinieri a hint? Maybe there was a recent change of law in Italy? Maybe aliens were involved? Who the damn hell knows. It sucks (especially for me cause I really, really dislike RD), but like I said, Kunos didnt do anything so far to doubt their honesty.

 

[LeMansAid]

I think you guys are seeing ghosts. They already said its not because of a new brand or whatever other conspiracy theories are floating around and frankly none of them make much sense.

None of us really know italian law and how it works, what deadlines you get to correct a situation, what responsabilities you have for the actions of thrid parties etc. I am amazed at the general willingness to jump to conclusions and instant distrust against a developer who has over the years given zero reasons to do so.

So wait.... you're saying.... that they definitely..... have....... a Maserati license?

Wooooooooo!!!!!

 

[mister dog]

It is not about their game, it is about their forum. The game will support mods just as before, but they wont allow development threads for mods and download links in their forum anymore.

None of us know how the situation went down. Maybe they received a call from another dev team who got their stuff ripped to AC and were pissed about it? Maybe some derp extraordinaire gave the carabinieri a hint? Maybe there was a recent change of law in Italy? Maybe aliens were involved? Who the damn hell knows. It sucks (especially for me cause I really, really dislike RD), but like I said, Kunos didnt do anything so far to doubt their honesty.

I know it's about their forum and i know mods will still be released elsewhere, i just don't like BS excuses. Not sure why i have to confirm that again...

 

[brownninja97]

I was under the impression that all members of the AC dev team lives under the same roof in the middle of Vallelunga. Seems a bit weird that such a high ranking member would not know the progress of his own game. It would be like if Kaz suddenly lives in US and doesn't know what's happening to GT.



That doesn't sound too bad then, except for the possible copyright restrictions. As long as you can still install mods from outside the workshop it will be ok.

They save a lot of money by leaving italy due to taxes being shocking in that country

 

[LeGeNd-1]

^Fair enough.

So there are rumours now of Stefano taking a step back from AC due to all the hate and blaming in AC forums. See, I'm not happy with this decision but I don't go around villifying the devs. Why can't everyone just be nice and civilised? Sometimes I think Kaz' strategy of keeping isolated is the only way to go in the crazy world of modern day gaming.

 

[mister dog]

^Fair enough.

So there are rumours now of Stefano taking a step back from AC due to all the hate and blaming in AC forums. See, I'm not happy with this decision but I don't go around villifying the devs. Why can't everyone just be nice and civilised? Sometimes I think Kaz' strategy of keeping isolated is the only way to go in the crazy world of modern day gaming.

Kaz gets some well deserved criticism for his BS too; so staying silent is not a cure for people demanding an honest answer.

And that's the thing, nobody is vilifying the devs; they are getting well deserved criticism for their awkward decisions and inconsistent excuses that's all. I'm not going to go all mental about it, i'll just download from RD and keep on playing their game as it's great. But BS needs to be called out.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Kaz gets some well deserved criticism for his BS too; so staying silent is not a cure for people demanding an honest answer.

And that's the thing, nobody is vilifying the devs; they are getting well deserved criticism for their awkward decisions and inconsistent excuses that's all. I'm not going to go all mental about it, i'll just download from RD and keep on playing their game as it's great. But BS needs to be called out.

Well, damned if you do, damned if you don't. But the Kaz approach of not listening to any feedback - it won't win you fans, but at least you get to keep your sanity.

I don't hang out at the AC forums much, so I don't know how bad things get, but for Stefano to want to take a step back and give up his baby it must have been pretty intense. I hate BS as well but you could at least call it out nicely. At the end of the day, even with all the weird decisions Stefano and his team still built AC for us. The gamers. To have fun. 🤬 happens sometimes but that's just life.

I miss the days where gaming was just simply for fun. No internet forum drama, no hate blogs, no dev meltdowns. Just...ugh where did we go wrong?

 

[mister dog]

I miss the days where gaming was just simply for fun. No internet forum drama, no hate blogs, no dev meltdowns. Just...ugh where did we go wrong?

Internet

But i don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. Delving into the pit of forum opinions is still something you do voluntarily. So yes i guess it's better for Kaz's mental status to do not do so. Although i bet not understanding English helps too.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Internet

But i don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. Delving into the pit of forum opinions is still something you do voluntarily. So yes i guess it's better for Kaz's mental status to do not do so. Although i bet not understanding English helps too.

There's always Translator-san

Seriously though I always thought Kaz knows English, at least in basic working capacity. How could you communicate with your team members during races like the Nurb 24h otherwise? He just chooses to speak Japanese because speaking is harder than listening for unfamiliar languages.

 

[Mike_grpA]

Seems a bit weird that such a high ranking member would not know the progress of his own game. It would be like if Kaz suddenly lives in US and doesn't know what's happening to GT.

It's not unheard of. Ian Bell lives in Singapore for tax dodging purposes. In this day and age of unprecedented connectivity with the world around us, it's pretty easy to stay connected to your company from half way around the world.

 

[BrandonW77]

^Fair enough.

So there are rumours now of Stefano taking a step back from AC due to all the hate and blaming in AC forums. See, I'm not happy with this decision but I don't go around villifying the devs. Why can't everyone just be nice and civilised? Sometimes I think Kaz' strategy of keeping isolated is the only way to go in the crazy world of modern day gaming.

Problem is that Stefano is almost completely tactless when dealing with the public, he lets people get under his skin and then resorts to juvenile outbursts. There are many, many examples of this, he needs to place someone between him and the forums if he gets this bothered by it. This modding issue is just the latest example, they remove a core part of the forum while giving a very vague reason for it, which naturally leads to people speculating about the real reasons behind the removal, and then he throws shade at them for speculating.

See, if he had just left that last line off it would have been a sensible and informative post. But as he is wont to do, he has to get a random insult in there. Nevermind the fact that his comment of "no legal stuff..." was contradicted by Aris statement. I'm sure for a lot of us the removal of the mod section isn't that big of an issue (especially since RD is far better at handling mods), it's the ham-fisted way it was dealt with and the contradictory reasons we were given that are being vilified. Stefano is probably a good guy who has just fallen into the normal trappings of being a human on the internet, but as head of a studio his PR skills could use some sharpening and maybe distancing himself from the public for a bit would do everyone some good.

 

[ALB123]

An anon who comments on that PRC post hinted that AC will have Steam Workshop support soon and thus are deleting the mod section from the official forums to make sure all modders utilize it.

Stefano stated that they absolutely will not be adding Steam Workshop because Kunos would then become responsible for the mods, like legally. It was something along those lines, but he made it sound like it will never, ever happen.

IMO RD is the best place for mods anyway. You can see reviews, version history, and you get a notification when there's an update.

You're right. The Mods section was 90% of my interest in visiting the Official Forums, so now I'll just have to move that interest over to RD which has that awesome notification system for mod updates. That will mean drastically less time on the Official Forums which is probably a good thing. I can't tell you how many times I've self censored my own posts or not commented at all in a thread because of fear of getting banned. I'm never outright disrespectful to people on forums - and especially not to the Kunos Devs - but with their hair-trigger on the ban button, you can never be too sure that even the slightest criticism about AC features will earn you a ban. Since that is the only place to get actual support for the game, I do not want to get banned. God forbid I then have a legitimate problem with AC on my computer and I can't even access the support forums anymore because I criticized some aspect of AC? No thank you.

I know it's about their forum and i know mods will still be released elsewhere, i just don't like BS excuses. Not sure why i have to confirm that again...

At this point, this is exactly how I feel too. They can do anything they want, it's their forum. However, as supporters (financially) I'm sure 99.9% of us felt we deserved at least a reason for the closure of some of the most popular forums. When you get two radically different responses why they're being closed, including one response stating it has absolutely nothing to do with current legal issues or potential legal issues and the next response says it DOES have a lot to do with legal issues (Italian laws)...I feel like I'm not being told the truth. Having said that, I refuse to let this issue bother me any longer. RD stepped up and helped us out, so I will be spending most of my time on RD from now on.

So there are rumours now of Stefano taking a step back from AC due to all the hate and blaming in AC forums. See, I'm not happy with this decision but I don't go around villifying the devs. Why can't everyone just be nice and civilised? Sometimes I think Kaz' strategy of keeping isolated is the only way to go in the crazy world of modern day gaming.

Hmmm...I read the post from Stefano. While he does describe being burned out & personally hurt he doesn't say that he's taking a break from Assetto Corsa development. He says that he is taking a break from social media and all forums. This was the last sentence in his post:

I am going to take a big break from social and forums that hopefully will bring back a little bit of light me... hopefully the future will bring something good for all of us.

I do feel bad for the guy. Whether he should have said this or that from the beginning is irrelevant now. He is still a human being with feelings and he is just one man who was bombarded with accusations and downright insults. Frankly, while I never said anything in those threads, except for expressing personal disappointment, I feel awful for having posted anything at all in those threads. That makes me complicit.