Assetto Corsa | News and General Discussion

[Orayani]

I'm trying to visualise Assetto Corsa 2 with marbles on the track, slippier conditions as the racing line become narrower over a 1 hour race. Risk overtaking moves trying to pass on the marbles at the same time worrying about grip. Grip lowers since you've went off the racing line trying to risk a pass at the same time lacking the grip to make the corners. Each lap the track keeps changing the worse the race becomes as it is near the end. Bits of rubber flying everywhere.

Imagine...

 

[Kitten]

I hate to get my hopes up too much for AC2, but the tools and the demand are there. With Digital Bros, the resources should be as well.

I'm not too optimistic about GT Sport, and not optimistic at all for PCars 2. AC2 will come quite a bit later but I'm only looking forward to that really.

I don't think its right, to be "not optimistic" of pCars2, When its not out yet. We know pCars 1 wasn't the best, but I'm sure it was a great platform for SMS to learn on, for there next title. And pCars 2 does show promise.

 

[Scuderia Paul]

Whenever Assetto Corsa 2 arrives it must have dynamic time and weather. Any sim from PCars2 on will seem out of date if it arrives without such features.

I'm guessing Stefano's screen says Assetto Corsa 2 Task List suggesting, along with him saying previously they are talking about it, is suggesting it is at the earliest stage.

 

[BrandonW77]

I hate to get my hopes up too much for AC2, but the tools and the demand are there. With Digital Bros, the resources should be as well.

One would think that AC2 would be a prerequisite of Digital Bros getting involved, doesn't make sense to buy into a product that's closer to the end of its life cycle than the beginning.

and not optimistic at all for PCars 2.

Based on what I've read it actually looks fairly promising. I somehow found myself on that tabloid sim site reading an article with in-depth information from a beta tester that sounded fairly positive and even the tabloid itself had a fairly positive outlook on it. The FFB and physics are completely revamped and the beta tester pretty much put it on par with AC and R3E, plus online league support, there certainly is a lot of potential there but as many I will be waiting for post-launch reviews before diving in.

I'm trying to visualise Assetto Corsa 2 with marbles on the track, slippier conditions as the racing line become narrower over a 1 hour race. Risk overtaking moves trying to pass on the marbles at the same time worrying about grip. Grip lowers since you've went off the racing line trying to risk a pass at the same time lacking the grip to make the corners. Each lap the track keeps changing the worse the race becomes as it is near the end. Bits of rubber flying everywhere.

Imagine...

Other sims do that already so it's not outside the realm of possibilities. Probably not possible with the current AC engine though (but probably more than possible on Unreal4).

Whenever Assetto Corsa 2 arrives it must have dynamic time and weather. Any sim from GTR2 on will seem out of date if it arrives without such features.

FTFY.

 

[lancia delta hf]

Whenever Assetto Corsa 2 arrives it must have dynamic time and weather. Any sim from PCars2 on will seem out of date if it arrives without such features.

I'm guessing Stefano's screen says Assetto Corsa 2 Task List suggesting, along with him saying previously they are talking about it, is suggesting it is at the earliest stage.

Stefano basically confirmed any AC2 would have night and rain. It is in the "what engine does AC use" Thread in chit chat area on AC forum. An interesting read.

 

[Orayani]

How good are those other sims with it? Is it really obvious visually? Obviously it will be on feeling.

 

[BrandonW77]

How good are those other sims with it? Is it really obvious visually? Obviously it will be on feeling.

This is from Automobilista, it runs on the rF1 engine so it doesn't look super fancy but you can visually see them and their effect is rather obvious in this video.

 

[Orayani]

Nice, though I've never heard any of the Youtube channels talk about this game?

 

[BrandonW77]

Nice, though I've never heard any of the Youtube channels talk about this game?

Really? It's a pretty well-known sim in the PC world, often referred to as AMS. It's from a Brazilian developer and started life as Game Stock Car, basically a heavily modified rF1.

 

[Kitten]

Really? It's a pretty well-known sim in the PC world, often referred to as AMS. It's from a Brazilian developer and started life as Game Stock Car, basically a heavily modified rF1.

And its heck of a fantastic sim too.

 

[Blood*Specter]

I play Assetto Corsa and Project Cars both on PC and Console. I have to admit I am far more enamored with the PC versions than I am with the Console. That said, I'm not to type to look down my nose at how people enjoy themselves.
I make a lousy snob. I also play R3E and cant wait for a derivative of GTR to make it to console.

I was also as I suspect most of us were and disciple of Gran Turismo. And up until GT6 my love for that franchise persisted. Now I can only wait and see if PD/Kaz can somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat.

I can pick features out of any driving SIM that I personally use and count them as a reason for liking that particular game.
But I cant throw shade at any of the three new games. I suppose I hold a grudge with GT because I loved it so much that its shortcomings hurt me that much more. I throw shade at GT because losing your first love must hurt worse.

I've never played a second of iRacing. But I hear it is very good in terms of an immersive experience.
My love for cars and racing in general keeps me from hating on the various offerings. I will say this much
If I can ever get the general under steer tuned out, Assetto Corsa just might be my fav. The main reason I lose to the AI is because I just cant negotiate the corners quickly enough due to under steer.

And I suspect it's not the game. I think it's my lack of tuning and driving skill. The game I drive best in is R3E, followed by PCars. I just have a general affection for racing SIM's. Oh yeah, to my feel, the FFB in AC on Console is stronger than that on PC. While the FFB on the PC version of PCars is stronger than the console. Go figure. R3E is (at least to me) just right after finding the best adjustments. And the sound of R3E is pretty good too.

But the external engine sounds made by the two new GT3 Porsche's in Assetto Corsa is simply excellent.
At least to my ears.

 

[Fredzy]

I don't think its right, to be "not optimistic" of pCars2, When its not out yet. We know pCars 1 wasn't the best, but I'm sure it was a great platform for SMS to learn on, for there next title. And pCars 2 does show promise.

I suppose I'm used to seeing developers staying set in their ways. I'll definitely give it a shot. For me, stunning graphics and dynamic time/weather are bonus, not requirement. Based on what I've seen, I'll say I hope they don't miss the trees for the forest - to offer a modification of an old adage.

One would think that AC2 would be a prerequisite of Digital Bros getting involved, doesn't make sense to buy into a product that's closer to the end of its life cycle than the beginning.

Whether there will be an AC2 isn't in question, it's a proper step up from AC that I'm hopeful for.

 

[Orayani]

I play Assetto Corsa and Project Cars both on PC and Console. I have to admit I am far more enamored with the PC versions than I am with the Console. That said, I'm not to type to look down my nose at how people enjoy themselves.
I make a lousy snob. I also play R3E and cant wait for a derivative of GTR to make it to console.

I was also as I suspect most of us were and disciple of Gran Turismo. And up until GT6 my love for that franchise persisted. Now I can only wait and see if PD/Kaz can somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat.

I can pick features out of any driving SIM that I personally use and count them as a reason for liking that particular game.
But I cant throw shade at any of the three new games. I suppose I hold a grudge with GT because I loved it so much that its shortcomings hurt me that much more. I throw shade at GT because losing your first love must hurt worse.

I've never played a second of iRacing. But I hear it is very good in terms of an immersive experience.
My love for cars and racing in general keeps me from hating on the various offerings. I will say this much
If I can ever get the general under steer tuned out, Assetto Corsa just might be my fav. The main reason I lose to the AI is because I just cant negotiate the corners quickly enough due to under steer.

And I suspect it's not the game. I think it's my lack of tuning and driving skill. The game I drive best in is R3E, followed by PCars. I just have a general affection for racing SIM's. Oh yeah, to my feel, the FFB in AC on Console is stronger than that on PC. While the FFB on the PC version of PCars is stronger than the console. Go figure. R3E is (at least to me) just right after finding the best adjustments. And the sound of R3E is pretty good too.

But the external engine sounds made by the two new GT3 Porsche's in Assetto Corsa is simply excellent.
At least to my ears.

I simply can't see it to be honest. Cannot.

 

[BrandonW77]

I play Assetto Corsa and Project Cars both on PC and Console. I have to admit I am far more enamored with the PC versions than I am with the Console. That said, I'm not to type to look down my nose at how people enjoy themselves.
I make a lousy snob. I also play R3E and cant wait for a derivative of GTR to make it to console.

I was also as I suspect most of us were and disciple of Gran Turismo. And up until GT6 my love for that franchise persisted. Now I can only wait and see if PD/Kaz can somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat.

I can pick features out of any driving SIM that I personally use and count them as a reason for liking that particular game.
But I cant throw shade at any of the three new games. I suppose I hold a grudge with GT because I loved it so much that its shortcomings hurt me that much more. I throw shade at GT because losing your first love must hurt worse.

I've never played a second of iRacing. But I hear it is very good in terms of an immersive experience.
My love for cars and racing in general keeps me from hating on the various offerings. I will say this much
If I can ever get the general under steer tuned out, Assetto Corsa just might be my fav. The main reason I lose to the AI is because I just cant negotiate the corners quickly enough due to under steer.

And I suspect it's not the game. I think it's my lack of tuning and driving skill. The game I drive best in is R3E, followed by PCars. I just have a general affection for racing SIM's. Oh yeah, to my feel, the FFB in AC on Console is stronger than that on PC. While the FFB on the PC version of PCars is stronger than the console. Go figure. R3E is (at least to me) just right after finding the best adjustments. And the sound of R3E is pretty good too.

But the external engine sounds made by the two new GT3 Porsche's in Assetto Corsa is simply excellent.
At least to my ears.

 

[Pillo-san]

Man, I think I have played to much AC. I cant stand the engine sounds anymore. ;/ They simply sound to synthetic/artificial and flat. When I play I can survive to be fair but when watching replays or youtube clips of AC I want to cover my ears... Time to get a long break from the game.

 

[mister dog]

Man, I think I have played to much AC. I cant stand the engine sounds anymore. ;/ They simply sound to synthetic/artificial and flat. When I play I can survive to be fair but when watching replays or youtube clips of AC I want to cover my ears... Time to get a long break from the game.

If you're on PC you need to check out Fonseckers mods over at RD.

The default sounds are pretty good IMO. I kinda see where you are coming from saying that some cars sound a bit flat, but I think that apart from R3E and AMS, AC has every car sounding pretty much like it's real life counterpart. No generic engine notes or transmission sounds luckily.

 

[Lewis_Hamilton_]

I try my best to avoid having cars in my grid line ups that were in the game since launch and early additions. To me these cars sound genuinely unpleasant and not much better than Gran Turismo's terrible sounds.

I think all the cars from the last year or so sound fantastic though, especially in replays with a distant static camera. The details, doppler effect and the revvy approach/exhausty departure, reverb being affected by distance to the surrounding environment and the way the sound seems to fill the air is pretty much spot on with the newer cars.

It would be great for Kunos to go with Unreal Engine 4 in their next game. Other than the benefits already mentioned some posts ago, there are a few (arcade) racers already using it. Two that I have are Grip and Redout, spiritual successors to Rollcage and Wipeout from the PS1. Though both are in Alpha stage of development, the graphics are just beautiful, both games run extremely smooth and they're very easy to run given the graphical detail.

 

[ALB123]

Stefano basically confirmed any AC2 would have night and rain. It is in the "what engine does AC use" Thread in chit chat area on AC forum. An interesting read.

I was going to mention that thread from the official forums...A couple of tidbits that fit into the current conversation here - All answers are from Stefano, of course:

Q: If you were to start developing a sim now would you go for any of the available graphic engines? Does it make enough commercial sense to not have to develop/update your own?

A: I would surely spend the initial part of the project evaluating what's out there, including 3rd party engines.

(This is not really a question, but Stefano responded)
Q: If I remember right, in one of Stefano's "Look What The Cat Hacked In" live stream, He mentioned that rain is possible but it need a lot of calculations around physics and so on. So a lot more CPU, RAM,...

A: not really, no. Physics would be the easiest part of the lot considering it's already "baked in" the tyre model.

(Again, not really a question, but Stefano responded)
Q: I always understood that the single light source was a design decision (and no problem really, to me at least) but I've been curious, given that NKPro had rain, that it never was a consideration for AC. Of course now hearing that AC is itself not an evolution of NKP it makes more sense.

A: the story about the 1 light source was pretty much like this:

- AC engine started its life as a "deferred" graphic engine, which is a style of rendering that makes it trivial and performant to add light sources
- Some months into the development I started to look into AA and with DX10 as minimum hardware as target MSAA+deferred=impossible
- One day I wrote a "Forward" (as in traditional rendering technique) engine with MSAA that looked much better and was also faster. So with Marco we had to decide between crippling the engine performance (and loose MSAA+soft transparency) to support an exception as night racing or optimize for the 99% usage and get better AA limiting ourself to a 6 to 6 cycle. We went for the 2nd option.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Obviously if we ever see an Assetto Corsa II it will have to have 24 hour cycle & rain because that's what people scream for the most. You know how someone gave us the breakdown of how many people actually go online in AC - it was something shocking like 13%. I could be way off with that, but it was a shockingly low percentage. I have a feeling that the usage of rain will be even lower. I know just about everyone is going to say, "No way...I'll definitely be using it all the time!" I'll believe it when I see it. But, I know that's not the point. You've got to be able to compete with "features", so it's just a necessary feature that must go into AC2.

I don't know if the Unreal Engine is the best way to go or not. I will say that I was mighty impressed by what Ian Bell was saying a few nights back on this forum. If PCars 2 can accomplish the things he says it will, AC is going to have a lot of work ahead of them, if they want to keep up. If I'm not mistaken, I believe Ian Bell answered a question about FFB with an answer along the lines of, "We have 10 programmers working on FFB right now..." 10?! Clearly they have resources, so I do believe that PCars 2 will be pushing every drop of performance out of the game engine.

Maybe I'm not remembering things clearly, but I think if you use the Unreal engine you have to give 5% of your sales to the makers of Unreal Engine 4. A friend who works in game development (not sim racing) told me something like that fairly recently...definitely within the last 6 mos to a year.

 

[BrandonW77]

It seems there have been some ninja improvements to the AI. I'm seeing reports that they don't slow down for cars entering/exiting the pits anymore and can work their way around stopped cars. And judging by this video they can figure out how to get around slower cars too. 👍

 

[Orayani]

How come the AI don't know how to ease off the accelerator rather than brake checking?

Pretty track barring the grass felt hills.

 

[K_Soze]

Deferred rendering is more efficient for handling multiple light sources but is really slower than forward rendering. It also allows more screen based trick like screen space ambiant occlusion. But these tricks didn't work for stereo rendering (aka VR). Epic wrote a new forward rendering for VR. Same for Unity3D. So it is a very good choice to use a forward rendering when the source light is mainly the sun and you want high frame rate and VR.

 

[BrandonW77]

How come the AI don't know how to ease off the accelerator rather than brake checking?

Pretty track barring the grass felt hills.

Stefano explained it once but I forget the details. I think it has to do with them tending to want to do full throttle or full brake, they don't modulate very well (if at all).

 

[Cote Dazur]

Stefano explained it once but I forget the details. I think it has to do with them tending to want to do full throttle or full brake, they don't modulate very well (if at all).

Exactly like you said, AI cannot modulate like we do, they have much faster reactions than we do, almost instant, but cannot modulate.

 

[FuzzyFassbender]

It seems there have been some ninja improvements to the AI. I'm seeing reports that they don't slow down for cars entering/exiting the pits anymore and can work their way around stopped cars. And judging by this video they can figure out how to get around slower cars too. 👍

FWIW, I haven't spent a lot of time yet with the new update but the AI passing behavior (slowed or stopped) doesn't look much different. I had to slow to recover from a near spin, I was clearly on the left side of the road (Highlands) and this is a wide track - the 4 cars behind had a hard time getting around me. Doesn't seem natural when they can't pass in situations like this.

 

[Orayani]

Plus if they stay too long stationary, I haven't tested... from a spin they'll teleport back to the pits in 10 to 15 seconds? I done it once for a laugh just to see what they would do because one of them spun me out. Had a huge queue behind me.

I know this is known but I don't know how long it takes to trigger the teleport.

 

[Lewis_Hamilton_]

For me tonight the AI has still been slowing to a crawl on a wide straight road when there is a slow moving vehicle (eg. after a tight pit exit), as well as repeatedly tapping the brake and weaving behind slower cars in open, flat out sections.

 

[Orayani]

Anyone seen this? Very, very interesting listening to this pro race driver, Shields Bergstrom talking about what detail you feel in the feedback. Obviously he is using a direct drive wheel but still...

Warning! though, some swearies from the host.

 

[ALB123]

It seems there have been some ninja improvements to the AI. I'm seeing reports that they don't slow down for cars entering/exiting the pits anymore and can work their way around stopped cars. And judging by this video they can figure out how to get around slower cars too. 👍

Your video looked extremely promising. 👍

And then replies started to come in left & right claiming AI stinks... I know AI is supposed to "just work". I agree with that sentiment 100%. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case, but I believe if you tinker around in Content Manager, you'll probably find combinations that work and the best thing is, you can save them as a Preset in CM! 👍 Again...I know that's ridiculous - you should be able to pick any track, load it up with little Abarths and Ferrari F138's and the AI should just work. I agree. But, we know it doesn't work perfectly, so if you want to have good races, it's going to take a little bit of tweaking and experimenting.

Heck, @Lewis_Hamilton_ was able to get a 50+ car field to behave on Le Mans (a mod track). So, they are ways to have enjoyable races. I know this does f-all for our console brethren and I do sympathize with them. You guys know I will always have your back.

EDIT: Hey...I thought Stefano took care of the freakin' strobe light effect of the AI drivers? I know they drive brake/gas/brake/gas/brake/gas at the speed of light when they need to, but I thought he fixed that several updates back???

Oh, btw...nice video @Orayani - I watched the entire thing. I would love to hear the racer friend discuss AC. I know the host has it installed. I saw it in his folders while in Windows Explorer on another video. It was his video about installing Automobilista mods, if anyone actually cares.

I'm not sure his friend would be so kind to AC as it does not afford the same amount of adjustments as iRacing. Although, a lot of those settings are specific to the wheel drivers, are they not?

 

[lancia delta hf]

Plus if they stay too long stationary, I haven't tested... from a spin they'll teleport back to the pits in 10 to 15 seconds? I done it once for a laugh just to see what they would do because one of them spun me out. Had a huge queue behind me.

I know this is known but I don't know how long it takes to trigger the teleport.

Also AI are completely oblivious to this thing called reverse gear! if they are facing a barrier they just try to plough through it.

 

[Orayani]

Oh, btw...nice video @Orayani - I watched the entire thing. I would love to hear the racer friend discuss AC. I know the host has it installed. I saw it in his folders while in Windows Explorer on another video. It was his video about installing Automobilista mods, if anyone actually cares.

I'm not sure his friend would be so kind to AC as it does not afford the same amount of adjustments as iRacing. Although, a lot of those settings are specific to the wheel drivers, are they not?

There was a part 2. Sadly still no Assetto but still interesting hearing him. Ends at 27 minutes. You don't need to see the other faff. I love how delicate he is with the shifter versus sim racers that haven't been in real race cars ending up slamming the stick.

Is this a repeat... I never saw him do the VR stuff though. 24 minutes for the short VR.