As has been talked about all week long, the Summer Special episode of Kunos’ developer stream, Look What the Cat Hacked In, revealed a respectable portion of what the team has planned for the future of Assetto Corsa over the coming months. Kunos’ Marco Massarutto had even more to share regarding the racer; the immediate focus becoming what wouldn’t be included, at least not in the first game.
Beginning with tracks, Suzuka Circuit won’t be coming to the game for the foreseeable future due to the licensing costs being “out of mind.” This sheds light on the track being absent from many modern racers. In fact, the last console racer it was present in, at least to our recollection, is Gran Turismo 6.
Circuit de la Sarthe, a track heavily requested by the community, also won’t be coming to the game. Marco expressed that he feels the money necessary to acquire the license for a track the likes of Le Mans would ultimately be wasted in the current environment as a proper 24-hour race could not be faithfully recreated.
Moving onto cars, an unexpected fallout comes on behalf of Aston Martin; an agreement couldn’t be brokered between the two, likely due to costs. DTM and the WTCC series are also currently off the table, a decision that ultimately comes down to the cost of licensing an entire series, and the costs likely not being recouped through DLC prices.
Continuing, there are no current plans in place to include Bugatti, making it unlikely to see cars the likes of the Chiron coming to the acclaimed racer. As you may have gathered, Koenigsegg will not be making an official debut to the game. While Kunos has been in contact with the Swedish automaker for some time, the licensing department stopped answering email inquiries.
A similar situation occurred between Kunos and Alfa Romeo a number of times but ultimately turned out for the better, so there is still a possibility that an agreement can be made between the two.
When asked whether an oval track and NASCAR would be included at some point, the question was met with a response echoing the reasoning behind Le Mans not being featured. If acquired, Kunos would want to do the licensed content justice, as evidenced by the upcoming Porsche DLC. They wouldn’t include something simply for the sake of bolstering the game’s list of available content.
There are just a few weeks remaining until console racers can finally experience the game for themselves. Stay tuned for more on the game over the coming weeks leading up to the days of release.
Remember to stop by our Assetto Corsa sub-forum for more discussion and in-depth analysis.
See more articles on Kunos Simulazioni.
This is the right thing to do.
I like the honesty of this guys… talking about what will be/not be in the game and not giving false promises as other companies.
Although this article is an accurate statement of the situation of the original Kunos content and people playing AC on console will be limited to that, it does not take into account that one BIG aspect of AC is that it is mod able. Once this is taken into account, suddenly, at least in my version of AC, I have circuit de la Sartre, thank you Tiago, circuit Gilles Villeneuve, thank you Linolafett, Suzuka, Mosport, and on and on, name it, I probably have a very decent version of it, and same with the cars, I have a good version of all the “missing” car mentioned here and a lot more.
I believe it is worst mentioning as it is definitively part of what AC as to offer.
Yeah dude, mods can be cool for the adventurous hobbyist but they usually don’t meet the requirements for official game certification.
It’s a double edge sword dude. The fact that AC can be easily modded may very well be the reason some licences are not obtained.
Guess we’ll have to see what this game becomes without these things and go from there. I can wait a little longer if necessary to see if some of this changes. I won’t be counting on it, but who knows for certain?
All I know is that I need a change from the Gran Turismo franchise right now, especially not knowing the future of what it holds at the moment. I can only wait, watch reviews, and see which route I will be taking. I made the mistake of buying another title before that turned out to be rather disappointing and I won’t be doing that again.
I do like it when developers are straight up about stuff. None of this “it’s on my laundry list so maybe”, just straight up “we’re not putting this stuff in because [insert reason here]”.
Gosh add the circuit Gilles Villeneuve or some canadian circuits for god sakes… Oh And in the trip add some canadian cars too! ;) good idea for you kunoz
Despite this, i belive asseto corsa will be worth. My great love, however, right now, is project cars. Great time to race!
The truth. What a concept. Other Devs should take notice of how much it is appreciated, but I think they enjoy the hype that comes with the wild speculations.
*clicks partially for picture of Koenigsegg*
“Koenigsegg will not be making an official debut to the game.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfUsVtdLtU4
“Until Koenigsegg answers the call, cars like the One:1 will only be possible through unofficial mods for PC users.” it’s mod for the pc version of the game.
NO Circuit de la Sarthe ……. Rethinking on buying this game now?
So Project Cars is about the only full on simulation out then? Arrgh, no one developer can cobble together a game with lots of tuneable and upgradeable cars, with lots of the worlds best courses with a full on day night cycle and fit that into one package. Sigh, I’m guessing it’s going to be a bit of a wait then.
I think it’s simply too overwhelming of a task put everything together in one game and get it right. To even make the attempt you definitely need a much bigger budget than these guys have to work with so far. I do like their approach though . They seem to be focusing on getting the basics right first before branching out into the more requested features . It doesn’t make sense, for example, to be branching out into loose surface physics or weather unless you think you’ve absolutely nailed the dry tarmac physics first. I like the fact that they continuously tweak and improve the tire model because everything really starts from there . Peeking into the Project Cars 2 forum once in awhile tells me they are working on a lot of really cool things and it’s shaping up to be a great game. Great things ahead in the Sim racing world and the next one two three years.
Unfortunately Project Cars is not a very good sim. I love the weather, gameplay, etc. but in terms of actual simulation quality it’s quite poor. They did a great job with the hype and it’s a product I fully expected to love, but in the end both the physics and FFB are just far, far too poor for my taste. (I’m comparing RL to equivalent cars in PCars here, since I have considerable amateur motor-sports experience). I’m not saying it’s not a fun product with some great features however. Just not a great *sim*. On the other hand, AC is a great sim. Truly great. It lacks a lot of the neat weather effects and such, probably because the focus is on the cars, physics, and feedback. I really hope they begin licensing the AC physics and FFB engines to other companies with the money to build a world-class, epic, and truly full-featured sim. That would be great.
This really is a good change of perspective as was mentioned by other members. We’re used to hearing about what features we will be getting or what we should be expecting, which could in turn set us up for disappointment. But we’re not used to hearing exactly what we aren’t getting, and even why we aren’t getting them. Interestingly enough, I haven’t seen much (if any) negative responses from this feedback.
Goes to show communication really is much better than to complete silence.
Not for PD, lol. No matter what they announce, people get upset over it.
Ooooh TeamCZRRacing that breaks my heart. Poor PD, poor Kaz…
You know it’s true. If they came out with a list of things that weren’t going to be in GTS, everyone would still savage the hell out of them for not including the things mentioned.
It’s horribly unfair.
You like a great deal of perspective.
Lack
Quite plainly. After all, I only read almost every news post. I’ve also only been a member of this community for… 8 years? Clearly not enough time to perceive the blatant difference in the way members of this community treat PD compared to other devs.
Do you have a personal problem with me? I’m beginning to get VERY irritated at how you disagree with everything I say, Johnny. You’re welcome to your opinion, but it gets /extremely/ annoying how you seem to hound me every time I say something that you don’t agree with. I’ve expressed my irritation with you multiple times, but you still don’t seem to understand, so I’m going to have to ask you to just stop replying to me.
It’s about trust and reputation. You build up a good relationship with your customers they’re more likely be understanding with any issues. However if you constantly promise x and y but fail to deliver they’re going to be less understanding and they’re also going to be frustrated if you’re ambiguous and unclear so often that it becomes a running joke. Soon™.
True, but on the other side of the issue, it’s also about willingness to give other people a chance. PD has made some mistakes, but now the community has put them in a position where they’re faced with hatred no matter what they do. Say X will be in the game? Face people breaking out a laundry list of broken promises and ranting on you. Say Y won’t be in the game? Face people heralding the “end of GT” and kicking you in the teeth for whatever it is you’ve omitted, regardless of the reason the thing was omitted in the first place. Keep silent? Face a storm of arguing, name-calling, and PD-bashing.
What the hell do you do in that scenario? We’ve put them in a situation where they’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
so true @TeamCZRRacing
That’s something they probably should have been thinking about 10 years ago like most other successful companies did. Crafting a positive public image in this day and age of instant information and instant public access to it. Their PR efforts are 10 years behind the times and the public had been letting them know for 10 years loud and clear. They ignore that public outcry at their own peril. I see their completely shunning the Kaz Q&A Forum as a real turning point in their relationship with many in this community. They are the authors of their own demise in that relationship.
Kunos deserves all the praise they get in this area and more. They aren’t perfect but they try damn hard. For most of us that is enough.
@TeamCZR That’s absolutely right. They are damned either way. What they need to do now is work hard to do the right thing even though people won’t praise them for it, because it’ll pay off with the regained trust in the long run.
If they keep jerking people around, nothing will ever change. If they start fronting up and being honest and working with their players, then eventually they will be universally loved again. They’ll have to endure some bile on the way, but that’s their penance for the past and they just have to make their way through it.
@TeamCZRRacing, I’m not aware of the history between you and Johnny, so I’ll try to avoid any comment on that.
I’ve been around here a while as well, just gone 12 years it seems, so please don’t think I’ve just rocked up to jump on some sort of anti-PD bandwagon. From my perspective, your posts regarding PD are full of a noble level of empathy best reserved for human beings, and not businesses.
Yes, PD are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t, but as I’m sure you’re aware, that wasn’t the case 8 years ago, and it isn’t something to feel sorry for them about. They’ve created this situation with how they’ve managed this community. Yes one could argue that perhaps their culture is different to this one, and it’s GTPlanet’s fault for expecting too much, and that would be justifiable if PD were a person. But they aren’t. They are a business, who we all give our money to in return for a service.
I think Johnny’s comment of your lack of perspective MAY have been intended to relate more to this principle of treating PD as if they are a poor defenceless kid being bullied. They are not, they are a long running and successful business comprised of adults who are responsible for their own actions and decisions. They do not need us to defend them, their work is their defence, their product what justifies their actions.
To follow on from what Imari said, yes, they are currently damned either way, but that is a problem of their own making, and the solution to it is in their hands, not the community’s.
The reason it is in their hands, is because we pay them. If they were a person, and they treated us in a way we didn’t find acceptable, then we’d bring it up, and they could either change how they treat us, or carry on as they were. If they carried on, then it’s up to us to either bang our heads against a wall for years trying to change them, or we decide that’s just who they are, and we leave them to it. Obviously the solution PD want is that we change what we deem is acceptable and just put up with it, but again, we’re paying them, so we get to chose what’s acceptable with our money.
Now the community clearly cares about the games, it’s why we’re here, and it’s why we have banged our heads against a wall over and over for so long. It’s why people get so annoyed by it all.
Objectively, the people complaining should cut their losses and leave, but they’ve bought the games and they want them to be good and PD to be successful. They also want what they were promised they were paying for, but that’s another matter. I’d wager PD don’t want people to stop buying their games, so they need to listen to their community.
Having said all that, GTPlanet is a small proportion of their market, so really, they can (and will) ignore us and continue on their merry way, the graphics alone will sell millions of copies to people who don’t care either way, so maybe some of your empathy should be reserved for us, the community of people who are ignored no matter how loud they shout.
Wow that meandered on a bit didn’t it? I think I need to go and have a sleep.
Very well said.
TeamCZRRacing
you can put him on the ignore list
but too bad it doesn’t work for the news section
AK, I really wish he’d put me on the ignore list if he really has such a huge problem with literally anything I say.
Johnny, what I’m saying is, perhaps their silence is in part because of the way we’ve acted towards them. How do you go about speaking to a “fanbase” which hates you so much that some members actively want to see you fail? You don’t. Sure, their PR may be behind the times, but the way we’ve been acting towards them, we frankly deserve it.
I feel TeamCZRRacing has hit it spot on. I am seeing a number of reaction articles on the web about ‘game fans’ who are acting very badly towards developers, quite often for piffling reasons too. It frankly amazes me that those developers bother communicating with people who are constantly rude about whatever they say.
Okay, I understand that there is an element that thrives on the chaos and anger, a form of trolling, butting in at every opportunity they can for the ‘likes’ – but that kind of mean-spititedness it seems has given rise to a wide movement of copy-cat hate, as can be seen here and on the forums of many games.
It’s ironic that you think CZR is spot on and then go on to make an argument he’s not making. In fact, he’s absolutely wrong. PD is not a special snowflake in this regard. I can’t imagine any dev making an arrangement with their number one fansite for an exclusive Q&A session, the community spending weeks and weeks formulating questions and voting on them, only to be unceremoniously dumped and ignored without an apology or explanation, and not being completely savaged over it. Some devs are treated better than others simply because some devs communicate with and respond to their fanbase far better than PD does. It’s as simple as that. Mistakes are more easily forgiven when you communicate with your fans, directly and on a regular basis and are honest and open about those mistakes. Same thing with shortcomings, bugs, issues etc. In this day and age of instantaneous, worldwide communication, leaving your fanbase in the dark most of the time is something you do at your own peril.
I would of thought that the manufacturers, track/series owners would of had to pay the DEVELOPERS to be in a game meself.
Love the straight answers you get from these guys. Dampens the speculation fever a little bit but I really appreciate and admire the straight shooting from Kunos. So refreshing!
I think series like the TCR or TC2000 could be licensed against a fraction of the WTCC / BTCC costs. Would be nice to drive some different stuff.
Even if some of them are disappointing it’s very refreshing to hear straight answers from a dev, no “perhaps”, “maybe”, “could be” here.