5 Things Le Mans Ultimate Needs to Get Absolutely Right

LeMansUltimate_JOTA_Monza.jpg
Towards the end of the year, the long-anticipated WEC video game is supposed to arrive. Titled “Le Mans Ultimate”, Studio 397 and Motorsport Games' new game is looking like it is on track for a release in late 2023 - for the sim to be a success, it needs to get key elements absolutely right.

Image credit: Le Mans Ultimate

What we have seen is that Le Mans Ultimate (LMU) seems to be based on a modified version of the rFactor 2 engine. Keep that in mind.

1. Realism and Difficulty​

One of the biggest challenges that the developers are facing is the matter of balancing. I’m not talking about BoP (Balance of Performance) now. Fact of the matter is that WEC is increasingly popular nowadays. It seems the recent flooding of new car brands into the series has really helped the popularity of everything surrounding LMH (Le Mans Hypercar). Not only has the centenary Le Mans seen record viewership numbers, but attendance at other rounds also seems to be up significantly. This means that not only will sim racing veterans check out LMU, but also people new to the genre, possibly even new to video games.

The challenge is now to find a balance that allows both seasoned veterans of the genre as well as absolute beginners to find some common ground. And no, that doesn’t mean that professional drivers will have to be able to fight it out with 12-year-old keyboard warriors.

It has been announced that heavy beginner-friendly assists will be enabled. It remains to be seen how they will be balanced in order to not give an unfair advantage to people using them.

Le Mans Ultimate Porsche 963 Proton Competition Monza.jpg

The top-class Hypercars are complex, but they also need to be accessible in Le Mans Ultimate. Image credit: Le Mans Ultimate on Twitter

2. Balance of the Vehicles​

One of the biggest challenges that the developers are facing is the matter of balancing. Now I’m talking about BoP. The biggest question mark in this regard is what kind of balance they go for. In the IRL Hypercar class, we have seen many different competitive manufacturers battling it out for race leads. Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, and even Peugeot sometimes showed enough pace to battle for overall victory.

And then there’s Glickenhaus, Vanwall and a few other small manufacturers trying to enter the class. Now, they are not quite on pace (yet?). So the question is, will they be on pace in Le Mans Ultimate, or will it be “realistic” in the sense that you can only win races driving Toyota or Ferrari anyways?

Personally, I would love to race the Peugeot around all the tracks, knowing full well that the car is competitive enough to make setups, strategies and driver skill the most important factors. But do the developers see it the same?

3. Balance of the Content​

Seeing as the game seems to be based heavily on the rFactor 2 framework, the question of modding is one that immediately crops up. The question that is not being answered at the moment seems to be:

Will Le Mans Ultimate OFFICIALLY support modding, maybe through the Steam Workshop?

The emphasis lies heavily on the “officially” as you might have realised by it being all caps and bold. Because let’s be honest. People will find a way to mod it, somewhat. rFactor 2 is the 2nd most used modding platform in the sim racing world. Furthermore, presumably, conversions from rFactor 2 mods to LMU won’t take too much effort. The only question is whether the developers want that to be the case.

An argument for it: It has been announced that Le Mans Ultimate will be live-service, as it will not follow a yearly re-release schedule like the F1 games. Instead, it’s planned to be more like rF2, AC, ACC, AMS2 and all the other good ones. Buy the game once and then it’s probably regular DLC. This formula would heavily invite some sort of modding. The key takeaway is that Assetto Corsa is still the most-played racing sim out there which is not called iRacing.

Also, it would just be easier to allow modding since the engine heavily relies on it anyways. So please, devs. Do the right thing.

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Knowing the base LMU is built upon, sim racers will expect outstanding physics from the new title. Image credit: Le Mans Ultimate on Twitter

4. The Physics​

Whatever you think about rFactor 2, you cannot deny that it’s got some great-feeling physics. The developers have to realise that expectations in this department are high. And since this is the case, the physics team will need to deliver something.

Look at it like this: rFactor 2 has a modding framework theoretically open to every kind of vehicle. With Le Mans Ultimate, it will only need to focus on two classes. Hypercar and GT3 should be focussed since WEC is dropping LMP2 starting in 2024.

This can enable the physics engine to deliver some quality of driving never seen before.

Can.

Remember that.

5. Arguably the Most Important: The Infrastructure​

What a boring word. Infrastructure. What could he mean?

Well, if you are anything like me and have at least loosely followed the Le Mans Virtual in 2023, let’s just say it could’ve run better.

Now whatever the issue was, Studio 397 and Motorsport Games will have to improve the situation. Le Mans Virtual has the potential to be the biggest marketing tool for the game. And if your main attraction fails to deliver two years in a row, you are going to struggle in the public light.

And if there’s anything these two companies don’t need right now, it’s another public heavy blow.

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Does Le Mans Ultimate pave the way to success for Studio 397 and Motorsport Games? Image credit: Le Mans Ultimate on Twitter

The Key Takeaways​

Le Mans Ultimate is a game that I have long dreamed of. Or at least it could be that game. Finally, the biggest race in the world receives its long-deserved virtual application. However, it is a make-or-break situation in many regards. The developers and publishers need to make sure everything is right. Every step needs to be carefully planned. Every decision needs careful thinking.

Let us hope they make the right decisions, for then we can finally have the long-distance endurance racing simulator many of us have long wished for.

Le Mans Ultimate is available to wishlist on Steam.

Your Thoughts​

What do you think are the most important factors to get right for Le Mans Ultimate? Let us know in the comments down below!
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About author
Julian Strasser
Julian Strasser
Motorsports and Maker-stuff enthusiast. Part time jack-of-all-trades. Owner of tracc.eu, a sim racing-related service provider and its racing community.

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Comments

A
Premium
Another problem is that no one has ever developed a suitable multiclass AI, at least none in the sims I have played. GTR2, RR, RF2, no one could implement intelligent blue flag behaviour etc
 
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mantasisg
I have so much to say. And I won't.

I'll just say. Hopefully the thing will sell well, and will work, won't have too much and too terrible bugs. That is all they really must get right with this thing.
 
F
This game just need to take lessons from Test Drive Le Mans.

It's okay that it's been almost 25 years since the lauch of the original game, but this future version may transplant some of the concepts from that game to the new generation.

A well done day and night cycle; a decent AI; the possibility of making and saving parts of a 24hr run; a career mode that engages you, and in which you can see your driver grow (and anyone who played the original Test Drive will remember how cool it was to receive proposals to race for bigger teams, as you performed better in races).

And a special touch: an intro with Bohemian Like You would be super cool (those who know what I´m talking about will understand).
 
Michel vL
Premium
I would be perfectly happy if they manage to recreate the same level of realism we have in rFactor2 right now. Combined with a full field of properly simulated hypercars would me make a very happy chappy.
 
dussard
I want a finished game as soon as it is released because it would be devastating for the image of the game.
an ultimate game in terms of physics online championship, AI championship, an optimized game supporting VR, 3 screens, with all the official content 2023/2024.
later adding historical dlc (group c group 5) dlc circuit imsa alms elms. if the game is at the top no need for modding ... more than a game it will have to become a sprint / endurance racing platform
 
MPortnoy
I think S397 and rF2 engine were the best choices to develop a WEC game so I'm hopeful about it.

For me a core aspect is AI, and in a multi class series such as this, blue flag behaviour is key.
rF2 in this respect is already a good starting point bar some bugs and things that could be improved.

And just as in ACC, when you have a game based on a series, you don't need mods for it to be successful as long as the official content is top notch.
 
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R
adamb said:
Let's face it, most people (potentially 10-20.000 concurrent Steam users) look for 10-20 min sprint races across a variety of tracks. That's what they will do in LMU.

The question is whether an endurance simulator with 7 tracks and 3 car classes will keep them entertained. Endurance racing (long races with driver swaps) is niche segment, maybe 300-400 concurrent users.
Click to expand...
The most important for a company isn't a big audience, it is a sufficient one to cover the costs and to generate margin. Considering how low cost this should be (no engine creation, no knowledge about it to learn...), and the game as a service business model with future DLCs, it should not be hard to generate big margins, which should be integrated in the global rfactor2's economy.

rfactor2 being suche an old game, it is difficult to knwo what the financial structure of the project is today. But considering it as a big investment over the previous years and using this huge asset (technology and content) is a really good way to go. I assume it was MSG's project since the acquisition of S387, it was badly done in Nascar Ignition (but it seems the project is not so bad today, just with flaws not linked to rfactor2 ; I don't pay this game so I may be wrong, but anyway, it's not a S397 game, which was the first MSG mistake), but with this project and the input of the lincencer, it should get the positive result of all this MSG strategy, at last. And that should not be the last game of the rfactor2 based series imo.

Good luck S397.

As a reminder, considering how successful was GTR2, and still is with the modern mod (which only cover the vanilla content), I wouldn't be so affirmative about endurance racing not being popular. It is on iracing, it is not on other games because... they are just not good at endurance racing. Give a proper enudrance sim and it may find its audience. F1 games are successful and these are just endurance races.
 
Y
In this Ultimate Le Mans product, I would like to be able to choose a car from the current year, select Le Mans Race and run the Le Mans Race without any issues.

The stock setup should be competitive and the other cars should pit, crash out and have issues in the rain. This should be ready to go out of the box with only the field of view and wheel to set up. This is the bare minimum requirement.

Graphical gliches etc are fine but the race should work on release day.
 
R
Okay this isn't an essential feature that LMU needs to "absolutely get right" (although I agree with a lot of the comments above about AI, saving the game, competent and stable MP system, and a game that actually works from launch), but I was wondering if LMU could follow a similar route to ACC after a while and start encompassing other ACO-organised series (in the same way ACC includes other SRO series like GT4 Europe and IGTC). The most obvious ones that pop to mind for me are obviously the European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans series, as well as the Le Mans Cup.

Obviously, I would prefer the main WEC to be fully completed, and properly updated each season, before they focussed on other championships, but it would also give a way for S397 to keep using the LMP2 and LMGTE cars developed for this year (and future Le Mans in LMP2's case) after they are removed from the WEC for next season: otherwise, it could be a lot of development time spent on cars that realistically will only form a part of the main series for the game's first season.

And I know I'm now being very optimistic, but depending on how close the FIA, ACO and IMSA are all feeling could they even introduce IMSA into the game eventually? I would love to be able to recreate a whole IMSA season as well with some of the awesome tracks they visit! I'm aware this is very unlikely though.

P.S. I have generally used the term "game" in this post, although I do hope it is closer to a proper sim. How I see it though is "all sims are games, but not all games are sims".
 
T
adamb said:
Let's face it, most people (potentially 10-20.000 concurrent Steam users) look for 10-20 min sprint races across a variety of tracks. That's what they will do in LMU.

The question is whether an endurance simulator with 7 tracks and 3 car classes will keep them entertained. Endurance racing (long races with driver swaps) is niche segment, maybe 300-400 concurrent users.
Click to expand...
This point has been discussed on the official forums aswell. ACC in comparison started with 1 class of cars (not even the full field) and a smaller selection of tracks into early access and still did fairly well. Here you will get 7 hypercars, the Oreca, four different GTE cars and hopefully the Nascar with seven very distinctive and interesting tracks. And this isn't taking into account that the schedule for 2024 adds 4 completely new tracks and that we have the prospect of laser scanned versions of Dubai and Sepang, wich are very good and interesting tracks in my eyes. I am not that excited for tracks like Barcelona or Paul Richard for ELMS, but the ALMS tracks are pretty interesting.

And you don't need to do hour long races to experience the magic of endurance racing. S397 spend quite a bit of time to make time scaled races look decent. The underlying tech is so flexible that they can do whatever they like with it. Even coop servers with AI are a possibility.
 
mantasisg
Arturo Pereira said:
Airline and combat pilots are trained in simulators. F1 teams use simulators that cost thousands of euros/dollars.
No, they don´t use video games for the serious stuff.
Click to expand...
Dollars isn't what separates a game from simulator. They spend crazy money for it perhaps just because they can. And because they are insane. A sim can become a game in a few little edits, all games are simulating something. I agree that they shouldn't be called simulations if they aren't at least simulating respectably similar effects and required effort/skill needed to achieve very similar, or even nearly identical results as IRL. Last, but not least, in same way as it would happen IRL, for example - running out of grip the same way, not only running out of grip by same amount, I bet that even many of those pro teams sims might not be fulfilling this, and nobody cares.
 
R
Arturo Pereira said:
Airline and combat pilots are trained in simulators. F1 teams use simulators that cost thousands of euros/dollars.
No, they don´t use video games for the serious stuff.
Click to expand...
And they don't deal with AI, rules (flags, safety car...), championships, careers, those gamy aspects that make the experience feel real for a player, which a real pilot doesn't need as these gamy aspects aren't reality and not useful for the purpose of his simulator. That's the difference between our sim games and pro simulators. We want to experience the race or the flight, real pilots want to work on technical aspects perfectly simulated to be able to use this experience in the real machines counterparts.

In one sentence : we PLAY sims, real pilots USE sims.
 
Last edited:
Sebastian Skinnari
Arturo Pereira said:
Airline and combat pilots are trained in simulators. F1 teams use simulators that cost thousands of euros/dollars.
No, they don´t use video games for the serious stuff.
Click to expand...

Simulation video game - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

it does not matter what F1 Teams/Racing drivers/or real pilots use because they are mostly based on Comsumer based simulators like Assetto Corsa.

And the thing is, this racingsim is advertised mainly for us simple plebs, consumers that is not pro racing drivers.
 
Gregoryleo
Ok so most of my feelings have been voiced fairly well already, except for one. (I’ve only read the first two pages tho)
It’s my hope that they don’t let investors decide it’s release time, they always push it out before it’s ready.
I would like to see a totally complete and polished game on release. I’m willing to wait as long as it takes to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s so to speak.
And being as I don’t have time or desire to do the required focus for online racing, I too am hoping for a well made, single player experience, with very good ai, no freight train racing like you get in ac. That is a deal breaker for me, if it’s only online, I won’t be spending any money on it.
Nothing personal, just my desire.
 

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