Shifting Gears: The Evolution of a Racing Empire

[Miriael]

I began this story initially as a diary, jotting down notes for my AI racing adventures in Assetto Corsa. However, it evolved into a hybrid of roleplay and tabletop gaming. I'm probably quite behind the curve in this AC scene, so there's a chance someone has already explored this concept. Nevertheless, I'm excited to share this narrative/game with you all. If you're interested in joining as a Team Principal, you'll step into the shoes of a Player Character within a fictional racing world.

Currently, we're in the midst of the second season, featuring 10 teams using RSS Formula 70 cars, each adorned with custom-made liveries inspired by real team designs. I've compiled some house rules into a neat little booklet, nothing overly complex. Additionally, I'm documenting our races and broadcasting them on YouTube and Twitch.

You can message me, and I'll be happy to explain what you need to do to operate as a Team Principal, including the basic rules and so forth. Well, that's already quite an extensive introduction, so let's dive into the first lines of my story.

It begins with my calligraphy shifting right as I take notes. Why does that happen? If I recall correctly, it's because I feel the urge to write, as if compelled to tell a story. I used to excel at this—creating narratives, constructing fictional worlds. All I needed, or so I still believe, were small fragments to build upon.

I never fully grasped how brutal and unforgiving the world of racing is, even today. It was a revelation. There's no camaraderie in racing; even drivers within the same team are rivals, with your first opponent being your teammate. This dynamic is unique to racing and absent in other sports. Furthermore, your performance is heavily reliant on the quality of your car.

So why not attempt to develop a game akin to those successful solitary board games? The inaugural season served as an extensive training session. I experimented with house rules, observed the game's response to my modifications, and opted to begin with 1970s F1 cars—easy to reskin if needed. Nevertheless, I incorporated some player-made skins inspired by modern Formula One teams.

Then, I became obsessed. I resolved to repaint all the cars for the second season, dedicating an excessive number of hours to researching and recreating liveries for the game. I honed my skills in Photoshop, delved deep into F1 livery design, listened to audiobooks, and downloaded more resources. Why? Simply put, I was determined to introduce a new car model every ten seasons. Currently, I'm using the RSS Formula 79, with plans to transition to the Formula 86.

To simulate the passage of time and the evolution of the racing league, I intend to utilize this model for approximately ten seasons, or until I've prepared my own models. With Alessandro's assistance as an external F1 consultant, I've begun gathering data to assess drivers' abilities. To my surprise, I discovered that EA F1 ratings hold significant importance within the driver community, much like EA FC ratings in football—a revelation indeed.

 

[Miriael]

Aston Martin attempted to secure Carlos Sainz Jr.'s signature but failed to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, Red Bull management countered Mercedes' offer with an additional six million, yet Verstappen opted to drive for Mercedes in the upcoming season, indicating that a mere three million increase wasn't enough to sway him.


This decision triggered a series of cascading events within the driver lineup. Red Bull's vacancy prompted numerous inquiries from other drivers. Leclerc received an offer but opted to remain with Ferrari for an additional ten million on his new contract. Consequently, Ferrari was compelled to offer Sainz a staggering 14 million to join Mercedes alongside Verstappen.
In a bid to fill the void left by Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari initially pursued Russell and Piastri, both of whom declined. Eventually, they approved Bearman for the second seat, signaling the promotion of a young talent.

Unexpectedly, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton found himself without a spot in F1. Despite negotiations with Williams and Haas, he inexplicably signed with the Red Bull junior team. Consequently, the upcoming season will witness an influx of rookies on the grid, including Browning at Williams, Pourchaire at Sauber, and the Haas duo Fittipaldi and Fuoco, infusing fresh blood into the competition.

 

[Miriael]

I am seeking a Team Manager who is willing to lead a virtual F1 Team. The races will be broadcasted on Twitch and reuploaded on YouTube. The rules are straightforward, and although the management aspect is intricate, it requires minimal time to handle the tasks.

The Silverstone test day proved to be hectic for some teams. With high expectations for the new car designs, only the track and the stopwatch will determine if the off-season work was sufficient. Verstappen, now in a Mercedes, remains as fast as he was in a Red Bull car. On the first day, most teams focused on qualifying setups. Carlos Sainz, in his new ride, set the fastest lap on the track, closely followed by his former teammate, who almost matched Mercedes' time. Ocon delivered a brilliant and nearly flawless lap, securing the third-best time of the day.

As the qualifying laps commenced, dark, low clouds loomed over the circuit park. The tension was palpable. In the weeks leading up to the race, teams worked tirelessly to address issues that emerged after the test, rolling a D100 dice for the Assetto Corsa car value to simulate car design. The engineering and aerodynamics departments were like busy beehives, working until exhaustion.

The clock never lies; timing is the ultimate judge in racing. As the dark clouds gathered, Oscar Piastri claimed pole position in Monza for the first grand prix of the season, alongside the experienced Alonso. Norris, in the other McLaren, secured a spot two rows back, alongside the first Red Bull car driven by Sainz. Verstappen found himself in the 11th position.

 

[Miriael]

I am going back to write this more like a logbook, a diary. I think it fits the style of the story more, the timing of it and even on a broader scale the feeling of it. So, let’s go for a quick recap of the second season. While I am still trying to fix the home rules, I got more data out from the game, still rules are more fluid than I envisioned.

To prevent when human Team Principal will come in, to have a Driver Market where young pilots not performing will be kicked out just after one season hoping for a lucky dice roll on the next driver abilities, they will be stuck with the driver till the agreement expires.

I added PURE to Assetto Corsa and now we have nice raining conditions, still by the way, wet tracks are kind of tricky or not so good looking, but I am working on it. As I will be implementing for the third and upcoming season real physics and advanced ai behavior. Half the 2nd Season was played on 5 minutes Qualify and 5 lap race, second half on 10 lap races. The only real advantage on 10 laps race is that I can use PURE Weather at 15x times speed to have variable condition on a fixed weather like rain.

Most of the championship was dominated by the Verstappen – Russell duel. They switched seats in the off season. After the first one every driver contract was terminated to have a new timeline, an ucronian one. This was a 14 grand prix season; I am willing to extend it to 16 in the 3rd so team can have 4 upgrade rolls during a season.