Assetto Corsa Competizione has been updated to version 1.8. In this multi-page article we are taking a look at the updates to the content, gameplay experience, significant physics updates and the graphics and user unterface.
Kunos Simulazioni has released version 1.8 of Assetto Corsa Competizione. The update is extensive and affects most aspects of your experience playing the SRO simulator.
New content is generally what grabs the attention of sim racers, so this is where we’ll start with our look at the update. The Lamborghini Super Trofeo EVO2 may be joining the sim soon along with the BMW M2 CS, but for now players will need to be content with the BMW M4 GT3. Kunos has been discussing this addition since August but have exceeded their own timeline in bringing it to us.
To complement and integrate the M4 GT3, Kunos has given us the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe season including all liveries and drivers. For those not content to race a single series, Kunos has created a new way to race: Open series. The Open mode allows you to combine various classes of cars, including ST and Porsche Cup with GT3 and GT4.
Another major update affecting gameplay is revised weather logic. Variability now has a greater effect on weather swings and durations.
The changelog pertaining to gameplay and content is below, and look for more coverage of the big 1.8 update here at RaceDepartment.
- Updated project to Unreal Engine version 4.26.2.
- Added Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe 2021 season as bonus content with all entries, liveries and drivers and championship season (certain entries subject to DLC ownership)
- Added all-new BMW M4 GT3 as bonus content as part of the 2021 season.
- Added Open season, merging all game content into a "sandbox" season featuring grid customization.
- Added opponent grid mixing option to Custom Race Weekend and Quick Race game modes in the Open season.
- Use the grid mixing sliders to set car group prevalence in the grid.
- GT3 car group has an additional setting for preferred generation of opponent cars (all, pre-2019 or new-gen).
- Added Open series championship mode with grid (car groups) and track lineup customization.
- Fixed multiclass championships not splitting points per car groups.
- Automatically generated custom cars are now grouped into teams both in single-make custom mode and Open series championship.
- Reworked driver assignment system to support custom-generated grids and various driver count requirements.
- Standardized entry and team ID system across the whole game content in support of the Open series grid generation and championship.
- Removed entry duplication between the 2019 GTWCH and IGT seasons.
- Fixed potential rule inconsistencies between official sprint and endurance game modes when played via Single Player and Championship.
- This also fixes inconsistent auto-selection behaviour of the MFD in these sessions depending on game mode.
- Tweaked AI logic for strategic decisions reacting to weather changes.
- Fixed a potential issue with AI pitstop status when loading a saved game, causing cars to DNF.
- Improved weather model: variability (=randomness in MP) now affects the variation and frequency of weather cycles:
- Higher variability will now produce larger variation and less predictability in the length of individual weather cycles (time between peaks).
- High variability might produce both fast changes or prolonged weather spells (or both combined) within the same weekend simulation.
- Low variability will produce more even weather cycles, akin to the pre-update model.
- Revised certain aspects of weather functions, including standing water formation and dissipation.
- Revised skewed track limit definitions for Oulton Park that prevented correct gain calculation.
- Revised pit speeding thresholds that were often too permissive, both on pit entry and pit exit.
- Fixed invalid lap being eligible for personal and session fastest (purple) lap in race sessions (also in Multiplayer results).
- Overhaul of track limit warnings on wet track with its own dynamic, gain-based reference system.
- Added measures against irregular driving before the green light in Hotlap and Hotstint game modes.
- Fixed an issue with the Ferrari 488 GT3 (both versions) that resulted in an inconsistency in pitstop position versus other cars.
- Replay: revised replay tyre rotation matrix calculation to avoid misalignment between tyres and rim (and reduce disk space). The improvement is backwards-compatible, while newly saved replays should occupy less disk space than before.
