AMS 2 | November Development Roadmap

Paul Jeffrey

Premium
Reiza Studios have concluded the month of November in style - plenty of exciting news contained in the latest Automobilista 2 Development Roadmap post.

Sadly December won't see a public release for the much anticipated Automobilista 2 simulation from Brazilian developers Reiza Studios, that one has been pushed back to March next year, but the delay doesn't mean things are slowing down over in Brazil - far from it - as the latest development roadmap release goes to show.

In this traditional end of month news update, Reiza discuss plenty of information about the current state of development for Automobilista 2, including a new preview video from the sim, and news of additional content coming to the base version of the title!

Check out the full November development roadmap post below:

Hello everyone, and welcome again for a new edition of our monthly Development Update!

It´s hard to believe it´s already November! It was afterall around this time last year that we had committed to switching to the Madness engine for Automobilista 2 after a couple of months of experimentation, and what an intense year it has been since
:)


As we approach the end of the road for 2019, we can´t help but be proud of what´s been achieved this year. The whole team has been pushing like mad and even though we didn´t quite make our ambitious plan for an initial release in December and while there is still a lot of work to be done, I feel we can be happy with the progress that has been made and confident that AMS2 will reach its initial release time in the shape we had hoped it to be in 12 months ago.

That doesn´t mean slowing down any time soon - as was the case with AMS1, the initial release of AMS2 won´t be the end of development but rather the end of the beginning. We have an intensive development plan already mapped out through 2020 all they way into 2021, filled a bunch of very exciting things we´re really looking forward to share with you all, but that unfortunately can´t just yet
:p


While we continue pushing, we are getting closer closer to AMS2 initial public release and with that in mind our goal is to wrap for the holidays in December with a solid Alpha build, leading into a solid Beta release in February closed to Reiza Backers, before finally reaching official release later in March.

To that end, here´s a recap of some of the work done over the last month.

Force Feedback Development

AMS 2 November Development Roadmap.jpg


In last month´s Dev Update we touched upon the development of a new FFB system, which I´m happy to say has been wrapped to very satisfactory results. Here are some words from our man @Domagoj Lovric summing up his work on this front:

"What forms the torque we feel on steering wheel? The torque acting on a steering system is attributed to reacting forces and moments on the tyre contact patch such as tyre load, lateral force, longitudinal force. These forces generate moment around steering axis, known also as "kingpin axis".

How much of an "influence" each of these forces has depends on mentioned steering axis, mainly inclination against vertical wheel line in longitudinal direction and inclination from a side view - better known as caster.

Aside from just taking angles into account, we also have (as consequence of this inclination) - steering axis projection on ground offset: scrub radius in lateral plane and mechanical trail (caster trail) in longitudinal. This moment around kingpin axis will transfer a force into the steering rack, via steering arm and tie-rod.

AMS 2 November Development Roadmap 2.png


The Formula V12 Hits the Track

One of our most popular releases in SCE / AMS was the Formula V12. The car was based off 1995-spec F1 regulations which imposed drastic aerodynamics changes following the tragedies of 1994. This led to the first cars of its generation producing far less downforce than at any other point from the early 80s to today. Combining that with a power reduction from 800 HP to around 650 HP as engine displacement was reduced to 3L meant that cars were more skittish, but overall less lethal.

Compounding the downforce loss, the regulation changes also led to mid 90s F1 cars becoming notoriously pitch sensitive, meaning aero balance would tend to shift considerably from front to rear depending front wing height. So the way to drive them fast specially through quick corners was to keep speed as high up and constant as the driver dared so the car´s attitude wouldn´t change so much and with it its aero balance, making it harder for its not-so large slicks to keep the nimble 605kg machines adhering to the tarmac.

That is one of the things that made Michael Schumacher such a standout performer relative to his peers over the course of that decade, as even though his driving style could on the surface appear wild and erratic due to the sheer volume of micro steering corrections mid corner, he was actually managing to keep the car in that higher, thin threshold of optimal aero performance that ultimately resulted in him achieving laptimes that would regularly embarrass his teammates with absurd gaps of 1-2s, specially on faster tracks.

It was an interesting challenge to try reproduce in the sim, and we felt we did a fairly good job of it in SCE / AMS´s Formula V12. A car with such sensitivity to minor inputs was always going to benefit from physics and FFB upgrades, so unsuprisingly it´s become one of the distinct highlights in AMS2 when combined with the more dynamic SETA tyre model, the higher input rates and now with a more unfiltered FFB system, resulting in a notably enhanced experience even with a lower level Force Feedback wheel - with a higher fidelity DD wheel it becomes positively organic.

It´s something that can only be properly appreciated from experiencing it - video previews are a poor substitute but since that´s what we can offer for now, here are a few laps of the F-V12 having its tyres literally flexed for a few quick laps around Kansai:


Here also you can also check out some of the latest shader developments from the track art team - while there´s much still we plan to achieve with this engine over the ongoing development cycle of AMS2, this is closer representation of what the game will look like on release.

Stock Car V8 - 40 Years of History

This year has been a landmark season for the Brazilian Stock Car series as it completed 40 years since its debut season back in 1979. The championship is still raging on, with the final race of year due to take place on December 15th, as usual at its spiritual home Interlagos.

The series of course is with which 10 years go it all began for us too as it was the subject our debut title Game Stock Car, released in 2011. The series remain one of our flagships and in Automobilista 2 we will celebrate its 40 years of History, not only keeping the original Opala Stock Cars and the current Cruze prototype from 2019, but expanding it with the Chevrolet Omega from 1999:

AMS 2 November Development Roadmap 3.jpg


coming seasons as the series shifts to become more true to its name and use more "Stock" versions of the street cars, albeit still powered by custom mighty V8s.

Below is a preview of what the new car is expected to look like - this and its GM Cruze counterparts are expected to debut at Goiania in March 2020, and you may look forward to making their debut in virtual tracks with Automobilista 2 around the same time
:)


AMS 2 November Development Roadmap 4.jpg


The exciting new cars along with some of the main cars that made up its history in the past 40 years are only a part of what´s in store for this new chapter of the Reiza - Stock Car relationship - more exciting things to come here, so watch this space
:)


Automobilista 2 Community Skins

A reminder that hose who join AMS2 Early Backing Campaign have the opportunity to become part of Automobilista 2 by creating their own livery for any of the various fictional or semi-fictional series in the sim:

AMS 2 November Development Roadmap 5.jpg


Automobilista 2 is scheduled for release in March 2020. You may pre-order Automobilista 2 through the AMS2 Early Backing Campaign - more information on this program and how to participate here.

If you are looking forward to Automobilista 2 but would rather wait for release, you may opt instead to add the game to your Steam wishlist via the AMS2 Steam Store page. to receive email notifications upon release and other relevant news.

That´s it for November - now on to December! We look forward to catching up with you again next month for the final and exciting news of 2019
:)



Automobilista 2 will release on PC March 2020

Excited about the prospect of driving AMS 2 for yourself? Post a thread in the AMS 2 sub forum and discuss the title with your fellow sim racing fans!

AMS 2 November Development Roadmap 6.jpg
 
Suspension arms havent been animated in this car yet so you are right in that they are definitely static. This is just a lack of graphical representation though and not correlated to the actual suspension physics.
So I dont have to be worried that this static graphical issue will still be there in the final released version?
Im asking about this because checking a replay is a huge part of the imersion thing of a racing sim:thumbsup:
 
You should definitely expect AMS2 physics to have Madness DNA as thats the physics engine its running on. That will mean some of its quirks and flaws may still be present in AMS2, just as some quirks and flaws from pMotor2 remained present in AMS1 or from pMotor2.5 in the rF2 Pack. All sim physics engines have their own inherit issues and limitations, and users will have their own subjective take on whats making the cut and what isn’t.

I wouldnt risk suggesting AMS2 physics will satisfy everyone’s take on what realistic physics should be or that its particular quirks won’t rub some people the wrong way - we live in a world where reality seems to be an increasingly subjective concept, and in sim racing in particular people seem to have some particularly fierce belief systems :)

What I can quite objectively guarantee is that the physics engines have more in common than not, that the new one has a substantial net positive in terms of simulation depth and that our development ethos is the same as it’s always been. Hopefully the results are convincing for most sim racers, and we look forward to giving you all the opportunity to make your own judgement :)

Thanks for taking the time to reply, Renato :)

For better or worse, I am one of those people who has a dislike for the quirks that come with the Madness physics. It's subjective as you said and I'd be unreasonable to expect you to magically be able to change that just to satisfy people like myself.

You have to do the best with what you have and I have no doubts that the team and yourself are putting 100% into making it the best it can be.

I'm sure I won't be able to resist giving it a try, just to see if my speculation was right or wrong. Hopefully I'll be wrong and even if not, I still hope AMS2 proves to be a huge hit and I wish everyone at Reiza nothing but success.
 
So I dont have to be worried that this static graphical issue will still be there in the final released version?
Im asking about this because checking a replay is a huge part of the imersion thing of a racing sim:thumbsup:

No reason to worry there - Im a big replay watcher myself :)


Thanks for taking the time to reply, Renato :)

For better or worse, I am one of those people who has a dislike for the quirks that come with the Madness physics. It's subjective as you said and I'd be unreasonable to expect you to magically be able to change that just to satisfy people like myself.

You have to do the best with what you have and I have no doubts that the team and yourself are putting 100% into making it the best it can be.

I'm sure I won't be able to resist giving it a try, just to see if my speculation was right or wrong. Hopefully I'll be wrong and even if not, I still hope AMS2 proves to be a huge hit and I wish everyone at Reiza nothing but success.

I dont think you will know what these quirks are until you get to try it yourself though. People seem to be projecting a bit their concerns from past experiences with the engine into a something theyre only experiencing through videos, and thats not a reliable way to draw a conclusion. The physics engine is a big part, but not the totality of the equation.

Besides, one of the points we have been trying to highlight in these dev updates is that things evolve - flaws are corrected, better systems are developed. Some quirks may remain, and some of what may be perceived as such is not a flaw at all. Youll need to try it first to see where your conclusions land on the overall results :)
 
Last edited:
"Difficult to judge physics from a video..."

But people judge anyway. So many "geniuses" around... :rolleyes:

I wrote difficult, not impossible. If you look at a video of Forza for example you can easily tell it is not a sim.
Compare this to rfactor 2 which the cars behave much more realistically. Somewere in the middle you have titles like this.

As confirmed by dev in this very thread, AM2 will have some of the Pcroject Cars 2 physics flaws.
 
It´s a pre-alpha or alpha work in progress demo, so there is still hope for much more. Physics is
the important part, and we can not feel this with just videos, but if it is as good as the physics
in AMS 1, we should be happy.

Regarding the graphics, it´s an improvement over AMS 1, but I´m not happy with the tracks
detailing I see in all of them shown so far... with every new video I see, I can´t help comparing
them to the tracks in Sims like Project Cars 2 and Competizione, and I miss much more detail
and track side objects and animations like waving flags, marshalls, etc.
 
Marc, that's clearly an outlap with intentional sharp inputs to warm up the tyres. Watch the whole video. The hot lap is damn fine!
The hot lap also shows a lot of oversteer and a lot of tire squeal. Could be related to setup and driving style though, but I am not convinced yet. Still 3 months before release, so may ge a bit too early to judge.
 
my only one remark is :

WIth ACC and the early access, the fans pay less (19€) than after the official release (49€)...awesome the fans supporters have been thanked.
With Reiza AMS2, you have to pay more than the official release price to only play with a demo version (delayed) ??
Is it like this you can attrack and thank people ? No thanks, the fans have been scammed.
 
my only one remark is :

WIth ACC and the early access, the fans pay less (19€) than after the official release (49€)...
With Reiza AMS2, you have to pay more than the official release price to only play with a demo version ??
Is it like this you can attrack people ? No thanks.
Only a demo version? I will get the full game and DLC they release in the future. And my experience with Reiza on AMS is that the keep on delivering... I bought a membership a few years ago on AMS and got all the DLC they released after that for free. Even the Reiza pack on rF2. And a discount on AMS2.
 
Only a demo version? I will get the full game and DLC they release in the future. And my experience with Reiza on AMS is that the keep on delivering... I bought a membership a few years ago on AMS and got all the DLC they released after that for free. Even the Reiza pack on rF2. And a discount on AMS2.
I add that the DLCs cost more than the base game. (99€ vs 29€), I wait for the Codemasters complainers to react about this...the base game is not half but a third of the complete game...
 
my only one remark is :

WIth ACC and the early access, the fans pay less (19€) than after the official release (49€)...awesome the fans supporters have been thanked.
With Reiza AMS2, you have to pay more than the official release price to only play with a demo version (delayed) ??
Is it like this you can attrack and thank people ? No thanks, the fans have been scammed.
few problems with you statements:
- you compare ea release to full release
- you ignore acc delays and dlc (upcoming track pack)
- acc+upcoming track would be around 50$, but 120-80 for base ams2+2 years worth of dlc is bad?
 
Last edited:
I add that the DLCs cost more than the base game. (99€ vs 29€), I wait for the Codemasters complainers to react about this...the base game is not half but a third of the complete game...

I must admit I have reservations about this too. To be fair, it was also true of Assetto Corsa and is true of rF2. I suppose what matters is what you get in the dlc and whether its good value for money. In return you also get the much craved on-going "support" and development. If you want this you have to pay for it one way or another.
 
@Renato - Any comment on the audio engine? It seems a bit flat at the moment and I wonder if there are plans to improve the fidelity. I know for me personally ACC really opened my eyes as to how much immersion can be improved just through sound.
 
Please Reiza do more historic content. I don't even care which series you gonna do as long as its between 66 and 95 :). But an Imsa/LM series would be awesome or something like DRM. I am a fan since GSC 2011 and its just awesome what you guys delivered since then. Keep up the good work!
 

Latest News

Online or Offline racing?

  • 100% online racing

    Votes: 85 7.4%
  • 75% online 25% offline

    Votes: 122 10.6%
  • 50% online 50% offline

    Votes: 167 14.5%
  • 25% online 75% offline

    Votes: 320 27.9%
  • 100% offline racing

    Votes: 451 39.3%
  • Something else, explain in comment

    Votes: 4 0.3%
Back
Top