Automobilista 2 | Early Access Now Available

[Paul Jeffrey]

Reiza Studios have today deployed the first official Early Access build for their new Automobilista 2 racing simulation.

It's here folks! A new build of the much anticipated Automobilista 2, now publicly available in Steam Early Access has landed!

Release announcement in full:

Automobilista 2 is finally here! We are very excited to be able to share what we have been working on all this time.

Please note that as an Early Access release the game is not yet complete - Time Trial & Championship mode are currently disabled but should become available over the first few weeks of Early Access.

Below are some further known common issues and limitations of:this initial release:

• UI & HUD are still deep in development, and currently feature the essentials for all game modes to work - this will be expanded with new options & features over the course of EA, with same pages being completely redesigned.
• Early Access is exclusively in English for the time being; Localization to other languages should only be added in time for the full Release.
• Driver names, suits and helmets are generic for all series as the whole system is being reestructured (also part of requirements for a revamped Opponents settings and the Custom Championship Tool);
• All 3D driver animations are still placeholders and may not fully fit the car yet;
• Other Car-related 3D animations have not been exported which mean suspension arms are graphically static, damage is very limited and wiper are not operational
• Some series still have WIP or placeholder liveries - these will be updated or expanded over the course of Early Access

The are many other substantial updates to every front of the game planned for Automobilista 2 throughout Early Access and beyond - we´ll be posting regular updates to inform what´s coming up the pipeline as we progress.

FORCE FEEDBACK

Default FFB settings are designed for Logitech G2X series - if you have wheels with stronger motors you should scale those settings down to avoid clipping.

A more detailed guide for FFB settings will follow up soon.

FOR THOSE WITH AMS2 BETA INSTALLED

Upon this release AMS2 BETA owners will have two AMS2 apps in their Steam library - the Beta and this Main Release.

Both apps will be the same as of tonight and for the next few days until the next AMS2 Beta update (which may or may not be also deployed to AMS2 Main depending on the importance of the updates).

If you are an exclusively offline racer there is no reason to install the Main Release of AMS2 - you may continue using exclusively AMS2 Beta. If however you plan to race online or run Time Trial mode when it becomes available with non-Beta users, you must install the Main Release.

If you have further questions about AMS2, please make sure to check on our AMS2 FAQ here





Remember folks, although the simulation has moved from closed beta status, the title is still very much in Early Access state. Don't load up expecting a fully realised and finished title just yet, but I'm sure you will agree with me that the road to V1 status is going to be an exciting journey...

AMS 2 is available now via Steam Early Access.

Having trouble with the game? Post a new thread in the AMS 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment and our exceptional community will help you out!

 

[Arconian]

I didn't have problems with immediately blocking brakes, but they are definitely very sensitive by default, I think I ever used maybe the half of max pressure, they're starting to block if you pass 50%. Can be easily solved by reducing braking pressure I suppose (I didn't bother to touch the settings yet ). Just wait the next update guys, I'm sure Reiza will find a quick solution (maybe it'll be just reducing braking pressure in all setups).

 

[Blamer]

+1 with the brakes problem
Not worried, it's EA after all.

There's something 'flat' with the graphics of the game (VR user) I don't like much, but maybe I'm just too used to AC and Sol

 

[Terry Rock]

I've only run two cars since purchase...one open wheel and one stock car but it feels like a 'solid' start.
I ran a few laps this morning and was able to play aroung with input sensitivity. It felt quite a bit more manageable as well with the same car/track combination.
All I did was run the sensitivity to 90% for all controls and added a bit of deadzone to brakes 7%, clutch 5% and throttle 3%.

 

[YumYum Pandaburger]

Bought the game, played for slightly too long to get a refund. It doesn’t have much additional value to me since I already have PC2, and both games are very close imo. If you like PC2, I think you’ll like AMS2. AMS2 FFB is a bit better, but I never had much issues with the standard PC2 informative FFB anyway.

I’m not really upset about not getting a refund; AMS2 offers a good range of tracks and cars for the money.

 

[elcid4300]

My expectations were tempered but I can say I have been having quite a bit of fun with the Gen3 F1 car. With it being in such early stages and so much room for improvement ( and hearing is how good Reiza is) I am quite faithful that this is only going to go from good to great. I don't regret getting this game one bit!

 

[Case_]

(I love how several people have explained in detail to me that "it's not just some people!", while nobody mentioned if they actually tried it and what was their findings, how did the brakes respond to their input and such...you know, anything that would actually be useful...

And yes, it is "some people", because, as already pointed out, not everyone is having these issues. The brakes might be a bit too "hot", but there are people saying the "can't even touch the brake pedal without locking up", and that's just not what I'm seeing myself. Not sure what the problem with suggesting not everyone is having these issues is, given that's literally what's happening, judging by my own experience and by reading a fair amount of AMS2 discussion.)

 

[SwaggerJacker]

Bought the game, played for slightly too long to get a refund. It doesn’t have much additional value to me since I already have PC2, and both games are very close imo. If you like PC2, I think you’ll like AMS2. AMS2 FFB is a bit better, but I never had much issues with the standard PC2 informative FFB anyway.

I’m not really upset about not getting a refund; AMS2 offers a good range of tracks and cars for the money.

How long did you play? Twice I've returned games after the two hr period. Once at 2.5, another at 3hrs.

 

[AlexHeuskat]

It's PCars 3 with better FFB, which was my worst fear after hearing this was going to run the Madness engine. Cars pivot on an axis like all the games on this engine going all the way back to NFS Shift, just feels off in almost every way.

If you liked PCars, go for it but if like me you found PCars underwhelming, wait to see if it gets better/wait for sale or pass entirely.

Sorry Reiza, love you guys but I'm just not feeling it. Refunded.

 

[elcid4300]

(I love how several people have explained in detail to me that "it's not just some people!", while nobody mentioned if they actually tried it and what was their findings, how did the brakes respond to their input and such...you know, anything that would actually be useful...

And yes, it is "some people", because, as already pointed out, not everyone is having these issues. The brakes might be a bit too "hot", but there are people saying the "can't even touch the brake pedal without locking up", and that's just not what I'm seeing myself. Not sure what the problem with suggesting not everyone is having these issues is, given that's literally what's happening, judging by my own experience and by reading a fair amount of AMS2 discussion.)

I have Fanatec V3s and have to say I have it set up in such a way that I really have to push the pedal hard to lock up. I did set them up that way in the Fanatec profiler so I am sure that is helping.

 

[YumYum Pandaburger]

How long did you play? Twice I've returned games after the two hr period. Once at 2.5, another at 3hrs.

3 hours according to steam. Steam rejected the refund. I would be more upset if I paid full price, or if I was an early backer. Now, due to the 40% reduction, I’m sure I’ll get my money’s worth out of the game.

 

[Proto 3.0]

It's PCars 3 with better FFB, which was my worst fear after hearing this was going to run the Madness engine. Cars pivot on an axis like all the games on this engine going all the way back to NFS Shift, just feels off in almost every way.

I have many hours in PC1, PC2, AMC1 and I don’t understand at all where you find the similarities between them other than the graphic component. Physics and FFB from Reiza are recognized immediately with eyes closed.

 

[Bjarne Hansen]

I too had issues with the brakes in F3.
Got a G27 with some modifications and for X-time Win 10 had replaced the logitec driver with a MS driver for the wheel.
It helped slightly with the breaks and a lot with smoother FFB.
But what really helped was practice!
I still lock up the brakes from time to time and over steer but are fully aware it is my fault and I just need more practice!
And I love that about a sim and hope Reiza do not dumb down the cars to please the crowd that really would be much happier with other less demanding 'Sims'

 

[Rosemaier]

I also took back my refund request, because Reiza delivered reliablely in the past.
So I thought they clearly need a chance to do so with this title as well.
I hope they can fix the most glaring issues. Time will tell.

And I like the Sprint cars, maybe because I can not compare them to their previous work.
The Copa Classic I find even better than in AMS1, because they are more stable and not that easy to loose.

 

[SwaggerJacker]

3 hours according to steam. Steam rejected the refund. I would be more upset if I paid full price, or if I was an early backer. Now, due to the 40% reduction, I’m sure I’ll get my money’s worth out of the game.

Yeah. It'll get there, eventually. Me, I'm just going to enjoy the ride. Sorry about the missed refund man.

 

[SwaggerJacker]

I also took back my refund request, because Reiza delivered reliablely in the past.
So I thought they clearly need a chance to do so with this title as well.
I hope they can fix the most glaring issues. Time will tell.

And I like the Sprint cars, maybe because I can not compare them to their previous work.
The Copa Classic I find even better than in AMS1, because they are more stable and not that easy to loose.

The Sprints are my favorite, and seem to be better coded thus far(AI). Lots of fun to drive.

 

[Proto 3.0]

I still lock up the brakes from time to time and over steer but are fully aware it is my fault and I just need more practice!
And I love that about a sim and hope Reiza do not dumb down the cars to please the crowd that really would be much happier with other less demanding 'Sims'

Brakes with full ABS should not be blocked at all. You like "live cars" - turn off all assistants. Why should it be distributed to everyone?

 

[Proto 3.0]

double

 

[Marlonracer]

GT3 are on the roadmap, scroll down a bit in the article: https://www.racedepartment.com/threads/ams-2-beta-4-and-5-now-available-development-roadmap.180399/

Thanks, I knew this (June). I meant with this release. Model, handling, etc.

 

[Goes To 11]

My initial impression is disappointment. I know it is early access but it feels like there is just so much to clean up from poor textures to odd sound effects (like going under the tunnel at Monaco). Tracks that I have tried are significantly different from laser scanned versions from other games. Both the gas and the brake feel overly sensitive however, I can adjust to that with my PT2 pedals. The ffb does not feel great yet, although I believe this is still being worked on.

However, these are relatively minor issues that can hopefully be fixed. My biggest concern is with the physics. The cars demonstrate odd behaviours at times. At times you will lose traction mid-corner without warning and the car looks/feels like it is rotating unnaturally: like rotating around a pivot. It almost feels like the cars are made to lose traction too easily to make it feel harder to drive but then the slides are made easier to catch. It doesn't help that I don't have much confidence in SMS after being involved in the development of Project Cars. Reiza did a great job of getting the most of the RF1 tire model for Game Stock Car (and I'm assuming Automobilista). At odd times you would feel the limitations of the old tire model but most of the time it just felt great. Maybe it just isn't possible to massage the SMS tire model to get realistic behaviour. Maybe it's just me.

 

[maelstrom]

Graphics - 10/10 (for my eyes PC2 has always been the best in terms of graphics, shadows, weather).

I'm a little surprised as there are, apparently, a lot of graphics placeholders at the moment as they are still under development. Did PC2 really look like this?

I love how several people have explained in detail to me that "it's not just some people!", while nobody mentioned if they actually tried it and what was their findings, how did the brakes respond to their input and such...you know, anything that would actually be useful...

I've tried re-calibrating in-game (several times now), lowering the sensitivity down to 20%, lowering the brake pressure in the car setup down to 80% (or less) and I still can't brake hard from high speed without locking the wheels. Just about half brake pressure seems to cause it. On the few occasions I've managed it, I had to lift off the brakes almost immediately which meant either shunting a car in front or missing a corner. I don't doubt that it works for some people but it seems that if you have the problem the best you can do at present is to make it slightly better but not fix it. Oddly for me, the brakes seem to work better for non-aero cars which you would think would have more of a problem. Very frustrating!