Automobilista 2: The Big Interview (Part 2)

[Paul Jeffrey]

The second part of our big interview with Reiza Studios is now live! Read on here...

When the AMS 2 announcement dropped the community lit up with reaction and comments, plenty of which posed more questions that we had answers to at that point. In a bid to try and gather as much information on the upcoming sim as possible, we opened up the opportunity to put together questions for Renato from our community members - and you responded in fine style!

AMS 2 Interview - Part One HERE.

In Part 2 of our big Reiza interview, we throw down pretty much most of the community generated questions, and you can find the answers from the man in charge below...

RD: (question from @numbersevenhull) - AMS multiplayer had problems gaining traction other than for league use. How do you plan to address this... what are the plans for multiplayer (structured or lobby system), do they intend to integrate the PC2 safety and skill ratings, or expand upon them. Will the game offer any kind of stat tracking?

RS: I think multiplayer health fundamentally depends on having a large enough player base, as the online community is always going to be a percentage of that total. Our immediate focus is getting what we got right in AMS1, combining that with licensed content of broader appeal, and packing it with a more competitive presentation – that will boost the player base and multiplayer participation as a consequence. Once we have that we can focus on adding more multiplayer-specific features, although we do have some already planned and a few legacy systems we can also explore.

RD: (question from @numbersevenhull) - What areas of the game engine have you targeted resources towards improving and where do you feel they have been effective. Have you expanded the Reiza team and in what areas if any have you brought in new skills?

RS: We are about twice as big as we were at the end of AMS1 development and looking to hire more, as we intend AMS2 is a project that goes much further beyond v1.0.

We´ve hired a number of new artists as not only we have to produce new content at a quicker rate than before, we also have a lot of assets from AMS1 to bring over and upgrade for the new engine.

On the coding side we´ve been focusing on the low hanging fruits, ie mostly small adjustments that add good value, and making a few changes to bring some of the mechanics more towards what we had in AMS1, and soon we´ll start doing some work on the AI. We want to have a stable baseline with all these important things first before dabbing into more elaborate tasks, as that also gives us more time to get a better grasp on the engine.

RD: (question from @Gasper Zupan) – Do you plan to include the option to use old/used tires like in Automobilista 1? And limit the tire sets?

RS: Yes and yes.

RD: (Question from @Will Mazeo) – Will the new game have rejoin and full course yellows?

RS: It´s on our list, although we haven´t done any work on that front yet. So this probably lands on longer term features, ie post v1.0 release.

RD: (Question from @RobertR1) – We know MADNESS supports Oculus and HTC Vive natively, but what are your thoughts around the new Pixmax VR, and potentially other VR players entering or in the VR headset space?

RS: I think it´s great that a new generation of VR hardware is coming up, the 1st already offered a new level of immersion but still lacked the resolution to be really the game-changer it can be. We´re keeping an eye on what´s going on, but haven´t actually tried the new kits yet.

RD: (Question from @R1Joel) – Do you plan on supporting modding within the sim?

RS: We will try to give best support for users to share their customizations such as car skins, setups and custom championships.

For car and track mods you will be able to do as much as you can with PCars2, which is probably not a lot. It definitely won´t be a dedicated modding platform. There are several reasons why that is, the most obvious being the very architecture of the Madness engine does not lend itself to it.

That same architecture is actually important for us to protect our own content. Modding is fun, but seeing the car or track we poured our heart and soul into creating along with a considerable amount of our limited finances ported over to whatever the popular modding platform of choice is on the day, not so much.

Don´t get me wrong - modding platforms are great for sim racing, we were born from the modding scene as were many others of today’s elite developers. But we´re content creators first and foremost, and we need to protect that value. Besides, dedicating resources to creating a modding platform almost inevitably detracts from making and then keeping a well-rounded, consistent product which is what we aim to do.

Moreover, and because we´re content creators first and foremost, if there´s one thing we stand out on is the rate at which we can output good, consistent content at a fair enough fee. We also tend to keep a finger on the pulse of our user base so we know what most people want – if there´s enough interest in something we can try to deliver it ourselves over the shelf life of the sim.

With that said, there isn´t any measure being taken to prevent modding -if people manage to find their way around it to whatever extent, then by all means mod away.

RD: (Question from @Miguel Batista) - Will you be adopting the (MADNESS) SETA tyre model or develop your own?

RS: Yes we are using SETA.

RD: Regarding tyre model and physics, does the MADNESS engine deal include PCARS 2 physics, or is it a graphics only type of arrangement?

RS: We´re using the complete engine, which is not to say we can´t port some of the things we did in the old engine.

RD: Due to the sharing of engines, are we likely to see similarities to how PCARS behaves, or do you have the scope / appetite / freedom to develop something entirely in house within the staff and skills available at Reiza?

RS: We do have all the freedom to do with it whatever we want, so that´s not an issue. It´s a matter of what needs to be done. I can say that from the get-go it´s going to be a lot more similar to AMS1 than people are expecting. And to my perception, and also from some friends who have already tried it is that some of the cars already drive better than they did in AMS1.

RD: To get an even clearer and more direct answer…. !!! Is this new game going to be basically Automobilista physics and FFB but with more bells and whistles on and slight nuanced changes, are is it a case of using much of the PCARS model as a base, and moving forward your own way from that point?

RS: I think the previous answer already covers that.

RD: (Question from @Ghoults) - Will there be a career mode or is it more about online racing and single races against ai?

RS: There is one particular Expansion Pack within the AMS2 plan that should feature a career progression of sorts, so that´s one thing. We´ll certainly try to add more if we can make it more than a gimmick, but there´s no guarantee we´ll be able to for v1.0.

RD: (Question from @c172fccc) - Will the tire model interact with LiveTack 3.0 as it does in Project Cars 2? For example, will it interact with dirt on the track and the depth of the puddles?

RS: Yes.

RD: (Question from @GTSpeedster) - Will AMS2 have native triple screen support day one?

RS: Yes – basically for hardware support you can take for granted everything PCars 2 already offered.

RD: (Question from @Jan Mikuž) - How detailed, extensive will physical (visual) damage be?

RS: To begin with at least, the system will be similar to what you see in PCars2, which is not to say configured the same way.

RD: (Question from @FS7) – Going back to mod support for a second, is there any plans for tools to convert mods from AMS1 to AMS2?

RS: No.

RD: (Question from @tpw) – The graphic quality of the game engine is without doubt, but sims such as RaceRoom continue to lead the way in the audio side of things. What sort of limitations are present in this engine regards audio, and do you feel Reiza can lift the new title to a level above what has previously been possible with this engine?

RS: We believe strongly that audio design is crucial for a good sim racing experience, and we´re consistently looking into ways of making It better. We are using FMOD now and that is more advanced than what we had before, and we´re pouring a lot more resources into audio capturing from real cars, so it will be better than AMS1 both in terms of audio capabilities as well as sampling.

We have for example just recently captured this beauty:

How it will stack up against the other leading devs on this front will be up for users to judge, but you can at least be confident that audio design in general – not just engine sounds - is towards the top of priorities.

RD: (Question from @Kurupt CDN) - Do you plan to incorporate and build on the rallyX/stadium trucks that were in AMS?

RS: Yes – Rally / Dirt not in V1.0 though, most likely a separate dedicated Expansion Pack. Stadium Super Trucks we´d like to and are working on it.

RD: (Question from @Kurupt CDN) - Any plans on adding or renewing the live weather app license (that has apparently lapsed in PCARS 2)?

RS: Good question! I guess we´ll have to look into it. No plans but certainly open to consideration.

RD: (Question from @fernandodasilva) - Any possibility of having spotters in other languages than English?

RS: In Portuguese for sure, English yes. Others unlikely for v1.0 at least.

RD: (Question from @j_troc_71) - How will this game be different than Automobilista 1?

RS: Bigger, better and prettier with some key new features is a good way to sum it up, but the basic design is fundamentally similar.

RD: (Question from @Tar Heel) - Will the replay system be the same as it currently is in PC2 or will it be improved upon?

RS: We are working on it as we speak. We already considerably upgraded the LODding logic and sharpness settings from cameras so replays look much better.

RD: (Question from @Jason Mullin) - know this may be too early but... Considering the potential great graphics from madness and better physics from Reiza... do you know yet what might be the target PC requirements? For those of us with Mid-range PCs.

RS: If you run PCars2 well, you´ll probably find AMS2 running at least as well.

RD: (Question from @fireballr18) - Can Reiza use parts of their former modulations in AMS (e.g. turbo modellation)?

RS: Madness already has a turbo model that is at least as good as what we had, which was very functional but also very simple. We´re using the native model.

RD: (Question from @VernWozza) - As someone who craves realism I'm desperate for a sim so take damage seriously. Will they be implementing any kind of unique damage model?

RS: As before, it´s one area we´d like to offer more but there is a list of higher priorities things above it we need to focus on first.

RD: (Question from @mibrandt) - How much control do you have on the visual side of things? The weather looks very good in pc2 but honestly I think generally the visuals are kinda overdone - like too much bling. Are you aiming for a more photo realistic look if its in your control?

RS: We aim for realism in every front, but this tends to be a more subjective matter than it should be. Art wise our approach is the same, we do have full control of the rendering engine we have more and better artists now so the results should, and are already evidently better. As for the bling, I do believe you can switch off most it if it doesn´t please you.

RD: (Question from @ShredatorFIN) – antialiasing has come in for criticism in previous MADNESS based games – is this something on the ‘to-do’ list at Reiza for the new title?

RS: We´re looking into it.

RD: (Question from @peppepino) – Will Reiza be looking to make “AMS2 Release” a recognised reason to not attend work, and if so, can you supply signed doctors notes so we don’t get into trouble from our managers?

RS: We can try make It so good that you may develop some RSI from racing too much, although I wouldn´t recommend it!

RD: (Question from @Keith Windsor) Can we have some idea of any 'new' race options that are intended. i.e. I'm really hoping for one or two features that have been left out of most sims in the past - For example: options for ballast, ability to match player and AI tyre wear, designate pit windows for player and AI, mid-race saves for those with real life commitments, decent oval behaviour as well as road.

RS: Ballast is already supported, as is mandatory pitstops with pit windows. Matching AI and player tyre wear is impossible, unless you mean dynamically adjusting it to be the same wear of the player… Mid-race saves certainly on the good-to-have list. Oval racing not planned at this stage.

RD: Have you any plans to look at Laserscanning for future tracks, despite the obviously high quality of the circuits already released for AMS1?

RS: We will if we can and when it makes sense – we have already used laser scan data for some tracks in AMS1, but we´re not adopting it as development criteria. For one thing we do a lot of historical tracks, and there is no way to scan those; for another we have good modellers capable of creating highly accurate models even without laser scan data.

We find the sims that do adopt that criteria tend to only have the more accurate tracks for a limited period if at all, not least because race tracks are alive things often going through constant reforms and laser scan is just a snapshot of it at a certain time. As an example I´d cite Imola, of which there are 2 laser scanned versions in other sims but ours is overall more accurate because it´s constantly brought up to the latest modifications.

Which is not to say laser scan data isn´t an invaluable accuracy resource, and it´s perfectly possible for us to combine that with our current modelling philosophy – in the cases we can do just that we certainly will continue to.

RD: Wheel support… do you plan on offering pre-set controller profiles like is the case with rFactor 2 for example? Also on the same topic, less broadly used wheels like older models or the new direct drive range – will special attention be paid to these in order to get the maximum benefit from these peripherals within the sim?

RS: We already do that with AMS1, although it could be improved and expanded. PC2 has a lot of legacy profiles which we´ll go through in time.

RD: (Question from @Tormentor) – Do you plan on having a pit out lap to the starting grid? Can we start from pitlane? Can we have tow trucks in FCY and marshals waving flags around the tracks? Can we have red flags because of crashes, with race interruption or premature end of race? Can we have change in strategy arranged by the chief engineer because of changes in weather or strategy changes of other teams?

RS: A dynamic race engineer is an interesting idea. Flag marshals we´d like to have, not in yet. The others I think are all demand more than they offer in return.

RD: (Question from @Constantin Grimminger) - How many people are currently working at Reiza and how will the guys that work on the Donington/Snetterton DLC contribute to the AMS2 work flow? Any chance to give concrete numbers on how many content creators (3D, 2D), physics guys and PR people are currently at Reiza?

RS: Without getting into specifics, Reiza currently has 18 devs working on AMS2. There is no one handling PR beyond myself though – we probably should get someone better suited for it!

On the track front we currently have one team focused on bringing and updating the existing AMS1 tracks to the new engine and another creating new tracks – the latter is handling Donington and Snetterton also in AMS1.

Generally we´ve always been a pretty lean operation and our limited budget has always demanded we put absolute focus on the essentials of creating the product. If AMS2 delivers the way we expect, some fronts will probably demand more dedicated resources and we wil then look into expanding further as needed.

RD: (Question from @o Tiger Feet o) - Are there any plans to implement a form of neural AI?

RS: We haven´t got our sights set that way yet.

RD: (Question from @bgil66) - Will you have a manual in pdf format explaining all aspects of the sim?

RS: We already did that in AMS1, although limited. Will certainly push to have something more in-depth if we can find the time.

RD: (Question from @Stefan Mizzi) - What kind of Telemetry API (or APIs) shall we expect?

RS: For the time being, same as PCars2.

RD: (Question from @Stefan Mizzi) – WIll developers have access to beta versions (or some documentation/information) to integrate with their applications?

RS: There will most likely be a short open beta period for users and app devs alike.

RD: Well, that’s probably taken you an age to read and respond to everything, so once again a sincere thank you from the sim racing community for taking the time to discuss this with us today. One last thing, in the usual RD interview style, do you have anything extra you can add to this interview that you’ve not shared before – an RD exclusive to end the marathon of questions?

RS: Thank you RD for always being there for us and for sim racing in general, you guys provide an invaluable service for our little corner of the virtual world and it´s most appreciated.

We´re pretty excited about Automobilista 2 – this is really the endgame we´ve been working towards for several years now so there´s a special energy now that this is really it. I´m glad to share that with the guys who have stuck with us through thick and this over the years, and also all who have enjoyed what we do and now have something exciting too look forward to. Rest assured we´ll do our best to keep you all posted of our progress over the coming months.

For the latest Automobilista 2 news and discussions, head over to the AMS 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment and get yourself involved in the conversation today!

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[traind]

I mentioned mod tracks were going to be missed earlier but I agree with Renato... AMS 1 does include a significant amount of tracks without modding so if we get most of those that will be great.

And I am personally happy to pay for DLC on a routine basis if the content is up to the usual Reiza standards. With the bigger team that was described it might be possible to have more DLC Packs then in the past for both tracks and cars.

I can understand some people are upset to not have modding potential but I can't understand the people posting here saying they won't support AMS 2 without it. For me, it is easily a day one purchase. The quality of AMS merits purchasing the sequel without much thought as far as I am concerned.

 

[Shovas]

As much as I am passionate about keeping modding in sims, I trust Reiza, they've earned it, they've been super generous, and I'll still be buying AMS2 day one and no doubt enjoying it for a long time to come.

If I'm honest, the single piece more critical than moddability is structured, scheduled multiplayer infrastructure in the iRacing/SRS sense. I fear for any new sim more for this than anything else. It's almost dead on arrival without better multiplayer infrastructure than we're getting. It's the reason I still pay for iRacing. And, yes, I would very much consider paying for another platform if it was really given a chance and developed thoroughly.

 

[ChevyGuy566]

I'm honestly a bit shocked at all the "no modding, no buy" comments I'm seeing here. iRacing doesn't have mods and it's still going strong 11 years since it came out. It all comes down to developer support, a steady stream of high quality DLC, and a good online multiplayer system. We already know AMS2 will have the first two things. We just have to see how the online will work and how Reiza can improve it and hopefully get it close to something like iRacing or GT Sport. I have faith in Reiza! #stilliReiza

 

[Boby Kim]

-"Similar turbo model in the madness engine"...
- "Madness tire modell"...
I wonder if Niels is still part of the dev team and i would love to hear his point of view on the madness engine.

 

[gambolmaker]

I´m probably doing myself a disservice by engaging with these kind of posts, hopefully enough people and maybe even yourself understand it´s done constructively and in good spirits, even if you ultimately disagree with the content.

I hope you understand that we also intend to voice our disapointment in a constructive manner. Not all of us speak english as a first language (I don't), not all of us think everything we write through thourougly (I didn't), few of us expect our posts to even be read, much less replied to. (I certainly didn't, so thanks.)
That being said, my post wasn't all that great. I apologize.

Quite frankly, demanding modding in this tone does come across a bit like " I´m extremely disappointed you licensed this 3rd party engine and are not going out your way to open it up to their detriment, so we can all exploit as a modding platform at our leisure".. You´re a) not thinking this through, and b) barking at the wrong tree. It´s not my property to open up.

I a) don't know enough about licensing politics to comment on that and b) don't bark. I was simply excited at the possibility of driving my favourite cars in the sequel to my favourite sim racing game and I was dissapointed that I won't be able to do so. If this is something that is out of your control, then obviously, you're not the one to blame.

The finger on the pulse line means we know what sim racers want - I´ve been one since the dawn of the genre. It doesn´t mean we can do it all and certainly not overnight. And I do think the simracing pulse needs to be felt by devs and users alike - these are expensive products to develop, and there are not that many of us with these same hardcore priorities looking to buy them. If one approaches it expecting that this $40 game will somehow pack everything for everyone forever, he simply is not being realistic.
And when it inevitably doesn´t quite do that, you should absolutely look into other sims for things they do better to complement your sim racing needs - these after all are products that you can often buy for the price of a Pizza, they´re not a life investment or an commitment you have to swear into - you can even return them when they irredeemably suck

I've been simracing since 1997, maybe I don't know as much about it as you do. I obviously don't know as much as you do about developing sims.
I just feel that a non-moddable sim for $40 is a step back. Sims have been moddable one way or another at least since I started. For me, modifying sims has been an integral part of the genre for the past 22 years. Now, with the latest generation of sims, this integral part is slowly but steadily being taken away from me.
I don't know how the rest of the simracing scene feels about this. I've read a few comments here that were equally disappointed as I was, I've read posts that focused on parts of it that I don't care about as much... I know you have to take a lot more things into consideration than I do. I'm sure there are things going on behind the scenes that I am not privy to, that I have no clue about. I know it's easy to sit infront of my computer and say "meh" to all your hard work. And I know that's not really fair.
In the end, yes, I am someone who pays a small price for all your hard work. And maybe I should just shut up and thank you for doing this hard work at all.
But, since I am not a developer, I can't take part in the creative process. I can only sit on the sidelines and watch. And when I see something happening that I feel is heading in the wrong direction, I can say so, can't I? It doesn't mean that you have to do what I say, it doesn't mean that you have to take me serious. I am powerless in this compared to you. If you don't want/can't have modding, then you won't include modding, simple as that. If you want to include chariot racing, you will include chariot racing (which I'd find awesome by the way). It's your choice, it's your baby. I'm sure it will be good, and contrary to what I wrote earlier I won't pass on it. I just wish that some thing were different... but if wishes were horses, we'd have chariot racing, ey?

It means we think it´s a great feature and one that on the surface looks doable, so it´s on our work board for a more careful look once we get through all the higher priority stuff that´s on top of it. This may sound like a BS reply to you, but it´s just the way these things work.

That's not BS, I get it! If the racing sucks, there's no reason to save it, makes complete sense to me. But if it doesn't suck... apparently AMS2 will include GT cars, so endurance racing is on the table. And I'd really love to do a full 24 hour race over the course of a week or so. Especially if the racing doesn't suck.

All in all, I really appreciate you taking the time and actually interacting with people, even if they criticize you. And I still love AMS1 to bits! (I recently discovered how amazing the Boxer cup is)
I wish you all the best for AMS2. I'll get it the day it arrives and I promise to take good care of it. Even if I can't mod it as much as I'd like.

 

[Renato Simioni]

What the FFB refresh rate we can expect?
360 Hz or more?

Also, Real Feel from Leo was/is very familiar on AMS1.
Every car feels nice with default setup. Can you recreate this same on pc2 engine?

Tick rate is @ 600hz. There is currently no consensus on which FFB is better but they´re generally similar, and considering we´ve done no work on code but only on the existing settings and other things that relate to FFB (suspension & tires, track mesh) it bodes well that it will be at the very least on the same level as AMS1.

With regards to setup, we always tried to offer decent baseline defaults and that will continue to be the case, possibly even per track.

A question no one as asked @Renato Simioni, will AMS 2 have a Publisher like 505 Games for Kunos, Bandai Namco and Slightly Mad Studios, or will Reiza be developing and publishing AMS 2?

We´re on our own for now, and unless someone dumps a load of cash at our door while allowing us to retain total scheduling and creative control I don´t see that changing.

 

[fernandodasilva]

I hope the viewers for custom liveries will be available soon.

 

[Steve Worrell]

AMS 2 without modding is a big challenge for Reiza: the content that will be offered needs to be good and vast.

Well we know the content will be good. I might be way off but imagine if they produced the same amount of content for ams2 plus all the content from ams1, there would be tons of Content.

 

[mr Sw1tchblade]

Thanks Renato and Paul for this interview.
I don't have ams, but i have Reiza dlc for rf2. And i will buy ams2 because of new engine.

 

[Derek Lundie]

Feel like it's a dangerous game entering into this AMS2 modding discussion, but here goes nothing....

I think a lot of people are overlooking the fact that PCars 2 (and hopefully by extension AMS2) still supports the most common form of mod out there - custom skins. After doing a quick tab over to the Assetto Corsa mod page, out of the 10205 mods that are posted here on RD, a massive 7552 of them are custom paint schemes. Plus, after taking a quick glance at a little-known website called Trading Paints, iRacing seems to have a pretty good "modding" community built around it despite only allowing for custom skins.

Granted, the custom skin support in PCars2 was pretty basic, but it shows that the potential is there. I'm hoping that AMS2 can expand on that in some way (Custom helmets? Custom gloves? Dare I ask...a Grid Manager?) but even if it doesn't then I'm sure the talented folks in the modding community can make something out of the basic support the Madness Engine already has. So put away your pitchforks, I think the eventual Race Department AMS2 download section will be just fine

 

[gambolmaker]

Feel like it's a dangerous game entering into this AMS2 modding discussion, but here goes nothing....

I think a lot of people are overlooking the fact that PCars 2 (and hopefully by extension AMS2) still supports the most common form of mod out there - custom skins. After doing a quick tab over to the Assetto Corsa mod page, out of the 10205 mods that are posted here on RD, a massive 7552 of them are custom paint schemes. Plus, after taking a quick glance at a little-known website called Trading Paints, iRacing seems to have a pretty good "modding" community built around it despite only allowing for custom skins.

But this is because a) making cars is far harder than painting a skin and b) there will always be x number of skins per car. Your argument is a bit weak there.

 

[lbray2]

Although I am a long time reader here on RD and have played well over 700 hours across various Reiza titles, I don't usually comment on post, however this conversation about the lack of mods and how Reiza have suddenly become the devil makes me sad.

I'm not going to hide and say that I only play vanilla AMS when I have installed several mods in AMS, however not having mods support shouldn't define whether a game is a success or a flop. I personally use the EEC GT3 & LMS car mods as well as many of tracks that Patrick has converted and updated, otherwise I just stick to the vanilla content because 90% of the time it is batter made and better optimised.

Where mods are beneficial is making a global title sim title feel local. I love the fact that I can go to an event at my local race track (in my case Queensland Raceway), come home later that night and race the exact same track in the same cars as what I saw racing in real life. Similar to what slot car racing did in the 60s, it is that feeling of taking what you saw in real life and replicating it in one form or another.

If Reiza did localised vanilla content or a expansion pack to a particular country/region, then I think they would win a lot of people back on side. Similar to what they did with the Brit pack for AMS1 or what ETS2 do with their map expansions. That is focus on a particular country and what defines that countries racing heritage. For example Australia is V8 Supercars, Bathurst and big thundering touring cars. France is Le Mans and multiclass endurance racing. Germany is the Nürburgring, classic DTM cars and GT3. Doing that would make the sim feel local and would partly negate the need for mods in the first place.

Alternatively, they could so something similar to what Assetto Corsa did with the Mazda 787B and Shelby Cobra and incorporate modded content into the vanilla game. Or do what Cities Skylines and the Farming Simulator franchise have done with their community made DLC packs, where the developer provides assistance to a team of community modders who make a DLC pack which the game developer then sells and as a thank you the community modders get a portion of the profits.

Yes loosing modding support in AMS2 is sad, but it doesn't mean people need to start jumping up and down shouting "No Modding, No Buy". Times are changing and it might mean that we need to change our perception of what 'community made content' means to something more fitting with the here and now.

 

[Swedish Racing Elite]

Great interview!
For me the modding is not a big deal TBH!

Now you can connect too a online server with the same content and don´t need too wait for it to download.

rFactor2 will always be there if you like modding so much, and has tons of mods that you can use.
Same with Assetto Corsa plenty too chose from and you will survive if you love modding..

Looking forward to this one and I am glad that they are not using Unreal and went for Madness

 

[Cristian Luis]

I have been in sim-racing since 2007. I discovered modding in F1 Challenge '99-'02 the very same year thanks to RaceSimulations. I created in F1C a multimod called F1 Hero, which is a fictional series about derived 80's and 90's F1 cars racing on unique tracks like the old Brno, Solitude, Tandil, Opatija..., with the drivers, team bosses, directors, track directors, etc. suffering transformative experiences from time to time under certain circumstances (just like in real life). F1 Hero grew up and matured with me. Not only that, but I used to write stories as well, to create context and add deepness to the game and my feelings with it. I have learned unique life experiences that I have been able to apply in practice when I have faced harsh situations.

The influence that video game has exerted on me in my life and what I have learned with it (since the game has its own story of more than 20 seasons, and has deep characters) is priceless. F1 Hero to me is like José Luis Sampedro's The Etruscan Smile novel, written and enjoyed (which is sim-racing is modded and lived) during 19 years while it was in a WIP status. As an Asperger, this is my abnormally intense or focused activity. In fact, F1 Hero is my own paracosm; I have been living with it and writing stuff about it since I was only 6 years old.

Can you see my profile photo? That's me in the game, 2016 F1H season.

I have been working on it for PC and for personal use since 2007, when I was 13 (finished in July 2009, when I was 15). And I received help from modders, who contributed me to create that childhood dream. Because the series is my own and only exists in my head (the story) and my computer (the modification), it is natural for me to look for a modding platform.

I have been playing it in F1 Challenge for 11 years until I decided to move on. I'm still really happy with F1 Challenge (I play F1 Hero as a hardcore sim-racing game, which means the better are the physics, more fun I will have), but I wanted a change. And... I didn't find a better sim-racing game that suits my needs, surprisingly.

With the announcement of Automobilista2, I really had hope. But once I know what it's going to be when it comes to mod stuff, as I said before, I go back to F1C. As a modder, I can appreciate the huge effort, and I know that Reiza is taking the best decisions possible within its legal and economic limits. But as a consumer, AMS2 just doesn't satisfy my personal demands. Any pure non-ISI moddable sim-racing product (or any inefficient modding sim-racing game that develops in a very slow pace) is a "no buy" product for me. But as a player, I am aware of being a real anomaly in sim-racing as well.

Having said that, this is going to be my last comment in the AMS2 section of the forum. Thank you for taking your time reading me.

All the best,
Cristian.

 

[Dethrone1427]

What I meant with my reply was that we were working on it at this very moment, and up to this point we´ve already improved image quality during replays with the measures I mentioned, but not stopping there. We intend on making replays completely available in any session and adding AMS1 style features such as saving best lap of the session automatically.



This was meant for a later blurb, but what the hell

Generic series will be expanded and improved - for ex. F-Classic will have 3 generations with 2-3 model variants each, for a range of different looks / sounds / performance combos for each generic team. The option to equalise performance for the whole field in multiplayer for those who prefer it that way should be present tho.

And we do agree we need to up our game from AMS1 with regards to fictional skins and logos and also agree SMS has done a particularly good job at that in PCars2.

In regards to what you mentioned for the generic series having different variants I'm glad you said what you said. RRRE really scored an own goal I feel with their Formula 90, they could easily of had slightly different physics, the V8 being underpowered but light and nimble (Tyrrell 019), the V10 being a kind of halfway house scenario - reasonable handling, reasonable power (Williams/McLaren), then the V12 with big power but not that great at handling (Ferrari I guess). What you said sounds brilliant, I can't wait! You guys have the greatest job in the world cooking up physics for cars I'm sure you will knock it out of the park.

 

[Dave Stephenson]

I read through the article but did not see anything about some semblance of a single player career mode for the various racing disciplines included in the sim. Did I miss it in the article?

RS: There is one particular Expansion Pack within the AMS2 plan that should feature a career progression of sorts, so that´s one thing. We´ll certainly try to add more if we can make it more than a gimmick, but there´s no guarantee we´ll be able to for v1.0.

 

[Marisa]

@Renato Simioni
One thing missing from the Project Cars series that worked very well in AMS is proper soft lock.
Will this be implemented in AMS2?

 

[UnixRoot]

I hope they fix the horrible input lag and sluggish FFB that PC 2 had. Better Antialiasing would be nice too. On the physics side I trust Reiza.

 

[Spinelli]

I don't understand why so much negativity.

Modding
There is a good variation of cars and tracks in each simracing game (AMS, GTL, AC, GTR 2, PC2, etc.). Each game's stock content has many years of value/life in my opinion.

To be honest, I'm kind of sick of modding when it comes to online use. Do you know how many times I try to join an RF, RF2, AMS, etc. server and I can't because I don't have the car or track? Frustrating is an understatement. Unless the game has an in-game 1-click download for the needed track and car - and only the current track, not the entire server's list of future tracks you may use (like RF2 forces the user to do) - then it's a relief to have that mess & frustration gone.

Sound Engine
Technically much more capable of what AMS1 is using. I know this for a fact that FMod is technically capable of much more complexity and depth to it's sound design.

Physics
I'm sure will be fine. Reiza are not just pushing sales, they're passionate about doing things right. Even just the turbo modelling in the PC2 engine is more complex than the one in AMS1. I'm a little concerned though because, although I've seen some good physics traits in the PC2 engine that I don't think I've seen in the ISI engine, I've also seem some strange/bad physics traits which I've never seen in the ISI engine. Hopefully these odd traits are just down to specific PC2 vehicle modelling from the Slighty Mad Studios' vehicle physics designer rather than as a result of the underlying actual core physics engine.

The cars will probably drive similiarly but I will guarantee every one they will also be different for the simple fact it's a different underlying physics engine. This is just a fact. Has any one ever driven a car in a racing game that drives/behaves (physics) and even feels (FFB) the same in one physics engine as another? I've never, ever...ever. Even my driving style and even my car-setup philosophy some times changes depending on the physics engine I'm driving. For example, I have quite a different driving method getting the best lap-time out of iRacing cars compared to rFactor - and the way I'd tune the car was in a different mindset as well. Another example, Assetto Corsa and AMS road cars, once again, different driving style. Remember, though, Reiza are geniuses at extracting the most out of a physics engine sooo... DON'T WORRY but I really hope they get Niels back (I'm sure the rest of Reiza's physics guys are great but so is Niels).

Career Mode
Simple. You don't need some thing very complex. Go buy GT Legends for $5 or $10 and just re-copy that Here's a quick rundown of career progression:
- slowest car/s --> faster and faster cars
- small tracks / track-layouts --> larger tracks / track-layouts
- small grids -> larger grids (and even mixed-class grids if the game supports it)
- short races (laps and/or time) -> longer races
- day time only --> different times like early evening, late evening / sunset, night
- dry weather only --> light rain and eventually fully random/realistic weather (any weather including hard rain)

Maybe the weather should be fully random/realistic even at the beginning of the career because that is more realistic, I don't know, doesn't matter to me.

You can also have preset options as part of some (not all) of the career challenges that cannot be changed: for example: a race start 4 PM, 10 laps or 20 mins (whichever comes first), 10x time-of-day scaling, starting with light rain decreasing to no rain over 3 laps. This would give all players common challenges in the career mode that we can all experience.

I'm a huge fan of career modes especially the simple but effective system of GT Legends where you have many different 2-6 race "mini championships' / challenges where you're often limited to choose only from a small group of cars (some times even limited to 1) .Gradually working your way up allows you to experience all the cars and tracks and really appreciate each one. It also allows you to experience different challenges like times of day, weather, longer races, etc.

Make sure cars are not locked though. Many people are not into career modes and they should be able to pick whatever car they want for general offline/online use.

Graphics
I agree with some others, PC has more of a beautiful but fantasy/CGI look where AC, ACC, Raceroom 2 pics (UE4), and Gran Turismo have a more raw and realistic look but it's not a big deal to me.

What is a big deal is normal anti-aliasing, not the vaseline-blur mess like SMAA and especially TXAA and FXAA do. If people want that then offer the option (plus they're good for performance) but please make sure to also just have normal anti-aliasing.

Also, please allow an option where we can have DOF effects ONLY enabled to give the natural effect of distance-based blur (the farther some thing is, the less sharp our eyes can see). This blur is realistic but the camera-style DOF - even during replays - should have a separate option to fully disable especially for people running 3D (VR headsets, Nvidia 3D Vision, etc.). During 3D, our eyes already do true, natural DOF like in real-life. I like to feel I'm really there (even during replays), not watching a TV broadcast.

Graphics-Physics
What I'm most concerned about, in-terms of graphics, is how physics look. Car body / chassis movements look way more realistic in some other sims like iRacing and AC. Vehicle dynamics (like sliding an open-wheel around) looks way more realistic in some other sims including 10+ year old ones like Live for Speed and Netkar Pro.

What about graphics for things like rubber being laid down on track, puddles, drying or less-wet lines, etc.? For example: Apparently the PC2 engine supports different depths of standing water / puddles. Are there ever any puddles in PC2 that are fake and only for looks? It would suck if some parts look more wet/dry or deeper depths of puddles, only to find out they're just for looks and don't actually matter.

 

[Metla]

Regarding Mods...

It seems to me that at any one time there is a platform that reigns as the mod-platform, First it was F1 Challenge, Then rFactor 1, and at the moment its Assetto Corsa. And that once a mod platform is established its near impossible to compete with it until its popularity plummets.

Case in point, rf1 continued to outsell rf2 after rf2 was released, They couldn't even compete with their previous game because it held all the content. All the players that thrived on mod content had zero reason to switch to a newer platform that offered less.

This is probably why we don't have AC2, as it would compete directly with AC, and if I want to run a few laps around Bathurst I'm going to do that in AC as I already have it in-game, Not buy AC2 and wait a few years to see if ever gets ported over (and most likely looking like it was dragged from a previous generation game).

Short version-The market/user-base tends to gravitate to a single mod platform, No sense competing with it until it nears its end of lifespan.

So yeah, We have AC in that regards, I'd rather Reiza Studios just built the best version of their game they can. And in return I will give them some money.