Automobilista 2 | Update 0.8.2.0 Is Here

[Paul Jeffrey]

Reiza Studios continue working hard on the journey to version 1.0 of Automobilista 2, recently releasing the second major public build update for the sim.

Build 0.8.2.0 is the culmination of multiple beta hotfix and build releases over the last few days, and should mark a significant step forward in both the way the vehicles within the sim behave, as well as the the current intelligence of the AI drivers within the title.

On the content front, version 0.8.2.0 also adds new layouts for both Snetterton and Velocittá, as well as an historic variant of the centrepiece Interlargos circuit and a first pass at the new photo mode within the game.

Automobilista 2 Version 0.8.2.0 Update Notes:

IMPORTANT: In order to ensure you completely reset your build to the latest changes, it´s strongly recommended to delete your MyDocs/Automobilista 2 settings folder and start anew - make sure to callibrate your controller, and that your pedals are callibrated to the complete 1-100 range (some users have reported needing to callibrate pedals twice for it to register - we´re still investigating it).

CONTENT

• Added Snetterton 100 layout
• Added Velocittá CD layout
• Added Interlagos Historic External Ring layout

GENERAL

• Further updates to rain spray (longer life, draw distance, smaller from front wheels)
• Reduced threshold for track limit penalties (still subject to further tuning)

UI / HUD

• Implemented initial version of in-game Photo Mode
• Added back Random Weather option
• Added vehicle statistics to track loading screen
• Updated car class colour definitions & added short class name icons
• Multiplayer Browser: Player count corrected to sort numerically instead of alphabetically; fixed incorrect
• Lobby Screen: Fixed activation of "Invite" button; added class and vehicle name to driver table column headings; fixed private/password icon showing for all servers
• Removed redundant session time acceleration button from Multiplayer monitor screen

PHYSICS

• Corrected error in fast damper rates incorrectly applying to cars without 2-stage damping (resulting in overall incorrect or altogether broken dampers in some cases)
• Updated semi-slick treads on various Caterhams for more accurate performance on a wet track
• Adjusted carcass load stiffness for F-Vee / Copa Fusca / F-Uno / Copa Truck / F-Classic / F-Trainer / F3 / P4 tyres
• Removed excessive rolling resistance from wet tarmac & concrete (AI & player)
• Further revised MRX aero, suspension rates & default setup
• Adjusted ideal temperature ranges in several compounds (correcting sizeable errors in P4, F-Classic Gen1 tyres
• Fixed wrong tread width on F-Vee front tyre
• Fixed F-Classic Gen3 Model1 7th gear
• Updated rental kart physics (narrower track, rear tyres)
• Applied Balance of Performance for cars in P3 class

AI

• Implemented new AI Aggression logic
• Fixed AI suspension rate issue that could cause AI cars to vibrate violently
• Slightly Increased AI smoothness when moving laterally (both calm and urgent) & AI simplied tyre peak slip angle, combining to slightly more natural changes of direction

TRACKS

• Interlagos Historic: Complete art pass
• Incremental art passe to Oulton Park, Spielberg
• Updated night lights & fixed flags for Brands Hatch, Imola, Goiania
• Added period-accurate night lighting to historical tracks
• Updated Kansai trackside cameras

VEHICLES

• Copa Uno: Added missing lower LODs
• ARC Camaro: Full field livery update
• F-Classic:Fixed needle vertex AO, mirror material on LODs of G1M!; Added rear light to G1M2, G2M3; Fixed gearshift lever animation for G3M3
• Updated wet and inter tyre textures for F-Classics & F-V12
• Caterhams: Fixed carbon material
• Roco 001: Fixed gearstick animation
• Sprintrace: Added windscreen reflection, corrected drift gearshift animation (paddles instead of sequential
• AJR: Added Tubarão #5 2020 Chevy V8 livery; added chrome parts to v
• F-Reiza: fixed duplicated livery
• F-V12: Added new Community Skins
• F-Ultimate: Updated liveries for Reiza / Milano / Groove teams (logos/materials)

AI & PHYSICS UPDATES

This build features some major physics and AI improvements - it is recommended to reset your setups and AI Aggression setting.

On the AI side, the AI Aggression system has been completely revamped, changing the way the AI evaluates passing opportunities and how that blends with the AI Aggression setting - 50-70% is a good starting point, with 100% almost sure to result in at least some AI-to-AI crashes.

The AI performance range has also been adjusted but as overall callibration is still in progress you may still observe inconsistencies against player performance as you go from class to class and through different sessions and weather conditions - this should be evolving consistently as we progress through Early Access. AI performance on the run-down to the 1st corner and generally over the first lap likewise will still be callibrated further in upcoming builds.

On the physics side, the biggest change is the addressing of an error that was causing fast dampers not to be disabled in cars that didn´t have suspensions with 2-stage damping (pretty much all cars in the game except the F-V10, F-Reiza, F-Ultimate and SuperV8) - this effectively meant dampers would not work right at certain speeds or were broken altogether, fixing this has gone a long way towards rectifying some of the handling anomalities reported since Beta began. While not all will have substantial handling differences, pretty much every car is worth revisiting with this update.

One of the positive side-effects of this correction is that Force Feedback may feel better / more consistent than before, as a result of the suspension now working properly (rather than development of the FFB system per se).


Original Source: Reiza Studios

AMS 2 is available now on Steam Early Access.

Need help making the most from the sim? Head to the RaceDepartment Automobilista 2 sub forum and post a question for our awesome community, who will be more than happy to help you out!

 

[CrimsonEminence]

So the Madness Engine simulates treads and carcass? Neat!

SETA tire model is arguably the most advanced one, even if pCars haters don't believe so.


Here you can find what it simulated as in pCars1, in pCars2 some parameters were added and maybe the AMS one is more advanced, since they use an updated engine and not the same of pCars2

Inside Project CARS Seta Tire Model – World of Mass Development

www.wmdportal.com

The SETA tyre model also doesn't suffer of the overcomplexicity of other physical working models, after all i've read about it. It's pretty underrated.

Version 0.8.1.0 had the suspension completely broken with serious consistency problems
oh wait ... facelpamm

100 points for backers , true physics expert

Yep, and it has a weird pivot around a central axis that just feels unnatural

true physics experts, i see

 

[shimon.ifraimov]

are the seasons and snow for the tracks going to be implemented in the game during the EA or is that off the table?

 

[dave kirk]

The SETA tyre model also doesn't suffer of the overcomplexicity of other physical working models, after all i've read about it. It's pretty underrated.



true physics experts, i see

Don't need to be an expert to tell something is incorrect/unrealistic

 

[BillGuy]

FYI on screenshots.

In the 0.8.0.1 thread I mentioned it may be a good idea to take screenshots of whatever settings you might want preserve or reproduce in case we’re advised to delete our AMS 2 folders again. I was doing this very thing a bit earlier when I noticed screenshots were being saved to different places depending on where you were in the game when you captured them.

Screenshots I took while in the options screens under the main menu were found where I expected them to be in:
C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\Automobilista 2\screenshots

However, screenshots I took in the advanced car setup screens got saved to the location the Steam client software makes use of. In my case that location was:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<Steam-ID>\760\remote\<App-ID>\screenshots

Note that this second location is where your Steam client software is installed, not where your Steam library may be located. I have my Steam library on a G: partition but my screenshots were still found within the Steam client software’s C: install location.

 

[AlexBfromG]

I just hope the Devs dont listen to much to the Backers as Slighty Mad did which ruined their games as well. Thats what i always heard, and when i saw on the official forums how every single backer was praising aspects of the game that were in fact bad at that point, while those new to it were very critical, i got flashbacks.

Many of the backers always the guys saying GET GOOD or something, and later on the Devs proving my point about an issue. Just like with ACC where i said the rear tyres would be screwed, guys saying here get good and then someone pointing out that the devs said its in the game like this and its not very realistic

 

[blot]

RD staff are unpaid volunteers. This isn't our job, we do it in our own free time. We also have just one main news editor, which is Paul. So please, give us a break if we're not right up to the second on all the latest happenings in the real and sim racing worlds.

(Incidentally, this news was posted almost the moment it happened, in the thread I started before the official article. Given that Reiza are in Brazil, patch releases are often very late at night European time.)

Amen to that Ross, I pay for premium because i use RD to download mods etc, I want to pay my way, It's a shame so many on here that are so critical do not take a leaf out of my book and pay their way, A paltry £15 for a year, FFS! Keep it up, All you at RD are doing a sterling job!

 

[TheRealCeeBee]

i see a MASSIVE change in ??the car suspension/shaking/camera seesaw?? from the previous version, it was driving me insane, even trying to just lock down cameras to get over it. the patch brought all that seasickness inducing wobble under control for me. BUT. the damage is still not working right, i hit a kerb head on in beginning of this clip, no damage, typically that will have caused severe damage, so, guess its still WIP?

 

[Jayblue]

For an early update on the full public release of the game I am pleasantly surprised by the jump in quality between this and the previous game version, even by Reiza standards!

Very excited to see what this game becomes over the coming months.

 

[TheRealCeeBee]

if i had only one wish, id have to say I want the same helmet cam as ACC, they perfected that thing at kunos, it leans but does not lock to horizon. Presumably (correct me if i am wrong) AMS2 will have the same issue as PC2, there are options for helmet and camera lean, but they appear to do nothing, at best you can see a TINY bit of movement, nothing like the helmet cam in ACC, and in tracks like monaco and bathurst with steep inclines increasing world movement to allow more movement, means you are staring at the floorboards or roof on the inclines.

Skip forward a bit to the esses, in the video its not as pronounced as it is in front of the triples (scale matters), but in ACC, when i hit those corners i actually lean my real head with the game, it may be a bit fake, but its immersive.

 

[BillGuy]

...but in ACC, when i hit those corners i actually lean my real head with the game, it may be a bit fake, but its immersive.

I’m going to assume that I can speak for many here to say that it doesn’t take triples or specific camera views to induce real world head leaning.

 

[UMC 22]

BUT. the damage is still not working right, i hit a kerb head on in beginning of this clip, no damage, typically that will have caused severe damage, so, guess its still WIP?

Yep, they said somewhere that damage is still quite rudimentary at the moment, and very much a WIP. Some of it relies on the car models and animations which aren't complete yet, apparently.

I’m going to assume that I can speak for many here to say that it doesn’t take triples or specific camera views to induce real world head leaning.

Indeed. I use VR and lean around all over the place completely unnecessarily, as if it somehow helps me get around a corner. I didn't realise how much I do it until I was videoed.

 

[M D Gourley]

Ahhhh, yes, Reiza are going to do this, I have complete confidence...in the mean time some more Screen Shots
My favorite car, the Super V8 at Interlagos.

 

[M D Gourley]

The mighty Sprint Cars at Jerez

 

[Kevin Troschinski]

if i had only one wish, id have to say I want the same helmet cam as ACC, they perfected that thing at kunos, it leans but does not lock to horizon. Presumably (correct me if i am wrong) AMS2 will have the same issue as PC2, there are options for helmet and camera lean, but they appear to do nothing, at best you can see a TINY bit of movement, nothing like the helmet cam in ACC, and in tracks like monaco and bathurst with steep inclines increasing world movement to allow more movement, means you are staring at the floorboards or roof on the inclines.

Skip forward a bit to the esses, in the video its not as pronounced as it is in front of the triples (scale matters), but in ACC, when i hit those corners i actually lean my real head with the game, it may be a bit fake, but its immersive.

Just an funny argument: i hope they let the helmet cam as it is. Because with ACC helmet cam i got instant motion sickness @ AMS2 i do not

 

[M D Gourley]

The Madness Engine whether you like it or not looks amazing (personal opinion), and in Reiza's hands it will probably reach it's true potential eventually...below screen shot of the road line drying out during a weather change from Rain to Clear while racing at Interlagos....awesome

 

[ionONE1]

Schumacher 1993 in the rain
#photomode

 

[A man with a Harmonica]

I can confirm the AI still has serious awareness issues. In one race I was alongside cars on straights and getting rammed despite them being on the racing line! On another occasion I was moving quite slowly way off line and at the side of the track, and watched an AI in my mirror jittering around before slamming into my boot for no reason. And they do indeed still swerve about erratically on occasion, again for reasons unknown.

Confident it'll get there eventually, but it isn't there yet.

Is exactly the same PC2 AI. Not better nor worse (which would be impossible)

 

[graphicaluserinterface]

How are the cockpits on the Brazilian Stock Cars? Is it still the 2013 GSC one or is redone to resemble the real one?

 

[motoliser]

FFB is very abscent on low speeds. Cars seem to be floating.
Rain sprays are still very unrealistic and heavy on high end systems.
Camera shaking effects ruins the experience.
Cockpit graphics should be alot better.
Overall game looks arcade.
The game will improve but I'm not expecting miracles.

 

[BazzaLB]

Is exactly the same PC2 AI. Not better nor worse (which would be impossible)

Well, to be fair, they did rip out the PC2 FFB and replace it with their own. This is why none of the PC2 FFB settings will work in AMS2 (ie Christiaans).

But, I take your point. AI is a different kettle of fish and I doubt they will rip it out and replace it with their own code. AI is such a neglected part of race sims/games. Pity really. I seem to recall (maybe falsely) that GP4 had very raceable and believable AI. I am sure it was probably less complex in its implementation too. Perhaps less is more in some cases.

Having said that, you can have some enjoyable races when you race "around" (cater for) the AI stupidity / blindness. I hope if the AI stays like it is, we don't end up being blown off the track when they keep bumping into us. At least for now you remain pretty much unaffected by their bumps and rams.