Do we really need to ponder about AC2 already?

[Andreas Knöpke]

Do we have a fundamental problem as a simracing community or as gamers in general?

I remember back in the summer of 1999 I was crazy about the demo of UT99 & the test versions of Quake 3 and it was tough waiting till the end of that very year for the full releases. However, once those were out I was happy to be able to play them and so was everyone else as far as I recall that time. Sure enough, 3 years later when the alpha of UT2003 leaked, I as well as anybody else, jumped onto that ship but during the time in between those games, I don't remember that the community was very vocal about the next thing.

Nowadays, however, it feels like with the release of Game A the community is already beginning to shout for its successor. And yes, by now ACC is not particularly new anymore but given there is still stuff happening with it in terms of updates & DLC, do we really need to spend our time pondering how AC2 could or should look like?
I mean, heck, even AC1 is still going strong with massive visual upgrades as well as tons of first class car & track mods.

So I guess my question really is: Have we forgotten to enjoy the stuff we've actually got right now and are instead too focussed on the next best thing?

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

I do see your point @Andreas Knöpke Though, new games are very often needed with regards to income and keeping a company going.
With that being said, AC is pretty much what rFactor was ages ago in terms of community. The danger is that AC2 becomes like rF2 (though, with the amount of hours I have in that, I should probably be happy?). if AC2 makes modding way more complicated, something that is very possible if the game have much technical-simulation improvements, which modders needs to have in mind as well. That may make the game less popular for modders. Just like with rF1, what's made AC last so long that is has, is the mods, both in quality and quantity. There is a reason why most of the best rF2 mod-tracks are permitted conversions from AC-mods.

I mean, I shouldn't "worry" about AC2 not being a success, after all, I was on the press launch of AC on behalf of RD. I bought it the moment it was possible, I did a couple of the very first online races on RD with it. And yet, I only have 12 hours in the game. I never got into it at all. Same goes for ACC. There's just something that doesn't click with me in the Kunos-games.
However, the better and more popular simulators we have, the greater is the chance of another great one coming along! For that reason I hope that AC2 doesn't become another rF2, maybe another GTR2 in terms of sequels

 

[Dr. Death]

AC1 DLC works with ACC, and AC1 will work with AC2?

????

 

[DND]

????

Looking at the suggestions the majority should be able to be addressed with updates or DLC., reverse grid, historic cars, safety car, real time weather, rolling start, better AI, damage and on and on as the premise of ACC was with a new engine that could handle things AC could not, I thought. Nothing groundbreaking really aside from the engineering aspect posted by @Evgeniy48 .

 

[Kenny Paton]

Nothing groundbreaking really aside from the engineering aspect

Yes it's a nice concept but in business it would make no sense, rF1 stuff didn't work in rF2, Dirt dlc in Dirt 2, AMS to AMS2 and so on.
Offhand I can't think of any game that allowed that.
I'm sure if I'm wrong someone will correct me.

 

[DND]

Yes it's a nice concept but in business it would make no sense, rF1 stuff didn't work in rF2, Dirt dlc in Dirt 2, AMS to AMS2 and so on.
Offhand I can't think of any game that allowed that.
I'm sure if I'm wrong someone will correct me.

One of the F1 games of the past had a a suggested adjustment then you turned a lap or two, come back to the pits and it would ask if you like to keep the adjustment, increase the change or revert back.
I think a sim that had the driver, engineer and a crew chief that the player could pick and choose as to what they wanted to control from none to all, and select AI to do the others would be the next big thing as no one is even come close, or as you said even tried to the level of utilizing the advancements sims have made.

 

[lauchina]

Do we have a fundamental problem as a simracing community or as gamers in general?

I remember back in the summer of 1999 I was crazy about the demo of UT99 & the test versions of Quake 3 and it was tough waiting till the end of that very year for the full releases. However, once those were out I was happy to be able to play them and so was everyone else as far as I recall that time. Sure enough, 3 years later when the alpha of UT2003 leaked, I as well as anybody else, jumped onto that ship but during the time in between those games, I don't remember that the community was very vocal about the next thing.

Nowadays, however, it feels like with the release of Game A the community is already beginning to shout for its successor. And yes, by now ACC is not particularly new anymore but given there is still stuff happening with it in terms of updates & DLC, do we really need to spend our time pondering how AC2 could or should look like?
I mean, heck, even AC1 is still going strong with massive visual upgrades as well as tons of first class car & track mods.

So I guess my question really is: Have we forgotten to enjoy the stuff we've actually got right now and are instead too focussed on the next best thing?

Yeah because ac is old and kinda dead and acc is not my thing and is also nearly dead so ac 2 is important

 

[Kenny Paton]

Yeah because ac is old and kinda dead and acc is not my thing and is also nearly dead so ac 2 is important

Not that dead considering it has the highest player count of what are thought of as serious racing sims, followed by ACC on steam.
Add in a very active modding community I'd say it's very much alive.

 

[RasmusP]

Imo it would be difficult for AC2 to "co-exist" with AC.
"the same, but better" needs to take the majority of users from the first iteration to the next to work as a business model and to get the player counts needed for good multiplayer.

It'll be very interesting how this will be handled. Will kunos try to be different enough to make it work or will they try to hit the nail so perfectly that the majority will switch to AC2?
What about custom shaders patch?
Will they try to get the developers of csp to transition their work into AC2 or will they "battle it out"?

It's always difficult to choose between "not making money on something just to be nice and get people to buy your other stuff"
And "making people pay for things they already got in older games to actually make profit".

The more people you get to buy "your other stuff", the "nicer" you can be

 

[SPEED-DEMON]

I had ac1 purchased maybe 2 years ago, when I got into sim racing. I'd been playing acc all along really and only gave AC a proper go over the last few weeks for open wheelers etc. I am amazed at the mods, packs, enhancements that the community have made and shared. It's just amazing, and has really made AC a sim I can't get away from now. Old f1, historic CART, modern f1 cars, many tracks, visual enhancements etc etc.
The strongest point of AC1 is choice. I can drive anything on any track, in a sim that feels great to drive.
ACC on the other hand, is fantastic, cutting edge graphics...but needs more content....tracks in particular.
It also needs a rejig of the online contact model. The slightest touch will typically spin 1, if not 2 cars involved.
At the moment I'm loving my new found AC1. I'm 350 to 400+GB in with AC1 after a few weeks. Just awesome.
It's a pity the online seems very quiet. I'd love to find anything except gt3 online. For GT3 etc I use acc.