Is Assetto Corsa dying?

[Mike85]

No updates at all.... This sim is dying slowly? There are still so many things to improve like AI and multiplayer....

 

[Jan-Olov Johansson]

All i can say is that after well over 600hrs in the game i can see myself doing 600hrs more.
Soon we will have a update to 1.2 with what seems some some nice additions and bugfixes and then there will be a v1.3 plus some DLC.
I am considering this to be the game that by far have given me the most value for money ever.

 

[xnorb]

I am considering this to be the game that by far have given me the most value for money ever.

As you already sank over 500 hours in the game, that's of course true

But looking at it objectively, AC is still lacking many features required to be a real competitor on the market. Sure, it has shiny graphics, but without them it wouldn't even be known...
AI is rather poor, Career mode isn't really worth mentioning, MP lacks quite some features, the track list isn't extensive by any means and the collection of race cars isn't that big either.

I think AC has a really good and solid base, but feature-wise it isn't complete at all.
At least when it comes to my ideas what AC should be like...

 

[Jempy]

If it's dead, then why it has the most active club/leagues of RD?

You're perfectly right.
But I think the real reason why some leagues are successfull with AC Open and even Championships is .... because their admins are inventive and/or take profit of modders's inventive works.

Everything missing in the game may be reinvented by them.

- Neys with his Ptracker and Stracker allowing easy collect of race sessions results and possibility of easy publishing in a forum
- Wally Masterson with his Pitlane Penalty system using the original AC cut detections but making them more realistic and less abnormally penalizing .... and with his AC Log Parser also.
- Fernando Deutsch with his Ferito blue flag app ( before final Kunos's decision to create them after many gamers's complaints )
- etc etc

Some things are also possible: ( but not in base game ):
- launched starts: asking the poleman to lead the 1st lap as a safety car would do it
- reversed grids: possible with some well thought easy support ... a simple Excel sheet
( not forgetting to ask drivers not to make a lap during the short practice allowing all drivers to join the server in due time )
etc etc ...

As co-admin of a french league ... I may say our weekly open races have success ... but it asks all of us ( admins and organizations ) much more work than most other racing game.

AC has a perfect FFB and many other top points ... but was not enough thought as a Race game at the start.
Many missing features are due tho this error in fact ... as it was first prepared as a ... hotlap game.
The base penalties cannot allow 1st gear showing at race start creating sometimes false starts, manual pitlimiter ... because ... they cannot be penalized.. that's the reason.

Most missing points cannot be redone without changing the whole game base.
Maybe in the future with a Assetto Corsa 2 ?

AC league success because it can be modded, because modders are inventive with apps, because graphics are pleasant, because finally it gives us many pleasures.

AC is not really dead ... but has to be re-thought.
Even base informatic points: save, modify, delete ... are missing:
- setup: why no delete in game ???
- ACLauncher entry list: create, delete ... why no modify ???
- Race results hiding the chat after online race: is a simple closing cross so new ???
- this crazy EXIT just beneath Back to pitstop ... without asking any confirmation ???
Basic PC principles are even forgotten in this game !!! ....

But it has so good points ... that we have to close our eyes in order to forget these missing features. Will it last forever that way ??? that's another question.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

But looking at it objectively, AC is still lacking many features required to be a real competitor on the market.

It is not perfect (what is), but there are no "real competitors" to this title right now. Others have problems on their own and as a whole package AC is the most complete to day. And it will get only better with new updates, I am sure.

 

[bigbawmcgraw]

You're perfectly right.
But I think the real reason why some leagues are successfull with AC Open and even Championships is .... because their admins are inventive and/or take profit of modders's inventive works.

Everything missing in the game may be reinvented by them.

- Neys with his Ptracker and Stracker allowing easy collect of race sessions results and possibility of easy publishing in a forum
- Wally Masterson with his Pitlane Penalty system using the original AC cut detections but making them more realistic and less abnormally penalizing .... and with his AC Log Parser also.
- Fernando Deutsch with his Ferito blue flag app ( before final Kunos's decision to create them after many gamers's complaints )
- etc etc

Some things are also possible: ( but not in base game ):
- launched starts: asking the poleman to lead the 1st lap as a safety car would do it
- reversed grids: possible with some well thought easy support ... a simple Excel sheet
( not forgetting to ask drivers not to make a lap during the short practice allowing all drivers to join the server in due time )
etc etc ...

As co-admin of a french league ... I may say our weekly open races have success ... but it asks all of us ( admins and organizations ) much more work than most other racing game.

AC has a perfect FFB and many other top points ... but was not enough thought as a Race game at the start.
Many missing features are due tho this error in fact ... as it was first prepared as a ... hotlap game.
The base penalties cannot allow 1st gear showing at race start creating sometimes false starts, manual pitlimiter ... because ... they cannot be penalized.. that's the reason.

Most missing points cannot be redone without changing the whole game base.
Maybe in the future with a Assetto Corsa 2 ?

AC league success because it can be modded, because modders are inventive with apps, because graphics are pleasant, because finally it gives us many pleasures.

AC is not really dead ... but has to be re-thought.
Even base informatic points: save, modify, delete ... are missing:
- setup: why no delete in game ???
- ACLauncher entry list: create, delete ... why no modify ???
- Race results hiding the chat after online race: is a simple closing cross so new ???
- this crazy EXIT just beneath Back to pitstop ... without asking any confirmation ???
Basic PC principles are even forgotten in this game !!! ....

But it has so good points ... that we have to close our eyes in order to forget these missing features. Will it last forever that way ??? that's another question.

But you have to remember that Kunos made a deliberate decision to make modding easy so that they could concentrate on the bigger picture. They knew they were a small team and gave themselves 4 years to create what they have created. If they were to include every detail that would've taken at least 6 years, by which time their game would be out-dated and they would probably have starved.
With 1.2, modders will be able to create server-side apps (plug-ins), which has the potential to bring online racing to a whole new level and also means clients won't need as many 3rd party apps installed. Again, this was Kuno's intention all along so as to relieve themselves of things that the community can do and take care of the things that really matter in a sim i.e. official content and all things related to physics (FFB has a major improvement coming in 1.2).
Yes you could argue it shouldn't be left to the community to come up with things that really should be base content, but Kunos is a small indie dev team and comparing them to dev teams with 50 times more staff is a bit unfair, especially considering the quality of sim they've already delivered.

 

[Jempy]

Allright Bigbawm
But why this big announce on their site ?:
ASSETTO CORSA YOUR RACING SIMULATOR

Started at it was, this is rather ...ASSETTO CORSA YOUR DRIVING SIMULATOR as it is more a hotlap meant game than a racing one.

The fact that many things cannot be corrected or updated comes from the fact it was not thought at the start: penalties cannot be reinvented ... so why is this mostly the point making different things blocked .... and surely blocked also for modders, they just work with what they can get given by Kunos.
Isn't it given, what can they do with something they don't have ?

I love AC but I always remain impartial and balanced in my mind.

 

[snyperal]

yeah its a difficult situation, how are smaller dev's supposed to gamble with a concept? crowdfunding? kickstarter? in an already established genre with heavy competition from the big boys?

they certainly have pigeonholed themselves, with regards weather, and penalties, and quite a few other things, but i am hopeful that they are dedicated enough to make it better than it is.

 

[Lunae]

AC is the same as any sim, find a league, or a group of people, and create championships, only iRacing is different, all the others are like that, its not dead, or a hotlapping game, it's up to you to make it what you want, if you don't want to invest time to socialize or race in a league, then its your own doing that makes it boring, not the devs.

 

[bigbawmcgraw]

The fact that many things cannot be corrected or updated comes from the fact it was not thought at the start: penalties cannot be reinvented ... so why is this mostly the point making different things blocked .... and surely blocked also for modders, they just work with what they can get given by Kunos.
Isn't it given, what can they do with something they don't have ?

The only things that will remain missing is night/day cycle (single light source) and rain (although I believe there is a rudimentary mod for that).
With the ability to add plugins in 1.2 the possibilities are almost endless regarding penalties and server control in general. Of course this only really affects online play.
Have a read through THIS thread and you'll see that we have great things to come

 

[Jempy]

Thanks for your link, bigbawmcgraw.
Seeing the length of the thread ... I'll read it when I have a little more free time, as I'm not sure the 1st message was or wasn't updated in function of what's included further in the thread.

Hoping everything coming will solve some difficulties or allow more possibilities.

 

[Lily Starfox]

Assetto Corsa is doing great, thank you.
I tried all major racing games since 15 years, and so far it's the best, BY FAR.

Banning EVERY mod, even when not illegal, COULD make it die though.
And frankly this community sure does its best to make it happen.

This website has like, 0,00001% of the mods out there.
This is ridiculous.
It's like people are happy to report legal mods as illegal. I see it happening every day.

 

[Deleted member 28995]

Curious to hear one example of legal mods RD bans every day

 

[Lily Starfox]

Most Malagoli's cars are 100% legal and yet banned here.
What about modders using free 3D models?
So many times I saw some wannabe moderators screaming for "Forza rips", with NO proofs whatsoever.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Most Malagoli's cars are 100% legal and yet banned here.

So little facts, so much opinion.

Spoiler: Facts under spoiler button

 

[Lily Starfox]

lol
Shouldn't I be the one saying that?

 

[Tobbe Bergman]

Is Assetto Corsa dying?

 

[Jake Fangio]

I mostly play offline and this is where AC falls down.I love hotlapping and messing with the set ups,but that does become a little boring after awhile.The physics are great and it looks great also.In fact IMO it looks more realistic than pcars.If they sort the AI I'll be all over it.

Well I have to take back some of the things I said above,this sim is moving in the right direction.The AI is much improved and the car's feel a little less grippy,and that is a big improvement in my book.And I must mention again how realistic it looks compared to Pcars,which is supposed to be the benchmark these days.I can see me sinking a hell of a lot of time in this.

 

[Tobbe Bergman]

Pcars, benchmark

 

[kazereal]

Stefano (one of AC developers) has been hosting Youtube streams recently of development here:

So after holidays and such 1.3 is expected by end of september.

 

[Msportdan]

Dying .... Errr no

Resurrected more like it !!