Touring Car Classics, Ibarra and Metalmoro AJR Confirmed for AMS

[Paul Jeffrey]

Reiza Studios have released a new Automobilista roadmap update, with plenty of interesting information and upcoming confirmation of new content.

You can read the full July Development Roadmap post below:

Greetings everyone! We´re back with another Automobilista Development update. After skipping june, there is a lot of good news to share this month

To begin with we´ll be sharing a little more detail about the main features from the recently released v1.4.5, before moving on to the exciting new things due to come up next!

Stock Car Brasil 2017
AMS V1.4.5 has seen the long-anticipated addition of the new 2017 Stock Car Brasil season, featuring the new Chevrolet Cruze bodywork, along with all 30 drivers & liveries from the current season. The Curvelo race track (aka Circuito dos Cristais) which debuted in the series last year has also been added - both the longer layout raced in 2016 as well as the shorter version raced for the very first time just a week ago.

The new update also features revamped Push-to-Pass rules & functionality. Push-to-pass plays a big part in the dynamics of a real Stock Car race, so it was crucial point to get this right in the sim - as per 2017 rules, activating P2P lifts the engine restrictor of the 5.7L V8 engine which equips all cars from 62% under standard operation to 100%, giving the car nearly 100HP extra for 16s. Also per 2017 rules, drivers can´t activate P2P in the 1st lap, and there is a 5s delay between hitting the P2P button and the actual boost kicking in, increasing the strategical dimension of this feature.

The AI will also use P2P now to overtake or defend against other cars - also a new feature from v1.4.5.

AI Developments
We´re still pushing hard to further develop the AI, and in AMS v1.4.5 we have delivered another batch of substantial updates - the more important of which impacts how they assess risk and decide whether to go for an overtake, addressing the age-old issue which would lead them to often hesitating and backing off on straights rather than pulling alongside to overtake.

Other more incremental improvements to their behavior have also been made, such as getting the AI to be more disciplined rejoining the track after a spin and no longer drive into oncoming traffic:

There are still some remaining rough edges to polish and important improvements we want to cover before we call it a wrap on AI for AMS, but generally speaking we feel the AI in v1.4.5 is a substantial step forward, and it´s gradually edging closer to something you can legitimately compete against in any condition.

Track Updates
Several tracks have had terrain & road texture updates in AMS v1.4.5 to bring them up to the standards of more recent tracks, and the brazilian tracks have been updated to include the modifications made since the 2015 season.

Gamepad support
In between developing the new circuit and updating several older tracks, @Alex Sawczuk also found the time to take a stab at revamping the damping system for digital & gamepad controllers. As a result, Automobilista v1.4.5 has become a lot more fun and accessible to users without a steering wheel - turn on a couple of driving aids and it should provide as good a time, and a more rewarding driving experience than your average console racer

Surround sound
Some great news also in the audio front as after a couple of hard working months @domagoj Lovric is very close to cracking surround support - we´re confident we´ll have something to test soon and we´ll be able to merge it in for release until v1.5.

The experience with 5.1 sound is a significant step up from the current stereo - having aural feedback from your opponents approaching and getting beside you, your engine from the back while wind is blowing from the front makes for a much more immersive experience.

Metalmoro AJR coming to Automobilista
We´re happy to confirm we´re extending our partnership with Metalmoro & JLM Racing to bring their new, impressive-looking AJR Prototype to Automobilista:

The AJR is a result of a partnership of the JLM Racing team with Metalmoro, ambitiously conceived to become the most accessible, high performance prototype in the market. Powered with a 600HP Honda K20 Turbo engine, weighing just 820 kg and featuring purpose-crafted aerodynamics, it is expected to achieve LMP2 performance and perhaps even more. While the car is still in development, it is already setting the pace in the local endurance series whenever owner & driver Juliano Moro has taken it to the track.

The Metalmoro AJR will be added free of charge to the base game. We´ll be working very closely with JLM on this one, as the team will be supplying CAD model, CFD data and track telemetry so we have as accurate as possible representation of the car in the sim. Should make for a very fun ride!

Next Track - Ibarra
As mentioned in the last dev update, the track team is now working hard on the development of Autodromo Yahuarcocha in Equador, aka Ibarra. The development priority was switched to finish Curvelo so that it could make it in with the Stock Car 2017 season release, luckily Ibarra development is quite far along and should be ready to hit Beta within the next couple of weeks.

This old-style track features some of the most beautiful scenery to be seen in a race track. @ilka is leading development of this one and really bringing his A Game on it as the previews below hopefully illustrate:

Ibarra will also be added as free content to the base game, expected for the next major update towards the end of August.

Next DLC - Brazilian Touring Car Classics
The next DLC pack is also expected to be released towards the end of august. As hinted at a few times before, this pack will bring a combination of classic Brazilian touring car series to Automobilista - based on the old "Hot Cars" series from the early 80s as well as other single and mixed-class modern series featuring such classic cars will be represented in the sim. More details on this in the next dev update, but here´s a preview to whet your appetite

That covers it for this month - there are a couple of news still to come, but those are topics for our next, and possibly last AMS development update

We´re now racing towards a couple of final updates to bring AMS to version 1.5, which will represent the finish line for Automobilista development. While the temptation is always high to keep going a bit further and do this or that more, we´re generally feeling pretty happy with how it´s final form is shaping up, and believe it should be both a great base for us to continue enjoying over the months to come as well as a great foundation for us build on towards what will come next. We hope you are enjoying the ride as much as we are!

When we spoke with @Renato Simioni post version 1.4.5 release, Renato was full of praise for the new update and happily shed some further light on what is included in the new build, and what can be expected to come to the sim before development wraps up for good over the next couple of months:

"V1.4.5 update 2017 update features the new Chevrolet Cruze bodywork, along with all 30 drivers & liveries from the current season. It also adds Curvelo as a new track debuted in the last season, along with Velo Cittá and Buenos Aires as Stock Car venues (those tracks already featured in the sim). The series has a growing international profile and with new administration for the 2017 season, it should only continue to expand.

V1.4.5 brings other substantial updates - the AI has been substantially revamped and provided a fierce challenge now, no longer hesitating to pass the player or other AI cars. Several tracks have had terrain & road textures updates to bring them up to the standards of more recent tracks, and the Brazilian tracks have been updated to include the modifications performed since the 2015 season."
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Automobilista is a PC exclusive racing simulation from Reiza Studios, available via the Steam network.

Don't forget to check out the Automobilista sub forum here at RaceDepartment to keep abreast of the latest news and discussions with regards to the simulation. We have a massive mod database where you can check out and download a selection of cars, tracks, skins, apps and other such third party content, plus of course we host some incredible club racing events on a regular weekly basis. If you want to become involved in the action yourself, check out the Automobilista Racing Clubs and Leagues sub forum and sign yourself up to a race today!

What do you think of the latest development roadmap? Pleased to see the new content planned for the sim? Has AMS met your expectations now development is nearing it's conclusion? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Brandon Wright]

NO, that's just your opinion.
I don't like simcades as they're pointless and usually have BOTH physics and ffb issues, but if someone else likes them that's cool, but I don't want to pretend there's no difference between pcars and AMS for example.

Again, Brownninja never said anything about simcades, nor did he compare AMS to pcars. He just said he didn't care for AMS and you jumped to the conclusion that if he doesn't like AMS he must only play "simmycade blockbusters". Nobody said anything about simcades except for you.

I was called a sim-cader once. Ruined my life that did. I still have nightmares about it to this day. It's cruel and not warranted. No one should ever have to through what I went through after being called a sim-cader. I needed psychiatric help from the Simaritans. Some folks don't realise how much hurt is caused by being associated with simcadia.

I thought your life was ruined because a few drivers put more than two wheels over a white line?

 

[tnoller]

Bought F12016, pCars, AC, rfactor and AMS in that order. Didn't like AMS first, but after a bit of tweaking (settings, difficulty, adding rumble to my 360 gamepad and applying a nice Reshade effect) it has grown on me to a point where all the others are left untouched. I simply love it. The only thing I wish they would add is a proper career mode.

 

[Matheus Machado]

Someone please make a roof attached ladder for the uno. The ultimate meme.

 

[Andy_J]

I thought your life was ruined because a few drivers put more than two wheels over a white line?

No, nope, never. Being called a sim-cader ruined my life. Nearly jumped off the Humber Bridge because of it. You lot who like to ignore rule 7 don't bother me anymore. Because they are frowned upon now as rightly they should be. And I think you are just looking for an argument with David for no real reason. Chill.

 

[David Ignjatovic]

". Nobody said anything about simcades except for you.

So what though?
I have a right to express my views on simcade games even if it somehow seems to upset you...

 

[Brandon Wright]

So what though?
I have a right to express my views on simcade games even if it somehow seems to upset you...

Sure, as long as it's on topic, which it most definitely was not in this thread since nobody was discussing simcades. I couldn't care less what your opinions on games are. I just think it's a bit immature and uncalled for to tell someone who doesn't like your favorite game to go play simmycade blockbusters.

 

[JoelRR]

Like I said in Facebook, I'll never regret of buying AMS Season Pass, as we're getting plenty updates these days.

On the other hand, that Fiat Uno is looking great!!! Would be great to see a mod like ASM (Asociación Standard Mejorado) in the game

looking forward to all that content.

 

[Marc Collins]

Sure, as long as it's on topic, which it most definitely was not in this thread since nobody was discussing simcades. I couldn't care less what your opinions on games are. I just think it's a bit immature and uncalled for to tell someone who doesn't like your favorite game to go play simmycade blockbusters.

Actually, you are the one who is being a bit immature. Brownninja did say "I just dont enjoy it and im not in this genre so i can get to the highest state of accuracy. I do it for fun and I dont enjoy AMS simple as that. I respect its accuracy in all departments but that doesnt make me enjoy it." This suggests he is not as interested in accuracy as some serious sim-heads, but might prefer a fun all-around game (career mode, etc.), which AMS is not. AMS appeals to those who are more hard core and want a "motorsports simulator."

@David Ignjatovic pointed out that there are many games out there (which are far more popular than any of the serious sims, so no slander is possible unless you infer snobbery) that will likely satisfy better than AMS.

You reacted to this seemingly simple and obvious comment as though it was a personal attack on you. ???

 

[danracer2000]

Its sad that ams team its ending the developing of the game, it has so much potential, its an incredible simulator, i like it so much, i like the old coloured graphics cuz i prefer having good phisics. I know developers must be tired ...but i prefer the game philosophy of iracing ...almost a decade implementing the game with contents and improvements...than having a series of games (that really are evolutions of the previous ones).

I will prefer having this ams with more oficial content , improving the phisics and the competition (adding ams rating and safetyrating (amsiR, and amsRS), i will buy the game and stay with them buying whatever it comes.

Tired? get more workers, new project? look what iracing have done and is doing and may be THATS the way to go, and not each 3 years going for a new game...

just an opinion, but a good opinion. haha cheers folks!

 

[arniesan]

GPL, GP4, RBR, all classics still played by many and AMS to join them.

 

[Brandon Wright]

Brownninja did say "I just dont enjoy it and im not in this genre so i can get to the highest state of accuracy. I do it for fun and I dont enjoy AMS simple as that. I respect its accuracy in all departments but that doesnt make me enjoy it." This suggests he is not as interested in accuracy as some serious sim-heads, but might prefer a fun all-around game (career mode, etc.), which AMS is not. AMS appeals to those who are more hard core and want a "motorsports simulator."

Except that Brownninja is a well-known member in the sim community who is very active in the AC scene and has even made mods for the game, but obviously it's impossible to have fun in sims like AC and R3E because they're not as über-realistic as AMS. I too prefer AC over AMS, and as much as I'd like to engage further my new issue of Simcade Monthly just arrived and I must go read up on the newest NFS title.

 

[danracer2000]

NFS title...., ok but R3E is the softer one of all the sims you have talked about, the cars are ice blocks, its a shame....R3E from my point of view is battling vs PC in handling....

 

[Marc Collins]

Its sad that ams team its ending the developing of the game, it has so much potential, its an incredible simulator, i like it so much, i like the old coloured graphics cuz i prefer having good phisics. I know developers must be tired ...but i prefer the game philosophy of iracing ...almost a decade implementing the game with contents and improvements...than having a series of games (that really are evolutions of the previous ones).

I will prefer having this ams with more oficial content , improving the phisics and the competition (adding ams rating and safetyrating (amsiR, and amsRS), i will buy the game and stay with them buying whatever it comes.

Tired? get more workers, new project? look what iracing have done and is doing and may be THATS the way to go, and not each 3 years going for a new game...

just an opinion, but a good opinion. haha cheers folks!

Reiza is not tired. They are jut shifting their attention to the next title, as iRacing did with their v2, etc. The name might change, but who knows? If "Automobilista" actually resonated with an international audience, they could just call it v2 as well. Moe people have grumbled that they should have put less attention on the current title and started serious work on the new one months ago, since to get updated graphics, VR, etc., they need to move beyond the current foundation. But everything they have put into AMS is now one generation more mature to be used in the next title. That works for me perfectly as I have no interest in improved graphics or VR, but to lose the essence of the sim features and quality in the process. We should have the best of both worlds coming ahead

 

[Big_Mama]

but i prefer the game philosophy of iracing ...almost a decade implementing the game with contents and improvements...than having a series of games

But that really only works if you have some kind of subscription model

 

[danracer2000]

But that really only works if you have some kind of subscription model

if they make updates ,new content regularly some free some paying they could make enought money , may be more than making a game of 30-40 euros each 3 years?. Summing up: no monthly paying but having to pay if you want more content apart of the initial, there are so many tracks or cars that could be released...
Dont know if it would work but i think its not a bad way to go.
And if its good as AMS o rf2 the could have a fan generation and newer generetions joining and fidelity buying new content (if its really good), of course they have to create some irating safety rating, championships system, and banning system.

 

[FeltHat]

they will do something similar to what u want danracer but with reiza18. It's gonna be basaically ams 2, good stuff stays, better graphics and other fancy stuff joins the glory, how isnt it better?

 

[danracer2000]

they will do something similar to what u want danracer but with reiza18. It's gonna be basaically ams 2, good stuff stays, better graphics and other fancy stuff joins the glory, how isnt it better?

yeah thats cool and probably i will pay to get it! but i want a ams 2 that longs for a decade or more, improving it (as iracing) , i will pay for new content (tracks, cars, blabla), dont make me pay fpr the updates please reiza . I dont want to pay for a game that will be discontinued as R3E, or PC, or AC after 3-4 years?. Of course if there in no option i will go for a "i will die in a 3-4 years" game BUT I will love some good and continued SIM! I am asking for something UTOPIC ?

 

[danracer2000]

That works for me perfectly as I have no interest in improved graphics or VR, but to lose the essence of the sim features and quality in the process. We should have the best of both worlds coming ahead

I FULLY agree.

 

[MoerasGrizzly]

This is the best thing to happen in simracing since the Formula Vee.

 

[FeltHat]

I dont want to pay for a game that will be discontinued as R3E

what
4+ years since release, its better than ever with long term plans ahead