Automobilista - August Development Update

Can't wait to see the German spotter

 

sorry i dont want to rain on the parade but why do we need a spotter when AMS doesn't really do oval racing. Road racing does not use spotters.

Sorry i dont get the need for it especially in the tiny series AMS actually replicates i doubt theres even a radio in most cars.

anyway as you were.

 

For the same reason we use crewchief, spotter can help to have more clean races (cars around you are notified) and gives you a lot of info like in real life (tyre temp, damage, flags, are given even in road races).
Also, the most relevant info, you can be notified if an AI car is trying to pass you!!!

 

well that function will never get any use will it lol

 

There is an option to turn it off, feel free to click there lol
Also the spotter is giving messages that drivers get in real life. And AFAIK a spotter saying cars around is also present in road racing IRL, not everyone use it tho. But you'll mostly see in series like IMSA, especially Daytona 24h

 

If we all would use VR and had absolute head movement freedom and everybody (including AI) would fear death and rather not overtake like absolute madmen but wait for oportunities for save overtakes, then we indeed wouldn't need a spotter.
But in our current situation a spotter is a real gift if you're into clean racing.

I'm very sure we'd see completely different safety ratings in iRacing if there was no spotter.

 

giving me more of an advantage over the ai is not what i need. As it it is they dont..... you know the story.. So why would i have an app to make racing them even easier. I like the fact that your not told every sec where that i car is. In oval racing i get it in road racing nah sorry....

But each to their own, as said theres an OFF button.

 

Btw will it be possible to customize what we listen from the spotter? A loose config file maybe?

 

I've lost track of the number of racers that have no concept of people being next to them and a spotter is essential for that. Being driven off the track on a straight gets old fast let alone getting smashed on a corner.
It also helps you race better if you are aware more when someone is or isn't beside you given the lack of peripheral vision you have in a virtual racer (unless you are lucky enough to have triple screens or VR headset). I often lose out on a corner as I play it safe when I think someone might be there, a spotter means I'm sure.

I think a spotter is even more essential on non-oval races in virtual racing. I find oval racing easy by comparison in regards to keeping clean.

I always remember asking someone I was driving behind and watching them push another driver trying to get past off the track repeatedly if they used Crew Chief - "I don't need it, I have great spacial awareness" was their answer. When I explained what they had been doing they swore blind they hadn't.

If it's a realism thing for you then fair enough (though I'd argue that you lose a lot of sensory input compared to a real racing driver and this balances the books a bit) but SimRacing spotters are a wonderful tool for helping keep races clean.

 

Can you explain the need for it in oval racing over road racing? I'd say it was the opposite. Sorry going off topic but I need to know

 

in real life spotters can only be on ovals, where the spotter can sit high and see the whole track... You wouldn't get spotters at nordschliefe lol Also in oval racing most of the time a driver will have driver alongside him maybe on both sides. This happens a lot in oval racing not so much in road racing, where this mainly happens down long straight or in the odd corner.

For a realism thing it wouldn't be needed in AMS, I'm sure its a great mod, and i will give it a go. If for other warning like fuel and tyres, i just hope it doesn't bring loads of problems like dynahud has!

 

This is a good example of a server with non-spotter road racers...

...and here a typical reaction to a non-spotter racer from a spotter racer...

...no wait, this is real life!!!

 

Yeah that's true that on ovals you would have people alongside for long periods more. On race tracks though it can happen enough that it really helps plus it's damn hard to navigate several varied bends in a row side by side but by god it's exciting and spotters help make that happen.

Overall I love them as they help spatially unaware drivers be more aware and help the rest of us optimise our racing plus make up for sensory input you lose in a virtual race. Also mine gives me abuse for poor driving which always makes me chuckle

 

Always complaining about everything... Is a new integrated feature, for does that don´t want it just turn it off, but for the players that want it is real cool,and does one's like myself can only wait to test it, give feedback make it better.

 

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No dynhud since last beta update. '-.-

 

@Renato Simioni
Is there a chance for those of us who bought the season pass on Steam
to see the beta changelog ?

 

You're forgetting the near continuous camera coverage available available to modern motorsports. With road racing there's also the fact that there are far fewer parts of the track that would permit side by side racing so you don't need 100% coverage even to benefit when there might be 2 or 3 major zones that the spotter would be useful anyway.

Also given the continuous passing and multi class aspect to endurance racing the need is actually pretty decent on road courses in those series. Its quite common to see if there are 3 or 4 classes on a track for one slow car to be sandwiched between 2 others racing for position.