Automobilista 2 May 2024 Development Update - The Road to V1.6 Pt1

anything about performance optimization in rain?

when sunny or cloud my performance are so great, but in rain my fps drops to 1/3, i have one 4070ti and the game runs great on 300fps in 2k resolution, but when rain drop to 110, 120fps

 

If you are towards the front of the pack then its the headlights behind you that I think cause this. AI cars turn headlights on in rain.

Try cars without headlights and see if there is a big difference. I think some of the Brazilian stock cars dont have actual headlights, so try those perhaps. My bet is that you will be able to race in the rain. Another test is start at the back of the pack (with any car) and stay there and see how it performs. I believe you will discover a vast improvement when at the back of the pack. I suspect its all down to the severe dropoff in frame rate from headlights behind your car. (Emphasis on behind)

Please report back if you try these scenarios. If you find this is indeed the cause then there is supposed to be some extra setting in the pipeline where you can tune the number of cars rendered behind yours specifically for this issue.

 

To me, yes. AMS2 always looked good indeed, but at the same time it always had a cartoonish vibe to it too. New car materials and overall look and feel on track is more realistic, in my view at least.

Probably a subjective matter, after all.

 

Good to hear. You always notice the difference in cockpit materials when you go from AMS2 to ACC. ACC looks far better from the cockpit imho. Hopefully they tidied up the VR sparks whilst they were at it. 1.6 is going to be one helluva release. Really looking forward to checking it all out when it arrives.

 

Hope they also find the time to update the cockpits of the Gol / Passat /Puma / Uno /Chevette up to current AMS2 standards. They are great to drive, but currently underwhelming inside the cockpit. No showstopper really, but they could get some love in the future.

 

Yes rain or night affect dramatically fps for all of us due to AI headlights

now genuine question

do you really need more than 120fps in these conditions?

 

Does anyone know if there is more customisation in the pipeline such as the ability to paint your own helmet and choose the colour of your gloves etc?

 

Please take all that I am going to say with a bucket full of salt, because these are only my own subjective impressions so far and not necessarily indicative of the greater picture:

In my humble opinion, 1.6 physics are shaping up to be both easier and more punishing to drive at the same time. I say 'easier' because I find vehicles to be more reactive to my inputs as well as even more communicative about what's happening. This often led to me being more consistent and making less mistakes over a couple of laps. That does not mean, however, you can just abuse the vehicles and throw them around with wild abandon anymore, hoping to catch all but the most extreme slides - far from it.

IMHO the line between "I'm still good" and "you done effed up, now pay the price!" is more distinct than ever before in the AMS2 Beta. I remember how I was attacking the inside curb of Brands Hatch T1 too aggressively the other day, and instead of going into a slide that I would most likely be able to catch the car just said "NOPE, EFF YOU FOR MESSING UP!" and spun around. In that instant I was taken by surprise, but before I could even say "why?!" out loud I realized my mistake. The best part about it? This was in a GT3, which were often (rightfully) criticized for being too easy, too boring and too drifty to drive in AMS2. So in my humble opinion mistakes that happen in vehicles that are far along in their 1.6 physics development are now closer to real life than ever.

But even with how much of an impact the refined grip characteristics will have on AMS2, I think the real game changer is going to be the improved tire thermodynamics. Getting tires into their optimal operating temperature window - and keeping them there - is going to be one of the most important parts from 1.6 onwards; one that will definitely serve to separate drivers based on their driving style, and which is also likely going to trip up a lot of people for a while. And that's a good thing, because it means there is yet more to learn for us as sim racers... Like actually paying attention to the conditions of each specific session (air and track temperature, track surface, the amount of rubber on track, etc.).

 

The boring GT3 physics is one of the biggest disappointments in AMS2 for me, so if they've fixed this it's great news.

 

In my opinion, AMS 2 has many years ahead of it. Reiza pushed ISImotor well until 2018, and Madness Engine is not outdated at all, quite the contrary. There is no reason to launch an AMS 3 on a new engine. In addition, other simulators also last longer and longer: Rfactor 2 and Raceroom are 11 years old, IRacing 15 years old.

 

I haven't tried it myself yet (only experimented with car liveries) but there are files provided here for custom driver suits and helmets
AMS2 - User Livery Overrides

 

Additionally, the nature of 1.6 physics is much more context-dependent than before. Tires are more sensitive to temperature, moisture and track rubber. General statements like "there's too much grip" / "there's too little grip" won't make much sense without more context. What car? What track? What weather? What date and time? How much track rubber? How hard did you push on the previous lap, et cetera.

In other words, expect that people's feedback after 1.6 can be contradictory when it comes to how easy or difficult cars are to drive, especially if the statements lack important details.

 

Whether they "fixed" anything I think you'll have to judge for yourself. You need to very much push these cars to get bitten, both in beta and in public release, but you will get bitten at some point. The public release more likes to just give a playful nibble and then lets you continue overdriving.

Very much agree with this. Imo, AMS2's graphics (which is the main factor for something to become "outdated") easily have another 5-6 years in them where they won't look ancient. In general, graphics for newer games are so well made that there's just not much room for progress. For sure it could look a little better - e.g. GT7 probably does - but it absolutely does the job of conveying an immersive picture, which is all it needs to do. It still looks better than the newly released LMU ^^.

The only sim that I think is truly hopelessly outdated is R3E.

There's still so much to be done, so many directions in which to push this game, that I hope we'll be here and eagerly awaiting updates for another couple of years.

 

Are you saying that the game will look like Assetto Crosa with Pure filters?

 

This is a good one. Performance with the rain is something missing. I have experimented rain in Assetto Corsa and guys....it's WOOOOWWWW

 

IMHO - and this is again very subjective - they are not boring anymore, or at least much less so. When driving one of the second-gen GT3s I get the impression that what happens and how the car moves is much closer to onboard footage of the real thing than before. Certainly when it comes to things like the spin I described in my previous post.

And as RoarMcRipHelmet rightfully pointed out, the context-sensitive nature that comes with revisions to tire thermodynamics, live track, etc. means that different conditions on different tracks will produce vastly different results now. A GT3 might feel boring and "too perfect" on a dry track with optimal conditions, but on a track that's either too hot or too cold you will struggle at some point, either while trying to get heat into the tires or fighting to keep them from overheating.

Another benefit of this is that cars with different dry compounds (like Formula cars) are not necessarily the fastest on soft slicks anymore... Those will simply melt away under stress when the track is too hot (which will most likely further shorten their lifespan too), so there's finally good reason to use those harder compounds as well!

 

Graphically, AMS 2 is perfectly on point, and the game is above all perfectly fluid and optimized. Certainly, GT7 does slightly better, AC Evo should do better too. I think Reiza has room for improvement graphically, they've recently improved the sparkles and shaders, and I have no doubt it will continue. I don't think Reiza will develop an in-house engine, like Kuno. No point switching to another existing engine, like Unreal Engine. AMS 2 can work like IRacing, with very long-term development.

 

GT7 is particularly impressive with the geometry and shaders of the cars, the details both inside and outside are truly remarkable. Polyphony Digital should be able to reuse these models in GT8 without any issues. The skyboxes, clouds, and lighting are also very well done, especially during replays with ray tracing activated. (Perhaps we'll see ray tracing during gameplay with the PC or PS5 Pro versions.)

Despite its age, I think the Madness Engine holds up very well, but it does lack a few features such as DLSS or global illumination. Still, AMS2 is one of the best-looking sim racing titles on the market, and it runs very well (except under rainy and night conditions). I'm very curious to see the improved graphics coming with version 1.6. I also hope Reiza can tweak the Madness Engine to improve certain functionalities like replays or multiplayer.

Regarding the partnership with Straight4, I wouldn’t be surprised if, in few (many?) years, AMS3 ends up running on the new Hadron engine developed by Ian Bell's team. Reiza could potentially be assisting in its development.

 

I agree. For example the Formula Trainer, a small formula car that is designed to react to your driving and to your overdriving. But currently it still feels "gooey", you dont really know where you are on the curve of grip. And that makes it actually harder.

Also I expect the sharpening of the grip curve to make the cars feel more distinctive. Which is what it happens in ACC where cars designed to be driven "on rails" like the F296 will feel like that and then the Porsche 991 and 992 clearly need more trail braking and gentle touch.

 

Hopefully at least 10 more years lol