Automobilista - Final 2017 Development Update

Discussion in 'Automobilista - News & Announcements' started by Renato Simioni, Dec 21, 2017.

  1. Renato Simioni

    Renato Simioni Administrator Staff Member

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    Greetings everyone :)

    Here we are then for the final dev update of the year, just in time for what is to be the final major update to Automobilista.

    We´ll begin with the not so-great news - those of you who have been following these dev updates will be aware we still have one final car pack DLC to announce. Our plan had been to deliver a holiday surprise but unfortunately we haven´t quite managed to put everything together in time, so this is going to be our early 2018 treat instead. In the meantime we´ll have to keep the suspense on for a little longer...

    While we´ve missed out on delivering that particular Christmas present, we do have a lot of exciting stuff packed in and almost ready to go in what is to be the last major AMS update - one which we hope will keep you warm over the holiday season :) Here are some of the highlights of what´s coming up with V1.5 and beyond:

    Official Multiplayer Ranking System
    ^1CFE36BB2F6E4E85FB6BE709B792312CB2CE91777282FAF5D3^pimgpsh_fullsize_distr.jpg

    @Alex Sawczuk and @Dave Stephenson have put together a cool new feature for multiplayer racing - v1.5 will introduce "Race Rank" which is our first steps in creating an online ranking system. Drivers will be able to earn points by racing on our official servers in Qualifying and Race sessions to improve their rank. The scoring will be weighted by the quality and quantity of the opposition as well as the length of the race, as well as the users recent participation. The driver and server ranking values will be visible in-game, with full in-depth details to be found at www.VirtualXperience.net.

    The new system will go in open Beta stage with v1.5 initially only with Reiza official servers, with the possibility of being expanded to other open & active servers as it develops. A more detailed breakdown of the system mechanics will be shared in time for v1.5 release.

    Limited tire sets

    As commented in the previous dev update, v1.5 will add a new realism dimension as users will get the option to limit the number of tire sets available for single & multiplayer races, which will then accumulate wear as they´re used throughout the race weekend. Drivers will then be able to switch back & forth between used and new tire sets (rather than just infinitely reset tires to a brand new set every time he goes back to the pit menu, although this will also remain an option).

    Updated UI design

    @Alex Sawczuk has done a little further freshening up to AMS presentation in v1.5 with a few UI design revisions, most noticeably being the session monitor UI, now following the overall UI design, with a beefed up timing screen and background nicely filled up by the ongoing track action:
    IMG_20122017_122824_0.jpg

    Buskerud - new kart track

    @ilka has put together a beautiful-looking surprise Christmas present in the shape of Buskerud KartKurs. This fictional venue is set in a bucolic Norwegian region amidst pine trees, wind turbines, lakes and rocky hills. The two layouts are as close to a roller coaster ride one is likely to get without rails :)

    Some previews:
    AMS_Buskerud1.jpg

    AMS_Buskerud2.jpg
    AMS_Buskerud3.jpg AMS_Buskerud4.jpg

    Mendig Full Course
    AMS_Mendig4.jpg
    @ilka and @Alex Sawczuk have also managed to find some time to put together a new layout for Mendig - a respectable 11km course which roams through and around country roads, hills, village and the airport.

    Super Formula Dirt
    AMS_S_FDirt1.jpg
    The F-Dirt is getting a new big brother variant in the shape of the Super F-Dirt - an AWD Turbo, more powerful and higher grip version of the F-Dirt currently in the sim for some extra power drifting fun.

    Drift Series
    E1.jpg

    On the topic of drifting.. Recently we´d been debating within the team about a fun project to wrap v1.5 with and unwind a bit. @Niels Heusinkveld had been playing with Drift physics for a while so that got things kick started, which in turn got @Domagoj Lovric (who had fancied doing some new V6 turbo sounds) going.. Along came @Sandro Kholodkevich to pimp up a few existing cars with optionals and soon we had something shaping up for some serious dorifto action :) So much so in fact that we´ve elected to add a Drift series as a new bonus content to Automobilista.

    The series will feature a few of the existing models customized for drifting. We also plan to add some custom Drift courses and scoring system. This however won´t be quite ready in time for v1.5 so will be included in one of the post-release patches sometime in january.

    Automobilista Holiday Bundle
    hol707x232.jpg
    Steam Holiday sale starts today and we´ve got a killer offer for those that may still be on the fence about AMS - the Automobilista Holiday Bundle is going to include AMS along with all DLCs released so far - this is a limited-time opportunity to pick the whole package up not only at its best but also at its best price :)

    Individual packages are also on sale with discounts as big as 90% so if you´re missing anything in your collection do make sure to check the sale out :)

    Automobilista Beyond v1.5

    While core development of AMS ends with v1.5, the new Drift project and the upcoming DLC means there is still some exciting things to come to AMS in 2018 - Since v1.5 is another major update with substantial new features it´s also very likely we´ll do some fine tuning and deploy a couple of smallish hotfixes early on next year.

    By and large though AMS is going to be hitting its definitive and peak form in the coming days. Although we´ll continue to support it with new content & official competitions in 2018, by next year our development focus will be fully on an exciting new challenge, about which we hope to be sharing more news soon.

    In the meantime we´d like to thank everyone who one way or another contributed to AMS development - the terrific feedback we have been able to gather here, in the RaceDepartment forum and other AMS communities has has been invaluable and your enthusiasm for the sim a source of great motivation for all of us.

    In the name of the whole Reiza team I wish you all a happy holiday season - we look forward to catching you for some online action over the break :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2017
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  2. Rob Nelson

    Rob Nelson Member AMS2 Club Member

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    AMS, and what's to follow, is probably the best money I've ever invested in PC gaming. Great Dev update.
     
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  3. traind

    traind Active Member AMS2 Club Member

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    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of the Reiza team!
     
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  4. Eduardo Mennocchi

    Eduardo Mennocchi Racecar driver wannabe AMS2 Club Member

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    Ranking system and limited tire sets seems amazing! Looking forward to that!:hurrayreiza:
     
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  5. Scraper

    Scraper Well-Known Member AMS2 Club Member

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    Another exciting update packed with treats! Buskerud is superb - I thought it was based on a real track - and I've been whizzing around it with a smile on my face.

    Well done to all the Reiza crew for their unstinting efforts this year. Please put your feet up and have a proper rest. Merry Christmas. :):hurrayreiza:
     
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  6. Paul Spencer

    Paul Spencer New Member AMS2 Club Member

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    You guys are so "on the ball" with everything you're doing! loving it!!
    The Ranking system is fantastic, something well needed!
    Loving the new Kart track, it's awesome fun, UI's looking great, The dirt stuff sounds brilliant fun!
    Thank you guys for putting so much love into this sim! Have a great Christmas!
     
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  7. FeltHat

    FeltHat Active Member AMS2 Club Member

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    Alright gentlemen, this is it. :rolleyes:
     
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  8. Daniel Escudero

    Daniel Escudero Onlysimracing.com staff & microyoutuber.

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    -Ranking system and new content! WOW!
    -Yeah It is greatful that after final v.1.5, they still will make some other things for ams1!, thanks a lot!.
    -Please Reiza keep on the good work you had made with AMS for the future project and we will be there! Thank you for listening to us and solving our simracing needs!
    -Several ones say that Heineken is possibly the best beer, so we could say that Reiza is the best simracing company, thanks for all the work!!

    Happy christmas reiza, it seems that we will have some presents with 1.5 and beyond! :p
     
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  9. Syonne Cortie

    Syonne Cortie New Member

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    In 2018, how about making rally content?
     
  10. hex

    hex Damage, Inc. AMS2 Club Member

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    Same to you, guys, it's been hell of a journey :) Thank you!
     
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  11. Paul Garrett

    Paul Garrett Member AMS2 Club Member

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    To Everyone at Reiza Studios,
    I don't think I have the words to properly express what an incredible job everyone has done here. Thinking back to that day when Renato announced the potential changes to GSE and followed that by giving us a chance to give our opinion as to which path to take, I knew then that this studio, and the people in it, were special.
    Since the birth of Automobilista, you all have continued to blow me away with improvements and new content. Again, letting us give our opinions, and listening - Really Listening - to our input. Though I haven't been a major contributor to the process, I have kept up to date with many of the issues on the forum. In that time, I have come to feel like a part of the Reiza family.
    What you have here should be the model of how all studios develop their games/sims - a shining example of an extremely well done job, done right.
    Thank you so much, from the very the bottom of my heart. I wish you all the best and hope you are able to take some time over Christmas and New Year's to enjoy yourselves and your friends and families (I imagine they haven't seen enough of you in the last year or so) ;-)
    Take care and be well,

    Paul
     
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  12. alexSchmurtz

    alexSchmurtz Active Member AMS2 Club Member

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    Thank you, amazing new content! You're doing this with your heart, it really shows up, and it is great to follow you!
    Happy holiday season to all the Reiza team, I hope you'll take some well deserved days off this time! :)
     
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  13. PieroX

    PieroX Member AMS2 Club Member

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    I wasn't there till the beginning but since I bought the game, I was never disappointed by the team.
    They really improved the game with each update and continue to announce new content and (unexpected) features, even when we think they reached the "end" of development (v1.5).
    I'm really looking forward what the future project will be.
    Bravo Reiza !
     
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  14. jose46lopez

    jose46lopez Active Member

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    Thank you!
     
  15. ZoltanSz

    ZoltanSz Member AMS2 Club Member

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    Heh. This dev update put rfactor 2 back to the bench. LoL
    I thought that's it AMS is done with 1.5 and lo and behold new unannounced contents after 1.5 and official multiplayer ranking system.
     
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  16. Ami_M3

    Ami_M3 Member

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    To hell with you guys.
    I've just spent some vRP on R3E and can't even find the time to play it because AMS takes almost all my free time. Now you're making the best sim currently available even better. How can I go on?

    On a more serious note. Thank you! I've been very late to the game and my only regret is that I didn't get AMS sooner (and that I've spent money with Sector3Studios and I don't even play their game :p). Thanks for the hard work and listening to the community. Your commitment to making the most of the ISI engine is admirable. Can't wait to see what the future brings with the team Reiza.
    Happy holidays!
     
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  17. bobbie424242

    bobbie424242 Well-Known Member AMS2 Club Member

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    Thank you for supporting the game as well as you did this year, with regular updates. A model in the genre, for sure. AMS is such a work of love, and it shows!
     
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  18. Aaron Green

    Aaron Green Well-Known Member AMS2 Club Member

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    So when you said,

    "Although we´ll continue to support it with new content & official competitions in 2018, by next year our development focus will be fully on an exciting new challenge"

    Is this the part where you tell us your moving in a new direction and that AMS 2 is going to be a FPS? That should make some people happy
     
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  19. FS7

    FS7 controller filters off please AMS2 Club Member

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    I'm sure there will be people asking if we can fly that plane in the pic in game.
     
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  20. Paradiz

    Paradiz RFRO Member AMS2 Club Member

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    Some goo news, thank you !
     

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