What do you think is the most significant reason AMS2 userbase is so small?

@InfernalVortex

Well, development of such ambitious title as AMS can only be iterative and ever rolling, especially given the size of the team. Even if Reiza had the size and budget of Polyphony Digital, there would still be bugs and people would still not 100% be happy. Sure, some stuff would be be polished to absurd levels.

One could argue that Reiza is too ambitious with that much content resulting in almost infinite combinations of track/car/weather/rules/AI, making thorough testing impossible. If Reiza wanted to pull an ACC with only 2 car categories to polish indefinitely, they could have, but it's not what they do.

Content is released when it is deemed 'good enough' to be enjoyable (maybe with caveats), and to be further polished. This might slightly change with the new public betas, to add that extra test and polish before public non-beta release. Reiza does not sit on content for months, to reach that hypothetical polish perfection that is a pipe dream anyway. And there has been the long process of learning the Madness Engine, physics in particular, which I believe they are starting to really reap the benefits only since a few months.
The way AMS2 is developed is probably what works best for the team, given all the constraints.


Ultimately, the sole fact that a sim like AMS2 exists is a miracle and an anomaly. So let's enjoy what we have (which does not prevent constructive criticism).
In case of doubt, instead of agonizing over the 5% that does not work, think of the 95% that does, and that instead there could be nothing.
Finally, simracers should temper their wild expectations of perfection to more reasonable levels.

 

Yeah I dont even really disagree with you about any of it. But it doesnt change the foundational reason the userbase is so small. You have to have a reputation for quality content to really get a movement of people from other sims, especially coming from a known quantity like Project Cars 2 which is generally known for being really inconsistent in terms of quality and quirky at the best of times.

The way I see it now, AMS2 basically competes with rF2 and Raceroom for users. And rF2 still doesnt have a very big userbase, it just has a lot of respect and goodwill/trust from simracers. When they release something you generally know its going to have great physics and it'll be polished. AMS2 isnt going to peel people away from Assetto Corsa, iRacing, or Assetto Corsa Competizione very easily, and those are by far the biggest games in the area.

Honestly, they probably know this and that's probably why they approach their releases the way they do and keep their staff so small. It's probably smart, and like you said, the best way for them to operate. But it's going to probably mean they'll always be a niche market. Which is probably fine, and may be all they really wanted.

I also think the 5 percent that doesnt work is usually pretty serious issues. The ones I mentioned I think are all game breaking by themselves. Like I still cant believe the game still has the foggy mirrors problem when racing online.

 

For me it's lack of multiplayer polish and options and multiplayer bugs. For any game to have replayability it needs to have a strong online multiplayer presence which has largely been ignored, IMHO.

 

He is talking about Formula Retro Gen3 MP4/1C. The inside of the front left tire is spinning in reverse.

 

I searched for a dedicated Steamcharts thread (I'm pretty sure there is one), but this was the most recent and relevant thread to post in. Player count stats for the last week, from steamcharts.com:

7-day peak:

1. 989 - Project CARS 2
2. 920 - Automobilista 2
3. 919 - RaceRoom Racing Experience
4. 905 - rFactor 2

Worst daily peak last 7 days:

1. 844 - rFactor 2
2. 806 - RaceRoom Racing Experience
3. 689 - Project CARS 2
4. 555 - Automobilista 2

7-day minimum:

1. 226 - Project CARS 2
2. 162 - rFactor 2
3. 134 - RaceRoom Racing Experience
4. 109 - Automobilista 2

All-time high:

1. 6726 - Project CARS 2
2. 2600 - RaceRoom Racing Experience
3. 1758 - rFactor 2
4. 976 - Automobilista 2

Sources:
Automobilista 2
Project CARS 2
RaceRoom Racing Experience
rFactor 2

 

So things are looking up then

 

What counts is not a meta player count, but the hard facts in our games multiplayer tab:

 

Okay, I have to pull back a little bit of my words. The latest cars feel much more realistic than older one's. Those cars where you hear the tire sounds when you drive on straight line behaves strangely, but newest cars have a clear improvement. I guess it's an old PC2 tire model which makes cars so bad. Looks like this game is going in the right direction.

 

When they reworked the ICM it probably allowed for ERS control to be added.

Makes me wonder what will come from custom helmets and driver suits? If that somehow resulted in the removal of the skin slot limitations it would be pretty huge for the sim.

That paired with import/export for custom championships would be incredible. The community would run with it and create some truly incredible content like they already do (skins, AI generator, etc.).

 

I'm local league (Colombia) AMS2 racing is currently unknown... Actually we're trying to have our first rfactor2 race.
In order of preference in the league:
F1 in console/pc
AC
Iracing/gt3
ACC/gt3

What does it needed to more people joining?,

• First of all racing series and rules not present in other sims like oval racing (still waiting for it)
• Local venues (impossible in AMS2 with no mod support)
• Local series (tc2000) or more cars like the vw Polo (street cars)
• Scheduled competitions, a way to have a predictable race. It could enfoce safety rating to keep race clean and trolls out.
• More exposure in social media via influencers or tournaments (local and international)
• Console port to reach more people.
• Regarding Tournaments, those can be coordinated with Leagues, or create a channel where a league can contact Reiza to have a champinship tailor to it needs.

 

I think AMS2 is going to gain popularity as VR getting main stream for being cheaper and more immersive than screens. After trying out VR racing, I can never go back to flat screen, they basically feel like two completely different games. AMS2 out of the box provides the best VR sim racing experience by far! I cannot get high frame rate and graphics in kartkraft or F1 2022 no matter how I change various in/out game settings; I can get ok-ish frame rate and graphics with a lot of tweaking in AC; but AMS2 is way better on frame rate and graphics, moreover I haven't even touched the VR graphics settings here. My PC has RTX2060s and i5 9400F.

 

IMO the season pass hinders the growth. I purchased it and I think it's incredible value for money, but all the "go to" sim racing tracks are paid DLC.

What i would like to see is at the end of the year Reiza do a GOTY edition and include the base game and season pass together for the price of the base game. throw in some exclusive liveries and or cars for people who purchased the season pass previously.

 

Why would Reiza want to undercut those users who have supported them through the season pass and give away for free their work? I can see a logic in selling the old season pass discounted in bundle with the game, but for free it seems more like telling everyone not to buy the next season pass.

 

I didn't like this when PCARS did that, I wouldn't like it now, especially because you could argue that the game is still in a constant beta status, so there's really been no time except for maybe the last weeks where owning these tracks was really worthwhile in the grand scheme of things.

Also, these DLCs are worth the asking price (except maybe currently the Spa one, but we'll get there). Whoever is convinced by the merits of the main game - and there's enough to convince people, especially now - will be ready to support Reiza a little.

I think there's going to be quite a nice increase in userbase as of 1.4, but let's wait and see.

 

I'm not saying to undercut those who supported them from the early days of AMS2. but you can't deny that having to spend well over $100 to have all the content that AMS2 has to offer is a very big asking price.

If you want to compare, look at PC2. it has the same well-known tracks that AMS2 has and offers a lot more in content but costs half as much. and even though PC2 is vastly inferior in almost every measurable way. If i was looking for a new title to race on and saw that AMS2 and PC2 use the same engine, but PC2 has more value right now. i know what i would go for.

I say all this as someone who absolutely loves what AMS2 offers. it's my go to sim and I'm excited for what's to come. I just want more people to see what a fantastic title it is