AMS2 Modding Support Feedback

I don't know if it is already possible, but probably not. I would love to use mods over our Dedicated Server for our Events. Other than hat I would like to see Custom Sounds and most things that already got posted above.

 

It is possible actually, at least from what I saw on the thunderflash discord

 

Automatic installation of content when used in MP. If steam workshop were used as a system for sharing content then if a user does not have the required content it either automatically installs it upon server join or tells the user "You need X and Y mod to join this server. Download them from Steam Workshop now?"

As others have said version checking of the game and mod content to ensure everyone is using same version.

 

We need documentation. Modding in the madness is like black magic that just three or four entities (people/teams) have figured out how to perform. An analogous to "your first car in Assetto Corsa" would be nice...

 

Or simply not avoiding to join the server and enabling some description text area so the admins can share links and descriptions, like in assetto corsa (simple and effective)

 

Doblepost

 

Things that would make modding easier:

1. 3dsmax + Blender plugin to export objects as mebs, mtx and vhf would be really helpful.
2. cockpit.bin generating tool would be nice
3. Sample physics files with entries in text format
3. binarizer for physics files and for .cgp, .cdv, .cdp (accompanied by sample text-format source files)
4. a dedicated staff member who could answer questions about physics settings impact on handling.
5. for tracks: this would have to be a comprehensive suite as we have nothing now. So, a plugin for Blender/3Ds Max for mebs, mtx, sgb64, ai-waypoint generation, etc. I guess this is reaching, but you guys asked.
6. better telemetry mode, or a kind of a dev mode that would allow us to see generated downforce, drag, etc.

I think these things would largely help to eliminate the need to hex-edit files.

 

Yes, modders mainly use a 3dsmax plugin or zmodeler to export mebs and it has issues.
I would suggest to Reiza provide a 3dsmax/Blender importer/exporter to allow better manipulation of the 3D mesh.
The actual ams2 modding pipeline is awful.
Mesh manipulation is hell, glow planes, and so on don't work well when exporting in some situations.
A lot of guesswork was made by these guys in the past for it to be acceptably modifiable.
Zmodeler fails to export mtx files, it has some issues when processing animations and rigging, so after exporting mesh, there's a lot of renaming and copy-pasting things...
There's a lot to assemble.

 

Having access to all physics parameters is a must, as well as having some sort of documentation of them.

People already covered the rest in previous posts.

 

I've been doing some research on this front...

The creation of a mod car has 2 things that will stop the modded version from being a cheats best option to cheat...

1... If the names and pointers are left unchanged, say for the Formula V12, any changes in the mod folders are ignored for what the base game has... it's the same if you use a replacement line for a texture, if it's the same as the base game it will pick up what is in the base game files first... Making it a lot harder to cheat the game this way...

2... If 1 person on the server doesn't have the mod car the game will crash for those with the modded car... I'm not sure if it crashes for the rest of the server as well... So if the names and pointers are changed your game crashes...

Now this doesn't stop the documentation of the physics being used to cheat by hacking the base game files, but as the guy that did the radar showed, that's an issue across multiple titles still... And the info on physics that you would want to change to cheat is already out there such as lift/downforce and engine power...

I completely agree about checks and the need for mismatches to kick the player in the entire system... Both for base game and for modding...

 

I would like to see an option to use mods on a dedicated server with the "controlgamesetup=true" setting, so leagues can run races with mods on platforms as JustRace for example.

There should also be a game/mod version mismatch error in place, even now with people running the RC and regular build can all connect to the same server/lobby, which can give some people an unfair advantage.

 

My two cents on this - some of which will echo good/sensible suggestions already made above, with a few extras re: what I will refer to as 'light' modding, for want of a better term, such as skinning and custom AI files. That may be outside the intended scope of the OP, but it's all part of the broader modding experience equation as I see it. I appreciate much of this may be optimistic, but I am optimistic.

For users:
- Make installing/managing mods as easy as possible, e.g.:
- Remove the need to rely on bootfiles
- Append driveline/vehiclelist/tracklist entries automatically
- Ideally some sort of GUI drag & drop interface. As soon as you need to edit text files or specify paths you start losing people.

For modders:
- Remove the need to hexedit to modify physics parameters as much as possible.
- Provide some/any basic documentation to minimise the trial and error approach that has been required up to this point, and hopefully open up some areas of potential that have not been figured out/accessible so far.
- Some sort of integration with a free 3D tool (i.e. Blender) for prepping meb, mtx, vhf, etc. ZModeler3 is a good/useful tool, but is somewhat dated and not free.
- Anything that would help accommodate/facilitate scratch track modding

For Skins/Custom AI creators:
- Include separate attributes to scale team/car performance in custom AI xml files. If this was possible at xml level if would provide accessible tools to those not inclined to get into full car/series mods, and would help a lot with recreating historical seasons or BOPing in general. It would also mean relative car performance would not need to be factored into the driver skill attributes, which is a compromise. Being able to fully separate car and driver attributes would make it much easier to switch AI drivers between teams and series, which could be useful in the context of a future career mode. If car/team attributes were in a separate xml from the drivers, it could have some car performance modifiers, the existing vehicle_reliability attribute and maybe things like team/crew competence, which could influence pit stop speed and errors.
- An ability to skin wheels (beyond the alternative base liveries, where available) and tires via xml overrides.
- An ability to specify track-specific overrides for all skins (cars/helmets/tires/suits). Obviously, in many series teams run different liveries at different races, and helmets (or drivers) can change from track to track too. An obvious example being Michael Schumacher racing for Jordan at Spa in 1991. We can swap in his name and AI attributes automatically, but we can't swap in his helmet or his Tic-Tac-sponsored livery without doing it manually outside the game for that one race. It would be nice to join all these dots and be able to give a user a fully-immersive season.
- An ability to skin tracks - i.e. swap out the advertising boards, maybe on a per-series basis.
- A standard GUI car preview image creation function (e.g. via a button in the showroom).
- An ability to create and share custom seasons and pre-configured race weekends (e.g. via xml), to compliment the various historical mods available with the relevant schedules of tracks, dates and times, session details, series rules, etc.
- An ability to have more than one set of livery overrides and AI file per series, and be able to toggle between them in-game (for example to switch between 1998 and 1997 season packs for F-USA Gen 2)
- Well laid out, warp-free helmet skin templates to replace the few particularly tricky ones
- Blender viewers with separate visor elements for all helmet types
- Driver suit templates with two arms (not one arm that gets mirrored)

That's probably more than two cents' worth...

 

The ability to separate skin from low df variant of a car, in some cars like the 962 a custom livery on the low df variant will look quite out of place

 

All your post was gold, but that part I believe would make a huge difference and would give all the custom skins an extra layer of immersion. I think it could also help with the pack racing that affects the game right now, because every car would have a difference in performance, at least in the Formula classes.

 

I've tried to do this on a mod car... The livery override system doesn't like having a separate option for both right now...

The files within the cars (both mod and stock), such as the rcf allow the different liveries to be auto-selected the same as the different models...

 

Project cars 3 has an in game livery editor, makes you wonder if AMS2 could get one as well.

 

What everyone else has said

and 3D template files for skinning

 

3d template for modded cars or vanilla cars?

i believe is up to the modders to provide those, and the vanilla cars are already available

 

It'll be very unlikely to see either... As providing them to the public gives away the model to be used as a port in another game by anyone...

The templates we have from Reiza are 2D templates...

 

Ah my bad, i didn't noticed the 3D part lol and thanks for the extra information from the modder side of stuff.