Automobilista 2 V1.3.1.1 & Racin´ USA Pt2 RELEASED - Now updated to V1.3.2.0

Left mirror of Reynard 98i Honda points right to the ground.

 

It's not that bad... even in an average resolution VR HMD I can easily spot the corner marker cones to know where the next apex is. It's only tightness of Turn 1 and the shortness of the run from T6 to T7 that catches me off guard sometimes. Good fun. The variable width of the track made it unique and keeps it very interesting.

 

It is not only Glen's, the FUSA AI needs work. And the AI for all classes need to learn when to give up their position. They try to pass when there is no space and make their on the straights like in real life. At the moment they don't use their slipstream to overtake the player.

 

One of the YouTubers was complaining about the AI and I laughed because my MP experience was exactly the same at Watkins Glen, so they are maybe a little too real currently.

With some more work, the AI will be better than real people. Kidding aside, once you get past the carnage, the experience of closely racing another person cleanly is incredible.

 

Congrats to Reiza for releasing another great DLC! I just come fresh from my own testing session of the new content and here's what I found so far:

First off, I did to the F-USA Cars what I usually do to all new cars: That is, putting them through their paces at Brands Hatch GP.

For what it's worth I did try them in the order they show up in the selection screen, so it was the Lola, then the Reynards, then the Swift.

Lola Ford: I have do admit, I was a little underwhelmed at first, and this is a general impression of the F-USA Gen 2 class. I expected the cars to feel more 'raw' and 'brutal' and squirm a little more under power or heavy braking. The Lola as well as the Swift seem to suffer from understeer compared to the Reynards, and it feels as if they are second to them in all other regards as well. That's not so say they're not fun, but I assume they need some setup adjustments in order to get the most fun (and best lap times) out of them. I haven't checked their setup yet, but the gears seem too long, especially compared to the Reynards.

Reynard Ford: My first impression was a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, this car was also not the beast I expected. But on the other hand, it feels so much lighter and more nimble than the Lola. The phrase that actually came to mind was "this car was made to win championships".
If I use the Lola as baseline, the Reynard Ford allowed me to improve my previous lap time on Brands Hatch GP by more than two seconds - easily.

Reynard Honda: My oh my, now this is a blast to drive! Even faster than the Ford it seems (thanks to the most powerful engine in the field, I presume) and it also feels even more settled than the Ford-powered version of the same chassis. Overall my favorite, I'd say. Could easily shave another second off my time in the Reynard Ford. (Which makes it three seconds faster than the Lola!)
Similar to the Reynard Ford, this one is not only fast on the straights but eats high-speed corners for breakfast as well!

Reynard Mercedes: Out of the bunch this somehow feels the fastest, even though it isn't. Handling is probably the most precise, and putting the power down just 'feels' right. If anything, I'd argue it feels so well-balanced it's almost a little boring compared to the others. Well, not boring, but slightly less exciting. Still a total blast to drive.
My pace in this car was somewhere between the Ford and Honda Reynards, though probably a little closer to the faster Honda.

Reynard Toyota: Reminds me of the Ford version. Seems to have a similar overall pace as well. Not bad, just not hugely exciting. Also has the lowest power output, I think?

Swift Ford: Feels very similar to the Lola, if not worse. Well, I use the term "worse" to describe the large amounts of understeer I got with it - it's not a bad car per se, just one I can not seem to push as hard as I want to using the default setup. Pace is similar to the Lola, maybe a little quicker but probably not as consistent.


Now please take all that I said above with a spoonful of salt; these are merely my own subjective observations, and also limited to one track only.

Afterwards I also took the Reynard Honda to both The Glen and the new Cleveland track.

And what can I say? Watkins Glen is just so effin' beautiful! The flow is amazing, and the F-USA Gen 2 and this track are a match made in heaven. Or the USA. Same thing in this case, maybe?
Either way, I love the slightly banked corners and the verticality of the track. And this might sound weird, but I can't wait to get my hands on a totally-not-NASCAR vehicle... As I can't help but recall how much fun it is to drive this track in NR2003.

The biggest surprise, however, is Cleveland. I had hoped this track would provide more fun than I usually get out of airport circuits (Mendig I'm looking at you!), and hot damn it's great! It does take a while to be fast on this track, no doubt about it (and I can not nearly claim to be confident on this track yet), but it doesn't take too long until you sense the way the track flows. I never expected a track like this to have such a beautiful flow. Even though it's bumpy and often unsettles the formula cars, it feels surprisingly good. Not hard at all to see the appeal of this track!


Yup, that's about it for today. My verdict? Even missing something like half the content right now, the Racin' USA Part 2 DLC is a great piece of content for a fantastic sim that's only going to get better and better. And I really look forward to taking the F-USA Gen 1s and 3s to Road America! Such a beautiful track!

That being said, I would not be surprised if there will be at least one or two more relatively major revisions to the F-Gen 2s and and their handling and/or default setups. Maybe their tire treads as well. So I don't know if I will get this DLC right away once the purchase option unlocks or wait a few more weeks. Might depend on my finances this month (and yes, my budget is that tight). There is no question, however, if I will buy it - because that's already decided in case it wasn't obvious.

 

I set up a quick race, 12 laps vs 1 AI at 70% and just followed him round like an instructor. The slower pace helped me to pick out braking points and learn the track, which is thankfully a very simple layout. After that I was at least competent to go out and practice on my own.
It's an interesting track, feels like an airfield track day.

 

just for a better parking backwards

 

Hi, greate update.
But are there still known issues with performance and force feedback.?
I'm racing in VR and I am experiencing complete dropouts of force feedback on a regular basis, possible happing at the same time as small studering occurs (not quite sure). (I tried using all the 3 different force feedback config, default, default+ and custom)

The problem seemed to be occuring less frequent (possiblh, as frequeny of dropouts vary a lot) after I enabled Motion reprojection in "OpenXR developer Tool", but should that be necessary? Also is there a perament fix?

I'm using a VRS Direct Force Pro wheelbase, I do not have similar issue in other sims.
This force feedback dropout issue, first appeared with version 1.3.0.0 , and not changed after upgrading to 1.3.1.0 (unless I enable motion reprojection)

 

IRL, they only do rolling starts. Hence why even modern IndyCars have really long first gears. The only time they have to launch the car from a stop is in the pits and there's a speed limit there.

What doesn't make sense to me is the top of 5th being at 195-197 mph (320+kph). On an oval that would make sense, but not for road course spec.

 

Not only Honda

 

I hope so, because to race in VR it is useless. Same on others F-USA cars.

 

One day we'll get adjustable mirrors in VR (and hopefully in 2D too if we are lucky)

 

Just the Reynards, no?

 

Will we get pace cars and pace car lap added as part of USA pt3? Will that start option be added to all tracks?

 

its really great to have the indycars, a shame we could not have the official liveries from that season...

 

Penske + 2/3 more US road tracks than originally planned...?

 

The two cars I tested had the same mirror pointing to the ground, can't remember the other... maybe Ford. Anyway, it's something that the team can easily check.

 

Near this topic.. It's not a new content but would be nice to check Porsche Group C model position. When playing in VR it feels like this car should have a centered seat but player model is placed in the right side of the car. It's a very strange position because you can hardly look at the left mirror and driver's model legs are pointing to the center of the car.... I would bet that something is wrong there. It's a shame because it is a car that I would love to race but feels very uncomfortable in VR.

 

Once you get your bearings around the track start looking really far ahead to spot the corner apexes and exit curbs. That will make it so much more easier