Automobilista 2 V1.4.1.0 Released - Now Updated to V1.4.1.3

I'd rather they didn't. ACC does GT3 really well. AMS2 will never do GT3 as well. Maybe the driving is more interesting but in terms of rules, regulations, and seasons it won't.

AMS2 can do so many other series really well, or time periods, or lesser known circuits.

I really don't understand why every sim has to be a race to become GT3 only.

 

Because that's what the players choose when creating and joining lobbies. It can't be ignored by any developer because of this but it doesn't mean it will be their main focus.

We all have our niches and it's nice that AMS2 and other titles let us enjoy them...though you might be limited to leages in another time zone if you stray too far from the popular content lol.

 

I'm waiting for the Vanderbilt Cup content. That will fill up multiplayer. Where else would you be able to race a Mercer Runabout at Santa Monica Race Course before the Great War? The servers would be loaded.

Then we can all complain about the guys driving the Fiat S76s because they're running a 1,730 cubic inch monster.

 

Does the default AI actually have different personalities? I've tried racing them again after a while, and they are about the same as they've ever been: every single one of them behaves the very same way in every single corner.

To the point of after 2 or 3 laps you learn their pattern... turns me down. Feels like I'm fighting a Mega Man boss or something, but without the fun part.

 

The AI boots differ in performance and probability to make mistakes, that IMHO is good enough and convinces. I don't believe that there is any simulator that goes that far, as giving special skills to individual boots or anything like that.

I don't know either if there is any change in the strategic skill of each boot, but this is something already done in the genre (Dirt to Daytona... again I'm quoting this game and nobody seems to have played it) and would be nice to have (if already don't) in AMS2.

Personally, I'm having some good time with the AI... as good as can expect and can't say another sim with a better one (maybe iRacing... but there we have a "cost/value" discussion). Overall, the boots are very well aware about you, it tries some believable moves and do some good handload of mistakes... as far as the "strategic skills" I can only ask that Reiza keep doing some good calibration over this AI (as mentioned in my last post about wet racing with the McLaren F1 LM).

 

ok

 

GT3 is fine, and I'd cry if we didn't have the AMS2 GT3 Porsche.

But ACC pretty much has GT3 wrapped up, even though I like the GT3 Porsche in AMS2 better.

So if Reiza wants full servers in multiplayer, they should go for series that aren't already covered elsewhere.

Maybe some historic content such as 1972 Can Am and Trans Am? Historic Formula Ford and Formula Vee?

Or modern F2? BTCC? Corner a popular, exclusive series that no one else covers well and the servers will fill up.

I don't really know what's covered out there as I don't play multiplayer. Maybe the multiplayer folks could suggest series that need to be covered.

 

AMS2 has great variety and great racing but what it lacks for MP are admin commands and a solid net code. (It's got a lot better with 1.4.xx)
The public lobbies don't suffer too much as most of them have arcade-style set up for quick races with fixed sets, no fuel use or damage etc.. These are a lot of fun for your casual mp drivers however no admin commands make it tuff for league play where we like to use full realism settings to have a week of practice for say 90 min endurance style racing, as well as the 30-45 min sprints like we do at SRO.
ACC, AC & rF2 do a good job with their servers being admin friendly as well as AMS1 did useing rf1's code.

Simple things like the ability to advance or restart the sessions would go a long way for league play.
And one thing that really needs to go away is the lock-out timer at the end of sessions. It's way worse in PC2 as its the last 2+ min of the session, at least Reiza devs reduced this to the last 30 seconds but still if for whatever reason you get dropped or hit the wrong button or whatever and its the qual session you can't get back in and your week of practice was all for not .. cant restart to allow your members to rejoin like in the other sim's..

There is an API for the ded but we have had mixed results with it & besides being able to edit the "next session" which we don't really need as the servers are already set up with the events, it only allows you to advance or restart the server but that only works sometimes, for me anyway it worked one time in testing but failed in the league race forcing us to all exit & reset the server so I could get us to Q at the advertised time .

IDK if there's anything Reiza can do with the way the madness MP net code is set up, it's peer-to-peer with no admin commands at all.. Just like PC2 .. I feel it would take a total rewrite to get it to where league admins could have confidence with it .. LFM was looking into adding AMS2 but these very reasons are what forced them to abandon the idea & they went with rF2 for their 2nd sim instead ..
That said, we still press on because the racing is "that good" with AMS2. We just had round 1 of our GT3 fall series and it went pretty good

 

Adding more obscure series/cars will not increase MP numbers. How many people are going to race 70s Can Am cars in an open lobby? And the only racing series that are truly popular in any meaningful sense of the word are GT3 and F1. Oval racing could have helped but the rolling starts are just broken in MP which totally kills any momentum it could have otherwise had.

Rewrite the dedicated server to something usable and fix the rolling starts and more people will play MP.

 

Less formulas and more tourings!
At least...I had more fun with those in MP....

 

Completely agree would love to see modern touring cars in the SIM.

 

What is the point, if AMS2 MP players like to set their lobbies with the most arcade settings they can fill in? Every class get watered down to the same thing.

 

This is why I think the focus on multilayer should be centrally organised races like iracing and LFM.

These systems tie you in for a few weeks with accumulating points and ratings. Make multiple series use a variety of cars and circuits running different race lengths.

 

BTCC with Thruxton, Croft & Knockhill to round off the calendar would be the dream for me. Quite well represented for UK tracks already though in fairness.

 

There's a fair amount of interest in historical content, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that.

Modern BTCC, or something akin would do it. Or F2. DTM maybe? And if Reiza should get the Indy Car license, that will probably be very popular.

The thing to aim for is a complete series, regardless if it's modern or historical. There are too many sims with two cars and three tracks from a series, with no way to actually fill in the rest.

Aim for complete series, whatever they may be, and aim for the most reliable, streamlined, sensibly arranged multiplayer interface and net code, and Reiza could rule league racing.

 

DTM licence is still with RaceRoom afaik, but only for the more recent ones (after 2000).

I personally think it is better to expand on the series we already have that only have 1-3 cars than to add new series.

 

That would be the easiest route. There are a few things that need more class competitors.

 

Agreed. DTM could certainly benefit from the other cars of that series.

The 1960 and 1970 GT classes could also benefit from more cars too.

 

GT Classics really could use more cars!

 

Comparing AMS2 to ACC is just insulting to Reiza in my opinion; like eating the starter of a 7 course tasting menu and then comparing it to a fish and chip shop.

You mean the 13 cars that exist within the ACC base game feel more polished than the 4 of 136 cars (base) that Reiza made for that series? Shocking.

If you love your online competitions, good for you, I hope you continue to enjoy it and perhaps it will get added later, but AMS2 is already better than ACC in many ways, like optimisation, VR, the FFB or being able to set up a server to play with your friends (super advanced feature I know). Being able to see how your lap times stack up against others in time trials is another, though I suppose it is a lot to ask to add a cutting edge feature like that(!)

I hope AMS2 never tries to 'compete' against ACC. I have over 500 hours in AMS2 and it took a concerted effort to get 26 in ACC because it is barely a game for anyone who has hobbies other than sim racing; I don't have 3 hours for an event, why shouldn't I be able to play the game I paid for, with the people I choose to, how we would like to.

My question to those putting AMS2 against ACC would be how did a large company like Kunos still fail with optimisation, FFB, times trials, server creation and server settings despite only having to devlop less than 20 cars and a handful of tracks?

I'm not trying to change your mind on ACC but put it up against my beloved AMS2 and I'm getting involved!