[youtube]http://http://youtu.be/QAk12sptERI[/youtube]
Kunos Simulazioni, following a one month update hiatus, has released version 0.21 of Assetto Corsa. Don’t let the small version number jump fool you though, they have not been sitting back twiddling their thumbs. They have released a new car, as well as overhauling the online interface and AI systems.
The next car to be released for the sim is the Lotus 98T. This beast was powered by a turbocharged Renault Gordini EF15B that, despite only 1.5 liters of displacement, could produce over 1200bhp at 5bar of boost! Even though this car can generate more downforce than modern cars, it is sure to be a challenge, not only to race, but to even keep it on the track (Mad props to Senna for taming the beast)!
During the development of the 98T, the developers noticed that not only was it difficult for humans to keep the car on the track, but it was even challenging for the AI to get a grip of the car. Kunos also has been reworking the AI code, to not only improve behavior for the 98T, but also just make for a better experience driving all the cars. Note that the AI isn’t finalized, and more upgrades will be rolled out in future upgrades.
If racing against other people is more your speed, you’re in luck! The Multiplayer Alpha is likely the most improved portion of this update. First off, the netcode has been overhauled. No, wait, that’s not right. The netcode has been TOTALLY REWRITTEN. Seeing that many racers were fighting high ping, Kunos wanted to do a total rewrite of the code, to help ensure more stable connections. Conversely, the requirements for hosting sessions has now been slightly increased. They have released a common requirements list, showing what connection speed can hold how many racers:
Clients = Kilobytes /sec upstream
5 = 23KB/s
8 = 66KB/s
10 = 106KB/s
15 = 247KB/s
20 = 448KB/s
25 = 708KB/s
30 = 1026KB/s
They have also introduced a “pickup race system”, which allows you to join an online race without having to join a booking session. Booking will also remain, for leagues and organized events, but you can filter in the lobby specifically for sessions without booking requirements.
Graphics updates have started to be released as well. The most visible improvements right now will be in the post processing effects, such as depth of field, Bloom, FXAA, and more. A new setting in the graphics menu will allow you to select different “scenarios” as well. More graphics are planned for upcoming updates, but these are to help set the groundwork for the future.
Speaking of the future, Kunos has given us some ideas on what to expect, and boy, it’s looking pretty nice:
- More 3D modelers and programmers have been hired. These new hires have AAA title backgrounds, and have already been put to work by Kunos, to help add more quality content.
- On the content side, Marco Massarutto announced a few weeks ago that there are over FORTY car models that have been licensed, but haven’t been announced/released! It looks like we will have a lot more content in further builds.
- Progress on the migration to the FMOD sound engine is reportedly going well. A preview video, comparing FMOD to the current sound engine, will be coming soon.
- Spa Francorchamps has been almost completed, and will also be featured in preview videos and screenshots as we approach the track’s release in version 1.0 of Assetto Corsa.
- Last, but not least, we have a timeframe for the next major update for the Early Access title. Various hotfixes will be released to fix potential issues, but the next major content release will be August 29th, 2014. While that may not be as soon as we may want, with so much going on in the title, I think we can live with a longer wait.
You ready to strap into the Lotus 98T in this latest update? Let us know in the comments!
I was really enjoying Assetto Corsa, and I was doing so with my old GTX275 video card–you had to modify an ini file to allow DirectX 10 cards to work. It looked and ran really well. I know there were some very slight visible problems, but very few, and I had good FPS on optimized tracks.
Now it’s apparently over for now, until I can get a new video card for the gaming PC. I found and changed the setting for 2.1 (it’s now in a different file), but Assetto Corsa just locks up when I launch a race, or view a car–anything using the graphics engine.
I know, old, unsupported card. I’ll just have to go back to the other sims for now.
All things considered… the GTX275 is a ten year old graphics card. I see it as fairly remarkable you could get it to last this far.
That’s one of the things I also find awesome about PC hardware, if you treat it right, you can make it last a LONG time, and get pretty decent performance. I bet a PS2 couldn’t run these graphics 😉
Best of luck to you finding a new card in the future 🙂
I’m probably spending at least $1,000 on a card for my work system for 3D animations and video work (After Effects, etc.) and I can’t “game” on that system.
For this smaller system, that’s only running one 37″ flat screen, I may just get a GTX750Ti Superclocked 2GB GDDR5 PCIex16 2.9. My Microcenter has it on special now for $150. I could always move this card to another system, and upgrade again later.
I run the 650ti on my system, and it definitely gets the job done! I bet the 750ti would work just fine for you
I just upgraded from a GTX550 ti to a GTX780 3 gb card. I am going triples or the 550 would have been enough. Amazon has them for $50 used.
This new car is one of the best cars I have tried in sim racing and that is saying a lot. Have a little back and forth feedback thru the wheel, but it is fixable. Need to spend some time tuning the wheel to the game and setting the car up. I never drove the car in real life, but it feels a lot like I would hope it feels like. So much better than the GT6 version it is no comparison. Really a fine car. On the online, it sounds like they addressed all of my issues with the game. Now maybe people will start racing online more. It has been lonely for the most part.
Turning the down the “filte” setting reduces the severity and I turned down the wheel lock limit and it has reduced it. I have heard other people say that it is normal for a G27, but never had it like this before. Not showing in other cars or games. Maybe I can adjust the suspension and get rid of it.
I tightened the wheel lock in the Logitech Wheel Profiler down to around 90 degrees and took care of almost all of it. Have to say it did not make much of a change in actual wheel lock. I do not understand why they call the G27 a 900 degree wheel in this game. Default is 200.
These guys have done a stellar job.
Every time I see a KS car on track, I just have to watch the video.
The way the cars respond from the cockpit and in replays is spot on and very believable.
The chassis exhibit mass and there is none of the stupid shaking or overly aggressive roll characteristics I’ve seen in other games.
Somebody at KS really studied chassis moments.