ACC Version 1 Won't Have Competitive Multiplayer Events

Paul Jeffrey

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ACC Matchmaker.jpg

A recent clarification by Kunos confirms Assetto Corsa Competizione won't feature online organised racing as part of their matchmaking functionality.


Having taken on something of a life of its own since the online functionality of Assetto Corsa was first discussed post early access release, Kunos Simulazioni have taken to the official forums to offer some clarification on what the online aspect of the title will look like come full release this May 29th - and to clear up some misconceptions around the meaning of "matchmaking" within the game.

Now I'll be honest on this one.. I'm not sure why people clamour for organised scheduled multiplayer racing, similar to the type of events seen in such simulations as iRacing, so this clarification from Kunos isn't personally much of a big deal to me - but, I've had quite a few community members reach out to me over the last 48 hours in various states of confusion and distress, so I thought it good timing to put together a feature and give us a space to discuss this in more detail...

According to the posting from Kunos, which can be seen below, the online multiplayer aspect of the sim will be broadly similar to what it is today, but the developers fully intend to continue working on what is already a very, very solid implementation after the game comes out of early access.

So probably nobody has read any of this anyway, and moved directly to the quoted passage before, so I'll leave off here and let you read and comment away...

We see some occasional confusion and rumors around what 1.0 will change in the Multiplayer system, how to interpret the word "Matchmaking" and especially what role the Competition (CP) rating will play.

Let's go straight to the point: 1.0 will not introduce fundamental changes to the ACC Multiplayer. We used the Early Access phase to introduce, develop and tune the most sophisticated "Pickup Racing" Multiplayer system we could ever imagine, and so far we are very happy how the approach begins to work out. We could preserve most of the aspects of a quickly paced, accessible system that made Assetto Corsa "1" as popular - while improving the situation in the aspects where that way to organize Multiplayer action has issues. We managed to develop and integrate our Rating system without subscription model or a huge shift in pricing. Despite the significant rewrite (which is a confession for a long term strategy) of highly relevant game-play aspects between versions 0.5 and 0.6, especially the Safety Rating is in a very good shape, while the deep integration into the whole system is expected to be a vast improvement especially considering the possibility to find good and clean races.

Of course, Assetto Corsa Competizione is close to be released at the end of May, which is not the end of the road especially in terms of Multiplayer racing. We will listen to the feedback, we will analyze our data and of course - finally - also regularly participate in the Multiplayer races - so an ongoing process of finetuning and improvement is to be expected.


We know there are users that expected us magically switch the focus and go for a completely different way to organize Multiplayer, basically by copying the other title with high competitive ambitions (and a very different scale, focus group, the resulting price price model and so on). It appears that the word "Matchmaking" was mistaken to describe the whole system of scheduled races, instead of just being a tool in the toolbox of suggesting servers that both match your driving/safety abilities, and additionally take care of your preferences and friends. The matchmaking aspect in ACC acts in a quite subtle way, and changes the whole driver flow dynamics (in a non-intrusive way) to overcome known disadvantages of server lists, like we have seen in other titles and also in the AC1 Minorating system.

I do not say we are not looking into our own interpretation of a non-pickup, and more competitive Multiplayer addition. Still, this would have the character of distinct events and being an addition, not a complete move from the Multiplayer system we chose to go for. But for 1.0, we are happy to have both a very solid Multiplayer base, a good concept of a server selection and a well working Safety Rating system including a fairly usable integration. The biggest disadvantage may be that the mechanics are subtle, and it's not crystal clear where the system has its strong points. Also make sure you are aware of especially the SA Rating, and we expect the Multiplayer action to be at least as enjoyable as in AC1 with a Safety Rating plugin.

And of course the list of potential improvements is long, and without a doubt we will receive a lot feedback to become even better during the next days and weeks.


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then you shouldn't have a problem exercising that god given right and pass that info to Kunos.

But then, I also read this from Kunos site:
ADVANCED MULTIPLAYER FUNCTIONALITY

A well-structured ranking system will evaluate individual performance and driving behaviour to reward the most virtuous drivers and promote fair play in online competitions. **The matchmaking function makes sure that you can compete with opponents of similar skill level and easily find online races to join**, while the leaderboards will allow you to compare single-lap performance with virtual pilots from around the world with the same car, circuit and weather conditions.

It's more complicated than that, isn't it?
Apparently, a lot of people thought it would be a matchmaking service similar to ones already existing. Minolin on his post also acknowledged that a lot of people understood as a matchmaking system.
That's why I have been for so long asking what it was meant by it. You can't act all surprised when people took matchmaking as matchmaking.

In my opinion, all that was said on web site was/will be delivered. There is ranking system (and its a good one) that promotes fair play and rewards by allowing access to racing with others on higher level. The system gives you a list of choices of races to join and puts the events first that it thinks suits you best. And usually is correct, so we kinda have matchmaking. There is also special events that you can compare your pace against other drivers and gives you pace rating.

What is unfortunate is people were triggered so much that they did not get their precious single button racing, that they are not willing to see whats there and how it works. Reading some comments, people have not really even tried or put any effort to actually get their rankings up to see where it leads.

I have done over 700hr in ACC, and all I can say is that every evening there is some really good racing to be had, mostly by picking just the first server that the game suggests me. But its also nice that I have options, race with friends on the same server and have good time. I would not want it any other way.

So yes, maybe using matchmaking mislead some users to believe that they will get the something that is how the MP works on some other games.

ps. I have seen some comments about your YT video, but I have not seen it myself so this post has nothing to do with it.
 
What is unfortunate is people were triggered so much that they did not get their precious single button racing, that they are not willing to see whats there and how it works. Reading some comments, people have not really even tried or put any effort to actually get their rankings up to see where it leads.

Matchmaking in simracing is not "one button racing", nor having matchmaking would remove the server browser. It's completely different system altogether.
 
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Well, not much I can say about that besides thumbs up for your honesty, but I'd never fall for that kind of s**t. If people with money to spare do that, by all means, rock yourselves out and be happy, but you understood that not means it's a normal way of doing business.

And that's a step forward, the moment more customers understand the true value of their money in comparison to their reward (fun, money, services winkwink,...) is all up to the purchaser but a healthy price vs product relation should always be the baseline between the 2 parties. Cause one can't live without the other.

I think you may have missed what I was being honest about, because yes I was paying £5k / month in rake to the site, but I was winning much more than that, so I had a healthy net profit every month. It was a good couple years and then the action slowly dried up until it wasn't profitable anymore. Now I'm a software developer and loving it! :)

(And btw I am in complete agreement with your point about what a healthy business / customer relationshiop looks like and that IRacing doesn't fit that bill)
 
not having servers with auto track rotation is crap as well. forza has been doing it since forza 1 and so do many other racing titles. i would rather be able to stay in a server and do race after race at different tracks. not having track rotation for SOME servers is a bad move as well. what we end up with is 90% spa servers like what happened to AC. variety is the spice of life.
 
not having servers with auto track rotation is crap as well. forza has been doing it since forza 1 and so do many other racing titles. i would rather be able to stay in a server and do race after race at different tracks. not having track rotation for SOME servers is a bad move as well. what we end up with is 90% spa servers like what happened to AC. variety is the spice of life.

Can acc not rotate tracks?? I really thought they would have sorted that after the complaints over it in AC.
 
It may have Nothing to do with match making system, but I used to love the old good GPL rank at that time . I could race online or practise offline and see my progression , and the one of my buddies. Just had to export my laptimes. Easy.

I reallyhope we could have such info and graphics in thé player part when version 1.0 will be available
 
then you shouldn't have a problem exercising that god given right and pass that info to Kunos.

But then, I also read this from Kunos site:
ADVANCED MULTIPLAYER FUNCTIONALITY

A well-structured ranking system will evaluate individual performance and driving behaviour to reward the most virtuous drivers and promote fair play in online competitions. **The matchmaking function makes sure that you can compete with opponents of similar skill level and easily find online races to join**, while the leaderboards will allow you to compare single-lap performance with virtual pilots from around the world with the same car, circuit and weather conditions.

It's more complicated than that, isn't it?
Apparently, a lot of people thought it would be a matchmaking service similar to ones already existing. Minolin on his post also acknowledged that a lot of people understood as a matchmaking system.
That's why I have been for so long asking what it was meant by it. You can't act all surprised when people took matchmaking as matchmaking.

not that it matters but when reading the above text and knowing than Minolin was hired by Kunos i instantly assumed a minos tool official integration in the game.

If i didnt know the above mentioned info maybe i would be inclined to assume an iR type system.

To me though this got so much out of proportion but i can understand both sides if the fence.
 
I agree with RandomCallsign and GamerMuscle this just doesn't meet my own definition of matchmaking whatsoever. .
That us entirely your fault not the fault of Kunos. It says matchmaking and it has matchmaking.
Tldr from minolin: too expensive...
My question is surely you would work out those costs in your business model before you go to press promising matchmaking?
They promised matchmaking and are delivering it.
Matchmaking in simracing is not "one button racing", nor having matchmaking would remove the server browser. It's completely different system altogether.
Matchmaking is the same in simracing as it is in any other genre. It is your interpretation that is wrong and not what Kunos have delivered. You all took "matchmaking" to mean "woohoo Iracing killer with online organised races with a one off small fee".

This is all you guys own fault for being disappointed in Kunos not delivering something that you totally presumed they would based on your wrong interpretation of the word matchmaking. I get people want official leagues and races but you gotta really laugh at the sim community. Also lol at but "competizione" in the title means "woohoo Iracing killer with online organised races with a one off small fee". Haha. Blancpain is the "competizione".

Having said that. Maybe Kunos can look into how codemasters organised leagues through racenet on for Dirt Rally.
 
Matchmaking is the same in simracing as it is in any other genre. It is your interpretation that is wrong and not what Kunos have delivered. You all took "matchmaking" to mean "woohoo Iracing killer with online organised races with a one off small fee".
Can you give me an example of matchmaking that, either in simracing or the gaming world at large that is even remotely near to what Kunos is delivering?

That iracing killer is interesting, but iracing isn't "one button racing", nor SRS, not GTSport.

This is all you guys own fault for being disappointed in Kunos not delivering something that you totally presumed they would based on your wrong interpretation of the word matchmaking.
Hell, this is you get it wrong. I didn't presume it. It was always my position that what Kunos had in mind needed to be explained in what they considered to be matchmaking, as there are various formats of match making and a server browser isn't one.

EDIT:
This was when I talked about release 6. The timestamp gets you past me praising hugely the game and it's improvements.
Context. Matters.

Here's the thing in marketing. When you accuse a fair number of people of misunderstanding open-worded statements and vague language, you have already lost.
 
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Lol that escaleted quickly, even before 1.0

Kunos just can't admit that they have failed what they wanted to achieve, nothing new.

Ranking[edit]
Many matchmaking systems feature a ranking system that attempts to match players of roughly equal ability together.[2] One such example of this is Xbox Live's TrueSkill system.

Games with ranking will usually offer unranked sessions for players who do not want their performance to be recorded and analysed. These are kept separate so that ranked and unranked players do not mix.


Here in this Video you can see one part that says "Competition". This is clearly missleading Information and Kunos hasn't even got to balls to apologize.
 
Well, for me this makes te game a big no. When the game entered early access I was on a long hiatus from sim racing and as such I missed the get it for cheap bit. Afterwards I decided to wait because I could see no advantage of getting early access version and I am usually against buying games in early access because the shitty general practices of the gaming industry.

This game for me was always a tough but to crack. I have nothing against GT3 cars and I am sure this game's GT3 cars are the best GT3 cars in sim racing with rFactor 2 offering a similar level of detail and fidelity... maybe. However, that is very limiting as a sim in my opinion as usually I race anything from 60s GTs to LMP1s with a particular love for GTE and LMP2. So this game seemed like an obvious miss except for the matchmaking. Matchmaking could make this game a really interesting option and given me a reason to buy it but, with a glorified server browser, I will stick to SRS and other titles that provide me with more choice in terms of racing and who cover GT3 well enough. Because to be perfectly honest, why should I spend money on something that provides the experience I already have (pcars2 and soon enough rFactor2) without anything extra? Maybe I only have 95 to 98% of the experience but that is honestly enough since i already have the other titles and they offer me other options this game simply won't (classic F1, group C, GET etc). So without proper matchmaking I am out.

With this post I just really want to stress the fact that matchmaking is not a small feature and it did make me stop considering this game. I also disapprove the way Kunos dealt with the issue. We are not children. I would understand if you came out and said "we intended to add this feature but we reached the conclusion it is too costly to implement for bow so it may be added in the future" instead of the "No, you misunderstood what matchmaking means and we only ever had this in mind" which sounds weak and a like a lie.

So yeah, sad to see Kunos engage in AAA industry practices and hope some proper matchmaking will find its way to the game.
 
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