AMS Updated, Hockenheim and Formula Ultimate Released

Paul Jeffrey · May 27, 2017

Automobilista has today received a sizable update and the new Formula Ultimate race car, plus Reiza Studios have made available the third 'Legendary Tracks' DLC - Hockenheim.

Included as part of the build 1.40 release comes the brand new 2017 specification 1000hp open wheel formula car designed by Reiza Studios. Mirroring a modern day Grand Prix racing car, the new Formula Ultimate shoots it's way to the top of the performance pile in Automobilista as the quickest open wheel racer within the game, joining various other Reiza designed formula cars from a multitude of eras from the sport. Rather generously of Reiza, the Formula Extreme has been added to the game as part of the new build update and attracts no additional cost.

Legendary Tracks DLC 3 - Hockenheim

Recreating the legendary Hockenheimring from four different decades, this new DLC brings detailed versions of the track as used for the 1977, 1988, 2001 and 2016 seasons. With long powerful straight blasts through the German forests digitally recreated for this DLC, Hockenheim should prove to be a perfect playground for some of the historic machinery already in the game.

Furthermore the new DLC comes with the modern National, Short A and Short B variants of the track plus an upcoming Rallycross layout that should be added to the game in due course.

The Hockenheim Legendary Tracks DLC can be purchased from the Steam store page for £5.99 or free for Season Pass or Beta Backer owners.

With both the Formula Ultimate and new Hockenheim DLC pack fans would be forgiven for thinking that would be enough for this month, however alongside these two new pieces of content comes a considerable update change log as the simulation moves to public version 1.40. With many fixes and improvements deployed throughout the software several areas immediately stand out as major causes for excitement amongst fans of the title.

At long last a custom championship season tool has been developed for the simulation, now allowing players to create their own offline championships and choosing cars, tracks and rule combinations set to their own specifications. This opportunity has existed in various forms previously, either via file editing or third party mods, however the new official implementation should go a long way towards extending the playing time of the game for racers who wish to have a fleshed out offline racing experience.

Other highlights include several revisions to the game AI and new 2017 layout alterations to Interlagos, Montreal, Kansai, Spielberg & Hockenheim that now feature updated tyre compound rules & DRS zones.

Build 1.40 Change Log

CONTENT

Added Hockenheimring (1977, 1988, 2001 and 2016, along with extra modern layouts - the Rallycross layout will be added shortly) (AVAILABLE ONLY FOR HOCKENHEIM OR SEASON PASS OWNERS)
Added F-Ultimate series

FEATURES

Added Custom Season Tool (available as a launch option on Steam) *

GENERAL

Fixed bug with AA setting not saving in AMS Config
Downscaled series icons in main menu series selection by 20% & changed layout from 3 x 7 to 3 x 8;
Added new Main Menu ordering parameter to SRS files & re-ordered positions for F-Ultimate & Lancer Cup Series
Various minor UI fixes & adjustments
Adjusted orientation rate in all cockpit cameras to better absorb track oscillations vs the horizon
Updated all helmet shaders to be same as the one used for car paint
Fixed bug in roadnoise replay saving (fixing potential CTD)
Added new driver model & new customized suits & gloves to all vehicles
Added configuration option to all vehicles for visible driver arms in cockpit view **
Fixed bug with radio spotter announcing final lap one lap ahead of time in timed races
Fixed error in fog logic which could cause fog to appear in cockpit
Added function to discard next lap in Time Trial mode if track limits are abused in the preceding lap
Fixed bug that could cause FFB to be lost if instant replay command was hit during a multiplayer event
Globally increased lowest LOD from 500 meters to 600m

AUDIO

All audio files resampled to 44.1kHz (decreasing files size / cpu / memory usage)
increased max simultaneous sounds from 32 to 64
polished loops and pops in several audio files
Introduced advanced audio filters for external cameras
Added cockpit muffling for closed cockpit cars
Opponents volume setting is no longer effective for trackside cameras (all cars same volume)
Enhanced replay of surface sounds (roadnoise, dirt, curbs)
Added new options to Audio menu for master volume, trackside volume, Audio PostFX levels & button to restore default audio settings
Minor adjustments to audio samples on Ultima Race, F-V12, F-Trainer
Reset volume multipliers on all cameras to address volume inconsistencies

AI

Added function to stop AI from refuelling during pitstops in all series where that is forbidden - only series that allow AI to refuel now are StockV8, SuperV8, F-V12, F-V10, Metalmoro, Boxer Cup & All Cars / Tracks; for custom long distance events with any of the other series where AI would need to refuel, user should run All Cars / Tracks; likewise for proper AI race strategy with non-refuelling series running close to their default full distance, user should use the respective series instead of All Cars / Tracks
Added function for AI to partially lift off the throttle when receiving a blue flag - their cooperation is now a function of "Courtesy" value in driver RCD files, and thus will vary from driver to driver and from series to series; they will generally be equally cooperative in practice / quali, in races they will be more cooperative in high profile series compared to smaller / historical ones
Added function for AI to coast to the pits after checkered flag (rather than racing on at full speed)
Added function for AI to slightly lift during in and out laps in practice / quali
Added function for AI to lift back to the pits when car has substantial aerodynamic damage
Added function to prevent AI from lurching to the side on starts & generally improved their composure through the first corner
Adjusted AI awareness to get them to hesitate less when trying to overtake another car in a straight (very minor adjustment for now to avoid side effects)
Revised AI tire wear functions & added custom pit thresholds for every tire compound in every car to minimise issues with AI needlessly stopping for tires
Added AI function to stop them from pitting for tires in last 10 minutes of a race - even if they cross their tire wear threshold they will soldier on for the remaining distance rather than doing a costly late-race pitstop
Customized AI throttle functions at race start to a realistic behavior for each series
Changed AI reaction time to green lights so it´s no longer instantaneous but within a more human range of 0.1s-1.0s
Added new TireManagement & AIStartSkill to driver RCD files - the lower the first value, the more the AI will wear its tires; the lower the 2nd value the more chance AI driver will bog down at the start
Globally upscaled Composure, Aggression, Crash & MinimumRacingSkill in driver talent files
Doubled max AI to AI collision rate from 40 to 80 (needs setting from PLR file)
Adjusted base Safety Car speeds for various series to more compatible levels
Added a randomization function to Opponent filter gizmo when running a multiclass event with a specific class count (where before it would just load the same cars for each class in team order)
Added config overrides to search correct driver talent folders (fixing bug with drivers present in multiple series occasionally loading the wrong file and misperforming as a result) ***
Upscaled AI aggression ranges (max setting is now double what it was before, with lower settings adjusted to suit)
Various AI physics adjustments to improve their racing ability and line adherence
Generally increased AI reaction to front tire slip
Adjusted AI brake performance for all cars
Adjusted AI fuel strategy so they don´t pit on the very first lap it gets on low fuel range
Updated AI performance ranges for several tracks
Adjusted AI spring / damper multipliers on stiffer cars to further reduce AI jittering over sawtooth curbs

PHYSICS

Revised tire wear functions for several cars
Revised fuel consumption & estimates for several cars
Globally raised undertray friction to minimise advantages of unrealistically low setups in some cars
Adjusted default setups for low downforce configs in Formula cars
Reduced default suspension packer settings in several cars
Added speed limiter to MCR2000, Ultima GTR Race
Adjusted engine wear / reliability ranges on soem cars

CONTENT UPDATES & FIXES

Added new 2017 GP layouts to Interlagos, Montreal, Kansai, Spielberg & Hockenheim featuring updated tire compound rules & DRS zones
Roughened up flat curbs at Taruma, Londrina
Spielberg: Fixed fuel use range causing excessive fuel consumption for player & AI
Oulton: Adjusted AI line through chicane so AI don´t clip high curb
Brasilia: Fixed cars going into the pits in rolling starts
StockV8: Corrected max opponents; Corrected & added missing talent files: fixed LCD laptime info
Montana: Fixed max opponents
F-V12: Adjusted ride height ranges, increased rake in default setup
Mini: Fixed auto-shifting bug; minor adjustment to external sound loops
Boxer Cup: Updated rear brake light; Updated cockpit materials & textures; added configuration option to install / remove rear view camera display
Karts: Updated skin alphas to suit latest car shader
F-Vee: Adjusted AI performance
ARC Camaro: Fixed reflection bug in cockpit gauges
F-Vintage: Adjusted longitudinal CoF for front tires; tweaked AI performance
F-Extreme: Completely revised drivetrain physics including new ERS throttle map; revised default setup; Updated V6 Hybrid engine sounds
F-V10: Adjusted TC sound
F3: Reduced aero loss in draft
SuperV8: Fixed pit timings to realistic values

* The Custom Season Tool should be fairly intuitive to use - run the tool, select a series you wish to create a custom championship for, customize the calendar from all available track layouts, set up the scoring system (including option for separate points for multiple heat results, pole position, laps led), some basic rules and then save when you´re satisfied - your custom championship will then be listed in Championship mode for the series it was based on, and you can further customize it with the usual championship options in-game (opponent cars, opponent strength, race distance, number of heats, quali, tire / wear multipliers etc).

** Since arms are added as objects rather than 3D animation, they´re not articulated nor do they have gear shifting animations; for the same reason steering wheel rotation animation is limited to 90º in each direction when driver arms are installed; in some cars, driver arms configuration is merged with seat position and / or cockpit type; Most cars have visible driver arms from external view irrespective of whether cockpit configuration is used or not - exception being vehicles where this solution was not considered to look acceptable - specifically karts and Formula Truck do not feature driver arms.

*** In case of series with drivers featuring in multiple categories (ex Barrichello who is a driver in V10, StockV8, Kart) in order to get the series-correct team / driver performance, tire wear and start skill, user is advised to select the specific series rather than All Cars / Tracks.

GENERAL NOTES:

If you have an online race tonight, you may stick to or revert to the previous v1.3.7 by selecting that branch from the Steam Beta tab. Further instructions as to how to do that here.

If you have a bug to report please use the new bug report thread (make sure to check the opening post first).

If you experience any issues running the game following the update, it´s worth running a Steam Integrity Check to make sure all files have been added / updated correctly.

For further difficulties related to installing, running or setting up the game, please refer to USER MANUAL present as a launch option from Steam If you need further assistance please post it inV1.0 troubleshooting topic or email support@reizastudios.com (please allow for up to 1 business day for a reply).

Automobilista is a PC exclusive racing simulation from Reiza Studios, available to purchase from Steam.

Don't forget to check out the Automobilista sub forum here at RaceDepartment to keep abreast of the latest news and discussions with regards to the simulation. We have a massive mod database where you can check out and download a selection of cars, tracks, skins, apps and other such third party content, plus of course we host some incredible club racing events on a regular weekly basis. If you want to become involved in the action yourself, check out the Automobilista Racing Clubs and Leagues sub forum and sign yourself up to a race today!

Have you tried the new update? What do you think of the Formula Ultimate? Let us know in the comments section below!

ttleon · May 27, 2017

....someone's going to say it sooner or later... but will VR support ever come? Has there been any news on 'Reiza 2017' ? Would this be a direct port of Automobilista?

Either way, I've been a huge fan of AMS since its beta days, IMO, most enjoyable sim on triples (that I'm still keeping ONLY for AMS).

Steve Bird · May 28, 2017

Kurupt CDN said:
They have done an excellent job with this title no doubt.....remind you how this isint the sim weve all been waiting for?
Old engine, dx9, no weather, no 3d track side animations, no online ranking system, decent ai and sound, no modern licensed gts its a juiced up rfactor with empty servers during north american evenings .....the sim i am waiting for is reiza 17 and all its new features and goodies

Old engine yes, but it looks far better than rF1

No animations trackside.......However, I see flag waving in AMS..

No online ranking system? Are you comparing this to iRacing? If so I don't have to buy cars an tracks and then be held to ransom to access that content via a subscription.

AI? What AI do you reckon is the best? Mine is Rfactor 2 but at least this is better than AC.

Empty servers? Join a league or join RD's club racing evenings.........simple?

I'm not sure where you were going with your arguments but feel that your negative comments are a bit picky. When you compare this against RRE at least you get night time racing and free mods and tracks coupled with outstanding physics.

David Ignjatovic · May 28, 2017

Cart Extreme at Old Hockenheim is killer.
Awesome job with the track as well.

Kurupt CDN · May 28, 2017

Steve Bird said:
Old engine yes, but it looks far better than rF1

No animations trackside.......However, I see flag waving in AMS..

No online ranking system? Are you comparing this to iRacing? If so I don't have to buy cars an tracks and then be held to ransom to access that content via a subscription.

AI? What AI do you reckon is the best? Mine is Rfactor 2 but at least this is better than AC.

Empty servers? Join a league or join RD's club racing evenings.........simple?

I'm not sure where you were going with your arguments but feel that your negative comments are a bit picky. When you compare this against RRE at least you get night time racing and free mods and tracks coupled with outstanding physics.

I replied to his question of "is this the sim we have all been waiting for" wasnt negative/arguing in any way or comparing to other titles just pointing whats missing to make it the sim I'VE been waiting for

I look forward to reiza 17 and i hope all the things ive mentioned make it into the new title.

I race in many clubs here on a daily basis. I also live in western canada -8 hrs gmt and there are no leagues asides from one or two brasilian clubs that run ams on a daily basis during the evenings here.
As of 8pm mt theres less than 50 people in mp 23 of them are in one room.....so like i said its pretty dead in the evenings here. Honestly asides from iracing which iam not a current member its a similar story in all the sims during north american prime time. I am just lucky enough to work evenings so i do most my racing during the day when its euro peak time.

Animations - 3d marshalls or moving people track side= Raceroom, iracing, pcars and rf2 i find a few moving objects brings life to the track and really adds to the overall immersion.

Ranking system - Raceroom has been running a program in the background gathering driver info for over a yr now and is in beta, iracing, ac a 3rd party app available and pcars 2 will have some sort of ranking.....hell grid autosport has some bare min. ranking system

AI - never said it was bad or anyone was the best, all the sims have there strengths and weaknesses....ams ai weakness is they are hesitant to pass on straights when they get a run on you and they always run in a train on the outside when braking in corners which allows you to pass half a dozen cars at once on the inside.

Regarding mods I appreciate the work but dont care for them as I prefer buying quality licensed content over them so i can jump in and play without worrying about mismatches, updated version etc.
Out of all the tire models I like AMS the best, but the FFB, sounds, visuals and licensed content (TT Cup, ADAC, DTM, WTCC all my favorite rl series) of Raceroom currently has my attention...is it the best and complete sim.....nope but neither is any other titles.
One thing ive learnt in 20+ yrs of racing is support the devs that deserve it, dont listen to the opinions of fanboys and most importantly race what makes you happy.....its a video game

M D Gourley · May 28, 2017

Paul Jeffrey said:
Have you tried the new update? What do you think of the Formula Ultimate?

Yes, Reiza's Automobilista just keeps getting better...I like the addition of the 'Arms' on Steering Wheel, it's a good start.....F Ultimate is faaaaast...lol...just enjoying AMS as an awesome Sim, really

Andy_J · May 28, 2017

I normally only have skin mods that add liveries, like my favourite Marcas nascar livery mod and my Formula 88 livery mods. Any idea how to get these working again chaps?

Terry Rock · May 28, 2017

I can't say it enough... Reiza has really, really impressed me with the work on this title.
To take that engine to this level is nothing short of miraculous.
I took that new formula car out for two laps at the Nurburgring yesterday, and was completely 'blown away'.
The feel of the car...the look of the cars and tracks... heck!...even the replays look like they were captured from television.
There is currently no other sim on the market, which captures so many things so well.
It may be missing a few minor optimizations, but overall...you can't beat it.
Looking out the cockpit, they've completely captured what it actually looks like as you sit in a single seater. It uncanny how well they've got that down.
This little title is the 'Force India' of sims.
It runs smoother than anything else...including the original RF1...despite massive additions you'd think would increase processor workload.
It's just a great addition.

Large Style · May 28, 2017

Is it just me, or does anyone else get a bit miffed when AMS is updated and it wipes FFB settings in the RealFeelPlugin.ini?

Every time the game is patched I have to spend a while in Notepad++ to restore my settings - Reiza, can you improve this please? Aside from this, thanks for your quality work

kkdrummer · May 28, 2017

AI is still crappy...driving a F1 in any tracks with long straights, I purposely get the cars stuck on 5th gear and car right behind mine will brake and stay behind me.....it defeats the purpose of a customisable championship mode for me...I haven't bought any DLC and plan not to until the ai is improved. I guess if you play online it is worth buying DLC though.

peppepino · May 28, 2017

anyone is planning some f1 2017 skins? it would be really amazing

MarkR · May 28, 2017

Another AI update so soon after the recent AC improvements so I thought I'd run a similar test of the AI overtaking through traffic. This is an unrealistic mixed grid of cars just to see how the AI gets on overtaking on the fairly narrow and short Brands Hatch Indy track. I ran the same sort of test in AC so this made an interesting comparison. Both videos are at 100% AI and maximum AI aggression.

AMS AI overtaking

AC AI overtaking

Here are my thoughts on the two games. I enjoy both games and I bought AMS recently because AC previously offered little in the way of single player racing and championships etc, now the games are much closer in that respect.

In AMS the AI makes contact with the other AI cars more often but the contact doesn't seem to make much difference to the other cars, it doesn't spin them off. The AC AI seems capable of cleaner racing most of the time.

If the AI cars spin in AMS they are able to recover and carry on. In AC if the AI cars spin they seem to retire to the pits and rarely continue the race.

The AMS AI are good at overtaking in the corners but often hesitate when overtaking on straights when there seems to be enough of a gap to go through. It looks like it is a deliberate choice to avoid accidents.

The Blue Flag rules in AMS work well when the fast cars are lapping the pack, the AI cars obey the blue flag and get out of the way. AC would really benefit from more realistic rules. In AC lapped cars often hold up the leading cars for quite a while.

In races with identical cars AMS still seems to be a train of cars with little, if any overtaking. AC has a more realistic field spread and battles that go on throughout the pack.

At the start of races when the cars are in a pack the AMS AI behaviour looks a little more realistic when the AI cars are searching for space. The AC AI weave around a little more which sometimes looks a bit strange although the result is they do find space and overtake so it does actually work which is the main thing.

The updates to both games are great and they both offer a good racing experience for me. At the moment I just slightly prefer AC for short races/medium length races. AMS is still much better for longer races because of the racing rules and the ability of the AI to use realistic pit strategies.

Mircea Rad · May 28, 2017

ttleon said:
....someone's going to say it sooner or later... but will VR support ever come? Has there been any news on 'Reiza 2017' ? Would this be a direct port of Automobilista?

Either way, I've been a huge fan of AMS since its beta days, IMO, most enjoyable sim on triples (that I'm still keeping ONLY for AMS).

There will be no VR support for AMS, this has been confirmed some time ago.

holihon2012 · May 28, 2017

After updated again and again, I've found the AI is more and more like bulldozer. Usually, if I'm in front of an AI before the corner, and I brake earlier than the way AI does, in most cases I would be bulldozed away and the AI just keep going, happily, like I'd never existed ever.

Stelios · May 28, 2017

Mircea Rad said:
There will be no VR support for AMS, this has been confirmed some time ago.

Can you provide a link? Please?

paracletus · May 28, 2017

Car is great. Hock historic too.
wtf acceleration

Fanapryde · May 28, 2017

Andy Jackson said:
I normally only have skin mods that add liveries, like my favourite Marcas nascar livery mod and my Formula 88 livery mods. Any idea how to get these working again chaps?

I have no clue either, but all of the mods I have are working fine except for the BTCC mod, where I get an error window saying:
gMotor2 error
Error loading mesh file UNKNOWN_TOKEN_ARMSA to memory.
When I click that away, the track loads but I find myself in a completely white TEST car with skinny black tires, no interior, no windows. I can drive it though. It's the same with all cars/skins of this mod...
Somebody knows a solution ?

Andy_J · May 28, 2017

Got a couple of my skin mod packages working a treat.

I'm happy now.

M D Gourley · May 29, 2017

Fanapryde said:
I have no clue either, but all of the mods I have are working fine except for the BTCC mod, where I get an error window saying:
gMotor2 error
Error loading mesh file UNKNOWN_TOKEN_ARMSA to memory.
When I click that away, the track loads but I find myself in a completely white TEST car with skinny black tires, no interior, no windows. I can drive it though. It's the same with all cars/skins of this mod...
Somebody knows a solution ?

Unfortunately I have no solution...but I get the same/similar error and it is with the stock content....I have no mods installed.