Automobilista - Early 2017 Development Update

[Paul Jeffrey]

Reiza Studios issue first development blog update of 2017, preview new 2017 fictional open wheel car, Adelaide, a Camaro and plenty more besides...

With 2017 sneaking midway into it's second month things have been relatively quiet on the Reiza Studios front, with little official communication from the developers as to what lays in store for Automobilista in this it's final year of development prior to attention focusing on the new, as yet untitled next game.

As if the developers somehow knew fans were getting restless at the period of silence, Renato Simioni has tonight come straight out of the blocks all guns blazing and revealed a rather impressive update roadmap, detailing some very exciting (and occasionally surprising) new content due to be released for the game.

Happily the development roadmap is more than just a bit of good news for fans to enjoy whilst awaiting the fruits of the studios labour, it appears that Reiza are targeting a new update launch before the close of February, with version 1.3.0 waiting in the wings to bring players some pretty nice updates to the core game. As can be read below, some of the more noticeable improvements due to come in version 1.3 will be a visual dust build up on the racing surface (simulated in game already, but currently lacking a visual representation), audio improvements and improved physics of the Boxer Cup race car.

You can read the full development blog post below:

Hello everyone - happy to be back with our first Development Update of 2017!

We hope you all had a good time over the holidays - on our side I´m happy to say the whole team enjoyed some much needed rest over the holiday season, but we have been hard at work and firing on all cylinder again since early january. As usual it´s my pleasure to share with you some of the results, info and previews of the work we´ve been doing since then.

Automobilista going up to version 1.5
We´re approaching the final stretch of Automobilista development, with only a few more months now planned until AMS reaches its definitive state, at which point we´ll switch focus 100% to the future.

The pace of development however is not slowing down - quite the contrary in fact. There are a number of nice improvements, big and small which we´ve been laying down the foundation for and will be pushing to deliver over these remaining months. Such is the extent of these developments, that the full sum of them is going to add up to what we´re calling Automobilista v1.5

We´ll be pushing to provide a full overview of these developments along with confirmation of remaining DLCs by our next development update. For now, here´s the stuff in the immediate horizon.

Upcoming V1.3.0 Release
Our next major milestone is v1.3.0 which we´re pushing to release before the end of this month, packing a lot of good stuff. Here´s a breakdown of the most substantial improvements:

On the audio front, having decided he wasn´t happy being just an ace audio engineer, Domagoj Lovric began exploring the codebase for possible short-term improvements to add some extra depth to the audio experience in AMS. One of these improvements will be the implementation of reverb audio, the initial version of which will already be present in v1.3.0, with much more to come.

Alex Sawczuk has also somehow managed to find a window in his fairly hectic track production schedule to squeeze some fresh shader improvements and adding support for visible & dynamic track dust. Although the effects of which already present in AMS along with offline marbles, there wasn´t yet a visible dust layer over the track surface. This has now been implemented.

Here is a comparison from v1.3.0 in various track states and also one from the current v1.2.1:

The difference looks subtle on screenshots but it adds some noticeable extra depth and life to the track surface while driving in-game. Some of the tracks have already been updated to use these developments so Season Pass owners will be able to check them out in the upcoming beta release expected for tomorrow morning, with most of the other tracks expected to be updated as we progress.

Several car physics have also received some updates for v1.30 as both Niels Heusinkveld and myself continue to chase for improvements. One car in particular has received special attention as Niels has given the Boxer Cup physics a complete overhaul, with revised aerodynamics, chassis, and the addition of helper springs to the suspension, which substantially improves handling over curbs. The initial version of these revised physics is also coming up with the next Beta update.

One major new feature previously confirmed in our end of the year Dev Update was the Custom Season Tool - unfortunately it´s looking unlikely we´ll manage to complete the full feature in time for v1.3.0, but a number of associated new options & features should hopefully already be in, such as the option to enable a mid-race full course yellow as per the rules in the Formula Truck series, and ability to customize the number of opponent cars from each class in a multiclass event.

You may check a complete list of all the additions, improvements & fixes since the last v1.2.1 release up to the latest Beta in the changelog attatched.

We also have a new car coming up in the next release with the frisky Aussie Racing Car Camaro - further good news is that unlike originally predicted, this will be released as a free car to the base game and not as a DLC.

Here´s a preview of the 3D model which Sandro Kholodkevich is exporting to the game as we speak:

Work on physics and audio has also been going on in parallell - count on this little motorcycle engine-powered bugger to be a big bucket of fun to drive

Legendary Tracks Pt2 - ADELAIDE

V1.30 will also see the release of part 2 of our "Legendary Tracks" DLC series - the famous Adelaide street circuit is coming up in two versions: the longer historical layout of 1988 which hosted the Australian GP from 1985 to 1995, the new modern version along with its Supertruck variant.

Below you can check some WIP previews of this great track:

I mentioned in the previous update how demanding street tracks are for the track team, with all the buildings and surroundings which have to be modelled in minute detail as you can see here:

The more advanced modern version should be hitting AMS Beta tomorrow, with the historical version is not far behind and expected to be available in the Beta at some point next week:

Both versions are extremely fun, flowing drives which will serve well pretty much any car in Automobilista, while also providing plenty of opportunity for close racing. We´ve been enjoying some great battles during our internal tests as can be seen in this short video showing a couple of laps of myself hunting down Alex Sawczuk with F-Retros around the modern track:

Virtual Xperience developments

Dave Stephenson has also been hard at work developing our Virtual Xperience portal, and we´ve got a substantial update coming up along with the release of AMS v1.3.0.

Users will be able to login into VX using their Steam Account - this opens up opportunities to give a more personalised experience in the various areas of VX. In the first instance the settings page accessible from the top naviagation bar provides the much requested ability to override your display name and country flag, overriding the settings collected from Steam.

From this customizable user profile, other users will be able to check out your leaderboard results. Expect this profile to be beefed up with some more interesting info in the future

The new Community section will also be available in the next update, providing a one-stop-shop to find communities and leagues serving users of Automobilista and other Reiza titles based on regions served, languages used or days they host races. The league finder in this section will also provide a similar service for leagues so users may find leagues that based on race days, event frequency, or your favourite series.

Community leaders and league admin are invited to submit their information to the directory following the instructions in this topic - every league admin who submits a valid entry will be gifted 2 promo Steam keys for AMS to be given away for his participants.

With these and some other substantial improvements coming up, VX will soon be playing a bigger role in fulfilling the experience with AMS, including hosting some prize awarding competitions. Watch this space!


Last but not least...

But we´ll expand more on this and other interesting topics in our next dev update towards the end of march


So once again it looks like a very impressive list of improvements coming our way from the little Brazilian development team. With Adelaide and build 1.3.0 due before the end of February we have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks.


Automobilista is a racing simulation game from Reiza Studios. Available exclusively on Windows PC with additional DLC packages available at a further cost.

Here at RaceDepartment we have our very own dedicated sub forum for Automobilista. In our sub forum you will find a wide selection of downloadable content to discover, from some of the best add on tracks to a selection of interesting vehicles, our downloads section is a positive treasure trove of additional content for AMS. If that isn't enough, we also pride ourselves on hosting some of the most exciting and intense multiplayer racing events for the game. If you like AMS and want to take your enjoyment to the next level, head over to the Racing Club and Leagues section of our Automobilista sub forum and find out what we have on offer. Of course we love our community here at RD and to help spread the love we cover all the latest news regarding the sim, and offer you a place to share your opinions and discussion topics regarding all Reiza titles. Head on over to the AMS sub forum and join in the discussion today!

Have you enjoyed the first development update blog from Reiza Studios? What piece of news excites you most from the update? Looking forward to Adelaide? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Andy_J]

Yeah this VR nonsense is grating me. I say ban em all. No more VR. Forget VR. Keep VR for those who like looking up and down and around in big caves or planets or underwater games and keep saying "wow, this is awesome" type of people.


Only saying this because I can't afford VR.

 

[F_B]

Love and peace all.

After everything we all want to race our favourite sims in our favourite hobby, don't we?

 

[TzZyO]

Rather, old enough to know better than wasting their money, health and patience on very early crude samples of a new technology Same was with LCD monitors. I kept using a good CRT one until decent LCDs came around.

 

[bluey]

Only saying this because I can't afford VR. [/QUOTE] well all i can say SAVE your money and try it ..if not do you have a friend who has vr so you can try ..then MAYBE your view point may change. until then i do not see why people who have vr cannot have there point of view and express it on this thread

 

[TzZyO]

Only saying this because I can't afford VR.

well all i can say SAVE your money and try it ..if not do you have a friend who has vr so you can try ..then MAYBE your view point may change. until then i do not see why people who have vr cannot have there point of view and express it on this thread

Apparently, that person was sarcastic and implying that people who got fed up with all the VR talk are only acting annoyed because they can't afford a set. A typical immature (juvenile?) reaction to people who are not as ready to part with their money on the first signs of a hype, because of the need to somehow justify own hasty nature to jump at all the new, shiny things.

 

[TheReaper GT]

So, what's the thread ransom figure?

 

[MarcG]

So, what's the thread ransom figure?

the cost of a VR unit

 

[bluey]

Apparently, that person was sarcastic and implying that people who got fed up with all the VR talk are only acting annoyed because they can't afford a set. A typical immature (juvenile?) reaction to people who are not as ready to part with their money on the first signs of a hype, because of the need to somehow justify own hasty nature to jump at all the new, shiny things.

well i guess i was the one to bite he he

 

[MarcG]

I'm amazed how VR users aren't able to switch from headset to monitor anymore and they state that they cannot really enjoy a pure sim like AMS due to lack of VR...
If you feel AMS fantastic you can enjoy it even on monitor...VR users seems like someone who wants a cake but can't eat it because there isn't the cherry on top of it...

It's not as simple as that any more Dave and I'll explain.
If you've seen my VR thread on the RF2 Forums (Hardware section) you'll see the progression I had through a few months of use, with that constant use I've found it more and more hard to switch back to flat screens to the point I just didn't enjoy it any more regardless of whether a great sim was on offer.
Disregarding the low res & pixels the Immersion is the #1 factor as to why it keeps me using it, when I don't use it I get a yearning to do so to the point above of not wanting to use a flat screen any more. Now that is certainly not what I wanted, I wanted to carry on playing RF2 until they release their VR patch but I don't, RRE & AC now provide more than enough time to spend "in" the car and enjoy VR for what its sole purpose is...to experience the immersion of driving flat out through Eau Rouge!

Now not everyone with a VR headset feels the same way and I state that in my thread, VR certainly isn't for everyone, some people can still easily switch between the two but personally I just don't like to any more and others feel the same way, it's just the way it is.

Add to that with a girlfriend & two kids I get very little PC time let alone gaming time, so when I do get a spare 30minutes I want to jump in and use VR as I now much prefer that over a flat screen

 

[DaVeX↯]

I agree with your points, I think VR is really fun and if it will evolve will be a fantastic experience, no doubt on that. I also agree with the guys who backed the indiegogo campaign due to the announced VR support...but we should admit Reiza was very clear and correct with us, telling us the truth behind he lack of VR support. So...in conclusion...I agree could be a great option to have but if they can't give us it, why bash them?I read a lot of post sayng "no VR?I will not play it!" from people which played GSCE before AMS and found it fantastic but not playable now because lack of VR support...come on,people should accept the situation and enjoy what they have...or not?

 

[Andy_J]

Apparently, that person was sarcastic and implying that people who got fed up with all the VR talk are only acting annoyed because they can't afford a set. A typical immature (juvenile?) reaction to people who are not as ready to part with their money on the first signs of a hype, because of the need to somehow justify own hasty nature to jump at all the new, shiny things.

No you were wrong in your assumption. Childishly wrong as usual. I was joking and it was obvious. I want VR and I will get it. It was obviously a joke. Of course I can afford a CV1. Jesus H, I just bought a brand new Yamaha R1 for track use and last August I purchased a new BMW M3. I am just waiting for the technology to get better. I am in no rush.

 

[aleph]

@aleph Cellphones can actually be useful sometimes. You can read off one pretty much everywhere Having a small screen is not very convenient, though. But it's a question of mobility versus usability. Apart from that, I agree there's little point in them. Also agree with the rest of the post

Yes, but for that I use a Kindle. (Or - gasp! - books. I'm that old. I even subscribe to a printed newspaper! ) I tend to prefer things that do just one thing well: photographing with a camera, driving with a proper GPS. At first I was in love with WhatsApp, but then I dropped it because most people use it not to exchange information, but to broadcast a steady stream of inanities. (As the Italian writer Umberto Eco said, the problem with the Internet is that the pub idiot becomes an universal idiot.)

I can vouch for Sudoku, though, it's better than on paper. And talking to people, of course - although I usually turn the damn thing off when I leave home because it feels like an electronic leash to me. Funny how a technology that would supposedly simplify your life actually keeps you isolated from real people, constantly dependent on power sources/WiFi spots/upgrades and glued to work 24x7.

 

[gamer19]

Adelaide and F1 2017, I mean... that unidentified grey racing car... from generic 2017 season...
with the addition of all those FF, AI and physics improvements...
Really... is there like anyone who doesn't like Reiza guys ?
No nee to reply, it was a rhetorical question.

 

[WPxNJ]

Cannot wait for the "Making of the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition" in VR.

 

[randMracer]

"Respect"? Whining and maniacally praising the thing in each and every thread won't give you much respect. You think guys in Reiza don't know already you would want the support implemented? They are probably as sick as I am already about the whole VR thing. If they decided to leave out the VR support for the time being, learn to respect their decision.

As for backing up things... I bought AC and pCARS with DLCs, hoping that one day they will become the simulations of choice for me. It never happened, the money is wasted. I'm not nagging neither SMS, nor KS to give me my money back.

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and relax, everything is going to be ok. It also might be a good idea to work on your reading comprehension skills.

I know it's a common trend in the world these days to take a quote from someone, blow it out of proportion and add falsifications just to make their point seem more valid. But I never stated I wanted my money back. In fact, I stated just the opposite. And to say I'm whining and manically praising VR in every thread is another example of extreme exaggeration to try and validate your point.

I come to this forum in a happy and fun mood, because I enjoy sim racing and enjoy reading about it. It seems others come in here with a chip on their shoulder and always have a negative view about everything. It's like their world is and they have to spread it around (no pun intended) just to make themselves feel better.

I simply stated the truth, I haven't played AMS in months and that also includes another favorite, RFactor 2, just because I prefer VR. And I will continue to talk about VR because I own both the Vive and Rift. The Rift is on my racing rig and the Vive is used for room scale stuff and flight sim testing.

So if you don't want to read about people's love for VR and the desire to see it implemented more, then I suggest you learn how to use the ignore option in this forum, and you can start with me. Cheers

 

[wowbagger]

I love the open discussion Renato and Reiza have with their customers about intentions, possibilities, and probabilities. It always feels like this is sim-racing for sim-racers, by sim-racers instead of the many other titles which leave me with the feeling of being first and foremost money making enterprises, appealing to the largest number of people, with the actual racing taking second place to endorsements, licenses, and console appeal. (yes, I understand that these are all commercial ventures with the aim of making a profit)

One of my hopes is that the new title will continue with Reiza's loving recreation of past eras - which for me holds a huge amount of appeal (it's the stuff I grew up on).

Thanks to Reiza, and Paul/RD for this VR - Early 2017 Malevolent Debate... oops I mean
Automobilista - Early 2017 Development Update.

 

[arniesan]

Not so long ago, it was the triple screen users saying they could never go back to a single screen, or the TrackIr users, saying similar things...for me it is a 42 inch, full HD LED TV/Monitor and I am happy...for now.

 

[Hal Burns]

2 versions of Adelaide......you beauty.

 

[TzZyO]

No you were wrong in your assumption. Childishly wrong as usual. I was joking and it was obvious. I want VR and I will get it. It was obviously a joke. Of course I can afford a CV1. Jesus H, I just bought a brand new Yamaha R1 for track use and last August I purchased a new BMW M3. I am just waiting for the technology to get better. I am in no rush.

I would be wrong if you were serious instead. You might want to re-read what I wrote once more before coming to wrong conclusions.

 

[TzZyO]

Yes, but for that I use a Kindle. (Or - gasp! - books. I'm that old. I even subscribe to a printed newspaper! ) I tend to prefer things that do just one thing well: photographing with a camera, driving with a proper GPS. At first I was in love with WhatsApp, but then I dropped it because most people use it not to exchange information, but to broadcast a steady stream of inanities. (As the Italian writer Umberto Eco said, the problem with the Internet is that the pub idiot becomes an universal idiot.)

I can vouch for Sudoku, though, it's better than on paper. And talking to people, of course - although I usually turn the damn thing off when I leave home because it feels like an electronic leash to me. Funny how a technology that would supposedly simplify your life actually keeps you isolated from real people, constantly dependent on power sources/WiFi spots/upgrades and glued to work 24x7.

Well, Kindle has its limitations. You can't exactly carry it in your pocket... Neither you can do that with a book At least not with a proper-sized one. When you are in a situation where you can't carry any of these things around and have time and the desire to do some reading, a cellphone can be of help
Yes, photographing with a cellphone feels more like mowing the lawn with a toaster
Great to see there are actually sane people out there on the Internet. So true on the "social" technological advancements making us more isolated from real people..