Kunos Marco Massarutto Responds to Assetto Corsa Console Criticism

[Paul Jeffrey]

Kunos Simulazioni's Marco Massarutto has offered a lengthy response to criticism from some sections of the sim racing community, regarding the perceived asumptions that Kunos plan to "water down" Assetto Corsa to appeal to a more broader console audience.

Although a move to consoles for Assetto Corsa is widely considered a good thing for the sim racing genre, allowing the hobby we all enjoy to spread to a wider audience and perhaps inspire players who wouldn’t normally consider serious driving sims, Massarutto has felt the need quash several common assumptions and worries of a section of the Assetto Corsa fanbase.

Massarutto took to Facebook with a lengthy retort explaining how Assetto Corsa for PC will not be diluted in any way by the move to console, and perhaps more interestingly he stated that the console version of the game will be every bit as simulation as its PC relative. Kunos are looking at the console market to see how popular a thoroughbred racing simulation can be, and personally I think that can only be a good thing for the sim racing genre as a whole.

One other interesting item came from the post by Massarutto, a sneak preview cockpit shot of the Porsche 911 RSR 3.0, due to join as part of one of three Porsche DLC packages in the coming weeks.

See the full Marco Massarutto quote below:

"Some thoughs and answers to assumptions and theories I read on forums about the launch of Assetto Corsa on console, the future of AC, the neverending question “will Kunos turn it in an simcadish on PS4/X1 to sell more?”, or -even better- “will Kunos turn the PC version in a simcadish to please a wider audience?"

Usually I don’t get bored to read hundreds (thousands?) of times the same questions people ask me, since I understand that everyday lot of people hear about Assetto Corsa for the first time. But when the same people ask the same questions or they underline the same points, sometime can be boring. Even because, no one needs to believe us. Just see and evaluate by yourself what there is out there.

Assetto Corsa console -> will be a simplified/simcade version of AC?
Since last January, on the internet there are a lot of “hands on” and previews of the console version, always played using a steering wheel. We showed it during the European tour, during the Vallelunga event last May, and the conclusions of the players/journalists have been always “it feels like the pc version”.

Another clue: what is the most known and appreciated characteristic of Assetto Corsa? Its car handling, and driving feeling. Which is the best reason why console gamers may decide to play Assetto Corsa, rather than Forza, or Gran Turismo? The number of cars? The graphics? I would say the fidelity of the simulation, the unique handling, the laserscanned tracks, the depth that a PC simulation can perform. If we subtract these factors, Assetto Corsa can’t compete with these titles, because it couldn’t offer nothing more these titles (created by talented people) feature at their best since years.

The most annoying question: now that AC console is ready for release, is going Kunos to make the PC version of AC more arcadish?

The console version of Assetto Corsa has been announced in mid 2015, the team started to work on it in late 2014. Since then, the PC version has been constantly improved, updated, expanded, with 7 major builds, several new tyre models (now we are at version 10 – TEN) adding features asked from SIMracers, and now we are going to release the 1.8 version on August 26th. The popularity of AC on PC is at the maximum level, it’s often in the Top chartz on Steam, people love it and enjoy it everyday, and they support us each time we release new features and content. Please give me a logical reason why we should change this, after 18 months of HUGE development brought ahead on PC after the 1.0 release. Simply, there is no reason why we should do this. So, ask yourself: in the last 18 months, on PC, did we converted AC 1.0 in a simcade, or we gave it even more depth?
We decided to bring AC on console to give ourselves THE answer to the question: “there is any potential on console market for a simulation like AC?”. As company that runs in this business, we have to know it. And we’ll know it soon. And the only way to answer this question is to bring on console the same experience people appreciate so much on PC, at the best we can. Period.

So, keep calm, don’t worry. The only way we can change the soul of our most successful creation is to make it even stronger."
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Assetto Corsa will be available for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on 26th August (EU) and August 30th (NA). Check out the recent console trailer here.

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Check out the Assetto Corsa forum here at RaceDepartment for the latest news and discussion items regarding the simulation. Have a look at our new Modding Discussion forum, a place for modding teams and those interested in the world of content creation for AC to come together and discuss the process. Looking to download? Check out the Assetto Corsa mods section, a vast archive of top quality Assetto Corsa cars, tracks, apps and skins!

If all that isn’t enough, come visit us at the Assetto Corsa Racing Club. We have loads of informal racing events and serious top quality leagues for you to enjoy.

Does the latest statement from Kunos give you confidence in the ability of the team to still deliver a top quality PC product despite the move to console? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[poet]

I never expected any other response, of course it looks better, Kunos can do no wrong.

But imo, it's a definite downgrade and I'm not the only one that noticed:
http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/graphics-downgrade.123046/


tbh I'm amazed they got away with it, but responses like the one above explain that.

 

[Alyosha]

But, the attraction to AC (or rF2) on the PC is the MODS. I enjoy Longford 1967 and the F40 and the Cobra, as well a s few other community mod cars that are quite well made.

What makes up for the lack of tuning options is the great handling model and Oculus support.

On the console I will get neither - no Longford 1967 and no Oculus support - so that leaves the "handling model" - but I already have that on the PC.

This is why I probably WON'T buy the console version (that and how badly the devs treat their paying customers) but more importantly is WHY should someone else without a gaming PC buy AC on the console?

Content? No.
Tuning? No.
Livery editing? No.

Handling? Yes.

But are we to assume that people will buy AC on the console JUST for handling model? Even though the content is limited and the tuning minimal?

That assumes the console buyer is a dedicated SIM enthusiast that has been struggling with console arcade-sims just waiting for AC to come along. Would this dedicated console closet SIM racer have his wheel, H-shifter, and driving chair all ready working on Forza/pCars lamenting the lack of a true SIM?

If this was the case surely they would have already bought a basic gaming PC and wheel and H-shifter to play the PC sims.

The bottom line is I just don't see the real reason to go after console sales other than revenue from a new target audience - a controller using casual audience. What then? Are they expecting the new console user to now buy the PC version and a PC to experience the ADDED features of AC on the PC versus the console?

This entire console adventure seems really odd.

Young sales managers growing....

 

[PeterBitt]

<Mod-Edit: Is really the foul language every five words REALLY necessary? Either way, taken the entire rage post>

 

[Roble]

The thing that I can see happening with the console release is that a lot of people will buy assetto, realise it is not for them (as in general console users don't do as much research as pc users and prefer a pick up and play sorta experience) then return it and then slate the game completely. This will then ruin the reputation of AC on the console, thus meaning the release will essentially be a flop. I can see the comments now "only has x amount of tracks/cars, forza has 100's in comparison, forza is obviously the superior game etc".

All hypothetical of course but I speak from having every single friend of mine in real life being a "hardcore" console gamer. They much prefer content, unlocks, progression as opposed to the feeling of just playing the game for what it is. My PS4 friend is actually really looking forward to the release, but I know that after a week or two he will not play it anymore and just go back to racing on GTA5 as it will be a lot more accessible and he can ram people off the road like he likes to do. Not all console gamers are the same but in general they do not join communites as much as pc players, they do not create websites for clans/leagues and in general they do not play the same games for years, they usually are more excited about the next big AAA title.

I hope that the release goes well and people can appreciate the driving feel and all that, but I think the reason Forza/GT/Pcars all work on console is because that is what people want. They do not want a ultra realistic sim game, if they did they would likely play on the PC anyway.

My other PS4 friend sums it up really "Why would you want realism when you can just run and gun in a shooting game, or go 200mph round a corner in a racer?" That is the general (stereotyping of course, some console gamers are different but not the majority) attitude of console gamers compared to PC ones. I got bored of run and gun games and arcade racers when I was about 10 playing BF2 64 player online at a time when consoles did not even have internet connectivity (or very limited).

My post generalises alot, but the human brain naturally puts things into categories/stereotypes, its completely normal, so before any hate, as I have said not all console players are like that, just the majority. It is all personal preference though, some people just like a bit of casual gaming which is absolutely fine, I just really do not know how this console release will go, I would love to eat my words and for it to become massively popular!

 

[David Wright]

My post generalises alot, but the human brain naturally puts things into categories/stereotypes, its completely normal, so before any hate, as I have said not all console players are like that, just the majority. It is all personal preference though, some people just like a bit of casual gaming which is absolutely fine, I just really do not know how this console release will go, I would love to eat my words and for it to become massively popular!

The thing is the majority of PC owners are like that too. GTA5 and other casual racers are massively popular on PC, far more popular than AC. So AC doesn't have to be massively popular on console either, nor does it have to appeal to the majority of GT or Forza fans. If just 10% of Gran Turismo fans buy the game, sales will far exceed those on PC. The console market is big, that's why wheel makers target it even though most console owners will of course use a gamepad.

 

[David Dominguez]

I never expected any other response, of course it looks better, Kunos can do no wrong.

But imo, it's a definite downgrade and I'm not the only one that noticed:
http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/graphics-downgrade.123046/


tbh I'm amazed they got away with it, but responses like the one above explain that.

Indeed, it's true that they added some objective improvements in certain areas, but the overall looking got worse. Quite shocking that so few people noticed it.

 

[PeterBitt]

<Mod-Edit: Is the foul language every five words necessary? Last warning>

 

[Gergo Panker]

They don't need to downgrade much with the next patch for PC to bring things more inline with the console version, the graphics already had several downgrades over the last few patches under euphemistically labelled "optimisation" changes.
But thanks for thinking we were too stupid to notice (although I guess many didn't notice or care).

What are you talking about?

 

[Christian Moreau]

It's really a shame that some of you are unable to have a conversation with others that have differing opinions to your own. Clearly, some people aren't satisfied with the game and how the devs have handled criticism, which is a completely legitimate concern. Others are satisfied with it and want to continue to support the game, that's fine too. Typing swear words and insults every 5 or so words and questioning someone else's mental state is completely unnecessary and you accomplish nothing by doing so.

Do some breathing exercises and go for a nice bike ride for 45 minutes, I guarantee it will do wonders.

 

[Stereo]

It's really a shame that some of you are unable to have a conversation with others that have differing opinions to your own. Clearly, some people aren't satisfied with the game and how the devs have handled criticism, which is a completely legitimate concern.

Some people, when faced with a patch that doesn't change something, will think things are better, others will think things are worse. But neither one's opinion is correct.

 

[Brandon Wright]

(that and how badly the devs treat their paying customers)

Not nearly as bad as their customers treat them.

That assumes the console buyer is a dedicated SIM enthusiast that has been struggling with console arcade-sims just waiting for AC to come along. Would this dedicated console closet SIM racer have his wheel, H-shifter, and driving chair all ready working on Forza/pCars lamenting the lack of a true SIM?

If this was the case surely they would have already bought a basic gaming PC and wheel and H-shifter to play the PC sims.

You just described my first 14 years of "sim" racing. I couldn't afford a gaming PC and had to make due with Gran Turismo for years, with my wheel and shifter and racing seat, and I even had 3 PS3's so I could do triple screens. I would have LOVED for a console game like AC back then, even if it did only have 100 cars and a dozen tracks I probably never would have played anything else. And I would have bought every DLC pack. I'm sure there are still people like that out there (in fact, I know a few of them). I had literally dozens of online friends that had wheel/pedal setups for GT and we drove/raced for many hours each week.

Care to respond to my questions then?

I was indicating why someone might NOT buy AC on the console and trying to determine WHY someone WOULD buy AC on the console.

AC does not have the content or tuning or editing of the other console titles. So why should some buy it? Just for the handling model?
Are they going to enjoy that handling model with a controller or wheel?
Can you truly enjoy the handling model with a controller rather than a wheel?
And if you only use a controller would you even know or feel the advanced handling model compared to say Forza?
These are valid questions.

Why would someone who loves racing games/sim not buy it? I would personally rather have 100 very detailed and unique cars than 1,000 cars that all feel mostly alike and may or may not have modeled interiors. I have some friends who race with controllers, they say they can feel the difference in the handling models between Gran Turismo, Dirt Rally, F1, etc., so yes they can enjoy AC's handling model on a controller. Maybe not as much as with a wheel, but they can still enjoy it and feel the differences between other games. There's plenty of tuning options available too, but I've always been one who enjoys driving cars with stock setups (partially because I'm rubbish at tuning) so I wouldn't care about that anyway.

I organized clubs and series with Gran Turismo for years, I can say with full confidence there are console players out there that would gladly give up GT's massive content for a quality sim with detailed, unique cars and laser scanned tracks. They may not be the majority but there are plenty of them.

Not trying to be antagonistic or argue with you mate, just trying to give real, civilized answers as to why someone would buy AC on console. Not everyone will want it, not everyone will love it, but there are plenty of people who will.

 

[Ole Andreasen]

I am in shock ... I came to Racedepartment a few months ago, and was so pleasantly surprised about the nice tone here. People were talking to each other in niceties and a very civil tone and respect, was what I saw here. I turned premium member at once - and now I see threads turning facebookish. People loosing all sense of reality.

What in the name of... something, is going on? Is this the way people with enthusiasm treat each other? Then I may as well turn elsewhere.

Get a drink, get laid, or get a grip people. Please.

 

[AndrewBo]

Alright guys, well that was fun but if it keeps up any longer those that choose to continue behaving the way they currently are will find themselves banned from replying to this thread and/or taking a timeout in Simberia.

 

[Vincent.C]

It's really a shame that some of you are unable to have a conversation with others that have differing opinions to your own. Clearly, some people aren't satisfied with the game and how the devs have handled criticism, which is a completely legitimate concern. Others are satisfied with it and want to continue to support the game. Typing swear words and insults every 5 or so words and questioning someone else's mental state is completely unnecessary and you accomplish nothing by doing so.

Do some breathing exercises and go for a nice bike ride for 45 minutes, I guarantee it will do wonders.

<Mod-Edit: Apparently you haven't read Andrew's last post right?>

 

[Torcano]

Hmmmm, I understand the console preview build being called ugly, that rear view mirror sent me flying straight back to the 90s... but come on now people calling AC a bad looking game suffering from these hella downgrades on the PC and here I am going -





...Yep definitely top 10 worst looking game on PC contender indeed

For real though, the main thing with AC is as long as you know how to work the files you can fiddle so much with this game that you can make it look like whatever you want it to be. IDK if it's just me though, all of my sims look good because I make them look good, just like I learned back in my skyrim days with endless enb and sfx fiddling to make it look just the way I wanted it to. But yeah, like I said you gotta have an fair idea on how to tweak. I always tell people to stay away from stock filters like the plague and get one of the mods like NGM as a base and it just turns exponentially better looking, because the defaults have all bad effects turned up to the max for some reason, is like "your diabeetus riddled borked eye lenses with cataracts simulator".

Also I thought sim racers did not care about visuals. JK JK don't lynch me pls.

 

[Deleted member 130869]

Indeed, it's true that they added some objective improvements in certain areas, but the overall looking got worse. Quite shocking that so few people noticed it.

Some of us have had less than pleasant private communication regarding bits of the game with a specific person, I wouldn't doubt a lot of us keep quiet and just deal with it as we do with other games. Less harassment and you know, just speak with our wallets in the future.

There's so much good and fun stuff they have released and done, like those streams as an example of very cool interaction and accessibility. It's a very distant dream and galactic longshot, but .... netBikes in 2020?

 

[Christian Moreau]

@Torcano That LaFerrari pic is absolutely insane. Is that with the Natural Graphics Mod photo filter? Great pics, this game can definitely be quite the looker with the right settings.

 

[poet]

@Peter Bitt

Selling games is a business, not a friends-club.
I'm a paying customer not a "buddy".

Facebook posts, tweets, dev-chats - are all mechanisms that can be used to add the veneer of community, and many bite hook, line and sinker, but some of us aren't swayed by obvious PR.

imo things would be far better if more developers gave up the group-hug mentality and acted more like business men, as this would help prevent them getting swept up in their own hype and overselling their own game with promises and descriptions they were never able to deliver (see No Mans Sky - a "good" game, but not the world-changer the dev himself hyped it up to be).

 

[Torcano]

@Torcano That LaFerrari pic is absolutely insane. Is that with the Natural Graphics Mod photo filter? Great pics, this game can definitely be quite the looker with the right settings.

Yeah Chris, it was taken with NGM weathers at the old Monaco track mod but I tweaked the PP filter quite a bit to my liking... like glare settings, different dof settings, some color correction via SweetFX and all sorts of crap. Not using NGM now though, using Peter Boese's good and bad weather's thingy because damn the new clouds he included just destroys Kunos stock clouds ten times over.

Also jeez, apparently my screenshots post angered that other guy. What a time we live in, the abundance of NaCl is unreal.

 

[RC45]

Not nearly as bad as their customers treat them.



You just described my first 14 years of "sim" racing. I couldn't afford a gaming PC and had to make due with Gran Turismo for years, with my wheel and shifter and racing seat, and I even had 3 PS3's so I could do triple screens. I would have LOVED for a console game like AC back then, even if it did only have 100 cars and a dozen tracks I probably never would have played anything else. And I would have bought every DLC pack. I'm sure there are still people like that out there (in fact, I know a few of them). I had literally dozens of online friends that had wheel/pedal setups for GT and we drove/raced for many hours each week.



Why would someone who loves racing games/sim not buy it? I would personally rather have 100 very detailed and unique cars than 1,000 cars that all feel mostly alike and may or may not have modeled interiors. I have some friends who race with controllers, they say they can feel the difference in the handling models between Gran Turismo, Dirt Rally, F1, etc., so yes they can enjoy AC's handling model on a controller. Maybe not as much as with a wheel, but they can still enjoy it and feel the differences between other games. There's plenty of tuning options available too, but I've always been one who enjoys driving cars with stock setups (partially because I'm rubbish at tuning) so I wouldn't care about that anyway.

I organized clubs and series with Gran Turismo for years, I can say with full confidence there are console players out there that would gladly give up GT's massive content for a quality sim with detailed, unique cars and laser scanned tracks. They may not be the majority but there are plenty of them.

Not trying to be antagonistic or argue with you mate, just trying to give real, civilized answers as to why someone would buy AC on console. Not everyone will want it, not everyone will love it, but there are plenty of people who will.

Very well written well though out response, but you did keep comparing a 7 year old PS3 game to newer XBone and PC games.

3 PS3's and screens is the cost of a pretty decent gaming PC, even as used PS3's.

Anyway, I acknowledge your points and will wait to see whom does purchase AC on console to play.

And as far as how 'customers treat the devs' - the reality is the customers have just forked over money to buy a product, a product that in many countries can't even be returned for a refund if it turns out to be rubbish. Not sure why the AC devs are so angry though