Kunos September Update - Assetto Corsa

[Paul Jeffrey]

Kunos Simulazioni and 505 Games have released an update regarding the ongoing development behind the scenes for the recent console edition of Assetto Corsa.

Much in line with how Reiza Studios communicate with their customer base, Kunos have taken the step to speak directly with the community and address some of the issues currently affecting PS4 and Xbox One players of Assetto Corsa. The studio have again acknowledged issues with framerates and tearing, assuring fans the development team are working to rectify this issue with a view to bringing out an update shortly. Quite why the issue was present in the first place is open to debate, but at least the problem is acknowledged and actively being looked at by the team. Other news from the update shares details about the Prestige Pack DLC, a story we wrote about earlier today, more info can be found here.

Outcry over a lack of multiplayer private server options has also been acknowledged, however no further news other than the studio are "evaluating the available options" has been forthcoming. This is no doubt frustrating for fans as private multiplayer lobbies are the lifeblood of any serious modern racing game.

You can read the full release from Kunos below:

"This time last week, Assetto Corsa began to appear on the shelves of game stores around the world. Firstly, we want to say a massive thank you to all of our fans for purchasing the game on console.

Now we’ve launched worldwide, the comments have started flooding in. There’s a great deal of love and support for Assetto Corsa out there, which is fantastic! There’s also some constructive criticism, which we appreciate and accept with open arms! At the end of the day, our community matters to us and we want you to be happy. We are always open to feedback and suggestions and whilst we cannot promise that we can do everything you ask us to, be rest assured that we are going to do everything we can to build on these foundations! Our development team might be very small, inlove:0 developers) but they are incredibly passionate about what they do and their aim has always been to produce the greatest racing sim on console and PC.

Kunos Simulazioni are 100% committed to ensuring that we build on the foundations we've laid with Assetto Corsa, for our console players! There’s a lot going on behind the scenes and we want to take this opportunity to give you an insight into what’s been going on since launch and our next steps...

WHAT’S NEW?
When we launched Assetto Corsa onto console, it became clear to us that there was some feedback that needed addressing. A number of players were experiencing multiplayer performance issues on the Xbox One connected to voice chat. 2 days ago, we released an update which tackles this issue, so players can now head back in game and enjoy Assetto Corsa.

PRESTIGE PACK AVAILABILITY
Assetto Corsa launched 2 editions… PRESTIGE and PERFORMANCE. The Prestige edition was not available digitally, only physically from selected retailers. Soon after launch, it came to our attention that our community were not too pleased and wanted to be able to own the cars for themselves. So we’ve reacted! We're pleased to announce that the Prestige Pack will be available to purchase from the PlayStation® 4 and Xbox One Store at a later date. The pack will contain the following cars...

• Audi A1 S1
• Audi R8 V10 Plus
• BMW M4 Coupe
• Corvette C7 Stingray
• Ferrari 488 GTB
• Ford Mustang 2015
• Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera
• Nissan GT-R Nismo 2015
• Toyota GT86

More info on the Prestige pack coming soon! PLEASE REMEMBER! The Season pass DOES NOT contain the above cars! The Season pass contains the Japanese Pack, Porsche Packs, The Red Pack and an exclusive livery. We apologise for any confusion that may have been caused here!

SCREEN TEARING AND FRAMERATE ISSUES
Our developers are fully aware that some of you are experiencing screen tearing on both platforms, with Assetto Corsa. They’re currently working on a fix and we will update our community as soon as we can with more information.

PRIVATE LOBBIES
We know and recognise that this is a massive talking point across all our community channels and be rest assured, we hear you! We respect your frustration and are fully aware of this request. The main priority with the console edition of Assetto Corsa was to launch a super stable game with fantastic driving. Whilst we have no news to share right now, what we can say is we are evaluating the available options. Please be patient with us and we’ll keep you guys updated.

AI DIFFICULTY
This is a tough one… We don’t want to make the game ‘easy’ by any means, but we do recognise that the AI may need tweaking, especially on Easy mode. Our team are aware of this request and are working on a solution. Again, more info on this soon!

CONTROLLER / WHEEL CONFIGS
We hear you and we are addressing this! We are also working to improve the controller functionality in Assetto Corsa.

SEASON PASS
For those who don’t know already, there is a Season pass available for Assetto Corsa. Right now, there aren’t any packs to download, but there will be in the near future! Should you decide to purchase a Season pass, you’ll be able to download the following packages at a later date...

• Japanese Pack
• The Red Pack
• Porsche Packs
• Exclusive Livery

SUPPORT
If you are experiencing issues with the console edition of Assetto Corsa, we want to help! Please follow the below steps in order to help us help you...

1 - Firstly, we encourage you to search the CONSOLE LOUNGE and the sub-forums for a solution to your issue.

2 - If you are unable to find the answer you are looking for, then please check out our FAQ's. This will be updated as and when required.

3 - Should you wish to speak to someone directly, please head over to the 505 GAMES SUPPORT portal and log a ticket. A member of our Customer Support team will be in touch to help you.

TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
Let’s wrap things up for now by saying a massive thank you again to our community for their support. We are excited to build on the foundations we’ve laid. Whilst it’s practically impossible to reply to each and every one of you individually, please know that we do hear you and we are listening.

All we ask is that you stick with us, be patient with us and show us the level of support you always have done."

Well its good to see the studio are listening to the often underwhelming response to AC on console, and even better that they intend to action some of the issues that have been reported. Although not a glorious debut on PS4 and Xbox One, things can only get better with further time and development. Time will tell to see if the team over at Kunos can put right the bits of the game that are currently so very wrong. I hope they can, for the sake of console players worldwide. Sim Racing is awesome, and if that message, via Assetto Corsa, can spread to a wider audience, then everyone wins.



For more news of Assetto Corsa, drop by our Assetto Corsa sub forum here at RaceDepartment. We do chat, mods and best of all online racing! It's fun, you'll love it I promise!

Did you like the Kunos announcement? Having trouble with AC on console yourself? What do you think of the game so far? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Chris]

Number of sales mean nothing if you don't know the costs that they have.

Again, I never said I know that, but it's only logical to assume that an organisation is doing well for themselves when their sales figures are as good as they are. Of course I could well be wrong and for all I know Kunos could be really struggling with finances, but I personally don't believe that. Not that it's a bad thing that they're doing, at the very least reasonably well, because IMO they completely deserve the success they've had.

 

[Golanv]

Mod Edit: How about you add something constructive and contribute to the discussion as opposed to resorting to personal insults.

 

[Glen Hipperson]

Yeah, 10 years ago we were used to get full finished games on a disc that included all features. Now we have to buy alpha versions and become beta testers.

Agreed, but times have changed, technology changes quicker than ever. Lots of things are updated regularly, ie drivers graphics cards etc, code can be changed to give better graphics and run smoother, now when you buy some games you are buying into something bigger and to keep things looking better, playing better etc takes time, and money. Otherwise we would still be playing 8bit games.
Say what you want, but at the end of the day if anyone on here was to produce a game, wouldn't you make it how YOU wanted?
As you gathered I like AC very much, have tried many other racing games and I always come back to AC.
I would hope that AC is here to stay and keeping on top of technology is going to cost...
Anyway we are all different, and this is why there are so many variations with the same types of game, if there was the perfect driving game out there everybody would buy it and there would be no need for anyone else to make anything different, but different opinions bring different variations... variation brings choice, and everyone has a choice whether to buy AC or not, one thing about the internet there is certainly plenty of scope to find out about the game you are purchasing before you buy.

 

[jurej]

• Japanese Pack
• The Red Pack
• Porsche Packs
• Exclusive Livery

There is Porsche packs no porsche pac so that mean we will get multiple porsche packs ?

 

[Epistolarius]

But I'll probably get labeled as an ignorant hater for simply disagreeing with one aspect of Assetto Corsa... Welcome to simracing.

Did you just look at the word "ignorant" in my reply to you and missed the context? I didn't call you an ignorant hater, my reply wasn't about which game you like or the game itself necessarily. This isn't a discussion about which sim is better or not. I'm simply calling it like it quite apparently is, you've left an ignorant comment about the DLC policy of Kunos. Boiling down to 'DLC = bad, because it's not the perfect simulator at release, who cares about content and how they finance themselves'. Well, welcome to world of game development and business decisions, where you have to prioritise and can't always have everything that you wish for. That someone even needs to point this out...? If you don't like this then choose the product that suits you better - and pointing this out has nothing to do with stating which sim is better or telling you that you can't criticise this sim. Seriously...

(note: I didn't talk about pre-order exclusive DLC, which is utter bollocks. Would totally agree there and I think Kunos did a mistake agreeing to that publisher BS.)

• Japanese Pack
• The Red Pack
• Porsche Packs
• Exclusive Livery

There is Porsche packs no porsche pac so that mean we will get multiple porsche packs ?

No idea for consoles specifically but there are three Porsche DLC planned for PC at least, first one scheduled for September, yeah.

 

[Chris]

I'm simply calling it like it quite apparently is, you've left an ignorant comment about the DLC policy of Kunos. Boiling down to 'DLC = bad, because it's not the perfect simulator at release, who cares about content and how they finance themselves'.

Really? Wow, okay, that's not even close to what I said, and I also went on to mention that I completely understand that things take time and money, and that I would also go the 'console route' if I were in their position, but if all you want to take away from my comments is only the negatives in the form of a bastardised version of what was actually said, then be my guest

This discussion has become redundant by now anyway, so have a nice day

 

[Epistolarius]

You are the one saying they shouldn't do content DLC, suggesting it should be called "DLC Simulator", apparently because the sim doesn't offer the features you deem important and they should rather work on instead. You make it very apparent in your follow-up that you are oblivious of how game development works and development studios operate, how important market reach is, that not every developer works on everything and really the circumstances behind the scenes in general, only confirming what I said. And you neatly ignore everything else in my last comment. So yeah, that's exactly what I am taking away from your comments and why I label your argumentation as ignorant.

 

[Stereo]

Yeah, 10 years ago we were used to get full finished games on a disc that included all features. Now we have to buy alpha versions and become beta testers.

That's pretty much the most negative way of looking at it... 10 years ago, if a game didn't have a feature, that just meant "it's finished and doesn't have that feature". Now it means "ask the devs for it at every chance you get and say the game's not a game without it". Old games are no less likely to need day 1 patches, they just didn't get them so you lived with whatever weird issues they had.

 

[Majuh]

Old games are no less likely to need day 1 patches, they just didn't get them so you lived with whatever weird issues they had.

Wrong, Quality Assurance was taken much more seriously 10 years ago.

 

[Blimey]

That didnt make any sense at all... The comparing it to GT and Forza part that is. Do 500 cars with unique real car data? Right. Release date 2025 and a gazillion dollar licence fees.
Kunos already said they cant compete with those games. But they can compete in driving authenticity. Sim racing features are being added. Slowly but still. The announced features from the start have been added to. I know people forget what was to be AC and then has been added to. People have selective memory, what can you do...

I think all of us if we could snap our fingers wanted AC2.0 to land with all the sim racing features + day/night cycles and dynamic weather. For now however it is what it is. Throwing stupid remarks and acting like a kid wont change that fact. Dont like it - play something else. Kunos is doing what they can (man power/engine capabilities/economy) and they are working towards the goal they have set plus taking suggestions along the way, and implementing some of them when they can. Thats what they have been doing all along. Im enjoying AC, AMS and Dirt Rally atm. I jump into the one i feel like for the moment and it suits me fine. I cant get better driving feeling than AC anywhere else except a real car. For AI racing AMS is funnier thanks to more racing features, and Dirt is there to just go nuts with. It keeps me entertained.

AC is like a wine that keeps getting better with time, and i hope it will end up a champagne in a couple of years (be it AC1, AC2 or new title with AC under the hood).

Keep waiting, all the way to year 2020.

 

[thewarmer]

I think like some other here I to have my worries that the devs will get to focused on making AC work on the Console format , while the PC development becomes 2nd place .
Consoles are were the money is for developers if they have a solid product.
I can not blame them for trying to crack that market if they want to move forwards with AC & what ever follows.

 

[Kevin Knorpp]

I praised Kunos very highly when they (finally) got the physics right (although early claims that physics were OK most likely prevented people from trying it later so would have been better if were honest about working on physics and if fan boys were honest too ; same problem with pCars probably although pCars has way bigger early issues than that alone).

Anyway, what I'm beginning to feel is that Kunos is no longer developing AC features. So essentially, is going down road to NKP-dom, i.e.

NKP = Good physics. Lack of features.
AC = Good physics. Lack of features. DLC.

Which is why they need to do something. Racing features. Game features. ANYTHING because inertia means death. Really may be time for AC2 although they may lose us altogether if they just delay work on AC2 to squeeze DLC $ from AC.

 

[Stereo]

Wrong, Quality Assurance was taken much more seriously 10 years ago.

Here's a practical example.

The Sims 2 was released in September 2004.
Its first and only patch was in December 2005, and fixed the following:

This patch addresses some issues with uploading lots and exporting lots.
Fix to prevent accidental deletion of game data files.
Added support for Hungarian languages.
Fixed Custom Content Browser support for Asian territories.
Fixed bugs related to downloadable objects.
Re-enables the in-game browser for Asian territories (was disabled in the previous patch).
Fixes "the jump bug" causing Sims with a large number of memories to reset, or "jump," when performing interactions.
Visitors will no longer "kidnap" a baby or toddler by leaving the lot while carrying them.
Sims can now plan outfits for toddlers by using the changing table.
Fixes a crash that would occur when viewing snapshots while simultaneously deleting pictures.
Pixelization no longer shows through walls when the Sim is behind the wall.
A Sim whose fiance dies can now become engaged again.
Maids can now clean up pizza boxes and baby bottles.
Fixes problems with the Grim Reaper and Social Worker that would disable save UI.
The plumbbob will no longer appear in an NPCs chest when they marry into a Sim's family.
Sims no longer get stuck on community lots when a Sim autonomously chooses to leave in the same car that they arrived in.
Stargazing on the ground no longer satisfies the "Stargaze with Telescope" want.
Fixes a problem with Sims' jobs not functioning properly when 3 or more Sims go to work in a helicopter.
Babies now age transition properly when the Help With Birthday interaction is cancelled.
Fixes the extremely rare problem where the UI would become disabled when an elder dies of old age.
Fixes a problem where small objects (mostly toys) could be deleted when a Sim interacts with other nearby objects.
The custom content browser no longer closes when an active link is double-clicked.
Fixes the problem where coffee cups would occasionally be deleted when an interaction is cancelled.
An adopted baby no longer snaps to the ground when the social worker that delivers it puts it in a crib.
Sims now take a copy of all clothing in the family's inventory when they move out.
Fixes a couple of cases of buy/build mode becoming disabled when the social worker arrives on the lot.
Fixes the problem where the teddy bear would occasionally float after being put down.
Teens no longer get the unsatisfiable "Write a Novel" want.
Fixes a problem with the newspaper delivery person getting stuck on lots containing a high number of objects.
Users with limited user accounts can now run the game.
Improved performance with Radeon X800 cards. Users continuing to experiencing problems should update to the 4.10 driver.
The game no longer affects a user's modem settings when connecting to the internet via the modem.
Fixes a problem with default collections not being available when user data is regenerated.

I don't know about you but "sims sometimes steal babies" and "accidentally delete game data" sound like actual problems.

 

[Colin Knowles]

You are the one saying they shouldn't do content DLC, suggesting it should be called "DLC Simulator", apparently because the sim doesn't offer the features you deem important and they should rather work on instead. You make it very apparent in your follow-up that you are oblivious of how game development works and development studios operate, how important market reach is, that not every developer works on everything and really the circumstances behind the scenes in general, only confirming what I said. And you neatly ignore everything else in my last comment. So yeah, that's exactly what I am taking away from your comments and why I label your argumentation as ignorant.

So how does game development work then ?
Who decides what content is added next ! Customer or Supplier ?

 

[Gergo Panker]

Here's a practical example.

The Sims 2 was released in September 2004.
Its first and only patch was in December 2005, and fixed the following:

I don't know about you but "sims sometimes steal babies" and "accidentally delete game data" sound like actual problems.

Also no support for Hungarian language at launch, what were they thinking?!

 

[P*Funk]

The only way to stop with dlc content is to stop licensing or consider game development stopped.

You obviously can't stop licensing. If you don't license cars and just release generic ones then people won't know that a car is awesome because of its badge or won't be able to enjoy driving an otherwise crap car just because of its badge!

 

[Radu Oros]

You obviously can't stop licensing. If you don't license cars and just release generic ones then people won't know that a car is awesome because of its badge or won't be able to enjoy driving an otherwise crap car just because of its badge!

I didn't say to release unlicensed cars, but with the end of acquiring licenses they would stop making more cars. What I said it can have two meanings but while writing was always with the assumption of only licensed content in game, so stopping licensing would mean stopping additional content, or at least it would follow until clearing stock of paused work.

 

[SS454]

Can the AI be improved so when doing races with mixed classes of cars the AI in faster cars actually try to pass the slow ones?

 

[Associat0r]

The only way to stop with dlc content is to stop licensing or consider game development stopped. So what will you do then? How much would you play AMS if you weren't looking for their additional content post game release?

AMS is a much more complete and majorly serious race simulator, not a content collector hotlap / drift game. Therefore it's worth driving / racing (playing is a term reserved for games) for many years to come, even if it didn't have any DLC.

 

[JoeNathanYouTube]

content collector hotlap game.

burn