New Automobilista Development Roadmap Reveals Plenty of Exciting Updates

[Paul Jeffrey]

Reiza Studios have released the October 'Development Roadmap' for Automobilista, revealing some exceptionally pleasing realism features coming to the sim very soon indeed...

If you had hold out for next weekend's 'Have Your Say' article then there is a fair chance you will pick up on a community desire to simulate more than just the racing cars in game, as if by magic or good fortune it looks like Reiza Studios have had the same idea themselves... confirming tyre allocation and car repair times will be coming to Automobilista very soon, alongside plenty of other awesome stuff as detailed below....

Reiza Studios October Development Roadmap

New native HUD / TV overlay system
For v1.4.9 @Alex Sawczuk has undertaken a complete revamp of the native HUD system to feature a lot of the valuable information seen in DynHUD & other 3rd party systems along with a brand new TV overlay system, which the added bonus of being fully fed & rendered in-game and neatly arranged into a single overall design.

This should hopefully reduce the needs for DynHUD & other external HUDs (though these will remain as functional alternatives for those who may prefer them).

Below a couple of WIP previews of these new fully native systems:

The new native HUD won´t feature a trackmap in its initial v1.4.9 version but we´re working to add it too in-time for v1.5.0.

Turbo Model
On the physics front, the long overdue turbo model is finally due to arrive in v1.4.9 - that means turbo engines like in F-Truck, F-Classic, Metalmoro MR18, Mini and Lancers will be much more accurate to their real life counterparts.

In the videos below @Niels_at_home talks a bit about this new model and how they impact the driving experience in the sim:

The crazy F-Classic version Niels is testing here has 4.0 bar boost pressure allowed by the rules in the mid-80s, however the actual F-Classic based on the 88 season will be limited to 1.5 max so it should be a bit more sane than this!

For those willing to experiment with insanity though we will keep the boost adjustable up to 4.0 in the initial Beta version due to be deployed in AMS Beta some time this next week. For release the 1.5 cap will be set as per the rules but mods will still be able to experiment with different physics. In the future we might explore the turbo insanity a bit further ourselves

Limited tire sets with cumulative wear / component change delays
Another significant realism option currently in the works is the addition of limited tire sets - users will get the option to limit the number of tire sets available for single & multiplayer races, which will then accumulate wear as they´re used throughout the race weekend. Drivers will then be able to switch back & forth between used and new tire sets (rather than just infinitely reset tires to a brand new set every time he goes back to the pit menu).

Furthermore, we are working on adding options for time delays changing major car components, so that if for instance driver blows an engine or significantly damage the car, he will be forced to sit in the pits and unable to go out again while the mechanics handle the required repairs. This is to combine with another new option to set rules for escaping to pits mid-session (whether you can escape to menu any time as currently, only when vehicle is stopped or only when its back to its pit slot).

All this (and potentially some extra options we´re looking into) with the goal of adding an extra dimension of realism to the simulation so that drivers have to be mindful of managing their tires and equipment, an ever present element in real racing.

We are not sure these features will be ready in time for v1.4.9 but will be certainly be added in time for v1.50.

Spielberg 2017
@ilka & the rest of the track team have completed a full revamp of the modern Spielberg circuit, bringing it up to 2017 configuration. This includes several graphics updates along with new surrounding buildings, plus curb & run-off modifications to the track layout itself. Below a couple of previews in nice autumn colors (the GP version will feature appropriately greenish foliage):

Metalmoro AJR

The Metalmoro AJR will also be added in v1.4.9 as free base content.

The AJR is the first advanced LMP2-ish prototype from Metalmoro - the first of its kind manufactured in Brazil and thus appropriately the first of its kind to feature in Automobilista, filling one of the few remaining gaps in our car roster.

The AJR has been designed to be versatile for a wide range of different engine configurations, so its series in AMS will have the added bonus of featuring distinct engine options - besides the Chevy V8 currently being run by the single model in action, the sim car will include versions with a Judd V10, Powertec V8 and Honda I4 Turbo as alternatives, all with their own distinct characteristics but overall similar performances.

These new features and content should be making its way to AMS Beta very soon, along with another nice batch of bug fixes, minor AI and audio developments.

Things are really ramping up and coming together nicely now in these final stages of AMS development, which has contributed to its development continuing to stretch further than we originally planned - we are definitely going to be wrapping v1.5.0 before releases in December, by which point we hope to have our baby in its final and best form - look forward to sharing the news about that at this time next month


Automobilista is a racing simulation available exclusively to PC and developed by Reiza Studios.

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Like the sound of the latest roadmap update? Excited for the future of AMS? Pleased to see tyre set progression and damage limitations? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Keith_G]

I see there's common misconception that vr users look only at cockpit and it has to be photorealistic

When I'm racing in VR I'm certainly not looking around the cockpit, as long as the dashboard display has what I need, that is all I want!
Most interesting to me is that so many people are excited (and I agree) about adding realism to this sim via tire wear and other real world limitations; but the ultimate realism change for me was going to VR. I actually feel like I am in a race car (even with the limited resolution in VR). So yes, I am patiently waiting for the next version of AMS which supports VR, mostly because I really like driving this game but really prefer to race in VR. Still, I'm happy with the progress they make every year and look forward to each move closer to the new version!

 

[DeVxC]

If no AC in this world, i'll play this game definitely...

I play AC and AMS and DiRT Rally and other games I don't see a reason not to play it, currently I play around 8 games. The only reason I don't play more is time; I never understand mono gamers what is the point?

Like the changes and wait for the turbos looks very promising

 

[St3fan]

A 20-minute video for explaining the turbo model is way too much for me... Especially a good chunk is just watching him drive with game sound way too loud, so the video explains things in a very inefficient way. It has so little information for a video this long, and this video is the only thing shown in the roadmap, which I thought should be a fast-paced thing packed with exciting info instead of inserting a 20-min video.

I kept skipping parts of the video and eventually finished watching, but still haven't got any clear clue of what change has been done to "not fake the turbo any more". Is there any comparison before/after? Is air density simulated in the game? Is air/track temperature affecting the air density, and will that affect turbo performance? Will following car in front affecting the turbo? Will the location of the intercooler affecting the turbo? Is there anti-lag system? How does mechanical damage affect the turbo and BOV? How is fuel consumption related to the turbo behavior? What exactly are the problems with previously "faked turbos" and why is a "faked turbo" unable to simulate turbo via some duct tape style life hack? I mean, the whole thing about "simulation" is "faking", right?

How is turbo in other sims? I think the turbo behavior in AC and PCars feel quite okay, both small and large turbo cars, in all games.

I then watched this video and still couldn't find much more information. Maybe at 10:47 that he says something about "power is not determined by throttle position or RPM, but what the turbo is doing" and around 16:30 that he says something about "before the throttle response was instant" are probably the only real crucial technical things I learned about this upcoming turbo update.

I feel quite frustrated watching the videos. Well, judging from other people's positive reactions and praises to the video, I guess I just no longer have unlimited spare time to watch long Youtube videos, and I'm just no longer all that loyal to Reiza after the Stock Car Extreme era.

 

[Will Mazeo]

It's called "Talk and Drive" for a reason...

 

[St3fan]

It's called "Talk and Drive" for a reason...

But it is the only thing about the turbo included in the official roadmap, which is posted on the official forum in the news and announcement section, as a sticky thread.

Maybe I am just expecting way too much. Maybe the roadmap thing is just some casual, informal, unofficial stuff, and not important at all.

 

[Emery]

A 20-minute video for explaining the turbo model is way too much for me...

Simple explanation: faking the turbo just gives you the power as if the turbo is always spooled up and the new code means now there can be turbo lag. AMS currently doesn't have weather, so there's no way for ambient conditions to affect the turbo. Fuel consumption is determined by the fuel map, etc, but not ambient conditions because no weather.

 

[CMGARAGE]

But it is the only thing about the turbo included in the official roadmap, which is posted on the official forum in the news and announcement section, as a sticky thread.

Maybe I am just expecting way too much. Maybe the roadmap thing is just some casual, informal, unofficial stuff, and not important at all.

It doesn't seem too out of sync with the other parts of the article which introduce an update, give a brief description and then a preview image/video

 

[St3fan]

Simple explanation: faking the turbo just gives you the power as if the turbo is always spooled up and the new code means now there can be turbo lag.

"as if the turbo is always spooled up" Does that mean in AMS there currently is not a separate thing to handle the real-time boost amount? Then that is not "faking" a turbo at all it is more of "pretending we had a turbo".

It doesn't seem too out of sync with the other parts of the article which introduce an update, give a brief description and then a preview image/video

Fair enough. Maybe it is not a sim racing thing to keep users, funders and project backers informed of technical updates in a clear and concise way. I clearly was expecting too much on technical topics.

 

[CMGARAGE]

"as if the turbo is always spooled up" Does that mean in AMS there currently is not a separate thing to handle the real-time boost amount? Then that is not "faking" a turbo at all it is more of "pretending we had a turbo".


Fair enough. Maybe it is not a sim racing thing to keep users, funders and project backers informed of technical updates in a clear and concise way. I clearly was expecting too much on technical topics.

What's with the attitude?

If you can't manage to sit through a youtube video I don't know how you'd be expected to read a wall of text listing all the technical changes with the new turbo modelling.

As I've pointed out, it isn't out of place in the context of the article either. There's a mention that the AJR will support different engine configurations but Renato doesn't go on to give the exact power figures of each engine, for example. And there's no definitive list of exactly what parts of the mesh and what textures will change in the updated Speilberg.

I actually think Reiza's communication and engagement is often excellent. Project backers get access to the Reiza Beta forum and most questions get an answer from one of the team. If you're really interested in the nitty gritty ask a member of the team directly, either in the backers forum or the announcement thread on Reiza's forum.

 

[St3fan]

What's with the attitude?

If you can't manage to sit through a youtube video I don't know how you'd be expected to read a wall of text listing all the technical changes with the new turbo modelling.

As I've pointed out, it isn't out of place in the context of the article either. There's a mention that the AJR will support different engine configurations but Renato doesn't go on to give the exact power figures of each engine, for example. And there's no definitive list of exactly what parts of the mesh and what textures will change in the updated Speilberg.

I actually think Reiza's communication and engagement is often excellent. Project backers get access to the Reiza Beta forum and most questions get an answer from one of the team. If you're really interested in the nitty gritty ask a member of the team directly, either in the backers forum or the announcement thread on Reiza's forum.

Attitude? Well I am not natively English and don't choose wording carefully so my apologies if I didn't sound nice to you. I simply want to know more technical stuff that is done, and the roadmap is way too time-consuming with that video - also I think the other video I posted with the truck driving is probably more informative than the one originally included in the roadmap post.
I gave up the Reiza beta forum quite a long time ago.
Take this one thread from the 7 pages as an example: https://forum.reizastudios.com/threads/does-ai-use-p2p.1559/
A simple yes/no question was answered almost a year later.
Besides, most issues are reported in gigantic sticky posts and very convoluting to navigate, report, and keep informed/updated on reported issue.

 

[CMGARAGE]

Attitude? Well I am not natively English and don't choose wording carefully so my apologies if I didn't sound nice to you. I simply want to know more technical stuff that is done, and the roadmap is way too time-consuming with that video - also I think the other video I posted with the truck driving is probably more informative than the one originally included in the roadmap post.
I gave up the Reiza beta forum quite a long time ago.
Take this one thread from the 7 pages as an example: https://forum.reizastudios.com/threads/does-ai-use-p2p.1559/
A simple yes/no question was answered almost a year later.
Besides, most issues are reported in gigantic sticky posts and very convoluting to navigate, report, and keep informed/updated on reported issue.

I'm more than happy to give you the benefit of the doubt with regards to the language barrier.

I made a conscious effort to use the term 'often' instead of 'always' in my last paragraph as I appreciate not everyone gets answers all of the time.

For the benefit of fairness it's worth pointing out things such as the original October update thread (which includes both of Niels' videos, btw)
https://forum.reizastudios.com/threads/automobilista-october-2017-development-update.2718/

...where Renato is active in answering questions in the replies.

Also the "What features would like to see developed for Automobilista?" poll (in the backer's forum), which asked us to vote for their most prioritised updates to the game; with the top 3 being 'Further AI improvements', 'Turbo/ERS model' and 'Custom championship tool; all of which have now been, or are about to be, implemented.

Niels' talk and drive videos have always been casual in nature, and are almost as equal a platform for his jokes and innuendo If you're not already familiar with his channel he also does great, more in-depth looks, at various aspects of his interests. It's not for official Reiza Promo videos (they have their own channel for that). Hopefully in the future he'll do an in-depth video looking at how they went about implementing the new model that answers any left over questions you have.

 

[Alex72]

Oh thanks mate. Yes your right i just wanted to be sure actually

I run max graphics with shadows on medium on triple 1920x1080 screens and 30 AI cars with no lag at all on a GTX980... You'll be fine mate.

PS. Dont forget to download Crew Chief spotter mod (audio from the pit talking to you). It is the best in the business.

 

[BazzaLB]

I like racing in VR and am somewhat surprised they can't manage to support it given the fact other dx9 titles have managed it. Having said that, it does feel great so I might give this another spin with my 3DVision setup (track IR is packed away now after setting up the Vive).

Can't complain about the Rieza dedication and support. I only have AMS because I bought the original Stock Car title. I think I got Stock car Extreme for free and them AMS. Hows that for fantastic ongoing support! I bought some DLC just to return the brilliant support they have provided.

 

[darkelf1]

I play AC and AMS and DiRT Rally and other games I don't see a reason not to play it, currently I play around 8 games. The only reason I don't play more is time; I never understand mono gamers what is the point?

Like the changes and wait for the turbos looks very promising

i don't have a lot of race game time so only focus on one sim game, AC is the best so.....
before AC i only play GTR2, before GTR2 i only play F1 99-02...i don't play sim Rally, but i love moto game

 

[Marc Collins]

I don't really get all this Project CARS bashing. PC2 is a pretty darn good sim, if a little rushed. Also, the recent rF2 update turned it into even more of a sim too. So, it's not like there's only AMS out there. AMS is good, probably the most one could squeeze out of the old isiMotor, yet it still feels "previous gen" compared to these two. And I'm not talking about the graphics here...

I am interested to know what is current versus previous gen in your mind across the three sims, besides graphics, which is pretty obvious!

 

[Marc Collins]

Simple explanation: faking the turbo just gives you the power as if the turbo is always spooled up and the new code means now there can be turbo lag. AMS currently doesn't have weather, so there's no way for ambient conditions to affect the turbo. Fuel consumption is determined by the fuel map, etc, but not ambient conditions because no weather.

I believe we are getting temperature effects soon Not weather per se, but ambient and road surface temps that will affect tires and turbo.

 

[arvin2121]

I run max graphics with shadows on medium on triple 1920x1080 screens and 30 AI cars with no lag at all on a GTX980... You'll be fine mate.

PS. Dont forget to download Crew Chief spotter mod (audio from the pit talking to you). It is the best in the business.

Thanks a lot mate. I can't wait to play ams and thanks for the mod recommendation.