Automobilista 2 Updated to Version 1.3.3.0, Adds New Cars and Road America

Automobilista 2 Jan 2022 Update 01.jpg
The first major update of 2022 for Automobilista 2 has been released, and it includes new content, improved cockpit view effects, physics updates, and dozens of other changes and fixes.

Reiza Studios’ major monthly updates for Automobilista 2 have rolled into 2022, and January’ update is an impressive one. Reiza’s updates tend to be either heavily focused on new content or heavily focused on improvements to the underlying driving physics in the title, but this update seems to strike a balance.

In terms of content, Reiza has expanded Automobilista 2’s Formula USA cars, which are part of the Racin’ USA DLC Pt 2. These cars grabbed the attention of the sim racing world when they were released and received praise from many in the sim community. Not content to rest on that success, Reiza has added a Gen3 class including the Reynard 2Ki and Lola B2K/00 cars. Fans of historical F1 cars will also enjoy some new content, as AMS2 now has a Formula Retro Gen3 class including the Mclaren MP4-1C, F-Retro Gen3 Turbo, and the F-Retro Gen3 DFY Aspirated. Lastly, the Volkswagen cars in the title got an update with the addition of the VW Polo GTS and Virtus GTS to the TSI Cup class.

But the biggest news on the content front is the addition of Road America to the Racin’ USA DLC Pt 2 pack. Located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the 14 turns and 4 miles of Road America has been almost unchanged in the past 60 years.

On the physics, UI and AI front, AMS2 has been given a huge list of improvements and fixes. The full list of changes is listed below, but among the most notable improvements are revisions to the cockpit view effects. These changes give the player more detail and better control over how much the camera moves under acceleration, braking and turning.

Also, the driveline elasticity improvements that became part of the sim late last year have been applied to the Lancer Cup, TSI Cup, JCW Mini, Copa Truck, and F-Ultimate, which should increase the enjoyment and realism of driving these cars.

The changlog is listed below. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on what has changed in this major update to Automobilista 2.

Automobilista 2 Jan 2022 Update 02.jpg


V1.3.3.0 CHANGELOG

CONTENT
  • Added Road America (part of the Racin´ USA Pt2 DLC pack)
  • Added F-USA Gen3 class featuring Reynard 2Ki, Lola B2K/00 (part of the Racin´ USA Pt2 DLC pack)
  • Added F-Retro Gen3 class featuring Mclaren MP4-1C, F-Retro Gen3 Turbo, F-Retro Gen3 DFY Aspirated
  • Added VW Polo GTS & Virtus GTS to TSI Cup class
GENERAL
  • Enabled G-forces for cockpit camera (previously G-forces were only enabled for helmet camera)
  • Made the helmet and cockpit cameras orientation change that comes from G-force effect be scaled by the G-force slider settings (previously only the camera position change was scaled, not the orientation)
  • Fixed in-game session details not accounting for session scaling in championship mode and rounding to multiples of 5 in multiplayer.
  • VR Camera Settings: Enabled legacy/new head movement toggle for VR users; World Movement renamed to 'Head Movement' (current user World Movement setting will be maintained and converted to an equivilent 'Head Movement' setting)
  • Enabled camera G-force settings for TrackIR users.
  • Enabled look to apex and leaning in cockpit camera
  • Shared Memory: Updated header to V10; Added Tyre temp L/M/R, Ride height, Session duration which were previously only available via UDP; Added DRS State; Added session additional laps information; Extended CarFlags to include TCS/SCS active state; Latest header/changelogs/sample project now available in the 'Support' directory of the game install
  • Fixed an issue with championship editor which would lead to incorrect race 2 starting order if both races did not use the same duration type. Added a fall back to find any race 1 result as the basis for race 2 in existing savegames
  • Default weather progression for official championships are now sync to race
  • Fixed an issue where default weather progression for official championships was extremely high (existing saves will revert to sync-to-race on load if out of range)
  • Made brake pedal sensitivity linear by default for most Thrustmaster wheel types.
  • Fixed issue where HUD leaderboard would cut off the local player row in some cases
  • Fixed stale drive button state requiring double click of race ready button if a user drove a previous session of a Multiplayer event.
  • Actual timestep is now passing to FFB scripts
UI & HUD
  • Added Front/Rear tire selection to quick setup menu
  • Fixed selected row visual states on Game control assignments tab
  • Added current lap info to position widget HUD in timed races
  • Fixed in-game camera options screen not correctly hiding VR options
  • Corrected engine displacement info for F-Classic Gen3 models 2 & 3
PHYSICS
  • Minor tire tread adjustments for F-Reiza, F-V10 G1, F-V12, F-Ultimate F-Classics (all gens), Group C, Group A, BMW M1 Procar
  • Added driveline elasticity modelling for cars that still didn´t feature it (Lancer Cup, TSI Cup, JCW Mini, Copa Truck, F-Ultimate)
  • TSI Cup: Improved clutch smoothing
  • Revised wheel spin inertia for all cars
  • Reduced front splitter pitch sensitivity for Group A & Procar
  • Slightly improved rear wing baseline downforce of Group A cars
  • Disabled now redundant autoclutch forced off in semi-auto F1s (fixes cars stalling even with autoclutch set on)
  • Adjusted Corvette C3-R final drive ratio
  • Further clutch heating/wear improvements and adjusted update rate
  • Reinstated auto-clutch logic for sequential shifts that do not have autoblip/autolift
  • Updated clutch models to include flash and burst parameters
  • Changed clutches on some cars
  • All street cars now have clutch damage
  • Revised F1 driveline inertias
  • Improved sequential F1 shift reliability
  • Added clutch damage and heating model.& clutch damage attributes for DPI, GT1/GTE/GT3, C3/C3R/Omega, multiple F1s
  • Prevented needless autoclutching in clutchless sequentials
  • Updated default setups for M1 Procar, Groupa A (both models), GT3 (all models), Corvette C3-R, Porsche RSR 1974, Ginetta G40 Cup, G40 GT5, Porsche Cup, Stock Car 2021 / 2022, Mercedes CLK, AJR (all variants), MRX (all variants), Roco (setup reset recommended), F3s,
  • Adjusted engine wear increase with boost settings for F-Classic turbo engines & eeduced default wastegate setting to account for higher engine wear at higher settings
AI
  • Increased hardcoded radius values for AI detection of corners ahead (this should fix some existing AI logic not triggering in some corners)
  • Added a AI series-specific radius check and distance ahead to look at before trying to overtake (customization per car type still to be implemented)
  • Adjusted AI decision behaviour when an AI driver is attempting to avoid cutting the track but has a player vehicle on opposite (should prevent some cases of AI hitting player laterally)
  • Added a per-weekend based consistency personality logic for AI
  • AI calibration pass for F-Classics (all gens)
  • Slightly increased AISidecalc range to further reduce chance of AI cars being "scared" out of the way by player coming up behind it
  • AI rolling resistance adjustments for GT3, GT4, GTE, P1, P2, P3, P4, Stock Cars
AUDIO
  • Updated crash sound effects
TRACKS
  • Updated weather & climates change in European and North American locations to ease transitions in seasonal foliage (so early spring the foliage is still looking dry, early summer still lush green; and early autumn still green)
  • Adjusted rolling start and TT start points for Kansai, Monza, Ortona, Silverstone, Snetterton, Spielberg, Velocitta, Velopark, VIR
  • Watkins Glen: Added barriers on the bypass road for inner loop layouts
  • Monza: Added missing grandstands, ad boards / gantries; grounded floating poles at Lesmos in Monza 1991
  • Silverstone 1975: Add more cones marking pitent/pitex, Adjust a few 3d people, LOD adjustment on flags
  • Ortona: Fix for outer houses LODs; Trimmed the apex corridors
  • Daytona: Updated AI lines & corridors
  • Updated trackside cameras for Brands Hatch, Curitiba
  • Nurburgring: Fixed Cam 01 clipping
VEHICLES
  • Reynard 98i: Fixed left mirror bug): Added dirt/damage texture; Changed rain tire texture; Updated cockpit tires
  • BMW M8 GTE: Fixed brake discs glow issue
  • McLaren F1 GTR: Fixed conflicting #8 livery
  • Adjusted suspension animations for all F-USA models
About author
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

Comments

Premium
The problem is when people think about how things ought to be without actually knowing how they are. I keep getting told my heating is unrealistic because it is so dynamic; and to be fair on AMS2, they get similar criticisms sometimes.
I've wondered about this a million times as I read various forums. People complain about how the sidewalls feel on tires, etc, and I wonder, "How do you know that it is unrealistic?" I know that there are exceptions, but I think that most people are really saying, "This doesn't act like my favorite sim that I'm used to, so I think it's unrealistic." It might be, but the big problem is that it's different.
 
I've wondered about this a million times as I read various forums. People complain about how the sidewalls feel on tires, etc, and I wonder, "How do you know that it is unrealistic?" I know that there are exceptions, but I think that most people are really saying, "This doesn't act like my favorite sim that I'm used to, so I think it's unrealistic." It might be, but the big problem is that it's different.
I think it is just due to the strong opinions like I said.

Funnily enough, AMS2 *feels* good to me. Even if it's not really entirely accurately done and it has a lot of stupid sliders and whatever, the FFB in the cars I tried is generally okay and the car behavior on turn-in and mid-corner is not bad anymore. Kinesthetically it's not really different from what it should be.

My gripes with it are more conceptual things that most people won't understand, and in terms of a concrete thing I think there are some slipcurve problems that influence how exit acceleration yaws the car. If that got fixed then it would be quite good (In subjective behavior, the params might still be super messed up); although due to those conceptual things I am not sure how possible it is to correct a potentially very complicated combined grip transient behavior in exit without messing up the car elsewhere. Old ISImotor has a similar issue, but it affects the entry phase more in my experience.
 
Anyone else find the F-Retro Gen3 (1983 F1 cars) completely undrivable? They have understeer and oversteer at various parts of the corner, they're snappy, they're twitchy, the brakes are RIDICULOUSLY sensitive. And no amount of setup tweaking seems to help. These things drive like how every car drove when AMS2 first came out. There has to be something wrong with the physics. I get that this was the first year of ground effects being banned but holy hell, I just have no confidence in the car.
 
I've not done any online racing for nearly a decade and although occasionally I miss it I generally prefer just jumping into this game and doing a quick race against the AI or to build a championship and run through that.
This game rarely disappoints as an offline racer, I almost always have fun and there are 6 or 7 classes of cars that I enjoy regularly racing. That still means there are a quite a few I tend to avoid but in comparison to the RACE07 series, where I spent 90% of my time in the S2000 cars its pretty good.
I'm not the biggest single seater fan but the US cars are fun and I love racing anything at Road America. I hope we see Sonoma come in the next US DLC.

There are still things that bug me - the Super V8s aren't as enjoyable as in AMS1 (although that might partly be down to that game having the modded version with the Ford and Nissan). Also the multiclass championship scoring not working correctly, at least last time I tried I wasn't.

I'm interested to see what comes next, I'm still getting everything free after backing them prior to AMS1 so wondering if once the season pass is complete will there be bigger packs?

In Reiza's own poll for what cars would you like to see they included Super Touring which won by some margin, as of yet there is no hint to whether that will actually happen but many of the other options in the poll have made it into the game already.
 
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Anyone else find the F-Retro Gen3 (1983 F1 cars) completely undrivable? They have understeer and oversteer at various parts of the corner, they're snappy, they're twitchy, the brakes are RIDICULOUSLY sensitive. And no amount of setup tweaking seems to help. These things drive like how every car drove when AMS2 first came out. There has to be something wrong with the physics. I get that this was the first year of ground effects being banned but holy hell, I just have no confidence in the car.
They do have a very stiff suspension (probably legacy of the 1982 cars that we're glorified go-karts). What you describe sounds more like a pedal calibration issue than anything else, apart from being a very bumpy ride I didn't find them harder to drive than the other FRetros and significantly easier to drive than the FClassic Gen 1.
 
As promised earlier in this thread.
Just had a little time with AMS2 regarding latest update incl. the hotfix update.

At first a little off-topic:
Haven't tried the 1974 Porsche 911 RSR after the FFB+ feature was introduced long ago. What a blast! Using this car driving out Road America first time on the new bend version became "Sliding USA" for me :DAnd again I'm just a mortal never having had the opportunity to be behind the wheel of the real deal- but it FELT absolutely right. Though the mitigation of tyre modelling is feeling like a quite different approach than equal mods for AC, GTR2 and rFactor, it just feels right, expecially using full FFB forces on my mid range T300RS-GT wheel.

Speaking immersion I felt as being the infamous Stefan Roser driving the Yellowbird RUF CTR at Nordschleife in 1987 (think most here knows the YT video, otherwise look it up).
Hell, this is fun - I'll advice to cut off any kind of nanny tools/aids. SO redeeming!

The new track:
Road America
(both versions), is IMO a great job.
I had high expectations from more decades of splendid track mod RA versions from various sims. Reiza lives up to my personal expectations here.
However there's minor AIW jobs to be improved., especially on the Bend-version.
A GT Classic race of the 911 RSR and the Chevy C3-R AI's had some periodically hillarious outcomes at both Hurry Downs, and right after The Bend into Kettle Buttoms. Apart from that, I think the AIW job is nice. But the Carousel is bulls eye, witnessing the AI difference between the '74 911 RSR vs. the Chevy C3-R, taking the sweep.

I had a very fun offline race at The Bend-version with the AI's with a very nice immersion. Fun to be overtaken by the fast straightliner C3-R's and then maneuver around them in the turns. by sliding all over trying to stay on track with FFB maxed out :inlove:

New cars:
Only tried the Formula Retro Gen3 Turbo, but wow, what a job. At least in relation to my taste.
I really think you can feel the short wheel base it is.
Tyre feed back: also my taste.
Turbo: Again haven't driven this IRL, but it feels "too easy"/"too linear". I'd expected a more sudden uncontrollable boost, as I've been so excited about trying to mitigate in different mods in AC, rF1 and GTR2.
I miss some more challenges here - but if this is an authentic immersion, it's OK with me.

Helmet cam:
Well regarding the note:
  • Made the helmet and cockpit cameras orientation change that comes from G-force effect be scaled by the G-force slider settings (previously only the camera position change was scaled, not the orientation)
Hmm - I see no change? Above test in the F Retro Gen3 Turbo was with helmet cam. But OK I'll try again.
Just two wishes
  • Helmet cam seems to available for exclusively single seaters - why not all cars? I think Race 07 had for all cars and it's a fantastic sim immersion compared to normal cockpit view.
  • Helmet Cam Look to Apex. Race 07 had fine visibility here. I understand for VR racers, but I'm using normal curved screen. Look-to-Apex has some values to change in the settings menu, but I see no effect here?
Mixed weather conf:
  • Default weather progression for official championships are now sync to race
Well, weather progression for normal mixed weather race (not championship mode) also was faulty.
But now testet OK here too, thanks.

OK my time ran out again, sorry. At least I'm not grumpy this time :D

And for all the classic cars: I'll advice everybody to switch off all aids, near max out FFB (depending on wheel ofcourse whether ~4.2Nm as mine or DD/DD1/DD2 +30Nm) and have a go. SO nice start for a weekend :)
 
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  • Helmet cam seems to available for exclusively single seaters - why not all cars? I think Race 07 had for all cars and it's a fantastic sim immersion compared to normal cockpit view.
OK have to correct myself. Seems quite alot of modern GT cars are delivered the opportunity for Helmet Cam as well. But then why not the classic '74 911 RSR? :)
 
All in all I think as a full package this sim just gets better with every update, and the depth of cause and effect going on in it is just immense! Particularly impressed with the new driveline flex and damage, not many other sims out there that have thse kinda features (in terms of damage anyway). Also the tracks, they are really well done, even if not all laserscanned, I think the quality of them is fantastic. Every sim has its are in which it shines, and AMS2 certainly has those, not to say its not without its problem, but then, its the same story there aswell, one thing that really stands out about this sim is'nt actually just the sim, its the dev team. So good at communication and listening to feedback, and so fast at updates and fixing problems.
 
Premium
Anyone else find the F-Retro Gen3 (1983 F1 cars) completely undrivable? They have understeer and oversteer at various parts of the corner, they're snappy, they're twitchy, the brakes are RIDICULOUSLY sensitive. And no amount of setup tweaking seems to help. These things drive like how every car drove when AMS2 first came out. There has to be something wrong with the physics. I get that this was the first year of ground effects being banned but holy hell, I just have no confidence in the car.
I was excited to try these cars too, but as you say, undrivable. I think there is hope however. People who like those horrible CART cars say they are outstanding. So maybe eventually we will get some love on the retro stuff
 
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Premium
I feel very Now, its very simple when they are not obfuscating it
 

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