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Assetto Corsa: Early Access |OT|

Morzak

Member
Bought the game a few days ago, I only have a 360 controller at the moment and I don't get along with the controls, tried the settings that were posted in this thread but just couldn't make stable turns in anything but the crossbow. Game ran ok on my 6970 and looked good. Because of me not getting along with the controls I can't really comment on the driving model although if I get it going a bit the cars feel pretty good (30% Stability and auto clutch).

Sadly my second GTX-780 decided to die after 2 hours. I will probably have another look at it tomorrow, if the 3rd card finally works..... Will play around with the controller settings some more to see if I can get it close to something I feel ok with.

Will Probably wait with a Wheel purchase until I really know what will work good with a PS4/Xbone and a PC.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
Goes away and re-reads EVO magazine's McLaren HQ's report by Richard Meaden who drives McLaren's multi-million pound simulator that requires 4-6 technicians to run and Meaden descovers that the simulated MP4-12C is not a patch on the real thing. McLaren test driver says the same; good for testing parts and not much else. I then wonder if McLaren can't get their simulator 100% accurate then who can? In the end does it really matter?
Well I think it goes a way in showing that when you have drivers test out a sim and say something good about it, its not exactly an endorsement that the game is ultra-realistic or anymore realistic than another.
 

Morzak

Member
Only wheel I can think of that supports all of them is Fanatec's Forza 3 wheel.

Hm the Forza Wheels are only for PC and current gen. They definitely will not work with the Xbone, which is beyond stupid.... PS4 support isn't confirmed as far as I'm aware. I'm not really in a hurry to get a wheel so I just wait and see what next year brings.
 

Tulerian

Member
Big Takeover says it best below but I'll add my 2 cents worth:

*Game Stock Car - tested and played by real stock car drivers and notable Brazilian drivers such as Rubens Barrichello = good enough for me.
*Assetto Corsa tested by real world Ferrari GT racer Alessandro Balzan "Just finished to test @AC_assettocorsa I never never had a feeling of tyres and car like that. Later I will write all impression!#shockreal!" = good enough for me.
*pCARS - analysed and critiqued by Ben Collins and Nic Hamilton = good enough for me.
*SimBin DTM - tested and tweaked on feedback provided by at least 3 DTM drivers = good enough for me.
*rFactor 2 - ISI work alongside vehicle designers and manufacturers to get the car as close accurate in rF2 as possible = good enough for me.

Goes away and re-reads EVO magazine's McLaren HQ's report by Richard Meaden who drives McLaren's multi-million pound simulator that requires 4-6 technicians to run and Meaden descovers that the simulated MP4-12C is not a patch on the real thing. McLaren test driver says the same; good for testing parts and not much else. I then wonder if McLaren can't get their simulator 100% accurate then who can? In the end does it really matter?

These questions neatly ties into what Big Takeover posted:I'm not meaning or trying to denigrate the hard work of any simulation developers as I find very much to like in all of the sims I listed above. In the end though for me sim racing is largely about how a respective sim makes me feel and what I find both interesting and believable (a highly subjective area). I'll never be one of the lucky few who've actually driven the vehicles in real lfe and in a sim so I'll never know how close to real they truly are; I'm satisfied if an actual professional driver has given his or her their 'thumbs up' assessment.

Sims are very subjective also. Some people may find they give a somewhat realistic feel, others not so much. Different driving styles (and setup preferences) may expose failings in the model that others do not notice.

Different people require different stimulus to acquire a feel for what the car is doing, and some even struggle with the visual effects generated by video screens which produces a disconnect from what they see in the real world. Cue motion sickness as one effect.

I can drive relatively well using sims, but not to the same level as a lot of others I see online recordings from. I need to feel what the vehicle is doing, and I haven't found an ideal setup yet which helps with the lack of motion. The biggest failing I experience is a lack of feel under braking, and judging distance/speed at the time.
 
Well I think it goes a way in showing that when you have drivers test out a sim and say something good about it, its not exactly an endorsement that the game is ultra-realistic or anymore realistic than another.
Also I don't believe anything a 'real driver' says about a sim. Some people are just shit at games, and there is no difference here, despite the attempts at realism. A lot of good drivers expect to be able to jump into a sim and drive it just as well as they can a real car, and when they struggle, they make incorrect observations and criticisms. A lot of the time this is because they've failed to translate their real-world ability to the limited cues of sim feedback, not because the sim is 'wrong'.

Not always the case of course, many drivers train on sims regularly, and the younger generation of drivers grew up with racing games. Someone like Nic Hamilton seems like a great guy to have on board - he's an avid gamer as well as having real-world race experience. Lewis has often said that Nic beats him at racing games all the time.
 

TJP

Member
Sims are very subjective also. Some people may find they give a somewhat realistic feel, others not so much. Different driving styles (and setup preferences) may expose failings in the model that others do not notice.
Absolutely right. I was in two minds to post what I did and I included a comment about the subjective ranking of racing simulations. I'm certainly not suggesting my list is definitive or that my words are actually worth anything ;) I trust the developers know what they are doing; any thoughts by a professional driver is icing on the cake.

I'm currently reading opinions on Assetto Corsa on various forums and it's been very interesting as many people love it and nearly as many feel it's lacking in areas be it that the vehicles are not lively enough and/or far too grippy. Thus the circle of subjective analysis continues...
 

Business

Member
I can drive relatively well using sims, but not to the same level as a lot of others I see online recordings from. I need to feel what the vehicle is doing, and I haven't found an ideal setup yet which helps with the lack of motion. The biggest failing I experience is a lack of feel under braking, and judging distance/speed at the time.

That's very true. I still don't get how we have great wheels with great force feedback but the pedal sets are so basic. Even loadcell pedals are quite a poor solution in my opinion.
 
Bought the game a few days ago, I only have a 360 controller at the moment and I don't get along with the controls, tried the settings that were posted in this thread but just couldn't make stable turns in anything but the crossbow. Game ran ok on my 6970 and looked good. Because of me not getting along with the controls I can't really comment on the driving model although if I get it going a bit the cars feel pretty good (30% Stability and auto clutch).

Sadly my second GTX-780 decided to die after 2 hours. I will probably have another look at it tomorrow, if the 3rd card finally works..... Will play around with the controller settings some more to see if I can get it close to something I feel ok with.

Will Probably wait with a Wheel purchase until I really know what will work good with a PS4/Xbone and a PC.

I did not really like the settings posted earlier in this thread... At least not for the first two settings.
 
Regarding professional drivers endorsing sims...

I develop music creation software (I'm not going to mention which) and a number of prominent artists swear by my tools on their blogs/twitter feeds. Between you and I, they have barely used (or even seen) my product... but the small % they receive from sales sure does help win their online praise.

Don't trust anyone. Didn't Lewis Hamilton endorse one of the Codemasters' F1 games or am I making that up?
 

Ally1987

Member
Love those awesome shadows...
eFz.jpg

fFz.jpg


this happens everytime but only with this car
 
Different people require different stimulus to acquire a feel for what the car is doing, and some even struggle with the visual effects generated by video screens which produces a disconnect from what they see in the real world.

A lot of good drivers expect to be able to jump into a sim and drive it just as well as they can a real car, and when they struggle, they make incorrect observations and criticisms. A lot of the time this is because they've failed to translate their real-world ability to the limited cues of sim feedback, not because the sim is 'wrong'.

Aside from the price of an average/adequate sim rig, this is often the biggest barrier to entry for most people when it comes to sim racing. They have a very hard time wrapping their heads around driving a virtual car realistically, often without a full field of vision (one screen for the average setup), with toy-like approximations of input controls (a Logitech/Fanatec wheel/pedal set isn't going to feel robust or lifelike to someone whose only driving experience is in real vehicles), and with much more limited output stimuli against which to judge their inputs. On top of all this, driving a real car on the limit is a difficult skill set to master--one the typical person never has a chance to develop. Asking them to do so virtually under these restricted conditions makes it even harder for them to equate it to any real-life driving scenario they've experienced. This leads people to think some sims are artificially difficult, when the likely reality is that they're overdriving the virtual car and reaping the punishments of doing so.

Professional drivers/people with real-life track time under their belts have a much more developed sense of what can and can't be done, and often find it easier to substitute stimuli like tire noise and force feedback for the lack of g-forces when sim-driving. They're equipped with a better ability to compensate for the shortcomings of the average sim rig's input/output abilities.

All of these variables make judging a sim ridiculously subjective. That said, I'm much more willing to listen to the opinions of people with real track experience over those whose experience is limited only to sims--and I'm on board with Balzan about the tire feel in AC. It's unmatched in my experience so far.
 

JamboGT

Member
Phew, finally did it.... 1.18.688. I am not going much faster than that!

t3jFmnb.jpg


Did a tonne of laps 1.19.3 - 1.19.1 then all of a sudden it all came together!
 

JamboGT

Member
Was pushing hard, the rear end was right on edge through turns 1 and 2 and the corner at the end of the straight was scary haha.

RYWa1IT.png


The last few laps of the stint^
 
THIS GUY! That is one hell of a time, brother. Nice work!

I did some laps last night, but spent most of my time trying some different ffb settings hoping to get some improvement. Just different gain and damper, nothing fancy. I'm happier with it now.

I got a write-in time (pm) from a shy Polish fellow. Adding him to the list as well. He rightly pointed out that the majority of fast laps look to be coming at the end of long runs when the fuel has burnt off. He suggested Time Attack mode, but personally I found that mode to be kind of annoying. I think I'd rather just let things be. Up to you guys though.

@Ally, I had the same problem, but on the X-Bow. The guy I found on the official forums had it with the Elise just as you do. I couldn't make it go away... I trashed my whole install to fix it. No clue what's going on.

Some really good post about drivers and sims. I'm totally onboard with Funky.
 
LbQG0CI.png


Everyone is welcome to come and join in on the fun. Wheels, controllers, TC, STM, however you enjoy yourself. If you are running with something other than a wheel and no aids, please include that with your time to make it easier for comparison.

If you'd like to include videos or pictures of your lap (or laptime), please do. It makes it a little more fun.

It's about having fun and hopefully improving your skills. No one is too slow. Hopefully everyone can find a natural rival. The more people who participate, the greater that chance.

Rules? Do we need any? We're all adults. No need to BS anybody. Until the game's scoreboard goes public there no point in being the fastest in world. Which is why I'd like to keep setups and fuel levels at default for our challenges. At least for the time being. IMO, they just add to the time sink, and can alienate people who aren't savvy with a virtual wrench. I just want to make it as easy as possible to participate.


Post your times, and I'll keep this updated, and bumped.


1. kamkor - 1.18.600 picture
2. JamboGT - 1.18.688 picture
3. Funky Functionality - 1:19.340 picture
4. CLR_CMOS - 1:19.372 picture
5. markao - 1.19.536 video, picture
6. Snubbers - 1:19.556 auto-clutch picture
7. Big Takeover - 1.19.648 picture
8. TJP - 1.20.020 picture
9. gutterboy44 - 1:20.068 picture
10. Seanspeed - 1:20.380 controller video, picture
11. jimforspeed - 1.20.616 picture
12. Polyphony - 1.20.636 telem picture
13. SpeedOfNuts - 1.20.668
14. schennmu - 1.21.064 controller/ABS, picture
15. p3tran - 1.21.120 picture
16. Pepto - 1:20.872
17. Addy - 1:22.516 picture, auto clutch and auto blip
18. disap.ed - 1:22.220 controller ABS/TC picture
19. _machine - 1.23.948 picture
20. Addnan - 1:23.952
21. Shaneus - 1:26:140

Video - reference lap from JAmboGT :)
 

kamkor

Neo Member
Great time JamboGT. :) So easy to make mistake on this track with xbow. I still can't figure out the perfect line around the track. I can do the same lap times taking different lines around some corners. I did couple of 3-5 lap stints. I wonder how much time can be gained with less fuel around 20th lap.

I got a write-in time (pm) from a shy Polish fellow. Adding him to the list as well. He rightly pointed out that the majority of fast laps look to be coming at the end of long runs when the fuel has burnt off. He suggested Time Attack mode, but personally I found that mode to be kind of annoying. I think I'd rather just let things be. Up to you guys though.

I'd let it be for this car/track combo. Time attack is indeed a bit "in your face" will the points popping up. ;) But for the next challenge, how about limiting fuel, so that we can do max 2-5 laps in hotlap mode?

We can later also do a challenge, where we have to be consistent. I haven't taken the look at ingame python apps, but maybe it's possible to create an app that also displays average or median of the laptimes. Maybe it's possible to create our own leaderboards with ingame app? But if it was, I guess someone would have already done it?
 

CLR_CMOS

Neo Member
My final time is 1:19.372. Not going to try to improve that anymore. Even if I did a perfect lap, it wouldn't have been even close to what JamboGT did (it would probably be somewhere in 19.0-19.1 range). Amazing lap JamboGT, well done ;-)

wNCiRbul.jpg


One small thing I wanted to add (maybe someone already has) is that I really like how the game gives you a chance to recover from almost any bad situation. In many sims it's almost like the tires can only have 100% grip or no grip at all. It's probably not true, but it feels like that to me. At least in my case, that leads to many game over situations and is very frustrating. AC doesn't seem to suffer from this and it makes the game much more enjoyable to me.

Just my two cents :)
 

kamkor

Neo Member
One small thing I wanted to add (maybe someone already has) is that I really like how the game gives you a chance to recover from almost any bad situation. In many sims it's almost like the tires can only have 100% grip or no grip at all. It's probably not true, but it feels like that to me. At least in my case, that leads to many game over situations and is very frustrating. AC doesn't seem to suffer from this and it makes it very enjoyable to me.

Just my two cents :)

It's not a small thing. It's a major point. :) Realistic behaviour after the limit and realistic ffb (without "extra" effects). The only other sim that does this properly is Live For Speed (edit: and ofcourse netkar pro). I'm not sure if people still do this, but in the past sims were often judged like this: the harder it is, the more realistic it is.. Which is bullshit.
 

JamboGT

Member
Yeah I agree, on and over the limit in some games it is like being on ice, no real feedback and nothing you can do about it, here even if it goes wrong you can recover much more efficiently!
 
Racing Sims Background: These have all been my most played games that call themselves sims. My most played out of these games is Gran Turismo 4 then Gran Turismo 5.

Forza 2 and 3
Every Gran Turismo
F1 2012

Assetto Corsa Impressions:
The game looks a lot like Gran Turismo 5 artistically, but has it slightly beat graphically. The physics are a whole generation ahead of Gran Turismo 5 and even the Gran Turismo 6 challenge awhile back. You feel the road and your car much better than GT5 and Forza 3 and all of the ones I listed above. When I turned in a Lotus Elise SC, I could feel the back end of my car slipping. GT5 did a good job, I once thought, when your car started to slip, but this game has changed my mind on that completely. The overall physics feels much like what I played with iRacing, but my car felt weightless in iRacing as opposed to Asseto Corsa. I could not really feel when my car was going out of control in iRacing or GT5 so it was hard for me to know when I was pushing my car too far.

The tires do not overly grip like in Gran Turismo 5 and do not overly slip like in Forza 3 when racing in this game. I really liked this because tires are a very important aspect of racing and the former two were just off.

When I drove the Formula, it felt better than F1 2012 and GT5. F1 2012 felt pretty close to this car, but not quite as good. This car compared to the GT5 formulas was huge. If you can control those cars in GT5 then you will have a hard time in this game. Unless you are coming from F1 2012 then you will probably spin a lot because the car does not stick to the road like in GT5.

I am used to many cars to choose from and I know this is in Alpha, but even the full game does not have a lot of cars. That said, if they can get the great realism, the feel and physics down on every car they are releasing with, I think this game will be worth the money.
 

Polyphony

Member
Awesome time Jambo! I haven't had the time to play at all this week, but I'm looking forward to running a few laps in higher gears ;).

When's the challenge ending by the way? (Don't wait for me)
 

JamboGT

Member
Thanks! Am not even going to try to go faster, felt very on the limit for me in some areas, though looking at the replay on TV cameras it looks rather sedate! haha
 

TJP

Member
I posted a barely improved time of 1.20.536 in the current TT after looking like I'd finally hit a flat 1.20. Will have a picture as proof sometime sson.
 
Awesome time Jambo! I haven't had the time to play at all this week, but I'm looking forward to running a few laps in higher gears ;).

When's the challenge ending by the way? (Don't wait for me)

I think, at least for this one, I'm going to speed to it up. How about 24 hours from right now? I want to keep it fresh while the title is still new, but also I think it would be better to start them on a Fridays so folks can have the whole weekend to get some play time in.

Feel free to continue to post times for this challenge however. I'll add them.

We good with that?

Barring any big surprises, JamboGT you'll likely be the winner with that stunner of a lap. Please pick a new car/track combo for the next challenge for us. Whatever you fancy. PM me your choice, and I'll do a new banner for it.
 
felt very on the limit for me in some areas, though looking at the replay on TV cameras it looks rather sedate! haha
It's funny how the fastest laps always appear slow and drama-free from outside the car! :) But of course, the less corrections you need to make, the farther ahead you'll be. Slow hands, fast laps, etc. etc.

also I think it would be better to start them on a Fridays so folks can have the whole weekend to get some play time in
yes please sir thank you sir

GT5 did a good job, I once thought, when your car started to slip, but this game has changed my mind on that completely.
I'm happy to know you're a long-time GT fan like myself and still feel this way. I cut my teeth on GT growing up, and it's a lovely series that does well to introduce people to the sim genre with its beautiful appearance and huge selection of tracks and vehicles, but at its core, it's a very softened driving experience... the training wheels of sim racing.
 

JamboGT

Member
Man I love GT its my bread and butter haha, reason why I do what I do!

I agree that Assetto Corsa really takes it to another level but at the same time think that it really reminds me of GT more than anything else out there.
 

Snubbers

Member
Small Improvement:

FlONZFS.jpg


1:19.556

Love the physics, aside from the brakes, which are easy peasy with ABS on, but a nightmare with it off..

I think I could shave a bit off if I go for ABS.. not tried traction control yet either, but I assume assists make you slower?
 
Damn! Those times with the stock setup? I feel like it understeers like a dog and I can't get any rotation in the slow corners. Maybe I am taking the tire sound fx the wrong way and it needs to be "abused" a little more.
 

Shaneus

Member
Are these times all with stock setup and no assists (stability, ABS etc.)? I suppose one thing I've noticed is that a lot of the good times seem to be where the car has been bedded in, as in lower fuel (fuel and tyre usage is 1:1 by default, I think) so I can only assume that would help quite a bit.
 

kamkor

Neo Member
Awesome news Three60, can't wait. :D

Shaneus, stock setup. I just did a longer stint to test effect of lower fuel. No aids, fanatec csr @ 900 degrees, clubsport pedals and H shifter. With sequential shifter it's much harder - rear tires lock up very easily on downshifts.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/35281432/assetto_corsa/xbow_magione_1_18_600.jpg

1.18.600 on 4th lap. I still can't pull off a perfect lap though. This track is really hard. And a lot of time can be lost be pushing it too hard.. Really have to do it smart and take it easy. A lot of time can be gained on the straightaways, so make sure to get the exit of the corners right.

And thanks guys. :)
 

JamboGT

Member
Stock for me, but regarding fuel I had returned to pits and filled up not long before setting my best lap.

Actually, you can see here:

RYWa1IT.png


Was my third flying lap.
 

CLR_CMOS

Neo Member
Well done kamkor :)

Big Takeover, could you please update my time? Just so I don't feel like my 20 or so laps yesterday were for nothing ;-) Thank you...

Damn! Those times with the stock setup? I feel like it understeers like a dog and I can't get any rotation in the slow corners. Maybe I am taking the tire sound fx the wrong way and it needs to be "abused" a little more.

Try to be more aggressive on turn-in as if you were trying to get into a drift.

First update coming November 22 with three new cars and two new tracks :) nice..

http://www.virtualr.net/assetto-corsa-first-update-coming-november-22

Great news, I'm really hoping that one of those cars is the F40 :p
 
Love the physics, aside from the brakes, which are easy peasy with ABS on, but a nightmare with it off..

I think I could shave a bit off if I go for ABS.. not tried traction control yet either, but I assume assists make you slower?

I have one of these, which certainly helps, but I'm running without ABS and I've found it quite good. Under optimum braking, you should hear some pad squeal and the slightest degree of tire chatter. Any more than that and you're locking, which of course is no good. Go a little lighter on the brake pedal, and of course release pressure as the car slows. Practice getting to the point where you hear the pads squealing without overshooting into major tire noise territory.

The braking is actually one of the things I love most about AC.

And yes, the driving aids make repeated tiny corrections to your inputs, and definitely add time to your laps if you overdrive to the point where they engage. That said, TCS is almost necessary in some high-powered cars that don't make ungodly amounts of downforce for their weight (ALMS GT2 cars, for instance) because a couple millimeters of unintended throttle pedal travel could be the straw that breaks the camel's back when you're on the edge mid-corner in one of those things... so don't be afraid to use whatever you feel you need. I only run without aids because I'm a masochist.

I feel like it understeers like a dog and I can't get any rotation in the slow corners. Maybe I am taking the tire sound fx the wrong way and it needs to be "abused" a little more.
The Xbow seems extremely well-balanced, so one of two possibilities could be happening here:

1) You may be entering the corners too slowly and subsequently unbalancing the car with too much throttle too early, taking weight off the fronts when they need it most. In this case, brake a hair later and make sure your transition to throttle is a gentle squeeze rather than a stab.

2) On the other hand, you may be entering the corners too quickly under braking, asking too much of the fronts no matter how much weight you have shifted to them. In that case, try braking a little earlier and release them as much as possible before turning in. Trail-braking helps with rotation, but you only need a hint of brake pedal at turn-in for it to be effective in the Xbow.

Hope this helps!
 
Well done kamkor :)

Big Takeover, could you please update my time? Just so I don't feel like my 20 or so laps yesterday were for nothing ;-) Thank you...

Gotcha. My bad.

First update coming November 22 with three new cars and two new tracks :) nice..

http://www.virtualr.net/assetto-corsa-first-update-coming-november-22

Nice! The content part I'm not too worried about, it's the speed of the feature implementation that makes me nervous.
 

Ally1987

Member
What is the full car list of Assetto Corsa? I asume that it will be much more cars then this, right?

Cars

Abarth 500 SS
-
BMW 1M
BMW M3 E92
BMW M3 GT2
BMW M3 E30 EVO
BMW M3 E30 DTM - DLC
BMW Z4 E89
BMW Z4 GT3
BMW 1M Safety Car - DLC
-
Ferrari 458 Italia
Ferrari 458 Italia GT2
Ferrari F40
Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione
Ferrari ?????
Ferrari P4/5 Competizione by Pininfarina
-
KTM X-bow R
-
Lotus Elan
Lotus EVORA GTE
Lotus EVORA S
Lotus 2-ELEVEN
Lotus 2-ELEVEN GT4
Lotus Exige S ´12
Lotus Elise SC
Lotus 25
Lotus 33
Lotus 49
Lotus 49C
Lotus 72
Lotus 98T
Lotus T125
-
Mclaren MP4-12C
Mclaren MP4-12C GT3
-
Pagani Zonda R
Pagani Huayra
-
Tatuus FA01
Tatuus Prototype PY 012
 
I think I was too conservative my first session with the game. Decided to start by pushing the car around a bit more. After that I was able to dial it in and find a better slip angle for corner entry. I had to scrub my habits from my last sim outing which was iRacing with the Skippy a few months back. That thing did not appreciate drifting.

I could have easily had a mid 1:19 but I royally fucked that entry to the back straight on my best first sector lap.. Ugh. I am happy with a 1:20.68 though.

Edit: Damn, looking at other's splits, my second sector is where I am dropping most of my time.

TlRWzPR.jpg
 

kamkor

Neo Member
I've recorded a lap from replay of my best lap session. Unfortunately only the last laps are saved in the replay, so best lap isn't there, but there's still a good lap, that maybe will be helpful for some. 1.18.7x with a lot of mistakes. So there's still a lot of time to be gained.

I've added pedals view and other information on the screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXYTAknNh8c
 
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