Automobilista 2 V1.2.1.2 is now live - this is another complementary update to the V1.2 release, featuring a new batch of fixed and improvements.


There is currently a conflict with the latest Logitech G Hub software causing the game to crash at startup - we are working on a temporary workaround to the issue to be deployed early on next week, for the time being in order to run AMS2 users of these wheels need to either uninstall G HUB or roll back to the previous 2021.3, disabling auto-update right after installation to prevent it from updating to any of the more recent versions.



GENERAL

• Added LiveTrack Preset support to multiplayer and dedicated server
  
• Fixed an issue that would result in a crash when switching to a second custom championship save that was not created in the current session
  
• Fixed refuelling disallowed in custom championships (does not apply retroactively to existing saves)
  
• Fixed an issue where incorrect location would be selected in saved setups screen in multiplayer
  
• Fixed an issue that could result in a CTD when determining pit speed limit on loading screen in some cases

UI & HUD

• Fixed Real Weather status text of session settings "Weather Forecast" input from displaying incorrectly in some cases.
  
• Made "Dry" Track Wetness label on in-game screens based on wetness of whole track not just main driving line.
  
• Added missing texts for fuel/tire multipliers 3-5x (lobby detail screen).
  
• Added detailed lobby information to MP Lobby Screen. (highlight 'Session Settings' block to view it)
  
• Added sub-menu to lobby screen where host can access/change rules/realism/session settings in multiplayer games. (cannot override dedi controlled games)

PHYSICS & AI

• Further adjusted AI speed while running offline
  
• Increased AI Grip for Bathurst, Imola, Silverstone
  
• Rebuilt AI paths for Nurburgring GP & Silverstone from scratch

TRACKS

• Added seasonal foliage to Hockenheim & Brands Hatch
  
• Silverstone: Rebuilt new pit lane cement wall and armco collision
  
• Oulton Park: Minor performance pass
  
• Updated Interlagos & Nurbugring TV cams in attempt to reduce shimmering

VEHICLES

• Stock Car 2021: Updated Guga Lima livery

Greetings everyone!

The month of June already is in the rear view mirror, and what a month it was - first with the release of V1.2 and the Racin´ USA DLC (which we were thrilled to see so widely well received), followed by a hard push towards bug hunting and further improvements in the subsequent weeks.

In fact this slightly delayed Dev Update is largely because we are still at it, working on a new complementary update due out this weekend - and given we´ve been pushing out complementary updates over the last couple of weeks to get some outstanding issues fixed ASAP, there won´t be the usual big update this time but rather another smaller collection of fixes & improvements to wrap up this dev cycle.

Our focus continues to be on complementing the work on the new features and fixing issues that have come up since V1.2, as well as some older issues which we had been struggling for a while to track down - to this end it´s very important that users continue to submit their Bugsplat reports if they do run into a crash, if possible including information about their previous steps leading to the crash as those are most helpful to track down its source.

This focus will carry on over July for the next big update, as along with trying to resolve any pending issues we manage to track down and generally further tidy things up, we´ll be pushing to add a few more options and quality-of-life improvements that have been commonly requested by users.

So let´s go over what we´ve got on the immediate horizon:



We have further developments to Real Weather and dynamic LiveTrack presets, with some improvements to the system and Multiplayer support hopefully already integrated in this weekend´s update.


By the end of the month we´ll also have live storage of weather data for new days (currently weather from days in between releases is not stored so Real Weather doesn´t work for recent days and weeks since the initial June 4th release of this feature), and also expect to integrate real feed for environment temperatures and humidity data, doing away with the overly generic regional lookup tables for good.

Work continues also on bringing Seasonal Foliage to the remaining tracks - next up for this weekend will be Hockenheim along with its historical variants, making the trips into the long forest straights very different experiences depending on whether your session is run on the fall, winter or spring.





With the addition of Hockenheim, all premium tracks along with Bathurst, Imola and Spielberg will be featuring seasonal foliage, along with the more discreet variations of Brazilian tracks. By the end of the month we hope to have completed this feature and have all tracks in AMS2 presenting their appropriate seasonal foliage.

On the Physics side, the biggest incoming development is the completion of the Traction Control system revamp that we´ve been working on through this cycle, as well as adding input binding to adjust both TC & ABS in-car (and not just via ICM as it is currently).

Still on the topic of input bindings, by the end of the month we hope to offer the often-requested option to map multiple commands to the same key or button.

On the AI front, where we also have some nice further developments - with V1.2 we introduced unique personalities to each AI driver, which means all drivers in the sim (real, fictional or generic) have their own unique personality and skillset not shared with another AI driver. Within the next couple of months we´ll reduce the presence of generic drivers, with most series getting drivers (real or fictional) assigned to each car; their personalities in turn will be substantially fleshed out with several new variables, leading to AI drivers having varied ability in managing tire wear or running on the wet, staying cool when under pressure, keeping a consistent pace without mistakes, fighting back after being passed amongst other cool details - some drivers will also be more skilled on some tracks than in others, with all these elements hopefully leading up to a more varied and organic AI racing experience.


On to UI & HUD Development - while our man @Dave Stephenson continues to push hard in tidying some remaining issues with the Custom Championship tool and adding a few more options, the work should be largely completed after this weekend´s update, which means he´s finally unleashed to catch up with some other UI & HUD updates, including substantial reforms to the Multiplayer Lobby & monitor screens - the former previews below and expected to be ready for the weekend:


Once these are completed we´ll dive into the driver profile page, and with that completing the development of the long awaited Multiplayer Rating System (at least a couple of months still to go there though).


Finally on to the Content - while the focus over the next few weeks will continue to be on delivering more of these groundwork improvements, we still have a fleshy bit of content to brighten up our next release, as the classic Porsche 911 Carrera RSR from 1974 will arrive as a free-for-all initial entry into 1970´s GT racing.


This 3.0L beast was very succesful on the track and remains widely popular to this day for its racey looks, sounds and performance, so we are naturally delighted to be bringing it to all AMS2 users.

Speaking of classics, we are also currently working on a track from Automobilista 1 and hoping to have it ready for the end of the month - no previews yet as we´re still early in the process, so I´ll leave you all to guess which one is it, as well as pitch in as to which other remaining AMS1 tracks you´d like to see brought over next!

That´s all the good stuff we have to share this month - and now it´s time to get back to work and get this next update ready for the weekend!

Automobilista 2 has now been updated to v1.2.1.0 - this is another complementary update to our v1.2 release, following a good week of bug-hunting and further improvements.

The update also expands visual seasonal variations to a new location, as all versions of Silverstone now feature seasonal foliage.


GENERAL

• Fixed an issue that could lead to CTD on loading screen when using French localization in some instances
  
• Fixed an issue that could lead to CTD when selecting an existing championship save in some instances
  
• Fixed real weather in championships sometimes loading from wrong location.
  
• Fixed incorrect track info when saving vehicle setups in championship mode
  
• Added default compound assignments to various series that didn´t have one, fixing bug that could cause CTD during pitstops
  
• Fixed inconsistencies in various similar material settings which could cause slick tires to become completely gripless in certain surfaces when very wet

UI & HUD

• Added "ENABLE ANALOGUE INPUTS IN MENU" option to 'Controller > Configuration' options screen to disable analogue inputs in menus. Defaults to disabled for wheels with presets available and can be set per input type

PHYSICS

• Added updated traction control scaling for cars that have the device
  
• Fixed error in Caterham Supersport tire tread
  
• Minor adjustments to GTE, GT3, Stock Car tire treads
  
• Minor suspension geometry & wheel rate multiplier adjustments for cars in GTE, GT3, GT4, GT5, Ginetta G40, Stock Cars, Sprint Race, F3 classes
  
• Adjusted front splitter height sensitivity for Ginetta G55, Camaro GT4R, BMW M4, Stock Car 2020/2021
  
• Minor diffuser aero revisions & BoP pass to GT3 cars
  
• Minor aero revisions for Ultima GTR Race
  
• Fixed error in camber ranges of Metalmoro MRX, Montana
  
• Various aero & default setup adjustments for Metalmoro MRX, Roco
  
• Adjusted default power ramp angle in Mclaren GT4, GT3, C8.R, Sprint Race & Stock Cars
  
• Mclaren 720S GT3: Revised diffuser, front brakes, ride height range & default settings
  
• Mclaren 570S GT3: Adjusted rear ride height
  
• Fixed corrected GTE fuel capacity from a previous build which had been reversed by accident
  
• Enabled onboard adjustable roll bars for MCR2000
  
• Reenabled refuelling in formula series that shouldn´t have them allowed (this will be added back as an option later)

AI

• GTE, GT3 AI performance callibration pass
  
• Adjusted speed AI can sustain while running off the ideal racing line
  
• Increased 2020 AI Grip at Silverstone 2020
  
• Adjusted AI for slightly lateral swerving in urgent reaction at max aggression / slightly higher concede drops, lower boosts during overtaking conditions

TRACKS

• Added seasonal foliage to Silverstone (all versions)
  
• Long Beach: Fix tire wall adverts material issue; removed wandering fence poles from T8 runoff; Revised pit lane exit limits, Cheat block follows the yellow (was blue) pit exit line.
  
• Hockenheim Historics: Minor performance pass; Revised startlight glows
  
• Slight zoom tweaks to Long Beach & updated FOV at Interlagos trackside cameras to minimise shimmering

VEHICLES

• Ginetta G58 P1: Added 6 new liveries
  
• Added day running lights to Porsche Cup, Metalmoro AJR, Stock Cars
  
• Porsche Cayman GT4: Add Pirelli tire branding to the sidewall

Automobilista 2 V1.2.0.8 is now live - this is another complementary update to the v1.2 release from a couple of weeks ago, fixing some recent and long-standing bugs that could the game to crash under some circunstances.


If you still experience any instability while running AMS2 specially following an update, it´s worth running through the checklist below:

1- Verify the integrity of game files via Steam to ensure your installation doesn´t have any faulty or corrupted files

2- While you should not need to regularly delete your Documents\Automobilista 2 folder to start a fresh profile every month, some users have reported that starting fresh helped them solve a few issues, specially handling / controller related ones

3- If you experience freezes, CTDs or stutters, double check the applications you have running in the background via Task Manager, close the ones that aren´t essential to see if they might be interfering with the game functionality

4- If you experience crashes running with shadows on Ultra since V1.2 release, try switching it down to High - High is the equivalent of pre V1.2 Ultra, with the latest update making Ultra a bit more demanding on certain GPUs.

5- If you own a G923 and are experiencing issues with game freezing on startup, this topic features some good recommendations

V1.2.0.8 also adds an art revision including seasonal foliage to all variants of Imola, adding to the beautiful scenery around the iconic Italian track.


GENERAL

• Fixed an issue that could lead to CTD at session start in some cases
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause a CTD when using pit strategy selection list in multiplayer sessions
  
• Adjusted Livetrack Grip Range
  
• Minor revisions to shadow cascading parameters from cockpit view
  
• Increased number of hourly real weather forecast slots to allow simulated 24 hour sessions with no slot re-use

UI & HUD

• Fixed incorrect help text on some instances of Live Track Preset option
  
• Fixed missing localization of Damage > Rear Aero input label on pit strategy editor
  
• Fixed German localization typo on pite exit blend line tip text
  
• Fixed French text displaying on German localization on telemetry HUD tip
  
• Updated various environmental/technical terms in Spanish localization
  

PHYSICS & AI

• Further tire tread fine-tuning for Proto classes, GTs, Stock Cars, F-Retros, Procar, Group A, Group C, F-Ultimate
  
• Mercedes AMG GT3: Adjusted default engine brake map
  
• F-UItimate: Increased FFB Max Force range; adjusted default diff settings
  
• Fixed error in Mini dampers & disabled redundant fast damper range
  
• AI: Adjusted aggression scalars and care with player for tintops; reduced throttle response time for GTE & GT3; callibrated GTE, GT3 & StockCars
  
• Adjusted AI Grip for Imola & added corner-specific speed boosts to Piratella, Acque Minerali, Rivazza
  
• Cascais Added AI corner boost to last corner
  
• Interlagos: Adjusted AI lines & corridor changes at Mergulho and Arquibancadas for improved behavior; Added speed slowdowns on pitlane exit path
  

AUDIO

• Adjusted rumble strip sound frequency
  
• Further surface sound optimizations
  
• Surface sound filtering present only on roadnoise/skid sounds (Grass & dirt excluded)

TRACKS

• Spa-Francorchamps 1993: Add dynamic cones
  
• Velopark: Center start trigger across track and pit lane width
  
• Added seasonal foliage to all Imola variants
  
• Laguna Seca: Fixed curbs uv1/uv2; Add more remaining trackside objects; adjusted glow on the start lights
  
• Imola: Fix wall collision error

VEHICLES

• Camaro GT4.R: Added 3 new liveries
  
• Helmet cameras: Reworked the helmet cams meshes and materials for the Modern formula, GT modern, club, 70s and 80s. now support triple screen/ultra wide (54 to 89 degrees of FOV)
  
• Fixed RPM LED ranges for Mclaren 720S, F309, F301, Metalmoro MRX P3
  
• Updated Porsche GT4 Cayman & Ginetta G55 tire material fixing issue with tires disappearing in certain circunstances

New AMS2 Build 1699 now live - no change in version number as exe has remained the same.

Changelog:

• Further tire tread adjustments to StockV8, GTE, GT3, GT4, Protos, kart rental, F-Vintage
  
• Further diffuser & rear wing aero revisions to GTE, GT3, Metalmoro MRX
  
• Adjusted TC longitudinal slip scaling
  
• Adjusted default engine braking in Porsches, C8.R
  
• BMW Procar: Minor CoG height, body drag adjustment
  
• Adjusted CoG height for MRX & F-Vintages
  
• AI callibration pass for Protos, F-Vintage, Stocks
  
• Adjusted AI side calculation to reduce chances of scaring themout of the way from behind
  
• Increased volume for Ginetta G55 drivetrain
  
• Curitiba: Removed advert sign blocking the outer layout (selection set error)
  
• Added VR cams for Adelaide 88
  
• Further updates to Stock Car 2021 liveries

We are aware of some instability / freezing issues reported by some users under certain circunstances and investigating it, hope to have news on these for the next update.

Automobilista 2 v1.2.0.5 is now live - this is a complementary update to last week´s release, addressing some prioritary issues & adding some further improvements.

Please note championship editor fixes won't apply retrospectively to existing saves

GENERAL

• Fixed championship editor not correctly loading session weather settings from template/existing championship slots
  
• Fixed error which resulted in saved custom championships having weather slots shifted by one slot
  
• Fixed custom championship name not persisting when returning to editor
  
• Fixed issue where session settings for a round would be reset when changing track
  
• Fixed time/weather progression settings from editor not properly persisting in saved custom championships.
  
• Fixed Stockcar 2020 Race 2 scoring

UI&HUD

• Added text to weather forecast entry of session/race settings to indicate if Real Weather will use historic data or current live weather forecast
  
• Added warning dialog on session/race settings to notify if weather data cannot be found for a particular date/time configuration.
  
• Added 'Suspension Setup Display' option to 'Gameplay > Display' allowing users to choose between steps or rates for suspension setting input values. (Main menu only. Cannot be modified in-session)
  
• Further corrections to various vehicle UI info innacuracies

PHYSICS & AI

• Further fine tuning to P1, GTE, GT3, GT4 tire treads
  
• Further tire tread fine tuning to GT3 & kart rental tires
  
• Porsche Cup: Revised aero; adjusted default diff settings (setup reset recommended)
  
• Fixed damage warning glitch on various karts by temporarily adding dummy brakes to all wheels (front brakes exist but doesn´t actually provide any torque in kart 125cc, GX390 and Rental - proper fix & brake temperature readings in karts with more than one brake disc to follow in the next update)
  
• Disabled hard compound for Group C
  
• Minor adjustment to StockV8, P3/P4 tire tread
  
• Minor BoP adjustment to GTE, GT3, GT4 classes
  
• Fixed bug in M4 suspension triggering non-existing fast dampers
  
• Revised brakes on GT4 cars
  
• Increased diffuser downforce for Ginetta G55
  
• Minor Mclaren 720S GT3 aero revisions
  
• Minor front splitter adjustments for Ginetta G55, Camaro GT4R
  
• Corrected fuel tank sizes for GTE cars, Cadillac DPi & BMW M4
  
• Corrected BMW M4 steering rotation & ratio
  
• Disabled onboard roll bar adjustments for Cadillac DPi & enabled for MCR2000
  
• Revised aero in GTE, GT3, Cup & GT4 Porsches
  
• Revised undertray aero in Stock Car 2020/21 models
  
• Adjusted engine inertia for C8.R, Ginetta G55, AJR Chevy
  
• Corrected restrictor plate limiting power output in AJR Chevy
  
• Corrected M8 front right tire pressure
  
• Fixed error removing all packers in default setup of F-Retros (all models, setup reset recommended)
  
• Adjusted FFB Max force for BMWs M4, M6 & M8
  
• P1, GT3, GTE, F-Retro AI calibration
  
• Slightly improved AI performance on brakes / on wet track for tintops

AUDIO

• Added more engine limiter samples
  
• Wet skid/scrub volume lowered
  
• Adjusted rumblestrip sound

TRACKS

• Donington Park: Fixed AI leaving the garage hitting the door frame
  
• Long Beach: Add pit lane cut block at pit exit
  
• Speedland: Updated adverts
  
• Laguna Seca: Updated curb textures
  
• Londrina: More performance tuning
  
• Santa Cruz: Fix "hiding" pit building roof tent
  
• Taruma: Minor art & Performance pass
  
• Velopark Minor art & Performance pass

VEHICLES

• Cadillac DPi-VR: Fixed cockpit mesh issue
  
• F-Ultimate: Fixed display time delta
  
• StockCar 2020 Cruze: Fixed front grill material issue
  
• Camaro GT4R: Added 4 new liveries

v1.2.0.2 CHANGELOG

• Further adjustments to wet road roll sound.
  
• Added pitlane cones to Laguna Seca 2020
  
• Fixed a CTD issue on game launch if a championship save game with a DLC player car exists.

V1.2.0.1 is now up - this is a minor hotfix to address some immediate issues with the latest release. A more thorough complementary update will be deployed at some point next week.

V1.2.0.1 CHANGELOG

• Reverted timed races to end without extra lap (will be added as an optional in a complementary update)
  
• Fixed various incorrect/missing help texts
  
• Added GTE/DPI to vehicle select category filters
  
• Corrected various vehicle information errors
  
• Adjusted wet road volume; Wet skid & scrub kick in points moved earlier, blend with dry sound shortened.
  
• Minor Nurburgring art pass, correcting various LOD issues
  
• Long Beach: Updated trackside cameras

Automobilista 2 V1.2 is finally here, and arriving with its massive set of improvements and new features also comes the Racin´ USA Expansion Pack Pt1 !

Please read the release notes below for important information regarding this release.



V1.2 introduces the Custom Championhip feature, allowing users to create their own championship seasons for single player racing. Please note that this feature is still in beta and will receive further development in the coming weeks.

This update also introduces Real Weather, coupled with the possibility of customizing the date for your event, including historical real weather data since January 1st 1979 for all locations in the game.

With the option to customize event date, users can now also customize the season the event will be run under. Please be aware that the visual differences between seasons (Summer / Fall / Winter / Spring) are currently restricted to tracks that received the necessary art updates - these are Daytona, Laguna Seca, Bathurst, Brasilia, Campo Grande, Cascavel, Curitiba, Curvelo,Spielberg, Nurburgring & Spa. All remainng tracks will receive seasonal foliage in our next update later this month.

Note that the new seasonal foliage will eventually add substantial texture load to all tracks, so you may want to plan ahead for a big update and potentially 10-15 extra gb of disk space.

The build also features extensive physics & AI updates, along with some preliminary work to enhance gamepad gameplay.

Here are some other important considerations to take into account as you prepare for the release of AMS2 v1.2 and the Racin´ USA Pack:

• Setup reset - We strongly recommend users to delete the content of their Documents\Automobilista 2\savegame\(profile number)\tuningsetups , as some old setup may cause game breaking issues with the latest physics developments. Beware also that existing championship seasons will also be invalidaded with the championship mode updates. It is NOT necessary to reset your graphical on controller configurations.
  
• Disk Space - Users are advised to ensure they have 10-15GB worth of disk space in their AMS2 install to accommodate the addition of seasonal foliage sets for all tracks.
  
• Time Trial - While a more thorough evaluation will be made following release to verify its necessity, it´s almost certain that a new and hopefully definitive reset to existing Time Trial leaderboards will be required as the physics and LiveTrack updates will render times set with some cars as of v1.1.4.5 unnatainable, and older setups obsolete.
  
• Shadow Updates - V1.2 introduces revised shadow casting parameters, with increased resolution and enhanced cascading which should generally result in improved shadow quality overall, but also some side effects and minor performance hit under the same settings - generally settings have been bumped a quality level so if you previously were running shadows on Ultra and experience a performance hit with v1.2.0.0, consider switching to High setting as it should still provide improvements relative to V1.1.4.5 Ultra - same if you were running High and switching to Medium in V1.1.5.0, and Medium to Low. If you experience crashes while running shadows on ULTRA, consider switching to HIGH.

Users interested in picking up the Racin´ USA Pt1 Pack have 4 ways of acquiring the contents of the pack:

• Racin´ USA Pt1 as standalone - self explanatory, buying Pt1 separately from any other DLC or Expansion available or to be released for AMS2
  
• Racin´ USA Full Expansion Pack - This Pack includes Part 1 along with parts 2 and 3 to be released later in 2021
  
• 2020-2022 Season Pass - if you buy this or already have it, you are all set in terms of AMS2 DLCs all the way to the end of 2022
  
• Premium Expansion Packs - this will be a new option targetted for those who bought the Premium Track Pack, essentially expanding that purchase into a full 2020-2022 Season Pass (NOT YET AVAILABLE ON STEAM, SHOULD BE ON MONDAY JUNE 7TH)

CONTENT

Tracks:

• Added Daytona International Speedway (Part of Racin´ USA Pt1 DLC)
  
• Added Long Beach(Part of Racin´ USA Pt1 DLC)
  
• Added Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca(Part of Racin´ USA Pt1 DLC)

Cars:

• Added GTE class featuring BMW M8, Corvette C8-R, Porsche 911 RSR (Part of Racin´ USA Pt1 DLC)
  
• Added DPi class featuring Cadillac DPi.V.R (Part of Racin´ USA Pt1 DLC)
  
• Added BMW M4 to GT4 class

GENERAL

• Added custom championship feature to championship mode (BETA)
  
• Added option for Real Weather, synchronizing the weather conditions to the currrent & forecast conditions on the location of the track
  
• Added option to customize date for the event (currently all sessions run under that same day)
  
• Added 42 years of historical weather data (currently only for tracks listed in the notes above
  
• Added seasonal foliage (currently only for tracks noted in the changelog)
  
• Weather progression is now scaled by time progression setting when using real weather option
  
• For effect of adjusting forecasts while running Real Weather, qualifying sessions are now configured to one day before race day, and practice 2 days before
  
• Implemented dynamic livetrack presets for real historic weather in single player - track may start with some level of water or puddles based on the real weather data of the preceeding hours before the session start time
  
• Added option to configure Livetrack presets for each session
  
• Temporarily disabled real weather setting in multiplayer.
  
• Temporarily disabled LiveTrack preset setting in multiplayer
  
• Timed races now end after 'time + 1 lap'
  
• DLC tracks are now accessible to non-owners in Multiplayer sessions
  
• Adjusted LiveTrack grip range (slightly lower base grip than before on a green track)
  
• Added controller preset strings for new devices (Logitech G923, Thrustmaster T-GT, SiMagic M10)
  
• Modified Logitech G923 profiles to correctly distinguish between two variants (XBox and PS4). Increase torque by 20%.
  
• Initial revision of shadow casting variables, generally increasing shadow quality
  
• Inverted traction control logic - higher values now produce more Traction Control (rather than more allowed slip as per old configuration)
  
• Adjusted gamepad controller presets & car-specific parameters for improved driveability (all cars)

UI & HUD

• Added more loading screen tips.
  
• Fixed slider mouse inputs for Steering Sensitivity, Speed Sensitivity, and Minimum Shift Time controller settings.
  
• Fixed incorrect visibility test on auto advance timer of session results screen

PHYSICS & FFB

• Revised tire tread, center of gravity height & drag coefficient parameters for all cars
  
• Unified all GT tire dimensions, rules & branding as per real regulations of the main North American and European series (Michelins for GTE, Pirelli for GT3 & GT4)
  
• GT3 / GT4 Balance of performance revisions
  
• Reduced air scale drafting effect
  
• F-Reiza: Slightly adjusted diffuser center of pressure
  
• Porsche GT3 Cup: Corrected minimum weight for both models
  
• Super V8: Added kingpin multiplier to reduce pendulum effect in FFB
  
• Adjusted FFB max force range for BMW M6, Camaro GT4R
  
• Adjusted BMW M6 engine torque curve
  
• SprintRace: Minor brake torque adjustment
  
• Corrected default steering lock & steering ratio for Porsche GT3-R
  
• Further bodywork drag coefficient revisions
  
• Adjusted default TC & ABS settings (including proper baseline for cars without factory TC)
  
• Corrected traction control range for GT4 cars
  
• Adjusted aero yaw sensitivity for all GTs / Protos / Stock Cars / Touring Cars
  
• Added engine brake setting for formulas (from 1980s on), GT and Prototype classes
  
• Adjusted engine compression curves for F-Retros, Mclaren 570S, Porsches, F3s
  
• Adjusted default packers for F-Retros, P1, Roco
  
• Adjusted Stock Car, Montana, Ginetta G40s, SprintRace torque in lower rev band to correct engine bogging down on launch
  
• Mercedes CLK LM: Disabled downshift autoblip
  
• Removed HARD & INTERMEDIATE tire compound from GT3, P1 options
  
• Disabled viscous LSD settings in various cars that incorrectly allowed for it
  
• Metalmoro AJR Fixed Honda engine bug
  
• Set new traction control and ABS ranges - increments of 0-10 instead of 1-99
  
• Adjusted intermediate tire compound performance
  
• Disabled redundant weight distribution setup ranges in cars that shouldn´t have them
  
• Added hard compound option back for StockCar2019
  
• Minor center of gravity adjustments to Porsche Cup, F-Retro cars
  
• GT3 & GT4 BoP Pass
  
• Fixed missing TC & ABS on GT4 Ginetta G55
  
• Adjusted engine output in AJR Chevy
  
• Moved default brake bias slightly forward for most cars
  
• Adjusted Camaro GT4 default camber & differential
  
• Adjusted BMW M6, M8 & Mercedes GT3 damper rates & ranges

AI

• Extensive AI callibration pass for dry & wet performance, straightline speed
  
• Extended pool of AI personalities (all drivers in grid should have unique personalities now)
  
• Several adjustments to AI overtaking assesment parameters
  
• Reduced range of possible AI deviation from ideal line
  
• Increased AI wall check function
  
• Added custom wall buffer values to Montreal, Speedland, Azure, Adelaide, Imola72 and Bathurst
  
• AI tire wear callibration pass for Stock Car, GT3, GTE, P1 classes
  
• Adjusted AI Grip @ Goiania, Curvelo
  
• Added custom AI pit exit speed scalars
  
• Adjusted AI relative performance in practice & qualifying sessions
  
• Increased AI care with human & lowered AI brake grip for non-formula cars
  
• Adjusted AI brake power / side tolerance / avoid ratio / extra care with player
  
• Added function to prevent AI from pitting in last two laps of a race unless they have a mandatory stop to complete or will run out of fuel.
  
• Taruma: Adjusted AI speed through T1 & T2

AUDIO

• Added new tire surface sound model for skid / scrub dynamics
  
• Added traction control & RPM limiter sound logic and smoothing
  
• Adjusted volume for various sound effects (rain, wipers, wet road roll)
  
• Optimized sound positioning calculation in relation to listener
  
• Lowered brake squeal volume
  
• Added turbo prop & jet airplane flyover sounds

TRACKS

• Overcast/rain/storm climates overhaul: slightly optimized overcast weather, reduced brightness and sunlight when overcast, revised fog values for ovc/rain/storm, revised rain/storm clouds, removed inversion of lighting during thunder strikes in thunderstorm weather, removed random sky glow at night, few tweaks to clear weather HDR behavior, better blend of car's undershadow with environment in ovc/rain/storm/thunderstorm/fog/heavy fog weather, added visible light beams from cars in the daytime for overcast/rainy weather presets
  
• Added seasonal foliage to Bathurst, Brasilia, Campo Grande, Cascavel, Curitiba, Curvelo, Jerez, Spielberg Historic
  
• Fixed issues with planes, helicopters, boats and trains being culled when they shouldn
  
• Cranes, helicopters and drones now only load on race weekend from qualifying onwards
  
• Londrina Kart: Add missing pit man animations
  
• Cascavel: Reworked fences, fixed UV1 mismatch on grass / outer grass
  
• Bathurst 2020: Revised track cut mesh; Performance pass; LOD object pop fixes; Cleanup orphan mesh and texture
  
• Interlagos Historic: Removed catch fence collisions
  
• Nurburgring; Fix a hole in the terrain at the gp pit entrance
  
• Spa-Francorchamps_2020: Various LOD pop and zfight fixes
  
• Oulton Park: Added missing emap setting to some render road; Enabled 2D crowd hide from session feature; Improved startlight glows; LOD object pop fixes (max/static obj); Performance pass (23% less draw call); CSM pass (curbs, road issues)
  
• Added trackside VR cams to Ibarra, Santa Cruz, Taruma, Velopark
  
• Interlagos Minor art & optimization pass; added seasonal foliage & optimized night lights worn curbs, fence optimization and lodding, seasonal textures tweaks, optimization of night lights
  
• Spielberg Historic: Fixed bug with seasonal foliage
  
• Imola (all versions): Performance pass; Bug fixes; Delete orphan mesh
  
• Updated Stock Car trackside advertising for tracks on the 2021 calendar

VEHICLES

• F-Retro V8 and V12: Added Driver animations; Adjusted the position of the cockpit gear shifter.
  
• StockCar 2021: carpaint material update; livery updates
  
• Reduced head light dip angle to improve lighting reach
  
• Added outfits for 60s, 70s & 80s drivers
  
• Porsche GT3-R: Texture optimization
  
• Ginetta G55 GT4: Fixed display & RPM lights
  
• Fixed bugs in dirt build-up parameters causing dirt to build up very slowly, and reset to clean once it reached maximum state
  
• Updated tire dimensions & branding for GTE, GT3, GT4 classes to match physics revisions
  
• Added day running lights to GTE, GT3, GT4 classes
  
• Adjusted brake glow range

Greetings everyone! We hope you all are doing well and staying safe as we continue to go through what hopefully will turn out to be the final months of this terrible ordeal that has been the COVID pandemic. As with most people, the pandemic by now has hit close to home, with two of our lead devs having struggled through it in recent weeks (luckily with no serious consequences).

This obviously has had an impact and slowed some of our progress, but not stopped it - on the contrary in fact as we continue to gear up to our biggest release yet. It has however contributed to a small change of plans as we are still working on the final details of this update, which is now scheduled to be deployed on Friday June 4th along with Part 1 of the Racin´ USA Expansion Pack - a few extra days then to ensure we have all elements of a truly massive update firing on all cylinders from the get-go!

Often in these dev updates I´ll refer to the fact that as much we might want to break the progress of the game into tidy even monthly updates, development often doesn´t work that way - sometimes things don´t work out on schedule and we end up with a somewhat meagre step; in others, everything comes together and fall into place even beyond our plans, and you end up with a minor revolution.

Luckily, the upcoming V1.2 is on the latter bracket, bringing truly substantive improvements to every front of the game along with major new features - some of which never seen in race sim before. We are very excited about it, and hope you all agree on the significance of this milestone once you come to try it!

Since we still have a few more days to go, let´s take the opportunity to go over some of the highlights of the update.



Starting with the much anticipated content - Automobilista 2 V1.2 marks our entry into the North American territory in grand style, with the Racin´ USA Expansion Pack Pt1 featuring three premium race tracks (Daytona, Long Beach & Laguna Seca) and three GTE cars (BMW M8, Corvette C8.R and Porsche 911 RSR) - the new content currently in Beta has been nicely previewed by @SimRacing604 here:



Also featuring in the pack but missing from the video is the Cadillac DPi.V.R, which arrives as (for now) the sole contender in the DPi class:


The new content is not all about the Expansion Pack - AMS2 v1.2 also features a neat free surprise in the form the BMW M4, which arrives to boost the GT4 class with a fresh contender!



One of the highlights of the new update is a first in sim racing - the ultra-advanced weather system of the Madness engine along with LiveTrack technology used in Automobilista 2 is now hooked up with a live weather forecast system, providing accurate weather conditions for all tracks in the game - for today, tomorrow and any given day over the last 40 years, allowing users to travel back in time and even peek into future conditions for any given location in Automobilista 2.

As of this version, Real Weather will still have some limitations - the system sets the conditions based on weather data in 1h slots, which means localized showers may not happen exactly as it does or did in certain places, or not at the exact time. Other simplifications include not yet offering the option of snow on the track itself, and environment temperatures, wind and humidity are still being picked up from internal seasonal data for each region & season rather than from the real external data. The data is also not universally accurate, with some locations having some discrepancies specially when going decades back.

Further developments and fine-tuning of the system will continue beyond this release, and the database will be amended as we gather more information about any discrepancy, eventually resulting in far more accurate results.

Real Weather however already works exceptionally well specially for recent dates, and the implications of the system to the driving & racing experience is significant - not only can the weather be set to evolve in a much more dynamic and unpredictable manner, the range of conditions provided by setting races in different seasons can provide a wide range of evolving track states from session to session, ensuring no setup is always universally good, tire choices become much more relevant and the driver might need to adapt his style as the race progresses - cold environment temperatures for example may make keeping tire and brake temps in their optimal range harder, at the same time give the engine a bit more oomph - a combination that can be far more tricky than the same setup on warmer weather. At the other end of the scale, a very hot summer day may mean that softer tire compound you´ve been driving all weekend isn´t really suitable for the race, and drivers may need to open up their radiator and brake ducts to ensure the cars can make the distance.

Naturally, users who might prefer to rely on more stable conditions and less setup fiddling can stick to running their sessions as they have so far, using specific weather with the default date for the track, which are usually set to a summer day in the chosen location.

Along with Real Weather, users will now be able configure LiveTrack presets for each session - you can set the track to start wet, damp, and any range of dry states ranging from a green track to a heavily rubbered one.

If running Real Weather, the preset will be influenced by the weather in the preceding hours of the day and hour the session is starting - say that you set your race to start at 14h local time on a given location, at a time the weather was clear, but following a morning of heavy rain - appropriately, the track will still be wet at the time you chose for the start of your race. Pretty cool isn´t it?

One final relevant note here is that Real Weather with accurate track presets will not yet be available in Multiplayer as of v1.2 - this should happen in time for the next update.



With the ever-expanding set of locations, regional climates, eras, different landscapes and vegetation as well as weather conditions, Automobilista 2 is a massively challenging project from an artistic POV. Fortunately, it is made viable by a truly exceptional, versatile and optimized graphics engine, and a team of artists that simply doesn´t grasp the meaning of "good enough". Led by our man @ilya, the team has continued to go above and beyond the call of duty, simultaneously producing new tracks at the exceptional rate our plans demand, and continuing to raise the artistic standards and updating older content as they go.

Many of these efforts have come to a head in v1.2 - various lighting & HDR adjustments go a long way to delivering more realistic representations of various climates, and better integrate cars into environment; we have also made some initial progress on shadow cascading, leading to much improved shadows specially at longer distances; and various texture improvements going a long way in capturing the wear & tear of real race tracks.


The results are truly sights to behold - come rain or sunshine, night or day, whether revving it up through the hills of Virginia in the fall, navigating the Ardennes forest in the bitter winter, enjoying a typical foggy British morning in Spring or kicking up dust in the arid lands of Monterey California in the summer, the stunning & detailed visuals will place you there, producing a range of different atmospheres with an unprecedented level of realism in a race sim.






Cars have also received a lot of love, with various fixes, material updates and a whole set of new driver outfits ranging from the 60´s to the 90´s all the way to modern drivers. Dirt build-up glitches have been fixed, with cars now presenting very realistic levels of dirt accumulation over a session.


Please note that while all tracks will feature some level of foliage customization per season, the more in-depth art work so far has been concentrated on the Premium tracks - other locations will receive similar treatment in future updates, to the extent they are needed - obviously far less foliage variation seen on Brazilian tracks for example where we basically only have two seasons, rainy hot for 8 months and mild chilly dry for 4!



All of the awesome developments above would naturally be worth little in a racing sim if the driving experience wasn´t up to par - thankfully, v1.2 also packs another substantial physics revamp across the board following recent discoveries made on the physics engine, and feedback from beta testers so far seem to bare out their significance.

Physics development has obviously been constant since initial release and specially in recent months, in a process that may have appeared never-ending and a bit confusing for users, as physics for certain cars have changed substantially from month to month. Despite our best efforts towards concentrating these physics revisions and reaching a stable state ASAP, the reality is that as much as we may plan, expect and hope to hit certain milestones within a given timeframe, sometimes there´s no speeding up a learning curve - it takes time to get a grasp on a new physics engine, learning its peculiarities and getting the best out of it. Even after well over a decade working on the ISI PMotor engine we were still learning new things about it, and how to model our understanding of vehicle dynamics (itself a constant learning curve) in it. While some of that work and learning has carried over into AMS2, the new and highly sophisticated tire and driveline models in the Madness engine presented its own challenges. While we don´t expect this will be the last step in that learning curve - it never is for anyone who is serious about developing a racing simulator - we believe the physics have reached a stage of maturity with v1.2 that are truly representative, and which will allow things to evolve at a more gradual pace from now on.


An extensive calibration pass to even out the playing field following all the physics developments in recent updates along with an expanded range of driver personalities should result in higher quality, more consistent challenge from AI in single player races.


Just as important as the visuals and physics is the sonic experience, and V1.2 packs some great improvements in the area too, with @Domagoj Lovric and @SHR Modding truly beginning to flex the muscles of the FMOD engine further.

The main development on the audio front is a new surface sound model, delivering more realistic and informative tire sound effects which are very useful in giving better audio cues to the driver as to what the car is doing, when wheels are about to lock up or the rear beginning to slide. As important as the improved feedback is the fact that new system is much better optimized, lessening chances of CPU bottlenecks that could create problems and even cause reliability issues in Multiplayer sessions.

The cars themselves are also more alive, with new ignition cut-off developments boosting grunty limiter and traction control sounds.

Some of the most significant progress in audio design is particularly evident on the new content, which can be nicely heard on this preview of V1.2 by @steelreserv:


Those more attuned with the GTE class will pick up on some creative licensing with the sounds of the Porsche RSR, still featuring the glorious straight exhaust sounds from the previous generation model. Unfortunately the COVID situation hasn´t really presented us with an opportunity to record the latest model yet, but those who hear the car in-game hopefully will agree that this is a very acceptable placeholder!



AMS2 V1.2 also marks the introduction of another highly anticipated feature, as users will now be able to create their own championship seasons - choose the classes, select the tracks, customize the dates (with the option for Real Weather don´t forget, historical or current), pick a scoring system and get on with the racing!




When combined with the range of content and options in AMS2, this is a truly powerful tool that will bring a whole new dimension to AMS2 single player racing. In testing this feature internally, I´m having a hard time stopping myself from just going one more round - somehow all the tracks I chose in my customized championship season seem appealing to me!

And it will only get better as @Dave Stephenson who did an exceptional job putting this together in-game, for an UI and game structure not designed to support it continues to polish it further - the feature, while fully functional will still be considered Beta as of V1.2, with plans to expand options further and improve the UI presentation in subsequent updates.


Here are some more important considerations to take into account as you prepare for the release of AMS2 v1.2 and the Racin´ USA Pack:

• Settings reset - We strongly recommend users to delete the content of their Documents\Automobilista 2\savegame\tuningsetups , as some old settings may cause game breaking issues with the latest physics developments. Beware also that existing championship seasons will also be invalidaded with the championship mode updates.
  
• Disk Space - Users are advised to ensure they have 10-15GB worth of disk space in their AMS2 install to accommodate the addition of seasonal foliage sets for all tracks.
  
• Time Trial - While a more thorough evaluation will be made following release to verify its necessity, it´s almost certain that a new and hopefully definitive reset to existing Time Trial leaderboards as the physics and LiveTrack updates will render times set with some cars as of v1.1.4.5 unnatainable, and older setups obsolete.
  
• Performance - The latest developments should generally result in improved shadow quality overall but also some side effects and a minor performance hit under the same settings - generally settings have been bumped a quality level so if you previously were running shadows on Ultra and experience a performance hit with v1.2.0.0, consider switching to High setting as it should still provide improvements relative to V1.1.4.5 Ultra - same if you were running High and switching to Medium in V1.1.5.0, and Medium to Low.

Users interested in picking up the Racin´ USA Pt1 Pack will have several options to pick from, with one of them hopefully fitting their purchases so far and plans for acquiring further DLC in the future.

Essentially, there will be 4 ways of acquiring the contents of the pack:

• Buying the Racin´ USA Pt1 as standalone - self explanatory, buying Pt1 separately from any other DLC or Expansion available or to be released for AMS2
  
• Buying the Racin´ USA Full Expansion Pack - This Pack includes Part 1 along with parts 2 and 3 to be released later in 2021
  
• Buying the 2020-2022 Season Pass - if you buy this or already have it, you are all set in terms of AMS2 DLCs all the way to the end of 2022
  
• Buying the Premium Expansion Packs - this will be a new option targetted for those who bought the Premium Track Pack, essentially expanding that purchase into a full 2020-2022 Season Pass.

Living up to a promise made a few months ago, all DLC tracks will as of v1.2 be available for all users in a Multiplayer session, whether they own the track or not.

The DLC cars in turn will remain available exclusively for owners, although you can still race against them as opponents if the race is set to allow a class which content you do own.

Although all the developments mentioned previously in this update also contribute to boosting Multiplayer racing directly or indirectly, there will be more Multiplayer-centric features incoming in next few months to help increase Multiplayer action around AMS2.


As proposed in last month´s Dev Update, I´ve recently conducted a Q&A session through the AMS2 Facebook page, and it´s filled with many questions and replies other users may find of releance - the full transcript of the Q&A will be posted here on the forum shortly.

And as I glance to the bottom right of my desktop I can see that this is a wrap for the month of May, and so it is also for this Dev Update - we continue hard at work for this weekend´s update, and then straight on for the next milestones at the end of June - there´s no stopping when you are having fun!

We´ll catch up again then!