AC v1.5 Dev Diary - Part 1/3

Since, it got hidden within the Facebook thread, posting it separately.
Originally posted here >> http://www.assettocorsa.net/ac-v1-5-dev-diary-part-1-3/

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While waiting for the warm season to carry out our survey at the Spielberg A1 Ring– to be reproduced with laser-scanning technology and available for Assetto Corsa later this year – we used the winter season to produce a huge update for the tracks previously released for the simulation. Some of the circuits in Assetto Corsa were created years ago, resulting in a visible gap in terms of appearance and graphical details when compared to the latest additions such as the Nordschleife, Barcelona or Brands Hatch. Being our main aim to provide you with the best we are able to achieve, we are glad to announce that all circuits in the game have been updated and now bring an improved look and better immersion, raising overall quality to a new level.

In addition, last year we made some tests with a new laser-scanning device at ACI Vallelunga, the Italian circuit that houses our HQ since 2009, and we used this data to give you a massive graphics update of “our” track that will now also include the “classic” layout used until 2005featuring different driving lines and providing a new challenging experience on the roman circuit.

And that’s not all. We are glad to announce a new, free content that will be available for Assetto Corsa. “New” is the right word because not only is it additional content, but something that aims to introduce a new, exciting way to enjoy the Assetto Corsa driving experience.



As you might know, Assetto Corsa offers more or less a parity of racing and road car models in order to meet the different tastes of our wider audience. Regardless of this mix of road and racing content, the simulation features highly detailed laser-scanned circuits, which represent the perfect environment for racing. However, until now the simulation did not include a proper road environment, an ideal scenario for the simple pleasure of driving, something that people are especially looking for while driving road cars and grand-tourers.

One of the car manufacturers that use Assetto Corsa for promotional, training and R&D activities has noticed the same, and last winter requested our team to create a fictional road environment with the purpose of taking advantage of the driving feeling granted by the simulation, just for the sheer enjoyment of driving without the need to learn and practice on a track, aimed at people who are not yet familiar with driving on racing circuits.



Although we can’t deny that at the beginning we were somewhat sceptical about the idea, eventually we did it, and you know what? It’s a blast. We have created a road that allows you to “just drive” – for the pleasure of driving itself, enjoying the landscape, navigating smoothly and fast without the need to memorize exact braking points, adopt a specific driving line and the limitations in terms of road layout (i.e. length, wide, elevation changes, etc.) that we usually find when we replicate a real-life, homologated circuit. And, of course, it can be a fun break between races on one track and the next one, providing a totally different atmosphere and details from the ones you usually find on a racing circuit.

In the real world, closed circuits are the only place where you can push yourself and your vehicle to the limit in relative safety by reducing the risk of being harmed or harming other people in case of driving error or mechanical failure.

The good of any simulation is that the worst consequence of a crash is the need to press the restart button. That is why we believe that providing you with a new experience “on the road” will give you the chance to enjoy Assetto Corsa in a different way, taking advantage of one of the most appreciated dynamic models on roads that you could tread every day in the total safety granted by the virtual world.



Since the Ford Mustang and the Corvette C7 Stingray are the cars scheduled to be included in the build 1.5 of Assetto Corsa, we decided to create a landscape and environment with the most appropriate theme. We hope you will like it: “The Black Cat County” includes three layouts in a loop, also suited for racing events: “Short” (that, despite the name, needs three minutes to be completed), the most challenging one, a possible paradise for drift enthusiasts thanks to its wide hairpins in sequence; “Intermediate”, which provides a nice and varied challenge; and “Long”, which combines the Intermediate variation with high-speed bends and long straights, allowing road and GT cars to reach speeds otherwise only achievable on the longest straight of the Nordschelife (Döttinger Höhe).



Due to the racing DNA of Assetto Corsa, the Black Cat County is not a boring challenge: its various layouts allow all AC fans to enjoy the simulation’s advanced physics model in a different way – a perfect choice for those who want to progressively build their confidence for online racing, without the risk of ruining the online experience of other drivers on more challenging racing circuits owing to their inexperience or the lack of knowledge of demanding track layouts.



The production of Black Cat County scenary ran in parallel with our scheduled development, and I cannot emphasize it enough that it does not represent a replacement or a different direction of our will to continue to make improvements to Assetto Corsa, with our main focus on the realistic racing simulation genre. Nevertheless, not only do these kinds of activities guarantee a better relationship between Assetto Corsa and automotive manufacturers with all the benefits that they bring in terms of realism, connections and new licenses, but also represent a more comprehensive way to process R&D activities and test new 3D modelling and texturing techniques with the aim to bring the most out of what the Assetto Corsa engine is capable of.

Enjoy it!

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im so excited for this update, cant wait to drift the hell out of those new roads!

 

1.5, new road and cars and it seems like we still have part 2 and 3 of the dev diary to read. Good times!

Im curious in what way it will be easier with licenses and relationships because they have added a road track into AC though :O

Btw, is the Mustang sequential?

 

Mustang has a stick shift. Vette should have as well. No reason to have the automatics... Especially since AC cannot model them accurately (IIRC).

 

Did someone say "automatic"? I threw up in my mouth a little bit..

 

Nice.. I'm glad they pick desert area..less demanding on HW, easier to make it good looking, low grip surface is expected, open space, no tree models

Part 2 with fixes, part 3 with new features?


BTW what is going on with that crossroad in the middle of Scenery_2 picure?

 

This track looks more and more amazing. I hope the future will bring more open environments like this as official content. And this is free content... it's like second Christmas.

 

Again Kunos, you dived underneath the forum waves and did your own thing under the surface. Result is a fantastic idea with perspective on the business side and for the users. Track looks awesome and will be a welcome trackday alternative to the Ring.

Chapeau!

 

Is the new fictional road the same as the one made for the car manufacturer or does anyone know if we are getting a modified (less detail) or even a completely different one?

 

Well it was important to say that because fictional desert tracks with supercars rather send a different message.

 

Seriously?

 

Read in another thread (the facebook-thread i think) that it could be some kind of engine limitation that it looks like that. No clue though.

 

This is why I am not totally convinced that the road seen in that panoramic shot is the actual road model itself. I find it difficult to believe that inconsistencies as obvious as those pointed out by D1visor would not be sorted out by Kunos. I keep wondering if the sheer scale of the panoramic shot prevents the full extent of the modelled road surface from being rendered. I am probably wrong in that assumption, but I sincerely hope that those two (and any other similar) "issues" are not indicative of the final product.

 

That is most probable. I don't think we will see anything like that once its released. Faith in Kunos's quality

 

Engine limitation? Nah, you can easily make an intersection like this (if it is what I think it is) and if you uv map it right it can look perfectly normal.

 

On a fictional track in a fictional world everything is possible...
And now be happy with this FREE content!!

 

Welp marketing/PR departments trailing several weeks or even months behind actual game builds is pretty much industry standard .
I bet the article as a whole was written months ago, maybe even before the console release date change when the track was still WIP (or at least used pictures from different moments of the track development).

Anyways looking forward to some oldschool NFS/Test drive vibe driving...

 

You kinda have that already with Lake Louise if you havent tried it already and not scared of mod tracks.

 

I have donated to Lucas to get the beta rolling forward during the lull in development The track is great, but i hope for some Multiplayer action on the "The Black Cat County"** when the patch hits. With this being free i can see a cruise/trackday server actually filling up.

**- lol just noticed, "county" Is this located in the famous Transylvania desert, part of the count Dracula lands?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County hate to post a wikilink but that explain county pretty well