Assetto Corsa EVO 0.3

Kunos provided the preview to the beta early access version 0.3 of Assetto Corsa EVO, including the multiplayer preview.

Kunos is touting a new physics model for this version, that going onwards is going to take central stage. I have thoughts.

Yes, I do understand that this is early access and things will change in the future. Even if I dont think itll it will change for release, because been there done that, have the participation trophy to prove it.

Lets start with what I found good, the not so good, and then the terrible. Overall im seeing improvements in things that matter and in others not so much. But what matters is your comments below, and leaving a like and a sub too. Im trying to get to 100k!

First of all, performance and graphics. This may not be the same for everyone, especially those of you in VR. What I have found is that now I have absolutely zero stutter at 1440p with mixed graphics, consistent fps with cars even in multiplayer. Every session was great, no issues with popins as well or regular weirdness.

Optimization and FPS will depend per track, Spa francorchamps being the worse by some 20%. Even so, the consistency of FPS is much, much greater in single screen, which means the optimization crew is doing their job and going to the right places. 

I did have the odd crash to desktop after end of sessions. I know VR users and likely triple screen users are still saying that the performance still needs to be improved. As the game goes forward, I can assume that the performance and optimization will get better. Since it the launch it does feel like a different game. I should mention the load times that feel to me even faster. Replay, or new sessions, takes mere moments. More on multiplayer.

The graphics have definitely better illumination and color consistency. It still needs better clarity at distance with DLSS, as mentioned the perofamnce feels much better. Native quality and performance has increased INCREDIBLY to the point im considering going to it and skipping supersampling all together, or if I do, going DLAA. Its that much better.

The colors seemed to also have changed with the new global illumination, theres still a weird tint around, but it so much closer to Assetto Corsa natural graphics filter that I often use. I wish there was a better way to control brightness, saturation, contrast and especially highlights, where EVO seems to be missing something. The illumination still gives a plastic feeling to everything, but it seems to be going to the right place.

0.3 in the performance and graphics did a huge jump.

Now lets start talking about physics. I want to preface this by saying that I understand that EVO is a work in progress and things will change. 0.3 comes with a new physics systems for dampers and suspension that will server as a structure for future improvements. This supposedly will go hand in hand with the new forcefeedback system. 

It cant be just me, but I find the current state of the physics incredibly generic. With most road cars even more so. 

The BMW M4 GT3 has a combination of factors that when compared with other sims that model the same cars, it will also suffer from that comparision. GT3 will be an important thing going forward. I think this is in someways similar to ACC BMW M4 with the exception that the tyres in ACC, LMU and iracing feel more reactive to input. I think this is related to the tyre, at least. I feel that there is a lot of slop, slow compliance, almost like the tyre was made of putty that gives an input lag of sorts. Add that to the naturally dampened force feedback it makes the BMW GT3 feel generic. In general, the tyres feel like this in most cars, they lack eagerness to stay on top of reactions and change state, it mostly feels like a slog trying to get them to do something. ACE in the prior updates didnt seem to work like this, I believe this may be related with the new heating model.

Realistic or not, I dont know, Im just saying what Im feeling and its likely going to change.

Strangely enough, its not the case in some cars like the cayman GT4 or the INCREDIBLY GOATED Mx5 Cup. Maybe some cars work better with this model. 

Which drops me to the forcefeedback. A lot of AC drivers, if they didnt like it before, I dont think they will like it now. With road cars I think it feels difficult to predict, even if its workable. I think it feels a bit empty and soulless, you can add effects if you want, theres still missing tyre connection. Maybe theres still too much emphasis on the steering rack feel, maybe theres some polishing to be done between how the systems communicate. Its passable, but they have done better in the past. 

While, I understand that Assetto Corsa has a lot of physics and graphical limitations, like I have mentioned in a video done months ago, I think the over emphasis in “new physics systems” in simracing titles end up being a detriment to the development of new simracing titles, because a lot of effort is being put into these new systems and the end result may not be significantly better than whatever is new and shiny, especially when what is new and shiny seems to be a huge task. 

So, lets talk about multiplayer, then. Theres two parts, one that is UI related, and the other one, multiplayer related. With the multiplayer part, it was actually decent. Stable servers, decent ping,good frequency response, OK contacts between cars, was a bit fun, even if the choice was kind of limited. Expected as it is the start. 

Theres still work needed on the racing rules, hopefully they can make race rule sets for each different class. Standing starts for some cars, roilling starts for others, blue flag rules, DQs and all of that. But as the skeleton, the mp servers work. The multiplayer costs, if there arent any third party options available, will be a huge issue for communities. 

That isnt to say that the UI part of MP works as well, because the UI is terrible in all counts, and continues to be bad. 

For the multiplayer specifically, its a simple browser, with simple things, that lacks an important option of “filter empty and or full servers”. Come on, Multiplayer filtering examples have been here since the 90s, this was available in quake, unreal tournament, counter strike 1.5, 1.6, source and everything done by valve. Its not a new thing.

Its also not a new thing that I keep complaining about UI. Who had the brilliant idea of separating options per input? Post the option, separate it by system and let me press the button or axis to active the option, and not select the input, select the option and then press the input. I have so many inputs it becomes a real pain in the ass finding each option, especially when some inputs may have the same name!

ACC and AC already did this perfectly, and simply. I dont understand! 

All around the UI is tragically bad, it really needs to go to the drawing board again. LMU can do it, ACC did it. More attention needs to be given to it. Its cumbersome to navigate and it just doesnt look good for something that tries to be minimalistic.

0.3 feels like EVOs actual start. Ot at least the first update that feels like something with substance, even if its unpolished, and the physics and forcefeedback feel kind of meh at the moment. Let me know what you think.