Assetto Corsa Respectful Comparison

Ive been driving the Tec demo from the start .. it does look very good as stated but as others have said the ffb is a bit lackluster and the fact they don't have anything definitive about MP, Pit stops, tire ware, weather , mod-a-billity ectt.. yet has me thinking its going to be a while ... Then I started thinking how spoiled I am with real road , tire wear, dynamic 3d world/weather, ectt.. the list goes on .. ..

Going back to the scripted potentially stagnant (harsh but its how i feel) arena that AC ,and every other sim at the moment has is making me think i wont be spending much time with it ....

In a perfect world i could see AC's gpx with rf2's 'everything' being the ultra sim! heh .. but we dont live in a perfect world ..

 

Overall AC isn't that good. Still iRacing and RFactor 2 for me.

 

Impressed by the overall look and performance but i'm not sure if i'm going to like this dump spring force aligned ffb. The patch gives a good feeling but raw forces such as drag/load and lateral are dump or simply not there on my T500RS. Don't understand why the guys are so far away from NetcarPro's ffb. I was hoping to get a further evolved one but this is more a step back. I'm a bit dissapointed, i tought this boring feeling could only come from the street lotus from the TD as i had tested it but i'm shocked to feel it with the other cars as well while the most active ffb the F3 has which than feels again very intresting when tires sticking like slip stick under braking over lil bumps when drag can't keep holding the tires pressed on the surface and such. Patch physics seems to working fine so far but the tires body forces not so, no tire flex to feel.

 

The game is for a clear win BUT it has long way to go. If at any time in future it will be what its promissed it will epic one and probably best modding platform as what you can do there with cars looks unbelivable allmost.
As i mentioned somewhere else allready, i just hope it wont get in the status of r3e of never ending hotlaping game.

 

Agree you with this, as modding point of view it seems to be quite pleasant platform. But I have my doubts on the development, don't know how many years it will take to going into 1.0 (version when modding will be available).

 

That what worries me to alot actually, development there seem to be really slow as from tech demo to this beta i didnt notice diferente except the content. I know that 1.0 wont be with all futures yet but when and how this will actually look we have to see. Would be good to know bit more from them as for now they only sayed new content and futures will be implented every 2 weeks, at the end it could mean only content.

 

I fear a bit the likes people seem to have with the feelings. To be honest, i can feel rf2's has a soul but AC's i can't. It is not much more than R3E or sonething like that feeling wise, just the patch info is better imho. I don't get rid of the feeling the tire model is much more simplified than rf2's, like there is zero carcase work taking in to account of physics or ffb.

 

The main thing where AC is better than rF2 is the car physics. You can actually drive this. You can feel when it is going to go out of control before it is too late. FFB in rF2 is miles better, but it can be a matter of perspective. For wheel only simulation, it is sufficient. For all the bumps that you should feel with body, the AC is lacking. I bet it is just a matter of time.

Also, what AC has published is in overall better quality. No ugly stuff is thrown at to the end-users - it builds trust.

It would also seem that AC graphics are good out of the box, while ISI must do magic with it's current engine and still without good results.

Overall, ISI has made some poor high level decisions: sticking to old engine and still making rF2 to be such a ambitious project with so many features that are cool, but not critical; so many unfinished features and making the beta phase to drag; not completing the core stuff (graphics glitches, ugly rain, exploding cars) and instead making new content. It all kills patience and fanbase.

I remember that ISI told for fans, "it will be done when it is done". Let me tell you now - you are done.

Even though rF2 is more complete on this stage, I don't see myself coming back. Had a ... not so good 2 years + 1 year of empty words.

 

Agree with this too, I just love rF2 tire model it is so delicious and crunchy. And at the same time, as a modder I am saddened that I never going to get my head around of the tire model and tire tools so that I could do something with it. I admit it, I wait for AC because it should make thinks simpler for me. It is like enjoying space flights, but unable to make my own space shuttle and so having to make paper planes.

 

Agree as well, since i leave modding for a long time, actually i'm thinking about to start again but rf2 is brutal to get into it as a no coder and i tought as well if AC wasn't the better choice but not really with this feelings, than i prefer to learn tire physics of rf2 instead of a simple one producing cheap feelings.

 

Well, I've spent part of the day trying it out. Haven't played the tech demo, never played NkP.

Basically the feelings I've had with it so far are the same. Like you said, AA problems are worse than rF2 and the HDR is in the same boat. I was getting some pretty bright "cartoony" looking view out of the cockpit at Imola at around 9am. Seems like everything that rF2 has that is odd, AC has correct, and vice versa.

I haven't done any replay stuff, but it sounds pretty much spot on. From the vids I've seen, it looks very very nice.

I set reflections at medium, and it does the same thing as rF2's, which is a sort of stuttering movement to the reflection, guessing its to save FPS. FPS was alright on my machine, but I would almost put the visuals as equal between the two. One thing would be including AI though, and other things like that that have to be calculated. That could have a big impact on performance.

The M3 GT2 has some weird arse issues. Sitting still in the pits watching the camera pan round the car, and the front wheels were spinning round on the spot and shuddering back and forward. Hopped in car, and just idling in the pits, the wheel was vibrating around while the wheels kept doing their weird jig. Whenever the BMW is stopped, the front wheels start acting weird. Plus clouds of tyre smoke come off the rears when you drive it slowly or are pulling away.

Same comments with the FFB, feels like a big spring with some very vague bumps that come through. Hard to describe, but I found it quite hard to "get a nice feeling" with any of the cars. Some people that have played nKp say that it is much different to how nKp was, and not in a good way. As I said, I've never played it so no idea.
Probab;y it's a good emulation of modern street car powersteering or something, but it didn't seem right with the open wheeler or the GT2.

Sounds I hope will get improved, especially come the big SLS time, etc. I think sounds are a big part of driving in sims and having things sounding like the real thing just helps for the immersion that you are actually driving the vehicle. Still, hopefully wouldn't be too hard for them to work on it.

Why I mentioned the Lotus 49 at the top though is it seemed to be one of the closest cars we could match up with rF2, especially with 60's Monza in both. To me, the feel and sense of weight transfer seems almost nonexistent. I could never get a feeling through either the visuals or the FFB on how the car was loading up. Start to put the power down and there is a bit of movement, but it doesn't seem quite natural or right somehow, and hard to help judge grip off it. Same for the brakes, hard to get a nice feeling of how hard you are squishing the tyres into the track and then how that affects your braking input. Yet again, it's hard to describe for me.
Funny how it goes, the way the cars act in replays looks great, but doesn't seem the same when driving. Opposite for rF2 XD

One thing I loved was the gearbox in it, caning the old M3 around Imola was a hoot with the gearbox at least trying to act realistically. Trying to clutchless shift without any noise, fun times, loved it XD


Great that it seems so many people are super pleased with it, it's good to see. Just like a few others have said, I reckon it has a long way to go before it could be seen as "the next coming". Looking forward to it in future though


EDIT: Other thing I forgot, something we will see how it pans out. Someone mentioned in a comment somewhere that if AI, weather, damage, multiplayer, etc is only a matter of 2, 4 or 6 weeks away with these updates, they would have held off the release of the game, surely. After many games having all sorts of delays and problems, I kinda wonder what is actually gunna be released every 2 weeks in this schedule. We will just have to see what happens.

 

I just purchased AC yesterday evening at 19:30. At 21:30 i sadly had to find out, that you can't get a refund on steam. 35 Euro down the drain
However on 21:45 i was throwing the BES-911 around mianiaks searspoint and couldn't care less about the loss of 35 Euro on another "sim" i won't be using - i was just happy to have RF2 and some awesome mods. Thanks ISI and all the modders!

But however, now that i experienced how AC doesn't even stand up to all the things people hoped for at the slightest (for me, it feels almost as bad as pcars...but doesn't look and sound as good - so whats the point in it?), i am quite optimistic that many modders will start working on their mods for RF2 now. Let's hope so!

 

This is interesting question. rF2 will have hard time to compete with AC modding tools, solid graphics engine and Steam Workshop.

 

The last I read, there will be no rain until next year. To me, that is a basic feature of any racing game and I don't mess around with games that don't have it. But honestly without AI, multi, realroad, flatspotting, rain, damage etc etc, you are buying this game off the hope that one day it'll implement all this and they will be worth a damn.

It's pretty though.

 

Anybody realised the checkpoint thing ? I'm a bit confused, where the people not going to kill Simbin for there file markers because of a arcade feeling ? I guess people give AC to much room of agreement. Not only that it can't compete with rf2's dynamics atm, it feels arcade and supports features from games for kids on consoles.

ISI seems to me like the last real guys don't selling there prioritys for commerce.

 

I buhgt AC, and compared rF2 classics and AC Lotus 49... please, ISI, keep doing this job.

As said before, AC looks awesome in replays, nonexistent feelings onboard. Will be a nice game if they work hard for public races, career mode... but I think has nothing to do for competitive racing and great league events. UI is great, graphics OK, but physics and features, are far from rF2, where in the world can you push full throttle with Formula Abarth in 2nd gear in a tight turn with any signs of oversteer? And BMW GT2? I con only get oversteer pushing full throttle in 2nd gear in tights turns with unbalanced car.

 

speed1, arcade checkpoint stuff is only in special hotlap mode. If you select just practice, there is none of that.

Street cars in AC are fun to drive. But BMW GT2 (too much grip) and especially Lotus 49 are strange and not enjoyable. EVE F1 is much better representation of historic formulas for me. Overall physics seems to have potential, but also feels simplified depending on a car you drive and on track situations.
But AC is better than rF2 in lighting and replay fidelity for sure.

 

RAIN, how can you even mention that??? I would guess that most of the things you mentioned wont be available until 2014 and than again, 2014 didnt even start and it has 12 months wich can move quickly to 2015...

 

i found something funny: http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/index.php?threads/very-little-kerb-feeling.1479/#post-12022
"That said, we do recognize the need to feel something in the sim, and the only hardware that can do it is the steering wheel, so we do actively working on it and there will be improvements."
Haha, so one day after releasing the alpha (or whatever), they realise a racing sim only gives feedback through the wheel? Or did they realise it before, and just completely ignored that, while developing the current state of FFB?

 

These are my comments I pasted to another board earlier.

- Graphics run very smooth on the default settings. I didn't notice issues with anything such as the AA, which some users have mentioned. The graphic engine is miles ahead of the one of rF2, both in performance and looks. Track modeling is on par with both simulators, perhaps rF2 is slightly more detailed on its newer tracks.
- The sounds are not bad but not very good either. You get a muffled impression with most cars, some lack of bass, etc. Obviously I have never sat in a real race car, but rFactor 2 sound samples seem more authentic.
- Car physics are very different compared to iRacing or rFactor 2. This is both good and bad. In AC you can really feel the weight of the car and the initial understeer on entry, which I think is totally realistic with street cars. All rFactor 2 cars feel very light (less inertia) compared to this, which means you need a big adjusting in driving style between these two simulators. In open wheelers I prefer the light feeling of rFactor 2, as they should have this "wild" handling in my view. For street cars the physics of AC seem more realistic.
- FFB is quite good, could yet be slightly more communicative but I didn't get an impression anything major was wrong with it. I particularly like the way locking the brakes is transmitted to the FFB.
- UI is very innovative and easy to use. Some options are lacking from the beta, notably seat adjustment and FOV. UI overall is miles ahead of rF2.
- There are some arcade elements that I don't particularly like. Such as the slowdown when going wide on track, which has been mentioned. Secondly, when you lose control of the car in Monza final braking, even at high speed the car almost always stops in the middle of the gravel trap, never reaching the barrier. The gravel material properties are slightly wrong imo. Thirdly, the impact of damage is too low; especially open-wheelers should be much more fragile (not talking about the visual damage which is obviously not yet implemented).

Overall after a slight initial disappointment my feelings are quite positive of this beta. Finally, below a comparison between cars/track of the same era in AC and rF2.