It’s already September 18, and Summer (or Winter those of us down South) has just ended - time sure seems to fly when you’re overhauling a game from top to bottom!
In our last update back in May, we had hoped to share more about AMS2 V1.6 over its development during the months in between, however the nature of this update combined with the sheer amount of third-party IP it involved meant there was little concrete information to actually share; such have been the demands in putting it all together that we had to get our head down and focus 100% on delivering the update, leaving the writing about it for later.
We’ve now close enough to release that we can start sharing a little more - and do we have exciting news ot share! So much in fact that we are going to break this into two Dev Updates, with a third part to come later.
While IMSA and everything surrounding it (as well as some tidbits that aren´t) are the heart and soul of AMS2 V1.6 along with an overhauled UI that significantly changes how AMS2´ huge content collection is packaged and presented, this Pt2 will focus instead on the key developments made to the game as you know it - these include improvements in physics, AI, multiplayer, audio, graphics, gameplay, simulation features, in sum everything that makes V1.6 a significant leap in terms of sheer sim racing value, which ultimately is crucial for all the exciting new content to be of actual value..
Buckle up then and let’s dive into some of the changes that will transform the AMS2 experience as you know it!
AMS2 V1.6 to Support Grid Sizes up to 48 Cars
Beginning with one of the most substantial developments of V1.6 and a much requested one – AMS2 V1.6 will support larger grids of up to 48 cars. This has been one of the developments that had been “up in the air” until recently but luckily we´ve managed to get that one accros the finish line as it is a critical one in AMS2´s push to offer quality Endurance Racing simulation.
We’ve made several structural upgrades to allow for grid sizes of up to 48 cars - this alone should lead to an increase of a few hundred MB of memory usage, regardless of whether users are running larger grids or not (without impacting performance relative to the previous 32-car limit).
There are some caveats: Larger grid sizes will only be available for users with 12GB of physical memory, with those with less than 12GB remaining restricted to 32-car grids. Bigger grids will be available in Single Player only, with Multiplayer remaining capped at a maximum of 32 cars.
Furthermore, the availability of bigger grids will be dependent on the track chosen supporting it; for this initial release, most Grade 1 tracks will but some will have cars sharing pit boxes, while many Grade 2 and most Grade 3 tracks won’t support larger grids at all. This will evolve quickly over time however, and any track that has been known to host Endurance Racing in the USA, Europe, or Brazil will eventually feature pit accommodations for all 48 cars.
V1.6 Multiplayer Developments
A little while ago we shared news about ongoing collaborations with several online sim racing services focused on providing scheduled multiplayer racing, such as Low Fuel Motorsports, JustRace, and RaceCraft Online. The latter two have supported AMS2 scheduled races for some time already, and LFM is expected to make its exciting debut offering AMS2 schedules soon after the V1.6 release.
The reason we pursued such collaborations was because these services offer something we do not plan to provide ourselves, and they do it very well; our goal is to ensure they have all technical and material support they may need to to provide a quality service with AMS2 races so that those looking to race online with it in a controlled environment always have an option in sight, and that they get to do it with minimal risk of technical issues.
To that end, we have made substantial developments to the netcode over the V1.6 cycle, the most significant being the reduction vehicle packet send rates by almost 75%, significantly easing the data transfer load on both servers and clients at negligible quality cost. We have also adjusted an overly stringent function that could lead to mass disconnects if the server didn’t receive a certain number of packets within a short window of time.
Beyond that, we have further reduced the cut-off time after which new clients can no longer join a qualifying session and intrduced new UI-based features, such as the ability to share setups with other racers.
While the full impact of these improvements to the multiplayer experience in AMS2 remains to be fully gauged once the update is out and contending with a range of demands from different servers with diverse configurations, client numbers, and car/track combos, based on ongoing beta tests being run throughout V1.6 development with both JR and LFM we are quite optimistic the most common issues have at the very least been greatly mitigated. There may still be some teething issues with the new UI in the weeks following release however which is why we are advising services and league organizers to keep events casual initially.
This isn’t to suggest that AMS2 V1.6 will immediately become the ultimate platform for multiplayer sim racing; other titles with a more dedicated focus on multiplayer will continue to be the more robust and resourceful platforms for online sim racing. Our goal for AMS2 MP with V1.6 is that through the combination of these core improvements along with the offering of regular scheduled races the AMS2 MP scene will provide a more solid platform for online racing than it has been up to this point, which we can then continue to build on.
V1.6 Graphics Overhaul
AMS2 V1.6 features the first stage of a substantial graphics overhaul, including revisions to environment lighting, vehicle materials, along with new and updated shaders. The end result is a significant upgrade to the game’s visuals, delivering a more natural and cohesive integration of cars and tracks in different weather and time settings. These improvements are to the benefit of every track and car in the game with negligible performance impact.
A secondary stage of the overhaul will take place next year and will delve deeper into the rendering engine in pursuit of further improvements, with anti-aliasing and shadow casting development being prime targets.
V1.6 enhances the visual experience in AMS2 with new details and updated particle effects. In P 1, we already covered improvements to windshields, smoke particles, and extra vehicle lights, and to that we can now add:
Trackside pyrotechnics — firework displays have become a pretty common part of the show in race events; in V1.6 AMS2 will feature them for given car-track events that are known to feature it.
Dynamic exhausts will now glow hot at sustained high engine speeds
Tires become visibly wet from running on a wet track
Furthermore, a wider range of tracks featuring trees in the immediate trackside surroundings now have them in 3D replacing the old rotating 2D sprites.
These trees even get wet under the rain.
Weather & LiveTrack Developments
The graphics overhaul extends into several elements of the weather system; one of the ways it does is through the new humidity modeling system – AMS2 now factors humidity levels (either automatically generated through climate of the location interpolated with current weather conditions or by picking up real data if using Real Weather) in generating environmental fog and haze; high levels of humidity in colder environmental temperatures can also lead to contrail vortices forming around the rear wing og formula cars depending on the characteristics of the car and how fast it is going.
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On the LiveTrack side of things, we have adjusted how lateral and longitudinal forces scale the amount of rubber beind laid down in braking and traction zones vs cornering, resulting in a more even spread of rubber bein laid down all around the corner - this has direct repercussion on the grip levels through the corners as rubber builds up.
The evolution of track conditions under rainy weather as it grows damp and then soaked with water is more clearly visible, especially at lower saturation levels.
These saturation levels also better correlate with the amount of water spray being generated over various segments of the track. The visuals of water spray itself have been further improved, with volume escalation according to the level of water saturation becoming more natural.
In terms of track physics, the buildup, evaporation, and dissipation of water on track, and the dynamics involved have received many adjustments to better factor track characteristics in those dynamicss. This includes road inclination, drainage properties (both natural and track-specific), and interaction with the cars themselves. As a result, puddles don’t accumulate as easily or deeply as before, even on older and / or regional tracks where drainage systems are more limited.
Even when puddles do form, the updated wet tires in V1.6 are much better equipped to dissipate water, reducing the risk of aquaplaning.
But the biggest development to LiveTrack in V1.6 is the increased effect of water when overlaying the rubber on the racing line, making it a lot more slippery than before —the more rubber build-up on the racing line and the more saturated it is with water, the slipperier it gets and the more the driver has to explore different lines to avoid it.
[previewyoutube=4V2F7XpcPrI;full][/previewyoutube]
V1.6 Physics Development
The previous two development updates in April and May already covered aspects of the physics revisions in V1.6, which as elaborated before is driven primarily by the development of tire hysteresis along with a tire thermodynamics overhaul. Brakes have also received a thermodynamics overhaul of their own and have a much more tangible feel to them, and several individual cars that had issues of one nature or another have been revised if not completely remodelled, ensuring the quality standards across the whole car roster is greater than ever before.
There is understandable skepticism around the term “game-changing” when it comes to physics development, but there are changes that quite literally fundamentally transform many of these intertwined dynamics, without necessarily eliminating the work that came before; indeed the v1.6 revisions compound and build on the ones that came before, adding up to the result that you will be able to experience upon V1.6 release.
Obviously it is fair to expect physics development to eventually reach a plateau where there is no room nor need for such fundamental changes to be made; while future updates will continue to refine and improve the details and one can never be sure there are no further discoveries to be made, V1.6 seems to be reaching such plateau and at a very rarefied altitude.
If the AMS2 hadn´t yet clicked for you we´d invite you to give it a try one last time - maybe this will turn out to be true game changer for you :)
V1.6 AI Development
Finally. one of the areas to once again receive the most substantial developments in V1.6, the number of AI developments big and small in this update is almost to big to list in full, so let´s just cover some of the most significant:
- AI will now move more decisively to cover the inside line to protect position from an attacking car
- AI will prioritize taking the inside line of the next braking zone in order to complete a manouver succesfully (rather than just go wherever there is more space as it used to be)
- AI will move over and lift when appropriate to give way to faster cars when under blue flag
- AI will actively try to create space between themselves and nearby cars when opening a hotlap in practice / qualifying
- AI will gauge slower traffic way further ahead than before in order to decide the best course of action navigating it
- Further elaboration of pitstop logic to increase chances of sound AI pit strategy even in longer races
- AI is far less constrained with regards to where it places itself on the track relative to other cars and the racing line itself, allowing it far more freedom to complete overtaking moves
- At the same time AI will be far less inclined to conclude exceeding track boundaries is necessary to avoid an incident, and will suffer more consequences in terms of time lost if and when it does so
- AI Aggression setting is more influential in defining agressive behavior from the AI
All of the above subject to variations from class to class, and driver to driver observing variations in rules and racing etiquette from different motorsports disciplines as well over different eras.
Last but certainly not least, another round of AI calibration is currently in progress for both dry and wet weather along with everything in between, with the goal of mitigating most if not all persisting discrepancies in performance
To showcase some of these improvements, in the days between now and V1.6 release we will be sharing several gameplay videos like the one below featuring a diverse range of car / track content so uses get a glimpse of these improvements.
[previewyoutube=9DgeXuEylL4;full][/previewyoutube]
Further down the line, although we have no plans to saturate users with additional AI configuration options (I personally believe that giving users the onus to learn and then adjust a screen full of siliders to be antithetical to the purpose of a game), we do plan to offer a few additional options for users to configure AI´s traction and braking skill separate from the overall Strength setting, with another option to configure their rate of mistakes.
That covers it for this Dev Update! There is much more to be said about these and other developments for AMS2 V1.6, especially the audio development which we haven´t quite covered along with arguably the largest and most exciting collection of content ever packaged within a single sim racing update, but for now it is time to get back to work – not many corners remaining on this road so it won´t take too long for Pt3 to come around.
In the meantime please enjoy the previews – there is plenty more incoming over the next few days to get hearts pumpting so stay tuned!
