I didn't have the frame rate issues but had some weird off putting monitor resolution issues. But they weren't what put me off the game. I too found the look, sound and feel to be really lacking. I just don't get why it's such a popular sim. Perhaps I need to invest more time in it to get the best experience, but why would I do this when I can spend that time enjoying R3e? I bought it in a steam sale and only ever play it to occasionally see if it's improved (always a disappointment). But some folks love it. Maybe I just haven't found its hidden awesome yet? [Edit] bought automobilista too and had a similar experience
From my limited time with it, it just doesn't seem to have that "motorsport" feeling that I get with R3E. Also I was actually expecting the presentation, even the UI, to feel slicker than R3E, but didn't find this to be the case. I'm tempted to get a refund, even though I got it cheap, especially as apparently I spent 72 minutes in the game, so that's not much time left to continue evaluating it... It's madness that AC seems to get glowing Steam reviews but R3E consistently gets panned, I don't get it! That's a shame, I was having high hopes for Automobilista too, after reading lots of people raving about it, the only thing putting me off was that the current base game currently doesn't really feature the sort of cars I want to race - GT3 cars and Touring cars mostly, I'm not so interested in open wheelers (maybe the classic ones), V8s, trucks or carts, but maybe I'm missing out? I still might give it a go, I guess I could always ask for a refund for that if I don't like it, though 2 hours isn't really long enough to evaluate a racing sim.
Does anyone else have any comments to make that might make me reconsider getting a refund for AC? Am I missing something?
Not really... I asked for a refund (months ago), but I was too late. I bought it at 1/2 price. I did not like it either, apart from the proper triple screen support. I left it for months but gave it a new try a week ago. Seems that one of the updates totally changed the way the cars can be driven. It is not bad, the newer cars are graphically pretty good too. And there are a lot of mods that can fill up the content to a decent level. AC does have some features that PCars, nor R3E have.
I tried out the AMG GT3, which I assume must be relatively new, but didn't think it looked that great, especially how it looked moving on track. Decent AI? Good multiplayer support? Actually I was expecting neither of those things, but I was expecting the driving simulation itself to be more appealing, as well as the graphics and overall presentation
What I like about AC and is missing in R3E is laser scanned tracks, detailed cockpits, also the AI is currently more "race-able" and mods (mainly apps, I'm not usually using modded tracks or cars). I quite don't like most of the sounds and I'm not very convinced about the latest physics. R3E has simpler physics, but is more believable to me. On the other hand AMS physics and feel is one of the best out there. If you want touring cars there is Copa Petrobras de Marcas championship (FWD) which is good alternative to WTCC and I also like V8 Stock Cars (DTM alternative). With the next update (this week or the next) there will be Boxer Cup series introduced which will be good GT3 alternative (only 1 car though). The downside here is lack of EU/US tracks you know from other sims, but if you take the time learning the new ones, they are quite enjoyable. I'm constantly switching between many sims and I think both AMS and AC are worth to have, because they are constantly improving, unlike pCARS for example.
Are we talking about the same sim? Today I had several races in the Mazdas again, against the AI at 88%-90%, track condition green , 15°C. The AI ran a m ixed randomised field from the "small sports car" category. And it has been some time since I had THIS much fun with the AI and cars. Especially a stubborn Audi Quattro stayed with me for laps and laps at Vallelunga, and we changed places sometimes three times per lap, duelled bumper to bumper and door to door - without crashes or more than just some minor bumper kissing sometimes. Newcomers to AC who are used to another sim, sometimes make a mistake, I think - they expect to get another "personal sim of their choice", just in new clothings (that better should not look too different, however). That does not work when coming to AC, nor does it work well if an AC drivers tries another sim. These are not same titles, nor are they made by the same creators. The driving is different in AC and ReE, my best advise is: be patient, stop comparing too early, just take things as what they are, and try many diverse cars, not just some exotic "stars" - which in case of super sports cars can be very difficult to control, because they ARe difficult to be driven at high speeds, they are no race cars with their according grip levels. Last year I lonely hotlapped Imola and some other tracks for hours and hours - anmd it was completely satisfying without qany AI or race action, just perfecting my skill in mastering this one single car I used, a F458 at that time. Others do the dsame with the Nordschleife, obviously. For days. And weeks. The driving is the star in AC, not the racing. (Their subtiteling of the game title got that totally wrong ) The differences you either accept, or you don't. AC has imo the better looking car modelling both interior and exterior, and dynamic lighting that sometimes works great to create photorealistic colours in the landscape, sometimes not, depends on location and time of day. The windshield graphics of shadows and dirt particles dancing in the changing light, are way ahead of what raceroom does there. Raceroom has trackside environments that are more detailed and more atmospheric, more immersive. I personally tend to prefer the looks of Assetto's car graphics, and the looks of Raceroom's track environments graphics. Sound is Raceroom's domain and is the genre benchmark, most likely, I know noother racing sim that sounds as immersive and bombastic like this; Assetto's quality varies here, mostly okay, only a few really good, but some awfully unconvincing. Driving, Assetto's physics are more complex and subtle, there is more that it takes to control its cars at competitive speeds, than in Raceroom. However, that does not speak against Raceroom, if it would feel like Assetto, I would not really need it, why driving and financing TWO Assettos? The point is: I like the way Raceroom'S driving feels, too - and right because it is different to that of Assetto. Both sims have different foci. Raceroom focusses on season simulation, and series, the events, its focus is somewhat wider, not just driving, but also the mood of an event, a location. Assetto shows its love for perfectly rebuilding the virtual pendant of the car itself, and focusses on the driving for the mere sake of enjoying the cruise. The different collection of cars in both sims also reflect that. Almost only racing series cars in the one, a wide mix of street, classics, sports, super sports and racing cars in the other. AI are solid in both titles at least. And Assetto'S AI, say what you want, but these AI guys are fast - while sharing the same physics like player'S car, no using simplified physics set for AI cars like other racing sims. Raceroom I race at 100-120% - in AC I need to tone it down now from formerly 94% to now 88-90% at best. Speaking about default setups while only adapting tyres. Give it some time and good will, its not as if this is a super expensive title. Do not try to see another sim in it that it isn't, take it for what it is. Then it begins to shine. I do not want to sound like a messiah, but there really are very valid reasons why Assetto took the scene by storm from first tech demo on. Do like me, do not try to chose - but use both! Both titles deserve it. I hate the idea of having to chose between the two. And final tip: to not underestimate the small, the apparently non-sensational cars, the "little grey mice" on wheels that you see and think they can do nothing for you. The difficulty in mastering the cars in Assetto, varies very widely, in Raceroom, car differences are not that immense, the variety in their differences, the spectrum of differences is not as wide as in AC. The majority of my great race moments I have collected in right these small, tiny, non-sensational cars that newcomers often just ignore in desinterest. And drive slower in the fast cars, the physics are more unforgiving in AC, less linear, less stability-focussed and much more alive, dynamic, agile. If you try to drive AC cars like you are used to from much more stability-using Raceroom, you mostly will have problems. Subtlety in handling the controls, is of the essence. Same cars in both sims - do NOT compare. I found Raceroom after I already had 500 hours or so in AC, I assume it is easier to adapt to Raceroom when coming from AC, than the other way around. I now have around 700 hours in Assetto, and 200 in Raceroom, so since I found Raceroom one year ago, my driving time has more or less been equally shared between both titles, 200 hours in each of them. P.S. And as poster above said: moddability and laser scanned tracks are two big plusses of AC, helped it tremedously to jumpstart in the beginning (the instant and super-fast success has totally suprised Kunos back then, they once admitted, and forced them to rapidly speed up timetables for implementing even better modding support still very early in Early Access). Mods are what keep sims and communities alive over the long time, ten years. That R3E cannot be modded and has this often criticised business model, are probably the two most important reasons why player numbers do not make it to the ranks of other sims. The always-online thing also speaks against raceroom, and often gets mentioned by people deciding against getting into R3E.
And you can use AC offline Just need to setup graphic and ffb. For me AC have one of the best FFB. Sound is not so good except maybe for latest cars, but you can change it for excellent Fonsecker sound mod. About cockpits in AC, detailed, because not only track laser scanned, but most of cars to and scanned not only exterior but interior to. AMS for me is No. 1 for F1 and V8 And why AC is good for me ? Because i can easily switch from for ex. Nordschleife and GT3 cars like McLaren in R3E to AC and back while i'm not online
I like AC more and more. Realistic graphics with hot colors, good physic, great multi. I don't use Fonsecker mod anymore.
You can wait until tomorrow to try it ??? I spend about 20hrs to drive car from this pack, can't stop And have 2 online races at Imola with MX-5 Cup. Its really fun to drive, because lap times for most racers near the same 2:15-2:17 Its very stable car, but don't try to open full throttle while wheels on the kerb
I quite agree with Skybird, except one thing. Most of the cars in AC are not harder to control than in R3E. I'm not gonna talk about street cars, but racing cars like GT3/GT2 are a bit weird. They are somewhat sliding into the corners but you rarely lose it, almost every slide is recoverable. It almost feels like the cars are always ready to drift. Also, if the car understeers into a corner, just a little lift-off makes it instantly rotate wherever you want it. It all feels weird. This handling is not present in any other sim and I don't think it is quite correct. Don't get me wrong, the cars behave differently, but they are still enjoyable. The new MX-5 cup is fun to drive, but it regains grip too easily when after the limit.
Okay, I'll sleep on it and think about whether to get a refund or not, the post by @Skybird has given me some things to think about (thanks for the detailed response) and it only cost me £26.99 for the game plus the first three Dream Packs due to the 40% off sale. Regarding Modding - one thing I actually like about Raceroom is that I don't feel I need to Mod it (apart from using things like Crew Chief and R3E Dashboard), the stock content is great and mostly what I'm looking for. I was surprised that the graphics didn't seem that great in AC, especially as some screenshots I've seen look nothing like it looks on my PC (which runs both R3E and even Forza Apex well), maybe I'm not doing something right with the settings? Also strange that the showroom only runs at around 5FPS for me, I was quite looking forward to the "car porn" aspect of that.much like ForzaVista - I have an Nvidia 970M, this shouldn't be a problem for it! Are there some weird Windows 10 issues or something?
I have only problem to drive RUF Try to switch off PP (post-process) Effects in graphic settings first. And for screen shots you can use photo mode while replays not only in showroom. If i'm not wrong. While in replays, go to photo mode and press F5, then you can use your mouse to zoom in/out and rotate around the car Most FPS depended graphic settings in AC: 1) Post-process filters 2) Reflections 3) Smoke 4) Shadows
There are some graphics options that take huge performance hit, so experiment a bit with the settings. The most demanding are dynamic reflections, I would suggest to switch them to static.
Maybe someone could name me one car and track combo to try out (from the first 3 Dream packs or base game) that might help to convince me?
But why can I easily get over 70fps in-game with most things on pretty high settings or maxed but the showroom crawls at 5fps? Seems odd!
Most FPS depended graphic settings in AC: 1) Post-process filters 2) Reflections 3) Motion Blur 4) Smoke 5) Shadows And i think in showroom you have more detailed car then in game. May be not to much, but with more reflections, shadows e.t.c