The Week Of Updates.

Well this has been a busy week for most of the major PC sims with iRacing, Assetto Corsa and RaceRoom Racing Experience all getting new updates and some new content.

First up is iRacing.com

They have introduced a new update that helps with the dreaded stutter and also balances out the new GT3 cars so they are more evenly matched with the original GT3 content. There are a few DX11 updates included as well.

Here is the full change log,

Web

– Fixed an issue that was causing the “Popular Races & Practices” page to fail to load correctly for some users.

Paint Kit

– Inside Sim Racing sponsor images have been updated.

Simulation

– Fixed several issues with thread affinity and thread priorities that could cause performance problems and stuttering.

– Removed the setting “[Task] num_processors_to_use” parameter from the “core.ini” file, since altering this could adversely affect the Simulation’s performance.

Netcode

– Prevent the Sim from dynamically probing your network connection to see how large a packet it can send.

– Changed the default maximum network packet size to ensure that Connection Type selections on the Account->My Account->Preferences page on the web site up to “512K or faster” require only one packet. The two higher selections (768K and 1Mbit) will require more than one packet.

Sessions

– Fixed an issue that was causing incident points during a Qualifying session embedded within a Race event from counting towards your SR.

Tires

– Fixed a bug where a tire could stop interacting with the ground after being in the air during a pit stop.

Rendering

– Fixed a bug where the Sim could crash transitioning from a practice server to a race server.

– Added the ability for the Sim to detect certain application freezes and generate a crash log file. These files can help our developers track down the causes for such behaviors and try to get them fixed. This logging ability is optional, and is disabled by default, however you can enable it if you are experiencing application freezes by adjusting the “maxAllowedHangTimeSecondsBG” and “maxAllowedHangTimeSecondsFG” options in your “app.ini” file to a value of “=50”. This means that if your Sim freezes, a snapshot of your program will be generated after about 1 minute, and output into a .log file which you can then send to Customer Service and our developers for review. However, please note that we do not advise enabling this detection system unless necessary to help debug an issue.

DirectX 9

– Fixed an issue where windshield reflections appeared dimmer than in DirectX 11.

DirectX 11

– Fixed a crash bug that happened when exiting the simulator with certain graphics settings, such as class 1 settings with Render Dynamic Tires disabled.

– Fixed a crash bug that happened when exiting race sessions launched from pre-race practice sessions.

– Fixed an issue where track temperatures in DX11 were reported to be warmer than track temperatures in DX9.

– Fixed an issue where skies were often not oriented correctly. For instance, the sun was often located at some random and incorrect position.

– Fixed the odd bluish shadow patches that could appear on road surfaces and curbs with low sun angles such as occur during the morning and afternoon. The issue was noticed at Lime Rock Park and Virginia International Raceway.

– Fixed an issue where shadow volumes were not utilizing the optimized “shadow models” when available. Lit dashboard displays no longer cast unnecessary shadow volumes.

– Fixed an issue where black lines would sometimes appear when using “High” Shader Quality.

– Fixed an issue where Track Surface Decals could tile incorrectly, resulting in odd patterns of lines seen on the track at Southern National Motorsports Park, and some other areas.

– Fixed an issue where some tire rims were rendering white. Generally, these vehicles were not yet updated to be using the PBR Shader.

– Fixed an issue where chrome could render too bright on some of the older car models.

– Fixed a framerate issue with low res particles.

– Fixed lighted dash displays clipping with the wheel.

– Mirrors now support low detail mode; previously they always rendered in high detail mode.

– The filter that removes resolutions smaller than the desktop dimensions in the Autoconfig application has been removed.

– The simulator now attempts to keep activation, and not minimize, when losing window activation, unless an Alt+Tab function was recently processed. This may help prevent “pop-up windows” and notifications from minimizing the simulator.

PopcornFX

– As a precaution against a known issue with application freezes that may occur when Particle Detail is set to the “Medium” or “High” value, the Sim will reset your Particle Detail setting to the “Low” value the first time it launches.

– Opponent vehicles will now emit dust particles correctly.

– An issue with black particle debris effects on tires has been fixed.

Dynamic Tire Debris Accumulation

– Fixed an issue where tires would appear black when the Particle Detail option was set to the “Low” setting.

– This system will be disabled when the “Shader Quality” is set to “Medium” or lower.

Pit

– A new setting, “[Pit Service] autoResetFastRepair=1” has been added to the “app.ini” file. This setting separates resetting the fast repair Black Box checkbox from the existing setting “[Pit Service] autoResetPitBox=1” in the “app.ini” file.

Black Boxes

– Setup changes that are applied during a pit stop (like tire pressures) are no longer kept when the Sim advances from one session to another. Immediate in-cockpit adjustments (like brake bias or traction control setting) are still kept across a session transition.

Weather

– Fixed an issue where one of the partly cloudy sky lighting files was configured with the incorrect cubemap.

– Temperatures in sessions using Dynamic Weather will now remain within the same limits that can be selected in offline Testing and Hosted sessions.

EasyAntiCheat

– Should a Package Error 73 occur, the specific EasyAntiCheat message that caused the error will be appended to the sim_launch.txt log file in your My Documents\iRacing\logs directory, for future reference.

Video Capture

– Video Capture will now disabled by default.

– Video Capture can now be enabled and disabled via a Settings option.

– Users are now able to select “Fullscreen” when capturing video.

– A new video capture library has been added to fix an issue with DX11 and XSplit.

Peripherals

– Logitech G27 Racing Wheel shift indicators now function correctly when racing with the Aston Martin DBR9 GT1, Formula Renault 2.0, and Mercedes-AMG GT3.

– Xbox One controllers will not be initialized by iRacing on Windows 10 machines. Windows 10 has buggy drivers for Xbox One controllers that cause direct input to lock up or run very slowly. This default can be changed by setting the “[Force Feedback] allowXBoxOneOnWin10=1” in the “app.ini” file.

Vehicles

Audi R8 LMS GT3

– 2016 S2 GT3 BOP Change: Aero drag has been slightly reduced.

– Rear damping has been added to improve performance over curbs and with sudden changes in track camber or elevation.

BMW Z4 GT3

– 2016 S2 GT3 BOP Change: Minimum weight has been increased by 5kg.

– The current baseline setup will no longer fail Tech.

Dallara DW12

– Illuminated Lumirank digits will now turn green when entering pit road.

Ford GT

– Fixed an issue with the brake lights in DirectX 11.

– This vehicle is now capable of flashing its headlights.

Ford GT GT3

– Fixed a bug where the traction control switch was unable to turn off and the slip limits were incorrectly defined, compromising system function.

Formula Renault 2.0

– Setups have been updated.

– Fixed an issue with the animation of the suspension.

– Dampers have been adjusted; dampers for all setups prior to this build will be set to 0. Members who already own the car should either adjust their damper settings to feel/speed or restart setups based on these new iRacing baselines included in this build.

– Brake Balance can now be adjusted using the in-car Black Box.

– F8 now controls in-car adjustments instead of F7.

– The level-of-detail distance for the suspension system has been adjusted.

– Opponent cars should no longer bounce when they enter the world.

– Controls option for fuel mixture settings has been removed.

Legends Ford ’34 Coupe

– Season setups have been added for Five Flags Speedway, South Boston Speedway, and Stafford Motor Speedway.

Mazda MX-5 Cup

– Setups have been updated.

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

– 2016 S2 GT3 BOP Change: Minimum weight has been increased by 10kg.

McLaren MP4-30

– Efficiency of P2P/OT of the Energy Recovery System (ERS) has been reduced significantly.

– Aero drag has been reduced when the Drag Reduction System (DRS) is engaged to improve the ability to overtake.

Mercedes-AMG GT3

– 2016 S2 GT3 BOP Change: The straight-line performance between 45 and 150 MPH has been improved via adjustments to engine performance and aerodynamic drag.

– Internal windshield of the external model will no longer appear green.

– Fixed a bug where the traction control switch was unable to turn off.

– Fixed some level-of-detail textures.

NASCAR Camping World Chevrolet Silverado

– Season setups have been updated for Richmond International Raceway.

NASCAR Camping World Toyota Tundra

– Season setups have been updated for Richmond International Raceway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevrolet Impala COT circa 2013

– The restrictor plate engine package has been removed.

– A 2.90 rear gear is now allowed at superspeedway tracks.

– Tire grip has been increased at superspeedway tracks.

– Tires now absorb heat slightly slower at superspeedway tracks.

– Shock and spring limits have been removed at superspeedway tracks.

– Season setups have been updated for Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Ruf RT 12R AWD

– Gear shift sounds have been updated.

Ruf RT 12R C-Spec

– Illuminated Lumirank digits have been removed while in cockpit mode.

– Season setups have been updated for Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Donington Park Racing Circuit, and Silverstone Circuit.

– Gear shift, transmission, and engine sounds have been updated for cockpit and onboard/chase views.

Ruf RT 12R RWD

– Gear shift sounds have been updated.

Ruf RT 12R Track

– Illuminated Lumirank digits have been removed while in cockpit mode.

– Gear shift, transmission, and engine sounds have been updated for cockpit and onboard/chase views.

SCCA Spec Racer Ford

– Setups have been updated.

Tracks

Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace

– Terrain art updates.

Autodromo Nazionale Monza

– Terrain art updates.

Barber Motorsports Park

– Terrain art updates.

Brands Hatch Circuit

– Terrain art updates.

Canadian Tire Motorsports Park

– Terrain art update.

Circuit of the Americas

– Terrain art updates.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

– Terrain art updates.

Donington Park Racing Circuit

– Terrain art updates.

Lime Rock Park

– Terrain art updates.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

– Terrain art updates.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

– Terrain art updates.

Mount Panorama Circuit

– Terrain art updates.

Nürburgring

– Terrain art updates.

Okayama International Circuit

– Terrain art updates.

Oran Park Raceway

– Fixed a pitstalls and starting grid placement issue in the North B config.

– Terrain art updates.

Oulton Park Circuit

– Terrain art updates.

Phillip Island Circuit

– Terrain art updates.

Phoenix International Raceway

– Tweaked the shape of a backstretch wall where a Turn 2 safer barrier ends.

Road Atlanta

– Terrain art updates.

Sebring International Raceway

– Pesky cones have been removed.

South Boston Speedway

– Terrain art updates.

Southern National Motorsports Park

– Fixed a bug where jersey barriers were disappearing when using Medium or Low object detail settings.

To find out more about iRacing please visit their website – http://www.iracing.com/

Next up is RaceRoom Racing Experience.

This a big update that includes a massive GT3 physics update, new force feed back settings and smaller things like being able to save your car setups and adjust FFB per car as well.

They have also released some new content in the form a WTCC 2015 car pack and the legendary Nordschleife circuit.

I have given the WTCC car pack a blast around Brands Hatch and here is the video

Here is R3E update change log,

• Massive physics overhaul for GT3-Specs classes, Prototype classes, GTO class. (Please note that the leaderboards of these classes have been wiped due to the overhaul)
• Compact HUD to replace the mini hud.
• FFB additions. Minimum force, slip effect, ffb meter, ffb multiplier per car.
• Load/Save Car setups. Players can now save and load their car setups.
• Bigger Grids. Maximum opponents on certain tracks can now go up to 100.
• Fuel management in car setup
• Oh, and new content too.

Game:

• Added support for Logitech G29. Please note that all Logitech users need to get the latest drivers from Logitech to have wheel ranges working properly.
• Implemented Compact HUD which replaces the minimalistic HUD.
• Added Bigger Grids, allowing tracks to have more than 24 opponents. The maximum number depends on the track and can go up to 100. (SP only for now)
• Implemented FFB Meter which can be used to check the ffb output for clipping.
• Implemented FFB Minimum Force which allows player to amplify small FFB forces. This is mostly for players that have the “dead center” problem when driving straight.
• Implemented FFB Slip effect which simulates when the tires struggle for grip during wheelspin, understeering, sliding, heavy braking.
• Implemented stationary friction in FFB to solve wheels that rotate by themselves while the car is stationary.
• Implemented FFB Multiplier per car in the car setup, allowing player to adjust the overall FFB strength for a car individually.
• Added a new Steering Animation Setting in Vehicle Settings. Player can now set the steering animation rotation to be a custom degree or to match what’s in car setup under steering settings.
• Added Load/Save in Car setup. Also reorganized the settings a bit.
• Removed old auto saving of setup when leaving car setup screen and related logic. Car setup will no longer auto save and the unsaved changes will disappear when leaving the game session.
• Added fuel to car setup.
• Implemented lap invalidation for wallriding.
• Fixed some threading exceptions that could trigger a crash.
• Fixed some camera related rendering thread issues that could trigger a crash.
• Fixed random crash that could occur when pulling out of pits in single race practice session.
• Fixed an issue where the game was only seeing the integrated graphics card on laptops with NVIDIA Optimus.
• Changed fallback null texture format to better support older low end graphics cards that were getting crashes on startup.
• Fixed an issue where start lights could get stuck on screen on certain occasions.
• Fixed an issue where the game would spawn the player at an incorrect garage spot.
• Improved Shadow split calculation
• Added a potential fix for parts falling off car at race restart.
• Fixed so that pitmenu, pit window and pit related overlays don’t show up post race.
• Fixed a crash that could occur while using instant replay.
• Fixed cars flickering in replay.
• Changed so ambient sounds for tracking cameras are initialized after the loading is done to fix some wrong calls.
• Optimized the logic performance.
• Fixed issue with test drive losing audio when alt-tabbing and going back to the game.
• Fixed an issue with returning to garage after pause.
• Fixed cars popping in and out on occasion.
• Fixed error messages in the new menus appearing as white text on white background.
• Revised several controller profiles according to the new ffb additions.
• Added Logitech G29, Fanatec CSR and Thrustmaster T300 F1 Wheel addon profiles.
• Tweaked keyboard default profile for better steering at higher speed.
• Fixed issue with ffb gain only being updated on device initialization which meant that changing it in options didn’t change anything).
• Fixed so wheel range, rev lights and led display are reset when game is closed.
• Added supplemental controller type so that devices such as shifters and pedals trigger the right dialogue when initialized.
• Changed so control set evaluation is only done on controller that’s not supplemental. This fixes the with wrong control set being selected by pedals etc and removes extra dialogs asking the player if he wants to create a profile for them.
• Fixed a crash that could occur in driver logic.
• Fixed a freeze that could occur after the initial track load.
• Fixed gear damage that was occurring when downshifting on cars with downshift prevention.
• Changed LiveTimings, Race Monitor and Session Info to be part of the Menu System instead of being static variables/singletons. This is an attempt to clear up some of the mess and to hopefully fix the issue with menu being broken sometimes after session switches.
• Fixed so “Visible Cars” feature applies on any camera, including free cam.
• Fixed so only timing and position overlays are disabled when the tv overlay setting is off.
• Changed so low fuel, push to pass and drs overlays are not shown if the compact data display is active.
• Fixed a crash that sometimes occurred when bringing up the pit menu.
• Fixed issue with PitPresets not being shown if they’re created mid race through the pause menu.
• Added menu music and music volume setting in sound options.

Multiplayer:

• Added bigger grids in company dedicated servers for testing. We will set up few servers with more than the usual grid size (up to 100) to test and would like you all to join to help us testing.
• Various potential fixes for a crash that was occurring when switching from qualifying to race in Multiplayer.
• Increased stack size for game to fix the stack overflow crash that could have occurred when joining MP.
• Fixed small issue with garage screen not refreshing after session switch in MP (still showed old session type name if player was in the menus during switch).

Sounds, Cameras, Physics & AI:

• AI now better respects track limits.
• AI now visually use default steering settings for their car. Player’s car under AI control now also uses player’s steering settings.
• AI cars now properly use the correct Final Ratio for their gearbox on the current track.
• Updated chase cameras for all so player can feel the car better and be able to see enough of the road ahead
• FallOffDistances (distance at which sounds can be heard) adjusted so replay volume on TV Cameras are balanced with gameplay volume. Engine sounds now have a longer audible distance
• Ambient sound samples on old tracks are now starting at random moment in the samples.
• RoadFeel Effects and Suspension Squeak sound option levels are now set to 40% by default.
• Helicopter cameras now play a constant Helicopter sound sample (was using a fixed area before)
• Wind sound sample (open cockpit cars) updated, volume decreased for a better balance in Stereo setups
• New sound sample for rumblestrips
• Fuel Estimates adjusted for all cars and tracks
• FFB Multiplier adjustments for various cars
• Audi 90 GTO : Massive physics update, cranked idle engine volume to 11
• Chevrolet Greenwood (Gr.5) : Suspension sounds were missing.
• Formula RR2: Fixed rearview camera in triple screen
• GT3-specs cars: Massive physics update, new external sounds for the Z4 and P4/5, improved standing starts for AI’s
• Prototype cars: Massive physics update, new sounds for all, action cameras added.
• NSU TTS : Fixed a floatiness feeling, AI’s should now be better at standing starts
• Hockenheim GP : TV camera files updated
• Indianapolis: merged cut track rules
• Macau : Tweaked AI lines around the hairpin, Fixed a couple TV cameras that were affected by guardrail / tree objects
• Paul Ricard : TV Cameras updates
• Salzburgring : AI tweaks
• Spa-Francorchamps : TV camera files updated
• Suzuka : AI tweaks
• Zandvoort : TV cameras cleanup

Art:

• Added new content
• P4-5 : swapped liveries in GTR3
• Mercedes SLS GT3 : Fixed weird polygon on hood when damaged
• New sky textures ( global )
• Minor livery fixes
• Audi 90Q GTO : fixed a weird keyhole in taillight
• Brands Hatch : Reduced bumpiness

Portal:

• Added Improved Newsfeed system which now works as a standalone application.
• Added fallback functionality on timeouts on steam callbacks to ensure the transaction gets cancelled if Steam store times out as it did during holidays.
• Fixed a purchase processing issue that could have triggered “nothing to buy” message, buying twice, and things not appearing as purchased problems.
• Fixed a store content filtering issue in competition launcher and game menu.
• Fixed so player can challenge other cars in a class where they own one of cars in the class if they filter by class in LB (All cars in LB list).

R3E is a free download on Steam – http://store.steampowered.com/app/211500/

Last but not least is Assetto Corsa.

Assetto Corsa hit version 1.5 this week with some big updates to the A.I and track graphics. They also released a new version of their tyre model bringing it up to v7.

They also released some free new content the Ford Mustang 2015, Corvette C7 Stingray 2015 and the Abarth 595 EsseEsse along with a fictional track called Black Cat Country

I tried out the GT3 cars at the full Brands Hatch circuit to test out the new A.I updates and here is the video,

And here is the 1.5 build change log,

– New Abarth 595esseesse and S1, S2 upgrades
– New Ford Mustang GT 2015
– New Corvette C7 Stingray
– New Black Cat County track
– Nurburgring gp circuit updated
– Nurburgring gp circuit now with 4 layouts
– Silverstone circuit updated
– Monza circuit updated
– Spa circuit updated
– Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit updated
– Nurburgring Nordschleife endurance cup layout added
– Mugello circuit updated
– Magione circuit updated
– Imola circuit updated
– Drift circuit updated
– Vallelunga circuit updated
– Vallelunga classic layout added
– Vallelunga circuit (all layouts) now has 24 car slots
– Activated time progression in Multiplayer
– All cars updated to Tyre Model 7
– Pitstop are now available in single player races
– Damage is now visible in Multiplayer mode for remote cars
– Launcher: steam overlay support disabled due to stability issues
– Launcher: re-instated multi-process mode for CEF due to stability issues
– Launcher: changes to memory usage policy, more aggressive memory releasing thresholds
– Fixed Lamborghini Miura gearbox damage
– Updated drivetrain upshift and downshift timings for all cars
– F6 inside cameras use internal sounds
– Free camera now honours distance multiplier for sound attenuation
– Of all Drivable cameras only Cockpit uses internal sounds
– Transmission sound can have its own volume (by default it shares engine volume, otherwise it uses the TRANSMISSION value set in audio.ini)
– Gearshift sound shares engine volume
– Backfire sound shares engine volume
– Fixed car sound when bottoming out
– Realtime app shows lapped guys (blue) and lapping guys (green)
– Fixed FuelLapEvaluation function
– Fixed fuel consumption on turbo engines
– Fixed inconsistency on UI tech specs
– Modding : added FormCamera functionality to associate internal/external soundset
– Modding : added console commands “observeLights” and “observeFlames” (work as observeDigital); EDIT_MODE is deprecated
– Modding : added Digital Instrument KERS_CHARGE (percentage)
– Modding : added Digital Instrument TOTAL_LAPS (if session is not race then “—“)
– Modding : added Digital Instrument CURRENT_LAP
– Modding : added Digital Instrument EST_LAPS (if est is less than 0 then “–.-“)
– Modding : added Digital Instrument AMBIENT_TEMP
– Modding : added Digital Instrument FUEL_CONS (UNITS: MPG_UK, MPG_US, L100 or “Kms per Liter” if missing)
– Modding : added Digital Instrument PLACE_HOLDER to avoid fixed digits on texture (use TEXT)
– Modding : added ON_BOARD_LOOKBACK_OFFSET in car.ini
– All tyres now use V7 with brand new heating values (beta: except Exos F1 tyres yet)
– All tyres now use V7 with brand new falloff level and speed (beta: except Exos F1 tyres yet)
– Changed all tyres flex and pressure relation.
– Changed all tyres footprint and pressure relation
– Modified global aero efficiency with yaw angle. Works on all cars
– Added new aero.ini version=3 with new YAW_CL_GAIN values that can stall wings depending on yaw angle
– Yaw angle stalling wings and diffusers for GT2/GT3 cars and Mercedes C9 and Lotus 98T
– All GT2/GT3 cars now have minimum height 55mm
– 200,400,500,1000,2000 meters drag circuits now available
– Modding : ksPreviewBuilder added to sdk/dev folder
– Python Interface:
– initFont(fontfamily, italic, bold)
– setCustomFont(fontfamily, italic, bold)
– getCameraMode()
– setCameraMode(acsys.CM)
– getCameraCarCount(carId)
– setCameraCar(F6 camera index, carId)
– focusCar(carId)
– getFocusedCar()
– getServerName()
– getServerIP()
– getServerHttpPort()
– getServerSlotsCount()
– isCarInPitline(carId)
– isCarInPit(carId)
– isConnected(carId)
– getCarBallast(carId)
– getCarState(carId)
– eKersCharge
– eKersInput
– totally revamped backfire system (will not break mods)
– added new F1 “dash camera” and “Chase camera #2”
– CameraManager : fixed issue globalCameraIndex
– Fixed Camera selection on Replay Interface
– Fixed CameraApp to reflect Dash and Chase changes
– Fixed Camera system messages
– Fixed Random camera wrong cameras + message
– added CameraOnBoard offset to avoid car parts on view
– added new driver model with lod
– added Fuel Lut to solve issues with several cars gauges
– SharedMemory : added new members
– SPageFilePhysics
float turboBoost = 0;
float ballast = 0;
float airDensity = 0;
– SPageFileGraphic
int isInPitLine = 0;
float surfaceGrip = 0;
– SPageFileStatic
float maxTurboBoost = 0;
float airTemp = 0;
float roadTemp = 0;
bool penaltiesEnabled = false;
float aidFuelRate = 0;
float aidTireRate = 0;
float aidMechanicalDamage = 0;
bool aidAllowTyreBlankets = false;
float aidStability = 0;
bool aidAutoClutch = false;
bool aidAutoBlip = false;
– fixed several cars still featuring dashboard “floating” digits
– fixed car scraping volume
– added first implementation of Force Feedback Post Processing (docs in cfg/ff_post_process.ini)
– improved camber calculations
– improved tyre heating on low friction surfaces (grass,sand etc)
– added new “Tyres” app
– Server lap counters and lap times are now 16 bit unsigned ints allowing super long sessions/races
– Ford GT40 fuel tank position fixed
– revamp of all digital displays and script
– revamp of analogue gauges
– Lamborghini Huracan GT3 3D model tweaks
– Lotus Exige S model tweaks
– Various LOD fixes across the entire vehicle content
– BMW M3 GT2 3D model tweaks
– Roof on the LaFerrari is now customizeable
– Emissive values tweaked on some cars to improve visibility with PP off
– Various skin issues fixed
– PP preset improvements
– Improved AI behavior in traffic

Assetto Corsa can be found on Steam – http://store.steampowered.com/app/244210/

That’s the big update news for this week, for now its down to checking all these sims out properly and seeing just what all these changes mean out on the track.

To see what we think please keep an eye on our YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/pitlanes