QUESTIONS FROM LAST STREAM
Q: Vulkan or DX12, for new engine in the future? (AC2 or whatever)
A: Stefano would experiment what is most comfortable / best. In the last 10 years DirectX has been better. Early version of AC actually had OpenGL
Q: How damage model works in AC? Would be nice to affect more open wheelers VS street car
A: Open wheelers are already easier to damage at supsensions. Bodywork, only effect is aerodynamic. Simple damage model
Q: How mods are selected to be official content? Most accurate physics VS. most popular mods?
A: Generally speaking they just use the 3D model and do physics & sounds from scratch. So only 3D model matters to them
Q: Possible to change clutch linearity?
A: Stefano did that to the code. Aris reworked all the clutches, for every car. Making them less powerful. Easier to start, car a bit more stable when downshifting. Coming in 1.8 if I understood correctly
Q: AI question, Exos isn't able to pass Abarth
A: Stefano wrote some code for AI to understand when car is other class, to know to pass it. But some code was left from 1.7 that will be added.
Q: Other historical tracks coming?
A: Classic version of Silvestone is coming, not in 1.8 but in 2016, for free.
Q: No AI in practice?
A: Doesn't know if very necessary, but could be maybe added to launcher
Q: Why AI is not coasting in corners, but brakes mid-corner annoyingly?
A: It's not just AC, pretty much all racing games. Problem is how AI thinks in 1 and 0. If it's too fast to make the corner, it taps the brake. To make AI anazyle if it needs to coast or brake, would need complicated
algorithm that would hurt performance. Maybe he will find solution, but at the moment, have to live with this
Q: Steering reaction lag for AI, to avoid "super grip" when you hit them?
A: It's been tested, but now turned off because AI wobbled around the track like lunatic, it looked ridiculous. Even when it switched back to normal algorithm, the AI couldn't realign the car
Stefano made tests now with taking AI's stability control randomly off, so it slides into corners sometimes, similar to braking mistake. Was able to make AI even spin
Unsure if it will be in 1.8, caused some probems, where AI wrecks his car & blocks the track. But looks promising
Also, if you hit AI now his SC goes off momentarily. More natural reaction when hitting AI. If beta test goes well, might be released
Q: Selling cars 1 by 1, instead of DLC packs
A: Originally AC was going to be Free-to-play, and cars sold 1 by 1. But current approach Stefano thinks is better, the packs have something for everyone, and you can discover cars, that you didn't initially see as interesting.
Like someone getting RP for modern F1, but then finding Maserati 250f nice car, which he wouldn't have considered
IMPROVEMENTS in 1.8
- Improved reflections. On the car borders they were messed, and Stefano fixed the shader and smoother now
- Big FPS improvement, but still getting Beta feedback, if the improvement is universal and just not for Stefanos PC
- Better shadows. Car interiors in replays, and in track walls shadows more stable. Depends highly on sun position, but generally better looking
STILL TO-DO STUFF FOR 1.8
- Trying to work on Blue Flag, punishment for not respecting it. At least in MP
- Finishin the race on right lap. When you are 1 lap behind
- All GT3 cars will most likely be in Tyre model 10
QUESTIONS FROM CHAT:
Q: Revisiting damage & collision modeling?
A: At this stage, not gonna happen
Q: Spectator mode in MP?
A: Yes, but it's complex thing and he wants it done properly in one go, big work
Q: Rev lights on Fanatec wheel?
A: Fanatec requires to have some libraries into the game, which cause problem. Something to do with Visual Studio 2013 vs. 2015
Q: Vive support?
A: Nothing yet
Q: Marco is in the chat and asks if rain coming to AC
A: No sorry, no rain Marco Massarutto
Q: Question about something without post processing
A: AC is designed to be used with PP. If you choose not to, you can, but possible problems won't be fixed
Q: Cross platform MP?
A: No.
Q: Rolling starts?
A: Most likely no. They've tried to brainstorm about it, but it's making their head explode. SP easier, MP less
Q: Custom championships for 1.8?
A: Stefano hopes so. He is not the person working on it
Q: More staff?
A: Kunos has 1 new guy, who just started to work on AC Pro, but will be working on normal AC too. More staff needs more management. Stefano don't want that
AC will also support NVidia Simultaneous Multi-Projection and Stefano is working on that. Going to demo it with AC in Gamescom/NVidia.
MARCO MASSARUTTO JOINS
MAIN THINGS
- New track coming in 2016. Will be one of most asked tracks. Hoping to make announcement soon. Will not be Le Mans
- Forum consensus seems to be the new track is Laguna Seca, since Stefano said it got half of the votes in this poll:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...EQ-WxK8whBVbCg/viewanalytics?usp=form_confirm
Only other track it could be is Bathurst, which isn't likely.
- Next DLC (August 26th) - Ferrari FXX K, Ferrari 488 GTB, Praga R1, Audi R1 S1. This will NOT be free but very cheap
- There will be 24 Porsches, divided into 3 DLC packs not 2
- Porsche DLC volume 1 in late September 2016
- 3 Porsches will be free bonus cars
- Season Pass coming = All DLC Porsches with 1 purchase, very good price. Not sure if will work with Steam, to be confirmed
GENERAL LICENSING & OTHER TALK
- Kunos was 5 people and budget was 70 000 € when they started. Now development costs are at 3 million euro
- In the beginning getting licences was hard, because unknown company
- Now manufacturers contact Kunos. Including Porsche.. Porsche has partnership with Kunos, not just license.
- Track licensing is tricky, very hard to catch with them and finalize deal. Most tracks don't have proper licensing department.
- Japanese manufacturers are hard to work with
- Did they say "No" to a manufacturer? They had to, to Maserati before 2016. Kunos didn't have time until now
- Also a new well-known manufacturer contacted them recently, but they need to get on queue, because too many cars in production already
- No expectations for console sales, too busy to worry about. Will obviously affect future
- How to be programmer? Have to be skilled in C++, and to be independent (work without being told to work) Stefano joins to answers this
MARCO ON CARS
- Porsche are fans of AC. They give lot of data. Better co-operation than ever before
- 24 Porsche cars incoming (not 20) + more than 10 other cars in development. All the new manufacturers will have to wait next year
- Old Porsches, winner of latest Le Mans, new lineup 911, Cayman, Boxster, Panarema etc. All electronics modeled
- The Porsche 919 will come in both the 2015 and 2016 versions
- P1 GTR confirmed, after Porsches. Maybe end of 2016 or January 2017
- GT86 GT4? In queue. Candidate for next non-Porsche packs
- Koenigsegg stopped to answer emails. But same happened with Alfa Romeo 3 times and took them 18 months to get, so it's about person they were in contact with changing jobs or duties. Doesn't mean a "No"
- Alfa Romeo Giulia? Some plans. Not confirmed, depends on Alfa Romeo
- Alfa Romeo Stradale Tipo 53 also in low development
- Cup cars? Audi TT 15 Cup in schedule, also Porsche Clubsport GT4, Porsche Carrera Cup
- Maserati MC12 GT1 already in development
- LMP cars? Yes. Audi R8 2014, Toyota TS040 and Porsche 2015/16
- BMW M6 GT3 will come in beginning of 2017
- New Lotus 3-Eleven in development
- Audi R8 LMS 16. In development, in January 2017 probably
- Aston Martin? Been in touch last year, but didn't find a good agreement (too expensive)
- Peugeot is not coming into AC, at least into AC1
- Full series is not an option for DLC, too expensive, revenues won't cover the expenses
- Bentley? Marco doesn't see it happening
- WTCC cars, don't see it's an option coming
- Recent F1 cars? You just got some
- No Subaru, not scheduled. Same for Lancia
- No plans for Bugatti, doesn't seem likely to see it in AC1
- No Nascar or Indy Car.
MARCO ON TRACKS
- New track in Europe? Doesn't know, couple of options but not sure yet which
- Suzuka. Marco tried hard for agreement, but way too expensive. After Nordschleife Marco's favourite track
- Kunos rents laser scanners. They progress all the time, like smartphones, getting their own not good investment
- AC doesn't have real tracks with fake names, and they don't want to start now
- Modeling laser scanned open road track? Huge work. It's always development costs VS. revenues. Open road doesn't seem worth it
- Portimão could be good option. But much less known, and there is always the marketing standpoint
- Black Cat County was asked by Maserati and Porsche. Kunos got good feedback about it, so another fictional track will likely happen. Maybe Tuscany, Italy or Scotland
- Other tracks like Zandvoort (non-scanned)? Outside of fictional, likely no
- Sebring is not an option
- Road America not coming
- They do have the laser scan for historic Spa, but they aren't sure if the time it will take to properly make the track will be worth it for most players. Roughly 6 months of development time estimated.