The first complementary update post V1.6.3 release is out, with AMS2 now updated to V1.6.3.1.

This update fixes some bugs we have been able to trace and resolve since release along with various minor improvements, such as a more accurate metallic for the mainAlpine A424 livery.

As of this update, the trial period for the contents of the theree new DLC have closed; content is now restricted to those that own the respective packages - as a reminder, please note DLC tracks don´t have to be owed for you to join MP sessions running on one of them.


GENERAL

• Fixed a bug where the Max Visible Vehicle setting could prevent some remote vehicles being rendered in MP after remote clients disconnect
  
• Fixed race-end fireworks triggering prematurely

UI & HUD

• Added missing Chat Box & Chat Profanity Filter settings to Options > Gameplay > Display menu
  
• LMDh, Group A, Audi R8 LMS GT4: Corrected UI data
  
• Fixed Semi-Slick tyres displaying as All-Weather in vehicle info
  
• Time Trial Screens: Fixed overlapping gap times, next/previous page buttons, missing vehicle name text
  
• Fixed inoperable close button on Time Trial player info dialog
  
• Added Lamborghini Supertrofeo preset
  
• Added Mosport to F-Retro preset with track specific event cnfig
  
• Fixed missing tracks in MINI JCW UK preset
  
• Added Spielberg GP to F-Reiza and F-Ultimate (all gens) series presets

PHYSICS
BMW M Hybrid V8 Low Downforce: Corrected rear spring setting range asymmetry


AI
Oulton Park: Adjusted AI entry speed to T1 in all layouts so it doesn´t regularly get out of shape there.


TRACKS

• Sebring: Fixed LOD popping tent near T1
  
• Long Beach: Fixed an issuew where palm tress could sometimes LOD out early

VEHICLES

• Audi V8 DTM: Updated internal and external banner textures
  
• Alpine A424: updated blue metallic liveries; minor bodywork height offset to minimise bodywork clipping at full rebound travel
  
• Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2: Fixed damage model, updated cockpit lights
  
• ARC Camaro: Fixed incorrectly marked as open topped (stops rain and other external effects inside cockpit)
  
• Lotus 23, Corvette C3 Convertible, MetalMoro MRX (all models), Roco 001: Marked as open topped
  
• Mclaren MP4/5B: Adjusted driver animation range
  
• MetalMoro MRX (P3/P4): Fixed bonnet and look behind camera positions
  
• Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2, Oreca 07: Added missing custom livery override xml files
  
• Brabham BT62, Alpine A424, Corvete C3 RC Convertible, Porsche 992 GT3R: Fixed various issues with livery override files
  
• Fixed tire sidewall logos/branding not appearing when using custom liveries

Automobilista V1.6.3 Is Now Released! This is a major game-changing update that transforms AMS2 in multiple Racing Simulators - all packaged into just one.

One of these is the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscars Championship, featuring the vast majority of cars, liveries and circuits that made up the 2024 Season of one of the most prestigious Endurance series in the World, with more to come!

The new update also features a completely overhauled UI, four new free cars, overhauled sounds, physics, AI & Multiplayer along with extensive updates to all existing content.


The three new DLCs and their respective Steam release pages are going to live with the release of the V1.6 updat. As is now tradition, the contents of the three new DLCs will be free for all users to enjoy over this initial weekend. At some point early next week they will revert to being available exclusively to those who own them

• All car setups have been reset given the extent of the physics updates (no user input required to reset them)
  
• All Time Trial Records have been reset due to track & car physics updates
  
• Wet Skill option allows you to adjust the AI Skill in various levels of wet confitions without impacting their performance in the Dry)
  
• In case users has any trouble with the new update, or still has a Multiplayer race still to be run on the current V1.5.6.3 they may revert to it by right-clicking AMS2 in your Steam Library -> Properties -> BETA, and selecting previousbuild from the dropdown (no password required).
  
• Career mode: It´s part of the new GUI design, and it´s coming - not any time soon (more info in the upcoming Dev Update)

• 48-car grids are just for Single Player, and availablw only if user has 12GB of RAM or more; else max grid size remains 32 cars
  
• For grid sized higher than 32 cars, cars may share pit boxes and may be spawned on top of each other in ghosted (no collision) mode for both Single and Multiplayer
  
• To ensure reliability, we strongly recommend no more than 28 clients in MP (unless host has already been running 32-car fields reliably)
  
• AI calibration stil receiving further fine-tuning in the coming days especially for wet conditions; faster karts do not have working AI yet
  
• There is a known issue with championship scoring when racing a field containing mixed classes with multi-class scoring disabled
  
• In the event of issues saving triple screen configuration via the in-game UO, user may do so by manually editing at 'Documents\Automobilista 2\triplescreensettings.xml'

CONTENT

IMSA Track Pack DLC

• Added Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport)
  
• Added Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
  
• Added Sebring International Raceway

Endurance Pack Pt2 DLC

• Added Alpine A424 to LMDh / GTP class
  
• Added Ligier JS P217 to LMP2 Gen1-2 class
  
• Added Oreca 07 to LMP2 Gen1-2 class
  
• Added Audi LMS GT3 Evo II to GT3 Gen2 Class
  
• Added Corvette Z06 GT3.R to GT3 Gen2 Class
  

Lamborghini Dream Pack Pt1 DLC

• Added Lamborghini Huracán EVO2 to GT3 Gen2 Class
  
• Added Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 to Super Trofeo class
  
• Added Lamborghini Veneno Roadster to Hypercars class
  
• Added Lamborghini SC63 to LMDh / GTP class

Free Base Game Additions

• Added Audi Quattro to Group A Class
  
• Added Audi LMS GT3 to GT3 Gen1 Class
  
• Added Audi LMD R8 GT4 to GT4 Class
  
• Added Ligier JS P320 to P1 Gen2 Class
  
• Updated Corvette Z06 with Z07 upgrade performance package

• Increased max grid size to 48 (currently requires sharing of pit boxes if they exceed the number avaiable on track); Increased memory pool size for all users to comport larger grids; Restricted extended grids above 32 cars to clients with more than 12Gb of physical memory and allocate additional resources for the extra participants
  
• Increased base memory allocation for all clients to account for new sound and visual features
  
• Significantly optimized cliient data send rate to minimise traffic and mitigate risks for issues in Multuplayer sessions
  
• Reduced Multiplayer session end join lockout to 30s
  
• Revised lighting properties for all climates
  
• Adjusted LiveTrack properties: Rubber laying thresholds lower, with bias between lateral and longitudinal rubber laying shifted more to the lateral (slide) component; Minor adjustment to how rubber laying scales down to harder compound options (so track progression is more noticeable in classes running softer compound options) - Changes apply globally to all tracks
  
• LiveTrack: Adjusted wet and rubbered racing line glossiness to visually match the updated LT dynamics; Further minor adjustments to amount of rubber laid down with longitudinal slip / lateral slide
  
• Updated algorithm used by "Max Visible Vehicles" setting to further favor cars ahead and reduce visible popping of vehicles ahead of the player
  
• Fixed flickering windshields when viewed from track cameras in replays
  
• Added humidity dependent visual wet representation to trees and foliage
  
• Added humidity and temperature dependent aero contrail effects to car wingtips (F-Classics, F-HiTechs, F-V12s, F-V10s, F-Reiza & F-Ultimate Gen1)
  
• Added firework displays in the Sky & along start / finish straights for tracks & events that feature them
  
• Overhauled engine failing and failure effects: Coolant, oil, turbo and complete failures with new effects to distinguish each type of failure
  
• Overhauled tire smoke dynamics and toned down overblown ambient lighting
  
• Increased the number of sparks particles that are emitted, adjusted the dynamics of the sparks particles and increased bloom produced by spark
  
• Fixed sparks particles flickering in VR
  
• Reduced the intensity of wet spray particles when the track saturation is low
  
• Fixed bug that could result in incorrect available driving aids in authentic mode at the next event after driving a vehicle with no onboard aids
  
• Fixed translucent particles such as smoke or wet spray visibly clipping with objects
  
• Adjusted the road racing line to be more visually distinct from the rest of the track when rubbered and wet
  
• Improved Depth of Field for trackside TV cameras
  
• Adjusted car material reflection dynamics to produce slightly deeper reflections
  
• Fixed lighting fluctuations that occurred at random times during the day
  
• F-Ultimate Gen2 class can now open DRS in races when within 1s of car ahead even when not fighting for position
  
• Fixed bug causing vehicle shadows could remain static at night instead of following the assigned vehicle as it moved
  
• Fixed camber being shown incorrectly in replay & getting extremely positive over jumps
  
• Fixed issue which could lead to jittery wheel movement for some AI vehicles
  
• Fixed issue that could result in incorrect reflections when viewing non-player vehicles
  
• Fixed infrequent off-line dust emission when racing with large grid sizes
  
• Fixed character environment reflections appearing too strong up close and too weak from afar
  
• Added slippery curb / painted runoff properties to all tires
  
• Increased replay FWD/RWD speeds to 5/10/20x
  
• Forced a minimum setting of 'LOW' for particle level in MP sessions to negate the visibility advantage of clients that disable them

• Overhauled user interface design
  
• Overhauled "Motorsports Preset functionality into "Series Preset"
  
• Added Percentage duration option to scale race lengths when using series presets
  
• Added static HUD track map
  
• Added mouse controlled orbit camera option to Showroom
  
• Changed grid menu mouse wheel inputs to scroll vertically
  
• LMDh & GT3 Gen2 class emblem rebadged to include GTP & GTD representing IMSA classes
  
• Corrected tire info for Hypercars, Supercars, ARC Camaro, Caterhams (except Academy) to read Hard (semislick) & Wet rather than "All Weather"
  
• Fixed Pitstop Refuelling Allowed string incorrectly saying Authentic instead of Yes
  
• Added support for switching cameras in replay and monitor mode using number keys 1-8
  
• Changed live track progression to target time progression rather than weather progression
  
• Changed HUD display name logic to work better when a users has no surname set
  
• Fixed various in-game flag inconsistencies in Championship mode
  
• Fixed Incorrect vehicle image sometimes being displayed on setup screen
  
• In-Car Menu now defaults damage repairs to off

• Complete tire physics revision for advanced hysteresis & thermodynamics modelling
  
• Revised tire wear & degradation rates for all tire treads (dry/wet)
  
• Revised aerodynamics for all vehicles
  
• Revised brake torque thermodynamics for all vehicles
  
• Revised dirty air effects
  
• Revised default setups for all vehicles
  
• Revised torque, compression curves, engine consumption & thermodynamics for all vehicles
  
• Minor FFB revisions to all vehicles to better suit latest physics revisions
  
• LMDh / GTP (all models): Revised boost maps and torque curves, updated hybrid model to replace/fill total torque instead of adding over ICE torque, adjusted full EV only peak torque slightly for lower and higher redlines to reflect MGU gearing, moved default brake bias slightly rearwards, refined hybrid launch, re-enabled manual starter (instant start if enough speed), fixed horsepower on telemetry HUD reading 0 on electric power only, fixed ICE not firing up reliably with automatic clutch, fixed automatic gears not working at all with hybrid launch Adjusted ERS mapping to maintain 70% SoC better in balanced mode; corrected peak regen power, minor correction to fuel volumetric density to represent ethanol fuel; Added brake by wire simulation (combines mechanical brakes and regen torque while respecting your intended brake bias setting - no other controls as of now), added hybrid launch simulation (WIP); Raised ICE automatic start up threshold back to just below 60km/h
  
• Reduced auto ERS attack mode usage time at the start of a race
  
• F-Ultimate (both gens): Decreased lowest ERS balanced mode deployment setting slightly to increase full lap harvest rate at low SoC; Revised regen and added brake-by-wire; Adjusted qualy and attack ERS maps slightly to stay within single lap discharge limit; Revised aero
  
• Revised differentials for F-V10 Gen2, F-Reiza, F-Ultimate (both gens), McLaren Senna;
  
• F-Trainer (both models): Disabled adjustable radiator opening & brake ducts
  
• F-HiTech Gen2: Corrected active suspension damping default setting
  
• Nissan GT-R GT3: Revised suspension
  
• Group A (all models): Revised suspension and engines
  
• Added functioning hand brakes for Brabham BT62, Corvette C8 Z07, Lamborghini Veneno, Mclaren F1, Mclaren Senna
  
• Brabham BT52: Fixed right rear suspension wheel alignment; Adjusted front steering axis

• Extensive AI calibration pass for all classes in both dry, wet & damp conditions
  
• Revised AI tire wear & degradation rates along with effects on pitstop strategy decisions
  
• Extended range of AI performance to cover a wider range of player skill levels (slower than before at 70% AI Skill, faster @ 120% AI Skill)
  
• Added option to scale AI Wet Skill relative to the current main AI Skill setting
  
• Added option to confiigure rate of AI Mistakes & further developed types and mechanics of AI mistake for more human-like dynamics
  
• AI now loses performance from running on both cold and overhot tires
  
• AI blue behaviour: AI will now move out of the racing line and slightly lift when under blue flag (always in practice / qualifying; in races AI cooperation under blue flag will be subject to AI driver´s specific blue flag personality parameter - unmodded default AI drivers are generally more likely give way to faster cars in modern series and less so in series from the 60s / 70s / 80s); AI will only lift slightly on straights to facilitate overtakes and never in corners (used to be the other way round)
  
• Added logic for AI behaviour in multiclass races so that under blue flag AI will not lif if the speed difference to the overtaking car is higher than 5%
  
• Slightly increased AI overtaking risk assessment thresholds for faster cars
  
• Added logic for AI behaviour during out-laps in practice / qualifying to always try create a buffer between it and the car ahead before starting his hot lap
  
• AI will enter in-lap behaviour sooner after completing its hot lap in practice / qualifying
  
• Adjusted AI behaviour in first lap to be less erratic and generally more competitive than before
  
• Added logic for AI to prioritize the inside line into the next braking zone while attempting to overtake
  
• AI will now cover the inside line when trying to defend from being overtaken (frequency subject to AI Aggression setting and AI driver´s specific defending personality parameter - unmodded default AI drivers are generally more likely to engage in defensive moves in modern series and less so in series from the 60s / 70s / 80s)
  
• Added new AI corridor scalar condition to keep corridors wider while AI is under full throttle application
  
• Added dynamic range for AI to reduce speed under blue flag, yellow flag and in / out laps & better defined ranges for each scenario
  
• AI In long oval races will no longer try to save fuel within the first 5 laps
  
• AI will now have occasional minor deviations from the optimal racing line depending on driver-specific AI skill (the higher the skill the better the AI can keep to the racing line))
  
• AI cars will try to create some space between them and other cars from the beginning of the out lap (and not just 3rd sector as it was initially)
  
• Fixed issue where sometimes AI would start a defensive movement to the wrong side if their line from previous corner to the next corner was in a diagonal vector
  
• Fixed AI disengaging DRS for minor lifts off throttle when following another car
  
• AI no longer activates DRS during in and out laps of practice / qualifying, during race cooldown laps or when slowing down to be let lapping cars overtake in a race
  
• Improved AI mistakes
  
• Added new functions to prevent AI hesitating and losing momentum in AI vs AI overtakes
  
• Hockenheim GP: Removed corner speed boost at T16 / T17Montreal: Fixed a pit lane issue where DRS can remain active until the end of Zone 1
  
• Nurburgring RX: Added AI speed boost to the joker path
  
• Hockenheim RX: Fixed a problem where AI drivers would always crash during race starts
  
• Improved AI fast path for Barcelona GP NC, Nurburgring GP, Sebring Full
  
• Barcelona: Removed misplaced AIW speed boost multi at the pit lane entrance
  
• Spa-Francorchamps 2022: Fixed corridor issue that could cause AI to hesitate and tuck behind car ahead when an overtaking move was possible going into the final Bus Stop chicane
  
• Taruma: Disabled AI speed boosts
  
• Watkins Glen: disabled redundant legacy AI speed boosts in sector 3 of the various layouts

• Extensive revision of car sound efffects
  
• Added & revised various trackside sound effects (crowds, announcers, water & nature sounds) to all track layouts as appropriate
  
• Implemented local reverb zones for all tracks and layouts in the game
  
• Increased max allowed playable audio samples for systems supporting large grids.
  
• Added options to configure Number of Opponent Samples (more detailed sounds from opponents for a potential performanc cost)
  
• Revised wind noise sound effect, added dedicated wind volume slider
  
• In-game spotter: default volume adjusted, fixed spotter being inaudible for Stereo output
  
• Wall reflections progression and volume very near walls adjusted.
  
• Stereo headphone-downmix volume aligned with other output modes (stereo, 4.0, 5.1, etc.)
  
• Fixed reverb applying wrong camera properties / not applying camera at all.
  
• Fixed legacy bug which would prevent environment sounds and reverb zones to recive updates, most notably on "Skip session"
  
• Fixed F-Junior and F-Trainer onboard engine sound moving left-right, most notable while steering.
  
• Fixed engine sound wrong position for Lotus 49C, Brabham BT26, F-Vintage Gen1, F-Vintage Gen2 and Nissan GT-R GT3.
  
• Fixed engine sample loops for: Mercedes 190 EVO DTM, McLaren 720S, MCR2000, MetalMoro MRX P3, Lotus 23, Caterham (all models), Opala (all versions) and BMW M6 GT3.
  
• Ultima GTR Race: fixed internal engine sound in replay
  
• Porsche Cayman GT4: fixed wrong engine sound pitch in external view.
  
• Mitsubishi Lancer RS: fixed internal engine sound in replay
  
• Passat HotCars: Fixed engine sound muted below Idle RPM
  
• Brabham BT62: Fixed live play audio error and lowered live play volume
  
• Roco P3: Fixed missing cockpit engine sound in replay and revised interior engine
  
• Mclaren MP4/12: Fixed excess rattling sound over kerbs
  
• F-V10 Gen2: updated external engine sound samples, adjusted Traction Control sound.
  
• F-Reiza: updated external engine sound samples

• Added pit control lights to all tracks
  
• Adjusted tire smoke colouration and toned down overblown ambient
  
• Expanded 48 car grid on various tracks associated with endurance racing
  
• Adjusted blending between the track and track puddles
  
• Spa (1993, 2020 & 2022) Extensive material and texture updates: Fixed the track cut limits on the pit lane path causing pit exit warnings for RX layouts
  
• Adjusted object LODs for Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Bathurst
  
• Adjusted dirt road terrain properties (slightly lower grip, more resistance & sinking factor)
  
• Adjusted external track cameras properties to reduce z-fighting issues at Long Beach, Sebring, Silverstone, Azure
  
• Corrected track default day and month to match the 2024 IMSA schedule for Daytona, Indianapolis, Laguna Seca, Long Beach, Mosport, Road America, Sebring, VIR, Watkins Glen
  
• Dirt and rallycross tracks now no longer allow for rolling start option
  
• Fixed inconsistency of grip reduction on wet rubbered line
  
• Increased baseline grip slightly at concrete tracks
  
• Improved Depth of Field for trackside TV cameras
  
• Azure: Added tunnel lights;Adjusted grip range
  
• Barcelona: Corrected sound and physical effects for razor, flat and vibrator curb types, adjusted TT rolling launch position to begin before T13
  
• Barcelona 1991: Adjusted track surface noise
  
• Brands Hatch: Add more barriers near the pit exit
  
• Cascavel: Fixed random pit crew errors; Reversed pit box order
  
• Cleveland: Reconfigured pit exit track cut mesh o prevent warnings or penalty
  
• Cordoba: Fixed bug with the live grass blades not appearing for the national layout
  
• Curitiba: Fixed a physical grass issue; Added missing paddock fence collision; Increased roughness on the track concrete strip; Added dedicated safety car parking location
  
• Curitiba Outer: Fixed missing terrain physics for gravel runoffs
  
• Daytona RC: Added anticut barrier near Turn 1, revised track cut limits at the bus stop chicane
  
• Hockenheim National: Fixed the local yellow for a corner marker panel
  
• Imola / Imola 2001: Adjusted the track surface and drainage to remove water pools near the Tamburello and Villenuve chicanes
  
• Imola 2001: Fixed a hole in the outer terrain
  
• Indianapolis Oval: Fixed pit crews clipping the pitwall
  
• Indianapolis RC: Improved track cut limits around the pit exit boundary
  
• Interlagos: Fixed a gap in the pit building shadow visible at some time of day; Minor pit / paddock buildings lod optimization
  
• Interlagos: Added new pit building model for modern GP and SCB layouts
  
• Kansai East / West: Corrected digital flags local yellow function
  
• Kansai GP: Reversed pitbox order; increased max grid to 48 cars (was 45)
  
• Laguna Seca: Fixed a terrain shadow issue near the corkscrew in early morning hours
  
• Le Mans 24h: Added crowd & reverb sounds; updated cameras on lap 2 of the cycle
  
• Le Mans Bugatti: Fixed crowd floating over grandstands
  
• Salvador: Fixed a visible gap in the road mesh
  
• Silverstone 2001: Adjusted road noise levels
  
• Silverstone GP / Intl: Added missing pit entry and exit marker boards
  
• Silverstone National: Fixed the missing collision and shadow caster on the overhead bridge
  
• Santa Cruz: Upgraded the collision walls. Remove invisible infield perimeter barriers, added visible concrete barriers as needed
  
• Ibarra: Fixed the garage parking to allow space for long cars
  
• Speedland Kart4: Reorganize the cones that mark the pit entrance junction
  
• Montreal: Fixed a pit lane issue where DRS can remain active until the end of Zone 1
  
• Velo Citta: Fixed the temporary garage tents to allow for long cars
  
• Interlagos: Fixed an irregular pit floor near the safety car; Fixed the footbridge shadow object
  
• Velopark: Fixed timing problem where crossing the start line in the pit lane was not detected
  
• Spielberg 1977: Removed floating cameraman behind grandstands
  
• Taruma: Fixed black pond water Move the safety car to a dedicated parking location
  
• Watkins Glen; Increased the LODB range on some static object motorhomes and tents Change default race date to June 20 2024

• Revised all cars with windshield for a cohesive standard of tint & reflection
  
• Updated all cars windshields to include visible scratches
  
• Added visible tire wear & flatspotting to all tire treads
  
• Added visible fresh shine to F-Ultimate new tires
  
• Added and / or updated IMSA liveries for corresponding models in LMDh/GTP & GT3-G2/GTD classes
  
• Added previouly misising sidewall tire branding to all models within F-Vintages, F-Retros, F-Classics, F-V12, F-USA , F-Inter, BMW M1 Procar, GT Classics, P1 Gen2, Copa Montana
  
• Revised gauge damping for more realistic behaviour on F-Vintages, F-Reros, F-Classics, Group A, BMW M1 Procar, Opalas, Mclaren MP4/1C
  
• Adjusted backfiring properties for all vehicles
  
• Adjusted cockpit POV for BMW 2002 Turbo, Mercedes CLK-LM, Corvette C3, Ultima GTR, Lancer R & RS, F-Trainer (both), Lotus 98T, F-Classic G1M2, Mclaren MP4/8, Sauber C9
  
• Adjusted onboard cameras for BMW M Hybrid, Cadillac V-Series R, Porsche 963 to better reflect real life cameras
  
• Corrected wet tire tread pattern for Lotus 98T, McLaren MP4/4, McLaren MP4/5B, F301, F309
  
• Fixed rear view camera screens behaving like physical mirrors
  
• Fixed LODB wheels issue F-Ultimate (both), F-Reiza, F-USA 2023
  
• Fixed fresh non-modern tires lacking detail
  
• Fixed tire mapping issue in F-Trainers, F-Vees
  
• Fixed wet tires reflecting too much of the environment
  
• Improved the visuals of vehicle tires when saturated with water
  
• Increased resolution of various vehicles LCD display fonts
  
• Reduced undercar shadow intensity in storm weather
  
• Removed fresnel mapping to external carbon material in Cadillac V-Series
  
• Revised collision models for Uno, Fusca, Puma GTB, Puma GTE, Passat, Gol (all models)
  
• Updated LCD emissive parameters for F-V10 (both gens), F Reiza, F-Ultimate Gen2
  
• Updated LCD for Porsche GT3-R, Porsche Cup, Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo
  
• Updated Light / LED for LMDh, GTE, GT3 (both gens)
  
• ARC Camaro: updated cockpit carbon fiber material
  
• BMW M4 GT3: changed pit lights scheme
  
• BMW M-Hybrid V8: Updated RPM lights configuration, reduced rear wing light glows size
  
• Brabham BT26: Fixed cockpit front wheels issue
  
• Brabham BT46B: Added rain support and raindrops speed fadeout
  
• Brabham BT52: Added light glow, updated cockpit lights
  
• Brabham BT62: New carbon body; rain lights added, updated tire materials, cockpit material update with new carbon and alcantara, addition of contrasting stitching with different colors depending on the livery selected, new ambient lighting around the screen and LEDs, updated cockpit lights, revised collision mesh
  
• Cadillac DPi VR: Updated exterior lights, added pitlights, improved cockpit materials
  
• Cadillac V Series R: Fixed LOD issue; removed Cosworth label on LED clusters
  
• Rallycross: Improved cockpit materials, new glowing exhaust, new tire materials parameters
  
• Copa Montana: Improved collision mesh with increased resolution
  
• Copa Truck: Improved diesel smoke particle spacing and lighting
  
• Corvette C8 Z06: Improved gauge cluster (new display reflections)
  
• Corvette GTP: Fixed undercar shadow issue in LD variant
  
• F-Classic G4M2: Corrected cockpit tires and rims pivot point position
  
• F-Classic G2M2: Fixed missing steering wheel in cockpit
  
• F-Junior: Reduced exagerated exhaust backfiring
  
• F-Reiza: Fixed rear suspension issue, fixed front wheels material in cockpit view, fixed tire tread UV mapping
  
• F-Retro V12 Gen1: Fixed paint material issue, corrected tire materials
  
• Formula Trainer: Fixed tires mapping issue
  
• Formula Trainer Advanced: updated display mapping, new LEDs, improved Motec display textures
  
• F-Ultimate Gen1: Fixed low downforce variant suspension animations, reworked pit and rain lights, fixed default side tire texture issue in showroom
  
• F-Ultimate Gen2: Closed inner side of the wheels on LodA, fixed damage models on Low Downforce parts, added blinking rear wing warning lights, corrected mirrors position, fixed damage models on cockpit, fixed suspension mesh/rig, fixed rear wheels pivot point, updated rain lights texture and power, separated lights: rear lights mounted on the wing stop working if it falls off, fixed lights LOD issue, adjusted transparent halo, disabled pitot tube and antenna vibrations on cockpit view
  
• F-V10 Gen1: Fixed tire tread mapping issue
  
• F-V10 Gen2: added rear lights material and reworked lightglows (rain light only), fix front tire UV mapping issue in cockpit view, fixed gap between cockpit and car body
  
• F-USA Gen3 Reynard 2Ki: Fixed some visual aero configurations in oval variants
  
• Fusca (all models): Reworked rear lights, updated tires materials, fixed inactive oil needle
  
• Ginetta G58: Fixed tire issue, updated tires and LCD shader, revised cockpit lights, removed display black filter when headlights are turned on
  
• Group C: Fixed missing tire textures issue for Corvette GTP, Porsche 962C models
  
• Mercedes 190 Evo2: Fixed right hand wheels position
  
• Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo: Reduced rear light glows polygon size, reworked lights textures
  
• Mercedes AMG GT4: Fixed wiper issue
  
• McLaren MP4/6: Fixed rain streaks on windscreen
  
• Mclaren MP4/7A: Adjusted cockpit steering wheel cord animation, updated windscreen rain mapping, added rain streaks, added raindrops speed fadeout
  
• Mclaren MP4/12: Fixed visual low ride height causing front wing to clip ground
  
• McLaren Senna: Complete overhaul of car configurations, new paints, carbon, paint schemes and cockpit; Display screen completely redone and addition of a second page
  
• MCR 2000: Changed the driver's helmet visor to closed
  
• Nissan R390 GT1: Corrected collision for the high downforce model, corrected spawn offset coordinates, fixed LOD bugs, updated tire materials for new shader
  
• Opala 79: Fixed steering wheel pivots on lodA and LodB
  
• Porsche 911 GT1: Added missing LD and LODB emissive headlights glass
  
• Porsche 992 GT3-R: reworked headlights and glowing exhaust intensity, fixed cockpit side mirrors, mesh gaps; fixed cockpit damage models, added paintable winglets behind the front wheels, updated lights textures ; AO Livery: added golden teeth, changed DRL color to purple/pink; updated front headlights DRL, small paint mapping adjustment for front bumper
  
• Porsche Cayman GT4: Fixed red hood issue
  
• Puma GTE: Reworked rear lights, updated tires materials, fixed red material issue on bonnet
  
• Sauber C9: Fixed black LCD when headlights are on
  
• SprintRace: Updated LCD and tire shaders
  
• StockCar 2020-2022: Added support for P2P LEDs in cockpit and exterior devices, added Cockpit dash stickers and windshield support
  
• StockCar Cruze 2023: Added support for P2P LEDs in cockpit and exterior devices, reworked LCD screen, fixed light glows, updated LCD/LEDs materials
  
• StockCar 2024: Added support for P2P LEDs in cockpit and exterior devices, reworked LCD screen, updated Chevrolet logo on Cruze liveries, updated liveries as per real season developments
  
• Swift 009c: Disabled pitot tube vibration on cockpit view
  
• Ultima GTR: Updated tires materials
  
• Porsche 963 GTP: Fixed center mirror gets adjusted by left mirror adjustment setting vertically instead of separate adjustments ( T2063 )
  
• Catherham 620R: fixed oil temp needle
  
• F-Ultimate Gen2: added rain streaks on windscreen
  
• F-Inter: Fixed suspension position in showroom
  
• McLaren M23: Improved windscreen rain mapping
  
• McLaren F1 LM: export update, improved cockpit materials, new lights textures
  
• Camaro GT4: Fixed raindrops on visor in cockpit view
  
• Chevrolet Camaro SS: removed Open Top parameter (might cause raindrops on helmet)
  
• F-Reiza: Adjusted suspension animations
  
• Brabham BT49: Adjusted suspension animations
  
• Mclaren F1 LM: Fixed wiper animation sound triggers
  
• Fixed Nissan R89C tilting driver helmet in the wrong direction
  
• Chevrolet Corvette Z06/Z07: New car configurations, both exterior and cockpit
  
• ; Added low fuel alarm on display
  
• Nissan R390 GT1: fixed non showing rear lightglows for HD variant

Greetings everyone!

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!

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.


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.

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.
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.
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.
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 :)

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.
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!

Greetings everyone!

As announced in our previous catch-up in March, the team have since been completely immersed in the work for what is promising to be the biggest AMS2 update yet – as with previous milestone updates, V1.6 will introduce major developments to every front of the game, the collective effect of which to constitute a leap that should surmount event that of V1.5 last year – the game will look, sound, feel and race better than ever, wrapped by a completely overhauled user interface and boosted by some of the coolest premium content we have ever worked on.

The depth of the changes in AMS2 V1.6 is such that we couldn´t possibly cover it all within a single dev update – given we are still several weeks away from its release, we will instead break the news in parts to give everyone the chance to digest all the features and content incoming with this update.

Please keep in mind the above in case you don´t see news you were most looking forward to just yet – there is plenty more about the V1.6 update to cover beyond what you will read in this Dev Update.



We begin with what to expect on the content front for v1.6 and beyond in the remainder of 2024 – as announced in the last dev update, we have struck a very exciting new partnership with IMSA to feature most if not all of the 2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship represented in AMS2, and it is partially (but not exclusively) in pursuit of that target that we have signed new licensing deals with no less than seven premium car brands, with a few more still being pursued.

As a result of these deals, not only will a large portion of the models competing in this year´s championship be present in AMS2, but several classes shall also have their grids boosted with new competitors, as all of these brands produced models with strong context within classes already represented in the sim.

While this was always the plan – such is the reach of AMS2 that the classes represented within it would inevitably need to be filled over time rather than all at once – having so many premium brands join the sim within a relatively short period of time is further demonstration of AMS2´s growing profile within the virtual motorsports scene, something we are immensely proud of.

Quite a few of these brands will make their AMS2 debut already in v1.6, and in time we´ll name them all as well as detail the models you may expect from each – read on to confirm the first one!



We are thrilled to announce a new licensing deal with Audi AG to officially feature several models from the famous Four Rings in AMS2 – the first few models of a fairly sizeable list already arriving with V1.6 as both free base game content as well as part of ensemble DLC packs.

Much like its Bavarian counterparts already featuring in AMS2, Audi possess a rich and diverse history in motorsports, producing some of the most iconic racing cars for Endurance and touring car series in particular which we are eager to feature in AMS2.

It doesn´t get much better than the Audi Quattro V8, the AWD that rocked DTM in the early 1990s, winning two championships on the trot with Hans-Joachim Stuck. The car will be added to our Group A as free base game content.

The original Audi R8 LMS GT3 will also arrive as free base game content, bringing some V10 flair to the GT3 Gen1 class

Finally, the Audi R8 LMS Evo II which along with four other GT & Prototype models will be part of the Endurance Pack Pt2, also planned for release alongside with V1.6 for an estimated price of US$ 9.99.
Moving on to the race tracks – it would be impossible to do IMSA justice without featuring the remaining hosts of some of their most traditional and exciting events. AMS2 already features Daytona, Laguna Seca, Long Beach and Road America, and one of the most obvious names to add to that list is that of the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta - we are thrilled this roller coaster track is one of three tracks making up the IMSA Track Pack which is planned to be released with the V1.6 update – the pack is estimated to sell for US$ 14.99

Content news are always welcome and surely most will agree those are some formidable new cars and track to see arriving for AMS2. But the value of new content in a racing simulator only goes as far as the quality of the simulation itself –and there is no shortage of efforts going into delivering on that front too, with physics once again getting major updates.

Last year´s V1.5 update featured a major physics overhaul in which a critical tire modelling issue got rectified, along with a number of specific aerodynamics and suspension modelling refinements to various cars in the sim. This set up a far more advanced and reliable physics baseline which we have continued to incrementally polish over the remainder of 2023 and into 2024.

There were still some SETA breakthroughs for our physics devs to crack, and as it turns out it heavily relates to a common feedback, we´ve been receiving from real drivers and hardcore users alike – that of AMS2 tires still seeming relatively forgiving and tolerant of over-driving. With that under consideration, the devs poured more time into tire hysteresis, which as we covered in the last dev update is a key element in this equation- to briefly recap, hysteresis is the loss of energy through tire distortion, and its modelling determines how deep a specific rubber compound can sink into the asperities of the track surface, and thus sustain peak adhesion for longer. Initial tread revisions for more detailed hysteresis modelling already features in the updated physics of the F-Ultimate Gen2 and Stock Car Pro Series 2024 as of the last update, but even these classes have been further developed since.

While not as comprehensive as the V1.5 revisions, the physics revisions of V1.6 net an evolution that´s at least as significant as that of v1.5 last year – tires feel more connected and responsive than ever while remaining thoroughly organic; once they start to slide however the window to keep the car under control is significantly smaller.

The tires´ thermodynamics properties along with flat spotting, wear and degradation rates have also been thoroughly revised for both dry and wet tires (the latter of which undergoing an overhaul of their own right).
While tires as always are the critical component, the V1.6 physics revisions don’t stop there – brakes have also received a thorough thermodynamic pass, and ERS modelling has been further developed to better simulate the properties of LMDh prototypes as can be seen in the preview below:
Opinions will certainly vary as they always do amongst sim racers as to what sim “gets” physics right and we don´t foresee reaching unanimity with the release of v1.6 - our brains are not all wired the same and even amongst real racing drivers it´s natural for different people to have different sensibilities to what may be lacking in a sim vs the experience of driving a real race car. All we can realistically aim for is to be meet our own targets for the depth and sophistication of the physics in AMS2, and with v1.6 we will take another decisive step towards delivering on that goal.



If tires and tire management will be more critical than ever with V1.6, so is the need for the driver to monitor their state – in real life that´s much easier to do in open wheelers in which drivers can see them with their own eyes. As of V1.6 that will also be possible in AMS2, with visual representation of tire wear & flat spots.

This is something we had already done in AMS1 but in less sophisticated manner – in AMS2 the tire tread is physically modelled in a grid of 22 longitudinal segments by 6 lateral ones, each with their own dynamic wear and damage properties which can to one section of the tire band receiving more wear than the other depending on factors such as tire pressure and camber angle as well as the nature of the track, and if that is the case you´ll be able to visualize that pattern yourself.

The same applies to flat spots, which in AMS2 can be accumulated in different segments of the tread, each with different depth and causing their own specific deformation of the tire, to varying repercussions on its performance and what you´re feeling through the FFB. In V1.6 we´re revising all flat spotting dynamics of every tire so that the amount of damage induced from a wheel lockup appropriately corresponds to the surface, the loads on the tire and its compound properties, and also so that the visual representation of the damage is accurate.
There is more to come on this front – future updates will see other types of tire damage also represented both physically and graphically and a new option to limit the number of new tire sets available on given race weekend will make driver management of tires even more critical, but these will come after v1.6.


Before we cover some other valuable V1.6 updates, let me reinforce again this is just some of the ground we have already covered for it – besidrd the aforementioned extra unnanounced content and the UI overhaul, we have a number of substantial AI developments (including much improved defensive & blue flag behavior) and some Multiplayer wins already in the bag, but these fronts (and much more) we will cover in a follow-up dev update once the work on them is completed.

Even the list of changes already in the Beta is a bit overwhelming so to let’s focus on some of the most relevant improvements so far:

Pit entrance and exit for all tracks will now feature pit lights to signal when the pit is open or closed as well as inform drivers exiting the pits of incoming traffic.
The racing line is receiving several realism adjustments so that it´s both grippier when dry as well as more slippery in the rain - its visuals in both conditions are likewise being revamped to better represent its relevance:
All vehicles in the sim are also being extensively revised for a richer level of detail - one of the areas being tackled is that of vehicle windshields which have been revised to a cohesive level of tint and reflections, and which now feature varying levels of visible scratches and even fingerprints - check it out:
We have also added support for various types of new vehicle lights, ranging from extra headlights to blinking warning LEDsas well as purposeful LEDs such as the P2P status lights in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro series.

Improved particle effects - the last update already saw some great progress to water spray particles, and work on this front has continued with mechanical failures now potentially leading to some glorious (and blinding!) clouds of white smoke in case of more catastrophic failures. Tire smoke has also been revamped for a more realistic look. - previews of these developments in the video below:
That covers it for Pt1! There is a lot more for us to go over before V1.6 is due for release, but those will be topics for Pt2 at some point in late June :)

This should be the last complementary update to wrap up this dev cycle version still reading v1.5.6.1 in UI by mistake but build is 2583 is the latest v1.5.6.2 build just deployed).


GENERAL

• Fixed a crash on ICM when using onboard active suspension adjustments
  
• Car´s undertray aerodynamics now influence amount of particles thrown up in the air such as dust, water spray
  
• Reworked water spray particle systems

UI & HUD

• Fixed Missing F-Ultimate Gen2 and StockCar 2024 tire names
  
• Fixed missing leaderboard class logos for Stock Car 2024

PHYSICS

• F-Ultimate Gen2: Minor tire carcass & tread adjustments; Minor baseline suspension settings adjustments (slightly stiffer & lower ride height) Minor adjustment to the undertray's optimal rake angle; Corrected minor discrepancies in F-Ultimate Gen Low Downforce variant

AI

• F-Ultimate Gen2: Corrected missing AI defensive adjustment; AI calibration pass

AUDIO

• F-Ultimate Gen2: Added shift pop sounds

TRACKS

• Added 3D trees near trackside for Salvador
  
• Updated water shader & adjustments to suit it for Laguna Seca
  
• Barcelona: Fixed z-fighting issue with foot bridge advert panels.
  
• Barcelona 1991: Fixed submerged road lines near Repsol
  
• Montreal: Add track cut cheat block to pitlane exit
  
• Montreal 1988: Fixed the tall grass clipping thru the cement wall at T5

VEHICLES

• F-Ultimate Gen2: Disabled redundant graphical offset making cars visually higher up than they should
  
• Fixed clipping in onboard camera of F-Ultimate Gen2 & Lotus 23

Along with the usual long list for general fixes & improvements, the new update adds the new Brazilian Stock Car 2024 season & a completely overhauled F-Ultimate Gen2.

As indicated in the 2024 March Dev Update, both the F-Ultimate Gen2 and the Stock Car 2024 already feature the V1.6 tire physics developments with adjusted hysteresis (but only partially revised thermodynamics & wear) - generally speaking the updates tires should feel slightly "sharper" and less tolerant to sliding than previously.

Both classes feature their 2024 respective DRS and Push-to-Pass rule updates, with DRS being allowed after lap 1 for the F-Ultimate Gen2 while the Stock Cars feature a higher number of shorter P2P boosts with no activation delay.
Still on the content front, following popular demand the Betonschleife (aka "concrete circuit") has been added as an option for the Historic Nürburgring , part of the Nürburgring DLC pack.

AMS2 V1.5.6 also features a much improved water shader & 3D trees added near trackside for several circuits and visible dust clouds from cars running over dirtier parts of the track, all components of the visual updates in progress for the V1.6 milestone update a few months from now.
A note of appreciation and apologies to livery modders such as @KRRTDustin, @TomLehockySVK and others in the community who had done great work with the old F-Ultimate Gen2 model that has now been retired - although we couldn´t justify retaining the old model given the lack of actual differences in specifications and inferior quality relative to more recent releases, it wasn´t a decision made without consideration and heartache for the impact it would have on your livery packs. We hope you find the much improved 3D model to be worth the trouble and that it proves a lot more fun to work with moving forward!
CONTENT
Cars

• Added Stock Car Pro Series 2024 season
  
• Added revamped F-Ultimate Gen2 (new 3D model & updated physics, sounds)

Tracks

• Added Nürburgring 1971 Betonschleife layout (part of Nürburgring DLC)

GENERAL

• Fixed some types of engine component damage not applying additional repair time in pit stops
  
• Fixed CTD on New Championship screen when a saved custom champ template contained content that is no longer available such as when mods are uninstalled
  
• Enabled offline dust particles
  
• Added high fidelity water shader (circuits featuring it listed under TRACKS below)
  
• Crowds near the track may slightly move now
  
• Fixed wheel visually sinking into terrain in some circumstances
  
• Added replay support for Track Flag Panels (new replays only)
  
• Added custom DRS rules for F-Ultimate Gen2 (available after lap 1)
  
• Added event preset, championship and points system for Stock Car Pro Series 2024
  
• Adjusted Mandatory-Pitstop-Open-Lap to equal lap 5 and scaled Minimum-Race-Length to equal 15 mins for Stock Car Brasil Championships 2019-2023

UI & HUD

• Added new control bindings & ICM for onboard differential adjustments
  
• Updated F-Ultimate Gen1 icons
  
• Fixed incorrect label on Audio Device input when disabled

PHYSICS

• Revised FFB for F-USA Gen1-4, F-Vintage Gen1-2, F-Retro Gen1-3, F-Classic Gen1-4, F-Vintage Gen1-2
  
• Adjusted pitstop repair times for clutch, turbo, radiator, oil leak, coolant leak, engine misfires (all vehicles)
  
• Increased engine & gearbox pitstop repair times for all Formula vehicles
  
• Added onboard diff adjustments for F-V10 Gen2, F-Reiza & F-Ultimate Gen1 & Gen2
  
• Adjusted fuel consumption for Stock Car 2019-2024

AI

• Fixed issue where the AI wouldn't repair engine damage during qualifying or practice
  
• If AI car pits in for major mechanical damage (such as engine damage) it may now decide to retire instead of always rejoining the race
  
• Slightly reduced likelihood of a full course yellow being triggered by an AI incident during the final 3 laps of a race
  
• Updated Stock Car Pro Series 2023 Ai driver performance levels based on finalised championship positions
  
• Enabled more agressive defensive moves by AI cars in F-Ultimate Gen2 & Stock Car 2024 classes

TRACKS

• Added 3D trees near trackside for Adelaide (both), Cascavel, Curitiba, Guaporé, Ibarra, Londrina, Taruma, Velocittá, Curvelo, Goiania, Interlagos (all versions), Londrina, Salvador, Velopark, Velo Cittá
  
• Updated water shader & adjustments to suit it for Azure, Cleveland, Long Beach, Montreal (all versions), Interlagos (all versions), Buenos Aires, Daytona, Oulton Park, Cadwell Park, VIR
  
• Ibarra: remodelled outer terrain for better geographical accuracy, better detail vs polycount balance. New water shaders, 3D foliage; reworked billboard foliage, new ground & road textures, seasonal foliage (green/dry)
  
• Cascavel: Adjusted terrain meshes, materials and textures, updated 3D & billboard foliage, fixed UV mapping on curbs, added a bunch of new buildings, removed couple temp stands and added grandstand on the terrain slope, tweaked road materials & textures, AO pass on terrain and buildings
  
• Curitiba: Updated roads, terrain, walls, foliage visuals
  
• Azure: Fixed a granstand lod pop visible when exiting the tunnel; Corrected a digital flag panel export settings
  
• Montreal: Fixed digital flags in sector 3
  
• Jacarepagua: Fixed mountains clipping in VR and some other issues.
  
• Le Mans: LOD adjustments near the Esses and Mulsanne corner
  
• Londrina: Fixed pit exit junction on long layout
  
• Nurburgring 1971: Update hedge material
  
• Added VR cameras for Jacarepagua 1988, Jacarepagua 2005, Jacarepagua Oval, Jacarepagua SCB, Jacarepagua Short, Jerez Chicane, Kansai Classic, Kansai West, Kyalami Historic, Oulton Park Classic, Oulton Park Island, Outon Park Fosters, Spielberg Short, Spielberg Vintage, Taruma Chicane, Velo Citta Club Day and Velo Citta Track Day

VEHICLES

• Set matching pitcrew team outfits for F-Junior, F-USA Gen1-4, F-3, Porsche Cup, GT Classic, Copa Montana, Sprint Race, Cadillac DPi, F-Vintage, F-Retro, F-Classics, F-HiTech, F-V12, F-V10, F-Reiza (all Gens) & F-Ultimate Gen1, LMDh, GTE, GT3 (both Gens), GT4, GT1, Group C, Group A, Super V8, Stock Car Brasil 2019-2024, MINI JCW, GT Open, GT4 Supercup, G40 Cup, GT5, Vintage Touring Cars T1-2, BMW M1 Procar, Prototype P1 Gen1-2, P2, P3, P4, ARC Camaro, Copa Truck, F-Inter, Copa Classic B/FL, Stock Car Brasil 1979/86/99, Copa Fusca, Copa Uno, Hot Cars, Old Stock Race, RX, Formula Dirt, Kart Cross
  
• F-Ultimate Gen1: Updated steering wheel display
  
• Nissan R390 GT1: Fixed LOD bug in normal and LD variants
  
• F-V10 Gen2: Increased polycount for cockpit tires & fixed right front tire position
  
• Corvette C8: Extensive visual overhaul including accurate body paint colors, fully revamped lights, 3D blurred wheels, reworked cockpit textures & materials for higher detail level
  
• Corvette C8.R: Adjusted rear calipers position
  
• Mercedes 190 Evo2: Added adjustable rear spoiler

Greetings everyone!

We are approaching the fourth anniversary since the initial AMS2 Early Access release on Steam - and what a roller coaster these four years have been! Some lows along the way but many highs, with the overall trajectory firmly pointing upwards and leading to our highest peak right after our last catch-up in December.

Great timing then to go over some of the developments we´ve been putting together for 2024 - developments which we are confident will see AMS2 rising to a whole new atmospheric layer.

Most of the team has been working on major new features and some exciting content due to arrive with our next milestone update - Automobilista 2 V1.6 is expected to come sometime in the Summer (or Winter for those of us in the Southern hemisphere) - this will be in many ways the biggest & more important update to AMS2 yet.

We do have a smaller V1.5.6 update to deliver before that however, including some cool content updates and new valuable developments, which we hope to deploy before the end of the month.

Let´s get into it then for a preview of what´s coming not only for this upcoming release but also a glimpse into the big one a few more months down the line!

We are delighted to announce that Automobilista 2 is now an official partner of the International Motorsports Association, the body in charge of several long-running racing series in the US, the premier of which of course being the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, featuring some of the most traditional Endurance events in the world such as the Daytona 24h, the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and the Sebring 12h - the latter taking place just as we write this.

Our goal through this very exciting partnership is to align the remaining agreements required to have the 2024 season - teams, cars and venues - represented in AMS2, a process that is already well under way with direct support from IMSA themselves.

Such agreements don´t always evolve at the same pace, so as with everything else in AMS2 this is a project to be assembled in parts - some of them already feature in the current version of AMS2, and you may expect some major additions to arrive with the release of V1.6. Subsequent updates hopefully will bring most if not all the remaining pieces to complete this very large ensemble.

In our last dev update of 2023 we mentioned that Endurance racing fans were in for an exciting year in 2024, beyond the then imminent release of Le Mans and the initial Endurance pack in December. The partnership with IMSA is a key step to deliver on that promise, with much more to come later this year.


Before the big V1.6 update due to arrive a few months from now, AMS2 will receive a smaller update towards the end of this month, and in it users will get a glimpse into some of the developments we´ve been working on the past few months.

GRAPHICS for both cars and tracks are being boosted by some excellent art & shader developments with minimal to no impact on performance. These include an increasing number of tracks making use of 3D trees in the immediate trackside surroundings (combining with the otherwise perfectly suitable billboard spinning 2D trees which remain in use at longer distances) as well as much nicer water shader making lakes, rivers and sea look signifcantly more life-like - both developments in display below at the picturesque Ibarra circuit, looking better than ever:
Although revision of all tracks for these developments are only expected to be completed in V1.6, several tracks will already feature them in V1.5.6 .

Cars are likewise receiving similar material and texture updates especially inside the cockpit - the Corvette C8 below being one of the prime examples:
LiveTrack is also getting some valuable new developments not only to its various intertwined dynamics, but also to how these dynamics are represented in-game. These include a more distinctive-looking rubbered-in racing line in the dry and a likewise more distinctive line outside that rubber in the wet; the dustier edges of the road will also appear more distinctively lower grip, with clouds of dust being kicked up as cars run over them.
Last but never least, we have further PHYSICS development incoming - even though the V1.6 revisions won´t be as profound as last year´s V1.5 overhaul, there are still significant improvements with the focus once again on tire development - more specifically tire thermodynamics, wear & hysteresis.

While these updates will only arrive wholesale with V1.6, two classes will already feature v1.6 physics in V1.5.6 later this month.
Physics developer Tom Tessmer is leading the charge with these new tire developments - below is his summary of what the hysteresis developments entail:

"There are two aspects of hysteresis - the first and operative way we are using it simulates how rubber naturally compresses and rebounds from compression, allowing (and hindering) how deep a specific rubber compound can sink into the asperities (cracks and crevasses) of the track surface. A soft compound sinks into the cracks more quickly than harder one, with more rubber in the cracks adding friction / grip. The same rubber compound can compress and rebound at different rates as well, generally allowing for quicker compression, but once the rubber is free of the track surface, the rubber rebounds (of flexes) back to its original shape slower.

The second aspect of hysteresis is basically related to how heat is generated in the tire as this constant compression and rebounding on a molecular level generates energy.

Effectively with STM, hysteresis helps us simulate the falloff of grip caused by the lack of time the rubber has a chance to "sink" into the asperities of the track as slip / slide velocity of the tire grows higher. Simply put, the more the tire slides, the less time the rubber has to sink back into the cracks and crevasses of the track. Less rubber sinking into the track yields less friction, leading to less grip from that sliding tire."

The work on hysteresis directly relate to the thermo / wear / damage revisions also incoming with v1.6, but we´ll get to those in a later dev update.

Read on below to learn the two classes already receiving these V1.6 developments with V1.5.6 later this month!

A new year means a new season for our longest running-partner, the premier Brazilian racing series back for the last season in this generation of cars before completely new cars are introduced in 2025.

The 2024 cars aren´t completely unchanged however - they are slightly heavier, have slightly longer wheelbase and new Push-to-Pass rules bringing a bigger number of shorter boosts, with no activation delays between them. Upon release the cars of the 2024 season will also feature the latest v1.6 physics developments.

For those users who may feel they already have more legacy Stock Car seasons than they might wish, some good news - V1.6 will feature a content manager which will allow them to customize the game to feature only the classes and tracks they are interested in.


The top-level formula class in AMS2 is getting a big overhaul in V1.5.6. Initially released alongside the new real-life regulations of the 2022 season, the F-Ultimate Gen2 has since become somewhat outdated by both the developments of the real-life series as well as the improving quality standards within the sim. With this overhaul the F-Ultimate Gen2 gets a sexy new 3D model, updated sounds and new technical features to better simulate a modern GP car, the latest DRS rules - all wrapped with the latest V1.6 physics revisions which are a big step-up for this particular car.

Livery modders looking to get a jump start with the new toy please feel free to reach out to @Coanda for the template!

Or is the the Fall Sale? That obviously depends on whether you are in Northern or Southern hemispheres, but what is true for everyone is that AMS2 and all DLCS are on sale with 50% off, making it a great time to complete your collection of any missing items which you can then enjoy it with both Spring and Autumn foliage in-game :)


AMS2 development is not expected to slow down any time soon - quite the contrary in fact as the influx of new partnerships and demands for further and more complex features means it´s going to speed up even more in the coming months.

We are thus looking to expand the team with new talent - C++ code engineers, car & environment 3D artists in particular are in high demand. A new sticky thread in the forum will come up shortly listing the current positions and their requirements.

If you are passionate and talented developer with the skills to contribute in any area of development beyond the listed positions we still welcome your application - please feel free to submit it to jobs@reizastudios.com for evaluation.
That covers it all we had for this update! The wait for the next one won´t be as long this time - as the V1.6 update packs a far bigger punch beyond what has been previewed here, we need a few more of these articles to cover all of it so I´ll be pushing to have one every month from now until its release to cover all of it.

Until then we hope you enjoy the new goodies in the V1.5.6 update - shouldn´t be a long wait!

Not quite done yet: a couple of errors with the new dynamic AI corridor function slipped out with v1.5.5.5 making useable roads by the AI a little tighter and thus overtaking by them a little harder than it should be - rectifying that along with some other improvements to AI, physics, FFB and more have called for another update, with AMS2 now being brought up to v1.5.5.6.



GENERAL

• Added increase pit status weighting of max visible vehicles selection
  
• Turned off start lights when there is a full course yellow

PHYSICS

• Minor tire tread adjustments for F-Retro Gen3, Lancer Cup, Copa Classics, Copa Uno, Hot Cars
  
• Further minor tire tread adjustments to GT3 (both gens), GTE, GT4, GT5, GT Open, G55 Supercup, G40 Cup, Mini JCW UK, Sprint Race, StockV8 (all seasons), Super V8, Caterham Superlight & Supersport
  
• Further adjustments to drafting effects (reducing shape of the wake generated by the car in front so car behind needs to be more squarely behind it to get the draft & dirty air effects)
  
• Revised FFB for F-Junior, F-HiTech (both gens), F-V12, F-V10 (both gens), Caterhams (all models), Street Hyper, Street Super, Street Camaro SS

AI

• Adjusted AI corridors for several tracks & corrected V1.5.5.5 error causing many of the corridors to be narrower than intended
  
• Further adjustments to AI tire wear & resulting performance degradation
  
• Generally increased AI loss of performance from running slicks on a wet track
  
• Further adjustments to AI overtaking thresholds
  
• Adjusted thresholds for AI to concede position when challenged
  
• Further adjustments to AI pull out rate for more fluid overtaking moves
  
• Further adjustments to AI brake usage for GTE, GT3, LMDh, P1 (both gens), F-Classic (all gens), F-HiTech (both gens)
  
• Adjusted AI launch performance for Brabham BT52, F-Classic Gen1 Model2, Mclaren MP4/5B, MP4/7 & further adjusted MP4/6
  
• Removed / reduced AI speed boosters at Bathurst 2020, Buenos Aires 6S, Nurburgring GP, Silverstone GP, Donington & Oulton Park (all layouts)
  
• Hockenheim 1988: Fixed a problem with retired opponent vehicles or debris unable to return to the garage, becoming stuck on the track.
  
• Interlagos (all layouts) added minor AI corridor fraction adjustment
  
• Further AI calibration pass for F-USA Speedway variants (all gens)
  
• AI calibration pass for F-Junior, F-Ultimate Gen2, Copa Classic FL, Hot Cars, GT5, Ginetta G40 Cup

TRACKS

• Hockenheim 1977: Fixed garage dividers hidden in some session; Reversed the pit box order
  
• Hockenheim 1988: Fixed duplicate crowds in race weekend
  
• Kansai: Minor adjustments to Digital flag placement

VEHICLES

• Corrected height offset in several Copa Classic models setting them higher than they should
  
• Porsche 911 RSR 74: updated tach values
  
• McLaren Senna: Fixed missing glass roof issue
  
• Cadillac DPi: Fixed missing cockpit details issue