The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S v1.8 update of Assetto Corsa Competizione is live and introduces a new tire model and 400Hz physics.
Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC) publisher 505 Games previously announced that the v1.8 update — available on PC since November 2021 — would be released in September this year. True to its word, the update has been rolled out today on both the flagship consoles from Microsoft and Sony, with several physical improvements and content updates.
The game was made for PC by Kunos Simualzioni, but the console port was handled by Untold Games, who also handled console conversions of Control and Journey to the Savage Planet. The console versions of ACC have been plagued by graphical and online glitches, and development for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions has been halted.
The 17,446GB v1.8 update also paves the way for the console release of ACC’s recent batch of PC DLC packs, with the Challengers Pack and American Track Pack already slated for release on November 10.
In terms of content, the Seasonal colors of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe 2021 will be included, with the championship playable in single player mode. The patch notes state that the BMW M4 GT3 was added to the game in V1.8, but has actually existed on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of ACC since its release (albeit with only one color choice).
Graphics have been cleaned up, with the developers concentrating on rain effects and shaders. The physics has been heavily revised, with a new tire model reportedly offering more realistic heating and wear characteristics, including flex and camber modelling.
The refresh rate of ACC’s console physics has also been increased to 400Hz, which should provide more detailed force feedback and realism. Numerous other aspects of ACC’s tire and suspension model have also been improved, including simulation of bump stops, tire slip angles and brake channel operation.
It is now also possible to create custom grids using the new ‘Open Series’ menu, which merges the Supertrofeo (ST) and Cup (CUP) classes for one brand into a GTC class for online use (expect this the Ferrari Challenge and latest Lamborghini, Porsche and BMW single-make series once the Challengers Pack DLC is released on November 10).
As for multiplayer – a controversial issue among console ACC players – there have been no mention of specific connectivity improvements in the v1.8 update. In another blow, the PC version’s excellent CinemaHUD screenshot mode has also missed the cut, with no news on whether it will appear in future updates.
Have you tried ACC’s v1.8 console update? What’s your take on the new tire model and is multiplayer now a smoother experience? Let us know in the comments below.
Assetto Corsa Competizione PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S v1.8.0 changelog
GENERAL:
- Added Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe 2021 season as bonus content with all entries, liveries and drivers and championship season.
- NOTE: Certain entries are subject to DLC ownership.
GRAPHIC:
- Global exposure and exposure on all tracks updated.
- Revision of several track-related shaders.
- Overhaul of various car-related shaders.
- Skybox revision.
- Improved blurry rim shader.
- Improved autospray effect, especially in light/medium wet situations.
- Improved raindrop rendering logic to follow the updated spray effect.
- Improved display of the rain screens in external cameras.
- Auto headlight shade bias tweaks to prevent lights from entering close-range walls.
- Updated track HLODs.
GAMEPLAY:
- Added open season, merging all game content into a “sandbox” season with grid customization.
- NOTE: Individual Official Seasons will remain playable without any changes to their previous functionalities.
- Added option to mix opponent grids to Custom Race Weekend and Quick Race game modes in the Open season.
- Use the grid blending sliders to set the prevalence of car groups in the grid.
- GT3 car group has an additional setting for the preferred generation of opponent cars (all, pre-2019 or new-gen).
- Added Open Series Championship mode with grid (car groups) and track setup customization.
- Auto-generated custom cars are now grouped into teams, both in the single-make custom mode and the Open Series championship.
- Reworked driver allocation system to support custom grids and different driver number requirements.
- Removed duplicate entries between the 2019 GTWCH and IGT seasons.
- Tweaked AI logic for strategic decisions that respond to weather changes.
- Improved AI genome at Bathurst, Barcelona, Laguna Seca and Kyalami to reduce the chance of unforced driving errors.
- Improved weather model: variability (=arbitrary in MP) now affects the variation and frequency of weather cycles:
- Greater variability will now lead to greater variation and less predictability in the length of individual weather cycles (time between peaks).
- High variability can cause both rapid changes and long-term weather forecasts (or both combined) within the same weekend simulation.
- Low variability will produce more even weather cycles, similar to the pre-update model.
- Revised speed limiters that were often too permissive both when entering and exiting the pit.
- Fixed invalid lap qualifying for personal and session fastest (purple) lap in racing sessions (also in Multiplayer results).
- Added measures against irregular green light driving in Hotlap and Hotstint game modes.
- Replay: Revised calculation of the replay tire rotation matrix to avoid misalignment between tires and rim (and reduce disc space).
- The improvement is backwards compatible, while newly saved replays should take up less disk space than before.
user interface:
- Revised season selector header in the Single Player menu.
- Added GTWCHEU 2021 Season Squad in Single Player.
- Added open series selection in Single Player.
- Added colored session labels in the Replay menu.
- Added session fastest (purple) lap holder indicator in standings, leaderboard and timer widgets.
- Added pit stop indicator and fastest session lap to leaderboard HUD overlay.
PHYSICS:
- Physics engine optimizations: variable tick frequency of components, optimized multithreading traxion.
- This may not result in a full max fps gain, but significantly lower single thread utilization and late steps can be expected, especially at larger grids.
- 400 Hz physical refresh rate.
- Improved tire flexibility.
- Improved camber simulation, especially at high positive camber values.
- Improved outer, center and inner tube heating over camber.
- Improved outer, center and inner tire wear over camber.
- Improved camber gain simulation, affecting slip angles and forces. Clear with high camber values over curbs and longitudinal irregularities.
- Improved simulation of tires with surface flash temperature. A wider range of heat generation.
- Improved heat generation in extreme conditions (burnouts, donuts).
- Improved heat generation compared to tire pressure.
- Improved core temperature retention. Tires now dissipate heat significantly more slowly, there is no need to wait until the last minute to get to the grid.
- Completely revised and improved combined grip simulation.
- Completely revised and improved tire vibration at high speed and high slip angles.
- Improved slip angle/ratio simulation compared to cold and overheated tires.
- New viscoelastic rubber friction model.
- Improved dynamic tire properties in different temperature conditions.
- New rubber bump stops damping simulation.
- Implemented bump stop damping values for all cars.
- Improved engine gas simulation.
- Improved launch control.
- Improved rev limiter behavior (soft limiters on some cars).
- Improved traction control simulation.
- Improved simulation of influence on heating of brake lines.
- Improved behavior of wet tires (note: not necessarily easier).
- Improved simulation of braking efficiency and power.
- Improved grip simulation on and off the racing line.
- Improved delta of ambient vs. track temperature.
- Added a condition that simulates fog and dew at night at certain temperatures.
- Improved simulation of certain track conditions, including the rate of puddle formation.
MULTIPLAYER:
- Revised car groups, merging the CUP and ST groups into a single GTC group for matchmaking and server filtering.
- Please note that CUP and ST appear as separate subgroups on the track map, standings and results.
- Stats: Revised and aggregated grouping of stats by circuit.
- Please note that tracks are only separated by season, while an older season may result in faster lap times due to greater track grip (like the fresh tarmac at Silverstone 2018).
- Multiplayer track seasons are now deprecated and all track configurations point to the Open series (currently corresponding to the latest 2021 season, see physics notes).
- Note to admins: The old season suffixes in the server configuration will stay there for legacy functionality, but they will no longer make a difference in the track/BOP version!
- The server track configuration (event.json) should in future use the version without a suffix, e.g. “Misano” instead of “misano_20XX”.
- Note to users: Regardless of the server configuration, Multiplayer will always use the latest Open series configuration of Single Player.
- Further revised penalty corner thresholds for the last corner with widget formation type when the back of the field is likely to get the green light in or out of the last corner.
- Ratings: Fixed an issue that could incorrectly yield 100 (or 00) CC ratings in Spa.
- Protocol change – old server versions are deprecated and are not registered on the backend.
Images courtesy of Assetto Corsa Twitter feed
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