A step change for Automobilista 2: Hands-on with the v1.6 update

Since its release in 2020, Automobilista 2 has garnered a mixed reputation in sim racing circles. Sure, it has a great selection of content derived from various motorsport eras and disciplines; its graphics are immersive (especially in VR) and some of the exhaust notes are, pardon the pun, bang on.

Sadly, however, developer Reiza Studios has never quite got on top of the Madness game engine, a relic from Slightly Mad Studios’ enjoyable-if-flawed Project CARS 2. Cars felt odd on the limit, seemingly setting faster lap times when driven like Tiff Needell during a powersliding jamboree.

But with last week’s gargantuan update, the buzz around v1.6 suggests the handling model is the step change we’ve all been craving. Check out my thoughts below.

IMSA integration

Before I get on to how v1.6 feels, it would be remiss not to discuss the increased presence of IMSA branding in AMS 2, with v1.6 seeing the roster of current IMSA cars and tracks increase thanks to three DLC packs (the IMSA Track Pack, Endurance Pack Pt2 DLC and Lamborghini Dream Pack Pt1).

In terms of cars, the Oreca ‘07 used by every team in the LMP2 class has been added alongside the Lamborghini SC63 from the GTP category. They are joined by the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, both belonging to the GTD and GTD Pro classes (they’re GT3 cars though, essentially)

Although the sim is still missing six car models to complete the 2024 grid, the addition of Mosport (officially known as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park), Road Atlanta (officially known as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) and Sebring International Raceway (officially known as… err Sebring International Raceway) means AMS 2 is only missing the Detroit Street Circuit to complete this year’s IMSA calendar.

New tracks

The new tracks look typically superb as you’d imagine, with Mosport’s high-speed curves providing the perfect playground for the new prototypes.

AMS 2’s extraordinary immersion is particularly apparent when driving in VR at night, allowing players to authentically re-create the classic Sebring 12 Hours endurance race and Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans. Both circuits ooze motorsport fever, with kerb behaviour reliably predictable (and you’ll want to monster the kerbs at these venues).

Separate GTP (also referred to as LMDh cars in the World Endurance Championship) and GTD classes have been added to the game too, making it easier to create IMSA-specific offline races.

Speaking of which, alongside a UI overhaul (which looks much tidier) a Career mode tile has appeared on the Main Menu, with Reiza planning to add a much more comprehensive solo experience in future. Exciting times.

Grid sizes have also been bumped up to 48 to better represent the real-world IMSA fields, although this is restricted to players whose machines have at least 12 GB of RAM. No potatoes allowed, then.

Improved driving experience

I’ve felt let down by AMS 2’s vehicle handling these past few years. Cars were unintuitive and unpredictable to drive, lacking the detailed feedback present in the likes of rFactor 2. It was fine, but fine isn’t enough compared to its rivals.

I have a non-sim racing friend who tried out my sim rig and VR headset last year. I fired up Assetto Corsa, Assetto Corsa Competizione and rFactor 2 which all left him feeling distinctly uninspired.

I assumed he’d love the way these sims felt to drive, but as a last resort I booted up AMS 2. He was smitten. The immersion from its graphics and sounds trumped all its flaws.

He’ll be absolutely blown away by it now.

Step change

V1.6’s physics feel like a true step change for AMS 2. Force feedback is reliably firm, with cars less willing to exhibit the wild oversteer apparent in earlier versions. One criticism, however, is that the FFB feels firm under both high and low loads, which may require tweaking in future.

Reiza has revamped its tyre physics to produce ‘advanced hysteresis and thermodynamics modelling’; so improved tyre warming and deformation, essentially. You’ll certainly notice the lack of heat in your rubber when driving IMSA cars due to the lack of tyre warmers, so they take a lap or two to get up to optimal temperatures.

I noticed that tyres can overheat massively in the right circumstances too, with the Oreca ‘07 killing its left front under high loads at Mosport, with the long back straight apparently not long enough to cool it down. 

In Le Mans Ultimate, you can adjust an LMDh car’s regen level and motor map independently, but in AMS 2 one ERS function controls both, with various modes offering different levels of hybrid assistance.

It’s less fussy than LMU and perhaps more enjoyable as a result, but it does detract from the immersion of driving modern Hypercars.

In terms of compatibility, I couldn’t map the TC, ABS and Diff rotary encoders on my Moza GS V2P GT, with Moza also absent from the list of default supported wheel manufacturers. Hopefully, this will be addressed in a future patch. This was an issue with the GTP/LMDh class especially, due to the myriad amount of required key binds.

Car handling is definitely better, but is it better than the likes of LMU and rFactor 2? Not quite, in my opinion. For me, Studio 397’s titles deliver more detailed feedback directly to your hands, making you feel like you’re fully in control.

When your car understeers in rFactor 2, you can feel it instantly thanks to its tactile feedback. When it happens in AMS 2, the feeling is muddier, making you rely more on audio-visual cues to take corrective action.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very enjoyable to drive, but in my opinion, most of Studio 397’s cars feel more natural to control on the limit.

Low Fuel Motorsport

V1.6 also saw increased integration with sim racing platform Low Fuel Motorsport. Designed to boost AMS 2’s flagging online scene, the opening weekend of v1.6 saw AMS 2 achieve record concurrent player numbers on Steam (perhaps aided by DLC content being free to play for the duration).

Team Traxion jumped into an LFM server for a race at Road Atlanta, and despite some issues negotiating LFM’s muddled UI initially, we had a trouble-free experience. Well, except for the normal array of dodgy driving you’d expect in lower-split races…

However, some issues have been reported with multiplayer in v1.6. It must be noted, though, that LFM integration is in beta, so it’s natural to expect some bugs.

AMS 2 hasn’t had to cope with this volume of online players before either, with sim racing content creators jumping on the AMS 2 bandwagon creating further interest. And long may it continue.

Box

There have been so many changes in v1.6 that it’s almost impossible to cover everything here (for a comprehensive list of all v1.6’s changes click here), but suffice it to say that in my opinion, Reiza has finally nailed it.

The developers have tweaked AMS 2’s physics to the point where I actually enjoyed its driving experience.

Once I’d finished testing the update I fired the sim up again just to play it for fun, something that’s never happened before.

Throwing the Alpine 424 around Road Atlanta was joyous, for example, with the car feeling both weighty and controllable at high and low speed. Equally so, the Oreca ‘07 LMP2 was a blast around Mosport, with GT3 cars finally feeling believably solid.

There are still flaws, however. Tyre squeal sounds need to be refreshed urgently, and brake locking feels a little odd when you’re pushing on, but considering what AMS 2 felt like before and what it feels like now (from the small number of cars I’ve sampled, granted) I’m more willing to forgive small issues like this.

Let’s see how far AMS 2 will progress now, especially with the onset of Le Mans Ultimate’s LMGT3 cars and improved physics…