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We’ve had a solid couple of weeks to get to grips with Assetto Corsa EVO’s Early Access build and, although there’s been a few bumps in the road, we can at least see that Kunos SImualzioni’s driving sim has enormous potential (barring the continued lack of online connectivity as we went to press on 30 January 2025).
Due to the nature of Early Access games, much of EVO’s content hasn’t been explained as thoroughly as we’d hoped, so in response we’ve collated a few handy tips to help you make the most of the sim in its nascent state.
Move the HUD
Like in Assetto Corsa, you can move individual elements of EVO’s on-track HUD to suit your driving view. Simply click on the element you’d like to change (for example, the tyre widget or rev counter), and drag it where you want.
One thing to note, however, is that once you’ve moved an element it will return to its default position the next time you boot the game. It also isn’t locked in place, so try to avoid mis-clicking the screen mid-game.
Centre your VR view
It initially seemed like EVO barred VR users from centring their headset view in-game, which was a bugbear for many players at launch. However, this function is hidden under ‘Reset View’ in the controls menu.
Bind this and you’ll no longer need to drive like Ace Ventura…
Optional animations
Optional animations are mappable actions in the controls menu that allow specific car actions to be made.
For example, with the Audi RS3 Sportback, it’s possible to map an optional animation for its sunroof. It’s not great for aerodynamics but it looks pretty cool.
Another animation we’ve discovered is the Ferrari 296 GTB’s active rear spoiler. When activated, it ejects from the rear bodywork, apparently creating an extra 100 kg of downforce.
We haven’t noticed if optional animations actually affect the performance of either car but it’s a neat little touch for car nerds. Let us know in the comments below if you’ve found any others!
No photo mode, no problem
Although EVO lacks a bespoke photo mode it’s still possible to capture decent-quality images in-game via its rudimentary Replay mode.
When in a replay, hit the F2 key to enter an orbital-style camera angle. From here, you can use your mouse’s scroll wheel to zoom in and out, while left-clicking and moving the mouse changes the view.
Capturing a Steam screenshot while your car is moving will also add motion blur to the wheels, just like in Assetto Corsa Competizione.
The set-up
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to save set-ups in EVO yet, so if you’ve been working on a killer tune for your Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) then remember to either screenshot your changes or snap a photo using your phone.
It’s a simple tip that can save you some amount of heartache… (I’m speaking from personal experience here).
Change driving modes
Most road cars these days have a plethora of driving modes, but did you know you can switch between them in EVO?
By mapping the ‘Performance mode next/previous’ action in the controls section you can change modes on the fly (as long as the car has the option to). So, the Ferrari 296 GTB road car has selectable Hybrid, Performance and Qualify modes on its virtual eManettino switch.
It also changes the car’s HMI (Human-Machine Interface for non-car nerds) background to match the real-world example, which is another cool touch.
There’s no way to switch to the car’s electric-only eDrive mode, though, so it’ll be interesting to see if this is something Kunos will add in future. We haven’t noticed any discernible performance differences between driving modes, but this could change.
Other cars featuring changeable driving modes include the Lotus Emira, BMW M4 CSL and Hyundai i30 N.
Garage Showroom fullscreen screenshots
If you’re struggling to take full-resolution screenshots of your freshly-specced Ferrari 296 GTB in the Garage Showroom then you can use the following trick.
As there’s no button to remove the Garage UI in EVO, the next best solution is to line up your desired image and press ‘Back’. In the time it takes to switch menus, there’s a brief window of opportunity where the UI disappears and you can snap a full-screen photo.
If you don’t already know, you can also amend the garage background and time of day to produce some dramatic-looking static images. For best results, remember to crank up your graphics settings as high as possible.
Setting up look left, right and back camera views
These are simple control mappings to help players navigate the treacherous world of sim racing but are weirdly tricky to set up properly in EVO.
The look left, right and back functions need a bit of fettling to work properly in EVO but there’s a simple way to rectify this. In control settings, map each action as you normally would, but click on the ‘Properties’ tab on the right-hand side of the screen.
Here, you can determine how the input is registered. By default it will be set to ‘Press’, so change this to ‘Constant’. It’s a simple fix but one that makes a huge difference in wheel-to-wheel combat.
Driving Academy jump starts
Update: Sadly, as of the 5th of February 2025, this tip has been patched out of the game. You’ll just have to time your starts to perfection. Booooo.
From our brief spell playing through EVO’s Driving Academy, we found that it was possible to start every licence test before the fifth red light had gone out.
It’s technically not cheating, as the timer only starts once your car has set off, so you’re not actually gaining any time. But if judged correctly, your reaction time will be irrelevant, so you’re not losing precious tenths of a second either.
This tactic worked beautifully in the server-testing beta branch, so we assume it’ll also work when a permanent game fix is released (when that is, who knows!).
Do you know of any other helpful Assetto Corsa EVO tips? Let us know in the comments below!
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