Automobilista Beta2 Brings Major FFB and Tire Model Updates

In this article I’m going to be talking to you about a major update from Reiza Studios for Automobilista 2 Beta.  AMS2 Beta has moved from Beta 1 to Beta 2 and brought with it a number of significant changes to how the sim drives.

Now, at the end of my last video, I mentioned that I didn’t want to bombard you guys with too much from AMS2 and risk ruining the anticipation of the full release later this month, but I’m also seeing that this title is still the biggest news in sim racing, and the community seems to be really focused on how it drives vs Project CARS 2 and Automobilista 1.  Some big developments on that front come with this update, and we’ll get into some of those changes in a moment.  But for those who just want the skinny on what’s changed, I’ve listed some of the changes at the bottom of this article.

So, let’s talk about what we’ve been given in Beta 2.  Visually, we’ve been given the first pass of the heads-up display, which was previously borrowed from Project CARS 2.  The HUD is only the light version so far, but there will be a more detailed version released eventually.  There’s also been several audio and video bugfixes.

But the real highlights of this update are changes to the drivability of the cars.  I had previously said that AMS2 already drives about 80-90% as well as AMS1, and I’ll share my new percentage and feelings of how the title drives in a moment.  But first I want to highlight what’s changed.  Reiza has substantially updated the tire model across all tire types and made lots of changes to FFB.  You can read part of the changelog below to see some of those changes.  Overall, the game feels different.  Now, I never had an issue with how AMS2 beta felt before, so my opinion hasn’t swayed drastically, but I have seen at least one video where someone’s opinion of AMS2’s drivability was significantly improved.  For me, it’s polish on an already great racing sim.  The drivability of any given sim is a very subjective thing to discuss, but for me I had been really impressed by Beta 1, and said it’s about 80 or 90% as good as the first Automobilista, which I rank as the some of the best FFB in sim racing.  With the updates, I’d put it right there with AMS1.

It does feel different than its predecessor.   I spent several hours alternating between the two sims, and even though I’d rank them both very high in drivability, my experience is quite different in driving them.  You can see my hardware details in my video descriptions, and please bear those in mind when I tell you about what I’m feeling in game.  AMS1 to me still has the advantage in FFB detail.  At least in the beta version I’m running, I don’t feel the road bumps as much as I did previously.  The curb feel is nearly identical, but the road feel and weight the was synonymous with AMS1’s FFB is not as present so far for me as it was previously.  It’s not that either is totally absent in AMS2 beta, it just feels less present than before.  The physics for me, however, feel better.  Running identical cars and tracks in both AMS1 and AMS2 gives a very different result on track.  In general, the cars I’ve tried feel more predictable in the sequel.  What really sold me on the first Automobilista was the feeling of driving on the limit in certain cars, and shaving fractions of seconds lap after lap.  That feeling is even more present in AMS2, and it makes this one of the best driving sims in my collection, period.

Again, take everything I’m saying with a grain of salt and remember that this is still a beta version and the whole topic of drivability in sims is very subjective.  Something I do mentally in racing sims once I have a sim’s FFB tweaked to my liking, is put them into Tiers of drivability.  In tier 1, or the top class of drivability, I’d put AMS1, Assetto Corsa Competizione, and rFactor 2.  All of these give very informative FFB with little tweaking, and the physics of the cars generally seem in line with what one might expect from a real-world car.

The second tier is about the same quality of drivability as tier 1, but it took me more tweaking to get them to that point.  For me, those are Assetto Corsa and RaceRoom Racing Experience.  And before the iRacing crowd sets fire to my channel, just note that I don’t play enough iRacing to really have a valid opinion.

So, I took my time to really get a feel for how AMS2 Beta 2 drives with the new update.  And at this point I’d say that it’s comfortably in tier 1, and for me at least, feeling just as good as AMS1, but in different ways.  And while some of you may agree with me, many won’t.  Suffice it to say that I feel very good about AMS2’s drivability, and I would recommend it to those who agree with my tier rankings of drivability.

And to close out the drivability topic, if you’re expecting it to drive like Project CARS 2, I have bad news for you.  I can draw very few parallels between the drivability of PC2 and AMS2.  I’m not a Project CARS 2 hater by any means.  I’ve invested over 200 hours into the title and done countless videos on it.  With some custom FFB files, I really enjoy driving several the cars in PC2.  But I don’t consider the title to have top tier grade FFB or car physics.  With that said, Automobilista 2 doesn’t have much in common in terms of how the cars drive.  There isn’t much car content shared between the titles, but the behavior of the cars during oversteer and understeer, and the feeling through the wheel are very different between AMS2 and PC2.

And finally, Reiza has teased some upcoming changes slated for release as part of Beta 3.  I mentioned before that the basic heads up display is now available in game, but Reiza is aiming to have the full HUD in game for beta 3.  And we should also have car setups for beta 3, which is where we’ll really get to see the physics shine.  And lastly, two of the most requested items in just about every forum I follow: Copa Trucks will be joining the title very soon, as well as the beta version of multiplayer.  Reiza has noted the status of both of the last two items as readyish, which is great news for their planned March 31st launch of the game to the public.

For those interested, I’ve put some key points relating to drivability of the changelog below.  Thank you guys so much for watching, and we’ll see you next time.

UI / HUD

• Included initial pass of custom light HUD
• Modified custom wheel profile centering spring strength and overall FFBgain

PHYSICS

• Added code for helper springs,
• Added AMS1-style non linear bumpstops,
• Revised all main tyre models (dry & wet compounds)
• Several default setup adjustments
• Revised Steering rack max forces for more consistent FFB output

• Reduced wet rolling resistance
• Fixed glitchy upshifts when using Autoclutch when running modern semi-automatic gearboxes
• Revised F-Ultimate suspension rates
• Fixed bug with MRX rear wet tyres not being available
• Adjusted manual shifting tolerance thresholds for mis-shifts with manual gearboxes