Le Mans Ultimate Patch 2 Arrives: AI, Race Length, Assist Weights Updated

Le Mans Ultimate Patch 2 Arrives - AI, Race Length, Assist Weights Updated 02.jpg
It’s another significant update for Le Mans Ultimate, as Patch 2 includes many requested changes.

Images: Taken in-sim

The post-release update cadence for Le Mans Ultimate continues at a red-hot pace, with several key changes implemented today, 26th March 2024.

Following a series of hotfixes and then the first main patch two weeks ago, the second significant quality-of-life update is here, taking onboard community feedback.

Here is how the early access platform is progressing so far.

Le Mans Ultimate Toyota.jpg

Sebring Pitlane Change​

The official title of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA World Endurance series has updated its Sebring pit entrance – instead of cutting the inside of Turn 15’s kerb, the entry delineation marker starts later, closer to Turn 16. This was the cause of much consternation in the real-world, seeing a last-minute change before the race event last season.

Increased Penalty Weight​

Speaking of furrowed brows, Le Mans Ultimate does have a long list of driver assists, trying to make the simulation more accessible, as an option. However, these are allowed within the ranked online multiplayer races and do seem to provide some sort of advantage, even for skilled drivers.

The platform has supposedly applied ballast weight when these are switched on, but some users (and OverTake members) have highlighted that the effect has not been strong enough. The weight now applied for those using assists has now been increased, let us know in the comments below after a few races if this works in the desired way.

In GTE, the weight penalty for using ABS is now 18kg for the lower level and 30kg for the higher preset. In LMP2, that is now 14kg and 23kg respectively and Hypercar 15kg and 25kg.

Le Mans Ultimate Patch 2 Arrives - AI, Race Length, Assist Weights Updated.jpg

AI and Energy Changes​

As we pointed out recently, you can have thrilling battles against AI-powered opponents within the sim, but they are prone to some strange quirks, especially pertaining to strategy during longer races.

While we will test again post-update to see if the idiosyncrasies remain, developer Studio 397 does claim to have remedied some areas.

Chiefly, it notes improved ‘lift and coast’ logic for the AI. Holistically, wet tyres are set to degrade at a quicker rate and virtual energy estimates have been revised. For sim racers, there are new fuel and NRG bars in the HUD.

The AI has been reprogrammed to boast ‘less contact’ during the first corner of a race, reduce aggression when overtaking in a braking zone and heightened avoidance abilities.

BoP and LOD​

During our initial testing of Le Mans Ultimate, we did note that it looked more detailed than its forebearer, rFactor 2, in particular with the car models for LMP2 and Hypercar which were made from the ground up. However, some textures were still lacking in finesse.

Patch 2 notes ‘updates to every vehicle’s LOD model’, so let’s see if these smaller elements have been refined. It specifically mentions, for instance, updated LMP2 LOD textures, missing Peugeot 9X8 cockpit LEDs, enhanced rain drops on the Toyota and ‘fixed’ Vanwall mirrors among others.

As is to be somewhat expected, the Balance of Performance has seen further tweaks – something all developers of titles with BoP-based formulae include are certain to tweak regularly.

For example, the Aston Martin GTE has seen 10 kg lopped off its Prodrive-built chassis, while the Corvette has put on 7.5 kg. In Hypercar, the Ferrari 499P has received a significant 40kg increase.

Le Mans Ultiamte Porsche Bahrain.jpg

Other key additions are set to be the ability to ‘fully’ customise session lengths, something that since launch only allowed set time options, more space out rolling starts, changes to grip levels and

The full patch notes are listed below and are seemingly extensive. It’s worth bearing in mind that while gargantuan, new features such as the anticipated asynchronous co-op mode and VR support are expected later.

Let us know your feedback about Le Mans Ultimate’s second ‘main’ update in the comments below, or on X: @OverTake_gg.

Le Mans Ultimate Patch 2 Changelog​

General and Code Updates​

  • Integrate crash reporting software to automatically collect crash reports
  • Fix crashes when no sound devices is available
  • Fixed an issue that would cause cars to collide if one of them teleported close to the other in an online session – disabled collision for teleporting cars if they end up in other cars
  • Fix for FFB oscillating during game freezes or change state
  • Fixed a bug to ensure the game is running at normal speed when exiting the pause menu
  • Quality of life changes for virtual fuel information display in the MFD and speedometer overlays (See UI for more details)
  • Fixed issues around fuel estimates at the start of a fast rolling race
  • Various fixes to AI fuel consumption
  • Fixed virtual energy usage – MGU deployment and higher gears will no longer drain energy faster
  • Fix for virtual fuel reporting as 100x the actual value when measured in KW in the pit menu.
  • AI toggle removed as not performing as this is not currently supported
  • Fixed some talent files failing to load
  • Reviewed Driving Aid Penalties implementation
  • Fixed Blue Flag in cockpit stating LMP incorrectly
  • Removed some unused cockpit LED options which were causing some crashes

AI​

  • Improved AI ability to avoid other cars by both braking and turn in
  • AI are more careful in unclear situations (slow, unpredictable cars ahead)
  • Fixed an error in strategy causing fuel logging to fail along with wrong conditions being used for strategy calculations. This fixes various situations in which AI would behave incorrectly.
  • Improved AI full grid turn 1 situations – less contact, cars no longer occasionally come to a full stop
  • AI can predict better whether it is safe to lift before corners in order to carry more momentum for lapping another car on exit
  • AI can now pick closing gaps on flat out sections of the circuit and predicts whether the car ahead leaves space or not – should help in not-quite-straight situations that otherwise never have enough space in one go to overtake around a specific side
  • Lapped cars no longer immediately attempt to re-overtake when they get the chance
  • Much less aggressive overtaking attempts, so AI don’t get out of shape as much anymore
  • AI no longer brake at the last possible moment when there is a car ahead, instead in situations that require it they’ll be more careful
  • AI now try to carry a little bit more speed into braking zones when overtaking and lapping
  • Improved lift and brake logic to avoid getting too close to other cars
  • AI tyre wear is now hidden from player on HUD

UI​

  • Boot sequence and registration
    • Video is now skippable
    • First time user difficulty select now better matches in-game settings
    • Email validation is now less strict allowing “+” and other similar valid email characters
    • Temporarily removed names being registered with symbols as it was causing backend issues. This will be returned when we have made the required changed
  • Race weekend
    • Any session length can now be set
    • Updated available class UI to be more clear
    • Changing grid position option now loops from max to low again.
  • Virtual Energy and Fuel
    • Garage
      • Fuel capacity changed to fuel ratio
      • Fuel carried shows the amount of fuel you will have when leaving the pit
    • HUD
      • Virtual energy shows the number of laps you will have with it
      • Replaced Fuel Capacity with Fuel Ratio for Hypercars
      • The strategy section now shows the amount of fuel you will have after the next pit stop
      • Speedo shows Fuel and NRG more clearly
      • Updated fuel and energy usage on HUD to show to two decimal points.
      • Removed option for relative refuelling and added fuel units (l or gal) to Pit Menu
  • Online
    • “Special Event” cards show correct countdowns
    • Added a notification for when your race results are ready
    • Added a notification for when there is a server problem and the event is canceled
    • Weather forecast should now be correct
    • Updated available class UI to be clearer
    • Loading into the race no longer has the standings on the screen until everything is loaded
  • Race
    • AI-only cars now show their manufacturer logo in standing
  • General
    • Added localisation and descriptions to more setting options
    • Changing difficulty settings no longer changes your preset name in graphics preset name to custom

Circuits​

  • Bahrain International Circuit
    • Fixed fast rolling starts reporting left lane as right and vice versa
    • Minor adjustments to road surface grip properties
    • Updated rolex gantry fixing some minor issues
    • Updated camera files fixing some switch issues over the start finish and other updates
  • Fuji Raceway
    • Minor adjustments to road surface grip properties
    • Updated rolex gantry fixing some minor issues
    • Minor ambient occlusion fixes on some assets
  • Circuit de la Sarthe (Le Mans)
    • Minor adjustments to road surface grip properties
    • Adjusted AI block path into turn 1
  • Autodromo Nazionale Monza
    • Minor adjustments to road surface grip properties
    • AI adjustments to improve multi class racing
    • Track limits – minor fix on main straight
  • Algarve International Circuit (Portimāo)
    • Minor adjustments to road surface grip properties
    • Minor grandstand fix
    • Updated rolex gantry fixing some minor issues
    • Fixed floating pit props
  • Sebring International Raceway
    • Improved paddock area night lighting
    • Updated paddock tents and pit props
    • Updated pit lane entry with entry used in 2023 race
    • Fixed timing to work on first lap out of the pitlane
    • Tweaked grip levels, including increased grip at Sunset Bend
  • Spa Francorchamps
    • Updated camera file
    • Improved fix for AI avoiding clipping wall on pit entry
    • Increased separation for left and right AI paths so cars are less close together on fast rolling starts

Vehicles​

GTE​

  • General
    • Updated weight penalties for using ABS assist: 18kg for Low level and 30kg for High level
    • Changed pitstop restrictions, so that driver change and refuelling are concurrent, tyre change, repairs and brakes are not
    • Minor correction to fuel density
    • Updated LODs
    • Fixed some cameras
    • Set view pitch to 0.0
    • Changed setup default engine mixture to Race (was Race lean before)
  • Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE
    • BoP: 10kg reduction in weight penalty to both Le Mans and non-LM specification
    • Added emissive on the wheel
    • Added LEDs to cockpit
    • Added rain light
    • Small tweak to random delay for tyre change
  • Corvette C8R GTE
    • BoP: 7.5kg increase in weight penalty to non-Le Mans and 20kg for Le Mans specification
    • Added rain light
    • Fixed windows so they clear water
    • Headlights now reflect in puddles
    • Fixed hole around rear wing
    • Fixed issues with seat belt
  • Ferrari 488 GTE
    • Fixes to stop AI from track cutting
    • BoP: 7.5kg increase in weight penalty to non-Le Mans and 20kg to Le Mans specification.
  • Porsche 911 RSR GTE
    • Headlights now reflect in puddles

LMP2​

  • Oreca 07 LMP2
    • Added weight penalties for using ABS assist: 14kg for Low level and 23kg for High level
    • Changed pitstop restrictions, so that driver change and refuelling are concurrent, tyre change, repairs and brakes are not. Small tweak to random delay for tyre change
    • Tweak to how much time it takes to adjust/replace front splitter body part
    • Minor correction to fuel density
    • Fixed some cameras
    • Updated rim textures
    • Updated LODs
    • Fixed issues with LOD textures
    • Increased wiper effect texture resolution
    • Lowered AI grip on wet tires by ~4%

Hypercar​

  • General
    • Added weight penalties for using ABS assist: 15kg for Low level and 25kg for High level
    • Tweaked wet tires to give more cooling on damp tracks, and made them degrade more when they’re overheated
    • Changed pitstop restrictions, so that driver change and refuelling are concurrent, tyre change, repairs and brakes are not. Small tweak to random delay for tyre change
    • Tweak to how much time it takes to adjust/replace front splitter body part
    • Corrections to virtual energy estimates
    • Minor correction to fuel density
    • Fixed some cameras
    • Updated LODs
  • Cadillac V.Series R LMDh
    • Set view pitch to 0.0
    • Reduced AI cutting
    • Minor correction to fuel density
  • Ferrari 499P LMH
    • BoP: 40kg increase in weight penalty
    • Fixed window distortion in rain
    • Fixed gaps in cockpit when using onboard cameras
    • Fixed available range of settings for rear differential preload
    • Fixed available range of settings for rear differential preload
    • Reduced AI cutting
  • Glickenhaus SCG 007 LMH
    • Set view pitch to 0.0
    • Reduced AI cutting
    • Fixed available range of settings for rear differential preload
  • Peugeot 9X8 LMH
    • BoP: 10kg increase in weight penalty
    • Fixed missing LEDs in cockpit
    • Fixed available range of settings for rear differential preload
  • Porsche 963 LMDh
    • Made #75 pit light a bit darker
    • Fixed windscreen static wear texture
  • Toyota GR010 LMH
    • BoP: 30kg increase in weight penalty
    • Fixed rain drops on body and windows
    • Fixed available range of settings for rear differential preload
  • Vanwall Vandervell 680 LMH
    • Fixed smoothing issues on body
    • Fixed mirrors in cockpit view
    • Removed wing adjust from pit menu
    • Added replace brakes to pit menu
    • Removed brake map from pit menu
    • Fixed error in talent file
About author
Thomas Harrison-Lord
A freelance sim racing, motorsport and automotive journalist. Credits include Autosport Magazine, Motorsport.com, RaceDepartment, OverTake, Traxion and TheSixthAxis.

Comments

Premium
"Updated weight penalties for using ABS assist"
Is this just for multiplayer etc. or for offline, single player as well?
If so the game is punishing someone for using an aid to make their game easier which is utter nonsense.
Not sure if it applies for single player. In online though people were up to a second a lap faster with assists on and tons of people were using them in the lower ranked races. Imagine if iRacing allowed assists and you get the picture. But even if you just wanted to play single player, lower the AI a bit and the problem goes away.
 
Guys the loading times are the smallest problem. Some of you remember the times we played Commodore 64 with datassette :geek: chill out while loading, mayke your tee, open a beer, go for a piss, check your phone ^^
possibilities are endless :p:D

Sometimes, in my nightmares, I can still hear that C64 floppy drive loading - grr grr grr grrrrrrrrr. :laugh:

That, and the sound of dial up modems :cautious:

But we're showing our age a bit here...
 
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Not sure if it applies for single player. In online though people were up to a second a lap faster with assists on and tons of people were using them in the lower ranked races. Imagine if iRacing allowed assists and you get the picture. But even if you just wanted to play single player, lower the AI a bit and the problem goes away.
I have no idea from where the myth is coming from that other racing sims have no aids enabled in ranked online racing that make you faster. I am pretty sure iRacing has auto clutch enabled because otherwise there would be quite alot of people who don't make it around the track in the MX5 races. And that's an assist that brings you more than a second per lap. People take this a bit too seriously and should think about how we make this hobby more inclusive. There are people who don't have the hardware, the space for a rig or even physical abilities to enjoy the racing sim otherwise. Can you imagine what would have happened if WTCC would have told Zanardi to f*ck off and not allowed him to use technical assists in his cars? And that was in real racing where something was at stake.
 
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OverTake
Premium
When you read:
  • Tweak to how much time it takes to adjust/replace front splitter body part
as being part of a patch in a simulator, you realize the level of details and accuracy S397 is aiming at and how much veracity is achievable in this series dedicated simulator.
Quite a sharp departure from the ubiquitous sandbox game.
I hope they do well and that this is the way of the future of simulation.
Not sure if you refer to rFactor 2 - but this was/is a standard thing in rf2 already and was updated several times in the cars update cycle (whenever that was) even leagues can use different lengths in how long damage/adjustments happen.

"Updated weight penalties for using ABS assist"
Is this just for multiplayer etc. or for offline, single player as well?
If so the game is punishing someone for using an aid to make their game easier which is utter nonsense.
There is no option in the hdv files to adjust this wether its offline or online. Unless they invent a new setting that will either ignore or enforce this option online/offline, probably a good idea to suggest this to them through their forum.
 
I have no idea from where the myth is coming from that other racing sims have no aids enabled in ranked online racing that make you faster. I am pretty sure iRacing has auto clutch enabled because otherwise there would be quite alot of people who don't make it around the track in the MX5 races. And that's an assist that brings you more than a second per lap. People take this a bit too seriously and should think about how we make this hobby more inclusive. There are people who don't have the hardware, the space for a rig or even physical abilities to enjoy the racing sim otherwise. Can you imagine what would have happened if WTCC would have told Zanardi to f*ck off and not allowed him to use technical assists in his cars? And that was in real racing where something was at stake.
As far as i know Zanardi had all the controls on the wheel.
But for the rest no extra tools to make him faster.
He was already fast.
 
Premium
I have no idea from where the myth is coming from that other racing sims have no aids enabled in ranked online racing that make you faster. I am pretty sure iRacing has auto clutch enabled because otherwise there would be quite alot of people who don't make it around the track in the MX5 races. And that's an assist that brings you more than a second per lap. People take this a bit too seriously and should think about how we make this hobby more inclusive. There are people who don't have the hardware, the space for a rig or even physical abilities to enjoy the racing sim otherwise. Can you imagine what would have happened if WTCC would have told Zanardi to f*ck off and not allowed him to use technical assists in his cars? And that was in real racing where something was at stake.
Yes, but in iRacing those assists all come with appropriate speed penalties. Dave Cam did a video ages ago showing manual clutch vs autoclutch and manual was considerably quicker. I think most people understand why we need some assists in the game, but the assists shouldn't make you faster than if you didn't use them. LMU have addressed some of this in the latest patch, so fair play to them.
 
Premium
In my opinion, for an EA version, focusing on balanced performance using aids and BoP for cars is already beyond what could be expected. I to (7 races in and struggling to get to the podium) experience big differences between the fastest laps and my PB. Not saying I am a very fast driver at all, but the differences sometimes seem to big for an even, fixed setup, race. But I expected nothing more. It will take time for 397 to even the field, based on data of larger groups racing. But for now, I hope thats not their main focus.
 
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Absolutely love the aids patch...

Although they should of just entered really heavy aid penalties to begin with... Would of caused far less fuss to tune them in if they were obviously slower than obviously faster...

The good sims are the ones where the weight penalties for things like ABS are enough to make you 0.5s a lap slower than without them... And at a place like Le Mans... 3 seconds slower...
 
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As far as i know Zanardi had all the controls on the wheel.
But for the rest no extra tools to make him faster.
He was already fast.
That's not really my point. I stood next to the car when Zanardi raced in WTCC and took a proper look at it. They built a complete cockpit rework to make the car drivable for him wich required adjustment of the rules back in the day. My point is that he got a special treatment and assists with wich he was able to enter a competition that he otherwise wouldn't have been able to enter and nobody else had these. And the same applies for people who need the assists to even take part in the LMU online racing . The wierd thing is that we are very early in EA and people allready make it sound like as we were racing in a highly competetive environment up to a point where people feel treated unfairly. I can only recommend those sissies to activate the aids if it makes them feel better. The complete ignorance for the fact that the weight penlties for the aids need fine tuning while also keeping BOP in mind just makes me wonder if people approach this hobby - and for most of us it is a hobby and not our job - with the right attitude. The amount of elitism and entitlement that I have wittnesed on the LMU discord the last couple of days in regards to this topic leaves alot to be desired about the state of this whole community. :rolleyes:
 
Yes, but in iRacing those assists all come with appropriate speed penalties. Dave Cam did a video ages ago showing manual clutch vs autoclutch and manual was considerably quicker. I think most people understand why we need some assists in the game, but the assists shouldn't make you faster than if you didn't use them. LMU have addressed some of this in the latest patch, so fair play to them.
iRacing had how many years of development? LMU is completely new while BOP is still being tweaked and while all cars haven't been tested against each other properly. So how do you wanna adjust stuff like weight penalties from the get go if you have no proper data? And people went really on a rampage at times on the discord about this topic.The amount of DR and SR that has been lost due to stability issues is by far bigger than the amount of DR and SR that people lost due to other people using assists. Maybe set this into perspective and think about where the game is at this point. We are talking about beginner and intermediate level races btw and not some high profile competition where money is at stake at this point.
 
Long story short, want to go superfast, ditch the driving aids.
If you still can't keep up, get faster.
If you want to finish a race, might help to get some driving aids on.
To win you first have to finish.
 
I truly have a love-hate relationship with this game. With my setup, quite above the minimum recommended requirements, I could not run the le mans circuit. with all cars. Terrible stutters, even with everything on low. Then I found out I could deselect categories and with just hypercars the game was suddenly fantastic. So this game is CRYING OUT for selecting a max.no. of cars!

BUT, a few minutes later the car would not move when I floored the throttle. Tried everything, even re-installed the game, set up the wheel and pedals from scratch. Simply no solution. Message: freemove disabled...? Nice. So, given I have to wait 5min each time for the race meeting to load, I am back in hate mode...
 
Premium
Can you please share your FFB settings for DD2 I also don’t get it where I want.
In base and game.

I like the game but i have to less tyre feel and when the car starts sliding its uncontrollably. More steering angle at understeer transforms in an uncontrollable oversteer.
Sorry it took a while to get back to you. Happy to give you what I have although as we know Force Feedback can be a matter of personal taste so it may or may not help. Basically I decided to do less with Fanalab tuning menu and more in game. Make sure you have latest Fanatec drivers and Fanalab update also. I'm using Fanatec Driver 455 (new one may be available) and Fanalab V.2.01.28
My settings in Fanalab (or on the wheel) are as follows: Sen - Auto, FFB 100% FFS- Linear, NDP-off, NFR-off, NIN-off, INT-off, FEI- 100, FOR-100%, SPR-100%, DPR-100%

In the Game: Settings-Controls-Force Feed Back: FFB-On, Invert-OFF, Steering Torque-20, FFB Strength 45% for HyperCar and 40% for GTE and LMP2 , Smoothing-0, Min Torque 0%, Collision Strength - 50%, Steering Torque Sensitivity- 100%, Constant Force- Off

In Game: Settings-Controls-Calibrate: Calibrate each control by using the down arrow to the right of each control. I use Heusinkveld Ultimate pedals and calibrate each one to give me a little give on the min. side and put my brake sensitivity at 95% and Throttle at 100% - Under "Steering Settings" I have From Vehicle- On. But I put my Steering Wheel Max Rotation to 980 and turned Max Rotation from Driver- Off (This can be set to on and use your Fanatec Driver but I played around with the Max Rotation from 1180 to 900 degrees and 980 seemed the best to me. Try it out yourself and see what seems natural)

I use a 300mm wheel (Turn Racing Model 305) which can affect things so adjust your settings to your actual wheel size. The In Game FFB Strength you use can be adjusted to fit your driving style and can be adjusted per car type. I have also found that Calibrating the steering wheel and the pedals is very important and with the Ferrari HYP car I mostly use the soft tires with TC set between 2and4 and I adjust my brake bias forward to about 56% to help keep from locking up the rear wheels. With the LMP2 you just have to be very patient with the power on exiting a corner or it likes to snap oversteer.

Let me know if that helps and maybe you will find something that works much better.
 
Guys the loading times are the smallest problem. Some of you remember the times we played Commodore 64 with datassette :geek: chill out while loading, mayke your tee, open a beer, go for a piss, check your phone ^^
possibilities are endless :p:D
If you need a reminder of slow loadtimes.. Boot R3E... enough time for a quicky witthe neighbours wife, and shower on top of all of the above..
 
If you need a reminder of slow loadtimes.. Boot R3E... enough time for a quicky witthe neighbours wife, and shower on top of all of the above..
The strange thing is - yes sometimes it’s like you said, but mostly it seems just random.
Sometimes it’s even really quick here and I don’t know why
 

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