Should I Get Assetto Corsa?

[thatmotorfreak]

I'm sure several people have already asked this here, but I don't feel like asking somewhere else.

I've toyed with the ISIMotor titles these last few months and they all have some great mods that make them all worth getting. Though it's quite sad to see that there isn't a lot of mods being made for any of them these days as they did back then.

I'm thinking of giving into the crowd and buy Assetto Corsa (on sale) just because everyone seems to be modding it now, I saw some people making Supertouring cars for it which was enough for me to consider getting it.

Is it still as good as it was a year ago though? I've seen people mope about things like features that are still missing or aren't working properly, the base physics being constantly "changed" for "accessibility", and that the AI still aren't that great. The AI is what's holding me back as a solo-only player.

Just as a disclaimer, I don't mean to start any fanboy wars here. I'm just asking for opinions from long-time AC players, as somebody coming from playing rFactor.

 

[BoogerMac]

If the AI has been holding you back from purchasing, I'd keep waiting. The graphics are great, FFB feels good, and plenty of mods exists, but the AI is still pretty bad in my opinion. For example, anytime I play a solo race on Alien difficulty, I get my backend taken out every time I take a turn a little slower than the AI behind me. Am I over exaggerating...maybe, but it feels like every time.

If you want decent AI (no game does it great really), I'd stick with one of the ISI Motor games. In my opinion, AMS has the best AI out of those...even though AMS is a modded engine. The AI in rFactor 2 is pretty good as well, but I still feel like AMS does it a little better.

Just my two cents...

 

[fortyfivekev]

Agree with @BoogerMac that if AI is your priority then RF2 and AMS are the best at present. The AI in AC are better than they used to be but you still get that weird thing at the starts when the grid moves forward in two lanes and you can just drive down the middle which I find kills my immersion. After the first lap the AC AI aren't too bad and depending on your ability can certainly give you a good race.

I think with the recent update the feel of the cars in AC is better than it was 12 months ago and I don't see any evidence of the PC version being dumbed down for console. AC still misses some racing features though eg. the Forza style race starts still suck.

If you like modern FWD touring cars then the Marcas cars in AMS are fun and it has a bunch of South American circuits you will probably never have driven before which is a nice change of pace (for me) from endless laps of Silverstone/Spa/etc.

 

[thatmotorfreak]

Oh yeah Marcas in AMS sure is fun, I've made skins for them already

 

[Alex72]

The feeling of driving of that caliber i cant find anywhere else. Stuff is missing yeah, but i dont notice that when i race or drive with my friends, and the excellent FFB and super quality content + tons of mods make it a great sim. It is being updated and will continue to do so. If its on sale and you're a simmer - go for it!

 

[seanvdburg]

If you are looking for a different experience compared to ISI-based titles you should try AC. I'd say the AI is at rF1 level these days, sometimes better and sometimes worse, depending on the situation and track. It does work ok out of the box, in rF1 I used to play with the sliders a lot to keep them from crashing themselves.
The driving experience is very good in my view. I know stories of physics being dumbed down, but they were mainly created by the famous tabloid blog... So far i've seen absolutely zero evidence of the physics being less close to reality than it used to be. I think the physics developer knows what he's doing (he did power&glory if i'm right).
Multiplayer is good if you like quick races or Nordschleife trackdays (minorating keeps the idiots away from good servers), and the content variety and quality is great. The downside is the lack of racing features, which makes it less suited for league racing.

 

[Manuel Darin]

I know stories of physics being dumbed down, but they were mainly created by the famous tabloid blog... So far i've seen absolutely zero evidence of the physics being less close to reality than it used to be.

We'll try to compete against giants like Forza and Granturismo by dumbing down our main strength. Seems legit.

 

[Yapci]

The AI is what's holding me back as a solo-only player.

rFactor 2

 

[thatmotorfreak]

I've got rFactor 2 already, I was just fed up with the little amount of mods for it.

 

[Deleted member 130869]

Get the game with the full DLC pack on Steam, if it is discounted, and drive as much as you can within 100 minutes. If you feel "meh" about it, get a refund immediately. Mind you, a few excellent AC modders have left that community and you will be seeing some highly desirable cars not be at the level they once were through October/November-ish of 2015.

 

[Yapci]

I've got rFactor 2 already, I was just fed up with the little amount of mods for it.

Problem with AC mods is mostly AI being even worse... Well, don't really know how it's right now since I stopped playing AC in December or so when rFactor steam release. Once you go black...

But trying is free so go try it and decide yourself! (Maybe I'll wait to console release because if they put it on sale or something)

 

[Matheus Machado]

AC has the fastest AI out of all the game hands down. And if you race it like humans they are pretty decent.
They lack in overtaking slower classes vehicles, but it has been getting better and their straight behavior is acceptable atm.

What I consider brilliant in AC is the driving feel. It has some weird physics bugs sometimes, but rF2 has worse imo. And the default content is incomparable imo. Multiplayer is very decent now. And improvements come every major update.

Try out the game for a hour (go to nords with every kind of car) and come to your conclusions. I think you will like it!

 

[Turk]

Is it still as good as it was a year ago though? I've seen people mope about things like features that are still missing or aren't working properly, the base physics being constantly "changed" for "accessibility", and that the AI still aren't that great.

They don't change the physics to make it more accessible. They always try to make the physics as realistic as possible.

The AI can vary a lot. I wanted to take part in that GTA race at the weekend but just couldn't make it. I did a practice season against alien AI though and they were over a second slower than I was. Last time I tried to race against 2-11s I couldn't keep up at all. GT cars seem pretty good though. I don't really ever expect AI to come close to human competitors though and at the moment AI is good enough to practice against for online races. You have to be consistent to keep up.

 

[Lily Starfox]

base physics being constantly "changed" for "accessibility"

Goddamn it!!
Sigh.. I see the anti-Assetto Corsa people sure managed to spread many lies.
Don't believe any word of it.
I tried almost every simulation out there and physics-wise, AC is in the top 3 with rFactor 2 and Automobilista.

About the A.I. though.
I agree with people who mention Automobilista.
The A.I. might be the second best I saw after rFactor 2.
I only installed it a week ago now and I'm really starting to like it.
You complain about lack of mods on rFactor 2 and unfortunately it's the case too for Automobilista but most GSCE mods will be ported eventually to AMS and therefore it's going to become huge.
(not as huge as AC though)

If you don't mind VERY old graphics, I always had fun with the A.I. in GTR2.
I was playing it again today.
The Reborn mod makes the A.I. even better.
To be fair though, the more I drive modern simulations, the more I think that now, even in the physics department, GTR2 and rFactor 1 are starting to show their very old age.
If modern simulations keep improving, I feel like I might give up on it during 2016...

Seriously though...
"is it as good as it was one year ago"? lol...
It became INCREDIBLY good.
And the developers make it sound like there are many more features and additional content coming in 2016, and the next years too.
I can't wait for the Japanese cars pack in late May.

somebody coming from playing rFactor.

Btw, I come from rFactor too. I played it every day in the 2000s to early 2010s.
That's why Assetto Corsa is my first choice.
Remember all the hillclimbs and countless tracks on rFactor?
Now it's Assetto which has the most tracks, hillclimbs, etc.
You'll never run out of content and things to do in this simulation.
It doesn't have Historx mod yet, but if you download the right mods, you'll get more classic cars than any other "modern" simulation out there.
And graphics-wise... Well, maybe you've already noticed, but when you look at recent games, you either have the choice to buy a simcade like Project CARS with GORGEOUS graphics, or a real serious simulation like rFactor 2 with abysmal graphics.
Assetto Corsa is the ONLY one with photo-realistic graphics AND realistic physics.
Iracing and Raceroom Racing Experience are ok too about this, but they're more expensive, and don't have nearly as much content, and iracing doesn't have A.I., etc.
So Assetto Corsa is the best of both worlds.

Mind you, a few excellent AC modders have left that community and you will be seeing some highly desirable cars not be at the level they once were through October/November-ish of 2015.

I don't get it... Why some cars would get WORSE than they were in November 2015?

 

[Hor-hay]

Remember you've got 2 hours to try out the AI before you can get a refund on steam.

 

[Dan Allen]

To keep it short & sweet, yes, AC is definitely worth the money. Maybe not quite up to rfactor standards in terms of FFB and physics (IMHO), but definitely worth s buy nonetheless

 

[Lily Starfox]

Maybe not quite up to rfactor standards in terms of FFB and physics (IMHO)

You mean rFactor 2, right?
Cos rFactor 1 is now completely outdated compared to Assetto Corsa in terms of physics.

 

[David Dominguez]

You mean rFactor 2, right?
Cos rFactor 1 is now completely outdated compared to Assetto Corsa in terms of physics.

It isn't.

 

[Jim Liak]

It isn't.

Oh, c'mon. Is this supposed to be a constructive post?
I know who you are and i love your work as a modder, but please do elaborate on this.

 

[David Dominguez]

Oh, c'mon. Is this supposed to be a constructive post?
I know who you are and i love your work as a modder, but please do elaborate on this.

Why should I elaborate on something when the person who made the initial claim hasn't? And why don't you ask him the same?