Assetto Corsa (італ. “Race Tuning”) is a simulation game developed by Italian video game developer Kunos Simulazioni. It is designed with an emphasis on realistic racing with extensive customization and modification support. The game was first released on the Steam gaming platform on November 8, 2013 and officially left Early Access as Final on December 19, 2014
Publisher 505 Games, in partnership with Kunos, announced on June 3, 2015 that they would be releasing the game for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2016, and on January 20, 2016, announced a release date of April 22, 2016. On February 24, 2016, it was announced that a console release postponed to June 3, 2016. 505 Games and Kunos announced another delay and a new release date for the console versions on 6 May 2016, the game was released on consoles on 26 and 30 August 2016 in Europe and North America respectively. The second game, Assetto Corsa Competizione, was released on May 29, 2019.
The game's HUD consists of several “virtual desktops” that allow you to manually place various “programs” anywhere on the screen, and the selection can be expanded with custom programs written in the Python programming language.
Gameplay
Assetto Corsa is a car racing simulator that offers a realistic driving experience with a variety of road and racing cars with detailed physics and tire simulation on race tracks created using laser scanning technology. It supports a range of peripherals such as mouse, keyboard, steering wheel, gamepads, triple displays, TrackIR and VR overhead displays, as well as Nvidia 3D Vision and professional motion systems. The software can be extended with modified third-party content.
The game allows you to adjust the realism parameters according to the player's experience, ranging from artificial to “factory” or completely disabled support. A variety of session modes and session settings are available for offline and online play. Offline campaigns, special events, custom championships, speed races, drifts, drags and races can be played solo or against AI. The server management tool allows you to create servers for online sessions, and also supports sessions in the local network and their hosting.
By joining an offline/online session, players can customize their car through the interface. Depending on the vehicle, this includes gear ratios, tire compounds, tire pressure, fuel, suspension settings such as anti-roll bars, wheel speed, ride height, compactor speed, travel range, shock settings such as bump and rebound stops , lift dampers, alignment adjustments, transmission adjustments for differential lock and preload, hybrid adjustments, wing adjustments, brake bias, brake power, engine limiter, etc.. Assists such as traction control and ABS, turbo, KERS, ERS, as well as engine brake parameters and brake camber can be adjusted on the fly using hotkeys. Thus completely simulating the real experience.
The game's HUD consists of several “virtual desktops” that allow you to manually place various “programs” anywhere on the screen, and the choice can be expanded with special programs written in the Python programming language. The API allows the session and simulation to be accessed via external LCD displays or phone apps, and the simulation exports the telemetry data into a format compatible with professional data analysis software.
Tracks
This is a list of all official race tracks; DLCs are marked (*). Some of these tracks are available in different layouts (45 layouts in total).
[hide] TrackCountryNumber of layoutsLayoutsAutodrome Spa-Francorchamps Belgium1
Nürburgring Germany4GP, GP (GT), sprint, sprint (GT)Nürburgring Nordschleife * Germany4Normal, Endurance, Endurance Cup, TouristenfahrtenInternational Circuit Mugello Italy1
Autodromo dell'Umbria (Magione) Italy1
Autodrome Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola) Italy1
Monza National Circuit Italy4GP, 1966 Full Course, 1966 Junior Course, 1966 Road CoursePiero Taruffi Circuit (Vallelunga) Italy3Regular, Classic, ClubTrento Bondone Hill Climb Italy1
Drag (fictional) Italy5200 m, 400 m, 500 m, 1000 m, 2000 mDrift (fictional) Japan1
Autodrom Park Zandvoort Netherlands1
Red Bull Ring * Austria2GP, ShortAutodrome Barcelona-Catalonia * Spain2GP, MotoBrands Hatch * Great Britain2GP, IndySilverstone Circuit Great Britain4GP, International, National, 1967Black Cat County (fictional) USA3Normal, Long, ShortHighlands (fictional) Great Britain4Normal, Drift, Long, ShortAutodrome Seca Lagoon USA1
Kunos created Assetto Corsa based on the experience gained during the development of netKar Pro and Ferrari Virtual Academy . The studio has gained hands-on knowledge by working closely with real-world motorsport, as their R&D office is located at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy. The game features reproductions of international racetracks (surveyed using both traditional and laser scanning technology), as well as many cars from world car brands, ranging from everyday road cars to racing prototypes and historic cars.
Assetto Corsa development began in 2010 as a driving school project for the Automobile Club d'Italia . In 2011, Kunos switched to developing the game on the Unity engine, but due to the limitations of external integration, i.e. the lack of modding, and the long loading times, they decided to leave it and in late 2011 created a new engine completely from scratch.
The game is written in several programming languages. C++ is used for simulation and Go for multiplayer server. The user interface and core of the launcher are coded in C# and the interface is in HTML, allowing users to create interface modifications. Python can be used to develop plugins to retrieve real-time simulation data. DirectX 11 APIs are used for graphics, FMOD for sound, and ODE for collision detection and solid physics.
Demo for PC
On February 22, 2013 , Assetto Corsa Technology Preview was a demo version. It offered one car, the Lotus Elise SC, and one track, the Autodromo dell'Umbria in Maggiore, Italy, as well as two game modes, Free Practice and Time Attack. The main purpose of the preview was to allow users to try the engine for the first time, test it and provide feedback. Player must have netKar Pro license for preview . This version and the engine in general received the first positive reviews
Early access to the PC
Assetto Corsa received Steam Greenlight approval on June 13, 2013. The game was released through Steam Early Access on November 8, 2013. This service allows developers to release a functional but still unfinished product, such as beta versions, to allow users to purchase the title and help provide funding, testing and feedback for final production. Due to Early Access, the game received updates approximately every two weeks, adding new and improving existing content and features.
PC release
The Release Candidate, the full version of the game, was released on October 15, 2014. The final version, after general bug fixes and performance optimizations, was released on December 19, 2014. The game continues to receive free updates, new features and paid DLC with additional content such as new cars and tracks.
Console release
In May 2015, a version of the game was announced for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is published by 505 Games and was released after delays on August 26 and 30, 2016 in Europe and North America respectively. Marco Massarutto, co-founder and executive manager of Kunos Simulazioni, says that the physical model of the console version is identical to the PC version, and the rendering and physics engines had to be rebuilt to make better use of multi-threading – performance targets for the PlayStation 4 are 1080p, 60fps a second, and Xbox One “as close to PS4 as possible”. The console version of the game received a completely new interface, optimized for use with a gamepad.