Sim racers were eager to take the first hands-on opportunity with Assetto Corsa EVO - including Kunos' former Head of Vehicle & Handling R&D Aris Vasilakos, who shared his first rather positive first impressions.
For the first time, sim racers could give Assetto Corsa EVO a go at ADAC SimRacing Expo 2024, and many took that opportunity, including us for our live stream from the event. Meanwhile, Kunos' fromer Head of Vehicle & Handling R&D Aris Vasilakos paid his old colleagues a visit and gave the upcoming sim a spin to share is impressions.
Being known as the handling guru behind Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione, Vasilakos has helped many a sim racer with his in-depth explanations on car physics on his YouTube channel - as a result, it was no surprise that many were sad to see him leave to join the Wilder World project in early 2024.
In his farewell video, Aris stated that "you guys are going to be blow away by what is being released" in regards to AC EVO, and it seems like that transfered to his first hands-on impressions in at least 10 months, as he acknowledged in his video from SimRacing Expo.
He particularly praised how the cars felt once ABS kicked in, stating that "I love how the whole car moves around when you hit that ABS." Referring to the wet Mount Panorama experience, Aris found it positively terrifying: "When you are pushing in a street car, tracks like that become scary, and that's great!"
This matches our own experience in this scenario. The visual difference between the parts of track that are too slippery to drive on and those that still offer some grip is relatively subtle, so you have to concentrate on placing your car on the right line. Leave it, and you are in for a wild ride, especially at Mount Panorama.
We found it particularly difficult to get the braking for The Chase right. The Alpine naturally wanted to wander towards the left-side edge of the track following the kink before the turn, but there was simply no grip there - not even the ABS could save the car from sailing into the gravel trap. This served as a perfect example for how you have to adjust your approach to a corner depending on the conditions.
Aris' final verdict on AC EVO: "Congrats to my ex-colleagues - great job, keep it up! Sim racers - give it time, this is going to be an amazing time."
What was your favorite element of Assetto Corsa EVO that you found out from the first hands-on impressions? Have you even tried the game yourself? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our AC EVO forum!
For the first time, sim racers could give Assetto Corsa EVO a go at ADAC SimRacing Expo 2024, and many took that opportunity, including us for our live stream from the event. Meanwhile, Kunos' fromer Head of Vehicle & Handling R&D Aris Vasilakos paid his old colleagues a visit and gave the upcoming sim a spin to share is impressions.
Being known as the handling guru behind Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione, Vasilakos has helped many a sim racer with his in-depth explanations on car physics on his YouTube channel - as a result, it was no surprise that many were sad to see him leave to join the Wilder World project in early 2024.
In his farewell video, Aris stated that "you guys are going to be blow away by what is being released" in regards to AC EVO, and it seems like that transfered to his first hands-on impressions in at least 10 months, as he acknowledged in his video from SimRacing Expo.
Positively Scary Bathurst
Vasilakos tried all three scenarios available within the pre-alpha version of AC EVO, and he had very positive feedback to share about his former colleagues' work. For the road-car based scenarios, a Hyundai i30 N at Brands Hatch and an Alpine A110 at a rain-soaked Bathurst, Aris found the physics to convey "very authentic FWD driving" - safe, but slightly exciting.He particularly praised how the cars felt once ABS kicked in, stating that "I love how the whole car moves around when you hit that ABS." Referring to the wet Mount Panorama experience, Aris found it positively terrifying: "When you are pushing in a street car, tracks like that become scary, and that's great!"
This matches our own experience in this scenario. The visual difference between the parts of track that are too slippery to drive on and those that still offer some grip is relatively subtle, so you have to concentrate on placing your car on the right line. Leave it, and you are in for a wild ride, especially at Mount Panorama.
We found it particularly difficult to get the braking for The Chase right. The Alpine naturally wanted to wander towards the left-side edge of the track following the kink before the turn, but there was simply no grip there - not even the ABS could save the car from sailing into the gravel trap. This served as a perfect example for how you have to adjust your approach to a corner depending on the conditions.
"Natural Feeling"
Aris applauded the sound design ("you can feel when the car is starting to slide by the sound"), the graphics, and the difference in physics when comparing the Porsche Cup car at Imola to the road vehicles of the other scenarios. The game felt "much improved over the curbs. It has a natural feeling, you don't have to learn things, you just drive the damn thing - that's it." As for the AI at Imola, Aris found them to be "very respectful, much more than in ACC". He did also note a bit of a "springy" feel in the steering wheel, which could have been due to the settings of the wheel base used.Aris' final verdict on AC EVO: "Congrats to my ex-colleagues - great job, keep it up! Sim racers - give it time, this is going to be an amazing time."
What was your favorite element of Assetto Corsa EVO that you found out from the first hands-on impressions? Have you even tried the game yourself? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our AC EVO forum!
