One thing I feel is Kunos DID NOT want to be a console game. They wanted to be a driving game. With cars that closely mimicked how it feels to drive each car they created. That's a tall order that the majority of games (console or PC) don't come close to doing.
But in their haste to NOT be like Polyphony Digital and the rest, they delivered a game that simply does not come close to giving user the "social aspect" of gaming that most console users have become used to.
Things like the ability to speak to your fellow racers. Real time leader boards. And configurable lobby options.
Another level of difficulty for Kunos is the ability to execute certain aspects of their coding on Console and have it work as it does on PC. Simply put, they are still learning how to work on the PS4/XBOX platforms.
So these guys are playing catch up. And they don't have half the budget of Microsoft or Sony. They are going to be slow in their development. But what I hope they realize is they need to listen closely to their customers and fix major issues that prevent full enjoyment of the game.
And they need to do that first.
1. AI Balance: Will make the off-line races enjoyable. Giving players more to do than just hot lap.
2. Controller configuration/recognition: Need to recognize more wheels and we need the ability to configure buttons.
3. Create Real Time Leader Boards: I fear they may not have the money/resources to afford the servers to do this now.
4. Make the video rock solid: Nothing like being able to brag about the detail and steady framerate.
5. Lobby's: They need help here. Not enough staff to work this problem quickly. But it has to happen and it has to be spot on. Again here they may be suffering from lack of money and resources. Both network and human.
6. Real Time in car viewable telemetry: Tire temp/ware/pressure indicators the whole nine yards similar to PCars.
7. Post race/event and pit stop animation: Embarrassing. Enough said.
These are just a few things that have to happen for Assetto Corsa to spark more mass appeal. But you also have to remember, this is not for typical casual gamers. This is aimed at hard core sim racers. So they did not want to be another Gran Turismo. They want to be a hard core sim racer. That's hard to do on console. I think they are trying their best.
I'm sure a lot happened that they just did not expect, or could not properly address. So I would wait and see how they do with this first update. They have to be careful to not paint themselves into a corner design wise. They must remain open ended an not implement a design change that leaves them at a dead end as far as add-on development is concerned.
This much is for sure, every current racing franchise would love to have Assetto Corsa physics package.
I don't think there's any question about that.
