One NASCAR and two F1 Season Pack mods for Automobilista 2 have been updated to bring them to the next level: Players can enjoy the seasons in more depth now.
The latest Automobilista 2 update introduced a few interesting features for the creators of skin pack mods: Performance scalars allow for alteration of car performance that also applies to the player, and one particular Formula class now has the option for custom tire branding.
Needless to say that some of the talented creators within our community immediately went to work to make the most of this. On the same day that the version 1.6.9.8 update dropped, the 2006 F1 Season Pack by @[SSR] GTIDustin also landed, and it already showed the advantages of the Performance Scalars.
Image: @LadyCroussette
1996 & 1997 F1 Season Packs: Bridgestone vs. Goodyear
First up are two Season Pack mods uploaded by @LadyCroussette for the F-V10 Gen 1 class: Based on the 1997 F1 season, it actually has an alternative skin pack available for 1996. Both have been updated now - and the neat part is that both share an XML selector. That means players will no longer have to install and uninstall one of the packs if they intend to use both; instead, they can simply install both and select a scenario from either season using the practical tool.
Even more interestingly, the cars now have Performance Scalars applied. Good luck trying to gun for an underdog win in a Minardi or Tyrrell now!
And finally, technically just a visual thing but one that adds to the immersion: Tire overrides have been introduced for the class, allowing modders to give them their accurate branding depending on the teams. That means no more blank tire sidewalls for the F-V10 Gen 1 - instead, the Bridgestone vs. Goodyear tire war that started in 1997 is now visible in the pack. A cool detail: Tires are marked with the number of the car they're used on and the driver's initials.
Image: @TomLehockySVK
1987 NASCAR Season Liveries: Bigger Performance Differences
The two F1 seasons are not the only ones that benefitted from the recent AMS2 update: @TomLehockySVK has updated his 1987 NASCAR pack for the Stock USA Gen 1 cars to use the Performance Scalars as well. That means that not only the AI drivers will be racing at a more believable pace, but also that the player will feel the difference depending on the car they picked.
As the class only features one car, supposedly based on the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, this also allows for small differences between the manufacturers. In real life, there were five different brands that made up the field in 1987: Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac were all present.
With more depth added to the races like that, it will be much more difficult for the player to keep up with the likes of Dale Earnhardt Sr. or Bill Elliott if they are running, say, Harry Gant's car.
The pack had last been updated in January to include all 40 cars of the 1987 season as well as custom rim colors to better match the paint schemes.
Are you looking forward to trying the updated livery packs? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our AMS2 forum!
