0.28 Discussion Thread

i think the biggest thing in this update for me as an amd user has been the performance improvements, the broken gpu utilisation is finally way better and fps is improved a LOT
honestly for me at least this feels like the biggest update since 0.23 just for that given that it was getting incrementally worse in every update between 0.22 and this update

 

I've already given feedback on the new shifting system in a different place, but I'll go more in-depth here.

H-patterns ignoring mechanical linkage forces and tolerances isn't realistic and incentivizes abusing your H-pattern hardware chasing a nearly uncapped advantage unique to its control scheme. It also unfairly disadvantages not only controller and keyboard users but wheel users who don't have the H-pattern shifter, and I've already had one friend on wheel without shifter and a mid-tier PC voice that this is ruining the game for them. I don't know how you could ever watch the T-Series and Stambecco shift as fast as a DCT and call it realistic, or think anyone outside of the BeamNG bubble will see this as anything other than a fault in the sim and even more reason not to take it seriously.


The shifting system is also wildly inconsistent when using H-pattern shifting with the clutch assistant and will randomly give you extremely fast shifts for reasons I can't decipher, which points to the whole system having weird logic inconsistencies.


They at least sped up the restricted shifts slightly, but absolutely nothing about the new clutch system is an improvement. Trying to depict industry-standard controller shifting as "God Mode" while anyone on an H-pattern can make a short throw clutch deadzone and recreate that T-Series clip is a strange and biased statement to put out to try and get ahead of this. The argument that you could muscle a semi-truck into those shifts with superhero strength is nonsense for many reasons, not least of all being the synchros and other elements of the drivetrain that have tolerances and structural limits that are ignored only for higher-end wheel users.

If you want to reduce options for development, why not make H-pattern shifting obey the laws of physics and suffer the same clunky feedbackless penalties for not mindreading when the game wants you to release the clutch, which I suspect is literally a moving target based on frame rate (and further disadvantages the less wealthy with weaker PCs)? Or make shifters work the same as controllers did in the prior update where we get consistent shifts based on the qualities of the transmission and drivetrain? Unless BeamNG wants to startup a force feedback shifter division to put their money where their mouth is? I'm sure we all know how mass market adoption of FFB flight sticks went.

None of us, on any control scheme, can feel the mechanical linkages of the cars in the game, so making up some random rhythm game with no feedback and applying it inconsistently is simply a game design choice. And yes, I can figure out the margin in the variable frame rate to hold the clutch and micromanage this new system to avoid gear grinding on a controller or paddle shifter, and no, it's not satisfying or somehow making me feel closer to my real life manual transmission experiences at all.

I don't understand why shifting was on two entirely different systems divided by control schemes to begin with. No one thought to use this massive advantage in speedruns because no one thought a simulator would ever have such a blatant uncapped shifting advantage on only one control scheme. This would also be an absolute nightmare for leaderboards, not that it feels like we'll ever get those leaderboards mentioned in that in-game online agreement for however many years now.

This honestly feels like when Fanatec had to add autoclutch to their wheel firmware because games like Forza would give manual with clutch a game-wide advantage even in LMP cars and other IRL sequentials that were extremely inconvenient and unrealistic to constantly fast shift on a wheel with clutch. In BeamNG's case, the firmware fix would add a clutch input in between shift gates and make every manual a dog box transmission.

 

Turn signal stalk on the ETK 800 & K-Series moves forward and back instead of up and down

 

a shame...

 

found a more extreme version

 

I've noticed some wonkiness with the new Moonhawk engines. 309 has worse max RPM than the 448 with the same stage long block; unless this is supposed to be a super-narrow-bore 305 equivalent that can't take hot cams without ramming the valves into the cylinder walls, you'd think the smallest engine would be the highest-revving. 448 also has a strange second peak after 6000 RPM with all modified long blocks, and those capable of revving to 7000 or higher have a complete flatline from that point on.

 

Great work!

 

I'm loving the update so far!

The one gripe that I have (same goes for older game versions) are nonfunctioning lights when the car is completely off. Even when a car is off, the hazard lights, headlights, and taillights still work, which I'm sure you know. I'm not sure if setting the vehicles state to off puts it in a "passive" state to reduce performance impacts or something, so I don't know how possible it really is to fix it, but it's something I'd like to see fixed.

 

Great content overall, very excited about the 800 sedan. The Heritage Editions are also very cool. I have a few comments about the default configs for the new 800 & K series I find a bit immersion-breaking. For instance, the K-Series police variant has its own, slightly less powerful ECU compared to its non-police counterpart, and the 340 ECU doesn't seem to exist in any other k-series.

Secondly, the 800 wagon seems to be the only version available with AWD in the lower trims, which is fairly typical, but then this trend switches for the ttSport variants, which seems odd. AWD only in the ttSport+ sedan. Perhaps this trend exists in some real-world manufacturer I am not aware of.

The 800 Driving Experience version should be called the 846ttx, rather than 846tt. I also find it odd that the Driving Experience is the only 846tt with AWD, whereas the K-Series Driving Experience is the same vehicle, just with decals.

Finally, I am a little disappointed in the lack of variety in parts. Just changing an ECU is less exciting than a big turbo swap, for instance, but this is just an opinion.

Overall though, this is another awesome update!

 

This is something they've been doing for the last few updates in order to cut down on config spam. Unfortunately, the days of every possible configuration and combination being represented by default appear to be over. This does make it difficult, in some circumstances, to figure out what factory configs might actually exist in-universe but not be present in the menu.

 

how many gigabytes is the new update?

 

I got about 1.6GB

 

for me it says 63 gigabytes

 

The new ETK naming convention doesn't make any sense, why does the displacement need to be mentioned in a seperate badge?
I'm also a bit dissapointed that only the rennspecht gets the V8, i was hoping for an 858/848 or something

 

This, increasing the boost pressure by solely reprogram the ECU without swapping the turbo itself might resulting in a much laggier boost performance

Sad, I remember the good old days where almost every forced induction vehicle has "stage 1 turbocharger/supercharger", "stage 2 turbocharger/supercharger", "stage 3 variable boost turbocharger", "stage 4 supercharger"

 

ive noticed something with the etk awd now, its kinda like the awd from the vivace where it only engages the second drive axle if the main looses grip, thats cool and all, but the tuning with the etk awd is all sorts of wack. it has MORE oversteer than rwd somehow, and if you go sideways at all the front jitters a ton and the rpm sorta wobbles. other than that this update is amazing, wish the etk 800 got the taillights revamped because they look weird, but its a non issue, love your work devs

 

Weird deformation on Roamer tailgate


This part of the handling area on gridmap loves to eat tires


Grand Marshal gauge cluster looks terrible in direct sunlight

 

I noticed the engine temperature gauge and automatic transmission indicator on the Gavril Roamer are clipping through the instrument cluster.

The temperature needle appears to have rotated 90 degrees while the transmission indicator is now hidden behind the instrument cluster.


I've verified the local game files though Steam and also tested the game in Safe Mode with same results.

 

okay so the new shift logic is absolute aids on keyboard with no assistants in realistic mode, there NEEDS to be some forgiveness for clutch engagement between gearshifts (or allow for faster shifting in general?). for reference, realistic mode has been my default for 4+ years now, on both my wheel/H-shifter and keyboard.

for one, flat foot shifting has become essentially impossible, and no this isnt a skill issue, ive been attempting to master it for a few hours now. It feels 100% bound by both the clutch and shift knob animations. (i dont actually know if that's how it works). In essence, all nuance the clutch system had before has been erased, and if you've ever driven a stick shift, thats completely not how things work.
I have driven my real life car like a baboon, and you cannot do that anymore because the shift action is bound by the animation (or a preset time) and not simply by how fast you can press the buttons on the keyboard. Since H-shifter users can now shift like proper baboons (see the linked video), keyboard and mouse users should be able to, too. As it stands, there's a palpable delay from when you press the key to when the clutch in game actually depresses, or the shifter shifts. Since the game doesnt detect the button presses as simply "clutch in, clutch out" anymore, and there's this imposed jarring fake delay, you lose all immersion. If I'm using a keyboard and mouse in realistic mode, i should be able to shift like an arcade racer, because the game should respect my inputs exactly as they are (100% clutch, or 0% clutch, with light smoothing). If i wanted a more realistic experience, I'd use my wheel. Perhaps a 3rd shift option need to be introduced that allows for this level of "arcade-racer" control.

I have seen that H-shifters now can be shifted much faster (finally, you can shift like the video i linked below with an H-shifter, thank you.), but why in the hell are people who dont use a wheel reduced to this nonsense lol
a video cant really do this justice, since you'd have to see my fingers to really get an idea of why this feels so terrible.
you simply cannot do this anymore on a mouse and keyboard, and its frustrating as all hell. The shifts FEEL bound by the animation, and this shouldnt be the case. There should be at least some give and take for faster shifting, simply because it is possible to do so.


My hunger-fueled rant aside, the rest of the update is nicely put together. It would have been cool if you guys actually made separate clusters for the varying redlines on the ETK V8 engine. Or, like most manufacturers do, have 2 clusters, one with a low redline (7'500) and one with the high redline (8'500) and let the tunes that redline at or to 8'500 use the 7'500 cluster, and the tunes that rev to 9'000 factory use the cluster that redlines at 8'500. Most manufacturers start their indicated redlines on their clusters PRIOR to fuel cutoff (redline), especially when a given engine has more than one available tune for it in any given model of car.