PISTA Motorsport, A New Argentinian Simulator

This is something I didn’t expect. An Argentine development from scratch, they say. We came across this new development diary about the recently presented Argentine title that will try to bring the major competitions of Argentine motorsport to the virtual circuit. The development group REG Simulations is focused on recreating the sensations of the highest categories of the country, such as Turismo Carretera, along with its most well-known circuits. We hope to see Turismo Nacional cars eventually so that Antonino can be happy 😉 For now, the group has a lot of experience in Assetto Corsa mods.

A few weeks ago, we introduced PISTA Motorsport, and the development of the first simulator made entirely from scratch in the history of Latin America is already underway. But did the development really start a few weeks ago? The answer is no. PISTA Motorsport is the result of multiple simulation products that have been developed by our group over the past 5 years. Each learning experience and every correct step in each of the projects were put into practice to provide PISTA Motorsport with the best experience from each previous development.

PISTA Motorsport aims to be a comprehensive solution for simulation, focused (but not exclusively) on Argentine motorsport. The idea is to create a centralized project assisted by the community, where we can focus the future of Latin American simracing on a single product that meets the users’ needs and allows national motorsport to have a representative software on par with foreign ones, without the same limitations.

The current status of the project is advanced, as several features were already implemented in other developments. This allowed us to skip several processes in many features for this new simulator, such as software architecture choices, menu flows, and other technical processes for some functionalities. Our efforts are now focused on the first car that will be in this simulator, which is a Fiat Uno from the Turismo Pista Class 1.

Our priority is to focus 100% on the quality of this vehicle in terms of graphics, physics, and sounds. Currently, the physics are in very advanced stages, as they were developed using data acquisition from real drivers, in order to bring the same speed, RPM range, car behavior, cornering speed, and many other data points from the real car into the simulator. As for the graphics, our team is giving the final touches to the 3D model, which was scanned using LiDAR technology (laser scanning). On the other hand, the skin-makers in our team have already sketched the 60 cars of the 2023 season, ready to adapt to the new 3D model that is being finalized. The sounds, on the other hand, are quite advanced. In that regard, we chose to use FMOD Studio as the sound engine (the same sound engine used by major simulators on the market, such as Assetto Corsa). The integration was done correctly, and it’s already functioning at 100%, allowing our sound designers to work comfortably and independently.

In terms of circuits, our team is perfecting the Rosario racetrack and creating a new version from scratch of the Roberto Mouras racetrack in La Plata, after the resurfacing and relocation of curbs in 2023. At the same time, we are already working on future circuits that will be added to the platform, such as the San Nicolás racetrack.

It’s a substantial advancement in terms of circuit realism compared to what we have developed on other simulation platforms since PISTA Motorsport expands horizons in various aspects, such as floor shaders, terrain, and even functional puddles, with advanced technology that detects the amount of water based on where each wheel of the car is, thus affecting the physics of each wheel individually. It also allows dynamic animation of elements such as flag marshals, spectators, people in the pit lane, and traffic outside the circuit.

The gameplay aims to focus on the user experience, offering several solutions according to individual needs. The initial idea is to progressively integrate a good Artificial Intelligence system backed by machine learning techniques to achieve that “lifelike” component that common AIs in different simulators need. From small to large, we want to develop the same functionality to experience the path that has been seen in many simulators throughout the history of simracing, but with the particularity of being focused on national motorsport, something never seen before. We have a very diverse motorsport scene, and we believe that it’s worth exploring, covering a wide range of content that allows the development of this path, going through cars with very distinct characteristics, and taking advantage of the fact that we have licenses for the most well-known national categories in the country. We believe we can delve into this point to provide quality content.

We are fully focused on development, and we want the community to be part of our progress to achieve a product that meets the needs, incorporating people’s suggestions and relying on consumer feedback to improve. It’s not an easy road since everything we do is 100% from scratch, and we aim to compete with big companies with years of experience and much more investment capital. However, we believe we are on the right path to put Argentina on the map of global simracing. We want to make a strong and secure impact to ensure the continuity of the product and seek constant improvement.

PISTA Motorsport is now available on Steam.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2434120/PISTA_Motorsport/

Hurry up and add it to your wishlist to support the development!