Project Cars 2 - update 4 delivers long awaited AI fixes, and more!

I've been telling anyone that will listen (which is pretty much just you folks that read these postings) that there are only a few things that keep Project Cars 2 from being a potential threat to iRacing. Chief amongst those issues were the AI drivers - they were sort of okay, but suffered from a horrible case of win-it-in-the-first-turn-itis. I clearly remember the first time I tried to race in the Indy 500.

The 500 is a unique case in that the cars are in rows of three at the start, rather than the far more common rows of two. There we were, all lined up and ready to go. My pulse was somewhere north of 130 beats, my hands where sweaty on the wheel, and I was charged up and ready to go! We didn't get far; the AI cars simply could not get through turn one without a massive pile-up in the first turn, each and every time. 

I tried a remedy: I tried doing the optional formation lap. That helped in a way, but not in a good way. What happened was that the first few rows never slowed down enough and/or the cars in front of me never sped up enough - the net result was that I was a quarter of a lap behind before I even got to the starting line.

With update 4, all of that is fixed. Now the cars get all lined up and ready to race by the exit of turn four. When the green flag flies, we all go barreling into turn one side by side and accelerating fast. 

It. Is. Incredible!

Oh, yes, there were a lot of bug fixes too, but being able to race through the first turn at Indy, well, that's the one that matters!

• Solved link to Facebook page when user selects the Facebook option on the Extras tab whilst Microsoft Edge is set as default browser on PC.
• Corrected multiple options in Photo Mode not being reflected when playing in VR.
• Solved VR flicker.
• Dedicated Server: corrected session duration automatically changing to 140 minutes when the player sets the time to more than 140 minutes. 
• Dedicated Server: improved client and server code that uses older net API, allowing for more reliable connections.
• Changed the default drawing distance when playing in VR to minimize intermittent texture flickering. 
• Improvements to droplets on camera in both VR and non-VR.
• Corrected an issue in VR where driving lines would disappear if camera view was changed during race. 
• Solved an issue where Dedicated Server lobby weather conditions would always display as ‘clear’.
• Corrected an issue where Dedicated Server lobby vehicle images weren’t updated correctly during multiclass selection.
• Corrected an issue in post-race results where the mouse would not switch between the Driver List and footer menu.
• Improved an Online Lobby issue where players were able to select a vehicle before info was fully set.
• Refined incorrect message 'Multiple inputs were detected. No action was assigned' when player presses Esc key and message 'Please assign a new configuration' is displayed.
• Polished the missing background for ‘return to position’ messages in VR.
• Stability improvement for when a user would join an in-progress session.
• Corrected AI behaving erratically leading to a crash to desktop.
• Corrected an issue in VR handling two screen systems to ensure that they are both treated separately, allowing either to be the default.
• Resolved a save fail if ‘my documents’ folder is set to a network location.

• Corrected an inconsistency between info on the Track Select screen and the Loading screen.
• Refined the Online Browser filter not closing properly.
• Fixed the Password Protected Lobby icon that was missing on the Lobby Details screen.
• Improvements to Career Dashboard Standings UI.
• Corrected some display unit values not changing when switching between metric and imperial units.
• Stability improvement where the game would become unresponsive when attempting to save a setup with no description.
• Solved incorrect message when entering an invalid password.
• Solved Career nationality not defaulting to console / Steam user's location.
• Improved Session and Race settings not updating in Online Championship rounds if the user applies a Motorsport Preset, thereby adding a round to the schedule.
• Corrected options under Realism Settings in Online Lobbies not displaying correctly and being inaccessible to Host after accessing the Realism Settings from the Online Lobby.
• Added name of tyres on the car within the pre-race menu.
• Improved language translations throughout the game.
• Added message for when ‘ghosts’ and times are not uploaded due to invalid car-and-track combinations.
• Resolved 'Pedal Type' and 'Calibrate Wheel' disappearing if the user clicks on the scroll bar of the Control Scheme from the Pause screen.
• Fixed 'Rules & Regulations' and 'Esports' settings being altered if user selected 'Reset to Default' in the 'Realism Settings'.
• Solved car classes disappearing in Vehicle Select screen of Online Lobbies when changing vehicles in multiclass lobbies.
• Resolved changes of Helmet Camera settings not saving properly via the Pause Menu Options.
• Corrected setup descriptions not fully appearing if too long.
• Removed green screen appearing for a second when skipping the Career path intro movie.
• Removed a copy of the 'Won Group A Pan-America Championship' accolade.
• Fix for an issue where the pit strategies full message would not appear when trying to save a pit strategy with no available slots.
• Fixed the 'Edit Driver' screen overlapping the Showroom when in Vehicle Select of Online Championships.
• Added a notification for the lobby admin/host when a player rejects Director or Broadcaster roles.
• Polished a mismatch of results on Sessions Result screen and Retire screen.
• Adjusted location of important penalty messages on the HUD, and enabled them even when the HUD is Off.
• Corrected long team names not appearing correctly in Online Championships.
• Fix for correctly displaying the finishing status of players and AI that do not finish the race or retire early.
• Resolved opponent cars flicking if they retire from an Online Championship on the Pre-Race screen.
• Corrected an issue where user was unable to see which setup was being selected in Tuning Setups with HDR Enabled.
• Refined Online Championships showing previously-assigned team names in new sessions .
• Improved progress bars in Pedal Calibration to more accurately represent pedal input.
• Corrected overlapping text issue in Pit Strategy.
• Corrected image for Fanatec Porsche GT3 RS wheel in Controller Settings.
• Resolved lobby details not showing all classes in multiclass Dedicated Server lobbies.
• Added help text for Menu Spring Strength.
• Removed Damper Saturation option.
• Corrected an issue where changing track would not remove invalid weather.
• Improved an issue where the game would only allow for 250 laps when the player set more than 250 laps in Race Settings.
• Resolved debug text appearing in S1, S2, and S3 columns of the In-Progress screen when the player selects 'Retire and Spectate'.
• Refined the pit stop time being estimated incorrectly when setting 'Change Tyres' to 'Recommended' on certain cars.
• Fixed Manufacturer Events showing incorrect progress for unlocked manufacturers when creating a new career.
• Fixed the number of pit stops not being displayed correctly in Post-Race Results screen.
• Resolved the Player not being able to determine their grid position when using the IndyCar Motorsport Preset.
• Fixed conversion when displaying rev limit in tuning setups.
• Corrected the 'Restart Session' button being highlighted by default instead of 'Continue' on Session Results screens.
• Corrected pit stop progress information not showing in the pit stop cinematic cameras when entering the pits in the telemetry HUD.
• Changed Rear View Mirror to disable dynamic scaling. 
• Enabled Enhanced Mirror when 'Enhanced Visuals' option is selected.
• Resolved incorrect ordering after altering the Standings in Online Championships.
• Added active Motorsport Presets to View Info and Edit screens in Online Championships.
• Resolved changes not being reflected when re-editing a Created Event.
• Corrected an issue where the game would incorrectly round up player's time on HUD and Results screen.
• Fixed an issue where player would sustain damage in the pit lane, but it would not appear on the HUD damage element.
• Corrected an issue where no data would be displayed when loading a default setup after previously overwriting it.
• Resolved 4th position missing in Standings Panel when on the grid during countdown sequence.
• Resolved 'Create New Pit Strategy' option remaining enabled when all pit strategy slots were filled. 
• Fix for Team tab being disabled on Round Results screen of Online Championship.
• Corrected Status/Session info in Replays not correctly updating when switching drivers.
• Fixed Director and Broadcaster screens not showing all participants data in Online Championships.
• Fixed the Circuit of the Americas National circuit appearing when Daytona International Speedway Tri-Oval was selected in Online Championships.
• Added a central cockpit camera to cars and the options screen.
• Stability improvement when a player selected the 'Compare Driver Network Profile' option from Team Roster of Online Championships, after adding a Director or Broadcaster.
• Corrected an issue where Online Lobbies were not sorted in lobby browser when a player altered the sort order of a certain column more than twice.
• Resolved the player not being able to access Driver Network Profile on Livery Select screen of Invitational Events.
• Removed the 'Edit' option in Online Championships Lobby for options that cannot be edited.
• Improved the bars in the Competitive Racing License history chart to make them visible at lower values.
• Refined an issue where Rounds in Online Championships Schedule were selectable after they had been completed.
• Adjusted overlapping Online Championship names when text is extremely long.
• Improved lighting to some objects in car thumbnails.
• Polished the Current Session information being displayed on the Pre-Session screen in Online Championships.
• Corrected Tuning setups saving issues.
• Resolved an issue in Online Championships where class-wide results would fail to display under certain circumstances.
• Improved the menu flow in Online Championships to prevent accidental return to Main Menu when pressing the back button during countdown on lobby screen.
• Added lobby filtering for Competitive Racing License.
• Adjusted an issue where, in Russian, the capital K and Y letters were showing as lower case in the driver profile.
• Corrected an issue where the track UI wasn’t updating for the client if the host selected a new track in the Online Lobby.
• Corrected an issue where an incorrect detailed view of a car would be shown in Vehicle Select.
• Solved an issue where multiple DLC invitation pop-ups were triggered after creating a new career.
• Corrected an issue where the player is unable to change the number of laps within a lobby screen.

• Audi R8 LMS, and R8 LMS 24H: improved LOD popping issue at the rear of the cars.
• Mazda Radbull: fixed backfires not being visible from the cockpit.
• Honda 2&4: corrected glass HUD blurring with road behind the glass.
• Improved steering animations for Honda 2&4 and Radical SR3 when using a gamepad.

• Bannochbrae: fixed collision issues in the pit lane / pit area with larger sized cars.
• Catalunya Club: corrected cinematic cameras remaining active when restarting a concluded session.
• Catalunya Rallycross: removed Joker Lap exploit.
• Donington Park: adjusted pit crew positions.
• Dubai Autodrome Club: corrected incorrect track length.
• Hell Rallycross: improved tree walls and outer terrain LOD distance.
• Indianapolis: changed the position of pit exit-line objects, and resolved an issue where the car could avoid the pit-out trigger.
• Knockhill: reduced garage depth to fix the AI hitting the kerb and marshal-box exiting pit garages.
• Lydden Hill: fixed a hole in collision mesh that caused players to lose control when hitting a dip in the road.
• Monza Oval: turned off oval flag. This disables the oval setup being applied, as track direction is opposite to the other ovals in the game.
• Spa Francorchamps: polished the pits to stop rain and snow falling in garages.
• Texas Motor Speedway: resolved player receiving insufficient progress notification while leaving the pits.
• Resolved issue where, after race is restarted, advertisement boards failed to disappear and remained on-track after being knocked about.
• Updated pit crew animations for tracks with left-hand-sided pit stop fueling.

• Added a new Opposite Lock Assist for gamepads and keyboards. This is designed to help the player control oversteer and slides, and can be toggled On or Off in the Gameplay screen in Options.
• Fixed incorrect altitude of many tracks for better balance of performance between turbo and naturally-aspirated cars.
• BMW 1M: Improved FFB scale.
• Dallara IR-15 Oval: increased FFB multiplier and fixed the FFB feeling very light, default gamepad setup changed to a differential which removes the left pull due to tyre stagger, revised tyre rubber for ovals when cold, and lowered rolling resistance of oval tyres.
• Ferrari 333SP: small balance of performance changes to fit with other
• LMP900 cars. Fixed final drive ratios and improved AI gear usage.
• Ford Escorts: raised and moved back chase camera position to help with high FOV settings.
• Ford Falcon V8SC: shifted aero drag balance rearward, fixed rear wing yaw effect, re-balanced adhesive and ‘rip grip’ for slick tyre compounds.
• Ford Fusion Stockcar: new Road Course tyre that now has a stiffer carcass and wider adhesive peak. Adjusted the AI tyres to match.
• Ford Mustang RTR Formula Drift: improvement to cars’ handling based on Vaughn Gitten Jr.'s feedback.
• Ford Sierra Group A: moved the launch RPM higher to help the AI on race starts.
• Formula A: reduced fuel tank capacity to a more reasonable level.
• Formula C and Formula R: revised tyres, engine braking, and damper setup for better stability and easier driveability. Revised Stable setups.
• Adjusted FFB for changes to tyres. Fixed rain tyre being faster than the slick.
• Formula Cars: decreased sensitivity to aero and suspension damage.
• Ginetta G40: Tuned for better control after large impacts and jump landings. Rebalanced side aero forces and tyre carcass bump-rebound damping.
• Lamborghini Huracan GT3: slight drag decrease to hit known top speeds with low rear wing.
• Lamborghini Sesto Elemento: increased FFB strength (previously too low).
• Ligier Judd LMP2 and RWD P20: better engine cooling adjustments after HP changes.
• LMP2 cars: gave approx’ 50hp power increase to get them closer to real-world lap times, and adjusted radiator sizes to suit.
• Lotus 38 and Lotus 56: increased speed on ovals.
• Mercedes AMG GT3 and SLS GT3: default wings changed for AI cars to obtain better speed balance at low downforce tracks.
• Nissan GTR GT3: small increase in power to 525hp.
• OMSE RX Lites: increased FFB multiplier and shifted aero drag toward the centre.
• Porsche 911 GT3 R: revised suspension geometry and setup from new reference material. Re-calculated chassis moments of inertia.
• Toyota GT-One 1999: small balance of performance changes to fit correctly with LMP900 cars.
• IndyCar & Ford Fusion: increased AI tyre wear to better match player on ovals, making pitting and strategy similar.
• Improved AI tyres for Ford MKIV, Lotus 40, Ferrari 365 GTB Competizione, and Mercedes-Benz 300 SL AMG
• Group C and IMSA GTP: increased engine rotational inertia, new tyre carcass, and re-balance of adhesive vs ‘rip grip’. Bump Stop lengths also reviewed, as was lift:drag ratio on all cars. Fuel consumptions also addressed.
• Group C cars: adjusted FFB for latest changes to tyres. Fixed rain tyre being faster than the slick.
• GT3 Soft Slicks: tweaks to temperature operating window to broaden their range, mainly fixing their poor performance in cold conditions.
• Small HP balance adjustments to Bentley, Cadillac ATS, and Ferrari GT3 cars.
• Added 5 litres to fuel capacity to Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, Porsche 911 GT3, and BMW Z4 GT3. This ensures they can do a 90-minute race/fuel-run with the rest of the GT3 cars.
• GTE Class: improved the rolling resistance of AI tyres to better match player speeds.
• Fine-tuned fuel estimates for LMP1, GT3, GT4, and turbo cars.
• Rallycross: improved adhesive vs ‘rip grip’ to help stability of slides on RX tyres.
• Altered side- and push-drafting.
• Reduced drag penalty associated with aero damage, and also adjusted thresholds for AI to pit.
• Corrected differing amounts of fuel between players in Fixed Setup races.
  Shifted the aero drag centre towards the rear on a number of cars, fixing rear wing yaw effect.
• Adjustments made to reduce in-air negative tilt of some vehicles.
• Reduced the speed of slick tyres in the rain.
• Increased rain tyre heating for player cars.
• Reduced heating on touring car rain tyres.
• Reduced base wear on slick-based rain tyres.
  Fixed issue that de-calibrated wear on some tyres.

• Driver helmet now correctly shown in Helmet View camera.
• Improved results of simulated career sessions. Randomness reduced by enhanced focus on performance and driver skill. Qualifying-to-race grid positioning will now more closely match results when not being simulated.
• Improved an issue where changing track in Multiplayer to one with a smaller grid size limited entry to the lobby, causing some players to spawn under the track.
• Career - Group A: changed the date of Round 1 for the PA Final race at
• Bathurst so that the weekend no longer takes place during snow season.
• Adjusted ambiguous spotter logic calculating probabilities remaining to take Joker Lap in RX.
• Fix to ignore other classes for cut-track penalties in multiclass races.
• Corrected the player having control of the car before the 'manual control' handover at the start of Formation Laps. 
• Resolved Competitive Racing License not disabling if Flag / Penalties are disabled.
• Fix for Player not automatically getting correct tyres when pitting on default pit strategy.
• Fix for players receiving speed limit penalties in the pits when the auto-speed limiter is engaged.
• Turned headlights off when the car is in a ghosted state.
• Issues relating to Join In Progress and Spectators for Rolling Starts resolved.
• Improved formation laps: leader now slows down earlier in order to allow the rest of the field to catch up during the the switch from Formation Lap to Rolling Start.
• Improvement to prevent players being able to drive in Community Events with DLC cars, when they don't own the DLC. 
• All vehicles are now permitted to use Kart tracks for Private Testing.
• Fixed remaining race time calculation for the end of session simulation.
• Resolved an exploit for Tuning Setups being applied to fixed setup Community Events.
• Radical and Light Sports slick tyres: adjusted the range of ideal temperature to reduce difficulty of controlling car while the tyres are warming up.
• Fixed the Lotus 38 and Lotus 56 being slow at Indy Oval.
• Added sound for penalty HUD messages.
• Tuning of cut track ‘tweakers’ following Update 3 feedback. This now reduces the amount of calculated slow down time required following track limit breaches.
• Resolved an exploit where players could enable driving aids that are not allowed in Time Trial and Community Events.
• Improved an issue where the AI, taking over control of the car when setting the 'Swap Driver' option to ON in the ICM, would not pit.
• Resolved the issue where the Tuning Setup would reset to default after player attained a personal best time and then restarted the session.
• Corrected the Pit Stop Estimate time not being calculated for RX cars.
• Improved poor sounds of high/fast revving engines.
• Added Sampala track to Private Testing mode.
• Stability improvement when the admin of an Online Championship assigned any car to a player through a DLC-car class.
• Fix for player not joining a lobby when accepting an invite whilst on Esports screen.
• Removed 'Randomize All Cars' button in Online Championship when using Kart tracks.
• Removed penalties accrued by player due to others retiring and spectating during the formation lap.
• Resolved the skipping of a Career Round if player joined and completed an Online Championship race whilst their Career Championship was active.
• Corrected car stalling whilst being held in pit box due to other cars passing, despite clutch pedal being pressed.
• Fixed an exploit where the player could become immune to penalties when ghosted in multiplayer.
• Fix for 'Invite Only' trophy unlocking after DLC installed and a new Career started.
• Improvements for when players ‘Join In Progress’ into a session.
• Added pit speed limiter to cars from which it was previously missing.
• Resolved rare instances where incorrect starting grid positions were assigned to players.
• Corrected issue where left-sided pitstops were causing parts of the vehicle chassis to flip.
• Improved an issue where ‘return to position penalties’ were allocated based on overall position, and not class position.
• Corrected an issue where Livetrack and weather was not correctly syncing across online races.
• Refined an issue where fuel level appeared white despite not being enough to complete a session on-track without refueling.
• Improvements to the cut-track penalty system now takes into account crashed, pitted, and other class opponents in timed races.
• Corrected behaviour to prevent Online Reputation Safety Rank increasing when there are no opponents on-track.
• Fixed an issue where pit crew would freeze during a fuel-only pitstop.
• Added ‘automatic by weather' choice to the pitstop strategy menu. Crew will now change tyres if they are deemed unsuitable for the weather.
• Polished an audio issue where pit-crew animations and sounds were not in sync on shorter pit-stops.
• Resolved an issue where, during an RX Lites career, in Q2, the HUD would display incorrect info.
• Corrected an issue where points were not being awarded to each class in a multiclass race for fastest qualifying lap.
• Fixed an issue where a player would incorrectly receive a time penalty when hit by another player during the formation lap.
• Stability improvement when crossing the finish line in multiplayer races.
• Resolved a Rare ‘hang’ caused by crashing into AI during the warm-up lap.

• Brands Hatch GP: slowed AI lap times by about 2 seconds based on player feedback.
• Brno: new AI alternate start line to improve first lap racing.
• Catalunya GP and Catalunya National: improved AI alternate start lines to improve their race starts.
• Daytona: updated AI. Added missing pit-path corridors to improve pit entry speeds. New alternate start-path to clean up contact at the start.
• Daytona Road Circuit: reduced AI speeds coming off the oval into Turn 1 and other general changes to improve lap performance. New AI alternate start line to improve first lap performance.
• Daytona Tri Oval: Implemeneted AI pit lane path to prevent the AI from hitting the pit wall , and improved pit entry and exit merges. Tweaked AI line at the Kink to prevent them from lifting slightly in stock cars. Adjusted inner corridors on the banked corner to prevent AI banking when racing side-by-side.
• Dirtfish Mill Run: updated AI corridors.
• Dubai Autodrome: new AI alternate start line to improve first lap racing.
• Dubai International: new AI dry racing line for better consistency.
• Fuji: new alternate AI start line to fix inappropriate merging from Formation Lap to Rolling Start phase.
• Hockenheim: new alternate AI start lines and AI improvements.
• Imola: new alternate start line to improve AI at race starts, and adjustments to AI cornering speeds.
• Indianapolis: added an alternate starting path for AI to improve rolling starts.
• Laguna Seca: new AI alternate start line to clean-up race starts. Slowed the AI speed on the pit lane exit at the inside of Turn 1 to better match player’s speed.
• Le Mans: slowed the AI alternate start line in Ford Chicane as previously, cars were getting loose when the race went green on rolling starts.
• Long Beach: adjusted AI cornering speeds to improve their lap times.
• Monza GP: new AI start line to clean-up race starts. New AI pit lane path to fix cars going off into the gravel after the chicane. General improvement to AI speeds through the lap to make them faster based on player feedback. Also improved AI setups for GT1 cars to fix them getting loose through the Parabolica.
• Nordschleife Stage 3: turned down the AI speed in Pflanzgarten 'jump' (both layouts) to prevent AI going off.
• Nurburgring GP: new AI alternate start line to improve race starts. Reduced AI speed in the Schumacher Esses, and increased entrance speed in the previous 180-degree corner.
• Rouen GP: improved AI pit entry speed to stop them going in too fast.
• Sakitto GP: new AI dry racing line for better consistency, and new alternate start line to improve race starts.
• Silverstone GP: new pit path to resolve issue with AI driving off the track after Turn 2.
• Snetterton: new alternate start line to improve race starts.
• Sugo: new alternate start line to clean-up race starts, and adjusted AI speed through Turn 6 and final turn.
• Texas Oval: resolved an issue where AI could hit the pit wall.
• Texas Motor Speedway Road Course: new AI alternate start line to improve race starts.
• Watkins Glen: new AI line and alternate start line to improve AI competitiveness and general cornering behaviour.
• Willow Springs: fixed AI speeds into final turn.
• Zhuhai: new AI racing line to improve pace and consistency.
• Fixed an issue where the AI was not affected by aero damage.
• Improved AI aggression.
• Improved AI behavior on ovals. Improved how aggressively AI change lanes in order to reduce contact and improve racing.
• Improved when AI use KERS/boosts as previously they weren’t using it on some straights when they should/could have.
• Improved the timing of AI pulling out of slipstream when overtaking.
• Improved AI whilst passing slow cars, or when trying to give back positions.
• Various improvements to AI logic for avoiding danger, as well as overtaking.
• Slow or lapped AI cars now allow more room for overtaking cars, improving multi-class racing and AI lapping / passing slow cars.
• Improved AI tyre wear to better match player experience.
• Corrected AI behaviour when pulling over due to damage.
• Improved AI pit exit speeds to fix AI ramming the player on pit lane exit.
• Improved AI behaviour and speed on cool-down lap.
• Improved rare cases of AI swerving during pre-race laps causing occasional instability.
• Improved AI mandatory pit stop logic to avoid too many stops in fluctuating weather conditions.
• Improved AI tyre choice in light rain conditions, and their tyre selection in changing conditions.
• Improved AI rain speed, reduced their rolling drag with saturation, improved
• AI throttle application on corner exit and braking on corner entry in the rain to obtain better balance.
• Improved AI in snow conditions.
• Improved AI path finding off-road.
• Improved AI behaviour when being forced into situations where reversing is necessary.
• Improved AI drivability at tighter tracks in the Ford Bronco ‘Brocky’.
• Dallara IL-12 Oval: adjusted AI top speeds, rolling resistance, load sensitivity, and total grip to balance with other changes, and reduce corner entry speed at Indy to better match players’ speeds.
• Ford Fusion: given the AI the tallest final drive ratio at Daytona to fix them bouncing off the rev limiter while in the draft.
• LMP3 cars: new tyres for the AI in order to better tune their rolling resistance.

• Corrected Controller/Wheel setups getting reset if control type is altered and game is restarted.

• Improved Livetrack 3.0 performance.
• Various stability improvement .
• Refined a stuttering problem caused when vehicles take damage.