Here is the factor: Racing sims lack ambition. Sure, sure, these hyper-detailed recreations of Ferraris are all very good, however they do not transfer me. Watching them zip round Monza and Mugello does not converse to my soul. If solely there have been a sim that noticed magnificence within the mundane, that discarded glossy curves for tough operate, that shared my bottomless ardour for the ice resurfacing car, the procuring trolley, and the Roomba.
Oh wait, there may be. It is Assetto Corsa, the supercar racing sim from Kunos Simulazione.
Due to the tireless work of a Japan-based modder named takeyoh (opens in new tab), Assetto Corsa’s library of beautiful supercars has been joined by way more severe autos, together with a tricycle (opens in new tab) and Santa’s sleigh (opens in new tab). They’ve additionally modded in operating (opens in new tab), which was just about humanity’s first automobile if you concentrate on it.
Takeyoh has been modding the sport for some time—simply over half a 12 months, if their YouTube uploads are something to go by—and so they’ve generated such a plethora of absurd content material for it that I can not listing all of it right here. They’ve additionally uploaded some movies of, you recognize, precise vehicles (opens in new tab), however nothing so mundane may ever examine to the sight of a driver splayed out throughout a Roomba (opens in new tab) like Jennifer Beals in Flashdance, zipping underneath vans on his inexorable method in the direction of future.
The modder will get their inspiration from on a regular basis life. Within the description for his or her ice resurfacer mod (opens in new tab), they are saying they “went to the skating rink, noticed this automobile, and stated, ‘That is subsequent!'” earlier than making it “as quickly as doable”. When you can perceive Japanese, takeyoh has put out a few modding tutorial movies (opens in new tab), which could offer you an perception into their inventive course of.
It is the primary time I’ve ever been tempted to obtain Assetto Corsa. I imply no slight to the sport itself, I am simply not a automobile man. Give me a shot at piloting a child stroller across the Nürburgring, although, and I am there. I’ve included a video of that under, plus a few my different favorite additions from the takeyoh archive.