[Skybird]

I repost a thread first posted by Kunos' Producer and Licensing Manager, that currently makes the round at Kunos' forums, and Racedepartment. The announcement of the Nordschleife strangely has made some crybabies complain about it being announced, being done, and how much Kunos owe to them anyway. Some people really are strange.

Originally Posted by Marco Massarutto at racedepartment forums

Hello everybody

I'm Marco Massarutto, Producer and Licensing Manager of Assetto Corsa. First of all, let me thank you for your kind support, that is the fuel that allows us to continue to do the job we love. Assetto Corsa has been welcomed in a way that exceeded our best expectations, and we'll thank you for this in the best way we can. If you will have a bit of patience.

Here I've read everything and its opposite. When I start to feel disappointed or sad for some comments, I force me to remember how I was at the times of Grand Prix 3, F1 Racing Simulation and so on when, being a gamer, I wasn't directly involved in this business. Therefore I can't get angry with you, because I understand that sometime it's easy to jump to conclusions when you can't know the facts but you can just imagine how they could be.

Therefore, for the first time, let me bring you behind the scenes. Would you like to follow me for few minutes? Let's go.

I'll go straight to the point, so please don't get me wrong, I will try just to explain our point of view in the simplest way.

- Lot of complains about additional contents are not so reasonable, for a simple reason: Assetto Corsa is moddable, and people who don't like to purchase additional contents, can make their favorite tracks and cars or wait that someone else produce a mod that they like to download. For free. Simple, clear, FAIR.

- Assetto Corsa 1.0 will include all the elements needed for a good and complete racing/gaming experience. We'll not force anyone to buy an additional feature or content that is needed to use the game. Nordschleife is not "needed", nor it has never been mentioned or scheduled as part of Assetto Corsa 1.0. I don't understand why to complain about DLC preorder before the availability of the full game, because this is just an unfair lie, not the truth: if I'm wrong please show me the pre-order button for Nordschleife.

- We must collect new licenses before the end of the year, in order to allocate the budget to pay the licensing rights and produce the contents, BEFORE THE TAXES. MORE TAXES, LESS CONTENTS. Simple, clair (not fair, but not depending by us). In addition, each car needs 8-10 weeks to be produced, an average track requires 3-5 months to be produced. That's why we program our production and communication activities (I'll be back on this matter later) with so much advance.

- "Kunos might use the resources needed for Nordschleife for other 2-3 tracks".

Now, just a short digression: I read something like "I'm bored to race on the same tracks in all games, I would prefer to race to some good, unknown and new tracks".

Let me ask you: if you were a developer, and you need to PAY a lot of money IN ADVANCE to create tracks for your game, would you choose those tracks that people knows and - you are sure enough- they will like, or would you bet to invest for contents that are unknown for 80% of your potential audience? Because the matter isn't "In a perfect world I would like to", but "ok, I will risk a LOT of money here: what I will do?"

Yes, because the truth that a lot of people don't know, is that when we talk about licensing rights, royalties and fee to pay, all this money is required to be paid in ADVANCE, BEFORE the game is released, and it doesn't matter if the game sells or not. Money paid, is gone. Even if a licensing agreement is based on a royalty on sales, you must pay an advance minimum guarantee that usually already covers large part of the total royalties forecasted. Now, let's multiply this operation for 36 cars (mmh wait, 36? I knew cars of 1.0 were 35... ) and you get the same money that you might use to buy a mansion in the Pacific Coast: and I'm talking just about rights: after you paid for the rights, you still have to cover the production costs.

Said that:

1. We asked to people about the track they would like to have in AC, Nordschleife has been the most voted track: easy, clear, fair. If you voted for something else, I'm sorry but as developer I must keep my company on the market and I must hear the masses: considering that we make simulations and not arcade games, we have already showed to love the simracing community and we don't have to demonstrate it again each time we do something new. So: 90% voted for Nordschleife and 1% for your favorite one? Sorry pal, see you next time.

"Kunos might use the resources needed for Nordschleife for other 2-3 tracks"

2. People who say the statement above does know the REAL costs involved? Or it's just an estimation based on Kms? Let me tell you that some track companies asked for their license 3 times the amount needed for Nordschleife. If I tell you which tracks I'm talking about, you will never believe me, or you will and you start to laugh for hours.

3. WIth other tracks, the cost asked to rent the circuit for the survey is bigger than how we'll spend for Nordschleife. I can continue for hours, if you like.

Said that, Why a so big announcement about the Nordschleife? Well, where to start..some thousands of people who were at Nordschleife last saturday to save the Ring might answer you. Our answer is: for thousands of race enthusiasts all around the world, this is THE track: maybe YOU who are reading don't like the Nordschleife and no one can criticize you for that. Does everyone like Ferrari? Lamborghini? Monza? No.

But our huge announcement about Nordschleife is for all THOSE thousands of people in the world WHO love it, for all those people who, since when we announced Assetto Corsa in 2011 showing that the tracks included were based on LS technology, started to ask to us about the inclusion of Nordschleife every day.

For all of them, the Nordschleife laserscan based IN Assetto Corsa, is THE news. And that's enough for us.

It's like when we announced the Ferrari license and some commented "Ferrari license? Meh, who cares, I like "X"". Well, let me reveal you a secret: the announce isn't for YOU: is for all those people who like Ferraris.

About our marketing strategy and communication:

We don't have a publisher: we are our publisher. Usually, for each Eur spent for the game production, a publisher invests 5 Eur in advertsing. During that development of AC we could not do it. Why? Because if we had spent 5 times in advertising rather than in contents, there would be no contents.

And, as surely you understand, you can make the best product in the world (in general, I'm not talking about AC), but if nobody knows it, you will sell some items to your parents, you uncles, friends, then you close, buy a newspaper and look for job announcements.

How an indipendent company with low resources can make a game like AC and let people to know it without advertising? In 2 words: quality (as best as we can) and communication. At international Auto Expos, Car brands present and show models that will be available 1 or 2 years later. We are not more or less smart the BMW, Mercedes-Benz or any other.

Communication is our strategy, to keep our resources to develop contents instead of banners: you can't find Assetto Corsa advertsing on the internet but a lot of people talk about it. On Facebook, Youtube, and so on. You find videos that compare a game made by 10 people with Gran Turismo 6 and Forza 5, made by companies with budget and resources hundreds of times bigger than KUNOS. Yes, it looks to me that our strategy works fine.

Now, tell me: do you prefer that in 2014, after 1.0 release, KUNOS invests in new contents or in advertsing? Advertsing might be much better for us, let me tell you why:

1. we pay and other people make the job: the game is done, we advertise and enjoy our earnings

2. spending the same money, we reach much more people than with the Nordschleife and 10 additional cars

3. I don't have to spend for production of contents, releases, nor I have to invest money and time in betatesting, manpower and so on

4. Crossed arms, we enjoy our earnings and let the modders do their job.

5. I spend in advertsing today, I will see results in 10 days instead of in 10 weeks or more (contents)

Please note: it's not a threat nor a blackmail. It's a list of available and realistic options.

Now, let me tell you why we want to stay focused on contents rather than in advertsing: because AC is our life. We have done it for ourself and to share what we love with as much as people as possible, and not JUST to make money: if we just wanted to make money, you wouldn't have Ferraris in the game and we'll keep much money in our pockets. AC is AC with or without Ferraris, exactly how iRacing doesn't need Ferrari to be a value sim.

But, and now probably I will shock someone, we need money. YES: I MUST CONFESS and I apologise for that but, as well as 7 other billions of people, we need money for living.

The concept is very simple: without netKar PRO, FVA wouldn't exist. Without FVA, AC wouldn't exist. And, without the mistakes made with netKar PRO, Assetto Corsa wouldn't be so appreciated. And the best is yet to come.

So, at the end: when you don't like a news, an announcement, a feature, a drag race, a car brand, you are absolutely welcome. We are already happy for the simple fact that you might take Assetto Corsa in consideration: but, when you don't like or understand a feature or a content, don't waste too much time to complain for that, because that feature or content maybe is not for you: but for other thousands of people out there.


On our side, we can only continue to do our best: sometime we'll get right, sometime we'll get wrong. But I leave you with these clues:

2011 - "Featuring that kind of graphics, no way for AC to be a simulation"

2012 - "Featuring that kind of licenses, no way for AC to be a simulation" (2012)

2012 - "Featuring the Ferrari license, they must sell milions copies, so let's forget that AC will be a simulation"

2013 - "What I said? AC is an arcade, now it's clear".(after the release of the 458 GT2 video)

2013 - "They will not release nothing this year, typical italian style"

2013 - "They don't release official footage because their screenshots are photoshopped"

2013 - "They had released just the 458, the other Ferrari will be released as DLC, I'm pretty sure about it"

2013 - "No way that they will get the Nordschleife license and that it will be laserscanned"


Now I'm ready to collect other funny stuff on December 31.

Thank you guys, your support is very, very appreciated: we would like to organize a party when we'll go to Nordschleife next Spring and we would love to meet you there, having fun, some laps and then (but only then ) lot of beer together.

HAVE FUN!

On the same issue, I had posted the following text over at Kunos' forum, just before somebody linked to Marco's post and later even copied the full text in the Kunos forum. It's not just Assetto Corsa, me thjnks, but the problem is one of attitude and never satisfied claims people think to have. I do not like this attitude. Not one bit.

Originally Posted by Skybird

I have not waded through all comments in here, just some - but sometimes I just ask myself what's the matter with some people.

Some facts. Kunos is about to release the finest piece of racing sim I have ever seen, with full content, in the forseeable future. It will offer AI, MP, a dozen or more tracks of extraordinary quality, and three or four dozen cars. That equals and surpasses full priced releases there have been in the past. And they price their baby less than some other sims out there already. right now it is early release, and it is to be known for everybody, and never was anything about the status hidden from the paying early customers.

But there is an attitude in some people these days to always want more, and for all time to come, and always for free, claiming this expectancy to be their "right". Some people want more than just all, and they want it eternally for free. If you cannot imagine what I mean, head over to any android or apple appstore, and check comments for apps, and just count how often people complain that although some app is good and nice, they rate it 1 star only because it costs money, promising to rate it max if they get it for free. There you have the attitude I criticise, in extremis. But you have it on the PC market as well.

STUFF MUST COST MONEY. Else the producer of that stuff cannot live, and will disappear. That simple it is. In case of Kunos, that would be a huge loss for the market segment they are busy in: racing sims. Quality must cost more. I expect that, I am willing to pay that higher price, and I demand that. AC so far is anything but a rip-off - the price is not just fair, it is sensationally low, when taking into account the benchmark quality.

They have asked for wishes ion tracks and cars. It is easy to see that while some names pop up again and again, Nordschleife no doubt was the most mentioned. Maybe they also had plans for it already before that poll, absolutely possible. They will do it with their usual quality standard, no doubt, and it will cost the customer y price. What is the problem here? That a developer does not produce for years to come without making money? That he does not answer the demand of "I want it all, for years to come, and free"? They will release version 1.0 soon. And then they have delivered for the price all and everything you can reasonably ask of them. Everything going beyond that, is not part of that already very generous package.

I am a follower of Steel Beasts Pro, since the version 1 end of the 90s, and the Pro PE version released in April 2006. I wrote a long review of it back then. I love it, it is expensive, but has tons on longevity, benchmark quality, and support. The company doing it, eSim, is not focused on the consumer market, but military customers. Still, they care for their private customers as well, with an absolute benchmark service and care for people and forum. Patching goes free, but after the release of the first two major upgrades, they started to charge for additional upgrades. And they said from beginning on, that after one or two ways they would go that way. I have no problem with that policy at all as long as fixing and repairing obvious bugs in the original product comes for free, because that I see as the responsibility of the producer. Patching broken things, and adding new stuff (=upgrades) are two totally different things.

And if you do not want some upgrade, then don't buy it. But do not yell and demand it to come for free, because by that you indicate that you nevertheless want it very well - but you want to be fed without charge, you want a free ride. And that is not okay. Maybe some people have little m oney, and think that gives them the right to expect that they are given stuff for free. Sorry man, no way, such a right doe snot exist. If you cannot afford something, you have to pass on it, or save money or raise it other ways until you can afford it. The other does not owe you to throw his pearls before the swines for free.

Sorry, I am a bit upset, because this attitude is something I see haunting not just the gaming markets, but our societies in general, and I see it causing havoc and bringing our nations down, and it makes me sick, it is a very general attitude, and it is a plague. That's why I am getting angry about it.

To come to an end. They say they do the Nords, and ten cars of our choice. Maybe the track is not your favourite choice, and maybe you are disappointed that what you hoped for is not being done - not being done THIS TIME. There will be more DLC, until 2018 they say, there will be mods, and not all but some of them will be great, I'm sure. Now take the 24th-message as what it is: a a great announcement and expression of dedication to a much wanted project that unites probably more desire by the community behind it, than any other track. You must not submissively fall to your knees - but not to complain and attack, not making demands for things of great scale being done for you for free, and maybe even saying "thank you, Kunos, you have my support for your course plotting" - I think that is not too much asked for from everybody here.

Thank you, Kunos, for a great sim, and for daring the Nords project. By the exaple of what we already can see in 0.41, I have good trust in your skill to complete that task, and that is why you have my support, for sure. It is support well earned. And I will pay you the justified price for it. I refuse to get it as a present for free. To me, that is a question of fairness, and honesty.