Project CARS 2 3.01 Update: New Online Mode & 140+ Fixes, Improvements

The latest Project CARS 2 3.01 update for consoles went live in North America on Monday, and introduces a new online game mode as well as a slew of fixes to the game. The update first arrived on PC in late November, while console updates were required to pass certification. While the update passed in Europe on Saturday, it required a small hot patch in the U.S.

The 3.01 update introduces a new “Online Championships” game mode, which invites players to host their own multi-round tournaments with only their friends—custom public championships are not available at this time. Still, hosts also have several customization tools at their disposal, including race discipline (rally, endurance, F1, GT, Karts, Road, etc.), race calendar, and track selection. Finally, flag rules and penalty regulations, as well as realism settings with handling and vehicle restrictions can be custom tailored as well.

The new Project CARS 2 update is clearly conceived with esports in mind. Hosts can also stream the Online Championships and assign a director and broadcaster for the event. The director controls the cameras around the track during the race while the broadcaster streams it.

Joining the Online Championships in the latest Project Cars 3.01 update are additions to the Career Mode. A new Invitational Event known as the McLaren 720S VIP Challenge has been added into the mix. Race cars including the Nissan Skyline Silhouette, Nissan Skyline GT-R BNR32, Nissan R89C and Porsche 961 can now be used in Career Mode as well.

How do you like Project CARS 2? Are you happy with the additions made in the update? Check out the full Project CARS 2 3.01 patch notes, courtesy of GTPlanet, including all fixes and improvements, here:

Multiplayer

• New game mode – The Online Championship game mode is now available, allowing players to compete online in full championships, spanning multiple rounds.
• Fixed an exploit where some players could load custom setups in Community Events when Default Setups are enabled.
• Improved logging and syncing when joining online games already in progress.
• Fix for an online issue where players would be shown an incorrect error message when attempting to join a game session which was full.
• Online Reputation: When being kicked from a race, the system now checks your recent history to help decide if points should be deducted from your ranking score.
• Online Reputation: Fixed a bug where remaining players would not score for a win against disconnected players.
• Resolved a problem where a previously kicked player, joining back into a game after accepting an invite, would be auto-kicked.
• For players joining an active qualifying or practice session, there is now a 3-minute cut-off as the session approaches completion, after which it will no longer be possible to join the session.
• An error message is now displayed when an incorrect password is entered when joining a password-protected lobby.

Career Mode

• New Invitational Event – McLaren 720S VIP Challenge.
• Fix for career multi-class races, so that the finish position within the class is used for series progression, rather than the overall race position.
• Nissan Skyline Silhouette, Nissan Skyline BNR32, Nissan R89C, and Porsche 961 can now be used in Career mode.
• Fix for an issue where pop-ups for unlocking Invitational events were displayed in the wrong location.

Virtual Reality (PC version)

• Improvements to the VR-specific replay camera system.
• Fix for screen dirt and raindrops not rendering correctly in VR.
• Fix for an issue when VR combined with NVIDIA Surround caused the game to attempt display of ultra-widescreen content in the VR headset.
• Changed the VR Gaze pointer behavior to also hide when the UI is disabled in Photo Mode and Replays.
• Fix for VR Photo Mode initial FOV settings when switching camera mode.
• Fix for screenshots taken in VR Photo Mode not saving correctly to the folder.

Controller Tweaks and Support

• Logitech – Fix for G29 and G920 lock stops.
• Fanatec – improved anti-jolt and high-frequency anti-vibe on the CSWB series.
• Thrustmaster – Improvements for the 458 Italia.
• Improvements to various controller’s vibration effects.
• GUI and HUD improvements
• Session information such as race duration is now displayed on the pre-race menu.
• Changed the HUD coloring scale for race rain tires.
• Added a dialog to show replay saving progress.
• Change to the way the Start Type is displayed on the Round dialog so that it matches the Race Settings dialog.
• Fix for an issue where a menu would become disabled when moving ‘down’ from the bottom of the menu.
• Updates to various buttons to better indicate when a button is selected/highlighted.
• Fix for buttons on online post-race results screen so that they only show when they can be pressed.
• Fixed cases where the RPM Gauge on the HUD was not matching the actual RPM of the car.
• Fixed loading bar to become invisible when local loading is complete.
• Added new Help Text for Menu Spring Strength in FFB settings.
• Added fuel estimation to Tuning Setup screen and ICM.
• Added auto-scroll to a number of info feeds to prevent overlapping text.
• Added the name of the car setup currently in use to the ‘Setup’ button on the Pre-Race screen.
• Fix for fuel being displayed incorrectly as mass, not volume.
• Improvements to the lap timing and visual-split timing HUD widgets.
• Fix for incorrect number of records being counted on Community Event screen.
• Fixed an issue in Time Trial where Loaded Ghosts and Options on the Pre-Race menu were highlighted at the same time if the player added multiple ghosts in Time Trial.
• Fixed an issue where an incorrect weather forecast icon is displayed for the client in the lobby details screen.

Handling and Damage

• Various tire behavior tweaks and improvements to the different tire compounds.
• Altered the pre-heating temperatures of various tires to prevent them from being outside optimum temp range at race starts.
• New rain tire compound improvements for Group C, GTP, all Formula cars, GT1, and LMP900.
• Driveline improvements with increased synchro effect for Hewland-type gearbox
• Lowered the time to jam gears together after a missed shift for all gearboxes.
• Changes to Vintage Lotus treaded tires to improve wet speed balance.
• Altered radiator damage to make it more progressive, and not accumulate damage from minor impacts.
• Fix for issues with radiator settings on the Toyota GT86 GT4, and Rocket Bunny versions, which under some conditions were causing engine overheating.
• Changes to downshift protection based on vehicle speed.
• Lowered minimum shift time for cars with H-pattern racing gearboxes.
• Improved physics setup and damage for Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG.
• Fixed missing radiator damage for Ford Escorts, and Ford Mustangs.
• Improvements to Formula Renault 3.5 default stable setup.
• Performance balancing changes to the LMP1, GT3 and GT4 Classes.
• Refinements to Vintage Low Grip tire.
• Balanced performance for BMW M3 GT4, and Ford Mustang Boss 302 R1.
• Improved Modern Touring Car tire compound.
• Road car tires: Tuned the aquaplaning and more sensible behavior in very deep water.
• Increased threshold for detaching front wings of Formula cars.
• Adjusted various default setups:
• Aston DB11: Loose
• Aston Vulcan: Loose, and Stable
• BMW 320 TC: Stable
• BMW M3 E30: Loose, and Stable
• Chevy Camaro ZL1: Loose, and OEM
• Ferrari 330 P4: Loose, and Stable
• Ford Fusion Stockcar: Loose.
• BMW 2002 StanceWorks: Fixed tire texture, better strut geometry for kingpin angle and scrub radius, improved drag center of forces in the aero model.

AI Improvements

• Improved AI in low- and high-speed cornering.
• Improved balance between player and AI in wet conditions.
• Improvements to general AI behavior and racecraft across all tracks.
• Tweaks to how AI are affected by snow and ice.
• Improvements to the AI driving on slick tires in wet weather.
• AI Practice and Qualifying grip levels rebalanced to better match expected behavior.
• Better balanced AI speed on corner exit.
• Generally improved the AI racing balance and ability across many tracks.
• Audio
• Update to various AI car sounds.
• Added new sounds for lower pitch skidding.
• Improved AI audio levels in replays.
• Improvements to Lamborghini Huracán engine audio.
• Reduced the skid sounds for the McLaren 720S.
• Modified falloff curves for surface and skid sounds.
• Updated sound mix for replays, with improved reverb settings for tunnels and bridges.
• New tire skid sound effects for treaded tires.
• Fix for an issue with audio not panning to all speakers in 7.1 under certain conditions.

Tracks

• California Highway Stage 3 – Added an alternate start line to clean up occasional start line issues.
• DirtFish (all) – Fixed an issue with render flickering on main building.
• DirtFish Mill Run – Fix for an exploit to prevent unrealistic lap times (This includes a leaderboard reset for Time Trial and Community Events on DirtFish Mill Run to remove bogus lap times).
• Fuji – Fixed an issue with some render flickering on the front of the pit buildings.
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval – Updated dynamic marks, updated AI alternate start line for better cleaner starts.
• Circuit de 24 Heures du Mans – Fix for render flickering issue on the fence left of start straight, and in the curve entering the long straight.
• Lohéac – Fix for an issue on one curb where the physics would didn’t behave correctly.
• Oulton Park – Fixed floating white lines near entry to pit lane.
• Red Bull Ring—National: Changed some dynamic barriers and fixed LODs.
• Red Bull Ring GP and National layouts – Fixes for various Replay and Pre-Race camera issues.
• Sakitto – Fixed various render popup issues.
• Fixed issues with the race start at various tracks.
• Adjusted the pit lane placement of Pit Limiter Entry and Exit boards at several tracks.
• Improvements to track cut settings at various tracks.

Vehicles

• Audi A1 Quattro – Rebalanced the AI in rain vs. dry.
• BAC Mono – New wet tire compound.
• BMW 320 TC – Fixes for gaps in the rear of cockpit, and fixed cockpit display clipping.
• Caterham Seven 620 R – Improved wet tire.
• Chevrolet Camaro 1969 – New suspension geometry to better match the Hotchkiss design at the rear and SLA up front.
• Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06 – OEM setup differential opened up.
• Dallara DW12 Road – New player rain compound, and new AI wet grip adjustments.
• Formula X & Dallara IR-12 – Adjusted engine lifetime model.
• Ferrari 488 GT3 – Reduced extra slip allowance at low speeds for better stability.
• Ferrari F40 LM – Fixed various cockpit detail issues that were visible in VR.
• Ford Escort RS1600 – Adjusted dry and wet speeds for AI to match latest physics changes.
• Ford Falcon V8 Supercar – New rain compound.
• Ford Falcon V8 Supercar – Added a new tire carcass and made some minor improvements to car handling.
• Formula Renault 3.5 – Increased rolling drag and friction torque to AI to balance their speed on straights.
• Ginetta G40 – Improved AI tire stiffness, grip and rolling resistance, to better match player, added new Junior tire.
• KTM X-Bow GT4 – Changed spring and damper data, and added optional final drive ratio.
• Ligier JS P – Fixed exhaust positions.
• Ligier LMP3 – Fixed rear 3rd bump stop having no range adjustment.
• Lotus Type 51 – Increased players wet grip to better match the AI.
• Mazda MX-5 Radbul – Engine cooling and durability adjustment to prevent engine from blowing after one lap. New drift setup added.
• McLaren P1 GTR – Updated the differentials for Stable, and Loose default setups, for more stability and ease of driving.
• Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3 – Improved default setup to improve stability.
• Nissan Fairlady Z GTS – Various fixes enabling radiator damage, texture fixes, better drag balance, and bigger set of gear ratios.
• Nissan Fairlady Z GTS-II – Raised shift light RPM-trigger to 8,000 RPM.
• Nissan Skyline Super Silhouette – Boost adjustment for default setup to make the car more competitive with other Group 5 cars.
• Porsche 936/77 – Added a wider set of gear ratios.
• RWD P20 LMP2 – Changed shift lights to better match engine peak-power.
• Toyota GT86 – Altered aero positioning, and fixed an aero-lose problem without changing the setup.
• GT4 cars – Change to the tire carcass model.
• LMP1 Cars – Fixed an issue where the AI weren’t using the hybrid system, causing an imbalance with the player.
• LMP2 cars – Reduced aero drag by 35lbf @ 150mph.
• Various road cars – Changed OEM tires to the correct ones.
• Kart – Disabled differential setup adjustments, new tire carcass construction.
• Improved dirt texture on various cars.
• Fixed mud and snow textures on various cars.

Miscellaneous

• Fixed an issue in Time Trial where the player could load a ghost’s setup for a different car from the player’s car if the selected ghost was in the same class as the player’s car.
• Improved the rendering of the edges of LiveTrack puddles for off-road/off-track areas.
• Fixed an issue with mud and dust particles being visible inside cockpits.
• Improvements to the wet track darkening render effect.
• Much-improved motion blur and bokeh effects.
• Fix for an issue where, in certain cases, LiveTrack conditions could be carried over from one game type to another.
• Improved the synchronization of clouds and rainfall, and the effects on cars.
• Fix for a red/yellow graphical glitch sometimes appearing on track surface.
• Fix for an occasional crash when switching shadow detail level.
• Fixed an intermittent crash when entering text for a new pit strategy.
• Fixed an issue where occasionally some AI cars would not move on the first viewing of a replay.
• Fix for an issue that would reset the player’s tuning setup to default when Pausing and choosing to return to pits.
• …and many other small tweaks, improvements and performance enhancements.