Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 237: Torpedo Reimagined

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 237: Torpedo Reimagined

This is my last post before embarking on a family trip across Central Europe for 10 days, so I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused me, which explains why I had to make this post (and the previous one) relatively short and sweet.

With the eighth patch for the Al-Rilma open beta branch of Automation having been released, I decided to give the Mantle Torpedo (especially the Evo trim) a once-over, by giving the model line some changes. Specifically, the bodywork was now of partial aluminum construction, and this, when combined the increase in techpool to a universal +7 in all areas (for a combined budget of just under $45m), kept the price at just $20,000 AMU for both trims. I also revised all trim areas accordingly, with the Evo now having a trim/variant year set at 1994, and 250 horsepower compared to the base model's 200. Here it is:

Above from top: The updated Mantle Torpedo Evo is a more cohesive package overall - and a faster one to boot.

Crucially, however, I decided to retain the original pre-facelift car's aesthetics for the Evo, although a CD player was added to the interior. In addition, a different wheel design was fitted to set the two trims apart. Finally, all the changes I'd made resulted in vastly improved performance, with an 0-60 time of just 4.5 seconds

In fact, the reason I did this was to match the following combination created using the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set under Basic Rules:

Above, from top: The updated Mantle Torpedo Evo exactly matches the description of the combination generated by the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set under Basic Rules.

With the 1x Respin wheel landing on Choice, I did a respin of the Color Wheel and got these results:

Above, from top: I got this result from the respin - but did not actually have to use it in place of the original, since the 1x Respin wheel landed on Choice.

In short, the reworked Torpedo Evo is more faithful to the original design, and even faster than it once was across the board, while being generally superior in all other aspects. In fact, I could go a step further and do the same thing for a larger, more powerful sibling in the lineup - although it will most likely be front-engined and positioned further upmarket than the Torpedo. That new car could, in theory, also have an Evo version later on, again matching the Torpedo.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 236: Flagship Revitalized

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 236: Flagship Revitalized

I just revised the LVC LS60 I made a couple of years ago, in light of what the Al-Rilma open beta build of Automation has brought us. Here is what it looks like now:

Above, from top: Apart from a refreshed interior, the aesthetics of the 1995 LVC LS60 I made back in the Ellisbury era of Automation have remained unchanged - the real transformation is under the skin.

Although the exterior is unchanged, the interior has been redone with new fixtures, most of which are available as Steam Workshop mods. Moreover, to account for the differences between the current stable release and the open beta, I revised every mechanical aspect of the car, resulting in an unchanged power output, and a gain of only 100kg in overall weight, while maintaining its hardcore performance-oriented feel. Overall performance is broadly similar to the previous version of this build, but 1,100kg is still very light in absolute terms, and it comes in at $90k AMU (10% less than my intended $100k target) due to the techpool being set at +7 across each individual engine and trim area.

In short, the revised LS60 may be 10% heavier than before (the Ellisbury-era version weighed 1000kg exactly), but that figure is a more realistic and achievable one - and it's still a hard-edged hypercar through and through. Crucially, though, I will use its interior aesthetics as a reference point for all future updates across the model range going forward. As a side note, I attempted a similar build using the '88 Copy Cat (in fastback and notchback configurations) in Al-Rilma, but found it (or rather, its overhangs) to be too long, which vindicates my original decision to go with the '98 Stradale for this build.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 235: An Albite Lite?

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 235: An Albite Lite?

Shortly after completing the latest revision for the 1991 AMS Albite, I started work on another 4-door sedan from the 1990s - the 1994 HPG HL5 - but this one would be a high-end premium trim instead of a flagship performance variant. The resulting car would thus have to be decidedly softer-edged, but with a hint of sportiness to go along with its luxury features. In doing so, it would theoretically leave some headroom for a range-topper with a more powerful (and possibly larger) engine. 

Thus, although the HL5 would share some features with the Albite, it would differ in having a more comfort-oriented setup by comparison. Moreover, it would most likely bear a family resemblance to the larger HL6, which was a full-size luxury car, not a mere premium offering aimed at the mid-range of the executive car market. Finally, with a larger combined tech pool budget ($45m instead of $25m), it would theoretically be easier to invest quality points in crucial areas (and in greater quantities, to boot) without exceeding the budget cap, or at least getting too close to it.

Above, from top: The HPG HL5 may have been the little brother of the flagship HL6, but it followed a similar philosophy of a cosseting ride, plush interior, and some sporting pretensions for good measure, all packed into a practical yet stylish 4-door body.

Another point of differentiation where the flagship Albite and upper-end HL5 diverged was in their engine and drivetrain. The former launched with a five-speed manual gearbox and could, in theory, receive a six-speed manual unit for its facelift, but would most likely not be offered with any kind of automatic equivalent. The latter would retain the 5-speed item throughout its lifespan (since a 6-speed unit would be overkill for its era and class), but still be available with a 4- or 5-speed advanced automatic gearbox as an extra-cost option, for those who balk at the idea of a third pedal. 

Moreover, the Albite's helical limited-slip differential was too expensive for the HL5, which instead had a viscous unit. Most importantly of all, the Albite's straight-six had individual throttle bodies for each cylinder, a more aggressive cam profile, freer-flowing tubular headers, and displaced 0.5 liters more than the one in the HL5. As such, it developed much more power (300 horsepower instead of 200), with more torque to boot, even though both engines were naturally aspirated and had variable valve timing.

Finally, the HL5 had a slightly softer suspension tune, aimed to provide more than enough ride comfort for the occupants without unnecessarily compromising sportiness. Medium compound tires (225mm/50R16) wrapped around 16-inch alloy wheels came as standard, as did 4-wheel vented disc brakes, ABS, variable-ratio hydraulic power steering, and traction control. As usual, dual front airbags were a standard fitment.

Above, from top: The HPG HL5 had a well-appointed interior commensurate with its market positioning; although it wasn't as lavish as the one in the larger HL6, it still had enough to keep the most jaded executives happy.

In short, the HPG HL5 may not have been as flashy, fast, or luxurious as the larger HL6, but it was by no means the poor relation.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 234: Touching Up

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 234: Touching Up

I hadn't updated the AMS Albite of the 1990s in over a year, but since I had entered it in a Discourse challenge previously, I still remember what I did to create it - namely, give it the engineering and styling necessary for it to be a contender. However, after migrating to the Al-Rilma open beta branch of Automation, I had an incentive to give it one more look, in preparation for another Discourse challenge, hosted on that particular game build. This time, I decided to retool it as a high-performance flagship (although lesser trims could follow, considering how sound the original platform was), and reworked it accordingly. Fittingly, the 4.0 SS (as I called it) was the fastest, sportiest, and best-handling trim of the entire model range.

The first step was to revise the engine - an all-alloy unit with high-flow heads (the latter of which were added as an option in Al-Rilma) - for more power, without sacrificing too much torque in the lower and middle rev range. The fundamental layout (a 4.0L 32-valve dual overhead-cam-per-bank 90-degree V8) remained unchanged, but a more aggressive cam profile was fitted, while tubular headers replaced the cast-iron items. Adjustments to the fueling and ignition timing helped preserve WES 9 compatibility, with a decent amount of mid-range torque (ideal for daily driving) to boot - and it could still run on 91 RON/87 AKI regular unleaded fuel as before.

More extensive changes followed; in addition to a heavily revised interior (now incorporating separate fixtures for the gauge cluster, as well as a different set of fixtures on the center console to better reflect the time period, and even Beam export cameras at hood and driver's side eye level), the Albite received a more aggressive exterior treatment, complete with a new grille, and functional front lip/rear spoiler fixtures, in keeping with its performance-oriented market positioning. A 6-speed manual gearbox replaced the 5-speed advanced automatic unit, while the tires were now dedicated high-performance items (245/45R17 front and rear) wrapped around 17-inch alloy wheels, fitted in front of ABS-assisted large-diameter vented disc brakes. The suspension was retuned for a sportier feel, but retained the comfortable ride/handling balance characteristic of other, lesser variants. Finally, additional exterior colors were added to the personalization options list - I went with a deep purple exterior and color-coded interior accents.

Above, from top: The 1991 AMS Albite in range-topping 4.0 SS guise, now with a revised interior and exterior (complete with hidden Beam Export Cameras) - a far sportier offering than lesser trim levels, but still a comfortable cruiser well-suited for daily use.

Simply put, the revised Albite is better than ever, with the flagship SS trim in particular being capable of delivering an enthralling driving experience for its occupants.

Update (November 10th, 2025, 10:00pm, UTC+7): With the price cap now reduced to $30k AMU (from $35k AMU), I decided to create a 6-cylinder version that would be lighter, cheaper, and yet less compromised than the original V8 version. The engine is now a 3.5-liter straight-six delivering 300 horsepower to the rear wheels, while the wheel/tire fitment is now a 225/50R16 at each corner. In addition, a five-speed manual gearbox replaces the six-speed unit for realism's sake, and the adaptive dampers have been replaced with regular monotube items.

Above, from top: Swapping the V8 for a straight-six made the AMS Albite 3.5 cheaper, but no less effective - and an even better overall package to boot.

In addition, the new engine gives the ultimate Albite some headroom between it and the larger Antares, which has a larger V8 engine as standard. However, later generations would get a V8 in their top trims in place of the straight-six, in part due to their greater size and weight, whereas the one shown here is much lighter and smaller by comparison. Finally, I have since updated the exterior design further to incorporate separate side marker lamps (amber up front, red in the rear, as per US-market regulations) and give its taillight bulbs a similar configuration to that of the contemporary Antares, as follows:

Above: Rearranging the taillight lenses to evoke the arrangement of the contemporary Antares and fitting separate side marker lamps was the final change I made to the exterior design on '91 AMS Albite 3.5 GTS - I even added a few additional exterior colors to the palette.

This is the final version of the flagship Albite of its generation (for now), but an updated version of this trim level, arriving later in the decade, could incorporate mechanical enhancements, such as a more powerful version of the same engine, wider wheels/tires (with a lower profile), a six-speed gearbox, and larger brakes, to improve its already stellar overall performance even further.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 233: Day of the Jackals

 Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 233: Day of the Jackals

Although the '09 Jackal was merely one of many new body sets introduced in the Al-Rilma update for Automation, I am so surprised at its versatility (across multiple market demographics) that I have chosen to dedicate an entire post to it. There are 5 wheelbases (2.33m, 2.57m, 2.75m, 2.85m, and 3.03m), with a multitude of body types for each one - whichever one suits you best depends on the market demographic (and its corresponding price range) you're targeting. While the SUV variants cover the Utility market, the sedan and wagon variants are just the ticket for the Family and Premium segments, if an edgy design is what you're after. The coupe and convertible variants, meanwhile, can be easily adapted for the Muscle/Pony and Sports/Super demographics, among others.

To give an example, the '09 Jackals have a wide range of adjustment for their hood angle morphing zones - while a higher angle is well-suited to SUV/truck builds, a lower angle makes more sense if you're building a dedicated sports car or pony car, especially the former. In fact, the Jackal has dozens of morphing zones to go along with its diverse body style choices. But that's not the only good thing about them; they have a lot of colorable body panel and trim areas, as most vanilla body sets should, but it's how they're arranged in particular that stands out. Specifically, the wheel arches are not a single area, but rather a set of them, so you no longer have to have the entirety of the arches either color-coded or in a contrasting color/material; you can apply this treatment to that particular section of bodywork.

In fact, I liked the Jackal line so much that I decided to start work on a build based on it: the 2005 HPG HP8, a front-engined, rear-drive convertible sports car powered by a 32-valve, dual overhead-cam-per-bank V8 developing 400 horsepower, breathing through individual throttle bodies per cylinder and revving to 8000 rpm, hooked up to a 6-speed manual gearbox and a helical limited-slip differential. Built on an all-aluminum body/chassis, with dual wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear end, I positioned it as a high-end product, and fitted a full-on luxury interior/sat-nav stereo sound system, with adjustable adaptive dampers and a full set of driving aids (stability/traction control, plus anti-lock brakes) as standard. Low-profile high-performance tires (245/40R19 front, 265/35R19 rear) surrounding 19-inch forged alloy wheels and large vented disc brakes (350mm/4-piston caliper front, 320mm/2-piston caliper rear) endow it with cornering and braking ability commensurate with its price tag ($60,000 AMU as shown in the market tab). Finally, a hidden automatic soft top allows the car to maintain a sleek profile with the roof up or down.

The reason I chose the Jackal as the basis for this build is that, compared to other similarly sized body sets (such as the '05 Mercy and '05 Villain), its shorter wheelbase made it easier for me to keep it smaller and lighter by comparison. In fact, I could've made it smaller still, but chose not to go too far in that direction. Also, I realized that I could add a fully detailed interior and/or Beam export cameras if I wanted to, after being satisfied with the exterior design - and sure enough, I did just that. Here is what it looks like in its current form:

Above, from top: The HPG HP8 is my first attempt at creating a fully detailed build based on the '09 Jackal body set, in any variant or size - this is the soft-top convertible variant, complete with hidden Beam export cameras (one each on the centerline of the hood and in the interior, on the driver's side approximately at eye level).

And for anyone who's interested in the interior, here it is from the inside:

Above, from top: The inside of the HPG HP8 in its current form from various angles.

In short, the new '09 Jackal body set, with its unfamiliar arrangement of morphing zones, took some time for me to really get used to, but I was able to create a fairly convincing build based on it, and I enjoyed doing so right until the end. In fact, it might inspire me to create other fully detailed builds based on the Jackal line.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 232: Basic Rules Updates

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 232: Basic Rules Updates

This is the first time I have made a major change to the Basic Rules version of the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set. From this point onward, I have not only renamed the "China" space on the Market wheel to read "South Korea", to reflect the fact that the South Korean automotive industry established a presence in Western markets before the Chinese car industry did. As such, any and all previous Basic Rules combinations in which the Market wheel landed on China (either initially, or after a respin) are retroactively treated as having "Asia (Other)" as their Market choice. The changes are reflected below.

Above: The first major revision of the Basic Rules Automation Build Generator sees the China space on the Market Wheel renamed to South Korea - any previous combinations with China as their market option now retroactively have Asia (Other) as their Market option.

After this major revision, I defined the rules as follows:

• To generate a random combination, either click on the Spin All button at the top left corner, or click on each wheel individually from left to right, top to bottom.
• On the upper row, the Type wheel defines the market segment and/or body style for the build; the Market wheel defines the region in which the car is built and/or sold; and the Year wheel defines the model, trim, engine family, and variant years for the build. As previously stated in the Advanced Rules variant of this set, it now lists all selectable in-game years, from 1946 to 2020.
• On the lower row, the Color wheel defines the main exterior color (i.e., background color) for the build - or more specifically, the one used by the created trim (although other colors can be stored on the trim, but not applied as the main exterior color).
• If the 1x Respin wheel lands on No, do not respin any of the first four wheels (Type, Market, Year, Color) in the set (and if you somehow did so out of carelessness and/or curiosity, you must ignore the new result). If it instead lands on Yes, you must respin the wheel that corresponds to the space the Option wheel lands on (and accept the new result generated by that wheel). Finally, if it lands on Choice, you may (but don't necessarily have to) perform such an operation, and even if you do, you can decide whether or not to accept the new result (although if the new result generated from any respin is identical to the original one, the respin effectively doesn't count). In all three cases, you cannot respin any wheel more than once before the next combination is generated.
• You can generate an unlimited number of combinations, but you may reject some of them for lack of realism (although you don't have to do so).
• If you wish, use Snipping Tool (keyboard shortcut Windows key + Shift + S) to create a screenshot of the results and/or the wheels' positions after each spin (and respin, if desired).

All of the above also apply to the Advanced Rules variant of this spinner wheel set, not just the Basic Rules variant shown here. So choose either set, enjoy, and have fun!

Update (1:10am, Saturday, November 1st, 2025, UTC+7): To reflect the fact that pink is a very rare exterior color option, I have rearranged the Color wheel so that the Purple/Violet and Pink/Magenta spaces, formerly distinct and adjacent options, have been merged into a single space (Purple/Pink), while a new space, named Any, has been added between the Black and Red/Maroon spaces, to keep the size of the wheel at 10 options. If the Color wheel lands on this space (which has a gold background), you may select any exterior color represented by the other 9 options on that wheel. Moreover, the Option wheel now has two spaces per option, for a total of 8. The revised set is as follows:

Above: After another update to the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set, Purple/Violet and Pink/Magenta are no longer marked by separate spaces on the Color wheel (first from left on the bottom row), and now reside within a single Purple/Pink space, while a gold "Any" space (between the Black and Red/Maroon spaces) allows one to select a color from any group if that wheel lands there. In addition, there are now two spaces per option on the Option wheel (bottom row, first from right).

To account for this, any and all previously generated combinations with either Purple/Violet or Pink/Magenta as their color option are retroactively deemed to have a Purple/Pink exterior color under the new rules, so as to preserve their validity. However, unless the Color wheel lands on "Any" (which represents all 9 main color groups, not just one of them), you must use an exterior color that corresponds to the space it lands on (and by extension, the group of colors it represents) - for example, if the Color wheel lands on Red/Maroon, you can choose any kind of exterior color for your build as long as it's some kind of red (from a bright crimson to a deep claret), while all exterior colors represented by the other 8 groups (such as green, blue, etc.) are off the table. I hope this explains what the Color wheel now does, if it hasn't already.

One last thing: The Luxury Sedan space on the Type wheel has been renamed the Sports/Luxury Sedan space, to rectify a glaring omission that adding an additional space couldn't solve.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 231: Building a Pair of Cars With the Automation Build Generator Using Basic Rules

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 231: Building a Pair of Cars With the Automation Build Generator Using Basic Rules

Having tested the Basic Rules version of the Automation Build Generator dozens of times, I was finally confident enough to build an actual car based on a random combination generated from it. After spinning the wheel, it generated this result:

Above, from top: Another example of a random combination generated using the Basic Rules version of the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set. This time, however, I will go one step further and, instead of simply making a test mule to prove the build's viability, create a fully detailed car out of it.

The resulting car, the KMA K3R, ended up looking like this:

Above, from top: Creating the KMA K3R from the randomly generated combination from the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set under Basic Rules was a surprisingly enjoyable pet project of mine - even after adding a fully detailed interior to it.

With a punchy normally aspirated straight-six driving the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and helical limited-slip differential, combined with race-bred suspension and brakes, the K3R is an agile yet practical sports coupe that can hang with the best dedicated sports cars of its era.

A later experiment using a different combination yielded these results:

Above: Another randomly generated Basic Rules combination, completed with its associated respin result.

This inspired me to create the 1984 WM Warrior, powered by a 300-horsepower all-alloy overhead-valve V8 hooked up to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox and helical limited-slip differential. As the predecessor to its 2005 equivalent, it has a more angular aesthetic than its successors, hence my decision to use the '86 Rosso body set (2.4m wheelbase) in front-engined fastback configuration.

Above, from top: The 1984 WM Warrior was exactly what I had in mind when building a car based on the second of two random combinations shown in this post.

In short, these were a pair of highly enjoyable experiments - and I'm sure there may be even more to come in the future.