Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 225: Torpedo to the Max

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 225: Torpedo to the Max

Just to show the potential of an even more highly tuned Mantle Torpedo (specifically, a post-facelift variant), here's the Evo II trim released in 1997:

Above, from top: The Mantle Torpedo Evo II is a lot like the original Torpedo Evo, but even more extreme.

Weighing only 10kg more than the original Evo trim, but with even more thrust than before (300 horsepower, to be exact), the Evo II spares no expense (as far as a $30k budget is concerned) to be the ultimate giant-killer, with an even more aggressive aero kit than before, 17-inch forged wheels wrapped in high-performance tires, and a similar braking setup to the original Evo, but larger. The result is a 175-mph top speed and a scorching 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds.

In short, this variant of the Torpedo is by far the wildest - although it's still usable on the road, since its performance figures were achieved on sports tires instead of semi-slick items. However, all of the variants I've made so far achieve their aim of providing the thrills and performance of a mid-engined sports car at a relatively low price.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 224: A Torquier Torpedo

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 224: A Torquier Torpedo

Having already explored the pre-facelift trims of the '90s Mantle Torpedo, I decided to move the timeline forward to 1995, when an updated Torpedo II went on sale. Here it is:

Above, from top: The facelifted 1995 Mantle Torpedo II, now with a more rounded appearance on the outside, conceals a heftier punch (240 horsepower compared to 200, now on premium unleaded) and better handling thanks to wider tires, all with a minimal increase in curb weight (just 10 kilograms more than previously).

Adding 40 horsepower (and around 30 lb-ft of torque) to the basic recipe didn't compromise it one bit; on the contrary, it enhanced it, thanks to fitment of some of the earlier Evo trim's mechanical enhancements (wider tires, retuned suspension, larger brakes, etc). In addition, all of this has been consolidated into a single trim level, which now includes a CD stereo as standard and costs roughly the same as (or less than) the original base model. And with the extra power comes even more performance (0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 163 mph) - admittedly not as much as the Evo, but that should leave some headroom for a facelifted Evo II in the future.

So the Torpedo II is an even more effective package than before, and thus more of a giant-killer than it used to be. I can only imagine how much more exciting an Evo II trim based on it would be, if such a trim were to be introduced at all.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 223: An Inevitable Evolution

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 223: An Inevitable Evolution

With the base trims of the Mantle Torpedo now complete, I decided to see how a tuned version would look and feel like. The resulting car, the 1992 Mantle Torpedo Evo, is shown below.

Above, from top: The 1992 Mantle Torpedo Evo, a tuning package for the base model, turns the fun factor up to 11 with an extra 76 horsepower, a lightweight sport interior, wider tires/wheels (the latter of which are forged items), a more aggressive aero kit, and uprated brakes and suspension for even better handling and braking than before - all on pump gas (95 RON premium unleaded this time) and regular higher-performance tires to retain much of the stock trim's daily usability.

The extra power comes from an increase in boost (to 1.0bar), and I improved the car's other components accordingly. The front lip was replaced with a more aggressive spoiler fixture, and a rear lip (resembling a diffuser) was added. Enlarged brake discs (with 4-piston calipers up front and 2-piston calipers at the rear) removed any possibility of brake fade, while 20mm wider tires front and rear yielded even more grip, with the suspension tuned to compensate for this. A lighter sports interior and high-flow 3-way catalytic converter exhaling through dual straight-through mufflers completes the package.

All told, for an extra $2,000 AMU over the base model, you would've had something that could reach 60 mph from a standstill in just 4.28 seconds and top out at 167 mph - serious supercar stuff back in the day, and enough to make it even more of a giant-killer. It may not be a car for the faint of heart, but it's immensely rewarding for anyone who can tame this lighter (1215kg) and fiercer pocket-sized beast.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 222: My First Taste of Al-Rilma

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 222: My First Taste of Al-Rilma

Today I did something unexpected for once: opt into the new Al-Rilma build of Automation (which eventually migrated from its alpha phase to an open beta one) far sooner than I had intended to. After all, I'd already entered a few more Discourse challenges requiring the Ellisbury stable release prior to this. But with the growing number of challenges being hosted on Al-Rilma, I chose to take the plunge - by creating a fully detailed build (complete with 3D-fixture interior) based on one of the new body sets that weren't present in Ellisbury. After several hours, I came up with this: the 1990 Mantle Torpedo.

Above, from top: The 1990 Mantle Torpedo, being my first fully detailed build of any kind in Al-Rilma, was based on one of the new body sets introduced for that build.

This mid-engined budget sports car, based on the mid-engined 2.45m wheelbase variant of the '86 Rosso (specifically, the tunnel-back body style), is powered by a turbocharged 200-horsepower iron-block, alloy-head straight-four with 16-valve twin-cam heads, mounted transversely and driving the rear wheels (16-inch cast-alloy items on this example, wrapped around high-performance tires) via a 5-speed manual gearbox and helical limited-slip differential. With a 150-mph top speed and a 0-60 mph time of 5.5 seconds, it can easily torpedo the aspirations of many heavier rivals with larger engines.

The Torpedo's galvanized steel chassis, clad in treated steel bodywork, uses strut-sprung front and rear ends to save space (and cost). However, careful suspension and brake tuning (for the ABS-assisted vented disc brakes), combined with a 1250-kilogram curb weight, ensure that it can be a giant-killer in the corners, even at an in-game price of $22,500 AMU (Automation Monetary Units), which includes dual airbags, variable-ratio hydraulic power steering, and a stereo sound system with a cassette tape player. It even comes with driver's side and hood-mounted camera positions for use in BeamNG, if anyone wants to test it there.

In addition to the '86 Rosso, there are many other new body sets new to Al-Rilma (such as the '75 Caravel, '80 Bento, '88 Copy Cat, '90 Kompetitor, '96 Kompakt, and '12 Tahara, among others), and there are multiple new forced induction types (such as supercharging, compound/parallel turbos, and twincharging, which combines supercharging with turbocharging). I would like to sample at least some of those in the future - which looks very bright indeed for Al-Rilma. In short, the Al-Rilma era has finally begun, and is definitely off to a promising start.

Changelog (7:42 pm, Thursday, September 18th, 2025, UTC+7): Touring trim added to model range, with traction control, premium interior, and CD stereo for an extra $2.5k AMU, as shown below.

Above, from top: The Touring package adds more creature comforts to the Torpedo, but not without adding too much cost or price to the basic recipe.

With the Touring package, the Torpedo is more comfortable on long trips, but it's still a highly focused sports car at heart.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 221: More Choices for Everyone

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 221: More Choices for Everyone

Up to now, I'd been content with the current state of the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set, until I realize that I wanted even more choices for some of the wheels I'd made for it. Here they are:

Above: Yet another expansion of the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set, yielding more options for the Type, Color, and Respin x1 wheels.

Specifically, the changes are as follows:

• The SUV/4x4/Crossover option on the Type wheel has been split into five different options (SUV, 4x4, Crossover, Premium/Performance SUV, and Luxury SUV), while an HD Pickup option has been added after the Pickup Truck space. In addition, there is a Premium/Performance Wagon option after the Wagon/Estate space. and Hypercar is a new item, placed immediately after the Supercar space. Moreover, the Midsize Sedan space is now called the Midsize/Premium Sedan space (to encompass all D-segment cars), while the space immediately after it is now called the Sports/Super Sedan (referring to a segment priced and sized above the Sport Compact/Hot Hatch market) Finally, the Fleet/Passenger option has been reintroduced, situated in between the MPV/People Mover and Cargo Van spaces. In all, there are now 32 spaces on the Type wheel - twice as many as the Class wheel had on the original CEL Challenge set.
• On the Color wheel, Teal and Cyan (the former of which is darker than the latter) are now separate spaces, while Pale Green is a distinct item placed immediately after Green (but before Dark Green/Forest). There are also Pale Blue and Pink spaces that directly precede the Sky Blue and White spaces, respectively. To clear up any confusion, Pale Green, Pale Blue, and Pink are all lighter and less intense than their more saturated equivalents. Thus, with 24 options (instead of 20), this wheel is even more diverse than it once was.
• Finally, there are now two additional options (both of which are labeled Choice) on the Respin x1 wheel, for a total of six. Their effect is the same as those of the Yes options, but with one critical difference: After the respin has been made, you have the option of either accepting or rejecting the new result (but not both, obviously), whereas if it landed on Yes, you must not do the latter.

Hopefully, these changes will yield even less ambiguity than before with regards to market segment and exterior color - and even more options regarding build combinations. Here's an example - the first such one I came up with when testing the expanded set:

Above: An example of a combination I made using the latest, fully expanded version of the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set. Although the space on which the Type spinner landed has since been renamed to Midsize/Premium Sedan, it still has (mostly) the same meaning and thus remains valid.

And here's what the resulting car looks like now:

Above: An example of the car I created based on the first combination generated using the expanded Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set. 

It should be noted that all of my combinations generated in earlier builds of this spinner wheel set remain valid, given that their respective results can still occur in this latest version - I have not removed or added any wheels at all (or any options within those wheels, for that matter) since I first started this project.

Changelog (11:27 pm, Monday, September 15th, 2025, UTC+7): The Fleet/Passenger option on the Type wheel now leads to a respin; if that wheel lands there, you must spin it once again to determine what segment the fleet will represent. Also, the MPV/People Mover space placed immediately before it has been renamed to MPV/Passenger Van, to distinguish it from the Cargo Van space that sits two spaces ahead of it on the wheel. To clarify further, although both can be based on MPV/van body variants, only the former carries more than one passenger, while the latter does not. In addition, some spaces on the Color wheel (Dark Green/Forest, as well as Dark Purple) have had their background colors changed slightly, while the Gold/Beige space on the same wheel has been renamed Gold/Beige/Cream, since cream (as a color) is similar enough to gold and beige, but with little to no metallic effect, making it seem closer to yellow, but paler. These changes are shown below.

Changelog (12:48 am, Thursday, September 18th, 2025, UTC+7): I have just opted into the Al-Rilma open beta branch of Automation, but I can assure you that this spinner wheel set is still valid for this newer game build.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 220: Retesting (and Building With) the New Automation Build Generator

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 220: Retesting (and Building With) the New Automation Build Generator

Having revised the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set with new options for the Type wheel (first from left on the top row), as well as giving the Respin x1 wheel two spaces each that say Yes and No, I decided to define the means of generating a valid combination as follows:

• Clicking on the Spin All button at the top-left corner of the screen will spin all six wheels at once. Once all six wheels have stopped, do not respin any wheels unless the Type wheel lands on Custom/Tuned or Convertible (both of which force a respin of that particular wheel) and/or the Respin x1 wheel lands on Yes (in which case you must respin the wheel corresponding to the space the Option wheel lands on). Note that if this wheel lands on Convertible, then the resulting build must be based on a convertible variant from a specific body set.
• Alternatively, spin all six wheels individually in order, left to right, then top to bottom, making sure to follow the rules above.

Above: The latest revision to the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set, in which the Respin x1 wheel (second from left on the second row) now has two spaces each reading Yes and No, instead of just one for each of those options as before.

In addition, all of this should be done after starting Automation, preferably after going into the sandbox car designer. With that in mind, here's the combination I got - and it just happened to be the very first one that came up after I decided to finalize my changes:

Above: An example of a randomly generated combination made using the latest revision of the Automation Build Generator - a silver 1993 American muscle/pony car.

Had the Respin x1 wheel landed on Yes, I would've had to respin the Market wheel exactly once, but since it landed on No, there would not be a respin of any of the first four wheels; as such, the key parameters were all set, so I could finally start work on a build based on them. To start things off, I chose the fastback (i.e., the one with a wraparound rear window) '92 Evade body set (2.53m wheelbase), built on a galvanized steel monocoque chassis clad in treated steel bodywork, with dual wishbone front suspension and a multilink rear end for optimum ride and handling. And in true pony car tradition, I went with an overhead-valve V8 with a variant capacity of 5.7 liters (0.3 liters less than the family capacity), and an aluminum/silicon block and heads. Developing 300 horsepower and 340 foot-pounds of torque on regular (91 RON/87 AKI) unleaded fuel, with a meaty mid-range delivery, it breathed through a single throttle body and mid-RPM cast-iron headers, with a 3-way catalytic converter and level 4 emissions optimization to maintain WES 8 compatibility. All in all, this was an effective choice of engine for the car I'd planned to build.

Above: An overview of the engine I fitted to my '93 American muscle/pony car. 300 horsepower from a naturally aspirated 5.7-liter overhead-valve V8 was a decent amount back then - does anyone need at least twice as much power today?

Mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and helical LSD, this engine yielded a 160-mph top speed and a 0-60 time of 5.8 seconds - perfectly adequate for 1993. 225mm/55R16 high-performance tires, wrapped around 16-inch cast-alloy wheels, were standard fitment on both axles, while vented disc brakes (complete with ABS assistance) helped provide consistently good stopping performance. Aerodynamics consisted of a functional front lip/rear wing combo, but no undertray (which was unnecessary at this price point. As tested, a premium interior/stereo sound system (complete with CD player was fitted, along with variable-ratio hydraulic power steering, traction control, and advanced safety equipment for its era (including dual front airbags). However, I set the weight optimization and distribution sliders to their heaviest and most rearward settings, respectively, for maximum reliability and a better balance front-to-rear.

Above, from top: A statistical overview of the build and its Airfield test track lap time. While not the fastest car of its kind around a track, it is fast enough - and it has potential to go even faster in higher-end trims.

Speaking of which, the suspension (comprised of progressive steel springs, monotube dampers, and passive sway bars) was tuned to approach a 1:1 drivability/sportiness ratio (with both attributes as close to 100% on the steering charts as possible), but with a decent amount of comfort thrown in. The result was 0.9g of cornering grip on the skidpad - exactly as I had wanted.

In keeping with the design trends of the era, I chose teardrop-shaped flush-fitting headlight and taillight lenses, both of which concealed modular light cluster fixtures, plus a set of rounded air vents on the lower fenders. Up front, a flush-fitting grille (aligned to the horizon, instead of the surface) was flanked by a pair of functional side vents and fog lights (whose lenses and bulbs were set as running lights). I also used a body molding fixture (specifically, the one with an indent that curved downwards in the middle and back again) to simulate a side skirt, added a scoop fixture to the hood, and placed dual exhaust tips on both sides at the rear. As of right now, the build looks like this:

Above: The exterior design of my silver '93 American muscle/pony car (which I tasked myself with building based on the parameters of a randomly generated combination from the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set) in its current form. If I want to, I could give it a fully detailed 3D-fixture interior later on.

In short, trying out the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set and using it to create a car based on a randomly generated set of parameters was quite exciting - even more so than with the original CEL Challenge set, or even my later CEL Challenge Remix set. But this isn't the end of my plans with this build - I could create another trim of it, or add a fully detailed interior to the one I've just made, or even do both. I may even give the build a proper manufacturer and model name if either (or both) of those options come to pass.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 219: Expanding the Automation Build Generator

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 219: Expanding the Automation Build Generator

As much as I enjoyed using my simplified Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set that I'd made recently, I felt that part of it could be expanded further, as follows:

Above: The latest revision to the Automation Build Generator spinner wheel set, in which Ute, Sport Compact/Hot Hatch, Sports/Premium Sedan, and City Car (a glaring omission from earlier versions) have all been added as new options to the Type wheel (first row, first from left). In addition, the first wheel from the right on the bottom row has been renamed to "Option".

The last wheel (second row, first from right) has been renamed "Option", and the Type wheel now has four new spaces (Sport Compact/Hot Hatch, Sports/Premium Sedan, City Car, and Ute), thus leading to the existing Truck/Ute space being renamed to Pickup Truck. Moreover, the South/Southeast Asia space on the Market wheel now covers such lucrative regions as Singapore and Hong Kong (as well as less affluent markets such as the Indian subcontinent), while the Sweden space has been renamed to Scandinavia, covering four countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark) instead of just one.

With this latest round of changes, the newest version of the ABG (Automation Build Generator) spinner wheel set has been finalized. Hopefully it will generate some more meaningful combinations than before.