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Staying safe with all the content, and a teaser or two
🕑 Added 2026-02-05 19:53:02 +0000 UTCSadly, it looks like we’re starting to see some bad-faith modders in the community. So, I thought I’d make a small post with a few recommendations, and work on making CSP a bit safer.
First of all, please keep an eye on the type of content you’re installing, and if you’re not using Content Manager to install a mod (or if it’s being installed as a generic mod), glance through the files to see what actually is being added. If it’s something like a new car, or something else contained within the “content” folder, it’s perfectly safe. But if a mod adds anything to “apps”, “extension”, “launcher”, “plugins”, “server” or “system”, or if it includes any DLL (or EXE for you to run), such a mod can, potentially, do anything it wants on your system, so please check those mods thoroughly. Especially if it’s a stolen mod: those are sometimes repacked by third parties, so some of the files might be edited.
With the original Assetto Corsa, there are plenty of ways a mod could add its own logic. Apart from obvious stuff like including its own version of Reshade DLL or adding a new Python app, they could also alter launcher logic, add a new AC plugin, adjust one of JS files loaded by the original launcher, swap Python libraries (either standard or AC ones). And, to be clear, the original Python apps of Assetto Corsa can do anything they want. If anything, they can do a whole lot more compared to Lua apps, but those also have pretty much no limits. And when it comes to this type of thing, if a script can as much as simply save a file somewhere within the Assetto Corsa folder, that’s already more than enough to compromise data files.
Now, Custom Shaders Patch adds a lot of other types of scripts for all sorts of tasks. Ever since adding script support to Content Manager (which allowed us to have much nicer, if static, weather conditions back in the day), I was always fascinated by how much flexibility can be achieved with a simple Lua script. But, the way the whole thing is currently set, those scripts aren’t a weaker alternative to Lua apps. If anything, Lua apps are the weak ones, with delayed loading, and sometimes loading skipped altogether. A specialized script — such as Pure (a great WeatherFX style by Peter Boese) — loads first, and has full access to your file system and other processes! So, all the scripts you’re installing explicitly (with CM warning you about potential dangers), and going to CSP settings to enable explicitly — including post-processing scripts, GamepadFX scripts and more — all can do pretty much anything. That’s how Pure can edit configs and load extensions, how Curved Monitor filter can export settings, it allows for Mobile GamepadFX script to exchange data with the phone, or for Wooting keyboard script to read analog values from those keyboards. It also allows for traffic mode to load missing assets, and more.
There are only three exceptions: car scripts (both regular and physics), track scripts and, of course, online scripts. Those are the scripts you might not be aware of installing, and they are fully sandboxed and can’t really do anything like saving files.
In the next update, I’ll add something for CSP to ask each time before starting a new script with full files access, and something for scripts to opt-out of that access. But even with that addition, I ask you to still be cautious — a malicious mod could always find a way to circumvent some of these protections, like replacing a config of another mod changing its behavior in a potentially threatening way. Using Content Manager to install mods and keeping an eye on its warnings should be enough though.
For extra safety, I’m also going to add some settings for blocking out scripts entirely, and maybe something that would prevent sandboxed scripts from accessing the internet (although, that might break some things like Android Auto or online scripts).
A teaser or two
With that out of the way, I’d like to show a thing or two we’ve been working on. If things go according to plan, the next update should be ready in a week or two, but why not hype things up a bit earlier too, if I’m already making a post.
First of all, live car swaps! It’s still far from the final version, and still has a lot of limitations, but it might already be useful for remote cars online, allowing for servers where drivers don’t have to choose an entry slot, but either, any car of the list of allowed. Later, of course, we’ll push this idea further, with loading missing content on demand, and allowing to change cars live while staying connected to the server, but it’s already an interesting start. And here is a small demo video of its current state (note, however, that for this video to work, I had to disable extended physics entirely, as it’s not fully compatible with live reloading yet). And, there are still some limitations, such as rain occlusion not being calculated for newly loaded cars, or occasional performance hiccups during some of loading stages, but I believe most of it will be solved soon (and if we’re talking about live swapping remote cars, we don’t really have to load them in their entirety too, so some performance improvements could be achieved there too).
Another interesting addition is a bunch of extensions to New Mode scripts, allowing them to kind of do their own online sessions. Basically, a script can be set in a way where it adds a few dummy “remote” cars in disconnected state, and then, once in-game, start feeding Assetto Corsa their actual state. There are many possible uses for something like this, like taking a real-life car telemetry and applying it to a virtual car — you could already do something similar with a ghost, but this way you’d have audio, collisions, effects and such — or, for example, to set up an entirely alternative online implementation! As an example of it, I’m working on a new mode with some basic one-on-one driving, connecting clients directly to each other without a server. The whole thing originated when SLX had an idea to use the Steam API for some peer-to-peer racing, so if you’re interested, make sure to check out his Patreon, as he’s working on something a lot more advanced.
Custom physics will see some additions as well, with a new physically-based multilayer finite element tire thermal model under development (correlation example below), hysteretic damping for tires, asymmetrical setup defaults for COSMIC suspension, and many other features in the works.
Thank you for your continuous support, and your patience! The next update is coming soon, and more cool features will be coming shortly after.
Comments
Cor
Great news! Now I don't know is anyone is actually reading those comment from people supporting you! In case someone does, could you answer or at least consider possibility to add data.acd files in to CM Skins and load then with that particular skin when chosen? This would be great really to be able to make different version of the same car without making another one by adding already supported kn objects and textures etc. also manually swaping data file every time is just bad xD! Since we already can do so much thru extension ini and cm skins folder I am positive that you guys could find a way to load the date from the skin first by forcing injection of acd file when games starts so that game looks first in to chosen skin folder and then if there is nothing there cthen to revert back to car main folder to look for acd or data folder :)
Anthony Calabrese
Good evening. The game is just crashing when clicking drive. I have both the latest Pure and CSP preview. Any ideas how i can fix it? I followed the video guide from Peter Boese to download
zets
is there a way that i can delete dream's spyware
Mikuláš Sedláček
yo i need help, the game for some reason keeps infinitly loading DATA FOR CUSTOM SHADER PATCH. idk what to do
priba_
To anyone having issues with version mismatch, the reason you're getting it is because every time you update csp with a version from here you have to also put the new dwrite.dll file from the zip file into the root folder of the game. Also is anyone else having the issue where preview 212 gets stuck on loading pit and crew and never loads in? I tried 140 which works for local, but when I try to load into no hesi it freezes on final step. 212 worked the other day and I changed absolutely nothing about my setup since then.
Justin Muntean
Hello, not sure where to put this. Just installed the latest preview today and it knocks out triple monitor support. All settings are correct and as soon as revert back to the non preview version everything works. Just an FYI for now, but if there is a known issue I thought I would see here. Thanks
Shay-Marie Smith
i keep getting " Failed to launch the race CSP installation is damaged (versions mismatch). Some tips that might help: • Reinstall CSP from its website; • If issue persists, make sure Assetto Corsa is closed, or restart Windows before reinstalling. Your CSP version is 0.2.11. Detailed report "crash_20260215_213430.report" has saved in "Documents \Assetto Corsa\logs". Would you like to see it?" I dont know how to fix this if anyone smarter than me can help please do im starting to think ac doesnt like me
Alex Spin
Good to know, but in any case, the latest CSP version it has a bug, reported by some users including me, it's not about "bad mods" I think, and it happend sometimes at any random moment in some online servers only... I hope the next version fix that, I stick at CSP 0.3.0 preview 140 because of that erro in the last one. The Windows message says something that msvcp120 cant's find And Content Manager says: Error might have something to do with: d:\dev\csp\csp.cpp (1): [wB+Kjplr6lE] d:\dev\csp\csp.cpp (1): [5pcCeZ4osB4] AC\replaymanager.cpp (334): ReplayManager::onStepCompleted d:\dev\csp\csp.cpp (1): [A1JQpCgGhyo] AC\physicsavatar.cpp (169): PhysicsAvatar::onPhysicsStepCompleted d:\dev\csp\csp.cpp (1): [Kn4Qh1tngjQ] d:\dev\csp\csp.cpp (1): [0FJPaAk3gJU] 00007FF8E0BAD03C (msvcp120): (filename not available): std::_Pad::_Release 00007FF8E0AA4F6B (msvcr120): (filename not available): beginthreadex 00007FF8E0AA5098 (msvcr120): (filename not available): endthreadex 00007FF96B47E8D7 (kernel32): (filename not available): BaseThreadInitThunk 00007FF96B6EC53C (ntdll): (filename not available): RtlUserThreadStart
clem333
Since version 0.2.10 of csp, my game hasn't been smooth. It's like I'm constantly at 40 fps. So I have to stay on 0.2.10. anyone else with this issue ?
k
Ive had an issue with my mouse cursor not hiding when I press CTRL F8 after I installed this mod, anyone have a fix?
Tomas Vabalas
Thanks for the great work Ilja! Any plans to optimize VR experience going forward, I think it's still an area with massive potential and increasing demand going forward. Would it make to look into integrating dlss 4.5 for vr optimization?
Dagger
Have you tried locking the onboard camera to horizon?
Lightning1980
I like the new menu and all, but: 0.2.5 is the last version I can use with VR on my system. Every later version causes massive motion sickness!! Any ideas what I can do or adjust? AMD Ryzen 5 7600X / RTX-5070ti / 32GB-DDR5-6000 / Quest-3 via cable
Jay Sysum a.k.a Rat Master 3
Unfortunately I can’t post an image here which makes the issue more obvious.
Jay Sysum a.k.a Rat Master 3
After installing the latest version of CSP, If I wait for a race to finish and then launch the replay, I can't use the camera function. Any selection of tools from the right menu during the replay just shows a red box where it should launch on screen. As soon as you head to the box with the mouse it disappears. In order to take these shots I have to pause the game and launch the replay before the race finishes. I thought this was an issue with Pure but Peter says it has no influence on this and it’s a CSP issue. Or an app issue? If anyone knows how to resolve this I'm all ears.
BIG SMOKE
true that
Alex Spin
My main REQUEST since CSP exists ... it's and will always be, Cars Reflection over the WET ROAD ... IN VR. Just like in 2D, I know the main problem it's that right now that it's part of "ExtraFXs" that don't work in VR. But it must be a woraround for that. Just like you did an interior windshield realtime stereo reflection, that was such an amazing impact on immersion In VR. No other Sim game got that feature yet, they keep using ugly flat 2D textures inside the windshield.
