Daytona International Speedway comes to rFactor 2 Next Week

rfactor 2 Daytona 01.jpg
Studio 397 has shared news that Daytona International Speedway is being released for rFactor 2 next week.

Arguably America’s best racing circuit and famously home to the Daytona 24 hour endurance race, Daytona International Speedway, is coming to rFactor 2 next week. Studio 397 has confirmed that the first major addition to the sim in 2022 will be Daytona, and the screen shots shared so far look excellent.

Daytona’s road course layout fuses a challenging and twisty infield section with a wide-open banked oval. The lap begins with a dive into infield section, after which you’ll need to navigate six corners ranging from slow hairpins to a flat-out kink. From there, the car’s horsepower and aero balance will be on full display as the oval section is taken on, which itself is interrupted by a high-speed chicane that begs you to challenge your comfort zone and push the car harder and harder each lap.

The addition of Daytona is a good fit for rFactor 2, given the variety of car classes on offer in the title. LMP2, LMP3 and GT3 cars are all official content in rF2, and DPi cars are available as 3rd-party mods through their Steam Workshop. Setting up a multi-class race for 24 minutes, 2.4 hours, or 24 hours to simulate the real world race is easier than ever now thanks to the improved user interface.

Aside from the 24 hour endurance racing, Daytona is known to host various race series including NASCAR. Studio 397 will include the speedway layout of Daytona, which should make for awesome wheel to wheel oval racing in the excellent Stock Car 2018.

Are you excited about this release? Let us know your thoughts on Daytona being added to rFactor 2 in the comments below.
About author
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

Comments

Like was said before, rF1 had a plugin for that, and AC has something like that too. I just think the statement had to do with an actual gearbox sim that'd only make sense if there's hardware to support it. Stuff like a bad abstracted damage model are not very high on the list of things important for simulation.
Depends on which part of the whole simulation aspect you aim your look. If you just take in account pure vehicle simulation you are right, a damage model in that aspect is not very important. If you look at the simulation of a complete race, it is quite important. For example why should you drive against somebody who constantly abuses his tires, gearbox and engine without any consequences at all? I remember the first race in race07 where i managed to smoke the engine in lap 2, because i didn't had a clue about how to downshift properly.
And as you said alot of other sims out there have this feature in some way or another. I mean in AMS2 and i think it already was in pcars2 you can grind down a gear completly so it's not usable anymore.
And the excuse for not doing it still is, there is no proper hardware for it. What they mean is that there is no ffb H-pattern shifter stick on the market, which would act as a real shifter in a real car where you won't be able to engage a gear if you do something wrong. But with that mentality the first racing sime would have been developed after the first wheel controller hit the market. Honestly i am just waiting till somebody invents a ffb-H-pattern stick just to hear the next excuse why it still won't be implemented("There is just one, its barely affordable for anybody, no other sim has it implemented, bla bla bla")
 
I am so torn by this. For several years RF2 has been my "go to" racing sim. I just really love driving in it, and enjoyed it enough to look past its flaws. Most of the new content was right up my alley - cars and tracks alike. Then I noticed how bad the AI had gotten, when in the past I had *outstanding* offline races with them I was now screaming at them in frustration. Good AI was one of the main reasons I dove into RF2 in the first place. Broken flag rules boiled my brain too. I got so frustrated, I disconnected my wheel and pedals... for about 6 months. That's right, RF2 pissed me off so much I abandoned racing sims for half a year. I took note of all the things that haven't been fixed for YEARS and started thinking that maybe RF2 was dead. Maybe I'll jump into AMS2 - it has a lot of things that interest me, and seems to have the momentum that RF2 feels to have lost.

And then I see this. Daytona. I *LOVE* the Daytona road course. I have a mod version that I've probably run 1000 laps on. And now modern Indy Car. Ahhhhhhh this is exactly the content I wanted RF2 to have next. But is it going to ruin itself with sh#it AI? Probably. I want to have faith but I just don't. I'm an offline guy, and that's it. Whoever ends up with the best offline experience, that's where I'm going. I WANT it to be RF2 but they've got to win me back. Sorry guys, ball is in your court.
 
Why is it so hard for them to just un-do what they did to break? The community isn't begging for a complete new AI system, so much as the functional one that already existed
Their justification, so I've heard, is that layers of interconnected changes and fixes mean it's not as easy as it seems. For example, for the stabby throttle and brake, the story I've heard is Studio 397 changed the AI code to force the AI to go full throttle on straights even at low AI strength % (an issue dating back to rF1 and GTR2), but then that unintentionally changed all throttle and brake behaviour so that they leap to full throttle and brake input in all situations.

Personally, I think their focus has just been elsewhere. So it's hard to do when you don't want to spend time on it! :p
 
Last edited:
AC done it quite ok. Shifting without clutch, out of range rpms, ruins your gearbox. Loosing gears in the end.
Should not be to difficult. Even rF1 had a mod that let you brake the transmission if your did not respect the clutch and revs.
Don't need a real transmission in your sim to figure out when your gear box will say no.
AC is really bad example because it is horrible in that aspect and I'm surprised you are suggesting AC is any better in transmission modelling than rF2. I can change gears without ever touching clutch in AC. Yet, people never complained for some reason.

The only sims that do it quite right are Raceroom and AMS/AMS2. I don't know about iRacing because I've never tried it
 
Last edited:
AC is really bad example because it is horrible in that aspect and I'm surprised you are suggesting AC is any better in transmission modelling than rF2. I can change gears without ever touching clutch in AC. Yet, people never complained for some reason.

The only sims that do it quite right are Raceroom and AMS/AMS2. I don't know about iRacing because I've never tried it
You do know you can clutchless shift with transmissions. Not that AC's "modeling" is super great or anything, but the principle isn't exactly wrong.
 
You do know you can clutchless shift with transmissions. Not that AC's "modeling" is super great or anything, but the principle isn't exactly wrong.
Yes I do, I actually race irl. I'm not talking about dog box, but even road cars in AC. If you say AC model is not wrong, than rF2 model is not wrong either, which you hopefully realize is not the case
 
Yes I do, I actually race irl. I'm not talking about dog box, but even road cars in AC. If you say AC model is not wrong, than rF2 model is not wrong either, which you hopefully realize is not the case
Nice reading comprehension.
 
Premium
but even road cars
I shifted my old Opel Kadett quite a lot without clutch, just like the VW T4 Transporter I drove for the Red Cross. With a bit of feeling and the right revs it works fine. A worn out clutch helps as well :D If you slam it in too much you'll grind the gears.

Also:
I'm surprised you are suggesting AC is any better in transmission modelling than rF2.
There is no transmission modelling in rF2 whatsoever. In AC to clutchless shift something like the 75 Ferrari 312T you need to get off the throttle, but in rF2 you can shift the 70's F1 cars flat on the throttle like they were sequentials.
 
I shifted my old Opel Kadett quite a lot without clutch, just like the VW T4 Transporter I drove for the Red Cross. With a bit of feeling and the right revs it works fine. A worn out clutch helps as well :D If you slam it in too much you'll grind the gears.

Also:

There is no transmission modelling in rF2 whatsoever. In AC to clutchless shift something like the 75 Ferrari 312T you need to get off the throttle, but in rF2 you can shift the 70's F1 cars flat on the throttle like they were sequentials.
You must be running some different version of AC then, because I just tried F312T and I can upshift without lifting like it has sequential gearbox.
I have vanilla AC, no CM, no transmission mods
 
Premium
You must be running some different version of AC then, because I just tried F312T and I can upshift without lifting like it has sequential gearbox.
Looks like I am. You use autoclutch by any chance?
 
Looks like I am. You use autoclutch by any chance?
Not that I know of. I set Realism to Pro, and never touched it again.
Do you maybe use a mod? (such as Grinding Tranny Mod for original rFactor). If so, where would I find it? Thanks
 
You must be running some different version of AC then, because I just tried F312T and I can upshift without lifting like it has sequential gearbox.
I have vanilla AC, no CM, no transmission mods
I know AC would not let me shift, unless the clutch was fully pressed. I broke gears when downshifting without a clutch at totally wrong rpm's.
 
I know AC would not let me shift, unless the clutch was fully pressed. I broke gears when downshifting without a clutch at totally wrong rpm's.
Do you have any transmission mods installed? I don't know what am I doing wrong then. I have vanilla AC installed and it lets me upshit/downshift without ever lifting the throttle

ETA:
I have another thought about it. My th8a broke down a while ago and I've been just using paddle shifters since then. Shifting with paddle shifters and using clutch just as if I was using regular H-patten shifter works perfectly well in Raceroom, AMS1 and AMS2 (i.e you can't downshift without matching revs or upshift without properly depressing clutch).

Maybe AC works differently, meaning you can't use paddle shifters to change gears manually and auto clutch is then forced even if you turn it off?

If that is the case (and I hope it's not) it's an exploit for multiplayer, as it would allow one to drive without the need to heel/toe and just braking with left foot

Sorry for taking this so OT
 
Last edited:
Do you have any transmission mods installed? I don't know what am I doing wrong then. I have vanilla AC installed and it lets me upshit/downshift without ever lifting the throttle

ETA:
I have another thought about it. My th8a broke down a while ago and I've been just using paddle shifters since then. Shifting with paddle shifters and using clutch just as if I was using regular H-patten shifter works perfectly well in Raceroom, AMS1 and AMS2 (i.e you can't downshift without matching revs or upshift without properly depressing clutch).

Maybe AC works differently, meaning you can't use paddle shifters to change gears manually and auto clutch is then forced even if you turn it off?

If that is the case (and I hope it's not) it's an exploit for multiplayer, as it would allow one to drive without the need to heel/toe and just braking with left foot

Sorry for taking this so OT
I'm not sure about that, but I don't ever recall grinding gears when testing physics with keyboard or pad because there is some kind of in-built autoclutch likely, so it sounds like your case as well.

You can definitely clutchless shift as per IRL with H + pedals, and there is a very rudimentary function that basically does what Grinding Tranny did. Although I feel the tolerance is a bit wide on KS cars, so I make it a tiny bit tighter.
 
I'm not sure about that, but I don't ever recall grinding gears when testing physics with keyboard or pad because there is some kind of in-built autoclutch likely, so it sounds like your case as well.

You can definitely clutchless shift as per IRL with H + pedals, and there is a very rudimentary function that basically does what Grinding Tranny did. Although I feel the tolerance is a bit wide on KS cars, so I make it a tiny bit tighter.
Thanks for not being condescending or not trying to insult me with reading comprehension skills remarks this time.

It looks like using paddle shifters may be the culprit, which I wasn't aware of since my H-shifter is broken and I never got another one.

Good to hear Kunos implemented the tranny model into AC, although it is quite disappointing to learn they left the door wide open to exploiting the system so easily
 
Thanks for not being condescending or not trying to insult me with reading comprehension skills remarks this time.

It looks like using paddle shifters may be the culprit, which I wasn't aware of since my H-shifter is broken and I never got another one.

Good to hear Kunos implemented the tranny model into AC, although it is quite disappointing to learn they left the door wide open to exploiting the system so easily
It's been a feature since launch IIRC. Although it can almost produce more problems than it solves sometimes; but yeah it is more of an anti-exploit method than a feature to make the sim more realistic.

I do foresee that gearbox modeling might get a bit better in future sims now when everyone is realizing how important drivetrain compliance is. It just seems natural that there will be some positive effects to the gearbox modeling as well especially if devs start making object based systems for the drivetrain.
 
My memory tells me I've raced at Daytona in rR2 before, many times, years ago... Why can't S397 focus on stuff the modding community hasn't already taken care of???

It's been years since I fired it up properly and raced in anger with it... S397 took too much away and added the stabbing throttle and brake AI which ruined offline racing...

It's such a waste of time, money and effort to bring out content that already existed in the game when there are so many things that require attention that the time, money and effort will be well spent on...

Leaving the bugs in the game is going to cause more of a lack of revenue than the surge of revenue from new old content provides...

Given their NASCAR title has such bad reviews I guess we can only expect S397 to go for the quick cash grabs and move on to the next quick cash grab...

Also there's this little track called Elkhart Lake... Don't know if the writer is aware of it...
 
Last edited:
Depends on which part of the whole simulation aspect you aim your look. If you just take in account pure vehicle simulation you are right, a damage model in that aspect is not very important. If you look at the simulation of a complete race, it is quite important. For example why should you drive against somebody who constantly abuses his tires, gearbox and engine without any consequences at all? I remember the first race in race07 where i managed to smoke the engine in lap 2, because i didn't had a clue about how to downshift properly.
And as you said alot of other sims out there have this feature in some way or another. I mean in AMS2 and i think it already was in pcars2 you can grind down a gear completly so it's not usable anymore.
And the excuse for not doing it still is, there is no proper hardware for it. What they mean is that there is no ffb H-pattern shifter stick on the market, which would act as a real shifter in a real car where you won't be able to engage a gear if you do something wrong. But with that mentality the first racing sime would have been developed after the first wheel controller hit the market. Honestly i am just waiting till somebody invents a ffb-H-pattern stick just to hear the next excuse why it still won't be implemented("There is just one, its barely affordable for anybody, no other sim has it implemented, bla bla bla")

Welcome to S397 whole approach to the core aspects of the game. They don't have that much to offer to rF2 simulation aspect, so they sell expensive dlc for what they can do for it, so they can compensate for the lack of interest on RF2.

Oh and people are still chearing the same thing happening this year! More content! They are killing it they say! Sigh..
 
Last edited:

Latest News

Article information

Author
Mike Smith
Article read time
2 min read
Views
12,941
Comments
83
Last update

How often do you meet up (IRL) with your simracing friends?

  • Weekly

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Monthly

    Votes: 1 6.7%
  • Yearly

    Votes: 2 13.3%
  • Weekly at lan events

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Monthly at lan events

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yearly at lan events

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Never have

    Votes: 12 80.0%
Back
Top