Advice required. Newbie Questions.

[Matt Beavis]

I have recently trialled iRacing. I enjoy this but still feel there is something missing i cannot put my finger on. The subscription model does not faze me. In fact after many years of avoiding due to this I now understand why this approach is taken.

I have raced sims and racing games mainly on console in recent years but I have returned to the good old pc. But my problem is i now have too much choice. Console is easy Forza and F1, however full of kids or plonkers just smashing up all the time and ruining my concentration and fun.

iRacing is well structured compared to any other racing game/sim i have found, but i have had my eye on rFactor for along time but no matter where i look i just see people reporting problems and it seems there is so much hassle involved in finding a league, setting up and racing (one reason why i got fed up with pc gaming in the first place). I fully understand that both rFactor and rFactor 2 are always essentially works in progress. Maybe I am just reading the posts from the usual people who expect everything to be perfect all the time otherwise it is 'rubbish'.

However the choice of cars on rFactor seems untouchable and the community seems good at developing the product with more cars and tracks and ongoing dev. Multiple F1 cars from all decades really appeals to me and the touring cars and karts the list goes on. I am a very adaptable racer and enjoy racing all types of cars and have a good understanding of the different driving styles required. I am getting very excited at the prospect. I will of course practice offline before going online and racing. But that's the problem. I just constantly see 'server empty' posts and 'technical issues' with a program that has now been around many years. i find it difficult to commit to a specified time each week due to other commitments and do not want to develop my rFactor skills only to find I then cant find a race.

I am not worried about learning the physics of a new race sim as I am able to adjust and dont just plough the accelerator or brake and expect it to go around corners. Its the hassle of setting it all up and ongoing issues which there just seems to be a lot from my outside perspective.

I need a bit of advice as to where to start as there seems to be no structure to the sim and my head is a bit bamboozled going through forums. Here are a few questions.

- Is the content officially sanctioned from the racing series or only developed by the MOD community? (i do not mean 'only' to be derogatory. Modders tend to do a better job than developers)

- What is the AI like. Is it realistic and competitive?

- In terms of finding people to race. What is the advantages of rFactor over iRacing?

- What tracks are available?

- rFactor or rFactor 2?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Matt

 

[Gijs van Elderen]

Hey Matt,
The step from console to PC can be frustrating, because of the graphic settings. You want the game to look beautyfull, but if you set the graphic settings to high you'll get some problems. So it takes time to find a good compromis for all tracks and cars. But there is enough stuff on the internet to help you out.
which can also be frustrating to install a mod correct. But after a while you'll find your way.

- Is the content officially sanctioned from the racing series or only developed by the MOD community? (i do not mean 'only' to be derogatory. Modders tend to do a better job than developers)
A mod illegal or not? is always the big question and there are many discussions... I stick with the MODS that RD uses.

- What is the AI like. Is it realistic and competitive?
Depends on the game. AI in Rfactor 2 is very good.

- In terms of finding people to race. What is the advantages of rFactor over iRacing?
Rfactor 2 and Assetto Corsa have best physics. I did some track days with a full race car at zolder and when i got home i tested Iracing at Zolder. I was very disappointed: driving style is different, break points are very different even with the NTMv5.
To race online, start with club races: great and fun way to explore the game and the online drivers. Then when a league starts you can sign up.

- What tracks are available? A lot!!!!
Tracks for RF2 : http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/resources/categories/rfactor-2.3/
But i recommend to download the official content and the contented needed for the club races and leagues.

- rFactor or rFactor 2?
rFactor 2 and Assetto Corsa. But i also recommend the Simbin big-pack. the Race07 and the GTL club races are always good fun and have descent grids.
1 advantage over Iracing and RD races is: you meet mostly the same drivers. you'll get to know there driving styles. So after a while you'll find your guy to beat.

See you @ the racetrack!

 

[Miroslav Davidovic]

- Is the content officially sanctioned from the racing series or only developed by the MOD community? (i do not mean 'only' to be derogatory. Modders tend to do a better job than developers)

The official rF2 content provides some of the best sim cars around currently. If you are an iRacer go for the Skip Barber car in rF2 first, should be able to recognise differences soon if you are familiar with the iRacing car.
But of course you can check out what ever you wish, most of the content is very good but needs you to get familiar with the cars as it's not all very obvious at first.

- What is the AI like. Is it realistic and competitive?

The AI has it's downs and ups lol. For me they work well only if I crank them up to be as fast as I am when doing my best racing but I don't expect to overtake the whole field either. I just race for two or three places but I have good racing. I also never use more than 8-9 AI's as they tend to slow down in a train at some corners and that destroys the racing then.
It also depends very much on the AI path provided with the track. Most of the official tracks are quite good and provide good racing but here and there you have some corners which can turn out as PITA.
The good thing is there is an AI "recalibration" mode, where you can let the AI turn their laps and search for AI path (racing line) improvements which works quite well for the most time.

- In terms of finding people to race. What is the advantages of rFactor over iRacing?

Can't tell you that really. What I didn't like with iRacing was the fact that I always raced some randome dudes as I never could stick long enough to something to know people there. In rF2 it's different with the leagues.
You get to know the people you race with and with time you get some rivals and stuff. Also you know how the people race which are around you on the track most of the time.
But I guess you can have that in iRacing also if you are active on the forums and stick to one car series long enough.

- What tracks are available?

http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/resources/categories/rfactor-2.3/
http://rfactor.net/web/rf2/rf2dl/
http://isiforums.net/f/forumdisplay.php/77-Locations
http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/threads/what-mods-to-download.80586/

- rFactor or rFactor 2?

rF2

 

[Chris Partridge]

- Is the content officially sanctioned from the racing series or only developed by the MOD community? (i do not mean 'only' to be derogatory. Modders tend to do a better job than developers)

Further to earlier answers, I'd recommend the United Racing Design Endurance Pack (payware) are still under development but excellent. Ales and his crew are doing some fantastic work from both the car models and the physics. Also get Croft and Poznan tracks by "feels3" and Sebring nlby Virtua_LM and Le Mans 1996 by Ethone. That is as much as you'll ever need in addition to the excellent ISI stock vehicles and tracks (of which Silverstone and Mores are superb). All this for rF2.

- What is the AI like. Is it realistic and competitive?

Very good and the best I have raced again in sims. More intelligent in rF2 too. Unavailable in iRacing of course.

- In terms of finding people to race. What is the advantages of rFactor over iRacing?

Much easier in iRacing. MP is just plain awesome. Bullet-proof and superb gameplay. It is appointment to race though at certain times but most races are hourly. Get through to C class and above to enjoy full on proper skill and decent cars. In rF2 MP is v good and built for endurance racing (full human driver swaps supported) but you need to join a league to enjoy it at its best. Once you do, it is awesome.

- What tracks are available?

You name it - you'll find them. All iRacing's are laser-scanned.

- rFactor or rFactor 2?

rF2. rF1 is v good but massive improvements across the board to rF2... MP / AI / stability. Graphics while better IMO need further refinement. But rF2 is where it is at and more and more content is becoming available.

 

[RaceNut]

rF2 would be my recommendation but, don't overlook Assetto Corsa, while it's still early in development - it already offers a great driving experience. It also has bi-weekly updates that add more content and features on a regular basis - no multi-player yet though.

 

[Martijn Hoekstra]

rFactor 2 all the way!! I love the mods that came out and are being released this year!

 

[Kevin Knorpp]

I would just like to add that rfactor 1 is still a very strong sim and, depending on your specific interests and computing power, may still be a contender. I have been spending a lot of time in rf1 recently due to the Historix mod (the Historix Porsche-911r 2.0 DOHC ’67 is still my favorite vehicle by far) and amazing mountain tracks like Transfagarasan and Crimson Road that, like the 911, seem like they are from a next gen sim. On the flip side, if you are instead an IRL racing fan with 'must have' permanent tracks in mind, rfactor 1 will more likely have it at this point. Don't get me wrong. Rfactor 2 is hopefully the future but has a long way to go before it can be the go to sim for everyone. I love it intensely and there is nothing else IMO ither than rf1 which has a few amazing mods and many great tracks so I use both. The sim racing community is highly fragmented however and everyone has their own ideas, opinions and desires and is also not even fully aware of their own idiosyncracies. I, for example, have rediscovered my love for rally and temporary tracks.