New to RF2

[Slalom823]

Hi guys,
I am basically new to Rfactor2 and as such have some questions. I have spent almost all of my online racing on AMS/gsc so there are definitely some differences. Any help or information would be great, and feel free to mention any other tips or advice that I didn't ask about.

-Force feedback settings. Luckily I am not too picky and have found most titles to be fine, but still some adjustments here might be helpful. Any advice for a g25? Most cars seem just fine to me, but I have noticed a few that don't seem too great. I noticed a less than ideal deadzone and just a lack of feel with the Dallara dw12 indy car. Others like the skip barber and howston dissenter are fine. Any tips or advice would be great.

-In regards the the force feedback, I have found the flatspotting to be a little aggressive, and not only does it seem to happen to easily (in my opinion) the worst part is that I think it is trying to destroy my wheel. In wet conditions, a minor lockup can produce some significant flatspotting it appears, and I don't want to have to choose between quitting a race or killing my wheel. Any suggestions? Would increasing the smoothing help? Even if it did though, wouldn't that be dampening some of the information and forces from the wheel? Are there any settings I can do to either turn down the flatspotting to protect my wheel, or can I turn down force feedback during a race if needed? (Of course the goal would be to just not flatspot and not suck so much, but it could happen occasionally) Also, if you run a few laps will the vibration lessen?

-Graphics and FPS. I run a pretty old computer, but it has a good graphics card. I used to typically run 150 fps on AMS/gsc on a single screen with an older graphics card, and now I run 60-150 on triples with a 1060 6gb. On RF2 I seem to run 30-120 depending on the track. I just ran 30 fps (against AI) with the visual settings I had been using (medium-high) and then lowered everything to low-medium-off, and it went to about 50 fps. Any tips on maximizing fps, and is the wheel response or refresh time related to or affected by the FPS? In other words does it make a difference to have 60 fps vs 120? Any thoughts or tips in enhancing visuals? Some tracks seem fine, others just are really not good. I have never cared much about graphics, but some of what I have seen has been a little off-putting.

-Any information that would be good to know regarding pitstops or how to make adjustments etc? Do you need to request a pit so you ensure you have a pitbox? Does it automatically fix damage, can you choose your tires, fuel, tire pressure, etc?

-Also, since I run low settings, I noticed I do not have much of a visual cue if the front tires lock up on an open wheel car. Any suggestions for having some visual cue? And GID hud or something that can flash a little warning?

-HUD, I don't know much about these in general, but it would be nice to have something that is good with fuel and can let me see tire temps, car damage, etc. I hear GID hud is good. Any tips on that, or anything else I should know?

Thanks!

 

[hitm4k3r]

Difficult to answer all your question, but I will try:

1) FFB: try using the preset, that gets loaded via wheel detection in the menu and adjust the "Steering torque minimum" to solve the issues with the deadzone. Another usefull threat for you might be this one:
https://forum.studio-397.com/index....actor-2-the-key-to-being-in-the-zone-d.42931/ . Flatspotting is a problem in real life as well and leads to broken suspensions or drivers pitting instantly, so to get around this your best bet is to get a better driver - so be more careful on the break and don't spin or slide too much. The tires in rF2 are alot more sensetive in general and tire management is one of the first things you need to learn. Trust me, it will make you a better driver.

2) Graphics and performance: rF2 is pretty hardware hungry as there is alot going on, and especialy alot more compared to AMS and GSC. So forget about that. The AI in rF2 is running on the same physcis level as the player in rF1/AMS or GSC, just to give you an idea of what you are comparing. Without knowing your exact hardware specs (wich would be nice to know, e.g. mobo, ram, os and cpu) I think that your CPU is bottlenecking your system, so no matter how good your gpu is, it will struggle at one point or another. Maybe you will gain a bit more performance with the upcoming DX11 update and improved shadow system and it'll look more pretty, but at the end of the day you will need better hardware for rF2 compared to AMS or GSC. Regarding your question about the refreshrate and FPS: this depends on your screen setup. So if you run a 60hz monitor with 120 frames, it will look less fluid and lead to tearing, so your best bet is to adjust it according to your screen. In that limit, higher frames are allways better ofcourse. To maximize your FPS a good start is to tweak especialy the reflections and shadows, aswell as the opponent details when driving against AI.

3) Pitstops: when you use key 6 or 7 (dk right now) as I assigned all that to my wheel, you can select the pitmenu and toggle through the menu with the device keys -> best is to set up all this to your liking and according to your hardware. What can be fixed, changed or added during pitting is up to the mod. So if refueling isn't allowed, the mod won't let you if it is set up correctly. The system is working similar to AMS or GSC, so best in business and pretty much on the fly if you set up your controls right.

4) Lockups: your best bet is to use your feel and sounds in that regard, aswell as the trackmap.plugin. When the wheel goes light under breaking, you are locking up and the more sounds you get from the tires, the worse it is in general in rF2, as more sound means more heat and more heat means more wear and less grip. Another important thing is real road and how it affects the driving. So if you have a less rubbered track and less grip, you are more prone to lockups and stuff like that. You can either load some realroad presets (you can also save them on your own), or let the AI rubber in the track for you (use time acceleration, if neccesary).

5) HUD: in connection with point 4, I would recoomend you to get the trackmap.plugin. You can customize it as you like, and it gives some very nice information regarding your heat distribution in the tires and stuff like fuelusage and damage.

Anyway, I hope that helps you to get along with this complex software, wich is regarding some of your questions pretty similar to AMS/GSC. Once you spend more time with it, it will click. Maybe the upcoming UI change will make the game more accesible for newcomers like you

 

[Paul Bennett]

There was a sticky guide here a while back can't see it anymore, maybe staff can look into it

 

[Slalom823]

Thank you for the comprehensive response @hitm4k3r it is helpful. I absolutely have a CPU bottleneck, I am just not sure if rf2 is perhaps more cpu dependent than gpu dependent. While I used AMS as the example, I still get around 2-3x the frames on AC as well. But my q6600 2.4 quad core from around 10 years ago just may have something to do with that. (It also has 8gb of ram and nothing is overclocked.)

I think the flat spotting is mostly my fault as I am not used to high downforce open wheel cars, but I also think the sim is a little rough on flat spots in the wet. Once I drove it with dry conditions I was fine, just in the wet while locking up is easier it theoretically shouldn't have as bad an effect. The last part is that I believe due to lack of feel I might have been locking up more than I realized. So I will do my best to improve my driving, but I also hope to find ways to see, hear, or feel it better. Are there any setting or files that I can adjust the affect of lockups on the force feedback or sound. Other sims I can feel it and hear, with rf2 I can hear but barely feel anything. Edit: I recall the skip barber felt good, perhaps it's just the darn Indy car that feels very vague.

Regarding the fps, I am wondering if the control refresh is limited by the fps. I know some sims the wheel information is limited by the fps you have, so running higher fps is good, anyone have any knowledge on this for rf2?

Also, can I expect higher fps racing online than with a couple ai? Will online racing have my fps close to running alone on track, or perhaps similar to having some ai?

Thanks!

 

[alexSchmurtz]

I'm pretty new to rF2 also (got it last Christmas only) but I'm mainly using AMS so can maybe give some feedback too… Yes, rf2 is more cpu dependent: I think you can press ctrl+C while in game (similar to ctrl+F for FPS) to monitor cpu usage. No clue if it is better online than with ais… And not 100% sure but I think you get better wheels feedback with better fps, yes.

I also found it was much easier to flat spot the tyres in rF2; maybe it comes from a lack of feedback… but I adapted pretty quickly, I think you should be much even more capable than me, Ryan! It was with the Enduracers mod, not with the Indycars tho...

For your first question about the HUD, some links:
V-HUD Minimalist HUD, pretty nice looking and informative while not too intrusive.
TrackMap Map + HUD replacement: also know as GID hud for rF1 or AMS. It tends to cluster your screen with lost of infos. You can combine it with V-HUD, and use only the map and any extra infos you want.
Delta A nice delta-bar… that does not disappear online!
Relative Time gives gaps to cars ahead or behind, very useful online!

 

[Slalom823]

Nice information Alex! I forgot about the delta, but that is definitely something I would like to use, and not disappearing is a bonus! I do want something that can give a time gap like you mentioned, does trackmap or v-hud not have that option? Can you adjust or move the overlays, and can you move them on side monitors for triple screens? Will these plugins lower performance/fps? (I have never used any hud or plugins until dynhud was native in AMS, so I am new to all this) I also got rf2 right around Christmas, but I only used it for AI racing with the skip barber at lime rock, (great combination) and the dissenter at joesvilles short oval. But now that I am taking it a little more seriously I am trying to get it all setup as best I can and learn what I can.
Thanks!

 

[Stig Bidstrup]

Hey
The tips i will give is the things that took me some time to discover in rF2.
1. Every original car in rf 2 will automaticly dial your G25 into the correct steering wheel range if you in controls menu have checked the box that says VEHICLE SET---if you want your own uncheck this.
2. G25 and G27 have way to sensitiv brakes , in controls i have sensitivity set to 0 %- 5 % ( Brake ) to prevent lock up in games like AMS I also use a deadzone of 45 % on the brake...
3, Tuning menu, before entering a server you can choose things like gearboxses or wings or even different engines , if the host allows it.
4.When on a server you can change car or tuning parts WITH OUT leaving the server, your car is now temp car until the host restarts the session or move on to next session.
5.Session settings ( offline) road grip have to be changed individually for each session (practice,Quali,Race )Saturated is the highest setting ( many overlook this and dont understand the fast lap times they see others do )

 

[hitm4k3r]

Plugins usualy don't affect performance that much. So just try them and see how they work. In terms of your question regarding performance in online vs. offline situations, you will see that online is allways better as your cpu doesn't need to calculate the physics of the other cars.

About your issues with flatspotting: this is a pretty complex topic on it's own as different cars require different breaking techniques based on their specs. A car that relies on mechanical grip (like the Skippy) will have a more linear behaviour compared to a high downforce car so it'll be easier to control the breaking. With a high downforce car (like the Indycar) where the mechanical grip changes when you get faster and slower, it needs alot more practice and feeling. Breaking is actually one of the biggest challenges in high performance downforce cars, like Indycar or F1. In such a car you usualy apply most break preassure at the beggining of the breaking zone and ease of the break going into the apex, but in a progressive manner. Another important factor are the tires. The skippy tire is comparable to a grooved road tire, wich is alot harder than a soft racing slick. What also gives you more confidence in the Skippy, is the chasis and the softer suspension. The softer the car the more you feel what is going on compared to very stiff ow cars.

Breaking is a science, so maybe start with the USF2000, Formula 2 or the FR3.5. They are are good entry level down force cars to teach you better driving.

 

[Slalom823]

Thanks Stig! That is helpful. I saw that I could not adjust the steering ratio, and now I know why!

Edit: Also great info above!

 

[alexSchmurtz]

I do want something that can give a time gap like you mentioned, does trackmap or v-hud not have that option?

Track map can give gap at each sector, relative to your best and the overall best sector. I have to check the name in game, and will post it later tonight...

Can you adjust or move the overlays, and can you move them on side monitors for triple screens?

Yep, you can adjust them. Not sure how it works for triple, I'm still on a single monitor… It does take a bit of time to understand how track map works, I was lost at first… But it is not that complicated once you understand: there is a read me included in the download, you cannot do without reading it! Basically you have a shortcut that brings a menu with different commands, including the option to show/hide/move widgets. It does take a bit of time to set everything the way you like...

One thing I noticed also compare to AMS: it is much easier to blow an engine on downshifting if your not careful… At least it was before they adjusted it for AMS too!

 

[Slalom823]

I meant a constant gap showing the time for the person in front, and behind you. I am used to most software showing the gap of both. (what the relative time plugin does) I just wondered if the others already did that as I am wondering if it is best to keep plugins to a minimum for performance reasons, or to lessen then chance of issues.

 

[Deleted member 130869]

For your force feedback, specific to your wheel, set smoothing anywhere from 7-11 and minimum FFB to 10%. Visuals are very unoptimized in rF2 and how things are rendered, track technology, blablabla, will not help. Try running your textures on full, track on high, opponent on high, shadows, special effects, reflection on low, and 14 visible opponents to begin with. Some content is not well made or is missing lower lods so cars (like the Honda NSX) always render very high details. If your FPS are better, then you can start increasing the quality of things starting with opponents, then track.

For plugins you want the pedal overlay here , and for decent HUDs you want to go here or here.

 

[Slalom823]

Thanks Gui. Right now to go from 30-50 fps, or around 70 with no AI around (at Barber), I am at medium for my car, low for about everything else, no shadows, or special effects, soft particles, 2x AA, 10 visibile. Definitely a big difference from track to track. I had settings much higher with a noticeably higher frame rate on different tracks when I first tried RF2. I did find it strange that I still have some shadows and still have some smoke, dust, water spray, etc even with the special effects off. In previous sims when I had a lower spec card I used to have those off or low and off they just wouldn't show anything. Perhaps I am doing something wrong or they still show something even when set to off.

 

[hitm4k3r]

For your force feedback, specific to your wheel, set smoothing anywhere from 7-11 and minimum FFB to 10%. Visuals are very unoptimized in rF2 and how things are rendered, track technology, blablabla, will not help. Try running your textures on full, track on high, opponent on high, shadows, special effects, reflection on low, and 14 visible opponents to begin with. Some content is not well made or is missing lower lods so cars (like the Honda NSX) always render very high details. If your FPS are better, then you can start increasing the quality of things starting with opponents, then track.

For plugins you want the pedal overlay here , and for decent HUDs you want to go here or here.

If you could actually point out, where the track technology is very unoptimized, I would be very interested to read about it and get some more technological knowledge from your side. I allways see you whining about this and that with zero facts - nada. There are certainly areas for improvements regarding quality/fps ratio but it's nothing totaly being out of this world. Fact is, that you need very potent hardware to render 3D environments in real time, and this won't change in the near future for any sim or software, not even with tech like UE4 so rather be prepared for a dissapointment. The NSX is a case on it's own with the missing LODs, but if he struggles with a full field of Indycars (like 5 cars in his case?), you should start asking yourself about his hardware. This has nothing to do with unoptimized tracks.

All simulations, that rely heavily on dynamic lighting and environments, come at a cost. rF2, PC, ArmA etc etc. are all stressing my PC the same way - they are very demanding. Now go ahead and count one and one together if you run one of those at triples. If you want to suggest some serious performance feedback, how about telling the guy, that his cpu ticking at 2.4 ghz is simply not good enough for a software like rF2? Even my Phenom II X4 955 is better than this for rF2 and I am running at single screen knowing that my hardware is not good enough to run triples or VR. Take it or leave it, you need some serious grunt for sims rendered in real time, especialy for triples or upcoming VR systems. I recently tried DCS in VR and it's enourmous what you need as hardware to get anything that is acceptable. An i7 with 3.4+ Ghz and a GTX 1070 is an absolute minimum for sims if you want to avoid stutters, input lag and get a constant frame rate and even with that system the lag was instantly noticable and the image not sharp enough. I am wearing glasses, and even without contact lenses I could see the aliasing in VR

So my advice regarding shadows and reflections would be to turn the reflections off, so that they are showing static cubemaps and the shadows/shadow blur at a minimum or off for a first try. What might help you aswell is turning down the track details and the soft particles. The less objects you have on track, the less shadows and reflections it renders. Forget about AMS or AC in that matter - they are doing totaly different things and the more I read about those comparisons the more I get headaches. The visible opponents can be even turned down to 12 without too much immersion decrease, but the problem is that you should limit your AI opponents more to avoid more CPU load caused by them. In your case the first bet is to reduce stuff that get's calculated in real time, so start with an empty track and add Ai one by one to see how it affects performance. If this doesn't help, invest in a new mobo and a better CPU. As harsh as it sounds, it's reality and not a matter of "bad rendering or unoptimized tracks" in your case. Sorry to be that guy

 

[Deleted member 130869]

Edit: not worth it

ps: slalom823, if your steering wheel is rattling while standing still - it shouldn't since it's the Logitech but who knows... - then ever so slightly turn down the minimum FFB value. That number exists to help compensate for your deadzone.

 

[TobiasR]

@Slalom823
In the DW12 specifically, try increasing the caster. A lot of the dead feeling in the center seems to come from that setting.

 

[Slalom823]

Thanks Tobias, any other tips with these cars?

 

[Marc Collins]

Breaking is a science, so maybe start with the USF2000, Formula 2 or the FR3.5. They are are good entry level down force cars to teach you better driving.

Great advice, except I recommend using only the USF2000. It is so vastly superior to the other two (outdated and not that great to start with) from a sim modelling/accuracy perspective that if you want to learn how to drive and handle a car in rF2, the USF2000 is the only starting point and one of the few excellent cars in the sim. The F2 is badly implemented and has extremely variable results depending on what hardware you have. The FR3.5 is better, but the USF2000 is the only car in rF2 to date that has received universal praise from people who know what they are talking about regardless of which hardware they are using.

 

[Slalom823]

Thanks, that car dies look fun and I will have to try it out at some point.

 

[hitm4k3r]

Great advice, except I recommend using only the USF2000. It is so vastly superior to the other two (outdated and not that great to start with) from a sim modelling/accuracy perspective that if you want to learn how to drive and handle a car in rF2, the USF2000 is the only starting point and one of the few excellent cars in the sim. The F2 is badly implemented and has extremely variable results depending on what hardware you have. The FR3.5 is better, but the USF2000 is the only car in rF2 to date that has received universal praise from people who know what they are talking about regardless of which hardware they are using.

The thing with the F2 is, that it gives an unusal FFB feeling due it it's technical specifications iirc, wich you can tweak a bit with the min steerring torque. Thatswhy you read alot of people saying that it is propably the worst sim car of all times. Still good enough for Luciano Bacheta though.

The thing with the FR3.5 is, that it bites back and is pretty much one level before F1 spec. This makes it a challenge to drive but still not as challenging as the Marussia or the FISI. Anyway, I wouldn't go by, wich cars got ultimately praised, but wich cars make you a better driver or teach you certain techniques. Other people enjoying a car won't do that. The FR3.5 is certainly still a blast if you master it so don't be shy to use it.

Kart/Skippy->USF2000->F2->FR3.5->FISI/Marussia/Indycar would be a good way to progress with your learning. They rely more and more on downforce and power. Btw, something that came to my mind regarding your lockups @Slalom823:
try setting the break preassure in the setup menu until it doesn't happen anymore and increase the preassure from there with more practice