Rain and VR Improvements the Focus in New rF2 Update Released Today

[Paul Jeffrey]

rFactor 2 has received a small but important update today, adding much needed performance improvements under wet conditions to the simulation.

Having been through something of a troubled time performance wise since the latest major update to rain effects within the title, Studio 397 have been hard at work behind the scenes as they work away in the background to bring a more stable and hardware friendly performance - something it appears the developers have impressively achieved with this latest build update.

Aimed mostly at bring down the requirements for running decent frame rates under wet conditions in VR, many users are already reporting a significant increase in performance following this update - the first in hopefully several passes by Studio 397 to bring much needed performance gains to the simulation when racing in wet conditions.

Although designed with the VR user in mind, the new performance update also brings good results to players using a monitor or three for their sim racing fix - and offers benefits in both dry and wet conditions too...

You can read the new build update notes below:

Steam Build ID 2919230 - Steam Build ID 2919232 (dedicated server)

• Optimized VR performance in rainy conditions.
• Fixed windshield wipers showing a slight skip in the animation.
• Fixed windshield wipers when OFF showing slightly propped up.
• Fixed rain drops appearing too wide on certain resolutions.
• Fixed corrupted Flag animations (affecting both official tracks and mods)

Note: Server Admins - you will need to update all dedicated servers by re-running SteamCMD.

Has the new update improved performance on your system? Please share your settings and results (as well as your comments and opinions of course) in the comments section below..

rFactor 2 is available exclusively for PC from Steam now.

Check out the rFactor 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment for all the latest news and discussion with regards to the simulation. You can take part in lively debates with fellow rFactor 2 fans and take part in some great Club and League racing events..! Head over to the forum now and share the love this simulation so very much deserves...

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[2stains]

LTH works perfectly fine in other SIMs

LTH works to an extent in other Sims but NEVER perfectly ! Banked ovals as stated by Marcel are awful in AC with its LTH but on most tracks it works ok !

 

[2stains]

raceroom

R3E only works correctly with a file adjustment changing the movement by force and if R3E had the same bumps as rF2 then you may notice it ia a problem also but it is definitely bad until the file adjustment is made !

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

It's not the bumps that are the problem ! It's the world bumping around the car instead of the car bumping around the world !
Personally , i love the bumps ! Hence my preference for your Formula cars ! Just make it bump the way it would irl
Please just release what you have and update it as you need

Well, you are sitting in the car, so the world is supposed to bump, not the car, because your body moves along the car IRL, so the car won't move relative to your body. It's certainly not trivial to solve this in a way that is both realistic and reduces eye strain.

 

[Martin Vindis]

Please just release what you have and update it as you need

No, just no.... This never works

 

[HugoB]

Well, you are sitting in the car, so the world is supposed to bump, not the car, because your body moves along the car IRL, so the car won't move relative to your body. It's certainly not trivial to solve this in a way that is both realistic and reduces eye strain.

Theoretically, yes, but the actual experience of racing a car IRL is different. Because your head and your eyes work together acting as a gimbal to stabilize your view, the world (horizon) will appear stable to the brain, and your car will appear to bounce around in the periphery.

You can test this out if you are driving a real car (as a passenger) and stare at the road ahead, try to not focus on the road and let your eyes relax, like when you are really tired, you’ll see the (unfocused) road start to bounce around. This is the effect you get with sims that don’t implement a solution for VR. Because in VR you don’t get the motion cues, your head and eyes cant stabilize. In real life you get the cues, so the horizon is rock solid.

 

[2stains]

Theoretically, yes, but the actual experience of racing a car IRL is different. Because your head and your eyes work together acting as a gimbal to stabilize your view, the world (horizon) will appear stable to the brain, and your car will appear to bounce around in the periphery.

You can test this out if you are driving a real car (as a passenger) and stare at the road ahead, try to not focus on the road and let your eyes relax, like when you are really tired, you’ll see the (unfocused) road start to bounce around. This is the effect you get with sims that don’t implement a solution for VR. Because in VR you don’t get the motion cues, your head and eyes cant stabilize. In real life you get the cues, so the horizon is rock solid.

This is a pretty good example of how it feels too me , thank you

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

It is partly true that eyes have some ability to stabilize the horizon. Though not entirely, I have read several F1 drivers describe how they could not see the road ahead clearly when they got a heavy flat spot on the tire. So the ability of the eyes to adapt is limited as well.

When I drive my car on a bumpy road it's not like the dashboard is going up and down and everything else is still. It's more complicated than that, which is what I tried to explain in my previous post. There are many aspects of this that need to be simulated correctly and I'm not a huge fan of the lock-to-horizon as it's done in Assetto Corsa for instance.

 

[HugoB]

It is partly true that eyes have some ability to stabilize the horizon. Though not entirely, I have read several F1 drivers describe how they could not see the road ahead clearly when they got a heavy flat spot on the tire. So the ability of the eyes to adapt is limited as well.

When I drive my car on a bumpy road it's not like the dashboard is going up and down and everything else is still. It's more complicated than that, which is what I tried to explain in my previous post. There are many aspects of this that need to be simulated correctly and I'm not a huge fan of the lock-to-horizon as it's done in Assetto Corsa for instance.

True, there are limitations to the human body’s physiological compensation capabilities, but for the large part it works very well. When running, do you see the horizon bounce around? Running is pretty extreme, it only appears stable because your eyes and head know what to compensate for, thanks to the signals from the inner ear canals (mostly). If you slapped that image to your eyes with a HDM but don’t get the motion cues, the horizon WILL bounce around, at least it will take a lot of getting used to the image and some practise to perceive a stable image in your brain.

That’s why you need a solution for VR, you need the software to substitute for the stabilization process. To what degree is a question of taste and getting used to. Totally locked to horizon is still better than totally locked to car, but it may feel like you are missing the cues of the road bumps etc. and you will feel less of the sensation of speed.

But the more natural feeling is an organic mixture of the two imho. That is what the ‘RealHeadMotion’ plugin does really well for AC, it is smooth and locked for the most part until a certain threshold is reached and then the horizon ‘breaks’ loose, like what you said about the F1 cars with a flat spot on the tire.

 

[Cote Dazur]

How about we get LTH as an optional set up, those who like it use it and those like @John-Eric Saxén who think a jumping horizon is realistic because some one read some where that a guy could get troubled vision in a F1, instead of just believing their own eyes can ignore the LTH option.
Some time I even wonder if some of us even drive in their real life or are even using VR.

 

[Martin Vindis]

I actually tested this on my way home just now and when I focused my sight on the horizon I could see the interior shaking in my peripheral vision. But if I focused my sight on the interior, everything outside of the car was shaking.

 

[Marcel Offermans]

I actually tested this on my way home just now and when I focused my sight on the horizon I could see the interior shaking in my peripheral vision. But if I focused my sight on the interior, everything outside of the car was shaking.

Please do drive safely!

 

[2stains]

So it's not done, but we anticipate we will be able to release it in time for the release of Sebring.

Is this coming before Reiza content or after ?

 

[Marcel Offermans]

Is this coming before Reiza content or after ?

We're not sure yet. Depends on how the two go through final testing.

 

[2stains]

If you need another tester im willing to give my time

 

[Cote Dazur]

o it's not done, but we anticipate we will be able to release it in time for the release of Sebring.

Are we still on track, time wise? When is Sebring due for release again?