rF2 Development Roadmap: Porsche, UI and eSport

[Paul Jeffrey]

A little later than usual, Studio 397 have released their development roadmap for the month of August.

Due to commitments at the Sim Racing Expo, Studio 397 have been a little bit behind schedule getting their latest roadmap post out into the wild - but fear not, it's here now and can be read in full below..

...

Roughly a week later than normal, we bring you the monthly roadmap for August. Obviously we were at the SimRacing Expo last weekend, where we met a lot of you and showed off a pre-release version of the Porsche GT3 Cup car and the Nürburgring. Both are scheduled for a release in roughly two weeks from now, pending final approvals. But we have a lot of other news to share with you too, so let’s get started!

A1 eSport season 2
A1 eSport is back with yet another season, after a great first season. Once again the races will start off with a hotlap session, and then in each weekend following a race. A total of 5 races will be run before heading to the showdown and shootout and finally the finale in late October hosted in Vienna. Just like last season. The big difference here is that now every European can participate, not just German speaking residents. Sign up is open now, first round starts at midnight on the 9th of September. Lets go! If you want to get a glimpse of what you’re getting yourself into, on their website you can see what the last season finale looked like.

Porsche Formula E Competition IAA Frankfurt
In roughly a week from now, the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt starts again, and on the last day of this huge show we will be collaborating with Porsche to run a full day of Formula E races. The qualifiers for this event have already been decided. Congratulations to the four finalists who will compete against the Porsche Formula E factory drivers on stage! If you are planning in visiting the show and are there on the last Sunday, please drop by and say hi, watch the show and have a go yourself.

World’s Fastest Gamer 2
Qualifiers for rFactor 2 have been run and if you have not seen the final race, check it out below. Erhan Jajovski won the race in great style and we wish him all the best in the finals later this year. Although at this point little is known yet about these finals, we are confident that these will be something very special, so watch this space and the WFG2 site for more information.

Code Updates
After the first technical update last month, we have now released another one that addresses the “leave lags” that people were experiencing in some circumstances. Specifically when someone with a car with non-standard upgrades left the server, this would cause a lag that propagated to all other clients. Our latest update fixes that. Next on our list are some smaller usability issues. We are also still analyzing any freezes that specific clients are having.

The rest of our development team is working hard on finishing the UI we previewed at the SimRacing Expo. If you missed our live broadcast on Twitch on Sunday, check it out HERE.

We want to thank everybody for providing a lot of comments on this new UI. Just to clarify where we are with this. Our first release is a starting point for many more tweaks and improvements, so if you don’t see your favorite improvement yet, don’t worry, things will evolve!

With the new UI, we are also going to release the first version of our competition system, and although we did not demo any of that in the video we did at the SimRacing Expo, we will start showing it in the weeks to come.

Our graphics developers in the meantime are working on some more fundamental changes to the lighting and the way our shaders work. The move to PBR triggered a few other issues that we are fixing right now and at the same time we are improving how our shaders work, by streamlining the number of different shaders we have and making new ones that can be customized a lot more by artists. Once these things are done, we are continuing our work on cockpit shaders. Prototypes for that were very encouraging.

Content
For those of you who could not attend the SimRacing Expo we have some more shots of the Porsche GT3 Cup car. The car is officially still a “Work In Progress” but as you can see, it’s coming along nicely. Obviously we are already planning new content beyond the things that will be in your hands in a few more weeks, but we’ll save that for another roadmap.

That’s all for this month. We’ll be back in roughly three weeks with next month’s roadmap which will be back on schedule. In the meantime we would like to wish everybody a lot of fun simracing, and stay safe!

rFactor 2 is a racing simulation exclusively available for PC.

For more news from the world of rFactor 2, check out the RaceDepartment rFactor 2 sub forum and join in with the community discussion. If you like racing in a clean and fun environment online, why not check out the RaceDepartment rFactor 2 Racing Club? Get yourself in on the action!

Like what we do at RaceDepartment? Follow us on Social Media!

 ​

 

[Gadaga]

Just a question. I get very weird and unrealistic FFB in the pitlane. Once on track all is ok. Is this normal? They talked about lowering FFB for direct drive wheels when not on track or something no? Doesn't feel good at all. Is there a setting to cancel this?

 

[tlsmikey]

Porsche Cup car is probably my favorite in all the sims to drive, so i'm pretty excited by this. I use that car as a benchmark for ffb/physics so it'll be interesting to see how it stacks up. Right now I put AMS (Boxer Cup) and the latest RRE Cup cars at the top.

E-sports...yeah, don't care but everyone seems to be doing it. I'd rather they spend resources elsewhere, but it's the trend lately.

 

[ZeldaACFan17]

Is there a planned date for the new UI? I want to see it on my computer xD

 

[Shad3R]

Well what you are showing is a low-res screenshot from I presume a YouTube livestream, which we don't know what bitrate it uses, with YouTube compression added on top and we don't know what settings the broadcaster is using plus it's running a beta track not in release shape (Nordschleife). So are you still wondering why it doesn't look the same?

im still wondering why you, rfactor racers, cant take a joke right and threat it like it is serious.

 

[Case_]

No real interest in eSports either, and yes, it absolutely feels like you open a can of sardines and there will be an eSport competition announcement inside lately.

I quite like watching streamers race, regardless of their pace. I don't think it's comparable to eSports at all - streamers are way more relatable, even if they might be borderline aliens sometimes, if not full blown aliens, like it was said before, it feels like spending time with a buddy of yours who also happens to race. The fast ones often share some insights and tips while being entertaining to watch, and with the slower ones, you (well, I) can relate to them and maybe even share some tips I might have and opinions in the chat. It's fun and there's some connection there.

Meanwhile, watching eSports events seem incredibly boring to me. I feel like I'm watching the rich cool kids (with at least the "cool kids" part being quite literal in the majority of cases) compete among themselves for grand prices through the fence of a private course I will never be allowed to. Yes, they often have tremendous amounts of skill (then again they also often race in a way I find questionable at best), but that alone just doesn't seem enough to hook me. I can't relate to what I'm watching, there's little connection outside of simply watching drivers race each other, it doesn't hook me enough to be able to watch for say an hour or two.

If you like that kind of thing, by all means, enjoy. I just don't see the appeal, really.

(And yes, that's basically also one of the reasons I don't really find much interest in watching say F1 IRL.)

 

[Tar Heel]

Well what you are showing is a low-res screenshot from I presume a YouTube livestream, which we don't know what bitrate it uses, with YouTube compression added on top and we don't know what settings the broadcaster is using plus it's running a beta track not in release shape (Nordschleife). So are you still wondering why it doesn't look the same?

The screen shot that is being advertised is from that same unreleased track with the same unreleased car so that point mute. I will say time of day matters for rF2 looks.

It isn't unreasonable though to say rF2 is dated looking. That doesn't mean I think it looks bad, but the screen shots used for advertising are almost always best possible case scenario, sunset, close up, etc.

I run rF2 with a 1080ti and graphic settings near max and usually it doesn't look amazing unless you make sure time of day is sunset and you are using most recent content.

 

[sbabb]

Regarding the UI it would be interesting to have the option of putting together a custom grid and to be able to choose not only the cars but also the skins with which you want to compete. Something similar to what content manager offers in Assetto Corsa.
Sorry my bad english.

I think you can, but in game when you load the track, with the cars you want to choose from (just without any AI number, it must be 0 or you have to remove them in game if the ones spawned aree not the ones you want), you can than add specific cars wie the menu under the timing when in the screen with the live footage on the left and the standings on the right under those you have a few menu options where you can add ai when expanded, from the cars you enabled before track loading.

Unless it is changed by now, but I used to do it a few weeks ago.

 

[CrimsonEminence]

But how? How can you achieve this? I have an AMD RX480. Maybe possible with Nvidia and not AMD? Please post your settings, hopefully I can achieve the same.

Glad to read in the road-map that they are working on shaders. Hopefully will brings great improvements in the graphic department.

Sorry for some more Screenshots, but it helps, to describe, what is going on with the "image quality" here, because there is nothing special about it...

I have a 1060 6GB, but the Screenshots were made with a 1060 3GB on Le Mans. The FPS are pretty okay at these settings, especially with the 1060 6GB now, here are my settings, almost the same, as with the 3GB 1060, just environment reflection was higher, back then, but it takes some hit on performance and doesn't look that much better. And i think Anisotropic Filtering was maxed:

As you see, there is nothing special with my system. rF2 still aknowledges Win 10 as Win 8



It depends also on Camera Angle, LOD of the car, depending on distance and Zoom, Post Processing is on "High".

At some angles you even got not that much DOF, which leads to the more "classic" ISI Engine game look, and i find the tree colours not that fine at noon:

So fiddling with your cameras, daytime and knowing the "sweet spots" on track, helps very much, to get some beautiful shots. But rF2 doesn't look always pretty, because of high spread of track and car quality.

 

[Tar Heel]

I think you can, but in game when you load the track, with the cars you want to choose from (just without any AI number, it must be 0 or you have to remove them in game if the ones spawned aree not the ones you want), you can than add specific cars wie the menu under the timing when in the screen with the live footage on the left and the standings on the right under those you have a few menu options where you can add ai when expanded, from the cars you enabled before track loading.

Unless it is changed by now, but I used to do it a few weeks ago.

While that does work, it only works if you know what the name of each car you want is, if you don't you have to wait for it to load and then check. Doing that for 30+ cars is anything but efficient. There should be an easier way. The way R3E handles it is perfect and S397 should absolutely borrow that idea for opponent selection.

 

[ZeldaACFan17]

But how? How can you achieve this? I have an AMD RX480. Maybe possible with Nvidia and not AMD? Please post your settings, hopefully I can achieve the same.

Glad to read in the road-map that they are working on shaders. Hopefully will brings great improvements in the graphic department.

Hey, I have an RX480 too! I also have a Ryzen 5 2600 CPU, 16GB of RAM (2x 8GB Corsair Vengeance) and an MSi Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard

 

[sbabb]

I have an 1060 6GB, but the Screenshots were made with a 1060 3GB on Le Mans. The FPS are pretty okay at these settings, especially with the 1060 6GB now, here are my settings, almost the same, as with the 3GB 1060, just environment reflection was higher, back then, but it takes some hit on performance and doesn't look that much better. And i think Anisotropic Filtering was maxed:

If you haven´t already you can max Anisotropic Filtering in every game, since these days it doesn´t cost performance anymore (kinda useless setting for modern Hardware)

 

[CrimsonEminence]

If you haven´t already you can max Anisotropic Filtering in every game, since these days it doesn´t cost performance anymore (kinda useless setting for modern Hardware)

Yeah, i know, but with the 3GB i had to turn it down one klick, i have the 6GB for one week now and everytime, i start the game, i forget about it

 

[sbabb]

While that does work, it only works if you know what the name of each car you want is, if you don't you have to wait for it to load and then check. Doing that for 30+ cars is anything but efficient. There should be an easier way. The way R3E handles it is perfect and S397 should absolutely borrow that idea for opponent selection.

I agree, it should be faster to do this.

 

[Jonathan Young]

I don't want to get too down on the UI, but given how long it's been in the oven, I'd hoped for something that was going to be highly usable and clear. I'm not sure that's the case in the screens that they showed and it doesn't look to me like they used a professional UX designer.

For example:
1) In this example they seem to be employing tabs as a navigational device, but it doesn't look like tabs work the way that we all understand tabs to work. They've clicked on "single player" but the multiplayer screen is also visible. Not at all clear:

2) But I do quite like the use of color and the layout. Shame that none of that is reflected at all in the next screen, which is bland and you need to hunt for what you need. They've decided to go for a "words on page" approach to the layout - there's no use of boxes or any other way of isolating separate elements. And that column on the left is a mess - several design elements that don't work very well together.

3) And now they've introduced another design element - these squares that are all over the place:

I could go on. I know this sounds harsh, and I know this isn't a big team - but the interface before was a confusing mess. I was really hoping that UI V2 would not only be prettier (this is for sure prettier) but also logically laid out so that it's intuitive and a pleasure to use. Maybe it will be, but I'm afraid I have my doubts.

 

[Marc Collins]

I don't want to get too down on the UI, but given how long it's been in the oven, I'd hoped for something that was going to be highly usable and clear. I'm not sure that's the case in the screens that they showed and it doesn't look to me like they used a professional UX designer.

For example:
1) In this example they seem to be employing tabs as a navigational device, but it doesn't look like tabs work the way that we all understand tabs to work. They've clicked on "single player" but the multiplayer screen is also visible. Not at all clear:
View attachment 323847

2) But I do quite like the use of color and the layout. Shame that none of that is reflected at all in the next screen, which is bland and you need to hunt for what you need. They've decided to go for a "words on page" approach to the layout - there's no use of boxes or any other way of isolating separate elements. And that column on the left is a mess - several design elements that don't work very well together.
View attachment 323849

3) And now they've introduced another design element - these squares that are all over the place:
View attachment 323850

I could go on. I know this sounds harsh, and I know this isn't a big team - but the interface before was a confusing mess. I was really hoping that UI V2 would not only be prettier (this is for sure prettier) but also logically laid out so that it's intuitive and a pleasure to use. Maybe it will be, but I'm afraid I have my doubts.

All you have to do is see what they have planned for opponent selection, currently the most inane and clumsy approach possible, to reveal that most of the update is window dressing and not even particularly attractive dressing.

After this amount of time, to have so little actual redesign and to have made so little progress just means it hasn't been high on S397's priority list.

The good news is that once implemented it will undoubtedly be much easier to update than the old UI. But that only matters if there are resources dedicated to designing and implementing updates and those doing said updates have UI professional experience or credentials. What we can see so far suggests neither is the case.

 

[Durge Driven]

Looks as good if not better then those AMS2 screens ?

Build 40 I forgot about the UI, once you set it up, make your online room you never had to look at it again Sure the actual variables for session settings could be better no doubt.

Same goes for extremes in garage setups ( for every sim ) , individual models should have factual setup limits but everyone seems fine since first sims that everything has 0" ride height and 30 camber settings ...on a stock car

Because no one questions it studios will keep trotting out same generic garages

 

[zi99y]

Love rf2 but since I recently discovered AC content manager and CSP I've been spending some time there. For me the killer feature is being able to save race presets, allowing you to easily load a configuration and jump straight in. I hope this becomes possible in RFactor 2 with the new UI, with all the content available it can be time consuming matching cars to tracks and remembering what your favourite configurations are.

 

[tr1v1um]

I don't want to get too down on the UI, but given how long it's been in the oven, I'd hoped for something that was going to be highly usable and clear. I'm not sure that's the case in the screens that they showed and it doesn't look to me like they used a professional UX designer.

For example:
1) In this example they seem to be employing tabs as a navigational device, but it doesn't look like tabs work the way that we all understand tabs to work. They've clicked on "single player" but the multiplayer screen is also visible. Not at all clear:
View attachment 323847

2) But I do quite like the use of color and the layout. Shame that none of that is reflected at all in the next screen, which is bland and you need to hunt for what you need. They've decided to go for a "words on page" approach to the layout - there's no use of boxes or any other way of isolating separate elements. And that column on the left is a mess - several design elements that don't work very well together.
View attachment 323849

3) And now they've introduced another design element - these squares that are all over the place:
View attachment 323850

I could go on. I know this sounds harsh, and I know this isn't a big team - but the interface before was a confusing mess. I was really hoping that UI V2 would not only be prettier (this is for sure prettier) but also logically laid out so that it's intuitive and a pleasure to use. Maybe it will be, but I'm afraid I have my doubts.

I agree with you about the first point, but if you watched the stream carefully you will notice that your point 2 and 3 are clashing a bit with each other as they are just showing the same thing but in 2 different ways. I kind of like the fact that people can use the server browser in their preferable way. So if you are a guy who likes lists (like me for example) the list option is pretty nice and it's important for me that the filters are directly visible and not hidden in another menu, as it is done in some other products. If you are a guy who like rasters and boxes, you have the sorting option as in point number 3. Anyway, I think the user base will find a lot of points for feedback. What I am mostly looking forward to is the competition stuff and ingame hosting to race with friends. Everything on top of that and some extended comfort features like the search function and better opponent selection are just a bonus for me.

 

[tr1v1um]

im still wondering why you, rfactor racers, cant take a joke right and threat it like it is serious.

It is because "we" rfactor racers - if I would even call myself like that - read those jokes in pretty much every topic about the title, so it get's to a point where it get's annoying and a meme show. I could swear, the game could look as good or better than PC2 and people would still find a reason to make jokes, even when the visual quality of the sim is decent and smooth. So yes, the news pic that you posted is actually the quality that you can expect when being on track. Replays have never been a strength of rF2, but anyway.

 

[2stains]

Regarding the UI it would be interesting to have the option of putting together a custom grid and to be able to choose not only the cars but also the skins with which you want to compete. Something similar to what content manager offers in Assetto Corsa.
Sorry my bad english.

I recently discovered this ! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=554544322 Its really everything i was wanting from rF2 in regards to custom grids The first couple of times its a bit whack but after you get used to it , its a quick process
I just went in game and found the car skins i wanted from GT3,GTE and Endurance LMP , noted them down and finished off adding only the skins i wanted , now i have multiple class grid with a 44 car field with 2 or 3 of each car and its amazing