rFactor 2 Build 1052 released

Paul Jeffrey · Feb 8, 2016

Image Space Incorporated have today made available to download a new version of their popular racing simulator rFactor 2. Bringing the sim up to build 1052, the latest changes include many updates and fixes as can be seen below.

Available to download now via the Steam platform or alternatively non Steam users can download the 331mb lite installer directly from the ISI website.

Personally I have recently been racing with the slightly older (unreleased) baby brother unstable build to this release and can say some of the weather improvements have significantly enhanced the immersion aspect of this sim, with slower buildup and drop off grip bringing another element of strategy consideration into the experience.

Build 1052 also addresses the long standing matchmaker compatibility issue between Steam and non Steam editions, players should now be able to find more people available in the online lobbies for when you just get the need to do a couple of quick random online races...

You could of course come join the fun in our RaceDepartment rFactor 2 Racing Club if you really want to get your kicks racing with other players in a well organised online environment...

While we are on the subject of loosely related plugs... keep your eyes peeled on RaceDepartment in the coming weeks as we sit down with the guys at ISI for another exclusive interview with the main players in the sim racing world... watch this space!

Build 1052 Changelog

FEATURES:
————-

Water temperature now starts at the same value as oil temperature.
Added a few more details to lap records in CCH file.
Added the ability to use alternate controls for throttle, brake, and steering (they are at the bottom of the list of driving controls in the UI). Note that the alternate controls do NOT support ramping which is normally useful for driving with keyboards or buttons, so it preferable to select only analog devices for the alternate controls.
Added ability to cancel damage repair during a pitstop.
Added the ability to paste clipboard text into text boxes.
Added ability to open hyperlinks with a click that show up in the multiplayer chatbox.
Doubled useable dictionary length to 512 to prevent cutting off of some Italian tuning descriptions.
Qualifying on by default for new playerfiles.
Replaced ‘_’ characters with spaces in opponent filter list display.
Race Event rfm icon can now be a TGA, JPG, or PNG as well as the still supported DDS
Safety car with lights (thanks to traveller)

FIXES:
————-

Fixed problem where a broken engine would become fixed and indestructible after rejoining.
Backup plan for the problem where pit arrow sometimes isn’t available after driver swaps: borrow the grid arrow instead.
Fixed (removed) extra useless multihead onboard cameras.
Only allow admins to issue /pitby* commands.
Fixed wrong gdb data getting loaded for tracks that have multiple versions installed.
Now ignoring duplicate veh files when building vehicle manager list. Only latest version of vehicle will be included.
Tightened up text input boxes to prevent drawing outside of box.
Fixed virtual vehicle loading with random car if base vehicle not found.

MODDING / PUBLIC DEV:
———————

Mod mode show pitlanes & special waypoints now work correctly with multiple pit lanes.
Enabled Ctrl-D physics tool in public Mod Mode build.
Command line option added for Mod Manager: -b[DatFile] [index …] = build mod/cmp at specified indices from DatFile. Use -help if needed.

The latest version of rFactor 2 is available to download now directly from the ISI site or via the Steam platform. Alongside this new build the US based development team have released a new improved version of the popular Renault Megane Trophy car... read more about it right here on RaceDepartment.

Enjoying rFactor 2 recently? What are you looking forward to most in the new build? Lets hear your comments below!

Paul Bennett · Feb 9, 2016

@Denis Betty, have you tried changing the setting on your monitor, for rF2 I use "Theater" mode on my Asus it gives richer look to the sim. Have a GTX 960 an settings are pretty much the same as Stig, running about the 100fps

Kevin Knorpp · Feb 9, 2016

I'll try a fresh install of new build and read the readme files and report back.

Regarding question about rF1 settings they are not rF1 settings but rF2 settings that just happen to look better in rF1 but like David suggested I will try settings from readme files.

seamount · Feb 9, 2016

Kevin Knorpp said:
This may be the first rF2 build I don't bother installing. For whatever reason I just can't get the graphics sorted compared to rF1 where a bit of AA is all that is needed to make it easy on the eyes. rF2 literally hurts my eyes by comparison and also has severe aliasing problems even using same Nvidia settings that achieve excellent results in rF1

Funny thing is the Nvidia settings I am using for rF1 are from a thread in rF2 forums

Hi Kevin, may you please tell me which Nvidia settings are you using for rF1, or tell me the thread
thank you

Denis Betty · Feb 9, 2016

seamount said:
Hi Kevin, may you please tell me which Nvidia settings are you using for rF1, or tell me the thread
thank you

I'll get slated for this but.... This is a Steam thread for SCE, but if you read the opening line, it explains that it's from a thread written by Spineli. I believe this was originaly an RD thread for rFactor but, again, I can't find it. Maybe the forums could do with tidying up? Stuff like that would be easier to find in a HINTS & TIPS THREAD, stickied to the top of the forum.
Anyway, I use the settings in the SCE Steam thread https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=391492364 for rF1 and they are ace.

Emery · Feb 9, 2016

Lily Starfox said:
Not sure what is worse between trolls and fanboys.

On a side note, this game is even uglier than the first rFactor, which is quite a feat.

Oh, please stop with the nonsense. Load up Northhamptonshire (unlicensed Silverstone) in rF1 and compare with Silverstone in rF2. The old one sucks rocks... don't make me post screenshots!

fortyfivekev · Feb 9, 2016

First off, I enjoy both AC and RF2 and would recommend them both to anyone interested in this hobby.

I think of AC more as a driving sim and RF2 more as a racing sim. If you want to try your skills around Nords in a super/hypercar or muck about with friends on a casual basis then stick with AC.

If you want to run an endurance race with good AI, pit-stops, day/night transitions and real British weather (rain) then get RF2. To get long-term enjoyment from RF2 you also need to be comfortable installing and using mods which the Steam workshop makes a lot easier.

RF2 doesn't look as good as AC but with a reasonably modern graphics card it is more than good enough to be immersive.

Andy_J · Feb 9, 2016

Or you could leave em both alone and get Project Cars. A real sim.

Lily Starfox · Feb 9, 2016

*hope that was sarcasm though*

Ari Antero · Feb 9, 2016

I can see that many is struggling to get descent fps and game experience with Nvidia cards in rF2. Try settings below it may improve you gaming.

UserData > player folder and open player.JASON file and edit:
"Max Framerate":60,
"Max Framerate#":"0 to disable (note: positive numbers only, we always use the 'alternate' method now)",
"Texture Sharpening":0,
"Texture Sharpening#":"Sharpen textures using MIP LOD bias - 0=Off, 1=+2.0(very blurry), 2=+1.0(blurry), 3=-1.0(sharp), 4=-2.0(very sharp), 5=0.0(auto)",

Nvidia Control Pane > rFactor2 profile:
Maximum pre-rendered frames > 1
Power management mode > Preferer maximum performance.

rFactor2 video settings:
Mode > Fullscreen
Anti Aliasing > 4-6
HDR> on

Inn Game > Options > Display:
Circuit Detail > High
Player Detail > Full
Opponent Detail > Full
Texture Detail > High
Texture Filter > X8
Special Effects > Full/High
Shadows > High (This is FPS killer #1 in rF2, If you don`t get descent fps use Medium or Low)
Shadow Blur > Off
Soft particles > Off
Rain Drops > Yes
Road Reflection > Low (Off gives better fps)
Environment Reflection > (Off gives better fps)

Gijs van Elderen · Feb 9, 2016

Ari Antero said:
Nvidia Control Pane > rFactor2 profile:
Maximum pre-rendered frames > 1
Power management mode > Preferer maximum performance.

Doesn't make any differance. It's done by default.

Ari Antero said:
"Texture Sharpening":0,
"Texture Sharpening#":"Sharpen textures using MIP LOD bias - 0=Off, 1=+2.0(very blurry), 2=+1.0(blurry), 3=-1.0(sharp), 4=-2.0(very sharp), 5=0.0(auto)",

5=0.0(auto)

Ari Antero said:
Texture Detail > High

This combination doesn't make sense...

unless you set texture detail to full and have a 4K screen.

Some texures get a -0,5 sharping by the track creators. In your case those will be a bit more blurry.
Some mix-map textures get a +1.0 MIP bias by the track creators because they are not that important. In your case these wil be at full resolution.

All these preformance and visual enhancements are undone by setting the texture sharping off.
But on the other hand you've turned texture detail to high.

So those settings doesn't make sense.

Only start to experiment with Player.json settings and nvidia settings if you can run the game at full maxed out settings and you still run the game at +100 FPS.

El-ahrairah · Feb 9, 2016

****. I updated already. Is the server going to be upgraded before the next weekends clubs?

@Daiman Patel

Daiman Patel · Feb 9, 2016

SK said:
****. I updated already. Is the server going to be upgraded before the next weekends clubs?

@Daiman Patel

Hopefully the servers will be updated before tomorrow's event.

A request has been made to get them sorted as quickly as possible with a number of racing coming up.

Ari Antero · Feb 9, 2016

Gijs van Elderen said:
Doesn't make any differance. It's done by default.

5=0.0(auto)

This combination doesn't make sense... unless you set texture detail to full and have a 4K screen.

Some texures get a -0,5 sharping by the track creators. In your case those will be a bit more blurry.
Some mix-map textures get a +1.0 MIP bias by the track creators because they are not that important. In your case these wil be at full resolution.

All these preformance and visual enhancements are undone by setting the texture sharping off.
But on the other hand you've turned texture detail to high.

So those settings doesn't make sense.

Only start to experiment with Player.json settings and nvidia settings if you can run the game at full maxed out settings and you still run the game at +100 FPS.

Nvidia 361.75 - WHQL has this settings in rF2 profile:
Nvidia Control Pane > rFactor2 profile:
Maximum pre-rendered frames > 3 (Nvidia default setting)
Power management mode > Adaptive ( Nvidia default setting)

By turning "Texture Sharpening":0, texture detail high and Driver controlled LOD bias looks better in my eyes.

hexagramme · Feb 9, 2016

The wet weather improvements work really well, I find.
A big step in the right direction regarding dynamic weather.
Awesome stuff.

Kevin Knorpp · Feb 9, 2016

seamount said:
Hi Kevin, may you please tell me which Nvidia settings are you using for rF1, or tell me the thread
thank you

http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/12633-4x-Better-Graphics-and-way-more-FPS-Guide

John-Eric Saxén · Feb 9, 2016

Texture Sharpening:0 is the preferable value because some poorly modded and outdated (ISI) content use excessive negative sharpening bias. On newer ISI tracks it doesn't make a difference, but 0 makes sure every track is shown without ugly alias issues on white lines etc.

Kevin Knorpp · Feb 9, 2016

Emery said:
Oh, please stop with the nonsense. Load up Northhamptonshire (unlicensed Silverstone) in rF1 and compare with Silverstone in rF2. The old one sucks rocks... don't make me post screenshots!

Not fair comparison ; not representative of what rF1 is capable of ; pick a better track

Emery · Feb 9, 2016

Like Sebring or Mid-Ohio or Longford that were all made well after rF1 was introduced? Still better in rF2. Oh, but wait, they weren't produced by ISI...

Point is that the tracks created by ISI in the rF1 era are nowhere as good as the tracks they produced in the rF2 era.

Guess I'll go post screenshots, eh?

Gijs van Elderen · Feb 9, 2016

Ari Antero said:
Nvidia Control Pane > rFactor2 profile:
Maximum pre-rendered frames > 3 (Nvidia default setting)

Power management at adaptive: rF2 will make your graphics card work at full power no matter what you set here.

There is no reason to alter the Nvidia profile if can't run the game maxed out with some FPS head room. It will create trouble or if it's an enhancement, it will come with a performance hit.