rFactor 2 December Development Roadmap

Paul Jeffrey

Premium
rFactor 2 UI Concept.png

Studio 397, the new developers of rFactor 2, have released their final development roadmap of 2016, and it reveals some interesting content with regards to the future of rFactor 2.

latest roadmap update confirms the studio believe they have found a fix to the often troubling NVidia driver crash issues, and a new build is due to be release in just two days time featuring the driver fix. This is great news for a number of sim racers who have suffered frustrating issues on a selection of circuits worst affected by the driver errors, hopefully this new build addresses those issues and allows a soother experience for the affected players.

Other highlights from the update include news that the DX11 update is making faster progress than initially expected, and the studio have even shared a concept image of the proposed new UI for rFactor 2, designed to offer a more modern image for the title and also preparing the game for the upcoming VR functionality due to be released hopefully alongside DX11.

You can read the full December Development Roadmap release below:

"On Tuesday, December 20th, we will release build 1108. This is our first Steam-only release, and we would like to remind you of our offer to migrate to Steam for free, which will be extended until January 31st, 2017.

To reiterate where we are, we are making really good progress with a new development team coupled with a new vision. As long time sim racers, we understand the need for a strong platform with great content, physics and visuals as well as competition, both online and offline.

A detailed changelog will be posted alongside the actual release, but some of the highlights of this build include a huge update to our Stock Car rules, better support for running Steam in offline mode – which can be very useful in LAN situations and a fix for the nVidia driver bug that has been plaguing some users of certain series of nVidia cards.

Good news! We’re ahead of our DX11 development schedule and are internally testing the first builds now. There is still a lot to do in terms of adding new features such as depth of field and motion blur effects on external cameras as well as overall improvements such as the shadow system. Needless to say, the results so far are looking good. We are really excited about the capability we have already and where it’s going. Our goal to keep the engine backward compatible seems achievable, and in the upcoming months we will start engaging the modding community providing information on the improved engine and how best to utilise it.

As we’ve announced last month, we are completely revamping the user interface of rFactor 2 to make it easier to use, nicer to look at and ready for VR. We’re leveraging modern web technology and are currently in the middle of the design phase. To give you a first impression, we’ve added a screenshot of a WIP car selection screen (see top of article)

Concerning content, we are very excited with the direction we are headed, certainly in the way plan to match cars and tracks. We will start to develop this approach over the next few months.

We have a number of car developments underway. With our current focus on the Radical, we are adding the finishing touches to the 3D model right now while we wait for some additional data to complete the physics model.

More great news! We have just signed a license with General Motors for the 2016 model of the Corvette C7.R. Development of the model and physics will start early next year. The 2016 model has significant aerodynamic improvements with a new, larger splitter and a large diffuser to generate more downforce. The car is the weapon of choice for Corvette Racing in their 2017 IMSA campaign as well as their effort to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As an added bonus, this car will also contribute to improving car physics overall.

In terms of tracks, we’ve already shown you previews of NOLA Motorsports Park in earlier updates, and we’re now in the final stages of development. The track will feature 5 different road course layouts and 5 different karting layouts, and we’re currently placing track side objects, such as grand stands, trees and a ferris wheel and are working on AI paths. It’s looking good for release early next year.
rFactor 2 NOLA.jpg


Now let’s talk about online. Since the release of rFactor 2 the pricing consisted of a one time payment and an online subscription, with the option of buying a lifetime version of that subscription. Over the years we have received a lot of questions about charging extra for online access, and what people were getting for this in return.

We understand that online racing is key to the future of the platform. As online racers ourselves, we have decided to provide online access for everybody with the Steam version for free – simplifying the pricing model and encouraging everybody to race online. Steam will take care of automated updates. We recognise that some of you have made this purchase over the past few months, and it was a difficult decision. However, we’re positive that you’ll agree we’ve made the right decision for the future of the platform.

With the Steam Winter Sale approaching what better way for you to relax and driver rFactor 2. Look out for an exclusive offer for the holiday period!

That’s all for our last monthly update of 2016. Happy Simracing and have a great holiday. We hope to see you all in the new year!"

rFactor 2 is a PC only racing simulation developed by Image Space Incorporated and latterly Studio 397. The game is available to purchase now on the Steam Network.

Check out the rFactor 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment to take part in some of the best League and Club Racing events on the internet. Interact with our vibrant rFactor community in our dedicated rFactor 2 sub forum, download mods for the game or share a setup or two for your favourite cars.

Do you like the sound of the latest roadmap? Looking forward to DX11 and VR? Which pieces of content would you like to see added going forward? Let us know in the comments section below!
 
Last edited:
The online population going forward is something I'll keep an eye on with interest. I'd love rF2 to have a solid reliable oval population once the online pass is ripped out, set on fire and never mentioned again.

New UI is nice but bland, it's a very modern, standard look with the rFactor orange in there. I'd prefer a series selector though over individual cars, especially considering Marcel's desire to have complete series' of cars rather than just a single car going forward. Their content pipeline seems to be working nicely as well if there's NOLA and the Radical close to release.
 
I had absolutely no interest in rFactor 2 with the way things were going pre-reboot. Now that they're going to remove the online subscription, I might come back and check things out once these new menus hit. This work in progress shot looks absolutely fantastic and the announcement of the 2016 C7R is very welcomed.

Please keep pushing things in the right direction Studio 397! :thumbsup:
 
In 2016 I was getting a little disappointed with RF2, as well as should I/can I go steam or not, should I/can I just pay for 1 year online again?.......and can I be bothered to look and find out??!:O_o: Especially when AC and the ever impressive AMS continually getting better and better!:thumbsup:
BUT, this has sparked my interest again, so maybe, just maybe, I may just get my act together and find a space on my hard drive............ again!;)
 
You do realize that this move is what will guarantee rFactor2 a "lifetime"? Jeez, the game is dying! You should be happy they acknowledged one of the many things to do to keep it surviving, and also other vital points are being made in this roadmap. Your support is what kept it alive so far.

What a joke, people crying out loud to support their favourite devs no matter what and then all they really want is always something back in exchange..
 
Aaaaaand now i'm gonna buy rF2, been looking forward to this a long time. Was not a fan of the online subscription fee/one time payment. However, I can understand people who are upset about it, it's like when games you paid retail for, goes free to play, don't feels to nice.
 
Jeez, the game is dying!
And us early supporters are to blame for that?

A good compromise to satisfy those with a lifetime sub is to give us x amount of game codes that we can hand out to a friend. Or something similar. Won't cost 397 anything either. But it will get rid of the bad taste in a lot of mouths.

Some form of compensation needs to happen as now early adopters and fans of the first hour are being rightfully upset
 
Will they give online access to those that only have the offline? I wonder if the price will go up? Otherwise it isn't quite fair to the people that already paid for access.

However if the price is about to go up, does that mean now is the time to buy it at $31.99 and then later online will be included?
 

Latest News

Online or Offline racing?

  • 100% online racing

    Votes: 76 7.1%
  • 75% online 25% offline

    Votes: 114 10.6%
  • 50% online 50% offline

    Votes: 157 14.6%
  • 25% online 75% offline

    Votes: 299 27.8%
  • 100% offline racing

    Votes: 426 39.6%
  • Something else, explain in comment

    Votes: 4 0.4%
Back
Top