rFactor 2 Roadmap Focuses on Formula E, Rain and Mixed Reality VR

Paul Jeffrey

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rF2 November Development Roadmap 1.jpg

The latest 'Development Roadmap' from Studio 397 was released recently and it is full of interesting insights in to the future of rFactor 2...


Firstly sorry for the delay reporting this roadmap release here at RaceDepartment, I've had a few Christmas related things irl that have monopolised my time since Friday night (basically I got drunk and due to advancing years cannot recover like I could when I was 18). So after much toilet bowl talking I'm back, and catching up fast!

Despite 2017 rapidly drawing to a close and many businesses slowing down ready for the festive period it looks like Studio 397, the team of developers responsible for the continual advancement of rFactor 2, are still very much hard at work behind the scenes bringing plenty of improvement and enhancements to this outstanding simulation.

In the latest update to the community released on the final day of November, the team have confirmed plenty of work is still underway back at base, with an expected December release on the cards for the much anticipated new "rain build" of rFactor 2, more info on the brand new Formula E DLC and some interesting progress in the world of Virtual Reality..

Read on to find out exactly what S397 have up their sleeve for this venerable simulation in the immediate future...

The November Development Roadmap from Studio 397 can be viewed in full below:

Last month we reflected on 2017 and hinted at new content. Earlier this week we announced the Formula E Energize Pack, bringing electric racing to rFactor 2. This weekend you can all watch the season opening double header race in Hong Kong. We announced a hotlap competition, which gives you a chance to win some exclusive Formula E goodies, or show your friends how much better you are than them!

Some of you might have watched the talk and drive that Marcel did on RaceDepartment. For those of you that didn’t, you missed out on some free copies of the Formula E pack. We’ll summarize some of the new things that were discussed there.

Obviously a lot of questions centered around the Formula E content. We’ll release an update of that in a week or two that will include the new team liveries that we were not able to show you ahead of the opening race, and we’ll also provide a code update that will give you a better insight into the amount of battery you have left, and are using per lap. Since this part of the strategy is such an integral part of racing these cars, we feel an improvement is in order so you don’t have to rely on third party plugins. Incidentally, talking about third party plugins, Crew Chief already released a code update that supports Formula E. If you have not checked it out yet, we can definitely recommend you do so!

We’re also ready to announce that we will be making DX11 the default before Christmas. As an intermediate step before we come with a new HUD system for plugins, we’ll focus on providing a default HUD that includes a lot of the features you have been enjoying in third party plugins. One of these is a new dial that show you the time delta compared to your best lap, but we have a few other new things and enhancements planned. Part of this DX11 update will be the inclusion of the “rain update” that we previewed at SimExpo. We’ve since perfected it. We’ve also improved the ambient lighting, producing subtle differences that give the overall image a slightly more dramatic look. At the moment we are working feverishly to update all our cars and tracks to make maximum use of these new features. We’ll incrementally release those updates, but anticipate to already have a substantial part done before the end of this year. The shots below are still work in progress, but show you what we’ve been doing to make the rain look better on both cars and tracks.

Another announcement is that we officially support all the new Windows Mixed Reality headsets, check it here. In 2018 we will focus on more DX11 related updates, both in terms of performance and fidelity. As announced, that means we’re deprecating DX9, meaning it will still be available, but it won’t be updated anymore. This gives us more bandwidth to focus on the new engine, which should be a huge benefit for everybody.


Wrapping up this month’s update, we all wish you a happy holiday season and we’ll be back with one final roadmap update close to the end of the year. Of course we will be back in 2018. Happy simracing!

rFactor 2 is available from Steam as a PC exclusive title now. The Formula E Energize DLC can be picked up for 8.70 from the Steam Store HERE.

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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Are you pleased with the content of the latest rFactor 2 Development Roadmap? Looking forward to the new wet weather build? Interested in the new wave of VR headset support? What would you like to see the studio focus on next? Let us know in the comments section below!
 
I guess for Christmas I'm going to buy the GT3 Pack DLC. I see only positive comments about it.
But it's a pity there're no official liveries, so I really hope they will create them eventually.
What about the AI talent files?
Would be amazing to have the whole package of GT3s and also GTE cars with real life AI drivers individual talent files.

What I'm looking forward to, is the new UI. It will really give rFactor2 a boost towards the future together with the DX11 Final Version.

But the thing I'm really really really looking forward to, although Off-Topic, is this: IS THIS REAL?!? :inlove::D

If it's the real deal, at that price, I'm going to buy the whole package, 2 wheel rims, DD wheel and pedals! Please please please make it real...
https://feelvr.game/


Guess that needs a LOT of reliability testing before, not sure if i want to buy something to be wrecked in 2 weeks, anyway great idea and good news ;)
 
Really hard to justify dropping 15€ on the GT3 pack alone, online racing contains mostly closed communitys looking at the server browser. I can´t tell who runs the official GT3 content.
Its clearly not a "welcoming" environment. Why do developers hesitate to work with for example "sim racing system" and integrate a matchmaking system into the game?
Wish there was a central hub for all communitys, with calender and an easier way to sign up for leagues or upcoming events.
I like rfactor2, how it feels etc. but hardly ever login these days with so many alternatives on the market.
 
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Guess that needs a LOT of reliability testing before, not sure if i want to buy something to be wrecked in 2 weeks, anyway great idea and good news ;)
All the way to the end it sounded like some Russian scam. :D Hope its some decent DD entry pack though. It was around 400$ now but it will go up to around 800$ when the pre-order/first batch is out. At least if you Believe some comments on that video. Roughly 1000$ is about half a AccuForce Pro and if its decent with better FFB than the belt/gear driven ones then they might have a hit on their hands.
 
Its fair enough the comments about RF2, but it isn't a AAA title. I never went into RF2 expecting anything other than what i got.
To be honest i picked it up half price just so i could have a comparison to other titles which at the time all i heard was how good RF2 tyre model was.
First few hours with it i hated it, as someone who has driven racing cars the grip was stupidly bad.
But once i worked out the 'green' track cold tyres mess and once i got some heat and rubber down it came alive for me.
I love it maybe for the reasons many hate it, I love the fact its not a AAA title, i love the fact its a science project.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Cars in rFactor 2 can be a hit or miss but those that click with you blows all the others away. I love all the Formula cars in Automobilista. I only love 2 of their equivalent in rFactor 2 but if someone were to put a gun to my head and ask me to choose, I would choose that 2 in rFactor 2 lol. Other sims Formula cars can also drive pretty well and I also enjoy them a lot but they are nowhere near the level of Automobilista or rFactor 2.
 
At this point I'm looking at RF2 from the sidelines.
As a 'lifetime' subscriber....what ever that means or meant, I have been cautiously optimistic.
It's been months since I last did anything with the software, which is a bit of a disappointment given it's potential.
Hopefully S397 can at some point, revisit and sort out the darn multiplayer aspect.
It's infuriating to...in a few seconds be able to 'jump' into any open race in Assetto Corsa or RRE servers and yet...all these years in...and twice the money spent, still not be able to get into an RF2 session.
I don't currently own the GT3 pack and I'm not remotely interested in the F/e pack.
I buy sims to race against other humans and until I can do that, I have very little interest in sinking any more money in RF2.
 
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Cant belive i paid £80+gt3 pack... next time i switch on RF2 i want it to look like a brand new Sim...Till then i'll stay busy :thumbsup:

Yep all over the place games pricing.
I had a heated debate with someone on another game forum about how I was judging a game with the price i paid for it in mind, their argument was that I was wrong.
But for example if i gave RF2 a mark out of 10 having paid £11.99 i'd give it an 8.... if i'd paid £90 for it i'd give it 5......
 
  • ronniej

Still can't believe i got this game for £11.99.... absolutely love it, its dirty as hell and is a mess in places, but i can't get enough of it.
Me and the kids play PCars and Forza on the lounge console and i play RF2 in my mancave...
Also the devs (correct me if i'm wrong) don't appear to be ass hats.
Agreed, it has it's diamonds. Just got to go to Africa to hunt for them....I think the F1 1988 mod is worth the ticket price all on its own.

"Asshats" Now, do you mean Studio Heads, or the actual "devs" that work on the games?

I also challenge anyone to check out PC2's Dallara IR-12 Chevy Road car vs Rf2's Dallara...Might be surprised. I was.
 
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Agreed, it has it's diamonds. Just got to go to Africa to hunt for them....I think the F1 1988 mod is worth the ticket price all on its own.

"Asshats" Now, do you mean Studio Heads, or the actual "devs" that work on the games?

I also challenge anyone to check out PC2's Dallara IR-12 Chevy Road car vs Rf2's Dallara...Might be surprised. I was.


I've been enjoying the ginetta's in Pcars2. Jolly good fun.

I fired up rfactor briefly, and it's looking better but ran a bit clunky for me. I kind of feel that the content is disjointed and not consistent. Maybe with the new developer it's trying to find an identity again. If it's gt cars, weather effects, and details then I'm sure it has potential. I'm intrigued about the formula E stuff, but not on the edge of my seat about it.
 
Sadly I see S397 trending to release unfinished content. For this reason, I will not be buying the FE car/track even though I'm a fan of the series.

I did happily put up with the GT3 Pack because 1) I love GT3 cars, 2) to support S397, and 3) because it wasn't bad (but wasn't stelar either). I really don't mind paying for extra content, as long as this content is actually well done.
However, I had my hopes up that S397 would release the FormulaE pack in a good state, and it seems that this is not the case:

-There's only one car;
-The AI doesn't follow the rules;
-No update to the HUD to show battery life;

If this was pushed by any modding team, almost nobody would pay money for such content. Not only that, but most modding teams that release paid mods can push actually good and complete content for less money than what S397 are asking.

S397 have told the community that a new UI is in the works, for over a year? How long does a UI take to be made?

Multiplayer is still a mess. There are a handful of servers with enough people to make a race; most of them run some sort of obscure content that needs to be slowly downloaded. It seems there are dozens of events of the same track, so downloading one is useless to enter the next server.

And what about that rain you've been showing?

And about the fact that you're doing like Kunos where you either have the full DLC Pack or you can't join the server? If a friend bought the Mercedes GT3, he should be able to join a server where the GT3 Pack is being used. There is absolutely no reason to require users to buy the whole thing.

I have to admit I'm not looking into rFactor 2's future in a positive way. If this trend of releasing unfinished and overpriced content continues, as well as taking a long time to deliver on what they actually promise on those vague roadmaps, I'm certainly going to give up on rFactor 2 as in "I'm not gonna buy these unfinished releases anymore".
 
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That meant and means exactly what it is: lifetime subscription to the multiplayer lobby. Anyone who thought otherwise didn't pay attention.
Too bad I haven't been able to take advantage of that feature then...since I've already paid for it.
Maybe a month after this sim was release, multiplayer started going downhill.
I've probably been able to do all toll...maybe ten...fifteen races max.
You seem to always have a response every time I post something about RF2's less than stellar online setup.
Maybe you should speak to the 'powers' and ask them to get their sh*t together with regard to multiplayer.
 
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S397 have told the community that a new UI is in the works, for over a year? How long does a UI take to be made?

Long, as it's totally new tech, so everything must be built from scatch, and then made somehow work together with gMotor engine that runs the main sim. And even longer if they attempt to include server-side stuff to it (by that I mean iRacing-like competition events). It took many many years for iRacing to build up their web UI and structure. IMO their first target of Q1 2017 was completely unrealistic to begin with.
And about the fact that you're doing like Kunos where you either have the full DLC Pack or you can't join the server? If a friend bought the Mercedes GT3, he should be able to join a server where the GT3 Pack is being used. There is absolutely no reason to require users to buy the whole thing.

Well, there clearly is a reason, because Kunos does exactly the same, and they are the most successful race sim on Steam at the moment. You need to download all the cars to see them in the game. The way AMS has solved it is to force all DLC content on HDD regardless if you own it or not. IMO this is not a good solution either.
 
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Too bad I haven't been able to take advantage of that feature then...since I've already paid for it.
Refresh our minds and explain what it is that doesn't work for you in multiplayer? Is it merely that you can't find one to join or is that you don't like waiting for a download because you don't have the content required by the people who configured the server?
 
Guess that needs a LOT of reliability testing before, not sure if i want to buy something to be wrecked in 2 weeks, anyway great idea and good news ;)
One guy told me this on YT:
They were at sim racing expo with a wheel so it should be for real, they also posted a video of them using it on facebook. The CEO and Marketing manager seem very sincere about this project and pricing.

Let's wait and see. Everything should start on Febrary 2018, but hopefully we might have simracing reviews before. @Paul Jeffrey RD perhaps investigating on http://www.feelvr.game? :D
 
Can not complain any addition to this sim is a welcome one. That said I am not too bothered about formula e I respect the technology behind these cars but as a petrol head I dislike the engine sounds. Therefore, do not see myself buying the pack. The new track that the DLC comes with however seems decent.

The rain affects, judging by screenshots and the Bentley continental gt3 trailer seems really intriguing. Personally I can not wait to race in the wet.

Speaking of racing although 3rd party mods offer lots of tracks I hope for future applications, Rfactor start to release their own versions of popular tracks (preferably scanned) such as SPA, Imola, Laguna, Sebring etc.

Further developments should be improvements to the current AI as sometimes I feel they are not immersive enough in that they rarely make mistakes and produce very consistent lap times with little fluctuation. Sticking to single player aspects I would love to see a save feature where it is possible to save race progress so that I can do endurance racing. I know you can load race progress via the current replay system but this is just a hassle.

Aside from single player fearures it would be nice to have a better multiplayer system where I can join races quickly. If a steam workshop mod is missing making me ineligible to join a race there should be a option introduced where it allows players to download it by simply clicking a button.
However, I am happy with the roadmaps thus far. Cheers.
 
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Further developments should be improvements to the current AI as sometimes I feel they are not immersive enough in that they rarely make mistakes and produce very consistent lap times with little fluctuation. Sticking to single player aspects I would love to see a save feature where it is possible to save race progress so that I can do endurance racing. I know you can load race progress via the current replay system but this is just a hassle.
That's how pros drive... few mistakes, lots of consistency, with only occasional moments of risky brilliance. You can change the consistency in Options, Plugins/Difficulty, AI Limiter (in lower right). 0= every lap the same, 1 or 2 is pro level, 10 or 20 = sizeable swings like a no-talent beginner.

"Resume from replay" already exists. Have replays turned on, pull up the replay from Options, Replay (*), and highlight the replay you want. While you're viewing it, there should be a button to "Resume from replay". As I recall, don't try to resume while stopped in your pit; it's okay to resume while rolling the pit entrance/exit.

(*) When the new UI arrives, replays will very likely be more prominent, easier to find. Marcel had it on the top of his list to change back when the new UI was first discussed.
 
The AI should rarely make mistakes. Pro's are pro's for a reason. :) However they do happen in rFactor 2, and its brilliant that qualifying makes them better and faster the more they practice. If i do a quick race then i can very often beat them, but if i let them practice a bunch of laps they are harder to beat. Its really cool to see early in qualy that some cars take corners too fast and spin out on the grass but the next lap they learn and dont do that mistake.

Point is - AI is great in rF2.
 

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