New Package Management System for rFactor 2

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In what's probably the least exciting sounding news possible for sim racing, another long awaited, much asked for feature will arrive to rFactor 2 together with the Q1 update later in February.

As all racers who have touched rFactor 2 know, the whole system with content can be a bit confusing, not to mention that it can take up quite a lot of hard drive space. Some of this will now, finally change. As Studio 397 wrote themselves:

"For these new code change, we’ve been able to break up the content types in rFactor 2 to three distinct categories – Local Content, Steam Content and Store Content. By breaking out these three categories, we now have the ability to open up a number of user actions previously impossible with our existing code structure. Just like you could before with locally installed items, now we can present the opportunity for our players to see, install, uninstall and monitor update status of items purchased as DLC, or downloaded for free from the Steam Workshop.

As an additional benefit, this new set of features gives us the opportunity to present more information on the status of content already installed within the title – so you can see what is pending updates, if things haven’t updated correctly, if items are in your library but uninstalled.

Fundamentally, these changes will also offer us quite a boost in terms of the overall speed of the rFactor 2 experience within the main UI. With this update, we have been able to prevent situations where the user is stuck behind a modal dialogue state within the rf2 UI, so for example, in the old system if for example a user purchases a large track like the Nordschleife, you’d be stuck in game with a locked UI waiting on a download bar for significant periods of time – this behaviour has been removed with these changes, as you can now elect to directly engage with the software while downloading, and on a similar topic, you can now launch rF2 without any game pause if you just want to jump in and do a quick race, as you no longer have to update your content when coming into the game by default.

Granted, this isn’t the most sexy of improvements we’ve brought to the sim over the last couple of years, but we think this is a very important piece of groundwork we’ve undertaken for our continued growth and expansion – adding benefits to the end user right away, and putting us on a much stronger footing to allow development to take the direction we’ve planned out for the immediate future."


Speed, fluidity and a game not seemingly being frozen is good enough. However, for the ones who have bought a lot of DLC over the years, but not using it all anymore, the opportunity to uninstall the DLC is something that's been wished for, for a long time for many users of rFactor 2.

The new system will arrive together with the "Drive online with cars you don't own" in the 2023 Q1 build being released the 21st of February!

Wanting to race rFactor 2 in a friendly, helpful, yet competetive environment? Take a visit to the rFactor 2 Club Racing forum at RaceDepartment for more information.
About author
Ole Marius Myrvold
I've been a motorsport-fan for as long as I can remember. Initially a rallycross-maniac, but got into F1 around the time I started school. Got my first sim when I was 7, but didn't start properly until I got a wheel when I was 12. Been a staff at RaceDepartment since 2012. Mainly the dirty-guy who does rally-stuff here. But also management-titles and rFactor 2.

Comments

Wow, really? This!! I would love to know when they going to fix the horrendous shadow draw in distance. Everyone know it's extremely bad. It was supposed to be done like 2 flippin' years ago.. STILL NOTHING!!!!
 
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D
Will the change let you know what items from DLC packs are already purchased or not to prevent buying same things multiple times, always hard to figure out what is own and what not especially as bunch of DLCs have overlapping content.
Some sort of direct integration of UI with Steam Workshop may be.
 
Premium
Be Honest:

Are we all just mad at rFactor2 because we recognize its the best feeling sim but we hate the awful management of the company? Kinda like we're just mad at it. Like when you have a buddy thats cool to chill with, and he starts bringing a really annoying chick everywhere. Like, you get into the sim and you forget how much motorsport games sucks ass, but you rarely get into the sim because you almost feel guilty supporting that company by even clicking on it in your library, even though you're glad each time you do?

MSG needs to get its act together, I'm tired of being mad at this force feedback beast.
 
I just got the latest update. The tires feel quite different. I was all over the place. I did an AI Daytona race on Saturday. When I went back to look at the replay, all of the cars were exactly like mine and not the list of GT3 manufacturers in the original race.

It still bugs me when they do an update and when I get in the car the FFB has been moved up to rhino level. They also messed up the ability to chose my own livery. I had to reinstall my personalized car and the game doesn't recognize the directory where the livery originally was installed.

I play this game because of the feel. If they keep on, I am going to have to give up.
 
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I just got the latest update. The tires feel quite different. I was all over the place. I did an AI Daytona race on Saturday. When I went back to look at the replay, all of the cars were exactly like mine and not the list of GT3 manufacturers in the original race.

It still bugs me when they do an update and when I get in the car the FFB has been moved up to rhino level. They also messed up the ability to chose my own livery. I had to reinstall my personalized car and the game doesn't recognize the directory where the livery originally was installed.

I play this game because of the feel. If they keep on, I am going to have to give up.
First, ensure you only have v.3.51 v3.52 & v3.53(current as of Feb 8) of each type of GT3 cars. That is the newest, version.
If you have older versions, those are skins you have installed previously. Use windows to move the mas files from the old version folder to the new version number. (always copy from and move to the odd number folder. So copy from v2.15 and not v2.14, then move to v3.51 but not v3.50) Then delete the old folders.
NEXT whenever you choose a car, you must select the opponents you do this on the far right column Edit Settings. , even if you choose another skin you have to once again slelect your opponents: You can populate your field two ways. First by selecting EACH individual GT3 car brand.(this way you can skip the Radical or the older 650 Mclaren) Or by simply choosing the GT3 set. This will give you all the GT3 cars:
1675837974741.png
 
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You can populate your field two ways. First by selecting EACH individual GT3 car brand.(this way you can skip the Radical or the older 650 Mclaren) Or by simply choosing the GT3 set. This will give you all the GT3 cars:

These 2 ways give you random skins, you would then have to sit in session deleting and adding AI till you get what you want that could take forever.

Third way: rfmod takes minutes to make.
You can select exact skins you wish for the AI
You can select exact circuit layouts you wish.
You can make custom Series headings like Drift, Street, Spec Racers, etc.
You don't have to scroll a endless list (100's) of classes to find your AI (most which will mean nothing to you )
You won't have to do the same thing all over again for the same room ie: pick all cars, circuit and skins again ( unless you want to save and resume all from replays which is not best idea as replays can get affected by car updates. As well long sessions the replays can take forever to load. )
 
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S397: "So we did a few adjustments to the package system in this sprint. This resolves issues #3081.2 and #208 and we're still working on #1780 for Q2 this year"
MSG: "Press release!"
 
This is a great update. The people who actually play the game will appreciate it for sure.
The rest will find something to complain or post gifs.
I understand that Valentine's Day is near, but this is pure sucking up (in italiano "fare il lecchino") come on ... Then oh, if your priorities are these ok ;):thumbsup:
 
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I've been waiting for this! A very useful feature for any games.
This can save me gigs of hard drive space from contents I don't really like.
 
Another good step in the right direction, another small step closer to reinstalling, nearly two years since I walked away for a break, more AI work to be done and in the words of the great Arnie “Just like in bodybuilding, failure is also a necessary experience for growth in our own lives, for if we’re never tested to our limits, how will we know how strong we really are? How will we ever grow?”....



....or "I'll be back"....yeah that one!
 
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