RaceRoom Releases Significant Year End Update

RaceRoom 2021 Year End Update 00.jpg
RaceRoom's year end update has been released to Steam, and includes performance improvements and preparation for forthcoming content and events.

Following suit with most other racing sims, RaceRoom Racing Experience has received a significant year end update.

The focus for Sector 3 this time seems to be setting up for a successful 2022. The summary posted with the Steam update notes cited "performance improvements, and preparations for upcoming releases and events!"

Little has been mentioned as far as what these future events and future content may include, but RaceRoom is currently allowing players to try out one piece of new content: the McLaren 720S GT3. An eSports series hosted in RaceRoom gives players a choice of five DTM cars to set a time with, including the 720S.

The changelog is listed below. Let us know in the comments which changes you're looking forward to trying, or any content you're hoping gets added to this sim soon.

RaceRoom 2021 Year End Update 01.jpg


Changelog:
  • Prepared for upcoming content releases and competitions
  • New CEF version with hardware acceleration. To enable hardware acceleration of web menus, the game can be started with -cefEnableGPU (however, depending on GPU and driver, the performance can be disappointing, sometimes even worse)
  • Web overlays performance - If resolution is higher than 1080, the in-game browser is restrained to 1080. Web textures are scaled up to fit the screen. Optimized browser textures to be between 20% and 50% faster.
  • Allowed access to display settings also while in VR (except true fullscreen mode)
  • Made VR restart with new resolution if altered in menus
  • Added a setting to define the maximum resolution of web UI elements
  • Improvements to AI controlled rolling starts to further reduce potential gaps between cars
  • Improved audio for drivetrain oscillations - this update deploys the changes to most popular cars. The same improvement to the rest of our cars will be deployed in future updates.
  • Fixed Free Camera losing ability to zoom in/out when enabled while inside the cockpit.
  • Fixed camera not always resetting the camera state when disabled
  • Removed ability to switch to other cars via numpad + and numpad -
  • Fixed AI thinking they were running out of battery when driving electric engines
  • Fixed position bar setting not being applied properly
  • Fixed a case where AI could get a valid laptime without doing any lap on Tourist layout of the Nuerburgring
  • Fixed AI selecting the wrong engine power map when switching race sessions

  • Audi TT cup - Reduced to 2 spark emitters between front wheels and 2 more between the rear wheels. (side skirts and sills were wrongly emitting sparks before)
  • Audi TT RS VLN - Reduced to 2 spark emitters between front wheels and 2 more between the rear wheels. (side skirts and sills were wrongly emitting sparks before)
  • BMW M235i - Reviewed and updated spark emitters
  • DTM 1992 - Improved AI at low speed and fine tuning of their braking for BMW and Mercedes
  • DTM 2003 - Added spark emitters
  • DTM 2005 - Added spark emitters
  • DTM 13-16 - Fixed front axis breaking at highest steerlock angles
  • Formula RaceRoom 2 - Reworked the base setup to be a bit less edgy, Reviewed and updated spark emitters
  • Formula RaceRoom 3 - Allowed 3 more degrees of steerlock to go around Macau’s hairpin, Reviewed and updated spark emitters
  • Tatuus F4 - Allowed 3 more degrees of steerlock to go around Macau’s hairpin. Moved to a single central spark skid block/spark emitter
  • Formula RaceRoom 90 - Fixed caster that was giving 0.1 degree too much by default. Tweaks to AI in slower turns, Reviewed and updated spark emitters
  • Formula RaceRoom U.S. - disallowed mixed tyre compounds, tweaked friction and wear rates to give slightly bigger differences between compounds. Improved automatic gearbox/AI gearbox behaviour. Tweaks to AI in slow corners. Reviewed and updated spark emitters
  • Formula RaceRoom X-17 - disallowed mixed tyre compounds
  • Group C - AI improvements, ironed out some issues with braking and locking brakes
  • GT3 - Reconfigured spark emitters so that rocker panels and side sills no longer generate sparks. All cars now have spark emitters between the front wheels and between the rear wheels. Some cars have spark emitters at side exhausts.
  • GT4 - Spark emitters between the front wheels and between the rear wheels
  • Improved automatic gearbox/AI gearbox behaviour so car remains in higher gears in slow turns for: TCR, Group C, Group 4, Touring Classics, DTM 92, GT3, GT4, Hillclimb, DTM 2020, Carrera Cup, DTM 1995, Formula RaceRoom X-17, Formula RaceRoom 90, BMW M235i, Aquila, TT cup, TT RS VLN, 911 GT3 Cup, Silhouettes, Group 5, GT2
  • IMSA GTO Classics - Complete physics overhaul
  • Porsche 911 RSR GTE - Fixed undertray feelers and added spark emitters between the axles.
  • Touring Classics - Fixed a bad spark emitter on the Volvo 240
  • WTCC TC1 - BOP adjustments to close up differences in aero and power to weight ratios across all cars. Increased drag for the Citroen. Equalised fuel use and updated fuel estimates for all cars.
  • Brands Hatch - Tweaks to AI cornering
  • Daytona - Moved the rolling start spawn locators back a bit. Moved some waypoints to reduce AI sway during rolling starts.
  • Dubai - Tweaks to AI cornering
  • Hockenheimring - Moved the time attack spawn location to a part where the track is straighter
  • Hungaroring - Tweaks to AI cornering. Fixed wrong lighting of the cars when real time reflections were disabled.
  • Imola - Track updates to 2021, added the Ayrton Senna wall painting, updated curbs and runoffs. AI improvements.
  • Indianapolis - Reviewed cut detections
  • Lausitzring - Fixed AI wobbling at the start/finish line
  • Monza - Tweaks to AI cornering at Ascari and Lesmo 2 where they were seen running wide and having trouble
  • Norisring - Tweaks to AI cornering in first and last turns
  • Nuerburgring Muellenbach - TV camera and pit sounds
  • Nuerburgring - Moved the time attack spawn locators to a part where the track is straighter. Tweaks to AI to sort their tendency to mix the apex at turn 4.
  • Nuerburgring Spring Chicane - Moved some waypoints to reduce AI sway during rolling starts
  • RedBull Ring - Tweaks to fuel estimates
  • Road America - Fixed a cut detection that was a bit too harsh on the outside.
  • Suzuka - Tweaks to AI cornering
  • Zandvoort - Tweaks to AI cornering in slow turns
  • Zhuhai - Reworked the AI lines and fuel use values. Tweaked the position of the time attack spawn
  • Zolder - Tweaks to AI cornering
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About author
Mike Smith
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

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Comments

couri
pierre lavis said:
As far as I'm concerned, I'm done with RaceRoom, I just uninstalled it permanently from my PC following this last update which caused two consecutive crashes of the game ! :mad:
Already that RaceRoom is not really pretty (polygons from another era, original skins of very poor quality... etc :whistling:), without forgetting that the game does not work in offline mode with Steam, the Editor goes beyond the limits , so I would rather throw my 140 € in the trash rather than waste time with an unstable game and crash my computer. Good luck everyone, goodbye Sector3 Studios.
Click to expand...
I agree with all the weak points observed by you, mainly with the performance instability and not offline possibility, RR is my last option in simracing.
 
Romandevison
1. Good AI, but it doesn't know how to make mistakes.
2. Sharp graphics, but it's outdated.
3. Lots of series, but almost never full sets. GTE turned out to be just a joke. We will definitely never see the Lambo/Ferrari in DTM.
4. The built-in HUD is infinitely outdated.
5. Onboard HUD tends to have nothing to do with the real thing.
6. There is no weather change, no day and night change.
7. The developer is always silent until the last minute. But always no surprises - absolutely linear development.

And, yes - graphics matter. I don't think most people remains computers that old anymore.


Ridiculous, of course, but I more believe in AMS2, which in a year turns from rubbish into a good simulator. RRE needs a revolution, not an evolution.
 
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Wilko Jones
Premium
AMS2 can sit in my uninstalled queue until they get the cars in the base game handling better. I don't see why that title gets so much attention. It looks and feels just like PCARS2.

At least R3E has content in its free package that drew me into buying more content. I cannot say the same for AMS2. If I have to get additional content just to have an enjoyable experience with a title, then the developers failed at selling the game.
 
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smeisinger
Wayne Hutchison said:
Would be interesting to see some real statistics on RRE ranked multiplayer. They seem to only have a very small number of short races going on at any one time with a similar small number of participants. And almost never anything in North American "prime time".

I agree a good variety of cars and tracks compared with something like ACC but well behind in content for paved oval and dirt racing.
Click to expand...
They have long-ish races every day as well (~40 minutes) in the European evenings. And 60 minutes races every wednesday (again in the evening only).

If you're from outside of Europe and used to iRacing's more popular A/B/C-series, that's a huge let down, I agree.
 
D
Wilko Jones said:
AMS2 can sit in my uninstalled queue until they get the cars in the base game handling better. I don't see why that title gets so much attention. It looks and feels just like PCARS2.

At least R3E has content in its free package that drew me into buying more content. I cannot say the same for AMS2. If I have to get additional content just to have an enjoyable experience with a title, then the developers failed at selling the game.
Click to expand...

You obviously are living in the past. AMS2 has taken leps forward in the last couple updates and completely puts R3E to shame. To say AMS2 is like PC2 shows you are just playing the fiddle from long ago and haven't actually spent any time in it.
 
Cote Dazur
Romandevison said:
Lots of series, but almost never full sets.
Click to expand...
That, to me, is where they are missing the boat. Just an other title with sparkling content and no way to complete anything since it is not modeable.
One thing ACC demonstrated clearly, in my POV, is that their is appetite in this community for full fleshed series, complete grids, accurate skins, complete season accurate track rooster.
That would alleviate for the dated everything and give better motivation to use the SIM and possibly acquire such content.

Adding one car that I already have a more accurate version off in an other SIM does nothing to entice me launching the game.
 
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Wilko Jones
Premium
Danny Michael said:
You obviously are living in the past. AMS2 has taken leps forward in the last couple updates and completely puts R3E to shame. To say AMS2 is like PC2 shows you are just playing the fiddle from long ago and haven't actually spent any time in it.
Click to expand...
Funny, cause I tried getting into that game for months. The last time I ran it before calling it quits was 2 weeks ago. The build I had was current up to that point.
 
Z
Danny Michael said:
You obviously are living in the past. AMS2 has taken leps forward in the last couple updates and completely puts R3E to shame. To say AMS2 is like PC2 shows you are just playing the fiddle from long ago and haven't actually spent any time in it.
Click to expand...
After v2.5 i ve got sc2pro and tcr cars on r3e are superb! But gt3 class i do not like with simucube as was and with v2.5 fanatec!
 
A
Cote Dazur said:
That, to me, is where they are missing the boat. Just an other title with sparkling content and no way to complete anything since it is not modeable.
One thing ACC demonstrated clearly, in my POV, is that their is appetite in this community for full fleshed series, complete grids, accurate skins, complete season accurate track rooster.
That would alleviate for the dated everything and give better motivation to use the SIM and possibly acquire such content.

Adding one car that I already have a more accurate version off in an other SIM does nothing to entice me launching the game.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but no. What series do you suggest they do? They already have some full series that no other sim does (DTM 1992, TCR, WTCC for instance).

Do you really think people would play some obscure series? There will be maybe a few hundred players. It's either F1, or GT3 sadly. Even your example about ACC proves my point. Go try yourself, pick GT4 car and go to a ghost town in multiplayer.

AC was and is still popular, even though the sim is so incomplete. Forza Horizon will always be many times more popular that all the sims combined (huge car roster, nice graphics is enough it seems)

Racings sims is a niche market, doing any other series than F1, GT3 (and maybe NASCAR series for Americans) would and up in financial failure for any developer...
 
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