rFactor 2 | Early Access Look at the New BTCC Content

BTCC for rFactor 2 Early Access 01.jpg
rFactor 2 gave me a chance to try out the new BTCC DLC content including two new cars and two new tracks set for release to the public on May 9th.

rFactor 2 has moved to a quarterly content release model in 2022, and the Q2 release set for May 9th will include the first batch of BTCC content. This first batch includes two BTCC cars and two new tracks on the BTCC calendar offered as DLC.

For fans of BTCC expecting a full game based on the series, this isn't ideal news. However, BTCC, Motorsport Games and Studio 397 have entered into a partnership that extends to 2027. We can expect more BTCC cars and updated liveries for the rFactor 2 content to be added later this year, and a separate BTCC game can still be expected in the future, though no timeline has been confirmed.

The Cars
The two cars on offer as part of this DLC release are BTCC series compliant versions of the Infiniti Q50 and the Toyota Corolla GR.

BTCC for rFactor 2 Early Access 02.jpg


The Infiniti Q50 won the 2021 BTCC championship , while piloted by Ashley Sutton and Aiden Moffat. It sports a rear-wheel drive layout and handles in a similar manner to a GT4 car. It's a blast to drive in rFactor 2, as curbs are very much in play and the car has a tendency to get loose on corner exit if you're too aggressive with the throttle.

The Toyota Corolla GR won three BTCC races in 2021 thanks to drivers Rory Butcher and Sam Smelt. Unlike the Infiniti, this is a front-wheel drive car and shares more in common with TCR race cars than GT4 in terms of handling. This car is also very forgiving when pushed hard through corners, and the fun factor is high thanks to more throttle being the answer when the car gets loose.

The Tracks
Donington Park and Brands Hatch are the two British tracks offered as DLC in this Q2 release.

BTCC for rFactor 2 Early Access 03.jpg


Donington looks and drives very well in rFactor 2. The trackside details are impressive, down to detailed spectators, curb scuffing and even the occasional aircraft taking off in the distance. This track was the highlight of the BTCC content for me, as it seems to be a great version of the circuit across many facets, and lends itself perfectly to tight racing action with the new cars.

Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of Brands Hatch, though this new version for rFactor 2 seems as good as any in sim racing. Like Donington, the level of trackside detail is exceptional and adds to the immersion of driving here.

Pricing and Availability
The two cars and two tracks are scheduled to be released as DLC on Monday, May 9th. There are a number of ways to purchase them:
  • Cars can be purchased for £4.29/$5.32/€4.99 each
  • Tracks can be purchased for £7.73/$9.59/€8.99 each
  • The ‘Touring’ bundle that includes the two BTCC cars, Brands Hatch and Donington Park can be purchased for £21.64/$26.83/€25.16
  • The Touring car ‘Double Pack’ which includes both BTCC Cars can be purchased for £7.72/$9.59/€8.99SRP
  • The Q2 ‘All in’ Pack including all the content from the Q2 drop can be purchased for £27.01/$33.50/€31.41SRP
Game Updates
In addition to this new content, the release of the BTCC content will coincide with several quality-of-life updates to rFactor 2, including:
  • A new sound engine
  • Particle effects
  • Downshift protection system
  • Further photo options
  • A refreshed safety car
  • Enhanced brake ducting settings
  • Additional user interface refinements
Let us know if anything (or everything) in this first BTCC content release or game update is something you're interested in trying or buying on Monday on Twitter @RaceDepartment or in the comments below!
About author
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

Comments

Well you‘re right, I don‘t have to buy them now, but ultimately what will happen is that I‘ll forget about it, and by the time everything is released I just wont bother with it. A full BTCC release could have got me excited and back into exploring rF2. However, this drip feeding is really annoying.

Maybe I‘m still in work mode, but I hate half done jobs.
I think you are justified in saying this. S397 have a history of releasing unfinished paid content. That is a fact. I get that they aren't a charity and need to make money but when they do things like this, then add cars later IT IS ANNOYING. I bought both GT3 packs... Then I bought the Ferrari as a stand alone because I wanted to race in a league, but the new BMW? Get out of here. I am not buying one car I don't want just to race in a GT3 series out of principle. It is a terrible model if you want to be profitable. You fragment the community and that is exactly what this new dlc is going to do.
 
Still looking for further single player-oriented improvements before supporting 397 with DLC purchases, personally. So all this quibbling about prices doesn't really concern me :roflmao:

BUT... I noticed these updates that are of interest for everyone owning rF2:

In addition to this new content, the release of the BTCC content will coincide with several quality-of-life updates to rFactor 2, including:
  • A new sound engine
  • Particle effects
  • Downshift protection system
  • Further photo options
  • A refreshed safety car
  • Enhanced brake ducting settings
  • Additional user interface refinements
I'm especially intrigued by the "new sound engine" and UI refinements. :thumbsup:
 
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Which means that the base game is cheap :-D
Admittedly, the DLC is not "cheap-cheap", but it's not like it will break the bank for anyone and the tracks from S397 are always top grade quality.
I wonder how much a full BTCC game would cost, considering that it's 26$ for 2 cars and 2 tracks. I don't remember how many car models there are in the BTCC, nor do I know how many tracks, but how much will it be to buy the whole field of cars in the end with this price range? Seems expensive... More expensive than releasing all cars and tracks at once, anyway.
 
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yep, it's on the more expensive side of things but I do understand why - I think

rf2 was released long ago, so they no longer have ( too many ) new copies sold, so this is their only source of income

with all the updates / redesigned UI and what not - I personally though that it would be better to come up with RF3 with brand new engine, ported physics

it would give them new source of revenue
this would allow them to make it easier to mod , and therefore bringing more people in ( compared to AC, RF2 moding is lot more complex, time consuming )
but more importantly, it would allow them to rewrite some of the design decission / make bigger changes

but yeah, we shall see what' s gonna happen

mind you, a single (well done) plane for MSFS2020 can cost up to $99 , so is' all relative
I wonder if they would sell more cars and tracks if they lowered their prices? In my case, I often pass on rFactor 2 DLCs because of their prices. I admit, I'm not a big fan of that sim anyway, but they do have some interesting content. I bought the game 2 years ago for one reason: the Le Mans circuit.
 
So let me get this straight, for a mere $33.50 you get 2 BTCC cars and 3 tracks? That seems a little steep. I believe for the Q1 Content Drop for 3 cars and 1 track I paid $19+. It seems that Studio 397 (or should I really say the greedy and out of cash Motorsports Games) is way overpricing additional content for rFactor 2. Let's compare 2 sims.

It's about $10 less than the same content in iRacing (with the 40% discount for members with enough content) so not too far off where it needs to be if S397 wants to start making a profit. But they will need to sell tens of thousands of copies at that price...
 
26$ for the pack? Why not 100$ while we're at it... All those RF2 problems was in part due to the DLC pricing model being too expensive . .....To be clear 26$ is not an issue for me, for example i've just bought 24$ of car mod pack Yesterday for AC. But for RF2 as they are in a position where they need help from the community, this pricing model is either arrogant or naive. What is really a disappointment is the fact that they seem still have no clue how to save the sim...."Old Ways Won't Open New Doors"...We all love Rf2 but at this point paying 26$ or any more single dollar is a waste of money for a sim that will not make it at all . It's like someone in a hole asking for help but only accept a golden ladder as tool to help him.
 
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the other cars are in development, just not finished, the tracks are probably not going to be there all, as in that deparment things are more balanced around variety
With MSG financial situation its possible that these 2 cars is all we will ever get for BTCC series.
 
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Still looking for further single player-oriented improvements before supporting 397 with DLC purchases, personally. So all this quibbling about prices doesn't really concern me :roflmao:

BUT... I noticed these updates that are of interest for everyone owning rF2:

In addition to this new content, the release of the BTCC content will coincide with several quality-of-life updates to rFactor 2, including:
  • A new sound engine
  • Particle effects
  • Downshift protection system
  • Further photo options
  • A refreshed safety car
  • Enhanced brake ducting settings
  • Additional user interface refinements
I'm especially intrigued by the "new sound engine" and UI refinements. :thumbsup:
It's already available in the RC
 
How it could loose value ? Correctly simulated cars and simulated tracks will have value forever. If it doesn't for you personally, it doesn't change the fact that value will still be there.
Ok, it technically wont loose value but given how their content system works for multiplayer, imagine that in Q3 another 2 cars and tracks from BTCC are released. Could you still enjoy your Q2 content online? I hardly believe it, as official and league races will run also Q3 content which you need to own to join server…

So you are left with single player experience, fine, I like racing some AI :)
But it’s also very buggy in rF2 with safety car problems, pit stop problems for AI. You cannot race with flags set to more than “Black only”…
I’ve read somewhere that some AI problems has been fixed, such as tire management. But a lot of rF2 still feels like beta version, sadly.
 
I wonder if they would sell more cars and tracks if they lowered their prices? In my case, I often pass on rFactor 2 DLCs because of their prices. I admit, I'm not a big fan of that sim anyway, but they do have some interesting content. I bought the game 2 years ago for one reason: the Le Mans circuit.

I'm sure they have access to numbers , so they might have a much better idea of how much you make

yes cheaper price means it will sell more, but you will earn less per unit sold, I'm sure there is a sweet spot somewhere but I agree, that it should be bit cheaper
 
The pricing probably reflects the need for cashflow at MSG.RF2 is one of the only sources of revenue at the moment.
The smart move would be to price this initial content at $10-15 to get more sales rather than charge more & sell less.Then sell the rest of the content at a later date.That later date probably wont come for MSG.A shame for BTCC & RF2.The replay clips look very good now.
 
I suspect the BTCC content is more expensive because MSG overpaid for the license.

I'll be picking these up if only because NGTCs don't exist in any other sim and I want to see if they fixed the issues present in the older FWD content in rF2.
 
That's simply because of bad settings - I agree it doesn't feel good out-of-the-box. In the game, lower each car's individual FFB level and increase the filtering setting a couple of clicks if it feels too grainy.
For True Drive there are rF2 specific settings that other users have shared you can download.
I download from TD, bet ffb was not so good, maybe i need more tweaks but even the graphics and the AI dissapoint me so thats the reason i do not want to hassle with this game… just other sims do everything more right with online races.
 
Premium
BTCC is coming to rF2 - everybody goes YEEEAAAAAA

BTCC drops, and it‘s just two cars and two tracks - everybody goes “like WTF“

Either do it fully, or don‘t bother.

Yeah, you get to pay 25 euro's for a very limited amount of stuff... When ACC did the British GT you got everything you needed to run the British GT. This feels more like a desperate last push to get some money on content already made.
 
This thread is another proof that simracers are utterly broke, after spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on shiny hardware for bragging in /r/simracing.
Unlike cool new hardware that you can touch and feel with bare hands or feet, software should grow on trees.
"Will...simrace...for...food..."
 
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This thread is another proof that simracers are utterly broke, after spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on shiny hardware for bragging in /r/simracing.
Unlike cool new hardware that you can touch and feel with bare hands or feet, software should grow on trees.
Haha if you think r/simracing is the norm you are probably mistaken.

*looks at 7 year old T300, probably 10 year old G27 shifter next to it*
 
This thread is another proof that simracers are utterly broke, after spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on shiny hardware for bragging in /r/simracing.
Unlike cool new hardware that you can touch and feel with bare hands or feet, software should grow on trees.
How is that Kunos excelent quality content content can be cheaper, and overall "fair" priced, with inclusive online model that does not force you to buy content you don't need (can race with GT4 even if you don't have this DLC), and S397 can't? Is Kunos a charity?

Haha if you think r/simracing is the norm you are probably mistaken.

*looks at 7 year old T300, probably 10 year old G27 shifter next to it*
Maaan, you have a shifter? Niiice :cool:
 

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