rFactor 2 Online: Public Release Is Here

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After seven weeks of testing on the release candidate servers, rFactor 2 Online has officially left open beta. As the rFactor 2 Online public release is here, we take a look at what this means for a sim that is all the rage at the end of 2023.

rFactor 2 online has taken the sim racing world by storm over the past seven weeks. Dedicated releases of fresh weekly content have seen the platform grow again after many had left the sim. Not only does the service offer sim racers a new view into rFactor 2, but it gives hope that, despite the Motorsport Games drama, Studio 397 are still working hard to deliver on its ambitious rFactor 2 content plan.

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rFactor 2 Online Public Release: What It Means For The Future

The main impact of the online build going public should be a significant spike in user numbers, especially in the free-to-play beginner events. Whilst the user base will increase, can the current system retain the impressive numbers? New content and special events will dictate that, as well as consistency regarding regular content updates.

With rF2 Online releasing well before 2024, rFactor 2 may well have a lot of ambitious plans for the new year. With the record-setting player numbers for 2023 achieved back in October, at the start of the release candidate, rFactor 2 continues to go from strength to strength.

Special Events

Heading into next year, the special events included in the new online mode will most likely include non-licenced and, potentially, licensed events. Whilst other sims have the rights to events such as IMSA’s Daytona 24 Hours, nothing is stopping Studio 397 from recreating the event with the content they have available.

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What’s Next For rFactor 2?​

We mentioned that rFactor 2 online lacks free up-to-date content. What would you like to see added or improved regarding free content? In our opinion, with ageing content being pushed weekly, rFactor 2’s next logical step would be to revamp and overhaul cars such as the Radical SR3 XX.

The BMW M2 CS, the car given out to players for signing up to the online mode, received a revamp at the start of the release candidate. The Radical and the multiple iterations of the Tatuus junior formula cars are more than likely in the pipeline for a similar treatment.

The week 7 schedule is out with a striking American theme. Tracks that feature include Laguna Seca, Lime Rock Park and the newest addition to the online roster, World Wide Technology Raceway.

Have you had a chance to check out rFactor 2’s new main build online implementation? Let us know how you get on over on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
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Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

Comments

well if people move to it just for the online aspect where we can't use mods? If AC2 is everything we all hope I don't see modders going anywhere other than there.
Most modders would switch i think so 2.. but there are allways some hardcore modders left look at gtr2 as a example
 
Yeah - there are messages in the Message Centre that say something along the lines of 'Event starts in x minutes'.

Apparently, they can't automatically move you from the Practice Server to the Race Server due to the way the UI has been built (technical reasons I can't quite remember the details of).
I believe i seen that " 'Event starts in x minutes'. ...but nothing saying " Leave practice server and join Race server" (been a longtime rf2 user i just assumed it was going to roll session )...now that I know this its no problem ...but for someone first coming into this it is easy to not assume you do not have to leave the practice server and join race server as in iracing. I beleive in iracing it comes across the screen in red flashing text to leave and join race server ..perhaps rf2 should do the same...way more noticeable and self explanatory
 
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I believe i seen that " 'Event starts in x minutes'. ...but nothing saying " Leave practice server and join Race server" (been a longtime rf2 user i just assumed it was going to roll session )...now that I know this its no problem ...but for someone first coming into this it is easy to not assume you do not have to leave the practice server and join race server as in iracing. I beleive in iracing it comes across the screen in red flashing text to leave and join race server ..perhaps rf2 should do the same...way more noticeable and self explanatory
Yes, in iracing you will get text across the screen to tell you but if you dont leave and keep lapping it will drop you out of practise and put you in to the race session.

Hopefully they will add something, honestly it can't be that hard and it is easy to go past time.
 
well if people move to it just for the online aspect where we can't use mods? If AC2 is everything we all hope I don't see modders going anywhere other than there.

People want ranked and scheduled events online in sim racing... They will move to it for those reasons...

Me personally it's never been a big thing and it hasn't kept me playing games for a long time when that is the sole focus of a game, as I prefer leagues for the better racing and elements of real life racing that you just can't replicate without the same group of drivers... However it's a great pick up and play experience that so many crave due to time constraints that make league racing harder...

S397 definitely could do a lot more for modding and that would really aid rF2... Especially with the lack of information they've provided on the graphical improvements... But it's certainly not the hardest sim racing game to mod it's in the mid pick on that end...

First you need to inspire the modders in order to get them to work on your stuff... And that's through either the physics or through some sort of in game progression that keeps them coming back... Positive development strides like this one aid confidence in titles too...

I know SP focussed modders who complain and moan about the lack of a good offline career mode in any of these sims... Who have given up this year on that idea and gladly pay iRacing for their product because of the online progression aspects...

I do have reservations because of the whole MSGS cloud and hey maybe a lot of people are just going in for one last hurrah before something happens... It is however another part of a good year for S397s development of rF2 after a number of years of confusing development...
 
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I believe i seen that " 'Event starts in x minutes'. ...but nothing saying " Leave practice server and join Race server" (been a longtime rf2 user i just assumed it was going to roll session )...now that I know this its no problem ...but for someone first coming into this it is easy to not assume you do not have to leave the practice server and join race server as in iracing. I beleive in iracing it comes across the screen in red flashing text to leave and join race server ..perhaps rf2 should do the same...way more noticeable and self explanatory
Yes - a nice pop up with a message would be good.

You can go onto the Discord Server and provide Online Feedback - I've done a few :)
 
Joined a online race...spent 40 minutes practicing..it went to race ..bam.. disconnected:mad: the whole server with that race is gone ...okay ..fine ..a glitch..it happens ..joined the radicals ..another 35 minutes of practicing.. went to race ..bam!!... exactly same thing :devilish: .. .i'm hoping this is not a common occurance? ..has this happened to others?
I've had issues to, done 4 races so far and had issues with 2. The first race I did was incredible, ended up with the win after some great battling. Second race the game crashes between practice and moving to qualifying, freezes up my computer and requires a full restart, I manage to get the game on with no time left to qualify. Race starts and I have no FFB (since mapped a button to reset it). Third race, another awesome battle for the win. 4th race, shaping up to be a good one, but get a 0.5 second freezing approaching a corner and into the barrier as a result. I want to love this game but there are always issues, and the free content is mostly poor
 
Yeah, I can't get why so many people hate rf2 that much. If you don't like it just don't play it and move on, there a lot of different racing games to everyone liking.
Excuse me for being self-referential but when I started with this hobby I moved from ac to rf2, not because I think ac isn't good but because rf2 offers me something different which I like
Every Ams 2 and RF2 article attract those insecure “your sim sucks” and “my sim is better than yours” folks
 
Exactly Juan !!! well said ...I hear it both ways..rf2 guys saying its the best , the rest is crap ..as well as the other way round..I like all the sims...each has its strengths and its weakness and I enjoy them all..from AMS2 to iracing to raceroom to ACC to Assetto etc ...i play them all
 
You have to say some sim is best at something.
Does not mean you think it's best at everything.
I mean who ever says that ?

Back to online.
They still don't get it.
Why do they put rookies on heavy rubber and 100% damage ?
You want lighter rubber to begin, medium no more, so they explore grip.
As well heavy to start means track gets saturated unless you reduce the rate.
For such short sessions you want to increase the rate not lower it.
So start light rubber and make rate 3.0x will let them feel the difference in 16 minutes instead of feeling nothing ie: no change, heavy is heavy.

So first you want to use learning comnbos that actually work.
Tell me did they try a offline race with Radical at the docks ?
It would probably be one of the worst examples in the entire rF2 catalouge.
They crash everywhere at only 100% with 100% rubber .
Some won't even leave the pits or hit other cars beside them and this is only 20 cars. You want combos that work excellent offline or how do they practice ?

What they need to fix first is having rfmods capable of setting and saving every single session parameter offline until you swap rfmods or edit settings.
Like you may have a hour till sessson and want to learn it better.
You have to screenshot all the online pages, drop to offline and do basically every setting and no way to save it.
Or you end up with different ambient settings, things like shadows won't be matching etc.

Another bug is having session 4:15 You can't set 4:15 offline. :coffee:
 
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Premium
Personally I am not sure that what the rookie stuff is matters. I don't think that they are actually attracting new drivers new to sim racing and teaching them how to drive. It is just a gate for the terrible and setting expectations for dick behavior before they are allowed to the longer sessions.

I am beginning to think that while it is a trial for lmu it is much more suited to rf2 and the selection of cars it has. People prefer shorter races, you are not going to get much endurance from an endurance sim. I should also add good luck to those gt3's when prototypes are racing with them on a public server :)
 

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