July Development Roadmap Released for rFactor 2!

[Paul Jeffrey]

Studio 397 have revealed their latest 'development roadmap' detailing the future of the rFactor 2 simulation, as planned during the month of July.

With development pushing ahead at full steam, Studio397 have revealed what the future looks like for rFactor2 in the coming weeks and months..


Competition
As we previously announced, McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer starts soon, and we are really excited that rFactor 2 was chosen as the flagship qualifying platform. This competition aligns with the overall competition structure that we are currently building, allowing tournament style events that extend all the way to a license progression system. Our competition platform will be unique in many ways: we will have our own structured competition and, in addition, support the community. We actively believe in the strength of our community to run outstanding events, both online and onsite. Specifically, APIs will be made available to allow sanctioned leagues/competitions to integrate with our overall structure, providing visibility and consistency. We are also developing our license structure based on an overall percentage rating and a system that penalizes drivers for off-track or bad driving by giving time penalties instead of relying on an independent safety rating.

Content
We have some even more exciting news: it’s no secret that we are releasing a McLaren GT car. And now, we are pleased to announce that it will be….drum roll please… the awesome McLaren 650s GT3!

This McLaren will be used in the World’s Fastest Gamer competition and will be available for you all as a paid item in our upcoming item store at the start of August. We’re really excited to launch with this car, which was developed in close cooperation with McLaren. But that’s not all! This car will also be part of a soon-to-be-released wider pack, reaffirming our ambition to align our content! What a tease!

Many of you saw our rendition of Zandvoort at the Max Verstappen days. Since then, we have optimised and further enhanced the track. Like the McLaren above, Zandvoort will be used in the World’s Fastest Gamer competition and will be released as a free addition. Check out some screens below!

Additionally, we are working on some new significant track projects and will share more in the next couple of months.
DX11

Ever since the beginning of the year, we’ve showed you the evolution of our DX11 graphics engine. Right now, we’re close to the point where we are happy enough with the visuals and performance of this engine to soon switch it to become the default. We will keep the DX9 engine around as an option for a little while longer, at least until we’ve rolled out the new overlays (see below). This also does not mean we are done developing the engine. We still have many bigger and smaller improvements to make it look better, and we will keep pushing those out in the upcoming months. At this point, we would also like to thank everybody who actively participated in our open beta. Your input was very helpful and allowed us to improve the whole engine, and VR mode, a lot quicker and better.

UI
Not only are we putting the final touches on our in-game user interface, as you have read above, we are also about to roll out the first parts of the new competition infrastructure, which will fit right in with the new UI. To show you some of the last details we are currently working on, we’ve captured two details of the UI, starting with the calibration screen for your wheel and pedals. As you know, you could always calibrate axes visually, but when specifying the ranges of motion and the deadzones, you had to physically move your wheel or pedal in the right position to set such a limit. Now we’ve included not only the exact numbers, but you can also directly edit them to fine tune them exactly the way you want without having to mess around with text files.

A second detail we’d like to show is what we’ve done with the garage setup screens. There was already a way to compare, and we made that a bit smarter, but we also added a quick way for you to see what changes you made to the current setup compared with the one you saved last. In the shot, you see two gear ratios that have an orange font. Those are ratios you’ve changed. That way you can quickly get an overview. It’s little things like this we are still tweaking. We know it’s taking a bit longer than you, and we, anticipated, but the wait is almost over!

Physics
One of the things we have been working on over the last few months is our tyre model. You may have noticed some changes in the latest version of the Radical, and you will also see them in the upcoming McLaren. These updates reflect our work on improving accurate tyre fidelity. We have a number of tyre updates underway, making one of the best tyre models in consumer racing simulation even better.

Overlays
We have been working hard to create a solution for overlays. As you know, we aren’t great fans of rendering over rFactor 2 screens as this can cause issues that become hard for us to resolve. We have built a solution using HTML. Shortly, we will be allowing 3rd parties to develop their own overlays, not just for broadcast, but for in-game HUDS through an API.

Misc
For those of you who don’t know, this year’s Sim Expo will be held on the 16/17th September at Nurburgring – another great chance for all of sim racing to come together. We will be there, of course, showcasing some cool future features and content, so make sure you pop by!


rFactor 2 can be purchased from the Steam platform right now and is available exclusively for PC.

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...

Happy with the new roadmap update? Looking forward to seeing the changes filter through to the sim? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Rick Lopes]

Troll of the year...

do you need/have to insult people?
have i insulted anyone?
just by saying what one thinks?

 

[Rick Lopes]

rick seems like any other troll/hater/game basher???

again?

have i ofended you?

 

[David Turnbull]

not at all, but you need to realise the dx11 is in beta and your card is underpowered for triple screens, if you lower your settings right doon and start from the ground up youll most likely find that framerates are fine at lower settings than you have.

 

[hitm4k3r]

This is the point most relevant to me. rF2 has always been the worst performing--arguably because it was the richest sim with the oldest graphics engine. The common sense expectation was that if you fixed the supposed bottleneck of that old engine that we were all discussing ad nauseum for 5 years, you'd end up with the same great sim, but with better performance. Not quite there yet based on objective comparisons of rF2 DX9 and DX11 running on the same machine and rF2 DX11 compared to iRacing or AC or other comparable titles on the same machine.

I'm OK if S397 wants to advertise that rF2 is so amazing and advanced that it can't run at similar FPS to other titles. They can then try to defend that position as they like. Right now, we are 3 months past the date when we were told (at the time S397 took over) we would have a working DX11 version of the title. We still have no new UI and the content that has been released has had issues similar to what we experienced from ISI for the five years previously.

I would be a lot more excited about the new paid content announcements if the platform itself was finished and polished. It seems that other titles that had an acceptable platform before selling content did well (iRacing, AC), while those that did not have only become successful after fixing most of the basic problems (R3E). rF2 was already on life support at the time S397 took over last year, so I hope they have deep pockets.

That's the whole problem isn't it? Those two options you mentioned aren't comparable for obvious reasons that you should be aware of pretty easily by now. Lets have this discussion when those two sims do the same things that rF2 does. And I am especialy looking forward to iRacings development in that regard to see how their engine can handle stuff like dynamic TOD at full scale. The only game, that does this much better than rF2, is PCars. If I had to choose between the two though, my desicion would be pretty clear, but I don't know how it is for you. To each his own. You also seem to completely underestimate a full API switch. If you expected this beta to be fully finalized after 3 months then you simply have no understanding of what it takes to actively work on an engine. My guess is, that we will have a fleshed out DX11 game (new shaders, properly working UI etc.) at best in a year or so with a stable base build 6 months after initial beta release, wich means November 2017. You should be used to the fact, that rF2 isn't finished and neither is iRacing or AC. So please stop dreaming ... The problems with with performance in the DX11 have improved alot since the intial beta btw. FPS are slightely lower comapred to DX11 for me, but the game runs as smooth.

 

[TzZyO]

U paid life time to isi not to studio397. I would call it unlucky

That's exactly what I was saying. ISI owes us one. And they should do something about the extra money they took from us. And that something doesn't mean simply hiding it in their pockets and pretending nothing happened.

 

[MarcG]

That's exactly what I was saying. ISI owes us one. And they should do something about the extra money they took from us. And that something doesn't mean simply hiding it in their pockets and pretending nothing happened.

They don't own you anything, Christ, talk about delusional!

 

[Peter Stokman]

That's exactly what I was saying. ISI owes us one. And they should do something about the extra money they took from us. And that something doesn't mean simply hiding it in their pockets and pretending nothing happened.

AC and PC and Iracing have to look out for you they are shaking now cuz if ISI ows you for 28 euro what do they ow you then .
what you expect for 28 euro 10.000 worth content hope for MB you never by i Mercedes from them i see a lot problems coming to them

 

[paul carter]

View attachment 202883
Studio 397 have revealed their latest 'development roadmap' detailing the future of the rFactor 2 simulation, as planned during the month of July.

With development pushing ahead at full steam, Studio397 have revealed what the future looks like for rFactor2 in the coming weeks and months..


Competition
As we previously announced, McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer starts soon, and we are really excited that rFactor 2 was chosen as the flagship qualifying platform. This competition aligns with the overall competition structure that we are currently building, allowing tournament style events that extend all the way to a license progression system. Our competition platform will be unique in many ways: we will have our own structured competition and, in addition, support the community. We actively believe in the strength of our community to run outstanding events, both online and onsite. Specifically, APIs will be made available to allow sanctioned leagues/competitions to integrate with our overall structure, providing visibility and consistency. We are also developing our license structure based on an overall percentage rating and a system that penalizes drivers for off-track or bad driving by giving time penalties instead of relying on an independent safety rating.

Content
We have some even more exciting news: it’s no secret that we are releasing a McLaren GT car. And now, we are pleased to announce that it will be….drum roll please… the awesome McLaren 650s GT3!

This McLaren will be used in the World’s Fastest Gamer competition and will be available for you all as a paid item in our upcoming item store at the start of August. We’re really excited to launch with this car, which was developed in close cooperation with McLaren. But that’s not all! This car will also be part of a soon-to-be-released wider pack, reaffirming our ambition to align our content! What a tease!

Many of you saw our rendition of Zandvoort at the Max Verstappen days. Since then, we have optimised and further enhanced the track. Like the McLaren above, Zandvoort will be used in the World’s Fastest Gamer competition and will be released as a free addition. Check out some screens below!

View attachment 202882
View attachment 202883 View attachment 202885 View attachment 202884

Additionally, we are working on some new significant track projects and will share more in the next couple of months.
DX11

Ever since the beginning of the year, we’ve showed you the evolution of our DX11 graphics engine. Right now, we’re close to the point where we are happy enough with the visuals and performance of this engine to soon switch it to become the default. We will keep the DX9 engine around as an option for a little while longer, at least until we’ve rolled out the new overlays (see below). This also does not mean we are done developing the engine. We still have many bigger and smaller improvements to make it look better, and we will keep pushing those out in the upcoming months. At this point, we would also like to thank everybody who actively participated in our open beta. Your input was very helpful and allowed us to improve the whole engine, and VR mode, a lot quicker and better.

UI
Not only are we putting the final touches on our in-game user interface, as you have read above, we are also about to roll out the first parts of the new competition infrastructure, which will fit right in with the new UI. To show you some of the last details we are currently working on, we’ve captured two details of the UI, starting with the calibration screen for your wheel and pedals. As you know, you could always calibrate axes visually, but when specifying the ranges of motion and the deadzones, you had to physically move your wheel or pedal in the right position to set such a limit. Now we’ve included not only the exact numbers, but you can also directly edit them to fine tune them exactly the way you want without having to mess around with text files.

View attachment 202886
A second detail we’d like to show is what we’ve done with the garage setup screens. There was already a way to compare, and we made that a bit smarter, but we also added a quick way for you to see what changes you made to the current setup compared with the one you saved last. In the shot, you see two gear ratios that have an orange font. Those are ratios you’ve changed. That way you can quickly get an overview. It’s little things like this we are still tweaking. We know it’s taking a bit longer than you, and we, anticipated, but the wait is almost over!

View attachment 202887

Physics
One of the things we have been working on over the last few months is our tyre model. You may have noticed some changes in the latest version of the Radical, and you will also see them in the upcoming McLaren. These updates reflect our work on improving accurate tyre fidelity. We have a number of tyre updates underway, making one of the best tyre models in consumer racing simulation even better.

Overlays
We have been working hard to create a solution for overlays. As you know, we aren’t great fans of rendering over rFactor 2 screens as this can cause issues that become hard for us to resolve. We have built a solution using HTML. Shortly, we will be allowing 3rd parties to develop their own overlays, not just for broadcast, but for in-game HUDS through an API.

Misc
For those of you who don’t know, this year’s Sim Expo will be held on the 16/17th September at Nurburgring – another great chance for all of sim racing to come together. We will be there, of course, showcasing some cool future features and content, so make sure you pop by!


rFactor 2 can be purchased from the Steam platform right now and is available exclusively for PC.

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...

Happy with the new roadmap update? Looking forward to seeing the changes filter through to the sim? Let us know in the comments section McLaren 650... mouth watering ... can't wait to see what else is going to be in that package ..

 

[Emery]

That's exactly what I was saying. ISI owes us one. And they should do something about the extra money they took from us. And that something doesn't mean simply hiding it in their pockets and pretending nothing happened.

You bought lifetime online access? Then you still have lifetime online access. Nothing has been taken from you as you're still getting exactly what you paid for.

 

[ronniej]

Great news, and a great racing simulator. Thanks @Marcel Offermans for your continued dedication, much appreciated.

 

[snyperal]

I'm keeping an eye on this title. It'll be interesting to see their prices. I may be wrong, but I feel there's an element of a marketing test to gauge the interest in dlc. I don't blame them, just interested to see what direction this simulator takes.

 

[TzZyO]

They don't own you anything, Christ, talk about delusional!

Way to go. Keep it up, and soon developers will simply be taking your money for nothing in return at all or at least come up with schemes more ridiculous than what iRacing has.

AC and PC and Iracing have to look out for you they are shaking now cuz if ISI ows you for 28 euro what do they ow you then .
what you expect for 28 euro 10.000 worth content hope for MB you never by i Mercedes from them i see a lot problems coming to them

They'd better be shaking alright, but this particular thread is not about them.
Congratulations on being a part of the problem.

You bought lifetime online access? Then you still have lifetime online access. Nothing has been taken from you as you're still getting exactly what you paid for.

I gave them more money assuming they'll use it in further development of the sim and to bring yet more quality content into it. I never really used online itself.
What are you, their lawyer? You should be thinking on what's good for us, not for them.

Developers should come to understanding that just because they are working on a sim, they can't take the client's money as only a "token of appreciation". If you are getting paid, work for it. Or don't ask for money in the first place. Then yes, you really don't have any obligations whatsoever. But if you do sell stuff, you are expected to make it worth buying.

Again, this goes to ISI, not to Studio 397. For now.

 

[MarcG]

Yep...delusional!

 

[TzZyO]

Yep...delusional!

Enjoy throwing money away at random then. I'm not a charity though. If I pay for a product, I expect the product to be worked on until it's in a satisfying shape.

 

[Will Mazeo]

Seeing people complaining like this no wonder anyone appear saying "FREE STUFF" and get elected so easily

 

[Craig Dunkley]

I do often wonder is there room for 5 SIM racing titles?

iracing
AC
AM
rfactor2
Raceroom

and MAYBE?? even a 6th one will be joining us, Pcars2?????????????????

(all in NO particular order)

Of course its great news for us sim racers, without competition the sims would be in no hurry to update.

Each have there own plus and minus points, the fight for the number one spot is going to be very interesting.

I have no issues with rfactor2 charging for extra content as long as the prices do not become beyond the working man affordability, hell to become a top player in the sim world it is going to take a huge amount of funds.

 

[TzZyO]

Seeing people complaining like this no wonder anyone appear saying "FREE STUFF" and get elected so easily

If you knew how much I invested into different simulators, you'd most likely keep that line to yourself.
It's just that I'm not happy with developers lately adopting the mindset that money and respect is a given, as long as they announce working on a sim. And guess who helped this situation to develop in the first place?

 

[Will Mazeo]

If you knew how much I invested into different simulators, you'd most likely keep that line to yourself.
It's just that I'm not happy with developers lately adopting the mindset that money and respect is a given, as long as they announce working on a sim. And guess who helped this situation to develop in the first place?

You
Pretty simple to me: don't like, don't buy. For example: just now both AC and R3E got in a state where it's worth paying for their DLC for me (tho R3E still need to improve... tire pressure anyone?). If DLC was released under ISI way of development I'd not buy it but with S397 being ahead it made it more worthy.
Honestly I didn't even buy rF2 under previous state and would not have done it tbh the game was not worth the lifetime price, was just luck I got a key in a giveaway.

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

That's exactly what I was saying. ISI owes us one. And they should do something about the extra money they took from us. And that something doesn't mean simply hiding it in their pockets and pretending nothing happened.

How many years do you think the average game is patched after release? I would think it's between one and two years. rF2 since it was released did receive updates and new licensed content from ISI for over four years, much longer than rF1 was patched for example. And take in consideration they probably started working on rF2 somewhere before year 2010, so they had to finance 6+ years of development + all the car and track licenses with a one-time lifetime payment from the customer, or a small 10 dollar online annual sum (which most didn't even buy, because online was dead apart from leagues).

So yeah, if you think ISI got a lot of extra money from rF2 in their pockets, I think you are a bit delusional. They almost certainly lost money on rF2, but rF1 and rFPro, which were more successful, probably kept rF2 development alive for as long as it did.

 

[Marc Collins]

how can you have the same expectations for each when one (rf2) is still in beta dx11, if you think a beta should be compared to 2 games that one of was built on dx11 and the other has money to burn to get it updated quickly then theres something wrong and your not understanding what a beta is.

rick seems like any other troll/hater/game basher, nobody could say anything that would make him think hey it might be my system or maybe my graphics card is a bit on the underpowered side for triples with rf2 dx11, because it clearly is, he can run it all around medium and get decent framerates but he probably choses to go max settings all the time and then complain it doesnt work right with a 4 year old graphics card.

rF2 has been around for five years. The main release (DX9) is still effectively in beta form, as it has been since the day it was released. That was just ISI's style and appears to be S397's too, though S397 is more communicative. Despite that history, most rF2 owners bought the title to utilize; not to participate in an endless beta process. Those same owners also buy many other sims, because the natural audience for rF2 is the hardcore prosumer racing sim enthusiast. These enthusiasts also buy iRacing, AC, R3E, even PCARS, etc., to use and enjoy.

It is perfectly legitimate to compare the performance of these various titles--even if they don't all do exactly the same things. Since it's the same people running them on their same machines (and sim rigs in some cases), this should be pretty obvious to anyone who is attempting to be part of a conversation rather than whinging or trolling.

S397 just stated that DX11 was close to ready for public release...so, again, legitimate to be interested in how it is performing at the moment.

What exactly is your point and contribution to the conversation? That the rest of us should not share information about performance comparisons...for what reason?