Rate the Sims: Community Edition | rFactor 2

Paul Jeffrey · Dec 23, 2019

We are looking to crown the 'RaceDepartment Community Favourite' racing game - get your votes in now for our next game on the list... rFactor 2!

Our dear RaceDepartment community. You folks are the most mighty fans of sim racing, often displaying an immense amount of understanding and depth of knowledge when it comes to our favourite hobby.

With sim racing and eSports in such a wonderful boom period of late. Gamers looking to have some fun with their virtual racing machines have never before had such a wide and robust variety of software to enjoy.

Now occasionally I've been in a position to rate new racing titles that have come my way, and almost every time I've received a wide variety of folks agreeing, or strongly disagreeing with my own opinions.

Opinions are great, but sometimes the opinion of one person, with their own likes and dislikes taken into account, can often give a bit of a skewed picture (intentional or not) to the greater cause in which said person is trying to explain.

As such, rather than doing one myself, and in the spirit of engaging some interesting community discussion, I thought it could be fun to let our own community rate each of the key sim racing / racing games available today.

As always with these things, please do try and respect each other and their opinions, and let's try to see if we can give a fun, but fair shake of the stick to each of the games included in this poll.

For transparency, I'm going to be featuring the following racing games over the next weeks:

I'm going to launch the article each Monday evening, and keep the poll running for a full week until the next new article is pushed live. So get your votes in quick!

Once I've completed the full list of games, I'll publish a final results feature, and we can award the winning developer the lofty title of 'RaceDepartment Community Favourite'!

Have fun, stay sensible and let the voting commence!

DND · Dec 23, 2019

Great potential, and there is no lack of effort from the team at Studio 397 I just wish there was more of a vetting process in what mods are available as to the level they ought to be to ensure consistency and compatibility between the third party mods. With the mods being free, in most cases, and DLC priced at what it is seems to be a bit odd in that I am not sure how to rationalize that the quality is near what it should be bringing them together.

Andy-R · Dec 23, 2019

I really enjoy driving in rF2 but there things that annoy me about the game. The main one is probably having to use Steam VR which will not allow ingame Rift sound with all other audio through my normal speakers. Also having to navigate the menu in VR is annoying for me, I'd much rather do that on my monitor. I'm not keen on a lot of the content either. I think Studio 397 might have added one car that I can enjoy which is the "Howston Dissenter" but that may even have been ISI. I'd never pay for any of their additional tracks either without some regular online action to make it a worthwhile purchase.

That said, once in a while when I decide to suffer the long loading times and complete silence whilst playing and have a go I find it really quite enjoyable but I have ISI to thank for 99% of the content I like.

I'll give rF2 a 6.5 and round up I think.

tlsmikey · Dec 23, 2019

Good overall sim that is let down by poor quality releases and inconsistent cars. Some cars like the GTE and LMP2 are fantastic while others have terrible ffb like the radical and Mercedes gt3.

I’m also starting to question some of the physics I’ve been seeing with some of these cars.

it has potential but I’m no longer interested in paying iracing prices for low quality content.

CrimsonEminence · Dec 23, 2019

Flawed, unapproachable, worst performance pay-off.

Versatile, good driving feel, best endurance capabilities, even TOO detailed FFB, best Nordschleife on the market.

8/10

Pls. fix more of this platform S397 to archieve the 9.^^

Zuffenhausen Weiss · Dec 23, 2019

Compared to it's competitions
Best Nordscheife
Best Circuit de la Sarthe
Best GTE/GT3 cars

Haters can bitch about it's graphics as they please but with the shaders, it feels more like you are in a car better than in PC2 - example of this is at night, you feel you are driving at night.
Haters can complain about the price of it's DLC, when they are happy to throw their money on some i9, 2080 RTX, VR, DD, etc, well enough to buy a car; but once you had a go, the work that went into it are noticable

[In reference to this year's protest] I always pointed this out, after reading the roadmap, you need more patience than everybody at HK police could manage (if the haters are the black clad petrol bomb throwing, arsoning, shop smashing rioters) - so that makes rF2 the HKPF of sims; the least popular to the less educated.

There are things that they could still work on such as the crash physics - I seen cars back into a wall following a spin and are still perfectly drivable - I once saw a car sideswipe through a concrete barrier at Mount Panorama and it was still drivable and both were S397 GT3 cars

Great if you like LMP/GT cars - not so if your taste are those before 2000 - which is why some people are attracted to PC2 and who could blame them for that
Least popular opinion, somehow I think the devs should start looking at working on rF3 ASAP

In the future, besides expanding on existing LMP2/GTE/GT3 contents, I like to see add some older cars - maybe think of replacing the C6 safety car

7.8 out of 10

The Iron Wolf · Dec 23, 2019

I am giving it a 9. Even though I am not a fan of the official cars, especially late ones, thanks to modding I can enjoy community content, which suits my preferences better (damage implementation, real world skins). Big issue is bugs, but it is the only sim where I feel like in a real autosport event and not in the sandbox with ifs, buts, maybes and false marketing claims. Basically I'd say I prefer buggy features to features missing whatsoever.

Once game gets Single Pass Stereo, fixes Safety Car phase and becomes stable and reliable online, it will be solid 10, and fingers crossed it stays semi-open.

zi99y · Dec 23, 2019

Voted 7 for raceroom before I realised it was supposed to be for rfactor 2

Can I change my vote?

VaporOne · Dec 23, 2019

Missclicked my vote but nvm, The core foundations and the idea of the game is great and have all the features a sim needs. Unfortanly alot of things are overcomplicated in terms of modding or gameplay. Tyre model is a struggle to understand. Ai has latley been struggling and can tend todo inconsistent stuff. One turn they are calmn while next turn theres a demolition derby. Safteycar is broken too unfortunately. Multiplayer has not been problem free either. See rf2 lm24. The bugs have latley grown bigger and more then before and even the latest dlc content carrys them . I see big promise in this game. Imo just need to sort out most of the bugs and make some things more understandable. I would love see some additional modding support comming in soon. The game isint atm heading at the right direction when dlc keeps being launched with new or old flaws/bugs on top of the core issues that already exists. Some flaws has been around for years and months. Stacking issues on issues can make future content more broken then before.

But i sense great potential still! Im enjoying the game very much as i get gtr2 and rfactor 1 nostalgic feels playing rf2 with good content and mods. 5/10 imo

stickdeath1980 · Dec 23, 2019

Every main stream sim racing title out today all have their positives and negatives. Rfactor 2 is no exception to that statement. It's safe to say that this game is a little rough around the edges. Out of the box, at first glace, it doesn't appear to have that many tracks or cars to offer. The graphics look a little strange and dated when comparing it to other sim racing titles. The sound is lacking a little bit. The UI the game uses is absolute garbage (hopefully not for long with an update in the works.)

With all that taken into consideration there are a couple really important things that rFactor 2 does tremendously well. The FFB is top notch, easily the best out of all the other titles that are on the market. The physics are fantastic as well. The other aspect that the game does exceptionally well is with its AI. The AI in this game is also hands down, better than every other title out there. These two reasons alone are worth it's current price point.

Lastly, there are many things that can be done to improve the negatives I listed at the beginning of this review. When it comes to tracks, the ones being offered in the rFactor 2 store are truely top notch. They run, look and feel great (worth every penny.) There are also hundreds of free custom tracks, of very high quality, in both the workshop and all over the internet. If you have a favorite track that isn't included in the base game, there's a great chance you'll find a high quality version of it somewhere after a google search. In terms of car selection, again the rFactor 2 stores selection of car packs to pay for are also extremely high quality in every way (worth the price point.) Just like with the with the tracks, you can find hundreds of free high quality cars to download both on the workshop and online. Graphically, at max settings with the right reshade preset applied, the game can look pretty good, borderline great under certain situations.

Basically, the things I mentioned that it does well, the game just does really really well. I remember a reddit quote I read a while back, that I've had to dig to find again, that perfectly sums up the game (username BernieSander). "rFactor2 is the Linux of sim racing games. It will come ugly (default graphics are downright laughable) and bare boned, but the driving is fantastic and there are hundreds of fantastic mods you can find." Overall I completely recommend rFactor 2 at its current price point it's a fantastic experience.

avenger82 · Dec 23, 2019

Amir Vodokotlic said:
I can't stand the graphics.

Its like playing game from 2005.

for todays standards its by far the ugliest game on the market.

Have you tried it on high settings? With updated DX11 content, let alone DLCs, like GTE, laser scanned tracks. For me they look better than in PC2.
Online multiplayer is not dead, but for quality races you need to search for leagues or club races here at RD.
With the rest I agree. I’d add there are long standing bugs and “features “ that are not being fixed( or as someone said, even acknowledged).

But for me pure driving/racing experience, tire model and FFB are still the best. Besides graphics, core game development seems very slow

blueferrari · Dec 23, 2019

I only could give RF2 a 2. For a sim that has been around for a long time, I really think it should be much more advanced. Graphics are poor, the voice-over is appallingly old and dated, there are many bugs and stutters and it's really only set up for Mods, that are again very poor in presentation and graphics. Yes, granted it has good FFB and physics, but that just doesn't keep you interested.

fireballr18 · Dec 23, 2019

Case_ · Dec 23, 2019

Very much torn between 7/10 and 8/10. In the end, I decided to give it 8/10, but it's more like 7.5 really.

I love rF2 when it works and it's at its best. It's a pleasure to drive in that case. And as much as I also often have issues with the way S397 communicates things, Marcel Offermans seems like a great guy and gives very honest and forthcoming answers, which is also great. If rF2 was just this, it would be 10/10 without any doubts whatsoever.

Sadly, it has a lot of smaller and bigger issues that sour the experience a lot at times. It can be a hassle to get working properly, you have to constantly be tweaking something (even the car FFB multipliers reset after the smallest of updates), various random issues pop up all the time (see basically any online race for plenty of examples), the game doesn't look consistent even with the official content (great looking cars, mediocre cockpits, often very dated looking trackside objects), the official communication can sometimes be quite facepalm-worthy... in other words, this side of the game would get like 5/10 at best from me.

Hence...8/10. Rounding up just because when rF2 is good, it really is *very* good.

Durge Driven · Dec 23, 2019

2 ? TROLL

tr1v1um · Dec 23, 2019

I play basicly all sims, but rF2 is the one that keeps me comming back whenever I take a break from gaming or sim racing. And it offers something that no other product on the market offers: it's simply a f*ckin' big sandbox that offers so much that it is hardly possible to scratch below the surface, it's like the ArmA of sims. And that's exactly what I am looking for. Even if some other sims are a better package, or better looking or more accesible, there is no other product with that many features, options and ways to expand the experience. Some people get frustrated or mad about the new UI - I don't. I even enjoy beta testing it. Not even AC wich is together with AMS my second favorite. Considering that we are in a day and age of sims getting more and more enclosed ecosystems, I don't see that changing anytime soon. And don't get me started on the driving sensation. Simply put, take the Eve at historic Spa - the first footage that I saw from this sim back in 2010 that got me hooked - and feel the rush. It never gets old. 8/10 ... maybe 10/10 in the future if they can can add more polish and consistency to the product.

mantasisg · Dec 23, 2019

6/10 Best simulation and overall very solid and the most true package in the market for those that want to immerse, feel, and understand the car.

But much behind with multiplayer. Needs more graphics improvements. And sound improvements. Needs more consistency with official content. A few unfortunate bugs appears now and then, such as, tragically, in big profile Le mans event this summer. Some random content releases, like a car and then without any note a pack with that same car soon after (I still remember you, Fe Gen2). Questionable tire underinflation simulation. Rain simulation is not the most advanced in the market. Complex modding workflow and supports only 3Ds Max which is expensive and I don't even like it xD. There are some long standing AI issues that some people are getting crazy about waiting to get solved. May not focus on variety of cars, so upcoming content may not meet taste of many car enthusiasts that also are simracers, and the record shows this clearly - they don't seem to be much about anything but new and modern and high profile racing purpose.... The beta UI release was perhaps biggest software update in a year and perhaps more than a year, so the progress is hard to feel.

It is best sim, and I want it to see at 10/10 one day. Good luck to me

Good luck S397 and every proper simulation and cars enthusiast. See you online some day.

Edison5do · Dec 23, 2019

This post, along with the Steam Sale forced me to get this game... and GT3 pack... and the Nürburgring, and Im considering the 2 Reiza Packs! omg I'm so weak minded when I see cheap stuff!!

sp65 · Dec 23, 2019

For me I would have given it 9 if there was a table to rate it, indeed ask us to rate a porsche by showing us a Peugeot.
Why 9 and not 10, simply because I tried ACC I realized that the clearances with sand actually brake the car not like in RF2 on the other hand I only have a 1080ti if in RF2 the graphics are very good that it is the cars in front of me where certain circuits, but they are clean and of good quality compared to ACC or the cars in front of me are a mush of pixels the circuits are very average, except in replay or it is very good and clean but I'm not here to watch replays.
I forced myself to play 2 good hours but no more, I returned to RF2 or there I am having fun while waiting maybe AMS2.
I compared RF2 with ACC because it is the only one on a new engine, I wanted to try but it will soon join all the others in the basket this fault with S397 because if S397 had not been there I wouldn’t will not have known and will be satisfied with AC, AMS, RRE, PC, PC2, Dirt Rally and some others older. I use 3 screens 1de 27 "- 1 of 34" -1de 27 "only in solo.Made with google translation.

sentry87 · Dec 23, 2019

One of my favorites 8.5/10

Pros:
-physics and ffb
-content. Great selection of cars and tracks. Best official dlc, sebring and nordschliefe are fantastic.
- plenty of features. Despite the UI which doesn't bother me. I love the customization to what you can do to the a.i. skill level and what cars you can race with. Time progression included always a plus, thus is what hurt the score with me for raceroom.
- plenty of mods

Cons:
-weird bugs, especially with fcy
- I always feel like I have to mess with Json files to make something work correctly sometimes
-settings menu confused me sometimes