rF2: McLaren Senna GTR and Aston Martin GTE Released

[Paul Jeffrey]

Studio 397 have released the stunning McLaren Senna GTR and Aston Martin Vantage GTE for rFactor 2.

Available as standalone DLC content or part of the ‘Two Strong Pack’, both cars are available to purchase for the simulation with immediate effect.

Adding a brand new category to the sim, the McLaren Senna offers a first look at the upcoming new Hypercar specification of GT racing – a classification set to take over from the retiring LMP class at the head of the endurance racing landscape.

Officially unveiled as a limited production mid-engine sports car by McLaren Automotive back at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the Senna is earmarked by the famous racing team to take the McLaren name back to the top level of Le Mans competition from the 2020/21 season.

Packing a mighty 4.0l V8 twin-turbocharged engine, the Senna GTR is in its own right an impressive piece of motorsport engineering – however, the look into the future of endurance racing is perhaps what is most exciting about the car – giving sim racers our first view of what is set to come at the pinnacle of long distance endurance racing.

The other car in the pack similarly needs no introduction, with Studio 397 dropping the fourth instalment to the popular GTE category within the sim – adding the beautiful Aston Martin Vantage GTE to the title.

The Vantage joins the current GTE field of Porsche, Corvette and BMW within the sim, and inserts a fan favourite car into what is, for me at least, one of the best packs of virtual racing machines anywhere in sim racing.

Both cars are available now, and retails for 4.99 euro each, or around 6.99 euros for the two car ‘Two Strong Pack’.

Like what we do at RaceDepartment? Follow us on Social Media!

 

 

[Dady Cairo]

Last time I saw Marcel he was on his multi million pound super yacht, laughing evilly shouting I have your money.
He's evil that Marcel, selling two top notch cars for 7 euro

I saw Ian Bell laughing evilly in his
dinghy...

 

[eg01st]

Most fun with TC off, of course.
First lap after outlap:

 

[Pappa_G_27]

Two superb cars for the cost of a Pint in a Posh Wine Bar, which begs the question why are you buying Beer in a Posh Win Bar in the first place?!

Love a good posh beer in a posh beer bar. Craft beer nerds unite
Can't wait to test these cars out while drinking a posh beer

 

[patchedupdemon]

I saw Ian Bell laughing evilly in his
dinghy...

He made a killing from that understeer simulator

 

[fireballr18]

According the laps, Jimmy did, the downforce of the McLaren seems very high in the Porsche curves. Bit surprising to me...as I thought the LMP2 will be not defeated by the Senna there.

Anyway looks interesting, although the three kings of LMP1 would have been an epic pack with much more glamour. For the moment the Senna is a car, doesn't fit that perfect to the rest of the enduro field.

 

[Mantas Jokubauskas]

7€ seems a reasonable price for 2 cars, however it looks like we're paying for 1.5 cars - Aston GTE seems like just a reskin of the GT3 version, from what I'm reading here.

However, I think my main problem with the game is that for 30€ (15€ on sales) you get barely any "high-quality content". All the "good stuff™" is locked behind additional paywalls, while base content of the game is mostly just "good enough" levels - only Tatuus (6 cars) and McLarens (MP4/13, MP4/8 and M23) seem to have that "higher quality" (and maybe updated Zandvoort, but that's a difficult question), and that's all you get of that "higher quality" with the game. Honestly, the amount feels incredibly lacking. Not to comment on most of the older stuff you get with the game (which, while isn't bad, isn't either up-to-date or isn't detailed as much)...
What the game badly needs, in my opinion, is a high quality popular track for free in the game (like Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, but actual new version, and not just ported AC version) AND a high quality popular racing car (and not an Open-Wheeler). Right now I fear you pay 30€ for a barebones game, which, if you want to enjoy fully, you have to invest additional money to get the actual good stuff for the game. That is not a good thing IMO, and it might scare quite a few people away for refunds (IF you can still refund after you download all the base stuff, because game downloads all its' content on the first run, PLUS it installs them one at a time, and all that can take a LONG time, lol). Of course, that's just my opinion.

And, well, not to mention the long overdue new UI still being work in progress and needed AI bugfixes...

(I will understand if you disagree with my opinion, but the more I await new things, the more I'm getting disappointed - I really want this game to suceed well, but it's just that base game gives you almost nothing of high quality where the game actually really shines (like Sebring or LeMans or GT3 cars or Endurance cars, which are all paid separately) while costing half of the AAA game price normally - and that quite disappoints me. And of course the long overdue changes which were promised now long time ago, and we still don't have them...)

 

[Durge Driven]

7 years disagreeing and whining
Go use another sim stop torturing yourselves and us

 

[tr1v1um]

7€ seems a reasonable price for 2 cars, however it looks like we're paying for 1.5 cars - Aston GTE seems like just a reskin of the GT3 version, from what I'm reading here.

However, I think my main problem with the game is that for 30€ (15€ on sales) you get barely any "high-quality content". All the "good stuff™" is locked behind additional paywalls, while base content of the game is mostly just "good enough" levels - only Tatuus (6 cars) and McLarens (MP4/13, MP4/8 and M23) seem to have that "higher quality" (and maybe updated Zandvoort, but that's a difficult question), and that's all you get of that "higher quality" with the game. Honestly, the amount feels incredibly lacking. Not to comment on most of the older stuff you get with the game (which, while isn't bad, isn't either up-to-date or isn't detailed as much)...
What the game badly needs, in my opinion, is a high quality popular track for free in the game (like Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, but actual new version, and not just ported AC version) AND a high quality popular racing car (and not an Open-Wheeler). Right now I fear you pay 30€ for a barebones game, which, if you want to enjoy fully, you have to invest additional money to get the actual good stuff for the game. That is not a good thing IMO, and it might scare quite a few people away for refunds (IF you can still refund after you download all the base stuff, because game downloads all its' content on the first run, PLUS it installs them one at a time, and all that can take a LONG time, lol). Of course, that's just my opinion.

And, well, not to mention the long overdue new UI still being work in progress and needed AI bugfixes...

(I will understand if you disagree with my opinion, but the more I await new things, the more I'm getting disappointed - I really want this game to suceed well, but it's just that base game gives you almost nothing of high quality where the game actually really shines (like Sebring or LeMans or GT3 cars or Endurance cars, which are all paid separately) while costing half of the AAA game price normally - and that quite disappoints me. And of course the long overdue changes which were promised now long time ago, and we still don't have them...)

I am not really disagreeing with what you said, but there are a few considerations to be made. First of all, there is a pretty wide selection of free tracks and track configs that - and that's where I agree with you - would benefit greatly from the new PBR stuff. Granted, you don't have what is the common standard right now in most sims, like Spa or Monza, but what is there is decent enough to get the ball rolling. If iRacing gets away with allmost ten year old stuff, then S397 should have a good base to fill some online lobbies.

And iRacing is where S397 is obviously aiming at. Just compare iRacing Lime Rock Park and rF2 Lime Rock Park and tell me that rF2 isn't good enough and you get tons of pretty good 3rd party content aswell. In that regard, you have to see the DLC stuff as premium content. My personal hope is that S397 get's their stuff right so that iRacing will have to consider lowering their prices, because as it stands right now is S397 able to produce tracks with the same or even better quality than iRacing for a lower price. If the UI and comp infrastructure work well, the iRacing guys might have to step up their game.

 

[patchedupdemon]

7€ seems a reasonable price for 2 cars, however it looks like we're paying for 1.5 cars - Aston GTE seems like just a reskin of the GT3 version, from what I'm reading here.

However, I think my main problem with the game is that for 30€ (15€ on sales) you get barely any "high-quality content". All the "good stuff™" is locked behind additional paywalls, while base content of the game is mostly just "good enough" levels - only Tatuus (6 cars) and McLarens (MP4/13, MP4/8 and M23) seem to have that "higher quality" (and maybe updated Zandvoort, but that's a difficult question), and that's all you get of that "higher quality" with the game. Honestly, the amount feels incredibly lacking. Not to comment on most of the older stuff you get with the game (which, while isn't bad, isn't either up-to-date or isn't detailed as much)...
What the game badly needs, in my opinion, is a high quality popular track for free in the game (like Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, but actual new version, and not just ported AC version) AND a high quality popular racing car (and not an Open-Wheeler). Right now I fear you pay 30€ for a barebones game, which, if you want to enjoy fully, you have to invest additional money to get the actual good stuff for the game. That is not a good thing IMO, and it might scare quite a few people away for refunds (IF you can still refund after you download all the base stuff, because game downloads all its' content on the first run, PLUS it installs them one at a time, and all that can take a LONG time, lol). Of course, that's just my opinion.

And, well, not to mention the long overdue new UI still being work in progress and needed AI bugfixes...

(I will understand if you disagree with my opinion, but the more I await new things, the more I'm getting disappointed - I really want this game to suceed well, but it's just that base game gives you almost nothing of high quality where the game actually really shines (like Sebring or LeMans or GT3 cars or Endurance cars, which are all paid separately) while costing half of the AAA game price normally - and that quite disappoints me. And of course the long overdue changes which were promised now long time ago, and we still don't have them...)

What planet are you in, the free taurus and vintage mclarens are some of the best cars in rf2

 

[Ace King]

Just finished running laps with the awesome McLaren Senna at Le Mans and i'am totally blown away!!!

 

[melanieuk]

If the UI and comp infrastructure work well, the iRacing guys might have to step up their game.

I'm sure Sector 3 Studios with their Race Room simulator, thought they could put a dent in iracing, how many racing discipline's and racing series does Race Room have compared to rfactor 2. Race Room is closer to iracing, but European focused, If there was a developer or sim that could challenge iracing, I think it would have been Race Room.
It's going to take more than a UI and or a competition system, for Studio 397 to align themselves with or dethrone iracing, so that they have to change their pricing model, or take users away from it, iracing has the user base to maintain its untouchable superior online service(s).
It's going to have to compete with these iracing racing series https://www.iracing.com/series/ (again, sector 3 studios, Race Room has its own European focused), if it wants to poach users away from iracing.
iracing has no competition, not talking tyre model, physics or sim features, it has a online infrastructure, American focused content, and the massive user base, willing to pay for content & maintain iracings services.

 

[2stains]

Waiting for bug reports

Waiting for them to be finished

 

[2stains]

He got a code for the pre-release version from S397.
Not finished yet but the DRS button isn't working and there are no shift sounds.

Nah that's the finished version , lol

 

[Amir Vodokotlic]

Another classic rf2 thread.

many groups have come out to battle it out.

we have:

-how dare they price it so low = check
-how dare they price it so high = check
-where is the UI = check
-why is the game still full of bugs = check
-why are the graphics from 2001 = check
-why is this DLC simulator game = check

oh and these same discussions will happen in the next rf2 thread.

 

[Ghoults]

Don't forget the many commenters complaining about the complaining.

 

[Tar Heel]

I'm sure Sector 3 Studios with their Race Room simulator, thought they could put a dent in iracing, how many racing discipline's and racing series does Race Room have compared to rfactor 2. Race Room is closer to iracing, but European focused, If there was a developer or sim that could challenge iracing, I think it would have been Race Room.
It's going to take more than a UI and or a competition system, for Studio 397 to align themselves with or dethrone iracing, so that they have to change their pricing model, or take users away from it, iracing has the user base to maintain its untouchable superior online service(s).
It's going to have to compete with these iracing racing series https://www.iracing.com/series/ (again, sector 3 studios, Race Room has its own European focused), if it wants to poach users away from iracing.
iracing has no competition, not talking tyre model, physics or sim features, it has a online infrastructure, American focused content, and the massive user base, willing to pay for content & maintain iracings services.

This is why I think it would have been smarter for S397 and other sim developers to focus on a different portion of the market. You know what portion of the market is heavily neglected right now? The offline market. A market that if S397 developed their sim to tailor fit they would have the offline market jumping onboard. Instead everyone is trying to copy what iRacing has done and has fallen short in every instance.

 

[patchedupdemon]

This is why I think it would have been smarter for S397 and other sim developers to focus on a different portion of the market. You know what portion of the market is heavily neglected right now? The offline market. A market that if S397 developed their sim to tailor fit they would have the offline market jumping onboard. Instead everyone is trying to copy what iRacing has done and has fallen short in every instance.

People are wanting to race other people, there will never be an ai that can offer the same racing, it's that simple, move with the times or get left behind

 

[patchedupdemon]

Don't forget the many commenters complaining about the complaining.

I never understood this statement, I still can't fathom it out

 

[Emery]

OMG, shoot me now... I've just agreed with melanieuk in an rF2 thread!!!

 

[Tar Heel]

People are wanting to race other people, there will never be an ai that can offer the same racing, it's that simple, move with the times or get left behind

That's funny you say that when F1 2019 a primarily offline title has more average users than almost any hardcore sim on the market. Not everyone has the time or the desire to race online. Kunos even stated that roughly 50% of their user base for AC was offline only players. There is a loud portion of the community that wants an online experience like iRacing without the cost, but there is also a large portion of the community that would like an immersive offline experience in a serious sim as well.