rF2 | UI Updates & Other Improvements

Paul Jeffrey

Premium
Studio 397 recently deployed their first major update to the new rFactor 2 UI - releasing build 1117 into the wild on Friday afternoon.

Long awaited, the brand new rFactor 2 UI enjoyed a public release to the simulation userbase back in December last year, and since then the Dutch development team have been hard at work collecting data and feedback prior to this first major update. Deploying a new build of this simulation back on Friday 7th February, the latest updates adds a few significant improvements to the sim, as well as addressing some of the initial issues with the new UI design.

Fear not fellow sim racer, if the update isn't to your liking just yet, Studio 397 have confirmed plenty more tweaks and improvements will be heading your way in the coming weeks and months - full details of which can be found below:

.....

The first update of the new UI public beta is here! Although it’s taken a bit longer than anticipated, we’ve addressed a lot of issues as you can see from the changelog below. We held off on this release for a bit longer than we anticipated, as we felt we had to get a number of problems fixed in this next update. Going forward we anticipate we can get roughly two updates per month done for the new UI, with smaller fixes and added features, and also addressing a few other issues in every new build. Below the changelog we’ve added some known issues and work in progress, This is not an exhaustive list but should cover what we’re currently looking to release in the next updates or are working on for a later update. As always we would like to give a big thanks to you, the rFactor 2 community, for the detailed reports and feedback.

rF2 Update 1.jpg
rF2 Update 2.jpg
rF2 Update 3.jpg


New UI: public_beta: Steam Build ID 4648512

  • ‘Favorite servers’ will only update when manually refreshed.
  • Added tyre wear, temperatures and hot pressures to the garage page, so you can see those after you get out of your car.
  • Added practice, qualification and race progress in the event screen.
  • Added brake wear to garage page, so after you get out of your car, you can see how much your brakes have worn.
  • Added plugin management tab to options, allowing you to enable and disable installed plugins. This still requires a restart after making changes.
  • Added class color coded icons and class names to event standings if such an event has more than a single class.
  • Added a replay ‘seeker’ that is now drag-able so you can immediately see where you are in the replay.
  • Added confirmation dialog when deleting a setup
  • When you select a car, track or series, you will now return to where you came from, instead of going back to start page or in some cases the race page.
  • Fixed the missing package download and install process when joining a server.
  • Fixed the missing blinking cursor in text fields.
  • Fixed that you could always start driving again in sessions, even after for example being classified as DNF in a race. Now correctly disables the button when needed.
  • Removed certain display settings that shouldn’t be available when in a session.
  • Key assignments now show the key modifiers, such as ALT and CTRL.
  • When clicking a folder in save setup, the setup name is no longer lost and goes blank.
  • Server text commands do now work when pressing ‘return’.
  • Fixed the intermittent pace car loading error on track load
    • Removed additional pace cars “Clio Cup” and “Pace Car With Lights” from base install.
  • In VR, fixed a glitchy loading screen in the headset in both the old and new UI.
  • In VR, fixed a flashing desktop mirror while track loads in both the old and new UI.
  • Updated openvr libraries.
  • Fixed the lag when other clients joined a server.
  • Fixed AI limit of 19 when adding them in single player using ‘session controls’.
  • Removed old UI images that would appear sporadically.
Known Issues
  • Showroom does not go full screen when pressing ‘return’.
  • After content install in VR rFactor 2 does not restart. A workaround for now is to restart manually.
  • There is still a black band on the bottom half of the track loading screen.
  • Some are seeing some micro stutters in the new UI, more prominent in VR, we are aware and working on a fix.
  • Unrelated to UI, but we are also aware of the erratic throttle behavior of the AI cars, and we are looking into that.
Work in Progress
  • Add skin download progress bar while on a server that allows custom skin transfers.
  • Config tool sporadically fails to launch up after clicking PLAY for setting graphics resolution, VR or post effect levels.
  • Team creation in the showroom is missing.
  • Material editing in the showroom is missing.
  • Forced setup and/or upgrades.
  • Car (re)selection when on a server.
  • Resume from replay.
  • Sporadic ‘white screen’ on server exit.


rFactor 2 is available exclusively for PC.

Having issues with the sim? Let the community be your guide! Post a thread in the rF2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment!

rF2 Update 4.jpg
 
Took a look at the new UI, not for me...yet! But then it never was a deal breaker for me and I am an old stick in the mud.

Being honest though I picked up RF2 just after S397 took the reins. I knew ISI had left things in a mess unfortunately, but I was interested in the new teams vision for the sim even though the cynical side of me thought they might treat it as a cash cow until the accountants pulled the plug.

Thankfully Marcel and the team have very much proven me wrong. Since purchase they have added DX11, the new UI, some great cars and circuits plus a whole bunch of updates and improvements...All gratis, completely free. In return I am more than happy to continue to give my support via dlc's if it helps to keep the doors open for another week, RF2 has come a long way! Thanks all!
 
Speaking about VR and UI...

In my opinion a good solution when you can use both the monitor screen and your VR headset to start a race, setup, etc. and it's your choice which one you prefer.

Games that do a better job on this (I'm not saying perfect):
- Content Manager for AC (set up everything and when all loaded put your headset on)
- RaceRoom screen mirroring (can be used in both screeen and VR)
- Project Cars 2 screen mirroring (simple desktop projection in the VR headset and on the monitor screen, and also you can use your wheel buttons for navigating in VR -> this is close to perfect anyway)
- iRacing's web menu (even the new beta UI can be used on both VR and screen)

Games that do it wrong:
- rF2's awful theater mode
- ACC only mirrors the VR world to the monitor screen without menu and hud

So rF2 can have any kind of new / shiny / polished UI, it's still an unusable website like menu system that can't be used in VR.

As the AMS2 will use PC2 engine I'm hoping that they will keep all the good stuff from PC2 VR functionality.

You can blame me, say that I'm wrong, but again...
I think I'm not the only one who would like to use these games with a VR headset correctly.
 
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Ok, most of that 6 hours is trying to get rF2 to run.

Every time I launch it, it seems to want to download everything again - this takes ages.

It constantly freezes when loading a track - the progress bar just stops after around 30 - 45 seconds, and then I have to quit it via task manager.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled several times to no good effect.

Really I have no idea why it won't run correctly on my system when everything else does. My system is clean and is pretty much a good solid mid to upper end gaming rig.
That is strange... but loading tracks can take a while especially first time. They did improve this recently but first time it loads it does take a few minutes even on an SSD.
Having to download everything again does sound like something is missing or not quite right though.
 
If "rFactor 2 is available exclusively for PC. " then why can't you just put EVERYTHING on one screen?
Because it looks pretty and stylish. And UI design these days is all about looking pretty and stylish. Usability? Who cares. Doesn't help that most UIs seem to be designed for touch control and/or gamepads these days, with huge items and a lot of wasted space everywhere.

And that's why we have flashy new UIs which are unintuitive to use and you need more time and/or more clicks to do the same thing you were able to do previously faster/with less clicks. The new rF2 UI is a classic example. The newly redesigned ACC car selection screen is another. A good UI should not make you go "wait, so where do I click to do this or that...?" or make you do several clicks or a lot of scrolling to get where you wanted.

I wonder which way the AMS2 UI designed by Vyxl will go. The screenshots so far seem hopeful.
 
rF2 has a track with animated campfire and yes none of the rest have discovered it yet


Sorry Highbank here and here ;) Used to like sitting around it online and derby around figure 8 :)



 
Ok, most of that 6 hours is trying to get rF2 to run.

Every time I launch it, it seems to want to download everything again - this takes ages.

It constantly freezes when loading a track - the progress bar just stops after around 30 - 45 seconds, and then I have to quit it via task manager.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled several times to no good effect.

Really I have no idea why it won't run correctly on my system when everything else does. My system is clean and is pretty much a good solid mid to upper end gaming rig.
That is strange... but loading tracks can take a while especially first time. They did improve this recently but first time it loads it does take a few minutes even on an SSD.
Having to download everything again does sound like something is missing or not quite right though. Like maybe the install directory is different between where the game is installed vs where the content installs or something...
 
I updated to the beta but see no new UI. Mine is still the old one.
I think you are still on the regular version..

you need to set rFactor 2 to "Public-beta" in steams properties.

righ click on rFactor2 -> Settings (then on betas Tab select "Public Beta"
I recommend you run configuration Tools first. to reset your video card..
then run rfactor 2 (you should see the new UI)... note it takes awhile to load....
 

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