rFactor 2 December Development Roadmap

[Paul Jeffrey]

Studio 397, the new developers of rFactor 2, have released their final development roadmap of 2016, and it reveals some interesting content with regards to the future of rFactor 2.

latest roadmap update confirms the studio believe they have found a fix to the often troubling NVidia driver crash issues, and a new build is due to be release in just two days time featuring the driver fix. This is great news for a number of sim racers who have suffered frustrating issues on a selection of circuits worst affected by the driver errors, hopefully this new build addresses those issues and allows a soother experience for the affected players.

Other highlights from the update include news that the DX11 update is making faster progress than initially expected, and the studio have even shared a concept image of the proposed new UI for rFactor 2, designed to offer a more modern image for the title and also preparing the game for the upcoming VR functionality due to be released hopefully alongside DX11.

You can read the full December Development Roadmap release below:

"On Tuesday, December 20th, we will release build 1108. This is our first Steam-only release, and we would like to remind you of our offer to migrate to Steam for free, which will be extended until January 31st, 2017.

To reiterate where we are, we are making really good progress with a new development team coupled with a new vision. As long time sim racers, we understand the need for a strong platform with great content, physics and visuals as well as competition, both online and offline.

A detailed changelog will be posted alongside the actual release, but some of the highlights of this build include a huge update to our Stock Car rules, better support for running Steam in offline mode – which can be very useful in LAN situations and a fix for the nVidia driver bug that has been plaguing some users of certain series of nVidia cards.

Good news! We’re ahead of our DX11 development schedule and are internally testing the first builds now. There is still a lot to do in terms of adding new features such as depth of field and motion blur effects on external cameras as well as overall improvements such as the shadow system. Needless to say, the results so far are looking good. We are really excited about the capability we have already and where it’s going. Our goal to keep the engine backward compatible seems achievable, and in the upcoming months we will start engaging the modding community providing information on the improved engine and how best to utilise it.

As we’ve announced last month, we are completely revamping the user interface of rFactor 2 to make it easier to use, nicer to look at and ready for VR. We’re leveraging modern web technology and are currently in the middle of the design phase. To give you a first impression, we’ve added a screenshot of a WIP car selection screen (see top of article)

Concerning content, we are very excited with the direction we are headed, certainly in the way plan to match cars and tracks. We will start to develop this approach over the next few months.

We have a number of car developments underway. With our current focus on the Radical, we are adding the finishing touches to the 3D model right now while we wait for some additional data to complete the physics model.

More great news! We have just signed a license with General Motors for the 2016 model of the Corvette C7.R. Development of the model and physics will start early next year. The 2016 model has significant aerodynamic improvements with a new, larger splitter and a large diffuser to generate more downforce. The car is the weapon of choice for Corvette Racing in their 2017 IMSA campaign as well as their effort to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As an added bonus, this car will also contribute to improving car physics overall.

In terms of tracks, we’ve already shown you previews of NOLA Motorsports Park in earlier updates, and we’re now in the final stages of development. The track will feature 5 different road course layouts and 5 different karting layouts, and we’re currently placing track side objects, such as grand stands, trees and a ferris wheel and are working on AI paths. It’s looking good for release early next year.​

Now let’s talk about online. Since the release of rFactor 2 the pricing consisted of a one time payment and an online subscription, with the option of buying a lifetime version of that subscription. Over the years we have received a lot of questions about charging extra for online access, and what people were getting for this in return.

We understand that online racing is key to the future of the platform. As online racers ourselves, we have decided to provide online access for everybody with the Steam version for free – simplifying the pricing model and encouraging everybody to race online. Steam will take care of automated updates. We recognise that some of you have made this purchase over the past few months, and it was a difficult decision. However, we’re positive that you’ll agree we’ve made the right decision for the future of the platform.

With the Steam Winter Sale approaching what better way for you to relax and driver rFactor 2. Look out for an exclusive offer for the holiday period!

That’s all for our last monthly update of 2016. Happy Simracing and have a great holiday. We hope to see you all in the new year!"​

rFactor 2 is a PC only racing simulation developed by Image Space Incorporated and latterly Studio 397. The game is available to purchase now on the Steam Network.

Check out the rFactor 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment to take part in some of the best League and Club Racing events on the internet. Interact with our vibrant rFactor community in our dedicated rFactor 2 sub forum, download mods for the game or share a setup or two for your favourite cars.

Do you like the sound of the latest roadmap? Looking forward to DX11 and VR? Which pieces of content would you like to see added going forward? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Sfrost]

New UI is nice but bland, it's a very modern, standard look with the rFactor orange in there. I'd prefer a series selector though over individual cars, especially considering Marcel's desire to have complete series' of cars rather than just a single car going forward.

Just underneath where it says "quick race" there appears to be a little drop down box that could provide the option of selecting a series so I wouldn't rule out a series selector being in there

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

having now read all of the posts: yes, i paid for my "lifetime" thingy more or less the day rF2 came out, the idea at that time was: you give us one big down payment and we will keep on developing the game with that money. once it is developed, you can use it for a time (nobody expected to use it for their lifetime, c'mon) and then buy into rF3. why should this be null and void just because the game changed hands? surely the new owners bought the whole operation, didn't they? and this includes the contract i signed with them, doesn't it?

 

[DaVeX↯]

Hey guys, we waited for a long time to see something new, give Studio 397 their time and we will see...maybe they will give us lifetime subscribers something new...

 

[Ole Andreasen]

Christmas is really coming. Tuesday we get Porsche pack III for AC, AND update to rF2 - PLUS the news now that online play will be free in rF2. Thanks Santa

 

[hitm4k3r]

having now read all of the posts: yes, i paid for my "lifetime" thingy more or less the day rF2 came out, the idea at that time was: you give us one big down payment and we will keep on developing the game with that money. once it is developed, you can use it for a time (nobody expected to use it for their lifetime, c'mon) and then buy into rF3. why should this be null and void just because the game changed hands? surely the new owners bought the whole operation, didn't they? and this includes the contract i signed with them, doesn't it?

Nobody told you to use the game until rF3 arrives. That's some wet dream that you propably made up in your mind, maybe back then when you bought it, but this isn't any more relevant now. Maybe you should also read the EULA that you bought with the game. rF3 was never even mentioned as being on the list by ISI.

Some comments here make me actually question, whether some of you are even interested in the product and it's future, or how informed you are. I see many comments from people, who are propably disapointed by rF2 - all fair and square - but haven't really used it in ages or rarely do it and now cry the loudest that they "lose" something that they don't even use on a regular base anyway. Did it ever cross your mind that this could improve up on aspects that many people complain about on a regular base? Developing a product is not about pleasing everyone. Allready announced licenses, like the Reynard for example, would be a pretty nice gift to some of the whiners, but at the end they were never promised but just announced. Going back to what was known right from the start - I think we got allmost all the content from the render with all the different cars and even more. The only cars that we didn't get were the Panoz Esperante and the old Dalara Indycar. Got to say, we got plenty of other stuff though to make up for it.

If you cry that you paid for lifetime and are now dissapointed of paying more for it than others I can only say: bad luck, nobody forced you to buy it for that price. And it's not even like rF2 went F2P, so some people should really calm down - Team Fortress 2 is a prime example of how successful games can be. rFactor 2 was on sale several times, so when you buy a game the moment it hits the shelf, there might be a very high chance that you pay a higher price.

 

[Martin Vindis]

I don't get why ppl are being mad with S397 when they are making rF2 better. I payed for a life time sub and guess what, no regrets. rF1 public online racing was ****, so is AMS, GSCE, AC, Forza, GT etc etc etc, so why did you expect rF2 to be any different? It's the internet, if ppl have the chance to be a dick and not take responsibility for it, they will take that chance.

 

[Kevin Knorpp]

All I can say is I won't buy this game if they don't update the historic content.

 

[David Dominguez]

Some form of compensation needs to happen as now early adopters and fans of the first hour are being rightfully upset

You still get what you paid for, so where's the issue? It's like if I blame you for making a discount of your Premium membership during Black Friday when I paid more one month earlier (just an imaginary example). Actually you'll get even more than what you'd got if ISI kept managing this game, meaning a new graphics engine, VR support, more MP life etc.

If there is someone to blame is ISI for taking such retarded business path. They already hurt their own game for years, let's not give crap to S397 now for taking the very first decision that anyone with a couple of functioning brains would take.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Don't get me wrong I totally agree that it was ridiculous to charge a fee for online racing as ISI didn't do a damn thing other than hosting the main lobby (what a single dedicated machine can do).

The fact is that people including myself have purchased a pointless lifetime subscription and that now a few years in this requirement is dropped. It's not more than logical to compensate those that bought a way overpriced product in any way. I honestly don't care about the few bucks that it costed as simracing in general is a dead cheap hobby and too much complaining has been done about money in general.

However you can also compensate (or reward) loyal customers in another way. As suggested: free dlc's, an I ISI mug, Or a sorry we have messed up but we hope you will still play our fine game in the future t-shirt or whatever. Something would be appreciated.

Right now I feel exactly the same as last week when I have ended a weekly football magazine subscription after 26 (twentysix!) years, and where at the moment I make the phonecall to the publisher they realize they are loosing an extremely loyal customer all of a sudden offer me discounts, free footballs, tshirts and what not. All that stuff that new members always tend to get but not those loyal customers that have been paying for years.

This was my last post on the subject. Got rid of what was on my chest and I'll look forward to the what is going to happen in the future.

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

... but this isn't any more relevant now. ...

i fail to see why? i kept my part of the agreement (paid them money) and so why doesn't my partner in the agreement (or the people who bought out the original partner) stick to their part? that, after all, is what agreements are all about, isn't it? i suppose the chaps who write so smugly here about us lifers "whining" and having "wet dreams" have never been cheated like we have.

As for rF3: sure, it was never mentioned at any stage. the idea at the time clearly was: here's a small producer in need of cash, give him a bit more now, and profit from it as this will keep them afloat long enough to produce even better games. i was probably blue eyed, but wet dreams i reserve for stuff more important than games, lol.

same as bram, last post from me (unless someone mentions "wet dreams" again, or similar tasteless language).

 

[PicoBp]

The agreement was that online is paid so that all content can remain free. Lifetime subscription should then translate to an all-in season pass for each and every upcoming DLC then, ain't it?

 

[Szymon Olizarowicz]

The agreement was that online is paid so that all content can remain free. Lifetime subscription should then translate to an all-in season pass for each and every upcoming DLC then, ain't it?

That would make the most sense, which is why I don't think rf2 devs will consider that solution. Who knows, maybe new devs will do something good in that regard, but, after all these years, using phrases like 'good development' and 'common sense' in the wider context of rf2 seems weird to me.

 

[Andy_J]

I don't get why ppl are being mad with S397 when they are making rF2 better. I payed for a life time sub and guess what, no regrets. rF1 public online racing was ****, so is AMS, GSCE, AC, Forza, GT etc etc etc, so why did you expect rF2 to be any different? It's the internet, if ppl have the chance to be a dick and not take responsibility for it, they will take that chance.

This ^^^^
I am extremely happy that they have made the online subscription free and they are going to do something with RF2 at last.

 

[Will Mazeo]

The agreement was that online is paid so that all content can remain free. Lifetime subscription should then translate to an all-in season pass for each and every upcoming DLC then, ain't it?

See where that agreement took rF2...

 

[osyres]

sorry but is it really down to 10 dollar per year ? U guys want to tell me that this is the diffrent ? rf 2 failed because of his concept like no big license tracks, cars etc. no ranked multiplayer etc. i mean yes the multiplayer was to worth to pay 10 dollar and i think i was not fair too. But to remove the 10 dollar sub. per year is good for sure but it still makes a bad multiplayer not better. Only rf 2 guys will be happy but why should someone change from other sims to rf 2 ? It still lacks on laserscanned top tracks like nordschleife, spa etc. it has no complete main series like gt3 and the multiplayer is the worst of nearly all games. modding is normaly a good thing but in rf 2 it splits on a bad way in multiplayer. Paymods are also a big fail in my opinion makes it even worst.

 

[PicoBp]

See where that agreement took rF2...

It wasn't the users that decided on that business model, neither did anyone really like it. So why are those to be blamed that put their money and trust in a half-baked product that progressed like a sloth, and expected to enjoy it someday as was promised?

 

[Will Mazeo]

It wasn't the users that decided on that business model, neither did anyone really like it. So why are those to be blamed that put their money and trust in a half-baked product that progressed like a sloth, and expected to enjoy it someday as was promised?

These are the points

 

[David Dominguez]

i fail to see why? i kept my part of the agreement (paid them money) and so why doesn't my partner in the agreement (or the people who bought out the original partner) stick to their part? that, after all, is what agreements are all about, isn't it? i suppose the chaps who write so smugly here about us lifers "whining" and having "wet dreams" have never been cheated like we have.

The agreement was that you paid extra money in exchange of lifetime online access. From the Steam page:

Purchase Options
There are basically three different options if you want to purchase rFactor 2:

• You can buy "rFactor 2" and enjoy every aspect of this simulation except on-line racing.
  
• You can buy "rFactor 2 with Lifetime Subscription" and enjoy every aspect of this simulation including a lifetime subscription to on-line racing.
  
• You can buy 'rFactor 2" and a separate "rFactor 2 - Online Services Subscription" which gives you the full simulation plus a year worth of on-line racing which you can renew.

Tell me now when did they break any agreement... if you say that your investment has less value now, yes, because other people that didn't pay as much will have online access as well, but so what? It's like when products get discounts etc, people can get the same product at lower cost...

 

[Doug62]

Dang, was going to post "brace yourselves, the lifetime owners whine is coming" but I arrived too late

What a load of s&%T!!
I own life time and I'm glad this subscription crap is going. I welcome it!
This being gone will only benefit "all" of us in the long run. The more people that use rF2, the stronger the interest in it, the more the mod teams will work on it.

I'm not interested in any stupid reward! I've already paid less then those that paid for the subscription + the $10 US a year sins.

 

[Kurupt CDN]

Glad i never bought the life time subscription, i fully respect isi engine development skills as it set the ground work to some of my favorite sims (race07, ams & rre) but never cared for there development layout and lack of official series/track licenses.
That being said i look forward to s397 continuing development on the title, if they can land some series down the road i might re install the title