rFactor 2: Gasoline Alley 3PA Content Released

[Paul Jeffrey]

rFactor 2 modding duo Gilles Benoit and Bill Guillaume have released a new Third Party Affiliate (3PA) mod depicting the legendary 1960's era Indy Racing scene - entitled Gasoline Alley.

Created by Gilles Benoit and Bill Guillaume with the help of former Indy driver Len Sutton and racing historian Gordon Eliot White, Gasoline Alley has been updated and improved from the original rFactor 1 version to reach the standards expected of 3PA content.

With further support from ISI providing physics tweaks and tyres, Gasoline Alley should make a compelling addition to the base rF2 content.

Car description :

• Speed: top 186 mph Texas (1963), end of Indy straights : 170 mph, Indy turns : +-140 mph
• Weight without driver and fuel: +-1600 lbs, 60% to the left
• Fuel: Methanol, 60 us gal. spiked with nitromethane
• Engine: 256 cu. In., 4 cyl. Offy, +-500 lbs, 2 speed, estimated +-400hp, running at 6000 rpm (ref1 p.84), fuel consumption 1 us gal/3.0 mile, exterior oil tank +-15 quarts
• Rigid front/rear axles with torsion bars
• Wheelbase: modeled at 96 in.
• Tires: Bias ply Firestones, front 7.60×16 (nominal), rear 8×18 (nominal), 50 psi, threads were showing after 51-52 laps at Indy, wear pattern on all four tires = inside of corner, described as noisy
• Pit stops: All four tires, 40 to 60 us gal. in 20 sec., every 51-52 laps

"Indy racing is part of the US culture, and in the early 1960s A.J. Watson dominated the manufacturing of the cars, at a time when Formula One machines were just starting to influence design. Watson’s history goes back to 1950 when, as a mechanic, he built his own car for the Indy 500 which Dick Rathmann drove. In 1954 Watson got his break with the John Zink Jnr team, and a year later his modified version of the Frank Kurtis-built roadster won the Indy 500. This 1960 example is typical of his racers, with a basic chassis with front/rear solid axles but torsion bar suspension that could be tweaked by the driver while going along. The Offenhauser Sprint and Champ car engine was offset to the left to make the car turn naturally in that direction, and gearbox only needed two speeds due to the massive torque available low down, plus the car’s light weight."

Head on over to the RaceDepartment rFactor 2 forum for news and discussion items and why not pick up a mod or two in our rF2 Mods section?

Don't forget racing other sim racers is fun, and in rFactor 2 the best place to do that is right here in the rFactor 2 Racing Club! Check it out today for good, clean, hard racing on a regular basis.

Have you picked up Gasoline Alley yet? How doe's it fair alongside some of the other top mods and ISI's own content? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[hitm4k3r]

I remember, 10+ years ago, that the first question regarding any new sim was: what about the graphic engine?
I agree that nice graphics alone don't make a good sim, good sounds only, either. But man, in times of DirectX 12, the graphic quality is VERY important.
I just can't accept that some sims out there are still stuck in DirectX9...

In time. My criticism toward these poor rfactor conversions applies as well to AC.

Once more, the Direct X version a game is running on has nothing to do with the visual quality you can achieve despite a few extra features. I can show you ten different games and they will all look different: Extreme examples: BF2, BFBC2, Crysis 1, Project Cars and GTR2, all running on DX9.0c.

That you can't accept this is your own problem, but let me tell you that you will miss out on alot of beautiful looking stuff just by dismissing DX9. I am far away from not caring for visual quality, but the allways same complain "rF2 is stuck in DX9 and looks ugly" is at the end not justified. Or do you want to tell me that this picture is ugly?

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1631/25469175342_c4ec684631_b.jpg

 

[Emery]

Amazing how many people are judging this mod without actually trying it and, frankly, that means your comments are useless drivel. Guess that means prc.net is right and nobody actually races any more.

So far, of the negatives, only Marc Collins has actually tried it... and Marc dislikes something about all content in rF2, yet he continues to drive in it. Sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don't. Usually I think he overreacts, but at least he actually uses the software before commenting and thus afford him respect.

Otherwise what I see in the comments is just anti-rF2, anti-Steam migration (I sympathize, but am a realist), and anti-modder. Nothing constructive.

 

[JeffL]

It sure is no fun reading anything in sim racing anymore it is just too negative. Unwatch.

 

[Helmut Skrdla]

Amazing how many people are judging this mod without actually trying it and, frankly, that means your comments are useless drivel. Guess that means prc.net is right and nobody actually races any more.

Why would I try a mod that is about oval racing which doesn't interest me so greatly, and already looks outdated in the screenshots and videos I can find about it?

The points I made were exactly that - that ISI needs to step up their game and provide some high quality stock content (NON Oval), to support modders working on high quality scratch made tracks and cars, and to find a way for enabling a "Lite" install on Steam. To make these points I don't need to download nothing.

Since in reality it will not happen I removed RF2 from my harddrive yesterday, after three and a half years (started with build 118). I'm merely commenting on what could have been, and what should have been, for which this mod offers ample opportunity.

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

The points I made were exactly that - that ISI needs to step up their game and provide some high quality stock content (NON Oval), to support modders working on high quality scratch made tracks and cars, and to find a way for enabling a "Lite" install on Steam. To make these points I don't need to download nothing.

What other sims on Steam do provide a lite install, may I ask?

Since in reality it will not happen I removed RF2 from my harddrive yesterday, after three and a half years (started with build 118). I'm merely commenting on what could have been, and what should have been, for which this mod offers ample opportunity.

These 3PA mods have nothing to do with ISI's progress or not progress on content. Yes they should be filtered out probably from the main install, but ISI's work is not reflected in these low-quality mods. Makes no difference to me.

 

[Emerson Meyer]

In resume, newer versions of DirectX are useless... ok then.

 

[Helmut Skrdla]

What other sims on Steam do provide a lite install, may I ask?

It's not about where else I should/could go, but what has been removed from a sim I bought at a time when this feature was present. You can't blame a company if something is some way from the very start and you buy it, but you can blame when you buy something because it behaves one way and then they change it to behave a very different way.

These 3PA mods have nothing to do with ISI's progress or not progress on content. Yes they should be filtered out probably from the main install, but ISI's work is not reflected in these low-quality mods. Makes no difference to me.

One of the ISI Guys worked on the tires and physics of this mod. Why is that same guy not updating the Eve, the Spark, or creating tires for a new release ISI car? As I said, in my opinion the ISI resources are spent way too much on Oval racing these days (Stock Cars, Howston Disenter, Speedways track releases). I bought RF2 for the list of announced content, and it's not materialising, instead they are supporting 3PA and adding themself US centric content every other month.

Ultimately RF2 turns out to be headed in a very different direction today than what was advertised when I bought it.

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

In resume, newer versions of DirectX are useless... ok then.

More or less useless yeah, at least in racing sims. In some FPS games tessellation and other DX11 tricks are a bit more notable when you stand less than 1 meter next to object. In sims it looks mostly identical as these videos show:

 

[Helmut Skrdla]

^Interesting. I did assume that the "materials" in AC looking better (rims being more "metallic", leather being more "haptic") would be down to newer shaders available with newer DX implementations. Would never have guessed that pCARS looks like that in DX9.

 

[David Dominguez]

but ISI's work is not reflected in these low-quality mods. Makes no difference to me.

Maybe they should clarify this point then, I thought the 3PA thing was to release quality mods with ISI's approval and even help ...

 

[Emerson Meyer]

^Interesting. I did assume that the "materials" in AC looking better (rims being more "metallic", leather being more "haptic") would be down to newer shaders available with newer DX implementations. Would never have guessed that pCARS looks like that in DX9.

PCars is DX11

 

[Helmut Skrdla]

^John-Eric posted a DX9 pCARS video above...

 

[Emery]

The points I made were exactly that - that ISI needs to step up their game and provide some high quality stock content (NON Oval), to support modders working on high quality scratch made tracks and cars, and to find a way for enabling a "Lite" install on Steam. To make these points I don't need to download nothing.

Since in reality it will not happen I removed RF2 from my harddrive yesterday, after three and a half years (started with build 118). I'm merely commenting on what could have been, and what should have been, for which this mod offers ample opportunity.

Which has absolutely nothing to do with the merits (or lack) in this mod.

 

[Deleted member 130869]

Amazing how many people are judging this mod without actually trying it and, frankly, that means your comments are useless drivel. Guess that means prc.net is right and nobody actually races any more.

So far, of the negatives, only Marc Collins has actually tried it... and Marc dislikes something about all content in rF2, yet he continues to drive in it. Sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don't. Usually I think he overreacts, but at least he actually uses the software before commenting and thus afford him respect.

Otherwise what I see in the comments is just anti-rF2, anti-Steam migration (I sympathize, but am a realist), and anti-modder. Nothing constructive.

I have driven it and gave it a chance as I had played a test build and was curious about changes. I hadn't felt the urge to discuss it as I wasn't fond of it.

@David Dominguez:
3PA means it gets help and testing from the team.

 

[hitm4k3r]

Why would I try a mod that is about oval racing which doesn't interest me so greatly, and already looks outdated in the screenshots and videos I can find about it?

To use your own words: why would I judge something that I am not interested in at all (wich is perfectly fine and up to you) and that I have absolutley no clue about because I haven't even tried it?

If I judge a product only by some compressed youtube videos or some static screenshots, I basicly know only one tiny part of the big picture. The cool thing about sim racing is, that it is not just about watching a video or looking at screenshots, it is about player interaction and getting behind the wheel to race against the clock, other people or the AI. And in that regard rF2 excells, even using this conversion.

In turn 1 you will have forgotten how the game looks and keep pushing, totaly ignoring wether it runs DX9 or whatever and if the exausts and gauges look metalic enough. Sometimes it is getting ridiciolous how obsessed sim racers are with visuals. It needs a good mix of everything.

 

[Matt Orr]

These cars are terrible, absolutely terrible. The sounds are completely broken, the physics are just bad, and the AI have superglue for tires -- taking the Indy oval at 250mph in the corners while you have to slow down to under 200... somehow these cars are going over 250 in the first place.

You probably have your units set to KPH, that is also the default if you made a new profile recently. Both those speeds in KPH are pretty reasonable for the cars so it's worth checking. The AI is really strong, I mentioned that on the ISI forums and one of the creators of the mod responded it is intentional, and then responded to another user and gave more detail -

Bonjour,

Yes there was a reason. We simulated many Indy 500 and at 100% they crashed together too much and you would finish 500 miles with only a few cars. Reducing the AI strength made them safer and the number of finishers was similar to the era.

Two things might have change since those AI tests were made. First we have new tires physics and we have an updated Indy track. From the laptimes I see (under 1 minute at 85% they seems a little too fast).

Cheers !
Gilles

As for physics, the default setup is super safe, and actually symmetrical. Get more aggressive with the set and then it'll be time to start wheelin' it - and the lap time comes with it. That said, still feels like it can be pulled back from way past the edge, but it is certainly tremendous fun.

_________________________________________________________________

Not directed at Slade -

Anyways - 3PA is just that, third party. This mod probably would have been released and never heard about, or it would have had ISI's help and been released basically as it is now. The same thing was also done with Some1's NSX / Corvette. Apex's GT3 mod has had help from ISI on the tires, and more recently URD's C7R 2.0 - which is a testbed for a EGT mod update - have received help from ISI. And that isn't even a full list of cars ISI has had a helping in. AFAIK everyone is still relying on ISI for CPM enabled tires given the status of their tools and documentation.

Yet this is the "first" 3PA car, even though it really isn't. And frankly, given what ISI have done graphically with their 3D car models, I don't think they would have done any better.

Damn right I would have rather had the 95 Reynard, the Eagle, Speed 8, GTR GT500 they have licensed over this, but it's not like this has been a tremendous burden above and beyond for ISI. It took them 5 years or so to get Toban - one of if not the most loved fictional tracks in all of sim racing - out the door. They aren't turning out new content because they are slow, not because Gasoline Alley.

In other words : what are we bitching about?

What, rFactor 2 looking less than ideal? Again? For the billionth time? And let me guess, tomorrow we'll be bitching about AC's "consolololization" and DLC "shovelware", and maybe some time this month we'll rage at R3E's business model again as they sell more GT3 cars that are separate from other GT3 cars, and then of course complain about iRacing's new build not having 24 hour dirt Nordschleife racing - again.

This fking community will make you cynical, that is for sure.

 

[Ari Antero]

More or less useless yeah, at least in racing sims. In some FPS games tessellation and other DX11 tricks are a bit more notable when you stand less than 1 meter next to object. In sims it looks mostly identical as these videos show:

Maybe you should do your homework bit better. iRacing DX11 version is a direct port of DX9 at the moment. DX11 features will be added later. DX11 gives also huge fps boost.

 

[Hsmmer]

You are all a sad bunch dissing a great mod and sim for NO GOOD REASON you do not like it why don't you make like a tree


go back to your AC with its pathetic physics !!!

you really are unbelievable you lot give every AC mod 4/5 stars ...... lmao

Many addon tracks have road and grass texture look like F1 challenge but you give them 4 / 5 stars. ........what a sad joke

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

Maybe you should do your homework bit better. iRacing DX11 version is a direct port of DX9 at the moment. DX11 features will be added later. DX11 gives also huge fps boost.

I was responding to @Emerson Meyer who seems to think DX9 is the reason behind the poor graphics of this 3PA mod. DX11 will bring FPS gains, sure. Still, I haven't seen one sim that shows any visual benefits from it. Is pCars running in DX11 also a direct port of DX9 since pCars in DX11 looks identical with DX9?

I think these DX11 "features" - if they ever will be introduced to iRacing - will be so subtle that people wouldn't notice the difference unless being told. 99% placebo effect.

 

[Slade Mitchell]

...I just came here to say I thought a mod was sub-par, now we are bashing entire sims and entire communities again? *Enter Fallout Voice* Sim racing... sim racing never changes...