I find the live broadcast as a nice feature but as a driver its not that important in single driver races. Highlight video would be another option if media exposure is really needed.
Live broadcasts and highlights are nice additions but should never prevent a league to happen but perhaps there are commercial reasons for live broadcast requirement for leagues.
To me the fun, the driving and the competition are the most important factors for a good league.
Leagues
I agree Jari and the point was strongly made to management that a stream is a nice "Extra" but not in our view a core requirement.
The response was (to paraphrase it) "all drivers like it to be streamed".
There was a refusal to even engage in a dialogue about options. I guess in the political parlance it was a "pre condition to negotiations". When the RF2 staff said "let us meet and put together a program and put it to you for consideration"
the response was
"right then, when is this meeting then? and we will be there too".
In the face of such arrogant top down management style and total lack of respect for the knowledge and input of the experienced people who actually were running the RF2 community club and leagues here there was only one option.
The result? No leagues at all. Hardly a good outcome. Maybe some compromise and principled negotiation rather than such a hard line position might have been a bit more enlightened and a bit more effective.
Club Racing
I dont now if its different in GSC, Asseto Corsa, Race 07 or RF1 but in RF2 its my experience and opinion that in RF2 drivers want and need to prepare and practice for any race, be it club or league. Tweak set ups, do a night or two on the server. Unless you have 100 plus regulars, that doesn't service 7 nights a week racing. If you had say 12-20 regular drivers its smarter to ask them what they want and make a couple of nights the core focus points of the week. EG a GT3 night on Friday, and maybe a historics night and an innovation night (eg say Palatovs at Top Gear Track).
To say 7 night racing is to simply dilute what membership you have and end up with 2-3 people on a server.
That's exactly what happened. I experienced club races with2-4 total drivers. The last one I did before lowering my committment to them was 2 of us at Montreal.
The connection between club and league.
The received wisdom was that the League Scene kills off the club scene anyway and that they are completely separate.
IMO (and in my experience) it's the opposite. If you have a league race on Sat planned, you run a club race on the Wed in the same car and same track. You have a ready made grid of drivers practicing. Anyone else who signs up has a great club race with 15 plus drivers and says "whats this league you guys are all practicing for then?".
So its a symbiotic relationship. You cant have a strong one without the other.
The apparent all knowing powers of some senior staff.
One of the most amazing things was the disdain with ideas and contributions from non-staff were held. One passionate and fast premium member suggested and ran with the co operation of the RF2 staff a 2 hour Nordschliefe event. Created BOP cars.
35 drivers turned up for that one. It was the biggest thing to happen in RD RF2 Club that year.
Clearly a winner.
It was criticised heavily by management. Wrong format, too long, briefing too complicated and
he isnt even staff! what is he doing organising? Get him to become staff!
What did mentality like that all lead to? The end of such races at RD and IMO the greatest event in RF2 for 2015 being promoted and run elsewhere. It looks like spawning a series of 12 and 24 hour events that are carved in stone in my Race diary.
Apparently 30 minute events with no driver preparation are more fun for us and what we really want.
Bizarrely this was in a period where one premium benefit was planned to be able to request specific races.
Now I am not saying that RF2 members are any smarter or better than anyone else but they seem to have a slight nuance in what they want. Maybe it's the nature of the sim, maybe its the age group? who knows.
But if you are providing a service you need to listen to your customers and keep them happy-give them what they want. Or you will lose them.
Getting back to my statement...
"I dont now if its different in GSC, Asseto Corsa, Race 07 or RF1"
and subsequently I would not dare to tell them how to run their clubs or leagues. I guess that makes me far to indecisive to be management material.
RF2 is IMO going through a nice upswing in sales (steam), content and features. A new era.
People with questions they want answered and experiences they want to enjoy.
If RD wants to be relevant its time to review how they approach the subject.
