rFactor 2 | New Build Update Released

[Paul Jeffrey]

Studio 397 have deployed a new build update for rFactor 2 - adding many fixes, tweaks and improvements to the simulation.

• Multiple UI improvements and tweaks.
• New controller profiles for various wheel manufacturers.
• Substantial modding support archive documentation refresh.

Studio 397 have been pretty busy of late, and today some of those labours have seen the light of day with a brand new build hitting the public version of the simulation - adding many fixes and improvements to the title in a number of key areas.

As rFactor 2 strives towards making the new UI the default interface choice for the public build of the simulation, Studio 397 have released a new update today with many tweaks, improvements and fixes to how the UI operates within the game - again taking another step forward in what is a considerable overhaul to the way the simulation looks, feels and functions when loading into the sim.

Other notable changes within the new build include a reworking of many broadcast overlay features, substantial updates to the documentation available to modding teams, additional wheel profiles, graphical tweaks and multiplayer fixes - the full details of which can be seen in the change log below:

Update Notes 04.09.2020

Old UI (opt-out)

• Client build ID: 5504070
• Dedicated server build ID: 5504080

New UI (public_beta)

• Client build ID: 5503999
• Dedicated server build ID: 5504004

User Interface

• Added key binding for hide cursor. This is useful when running the in-game overlays and doing a broadcast to a capture card that insists on showing your cursor otherwise.
• All replay controls can now be custom assigned in the controller tab. By default all replay controls are mapped to the same defaults unless re-assigned.
• Added first time start up wizard. For now only has name and nickname fields. This will be extended.
• Added player area in the main UI. For now only has name and nickname fields.
• In showroom we now check for upgrades on page load and do not show info if there aren't any.
• Disabled select button in list layout for category items. When switching from grid or thumbnail layout to the list layout, and having a "category" item selected, the select button would be available and would glitch things when clicked.
• Clear car configuration info when viewing a "category" item.
• Updated the pop-up layout and styling.
• Renamed event screen "Drive" button to "Passenger" when in multiplayer spectator mode.
• Made transitioning to packages area page smoother:
  • Get packages after the page has loaded to avoid blocking.
  • Show a pop-up message while getting packages.
  • Use a dark grey background during switching to the page.
• Enabled a chat message for single player admin commands.
• Fixed a game crash when switching sessions.
• Fix accessing garage data properties if data is not available.
• All controller profiles are updated. This fixes various issues when using 'Detect' on first time hardware setup.
• We have new controller profiles for:
  • Simucube 2 Sport;
  • Simucube 2 Pro;
  • Simucube 2 Ultimate;
  • Logitech G923 PlayStation 4 and PC;
  • Logitech G923 XBox One and PC;
  • VRS OSW;
  • XBOX One Controller For Windows.
• Added "PlayerFileOverrides" to various profiles to ensure proper driver aids are enabled/disabled on first time wheel detect.
• Added use thread "true" for all profiles.
• Ensured that the "920 workaround" is set to "false" on all non-Logitech profiles.
• Fixed profile naming and removed redundant profiles.
• Fixed stuck 'look left' on TS-XW profile.
• Thrustmaster F1 wheel Integral profiles: Fixed all mapping conflicts: T-GT, TS-PC, T500 RS, TS-XW.
• Thrustmaster Racing wheel profiles: Fixed all mapping conflicts: T-GT, TS-PC, T500 RS.
• Thrustmaster F1 wheel Integral profiles: Fixed all mapping conflicts: T-GT, TS-PC, T500 RS, TS-XW.
• Thrustmaster Racing wheel profiles: Fixed all mapping conflicts: T-GT, TS-PC, T500 RS.
• Added correct max torque to Fanatec CSW v1, v2, V2.5 and Direct Drive profiles.

Modding Support

• Published a ton of new information about modding for rFactor 2 on the documentation website.
• Large update to modding documentation, will full documentation on PBR material system, dedicated Development Tools section and more.
• First official release of 3ds Max 2021 Plugins.
• First official release of Material Editor.
• First official release of Maps Converter Tool.
• Added Loch Drummond (PBR Track) to ModDev.
• Added ability to disable auto albedo correction on pre PBR shaders.
• Added ability to choose cube Fresnel default settings on pre PBR car body shader.
• Corrected Deformable Tire shader naming in Max Plugins.
• Exposed Atmospherics section in Wet file to configure Haze and other settings..
• Updated ModDev to use main game HUD.
• Added ability to save preset positions in the Scene Viewer.

Graphics

• Added new pit exit marshal textures.
• Small refactor of glare settings in PostFX
• Many other minor tweaks to various shaders and settings.

Multiplayer

• Significantly improved logging for multiplayer sessions.
• Fixed race conditions in our low level socket node list.
• Increased the size of an internal array to accommodate all possible cars in a session.
• Fixed an issue where not just the server would send out node reordering messages.
• Changed some very "spammy" log messages.
• Fixed several crashes where some code would reference invalid data.
• Added descriptive names to all threads.
• Improved the handling of an application crash to ensure logs get flushed.

Broadcast Overlays

• Made qualifying box sector colors correspond to best lap sectors instead of absolute best sectors.
• Added fallback for drivers with no last name set.
• Added dropdown in control panel to select overlay configuration.
• Made replay transition follow the configured series color.
• Added an option to show more data in tower field 4 (gap to next, number of pit stops).
• Added an option to automatically enable race update box when timing box is enabled.
• Fixed pit timer getting stuck after leaving pit lane.
• Fixed displaying of gaps to leader/fastest lap time in tower and banner.
• Extended field 2 data with manufacturer and team logo.
• Added turning lap time green or purple in the qualifying box after the lap.
• Added option to minimize boxes in the control panel.
• Fixed starting order not working with multiple events.
• Fixed replay jumping to wrong time.
• Cleaned up the CSS to make it easier to make changes in the custom.css.
• Added a replay marker button to mark replay events.
• Updated team name and car number to use the entries from the .VEH file.
• Added mixed/overall standings option.
• Added an option to toggle between driver name, team name and description.
• Made b-roll a standalone element.
• Added option to condense tower by hiding field 2 or 3.
• Fixed schedule slide date comparing.
• Added an option to start the overlay in multi-class or single-class mode.
• Updated banner behaviour based on the selected car class (or mixed/multi-class mode).
• Rearranged control panel.

Original Source; Studio 397 forum.

rFactor 2 is available exclusively on PC, via the Steam network.

Want to get the best from your rFactor 2 experience? No worries, head over to the rFactor 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment, start up a new thread and let the community help you out!

 

[mantasisg]

Definitely rF2 is not looking bad recently at all. There are things that aren't great, but overall it is really good IMO. Also I respect Ilja, but the way he is praised and the way Stefano is discredited is just silly (and followign that rF2 devs too being discredited too because of meme "hire Ilja"), Kunos really did high class game for what AC could have had possibly be, Ilja surely is making impressive updates, but he is not develepong it on the official level, and I am sure whole lot of possible trouble is being skipped.

 

[Will Mazeo]

If they implement Le Mans quality on every track all they need is a better particle system and rain graphics.
That track (together with new interior car shaders, when they release it) makes rF2 look way better than all other sims because it looks real. Other sims like ACC, with all respect to the job done there, looks like a MMO world and Madness is not too far from it.
Unfortunately Le Mans quality is not on every track. Even the demo track for modders is not on the same level (should have gone with Portland for this as they promised)

 

[Alex Sawczuk]

All 3 tracks use the same tech but LD was updated in a few weeks as a technical showcase. Where as LM has had several extensive passes. Portland is licensed content and opening up for anyone to poke into is potentially troublesome.

Fwiw this build should improve the balance a bit at LD, as the previous one the auto exposure was too dark when the sun was lower as occurs as at high latitudes.

 

[Salvatore Sirignano]

All 3 tracks use the same tech but LD was updated in a few weeks as a technical showcase. Where as LM has had several extensive passes. Portland is licensed content and opening up for anyone to poke into is potentially troublesome.

Fwiw this build should improve the balance a bit at LD, as the previous one the auto exposure was too dark when the sun was lower as occurs as at high latitudes.

Hi Alex, thanks for the insight. A quick question, is Loch Drummond going to be the standard for circuits as of now? With all the graphical updates being done, the goalposts have been moving for some time for modders. Can we safely say that a mod track built now to Loch Drummond's material/shader standards won't need a complete revamp in a year's time?

 

[mantasisg]

I haven't been trying out new modding possibilities yet, but I think Loch Drummond should be fine as basic example, but as a standard for polish level/ quality/optimisation I'd say Portland, LeMans, Silverstone... are better. Thats pretty much what Alex has said - LD was made for technical showcase in a single pass.

PS looking forward for Nordschleife update so much !

 

[passenger]

All 3 tracks use the same tech but LD was updated in a few weeks as a technical showcase. Where as LM has had several extensive passes. Portland is licensed content and opening up for anyone to poke into is potentially troublesome.

Fwiw this build should improve the balance a bit at LD, as the previous one the auto exposure was too dark when the sun was lower as occurs as at high latitudes.

Talking about the track Loch Drummond and the new improved graphics
quality of rFactor 2, there is something I wanted to mention since its new
release, but I didn't want to look too fussy, but, hey, here it is now:

The new track looks good, but the trees, most of them, look bad, especially
from afar, and some look like they are lit. Nords, Le Mans, and Portland's
trees look better, more realistic. Why not using these same more realistic
looking trees on this track too?

Realistic trees make Sims look nicer, more attractive and add immersion. Here
is an example of an old track mod which look very nice, largely because of its
very well done trees, which are actually very simple 2D trees, but they look and
fit very nicely. I wish most tracks had this kind of realistic looking trees:

 

[Enoneado]

the new UI will become in a new old UI at this rythm... come on, Studio 397, Elon Musk is finishing the Starship Superheavy, tic tac tic tac...

It's still not delivered
More realistic is 2025, right

I wouldn't hope for it.

i think is most plausible produce the COVID19 vaccine before they finish the UI.

 

[Will Mazeo]

i think is most plausible produce the COVID19 vaccine before they finish the UI.

Funny thing is that both the UI and covid vaccines don't get enough testing before they are distributed LOL
covid does get bilions from govts tho, S397 didn't have this luck

 

[bgil66]

I’m so sick of driving to my box for service only to be hit by another car coming out of their garage. First time was Portland and now Zandvoort in Practice....

 

[Alex Sawczuk]

Talking about the track Loch Drummond and the new improved graphics
quality of rFactor 2, there is something I wanted to mention since its new
release, but I didn't want to look too fussy, but, hey, here it is now:

The new track looks good, but the trees, most of them, look bad, especially
from afar, and some look like they are lit. Nords, Le Mans, and Portland's
trees look better, more realistic. Why not using these same more realistic
looking trees on this track too?

Realistic trees make Sims look nicer, more attractive and add immersion. Here
is an example of an old track mod which look very nice, largely because of its
very well done trees, which are actually very simple 2D trees, but they look and
fit very nicely. I wish most tracks had this kind of realistic looking trees:

LD has exactly the same trees and tech as the other new tracks. Infact they were just taken from Portland.

 

[Enoneado]

It's still not delivered
More realistic is 2025, right

I wouldn't hope for it.

Funny thing is that both the UI and covid vaccines don't get enough testing before they are distributed LOL
covid does get bilions from govts tho, S397 didn't have this luck

but they had more time... since 2016, maybe?

 

[passenger]

LD has exactly the same trees and tech as the other new tracks. Infact they were just taken from Portland.

Just because of your avatar, are you involved with Studio 397 in any way?

Trees in Loch Drummond are similar to those in Portland, but, and sorry
to say, they don't look as good. Perhaps the problem is that they are
placed differently, or the lighting over them or any other similar effet.
To me some look like billboards from afar. And, by the way, darker trees
always look more realistic.

What do you think of the trees in the Mid-Ohio track mod video I posted?
To me they look much more realistic than the ones in Loch Drummond.

 

[sentry87]

Anyone else having issues accessing race replays under newest Beta build? They're still in my folders but under 'watch' there's nothing there.

 

[davehenrie]

Anyone else having issues accessing race replays under newest Beta build? They're still in my folders but under 'watch' there's nothing there.

Old replays will not work with the latest version. In fact the last two versions. To view replays recorded with v1119 you have to use Steam to roll back to v1119. Same with replays recorded with v1120. Roll back to the version that matches the age of the replay and you should be able to view them. New replays, recorded with v1121 should work without any further changes.

 

[sentry87]

Old replays will not work with the latest version. In fact the last two versions. To view replays recorded with v1119 you have to use Steam to roll back to v1119. Same with replays recorded with v1120. Roll back to the version that matches the age of the replay and you should be able to view them. New replays, recorded with v1121 should work without any further changes.

Yup, thank you

 

[enduser282]

The new ui (new...lol... 4 years in the making and still in beta)...

You mean rf2 early access: 4 years and counting! Casually selling on steam - zero ****s given.

Still spending $$ on promos with f1 drivers, "look big when you 're weak" aggressive neo-liberal marketing?!

Who doesn't love brave new world.