rFactor 2 | New Build Update Released

Paul Jeffrey

Premium
Studio 397 have deployed a new build update for rFactor 2, adding a number of fixes and improvements to the simulation.
  • New build adds VR flat desktop mode.
  • Various art fixes and tweaks.
  • 32-bit installers ceased.
The new build has been deployed in anticipation of the upcoming Spa-Francorchamps release this Friday 20th November, and comes complete with a number of fixes and tweaks to the simulation. It is worth noting as part of this build, as detailed in the October Development Roadmap, going forward Studio 397 will no longer be supporting 32-bits version of the simulation, and the Dutch team also recommend migrating to the 'new UI' to maximise current and future developments within the title.

Of interest in the new build are various performance improvements for the UI and the addition of VR flat desktop mirror, plus new controller profiles and some further tweaks to the graphic aspects of the title.


Update Notes:
  • Removed the 32 bits builds, we are now officially 64 bit only. To ease the transition, we have left some 32 bit utilities in their usual locations for this build only. Please migrate and report any issues you might have.
    • Note: there is a known issue that the ModMgr.exe inside Bin64 folder on SteamCMD dedicated server distributions may crash when toggling certain settings. Please use ModMgr.exe inside Bin32 folder for now.
  • Changed the way the new UI gets rendered, making it smooth even when the back-end is busy.
  • Fixed several memory leaks and a possible crash on changing graphics settings in-game.
  • Ensured that when a user is entering text in a text field, keys he/she presses don’t accidentally trigger other controls.
  • Fixed the mouse cursor from going missing when pressing ESC in VR after driving the car.
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes when restarting or forwarding sessions, the UI would not (re)appear after that transition.
  • Fixed several aspect-ratio related rendering issues with the new UI.
  • Fixed the new UI being one pixel too wide and too high on triples.
  • Added new VR flat desktop mirror. Please note this is only available in the new UI on the public_beta branch.
  • Controller profiles
    • Simagic M10 new profile added.
    • VRS Direct Force Pro corrected typo in controller profile.
  • Re-enabled & Improved Sun God Rays / Light Flare settings (requires PostFX enabled, mostly only visible when the sun is occluded slightly)
  • Tweaks to Air Pollution colour blending and params
  • Corrected Moon Brightness
  • Reviewed various lighting parameters
  • Moved “Atmospherics” section for Track Weather file (.WET) to Track Game Database file (.GDB)
  • Added option for static mappers to disable omni lights
  • Fixed auto static mapper assignment, so Static01 mapper is auto assigned only. (prevent mappers for specific situations being auto assigned to assets)
  • Fixes for issues with No Rain Zones including when falling back to bounding box, and sorting issues with the currently rendered no rain zones.
  • Fixed an issue where reflections would stop updating after rejoining track
  • Fix for track side cameras not always showing the correct number of objects
  • Updated PBR track shaders to make use of new sampler methods to allow for more textures to be used.
  • Fixed an issue where DXT1 and DXT5 textures would not sample sRGB when they should when using new sampler method (This was an issue on the Road Shader only previously)
  • Fixed a rare issue causing texture animations to stop working
  • IBL Road and IBL Curb:
    • Added ability to use a second normal map (overlay on road, switch on curbs)
    • Tweaked Groove Blending logic (This may result in more noticeable dust, you may wish to tone this down in your Road Details Map)
    • Updated default settings for Groove & Dust IBL Standard
    • Fixed some issues with the Detail Map
  • IBL Standard & Blend
    • Added option to use detail map as an alpha masked decal IBL Standard Blend
    • Added the option to use a detail map with the same logic as IBL Standard
    • Removed Multiply Square albedo blending mode, since this can be achieved by saving the texture in the correct format.
  • IBL Terrain:
    • Added the ability to set per Albedo strengths for Pattern map
    • Added an optional splatter overlay map, which applies alpha to specular mask
    • Added Albedo Tinting to Specular on Terrain Shaders
  • IBL Vegetation
    • Added a new Vegetation Specific shader, which contains only appropriate logic from IBL Standard
    • Added Specular Tinting with a static colour in the Vegetation Shader.
Steam Build IDs
Old UI (opt-out)

  • Client build ID: 5842885
  • Dedicated server build ID: 5842895
New UI (public_beta)
  • Client build ID: 5842938
The new build is available now, and should download automatically the next time you restart your Steam client.



Original Source: Studio 397

rFactor 2 is available now, exclusively on PC.

Check out the rF2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment for a great place to hang out with your fellow fans of the title, discuss the latest news and get advice on how to make the most from your simulation. Join in and start a new thread today!

rF2 Footer.jpg
 
Last edited:
S397 cannot flip the switch on the new UI on the main version fast enough.
Whether you like the new UI or not, this will bring a lot of new feedback (good or bad) and will force S397 to address the remaining issues of the new UI, and iterate and improve on it fast.
I think they should have done this months ago to speed up the process.
Yeah, after taking what feels like years to get it done, all of a sudden, they can't get it finished quickly enough. Maybe as a Christmas present for the rF2 users? ;)
 
Yeah, after taking what feels like years to get it done, all of a sudden, they can't get it finished quickly enough. Maybe as a Christmas present for the rF2 users? ;)

Complaning users is the best incentive to fix stuff fast. Other than that, the other solution is to sleep on it forever and have people complaining anyways once it is finally released.
 
Last edited:
Complaning users is the best incentive to fix stuff fast. Other than that the other solution is to sleep on it forever and have people complaining anyway once it released.
I don't think that's intirely true: there are bugs that have been in the sim since the beginning of time that everybody complains about, and have for years, but Studio397 just ignores them. There are things in rF2 that will never be fixed, because S397 just can't be bothered.
 
One small change to the UI that I imagine modders especially would welcome is, give more information about the tracks, add a little text field that says the track is a Studio 397 original, updated for shaders, a mod, or whatever. I have a hard time keeping "track" of my favourite tracks. Content Manager for Assetto Corsa is so good for this, with tags and the ability to bookmark your favourites.

Coming back to rFactor 2 after a little break, it feels very rewarding to drive but user-friendly it is not. If only it was as intuitive to operate as it is to drive.
 
One small change to the UI that I imagine modders especially would welcome is, give more information about the tracks, add a little text field that says the track is a Studio 397 original, updated for shaders, a mod, or whatever. I have a hard time keeping "track" of my favourite tracks. Content Manager for Assetto Corsa is so good for this, with tags and the ability to bookmark your favourites.

Coming back to rFactor 2 after a little break, it feels very rewarding to drive but user-friendly it is not. If only it was as intuitive to operate as it is to drive.
And another thing they could implement in the new UI would be a dark mode, or at least tone down the bright white tone
 
I concede you're point with the time frame for programming. But the Madness engine, or indeed other implementations of the gmoto engine like R3E for instance, differ from rF2 in that they're not a buggy mess....
I've opted in and out of the beta four or five times. I've tried full screen, windowed mode, and borderless. I have tried it with three different mice, two wirelessUSB, and one with a cable. I did several complete system new starts, no change. Oddly enough, all the mice work flawlessly in R3E, PC2, AMS2 and RF9.5. Of course it is'nt Studio397s fault. Funnily enough, before they broke the new UI yesterday, the mouse worked perfectly. I've been using the new UI since it came out, I know how it should work. I'm 66, I've been doing this s*it for a while....
I'm sick of having to put up with Studio397s sloppy crap, and I'm not alone, They have an excuse for everything, why just can't they do it right? How hard can it be? R3E uses the same gmoto core, why can't rF2 run and look like that? God, back then even GT2 had a better UI. How Studio397 could take over four years to produce such a dogs breakfast is beyond my comprehension.
 
What on earth is VR flat desktop mode? I have a VR headset, so I assume this is not real important
to me. Just curious.
It's a feature of the new (beta) UI: It's the screen you see on your desktop when you take off the headset assuming you have selected HMD+Mirror in the Video settings. It is static, and doesn't move when you more the headset so that you can use the menu without having to use the headset. Be nice if it worked, some people, including me, are having trouble with the latest update: now I have no mouse pointer in VR in the beta UI. I've rolled back to the opt-out UI until Studio397 fixes it.
 
I tried the new UI for two weeks and I come back to the old UI. The new UI is too slow, very confused, You have to pass from a page to other page to find something. Also wait for "loading your fav server", "failure loading Indianapolis" and many others problems. The old is much more fast and better organizzation. Also the gestion of package is much better. This is only my opinion.
 
is there any advantage gaining the new UI versus the old ?
cause i was thinking to switch to old UI for same reasons
i really dont like scrolling and wasting time in the UI if it doesnt offers something critical
 
Last edited:
I tried the new UI for two weeks and I come back to the old UI. The new UI is too slow, very confused, You have to pass from a page to other page to find something. Also wait for "loading your fav server", "failure loading Indianapolis" and many others problems. The old is much more fast and better organizzation. Also the gestion of package is much better. This is only my opinion.
I can't speak to slowness issue as for me it's actually faster. @Case_ mentioned picking a server and saving as favorite, I picked the S397 server and you will no longer wait for "loading your fav server". It does take some time getting used to but either way it's coming.
 
I can't speak to slowness issue as for me it's actually faster. @Case_ mentioned picking a server and saving as favorite, I picked the S397 server and you will no longer wait for "loading your fav server". It does take some time getting used to but either way it's coming.

If they used MVC or some other analogous design pattern then it's conceivable both UIs could live on without any conflict. If they force the new UI at some point does steam allow an easy way to reject all future updates for a specified game?
 
Thanks a lot. Now my game doesn't start from the desktop. Very good new UI, completely unresponsive, it is stuck at the "login" screen. And please, don't tell me to use workaround A and then apply B, delete C: the problem is that the game is not working after some update. I can still launch dev mode via steam. Thanks an effing lot, devs. This sucks.

So. guys. How do i make it work? edit: got it, use the old UI listed in the beta.
 
Last edited:

Latest News

Online or Offline racing?

  • 100% online racing

    Votes: 93 7.7%
  • 75% online 25% offline

    Votes: 128 10.6%
  • 50% online 50% offline

    Votes: 173 14.3%
  • 25% online 75% offline

    Votes: 341 28.2%
  • 100% offline racing

    Votes: 472 39.0%
  • Something else, explain in comment

    Votes: 4 0.3%
Back
Top