rFactor 2 | January 2023 Release Candidate Notes

rFactor2_January2023ReleaseCandidate.jpg
The new release candidate for rFactor 2 is out. What to expect from the new update? Find out here!

As always, this release client can be accessed via Steam's Beta feature. If you want to try out the upcoming updates first-hand, you can right-click rFactor 2 in your Steam library, select "Properties", and then choose the release-candidate under the "BETAS" tab.

I am most interested in the addition of the "Photo Mode", something that allowed other sims to garner much praise from digital photographers. rFactor 2 can be such a beautiful game, a better photo mode is definitely a good excuse to spend more time on the sim, albeit not in the hot seat.

The Update Changelog​


Client: 10369103

Dedi: 10369112

General
  • Track Limits: reduced sensitivity to switching paths, such as near the pit lane entrance, and reduced strict penalty points for an invalid pit lane to main path change from Drive Through to 1 point.
Cinematics
  • Added soft blend when changing selected vehicle
  • Added ability to hold current camera
  • Added ability to pause car tracking. Pressing the SHIFT key whilst this is enabled will reset tracking to the closest point the tracking is paused at.
  • Added camera group tracking for cars traveling close together, by default in race sessions only.
  • Allow the previous laps S/F line camera to remain valid when using cycle method. This allows for different cameras over the start finish line.
  • Reduced strength of shake effect on cameras with this enabled.
  • Allowed zooming in / out / reset on TV Cameras with out any extra modes being enabled. Optionally allowed this to persist after changing cameras.
  • Added acceleration and deceleration to Freelook for smoother movement.
  • Added the ability to load custom cameras from Userdata\Cameras
Photo Mode
  • Split out from Freelook camera adjustments (aperture, exposure, focus) options to a separate Photo Mode.
  • Photo Mode allows configuration of visual settings, in addition to the usual Freelook options. However is not available when driving.
  • UI to be added
Graphics
  • Improved visual progression of wet road with a more linear progression.
  • Added new IBL Water Shader which uses SSR for more accurate reflections.
  • Added motion blur.
  • Live TV Screens: Added option to disable, Fixed aspect ratio when running non 16:9 resolutions, Improved shader visually.
  • Forced use of high power GPU on devices with multiple GPUs (i.e. Laptops).
UI
  • Fixed being able to set race laps to below 2 in single player session settings.
  • Fixed the singleplayer quick event page layout being broken sometimes on page load.
  • Added new “Cinematic cameras” tab in Settings → Assign controls
  • This tab holds new cinematic settings along with previously existing assignable controls
  • Renamed “Cameras & seat” tab to “Driving cameras & seat” and re-organized the assignable controls
Package Management
  • New system to allow store items to be unsubscribed / resub scribed through the UI
  • Packages can be download in the background without blocking the UI
  • Packages in the content management are grouped by workshop or store item
  • The install UI can be minimized when downloading content
Modding
  • Added PBR Debug Tool for Mod Dev and Scene Viewer. This allows artists to debug the component outputs of the PBR pipeline.
  • Added IBL Water Shader which uses SSR for reflections
  • Fixed occasional glitchy car tracking in camera editor
  • Updated ModDev to load RCD files from Vehicle folders
  • AI Editor Improvements:
  • Allow the removal of multiple paths in one go
  • More consistent AIW path adjustments
  • Fixed editing of pit paths wp positions
  • Fixed updating of path positions when editing waypoint positions
Known issues
  • Workshop / store item headers are named incorrectly
  • Installing items from the content page requires a second request to install via the “updates” page
  • Cancel updates button is unresponsive
  • Motion blur does not work without SSR set to medium or higher
  • If your game is stuck on checking for updates, please delete try deleting userdata/player/localstorage folder

What do you think about this release candidate and its details? Let us know in the comments down below!
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About author
Julian Strasser
Julian Strasser
Motorsports and Maker-stuff enthusiast. Part time jack-of-all-trades. Owner of tracc.eu, a sim racing-related service provider and its racing community.

More in rFactor 2

Comments

P
"Live TV Screens: Added option to disable, Fixed aspect ratio when running non 16:9 resolutions, Improved shader visually."

It's a minor thing, but it makes me very happy. Going past those live screens in VR makes my eyeballs spin.
 
Last edited:
DaVeX↯
To be honest....I really appreciate their efforts but they should change their content/DLC model as fast as they can...

If you can race only if you own the track or all the cars on the server (if you are missing one you can't join) why don't adopt a different distribution model?

- Tracks should be sold separately as single items

- All the tracks should be updated to current game standards

- cars should be sell as packs, don't sell those as separate items

- don't mix different year cars on the same pack unless those are present on the real series you are going to reproduce ( as example of series, they don't need to license it just a generic one like "2020 GT3 Season" or sorta)

- base game should feature only the existing fictional tracks they already have and add some fictional cars....

This is quite complex to explain since my eng is very poor but we know rF2 features some great fictional tracks and cars too...
The main idea is to have something similar to raceroom or rf1, when you buy the game you will have access to fictional cars and tracks.
Expired licenses like Maruissa, Formula 2 or others like Panoz....could be leaved out of the game and the physics reused for some generic cars like Maruissa = XX year Fictional formula, Formula 2 = Fictional Xx year formula 2, etc (something the Reiza guys and raceroom told us is doable).
The licensed content already in game should be split on packs and should be featured as free downloadable content in a way to get players used to how the paid content will be distributed and managed in-game)

- due the above the main game should be free or very cheap (as usually is would suffice imo) in a similar way to raceroom or rf1

- demo should be replaced by another build for modding purposes only with access to all the documents and tools, should be also used by the studio for testing beta releases in order to collect feedback and give modders opportunity to test if something will broke their mods or the ones they are working on (there are several games releasing a community test or beta test version of the main game for testing purposes in order to release more polished updates on the main game)

- workshop should be organized with tags and specific guidelines for modders in order to give them the opportunity to release their content in amore fashionable way....

- S397 should also consider the DCS approach to modding, big mods by talented teams fully licensed and sold as DLC/packs

Sorry for the long post, forced to bed by COVID so too much time in my hands lol
 
Last edited:
D
2tolik said:
How often do they make releases?
Some dev-notes stated its 4 times a year?
Click to expand...
It is a process they began following early in 2022. Until further notice, I guess, most major updates will occur every 3 months. Thus they are called Quarter drops. Q1 in Feb, Q2 in May, Q3 in August and Q4 in November.
These Quarterly drops are for including new features and correcting old oustanding issues. They also use these Quarterly releases to make available new DLC content like the BTCC cars that have been dribbling out. Occasionally, they have also released certain hotfixes between the Q drops but rarely extra features or content.(Christmas 2022 was one of those rare times with a few more DLC cars made available for purchase)
These Release Candidate items are a last mass testing option before the official release. What we are seeing in this current Release Candidate will become the official release moving forward within the first 10 days of February.
 
D
DaVeX↯ said:
To be honest....I really appreciate their efforts but they should change their content/DLC model as fast as they can...

If you can race only if you own the track or all the cars on the server (if you are missing one you can't join) why don't adopt a different distribution model?

- Tracks should be sold separately as single items

- All the tracks should be updated to current game standards

- cars should be sell as packs, don't sell those as separate items

- don't mix different year cars on the same pack unless those are present on the real series you are going to reproduce ( as example of series, they don't need to license it just a generic one like "2020 GT3 Season" or sorta)

- base game should feature only the existing fictional tracks they already have and add some fictional cars....

This is quite complex to explain since my eng is very poor but we know rF2 features some great fictional tracks and cars too...
The main idea is to have something similar to raceroom or rf1, when you buy the game you will have access to fictional cars and tracks.
Expired licenses like Maruissa, Formula 2 or others like Panoz....could be leaved out of the game and the physics reused for some generic cars like Maruissa = XX year Fictional formula, Formula 2 = Fictional Xx year formula 2, etc (something the Reiza guys and raceroom told us is doable).
The licensed content already in game should be split on packs and should be featured as free downloadable content in a way to get players used to how the paid content will be distributed and managed in-game)

- due the above the main game should be free or very cheap (as usually is would suffice imo) in a similar way to raceroom or rf1

- demo should be replaced by another build for modding purposes only with access to all the documents and tools, should be also used by the studio for testing beta releases in order to collect feedback and give modders opportunity to test if something will broke their mods or the ones they are working on (there are several games releasing a community test or beta test version of the main game for testing purposes in order to release more polished updates on the main game)

- workshop should be organized with tags and specific guidelines for modders in order to give them the opportunity to release their content in amore fashionable way....

- S397 should also consider the DCS approach to modding, big mods by talented teams fully licensed and sold as DLC/packs

Sorry for the long post, forced to bed by COVID so too much time in my hands lol
Click to expand...
Take care and be well.
 
T
DaVeX↯ said:
To be honest....I really appreciate their efforts but they should change their content/DLC model as fast as they can...

If you can race only if you own the track or all the cars on the server (if you are missing one you can't join) why don't adopt a different distribution model?

- Tracks should be sold separately as single items

- All the tracks should be updated to current game standards

- cars should be sell as packs, don't sell those as separate items

- don't mix different year cars on the same pack unless those are present on the real series you are going to reproduce ( as example of series, they don't need to license it just a generic one like "2020 GT3 Season" or sorta)

- base game should feature only the existing fictional tracks they already have and add some fictional cars....

This is quite complex to explain since my eng is very poor but we know rF2 features some great fictional tracks and cars too...
The main idea is to have something similar to raceroom or rf1, when you buy the game you will have access to fictional cars and tracks.
Expired licenses like Maruissa, Formula 2 or others like Panoz....could be leaved out of the game and the physics reused for some generic cars like Maruissa = XX year Fictional formula, Formula 2 = Fictional Xx year formula 2, etc (something the Reiza guys and raceroom told us is doable).
The licensed content already in game should be split on packs and should be featured as free downloadable content in a way to get players used to how the paid content will be distributed and managed in-game)

- due the above the main game should be free or very cheap (as usually is would suffice imo) in a similar way to raceroom or rf1

- demo should be replaced by another build for modding purposes only with access to all the documents and tools, should be also used by the studio for testing beta releases in order to collect feedback and give modders opportunity to test if something will broke their mods or the ones they are working on (there are several games releasing a community test or beta test version of the main game for testing purposes in order to release more polished updates on the main game)

- workshop should be organized with tags and specific guidelines for modders in order to give them the opportunity to release their content in amore fashionable way....

- S397 should also consider the DCS approach to modding, big mods by talented teams fully licensed and sold as DLC/packs

Sorry for the long post, forced to bed by COVID so too much time in my hands lol
Click to expand...
Some of the stuff you are requesting is allready there, like the workshop tags, RC releases to test upcoming releases wich is especialy handy for people who create content and I also think that the studio has followed the DCS approach in one way or another. If I am not completely wrong the Vanwall and the Ligiers were built by modding teams and some of the content used in the official competition, like the Alpine Series is 3rd party aswell.

Some of the other stuff is propably in the works, like the content requirements for MP races, though I see less issues with this in LFM for example, where they don't run a full series based on the rF2 structure, but one event per week, wich works fine. At that point it works like AC wich seems to be a non issue for everyone. Content updates are done aswell, but as often explained they have to balance it with the new content. I also don't think that it makes sense to sell all cars in packs and tracks only individual. There are single cars that people most likely by separately, like the 992 Cup Car. And once the BTCC pack is finished I don't see a reason to buy all the content separately as the packs bring some discount.
 

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