Enduracers Interview

[Paul Jeffrey]

EnduRacers Modding Team and Gentlemen Racers have released the highly anticipated Version 1.00 of their Endurance Series modification for rFactor 2, adding an epic selection of LMP2 and GT2 specification cars to the rFactor 2 simulation.

The new release brings ten new cars and over 400 paint schemes added to the simulation, across three categories of racing and including such legendary endurance brands as Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari, Ligier and Lola represented by some of the most iconic endurance racing machines from the last dozen years of racing. With the initial release featuring some vehicles now replaced by newer generation technology, the development team have promised work is underway behind the scenes to add newer vehicles into the mod at a later date. "We want the mod core to be playable since the first release with homogenic classes to allow online races and championships. This is why for example we are including in the first release "old" models like the Ferrari F430 and the Porsche 997, with a choice to develop physics based on GTE regulations instead of GT2" say the team, so it looks like bigger and better things are still to come to this genuinely outstanding modification.

The much anticipated first release of Endurance Series V1.00 contains the following vehicles:

• GTC - Flat6 GT3
• GTE - Aston Martin V8 Vantage
• GTE - BMW M3 E92
• GTE - Corvette C6.R ZR1
• GTE - Ferrari F430 GT
• GTE - Flat6 RSR
• P2 - Ligier JSP2
• P2 - Lola Coupe
• P2 - Oreca 03
• P2 - Zytek

To mark the first build release of the Endurance Series mod, RaceDepartment have sat down with EnduRacers @klo-che to discuss what goes on behind the scenes in one of the most prominent modding teams currently working on content for rFactor 2.

RD: Congratulations on the much anticipated release of Enduracers V1.00. You must be very relieved to have reached this stage?

ER: Yes ! First of all we would like to thank all simracers of the huge amount of positive feedbacks we received, it's very rewarding and gives us motivation to "end the job as good as possible". It has been a long work of development, to adapt all cars to rFactor2 new features, to build the fresh new models, to adjust the mod to the new build features as long as we were working on it.

Building a MOD 100% from scratch requires thousand of work hours, on our free time, a lot of communication between the team members, and a rigourous organisation. We have happy with current build 1.00 result in all domains, even if we would like some better results, on the graphic domain in particular, and we count on the build 2.00 and the rFactor2 recent change of hands to help us to improve that.

One word more, people often do a mistake, talking about our MODs. EnduRacers is the name of our team, and Endurance Series rF2 is the name of the mod, not the contrary.

RD: How many people have been working behind the scenes on this release?

ER: The current EnduRacers team is made with 2 people in charge of 3D modeling, 1 people in charge of cars textures, 1 member working on the rFactor2 export and fine tuning, 1 for the car skins, 1 person focused on the sounds, 1 person for R&D, and 2 members in charge of media management. Together with us, the Gentlemen Racers league is in charge of the car physics, with a complete team in charge of physics development and beta testing. In addition, we receive external help on some domains. We in addition are cooperating with URD Modding Team, with some exchange agreements based on graphic models. Building a mod like that is a huge amount of work and needs to lot of people working together with the same target, almost like a company.

RD: What technology is included in the mod, CPM tyres / chassis flex etc?

ER: The mod includes almost all rFactor2 new features in terms of graphics (dynamic reflects & shadows, deformable tires,...), in terms of sounds (in particular reverbs) and physics (like chassis flex). We are planning to test and maybe add in the mod other features such as dynamic dirt for graphics, or CPM tyres for physics. It's all in works, but it doesn't mean it will be added in the end.

RD: How long to do you plan to support Enduracers v1? Will the mod receive addon content and updates to the latest tech release by Studio397?

ER: We are planning a the Endurance Series build 2.00 as add-on content. The build will add to the mod the Oreca 05 and the Corvette C7.R (courtesy and property of URD Modding Team). Other cars announcement may be done during the build development. About Studio397, we are in particular keeping on eye on their progress on the upcoming DX11 engine, to improve the game graphics which is its current weakness.

RD: What is next on Enduracers plans? Will you be working on another series for rF2?

ER: We have no plans after the Endurance Series rF2 build 2.00 release. First of all, our team members have less and less free time. The simracing community has changed, in particular when new platforms came, and the ambient has changed. It's less friendly than some years ago, and some people have forgotten that in the end all this is done for free as a hobby. It's less motivating than before. To finish with, we have a small professional activity in parallel for some manufacturers & teams simulators.

RD: Briefly, can you describe how much work goes into creating something like this, and what motivates your team to build something from scratch for rF2?

ER: The amount of work to build a mod like that is huge. For your example, as we work on our free time, if you want to build a car from scratch (3D job, UV mapping, all textures with high level of detail, ingame exportation, sounds, physics, tests,...) is at least 6 month of work, if you want to do things in details. So when you build a multicars mod, it's very huge. In addition, you have to spend several weeks in testing, reworking, validation and so on. As you can see, we never release beta version or unfinished products. We have dozens of people available for test & feedback, in particular within the Gentlemen Racers dev team. It's years of job that we have achieved.

All Enduracers & GR members are pure fans of endurance racing and the famous LM24. Even some of us are working for, or part of the ACO team. It's what motivate us, creating the virtual reproductions of the cars we see at Le Mans. It is what has always motivated us since the creation of our team.

We would like to thank RaceDepartment for the focus on our MOD and team. We hope you will enjoy the Endurance Series build 1.00, and are already meeting you for the build 2.00!

MOD - FEATURES
Graphics

• High fidelity 3D models, with high definition cockpits.
• Hundred's of real paints reproduced for each cars.
• Highly improved car materials, reflections, lightnings and shadings.
• Animated car driver, with high definition 3D Helmet.
• Cars details with backfire, headlights with lens flares, deformable tyres.
• Specific mod UI, to be downloaded and installed separately.

Physics

• Accurate car physics, created in collaboration with Gentlemen Racers physics team, with help from real teams and drivers.
• Up to date rF2 physics features for all cars.

Sounds

• Accurate and detailed sounds for all cars and engines.
• Up to date rF2 sounds features for all cars

WORK IN PROGRESS (not included in build 1.00)

• Dynamic dirt on cars.
• Tire new CPM model.
• Damage fine tuning (Not correctly yet implemented in rF2).
• Animated wipers in cockpit (Not correctly yet implemented in rF2).
• Heat effects.
• FuelMixture.

EnduRacers Version 1.00 is available to download now. Check out the rFactor 2 downloads section here and keep an eye out on the EnduRacers website for more information about projects from the team.

The rFactor 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment is the place to go for all the latest news and discussions regarding the rFactor 2 simulation. We are placing a bit of a focus on the EnduRacers V1.00 mod in the coming weeks, so check out our League and Club Racing forum for some top quality events with this excellent new mod. As well as racing and news, we also host some of the best mods for rFactor 2 in our downloads section, head over and take a look at some of the content, skins, apps and mods available for the game today.



Have you tried the EnduRacers V1.00 mod for rFactor 2 yet? What do you think of the work done by EnduRacers Modding Team and Gentlemen Racers? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[kmanitou81]

I really don't know what people are talking about. RF2 looks pretty awesome on my machine and runs smooth as silk...

It runs in DirectX 12 on my computer.

 

[Alex Townsend]

It runs in DirectX 12 on my computer.

Really? Wow thats just amazing well done

 

[Associat0r]

What rf2 car or mod has good material settings?

edit: this is a serious question and I'd really like to know some examples.

URD and Apex cars for example, although the latter could use some improvements.

 

[Gijs van Elderen]

What rf2 car or mod has good material settings?

edit: this is a serious question and I'd really like to know some examples.

ISI cars are done properly as well (on the save side).
Lots depends on artistic choices and preferences.
Personally, i find the apex cars a bit overdone. Just a little bit to shinny.

Important thing, before starting setting spec and reflect fresnell: a good specular map and (often forgotten) alpha channel. Reflections are controled by the mainbody alpha channel.

In Dev Mode you can open the "mat prop" window. (Material properties.) Here you can test values for the fresnell properties: spec and reflect.
You can do this for main body, windows, interieur, etc... once you are happy. Writte down the values.
And put them in the gmotor materials settings (3dsmax, gJED, 3DSimed)

Another thing is specular color (in the spec map or in the material properties). You can find info about it, what is scientifically the correct specular color. With gJED you can see it in real time.

 

[Deleted member 130869]

I haven't seen the issue some people speak of Enduracers yet as I don't drive much, but excluding that possible problem on the hood straight-on reflection, their cars have a very good look. I find most content, especially first-party, to have too diffuse of a reflection, looking as if the chassis is matte.

 

[kmanitou81]

Has someone looked at the Flat6 mod in detail? It's a fine car, no?

 

[Associat0r]

Has someone looked at the Flat6 mod in detail? It's a fine car, no?

Sadly the same problems, both in the initial 1.0 release and the recent 2.0 update.

 

[JoeNathanYouTube]

Has someone looked at the Flat6 mod in detail? It's a fine car, no?

I didn't really race it much, but as far as I know, its the same, if not worse.

 

[kondor999]

People really should read Associat0r's assessment a couple of pages back. The physics on this mod are not good and he's got the data to show it. And what is wrong with the community where no one is allowed to say anything negative without getting hassled? Unless we have some sort of standards, how will the really good mods ever get noticed?

You're *hurting* rF2 with this whole "Shhh....Don't complain!" attitude. Most people aren't being negative just to be a jerk. We're trying to figure out which mods are worth our time.

And if you really don't care if the sim you're driving is realistic, why don't you play Forza? It looks way better and certainly has "fun" handling, if that's your primary metric.

 

[JoeNathanYouTube]

It's not just rF2 that suffers from that "Shh... Don't complain" attitude, it's the entire genre. So if we don't hold everyone to those standards, then... you guys can connect the dots.

 

[kondor999]

I think you're exactly right. Maybe at one time there were just trolls who complained about anything and everything, but I actually don't see much of that. What I do see is a lot of rational, constructive criticism getting shut down by rabid fanboys who act like you've just implied their mother is a crackwhore.

I really do appreciate the people who make mods, especially for free. Likewise, I appreciate the fact that there are developers willing to cater to our niche hobby. That is not the issue. I want every racing sim and mod to be excellent and, of course, even the worst mods are far beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve.

But these points (which are often childishly thrown in our faces) have precisely nothing to do with whether a mod or game is actually good or not. And what incentive is there to improve anything if the developers of the mod (or game) are isolated away from legitimate complaints by dozens of falsely-reassuring fanboys saying how great everything is?

 

[Birddogg66]

My first thoughts on the mod were less then 100% positive as I thought the slip curve was a little off on some of the prototypes and then I tried the V8 Vantage and thought it was totally wonderful and caused me to rethink my initial impressions and will need more time to come up with a complete opinion on the mod as I do look at myself as the potential problem in my overall outlook on the material. However I have a lot of respect for these guys and their efforts. Would love to see it in Assetto Corsa to further my evaluation of the mod.

 

[Kevin Knorpp]

I haven't followed this topic very closely but I wish all the clicks on the internet to Joe Watchdog Youtube lol. I wouldn't quit my day job yet, haha. But keep fighting the good fight, man! You da man! Go get 'em boy!

Actually, I could care less how close these cars are to real life b/c (1) I don't drive them haha and (2) I'm a sim racer first and only care how a car drives in a sim.

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

Actually, I could care less how close these cars are to real life b/c (1) I don't drive them haha and (2) I'm a sim racer first and only care how a car drives in a sim.

Isn't the point of a "sim" to simulate real life? Sure we can have cars handling like in TrackMania and they are somewhat fun to drive even, but IMO that belongs to other games. Why make the effort to obtain data from a real car if you decide to ignore basic principles of physics with hacked weight/inertia values. I don't see the point in modding on an ultra realistic sim platform like rF2 and then decide to fudge the physics.

 

[Marc Collins]

It's no different than with rF1. There will be many car mods made and many will not be so concerned about plausible physics. I think it's safe to say only a small minority will be truly realistic because only a minority were realistic in rF1, and it was easier to mod.

The emphasis is on fun and leagues. Just count yourself lucky when the occasional ultra-realistic car or series is released. The people who pour their time and energy into the mods will decide to build them according to whatever motivates them...and only to their technical capabilities. So even if I wanted to create an ultra-realistic car, I wouldn't be able to due to lack of technical competence.

I probably had 90% of the tracks available installed in my old rF1. And maybe 5% of the cars. Others were the opposite. To each his own, but the only solution to a polite rejection by the modder to the request to make a car mod more realistic is to move on. Even when it's your favourite series that you really, really wanted to use and no one else is making it. Too bad, so sad.

Or, once it's done, ask the modder for permission to re-do the physics and to release a parallel version.

 

[Slyfrequency]

We all have our own preference when it comes to sim racing, there's some of us who don't mind too much about physics, there's some who want the closest the physics can be. Personally, I'm a bit of both, at the end of the day though I play race sims because they're fun and appreciate the sims that offer the best immersion, even if physics aren't 100%.

 

[Kevin Knorpp]

Isn't the point of a "sim" to simulate real life? Sure we can have cars handling like in TrackMania and they are somewhat fun to drive even, but IMO that belongs to other games. Why make the effort to obtain data from a real car if you decide to ignore basic principles of physics with hacked weight/inertia values. I don't see the point in modding on an ultra realistic sim platform like rF2 and then decide to fudge the physics.

I think you know there is something between having full data and merely plugging in numbers and TrackMania. Having said that, if it is possible to fudge a vehicle's physics so badly that it can fly, for example, then that would be extreme, of course. But if the car is plausible, meaning, could possibly exist in real life according to the laws of physics then I'm good. It's simply a matter of personality. IRL is arbitrary to some and be all end all to others.

It's no different than with rF1. There will be many car mods made and many will not be so concerned about plausible physics. I think it's safe to say only a small minority will be truly realistic because only a minority were realistic in rF1, and it was easier to mod.

The emphasis is on fun and leagues. Just count yourself lucky when the occasional ultra-realistic car or series is released. The people who pore their time and energy into the mods will decide to build them according to whatever motivates them...and only to their technical capabilities. So even if I wanted to create an ultra-realistic car, I wouldn't be able to due to lack of technical competence.

I probably had 90% of the tracks available installed in my old rF1. And maybe 5% of the cars. Others were the opposite. To each his own, but the only solution to a polite rejection by the modder to the request to make a car mod more realistic is to move on. Even when it's your favourite series that you really, really wanted to use and no one else is making it. Too bad, so sad.

Or, once it's done, ask the modder for permission to re-do the physics and to release a parallel version.

Yep, although we may have different definitions/applications of the world 'plausible'. For me, plausible means plausible with respect to the world of physics. I have no data or idea how any of the cars I drive feel IRL and also don't care but they can't be doing anything weird or unexplainable by the laws of physics.

 

[Deleted member 130869]

If the guys have access to the real data and parameters, there's no reason not to input them. I had fun with the original Flat 6 release despite tire behavior. It was a fun ride. Tires aren't easy in this game or even stock content wouldn't come with different levels of implementation.

I quite like the effort that has gone into the mod but it needs a couple of things changed for full praise. The sounds are fantastic, the visuals stand out from the game, and there's a great diversity of content. Though I had some fun on the first three times out, I stopped driving. Knowing Enduracers, they always gather feedback and eventually release and update, and that is what I settled on waiting.

Now that's where the system fell apart with some valid and true argument lost in a wave of rudeness. Text on message boards don't convey tone and are often dry, more than real life conversation would be, due to it. That mixed with a defensive approach, shut down communication and acknowledgement of the areas of improvement. The questions I pose are how come it wasn't brought up in testing, especially with rf2 testers? And those who had access, why not offer constructive feedback when it was a private affair, only to come out with inflammatory public posts? Now to wait for a v2.0 and hope the couple of persistent modding groups left don't give up completely. Especially those with the technical knowledge.

 

[Associat0r]

I see many unfounded assumptions and false accusations here.

The Flat6 issues were and still are more than just tires, as explained elsewhere in this thread. They went from 1.0 to 2.0 after a year with the same fundamental issues as this Endurance Series mod.

What some of you call inflammatory public posts, is actually direct honest constructive criticism and advice. They publicly stated that these were supposed to be the most realistic and accurate mods in simracing, with the collaboration of real race teams and drivers, while being hyped up everywhere. And considering I only tried the public versions, I see no reason to not publicly tell them they aren't even close to realistic without sugarcoating it. If they feel insulted by this truth, so be it. But I stand by what I said.

In the meantime, they falsely accused me of deliberately denigrating them, while they kept insulting the intelligence of me and many simracers, especially when they kept beating around the bush by deflecting the issues to FFB settings, weeks after those cold hard facts were exposed. It's like telling us 1+1=7 instead of 1+1=2.

 

[Marc Collins]

I see many unfounded assumptions and false accusations here.

The Flat6 issues were and still are more than just tires, as explained elsewhere in this thread. They went from 1.0 to 2.0 after a year with the same fundamental issues as this Endurance Series mod.

What some of you call inflammatory public posts, is actually direct honest constructive criticism and advice. They publicly stated that these were supposed to be the most realistic and accurate mods in simracing, with the collaboration of real race teams and drivers, while being hyped up everywhere. And considering I only tried the public versions, I see no reason to not publicly tell them they aren't even close to realistic without sugarcoating it. If they feel insulted by this truth, so be it. But I stand by what I said.

In the meantime, they falsely accused me of deliberately denigrating them, while they kept insulting the intelligence of me and many simracers, especially when they kept beating around the bush by deflecting the issues to FFB settings, weeks after those cold hard facts were exposed. It's like telling us 1+1=7 instead of 1+1=2.

I'd relax a bit given the number of commercial titles that also claim to be accurate or real sims and fail to deliver. Sue them first and win and then we can get serious about complaining about free content made by hobbyists.