GT3 Challenges Pack Released for rFactor 2

[Paul Jeffrey]

Four of the five new GT3 cars for rFactor 2 have been released today!

Released just 24 hours after the final car reveal yesterday, the five vehicle 'GT3 Challengers' DLC for rFactor 2 is here! Although containing five cars, players will have to wait for a little while yet until we get access to the brand new 2019 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, that one is undergoing final manufacturer approval and hasn't quite managed to sneak into the pack ahead of the release deadline today.

Even without the Aston, the new car pack from Studio 397 is an incredibly impressive achievement and in my opinion at least, really showcases the exceptional potential of what is one of the finest racing simulations currently available. The new cars, the BMW M6, McLaren 720s, Audi R8 LMS and Porsche 911 GT3 R are quite literally the highest quality Studio 397 have released to date, and represent the first pieces of content to be developed with the much anticipated new materials shaders for the title.

Although joining the sim as a standalone DLC, the new cars have received suitable BOP settings to allow them to race competitively with the current crop of GT3 machines, meaning rFactor will have a very impressive collection of no less than 10 recent GT3 cars within the sim (plus the older Camaro GT3 from the ISI era).. not bad going in the space of just over one year..

For me, these new cars that form part of the 'GT3 Challengers' DLC are testament to the quality Studio 397 are capable of delivering, and could, quite possibly, be some of the finest content in sim racing....

The Studio 397 announcement notes:

With a great heritage in GT class racing, we are proud to announce the next pack released for rFactor 2 – The GT3 Challengers Pack. Featuring not just one, but two world firsts! GT represents much of what rFactor 2 stands for, and fits into our feature set of day/night transitions, weather and driver swaps. We hope you enjoy this pack that also features our latest graphic engine technology.

With our existing GT3 Pack and the Endurance Pack we now have 13 GT class cars that can race on track – add a couple of LMP’s and we have one of the most diverse grids in sim racing.

Once again we are proud to have great support from partners to help us make this happen.

Download on Steam right here!

Now let’s take a look at what’s in awesome pack!

McLaren 720s

To bring one of their new incredible cars onto race tracks, McLaren developed the stunning 720S GT3.

Modern design, impressive aerodynamics and years of experience in Motorsport should help this car to claim wins among several premier GT3 events in 2019.

Porsche 911 GT3 R

It probably wouldn’t be called motorsport if the iconic brand Porsche aren’t part of a class.

The 911 GT3 R is once again a very balanced, race-proven car by the German manufacturer, reinforcing their image as being amongst the highest rated contenders in a series.

Audi R8 LMS GT3

Considered as one of the all-time favourites, this midship RWD car by Audi has been competing in GT3 since the beginning, winning significant races around the globe for a variety of teams. A demanding but rewarding choice.

BMW M6 GT3

From the very start, the BMW M6 GT3 hit the grids all over the motorsport world and proved the V8 concept to the German manufacturer. Leading several Endurance events in different series and also claiming the 2018 FIA GT World Cup title, this car is a winner.


Aston Martin Vantage 2019

The second generation of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is ready for some serious racing action. It will enter GT events in 2019 and beefs up the already stunning road version of the Vantage. With the prestige and expertise Aston Martin brings into racing, it’s a challenger you always have to keep an eye on.

*Please note this car will be released as part of the pack once approved


Final Notes
These cars are built with our new graphic technology, based on PBR lighting. We are converting more of our older content and yes, we are bringing more liveries to you shortly!

For painters, we are finalising the templates and the technology behind it, trust us, it will be a game changer for you! In the meantime, please read more on our December Roadmap here https://www.studio-397.com/2018/12/roadmap-update-december-2018/

rFactor 2 is available exclusively for PC from Steam now.

Check out the rFactor 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment for all the latest news and discussion with regards to the simulation. You can take part in lively debates with fellow rFactor 2 fans and take part in some great Club and League racing events..! Head over to the forum now!

Like what you see here at RaceDepartment? Don't forget to like, subscribe and follow us on social media!


 ​

 

[Marc Collins]

First off, Merry Christmas to Studio 397, having worked their behinds off to get thissurprise pack out of nowhere out just in time for us to enjoy over the holidays. It takes a lot of commitment, good management and hard work to make something like this happen.

Now to the actual pack. I did not have enough time yet to test all cars but the Pors he nut I am of course I drove back to back the rF2 Porsche 911 GT3 R vs the Kunos Porsche 911 GT3 R.

I chose a track that is a ailable for both simulators from the same source - Road Atlanta 2017 to have an even ground.

first off lets get the bad news out of the way:
- the 3D model, texture work, displays and functionality in the Porsche cockpit is definitely subpar in standard of 2018 / 19 latest gen racing sims
- the cockpit 3d model is of very low poly count and objects that are constantly in the view did not get the needed care in 3D modelling to have them appear of high enough quality to todays standards

Examples for this are the external mirror housings, the dashboard itself, the dashboard, meeting the roll cage and body shell at the a-pillar - those are the worst offenders and are unfortunately always in your face, making the 3D model of the Porsche look like a rush job.

The textures used in the Porsche cockpit too are of subpar quality (look at the passenger side a-pillar to see the most obvious issue here with obvious rough pixelated textures).

The MFD in the Porsche is unfortunately very, very bad indeed. Earlier seen screenshots do not do justice to how so really bad the mix of wrong fonts, mixed fonts, misaligned fonts, different aspect ratio of fonts and general layout really is. The rev counter display, LEDs and the lack of oversteer display functionailty just adds to this.

People who have raced the Kunos Porsche 911 GT3 R extensively (it has been my most used GT3 car since its release) do see these issues imediately and they do indeed matter.


Why are these issues particularly with the Porsche so obvious you ask?
Well, just sit yourself in the McLaren 720S which is exactly on the other end of the modelling quality scale and simply looks sublime by comparison.
The 3D model, texture work and shaders, heck even the MFD up center look several levels above the Porsche model and truly make the Porsche look abysmal by comparison.

The McLaren cockpit indeed is of a quality I have come to expect when purchasing content for latest gen racing sims in 2018.

The level of quality of the initial GT3 pack models or even the new low - the GT3 Challengers pack Porsche 911 GT3 R are absolutley nothing Studio 397 can be proud of and it should not be considered as a benchmark of acceptable in sim racing, coming from an official source.


Now on to the good things:
The Porsche FEELS absolutely SUBLIME !!!
How the Porsche acts on curbs, weight transfer, acceleration, turn in, mid corner, loosing traction, understeering and starting to grip on it’s front tires on weight shift is simply top notch and the best I have felt so far in any sim that simulates a modern racing GT 911 Porsche.

It feels THAT GOOD.
The FFB details are amazing and highly detailed - I love especially the curbs and to feel distinctly grip levels from front and rear when the chassis is highly loaded (like T1 or the last long corner at Road Atlanta).

The sounds are solid (I still prefer the Fonsecker produced sound pack for this particular Porsche for Assetto Corsa) but it is a very solid effort. In the replay cam the sounds are a little off and probably need some work (they look out of sync of what the car is doing for a lack of a better discription but not shockingly so). While in cockpit, hearing the own car and another Porsche around you is good.

I truly, truly hope that Studio 397 will consider to throw away the cockpit 3D model of the initial release of the Porsche and will redo this model from scratch. In its current state it does not do the otherwise vey promising quality of the new content justice and it certainly is not something to be used to advertise the future direction the studio is heading (which looks very promising indeed, so good actually that any new modern GT content is an insta-buy for me).

I caved-in and bought the new pack when it arrived, based on the mostly positive reviews. The info above is true and reflects the still pervasive inconsistency in just about everything related to rF2. Why am I still seeing in Audi reflections from the road on the cockpit side of the wing mirror housing, or on the underside lip of the bonnet/hood near the driver's-side wiper (sort of like on certain of the historic formula cars' windscreens that hasn't been fixed in the past 6 years)? And what's with the gap through to the road in the bonnet cam? The whole cockpit is dark and uninspired. The exterior does look nice and is a step or two above prior ISI/S397 cars, but overall this is a disappointment.

The cars are very nice, but not great. They lack skins (as usual for official rF2 releases). I had promised never to buy another S397 DLC until the new UI was released, but as I mentioned, caved-in. Oh well, for old-time's sake I still want to see rF2 succeed, but it has a long way to go to ever get a second look from most people in a world with ACC and other more popular titles.

What is most important for me is not the graphics. I am also concerned that the best-ever FFB for an official release still only approaches (not surpasses as it should be able to given the newer platform) the standard quality of all AMS vehicles. I still have no loss of grip from grass or dirt pickup on the tires, even though I have the sound effects for it. The grass still burns my tires off if I slide on it. I still have an almost unusable UI, it is so illogical and frustratingly bad. I have mods I can't get rid of because they were subscriptions to mods that no longer exist--and also cannot be uninstalled with the mod manager because they are locked to the Workshop. I still have sub-par sounds for most vehicles and lack of surround sound. I have dozens of pieces of older content that are not fully updated to the latest standards. Etc., etc. An experience only the die-hard would put up with.

 

[thepharcyde]

I caved-in and bought the new pack when it arrived, based on the mostly positive reviews. The info above is true and reflects the still pervasive inconsistency in just about everything related to rF2. Why am I still seeing in Audi reflections from the road on the cockpit side of the wing mirror housing, or on the underside lip of the bonnet/hood near the driver's-side wiper (sort of like on certain of the historic formula cars' windscreens that hasn't been fixed in the past 6 years)? And what's with the gap through to the road in the bonnet cam? The whole cockpit is dark and uninspired. The exterior does look nice and is a step or two above prior ISI/S397 cars, but overall this is a disappointment.

The cars are very nice, but not great. They lack skins (as usual for official rF2 releases). I had promised never to buy another S397 DLC until the new UI was released, but as I mentioned, caved-in. Oh well, for old-time's sake I still want to see rF2 succeed, but it has a long way to go to ever get a second look from most people in a world with ACC and other more popular titles.

What is most important for me is not the graphics. I am also concerned that the best-ever FFB for an official release still only approaches (not surpasses as it should be able to given the newer platform) the standard quality of all AMS vehicles. I still have no loss of grip from grass or dirt, even though I have the sound effects for it. The grass still burns my tires off if I slide on it. I still have an almost unusable UI, it is so illogical and frustratingly bad. I have mods I can't get rid of because they were subscriptions to mods that no longer exist--and also cannot be uninstalled with the mod manager because they are locked to the Workshop. I still have sub-par sounds for most vehicles and lack of surround sound. I have dozens of pieces of older content that are not fully updated to the latest standards. Etc., etc. An experience only the die-hard would put up with.

Still the best SIM though ain't it?

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

What is most important for me is not the graphics.

If graphics are not most important, then the first part of your review becomes less relevant. I agree that there are still certain graphical details that are lagging behind in rF2 such as shadows in general, but graphics for me are always secondary.

The grass still burns my tires off if I slide on it.

This is no longer the case. Have a go on the grass with the new GT3's and you'll see temps barely rise at all anymore, this was fixed in some feature update half a year ago.

I still have an almost unusable UI, it is so illogical and frustratingly bad. I have mods I can't get rid of because they were subscriptions to mods that no longer exist--and also cannot be uninstalled with the mod manager because they are locked to the Workshop.

The UI is using the same tech as AMS. Old, but IMO usable. The mod install part is somewhat frustrating.

I have dozens of pieces of older content that are not fully updated to the latest standards.with.

This is the case for all sims. AMS has age old cockpits in many cars, pCars 2 has recycled content from pCars 1, etc.

 

[newbert]

@Chris Wyatt Try the USF2000 (official S397 content, which was the first car they made after taking over from ISI) in rFactor 2, it may change your opinion about open wheelers. It is still one of my favorite cars for all racing sims.....

I also enjoy open wheelers a lot, and would like to try the USF2000 content. However, although I see "USF2000" listed under "All Cars and Series", no individual cars are listed in that particular folder. All other folders include content but this one apparently is empty.

Can anyone help me out with sorting this out? Where do I find the actual cars and how do I install them?

Thanks!

 

[newbert]

I also enjoy open wheelers a lot, and would like to try the USF2000 content. However, although I see "USF2000" listed under "All Cars and Series", no individual cars are listed in that particular folder. All other folders include content but this one apparently is empty.

Can anyone help me out with sorting this out? Where do I find the actual cars and how do I install them?

Thanks!

Whoops -- Got it sorted out (Dumb Mistake....)

 

[Ville-Samuli Mutanen]

Didn't buy the GT3 Challenge-pack yet because I wanted to check the progress that really matters at first. I was happy to see very good performance in VR. Still cockpits look kind of immersion killers but I can live with it. Not sure if those are any better with the most recent content. I still have some blurriness/bloomyness I want to cure. Don't know how but some sharpening is needed to enjoy the driving a bit more.

The thing I was still amazed after all these years with rF2 is the horrible exterior sounds. Sounds like 90's titles. We are spoilt with fantastic, roaring, grumbling and echoing exterior sounds these days! Mixed together with pitwall, audience, wind, pops, whistles, bangs and all that sheit. Sounds have taken a huge step forward during the last 5 years or so. Unfortunately rF2 was not in the competition 5 years ago and is even further away these days in that regard. Some onboard sounds are okay.

I was driving GTE cars and overall liked the feeling of those even I'm not a fan of these forever-forgiving physics. On the other hand this engine can handle kurbs which is a thing some other engines are struggling with. FFB is good out of the box with OSW. Just a tiny bit of smoothing is needeed. And gain adjustment of course.

Not even starting with the UI..

Gotta say I truly want S397 to build some pressure towards Kunos so they have to find a way to fix those issues with UE4. And vice versa the progress of Kunos with ACC giving some pressure to S397 so we could finally see things like the "Sagrada Familia-UI".

I'd love to see more useable tracks. Even as a Finn I couldn't be less interested about tracks like Botniaring. The layout is just a waste of development resources.

I'd love to be more positive about rF2 but all these years with this game have beaten every bit of hope out of me. Still it feels like people think that releasing 30 different GT-cars is some kind of jail-free-card. I wish it would be this easy...

 

[Ami_M3]

Didn't buy the GT3 Challenge-pack yet because I wanted to check the progress that really matters at first. I was happy to see very good performance in VR. Still cockpits look kind of immersion killers but I can live with it. Not sure if those are any better with the most recent content. I still have some blurriness/bloomyness I want to cure. Don't know how but some sharpening is needed to enjoy the driving a bit more.

The thing I was still amazed after all these years with rF2 is the horrible exterior sounds. Sounds like 90's titles. We are spoilt with fantastic, roaring, grumbling and echoing exterior sounds these days! Mixed together with pitwall, audience, wind, pops, whistles, bangs and all that sheit. Sounds have taken a huge step forward during the last 5 years or so. Unfortunately rF2 was not in the competition 5 years ago and is even further away these days in that regard. Some onboard sounds are okay.

I was driving GTE cars and overall liked the feeling of those even I'm not a fan of these forever-forgiving physics. On the other hand this engine can handle kurbs which is a thing some other engines are struggling with. FFB is good out of the box with OSW. Just a tiny bit of smoothing is needeed. And gain adjustment of course.

Not even starting with the UI..

Gotta say I truly want S397 to build some pressure towards Kunos so they have to find a way to fix those issues with UE4. And vice versa the progress of Kunos with ACC giving some pressure to S397 so we could finally see things like the "Sagrada Familia-UI".

I'd love to see more useable tracks. Even as a Finn I couldn't be less interested about tracks like Botniaring. The layout is just a waste of development resources.

I'd love to be more positive about rF2 but all these years with this game have beaten every bit of hope out of me. Still it feels like people think that releasing 30 different GT-cars is some kind of jail-free-card. I wish it would be this easy...

You have some valid points, but I'm just gonna comment on the sounds. Check out the latest content, exterior sounds have improved massively

 

[thepharcyde]

Didn't buy the GT3 Challenge-pack yet because I wanted to check the progress that really matters at first. I was happy to see very good performance in VR. Still cockpits look kind of immersion killers but I can live with it. Not sure if those are any better with the most recent content. I still have some blurriness/bloomyness I want to cure. Don't know how but some sharpening is needed to enjoy the driving a bit more.

The thing I was still amazed after all these years with rF2 is the horrible exterior sounds. Sounds like 90's titles. We are spoilt with fantastic, roaring, grumbling and echoing exterior sounds these days! Mixed together with pitwall, audience, wind, pops, whistles, bangs and all that sheit. Sounds have taken a huge step forward during the last 5 years or so. Unfortunately rF2 was not in the competition 5 years ago and is even further away these days in that regard. Some onboard sounds are okay.

I was driving GTE cars and overall liked the feeling of those even I'm not a fan of these forever-forgiving physics. On the other hand this engine can handle kurbs which is a thing some other engines are struggling with. FFB is good out of the box with OSW. Just a tiny bit of smoothing is needeed. And gain adjustment of course.

Not even starting with the UI..

Gotta say I truly want S397 to build some pressure towards Kunos so they have to find a way to fix those issues with UE4. And vice versa the progress of Kunos with ACC giving some pressure to S397 so we could finally see things like the "Sagrada Familia-UI".

I'd love to see more useable tracks. Even as a Finn I couldn't be less interested about tracks like Botniaring. The layout is just a waste of development resources.

I'd love to be more positive about rF2 but all these years with this game have beaten every bit of hope out of me. Still it feels like people think that releasing 30 different GT-cars is some kind of jail-free-card. I wish it would be this easy...

Get some headphones

You have some valid points, but I'm just gonna comment on the sounds. Check out the latest content, exterior sounds have improved massively

Bosh on some headphones too for the full effect. Audi is very distinctive

 

[Ville-Samuli Mutanen]

Get some headphones

Bosh on some headphones too for the full effect. Audi is very distinctive

AKG K845BT's should be more than enough.

Edit: @Ami_M3 According to Youtube footage, exterior sounds still sounds like a fly trapped inside a tin can.

 

[Steve Worrell]

AKG K845BT's should be more than enough.

Edit: @Ami_M3 According to Youtube footage, exterior sounds still sounds like a fly trapped inside a tin can.

Just for the record rf2 is my favourite sim.

However when it comes to sound it's seriously far behind the likes of raceroom, which for me is the best bit about raceroom.

I guess what I'm trying to say is each sim has advantages and disadvantages.

 

[felippekiss]

Just for the record rf2 is my favourite sim.

However when it comes to sound it's seriously far behind the likes of raceroom, which for me is the best bit about raceroom.

I guess what I'm trying to say is each sim has advantages and disadvantages.

I agree, we will never have a top notch SIM in all areas

 

[Keith Dixon]

Just for the record rf2 is my favourite sim.

However when it comes to sound it's seriously far behind the likes of raceroom, which for me is the best bit about raceroom.

I guess what I'm trying to say is each sim has advantages and disadvantages.

I stood at the side of Silverstone for 6 hours, the 2 most distinct cars on the track were the Ford GT and the Porsche and whats in game with regards the Porsche is certainly close enough to be enjoyable

 

[thepharcyde]

I stood at the side of Silverstone for 6 hours, the 2 most distinct cars on the track were the Ford GT and the Porsche and whats in game with regards the Porsche is certainly close enough to be enjoyable

View attachment 283216

Next time pan with the camera haha, looks like it's broke down!

 

[Steve Worrell]

I stood at the side of Silverstone for 6 hours, the 2 most distinct cars on the track were the Ford GT and the Porsche and whats in game with regards the Porsche is certainly close enough to be enjoyable

View attachment 283216

Oh yeah I'm not saying it's unusable just that it could be better.

Actually the BMW M8 sounds rather odd. How does that compare to the real life counter part?

 

[Keith Dixon]

Oh yeah I'm not saying it's unusable just that it could be better.

Actually the BMW M8 sounds rather odd. How does that compare to the real life counter part?

To be fair the rest of them sound quite bland compared to the Ford and Porsche, you could hear them two coming a mile off and the rest just sort of blended in the background, I was gutted the Vette wasn't there as that was the one I most wanted to hear up close, but again the Beemer in game is certainly close enough

 

[mantasisg]

I'll reply here after I'll try it I suppose it should be higher than PC2.

I said I will reply, so I am doing it. After downloading its 31GB demo and trying it, I have to say that I was wrong - it is a sim, I also was right it seems more honest than PC2.

I still don't see why people compare and put Raceroom next to rF2, it is completely different league pf physics, even though I could agree that few important elements of Raceroom seems pretty realistic but overall it is quite short of simulation, especially tires, but I like that it is not a drift everything and everywhere type... I am not going to write review on Raceroom demo here, it is quite simple, not bad, simple.

Have had time with rF2 today aswell, I think the new pack is superb, a lot of good things to say about it, and about rF2 as a simulator.

One thing I dislike is how easily tires accept driving force. You can switch off TC for any car without thinking, perhaps only in wet and with shredded tires a low TC setting would be needed. Thats how easily they take the power - I can't believe that. Apart of that - PERFECT !

 

[Wayne Kerr]

your ingame (aka under the difficulty menu) assists are off?

i made that mistake with the norma in the endurance pack before. same reaction as you, mash the throttle w/o care and then I checked only to find my tc settings were on

 

[M-Bimmer]

After unkown number of hours/days on Sebring with the lastest DLC pack, i can’t wait for Nordschleife to be released by Studio 397.


Rfactor2_GT3R_Sebring by M-Bimmer, on Flickr

 

[mantasisg]

your ingame (aka under the difficulty menu) assists are off?

i made that mistake with the norma in the endurance pack before. same reaction as you, mash the throttle w/o care and then I checked only to find my tc settings were on

Yep they are off.

 

[Sim Strata]

I bought the discounted packs despite shelving RF2 because I find it too goofy and fiddly. The packs are quite something actually, but the RF2 goofiness remains. Why does the green scale in the rear view point at the sky, why don't the mirrors reflect what is behind the car, why can't I select a field of individual cars in the filter, why are the track cameras for Sebring prone to transition through objects and spend most of their time underground. Why is the quality of the cockpits so variable? The cars and track are amazing to drive, but the product as a whole is just too fussy, inconsistent and irritating. I guess it is work in progress, but I think this stuff is basic and needs to be made a much higher priority to ensure a finished base product moving on.