R3E Update Preview - Multi Monitor Support, New Cars, Physics Updates and Lots More...

[Paul Jeffrey]

Sector3 Studios have revealed some highlights from the upcoming November update, it's a big one...

The new patch looks likely to bring some of the biggest improvements and features to the simulation in recent months, with such interesting and much requested support for triple screen support, new 64bit launcher, three new GT3 cars, brand new physics and improvements to the current GT3 vehicles in the game and quite a bit more on top!

It has been a while since Sector3 Studios pushed out a new update for RaceRoom Racing Experience, and despite a few little previews coming from the studio the general feeling amongst the community in recent weeks has been one of frustration as players continue to wait for the next set of updates to hit the simulation.

It appears from todays preview information release that the Swedish developers are gunning for a rather tasty looking patch indeed, adding plenty of the stuff players have been patiently waiting for as well as a couple of little extras we've not been expecting...

You can check out the details of the upcoming November patch released by Sector3 below:

64bits
After the patch you will be able to choose between a 64bits executable or the traditional 32bits version. Provided that your operating system is 64bits, selecting the 64bits executable will allow the game to use as much RAM as it needs from your system, instead of the limited access to 4GB of the 32bits version.

Until now, the game was limited to use under 4GB of your available RAM, resulting in crashes when you attempted to load many cars on a big track like the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
After the update this will no longer be an issue for 64bit users.

NOTE: You need a 64-bit operating system and sufficient available RAM (4 GB+) to fully benefit from this update.

Multiview Triple Screen Support
As we already announced, we will release a first iteration of our improved Triple Screen Support,
featuring Multiview rendering, bezel- & angle correction.

Driver animations
We have updated a fair amount of our cars to use the full 360 degree driver animation, which especially VR users will be glad to hear.

A new Competition Concept: Race 2 Win
Competitions played a huge role in RaceRoom since day one. From the Time Attacks on the leaderboards to today's full online championships endorsed by official Series and manufacturers such as the WTCC and Mercedes.

Now we want to take it one step further, by allowing everyone to compete for actual prizes, 24/7.
Drivers will be able to participate in selected competitions by paying a small amount of vRP's, and get the chance to win awesome prizes.

Rules of R2W Competitions can vary, from time limited sessions to a limited number of laps available to set your laptime.

The development of this concept is still in its early days, but we hope to expand it in the future, and to reward our best drivers with top prizes.

GTR 3 Class Update
We know we've kept you waiting for quite a while, but we promise it will pay off.
In preparation for the new GT3 car releases, the entire GTR3 class has been updated in terms of physics, AI and BOP (Balance of performance).

The word "update" might even be an understatement, as recently joined Sector3 Studios Physics developer Alex Hodgkinson pretty much reworked every single aspect of the cars physics.
Thanks to some great insights and data we received from real GT3 teams and manufacturers, such as Callaway Competition, we were able to recreate the cars to an unprecedented degree of realism, especially in terms of suspension geometry, tyre modelling, weight distribution & aerodynamic aspects.

The results are much better driveable cars, that follow the driver's input very precisely, also giving much better information in the FFB (force feedback) through the steering wheel.
Many hours have been spent comparing real life footage and data to simulate the cars as close to reality as possible.

On patch day you will be able to experience this in all available GT3 cars, as well as in some new additions that will become available

Porsche?
We promised you 3 Porsche race cars in 2017, and we still stand by that promise. We will reveal what exactly we have in store for you after the November patch.

RaceRoom Racing Experience is available exclusively to PC on a free to play platform with additional content available at a further cost.

Love RaceRoom? Want to share the excitement with your fellow community members? No worries, we have all this and more at the RaceRoom Racing Experience sub forum right here at RaceDepartment:

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Happy with the contents of the upcoming November update? What aspect of the information reveal are you most interested in seeing once the patch releases? What are your thoughts on paid competitions ? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[UMC 22]

Damn... I knew I should have skived off of work on a different day this week.

Wait a minute, I'm self employed... I can skive every day! Yay, bring on the patch and cars!

 

[Case_]

Time's not really an issue for me, but I'm likely to only be able to get one of these...but which one? And I'd obviously like to try all three. Guess I'll do a lot of Raceroom Raceway driving tomorrow (or whenever the cars drop)...

 

[FeltHat]

Time's not really an issue for me, but I'm likely to only be able to get one of these...but which one? And I'd obviously like to try all three. Guess I'll do a lot of Raceroom Raceway driving tomorrow (or whenever the cars drop)...

u have greenwood in your blood Martin, dont betray corvette

 

[UMC 22]

I have to be honest, I'm more interested in the physics update than the three cars shown so far. I don't bother with the current versions of any of them. Of course I'll buy them anyway but I'm really wanting the Porsches.

 

[Case_]

Well, according to JF on Discord, it's now more likely the patch will come tomorrow.

 

[Patrick Fournier]

I've been waiting for ten years for Half Life 2 Episode 3 or HL3, what's another day, or year

 

[Msportdan]

i actually went and bought the rest of the content for rr for 28£ with the prem pack.. My content was getting stale and forgotten (hence my opinion of the game) had some offline races against a very fun ai. Some great races, more fun than I've had in AMS and AC lately. not quite rf2 ai yet. but almost..

But the immersion in the cars is really the best you actually feel like your sitting in these race machines. .....

 

[Case_]

JF:

You can sit back and relax, it's not happening today.

We had a delay this morning with a script failing, and it pushed everything so late into the day that we'd rather not start a maintenance at this point, it would drag too far into the evening. We like to come back live before people get home and start playing.

 

[natedogg1867]

Looks like the update is coming today. From: http://steamcommunity.com/games/211500/announcements/detail/1453964016879900518

Highlights of this update:

• Audi R8 LMS is now available
  
• Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R is now available
  
• Mercedes AMG GT3 is now available
  
• First pass at true Triple Screen support
  
• 64b executable

Game:

• 64bits executable to allow the game to use more memory
  
• First pass for true triple screen support. Right now handled through startup arguments. Full details and instructions on the forums. ( LINK )
  
• Game is now providing more information to all players present on a Multiplayer server whenever the server is waiting for players who are still loading into the game.
  
• Added a bindable key to reset FFB while driving.
  
• Hud_options.xml residing in My Documents is no longer encrypted, allowing players to edit and move HUD items around.
  
• Video settings: Car Reflection Quality on High now draws reflections at full framerate.
  
• Added support for Thrustmaster TS-XW Racer wheel
  
• Updated Fanatec SDK to v3.2
  
• Xbox One controller - changed default keybindings to match the Xbox 360 pads
  
• Game no longer allows to drive a sequential gearbox car with an H-shifter. H-Shifter users no longer need to change the H-Pattern gearbox option manually depending on the car they picked. They can now always leave the option always enabled and let the game decide when to use it or not.
  
• Damage system - Fixed a case where the point of impact would not translate properly to the visual damage (for example formula cars were hard to damage visually)
  
• Damage system - Fixed an issue where car deformations could sometimes switch on and off when going backwards in a replay
  
• Damage system - Prevented detachable parts of the cars from detaching when mechanical damage is disabled (to prevent loss of downforce after losing a wing)
  
• Damage system - Fixed detachable parts randomly disappearing in replays or being visible when they shouldn’t.
  
• Damage system - Fixed damage not being visually repaired for opponents in multiplayer after the opponent returned to garage to fix it.
  
• Fixed some issues with the 8-shaped layout of Suzuka where cameras or blue flag detections could be confused by the crossing section.
  
• Fixed an issue where the game would fail to restart the engine if the player cancelled the pitstop right after confirming it.
  
• Fixed an issue where the game could start stuttering when playing long replay files.
  
• Fixed an issue where a traffic cone would be sometimes visible in a seemingly odd location when playing a replay
  
• Fixed car class specific pitstop actions that could sometimes not trigger in multiplayer
  
• Fixed a case where Fanatec CSW 2.5 would be listed twice in controller profiles menu and would not be recognized after being turned off and on again while driving.
  
• Fixed so Opponent Strength setting is now properly used in Free Practice mode (was always using adaptive AI setting)
  
• Fixed missing results at the end of a race session on single lap layouts such as Nordschleife Tourist.
  
• Fixed an issue where lap timer would randomly stop on a Hillclimb run after restarting several times in a row.
  
• Fixed an issue where performing a pitstop at Anderstorp could sometimes result in a cut track penalty.
  
• Fixed a case where the game could sometimes show an Off Track Warning (Black and white flag) for a split second.
  
• Fixed a case where the player could on some occasion be wrongfully asked to give back one position for overtaking under yellow.
  
• Fixed visual suspension vibration of NSU TTS opponents in Multiplayer
  
• Fixed a label on the HUD during warmup session that was wrongly stating “Position”
  
• Fixed a case where attempting to close the game window while in a replay would prevent exiting the game normally.
  
• Fixed an issue with the Bosch DDU7 data display where its white variant would feature some data in green that was hard to read.
  
• Fixed an issue with the Bosch DDU8 data display where the gear indicator could sometimes remain red.
  
• Fixed an issue with the data display in the BMW M235i Racing where fuel amount wouldn’t show the proper unit until player adjusted fuel. Fixed the fuel gauge not matching up.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Pitlane limiter notification wasn’t showing on the KTM data display
  
• Fixed an issue where a white flag warning would show during rolling start procedures
  
• Removed “Allowed to overtake” related text from yellow flag HUD elements since many users reported the extra information led to confusion.

Sound, Physics & AI:

• AI - Improved overall behavior when racing in a pack. Stress factor reduced, and improved on the tendency to sometimes turn into the player car.
  
• AI - Rate for AI calculations is now increased for AI’s in the direct vicinity of the player
  
• AI - Fixed an issue on tracks like Zolder where an AI willing to enter the pitlane would easily disregard the presence of other cars on the racing line.
  
• AI - Modified the DRS activation logic to allow DRS on all tracks
  
• AI - Increased pace of AI in qualifying sessions
  
• AI - If an AI car breaks down, it now clears the ideal racing line and slows down once safe to do so. If coming to a full stop within 7 meters of the track, the game will remove the car after 20 seconds.
  
• AI - No longer ignoring other cars at the end of race sessions
  
• AI - More respect for track limits during rolling start procedures
  
• AI - Shouldn’t be caught slowing down for cars exiting pitlane anymore
  
• Grip level in Practice sessions has been increased.
  
• All cars now have reworked gearshift volumes and reverb effects.
  
• Fixed a case where gearshift sounds were missing when driving with AI’s.
  
• GTR3 Car class - Updated physics and tire model
  
• Reduced the rate at which tires get dirty when driving on dirty tarmac (10% slower) and when driving on carpets, astroturf, tarmac runoffs etc (80% slower)
  
• Tires now get clean at the same rate, regardless of what kind of dirt is on the tire.
  
• P4/5 Competizione - New cockpit sounds, Fixed the cockpit camera that wasn’t looking straight horizontal.
  
• H-pattern gearbox cars driven with Autoclutch enabled no longer get an automatic drop of throttle input upon gearshift.
  
• Hockenheim - Tweaks to cut track detection
  
• Indianapolis - Tweaks to cut track detection
  
• Laguna Seca - Tweaks to cut track detection
  
• Lausitzring - Tweaks to cut track detection
  
• Portimao - Tweaks to cut track detection and some AI speed tweaks.
  
• Paul Ricard - Tweaks to cut track detection and some AI speed tweaks.
  
• RaceRoom Hillclimb - Fixed TV camera showing the opposite end of the course when using the reverse layout and looking at the car at the starting position
  
• Sepang GP - Fixed a cut track warning when taking the last turn a bit wide. Added all alternative camera sets.
  
• Sonoma Sprint - Fixed a cut track warning in the final turn

Art:

• All cars aside from modern DTM now benefit from 360 degrees steering animation. DTM cars will have to be updated at a later point due to the need for retexturing branded driving suits and helmets.
  
• All tracks using the hot weather light settings (ie: Paul Ricard) have received light adjustments
  
• Bentley Continental GT3 - Moved the data display up in the cockpit
  
• BMW M235i Racing - Car no longer produces visual backfires
  
• BMW M6 GT3 - #7 now has its golden rims and #97 received some color balance tweaks
  
• Formula RaceRoom U.S. - Reduced reflectiveness of the rims
  
• KTM X-Bow RR - Car no longer produces visual backfires
  
• Spa-Francorchamps - Some optimizations to improve performance on this track.

 

[Case_]

Movable HUD items! Automatic H-shifter mode!

 

[Kenny Paton]

Movable HUD items!

That's going to be a godsend for seeing apexes. Must try the game offline now.

 

[anton_Chez]

Funny that the first thing that caught my eye in that wall of text was the auto selection of gear shifter depending on car. SO annoying to have to back out and change to H-pattern when in a car that uses one. That's a great quality of life update. I'll have to read the rest now as it's getting too late to jump into the rig...

 

[Case_]

@Kenny Paton Yes, and hopefully we will also be able to look into the mirror in the pits and when someone gets a drivethrough. (Though that one will not be an easy one to test when tweaking the HUD, I guess. Then again it depends on how the HUD items positioning works, it might not be.)

 

[anton_Chez]

Downloading now...

 

[Davy Jones]

10GB and the store is down for maintenance.... This post should be on the homepage maybe?

 

[Kenny Paton]

@Kenny Paton Yes, and hopefully we will also be able to look into the mirror in the pits and when someone gets a drivethrough. (Though that one will not be an easy one to test when tweaking the HUD, I guess. Then again it depends on how the HUD items positioning works, it might not be.)

Hopefully they will be able to code it into an options menu in future.
I would imagine that the alerts are a text box and by moving that will do the trick.

 

[Deleted member 99238]

And still it will be a November update.
My evening today is entirely owned by R3E.

 

[davew045]

Done downloading and now R3E crashes on startup... on two different machines. Where can I send the crash dumps?

 

[Case_]

They're still in maintenance mode. I'd wait until it's over first.

 

[alexSchmurtz]

Martin is right: the game cannot start until the maintenance mode is over, and it should only finish around 3 or 4 pm gmt. The game should give a maintenance mode warning, but it seems it does not work...