rF2 GT3 Power Pack Released Alongside New Update

[Paul Jeffrey]

Studio 397 have released the new 'GT3 Power Pack' DLC for rFactor 2, adding five new GT3 spec cars alongside a brand new build update.

Now unfortunately it looks like those of us excited to try out the new rain effects will have to wait just a little bit longer, as the new build update released today has more of a focus on some impressive new visual damage modeling and tyre model updates, as well as the new cars of course. Despite its relative compact size the improvements should immediately be noticeable for rFactor 2 fans, with some subtle but encouraging enhancements made across several areas of the simulation, and plenty more planned for the near future.

The new build and car DLC are both available now, with the update automatically installing when you next restart your Steam client.

Want to know more about the future of rFactor 2? Don't forget to check out our interview with Studio 397 head man @Marcel Offermans HERE.

Build Changelog:

• Added: An extended visual damage model featuring a combination of dents, scratches and cracks on the bodywork of cars, which has been implemented on the GT3 pack.
• Added: New window and headlight glass shader that produces more realistic reflections. All five GT3 cars use it.
• Added: Controller Profiles for Thrustmaster T-GT, T-GT Ferrari F1 Addon, TS-XW, TS-XW with Ferrari F1 Addon.
• Added: Updates to the CPM model.
• Fixed: Various small fixes to the no rain zone code that prevents rain from entering closed cockpits.
• Fixed: All controller profiles default inputs are now assigned to JOY1.
• Fixed: Bumped the rFactor 2 version for multiplayer compatibility to 1109 because of the new visual dents that required changes to the multiplayer protocol.

The GT3 Power Pack DLC
Available now via the Steam store, the GT3 Power Pack can be purchased as either a full five car package or as individual items. The pack retails for £13.35 and can be purchased HERE.

Bentley Continental GT3

The Bentley Continental GT3 was first unveiled at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed in 2013; and since has been competing in many different GT3 championships across the globe. Even though the car looks big, it is actually very light; and its 600 horsepower 4.0 liter twin turbo engine makes it a force to be reckoned with.

Radical RXC Turbo GT3

The Radical RXC Turbo GT3 is a bit of a rare appearance in the GT3 field, but it certainly is a very strong contender. Its light and stiff body holds a 3.5 liter Ford Ecoboost V6 engine with twin turbos and intercoolers, delivering over 500 horsepower. This car competes in the GT Open and debuted in 2016 at the season opener at Estoril. Of all the cars in the pack, this one probably feels the most like an open wheeler.

Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R

The Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R, designed and built by Callaway Competition in Leingarten, Germany, started life on the drawing boards in 2014 and hit the tracks in 2016 when it started competing in the ADAC GT Masters. That campaign proved to be very successful; and recently it was announced that this car is now also ready to debut in the US, with GM giving permission to run in its home country. This 600 horsepower, 6.2 liter V8 packs a serious punch and sounds great. Nick-named “Darth Vader”, as it was first shown with an all-black carbon fiber body, this car will definitely remind you to hit your braking points and apexes if it shows up in your rear mirror!

Mercedes AMG GT3

The Mercedes AMG GT3 was presented to the world in March of 2015 at the Geneva Motor Show. The 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 engine and carbon-fiber body ensure this car can always be found at the front of the pack. Apart from racing in GT3, this car has also been entered in both the Super GT GT300 and IMSA GTD classes.

McLaren 650S GT3

The McLaren 650S GT3 is a car we already released earlier this year for the World’s Fastest Gamer competition. The car made its debut in 2015 and was designed and optimised to contest GT3 championships. Building on the MP4-12C GT3, it offered optimisations in many areas, including aerodynamics. Powered by a 3.8 liter twin turbo V8 engine that is known to spit fire like there’s no tomorrow, this car is definitely an awesome appearance on any track. We have updated this car based on community feedback and additional data we received.

rFactor 2 is a PC exclusive racing simulation available worldwide via the Steam network.

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 and share the love this simulation so very much deserves...

Excited to finally get chance to try the latest rFactor 2 DLC? What are your impressions so far? Which is your favorite car of the pack? What would you like to see next from S397? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Chobonator]

On my PC (Geforce 1070) the DX11 Beta looks fabulous and I have enough frames with 30 cars on track and everything maxed out.

 

[mjmueller]

Can anybody refer me to a post or somewhere where it makes the FFB better for these cars. They seem very flat imo. Other cars in rfactor 2 are great, but the GT3's are too heavy and seem flat.

Thank you

 

[Rominnho]

HELP ME ?

Guys, how do I centralize my rift glasses when I'm already inside the game?
which button to use?

IN RFACTOR2

tanks ...

 

[Brownninja97]

Cant deny the quality of the content but cant say I think its a good move going over ten quid on the dlc, pretty well known psychology of buyers that its just gonna make fewer potential sales that being said the people buying this dont cover the large demographic and its mostly people enthusiastic about this genre or game. Bit of a shame because I think they must have lost quite a number of sales because of that price tag.

Really hope they keep up their momentum now and keep a content stream going now, I dont mind paying as long as they are pumping out stuff that can be enjoyed.

 

[SimJim70]

HELP ME ?

Guys, how do I centralize my rift glasses when I'm already inside the game?
which button to use?

IN RFACTOR2

tanks ...

IIRC Go to options, MISC and scroll down to VR recentre and assign ANY button you want be it on the keyboard, button box or on the wheel

 

[apex11]

Actually, it's clear (from time on the forums) that most of the "negativity" I'm seeing on here is from those with clear AC and AMS bias. But that's neither here nor there, there is a lot of negativity to go around on all of the forums. Someone will always give their negative $0.02.

On topic, I've only driven the Corvette other than the previously released McLaren - nice! I like to see improvements to the visual damage model even though it may not be a perfect demonstration of IRL accidents. Sh*t happens in racing, battle scares are welcome.

I wish rF2 development could move faster but hey, I don't know anything of the technical challenges or business limitations/priorities of Studio 397.

I get the impression that Ian Bell has a degree of beef with RF2 and RRE due to previous business arrangements. I could be totally wrong. Certainly since Pretend Race Cars became 'owned' by Ian Bell they ratcheted up the negs on RF2 for example.
I find this gets stirred up on the SMS forums and tends to create, even by the dire internet standards, a swamp of negativity agaisnt RF2.
Funny thing is i was and am still a big fan of PCars 1, but since i heard Ian Bell and his team say that PCars 2 is as good as RF2 physics wise i find it pointless owning PCars 2... why did they not say it was better than RF2?!

 

[Alex72]

Tested a quick spin with all but the AMG (didnt have time). Cars are fun to drive and TBH im not big on GT3 in general. I know im in a minority regarding that, lol, but its just because they usually are point-and-throttle kinda cars and i like my cars to be more alive and funkier to handle. Hard cars with tons of grip and "easy" to drive just isnt my first love. That said... The GT3 cars in rF2 are f-ng brilliant! They are not point-and-throttle to that extent and you have to be careful not to upset the balance, and also the tire flex and chassi flex (if these have that?) seems to come through nicely and you can feel how alive the cars are during cornering, and that makes it fun and challenging to drive them on the limit. Usually i dont even stand a chance with 100% AI and point-and-throttle (GT3, modern F1 etc) cars since you have to drive them so clean/perfect and fast, but my quick test took me up to 5th place after a few laps (from the bottom) so i could keep up really well with the mid pack and sniff the rear of the front pack. Needless to say - it was fun as hell.

There are only 2 things that popped out for me. Yes, the performance is lower with these cars. Thinning the herd while driving makes it better, but they do eat up FPS. Secondly, on my good ol' DFGT (finally getting rid of it real soon) there is a bit of FFB deadzone which isnt normal in rF2. Could be because newly installed files and i have to maybe reset the wheel config file. I think i read somewhere there is something you can do to reset it but i cant remember. Even when i raised the minimum force value there was never any oscillation which is weird because all cars otherwise will start shaking when going up a little bit on that value, but on the GT3 cars i went as high as 12 and no oscillation... Pretty strange. Like minimum force didnt do anything anymore.

I have no real complaints though. Happy rF2 is getting continuous development because the physics and FFB is out of this world, and the driving experience is top notch. Hopefully they can squeeze a little more performance out of the engine, release some sweet tracks and give us the new UI, soon.

 

[Nick Hill]

Can someone advise if the DX11 version is more efficient? Meaning, better graphics for less processing cost relative to DX9...or does DX11 just open the door to additional eye candy?

 

[Chobonator]

I get the impression that Ian Bell has a degree of beef with RF2 and RRE due to previous business arrangements. I could be totally wrong. Certainly since Pretend Race Cars became 'owned' by Ian Bell they ratcheted up the negs on RF2 for example.

 

[Emery]

Can someone advise if the DX11 version is more efficient? Meaning, better graphics for less processing cost relative to DX9...or does DX11 just open the door to additional eye candy?

Mostly the latter. There are a few bits of eye candy thrown in for "free" at the lowest DX11 setting and, on that setting, you should get about the same performance as DX9 provided you're on a modern card. If you're on an older card (e.g. 600 or 700 series nVidia), DX11 will typically be 10%-20% slower.

 

[Stelios]

Bought the pack because #support_devz, cant say i am completely sold on the physics but didn't have much time with them.
Something that bugged me, seems that the game doesnt actually assign the correct wheel lock degrees to my OSW although i have the option ticked, so the cars have huge lock to lock.
Am i missing something?

 

[William Wester]

I get the impression that Ian Bell has a degree of beef with RF2 and RRE due to previous business arrangements. I could be totally wrong. Certainly since Pretend Race Cars became 'owned' by Ian Bell they ratcheted up the negs on RF2 for example.
I find this gets stirred up on the SMS forums and tends to create, even by the dire internet standards, a swamp of negativity agaisnt RF2.
Funny thing is i was and am still a big fan of PCars 1, but since i heard Ian Bell and his team say that PCars 2 is as good as RF2 physics wise i find it pointless owning PCars 2... why did they not say it was better than RF2?!

But that's the thing, this tread isn't about another sim. I like PC2 a lot, and I've always liked rF2 (and R3E, AMS, AC, Forza, Dirt Rally, ...). Ian Bell does rub some the wrong way, I get it. I don't take anything said by any developer as fact as there can always be marketing involved. Actually, I think there are more haters for Project CARS (1 and 2) than any other sim on the PC - it is what it is. As for consoles, they have less to choose from and many are more easily satisfied (in general!). On the PC side pCARS seems to threaten many for some reason. Anyway, I would just rather focus on the positives than the negatives (they all have negatives).
As for the negatives of rF2. Sure it has it's warts but under that skin is a excellent sim. While I'm not completely happy with the development path and delays rather than complain I will race my other games until something is released that catches my attention (like this GT3 pack).

 

[Andrew Harper]

Now gimme a 90's CART DLC

Have you seen this one matey?

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1167292965

I haven't tried it yet but the reviews so far are pretty favorable.

 

[hitm4k3r]

Have you seen this one matey?

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1167292965

I haven't tried it yet but the reviews so far are pretty favorable.

Tried it for several hours allready

The cockpits show their age a bit and the AI needs work, but it is a good start especialy in the road course config it is very enjoyable allready. At 90-95% difficulty at Portland it's a good load of fun. An official DLC with the 1995 Reynard and a few others from that season with the quality of the GT3 pack would be an insta buy for me.

 

[Nick Hill]

Mostly the latter. There are a few bits of eye candy thrown in for "free" at the lowest DX11 setting and, on that setting, you should get about the same performance as DX9 provided you're on a modern card. If you're on an older card (e.g. 600 or 700 series nVidia), DX11 will typically be 10%-20% slower.

Ah, ok. I'm running triples on my GTX970 and, on that setup, I really don't get a very good looking DX9 rF2 at an acceptable framerate.

 

[NASCRAP]

Ah, ok. I'm running triples on my GTX970 and, on that setup, I really don't get a very good looking DX9 rF2 at an acceptable framerate.

Only in a game like rF2 does one need Crysis hardware for Daikatana graphics.

 

[Emery]

Ah, ok. I'm running triples on my GTX970 and, on that setup, I really don't get a very good looking DX9 rF2 at an acceptable framerate.

Yeah, I used to have triples on a 970 and upgraded to a 1080 as soon as they became available. 970 is a good card for single 1920x1080 screen, tolerable for VR from what I hear, but you really have to turn down the settings for triples on a 970.

 

[Chobonator]

Only in a game like rF2 does one need Crysis hardware for Daikatana graphics.

Tim Wheatley will make you his bitch.

 

[makan]

I have rf2 for 2 years , but i never like rf2's ffb, i know its my bad ffb setup.
After i bought this dlc i want to dive in rf2.
Guys can u share your ffb/hud/graphic settings for G27 ?

 

[thepharcyde]

I have rf2 for 2 years , but i never like rf2's ffb, i know its my bad ffb setup.
After i bought this dlc i want to dive in rf2.
Guys can u share your ffb/hud/graphic settings for G27 ?

Both my G27/G29 were terrible, I could never find good settings.

I now have a T300 and the difference is immense, no more rattly mess of a geared Logitech.

I'm sorry if this proves unhelpful, I just wanted to share my experiences.

I purchased a secondhand t300 with T3pa pedals for a good price if you have any spare cash to do the same mate