rFactor 2 August Roadmap: Big Things Coming to the Sim Expo...

[Paul Jeffrey]

The August 'Development Roadmap' for rFactor 2 is here!

Studio 397 have been kind enough to release a monthly 'Roadmap' blog posting since taking over development of rFactor 2, giving fans much desired insight into the inner workings of the simulation, and of course using it as a nice opportunity to tease us all with upcoming content and features!

As usual the new posting for August offers plenty to get excited about, however this time the developers are keeping things a little bit closer to their chest... teasing not one but three announcements at the upcoming Sim Racing Expo... something that we will keep a very close eye out for during our three days on sight with RD colleagues and community members.

So what exactly does the latest post say? Well you can read up in full below:

Sometimes you look at the calendar and realize that time can fly past faster than our LMP2 cars ingame. It’s already end of August and we have been so busy with working on rFactor 2 that there is no Roadmap yet. But we couldn’t do without one, right? That would be like breaking a family tradition, and since our team is more about fixin’ things than breaking them, let’s put together a Roadmap for August! As said above already, we’re pretty busy, but with what you might ask? As most of you probably know, SimRacing Expo at the iconic Nürburgring track in Germany is just around the corner and it will kick off big things for us. But let’s do this step by step, it’s a roadmap in the end! (wink)

SimRacing Expo 2018
There is enough going on at this years Expo that we could probably fill the whole Roadmap with it, so let’s concentrate on the major things you should know about it. Obviously we will have a booth at the Expo, so you can come around and meet the team, as we will bring plenty of people along. But just talking to us might be a bit boring all day long, so we will make sure that you will have plenty of reasons to visit the rFactor 2 booth. One of them will be new content that we will show exclusively at our booth, a pre-release of course. Hypemode intensifies!

You want to know more about what this could be? For now you need to live with just 3 words: iconic, fast, competition proven, more at the Expo! (wink) You think that’s it already? Enough reasons to visit us? Nah, we’re in for way more this year! The content shown at the booth will be our first announcement during the Expo, but as Germans say “Alle guten Dinge sind drei”, literally meaning “all good things come in threes”, meaning we will follow up with another announcement during Saturday afternoon.

This second announcement will probably tick a lot of boxes for simracers in terms of their dreams-list for our simulation. We are more then excited to finally share that with you. Sunday will see a third announcement (yep, you’re not getting a day to get back your breath) which will show our dedication to further improving your simracing experience. What happens if you can’t be around then? Don’t worry, we will stream all announcements and first talks about them live from our booth onto our channels. Missing them is not an option at all.

Before we all now dive into the guessing-game about what could be in the announcements, let’s have a look at the other topics of our roadmap…

UI and Competition
We are fully aware that everyone is awaiting news on the UI and we’re still working hard every day on this topic. Many steps are needed to implement an UI like the one we envision, which is taking a lot of time. We are still tweaking and optimising, and we will be able to show parts of the new interface at the Expo. Of course we are very curious to get your feedback there!

On the competition side, we have been integrating different session types so we can have events that consist of combinations of practice, qualification and race sessions and we are looking at different ways to score events. In the last month or so we have also been researching and testing a rating system, feeding it data of many races and evaluating its outcome. We’re nowhere near done, but some of these improvements we will certainly already bring to the McLaren Shadow competition next month.

Content
On the content side, we won’t yet spoil the surprises we have in store for the Expo. Previously we’ve announced both Zandvoort and the Reiza Pack to be almost ready and we do anticipate both to become available in September.

Sounds like good stuff to me, roll on the Sim Racing Expo 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!

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Looking forward to hearing what is in line for rF2 in the immediate future? What do you think the studio could be hinting at in their roadmap post? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!​

 

[HugoB]

Laser scanned Nordschleife pleeaase! I only drive Nordschleife all day, with iconic cars like 962C, Lotus 49, 787B etc, its really all I need

 

[melanieuk]

Can we start banning people that just join threads to troll? Let's set an example
@Nevini would be a good way to start

Man, you've been crying and cutting your wrists for over a month (since Sebring release).
I feel sorry for you, i really do.
Can't wait to hear you crying again in a few weeks when Reiza DLC is released

Typical, crying like a little spoilt man child, then calling for those to be banned, that don't sing from the same hymn sheet as you.
You did the same crying claiming I should be banned, when I was falsely accused of having multiple accounts here on Race Department, and another female reader should be banned also.

Fact is Project CARS, Slightly Mad Studios, and rFactor 2, gets more mud slinged at them than any racing sim title on Race Department.

But you don't see readers that support Project CARS asking for people to get banned for their post that they don't like.

Apply to Bram for moderator status, and if you're lucky and you're accepted, then maybe you can go crazy with the ban hammer and start banning readers that don't sing from the same hymn sheet as you.

 

[MPortnoy]

@melanieuk
It's not about singing the same hymn, it's always about the same 3-4 people having nothing better to do.
Don't play innocent because you're the same as that other person that got banned.
You all sound like a broken record. Why not go and read about something you enjoy instead?

 

[Case_]

Here is statement from August purchase you can see the date
Steam/PayPal exchange rate was 0.6952 so over 1%, more you can see on 16th August
the rate was higher in fact it's way more then 1% difference !

That's PayPal exchange rate. Steam has nothing to do with it. And at least when I'm using PayPal, I can easily switch to not use PayPal exchange rate but use the exchange rate of my card's bank, which I do pretty much always since the exchange rate is always better.

 

[pitkin]

@melanieuk
It's not about singing the same hymn, it's always about the same 3-4 people having nothing better to do.
Don't play innocent because you're the same as that other person that got banned.
You all sound like a broken record. Why not go and read about something you enjoy instead?

Maybe the criticism might lead to improvement?

 

[melanieuk]

Don't play innocent because you're the same as that other person that got banned.
You all sound like a broken record. Why not go and read about something you enjoy instead?

Don't play innocent?, what crap are you smoking, I'm not some young teenager, that wants the likes of your type following or agreeing with me, I couldn't give two flying cows what you or anyone thinks of me or my comments.

Live with it, that people are not going to like the games that you like. It does not have to mean calling for them to be ban for that reason.

And guess what, playing these racing simulators, with my Two Wheels and pedal set each IS my hobby first and foremost, Yes girls are into racing games, they might not be has vocal as me in their support for them, but we like & love them as much as you do.

 

[jonelsorel]

Or as it it really known, How else can we milk our clients. WTG studio 397 cash cow.
BTW I ended up buying sebring,. Not that great really....... Modders did a pretty good job.

No one is reaching for your hard earned money.. Don't like, don't buy. Like? Support. As simple as that. Always. In a world full of mediocre and half finished mods i'm happy to pay so that good quality development can continue.

 

[Emery]

RFactor has the best AI by far, just for that...

I would disagree. It has the best AI potential, but that potential is not being realized due to neglect. Too many releases without talent files, without car-specific AI lines, and too many leftover car-specific AI lines when a few generic AI lines would have sufficed(*).

There is also the old problem of AI Difficulty which equally affects cornering, acceleration, & braking. Really it should address cornering significantly more than acceleration and braking (that is where AC got it almost right, but stupidly insisted on limiting AI performance to 100% even though no AI drives like a human). This is seen in all the ISI-derived AI: pCARS 2, AMS, R3E.

AC's AI is overall still the worst though, with pCARS 2 being next worst. R3E has a rough-spot in coping with slow human drivers. AMS probably has an edge on rF2 right now on everything except high-speed or banked curves.

(*) Something like modern wide-body rwd, modern narrow-body rwd, modern fwd, historic high-power rwd, historic low-power rwd, and historic fwd.

 

[Ace King]

With regards to ui, the things I'm really hoping to see are:
- easily pick opponents of same class. This is a nightmare right now if you have a lot of mods.
- most important: keep opponents consistent across races so that championships keep the same drivers. At the moment it's impossible to do an offline championship without delving into the mas files which is a real pain.

Simply making a V-mod allows you to choose any cars you want to include throughout your championship without the need to delve into the Mas file.

 

[MPortnoy]

Live with it, that people are not going to like the games that you like. It does not have to mean calling for them to be ban for that reason.

For no reason? It's not out of nowhere that you've received warnings before.
You might enjoy sim racing but it's clear you don't enjoy rF2 and yet you're always here. Why do that to yourself? (rhetorical question).
Whatever, keep on hating if that makes you happy.

 

[tr1v1um]

Why is there so much drama when there is stuff to look forward to? And I am pretty sure that there is something for everyone - payed and free stuff. And when it is something like the UI or other core features everyone will benefit from it for free - other devs try to sell that as new games btw. Anybody remembers the long needed rain effects shown at the last expo? I am expecting similar surprises and even if it takes a bit of time to really get some of my desired features, I will happily wait for them as I have no rush.

Sure it is a bit like an announcement of an announcement, but I see no problem when they are trying to advertise their appearance at the Sim Expo. Better too much advertisement than nothing, because that was an area with basicly no attention before 397 took over the project.

 

[Will Mazeo]

Why is there so much drama when there is stuff to look forward to? And I am pretty sure that there is something for everyone - payed and free stuff. And when it is something like the UI or other core features everyone will benefit from it for free - other devs try to sell that as new games btw. Anybody remembers the long needed rain effects shown at the last expo? I am expecting similar surprises and even if it takes a bit of time to really get some of my desired features, I will happily wait for them as I have no rush.

Sure it is a bit like an announcement of an announcement, but I see no problem when they are trying to advertise their appearance at the Sim Expo. Better too much advertisement than nothing, because that was an area with basicly no attention before 397 took over the project.

It's the same 3 or 4 guys doing the same old drama every time, someone always feed them. These should should have been banned from the rF2 forums part at least, no reason to tolerate them here if all they do is start drama with the same old topics.

 

[Kenny Paton]

Ladies and gentlemen, can we drag this back on topic please.
As I believe I've said before, it's good that people are passionate about our hobby but let's not go overboard with the drama.

 

[UnixRoot]

Laser scanned Nordschleife pleeaase! I only drive Nordschleife all day, with iconic cars like 962C, Lotus 49, 787B etc, its really all I need

This could be me. I only need the most dangerous track and a bunch of scary vintage cars.

 

[ArkanHell]

Another Nordschleife fan, waiting for a official version of the track in rFactor 2. Meanwhile i still driving the laserscanned version converted from AC i find a long time ago . Fact is i only drive Lienz, Pikes Peak and Nordschleife in rF2 .
Maybe someone tell me im doing something wrong using a "illegal" version of the circuit, but i payed twice for the Nords AC dlc ( i have 2 AC accounts and 2 vr rigs to race with my friends when he come home) and i pay gladly for the rF2 Nords DLC when comes out (twice too and another rF2 license for my secondary rig), but now i just play with a circuit i paid ( in another game, and i dont feel guilty or im stealing nobodys work) in another game ( and i payed for the game too so...). My only regret is i never say thanks to the guy who convert the circuit to rF2, ( i wish i can do by myself but i dont have the knowledge to do it). Maybe even he is here reading, who knows, if u can read this, you rock dude, thx a lot, and hugs from a Nordschleife lover .

Regards.

 

[Nigel Mansell]

Long long time before S397, I suggested on ISI that they green light rF3 or whatever they wanted to call it and do from ground up. I was vilified which I laughed at lol

Sure S397 made it better but if ISI had started ground up way back when rF3 or whatever would be released or close by now and with new physics new engine new everything

I think as a community, one thing we aren't quite ready for - is how dated stuff like RRE and RF2 could potentially look when ACC lands. In theory. I honestly would throw £40/£50 at S397 as part of a crowd fund. Just to help make UE4 happen asap. I don't wish to sound ungrateful - or have my words misunderstood, but RF2 despite S397's awesome hard work and dedication - to me, looks a little like a weather "mod". It looks dated still. I take no pleasure from typing that, it sounds negative, but isn't meant to. I'm sure more work on trackside cameras in replays, and car movement will improve the looks of the game further in future.

The graphics/environments aren't THE most important detail, but to me they are vital. I spend lots of my time watching replays I upgraded to 100-144Hz gaming a while back, so despite how detailed FFB is, and how accurate the whole things knits together, in-game framerates are vital to me now. Once you see 100Hz+, you can't game at 60hz any longer. I guess it's like migrating to V.R.

I know for S397 it's not simple. It'd take knowledge of the UE engine, to bring that change in. In my head I know S397 couldn't suggest it. I would not expect them to absorb the time/expense. I buy mods to support S397, and I'm excited about the news, but I don't lap much in the sim, and when I do the visuals and performance limit that. They did 100% help save RF2 though, and this is why I've supported their DLC. I realise my views aren't the majority too, and I'm ok with that.

Some exciting news coming from the EXPO though, can't wait !!

 

[Will Mazeo]

I think as a community, one thing we aren't quite ready for - is how dated stuff like RRE and RF2 could potentially look when ACC lands. In theory. I honestly would throw £40/£50 at S397 as part of a crowd fund. Just to help make UE4 happen asap. I don't wish to sound ungrateful - or have my words misunderstood, but RF2 despite S397's awesome hard work and dedication - to me, looks a little like a weather "mod". It looks dated still. I take no pleasure from typing that, it sounds negative, but isn't meant to. I'm sure more work on trackside cameras in replays, and car movement will improve the looks of the game further in future.

The graphics/environments aren't THE most important detail, but to me they are vital. I spend lots of my time watching replays I upgraded to 100-144Hz gaming a while back, so despite how detailed FFB is, and how accurate the whole things knits together, in-game framerates are vital to me now. Once you see 100Hz+, you can't game at 60hz any longer. I guess it's like migrating to V.R.

I know for S397 it's not simple. It'd take knowledge of the UE engine, to bring that change in. In my head I know S397 couldn't suggest it. I would not expect them to absorb the time/expense. I buy mods to support S397, and I'm excited about the news, but I don't lap much in the sim, and when I do the visuals and performance limit that. They did 100% help save RF2 though, and this is why I've supported their DLC. I realise my views aren't the majority too, and I'm ok with that.

Some exciting news coming from the EXPO though, can't wait !!

Except for the particle and lights system ACC wont look much different of PC2 so if that game didn't do it despite all the promo graphics alone wont make ACC look anything revolutionary. If they get their imersion elements right (like if they go beyond animated pit crew) then yeah...
I agree with you tho, that's what I try to explain to some fanboys that never understand when someone says the game has "PS2 graphics". People dont mean that literally, the game just have a old school feeling in its visuals, DX11 didnt move away from that.

 

[Nigel Mansell]

Except for the particle and lights system ACC wont look much different of PC2 so if that game didn't do it despite all the promo graphics alone wont make ACC look anything revolutionary. If they get their imersion elements right (like if they go beyond animated pit crew) then yeah...
I agree with you tho, that's what I try to explain to some fanboys that never understand when someone says the game has "PS2 graphics". People dont mean that literally, the game just have a old school feeling in its visuals, DX11 didnt move away from that.

I agree with you Will. Whilst it won't take Kunos to a whole new(revolutionary) level, it will be a more immersive experience with night/rain added. We already know that the GT3 cars will be a handful in the wet. The other exciting thing aside from UE, is feedback ref car handling, provided by the real drivers. The benefit of Kunos against PC2, is that the AI will use the same physics that we drive with. So it's not like you'll take a corner at the absolute limits of grip and have the AI drive around the outside of you in the same bend, making it look like you're driving backwards lol.



But back on topic. The S397 announcements already sound huge, it sounds like we're all getting more of what we want within RF2, which is great news. Thank heavens they rescued the project !!

 

[Nigel Mansell]

Would it be wildly crazy to imagine a Nürburgring DLC track announcement, from the Nürburgring Expo! ??

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that ACC will need a mega computer to run with all the effects enabled that Unreal engine comes with. If they can manage rain and night with 120 FPS, I'd be very surprised. Frankly I'd much rather see rF2 getting a few more FPS than having even more performance consuming effects added.