rFactor 2: Big Zandvoort Update Released

[Paul Jeffrey]

Studio 397 have released a significantly updated version of Zandvoort for the rFactor 2 simulation.

With somewhat perfect timing considering Formula One have just confirmed their return to the Dutch venue from the 2020 Grand Prix season, Studio 397 have today deployed a new update to their Zandvoort circuit for rFactor 2.

Featuring plenty of changes, updates and improvements to the content, the Zandvoort circuit is a free addition to rFactor 2 and can be downloaded now from the Steam Workshop page of the sim.

Download HERE

Zandvoort V1.02 Update Notes:

• Track is updated to 2019 configuration, changes:
  
• Tweaked asphalt texture & shaders, structure more visible, less blurry in the distance.
  
• Pitlane Coloured striping on less blurry when far away.
  
• Tweaked offroad dust and tiresmoke coming from the car, should look more natural, bit less pixelated.
  
• Collision outerwall altered slightly, so you can drive around the full support sandroad, but only can enter the track from the pitlane.
  
• Smoothed braking zone (washboard effect) before Tarzanconer.
  
• Reworked grass/dirt/curbstone masking, for better of connection of different textures.
  
• Added 2nd skidmark layer for a more lively road appearance.
  
• Tweaked skidmark spec and normals, rubber shines more than the track at low light angles.
  
• Many (too) white objects lowered tone a bit, so less overexposure at low sun positions.
  
• Many objects tone changed slightly for better appereance.
  
• Tirewall texturing redone.
  
• Start-finish bridge, better bump/spec maps, added cube shader.
  
• RedBull-arch at pitlane entry, 3d model redone, better texture and normal/spec maps.
  
• Racecontrol-tower texturing added better bump/spec maps.
  
• Pitlane building texture and shader upgrades, fixed to bright reflections of cubemaps in windows.
  
• Crowds, added a lot more and different amounts for all track states and layouts.
  
• Added pit entrance/exit/keep out signs.
  
• Changed max pit speed to 60km.
  
• Paddock and infield have more diverse objects and better positioned.
  
• Added rF2 flags last part of main straight.
  
• Added new Paddock Club building at inside Tarzan corner.
  
• Tarzan exit ribbed-curb now real 3D, texturing upgraded.
  
• Trackside banners better bump/spec maps, added cube shader.
  
• Added buildings, a whole town of Zandvoort and the Centerparks bungolowpark for more accurate horizon view (low poly don't worry).
  
• Reworked trees and treelines at horizon.
  
• Bigblue crane now only shows up in qualy-race, less bright reflections in window.
  
• Bricks next to curbsstones have better mappings and normalmap shaders.
  
• Clubhouse at Scheivlak fixed too bright cubemap, added normalmap shaders.
  
• Paddock buildings, added cubemap and normalmap shaders.
  
• Restaurant fixed too bright cubemap, added normalmap shaders.
  
• Tunnel under mainstraight added banner above.
  
• Concrete plates above tunnel on straight new texture and shaders.
  
• Toilets, added normalmap shaders fixed to bright cubemap on windows.
  
• New disabled people stand next to main grandstand.
  
• Removable guardrail (splits the layouts) better textured.
  
• Radar tower now at correct position.
  
• Optimized objects and lod's for better performance.

rFactor 2 is available exclusively for PC.

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[Enoneado]

i tested with Aston Martin GT3 and is very nice.

 

[Ace King]

EDIT: Update from my post #32 > Further testing revealed that it doesn't matter if you use only 11 AI as they still will use the over-flow area even though there are enough garage spots for them to use!

Since the AI that are using the over flow behind the pit building are exiting after the "xpitout"/ xPlanes defined location this is the reason why those AI are not producing lap times!!

 

[MarcG]

EDIT: Update from my post #32 > Further testing revealed that it doesn't matter if you use only 11 AI as they still will use the over-flow area even though there are enough garage spots for them to use!

Since the AI that are using the over flow behind the pit building are exiting after the "xpitout"/ xPlanes defined location this is the reason why those AI are not producing lap times!!

Fix incoming, from the official forums posted this morning:
"FYI we have a fix for the AI issue, will get it out soon. Thanks for your patience."

 

[Ace King]

Fix incoming, from the official forums posted this morning:
"FYI we have a fix for the AI issue, will get it out soon. Thanks for your patience."

Yea, Marcel stated in his prior post #31 in a few weeks so it's even better that he now mentioned "soon". Perhaps, several of us chatting about it and i posted tests all helped bring this to their attention.

 

[RichardHessels]

Yea, Marcel stated in his prior post #31 in a few weeks so it's even better that he now mentioned "soon". Perhaps, several of us chatting about it and i posted tests all helped bring this to their attention.

It did, thanks to all of you, for your collective smartness.
Kept me up a bit longer last night, tested the fix and another track update this morning.
30+ cars all did their qualy like they should now.
Files need to checked by the crew, fix should available quite on soon.

 

[Ace King]

It did, thanks to all of you, for your collectve smartness.
Kept me up a bit longer last night, tested the fix and another track update this morning.
30+ cars all did their qualy like they should now.
Files need to checked by the crew, fix should available quite on soon.

Thanks Richard for your confirmation on this fix, great news!

 

[MPortnoy]

It did, thanks to all of you, for your collective smartness.
Kept me up a bit longer last night, tested the fix and another track update this morning.
30+ cars all did their qualy like they should now.
Files need to checked by the crew, fix should available quite on soon.

Good to hear. Thanks

 

[Christian.ca]

Nice update! Thanks

First thing I noticed when I went on track - purple-ish tarmac and green-ish rubbering.

But it's a nice track and a nice update, and both for free, so I'm not really complaining.

On my screen sadly the tarmac is now completely purple with even some magenta, and vegetation a "weird" lite green. I will try to re-calibrate my monitors (i know i have a little too much red), but this is the ONLY track like this for me, so even if I'm sure I could make it a little better, it will remain purple-ish.

The purple-ish tarmac was present on early ISI tracks, but not on the more recent one and never as much as this one.

 

[Case_]

@Christian.ca I'm using my ReShade preset to get rid of the rF2 turquoise tint, so that might change the severity of this for me somewhat.

 

[RichardHessels]

@Christian.ca I'm using my ReShade preset to get rid of the rF2 turquoise tint, so that might change the severity of this for me somewhat.

Do the screenshots in this topic look turquoise on your system?
As they are unedited pics, it should have the same color as ingame.
If the track is another more blue/purple shade of grey than the screenshot, it might be an idea to clear the CBash and Shaders folder. Could be the track is loading an older shader version instead.
Its located in your steam folder: Steam\steamapps\common\rFactor 2\UserData\Log\
Clear the contents of the folders: CBash and Shaders.

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

@Christian.ca It certainly shouldn't look completely purple, that would be a bug somewhere in the game or an issue with your system. However, it is true that the tarmac in this track is a bit reddish. Not sure if you have checked with Silverstone, but it looks very similar to me as the color in Silverstone, it might even be using the same texture.

It's actually very easy to check the source texture in Photoshop, all one has to do is extract the files asphalt_greyside.dds and asphalt_greysidedark.dds from the assetsMAPs.mas file. Then open the files in Photoshop and enable "histogram" view to analyze the color distribution. The "mean" value for each color histogram is 64.71 for red, 64.32 for green and 64.30 for blue. So it's not like the texture is heavily pink, but it's shifted a bit towards red, which one can see with bare eyes from attached image. The post-processing used in-game might make this distortion seem more exaggerated.

 

[Christian.ca]

Thanks, @Richard Hessels @John-Eric Saxén @Martin Fiala

Never tried reshade but I should be able to help correct the issue a little with better calibration and maybe use nvidia control panel color settings for this track. If not, reshade might be a better solution.

My first reaction when I saw tarmac color was to clear cbash and shaders, but no difference.

I wanted to look at histogram for track texture and your result shows it's not suppose to be that bad, but you can clearly see purple noise in that texture. And yes Silverstone tarmac is similar but doesn't appear in game completely purple like Zandvoort.

I know it is worse on my setup, because if the track was like that for many I know internet would have exploded by now.

I will re calibrate my screens with my ColorMunki Display because I know current calibration is a little too red. And looking at screenshots on another monitor or my iPad they don't look as bad, but yes still purple-ish. What I don't understand is why other tracks aren't affected as much.

I know older ISI tracks have that purple noise in the tarmac texture, I always disliked it and almost make tarmac look like a "cheap carpet texture".

I don't like focusing on graphics (even if I'm a former graphic designer), because it's clearly not the reason I use and like rF2, but in this case for me it's like driving in Candyland, it's a bit distracting.

I'm not complaining, and I find the list of updates impressive for a free track, but I need to attenuate the problem or sadly for me not use the track anymore. It just worry me a little for future tracks.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Case_]

Do the screenshots in this topic look turquoise on your system?

Yes. Not as visibly as when the game is running full screen, but yes. And I wouldn't say "on my system", because it's not my system's fault - you can easily verify it with an eyedropper, everything that should be at least neutral white (if not slightly yellowish as it generally tends to be IRL most of the day to a varying degree) is clearly tinted blue with a hint of green. Which also makes the sky look very unnatural (aka the famous "rF2 sky").

And yeah, looking at the tarmac texture...yeah, that is not a good texture (unless it's intentional, but I can't imagine why it would be). The histogram might come off fairly even, but that doesn't change the fact it's full of purple and green splodges.

 

[tlsmikey]

Impressed with the FPS on this track so far. Seems very well optimized.

 

[Durge Driven]

For anyone missed

Zandvoort v1.05

Improved: AI lunging into T2 and often clipping the curb.
Improved: AI going off and spinning at the outside entry to T6.
Added all new real road rubber profiles.
Fixed AI not being scored when garage spot was in the overflow area
Lowered curb in Gerlachbocht.