rFactor 2 Moving to DX11 - New Company Partnership Announced

[Paul Jeffrey]

With the build up to this weekend’s Sim Racing Expo, Image Space Incorporated have announced a strategic partnership with the Dutch software group Luminis. The new alliance has been created to help increase development in rFactor 2, including a number of exceptionally exciting announcements in relation to the sim.

The partnership will be brought together into a new company: Studio 397. Studio 397 will have its headquarters in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands and will operate under the leadership of Marcel Offermans, a fellow sim racer and the man responsible for bringing both rFactor and rFactor 2 to the Steam platform.

Gjon Camaj, Vice President of Image Space Incorporated:

“We at ISI are very pleased to have found a partner that shares our enthusiasm and vision for the continued growth of rFactor 2. We look forward to working with Luminis to expand the reach of rFactor 2 both in Europe and beyond. After having worked with Luminis for some time and seeing their passion for motorsport simulation, this partnership was a natural next step. By leveraging each of our company’s individual strengths, we will be better able to serve our current customers and further expand our reach into the world of motorsports”.​

Marcel Offermans, Luminis Fellow and Managing Director of Studio 397:

“I’m really excited by the opportunities that our partnership with ISI offers; rFactor 2 represents the best of breed, stable simulator platform in the industry. Online simracing has been my longtime personal passion, so the opportunity to combine my passion with my business feels like a great privilege. By infusing the platform with some of our own technology we see great opportunities to accelerate development in general and specifically in the areas of competitions and training”.​

The new partnership have released an ambitious roadmap for rFactor 2’s further development including the stated plans to move over to a DX11 compatible graphics engine, including VR support for both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. With the move to DX11, Studio 397 have committed to bringing performance improvements for high end video card users as well as maintaining compatibility with current content.

Other highlights from the announcement include a proposed new HTML based front end interface and Matchmaker support, in game UI updates and a promise to make more frequent car and track releases, working on racing cars and series as well as "popular and challenging" tracks. The new partnership also promises to work more closely with the community to support development of free and paid mod releases...

Oh, and the game has a new logo too....


All in all, this is fantastic news for rF2 and the sim racing community. I can hardly wait.

Check our rFactor 2 sub forum for news, discussions, mods, club and league races and everything in between!

What do you think of the announcement? Excited about DX11, VR support, new content? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

You are still playing a game. Like it or not. You might be one of the fast guys who practices every day or not wearing your race gloves and helmet (no one outside of this little niche hobby really cares), but you are playing a game where you can't get hurt and hence you drive faster and take more chances than in real life. That's a fact.
Try this: get your partner/friend to stand at the side of you whilst you are playing your game(racing your simulation) with a 5 kilo lump hammer. Every time you crash he/she is to hit you hard in the face with the hammer. Now you are really a racer playing a simulator OK. Try it. I bet you drive/race a bit more careful after your visit to the local hospital.
Oh and RF2 is a racing game unless there is "real" setting in the options that makes me pay for any damage, fuel costs, racing licence, new race tyres, R&D, Workshop repairs, team salary's, funeral costs, etc blah etc. I ain't ever found that "real" setting, have you?

Simulation doesn't mean something is the same as reality. If you look up the definition of simulation it says:

Simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. The act of simulating something first requires that a model be developed; this model represents the key characteristics or behaviors/functions of the selected physical or abstract system or process.

A simulator doesn't have to accurately represent every aspect of reality (this could never even be theoretically achievable for any advanced system). What a simulator does is to make a model as good as possible to fit an aspect of reality (as opposed to some arcade racing games where the physics model is compromised on purpose to make the game easier). Racing sims and flight sims (which are used to train real pilots/drivers) can for all practical purposes be considered simulators, IMO.

 

[DaVeX↯]

Sorry @Marcel Offermans , just a quick recap of wishes and questions:

- will the new engine support multiple lights?
- what about animations? (like pit crew)
- will be 64bit and multithread?

- .lut file for ffb (like AC)
- python apps (like AC)
- shadows rendered by gpu, not cpu
- encrypted files for official content and DLC...
- if you wanto to let modders sell their mods (see DCS world page) their work should be encrypted too, also modders should guarantee for the future development (like updates) of their products...
- dirt on car during race, a sort of real road for cars...more you race more your car body will be dirt...
- no body deformation for car damage (heavy on physics) but something like this:
Low-medium speed damage

High speed damage should work like AUTOMOBILISTA with flyng parts, like hood, tires, etc etc

Thanks for you time.

 

[Andy_J]

That may be true for yourself, but it's not really on to judge everyone by your standards is it?

Plenty of us going to the track and then practising at home. Best of both worlds, you know!

That may be. Its still a game and that is true for everyone. Call it what you like though.

 

[Andy_J]

Simulation doesn't mean something is the same as reality. If you look up the definition of simulation it says:

Simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. The act of simulating something first requires that a model be developed; this model represents the key characteristics or behaviors/functions of the selected physical or abstract system or process.

A simulator doesn't have to accurately represent every aspect of reality (this could never even be theoretically achievable for any advanced system). What a simulator does is to make a model as good as possible to fit an aspect of reality (as opposed to some arcade racing games where the physics model is compromised on purpose to make the game easier). Racing sims and flight sims (which are used to train real pilots/drivers) can for all practical purposes be considered simulators, IMO.

They are still games. You can't change that. Just enjoy them and don't let it bother you. I love them all. Well most of them. Not too keen on the real arcade type to be honest. I also play Microsofts Flight simulator and have literally spent many hours and more money on flight sims over the years. I love DCS, that is a brilliant game that simulates air and air to ground combat. I have all the racing "games" too.

 

[Will Mazeo]

Sorry @Marcel Offermans , just a quick recap of wishes and questions:

- what about animations? (like pit crew)

animations need some serious update, look what they are doing now IRL

 

[Marcel Offermans]

@DaVeX↯ the new engine (like the current one) will be 64 bit and multithreaded. There will be a protection mechanism for paid content. We also already have a mechanism that allows cars to pick up dirt during a (long) race. The other questions are mostly too early to answer at this point in time.

 

[DaVeX↯]

@DaVeX↯ the new engine (like the current one) will be 64 bit and multithreaded. There will be a protection mechanism for paid content. We also already have a mechanism that allows cars to pick up dirt during a (long) race. The other questions are mostly too early to answer at this point in time.

No worries mate, mine are just whishes and ideas for you guys!
Thanks for your reply as usual.

 

[DaVeX↯]

@Paul Jeffrey some great news here:
https://www.studio-397.com/2016/10/roadmap-update-october-2016/
Radical is a good start for me!

 

[Chris Partridge]

One request for me - more big name tracks in the official release. This is what people want to race on

 

[Chris Partridge]

And another - an easier way of hosting a race. Currently it is a nightmare ports-wise.

 

[Gijs van Elderen]

Some things are already implemented, some not, some halve, some differently...

- .lut file for ffb (like AC)

Maybe it's more convient to work with the csv file from wheelcheck.

- python apps (like AC)

rFactor 2 works with a different language then python for extra plugins and HUD elements.
But i think you want to rearrange and customise the HUD.
It can be done in dev mode with the HUD editor. Don't know if it's user friendly enough to bring it ingame.

- encrypted files for official content and DLC...

Encrypting .mas files is already done with the ISI content that needs protection.
Third party modders can ask to encrypt their .mas files.
But it won't stop people decrypting...

- dirt on car during race, a sort of real road for cars...more you race more your car body will be dirt...

Since a few month there is a new body shader that does this. Check out the URD cars and the Flat6.

- no body deformation for car damage (heavy on physics) but something like this:
Low-medium speed damage

The default car body shader has a damage layer to display scratches on contact. But it never got implemented.
The latest ISI cars just have a grey placeholder texture instead of a damage texture. rF1 has body deformation that isn't in rF2...
So a +1 from me.

High speed damage should work like AUTOMOBILISTA with flyng parts, like hood, tires, etc etc

I guess you don't crash enough or...
Set invulnerability to OFF!!! It ON by default and it just disables the flying parts stuff...

 

[DaVeX↯]

@Gijs van Elderen thanks mate for your reply, very informative!

Maybe it's more convient to work with the csv file from wheelcheck.

Can you explain me why csv file is better than .lut?Can be already done?

But i think you want to rearrange and customise the HUD.
It can be done in dev mode with the HUD editor. Don't know if it's user friendly enough to bring it ingame.

Yes, customized huds and apps will be fantastic...no tutorial for this?

Since a few month there is a new body shader that does this.

Missed this one, sorry, lol

I guess you don't crash enough or...
Set invulnerability to OFF!!! It ON by default and it just disables the flying parts stuff...

I crash like hell, the real problem here is how much you are going faster before seeing a flyng tire...even in the video you can see this, some crash should let you without both or one front tire due the high speed but you lose only front wings...

BTW, I just hope rF2 will be the real iRacing contender, if well done it could be a real pain on the ass for simracing developers and can be an opportunity to raise the level for all...

 

[Gijs van Elderen]

Can you explain me why csv file is better than .lut?Can be already done?

.lut files are converted from the .csv file from wheel check for AC to correct the liniear force output of your ffb wheel.
FFB wheel manufacturers will try to produce wheels with a liniear force output as possible. I don't think wheel check will fix anything.

But if you really want too use wheel check:
A quote from the AMS forums: (Click here)
"I have noticed some people complaining of a massive hole in the FFB with G27 wheel.
The way I fixed it is to download a small app called wheelcheck.exe and check your wheel's "Min Force" setting, mine is 14.5% by the way.
Then edit your controller.ini and change the FFB steer force neutral function from "0.00000" to "0.14500" (in my case) which is 14.5% as a decimal. If your wheel Min Force is 8.5% then change it to "0.08500" for example. Then save the file and the hole in your FFB should have gone. I actually set mine at 0.13500 to give a small amount of leeway to prevent overcompensating."

With rF2 you don't need to dig in the controller.ini. Min Force is an option in the controller setup.

 

[jlnprssnr]

I think you both mean the same thing, regardless if the game reads it as .lut or .csv. Davex knows what it does, no need to explain.

Just one sentence: Min force just shifts the FFB up by said percentage, but that range will not be linear. So I think wheel check stuff has a right to exist, because it maps the whole FFB band to give accurate output for your wheel.

 

[DaVeX↯]

I think you both mean the same thing, regardless if the game reads it as .lut or .csv. Davex knows what it does, no need to explain.

Yeah I know it but no prob, can be usefull to others too, so thanks @Gijs van Elderen
BTW, my question was, why the game should read .csv file?There is already the .lut format.

Just one sentence: Min force just shifts the FFB up by said percentage, but that range will not be linear. So I think wheel check stuff has a right to exist, because it maps the whole FFB band to give accurate output for your wheel.

And you got the point, this is why I m asking for an option to read .lut (or .csv) files ingame, rF2 ffb is great but if you can tweak it for your wheel with a simple option why not?The .lut generator and .lut support for AC were a game changer, my G27 works much better now and ffb is way better than before...

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

I think you both mean the same thing, regardless if the game reads it as .lut or .csv. Davex knows what it does, no need to explain.

Just one sentence: Min force just shifts the FFB up by said percentage, but that range will not be linear. So I think wheel check stuff has a right to exist, because it maps the whole FFB band to give accurate output for your wheel.

You can basically adjust the linearity with "Steering torque sensitivity" setting. For example pic below shows two different rF2 FFB configurations. The red line has a lower minimum force setting and a lower STS, blue line has a higher min force and STS. So already with these two settings you achieve quite a high degree of freedom in adjustment.

 

[Emery]

My opinion: FFB linearity means very little if your wheel doesn't have enough torque and a G25/G27/G29 is too limited in torque. About the only thing necessary with a G25/G27/G29 is making sure it isn't clipping.

 

[St3fan]

You can basically adjust the linearity with "Steering torque sensitivity" setting. For example pic below shows two different rF2 FFB configurations. The red line has a lower minimum force setting and a lower STS, blue line has a higher min force and STS. So already with these two settings you achieve quite a high degree of freedom in adjustment.

I think all you said is right, and I think people are saying the same thing in the past few posts... But I still think RF2 should provide some method to make this adjustment easier and more approachable. AC's LUT is not too hard to use with the LUT generator tool, but still is confusing to many gamers. My 2 cents.

My opinion: FFB linearity means very little if your wheel doesn't have enough torque and a G25/G27/G29 is too limited in torque. About the only thing necessary with a G25/G27/G29 is making sure it isn't clipping.

But G27 has linearity way too bad IMO and it feels better if linearity can be simulated in some way. AC's LUT improves the feeling of my G27 quite a bit and I really appreciate it. The center region feels a lot natural.