Would You Recommend rfactor 2 ?

[2scoops]

Hi Everyone,
I've played Project Cars, too buggy at the moment. Just getting in to RaceRoom, which I really enjoy. But what about rfactor2. I want to race online more, not necessarily leagues but a lot a various classes to get variety in the cars you drive.
Would you recommend rfactor2 as a sim and also the popularity of online racing.

 

[David O'Reilly]

There are more track and cars in RF2 than I have the time to drive (and I drive a lot).

 

[hexagramme]

I meant 3PA combined with all the collaboration that modders do on other projects as well. People aren't just sitting on their hands waiting for stuff, they're actually getting stuff done which is great to see.

 

[William Wester]

That's 3420 combinations, better get to work, that's a lot of learning.

Yup, not nearly enough time to get any good as I like to try them all. On top of that I rotate between pCARS, R3E, AC, SCE, and Dirt Rally (and dabble in GT Legends, Power & Glory) - some more than others (rF2, R3E, SCE are my favorites). It would be a full time job to master all of the virtual racing content that's out there.

 

[Emery]

There are more track and cars in RF2 than I have the time to drive (and I drive a lot).

Ditto!! Last year, there was time to drive everything enough to have a feel for the mods. This year, there's no way to gain any competence with everything. Now I only bother driving the stuff that interests me, not enough time to check out the quality stuff that is outside my interests.

More tracks, on the other hand, are sincerely welcome. Modern F1 tracks are well-represented, modern British & Australian tracks are well-represented, but North American tracks have some gaping holes in the street circuits. Historical circuits are downright barren, though Carrera4 is talking about bringing the '88 trackpack to rF2 soon.

 

[hexagramme]

The prospect of getting those carrera4 tracks for rF2 is very exiting. A season or two of 80's F1 cars and I won't ask for anything else.

Emery, I know the feeling, unlike last year I have now completely given up on trying to dive deep into all the released mods and tracks. There's not enough waking hours to be able to do so. I didn't even find time to try the Lola T70 until last week. Me being a historics freak, that says a lot. ISI content alone is more than I can find time for.

People complaining about lack of content in rF2 must have a very low attention span, because there's pretty much something for everyone, and it allows you to discover and appreciate new racing series and tracks you didn't know beforehand. Before rF2 I didn't give a hoot about GT racing or historic racing for example.

 

[Hash_V8]

"Before rF2 I didn't give a hoot about GT racing or historic racing for example."

Much the same for me,except swap GT (tintops) with carts, but love everything now,infact Ive been stuck into open wheelers now for a while, rf2 really opened my eyes to the technicalities of other race series,I've either liked IRL but not sims, or just not paid attention to in real life or sims,like no other sim, the Stock car release even made me appreciate Nascar (look up "radioactive" vids very cool for noobs to nascar), something just a few months ago i used to make fun off, RF2 is the DCS\steel beasts of race sims.

 

[Christian Militzer]

At first I was amazed at all the features rF2 offered, especially AI behaviour, Flag rules and all the little things. After a few hours I missed a little bit of content. There are numerous car classes, but every one has just one kind of car and just few tracks where they really fit on well in my opinion. But yesterday I downloaded a few mod tracks and cars and I have to say I had a very fun time again. So If you put a little effort in finding your content this is the sim to go in my opinion! And I'm sure it will evolve nicely with time.

 

[David O'Reilly]

Ditto!! Last year, there was time to drive everything enough to have a feel for the mods. This year, there's no way to gain any competence with everything. Now I only bother driving the stuff that interests me, not enough time to check out the quality stuff that is outside my interests.

More tracks, on the other hand, are sincerely welcome. Modern F1 tracks are well-represented, modern British & Australian tracks are well-represented, but North American tracks have some gaping holes in the street circuits. Historical circuits are downright barren, though Carrera4 is talking about bringing the '88 trackpack to rF2 soon.

There's tracks in North America? (only kidding)

Yes agreed IMO its an attention span thing.
An example: One car one track one week.
This week I have been doing 1 hour a night in the Apex GT3 mod preparing for a 12 hour race on Saturday. NEO BR AV. (It will be live streamed by onwheels TV). Bathurst, Mixed weather 6am in game start in the rain, 2pm GMT. So Saturday will be a nice big challenge in RF2 for us. My team mate and I hav collaborated on set up to get tyre wear and our lap time delta across 30 laps where we want it. Checked several pit option changes for wet weather (wing, brake balance) we need to do tyre pressures next.
Its going to be a tough first 2 hours.

For me that beats, "well that was a fun 10 laps, now Ill try the XYZ car".
Each to their own but for me RF2 goes deep due to the tyre model etc.
I respectfully submit that If you think you need more cars you might need more focus.

 

[hexagramme]

I didn't really appreciate stock car racing either before trying it in rF2. I don't enjoy watching that kind of racing on TV, but I can't get enough of racing it in the sim.

 

[Msportdan]

i don't enjoy stock car/nascar/oval racing either before rf2 or after. But those beasts on road courses are soooo much fun..!

 

[hexagramme]

i don't enjoy stock car/nascar/oval racing either before rf2 or after. But those beasts on road courses are soooo much fun..!

I agree, they are a lot ton of fun on road courses. 3 wheeling it over curbs, trying to nail braking points, a very entertaining challenge indeed.

 

[Brandon Wright]

I've never understood that buzz phrase, about rF2 lacking content. Doesn't take more than a quick glance at the official download page to see that that's definitely not the case. Sure, the list of cars and tracks isn't GT or Forza levels, but considering that all rF2 content is free of charge, there's definitely a nice amount of great content. Also considering that all the cars have primo physics and FFB, and the tracks are stock full of detail and accuracy, there's really not too much to complain about in that regard.

I was really disappointed with the stock content in rF2. I don't really care for open-wheel cars so that eliminated a big chunk of cars right there. I'm also not an oval/stock car fan, so that eliminated another big chunk of cars and tracks. I'm also not too keen on fantasy tracks, so there's another few items removed. After all that I was left with a small handful of cars and tracks I'd care to drive, and a lot of the tracks left are ones I've raced thousands of miles on in other sims so they didn't excite me much. I wouldn't claim that the stock content is bad, most of it just doesn't interest me personally.

These are just my preferences. There is a great variety of different things to suit different people which I think is great, it just so happens that not very much of it appealed to me. I imagine I'll eventually give the stock cars a chance because on occasion oval racing can be very thrilling, it's just not my bread and butter everyday choice for racing. With most of the open-wheel cars I've tried I haven't been able to get a good feeling on my wheel so I doubt I'll get much use out of those, and that's like half of the stock content cars. But I've already found several great mods for cars and tracks that has really expanded what interests me so now I actually have stuff I want to race instead of like the first week I had it where I'd just stare at the content list and end up playing AC instead.

 

[William Wester]

rFactor 2 was built to be a modding platform, ISI probably spends much more time coding sim functionality than creating a ton of content (DLC in many others). Actually, expecting a lot of "content" from ISI is not understanding the platform. It's taken awhile for some modders to switch from rFactor but we are starting to see the movement to rF2.
The only content holes I see are road or hyper cars. I'm interested in all types of "racing" so this isn't something that affects me.

 

[Brandon Wright]

Actually, expecting a lot of "content" from ISI is not understanding the platform.

Clearly I don't, I guess. I just know I like to race a variety of cars on a variety of tracks in my racing sims, preferably ones based on real world racing. Luckily I've already found enough mods to fill in the gaps of what interests me. Just my opinion, not saying anyone else has to agree with it, nor am I criticizing rF2 in any way, we all like different things and the most of the stock content in rF2 just happens to not jive with what I like. But, thanks to the mods I'm enjoying rF2 more and more every time I play it.

 

[JeffL]

It would seem that when they get a fully fleshed out gt3 mod, urd needs the cpm and apex needs work, there willl be a huge jump for rf2, I also see hope in the enduracers mod so I think rf2's apex will be a couple of years from now. For now I think the Indy car is one of the finest sim cars available.

 

[Paul Bennett]

Agree it's mod dependent an think all content should be at the same level, which it is n't yet.
But some good stuff there like 458 Challenge,Flat6, an BTCC the Apex Gt3 still needs little work. Would like to see a few 3PA euro tracks to really tick all the boxes

 

[Hash_V8]

"I'd just stare at the content list and end up playing AC instead."
"preferably ones based on real world racing."

Not trying to stir and understand just your opinion, but out of interest, outside gt2\3 field what real life series do you race in AC that you cant get in RF2?, I ask because I feel about AC how you do with rf2, there's just nothing really unique to AC that is interesting to race, and since majority of servers are GT2\3 or drifts and AI is abysmal I really struggle with AC content, in fact the DRM mod IMO is first (not single car,good mod) real series added to AC.

 

[Brandon Wright]

"I'd just stare at the content list and end up playing AC instead."
"preferably ones based on real world racing."

Not trying to stir and understand just your opinion, but out of interest, outside gt2\3 field what real life series do you race in AC that you cant get in RF2?, I ask because I feel about AC how you do with rf2, there's just nothing really unique to AC that is interesting to race, and since majority of servers are GT2\3 or drifts and AI is abysmal I really struggle with AC content, in fact the DRM mod IMO is first (not single car,good mod) real series added to AC.

Edit: I think I read that the wrong way. I really enjoy the old cars, been digging the Escort and the old BTCC cars lately. I also have the URD EGT and IndyCar mods, drive them a lot. Love the old DTM cars too, and even the new Abarth SC.

 

[Hash_V8]

Edit: I think I read that the wrong way. I really enjoy the old cars, been digging the Escort and the old BTCC cars lately. I also have the URD EGT and IndyCar mods, drive them a lot. Love the old DTM cars too, and even the new Abarth SC.

Lol not sure what you original reply was, anyway fair call, however even though not AAA mods,they are all available on rf2, touring car legends is a awesome rf conversion with BTCC from eighties to early nineties including ATCC,DTM and several other touring champs of that era,would love to see update to that,there's also a nice escort rs1800 available, the racing trim abarth is also available in RF2.

As for URD GTE, great mod, however its really limited in AC compared to rf2, for example, leaving "drive feel" aside, its impossible for me to run the new PX with GTE in AC because AI cant handle multi, and a full grid of gte's brings micro stuttering, as well as lack of "enduro" features, and without a dougbt RF2 indy would be at least as good if not better than URD's, and can drive on Ovals.

Wasnt supposed to be a attack on AC, my points more about content, you can still choose AC, as they may be better quality then those mods etc, but rf2 ain't "lacking" the content IMO.

 

[hexagramme]

Claiming lack of quality in ISI content doesn't hold up in any court, it is extremely high quality for sure. But of course I can understand that someone could be disinterested in certain types of tracks/cars. That's just personal taste and not really up for debate.

I've used rFactor 2 to discover and learn to appreciate a lot of different types of vehicles that didn't interest me one bit before I tried them in that sim. I basically just try to always keep an open mind, also because I don't feel like sitting around waiting for that one car I love, which may never see the light of day in rF2. Better to try out the stuff that actually is available.

Before buying rF2 back in 2013, I thought I'd only want to drive the F1 2012, the Formula Renault and the Williams Formula 2. But then I discovered the GT cars... and the historics... and the touring cars... and the [etc. etc. etc.]. rF2 has taught me to appreciate pretty much any form of racing, while before I was ONLY into open wheel racing.