rFactor 2 has been a staple in the sim racing community since its release in 2013. The online multiplayer experience, however, has been lacking for many years. The rFactor 2 Race Control Beta changes that.
Menu & UI Improvements
The menu has been refreshed and reimagined recently. Most importantly, for the first time ever, rFactor 2 seems to be going down the route of user ease and convenience.
Instead of complex settings hidden behind multiple confusing screens, everything of relevance to the players progression can be found in one tab and across only a handful of menus. This is opposed to the confusing mess that the system was before this revolutionary update.
The major changes and additions most notably include smooth animations detailing your DR (Driver Rank) and SR (Safety Rank), a progress bar to see how your DR and SR drop or climb after an event and, most importantly, a race results tracker so that you can look back over your performances and analyse your results to your heart’s content.
Is Online Racing Back In rFactor 2?
The short answer is, yes! In the sessions that we tested, the servers were well populated. The practice sessions were clearly labeled and mostly filled with a good level and range of drivers. But most importantly, the servers were stable. The system is not without its problems though.
The only major issue whilst testing was a rare occurrence of the software not recognising that the account was due to join an official session. This only happened whilst the official practice session was coming to an end.
Unfortunately, this required a full game restart, deregistering the user from the race and wasting hours of car and track combo specific practice. rFactor 2 have noted these problems and deployed a hotfix for online features.
Car & Track Combinations
At the time of writing, the car and track combinations are varied and unusual. Do not expect to see GT3 cars at Spa, try to think more along the lines of Caterhams at Toban Raceway or IndyCars at Donington Park.
The beginner combinations (Tatuus F4, BMW M2 CS and Caterham Academy) switch every hour, with the intermediate series (BTCC and Porsche Regional Trophy) switching every two hours. The advanced series (IndyCar) gets new combos every three hours.
There are almost unlimited options of car and track combinations with the embracement of the modding community from Studio 397. It looks like it is a really exciting time to be an rFactor 2 player.
In fact, compared to October 5th (the day before the Beta launch), the rFactor 2 online multiplayer revamp’s player numbers are significantly higher on average. The system looks to be just what the title needed – and should likely serve as a test bed for the upcoming Le Mans Ultimate.
Are you as excited about the future of rFactor 2 as we are? Check out more rF2 articles here on OverTake.gg, as well as the official patch notes.
Have you tried the new online multiplayer in rFactor 2 yet? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg and in the comments below!
