Race against DLC you don't own in rFactor 2

GT3-Update-6.png
In a Facebook announcement today, Studio 397 announced a slight delay for their Q1 build. While the GT3's will get their promised updated the 7th of February, the game-build will be delayed two weeks until the 21st, as the Studio wants to polish the new feature.

One of the issues many players have had with rFactor 2, is the fact that you need to own all content that is present on the server. If you want to race a DPi-car in a RaceDepartment Club Race against LMP2's and GTE's, you would have to buy all cars. If you the next week want to race a Ferrari GT3 in a GT3 event, you would have to buy the 11 other GT3 cars as well. This is finally going to change in rFactor 2.

As the rFactor 2 announcement says:
So, let’s tell you one of the big reasons why we want to delay… this Friday, we will update our Release Candidate with a new feature… the ability to race online against content you don’t own! Exciting as this is, we just need more time to polish it all up, and a few other bits, so we hope you don’t mind a little delay – I’m sure you will think it was worth the wait!

There is no doubt that this is a feature that have been requested for a long time, and it's taken Studio 397 quite a time to untangle the old rF2 code and being able to make these changes. While it doesn't state with clarity how this will work, it is an important step forward.
It will also make life easier for server hosts, as there is less of a need to focus on what kind of DLC is being used.

It will come for the Release Candidate already this Friday, but with all beta-builds, they may contain bugs. Stable release is planned for the 21st of February.

Wanting to race rFactor 2 in a friendly, helpful, yet competetive environment? Take a visit to the rFactor 2 Club Racing forum at RaceDepartment for more information.
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About author
Ole Marius Myrvold
Ole Marius Myrvold
I've been a motorsport-fan for as long as I can remember. Initially a rallycross-maniac, but got into F1 around the time I started school. Got my first sim when I was 7, but didn't start properly until I got a wheel when I was 12. Been a staff at RaceDepartment since 2012. Mainly the dirty-guy who does rally-stuff here. But also management-titles and rFactor 2.

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Comments

M
it's a great change, but i can't help but think that starting a new (3rd) game would be better now, rf2 is just a mess, start a fresh is what they should do
 
S
Momperface said:
it's a great change, but i can't help but think that starting a new (3rd) game would be better now, rf2 is just a mess, start a fresh is what they should do
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No, that doesnt make much sense.
The game nowadays is pretty good now, improvements are obviously needed here or there, but that is the case for literally any sim we have currently, disappearing for a few years to make a new game is not going to work
 
Ghoults
Amazing. I hope the actual implementation is done well. I don't want to race against yellow boxes. That being said, I'm looking forward buying a gte car, gt3 car, a touring car, tracks and maybe a lmp as well.
 
X
Studio 397 is still the worthy successor to the RFactor franchise for the herculean effort they put in to keep this sim alive. And now they're risking a loss in revenue for us! And with LFM on the helm, and a GT3 update incoming, it's time for RF2 finally have that staying power. I'm really hopeful for this. Please make this work!
 
Botmeister
sbabb said:
No, that doesnt make much sense.
The game nowadays is pretty good now, improvements are obviously needed here or there, but that is the case for literally any sim we have currently, disappearing for a few years to make a new game is not going to work
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rFactor 2 is an abomination of a video game. It's the absolute most aweful game development one can imagine to still play in 2023. Even games from +15 years ago are way better structured then rFactor 2.

The game is simply a big pile of code trash. Funny thing is when the loading has finished and you made it through the setup menu, the racing part is quite good. If you ever doubt this, show rFactor 2 to ten different people and let them judge. As a simracing enthousiast we tend to forget the bad stuff in order to justify the good stuff to ourselves.

So yes it's the only thing that makes sense: stop this update nonsense and start investing in a whole new game. Unfortunately the MSG story doesn't help much and so business wise the RF frachise is pretty much doomed unless something radical happens soon. I do hope for that, though, since I like certain things in rFactor 2 and would love to see improvement.

Release notes november 2022: "Enabled Alt+F4 and X closing the game". I really REALLY laughed my *ss off when I read this back then. I know it's just one little functionality, but it says so much about the state of the game as a whole.
 
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T
Botmeister said:
rFactor 2 is an abomination of a video game. It's the absolute most aweful game development one can imagine to still play in 2023. Even games from +15 years ago are way better structured then rFactor 2.

The game is simply a big pile of code trash. Funny thing is when the loading has finished and you made it through the setup menu, the racing part is quite good. If you ever doubt this, show rFactor 2 to ten different people and let them judge. As a simracing enthousiast we tend to forget the bad stuff in order to justify the good stuff to ourselves.

So yes it's the only thing that makes sense: stop this update nonsense and start investing in a whole new game. Unfortunately the MSG story doesn't help much and so business wise the RF frachise is pretty much doomed unless something radical happens soon. I do hope for that, though, since I like certain things in rFactor 2 and would love to see improvement.

Release notes november 2022: "Enabled Alt+F4 and X closing the game". I really REALLY laughed my *ss off when I read this back then. I know it's just one little functionality, but it says so much about the state of the game as a whole.
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I know this sounds maybe wierd, but I don't picture sim racing in the same way as I picture video gaming. And don't get me wrong, I love video games and started playing them long time before I dipped my toes into sim racing. But for me sim racing and rF2 is the equivalent to the ArmA franchize or DCS, while DCS players might argue that ArmA is too simplistic. For me ArmA isn't a classic FPS game, DCS isn't a classic flying video game. Thatswhy I can look past the video gaming aspect of rF2 and other sims. It's an experience where developers throw something infront of your feet and you need to create the experience on your own, like it or not. I am even at a point where I say that the current sims take too many shortcuts with horrendous HUDs - get rid of them and do something smart instead - the removal of colission in certain situations, complete removal of important rules and mechanics etc. The "starting" mechanic in AC is a perfect example of that stupid "gamification" in sim racing and I find it horrible, because it takes so much away from the experience of actually starting a race. What's so about about letting players feel what a real driver feels, including frustration, tension and everything else? Why do we have to be informed about everything 100% all the time?

On top of that, I haven't come across a single racing sim throughout my last ten years of using them that I consider a good videogame. They are all horrible in one way or another at being video games. There isn't a single racing sim that has fantastic physics, sounds and graphics, top notch intuitive UIs, great AI, a story or an interesting career that makes it a complete and fleshed out experience. ACC was the last one that I had hopes for but they took so many shortcuts in creating that experience that it is like rF2 and all the other sims a perfect example on how not to do it.

The sole aspect of them that keeps me going is that I am simply a petrolhead and driving in other available car games feels crap and not convonving so I use all those poor videogames. :p
 
M
Premium
The lead time for a racing game, started from scratch, is at least 2-3 years. You really think there is a big pile of cash behind Studio397 for that kind of investment in a niche market? Why do you think so few new racing sims ( not simcade ) are released? RF2 has it's quirks, quite a lot of them, but once you get it set up, for me I can get into a race against AI in a minute or two and it rarely goes wrong. I've done around 20 online races in LFM, which isn't a lot, but I've not had any major problems there either, and the actual racing experience has been fantastic in terms of FFB/graphics etc. Hundreds of hours of fun ( running in VR ). And some of you guys want to just throw that away and start again? Bizarre.
 
Durge Driven
When is the last time your 10 year old sim updated 14 GT3 cars. :rolleyes:
When is the last time your sim let you keep 14 old versions of cars to test against 14 new versions ? :roflmao:

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Should go ask your studio why none of then can do that instead of whining on rF2 ! :coffee:
 
Rcbill28
Thank you 397 the new package install is the cats meow!! Like it a lot keep up the great work its getting better all the time
 
vitorhs
Durge Driven said:
When is the last time your 10 year old sim updated 14 GT3 cars. :rolleyes:
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Maybe if you don't have 10 years old problems, you will don't need to fix 10 years old things?
Durge Driven said:
Should go ask your studio why none of then can do that instead of whining on rF2 ! :coffee:
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My favorite team is Reiza and guess what: in AMS2 you can race against cars you don't have from the day one! RF2 lovers loves to trash iRacing, but guess what always happened there too......

Still have time to complain about RF2 :roflmao::roflmao:

(but yes, is a good update, just too late)
 
Tarmac Terrorist
This is just fantastic! I don't own Longbeach (yet). However I can D/L & install it, and then join servers running the track and go and specate any car I like driving there, in any view, from cockpit to Camera! I'll buy Lonbeach V soon of course, but this is great for players wanting to get a good feel and preview for tracks and cars they dont own. Just did'nt realise till now you can actually join servers running tracks you dont own. Can't race there but can watch. Awsome!
 
Sergey911u
Xierra said:
Studio 397 is still the worthy successor to the RFactor franchise for the herculean effort they put in to keep this sim alive. And now they're risking a loss in revenue for us! And with LFM on the helm, and a GT3 update incoming, it's time for RF2 finally have that staying power. I'm really hopeful for this. Please make this work!
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But I hope that it will make it possible to hold races somewhere other than this LFM dump.
 

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