rFactor 2 Releases Q2 Update and Content

Gen 3 Formula E car in rF2.jpg
rFactor 2 has recently received its latest update bringing great improvements to the AI. The drop also includes the new Gen 3 Formula E car.

Image Credit: Studio 397

Now in mid-April, Studio 397 decided it would be the perfect time to release its newest update for rFactor 2. The simulator has certainly made strides in recent updates and this particular changelog is no different.

Whilst the headlining act must be the first simracing representation of the Gen 3 Formula E car, the update brings countless improvements throughout the sim. From modding support to bug fixes, it mostly appears to be a case of housekeeping until you reach the AI section which has seemingly been overhauled.

Formula E Gen 3 in rF2​

rFactor 2 has long been the definitive Formula E simulator. The original car and many tracks have featured in the game since the series' origins. And with the Accelerate esports series putting simracers in the electric single seaters, it's no surprise that the sim now has the 2023 model.

Gen 3 FE rear.jpg


The Gen 3 car is a million miles away from the Gen 2 car concept. It's a lightweight, small chassis made to look rapid on TV coverage. It skips and dances over street circuit bumps and appears to be agile in the corners. One thing racers will have to get used to is the lack of physical rear brakes which are indeed modelled in rF2.

This year's Q1 update brought many hybrid powertrain improvements for the BTCC cars, and this latest Q2 update focuses on EV functionality. UI and HUD elements will allow players to keep track of their energy usage whilst brake usage will be a difficult skill to perfect in order to regenerate in an efficient way.

This is something the AI is also trained to do in a long list of offline racing improvements.

AI improvements galore​

Whilst an AI that can manage energy in the Formula E car is impressive, the way it now battles is even more so. Throughout the history of simracing, very few titles have produced capable AI in racecraft scenarios. But it seems rFactor 2 is on the right track.

AI improvements in Q2 release.jpg


The latest update brings in many changes to how the AI interacts with other cars. From making better decisions on the brakes to actively looking for better exits when making its way through traffic. According to the change log, the AI will now think about the danger involved in overtaking manoeuvres on the brakes. Whilst it will freely go side-by-side on the straights, it may decide to back out of a move on the brakes into a corner. This should produce fewer incidents where previous versions of the game would become blood baths.

The new improvements certainly work well in multiclass scenarios. Faster cars treat slower classes with respect as they work their way through the field. Not trying to send a risky move up the inside, the AI now often backs off into a corner to carry momentum and make a move on corner exit. This is what real life prototype racers in IMSA and the WEC do when battling through GT traffic.

All in all, this update looks small when compared to the major overhauls of recent releases. But the changes address issues that will now give the game great offline playability. Furthermore, with more and more great updates coming to rF2, it shows that the game is finally nearing a place where the developers are happy with its current state.

What do you make of the latest rFactor 2 update?
About author
Angus Martin
Motorsport gets my blood pumping more than anything else. Be it physical or virtual, I'm down to bang doors.

Comments

Can´t comprehend! Releasing new stuff, but the Porsche 911GT3R cockpit still looks like made by noob modders! Same with the Audi R8 cockpit!
Still no track map and HUD in the middle of the screen! Why??? Can´t comprehend!
About the interior cockpit, it's true, but not a massive issue.
And the HUD or track map, I don't care I use no hud with triple screen.
Do you have another complain ?
 
About the interior cockpit, it's true, but not a massive issue.
And the HUD or track map, I don't care I use no hud with triple screen.
Do you have another complain ?
Not a massive issue for you maybe, but there is no reason to generalize your subjective preferences.

Especially older DLC content is graphically very outdated, yet sold for the same price. Without any screenshots in the Steam store. That is a major transparency issue. Period.
 
Premium
Not a massive issue for you maybe, but there is no reason to generalize your subjective preferences.

Especially older DLC content is graphically very outdated, yet sold for the same price. Without any screenshots in the Steam store. That is a major transparency issue. Period.
The Reiza pack is currently being updated.
I agree moving the hud around would be nice, but they do need to release some content to keep money coming in. It's just not realistic to expect just bug fixes. They did actually update the HUD in this release and its a lot better.
Overall, pretty solid update.
 
I hope Q3 includes DLC track(s).

No-one is interested in Formula E (im normally hesistant to speak for others than myself but will make an exception here :) ).

The AI changes I imagine would be nice for a lot of people if they make the AI more engaging. I only race multiplayer and find AI boring. I think one thing that would help is if the AI made occassional small mistakes that give you a better exit and/or would change a bit in which corners of the track it was relatively fast or slow from lap to lap. Now its like: find out which corner AI is slow and then overtake an AI car in that exactly corner every time. Basically make the AI more human. But this update does not seem to be that from the description.

And I agree with people stating the HUD should be improved. I dont want to pay x amount to racelab to have a decent relative and multiclass standings...
 
The Reiza pack is currently being updated.
I agree moving the hud around would be nice, but they do need to release some content to keep money coming in. It's just not realistic to expect just bug fixes. They did actually update the HUD in this release and its a lot better.
Overall, pretty solid update.
I don't really care about the HUD, only the content quality. Reiza is going back to the Reiza content, not S397. As far as I know S397 never did any art related update to their cars. They only added the slip indicators recently to the GT cars, mostly in the wrong places I should add.
 
I don't really care about the HUD, only the content quality. Reiza is going back to the Reiza content, not S397. As far as I know S397 never did any art related update to their cars. They only added the slip indicators recently to the GT cars, mostly in the wrong places I should add.
april 2023

McLaren M23 v1.53
  • General visual update
March 761 v2.12
  • General visual update
sure, you talk without any clue.....you can t be trusted
 
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I don't really care about the HUD, only the content quality. Reiza is going back to the Reiza content, not S397. As far as I know S397 never did any art related update to their cars. They only added the slip indicators recently to the GT cars, mostly in the wrong places I should add.
They did for a bunch of cars, the odler F1 Mclaren, the USF 2000, Nissan GT500 and some more.
The problem for some older cars is the standard they were build to at their time, it sucks, but its not realistic to expect those to be remodelled for basically free any time soon, they are just way too many (its also not only on rF2 where you have content build vastly different in terms of visuals, thats true for basically all games that exist over a longer period).

And the Reiza content isnt done by them, they hired modders for it on the forum.
 
Club Staff
Premium
The HUD has been updated, still not optimised for VR but at least it's something.
The classic 70s F1s getting some love is news worthy too.

"HUD​

  • Updated Default HUD with multiple options for different element combinations
  • Added Battery State & Usage options, as well as LEDs for P2P and Battery
  • Fixed HUD only rendering one gauge correctly
  • Added Throttle, Brake and Clutch gauge options to HUD
  • Added ability to change text colour in MFD in HUDs"
 
I really like the new hud

i no longer need to use tiny pedal to see my inputs

The ai update i need to test more extensively, i tried it on spa with multiclass and had no issues (apart from some performance issues later dropping the fps and causing ai cars to lag causing a bizarre collision)

and then i tried a imsa style 20 min race on long beach (the steam workshop one not the official) with 34 cars and had some great time with the ai until on minute 13 we had a pile up on the last corner, which to be fair is something that did happen in real life several times, the only problem is that one ai car got stuck and did not reset.

but overall had fun, was pleasantly surprized to see the ai battling with each other and defending the inside multiple times against me

rF2 when everything works is a fantastic sim, its a shame it has so many caveats that can ruin the experience
 
Posted elsewhere a hundred times but 10+ years of waiting for the AI Slipstreaming fix is finally over, already been racing them in the release candidate builds for a couple of weeks and it's an absolute joy.

Le Mans, Daytona Road Course, Monza now have meaning at last with the AI. No more tappy tap tap on my rear bumper going down Conrod at Bathurst, no more taking it easy on long straights knowing the AI would do bugger all, my eyes have been practically glued to the rear view mirrors!

Hallelujah!
 
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