rFactor 2’s new online ranking system has revitalised a game that many had given up on. With week 2 of the ranked multiplayer deploying, what does the future hold for the title?
From Radicals at Zandvoort, to IndyCars at Donington Park, week 1’s daily races and special events were the most anticipated update to rFactor 2. A fresh week of content has launched for October 17th to 23rd.
The player base numbers show interest in the game is at an all time high for 2023. The peak number of players this year, including the virtual Le Mans, is just 400 players above the current average. rFactor 2 hasn’t seen this level of player interest since December 2020.
Consistency on Studio 397’s part is essential to the survival of their ranked system. Last week’s events where a hit, but one poor week of car and track combinations could spell disaster. An example of this would be the wasteland that iRacing created in some of their championships.
Studio 397 have released their new release notes as of the 17/10/2023. These release notes show the free and paid content that will be used over the course of the season, allowing players to plan their content purchases.
rFactor 2 Special Events Week 2 2023
Both the Touring Car Cup and M2 Cup special events were well populated with multiple splits across both events. Two special events per week is the perfect balance at this stage, especially with the healthy player base currently on the sim.
Week 2 special events will include:
- Tuesday, 9:15pm CEST: Weekly BTCC Open at Donington Park GP
- Thursday, 9:10pm CEST: Weekly GT3 Open at Spa Francorchamps
- Saturday, 9:30pm CEST: Back to School with the BMW M2 CS Cup at Sebring Club
rFactor 2 Daily Races Week 2 2023
Beginner Races – Every Hour
- Radical Rookies
- Car: Radical SR3-RSX
- Track: Botniaring Short
- BMW M2 Cup
- Car: BMW M2 Cup
- Track: Portland Full
- Open Wheel Sprint
- Car: Tatuus FT-50
- Track: Toban Short Reverse
Intermediate Races – Every Two Hours
- Prototype Challenge
- Car: LMP3 Norma or LMP3 Ligier
- Track: Bahrain International Circuit (GP)
- Touring Car Championship
- Car: BTCC 2021
- Track: Brands GP
Advanced Races – Every 3 Hours
- Road Course Rivals
- Car: Oreca LMP2
- Track: Daytona Road Course
NB: Races run from 11am CEST to 3am CEST
rFactor 2 Online Update Changelog
Along with the new schedule and special events, an update to rFactor 2 Online was deployed. Not only should it ensure that the servers run more consistently in week 2, but also features quality of life improvements for racers. Find the full changelog below!
- Usernames no longer support symbols.
- Changing usernames will preserve previous race results.
- Protest submissions have been improved:
- Mandatory text box for providing reasons.
- Mandatory timestamp.
- Clarity on what types of incidents can be protested.
- Updating email via Profile page is now possible.
- Leaderboard improvements:
- Track layout consideration added.
- Gap calculation bug fixed.
- Added row to showcase your time (if set).
- New designs for rank badges are now displayed.
- Error/warning messages added for practice server join failures.
- Registration process updated for clearer instructions and validations.
- Community server list bug fixed.
- Notification panels have improved buttons and interactions.
- Post-race results for Bronze Ranks are more accurate.
- Unique server mod names for each server to address “unable to install mod” errors.
- Players selecting the Cupra BTCC will not face disconnections.
- Increased DR exchange in higher level races
- Decreased SR gain potential in higher level races (this does not affect potential loss)
Will you be trying out the new rFactor 2 multiplayer content? Let us know on our Twitter Overtake_gg or in the comments down below!
