Energize Formula E rFactor 2 DLC Released

[Paul Jeffrey]

Studio 397 have today released their new 'Energize Formula E' DLC for rFactor 2, a first official DLC containing electric racing in PC simulation gaming.

The new pack contains the cars, drivers and teams of the 2017/18 FIA Formula E series in rFactor 2 and includes a version of the Hong Kong ePrix track to be used in the opening round of the real series later this week.

Due to embargos around liveries for the new cars the current pack contains the team colours of the previous season, however once the real world championship begins Studio 397 intend to update the content to reflect the current racing season.

Before we get into the detail of the new DLC pack from Studio 397, and in case you missed it on our YouTube channel, check out this little talk and drive first impressions video we recorded (very) late last night:

From the official release notes;

Featuring the Formula E Car 2018 and the teams, as well as a stunning rendition of the HKT Hong Kong E-Prix track!

All of us at Studio 397 are ecstatic about this release. It’s not just because we have achieved truly immersive physics and graphics, but we are equally proud of the close partnership we’ve developed with Formula E itself.

This newest release is part of our ongoing efforts to continually offer you, true fans of simracing, exciting and cutting edge motorsport content!

The series itself is thrilling and challenging in ways that will surprise you. You’ll have to rethink your strategy – no more easy flat footing to get on the podium! Although the racing still retains its close side-by-side action, tactics and strategy now play an equal role – a true test of your abilities to stay focused on the big picture!

We also wanted to use this opportunity to get in some exciting new features such as REGEN and power modes, as well as new cockpit and HUD elements to further increase the overall immersion and functionality.

Known issues:

• Track accuracy may be different due to late changes in layouts
• AI currently does not adhere to the 1 pit stop rule and does not try to save fuel by lifting and coasting
• Regen mode is based off braking and is automatic on braking
• Fuel indicator currently does not show granular detail on battery life, therefore we suggest using 3rd party plugins in the meantime
• Cars have one set of physics based on homologated data
• Liveries and helmets will be updated when embargoes are lifted
• AI will sporadically slow just after Start/Finish under full course yellow – this should not affect the race restarts.
  

How to drive the car - some important information

Formula E is different to most series you may have driven before, it’s about strategy and optimising your power and battery life.

Firstly you should set up a few more controls in the options menu.

• Increment mixture and decrement mixture – controls “eMotor Torque Map“
• Engine braking map up and down (New) – controls “Regen Mode

Now what this does is affect the regen – so the power you get back from braking and also the engine power output which also affects the battery life.

For a Formula E race you usually have 1 stop, and Hong Kong is 45 laps for instance, so that means you need to go at least 23 laps on 1 stint (4.3%) per lap.

This means you need to lift and coast, for instance down the back straight you start coasting before the 200 metre board! If you saved more energy early due to a safety car or being very conservative, you can start lift and coasting later. Conversely, if you had to pit early due to damage or whatever reason, you may have to lift and coast even earlier.

After the lift and coast phase, you then brake late and if you have regen mode high, you will get more battery power back – there easy eh! Accelerating hard out of the corners will yield the main lap time benefits.

This car is all about how efficiently you can drive it. You have a set amount of energy to complete a race, and you have to find the most effective way to get to the end, that results in the shortest time possible.

Top Tips

• In qualifying you can run max power and high downforce, however in race use lower downforce to help eliminate drag
• Save as much power as possible to go for an attack at the end!
• Paint lines on street circuits are slippery, especially in the rain!
• 3rd party apps will give you a more precise reading on fuel, which will allow you to plan your race better

rFactor 2 is a PC exclusive racing simulation available worldwide via the Steam network. The Formula E Energize DLC can be purchased for £8.70 HERE.

Check out the rFactor 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment for all the latest news and discussion with regards to the simulation. You can take part in lively debates with fellow rFactor 2 fans and take part in some great Club and League racing events..!

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Have you tried the new Formula E DLC for rFactor 2 yet? What are your impressions of the content? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[M D Gourley]

Formula E is different to most series you may have driven before, it’s about strategy and optimising your power and battery life.

Firstly you should set up a few more controls in the options menu.

• Increment mixture and decrement mixture – controls “eMotor Torque Map“
• Engine braking map up and down (New) – controls “Regen Mode

Now what this does is affect the regen – so the power you get back from braking and also the engine power output which also affects the battery life.

For a Formula E race you usually have 1 stop, and Hong Kong is 45 laps for instance, so that means you need to go at least 23 laps on 1 stint (4.3%) per lap.

This means you need to lift and coast, for instance down the back straight you start coasting before the 200 metre board! If you saved more energy early due to a safety car or being very conservative, you can start lift and coasting later. Conversely, if you had to pit early due to damage or whatever reason, you may have to lift and coast even earlier.

After the lift and coast phase, you then brake late and if you have regen mode high, you will get more battery power back – there easy eh! Accelerating hard out of the corners will yield the main lap time benefits.

This car is all about how efficiently you can drive it. You have a set amount of energy to complete a race, and you have to find the most effective way to get to the end, that results in the shortest time possible.

WOW...this sounds complicated....I like it and I will give this a go...going to purchase so it will help fund further development on rF2...good luck Studio 397

 

[Charmin]

Really not easy to drive, i allways lookup the brakes. What i really like, the last conrner is really slipery the paint on the track makes it even more difficult for me

 

[dave kirk]

This is AWESOME so far,
drives like nothing else, few questions after my 5 minutes of testing, what is 1st gear for? do i drive the whole tracking in 2nd gear?

 

[thepharcyde]

This is AWESOME so far,
drives like nothing else, few questions after my 5 minutes of testing, what is 1st gear for? do i drive the whole tracking in 2nd gear?

Yes

 

[Charmin]

This is AWESOME so far,
drives like nothing else, few questions after my 5 minutes of testing, what is 1st gear for? do i drive the whole tracking in 2nd gear?

I use it in the first corner then only 2nd.

 

[Carlitox]

This is AWESOME so far,
drives like nothing else, few questions after my 5 minutes of testing, what is 1st gear for? do i drive the whole tracking in 2nd gear?

AFAIK you launch on 1st and then stay on 2nd the rest of the race. Of course if you spin, you may want to go into 1st again to relaunch. In the Automobilista mod I used 1st on extremely tight bends, but since this is way more accurate, that might not be the case.

My opinion? A bit pricey again. But the content looks incredibly awesome, that has to be said. Will purchase soon as regional pricing has thankfully shaved a buck or so off the price.

 

[thepharcyde]

Won't be buying this, pricing strategy is laughable if the remaining tracks are priced similar!!

Quick calc it will be circa £90 pounds lol!

 

[Dan ONeill]

So there is only one track?

 

[leseb64]

This is AWESOME so far,
drives like nothing else, few questions after my 5 minutes of testing, what is 1st gear for? do i drive the whole tracking in 2nd gear?

1st gear for energy recovery!

 

[c2baker]

Tried it out, pitted at a non Formula E track (Singapore), changed tires and added fuel, stared blankly at my screen coming to the realization that this probably has a lot of f*cking hurdles to get over before it's even league ready especially with what might be the weird pricing model. Trying to refund so I can watch from the sidelines and see how this further develops and then maybe i'll repurchase.

 

[VirtuaIceMan]

Compare to Real Racing 3's version of the car/track, it's clear rFactor2 is much more sim!

 

[natedogg1867]

Youch, rF2 dlc pricing seems to be going the route of iRacing... except without being laser scanned, and well... Formula E...

Gonna be a tough sell for a lot of people moving forward to be excited about prices like this.

 

[Jayblue]

I don't mind the price so much if it was a finished product. But reading the release notes there are several aspects that point to this DLC needing some more polish before that is the case.

I do see advancement in the title since S397 took over and I will watch with interest to see how it progresses but at the moment its not quite got across the line for me to buy it.

 

[John-Eric Saxén]

Won't be buying this, pricing strategy is laughable if the remaining tracks are priced similar!!

Quick calc it will be circa £90 pounds lol!

No reason to assume it will. We already got this track cheaper than $8 because nobody bought the track alone, it came with the car for $10 total. And we have no information on remaining tracks anyway, but they won't suddenly produce more than a couple of tracks a year. When all tracks are done rF3 is already out.

 

[Dan ONeill]

Well I went ahead and bought it anyway and it does drive pretty good, plenty of oversteer out of corners if engine mode is high and the regen braking makes a lot of difference.
I like that aspect of it, but only one tiny track is pretty limited in my opinion, would have been better with at least one other track in the bundle...
But the biggest thing for me (after 30 mins on it) is you don't see how your battery is doing?
After all this is electric racing...
How do I know how long the car will last?

 

[M D Gourley]

you don't see how your battery is doing?

Oh,....I thought that would be on the steering wheel somewhere....a much needed critical piece of information I would assume.

 

[Dan ONeill]

Don't remember now but there's brake balance, tyre temps (or pressures) engine mode, regen mode, lap time etc but I didn't notice any battery percentage but then I was looking for a bar not a percentage readout, I hope I'm wrong...

 

[Flip-Flop Driver]

@Marcel Offermans
Has anyone looked at the conversion rates on Steam for countries like Brazil? And are the current rates "as intended"?

The reason I ask is because Kunos uses a more mainstream approach on Steam in that regard while RF2/AMS seem a bit at odds.

 

[NBH]

So just a curious question how does one track how much battery life you have left while driving? Do you need a Third Party app?