GT3 Challenges Pack Released for rFactor 2

[Paul Jeffrey]

Four of the five new GT3 cars for rFactor 2 have been released today!

Released just 24 hours after the final car reveal yesterday, the five vehicle 'GT3 Challengers' DLC for rFactor 2 is here! Although containing five cars, players will have to wait for a little while yet until we get access to the brand new 2019 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, that one is undergoing final manufacturer approval and hasn't quite managed to sneak into the pack ahead of the release deadline today.

Even without the Aston, the new car pack from Studio 397 is an incredibly impressive achievement and in my opinion at least, really showcases the exceptional potential of what is one of the finest racing simulations currently available. The new cars, the BMW M6, McLaren 720s, Audi R8 LMS and Porsche 911 GT3 R are quite literally the highest quality Studio 397 have released to date, and represent the first pieces of content to be developed with the much anticipated new materials shaders for the title.

Although joining the sim as a standalone DLC, the new cars have received suitable BOP settings to allow them to race competitively with the current crop of GT3 machines, meaning rFactor will have a very impressive collection of no less than 10 recent GT3 cars within the sim (plus the older Camaro GT3 from the ISI era).. not bad going in the space of just over one year..

For me, these new cars that form part of the 'GT3 Challengers' DLC are testament to the quality Studio 397 are capable of delivering, and could, quite possibly, be some of the finest content in sim racing....

The Studio 397 announcement notes:

With a great heritage in GT class racing, we are proud to announce the next pack released for rFactor 2 – The GT3 Challengers Pack. Featuring not just one, but two world firsts! GT represents much of what rFactor 2 stands for, and fits into our feature set of day/night transitions, weather and driver swaps. We hope you enjoy this pack that also features our latest graphic engine technology.

With our existing GT3 Pack and the Endurance Pack we now have 13 GT class cars that can race on track – add a couple of LMP’s and we have one of the most diverse grids in sim racing.

Once again we are proud to have great support from partners to help us make this happen.

Download on Steam right here!

Now let’s take a look at what’s in awesome pack!

McLaren 720s

To bring one of their new incredible cars onto race tracks, McLaren developed the stunning 720S GT3.

Modern design, impressive aerodynamics and years of experience in Motorsport should help this car to claim wins among several premier GT3 events in 2019.

Porsche 911 GT3 R

It probably wouldn’t be called motorsport if the iconic brand Porsche aren’t part of a class.

The 911 GT3 R is once again a very balanced, race-proven car by the German manufacturer, reinforcing their image as being amongst the highest rated contenders in a series.

Audi R8 LMS GT3

Considered as one of the all-time favourites, this midship RWD car by Audi has been competing in GT3 since the beginning, winning significant races around the globe for a variety of teams. A demanding but rewarding choice.

BMW M6 GT3

From the very start, the BMW M6 GT3 hit the grids all over the motorsport world and proved the V8 concept to the German manufacturer. Leading several Endurance events in different series and also claiming the 2018 FIA GT World Cup title, this car is a winner.


Aston Martin Vantage 2019

The second generation of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is ready for some serious racing action. It will enter GT events in 2019 and beefs up the already stunning road version of the Vantage. With the prestige and expertise Aston Martin brings into racing, it’s a challenger you always have to keep an eye on.

*Please note this car will be released as part of the pack once approved


Final Notes
These cars are built with our new graphic technology, based on PBR lighting. We are converting more of our older content and yes, we are bringing more liveries to you shortly!

For painters, we are finalising the templates and the technology behind it, trust us, it will be a game changer for you! In the meantime, please read more on our December Roadmap here https://www.studio-397.com/2018/12/roadmap-update-december-2018/

rFactor 2 is available exclusively for PC from Steam now.

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..! Head over to the forum now!

Like what you see here at RaceDepartment? Don't forget to like, subscribe and follow us on social media!


 ​

 

[Dirk Steffen]

First off, Merry Christmas to Studio 397, having worked their behinds off to get thissurprise pack out of nowhere out just in time for us to enjoy over the holidays. It takes a lot of commitment, good management and hard work to make something like this happen.

Now to the actual pack. I did not have enough time yet to test all cars but the Pors he nut I am of course I drove back to back the rF2 Porsche 911 GT3 R vs the Kunos Porsche 911 GT3 R.

I chose a track that is a ailable for both simulators from the same source - Road Atlanta 2017 to have an even ground.

first off lets get the bad news out of the way:
- the 3D model, texture work, displays and functionality in the Porsche cockpit is definitely subpar in standard of 2018 / 19 latest gen racing sims
- the cockpit 3d model is of very low poly count and objects that are constantly in the view did not get the needed care in 3D modelling to have them appear of high enough quality to todays standards

Examples for this are the external mirror housings, the dashboard itself, the dashboard, meeting the roll cage and body shell at the a-pillar - those are the worst offenders and are unfortunately always in your face, making the 3D model of the Porsche look like a rush job.

The textures used in the Porsche cockpit too are of subpar quality (look at the passenger side a-pillar to see the most obvious issue here with obvious rough pixelated textures).

The MFD in the Porsche is unfortunately very, very bad indeed. Earlier seen screenshots do not do justice to how so really bad the mix of wrong fonts, mixed fonts, misaligned fonts, different aspect ratio of fonts and general layout really is. The rev counter display, LEDs and the lack of oversteer display functionailty just adds to this.

People who have raced the Kunos Porsche 911 GT3 R extensively (it has been my most used GT3 car since its release) do see these issues imediately and they do indeed matter.


Why are these issues particularly with the Porsche so obvious you ask?
Well, just sit yourself in the McLaren 720S which is exactly on the other end of the modelling quality scale and simply looks sublime by comparison.
The 3D model, texture work and shaders, heck even the MFD up center look several levels above the Porsche model and truly make the Porsche look abysmal by comparison.

The McLaren cockpit indeed is of a quality I have come to expect when purchasing content for latest gen racing sims in 2018.

The level of quality of the initial GT3 pack models or even the new low - the GT3 Challengers pack Porsche 911 GT3 R are absolutley nothing Studio 397 can be proud of and it should not be considered as a benchmark of acceptable in sim racing, coming from an official source.


Now on to the good things:
The Porsche FEELS absolutely SUBLIME !!!
How the Porsche acts on curbs, weight transfer, acceleration, turn in, mid corner, loosing traction, understeering and starting to grip on it’s front tires on weight shift is simply top notch and the best I have felt so far in any sim that simulates a modern racing GT 911 Porsche.

It feels THAT GOOD.
The FFB details are amazing and highly detailed - I love especially the curbs and to feel distinctly grip levels from front and rear when the chassis is highly loaded (like T1 or the last long corner at Road Atlanta).

The sounds are solid (I still prefer the Fonsecker produced sound pack for this particular Porsche for Assetto Corsa) but it is a very solid effort. In the replay cam the sounds are a little off and probably need some work (they look out of sync of what the car is doing for a lack of a better discription but not shockingly so). While in cockpit, hearing the own car and another Porsche around you is good.

I truly, truly hope that Studio 397 will consider to throw away the cockpit 3D model of the initial release of the Porsche and will redo this model from scratch. In its current state it does not do the otherwise vey promising quality of the new content justice and it certainly is not something to be used to advertise the future direction the studio is heading (which looks very promising indeed, so good actually that any new modern GT content is an insta-buy for me).

 

[Ami_M3]

What is the topic again? I'm never sure if these press release threads are only intended for unadulterated praise of said sim or if it's possible to discuss strengths and weakness of the sim or what a particular person would like to see addressed. I tried to be constructive in the other thread and brought up a few issues, but was told that wasn't welcome. So what exactly is the purpose of these threads? I'm asking that sincerely.

So discuss the strengths and weaknesses. Sorry, but I see you only making snide remarks regarding rF2 and downgrade everyone that prefers rF2 over ACC. I'll be straight: are you an AC fanboi that is trying to stir the pot?

 

[snyperal]

@Dirk Steffen I've not had the opportunity yet to try them, but if what you've said is true then I'll be very disappointed. Your are correct that everything should be similar standard, especially if you've got to fork out for it.

@Ami_M3 I despise that word.

 

[Kenny Paton]

What is the topic again? I'm never sure if these press release threads are only intended for unadulterated praise of said sim

A quick look at any of the articles soon makes it plain that it not the case.
It is also pretty obvious that the vast bulk of posters in a particular game thread will be very pro that game (any pCars thread being a notable exception), so any criticism is likely to draw a robust response.
A regular complaint from all sides is that very often members interested in the subject have to wade through pages of posts that have very little to do with the thread topic.
It's a long time since I asked this, why don't members start their own thread if they have issues with a game rather than hijack another.

 

[snyperal]

A quick look at any of the articles soon makes it plain that it not the case.
It is also pretty obvious that the vast bulk of posters in a particular game thread will be very pro that game (any pCars thread being a notable exception), so any criticism is likely to draw a robust response.
A regular complaint from all sides is that very often members interested in the subject have to wade through pages of posts that have very little to do with the thread topic.
It's a long time since I asked this, why don't members start their own thread if they have issues with a game rather than hijack another.

Obviously it wouldn't be front page news and probably not get the responses.

 

[Kenny Paton]

Obviously it wouldn't be front page news and probably not get the responses.

I think if it's posted in the correct section then those who are interested will respond and will be more focused.
Of course news articles are more prominent but there are enough threads on site that didn't start from a front page story.

 

[whip]

whats the point of having a discussion forum if only one side of the argument is considered allowed or on topic? might as well not allow comments on these news articles if that's the case

 

[Kenny Paton]

whats the point of having a discussion forum if only one side of the argument is considered allowed or on topic?

Don't think I said anything about preventing discussion, as to trying to keep on topic that's not unreasonable for members who are interested in it.
Experience also shows that when it goes too far astray it often descends into personalities and with the same arguments repeated ad nauseam.

 

[Dirk Steffen]

@Dirk Steffen I've not had the opportunity yet to try them, but if what you've said is true then I'll be very disappointed. Your are correct that everything should be similar standard, especially if you've got to fork out for it.
...

My personal opinion about this is that I have learned that the Studio 379 staff is highly motivated to improve rF2 and does take user input very seriously. I can only encourage to voice any issues anyone may have and stay in discourse with other users and Studio 379 to follow up on possible issues.

I am not a regular user of rF2 but the push for more and more interesting content made by Studio 379 had me become a supporter of this sim and I truly hope for its continuous development. This of course needs users like me not only to point out issues but to financially support the studio and actually buy their content.

I hope problems will be fixed in time and keep checking on rF2 from time to time. It made great strides over the last year indeed.

The GT3 Challengers Porsche 911 GT3 R is definitely a good update in every regard over the thus far available mod car therefore even with the issues I mentioned and can only recommend Porsche fans to buy the pack. I did and I do not regret having done so.

As a small addendum - I have now spend a few laps in the BMW M6 and Audi R8 as well and unfortunately the BMW M6 is in line with the Porsche in regards to have a relatively low poly 3D cockpit model with highly visible polygons especially around the mirrors and dashboard cover which does indeed bother.

The Audi on the other hand is again more in line with the McLaren 720s in terms of it's cockpit 3D model - much higher quality than both the Porsche and the BMW - I am sure Audi fans are happy.

I hope that the community learns in the new year a little more maturity when it comes to the my sim is better than your sim topic".
We can only be so lucky to have a handful of really competent racing sims available. 2019 will be a great year to race modern GT cars - the best we ever had ;-)

 

[Brownninja97]

I was pretty close to buying this after seeing the mclaren but im glad I held off, there just seems to be quite a few issues that need ironing out, they might drive nicely but I dont want to get fed of them before they are at their best, quite a number of areas seem rushed and while people have differing opinions on the pricing £13.50 is a decent sum of money especially with the winter sale on there are multiple games I can get for less then that. It seems good so far but im gonna get it later, in its current state I just cant justify buying the cars, good physics alone isnt enough for me anymore.

 

[Oldzeb]

Amazing to see how much the rF2 subject attracts raging people of all kinds...looking at @Dirk Steffen posts he shows weak points but he has good arguments it's not just venom spitting like some!

 

[Slowdive]

It's a long time since I asked this, why don't members start their own thread if they have issues with a game rather than hijack another.

I think the honest answer to that is, no one reads the sub threads. The developers certainly don't read nor respond to issues in the rFactor 2 forum. At least not in my experience.

What I was trying to express in that other thread was that I have spent a lot of money on RF2 and countless hours trying to get it to work properly. I want to like the game and see value in the product (although I'm done buying DLC's until they fix the existing bugs). I'm the target audience for these marketing threads. Fan boys will buy whatever DLC comes out no matter what, and the haters are just going to hate. But it's pretty discouraging when people who are honestly interested in the game, but somewhat critical, are shutdown.

Anyway, thanks for the reply. I see where you are coming from and I hope you see where a few of us are coming from too.

 

[headder]

Is R3E actually that good to be compared to rF2 ? I constantly see R3E mentioned everywhere, I haven't tried it, but personally I don't acknowledge it as a simulator. Though due to increasing bias towards content, graphics and all that other background stuff every title soon will be considered as simulator

R3E is a sim, and a good sim. Maybe lacks dynamic 24h cycle and weather but other things are kinda great.

Back on topic, as everybody noticed, the dash fonts are kinda f...ed up. However in terms of overall quality, those new GT3 cars are extremely great to drive.

Sounds are not so good like in GTE/LMP2 pack, but still way better then in Project Cars 2

 

[Slowdive]

So discuss the strengths and weaknesses. Sorry, but I see you only making snide remarks regarding rF2 and downgrade everyone that prefers rF2 over ACC. I'll be straight: are you an AC fanboi that is trying to stir the pot?

I've spent hundreds of hours or more in RF2. I've bought almost every DLC for it to date except the most recent one and the Formula E stuff. I've tried to help other people to get their RF2 to work properly. So yeah...

I've waited patiently for months to see some response to glaring issues, but instead I just see more cash grabbing. So forgive me if I'm a little grumpy. It also is upsetting when any constructive criticism is shut down.

 

[sp65]

For me it's the physics that I'm research for and that I find only in rf2.
With rf2 I feel like driving a real car while sitting on the driver's seat that I do not feel at all with the other simus and visually rf2 has nothing to envy them.
AND I recommend the pack gt3-challenges which for me is very good and will be further improved.

 

[makan]

How can one small Team (Kunos) build a whole sim from scratch in 12 months but yet another small team (Studio 397) is still working on a UI after 5 years? Someone is a bit lazy

I should add to keep on Topic , these new cars are awesome, just like the rFactor 2 physics are second to none imho.

I know you made a joke, but for the record :

From december roadmap :
" When we took over the development of rFactor 2 a little over two years ago now, we wanted to make sure we upgraded the graphics engine and future proof it, all without sacrificing backwards compatibility. Our first steps therefore were to develop a DX11 based engine that rendered exactly the same as the old DX9 one. This then allowed us two things. First of all we could implement VR support and second of all we could start using more modern techniques such as using a post processing library. It also enabled us to add proper support for rain, with raindrops that ran across the car bodies and windscreen and proper wipers to clear you windscreen again. We also used the opportunity to implement puddle maps for the tracks and linked them to our realroad system so puddles would show up in locations where there was water according to your dynamic realroad system. At his point we also made DX11 the default and removed support for the DX9 engine subsequent builds."

+ lots of classic formula cars (mclarens,Brabham,...) , usf 2000 ,sgt 500 , bunch of free tracks (Botniaring,Zandvoort,NOLA Motorsports).
Also they updated all of the tracks/Cars and make them DX11 ready.
All For free.

Also they released 3 excellent car pack DLC (Power Pack, Endurance Pack ,Challengers Pack )
They released formula e pack (1 Car and 1 track) ,also Kartsim.
They released laser scanned sebring also nords is in the works.
Implementing PBR and...

I know i forgot lots of things they have done.
So one cant call them lazy or something.
If someone ask me i should tell him 397 had done a great job , more than i could imagine 2 years ago.

 

[kkdrummer]

S397 is having to pretty much rebuild rf2. I'm pretty sure this time next year the game will be in a much better state. Driving in rf is amazing and a lot of improvement has been made, but the game does need more work to look like a modern racing title. Good news is that devs are aware of this and it is just a matter of time for rf2 to reach new heights. As for the new dlc, it is as good as it can be at the moment. It looks fine for rf2 standards, it sounds great and it drives wonderfully.

 

[MarkR]

Seeing this news story and the many positive comments about the car handling got me to give rf2 another run. On the positive side Oculus VR performance and stability has improved markedly, car handling and FFB are good even with my lowly TX wheel. When it’s working well the racing vs the AI is good too.

On the other hand the in cockpit VR graphics still look a flat and dated to me and the driver looks shrunken, not the most important factors in a sim of course but instantly noticeable when compared to similar games. I encountered plenty of bugs and glitches too, opponent cars not rendering properly, some crazy AI behaviour at Oulton Park with cars on the grass and hitting the chicanes.

I can see from the comments that if rf2 is your choice of sim and you are active in the community then these new cars are welcome. For me with a casual interest in rf2, bought in a steam sale a couple of years ago, it still leaves me a little cold, everything is between ok to good - good VR, ok graphics, ok selection of tracks, good selection of cars, good AI, good handling and FFB, track environments are just about ok for 2018. There just isn’t anything outstanding that makes me think wow yes I want to play more of this. Maybe I’m missing something. With the DLC priced at more than some games that is a tough sell imo.

Of course the best thing about 2018 is we have such a wide range of choice for good racing games so it’s easy to find a driving experience to enjoy.

 

[mr Sw1tchblade]

I know you made a joke, but for the record :

From december roadmap :
" When we took over the development of rFactor 2 a little over two years ago.. .

I disagree at 1 point: those new laserscaned tracks with textures from Xen planet is not something i want to see in 2k17-2k19. If they like to create new stuff and then rebuild it again in 1-2 years its fine. But i am not ready to pay for it. I bought this game because of physics and those roadmaps. And i am fine with it. New cars are almost welcome too. Especially if there are few cars supporting new material system. But tracks-no more payments from me for this stuff untill i will see new graphics. Rf2 is a great and interesting sim, but its not immersive for me at all. Because i have eyes to see, and eyes gives me more immersion than my hands and ass. I can turn off mirrors and imagine my car is broken, but i cant turn off road texture or imagine i am driving gt3 porshe on laserscaned track rebuilt on a Xen planet.
Ps xen planet=sarcasm feel free to change this words to outdated, for ex.

 

[Radek Pawlaczek]

The fonts are rendered using a bitmap, that much is true, and the same goes for fonts in the current HUD but the part where you state they have to be fixed width is actually false. If you are interested, I can explain how they work, but that might go off topic too much for this thread.

Yeah, I should note, that this is based on my observations. Thanks for clarification