Hello sim racers,
Welcome to the start of the 2023 Q1 hype train!
For this first announcement, we’ve got something that we are pretty certain will prove to be popular amongst our own audience both new and existing – the GT3 set of cars is being updated!!
Featuring no less than 14 models as of February 2023, the GT3 category is a popular specification of race car throughout the world of virtual motorsport, and the cars available within rFactor 2 are absolutely no exception to this trend.
With varied models from the likes of Aston Martin, BMW, Porsche, McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Bentley, Radical and Audi already available within the simulation, all of which having been released at varying times during the life of rFactor 2, this February, the studio has taken the opportunity to refresh these popular vehicles with the latest physics, technology and tyre development progress deployed with our more recent releases.
What does this mean in reality, we hear you ask? Well, it means a wholly new and much improved driving experience, from the way the cars interact with the racing surface, to how you need to drive them to extract the maximum lap time over both time attack and long stint running.
For this new refresh, all 14 currently available GT3 cars have been updated to the latest tyre technology, in order to deliver the closest to reality driving experience possible within the software. Alongside the new tyres and physics improvements, the GT3 class has also received support for the newly developed tender spring, the latest technology around our traction control and ABS behaviour, and of course the introduction of shift protection.
Furthermore, the new sound engine released during 2022 has required a full overhaul of the audio aspect of these sensational cars, so as well as feeling much more detailed, the audio experience within this new build has been vastly improved.
As always with a category update as substantial as this, the GT3 cars have undergone a rigorous balance of performance exercise to ensure parity between each manufacturer, just like in real life, so now drivers should find themselves with just as good of a chance to score big results regardless of car, it’s all down to personal preference, and driving ability.
The new GT3 changes will be available as a free update to anyone owning the GT3 cars within rFactor 2, and is set to release as part of the Q1 2023 content drop and build release in early February.
Key Improvements
New Tyres
Introducing the latest spec and technical understanding that has come to rFactor 2 in recent months, these new tyres provide a significant improvement of the behaviour of the car and the experience it will relay to the driver out on the circuit. Much like the GTE tyre update we launched last year, these changes have come about thanks to our latest gains in tyre technology, so expect to have to change both your driving style, and existing setups to accommodate the new experience.
New BoP (Balance of Performance)
Critically important for cars of this nature, the Balance of Performance has perhaps been one of the most difficult things to get right for this update – lots of cars, many different styles and a multitude of variables mean finding a good balance across the full grid takes up a significant amount of testing time and fine-tuning – something we feel we’ve got in a good place for this initial launch, although we aren’t afraid to dig back into the cars again in future should it become necessary to provide further tweaks down the line. One of the best parts of this BOP has to be the fact the new BMW M4 is now very firmly aligned with the car set, so no matter which vehicle you choose, you should be in with a solid chance of scoring good results.
Traction Control and ABS Improvements
Bringing the latest technologies introduced to rFactor 2 into this update was a key desire of the Studio 397, and thanks to the great strides made with the software throughout 2022, we’ve got quite a few of those to introduce! As many of you will remember, back in late 2022 we introduced a fully revised and refreshed batch of code updates for our of code for Traction Control and ABS features. These changes, developed to vastly expand both the complexity and execution of these two important aspects of modern race cars, have quickly proven to be valuable improvements to rFactor 2 – improvements we are delighted to finally integrate within the GT3 set of cars.
Coupled with the tyre updates, the way you drive these GT3 machines has changed quite significantly from the original launch spec, bringing you a richer, more immersive driving experience that edges yet closer to how these cars should behave in the real world.
Shift Protection
Not sexy, often frustrating but absolutely critical in modern racing series – shift protection is here, and with it the removal of potential laptime gains from gunfire downshifts into a corner in order to find a ways to slow the car down quicker than is realistically feasible. Again, introduced during the Q3 2022 update, Shift Protection has been a great addition to rFactor 2, and one of the major physics features missing from our current GT3 offering of cars. Added to all 14 current GT3 models within the game, this is another small, but very noticeable change to the way our drivers can manipulate the car out on circuit.
Sound Engine Compatibility
This is a big one, and will probably be one of the first things you notice when firing up the update for the very first time. Since the massively popular introduction of the new sound engine last year, we’ve been absolutely desperate to get these wild and varied GT3 cars integrated fully into the new sound engine. As I’m sure we all know, GT3 cars sound outstanding in real life, and with the powerful opportunities our new engine offers, the audio experience of these cars in rFactor 2 has been something we’ve all been very excited to experience. As of this update, the new sound engine is now fully compatible with all cars, so why not take the opportunity to reacquaint yourself with each model, and bask in the glory of that beautiful noise bouncing around your virtual racetrack of choice in rFactor 2!
The new GT3 update is one we are very excited to share with you all – we can’t wait to see you out on track!
GT3 Update – Available February 7th for rFactor 2!
