First of all, our apologies to those who tried to compete in GT Challenge earlier this week. Due to technical difficulties that were later identified as a bug (and fixed earlier today) we could not run the normal splits. As mentioned last week we have also had some internal discussions about our roadmap, and although we are not ready yet to post a full update, the things that were discussed were a few different things.
How can we increase the frequency and number of sessions, so we can run more competitions as well as practice sessions? Can we introduce competitions with fixed setups that are probably a bit more accessible to everybody? What do we need to do to have races that have a short qualification session in front of each split to set the grid for that split and, finally, a few bigger topics such as when to introduce the first version of ratings and stewarding. There are still a few things to add, but we do intend to come with an overall update, probably as part of one of the monthly roadmap updates. Like every week, we had a good number of questions and feedback from the community, so let’s move on to our Q&A!
Q&A
Currently, the system for purchasing DLC is very confusing. (You can also purchase purchased content again.) Is there any possibility of renewing the DLC store in the future?
Kentas
I have filed a feature request at Valve (some time ago already) to allow us to specify that our “items” should only be bought once. Right now there is no way for us to enforce that. That said, the store should tell you if you already own something. We are considering adding a storefront of our own to browse DLC and that could definitely more clearly indicate this. What we did do in the competition system is to figure out what paid content you are missing and then make you an offer to buy that in the cheapest possible way. So if you are missing two cars, and the cheapest way to buy those are to buy a pack, it will recommend that. Of course, you always get to review that and change it.
In the future, will it be possible to join an online server (and competition system) without having all the DLC cars required to join? Currently, we have to buy all 12 cars in order for us to participate in GT3 races.
Kentas
That’s unlikely because of how our packaging system works. We try to keep prices of content down and offer packs of content that is often used together.
Would it be possible to let people register an hour or so before not 15min prior. Then give us a notification in car or in UI if you’re not driving. Ideally every 5 min from 15 min to the event.
Bartchelin
We prefer not to make the registration period too long. We want to make sure that if you register, you also show up. That said, we could consider adding a system that will notify you when registration opens (for a competition you have signed up for). How does that sound?
From the beginning on there have sometimes been problems with the “too late” message. As it also shows just before joining a session when it works, can you maybe explain what it exactly means? What is the challenge for fixing that error? From my understanding back at the beginning it had to do with steam?
Remco Majoor
There are two distinct situations you mention here. The first is where the registration period ends and people get assigned to splits, there is a brief period where this message appears, and then you join your server. We should probably change the message text to “hold on, directing you to your server” or something similar. There’s no big deal changing that, we’ve just been focusing on more serious stuff. The second is when that message stays on the screen. This sometimes happens if, for whatever reasons, the server for your split is not available. There might be a network issue, or it might have crashed or shut down. Here, admittedly, there is a more serious situation, because you end up not being able to race, and we still need to implement something to redirect you to one of the backup servers we have. I hope that clarifies things?
Perhaps also some other kind of reward or statistic for people unfortunate enough to register and race on their own is also needed, some sort of target or reward, so it isn’t entirely a wasted session.
Bartchelin
Nice idea. We have on our list an improvement for the split algorithm to not put that one last person in a split by him or herself. I think that would be the better solution, so if we have 21 people and the competition is set to split at 20, we could also divide them into 15+6 or 11+10 or something like that.
Would it be possible to maybe just have an official server with a track and a series always on, in Practice session, allowing the drivers to vote going into Qualy and then Race, like some private open servers out there.
CesarFerrolho
We are looking into that option. It requires a few extensions to the current code to schedule such practice sessions. As soon as that’s implemented, we intend to do such a thing. In the meantime, we would like to thank the individuals that are hosting such servers for the community.
Are features like ‘restart race’ as a voting option been considered for the Competition System?
Unknown
We can actually configure a session to allow voting, so we could enable that for some competitions. I guess if this is a popular request, we are willing to experiment with it.
Do you intend to include any wider functionality into the system that, for example, allows the community to vote on track or car choices / session lengths / in game time of day and weather etc in the future?
Unknown
I think that could be part of the process of preparing new competitions: featuring one or a few “community” ones. In fact, I would be open to even communities suggesting specific competitions to us going forward, picking cars, tracks and the format.
Do you intend to link up achievements within the Competition System to the wider Steam achievements list? So far, I think rF2 has 25 Steam Achievement badges, it might be nice to have new ones like ‘first CS race’ / ‘first CS win’ etc?
Unknown
We could add a few ones, yes, it had not crossed our minds yet. The system Steam has is pretty basic, but we could add a few things for sure.
Sometimes I wonder if some people in rF2 simply overlook the Competition System because of where the button to join it is placed within the UI. Do you intend, once BETA has finished, to make access to the CS more prominent within the UI?
Unknown
Yes, we have some plans to change the “race” panel in the main menu to feature competitions, especially once we’ve established you’re signed up.
I’ve had some great races with fellow sim drivers, and a few names that I particularly enjoy driving against keep popping up over the last months. Will a feature to let you know who is registered for each race be implemented? On a similar topic, it might be nice if a feature could be designed to allow us to ‘invite’ our friends to a server we have registered for?
Unknown
Two excellent suggestions. We have not implemented a friend system specifically in rFactor 2, but we could, or we could leverage the system in Steam (or even both). It’s probably not a well known feature, but you can already invite your Steam friends to a “normal” server (and they can see you’re in one and join you) but this does not work for the competition system right now. It makes sense to add that and possibly a matchmaking system that allows you to somehow prefer “racing with friends” instead of purely skill based.
Do Studio 397 have any plans to implement a reward in the future for successful drivers in the CS? Something like a special livery or something visual that only that person has access too, that represents that driver having achieved something important within the system?
Unknown
I would not yet say plans, but we have certainly considered this. We understand that achievements are important to people and that such tokens give you bragging rights!
As a relative rookie in rFactor 2, I like the CS system but can sometimes feel a little phased going up against a field of quality drivers. Do you plan on introducing complementary support features like maybe a setup shop / setup tutorial / driving school or even hints and tips on certain car setup parameters or how to take certain corners within the loading screens of the CS?
Unknown
There are a couple of things we are working on that might be helpful. First, we do plan to schedule competitions with “fixed setups” to equalize the playing field. This helps both people who are just starting or even veterans that just don’t have the time to sit down and create the proper setup for every race they join. Second, we are working on a manual that includes advice on car setup, and want to get that into the game, so it’s available in the garage. Of course there are also several good websites, books and even a few apps out there that will help you with this topic.
