Release

On Monday we released the first “open beta” and promised you regular updates in terms of code and content. In today’s blog we would like to explain this process in more detail to give you more insight into this process and our plans to get from this open beta to the first stable release.

The implementation of the DX11 and VR engine obviously is a big project that touched many areas of the codebase and in terms of features we added everything we wanted to have in our first release. Once that was done, our focus shifted to performance and ensuring the code runs in a stable way on every system out there. At this point, no matter how many great testers you have, you discover that you can never test your code on all possible combinations of hardware and software. For that reason we decided to release an “open beta”.

Regular Updates

Our strategy in the upcoming weeks will be to release small updates often. Whenever we fix an issue, we’ll quickly test it internally and push a new build, so you can confirm that it is indeed fixed. This way we might end up pushing one or more builds every day. On our forum we will keep a changelog as we publish those builds. To make it easier to report issues, we have added a “Contact Support” button to the Launcher (top right of the main window) and, for performance related issues, we added a feature that allows you to collect performance data in a file that you can send along with your report.

To enable the capture of performance data, please first press Ctrl+F to display the framerate information (which we’ve extended a bit). Then, as instructed on screen, press your Left-Shift+SPACE to start capturing data. After a little while, the capture will end and you get a file in your UserData\Log folder called PerfLog_DATETIME.txt which you can send to us along with your report. Then you can turn off the display by pressing Ctrl+F again.

Content Updates

In the mean time our content team is working hard on making more of the stock content available to you. Our plan here is to stick to roughly a weekly schedule for delivering updates. Those will be a bit bigger in size, and we will deliver them to both the stable DX9 build and the open beta simultaneously. Content updates will obviously also contain information about exactly what content gets updated.

Beta Labels Explained

If you’re currently running the open beta release, you are on “v1108-dx11-open-beta” and this is the label we will be regularly updating as we address more and more issues. If for some reason this build is not working for you at all, after reporting it, you can optionally switch to the “v1108-dx11-open-beta-last-stable” build, which will point to an older build. If that does not work, you can obviously choose to temporarily “opt-out” of the beta releases altogether and go back to the stable release until we release another update.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on our forum or on Discord.

We know it’s been an excruciating wait, even for us. We’ve been bursting with the type of anticipation you get when you’re waiting to give someone a really cool gift. The long road to DX11 and VR that started just a few months back has brought us to this day – with all of the expectations, promises, teasers and general community fervor encompassing this release. Now it’s finally here and ready for you to enjoy. This is the first important milestone in the continued development of rFactor 2. It is a huge update, focused on improving the visual fidelity and creating a foundation to work from.  Importantly, this is an ‘open beta’, meaning we are still working on optimising and improving the fidelity of the engine – your feedback is always welcome. We have much more in the pipeline, and can’t wait to let you all get your hands on the new user interface, content and some pretty cool features. Thanks for staying with us on this journey!

We’ll start these notes with a description on how to activate the open beta, how to configure VR if you want to use that, and then proceed with the release notes, some known issues and a glimpse at the road ahead.

Switching to the DX11 “open beta” (and back)

To try the DX11 open beta, you must first opt-into the DX11 branch – this means essentially you are downloading the DX11 version of rFactor 2 – don’t worry, though!  You don’t have to download everything again, it will be a small download to switch between DX9 and DX11.  So, here’s how you do it:

• Open Steam and on the right hand side right-click on “rFactor 2” to bring up the menu.
  
• Click on the “Betas” tab at the top.
• From the drop down list, locate and select the beta called “v1108-DX11-open-beta”
  
• Now at the bottom of your Steam window you will see the download starting.
  

If you encounter any problems, make sure you validate your locally installed files.

• To do this, from your library in Steam, right-click on rFactor 2.
• Select “Properties”.
• Go to “Local Files” then click on “Verify Integrity”.
  

The game will verify the files (this might take a moment).

If you ever want to revert, follow the same procedure, but instead of selecting a beta version, select “NONE”, which will opt you out of any betas, straight back to the latest DX9 release.

Your first steps in VR

Setting up VR and Post Processing:

• Open the rFactor 2 Launcher.
• In the Launcher click on the settings icon wheel.
• Then click on the ‘Video Settings’ button.
• In the pop up config window check the box ‘VR’.
• Set your screen resolution to 1920×1080.
• Start by setting the Post Effect Level to “None” (see release notes below).

Starting rFactor 2 in VR:

• Important: First open SteamVR manually before starting single player. (We have a known issue we are working on where you will not get FFB if SteamVR is not started first)
• Now just click on the single player icon in the Launcher and open rFactor 2.
• The menus and UI are all in the VR space, but you will need to use mouse and keyboard.
• There is a known issue with the replay cams, only one eye has an image.

Release Notes

We’ll start these release notes with a few hints on how to setup the DX11 graphics (regardless of VR):

In the same config window where you set your ‘Video Settings’ you have a drop down for post effect levels. Post effects provide you with some exciting new graphical options that look great, but as with any graphics option, need to be balanced against a good framerate. Therefore, we recommend you start at a conservative level (none or low), and if you have a graphics card of the latest generation, try the higher ones (medium or high). The highest setting (ultra) gives the best quality effects, but will also require a really fast graphics card. Note that even the “None” setting gives a better graphical quality than the DX9 graphics we had before! An overview of the levels:

• None
• Low = Glare Effects
• Medium = Glare Effects and Depth of Field
• High = All Effects at High Quality
• Ultra = All Effects at Ultra Quality

At this point we would also like to thank the people from YEBIS for providing a great library to work with. It has definitely contributed to the overall look of the end product.

• With the DX11 implementation we also introduced new features to improve many aspects of the final output:Improved MSAA rendering.
• Improved Clouds resolution and depth.
• Static AO; This is adding Occlusion to bottom of objects and cars. It does improve the overall depth in the environment.
• Dynamic AO. This is adding a subtle low-frequency Ambient Occlusion to the scene and cars, improving the “connection” between terrains and structures in the scene, and also balancing cockpits brightness.
• Shadows Normal renders shadows, taking into account the shadow receiver normal map.
• A new Tone mapper which improves both colors and histogram, a perfect companion for our dynamic weather/sky engine!
• New Car Ambient Shadow, now working for the entire 24h cycle.
• Fixed some “pixel” artifacts caused by invalid calculations in shaders.
• Dedicated dynamic exposure simulation for each main camera set.
• Realistic simulation of Depth Of Field, Lens Flare, Bloom and other Optical aberrations, with scalable options.
• Track Lights and Car Headlights now can use the realtime glare simulation and get rid of the old technology and custom shaders.
• New Shader for car Dashboards, Rev Meters and Motecs.

Content updates as part of this initial build. To get these, you need to subscribe to the workshop items (because of technical reasons we had to move them to the Studio 397 account):

• The USF2000, Nissan GT500, Howston G4 and G6, Dallara DW12 and the Stock Cars have been updated with new shaders, better headlights and overall better textures.
• Atlanta Motorsports Park, Silverstone, NOLA Motorsports Park, Mores and Indianapolis Motor Speedway have all gotten texture updates, and we painted the curbs at Silverstone in the current colors too!

Modding:

• There are new guidelines for content creators, please make sure you read them here https://www.studio-397.com/guidelines-for-artists/

Known Issues

Plugins that render to the screen will not work any more. These plugins all depend on DX9, so their authors will need to update them. That said, we at S397 are working on improving the way such plugins render to the screen to make them integrate better with our new HUD, VR and each other. In general, for most plugins, there are known alternatives. Feel free to discuss these on our forum or on Discord. We’re glad to help!

Content using LDR diffuse maps instead of correct albedo presets will work, but may have strange effects at some times of day and night, such as glowing surfaces. See: http://wiki.rfactor.net/index.php?title=AlbedoMap

There is a known issue with losing FFB in VR. As a temporary workaround, first open SteamVR manually before starting single player.

As stated above, we are still optimizing performance of DX11. As confident as we are that most of you will experience a nice boost when comparing the same settings in DX9 and DX11, we are aware that some of the new post effects, especially at higher settings, require a lot of memory on your graphics card. Future builds will bring improvements.

Some users may experience black track surfaces/boxes around the car. Deleting files from Shaders and CBash folders (located in \Steam\steamapps\common\rFactor 2\UserData\Log) and reloading into the sim and track should fix this.

If the new content is not available, look above at the paragraph about content updates and make sure you are subscribed to the new items. Also check if you still have existing content that might still refer to old versions (like race events you made, or downloaded when joining a server). Check the version numbers when in doubt!

The Road Ahead

We’re incredibly excited to release this next track – it’s the first to be released under the Studio 397 banner! NOLA Motorsports Park, an entirely scratch built track, who’s development was greatly enhanced by the very close participation of the track’s representatives, in particular Scott Touchton. This cooperation and open access to the track itself helped the ‘track team’ to create a highly accurate and realistic sim version of the real life track. As usual the ‘track team’ has gone to great lengths to bring NOLA to life in rFactor 2, and we think the results speak for themselves.

Like with any new track, you can download it from the workshop here!

Getting to know NOLA Motorsports Park

Don’t let the laid back southern charm fool you, with its bucolic and peaceful surroundings, vast expanses of green grass, and lush trees that line the outer perimeter – NOLA hides intriguing surprises in its subtle cambers and gently flowing fast corners. Once you start to drive it, you’ll realize NOLA makes you work hard to knock off those elusive tenths and even hundredths of a second! The perpetual challenge to master the track and achieve a fast flow is addictive – which means the more you lay down laps, the more you want to keep driving. Taunting you in almost every turn, Nola’s smooth curbs can be your best friend or your worst enemy!

NOLA also comes with a sidekick, a Karting facility that offers the same level of excitement as the road courses in a smaller package. But again, don’t be fooled by its size – it’s a real ‘arms aching’ workout to conquer. Each of NOLA’s Karting layouts is a complex labyrinth of fast changing turns that rewards consistency, heavy trail braking, and precise and sometimes risky maneuvers. Mastering a section by turning in at just the right time and blasting through multiple turns on full throttle is exhilarating once you can flawlessly pull it off without landing on the grass.

The Road Courses

NOLA Motorsports Park has five uniquely challenging road course layouts, each with it’s own particular twist and sometimes subtle, sometimes important differences. What all layouts do have in common are the last series of turns. In these last three turns you need to be extremely conscious of your brake and throttle inputs as you try and ease in. Self control on throttle and smooth light braking are key to finding an ideal entry line into the very crucial last turn. This last right hand turn, just before the main straight, requires repetition and patience to nail it – just when you think you can go full throttle, its deceptive camber changes on exit it will catch you off guard if you get overconfident too soon!

Layout Indy

The Indy layout is NOLA’s highlight. Its super high speed chicane through turns 8 and 9 means your choice of entry is crucial to sustain full throttle and carry maximum speed all through the back straight. As with any track layout, it’s the sum of its parts that make up a fast lap. That’s especially true for Indy’s unforgiving temporary curbs in turn 1 and turn 6. They demand respect. Go in too deep on entry and catch a tire, best-case scenario you lose some precious tenths, worst-case you flip up on two wheels or lose control and smash into your opponent!

Layout A

On the surface, layout A looks similar to Indy, but there are some key differences. In layout A the high speed esses replace the back straight and require consistent slowing, throttle inputs and weight transfer to ease the car through. Layout A also does without the temporary curbs in turn 1 and turn 7, which means it’s a little less technical and more forgiving.

Layout  B

Layout B is the shortest layout, and it’s perfect for running slower cars with good traction, like the Skip Barber, Megane and Clio, and even the USF 2000. Turns 2, 3 and 4 make up a flowing mid speed section before going into the long esses. It’s a perfect place for daring outside overtaking!

Layout C

Layout C is fast! The combination of the longest front straight, and therefore highest top speed, with the generous width and run off in turn 1 makes for an exciting high speed overtaking opportunity. The combinations of straight line speeds and fast ‘almost’ full throttle esses are a great match for vintage open wheel and prototypes – but of course not limited to!

Layout D

Layout D, after Layout C, has the second longest front straight, but unlike C, it’s followed by a very very sharp right hand cut back into turn 1. This requires precise braking and precisely judged entry speed! The mid sector of Layout D, following turn 1, is very technical – comprised of a series of deceptive turns that are extremely easy to misjudge and overcook.

The Karting Facility

NOLA Motorsports Park also boasts five fun and exciting karting layouts! Each layout is a technical, fast paced track in it’s own right that demands patience and perseverance to master. Once you do find that groove, the satisfaction comes when you bounce off curbs just right to for turn in, control drifts through high speed sectors, and delicately balance weight transfers to keep up that momentum!

Layout A

Karting A is a great blend of slow and fast turns. The rush of pushing harder and harder and eventually mashing full throttle through turns 4 to 7 and then slowing just as you roar into turn 8 is a thrill!

Layout B

Karting B is the shortest layout, but it still requires feather touch maneuvering through the slow speed zig-zagging mid sector of turns 4 to 7. Here, finding a consistent rhythm using weight transfer is key. Get greedy, take too much of inside curbs, and you’re heading for a spin. Hit the curbs just right, and you’ll float through and keep momentum.

Layout C

Karting C has a long straight and therefore high speed entry into the turn 1 chicane, here it requires abrupt and precisely timed off throttle turn in to avoid taking too much curb and flying off!  The mid sector is equally challenging. In turns 7 to 10 it’s vital to carry just the right amount of speed to keep an even flow and escape the dreaded ‘bog down’.

Layout D

Karting D is much like B, but there’s a twist! It mixes the technical slow mid sector of layout B with the long fast front straight of layout C.

Layout E

Karting E is the longest layout, with its long front straight into turn 1 ending in a slow right hand cutback. Turn 1 is a honey trap for the overconfident – here it’s all about ‘slow to be fast’!  Karting E is mostly mid and high speed turns. By using as little braking as possible, opting for ‘off throttle’ to slow in, and throwing the kart into slight drifts, you’ll see seconds start to drop off!  The massive back straight of E ends abruptly. Here, your choice of entry line in the final chicane determines the speed you’ll inherit into the last right hander and the long front straight – this is where you lose or gain a big advantage!

Ho ho ho, everybody! You didn’t think the elves at Studio 397 forgot, did you?!?! We have a little surprise for our fellow simracers: The iconic Nissan GT500 in all its ferocity is here to bring you some holiday cheer. Let it roar around any track worthy of its insane muscle!

The car, built for the 2013 SuperGT GT500 class, follows in the footsteps of two championship titles for this Nissan GT-R in 2011 and 2012. It is one of the most powerful GT cars out there, with an engine that delivers over 530 bhp at a weight of only 1,100 kg. Optimizations in engine response, even more torque, and better fuel economy make it superior to the previous year’s model. The rear wing and fender with their shark-tooth-shaped design provide downforce while reducing drag as much as possible.

The Nissan GT500 comes to rFactor 2 with four official liveries for you to enjoy. Not much more to say, we’ll let the car speak for itself! It is available from the Steam Workshop here.

Happy holidays from all of us at Studio 397!

The wait is over….

We’re super excited to release our first car: Studio 397 presents the “Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda” Series!

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Series an accessible American open wheel series officially sanctioned by INDYCAR, is a popular proving ground for ambitious drivers wanting to progress to the next level.

The USF2000 car from Van Diemen is an excellent entry-level low-downforce car. It’s grippy, yet nimble. While it can be tail happy at times, it remains catchable and is always rewarding to throw around. We’ve enjoyed some very close, smile-on-your-face, wheel-to-wheel racing testing out the limits of the USF2000. Daring overtakes and massive trail braking really show off it’s capabilities.

The 2016 spec USF2000 uses Van Diemen/Elan DP08 chassis and is powered by Mazda’s MZR 2 liter, 4 cylinder DOHC engine with fuel-injectors, tuned by Elite Engines to 170 hp thus capable of achieving a top speed of about 150mph.

The car is available in two classes: the Championship class with a 5 speed sequential gearbox, and the slightly lower tier National class, with two transmission choices – the 5 speed (same as in the Championship class, but with a 50 lb weight penalty) and an older, 4 speed H-shifter variant available with three different final ratios.

As amazing as this car is already, we are especially proud of how it came to be the Studio’s first release. It started with a very engaged community member, Mike Peters, and his ambition to see a mod become a reality in our product.

Mike Peters worked closely with us and John Cummiskey Racing, before contacting Tim Wheatley to ask whether the car could become a third party affiliate mod. We were immediately on board, and the Studio 397 content team got behind the car. From there the USF started evolving and taking shape. Initial testing reports from our test team were overwhelmingly positive, giving the development effort an extra push.

The level of detail and precise access to physics and 3D data would not have been possible without the members of Mike Peters’ group: John Cummiskey, Tyler Bell, and Grant Peters. Grant and Tyler, interns starting their 2nd year with JCR, compiled all of the data and setup information for the Studio 397 team to complete work on the car.

The USF2000 is available in the Steam workshop, where you can subscribe to it to have it downloaded and installed into rFactor 2 automatically.