rFactor 2 Update Build 1110 Released

STUDIO 397 released a new update build for their rFactor 2 racing title. Besides addressing some issues and enhancements, this new update mainly focuses on performance bringing us some efficiency improvements from a CPU and GPU point of view, resulting in a better overall driving experience.

In the near future, the rF2 development team will continue improving the graphics. Currently, the team is looking at some improvements on how the rain effects look on external cameras, as well as fixing an issue that specifically affects VR in rainy conditions.

To update your install to this latest version you only need to make sure that you’re opted-out of any beta versions you might have been using before. This build also has a new multiplayer version (1.1110) which means we updated the dedicated server. Depending on how you installed that one, you might have to explicitly update it.

  

  

ChangeLog

New HUD

• Released the newly designed HUD, optimized for Full HD screens and anything else with that aspect ratio, and made it the default. We have removed our old HUD designs from the install.
• The “deltabest” indication gets reset at the start of a session only, instead of every time you get in the car. We also make sure to only show it when you’re on a valid lap.
• Ensured that the Low-Speed Indicator (LSI) is still transparent.

AI

• Fixed an issue with the AI throttle and brake application, which would cause poor acceleration at very low AI strengths.

Sound

• Changed the way opponent volume works. If you set them to 100% in the past, they were way too loud. If you turned them down, they would not be as loud as the player car in external cameras. We introduced a damping factor now for the cockpit that can be configured per car and defaults to 0.3 that solves this issue.
• The number of engine samples was increased to 12 and the number of transmission samples to 6 to allow much richer sounds for both.

Inputs

• Changed the way in which we combine primary and alternate inputs for the throttle, brake, and steering to end up with more consistent behavior for both.
• When using keyboard rates for analog, typically used with game controllers, we apply a lot of smoothing which initially results in a fast response, but eventually responds very slowly, making a car hard to control. We’ve designed a new algorithm that works a lot better and is more linear.

Development Corner

• We have added some new 64 bit compatible 3D Studio Max 2012 plugins. They are still in “beta” but have been used at Studio 397 for some time now. These should help anyone working on larger scenes. Please note that, in order to improve stability, we strongly recommend updating Max to Service Pack 2.
• As we no longer support Max 2010 and 2011, those plugins have now been removed.
• We have removed gJED, as we feel the tool in its current state did not meet our quality standards.
• The plugin API has been enhanced and bumped to version 8, with improved application lifecycle support. This brings back some of the data we had to remove because it was mixed with DirectX 9 information that we could no longer support. We also added the deltabest time for all cars. The new package and documentation for it will be released on our site soon after this release.

Bugfixes

• Fixed the join/leave/join messages and unnecessary reloading of a car when you joined a server with car upgrades selected.
• Fixed a bug in our SteamPlugin which accidentally returned the wrong API version, causing the game to try to invoke it wrongly and crash.
• Fixed viewer crash on startup.
• Fixed the very dark areas on the car in the showroom, which was caused by us not correctly setting up ambient light.
• Fixed black screen that some people got when starting the physics (ptool) and tyre (ttool) tools.
• Removed a redundant log file from the Steam distribution as it would cause a verify ever on every check.
• Fixed two issues with the 32 bits version that crashed in specific circumstances.
• Displaying the performance info now works on VR as well.

Official Webpage – www.studio-397.com