Studio 397 are very pleased to today deploy our new, in game, rFactor 2 Store - a much improved user experience we have designed to streamline the content ownership and purchasing process within rF2.
Here at the studio, we have often heard comments from our community about the difficulty some of you have understanding what content you already own within simulation, and even how some of you can find it unreasonably complex to navigate to the latest deals and releases through the rFactor 2 Steam Store. With this feedback in mind, we have long held the desire to perform a wholesale review of how we utilize the Steam Store functionality within the title, with a view to simplifying the process, and introducing a more enjoyable and straightforward user journey.
With the way things have historically been configured to utilize the existing functionality within the Steam Store, we quickly realized that in order to translate our desires for a more robust experience into reality, we would have to go a little further than simply fine-tuning the existing feel - and so, the brand-new rFactor 2 Steam Store was born!
rFactor 2 Store - Key Features
-Consistent, clear design with ease of navigation. - Clearly shows owned content. - The store will calculate the best deals, based on owned content and items within the basket. - Under each content heading, the store will dynamically present you with content you don't own at the head of the page. - When reviewing the basket, the store will show similar, relevant items. - When collecting single items, the store will recommend packs when they are cheaper. - After purchase, content gets downloaded and installed right away.
A worthwhile point to consider - if you wish for the new store to immediately download any purchased items without the need to restart the simulation, you must ensure the 'enable downloads while in game' option is checked within your Steam settings. If this option is not enabled, you will have to exit rFactor 2 before the instal process can begin.
So, what do these new things mean in reality? Well, in the most basic of terms, what we have done is reworked how the store looks and behaves. From visually uplifting the overall feel to a much more appealing aesthetic, to simplifying and cleaning up our groupings and packs to facilitate quick and easy review, right the way through to adding new functionality that should help current and new players quickly and easily understand what content is already within their current library -the whole store experience should feel fresh, vibrant and much, much more user-friendly than has ever been the case within rFactor 2 before.
One of the main goals for the new store page is to help our players identify the best deals for any given content combination. What we want to achieve is to help our players avoid duplicate purchases, and give you the power to make smart buying decisions, that reduce unnecessary expenditure and content fragmentation, whilst providing the tools to very easily gain a full overview of everything you own, have in your basket, and have available to purchase in future.
The new rFactor 2 Store releases today, Friday 21st October, and will be available to use immediately upon restarting the simulation. Going forward, the new store will be the central place to review content offerings, engage with promotional activities and take advantage of sales and special offer deals.
The latest rFactor 2 Release Candidate build is live! The new build, deployed in advance of the Q4 November 2022 full update, can be found under the Beta tab with the rFactor 2 Steam install.
Full update notes can be found below:
Client: 9737077
Dedi: 9737090
General - Enabled Alt+F4 and X closing the game - Fixed various cross compiler issues - Fixed a rare crash when changing cameras - Refactored hdv file reading - Added Key Assignment to toggle Freelook Mouse Control - Fixed upgrades being broken on develop - Package installs should now be faster - Updated DRS regulations to be restricted in all zones by default and not allowed if there are no drs zones. - Added RFM parameter “ - RearFlapNoZonesAllowed" to allow DRS when no zones are available. - Fixed online temp car not lighting correctly at night. - Improved visibility of pitbox marker at night.
Track Limits - Added Relaxed Track Limits Mode - Added Penalties Only display mode - Added Test Day support for GDB Settings (via Practice settings) - Increased penalties for passing illegally and increased time to return place. - Made it possible to change modes in Dev Mode - General improvements to pit lane, removing unnecessary reports inside the pitlane, and fixing pit exit line cut detection if content is setup correctly. - Reworked Track Limits dialogue to use HUD Font and add indicator strip - Updated track limits display, showing all warnings and penalties via messages. - General tidy up and bug fixing on message displaying. - Fixed AI editor adding connections from pit lane to main path where the game should not (in some cases due to waypoint locations) - Fixed an issue where going off track again before penalization would not continue the investigation. - Added ability to configure Track Limits display in HUDs, but fix to set display if not configured. - Added “HUD” option to Display position options for Track Limits Info, when set at this it will be placed where the HUD configures. You can manually adjust the position otherwise. - Added sample parameters to default HUD - Removed loose fonts from ModDev and fixed font loading from mas files - Added HUD editor support for Track Limits element
Headlights - Added Headlight Pulse. Defaults to J key. On activation headlights will pulse 4 times for a second. Previous headlight state is retained and this will not cause issues with headlight requirements. - Set Auto Headlights to turn on at night even if not required. - Fixed an issue with Headlight assignment not being kept after a driver swap. - Fixed Max Headlights PLR value not being respected - Updated Headlights to be culled based on the position of selected vehicle. Note in Freelook mode to make sure you have selected the vehicle you are focusing on if you are having issues with the headlights not being rendered.
HUD / Graphics - Improved in Game Exposure in VR - Fixed omni lights being falsely applied to objects with Omni not enabled - Added ability to set an emissive map on the Terrain shader. Intended for baking distant lighting into terrain.
UI - Settings across the UI can now be adjusted more quickly: - Right mouse button: 10x multiplier - Middle mouse button: 50x multiplier - Holding down left mouse button: - 5x multiplier after 2 seconds - 10x multiplier after 4 seconds - Greyed out setup settings (including the name and value) that cannot be adjusted - Fixed camber setup setting description - Ambient and track temperatures in the event screen are now shown in Celsius of Fahrenheit based on the selected units - MultiView monitor side angle setting has been limited to 90 degrees in graphics settings - Updated refreshing of setup list - Fixed subscribing to "All" content collection in the First Launch Wizard - Fixed setup settings becoming greyed out when one of the step values is "N/A" - Fixed multiplayer admin session controls - Fixed setting next race length (note: new race length will be displayed after switching to another session, e.g. practice → qualifying) - Fixed restart race button being disabled during a race session - Fixed showing percentage for the singleplayer "Race time" setting when "Race criteria" was set to "% - Track Time" or "% Track Default" - Fixed "Torque split" setup setting description typo (read wheels → rear wheels) - Merged store into RC - In multiplayer session controls, fixed selecting spectators when there are more than one - Fixed selecting driver/spectator in multiplayer session controls when there’s a driver and spectator with the same name on the server
AI - Fixed erratic throttle and brake inputs - Fixed waypoint lookahead to fix jerky steering motion - Fixed an issue with driveline noise that could cause AI to brake partially off track and spin, or cut too much
Physics - Refactored engine code
Modding - Added the ability to animate any maps UVW via Scroll and Step options on IBL Standard and IBL - Standard Blend shaders. - Fixed buggy background on telemetry debug screens in ModDev. - Added OnScreen ModDev Tweakbar for debugging Car Cockpit readouts and debugging of LED values.
Known issues - Skip updates button on package install is unresponsive - isi formula2 does not load correctly
A new hotfix update has been released for rFactor 2:
- Added ability for cars to have emissive properties on the green channel of the region map. - Track Limits: Adjusted Strict mode more similar to default in race mode. - Track Limits: Tweaked parameters based on feedback to reduce chances of over penalizing in areas where it should not (increasing the scoring based on time gained / loss, and reducing the influence of other parameters based on distance cut, speed differences and time on throttle off track). - Track Limits: Increased the minimum speed required before any infraction is scored by 10%. - Track Limits: Improved logging - Track loading: Fixed real road data not loading properly from user specified files when road temperatures were set to generated.
Le Mans Virtual Cup is back, and better than ever before!
Ever wondered how you stack up against the best drivers rFactor 2 has to offer? Do you feel ready to race in a world-class Esports competition for the chance to go for glory on the world stage? Now is your chance, as the 2022 running of the Le Mans Virtual Cup is about to kick into gear for a new season – the biggest, best and most challenging testament to virtual endurance racing in rFactor 2!
The 2022 Q3 rFactor 2 update and content drop has been released! Check out everything that is new, including the addition of the Ford Focus ST BTCC on the link below...
Our next content reveal for the Q3 2022 update of rFactor 2 is live - and it's a golden oldie of small but giant proportions - Austin Mini Cooper S MkI Group 2!