rFactor 2 October Release Candidate Now Available

Studio 397 deployed their October release candidate into the opt-in Steam betas tab on Monday, fixing and enhancing a number of issues with the simulation. Perhaps the thing I am most happy to see getting some changes is the AI, which has been somewhat erratic for the past couple of years and really needed some attention.

The release candidate will be officially deployed as the November 2022 Q4 update and content drop in a few weeks.

October 2022 Release Candidate Notes:

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 installation is unresponsive
ISI Formula 2 does not load correctly