New rFactor 2 “Race Control” Release Candidate Improves Quality Of Life For Opt-in Update

Studio 397 have released a new opt-in version of rFactor 2 that previews their upcoming public build once again. This update to the release candidate features a large number of tweaks to their multiplayer system that will likely improve quality of life greatly for users.

So far there are no reported effects from the recent Motorsport Games restructuring on either Le Mans Ultimate or rFactor 2.

Their text:

Hello rFactor 2 Community,

Our latest update is full to the brim with enhancements and refinements across the board, ensuring you have a smoother and more engaging experience on the virtual track.

General User Interface Improvements:

We’ve made some adjustments on how time displays within the UI, ensuring all results are now clearly read in as UTC and presented in your local time for absolute clarity.

Please note, we are aware of ongoing timezone issues for our Brazilian drivers and are working to rectify these.

Event Page Updates:

A new dropdown list for practice servers allows you to choose your server manually or let the system select one for you.

Should there be no practice servers available, the “Join Practice” button will be disabled. Moreover, if you find yourself viewing an event that has commenced without your registration, you will be seamlessly redirected to the list pages, ensuring you’re always in the loop for the next race.

Scheduling System Enhancements:

We’re injecting more detail into the schedule page by including track layouts. As previosuly mentioned, time slot displays have been refined to cater better to various time zones, so you’ll always know when to hit the track.

Event Results Overhaul:

We’ve resolved a bug with the up/down arrows when reviewing your race history, making your progress and changes clearer.

Each driver’s expected finishing position will now be displayed alongside their name, adding an extra layer of insight into each race’s dynamics. For example, a player with #4 next to their name was expected to finish 4th by the system.

To provide a broader perspective on the competition, the results page will now indicate the number of active splits with a simple “Split 1 of X” display at the top.

Upon submitting a report against another player, a confirmation message will now affirm that your concerns have been logged.

Finally after each race, the SR & DR progress bars will display a percentage increase or decrease, providing immediate feedback on your performance gains or areas for improvement.

Online Menu Refinements:

The next special event is now filtered to show only those events you’re eligible for, ensuring a more personalized and relevant selection. If you don’t qualify for an upcoming event, the system will inform you proactively, keeping your focus on the races that matter.

Hosted Servers Update:

We’ve implemented password functionality for hosted sessions, giving you control over your racing environment. Flexibility is further enhanced as you can now enable or disable session types, from practice rounds to warmups. We’ve also integrated notifications for configuration errors and server setups, including a gentle reminder (which we encourage everyone to read!) that servers may take up to six minutes to initiate. Plus, a new safeguard prevents double-clicking mishaps when requesting a server.

Non-Online Improvements:

Outside of the online realm, we’ve improved how track limits and illegal passes are handled. A half-second grace period now exists before penalties are scored, allowing for those hairline decisions. We’ve also addressed specific track limit issues that occur when starting grid spots intersect with pit entry lines. Lastly, our connection protocols to servers have seen an upgrade, with retry attempts and detailed logging to smooth out any connectivity concerns.

With each update, we reaffirm our commitment to delivering a racing experience that is as thrilling as it is authentic. We’re listening to your feedback, making continuous adjustments, and ensuring that rFactor 2 remains the pinnacle of racing simulation.

Drive safe, drive fast, don’t crash at turn 1.

With love,

The rFactor 2 Team

RF2 Online Changelog

General Fixes

Improved how we handle times in the UI so we are more specific about the format the results are read in as UTC and all outputs are in local times
Note: Brazil timezone may continue to experience issues

The Event Page

Added a dropdown of available practice servers, allowing you to pick which server you want to join
Selecting auto will following the existing methodology of the system picking a server for you
If there are no practice servers the Join Practice button will be disabled
If the event your viewing has started and you have not registered for the Event you will be send back to the Daily or Special Event List pages

Schedule

Added the track layout to the schedule
Improved the timeslots shown to for non UTC timezone

Event Results Updates

Fixed a bug where the up/down arrows would sometimes be incorrect when cycling through your race history
Added each drivers expected finishing position after their name
i.e. Bob Jones (#1) shows that Bob Jones was expected to finish first in his split
Added a Split 1 of X to the top of the page so you can see how many splits where running
Added a success message when submitting a report against another player, to confirm that is has been logged
Added a % increase to the end of the SR & DR progress bar on the post race screen to give you an indication of the progress you made (or lost)
this will only apply to new races
Added tipple up/down arrows for the drivers who gained or lost the most DR and SR (if anyone lost any SR)
this will only apply to new races

Online Menu

Updated the code which looks up the next special event to filter the events to the ones you have access too
If you do not have access to any upcoming special events this tile will be greyed out and clicking it will give you an error message

Hosted Severs

Hosted session passwords now work
You can enable and disable each session type, so you can just run a Practice session, or you can turn off the warmup 🙂
Added some flyout messages for configuration errors when setting up a server
Added a note (which no one will read) to the bottom of the screen to notify players that servers can take 6minutes or more to boot up
Added a success flyout notification when your server has been requested
Added some protection around double clicking the Request Server button so you can’t accidently kick off two servers

Non-online changelog

Fixed track limits not scoring when returning illegal passes and improved robustness around monitoring illegal passes
Added half a second grace when a penalty just becomes valid as we are about to score a violation
Fix for track limits issues when a starting grid spot is inside the pit entry line
Tweaked default parameters, to be harsher on distance and time spent off track.
Retry attempts and better logging when failed to connect to a server