The online racing simulator
Development of rFactor is Over
(90 posts, started )
Development of rFactor is Over
Quote from Gjon :The corresponding tools and internals plugin for v1250 will be updated shortly and can be found in the Dev Corner of the rFactor site.

Version 1.250 represents the last update for the current version of rFactor. Although there are many other features we would have liked to have released, they were not ready. Our focus right now is on defining our development plan for future versions and products.

I hope to see lively, yet constructive discussions about rFactor as this feedback is reviewed. As for some of the specific questions; we are working on advanced weather although its still in the research stage, we are evaluating how/when to release the Panoz vehicles, and we continue to work on other projects.

Have fun, play nice.

http://forum.rscnet.org/showthread.php?t=281342

Quite surprised to actually see they are ending the project already. People seem to mention a V2, whether that develops I don't know.
I was surprised also..
I don't know exactly, but how many patches have they released since they launched rFactor?
I don't recall any physics changes in their patches, were there any?
Basically, the mods sold all licences for rFactor, not the default content.
So now they wait for rFactor S2. Which will be more money. So when the rF fanboys mocked us for paying in stages for an incomplete game, they were actually talking about themselves? Same with GTR people. And the PS F1 games.

Wait a minute - so in 3 stages we will have paid LESS money for a better simulation than any other simulation (e.g. GTR + GTR2 + GTR3 will be ~£100, but we pay £36).

So the mugs are...?
#4 - ajp71
They say future products in that. If they had any sense they'd keep what's currently good and ditch/rewrite the rest. The physics generally aren't that bad apart from the tires which are diabolical, the physics engine doesn't actually seem to be interested in keeping the visual contact patch of the tire in contact with the track, I seriously hope the visuals are in no way linked to the physics. Tire deformation will also be a must, far more so than flat spots/dirty tires which are really just a nice extra details. Hopefully the new engine will be far more dynamic (LFS style) which could really suit a moddable sim, especially if it can stop idiots cocking up the tire curves.

The biggest mistake they ever made with rF though IMO was marketing it as an online sim, there are loads of them about atm (or in dev/running off with your cash) LFS, nK, DR, GTR, RACE all make far better candidates for public online racing because they either don't have mods or have found a way round the issue of mismatches. IMO ISI should market a version designed for offline/organised online use, maybe with a public server list for the odd race, which was actually clever enough to tell you what you could/could not race, come on even N2003 did this.

Anyway top of the list must be FF without a doubt.
#5 - Ian.H
Quote from keiran :http://forum.rscnet.org/showthread.php?t=281342

Quite surprised to actually see they are ending the project already. People seem to mention a V2, whether that develops I don't know.

LOL I was waiting to read this very post from you Keiran.. have you even tried the game? All I've seen you do is either go to RSC and bash it, post here and bash it... anywhere else I missed? You're the sort of person I feel really separates LFS fanbois from any other kind on the planet... like a rabid dog.

Version 2 has been talked about for a while (after being mentioned by their dev team some months ago). How well it'll be accepted I don't know.. I know I for one won't be buying it. While rF has been great fun at times and I've learnt a hell of a lot of things due to it, it still has some fundamental flaws that by the looks of it won't be patched. I couldn't give 2 hoots about any of the extra content they added over the year (I bought it more as an "SDK" than a "usable game"), I just wanted the bugs fixed which I certainly won't pay for, be it a game or otherwise.

The 2 major things IMO that never got fixed were the AI and the "once you spin past point X, your car grows casters and any user input has zero effect".. inherited from F1C and possibly earlier.

I complained about S2 tyres feeling more like a soaked sponges in quick sand, but after now having a break and diving in with a clear mind so to speak, I feel the tyres in S2 feel more like tyres than in rF and counter-steering actually works!

I've had some good times and bad times with both games, but the one thing rF never had for me was the online feel (which is why I was hoping and preying for a decent AI fix). Whether I know anyone on an LFS server or not, it always felt like an open-plan office. The same in rF felt like I was locked in a cubicle in a internet café or something, very individual.. even if racing with a bunch of people that I knew.

Personally I just wish people could have decent conversations comparing pros and cons of alternative parties, but that doesn't seem possible here, especially where rF is concerned.



Regards,

Ian
I, for one, am actually pretty angry about this. They didn't see this product through until the end, and it shows. While I do have fun in rF sometimes, I want a finished product...

Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait for LFS to become moddable... or get on the dev team somehow... I want my track in LFS dangit!
#7 - Ian.H
Quote from MAGGOT :Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait for LFS to become moddable... or get on the dev team somehow... I want my track in LFS dangit!

This'd be great! I've love to port the few tracks I built (and some I started but never completed) to LFS. I found track building to be quite fun, especially fictional stuff where you can use your imagination



Regards,

Ian
BTB (Bob's Track Builder) is such a great tool for tracks, I'm really interested in learning to build them. Now that rF is no longer in development, though, I won't bother. I was holding out with rF for at least a decent AI that you could consistently have a good race with... now I've got a pile o junk with some ok mods in it. Time to email Scawen, I really really really want my Fenix XGP-09G, and the Greg Moore Memorial Motorsports Park in LFS now; especially since it is the only decent sim there is.

Thanks for nothing, ISI.
#9 - Ian.H
I didn't try BTB as it needs m$ .NOT 2 (1.1 is more than enough bloat for me ).. but got used to building things in 3DS the "ISI way" of track sections (rather than lofting) and had some ok results.

If I thought it worth it, I'd send Scawen etc the .max files for the tracks and say use / abuse them at will, but it won't happen (fair play) so I'll wait until hopefully LFS becomes modable so that I can do it myself

Here's a couple of pics of some I did / started.. Ashtown Park (is pretty much done but for a few details and I started to move the pit entry but would tweak some bits now I know some more stuff and was my first real attempt).. Mozland (which got a bit further than the plan view in the screenshot and I fixed the holes that are visible) and Local Park was done especially to run the mowers on but also threw a 6R4 around there for a few laps which was quite fun. I tried to add some small details to make it a little different from most, including litter and also camera flashes amongst the spectators

Got any pics of your tracks dude? Would be cool to see 'em



Regards,

Ian
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I played Rfactor with a G25 at the washington auto show. It sucked that they had it setup at an oval, with the brake somehow fused with the clutch, and automatic transmission. But I didn't think the steering was very realistic. I hit the wall many times, and I dont think my car was damaged at all.
Quote from Ian.H :Got any pics of your tracks dude? Would be cool to see 'em

All I had was a track map and ideas in my head. I haven't had enough time to do any more than play around with BTB, so I never got anything done.

The track I want to make is a fast, but technically challenging track. (Thin St. Jovite or Mosport, only longer. Have I mentioned those two circuits enough on this forum yet? ) It was origionally intended to be a track for ProtoGP, but I took it with me when I left the team.

If LFS becomes moddable, you WILL see GMMMP in LFS, I guarantee.
i always thought rf was a wip ... guess i was wrong and ive never been happier not to have bought it

Quote from ajp71 :especially if it can stop idiots cocking up the tire curves.

doubtful if the devs believe its pretty much impossible to drift a car unless you have a perfect setup and tons of expierence
as ive said somewhere else any trained monkex (coug clarkson cough) can drift a car to some extent

Quote :LFS, nK, DR, GTR, RACE all make far better candidates for public online racing

guess which one of these i dont agree with
Free development is, though. I'm not paying for addons that won't fix the issues still present in the origional product in the first place. Plus, they have no said there will be more addons. They have said no more free addons. They very well could just drop rF and start on another product now, or they could continue and release packs.

Either way, no more free addons = no more ISI for MAGGOT.
I really tried to like that game, but it's the "flying feeling" you get from the way the tires interact with the road that just kills it for me.

If they think thats a finished project, then ummm ok?
and I assume LFS is a finished product. how many have purchased more than one liscense to be where the game is at now, and will have to purchase more in the future.

good enough for lfs to do, why not rF?
rFactor was initially released in October, 2005 if I remember correctly. That's almost 18 months ago. ISI has something like 8-10 permanent employees, each of whom has a family to feed. The company is no longer financed by EA which means that they live and die based entirely on revenue from sales of their product. Given that rFactor has been on the market for some time, the revenue stream from sales of rFactor has probably slowed to a trickle and while they undoubtedly derive some revenue from licensing their technology to third-parties, that source is likely also drying up, especially given that Blimey are now developing their own technologies in-house.

The only surprise in this announcement is that it took them so long to cut the strings.
Quote from Ian.H :LOL I was waiting to read this very post from you Keiran.. have you even tried the game? All I've seen you do is either go to RSC and bash it, post here and bash it... anywhere else I missed? You're the sort of person I feel really separates LFS fanbois from any other kind on the planet... like a rabid dog.

yea...

Last time posting in the rF forum? About 5 months ago and it was on the topic of vehicle dynamics. Yes I do have the game otherwise I wouldn't be working on this...

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I'm genuinely surprised it's over so quickly, maybe because I haven't gotten into the game, I don't know. If they are going to charge another £25+ (depending payment method) for an update or whatever they are going to do I'll be disappointed. Considering I was told back before rFactor was released by some big fanboys that LFS was a rip off...
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#19 - JTbo
Still no turbo model, still no fixes for using too small variables on some physics parameters in physics engine, both easy fixes, both limiting type of mods greatly, also both have been much easier fixes than many they did include.

Also for damage model they could have added few different restriction spheres and possibility to use more feelers, would not been too much of work either, almost copy/paste job for feelers.

Have to say that I'm bit disappointed to their choices for last free update, some of things they did concentrate were just chrome, not surprising as almost whole rF community are only after the chrome, maybe decisions were good based on that.

Biggest problem was that they did make new tracks, cars etc. even there was mod community doing that stuff at same time, their resources would been better used in improving engine instead, imo.

I don't know if this rFactor will then live very long, it looked good and promising long term product like LFS or GPL, but don't know how this will affect the community.

rF fanboys were always saying "in what other game you will get this much support from devs?" that always made me smile, now it makes me laugh

So LFS might get moddable in some 6-8 years perhaps? This rFactor version might get tad outdated during that time, guess I need some other hobby than modding soon :P
I wouldn't like lfs being moddable except car visuals. I mean the only moddable thing should be the car's look so we can make our own cars.(not the specs of the cars). Because if LFS becomes moddable, there will be hundereds of idiot tracks and non-accurate cars around and will be hard to find a proper server to make a real race...
#21 - JTbo
Quote from ZORER :I wouldn't like lfs being moddable except car visuals. I mean the only moddable thing should be the car's look so we can make our own cars.(not the specs of the cars). Because if LFS becomes moddable, there will be hundereds of idiot tracks and non-accurate cars around and will be hard to find a proper server to make a real race...

You seem not to understand that that rFactor/Racer way is not only way to do this.
I put Rfactor on my computer. I promtly deleted it. thats not me being a fanboy, thats how crap it was. I was driving STRAIT and it felt like I was in a full fledged tires squeeling corner for how much steering wheel pull I was getting. I think the game is utter pants and I will not be giving it a third chance again.

Maybe this is why they thought they needed to release a version2. It seems funny that everyone is following how LFS is doing it's production of LFS.
Quote from Viper93 :Maybe this is why they thought they needed to release a version2. It seems funny that everyone is following how LFS is doing it's production of LFS.

rFactor its self was a version 2, it was their gMotor2 game engine (which was used as a platform for GTL, GTR2 and RACE) gMotor1 was produced i think about a decade ago in the guise of Sports Car GT and was later developed into F12002 and F1C. I Think the next development is gMotor3 if it will be a gMotor at all.
Quote from keiran :I'm genuinely surprised it's over so quickly, maybe because I haven't gotten into the game, I don't know. If they are going to charge another £25+ (depending payment method) for an update or whatever they are going to do I'll be disappointed. Considering I was told back before rFactor was released by some big fanboys that LFS was a rip off...

lol who ever told you LFS was a rip off must not be able to count money, i think the idea is that there isnt going to be an update to rFactor, theres just going to be a new stand alone product, their already asking for ideas of how to make a new product more appealing for sim racers who maybe didn't get into rFactor.
#25 - joen
So, are the physics in rF supposed to be complete now? A big farce if that's the case. I always thought rFactor was supposed to be released in stages as well, a bit similar to LFS. But now it seems a new version will be a completely stand-alone release, deeming rFactor 1 completely useless.
At least in LFS the goal is to have the physics final in the second release, with the next stage being mainly graphics/content driven. At least to my understanding, anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

Development of rFactor is Over
(90 posts, started )
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