Announcement | Motorsport Games Enters Into Agreement to Acquire rFactor 2 and Developer Studio 397

Discussion in 'News & Notifications' started by Paul Jeffrey, Mar 3, 2021.

  1. Andy Bonar

    Andy Bonar Registered

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    Sounds promising. I hope that BTCC becomes part of RF2 though, not a separate sim.
     
  2. Comante

    Comante Registered

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    Now a criptic statement in a comp system post makes more sense: They said that with the competition system up and running it will be possible to make cross-platform races. What I understood is not only that different games could concur in populate competition system charts and stats, but that is even possible to RACE against people using different softwares. Now it seems more meaningful.. RF2 is going to have babies maybe?
     
  3. Germano Cervini

    Germano Cervini Registered

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    I do not want to be pessimistic and defeatist, but I am rarely wrong, Rfactor 2 was a hard and raw niche simulation, now I am almost sure, that they will have to satisfy all even children or platforms that pay a lot, see PS5, so goodbye to hard simulation of the current RF2, I see it very black, Studio 397 sold out for money, they took advantage of the right moment to sell an attractive product ............. NC
     
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  4. r00b Driver

    r00b Driver Registered

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    I'm not a tin foil hat wearing, anti vaxxer, flat earth believing nut job – but I am slightly less optimistic than some of you whilst also being optimistic at the same time.

    Here’s my pessimistic take on this (I fully expect to be ridiculed and made fun of…but) :

    I’ve watched the interview, I’ve read the press releases, and quite frankly I take it all with a pinch of salt – press releases at the time of any acquisition will hardly ever say anything that will be bad for the company they have just taken over. (Moreover, I think it’s excellent news for the S397 team – they have effectively safe guarded their own jobs – which is excellent news as they deserve it for what they have done for this sim).

    As MSG have taken over KK, and now rF2, they have in my opinion, the best combination of any simulation game; with this fantastic combination they can make any series they want, and it will probably be brilliant – WEC Game with UE4 KK-like graphics with rF2 ‘feel’ – SIGN ME UP!!!

    Quite frankly, why no one else has had the presence of mind to do this before is beyond me.

    In the interview they’ve openly spoken about making a Le Mans style game, NASCAR and who knows, BTCC, Indicar, Australian Supercars, Formula E etc.

    Now, turning back to rF2 in it’s current state, what does rF2 have at its core content?

    Well, some formula cars, fair amount of GT3 cars, some Endurance cars, FE cars, historic cars, and a mish mash of other genres.

    If separate ‘franchises’ of the above games are made, utilising UE4 and rF2 physics – why would you need ‘rF2’ the game?

    Why would you have tracks and cars all in UE4, which need porting to the rF2 code base, along with the hassle of keeping two very separate code bases alive and in-sync. Why would you, as a company, muddy the water for your consumers in that way?

    From a business perspective, it doesn’t make sense.

    It would make more sense, purely from a business perspective, to have separate franchises of each racing genre, and sell lots of copies. Much like what Kunos has done, they stopped with AC and put laser focus into GT3 with ACC – none of ACC has gone into AC; and why would it?

    They rest of this year is crucial in understanding what MSG really has in store for rF2.

    If the UI is stripped down/freshened up and made more user friendly, AI bugs are fixed, physics issues are fixed, new content pores in – then I will be happy to eat my words and you can all call me a pessimistic tin foil hat wearing r00b – and I will happily accept that.

    If, on the other hand, small patches are made whilst leaving most of the UI as-is, some physics improvements, dribble drabble of new content, the general pace of development is slow – then that’s when it becomes a cause for concern.


    But, I don’t see it as all doom and gloom, like I said above, if they can produce a proper WEC like game, with the looks of KK and the ‘feeling’ of rF2 – I’m buying it.

    I’ll buy the BTCC game, the Supercars game – quite frankly I’ll probably buy anything that looks like KK and ‘feels’ like rF2.

    rF2 is an old game, it can’t go on forever – this could be the beginning of the end.

    Could be, not is.
    And it may not necessarily be all bad.
    Time will tell.


    -Much love to all, let the flaming begin...
     
  5. Ho3n3r

    Ho3n3r Registered

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    Can only be a good thing. Game has been going nowhere slowly besides for muh DLC. Even rF3 would be a better thing than the current situation (even though I paid the full $85, that was 8 years ago and life moves on).
     
  6. Germano Cervini

    Germano Cervini Registered

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  7. Balazs Magyar

    Balazs Magyar Registered

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    I can imagine new game modes for that purpose.
     
  8. Germano Cervini

    Germano Cervini Registered

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    for me today is a sad day, it is the beginning of the end of this fantastic simulator, they will make a new game, no simulator, which they will call: example Rfactor 3 Pro, which will be good for both adults and simulation experts, and for new entrants, with lots of content, super graphics, and with a behavior like ACC, sim-arcade, so for me it's the end ............
     
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  9. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    You've made your point, move on :)
     
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  10. bobbie424242

    bobbie424242 Registered

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    I'm also a bit pessimistic for the future of rF2 the sim (but not for S397).

    We are getting the message that rF2 development continues. But how long before Motorsport Games reassigns S397 to other tasks on its other more mainstream games ? The bare mention of Unreal Engine is no good news for rF2 the sim. My guess is that this acquisition is more for the core competency of S397 in sims, tyre models, track/car modelling and the competition system than rF2 the sim... It would be great if it would faster the pace of development of rF2, make it more accessible without dumbing it down, but I highly doubt it will happen as Motorsport Games target is much more than the hardcore PC simracer niche.
    How do you think rF2 development is going to progress if a part of the team has to work or consult on other games ? The studio is already too small to achieve its vision of simracing in a reasonable timeframe.
    The only way I could see rF2 survive if the there is motivation from S397 and Motorsports Game to turn it into a strong iRacing competitor. But this would require a tad more resources put into rF2 and I don't see it happening...


     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2021
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  11. Germano Cervini

    Germano Cervini Registered

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  12. r00b Driver

    r00b Driver Registered

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    Ahh yes, I hadn't thought of the potential of making rF2 into an iRacing competitor.

    Hmm, would need lots of resources, but, it would smash iRacing (IMO) if they could pull it off.
     
  13. Flaux

    Flaux Registered

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    We need a "false information"-button or something.. It feels like mini-trump is raging and the amount of bs spread within this forum is second to none. And it happens really often.
     
  14. bobbie424242

    bobbie424242 Registered

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    In fact, I think the ultimate long term vision for rF2 has always been to turn it into an iRacing competitor. You otherwise simply do not build a sophisticated competition platform and infrastructure.
     
  15. Germano Cervini

    Germano Cervini Registered

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    are our feelings, I'm not sure what I wrote and said, and I hope so, since I love RF2, but the feeling is that, I simulate from GPL onwards, so many years, and I know the politics of these big companies that think only to the MONEY, do you understand this?
     
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  16. r00b Driver

    r00b Driver Registered

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    What 'false information?

    People here are airing their opinions/predictions about the future of the game.

    If they had come on categorically stated '...MSG have stated they will shut down S397...', now that would be false information.
     
  17. davehenrie

    davehenrie Registered

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    I think trying to mate vastly different racing programs would be very difficult. I took that statement to mean they will be able to migrate rF2 to consoles and we will be able to race against PS and Xbox users.
     
  18. r00b Driver

    r00b Driver Registered

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    Yes I agree although, I never thought it would ever be as diverse as iRacing, at least I never predicted it would be with the current small s397 team (not saying they couldn't achieve it, but it would be a big ask )
     
  19. mantasisg

    mantasisg Registered

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    I think rF2 physics egine is surely top, thanks to ISI. It will be very easy to simcadify it for the sake of bringing experience to the much broader audience of the sea of novices and in general much less authenticity seeking people, but still seeking enjoyment. They will be able to do it either with more aggressive assists, simplifying physics in general, or just implementing simple modifiers to the way tire grip is composed. The later one is IMO one to use, you can use full physics untouched, even keep net grip just the same, but just alter the composition and rates of how fast things can change such as bristle spring stiffness for example, car can be just as fast but a lot more drifty and predictable - just like in simcade, with a few changes in parameters which can work universally for all cars and it would be possible to easily change from hardcore to novice by just one click.... < Thats is a suggestion.

    Will they develop physics further ? I kind of doubt it, maybe just a little further. Maybe it is even best if they don't do changes where they have no full understanding. This being said straightforward stuff like improved drivetrain or rain physics features could be done I suppose, even perhaps they wouldn't be as straightforward in terms of code, but at least physically they are not as hardcore as tires and aerodynamics.

    I am not a fan of Unreal Engine. It has impressive graphical features, but I just don't like it, it is - unreal literally, even if there are couple examples where great level of realism was achieved with it, it is still probably specific lighting oriented, unlike rF2 which looks genuine and consistent in all lighting. The point I have in mind is that even though perhaps rF2 does not have as much impressive visuals as for example ACC, but IMO it definitely looks a lot better, and the effects are just around the corner, such as recently re-implemented sun beams. What S397 did to rF2 graphics over the years, is their most noticeable achievement so far IMO, and if it gets canceled then it is going to be a bad decission IMO.

    Games with simplified rF2 physics, and with Unreal Engine graphics doesn't sound appealing to me. But if physics could be kept in and even made better and would be available by default, and the simulations will be honestly a simulations, then it is wonderful. However simracer who cares about physics and is mechanically literal enough to observe how systems work IRL and have rational judgement about it when experiencing simulation is endangered species and useful to no developer, they just don't need it. What they need is the image, the label, the source of trust and faith, rather than understanding and rational reasoning. It is more simple to just believe and have fun... Thats just how it is. So lets just hope no backwards movements occur, that could be best realistic scenario for consumer market simulation in terms of phisical realism.

    I hope rF2 will roll on just like it did, just with more power now. And having to participate with side projects will just benefit rF2 development and not hinder it if it is going to be basically a common engine code used without negative impacts, or alter it in some wrong way. After all a year or two years ago Marcel has shared many optimistic and beautiful plans about rF2 in "The Big Racedepartment 4parts interview", some points of it seems to becoming true, such as big expansion of S397 if we interpret S397 joining MG as expansion of S397 too. Anyway I am keeping some optimism basically because Marcel is good man.
     
  20. instinkt

    instinkt Registered

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    STOP
    how many more posts with that nonsense u gonna put into this thread
    enough is enough, lol
     

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