Hi all. I'm posting here because I want to get input from all of you (ISI and consumer alike). When I started playing rf2 online a few months ago, there were some ISI servers listed at the top, the content was obviously ISI only, and there were always people online. Now, when I go online, I spend a good half an hour trying to find a server that I have the content for ("get missing components" can take loooooong to download IF everything can even be fetched - I know that is up to the developer of the mod to sort out) The reason I'm posting here, is because I'd love to be able to just go online, join a server immediately, do some casual racing without having to download and then learn a new car / track. Am I the only one in this position? Please point me in the right direction if I'm being stupid, and missing something obvious. Thanks,
One of the main things about build 860 was the ability to not have to have the entire server's list of tracks anymore. All you need installed, or need to download from the server, is the very track they are using at the moment. 1 track, simple as that. This, in theory, would avoid the issues, frustration and time-wasting being spent trying to join a server and race. BUT When I go online, it seems everyone is still using the old and ridiculous style where you need the entire pre-set list of tracks, even though you may just want to race at 1 or two tracks for just a half an hour or an hour or whatever. Why are people still using this ridiculous old system, when a new and much more logical, quick and simple way exists? I have no idea, but it's darn frustrating to it's users, and it's no doubt hurting the products success.
Not to mention, it is severely embarrassing when you're trying to convince your friends to play the game, let alone buy it, and you then have a conversation - with your friend - similiar to the following conversation: RF2 owner - "hey friend, we actually can't join that server because - even though we have the track they're currently racing on, and even though we also have the cars they are racing with - we don't have the 19 other tracks that they MAY decide to switch to at some point or another in the near or far future" Friend - "So?? What do those other tracks have to do with anything? We got the cars and the track thay they're using now. What the heck do those other tracks have to do with anything?". RF2 owner (here comes the "Beta" excuse/lie) - "I don't know, it's just some weird, glitchy thing in the game, it's sort of like one of those beta, in-development games, you know? Still a little glitchy and unrefined, it'll be fixed soon though. Actually, they just kind of fixed it as of the last update that just came out a few weeks ago; now all that matters is that you have the car, and the particular track being used at the moment, and that's it" Friend - "Well if they just added that in, then why can we still not join unless we have all 19 tracks on Bob's F1 server" RF2 - "Well because - for some reason - a lot of people still use the old, messed-up style. I have no idea if the new proper way is still kind of glitched because it's so new or something....but ya....it'll be fixed though. RF2 is just still a little glitchy and beta-ey in some areas. It should get fixed soon; they're always updating it and fixing these messed-up parts of the game. For now though, do you want to just try Game Stock Car, Formula Truck, Assetto Corsa, or iRacing?" Friend - "I don't know man, the handling and feel of those games just isn't like rF2, well the game with the Brazilian Stock Cars and the Trucks is pretty sweet too, but I trip out on this rFactor 2 game, man, it's insane, and the karts....PHEW, why doesn't anyone ever play them, bro?..." RF2 owner - "Don't ask me man, ppl are messed" Friend then goes on to refresh and check the rF2 servers, and we're sitting there for 10 mins sometimes doing so over and over. We may go have a drinkz/snack to kill some time and come back 30 or 60 mins later to try it all again for another 10 or so minutes. He desperately wants to play rF2 (especially the karts), but then we finally give up and decide to go to iRacing because GSC and FT servers are usually pretty slow, AC physics still feel arcadey to him, and iRacing - while not even close to rF2's level in his opinion - can still be playable and enjoyable due to never feeling arcadey or video game-ey.
I just want to race casual races once in a while when theres time too. Sounds like MP is in its usual state = not an option for casual racers. I had hoped it was different now because of the new system. Its good to know though - no reason to reactivate my online subscription yet.
Yeah, rF2 online is pretty much in ruins right now I feel, in regards to "casual" pick-up races. I can't remember the last time I actually participated in a proper race. Very sad stuff. A year ago it was no problem joining some quite entertaining races. even with the "old" system of forced installs of various tracks/cars to be able to join a race. I don't have all the time in the world, so I'm not online that often. But when I get the urge it's too bad that there's not much to join. That is unless I suddenly get a burning desire to race the BES mod on ancient god-awful conversions from 2 years ago... Which I obviously won't.... The servers should be flooded with Honda NSX's going crazy around Tiger Moth. Yet nothing. I'm mystified. Such a crying shame.
We tend to use isi and one track on our sr4l servers(historics mostly) - usually people on there everyday/night , some guys from denmark - currently running 2 servers 1 brab at tigermoth - the other brab at indy - they change every 2 weeks to practice for every second sunday races....servers are unpassworded until race time http://www.simracers4life.com/index.php
F3 Fanatics is very active, but it's in some weird-ass hours if you're living in Europe... ^jjcook is one of the regulars amongst many... Agains it's pretty mostly linked to one certain era, historic open wheelers... I'm in timezone +1 and I race on that server in the night - almost every night.
Are they still randomly switching tracks or is there some rotation? I find it hard to get into any server when I don't know what tracks are being run because the regulars just kill you since they have been driving the combos or are even dictating the combos.
I am a huge supporter of rF2, but have conscientiously not renewed my online subscription until this mess is sorted-out. Probably futile, but it's the only way as a customer I can directly express displeasure with the still-beta state of online. When we have what the original post asks for, my lifetime licence payment will be immediate. The question for ISI is how much does this translate to the mass of casual customers out there who don't populate this forum?
I've never had a decent online experience in rF2, almost impossible run every server, not to mention the endless non-desired content plying my SSD. So, I'm sticking to AI right now, what makes me be more angry since there's a lack of a simple championship mode. ISI choices, be used to.
I don't think new "Prototype" dedi will be widely used until it has officially replaced old one and we get the Options button functionality into it. I'm not going to edit a text file manually whenever I want to change server name or other parameters. Also I'm unsure what happens when change of track takes place and we move from Event A to Event B, does it mean all clients get disconnected? If so, then ease of use is still not on level of rFactor 1. Online is not on level it should be at moment and I'm sure it shows in subscriber money income, as that's the feature you pay for. So ISI should have much interest to improve it, I hope.
I know its not much but whats the point of charging for online services when they are so poor? Maybe they should make it a free service until theres a product worth charging for?
Its up to the people providing the servers. We at Fun 2 Race have 6 or 7 severs up and 2 of them are only ISI content, GT and skippys. 20min PT, 10min QT and 20 minutes races. We race around 4 to 5 hours a night if we got the time and as a junkie like me it gets a bit boring after 2 years now to race the same car track combos every night. Thats the reason we setup some other servers to try diffrent 3rd party content. We also provide a forum with all the content we use on our servers, with download links to the vmod and content. We try to provide a good base for casual public races but honestly we are not interessted in those people which join our server, can't drive a simple lap and vote after 5 minutes to go straight to race. @hex: we host a nsx @ tigermoth since sunday with all 3 racing layouts
Someone asked about casual users earlier - that bit above is probably the biggest thing that keeps casual users from driving online. They don't know how or where to get the content and they just give up. I'll never understand why the missing content could not be served up from the server's packages directory (if its there). Quake 1 in 1995 had this functionality - bandwidth limit + queueing (a set number of people can download the content at once). So don't say "because bandwidth" EDIT: Its probably to late now. The horse has probably already left the barn as everyone's online subscription should have expired by now unless they bought lifetime. EDIT 2: Perhaps if they added this functionality, they could do a free month of online or something to let people check it out so that they could see how good it works now. That would have to be combined with a big marketing push (probably direct email to all non-online subscribers) + a push to get server admins to implement it.
Bandwidth limit + queuing is already used for rfmod downloads, there is quality of service concept implemented in rF2. But yeah, content is not allowed to be downloaded from race server. It might be a bit difficult for raceserver to maintain good pings while 20 drivers are downloading some 1 GB Nordschleife.
Oh wow. I didn't know the new, "normal" (lol) way required messing with notepad files and/or lines of text, and such. What year is it, 1996? This must be why so many people are still running the old style servers. I am glad to report that more amd more people are implementing auto-downloading in their servers. I have downloaded many tracks and cars through server auto-downloads. It's probably around 50/50 now. There are still issues where you sometimes can't join a server even though you have all the content, or at lesst it seems like you do, and there is no password on the server either. I was told people can set their servers up so that only certain people can join even without having to use a password??... I don't know, but i do know that it happens here and there. Then there's the issue where you can't even put the server list in order by mod name. You can do server name, track name, and # of players joined, but when you click on mod name it does not rearrange in alphabetical order. How does a glitch/bug like this ever last for more than 1 consecutive build? It must be way, way mor3 complex than it seems. Then there's the vagueness of server info. Go into rFactor 1 and look at how much information you can view about each server. There's a box with room for tons and tons of writing, explanations, websites, whatever you want. There's 4 tabs - each with different types of details and information - to choose from. in ISI's defense, I can see why everything is still so work in progress. I have a feeling that ISI can't yet fully commit to a very specific way of online systems because there are still too many changes going on with mod systems, online and other core areas of the engine. Not to mention the new U.I. that ISI is working on which is requiring a lot of work and time, and is requiring them to dig through and change a ton of coding. It'll get there ISI know what they're doing. These guys designed rFactor 1 and all other GMotor engine variants, don't forget. They know what they're doing
Thats what the queuing is for - instead of 20 - the number could be 1 or 2 with 18 or 19 people waiting. You can't really argue that it doesn't work since most online games with home run servers / mod content have had these features since 1995.
Thats totally how you setup Assetto Corsa dedicated servers - edit a text file. I would definitely prefer an interface to clicky clicky setup.
