Hey all, long time sim racer here, in fact started out with Revs on the BBC B back in the 80's and worked my way up through all the hits like Grand Prix, Indycar, GPL, GT Legends, GTR, RF1, Nascar 2003, Iracing and now RF2 as I guess have most. Not sure if this post is welcome, encouraged or of any interest but I thought I would share my thoughts on RF2. Having tried it in the early days, I was not that impressed and did get a refund. It just felt so unfinished and unplayable. However, with many updates and additional content later, a few months ago I thought I would give it another bash. Wow, how much has it changed and for the better. Just about everything has improved in leaps and bounds. Ok, so it has a long way to go but compared to a lot of other sims, it also has a lot more to offer that other sims are don't, for example, AI, rain and content. The biggest thing for me in what RF2 has to offer which is its strength is the historic content. The tracks like Monaco, Spa and Monza along with Longford are stunning and the historic cars (Single Seaters and Howston) are superb. They feel so alive to drive as well as very challenging. Personally, I would like to see this part of the sim develop even further. I guess a very large percentage of players have come from GPL so to not tap into this area even more would be a real mistake and disappointment. More historic tracks like Rouen, Silverstone, Goodwood, Watkins Glen, Zolder to name a few would be incredible as would more historic cars like 70's F1. No other sim is tapping into this area or is as complete as what RF2 has to offer so ISI could really lead the way with this area of the content. On the flip side of this, the other area that I feel is done so well is the touring cars. The Clio's and Megane have always been brilliant but the Civic has now taken it to another level. To develop this are even further with either a BTCC/ETCC/WTCC series, adding cars like the BMW, Seat Leon, Chevy etc would be brilliant. We have some superb tracks like Silverstone, Sepang and Croft but to then add modern versions of Spa, Monza, Pau, Imola, Zolder, Brands would be ace. This I think are the strengths of RF2, especially the historics and if ISI could develop them even further, they would really get a strong footing in the market place over what other sims are offering and not offering. Other features like rain, graphics, sounds, track progression etc are excellent and will I am sure be developed even further so I have no concerns about them. They are done very well and no doubt will improve with every build. Anyway, hope I have not stepped on anyone's toes or broken any rules in sharing my thoughts. Apologies if I have.
Goodpost.zip Agree on all of the above, sometimes I wish I also moved away for a longer period and then come back, just to experience the differences. ISI & Historic content; I also feel this can/should be one of the strongholds they could be focussing more on indeed. They do it very well and it would give rf2 that special 'feel' for simracers. most of us are old geezers and either come from GPL etc and/or remember the real life Historic era well. But I think that will be more of a licencing issue more then anything else. they might want it as well, but can it be done?
ISI already have a 70's F1 car licensed We don't know which one and I guess we should not expect it in a long time Also the Eagle Weslake is licensed. I bought RF2 for the historic formula one cars. Right now I participate in two leagues, one running 60's F1 and the other one running Howston. So I want to see more historic cars and tracks, too. I agree that it's RF2's strengh. Old Silverstone is not totally impossible, I guess... And I'd like to see Zandvoort too.
According to the announcement (unless they said something different) it's the Eagle Mk4, which is different from the Eagle many people instantly think of thanks to GPL. Agree somewhat. It would be nice if ISI decided to move away from modern era towards the historic side. It's what rF2 does best, it's what they can make work best I think - with iRacing and Kunos having laser scanned tracks and modern content already "built up" compared to here, they already lost the modern era battle. If the tracks aren't entirely perfect, next to no one knows, there isn't massive video libraries to compare with. No one else has really hit on historic racing well since GPL, though we've seen cars here and there in nearly every sim. Sure, that may drive some guys away, but so does the fact rF2 isn't unique and doesn't really offer anything besides physics (which to some feel amazing, to some feel like crap) and real road. GPL worked fine.
May I add urgently endurance racing to this tablet please. There is no way around rF2 in endurace racing. It is perfect for it if all stuff would just work as intended for once. The laser scanned tracks is a fine thing but not something what is a must here. Otherwise I don't care really honestly. The F1 leagues may have a word or two to say here also. Everything else I have no idea about lol.
The Eagle MkIV is the 1968 indycar. I believe they have also licensed the Eagle Weslake V-12 and Eagle Climax I-4 F1 cars as well. Stephen
Note on third party historic releases. There is a released beta stage of GP79 converted from rF1. I recommend it. Zolder has also been converted which isn't half bad. I recommend it as well. Also recently released Mak-Corp. are the 93-94 McLaren mp4/8 and mp4/9. Hard for my 63 years to believe but they are now two decades old and should qualify for historic status. I also recommend these, but you will want to change the default setups to something less understeery via lowering the differential pump. Mak-Corp. has also released some Group C cars but I have not tried them. Lately been trying the mp4/8 on a few modern tracks, but I just hate modern tracks. Accerate, stop, turn, accerate, stop, turn, and repeat, repeat. The modern Monza that has been released looks nice, and the person who released it did a nice job, but most of the corners are preceded by chicanes which just castrate the corners. Since we can't crash and die in our sims, safety is not a concern, and I see no reason for chicanes in sim racing other than the chicane at historic Monaco which just added to the challenge. I too want more historic cars and tracks. SW
as an aside, i just upgraded to a 22" 1080 resolution monitor and what a difference it makes to rf2. even though a few toys have to be switched off graphically, it genuinely looks like a totally different sim in this higher def. not overly sold on more 60s content, would like to see some 70s and 80s content, from F1/single seaters to GT cars, not fussed. imagine some 70s 911s and honda powered turbo 80s F1 cars. magic.
All great thoughts, but rF2, like rF1, is a base for others to build series or full suites of content. All it will ever contain, unless Tim corrects this, is samples of various cars and eras so we can gauge the overall quality and breadth of the sim. It's up to modders and/or commercial ventures to licence interesting content and release as mods, or separate titles like SimBin did for years with rF1-based games.
@Tim Can you please tell us something about the 70's F1? IIRC you have licensed one, or maybe it was not decided?
SCHAWEEET! Did you just write that somewhere else? The Indycar announcement only mentions the Mk4. (Obviously the Mk1 was a F1 car so I could see why it wasn't mentioned)
I respectfully disagree That was the case with rf1 where default content was not as good or exiting as 3rd party content. With rf2 however its the other way around (or at least for starters) where the ISI content is setting the tone and is providing the best quality that ignites the sim into epicness. There is some excellent 3rd party content out there, but with what ISI is creating they'd be fools to consider it 'just' some teasers for modders and the drivers. its much more then that. In time it might get as you explained, but not just yet imo.
Except for the single-make series, the ISI stuff just isn't raceable. Even if you consider the Camaro and Corvette to be able to race each other, you only end up with a two-car series that's not super great nor varied. If URD, MAK and Reiza want to ask for money to develop a full series, I will be very happy. DTM, V8 series, BTCC, etc. can easily be sold on their own by licensing the engine. I would buy all of them. These games might even have a better user interface too. :0
I personally hope ISI sticks with a wide variety of cars, especially historic ones, versus a full suite of any one type of car. Just imagine if ISI was building more BTCC at the expense of the Cobra or Howston. That would be insane IMO. And no one can build yet a mod that compares with ISI's mods. I'd rather ISI create a civic and then modders are pushed harder to build vehicles that are as good as ISI vs. not having a reference. We now know what is possible with the civic where before we did not know. If ISI never built the civic and instead some modder did then we may think shortcomings of that mod are caused by engine instead of modder. So ISI keep doing what you are doing and bring all the variety you can so we can see what this puppy is capable of.
OMG! That's great! I'm a lover of that era of F1. But how long will the wait be...? If we could have rF2 with half the GPL content I'd be in heaven. The Eagle and a BT-24 would go a long way towards having a varied and interesting historic F1 grid. The BT-20 is a phenomenal piece of work but has no one to race with.
running 1440p on 22" is non-sence, 22" is just fine with 1080p mate, so you are not loosing out with such small screen
