Pricing and related Open Beta information...

Please continue discussing in existing threads or make new threads to discuss specific things mentioned.

What is the pricing structure for rF2?
In the USA, rF2 will sell for $43.99. This will allow unlimited access to single player and mod development mode. It will also include one year access to an online account. Additional one year access to the online account can be purchased for $12.99. You may also pay a higher amount for a 'lifetime' one-time payment.

Why not simply raise the initial purchase price?
That wouldn’t be fair to those wanting to use only the single player or mod development mode.

What exactly are online services?
Users will be given online accounts from which they can access multiplayer races. This should reduce the number of anonymous race entries and in turn hopefully reduce the number of passworded servers.

The service will identify when updates are available and allow for automatic downloads.

The service provides a way to generate and maintain unique Mod/Package ID’s. This should help reduce the mismatch problem found in the current version of rFactor and also help reduce/eradicate version confusion for the end user.

Additional features such as online statistics are also planned.

What will I be able to do if I don't use online services?
You will be able to run single player, run Mod Mode, and manually find and install any mods or updates.

What is this open beta I have been hearing about?
We plan to release an early content-limited version for mod makers to provide feedback on the system. It will be an open beta, meaning anyone can participate. People wishing to take part will be required to make a full purchase (see pricing info above). We are planning to give those who take part in the open beta 18 months of online access with that purchase rather than the 12 months which will come with purchase after the open beta.

Will you offer refunds during or after the open beta?
If you believe you became a part of the rFactor 2 community too early we can arrange one.

 

We really appreciate the considered responses of many.

Now before I say this, Gjon reserves the right to change his mind at any time (he told me to say that, it's more fun that way) and says so in his post.

Some additional info he provided/clarified:
LAN is going to be possible, but requires a launch via the matchmaker and therefore an online account. So ALL multiplayer will go through the online account and is not possible any other way.

IP will be one of the searchable fields in the server listing in the matchmaker. This will allow league users to quickly find league servers. We will also attempt to get a link working that you can have on Web sites or in emails which will populate that list automatically with that search result when clicked. This isn't a fix for no-IP joining, but is a solution which will work.

Please read Gjon's full post for more info.
http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/1209-RF2-over-LAN?p=15622&viewfull=1#post15622