Rfactor 2 Beta - A comprehensive constructive review.

Thanks for taking the time to put together a well thought out review. Agree with all your points and would like to see ISI taking them on board.

 

I think we all have come a long way in this last week.
Discovering rF2 has taken us from ranting to open eyes.
At first complaining about this and that (myself included) to finding out what actually can be accomplished with the help of the community.
This will be the best racing sim ever if we can keep to identifying the areas that need looking at.
After all this isn't really even the beta, it was just supposed to be a test release so the modders could find their way about.

Plus, 1/2 the fun is reading the forum! LOL

 

I agree.Its very exiting to think how rF2 will develop in the near future.

 

I own the original Fanatec Porsche Turbo Wheel and will stay with it due to it's cost, at least until I wear it out. I will need to understand how to configure it to get the best FFB feel combined with appropriate response rates. I use the paddles to shift, so that helps with the response I would think. I have the original pedals as well which I will be keeping too.


ISI, please do what you can to ensure that Fanetec wheels are compatible with rF2...

Mike

 

This is indeed a "Comprehensive constructive review" and I am appreciative of its conclusions.

I would like ISI to make this forum have sections that are more distinct where all these constructive comments could be assembled in a consolidated way.

Hiohaa has them in his post...
Physics
FFB
Graphics
Sounds
User Interface
Multiplayer

The reorganisation of this forum should be a priority; it takes me an age to read all this stuff because it is not located in a logical order.

ISI will never have time to read this forum.

In short, does anyone here have the personal contact with ISI so that something can be done about the layout of this forum?

http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/1813-The-day-we-recieved-a-sim.-Thanks-to-the-FFB
http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/2166-Can-we-have-a-section-for-FFB-only

(G25)

 

Great review! Couldn't agree more! Many thanks for taking the time to write this!

Hopefully ISI (Tim?) will read this thread, because this is an excellent example of a "Really Constructive Review".

 

Great review! Congratulations, because it is very precise and you can tell it is a lot of work and passion involved in it. I fully agree with all your words and specially the part with the physics. It is a big step forward in sim racing, but as a beta we give our opinion and hope it will give results.
Regards again for you review.

 

Amazing review, fully agree!

 

ISI, this is the most important thread post in the forum! In my opinion this exactly describes what to do to take the physics to the max. You don't need no Ben Collins, just follow up on the suggestions in this review and it will be fantastic.

ISI, do you copy? ;-)

 

Good review mate.

Not sure if the ISI physics engine is based on Pacejka (I was always under the impression it was), but it is well-known that the Pacejka 'magic formula' has series short-comings involved when dealing with low speeds. It essentially doesn't work properly. The 'magic formula' is a reasonably accurate approximation that is easy to calculate (hence 'magic formula'!) which is very effective for mid-to-high velocities and thus useful for vehicle dynamic simulation. However, the price of this 'ease of computation' is poor fidelity at lower speeds. Until someone comes up with an easier accurate approximation of vehicle dynamics, I believe all simulations will suffer from low-speed inaccuracies. Unless of course numbers are seriously fudged to overcome it. But then it's not simulation anymore is it?!

 

Great review.
I'm glad you took the time to give it a proper test, figured you'd be going for a refund after your first impressions with the other wheel.

 

Definitely sound needs some bass put into it. I have a buttkicker and the thing hardly rattles. The FR3.5 sounds absolutely terrible, as the OP said, like an electric car. Here is another onboard of a FR3.5. It's a very high performance car with a potent engine. I don't feel that at all in rF2's FR3.5 mod.

Look and hear how aggressive the car is, namely the engine punching the car forward under acceleration:
FR3.5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKWveqkL6p0

 

Yep. The formula itself works very nicely even at low speeds, but having divisors approaching 0 is a real pain in the ass when you actually have to execute them on computers.

 

10-4.

 

I agree but don't forget the tyre model is not finnished yet,so perhaps thiers more to come.

 

Never say never

 

Hi hiohaa,

great review and I agree to most parts of it. But since you seem to be very experienced with real racing cars and sims, some few parts makes me wonder. In my opinion there is a lot of work left, because netkar pro is far ahead in terms of physics.
All those things you mentioned in your review - flooring the pedal out of slow corner, feeling the grip, even being able to maintain drifts with steering and throttle - I can do this in netkar pro and it feels great and real.

I ask myself, why can't you? What version have you played?

I don't want to praise netkar pro too much, but anyone who says physics are fine for a game has never played this game. It as different as day and night. I've played it a lot and was really looking forward to play rf2, the videos looked promising and reminded me of nkpro (suspension travel etc.), but now im a bit disappointed. I know it's still a beta version, but there are some major flaws imo.

 

Hiohaa's review is absolutely the best review I have ever read. The fact that he's written it and people from ISI have read it is a massive boost to what is only a game in beta. ISI please try to implement his ideas of heavier steering and increased grip at slower speed. Is there not some way to measure actual wheel torque in real cars? Rather than thinking about what 'feels' real, how about more real world data?

To me all the eye candy is cool but to me the nut and bolts of any sim are the way it handles. That's why I come back to play it again and again. Not really because I like computer games, more because I can't afford to race real cars on a track at all. Also because it's the wrong weather/time of year/time of day to be out on my motorcycle or karting.

Nutshell, I agree that 'Netkar Pro' has the best handling of any sim, 'kart racing pro' in beta is very good too, but to me they don't feel that amazing that ISI couldn't fairly easily improve on them.

 

Re. the FR3.5 when you have the centre of pressure for the front wing way out ahead of the front axle it it's not a complete surprise it handles the way it does.

 

agree especially with sub par audio . sad that in this day & age sounds are so bad.