rFactor 2 Developer Q&A

Discussion in 'News & Notifications' started by 88mphTim, Mar 25, 2011.

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  1. V6_

    V6_ Registered

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    I've been hoping for a Q&A like this.
    The AI seem like a big improvement and mods will have realistic drivers :)
    Thank You :)
     
  2. 88mphTim

    88mphTim racesimcentral.net

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    Can't give one at this time. Sorry. If everything goes as expected, then "soon". I know, I know, it's not really an answer, but I can't give one.
     
  3. Carbonfibre

    Carbonfibre Registered

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    Seems like rF2 has been making steady progress since the last update.
    I can tell there's probably a lot of stuff we can't appreciate because it's difficult to show off changes to us that aren't audiovisual, and we have to interpret anything else.

    The GUI on the video I understood perfectly though. I love real-time high fidelity graphs like that, I hope we can have it as an optional HUD attachment or at least a refined tyre status with the same real-time refresh?

    I echo the queries about lack of info on sound, 5.1 for sure is somewhat important, to have the skids coming from each tyre in their respective speakers. Directing low frequencies to the sub-woofer, etc.
    I'm more fussed over actual sound generation; dynamic transmission warble for example, to keep this short. Maybe a sfx file from rF2 could help us out? ;)

    Lastly, would the go-karts fit under "Open-Wheel Trainers", I didn't see them definitely categorised on that list? I was rather looking forward to them and that WIP kart track. :confused:
     
  4. 88mphTim

    88mphTim racesimcentral.net

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    I don't think they can give that info yet. The series list above is probably accurate, but there's more than one car in most of those, too.
     
  5. Marek Lesniak

    Marek Lesniak Car Team Staff Member

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    OK Tim, so here we go :)

    1. Will it be possible to create a server side championship profile, where you could store information like starting numbers assigned to players (which will also link players to specific garage and pit numbers), track-specific parameters like session lenght and at what time of the day (in rF 1 all that you put into rFm and gdb files so each change means you have to release patch for the mod or track).
    Of course there are much more info that could be stored there - those above were just an example. The question is about to have such possibility.

    2. Implementation for more than one point of view for the mirrors. In rFactor 1 you have just one, for all mirrors. That just doesn't work for side mirrors (you can't have view in them, like you have in real car).

    3. Support for helper springs - relatively soft and short, but allow for more wheel drop while you can keep the main springs stiff. And yes, this is real world stuff :)

    4. Support for McPherson suspension

    5. Tags for gear ratios, so you can assign limited set of gear ratios only for particular gear

    6. Support for more realistic, non-linear dampers (ability to define that non linear characteristic)

    7. Ability to define a set of specific spring stiffnesses (like: 267, 280, 300, 334), apart from just old style "base value, increase value, how many"

    8. Support for progressive springs

    9. Support for separate ADL/gauge backlight, blinkers, warning-lights, low and high beam lights and maybe additional slots for such lights (like for additional used in endurance racing and off-road courses).

    Thanks :)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 25, 2011
  6. 88mphTim

    88mphTim racesimcentral.net

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    Also worthy of note is that I was recording that realtime. My PC (which I bought and built for under $500) was capable of running rF2, running the realtime data and recording it all using Fraps without any issues.

    I'm not sure what will be available on the release version to the end user. At this point I saw it as a dev tool more than a user tool.

    Sound info is really not something which can be confirmed at this point, sorry. You're asking right in the middle of some of it being finalized.

    No I think karts would be separate, which means the person who gave me that list might not think they'll make it to the initial release. These guys work pretty fast though so you never know. It just depends what is put in what order as far as priorities go.
     
  7. ZeosPantera

    ZeosPantera Registered

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    Will the rf2 Wishlist thread ever be gone over and given a nod or thumbs up or any sort of developer feedback? I know many of the items in there are either super specific or completely absurd but any sort of commentary might help direct future requests.
     
  8. 3377

    3377 Registered

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    And what's about Rfactor's mod compatibility? I mean does Rfactor2 will have the same file structure? It will be just drag and drop all files of a Rfactor mod to Rfactor2 directory to install it, or it will be more complicated?
     
  9. Spacekid

    Spacekid Registered

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    We all love ISI, Gjon!
     
    1 person likes this.
  10. Marek Lesniak

    Marek Lesniak Car Team Staff Member

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    @3377
    There is an answer already in the first post of this thread so go and read it again, more carefully :)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 25, 2011
  11. MaXyM

    MaXyM Registered

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    Thank you Tim. I like your new avatar: mute like a fish ;)
     
  12. 3377

    3377 Registered

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    Oh, yes I didn't saw it, thanks!
     
  13. sg333

    sg333 Registered

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    Will there be any "end-user friendly" modding tools, as in you dont need to be a Dev to use them? Such as ability to change signboards, track surface, wall colour and so on?
     
  14. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    haha yeah know that feeling, I often quote the Aussie V8 commentators in real life!

    Anyway thanks for the reply, heres my questions:

    Sound:
    in rF1 there was a Max Effects setting, will this still be used or will it be a dial to have sound effects within a certain radius of your car? ex: within 50metres you hear all sounds and nothing outside, extend that to 75/100 etc etc. (going on past FPS editing theory here !!)

    A.I.
    1) Has the AI Collision Detection had a makeover? see rF1s "Ramming" effect and when the AI were side by side to you "nudging" into your car they'd suddenly gain a speed boost and move infront which was/is very odd!

    2) Good to read the AI section above, so relating to that and AI slow reactions speeds/different lines: Are these values all available in one section? (one Talent text file) or spread over various text files as in rF1? I ask as to have it all in one area would make life 100x easier and less complicated for the average user. Having spent alot of time with AI in rF1 it was one of the most annoying aspects.

    3) Will there be more AI options in game other than Speed/Aggression? (relate this to the above query, having more options ingame again makes life easier/quicker to setup the AI to how you want instead of editing countless files or tens of Talent files).

    4) I know ISI is a small team but is there a sole dude working on the AI? or is it a Team thing?

    5) Is AI Track Learning still needed or is there another system in place? presume this could also relate to the AIW.

    6) Will we get an AIW editor like in rF1 to use?

    Please dont underestimate the need for decent AI, yes the now/future is human vs human online racing but AI remains an integral part of the experience for alot of people, plus it helps to add AI to fill up online races sometimes so the need for better AI is a must IMO!

    Weather:

    If a cars engine blows up will the smoke move with the wind direction? (same with tire smoke/smoke/etc) dumb question I know but it would look/be better than it not moving anywhere in gale force winds!
     
  15. hoover

    hoover Registered

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    Thanks for the update, Tim. I'd also like to see a Linux-based decicated server, but if it'd run under Wine (and I don't see why it shouldn't), I'd be happy with that, too.

    All the best & keep up the good work,

    Uwe
     
  16. Michael Juliano

    Michael Juliano Track Team

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    I can answer a couple of these, Tim...

    Number of tracks/layouts: When all is said and done we would have built 11 tracks from scratch (not bad for a two-man track art team over two years), and almost all of these tracks have multiple layouts that support our different series. Depending on which series (cars) are ready when Gjon says it's time to release will dictate exactly how many tracks are shipped with. And again, what we don't ship with initially will be available as they come ready. We'll ship with more tracks than rF1 shipped with for sure, but I can't say precisely how many yet...

    Karts require some specialized elements to do them properly. Once the tire model is fully implemented (almost there) then we can evaluate and see what we need to do to properly support karts. I know we WANT to ship them with the initial release. If not then they won't be far behind...

    Wishlist items--I can tell you we've looked at all the wish items we've gotten from various sources and prioritized them and will do our best to get in as many as we can for initial release. The reason we can't give a nod to specific items yet is mainly due to time and testing. If we test an item and it doesn't work correctly without excessive effort then it would probably have to wait until after release. And time--to be honest we are all working flat out--every minute on the forums is a minute of development lost. That said, I'm fairly certain as we get closer to release and our final feature list is more refined we can provide clearer info...

    Modding--rF2's structure is different as needed so that we could handle the issue of online mismatches. You won't be able to simply drag -n- drop rF1's mods into rF2, especiallly if you want them to work with the new dynamic track surface features and weather. Luc and I (mainly Luc) have been working on a .doc that helps to explain the new features and their basic implementation.

    Audio -- Surround Sound and other audio effects are being looked at now. Please stand by :)
     
  17. 88mphTim

    88mphTim racesimcentral.net

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    I know it was read and things were passed around. I didn't attend many of the meetings during the winter though to know how much was added to the 'to do' list. At some point I can certainly go through and consolidate them for what would probably be yes or no answers.

    Edit - see Scott's reply above.

    Not drag and drop. Some work required and IMHO most mod makers will want to use the new features so there will be some extra work for that.

    The fish is a Silver Arowana (just a baby right now) in one of my fish tanks. You'll note I said one of... I actually had five small tanks at one point, now I just have three big ones. Keeping fish is kind of a passion of mine... Silver Arowanas grow to 30+ inches and are capable of jumping 20ft out of the water to capture small mammals/birds. I hold the lid down on my 75 gallon tank (which he is in right now as a baby) with bungee cords... lol

    If anybody is interested:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/twheatley/collections/72157625081773423/

    :)

    'Mod mode' should be considered pretty user friendly. A screenshot was posted of this previously.
     
  18. Michael Juliano

    Michael Juliano Track Team

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    I'll answer what I can quickly:

    The AI are now MUCH better at holding their lines through turns, and how they act when behind you. Mind you if you slam on the brake with an AI right behind you outside of a braking zone, then yeah, you're going to get hit--same thing happens in real life to everyday drivers. But if you race properly so do they...

    AI characteristics are centrally located based on series--it's easy to tweak them now...

    So far the same AI options, but they work more as you'd expect now. We're not done yet so there may be more options to come...

    AI track learning isn't really needed any more--it's still AIW based but is much more in depth--more to come on this later...

    Mod mode has an AIW editor, yes.

    I do NOT underestimate the need for strong AI as I love to just jump in the game, set up a race and go. I can honestly say that I enjoy racing against the AI now--they're at least as good now as a better than average online group :p

    Wind driven effects: This is planned--not sure it'll make the release though....
     
  19. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    excellent many thanks Scott! Appreciate the AI ramming you bit but even in rF1 they do that in the braking zone!! anyway good to know its fixed and better overall, I only stressed about its importance as there was an ISI quote sometime back relating to AI and it was'nt good reading for us AI fans....needless to say thats history now....cant wait for RF2!
     
  20. RMayfield

    RMayfield Registered

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    Hey guys, thank you very much for the new video, as well as the Q&A. I'm a member of a couple sportscar leagues that mimic the Le Mans Series and we have an endurance league that does races between 6 and 12 hours long.

    As with real-life modern Endurance racing, we have our own trials and tribulations throughout the course of a race, such as the 12 Hours of Sebring we ran 1 week prior to the real race last saturday.

    With 3 classes of cars and 11-15 cars in each class, we unfortunately see some problems arise every race. Problems such as a failed driver swap where the A.I. strangely takes over the car, forcing us to kick that car from the race, or even rFactor crashing to the desktop and exiting itself. Problems such as these have commonly been renamed as real life problems that rFactor doesn't simulate, such as a broken driveshaft, or transmission failure. While some things are of course not fixable, such as a blown engine, most things in Endurance racing are. I understand that you guys are working on being able to rejoin the server, and for that we greatly applaud ISI. On behalf of most of us that do endurance racing online, we'd love to have some questions answered, such as:

    Will brakes pads be something that we can replace during a race? This is probably the most common replacement in racing today that isnt featured in rF.

    To what general extent will we be able to fix a damaged car? Some suspension damages are not currently fixable in rF, whereas the Audi team completely replaced their right-rear suspension in around 15 minutes in the 2011 Sebring 12 Hours. Could we possibly have time penalties introduced to fix most damages? Better yet, give the mod makers complete control over how long it takes to fix certain damages, just like how we can set how long a tire change or refueling takes in rF1.

    I'm sure we will be able to come up with a few more ideas/questions for you guys very soon, and again I greatly appreciate your time to help us here on the forums. Thanks!
     
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