rFactor 2’s Q1 2023 update out now – adds BTCC car, Long Beach and UI tweaks

Studio 397’s rFactor 2 continues to evolve in 2023, with a host of new quality-of-life and content updates keeping the 2013 sim relevant ten years on. 

Content-wise, there’s less in the Q1 2023 Content Drop than we’ve come to expect in recent times, but with the ability to race against content you don’t own and the new package management system, sim racers will save both time and money going forward.

Honda Civic Type R BTCC 

The Team Dynamics-built Honda Civic Type R has been a front-runner in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) since its inception in 2018, with Dan Cammish coming close to winning the title in 2019. 

The FK8 Type-R joins the other front-wheel-drive BTCC cars already in-game, including the Hyundai i30 N, Ford Focus ST, Toyota Corolla GR Sport and Vauxhall Astra. Alongside two rear-wheel-drive cars – the Infiniti Q50 and BMW 330i M Sport – the 2021/22 BTCC grid is now complete, barring the Team HARD CUPRA Leons. 

The Honda Civic Type R BTCC is available to purchase now from rFactor 2’s Steam Store for £4.44. 

BTCC Hybrid Boost 

Another BTCC-related update is the implementation of the championship’s new-for-2022 hybrid ruleset. This allows 15s of driver-controlled hybrid boost from an onboard electric motor.

The hybrid rules were designed to replace the cumbersome success ballast system, as well as promote more overtaking and strategic defending. 

All 2022 BTCC vehicles can now use boost, with special hybrid HUD elements also added to their cockpit instrumentation displays. 

Photo Mode and Cinematics update 

rFactor 2’s impressively powerful photo mode now has a bespoke UI which is now much simpler to navigate thanks to the Q1 2023 update. Replay cameras have also been overhauled, making them much more broadcast friendly than before. 

Virtual race TV directors can now pause broadcast cameras mid-pan or hold the same camera for as long as they require, allowing the same car to be tracked over a whole lap, something which is entirely possible at small venues such as Brands Hatch Indy.

Long Beach Grand Prix Street Circuit 

IndyCar and IMSA racing venue Long Beach is a street circuit located in California, and home to one of the tighter and trickier venues frequented by sportscars and the Dallara IR-18. 

Thanks to its laser-scanned layout, the rFactor 2 version of Long Beach is set to be right up there alongside iRacing’s, with the 1.96-mile venue’s famous fountain replicated beautifully in-game. And nothing says racetrack quite like a shrub-lined roundabout… 

Long Beach Grand Prix Street Circuit is available to purchase now from rFactor 2’s Steam Store for £7.99. 

GT3 updates 

As we previously reported two weeks ago, rFactor 2’s GT3 cars have received a huge physics and Balance of Performance (BoP) update, transforming the way the cars behave and sound. 

Although progress has been made, we weren’t blown away by the revisions but it’s an encouraging step forward nonetheless. 

Racing Against Unowned Content and new Package Management features 

To top off the Q1 2023 update, two much-requested features have been implemented in rFactor 2; the ability to race against unowned content and revisions to the often frustrating package management system. 

The new system allows players to forgo the tortuous process of waiting for rFactor 2 packages to update before being allowed to enter the game’s home screen. In its stead, Studio 397 has granted players the ability to check on the update status of each mod or whether it’s owned or not. 

If players wish to purchase any of the unowned content, they can be directed to a rFactor 2 store link to make the purchase. Handy. 

Have you sampled rFactor 2’s Q1 2023 update yet? How does it rank compared to previous content drops? Let us know in the comments below. 

rFactor 2 Q1 2023 update changelog 

General 

•  Track Limits: reduced sensitivity to switching paths, such as near the pit lane entrance, and reduced strict penalty points for an invalid pit lane to main path change from Drive Through to 1 point. 
•  Vehicle option for brake repair in a pitstop 
• Added “+VR” command line option to launch the game using VR. Added new steam option when starting game. 
• Added “Steam Matchmaking Broadcast” option to Multiplayer.json. This will allow the server to be hidden from matchmaking. Current matchmaking status will be shown on the Dedicated Server UI. 
• Reworked controller and keyboard controls to default to a new, improved steering sensitivity filter that simulates vehicle forces 
• Replaced inaccessible steering rate configuration with steering aggression slider to control how aggressively the new controller filter allows turn-in 
• Reworked steering configuration page to replace wheel-only settings with non-wheel relevant settings when a non-wheel device is in use 
• Reintroduced adjustable steering rates 
• Added selection for gamepad steering filters 
• Made both steering filters adjustable independently 
• Added snappiness slider to steering rates configuration – 0% is original behaviour, higher % is more snappy without having to increase steering rates 
• Made new steering sensitivity filter more direct 
• Server keys are now machine independent and can be shared between any machines 

Track Limits 

• Scale certain factors of scoring down when we go less than a third of the track width off track. 
• Fixed a rare possibility of cuts not being scored. 
• Added extra data to logging & ModDev Debug mode 

Cinematics 

• Added soft blend when changing selected vehicle 
• Added ability to hold current camera 
• Added ability to pause car tracking. Pressing the SHIFT key whilst this is enabled will reset tracking to the closest point the tracking is paused at. 
• Added camera group tracking for cars traveling close together, by default in race sessions only. 
• Allow the previous laps S/F line camera to remain valid when using cycle method. This allows for different cameras over the start finish line. 
• Reduced strength of shake effect on cameras with this enabled. 
• Allowed zooming in / out / reset on TV Cameras with out any extra modes being enabled. Optionally allowed this to persist after changing cameras. 
• Added acceleration and deceleration to Freelook for smoother movement. 
• Added the ability to load custom cameras from Userdata\Cameras 
• Added auto calculation of spectator camera directions to the nearest waypoint to the first activation location. 

Photo Mode 

• Split out from Freelook camera adjustments (aperture, exposure, focus) options to a separate Photo Mode. 
• Photo Mode allows configuration of visual settings, in addition to the usual Freelook options. However is not available when driving. 
• UI accessible from replay screen, with full configuration options and key hints. 
• Renamed all controls to FreeMove/FreeLook/FreeLens as these are not accessible in the full Photo Mode. 

Physics 

• New electric motor implementation (used for btcc cars) including 
• Electric Motor map 
• Added to onboard controls (not in gui yet) 
• Regeneration map 
• Added to onboard controls (not in gui yet) 
• Push to Pass map 
• Added to onboard controls (not in gui yet) 
• Plugin API updated to include physics output (also see plugin example): 

• Battery charge 
• torque 
• rpm 
• motor temperature 
• water temperature (if applicable) 
• motor state (inactive, propulsion, regenerate) 

• Updated p2p system with new options to accommodate btcc: 

• time limit per lap 
• minimum gear activation requirement 
• minimum time between activations 
• turn off when crossing start/finish 

• Fixed bug where SteeringInnerTable wasn’t always properly applied 
• Fixed bug with reading brake maps from hdv/engine files. It now reads definitions with less than 11 entries again. 
• Fixed visual steering lock mismatch at low speeds when using non-standard steering lock in the vehicle setup 
• Fixed temporary boost not taking into account session boost limit 

Graphics 

• Improved visual progression of wet road with a more linear progression. 
• Added new IBL Water Shader which uses SSR for more accurate reflections. 
• Added motion blur. 
• Fixed various stutters with cloud movement in replays and online 
• Live TV Screens: Added option to disable, Fixed aspect ratio when running non 16:9 resolutions, Improved shader visually. 
• Forced use of high power GPU on devices with multiple GPUs (i.e. Laptops). 
• Tweaked PostFX profiles for more realistic depth of field on broadcast cameras 

AI 

• Improved management of Driver fuel calculations, making sure that we only update when a fully valid lap has been completed. 
• Fixed error in default calculations which would mean with fuel scalars, AI would not add extra fuel to tank 
• Improved logic for cars leaving pits in practice and qualifying sessions. Encouraging AI to use up all laps, and making sure they attempt to set a lap time in short sessions. 
• Fix for AI being prevented from passing when pitting in on a race lap 
• Fix for AI running into the back of other vehicles 

HUD 

• Cockpit Display now shows Brake Bias correctly as the bias to the front in whole percent. 

UI 

• Fixed being able to set race laps to below 2 in single player session settings. 
• Fixed the singleplayer quick event page layout being broken sometimes on page load. 
• Added new “Cinematic cameras” tab in Settings → Assign controls 
• This tab holds new cinematic settings along with previously existing assignable controls 
• Renamed “Cameras & seat” tab to “Driving cameras & seat” and re-organized the assignable controls 
• Made the hitbox for checkboxes in the content screen table slightly bigger 
• Fixed the ‘Default’ FOV setting showing as ‘9’ instead of ‘Default’ 
• Corrected various camera control help tips 

Package Management 

• New system to allow store items to be unsubscribed / resub scribed through the UI 
• Packages can be download in the background without blocking the UI 
• Packages in the content management are grouped by workshop or store item 
• The install UI can be minimized when downloading content 
• Package states now show as orange when an operation is in progress 
• Content you don’t own can now be installed from the content management page 
• On the cars and tracks lists, greyed out cars and tracks that you do not own and added a button to access the store page for that item 
• You can spectate on any race even if you don’t own anything assuming the content is installed 
• You can only race in cars that you own on tracks that you own 
• When joining a server cars you do not own will be grayed out 
• When passenger swapping you can only ride as a passenger in vehicles you own you should only be able to select those vehicles you own 
• Added information about required content to join the server on the join error page 
• Greyed out entries with cars you do not own in the spectate popup 
• Disabled “Resume” replay button for entries with car you do not own 

Modding 

• Added PBR Debug Tool for Mod Dev and Scene Viewer. This allows artists to debug the component outputs of the PBR pipeline. 
• Added IBL Water Shader which uses SSR for reflections 
• Fixed occasional glitchy car tracking in camera editor 
• Updated ModDev to load RCD files from Vehicle folders 
• AI Editor Improvements: 
• Allow the removal of multiple paths in one go 
• More consistent AIW path adjustments 
• Fixed editing of pit paths wp positions 
• Fixed updating of path positions when editing waypoint positions 
• Added fuel to various ModDev debug screens (Driver and Vehicle screens) 
• Added new cockpit elements: 

• BoostMotorTempDigit 
• BatteryLevelDigit 
• P2PActivationsThisLap 
• P2PActiveTimeThisLap 
• P2PACTIVE_LED 
• P2PAVAILABLE_LED 

• Improved ttool perfomance significantly. It’s now more than twice as fast. The checksum will differ, but results are the virtually the same. 

Known issues 

• Cancel updates button is unresponsive 
• Driver labels are sometimes out of position on screen or sort incorrectly with certain transparent objects 
• Motion blur is disabled for cockpit cameras 
• Booting in offline mode can cause premium content to display as pending uninstall in the content management screen, returning to online mode restores the correct display 
• It is not possible to take a pit stop when pitlanes without a boundary do not have a clear break in the cut corridors between the pitlane and the main track. 

Vehicles 

All GT3 v3.55 

• New default setup 
• Now in GT3 folder in UI 
• BOP Updates 

Dallara IR-18 v1.71 

• Slightly increased damping on suspension components for stability purposes 
• More differences between primary and alternate tires at road and street courses 
• Adjust grip on road course tires to improve overall balance 
• Added slightly more grip to short oval tires 
• Tweaked cooling properties on oval tires 
• Made display lit at night 
• Added P2P active LEDS to steering wheel 
• Fixed bump stop travels 
• Adjusted default oval setups 
• Corrected Indy 500 race boost 
• Corrected gear ratios for other ovals 
• Slight tweak to Short Track setups 
• Added AI specific setup for Gateway 
• Short track tyres run slightly cooler 
• Limited amount of wing that can be used on short ovals 

Stock Car 2018 v2.31 

• Rear Windows Offset adjusted so they don’t disappear in cockpit view 
• 8500 cockpit sound fix to prevent cutting out on long straights 
• Added new drivers to RCD 
• Added tires for North Wilkesboro Speedway 

Stock Car 2018x v1.19 

• Updated 3D models 
• Updated liveries 
• Updated brake torque and aero package 
• Updated all default setups 
• Updated all tires 
• Adjusted horse power at rear wheels 
• Added new sounds for new sound engine 
• Added wiper for wet road course races 
• Added RCD talent file 
• Added new shaders to all objects 
• Improved AI 

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) v1.05 

• Made AI faster 
• Made rims brighter at night 
• Slightly improved brake light glow 
• Added steering wheel to showroom 
• Fixed interior shadowcaster in showroom 
• Optimized textures 
• New gravel sounds 
• Fixed tire normal maps 

BMW 330 BTCC v1.19 

• Added hybrid system to 2022 car 
• Added hybrid HUD for 2022 car 
• Small update on the exterior sounds, adding some more volume 
• Updated AO maps 
• Updated metal material 

Ford Focus BTCC v1.33 

• Added hybrid system to 2022 car 
• Added hybrid HUD for 2022 car 
• Updated AO maps 
• Updated metal material 

Hyundai i30 BTCC v1.37 

• Added hybrid system to 2022 car 
• Added hybrid HUD for 2022 car 
• Updated AO maps 
• Updated metal material 

Infiniti Q50 v1.39 

• Added hybrid system to 2022 car 
• Added hybrid HUD for 2022 car 
• Updated AO maps 
• Updated metal material 

Toyota Corolla BTCC V1.49 

• Added hybrid system to 2022 car 
• Added hybrid HUD for 2022 car 
• Updated AO maps 
• Updated metal material 

Vauxhall Astra BTCC 1.03 

• Added hybrid system to 2022 car 
• Added hybrid HUD for 2022 car 
• Updated AO maps 
• Updated metal material 

Vanwall Vandervelle v1.17 

• Optimized shadow mesh 
• Updated car name in menu 
• New team name for 2023 liveries 
• Two additional settings for gearbox 
• Separated radiators and brake coolers 
• Updated logos texture near rear wheels 
• New AO map for car body 
• WEC and team sponsors for all liveries 

Track Updates 

Circuit d’Azure v1.23 

• Added SSR Water Shader 
• Updated Wet Weather Road Materials 

Zandvoort v2.62 

• SSR Water Shader Update 
• Updated advertisements 
• Minor LOD Optimization 

Portland v1.10 

• Track Limits review including fix for issues on last turn. 
• Fixed minor terrain gap 
• Fixed minor sound error 
• Fixed AI Clipping pit box when exiting rear paddock 
• SSR Water Shader Update 
• Minor LOD Optimization 

World Wide Technology Raceway v1.11 

• Minor AIW fixes 
• Fixed pit out markers placement 

Daytona v1.21 

• Reviewed Track Limits on Oval & RC 
• SSR Water Shader Update 
• Updated background mapper for water reflections 
• Fixed collision issues 

Thruxton v1.07 

• Fixed overly spectator material resolution 
• Fixed an issue with a broadcast camera clip plane 
• Minor foliage fixes 
• Minor No Rain Zone Fix 

Indianapolis v1.23 

• Fixed Safety Car Speeds 

Monte Carlo 66 v2.12 

• Reviewed track limits 
• SSR Water Shader update 
• Minor tweaks to specular/ambient mapper configuration 
• Fixed various SCN/Visgroup warnings 

Electric Docks v2.35 

• Fixed pit entry track limits issue which would make it cause problems with pit stops. 

Source: Studio 397

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