Over the weekend the guys from Studio 397 attended a race at Circuit Park Zandvoort, which is also one of the tracks coming to rFactor 2! At S397’s home track, they had a couple simulators set up, for fans to test out a preview of the upcoming circuit. Also, Marcel Offermans did an impromptu Q&A session via Facebook, and we got some great information for rFactor 2 from it!

-Starting off, Marcel talks about Zandvoort, and how that came to be. Studio 397 has a close relationship with the track owners, and they worked together to develop the track. So far, according to the fans, the track is receiving high marks.

-S397 is finalizing the physics and the sounds for the Radical, and that is planned for a June release. The car may be featured in a “big competition” soon, to try to promote community paints for the car. Marcel has stated the car is “Just as fun, if not more so, than the USF2000 race car”.

-With the DX11 update, they are also looking to update their older cars to the modern standard as well. That is including updating older cars to the CPM tire model, which is “rFactor 2’s most advanced tire model available”.

-Marcel also went a little in depth on the CPM tire model. The tire model runs at 2400Hz, which allows the tires to accurately deform and fluctuate dynamically in real time. Studio 397 has also worked with tire manufacturers to ensure accurate parameters for the tires.

-Improvements are being planned for different elements in the physics, including Drivetrain simulation, hybrid systems, and more. Marcel is hoping to properly simulate gearbox damage if you miss shifts or try shifting without the clutch.

-The rFactor 2 DirectX 11 Beta is being seen as “Performing well on most systems, but there are still minor issues that need to be worked out.” The studio is pleased with the results, and is working with the community to smooth out further issues. The Stable DX11 release is still going to be “a few weeks out” from being totally stabilized.

-More tracks are being planned for release/announcement in 2017. Studio 397 is “Talking to a lot of different people” about tracks, but it’s “Too early” to announce new tracks as of yet. They are looking at the possibility of the Nurburgring as well.

There will also be the possibility for tracks to be laser scanned as well in rF2, and it sounds like some of the already-available content for rFactor 2 could use some scan data!

-The new GUI for rFactor 2 should make it a lot easier to host and join online events. The sim should also be better optimized for use with the Steam Workshop, so third party content will be more accessible, including on online events, to prevent mismatches.

-After the new GUI is released for rFactor 2, the next step will be to improve the online experience for rFactor 2. Studio 397 is looking to add in the competition ranking system, including a Driver Rating System, which should help improve competition in the sim. The Driver Rating System will also NOT be a closed system, so it will be encouraged for use in leagues and online championships.

This is some pretty exciting information from the guys in Studio 397! If they can pull off all they’re claiming, this could really breath new life into rFactor 2. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know!