Running a Racing in the new RFactor2 Build 930

I must admit I hadn't picked up RFactor2 since the release of the Honda NSX. I always loved the physics of the game, but had issues with the graphics not looking all that to me. Plus somehow I gained a issue where my screen wouldn't go full screen anymore and didn't feel like re-installing RFactor2 just to play what was becoming a buggy sim for me. So I picked up other Sim games to play.

Well Build 930 changed that for me. It peaked my interest with its host of new features like new UI menu, tire models and a ton of bug fixes. Somehow the graphics look even better to me as well especially the rain. Maybe I finally got my graphics settings down. The new menu system is refreshing and has allot easier navigation. Especially love they ditched of the rotary style when selecting cars. Drove me insane! (No pun intended) I also like the bigger replay window when you back out to the menu while in game play.

I noticed the cars seem so much more stable to handle that I could easily identify what was going on with the car. Really makes drifting the Corvette ZR1 a blast! I also love the wheel lock up feeling under heavy breaking that I get thru my Fanatec CSW. That's nothing totally new, but I forgot how good the Physics where and they feel even better now with the new tire model.

There is loads of new features in build 930 that will keep me busy for awhile relearning the cars limits. Check out some game play below showing off the rain and notice how nicely the track drys out on the race line and puddles on the curbing. BTW get off the dryer race line and you notice quickly. ;)

THE CREW - Speed Live Update - Trailer DLC #2 [UK]

The Crew got some new wheels! Check it out

New Cars, Tuning Specs, PvP mode, Missions and stickers are now available!

Rfactor 2 Massively Updated! Build 930 is Released

If it's been awhile since you played RFactor 2 then you might want to give it a look again. ISI just released there Build 930 making it the 30th update with a host of major improvements including a new UI Menu system (see pics) and improved tire model

Rfactor2 Build 930

Check out the channel log.

Release notes (changes from Build 910):

FEATURES:
————-
– Added ability to have HDV variable SemiAutomatic be set to 2 (upshifts only) or 3 (downshift only), which is in addition to the pre-existing choices 0 (off) or 1 (upshifts & downshifts).
– Added text values gizmos for wins, starts, average finish, and accumulated points for RFM. Added ability to customize font colors for multiplayer game list. Added ability for gizmos to pass clicks on to gizmos behind them. (only applies to APP_TEXTVALUE_RUNPRACTICE, RUNQUALIFYING, & RUNRACE.
– Added new option to select stretch UI width.
– Implemented “Change Password” button and added option to login dialog.
– Enabled virtual vehicle selection (and propagation) in multiplayer.

BUG FIXES / OPTIMIZATIONS:
————-
– Fix issue where clouds sometimes don’t show up in replays.
– Fixed a crash that could happen if the start light sequence on a track layout was particularly short.
– Fix broken multihead.
– Fixed issue where car class was reported incorrectly.
– Fixed Launcher crash when exiting Mod Manager.
– Added auto-focus to login dialog input.
– Fixed bug where checkbox settings in Launcher would show incorrect state on startup.
– Attempt to prevent physics thread lock up in cases where skin transfers get put into a bad state.
– Instead of relying on the background color to match the skin download state gizmo inactive state color, now hiding the gizmo in that case.
– Fixed multiplayer sort game list by series.
– Fixed bug where 1st line of credits is potentially a random font
– Fixed multiplayer game list gizmo text colors.
– Fixed gear graph in instances where there is a top/bottom letterbox effect on the options.
– Fixed monitor window FOV issues
– Code added to prevent infinite loops when an AIW has more grid positions than main path waypoints.
– Fixed issue where finish statuses were transmitted but immediately overwritten upon joining a race. This fixes the situation where a driver Esc’d out and therefore got a DNF, but then left and rejoined the server whereupon it was noticed that the DNF was cleared.
– Fixed possible crash that happens upon downloading and then installing components to join a multiplayer game.
– Fix for aspect ratio problems in monitor

GRAPHICS
————-
– Fade clouds in and out rather than popping.
– Fixed monitor window FOV issues

MODDING / PUBLIC DEV:
————-
– No longer shipping Max plugins for Max 8, 9, and 2009, support ends.
– Updated versions of Max plugins for Max 2010, 2011, and 2012 with standard mat converter.
– Toggling AI control will now also toggle player driven AI physics if “shift” is also pressed with AI control toggle key
– Updated MAS2 utility with potential fix for missing layouts/teams when creating virtual mods
– Updating SDK with latest content and same UI as the main game.

TIRES:
————
– Minor update to CPM invalidates previously-generated CPM data.
– Gas cavity volume is now affected by load (which essentially means air pressure/temperature change slightly when the tire load changes).
– Mass imbalance from flatspotting is now correctly modeled.
– Subsampling in brush model creates smoother response (this may slightly change the feeling and performance of tires, but note that it should be more accurate now).
– Added some control for tires in the wet (cooling, EARLY version of aquaplaning). Uses WetConductance=(,,,) … Dampness is non-standing water. Wetness is standing water. As the track gets wet, dampness goes from 0.0-1.0 and then wetness goes from 0.0-1.0.

UI / HUD / OPTIONS:
————-
– New UI with resolution 1920X1080.
– Removing hard-coded HUD elements shading and alpha.
– Added gizmo slider on realtime settings/display page to set engine vibration effect on cockpit.
– Download mode textbox gizmo now only displays name of mod file, not full path.

PLUGINS:
————
– Instead of on-path wetness and off-path wetness (neither of which were properly computed anyway), we now report minimum and maximum water depth along the main path to the plugin scoring interface.

Notes:
– If you had HDR legacy enabled, you will get a misalignment in UI after auto updating. You can fix this with a .json file edit to set.
– You need multiview enabled if using multiple / triple screens.

Rides New Gameplay Video at Sportslang Sugo

This has got to be the best gameplay video I've seen so far from Ride. It shows of the Yamaha R6 and handling physics along with the great looking track rendering. Hurry up March 20th!
Coming out on all platforms.

Game Stock Car Extreme Karts 125cc Beast Gameplay

You want a challenge? Try racing these bad a$$ 125cc shifter karts! Depending on the track you will reach speeds of 75+ and up to triple digits. O-O

Its's a lot of fun and I suggest trying out a Championship with them. What a hoot!

 

GSCE Received Updates. Now at v1.252

Check out the Channel log of the updates to Game Stock Car Extreme.

Update v1.252 added
14. HELMIKUU - REIZA STUDIOS
Changelog:

*Further optimization for F-Vee, F-V12, F-Retro (hopefully addressing stuttering issues);
*Optimization to offline dust effects;
*Increased resistance of gravel traps;
*Tuned F-Extreme rear wing aero performance;
*Minor Metalmoro MR18 physics adjustments;
*Fixed Metalmoro MR18 parc ferme rules being mistakenly enabled;
*Corrected kart rental crash with vehicle detail under high setting.

Minor Update v1.251
12. HELMIKUU - ALEX_SAWCZUK
Small update (v1.251) going in now for both Steam & GSC Sync, with some small updates / fixes:

* Fixed pit entry / exit at Johannesburg Historic where the AI could have some difficulties;
* Adjusted idle speed & low range torque on the Metalmoro MR18 engine so it doesn´t stall as easily;
* Minor tyre update to Metalmoro MR18;
* Updated crowd, starting lights sound effects.

Game Stock Car Extreme Review

GSCE is so vast you need to take off work a couple weeks to have fun playing it all and taking it in! The main issue I’m having now is trying to wipe the smile off my face from playing it. Really it’s been awhile since I played a sim game from day one release that I spent more time smiling and mumbling (Oh Cool!)

Ok let’s get started. I spent a many hours playing GSCE looking around and testing all the cars/karts and various tracks. First things first though. I got my Fanatec Clubsport wheel setup, Track IR head tracking going and adjusted my Sim Xperence Sim Vibe software a little to get a base setup going for my rSeat Evo rig. You guys really need Sim Vibe and some transducers to really make this game come alive.

Cars & Karts

GSC brings you 11 different cars with their own individual engine sounds and physics to keep the immersion up. If you like Formula Cars then you will absolutely love this sim as their is a huge variety of Formula cars in 7 different varieties...

• Formula Reiza
• Formula Extreme
• Formula V12
• Formula Classic
• Copersucar Fittipaldi FD04
• Formula 3 F309
• Formula Vee
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Then you have a line up of race vechicals from...

• Camaro
• Karts
• Mini Coopers
• Opala Stock Cars
• JL-G09 
• MR18

Tracks

Do you like a variety of tracks? Well look no further. GSC has a huge selection of tracks (20 locations to be exact) all the major race tracks in Brazil and includes 2 karting tracks and Interlagos in it's full configuration. I would like to see some updates to this menu system like adding photo's of the tracks along with the layout that is given. Being these are Brazilian tracks not everybody will be familiar with what's what and a actual track picture gives you an idea of the elevations in the track.

•  Interlagos
•  Velopsark
• Santa Cruz
• Salvador
• Interlagos Historica 1976 / 1980
• Jacarepagua
• Granja Viama (Kart Tracks)
• Londrina
• Casavel
• Brasilla
• Goiania
• Caruaru
• Taruma
• Guapore
• Interlagos ( Kart Tracks)
• Curitiba
• Ribeirao Preto
• Campo Granda
• Cordoba
• Buenos Aires

What's this Sim Racer About?

Straight from Game Stock Car 2013

Features

- Simulates the 2013 season of Stock Car
- Includes additional categories: Opal Stock Cars, Mini Challenge,
Camaro, Reiza Formula, Formula 3, Formula Classic Formula Retro,
Copersucar-Fittipaldi, Karts 125cc direct and shifter

Total immersion

The GSC2013 unites the very best in graphics, audio and gameplay, ensuring a fully immersive experience.

Technical sophistication

The player can hit your car adjusting wings, tires, transmission, suspension and brakes in order to achieve better performance, following the same principles of reality.

Run online and offline

Combining highly competitive artificial intelligence with an active online community, GSC2013 is impressive and fierce handles at any time.

Maximum realism

Developed with the support of teams and drivers and verified by telemetry data, the GSC2013 is more than a game - it is a simulation tool for professional drivers.

Customizable

The GSC2013 offers several difficulty levels and steering aids, allowing the novice player acclimatize with the challenge of driving a race car.

On with the Review!

Needs Improvement

Lets get the bad out the way first. I need more cars! Reiza you offer such fantastic game play and value I simple want more cars to race with. You spent allot of time on expanding Formula race cars so lets have some DLC with some new cars. Think Corvette C7, Mustang, Nismo's  GTR etc..

Another concern is the menu system. It defiantly looks dated and could use a refresh along with some new graphics to make it pop with actual track pics not just track layouts. Also could use bigger images of the cars that are currently scrolling around at the bottom left of your screen once you are into the car selection section. Would like to see the cool cars more of a emphases in the menu.

Force Feedback (FFB) Although GSC simulates beautifully what's going on I would defiantly like to have increased strength thru my wheel. Maybe turn everything up by 10 or at least make it an option.

Replay System needs addressing. I would like to be able to select all my replays and click delete instead on picking them one at a time. Note for those reading.  A work around is to go to your directory your steam is installed on and delete them from there. See my example link for reference (C:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Stock Car Extreme\ReplayFridge\REPLAYS)

I admit these are minor complaints, but with improvements would add to the overall experience.

Setup

Super easy as it’s with Steam. I will note that my Anti-Virus did keep the game from loading up so I had to turn it off. Oddly though I didn’t have any issues with Reiza Formula Truck 2013. Setting up the wheel and pedals are straight forward. It even has a selection to define your wheel rotation which does save to your profile, so no need to dive into the Config file thru explorer to set your rotation like you do in Reiza Formula Truck 2013. Note that you can turn up the FF setting to 4 (Full) within the explorer config file which seemed to help some. If you are running a 900° wheel I suggest setting you’re in game wheel to 30% in Configuration 1 before going out on track.

Graphics

If you’re running a newer machine with a decent video card say ATI Radeon R9-290X or comparable you can crank everything to the max without any frame rate issues or screen tearing. The game doesn’t seem GPU demanding at all. The graphics do look good, but don’t expect Assetto Corsa or Project Cars in car details and lighting effects.

Speaking of lighting you can change the time of day which adds some very nice experiences with night driving. I love setting the time of a race around 7:00 game time when the sun is going down then finishing the race under the lights at 9:30 game time. It appears 1hr game time is equal to around 5 min real time.

Framerates

Lets talk Framerates. Wow does this haul the mail! The framerates I receive in the game or outstanding! If I go into my AMD Video Card setting and up it to 8x Supersampling I will get 60+ FPS while getting max resolution, but lower it down to just 4X Supersampling I get 100+ FPS with no apparent hit in graphics validity. Correction... keep in mind the more cars your racing on track will slow FPS down. When I ran a full race where the track was tight and we all bunched up with night racing and headlights on I did drop to 35 fps, but then went back up to 60-100 after the cars spread out some. You can eliminate this with just loading up the default settings the game comes with which still looks pretty dang good.

So with such high frame rates GSCE keeps your concentration on racing instead of screen tears for frame rate studder. This makes for a fantastic experience that really keeps you immersed into the racing.

Physics & Force Feed Back (FFB)

GSCE is pretty much on par with their Physics. Think Rfactor, but with less FFB thru the wheel. I'm not normally a good drifter in sims, but I can Drift a Mini Cooper quite a ways thru turns with ease and control! It's such a rewarding feeling to have the car step out and then control it easily during a race. Sure it slows you down, but WOW is it fun!

Get into a Formula car and maneuver it thru the pits and you feel heavy steering from the start and then when applying some throttle the wheel gets light. When your out on track and carving up a curve you will feel heaving steering thru your wheel (a push back feel) up into the point your tires loose traction which then you will feel the slip. This feedback really helps to keep the car on the track and learn the limits of the vehicle.

Take the Camaro for a spin and immediately feel the heft of the car thru your wheel. The car feels like a tank compared to jumping from a Formula race car as it should. The sim is really good at replicating the different feeling of vehicles while managing to give you enough feedback to control them at high speeds.

Game Play

On to the good stuff. This sim racer isn't new to the market, but is new to Steam which should bring this exciting sim to the eyes of many more customers. If your looking for a game that you manly want to play offline then GSC has to be so far the ABSOLUTE BEST at in game racing I have played. The AI doesn't try to constantly crash you like others. It fact I found them trying to avoid me. One instance I pitched the car side ways down the track then I see cars behind me scrambling to get around me and not run into me. That is great stuff! Now it's not perfect. I will have the occasional turn in on me scenario from time to time. I have had AI crash into me when I messed up, but that's mainly due to them not having enough time to get around me. Remember you are usually traveling 100+ MPH allot of the time and physics will not allow others to move around you on a dime. As far as online goes.. well your mileage will vary. 

What I find really exciting is the clock settings of your races. Start a race late evening and find yourself finishing at night and turning on the headlights if your car has them. So you might find some tracks are not very lite up at night making it hard to race Formula cars on some tracks. You want to simulate a 24 hour race? No Problem! 

It takes allot to make a successful simulation racing game. When you combine all the factors involved, The Physics, Beautiful Graphics, Smart AI, FFB, Extremely High Framerates, Track Section, Car sounds, Formula cars, Karts, Stock Cars and sprinkle in a couple normal track cars like the Mini Cooper and Camaro you get a sim racing game that is hard to put down and brings you back over and over. You will spends hours trying to master each car getting a custom setup for each track or just running as it comes. It want matter because out of the box you don't have to really fool with the car setup to be fast. There is enough car feedback to teach you how to go fast around the track, plus you can just adjust the AI to match your own abilities. 

Conclusion

I'm constantly blown away on the value you get for your dollar with PC Racing compared to Console Racing and Reiza Game Stock Car Extreme is no different. Get the game if you don't already have it. Reiza has done a fantastic job on this sim racer that will bring me coming back to play and making videos over and over. Game Stock Car Extreme has Great Value and Real Lasting Appeal!

Hope you enjoyed the review. Leave me some comments if you have any and check out some in game footage below and well as my over the shoulder cam!

Thanks!

Get it on Steam now for $29.99 Yes that's it!

Drifting is Fun!

Lets Race the MR18 from Dusk to Night

The Most Powerful Blade Ever - The new Razer Blade 2015 Model

Oh Yummy. Check out the new Razor Blade 2015 model. It's out now and is better then ever. 

Check out the detail on their site. Razor Blade

RaceRoom New Improvements Coming Our Way! Very Exciting Stuff

RaceRoom Transmission Model WIP

If you missed the stream RaceRooms introduced a new transmission model they have been working on. RaceRoom is already know for there fantastic car sounds, but always striving for perfection they are improving on the existing model. The new transmission models definatly sound more tru to life with the transmission variable whines it creates along with the fluctuating engine sounds. I can't wait to strap on my headphones and actually play with the new sounds in game during a race.

Check out the Twitch stream on youtube below. You will learn about even more improvements that are coming our way like dedicated servers, Sonoma Raceway and my favorite customizing your own championship race!

RaceRoom Custom Championship How To WIP

RaceRoom Dedicated Server WIP

RaceRoom Sonoma RaceWay Intro with Tom Coronel

RaceRoom Dev Stream

 

RaceRoom Hillclimb Pack update!

Check out the newly released vid from RaceRoom on the Hillclimb pack showing off the improved engine sounds. If these great sounds don't get you excited then your not a car fan.