rFactor 2 Build 880 Released

Despite getting off to a relatively slow start, rFactor 2 has been shaping up quite nicely in 2014. They have been steadily releasing updates, and increasing the functionality of the title. Image Space Incorporated has now released build 880 for rFactor 2, marking some substantial changes for the sim, and a general movement in the right direction.

This latest update brings us some improvements and bug fixes, primarily with the graphics engine. Reflections and terrain shaders were a little out of whack in some previous rFactor 2 updates, but this new version fixes a majority of those issues. Some other notable updates are in the AI and how they are created for add-on tracks.

Another major addition in the new update is the rollout of the new tire contact patch model. The code has been put in place for the new tire model, and is also backwards compatible with older cars. The first car to take advantage of the full update will likely be the Chevrolet Corvette C6, which will be the second Third Party Affiliate car to be released. Next up, will be the Howston Stock Cars, which was delayed to coincide with the new contact patch model.

Build 880 for rFactor 2 also brings a new SDK and demo to the sim. The new demo features the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R and the Formula Renault 3.5 2014 at Silverstone. For a full list of other additions to the update, check out the changelog below.

DOWNLOAD RFACTOR 2 BUILD 880

Have you given the latest update for rFactor 2 a go? What are your thoughts?

RFACTOR 2 BUILD 880 CHANGELOG

GRAPHICS
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Fixed terrain shader specularity issue.
Fixed wet surface reflections.
Lightened up shadows by artificially boosting ambient light level.
Fix problem seeing steering wheel in rear look under certain conditions.
Some code to help with blurry rims.

HUD/ COMMENTARY:
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Re-recorded commentary with a MASSIVE volume boost (You might want to adjust your settings)

BUG FIXES / OPTIMIZATIONS:
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Fixed auto update bug for expired accounts
Fixed a very minor memory leak.
Several minor stability fixes.
Removed requirement for “_x64” to be added to 64-bit plugins. It’s no longer a problem because they are in a separate directory. However, it still might be useful to for humans to identify which is which.
Added a new default method for assigning pit/garage spots in multiplayer which keeps them more consistent over a weekend. This new default method can be disabled by changing the multiplayer.json value “Assign Parking” to false (at which point it will revert to using the traditional team-based pit/garage assignments).
Fixed issue where driver body sometimes appears while rear-looking.
Minor fixes to prevent crash when exiting from “rF2 already running” condition
Fixed random black box that appears when hitting ‘`’ key
Dealing with some uninitialized data in old TGMs that is now actually used.

AI:
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Smoothed out the corner widening associated with rcd parameter UnderSteerEffectOnLineThreshold trigger as well as with rear grip loss. Made the rate of “corner widening” relative either to the car’s lateral velocity or lateral position relative to current waypoint direction.
Pace cars now look for a path called “PACECAR” to drive, otherwise defaults to fastest path.
Fixed AI tire drag calculation
Slightly better AI bumpstop damping.
Fixed a bug in AI logic that could result in cars taking high speed corners a bit too fast and wide.

PHYSICS:
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New tire contact patch code added. It is backwards-compatible (i.e. existing tires should not change behavior, you would need to do more +ttool analysis in order for new functionality to take effect). There are some minor issues that still need to be ironed out.

FEATURES:
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Allow replays to run without the correct version of a scene or vehicle, but only after checking for the correct one first.
Lock in demo mod when using creating a new plr file with the +demo CLI parameter set.
Added a new default method for assigning pit/garage spots in multiplayer which keeps them more consistent over a weekend. This new default method can be disabled by changing the multiplayer.json value “Assign Parking” to false (at which point it will revert to using the traditional team-based pit/garage assignments).
Added additional options for the RFM variable ‘FinishUnderCaution’ to allow the finish to be delayed up to 3x. Previous options were off, 1x, or infinite.
Much behind the scenes work on plugin interface for future interface additions

MODDING / PUBLIC DEV:
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In the AIW editor, made the Ctrl-Shift(-Alt) keys easier to move the car when paused: 1) it now follows the terrain, and 2) rotating the car with the 4 and 6 numpad keys doesn’t simultaneously rotate the swingman camera.
Modmgr now automatically saves/loads separate profiles for each install.
Added log message and assert if there are no collidable triangles in SCN, which isn’t really handled.
fixes to new pit/garage assignment code
Made new pit/garage assignment work with driver changes (probably needs testing).
dev mode AIW editor fix for moving path on last waypoint of pit lane
TTool: in the Realtime section, removed the somewhat-useless ‘Width’ and added the somewhat-useful ‘Dynamic Unloaded Radius’.
Fixed a possible game freeze using the AIW editor “move & Match” waypoint by waypoint manipulation function.

UI
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Moved version numbers for vehicles tree list down to the individual cars instead of the class headers