mclaren777
Member
ISI is structuring this open beta much like Notch did with MineCraft. Participation requires purchase of the full game ($43.99 US) and it includes 18 months of online multiplayer. The content in the beta is still roughly 6 months from final release so don't be surprised by any issues or imperfections you may find. Furthermore, you're highly encouraged to give feedback on the official ISI forums so the dev team can make meaningful changes throughout the beta period.
rFactor 2 is the successor to one of the most popular and prolific racing sims of all time. The heart of any good rFactor game is the physics engine and ISI has made some significant improvements for rFactor 2 (see below). This sim also promises to revolutionize the way community mods are handled, which should greatly enhance the multiplayer experience for everybody. rFactor 2 will surely have one of the most accurate driving models on the market so it's worth buying if you enjoy racing cars in a realistic environment.
rFactor 2 isn't terribly hardware-intensive so most gaming PCs should run it just fine.
You can download everything at the link below.
MINIMUM
CPU: 2.4GHz Core 2 or 2.4GHz Athlon x2
GPU: nVidia 8600 GT or ATI 3850
OS: XP, Vista, Windows 7
Memory: 2GB of RAM
Storage: 4GB
RECOMMENDED
CPU: 3.0GHz Core 2 Duo or 3.0GHz Athlon II x2
GPU: nVidia 250 GTS or ATI 4870
OS: Vista 64-bit or Windows 7 64-bit
Memory: 4GB of RAM
Storage: 4GB
rFactor 2 has many great improvements over the original game:
• Dynamic surface conditions with marble build-up
• New tire model with deformation and flatspotting
• Improved FFB using a separate thread for physics
• Support for 3D gaming if you have nVidia hardware
• Post-processing effects like HDR, SSAO, and bloom
• Advanced weather system with fogging and raindrops
• New content management system for mods and add-ons
The new tire model is one of the most important features of rFactor 2 because it interacts with the new weather and track surface models. Real racing drivers deal with constantly-changing conditions and they can easily find themselves arriving at a corner with more or less grip than they felt on the previous lap. The tire, track, and weather model should allow users to experience many of these changes for the first time. The tire is now considered to be a separate simulated body to the rim, and the contact patch has a huge increase in simulation processing, which allows for constantly changing levels of heat and wear all across the tire. Tires will hold a history of what you've done to them and all these factors will give a constantly changing experience in terms of grip, handling, and even pit strategy.
In addition to getting regular updates and new content as it becomes available, the open beta includes: Single Player, Multiplayer, Developer Mode, Development Tools, Rain plus Wet/Dry Transitions, Dynamic Track Elements (Groove/Marbles), New Tire Model, New Physics Model, New Collision Model, and HDR (with other Post FX to come). All of these systems are in various states of readiness and they will all get further refinement before the final release.
At launch, the beta includes five different cars and five tracks, including both historic and modern content.
Historic
• 1966 Brabham BT20
• Numerous Formula 2 cars
• Numerous Formula 3 cars
• Spa-Francorchamps '66
• Monte Carlo '66
• Monza '66
Modern
• FIA Formula Two
• Renault Clio Cup
• Nissan 370Z GT4
• Nissan GT-R GT1
• Formula Renault 3.5
• ISI Formula Masters
• Renault Megane Trophy
• Mills Metropark (3 of 6 layouts)
• Sepang International (2 of 3 layouts)
• Autódromo do Estoril (1 of 2 layouts)
• Palm Beach International Raceway
Tracks that will be released during the beta:
• Mountain Peak Speedway (oval with infield road course and 2 kart tracks)
• Quebec SuperKarting (3 layouts)
Scott Juliano said:Beyond that, we are at varying stages of licensing deals and will have a WIDE range of new racing series and tracks to go with. Plus, as you all have seen, we're keen to get point-to-point working with proper ladder-type scoring. We're still eager to expand dirt racing as well. All of this will help rF2 continue to grow and expand in many new directions long after release.
Between the time we release the beta and the final "Gold" release, we will be updating not only the series you'll soon see, but adding new series as they reach a more finished state. We have many close to this stage -- rF Trainers, Formula ISI, Clios, go-karts, as well as a few others. There will be a lot coming to keep you busy.
Though as a matter of general principal, no feature in the beta should be considered "finished" until we release the final "Gold" version. And even then we intend to continue refining systems and content. Also, you should expect features to change slightly from one beta build to the next, or even get temporarily turned off while new systems are in development. Likewise, some features may go away completely if general feedback tells us they aren't needed. It's all part of a typical beta process.
Youtube – Two laps of Spa-Francorchamps in 1966
Nobody knows for sure (not even the development team), but ISI did release the following vehicle render back in June 2011.
I will continue to update this post with more information as we get closer to the official launch.
If so, I can help you with that.