RFactor
Encyclopedia
rFactor is a computer
racing simulator, designed with the ability to run any type of four-wheeled vehicle from street cars to open wheel
cars of any era. rFactor aimed to be the most accurate race simulator of its time. Released in November 2005, rFactor did not have much competition in this market; however it featured many technical advances in tire modeling, complex aerodynamics and a 15 degrees of freedom
physics engine
.
rFactor was developed by Image Space Incorporated
(ISI), which has been developing simulators since the early 1990s for both commercial and military purposes. The gMotor-engine2 on which the game is based is a direct successor to the engine used in previous titles developed by ISI, most notably F1 Challenge '99-'02, released through EA Sports
. The gMotor2 engine was also used in many Simbin
games, including GT Legends
, the GTR series and the Race series
. A modified version of this engine was utilized by The Sim Factory for ARCA Sim Racing
. A special version of rFactor was available for business application, for example for event simulators or promotion.
rFactor has a detailed interface during offline race sessions or online games, allowing players to control the mechanical setup
of their cars, chat to other players, and enter the racing arena in their vehicle. The player's car can be driven from multiple viewpoints, but the two most popular are termed the cockpit view (from the driver's eye) and swingman view (above and behind the vehicle).
The vehicle is best controlled using a computer steering wheel
, although a joystick
or even keyboard can be used. The keyboard
is also used for some actions, like requesting pit service and adjusting brake bias. This is analogous to buttons on modern racing car steering wheels, and most computer wheels have buttons that can be mapped to keystrokes. The player can jump directly from the racetrack to the control interface by pressing the escape key (ESC), or entering their pit box.
, including 50 HP
training vehicles, F3
-like cars and F1
-like cars (called FormulaIS). The sedan cars range from compact but sporty to BMW
-like vehicles and US Muscle car
s; they also include stock cars
(USAR-like).
ISI announced (in 10 May 2006) a deal with Intel to add the BMW Sauber
Formula One
car to the game. The vehicle was demonstrated at the 2006 European Grand Prix
. The deal was to be specifically to promote the upcoming Intel Core 2
processor. http://www.rfactor.net/index.php?page=news_06-05bmwsauber. The BMW Sauber was added in 2006. The respective cars of 2007 and 2008 were released as official add-on.
Developer ISI did not seek to license any series at all, so included only fictitious circuits and vehicles. rFactor was released with just five facilities, comprising approximately 10 layouts, including some which were simply reverse races. The facilities were Orchard Lake (an oval and road course), Mills Park and Toban Raceway (road courses), Joesville Runabout (a short oval) and Sardian Heights (a street race in a city environment). In later updates an extra layout for Sardian Heights have been added, Essington Park, Lienz (a mountain road and rally course) and Jacksonville (a high banked super speedway) were added. Several real world tracks, but with fictitious names, were added to the game as part of an update released in 2006, such as Barcelona (Circuit de Catalunya
, Spain
), Brianza (Autodromo Nazionale Monza
), Northamptonshire (Silverstone Circuit
) and Nuerburg (Nürburgring
).
, NASCAR
, IndyCar
and V8 Supercars. With the release of the SDK many new venues were created and released as unofficial addons to the game. Many of the circuits for rFactor were converted from other games, including GTR
, GT Legends
, TOCA Race Driver
, Grand Prix 4
and GP Legends.
rFactor is a significant evolution of F1 Challenge '99-'02, but without the licensing of Formula One
circuits and teams. As such rFactor's initial release only included four fictitious circuits (seven as of v1.087), with about a dozen layouts within these facilities; there are about six vehicle classes, including two open wheel and four sedan classes. Among its most notable features was rFactor's rich interface for creating custom game contents, which made it possible for amateurs to create additional vehicles and tracks for the game. On August 1, 2006, ISI released the full update, with many changes and new features, including the new 2006 BMW Sauber F1 and a much requested manual. Another notable and often requested feature was the driver-swapping, which allowed to change drivers during the race, enabling 24hour events like Le Mans.
Despite the highly-developed Artificial Intelligence
model, it was subject to much change and criticism. The AI blocking code (which instructs the AI to block other vehicles, preventing passing) was rewritten in response to criticism. Mike Z of ISI has promised that, "AI blocking will be back in a much more robust and logical form for a future update. I concentrated on fixing bugs for this update; in the future I'll expand the range of AI behavior. (probably still fix some bugs too...)". A feature was added to allow the AI to "learn a track", which teaches the AI the ideal way to drive a particular circuit. As of v1.150, the AI was improved, leading to notably faster driving styles. There are minor issues remaining. The AI drivers do not accurately reflect human behavior on a race track, nor realistic human cornering skills. They also suffer from an odd-bump anomaly, whereby they do not take jumps as they should. AI blocking has not returned yet, but computer controlled drivers no longer hesitate when overtaking other cars, whether they be computer or human controlled. rFactor provides an advanced tire model, aiming to be much better than the Pacejka model previously used in most simulators. rFactor's tire model simulates a non-linear tire use cycle according to temperature and wear.
F1 Challenge proved to be popular for online racing over the Internet through GameSpy
, which allowed any player to find available games. rFactor has extended this in several ways. The central server is handled by ISI themselves, so finding other games is effectively the same. The central server, however, will show all races and practice sessions over a web interface known as Racecast. There are also career statistics available for registered drivers. Technically, the game server can be run from a dedicated program, free from the need to render graphics, and this machine only needs lowly Pentium 3-class (500 MHz) performance. It can run mixtures of human and computer controlled (AI) vehicles.
In an evolution from F1 Challenge, the circuits now include all layouts at a particular facility, which greatly reduces the need to duplicate track geometry. The game can easily accommodate different sorts of vehicles, and games between multiple classes of vehicles are possible. rFactor also had a plugin-interface for third-party addons to hook in. This allowed for features like screen-overlays or radio chatter.
, which will include weather effects, reflections, and accurate shadows on a variety of textures.
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
racing simulator, designed with the ability to run any type of four-wheeled vehicle from street cars to open wheel
Open wheel car
Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders...
cars of any era. rFactor aimed to be the most accurate race simulator of its time. Released in November 2005, rFactor did not have much competition in this market; however it featured many technical advances in tire modeling, complex aerodynamics and a 15 degrees of freedom
Degrees of freedom (engineering)
In mechanics, degrees of freedom are the set of independent displacements and/or rotations that specify completely the displaced or deformed position and orientation of the body or system...
physics engine
Physics engine
A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as rigid body dynamics , soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in the domains of computer graphics, video games and film. Their main uses are in video games , in which case the...
.
rFactor was developed by Image Space Incorporated
Image Space Incorporated
Image Space Incorporated, commonly known as ISI is an Independent video game developer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, specializing in the fields of...
(ISI), which has been developing simulators since the early 1990s for both commercial and military purposes. The gMotor-engine2 on which the game is based is a direct successor to the engine used in previous titles developed by ISI, most notably F1 Challenge '99-'02, released through EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
. The gMotor2 engine was also used in many Simbin
SimBin
SimBin Studios is a Swedish video game developer- and publisher founded in 2003 that develops racing simulators for Windows and the current-generation consoles. The company has its headquarters in Vara and the main development studio in Gothenburg...
games, including GT Legends
GT Legends
GT Legends is a sports car racing simulator developed by Simbin for the PC. It is based on the 2005 FIA Historic Racing Championshipsfor GTC and TC cars of the 1960s and 1970s...
, the GTR series and the Race series
RACE - The Official WTCC Game
Race is a racing simulator computer game based on the World Touring Car Championship released in November . The game was developed by SimBin, who had earlier produced critically acclaimed racing simulators like GTR and GT Legends, and distributed by Eidos in Europe and by Valve Corporation across...
. A modified version of this engine was utilized by The Sim Factory for ARCA Sim Racing
ARCA Sim Racing
ARCA Sim Racing is a stock-car racing simulator developed by The Sim Factory LLC, a small American based computer software company devoted to the production of racing simulation software. The game simulates the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX season.- Overview :...
. A special version of rFactor was available for business application, for example for event simulators or promotion.
Gameplay
Vehicle setup
In motor racing circles, vehicle setup is a term used to describe the personalised settings on the vehicle which help the vehicle handle and perform predictably and quickly. Vehicle setups are variable for a variety of reasons, ranging from weather, driver/rider preference and race track...
of their cars, chat to other players, and enter the racing arena in their vehicle. The player's car can be driven from multiple viewpoints, but the two most popular are termed the cockpit view (from the driver's eye) and swingman view (above and behind the vehicle).
The vehicle is best controlled using a computer steering wheel
Steering wheel
A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....
, although a joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
or even keyboard can be used. The keyboard
Computer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
is also used for some actions, like requesting pit service and adjusting brake bias. This is analogous to buttons on modern racing car steering wheels, and most computer wheels have buttons that can be mapped to keystrokes. The player can jump directly from the racetrack to the control interface by pressing the escape key (ESC), or entering their pit box.
Vehicles and Circuits
rFactor has two classes of vehicles, "Open Wheel Challenge" and sedan cars. Open Wheel Challenge vehicles are open wheelersOpen wheel car
Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders...
, including 50 HP
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
training vehicles, F3
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
-like cars and F1
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
-like cars (called FormulaIS). The sedan cars range from compact but sporty to BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
-like vehicles and US Muscle car
Muscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
s; they also include stock cars
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
(USAR-like).
ISI announced (in 10 May 2006) a deal with Intel to add the BMW Sauber
BMW Sauber
BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s , before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s...
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car to the game. The vehicle was demonstrated at the 2006 European Grand Prix
2006 European Grand Prix
The 2006 European Grand Prix was the fifth race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It was held on the weekend of May 5–7, 2006 at the Nürburgring. Franck Montagny made his Formula One debut, becoming the first French F1 driver in 18 months....
. The deal was to be specifically to promote the upcoming Intel Core 2
Intel Core 2
Core 2 is a brand encompassing a range of Intel's consumer 64-bit x86-64 single-, dual-, and quad-core microprocessors based on the Core microarchitecture. The single- and dual-core models are single-die, whereas the quad-core models comprise two dies, each containing two cores, packaged in a...
processor. http://www.rfactor.net/index.php?page=news_06-05bmwsauber. The BMW Sauber was added in 2006. The respective cars of 2007 and 2008 were released as official add-on.
Developer ISI did not seek to license any series at all, so included only fictitious circuits and vehicles. rFactor was released with just five facilities, comprising approximately 10 layouts, including some which were simply reverse races. The facilities were Orchard Lake (an oval and road course), Mills Park and Toban Raceway (road courses), Joesville Runabout (a short oval) and Sardian Heights (a street race in a city environment). In later updates an extra layout for Sardian Heights have been added, Essington Park, Lienz (a mountain road and rally course) and Jacksonville (a high banked super speedway) were added. Several real world tracks, but with fictitious names, were added to the game as part of an update released in 2006, such as Barcelona (Circuit de Catalunya
Circuit de Catalunya
The Circuit de Catalunya is a racetrack in Montmeló, to the north of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit.-History:...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), Brianza (Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
), Northamptonshire (Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
) and Nuerburg (Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
).
Modifications
In addition to the stock vehicles and circuits available in rFactor, a steady stream of unofficial mods has become available. One of the earliest mods was F3 vehicle mod, which became very popular for some time and was later officially included in the game, although with fictitious branding. Many more modifications were released, including ones that recreated seasons from Formula OneFormula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
, IndyCar
IndyCar
IndyCar is the trade name of an American-based open-wheel auto racing sanctioning body. IndyCar sanctions three racing series, the premier IZOD IndyCar Series with its centerpiece Indianapolis 500, and developmental series Firestone Indy Lights and the U.S...
and V8 Supercars. With the release of the SDK many new venues were created and released as unofficial addons to the game. Many of the circuits for rFactor were converted from other games, including GTR
GTR - FIA GT Racing Game
GTR is a sports car racing simulator developed by SimBin for the x86 PC. An Xbox version was announced very early on, but never materialized. In April 2006, an Xbox 360 version was announced. The Xbox 360 version of the game was to be published by THQ. However, THQ later announced they would no...
, GT Legends
GT Legends
GT Legends is a sports car racing simulator developed by Simbin for the PC. It is based on the 2005 FIA Historic Racing Championshipsfor GTC and TC cars of the 1960s and 1970s...
, TOCA Race Driver
TOCA Race Driver
TOCA Race Driver is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters and released in August 2002, being part of the TOCA Touring Car series.The game took a new direction, since the main game mode featured a plot TOCA Race Driver (called DTM Race Driver in Germany, Pro Race Driver in...
, Grand Prix 4
Grand Prix 4
Grand Prix 4, commonly known as GP4 was released for the PC on June 21, 2002, is currently the last Formula One racing simulator released by the developer Geoff Crammond and the MicroProse label...
and GP Legends.
Development
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
circuits and teams. As such rFactor's initial release only included four fictitious circuits (seven as of v1.087), with about a dozen layouts within these facilities; there are about six vehicle classes, including two open wheel and four sedan classes. Among its most notable features was rFactor's rich interface for creating custom game contents, which made it possible for amateurs to create additional vehicles and tracks for the game. On August 1, 2006, ISI released the full update, with many changes and new features, including the new 2006 BMW Sauber F1 and a much requested manual. Another notable and often requested feature was the driver-swapping, which allowed to change drivers during the race, enabling 24hour events like Le Mans.
Despite the highly-developed Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
model, it was subject to much change and criticism. The AI blocking code (which instructs the AI to block other vehicles, preventing passing) was rewritten in response to criticism. Mike Z of ISI has promised that, "AI blocking will be back in a much more robust and logical form for a future update. I concentrated on fixing bugs for this update; in the future I'll expand the range of AI behavior. (probably still fix some bugs too...)". A feature was added to allow the AI to "learn a track", which teaches the AI the ideal way to drive a particular circuit. As of v1.150, the AI was improved, leading to notably faster driving styles. There are minor issues remaining. The AI drivers do not accurately reflect human behavior on a race track, nor realistic human cornering skills. They also suffer from an odd-bump anomaly, whereby they do not take jumps as they should. AI blocking has not returned yet, but computer controlled drivers no longer hesitate when overtaking other cars, whether they be computer or human controlled. rFactor provides an advanced tire model, aiming to be much better than the Pacejka model previously used in most simulators. rFactor's tire model simulates a non-linear tire use cycle according to temperature and wear.
F1 Challenge proved to be popular for online racing over the Internet through GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
, which allowed any player to find available games. rFactor has extended this in several ways. The central server is handled by ISI themselves, so finding other games is effectively the same. The central server, however, will show all races and practice sessions over a web interface known as Racecast. There are also career statistics available for registered drivers. Technically, the game server can be run from a dedicated program, free from the need to render graphics, and this machine only needs lowly Pentium 3-class (500 MHz) performance. It can run mixtures of human and computer controlled (AI) vehicles.
In an evolution from F1 Challenge, the circuits now include all layouts at a particular facility, which greatly reduces the need to duplicate track geometry. The game can easily accommodate different sorts of vehicles, and games between multiple classes of vehicles are possible. rFactor also had a plugin-interface for third-party addons to hook in. This allowed for features like screen-overlays or radio chatter.
Reception
In the first review of rFactor, published on AutoSimSport, Jon Denton stated:What the tire model in rFactor does very well is that it models the relationship between slip angle, self aligning torque and cornering force - and it does this better than anything that has come before.
Sequel
In March 2009 ISI announced the development of rFactor 2RFactor 2
rFactor 2 is the first sequel of the rFactor series. Its development was announced in March 2009, and the game will include weather effects, reflections, and accurate shadows on a variety of textures.-External links:* *...
, which will include weather effects, reflections, and accurate shadows on a variety of textures.
See also
- iRacing - road and oval online racing simulator.
- Live for SpeedLive for SpeedLive for Speed is a racing simulator developed by a three person team comprising Scawen Roberts, Eric Bailey, and Victor van Vlaardingen. The main focus is to provide a realistic racing experience for the online multiplayer game and to allow single player races against AI cars...
- online racing simulator. - RacerRacer (simulator)Racer, fully named Racer Free Car Simulation, is a free gaming simulator that runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.Although Racer started out as a driving simulator, it also has features that are usually seen in racing games, such as racing against AI cars, or against human opponents in...
- a free customizable racing simulator. - NetKar ProNetKar PronetKar Pro is an online racing simulator that is developed with an emphasis on realism. It provides advanced features such as a complex tire model and a fully interactive cockpit such as those seen in flight simulators.-Debut and Versions 1.0.x:netKar Pro debuted at a...
- professional racing simulator. - X Motor RacingX Motor RacingX-Motor Racing is an indie racing simulator. The game features high precision physics simulation.Featured is a fully customizable physics model — the tire model, suspension, or motor are available to tune in the game, including an advanced tire model with adjustable parameters, such as...
- an open-ended racing simulator. - GTR2 - sports car racing simulator
- GT LegendsGT LegendsGT Legends is a sports car racing simulator developed by Simbin for the PC. It is based on the 2005 FIA Historic Racing Championshipsfor GTC and TC cars of the 1960s and 1970s...
- sports car racing simulator
External links
- rFactor - Official website