rFactor

ISI · released 2005 · discussed in 2,254 posts, 2004-2018 · overall tone positive

Posts per month

Timeline

• 2004-07-16 PC Gamer reported ISI's announcement of rFactor, a mixed-class road racing sim; its website opened in August. post post
• 2004-11-11 ISI released a public multiplayer-only test demo of rFactor with a dedicated server. thread post
• 2004-12-21 ISI released an rFactor test build without Trymedia protection after a date-change lockout bug. thread post
• 2005-01-13 ISI released an updated rFactor multiplayer test build, followed two days later by a fix for its Trymedia copy-protection problem. thread post post
• 2005-05-18 The US Pits cut back its support for Papyrus sims because of FIRST-Racing's mod restrictions and moved towards rFactor. post
• 2005-06-21 Dave and Busters began rolling out Thunder, an arcade driving simulator running rFactor. post
• 2005-08-18 ISI opened rFactor pre-orders at $39.99, then postponed the release by about a week. thread post post
• 2005-08-31 ISI released rFactor as a download, and its RaceCast online service went live. thread post post
• 2005-09-02 The first third-party content for rFactor appeared: a Lime Rock Park track less than a day after launch and an F3 mod two days later. post post
• 2005-10-26 ISI released rFactor patch 1.040 with AI, netcode and dedicated-server fixes. post post
• 2005-12-26 rF Rank, a lap-time ranking site for rFactor, launched for testing. post
• 2006-01-11 ISI released the rFactor 1070 update. thread post
• 2006-03-08 ISI released the Lienz add-on for rFactor. post post
• 2006-05-10 ISI announced a BMW Sauber F1 car for rFactor. post
• 2006-08-02 ISI released rFactor update 1150, which added stock cars and new tracks. thread post post
• 2006-08-07 CTDP released its F1 2005 mod for rFactor. thread post
• 2006-09-09 Hudson Kerr stopped making rFactor add-ons and closed its site. post
• 2006-12-04 A demo of the GPL-to-rFactor '67 mod was pulled after a dispute over converted GPLEA content, and its author quit. post
• 2006-12-23 The F1 1979 mod for rFactor was released. thread post
• 2007-01-26 ISI released the rFactor 1.250 update. post
• 2007-03-13 NASA launched an officially sanctioned sim racing series using rFactor and GTR2. post
• 2007-06-16 A Le Mans 1972-1986 mod for rFactor was released. post
• 2007-07-09 iDT released its 2006 Champ Car mod for rFactor. post
• 2007-08-20 Version 1.1 of the F1 Legends GPL conversion mod for rFactor was released. thread post
• 2007-08-31 The PCC 2007 and Nordschleife 2007 mods for rFactor were released. post
• 2012-08-15 The Legends League started its autumn 2012 season with the F1 Classic 1967 mod for rFactor. post

Key threads

• iRacing NDA lifted: beta tester calls it addictive 2008-06-06 · 101 posts
  After the iRacing beta NDA was lifted, a tester called it 'crack in a box' and the most addictive thing since NROS. Larry praised the closed, mod-free, real-name, centrally ranked system, while others objected to the subscription price and the departure from the open mod and league culture of rFactor. The long thread veered between thoughtful comparisons, including Tony Rickard on GPL and rFactor history, and crude insults from pseudonymous posters.
• Would rFactor exist without GPL, and is rFactor modding healthy? 2005-09-29 · 63 posts
  Byron Forbes questioned whether third-party rFactor mods would be accepted as authentic, prompting debate on GPL's legacy and the state of online sim racing. Some argued rFactor would not exist without GPL and that modders were more active than ever, while ymenard argued multiplayer rooms were empty and the scene was fragmenting across NR2003 mods and many sims. A long side discussion covered GPL driving style, slip angles and GPLRank benchmark times, plus joking about Snow White nicknames and coffee.
• GTR2 announced, sparking Simbin versus rFactor argument 2005-10-08 · 57 posts
  A poster reported that GTR2 was officially in development. Byron Forbes dismissed GTL and GTR2 as inferior to rFactor and repeatedly accused Simbin of lying about GTR's multiplayer, while Chad Rogers, RodP and others defended Simbin's licensed content and offline play. The thread also debated real versus fantasy tracks and whether tracks can be designed specifically for good online racing.
• Pessimism over the supposed revival of sim racing 2005-10-11 · 53 posts
  ymenard argued that the so-called revival was hollow, citing tiny rFactor online numbers and flaws in GTL and other sims. Replies discussed fragmentation across many titles, the rise of console sims like GT4 and Richard Burns Rally, NR2003 superspeedway pickup racing still drawing hundreds of players, and whether rFactor's mod potential would eventually draw everyone in. Some also discussed importing GT Legends from Sweden.
• Is rFactor an LFS killer? 2004-11-11 · 51 posts
  Steve Simpson praised rFactor's graphics and physics and noted its AI in multiplayer. Others debated texture quality, hefty hardware demands and multiplayer smoothness, with temporary placeholder cars used to avoid join freezes. ISI's Joe Campana explained most multiplayer problems came from servers exceeding upload bandwidth and said a headless dedicated server was coming. Some also criticised LFS's product activation.
• Jan Kohl on GN1970 mod physics, and a heated community debate 2005-11-27 · 47 posts
  Jan Kohl of The Pits explained the physics approach of the Grand National 1970 mod for NR2003, addressing claims it was just reskinned trucks. ymenard insisted modding a dead sim diluted community effort while rFactor needed content, and the exchange with Bruce Kennewell and Kohl became abusive. Others debated whether sims are just games, and later posts discussed rFactor's sparse online servers.
• ISI's rFactor multiplayer demo impresses 2004-11-11 · 43 posts
  Players enthused about the newly released rFactor test demo from ISI, praising its driving feel, sound, multiplayer interface and dynamic time-of-day lighting. Posters clarified rFactor is ISI's own title, not GTR or the reborn Papyrus team, compared lap times, discussed frame rates and setups, and linked a developer Q&A on the lighting.
• rFactor released, and its 20-car multiplayer limit 2005-08-31 · 33 posts
  As rFactor became available for download, Jason Moyer complained about a 20-client multiplayer limit. Steve Whitty pointed out that a 'LessenRestrictions' setting removes it. Users discussed how often online races really exceed 20 cars, criticised the AI and graphics, and noted an F3 mod already under way.
• ISI patches rFactor demo Trymedia date-change lockout bug 2004-12-21 · 24 posts
  A user said the rFactor MP test demo stopped working after he changed his PC's date, because of its Trymedia copy protection. Joe of Image Space Incorporated replied in the group that a fix was coming and later posted an updated build, but users reported that it did not cure the lockout. ISI apologised and then released a build without the Trymedia protection, which fixed the problem.
• Will iRacing ever make a PC sim? Plus Crammond debate 2005-09-08 · 92 posts
  A poster noticed that iRacing's revamped website seemed to target commercial simulators and asked whether Dave Kaemmer's company would still release a PC sim. Jason Moyer was confident it would lead the field, while others noted that the competition was now stronger. The thread turned into a long argument about whether Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix series were real sims and about force feedback.
• Top five racing sims to buy with a G25 2006-12-01 · 86 posts
  A real-world dirt racer asked for the best five sims for a co-worker buying a Logitech G25. Recommendations included GT Legends, GTR2, rFactor, Richard Burns Rally, NR2003, Grand Prix Legends and Live for Speed, with RACE also mentioned. A long dispute followed over whether ISI-engine cars feel like driving on ice, with David G Fisher insisting it was down to setup and others disagreeing.
• Tony Rickard's measured rFactor review and the debate after 2005-09-03 · 69 posts
  Tony Rickard reviewed rFactor, saying AutoSimSport had oversold it but praising the open-wheel trainer cars, while noting weak AI and replays. Others debated whether the F1 car was realistic, whether its netcode matched Papyrus's, and how other cars are displayed online. Jan Verschueren refused to buy it based on the demo, which drew pressure from those who had.
• Debating GTR and rFactor physics against Papyrus 2004-11-12 · 65 posts
  Byron Forbes provocatively compared GTR unfavourably with NR2003's TA mod without having played it. The ensuing debate covered whether ISI-engine sims lack feel compared with Papyrus, with Tony Rickard and Mark Davison finding rFactor a step forward, Jan Verschueren insisting the physics engine was unchanged and only the car data differed, and David G Fisher stressing steering-lock settings.
• Is sim racing dead? 2006-12-18 · 58 posts
  A troll declared sim racing dead, and most replies disagreed, citing rFactor, GTR2, Race2Play and iRacing, with Tim Wheatley predicting a rebirth in 2007. Discussion covered the ageing community, how long NR2003 online races take, the hundreds still racing NR2003 nightly, the gap between niche simmers and mass-market fun, and mod fragmentation.
• Complaints about earning cars and kamikaze AI in rFactor 2005-09-01 · 55 posts
  A buyer was angry that rFactor made players earn and buy cars. Others pointed to the money-back guarantee and to the 'ISI_BABYFACTORY' cheat code. Many complained that the AI, especially the F1 cars in mixed-class races, drove into the player, and suggested running single-class fields. Debate continued over rFactor's fictional content and reliance on mods, and ISI's Joe (Scoob Droolins) pointed out that the Y key restarts a race.
• Will rFactor's multiplayer beat GTR's, and how netcode works 2005-07-24 · 50 posts
  A user asked why rFactor would be better online than GTR if it used the same engine. Answers noted that rFactor used ISI's newer gMotor2 engine, while Jan Verschueren argued its netcode was essentially no better than GTR's. A long technical discussion followed, with flight-sim netcode programmer Nick explaining client-server prediction. Byron Forbes and others debated whether NR2003 and GPL 'warp' crashes were caused by crude prediction.
• Is rFactor's open modding diluting online racing? 2006-01-03 · 50 posts
  An article quote suggesting rFactor's endless mods splinter the community prompted Mitch_A to say too many series and tracks left races empty, and ymenard to declare rFactor a failure. Others defended rFactor's success and quality scratch-built tracks such as Trois-Rivieres, while criticising sloppy conversions and the Porsche mod's weight distribution. The thread also covered GT Legends praise, the lack of upcoming sim releases, and motion sickness in games.
• Rant on rFactor's fragmented mods and empty servers 2006-06-15 · 47 posts
  Ed White complained that rFactor's many tracks, mod versions and mismatches made finding an online race nearly impossible. Some agreed and preferred NR2003 or Live for Speed's tightly controlled content, while others advised sticking to a niche or joining clubs. David G Fisher promoted the RACER rFactor club, and the release of Spa 1967 for rFactor was mentioned.
• GTR tracks converted to rFactor spark legality row 2005-11-10 · 47 posts
  A poster reported that Menu dei Motori had posted GTR tracks converted to rFactor, a topic banned at RSC because Simbin forbade it; the links quickly went dead. Alan Bernardo criticised ISI and Simbin for being restrictive, while others pointed out the conversions were illegal and that track licences prevented sharing. Byron Forbes again attacked Simbin over GTR multiplayer, and the exchanges grew personal.
• Hardware needed for iRacing, and is it a sport? 2008-10-12 · 44 posts
  Returning simmer Dirt asked whether modest hardware could run iRacing, and replies said a dual-core CPU and mid-range graphics card would do, as anything that ran NR2003 well would cope. Older posters shared why they still sim race, and Mario Petrinovic and Ronald Stoehr argued over whether iRacing's laser-scanned tracks and sanctioning body made it more than a game. Dirt later joined using an Xbox 360 wheel and reported a smooth install.
• Which racing sim is the most realistic in 2005? 2005-10-09 · 44 posts
  A returning sim racer asked which sims were most realistic, suggesting GPL, rFactor and Live for Speed. Answers varied widely, with nominations for GTR, Richard Burns Rally, NR2003 mods, rFactor and others, and debate about whether GT Legends shared GTR's engine and bugs. The thread drifted into grammar pedantry and jokes about The Simpsons Hit and Run.
• ISI delays rFactor release by a week 2005-08-25 · 41 posts
  David G Fisher relayed ISI's notice that rFactor's release and pre-order codes were postponed by a week for finishing touches. Discussion covered rFactor's fictional cars and tracks, how hard it would be to build tracks in 3ds Max compared with NR2003's Sandbox, and its download-only distribution. Others debated licensing costs and whether simulators help real drivers.
• Proposal to revive RASCAR as an rFactor league 2005-09-04 · 39 posts
  Tony Rickard proposed 'rasFactor', a new r.a.s. league for rFactor, and David G Fisher said RASCAR had planned this already. Several regulars signed up. Jan Verschueren and ymenard declined over rFactor's fictional cars and tracks, while others defended well-designed fantasy circuits and expected real tracks from modders.
• Why the demand for F1 sims, and why slow cars appeal 2005-04-26 · 35 posts
  Dave Henrie asked why people kept demanding new F1 sims when there had been many. Answers included the lack of a good online F1 sim since F1 Challenge, and David G Fisher's preference for modern high-performance cars. Others countered that older or slower cars are more fun and forgiving. The thread touched on rFactor's improved feel over earlier ISI titles and Larry's dislike of the ISI 'floating' feel.
• rFactor matchmaker outages and ISI's response 2005-09-18 · 33 posts
  Users could not find the RAS-Factor servers because rFactor's online server list was unreliable. Alan Bernardo argued that LFS's online infrastructure was far better. ISI's Joe (Scoob Droolins) replied that it was unfair to compare a two-week-old release with LFS and said ISI was working to fix it. Others shared ini tweaks to show more servers and praised ISI's community engagement.
• Declining traffic at The Pits and rFactor mod overload 2006-11-22 · 33 posts
  Mitch_A asked why The Pits forum had grown quiet, and Scott Husted explained it was now essentially an rFactor modding group. Discussion moved to whether rFactor's flood of mods and tracks put newcomers off, with suggestions to use rFactorCentral and leagues, and Larry asking for in-game automatic downloads.
• List of the best PC racing sims by category 2008-04-23 · 32 posts
  Mr T posted a list of the most realistic sims in each category and asked for opinions. Suggestions included rFactor mods for F1 and GP79, Richard Burns Rally for rally, ARCA Sim Racing over NR2003 for stock cars, and Live for Speed. A side argument about buying ARCA by mail across borders turned into name-calling.
• Comparing GTR and rFactor for a newcomer 2005-11-03 · 31 posts
  A new GTR player asked how it compared with rFactor. Opinions split: some preferred GTR or GT Legends for licensed content and offline play, while others defended rFactor's included content, mod-friendliness and online play. Arguments followed over whether rFactor's formula cars were realistic and whether front- and rear-wheel-drive cars felt distinct.
• Converting tracks to rFactor without permission 2005-10-20 · 29 posts
  A question about new rFactor tracks such as Suzuka and Imola led to debate over conversions made without the original authors' consent. Dave Henrie and track maker Steve Whitty argued creators' wishes should be respected, while ymenard and Byron Forbes argued unlicensed tracks were illegal anyway and public work belongs to the community. Later posts discussed how track mesh detail affects rFactor physics and the legal status of track layouts, citing Papyrus's action against The Pits over Volusia.
• Sim racers spend on hardware but balk at software prices 2006-08-26 · 29 posts
  Tony Rickard observed that sim racers spend heavily on hardware but are reluctant to pay for software. The discussion moved on to whether iRacing would just reuse NR2003 and GPL multiplayer code, and whether Papyrus's netcode still beat rFactor's. Opinions differed, with several praising the rFactor F1 1979 mod and GT Legends' physics.
• CTDP F1 2005 mod released for rFactor 2006-08-07 · 28 posts
  David G Fisher announced the CTDP F1 2005 mod for rFactor, arriving amid a rush of releases including the 1150 update and the F1 1979 mod. Users shared tips and screenshots, but the thread descended into bickering over fan-boys and the state of the newsgroup.
• Anti-aliasing, resolution and frame rates in NSR and rFactor 2005-02-18 · 27 posts
  Posters compared frame rates in NASCAR SimRacing at various resolutions and anti-aliasing levels and found that 4x AA caused heavy slowdowns. Joe of Image Space explained that supersampled AA uses huge amounts of video RAM and that multisample modes are cheaper. He also answered questions about rFactor demo frame rates and said TrackIR support would be extended.
• rFactor pre-orders open via PayPal 2005-08-18 · 27 posts
  Uwe Schürkamp announced that rFactor could be pre-ordered through PayPal, and many regulars said they had paid $39.99 immediately. Posters praised ISI's openness and debated whether a flood of mods would follow, with Jason Moyer predicting few would be any good. Larry suggested gathering the RASCAR drivers again for rFactor.
• Good points of iRacing and the F1 1967 rFactor mod 2009-07-18 · 26 posts
  Jeff Reid acknowledged that iRacing's safety rating made rookie drivers courteous and that a shared setup helped him meet the rookie lap standard. The thread moved to iRacing's new Lotus F1 car, which Andrew MacPherson described as a hybrid between the Mazda and Skip Barber. Uwe Schürkamp then recommended the F1 1967 Classic mod for rFactor, which several found brought back GPL memories despite accusations that its author used others' work without credit.
• Configuring force feedback for rFactor with a G25 2007-03-19 · 24 posts
  Asgeir Nesoen proposed a database of rFactor force feedback settings after struggling with the G25. David G Fisher shared Logitech profiler and in-game settings, with 50 percent sensitivity as linear and steering lock matched to the car, while others debated spring and damper effects and per-mod wheel range files.
• Looking for the best current F1 sim 2008-03-19 · 24 posts
  Peter Gagg asked for the best modern F1 sim. Most recommended rFactor with the F1RFT 2008 or BMW Sauber mods, since other F1 titles were outdated. The thread turned into a debate over whether rFactor's huge number of mods is a strength or a burden, using a restaurant-menu analogy, with some noting that mod fragmentation hurts online racing.
• Using the LeoFFB force feedback plugin with ARCA and rFactor 2008-03-13 · 24 posts
  Pat Dotson explained how to install Leo Bodnar's LeoFFB plugin for ARCA Sim Racing and rFactor, by dropping the DLL into the plugins folder and disabling RealFeel. Users reported it improved feel noticeably, including on rFactor mods. Most of the thread was about finding version 2.0, which was eventually located on rFactor Central and other sites.
• Fixing the Logitech G25 sequential shifter double-shifting 2009-04-21 · 23 posts
  RocketMan's G25 sequential shifter began changing two gears at a time after months of use, on two units. Suggestions included cleaning the contacts and using the rFactor and GTR2 'Repeat Shifts' PLR setting, which solved the problem for him. Movnmik found a cheap lot of five replacement shifter modules on eBay and confirmed they worked.
• rFactor v1150 update released, GPL comparison resurfaces 2006-08-02 · 22 posts
  David G Fisher announced ISI's rFactor v1150 update. A claim that rFactor was no match for GPL and that its fans could not drive GPL drew rebuttals that difficulty is not realism. Others noted that no sim truly matches real driving.
• rFactor Porsche Cup 2007 mod and Nordschleife 2007 track praised 2007-08-31 · 21 posts
  Ronald Stoehr enthused about the new PCC 2007 Porsche Cup mod driven on the Nordschleife 2007 track for rFactor, and others called it the best rFactor mod so far. MikeWhy discussed setup struggles with understeer before finding a workable setup, while Uwe Schürkamp reported a 1fps slowdown when AI Porsches were on track. The thread drifted into learning the Nordschleife and whether knowing corner names helps, with Uwe correcting the German place names.

Busiest threads

• Top five racing sims to buy with a G25 (30 posts about it)
• iRacing NDA lifted: beta tester calls it addictive (28 posts about it)
• Tony Rickard's measured rFactor review and the debate after (26 posts about it)
• Is rFactor an LFS killer? (21 posts about it)
• GTR2 announced, sparking Simbin versus rFactor argument (20 posts about it)
• rFactor controller support struggles with reversed axes (19 posts about it)
• Comparing GTR and rFactor for a newcomer (18 posts about it)
• Complaints about earning cars and kamikaze AI in rFactor (18 posts about it)
• First rFactor formula car video divides opinion (18 posts about it)
• Debating GTR and rFactor physics against Papyrus (18 posts about it)
• Is rFactor's open modding diluting online racing? (16 posts about it)
• GTR tracks converted to rFactor spark legality row (16 posts about it)
• Andrew MacPherson weighs whether to subscribe to iRacing (15 posts about it)
• Rant on rFactor's fragmented mods and empty servers (15 posts about it)
• Sim racers spend on hardware but balk at software prices (14 posts about it)

Sentiment by year

Each post that discussed the sim was rated from −2 (very negative) to +2 (very positive).

Who talked about it most

David G Fisher · 136 Uwe Schuerkamp · 113 Tony Rickard · 97 Pat Dotson · 92 Mitch_A · 84 Dave Henrie · 78 Alan Bernardo · 68 Plowboy · 54 Larry · 54 Byron Forbes · 48 Jeff Reid · 44 Andrew MacPherson · 43 Steve Simpson · 41 ymenard · 41 jason moyer · 39 Darus · 35 Steve Blankenship · 34 Remco Moedt · 26 Jan Verschueren · 25

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