Il team Studio 397 ha appena pubblicato un nuovo roadmap update per aggiornarci sullo sviluppo del suo rFactor 2. La principale fantastica notizia è che dal 1 maggio sarà disponibile la prima versione beta del software con il nuovo motore grafico spinto dalle DirectX 11. Come si nota dalle immagini di anteprima, il miglioramento estetico sarà più che notevole! Commenti sul forum.

With about a week and a half left until May 1st, it’s time for our monthly update again. We’re sure everybody is looking forward to the new build, and we’re happy to announce that both the DX11 graphics engine and VR support will be released as promised.

DX11

Over the last couple of months, we’ve revealed several development screenshots of the DirectX 11 engine to share with you our enthusiasm for the possibilities it brings. The new engine is not only the basis for our VR implementation, but it also enabled a new, improved HDR tone mapper and a bunch of post effects that greatly enhance the overall atmosphere of the simulation. We tried to strike a balance between using these effects to render the real-world imperfections of cameras while retaining the “first person view” you have when racing. At the same time we kept two very important goals in mind: we needed to ensure that, with the same graphics settings, the DX11 engine is at least as fast as the DX9 engine, and that existing content is still compatible with the new engine, so all the content out there can still be fully enjoyed.

We are quite sure we succeeded in both, and we extensively tested the new graphics engine with our community of beta testers. That said, we want to make sure that everybody is able to run this new build without a hitch, which is why we are making the initial release available as an “open beta.” Starting May 1st, anybody can switch to this new build and try it out. It is fully multiplayer compatible with the DX9 build. If for some reason you run into any problems with the new build, you can easily revert to the previous engine with just one click.

We didn’t just stop at updating the graphics engine, though. While we’re at it, we also updated some of our existing content to DX11, so you can expect the first of a series of Studio 397 updates as well. And you’ll be happy to know, these updates don’t just concern the graphics: in some cases we also made changes to and upgraded the physics. The new graphics engine really lets our content shine. It provides so much improvement that we have decided to postpone releasing any new shaders. To whet your appetite, take a look at these new screenshots showing off the new engine and some of the camera post effects in action:

Virtual Reality

If you have been following us on Facebook, you’ve already enjoyed some teaser shots of our VR implementation. We have since added some features such as support for our HUD, including virtual mirrors, as well as a way to browse the UI in VR mode. Mouse control is enabled for the UI, although we are definitely considering adding other options for controlling the VR interface.

User Interface

We know you are eagerly awaiting the new user interface, and we share your impatience. However, because we want to give you the full experience of the new UI and all its capabilities, we feel it is not quite ready for prime time just yet. Although that means we will ship the first open beta release with our existing UI, it will be upgraded to the new UI once that’s ready for release.

As we announced last month, we are now able to easily push updates, and we will use this ability to quickly release updates to the open beta in the upcoming weeks. Our goal is to ensure that we have a stable release for everybody, allowing us to begin phasing out the DX9 build altogether after a few months. In the meantime, our concern is to ensure that everybody has a fully functioning and compatible version of rFactor 2 to race with.

Content

Work on the Radical continues. With most of the graphics in place, our focus has now shifted to the physics and the sounds for this car. It’s not ready to be unveiled yet, but we can tease you with one of the other new cars that we have started working on soon! Watch our social media.

Modding

The modding community just recently gained access to an early DX11 build, and we released some guidelines for artists to work with the new rendering engine. Expect to see updates of third party content coming soon. In general, the new engine requires modders to make only minor changes. One area we are still working on concerns “plugins” that render directly to the screen. These plugins will not work properly in the first open beta. We are actively looking at improving our implementation of this functionality overall.

Il team Sector3 ha appena rilasciato un nuovo aggiornamento per il suo RaceRoom Racing Experience. L'update porta con sè come al solito varie migliorie e bugfix, anche alcune novità, come la nuova e bellissima McLaren 650S GT3, che è possibile acquistare dallo shop ufficiale per euro 3,98.

The 650S GT3 is the latest generation track-focused racer from McLaren, designed and optimised to compete in GT3 championships across the globe. Since its debut in 2015 the 650S GT3 has claimed multiple championships and race wins worldwide, becoming one of the most successful GT3 cars to date.
With a carbon fibre Monocell chassis and an award winning 3.8-litre V8 Twin turbo engine at its heart, this evolution of the highly successful 12C GT3 improves on its elder in almost every aspect, from aerodynamics and drivability to safety and cooling. The result is a car with a huge presence and the versatility to be competitive on every type of circuit and in a variety of track conditions.

20-04-2017
Added McLaren 650S GT3 which is now available in the store.
Game:

• Data displays:
  • Fixed wrong color of delta and laptime on some of the new data displays.
  • Fixed an issue where Low Fuel warning on data display screen wasn’t going away.
  • Fixed an issue on cars with new data displays where the compact HUD rev lights had issues when not using cockpit cam.
  • Enabled tire temperature even when tirewear is disabled.
  • Added speed limited revlight blinking to old data displays.
  • Citroen data display had a typo in "Brake balance"
  • Fixed issue with displays sometimes showing data for wrong car when “show opponent cockpits” was enabled.
  • Various other fixes and tweaks to existing displays.
• Flag system:
  • Fixed yellow flag appearing during private Qualifying.
  • Fixed White flag appearing in MP Qualifying session that used rolling start.
  • Fixed an issue in a race with additional lap, checkered flag was showing when timer reached zero and at end of additional lap.
  • Fixed an issue where an illegal overtake under yellow followed by a retirement of the overtaken car would result in the impossibility to give the position back
  • Fixed an issue where checkered flag did not appear for final lap in MP server with flag rules enabled.
  • Time allowed to give a position back after an illegal overtake increased from 15 to 30 seconds
  • Yellow flag now triggers for cars at 20% of their predicted speed ( was 10% )
  • White flag trigger now requires a car to be 70 kph under its predicted speed (was 30) The other trigger condition remains at 40% of its predicted speed.
• Fixed 2 Race Format only saving replay of second race.
• Fixed Multiple Race format giving overall results that did not count points.
• Re-enabled allowing turning shadow split off after some potential issues reported with AMD Crossfire.
• Possible fix for the issue where some players, depending on setup had their input frozen.
• Added some logging when initializing texture and setting video mode.
• Added a new startup argument for disabling TrackIR. -disableTrackIR can now be added in Steam Launch Options.
• Slow down penalty throttle limitation doesn't get activated immediately anymore, but waits until the player applies some brake. This also fixes occurrences of penalties triggering heavy lift oversteer on FWD cars.

Multiplayer:

• Added handling for more JOIN_FAIL messages so error messages are more specific.
• Fixed so join request timeouts are correctly reported as a timeout instead of generic lost connection message.
• Added some fixes when on occasion, connections were not dropping when leaving sessions.
• Changed so client doesn't respond to ping requests unless connected or trying to join.

Sounds, Cameras, Physics & AI:

• Citroen WTCC 2016 has received a slight increase in engine torque at low to med rpm.

Art:

• Audi TT cup cars have a new display
• Audi DTM 2016 finally has its new display

Backend & Portal:

• Fixed top Leaderboard banner in competitions not scaling properly.
• Fixed a minor alignment issue with VIP drivers description box in Portal.
• Fixed exit "x" button on partner page section clipping with the page and looking out of place.
• Fixed facebook section in partner page overlapping with top banner.
• Some fixes to the redeem popup in portal.
• Fixed error 13 some players were receiving after exiting wtcc championship round 1.
• Fixed so players from USA and Canada get USD as default currency instead of the global default EUR.

A quasi un mese dal lancio dell'ultima build "dirt", ovvero dedicata alle gare su sterrato, il team di iRacing annuncia la nuova partnership con la serie USAC (United States Auto Club), grazie alla quale potremo metterci al volante delle divertenti Sprint Car da terra senza alettoni.

iRacing.com announced today that is joining forces with the United States Auto Club (USAC) as the famed sanctioning body’s premier online motorsports simulation partner.  The agreement will see iRacing develop online racing series featuring digital versions of the cars that compete in the popular AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Championship.

“We’re excited to partner with USAC in creating official iRacing series for our 410 and 360 non-winged sprint cars,” says Steve Myers, Executive Vice President and Executive Producer for iRacing.com.  “The AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Championship is rightly known for some of the most competitive racing to be found on dirt – or any surface for that matter.  I’m sure sim racers everywhere will be eager to sling some dirt in iRacing’s non-wing USAC sprint cars.”

Although the partnership initially focuses on sprint cars, iRacing’s future plans include additional USAC-based online series on legendary dirt tracks like Eldora, Kokomo and Belleville raceways.

“Joining forces with iRacing enables us to make an exciting new dimension in racing available to our fans in the United States and around the world,” says USAC President and CEO Kevin Miller. “We’re thrilled with the opportunity and look forward to participating in the rapidly growing sim racing community in the months and years to come.”

Torniamo a parlare dell'originalissimo Drive, simulatore all terrain della BeamNG. Da oggi è infatti disponibile la nuova versione 0.9 del software, che come potete notare dal lunghissimo changelog, ci mette a disposizione numerose novità e migliorie, oltre al consueto bugfixing.

Come gli appassionati della vera simulazione rallystica sanno ormai bene, prosegue senza sosta il beta testing ed il relativo sviluppo dell'attesissimo gRally. Proprio dal beta testing, arriva questo nuovo trailer di anteprima che ci mostra il gioco in azione.

La Codemasters ha appena lanciato il preordine digitale tramite Steam del suo prossimo DiRT 4, che sarà disponibile dal 9 giugno. Comprando subito il gioco ad euro 54,99 si ottengono i tre extra elencati qui di seguito.

The world’s leading off-road racing series is back! DiRT 4 puts you at the wheel of the most powerful machines ever made as you face the toughest roads on the planet in rally, rallycross & landrush. The game changing Your Stage system allows you to create millions of routes at the touch of a button.
The Digital pre-order includes the amazing Hyundai R5 rally car and allows you to kick start your career in the game with a Team Booster Pack which gives you a unique team offer, a unique engineer and unique facilities as well as the DiRT 4 Founder Icon.
Owners of the Hyundai R5 will also qualify for a special Hyundai Launch Event (on 9th, 10th and 11th June 2017).

Il team Reiza Studios ha appena rilasciato il nuovo aggiornamento v1.3.7 per il suo ottimo Automobilista. Qui di seguito tutti i dettagli.

In occasione del recente PC Gamer Weekender, Slightly Mad Studios è tornata a parlare di Project CARS 2 e delle principali novità introdotte in questo secondo capitolo della saga racing. L'ultimo trailer dimostrativo del gioco, ci presenta in pratica tutte le novità che saranno presenti, a cominciare dall'interessante caratteristica dei circuiti dinamici denominata Live Track 3.0.

Caratteristiche:
- Più di 170 auto su licenza dai marchi più iconici
- Il parco tracciati più ampio di qualsiasi gioco di guida su console
- Supporto VR completo
- Controllo rivoluzionato
- Classi di veicoli e sport completamente nuove, e tornano i classici più amati (Rallycross, GT e altro ancora)
- Solide funzionalità e-Sport e campionati online tutti nuovi
- Gareggia su diverse superfici come ghiaccio, asfalto o sterrato
- LiveTrack 3.0: transizioni dinamiche delle superfici dei tracciati che influenzano le prestazioni dei veicoli, la tenuta di strada e la manovrabilità in tempo reale, con fisica dei pneumatici avanzata e deformazioni delle superfici
- Ciclo completo di 24 ore che ricrea fedelmente le condizioni atmosferiche e l'ambiente di qualsiasi momento specifico dell'anno

Turn10 annuncia il nuovo accordo di licenza del brand Forza con il marchio Porsche, addirittura di 6 anni di durata, che potete leggere in dettaglio qui. Contemporaneamente ecco arriva il primo Porsche Car Pack per Forza Horizon 3, che include ben 7 vetture della casa di Stoccarda.

Seven amazing Porsche models arrive today with the Porsche Car Pack for Forza Horizon 3. The kick-off to Porsche and Forza's new six-year partnership, the Porsche Car Pack brings classics like the Porsche 718 RS 60 alongside soon-to-be-classics like the 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and more. Here's the full car list:
- 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
- 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4
- 2017 Porsche Panamera Turbo
- 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS
- 1995 Porsche 911 GT2
- 1955 Porsche 550A Spyder
- 1960 Porsche 718 RS 60

In addition to the new Porsche Car Pack, this week we're also kicking off new #Forzathon events in Forza Horizon 3, where players can earn Porsche reward cars, even if they don't have the Porsche Car Pack! Check out the news on www.forzamotorsport.net to find out more.

Avete mai pensato a tutte le problematiche ed al lavoro che c'è dietro ad un progetto come quello di Assetto Corsa ? Il video che trovate qui sotto, che ha per protagonisti alcuni programmatori della Kunos Simulazioni, ci svela proprio tutto l'incredibile "dietro le quinte" di un software di successo come quello della casa romana. Commenti sul forum.