Why all the negativity towards Formula Renault 3.5?

[ForthRight]

Since purchasing the Beta this is the only car I have driven - my main use for the original rFactor was the modern F1 mods, so with rFactor2 i decided to focus on the car that was the closest match whilst trying out the new tyre model, physics and FFB.

Yes this car is very twitchy, and by default the setup has a lot of oversteer, but if you can get used to it (and perhaps make some changes to the setup to suit) it becomes a very fun car to drive... and very challenging.

Going through high speed corners the car is always on edge, and you actually find yourself making small corrections with the steering and throttle to keep the car on line - if you're too aggressive you'll be sent into the gravel. I'm not saying this is the first sim to give such a sensation, but it feels real, and when it goes wrong for me i always understand why - that's the sign of a very good physics engine.

Maybe the Formula Renault should have a bit more grip, i'm not sure, but the default setup has quite low wing so people shouldn't really judge the car based on that. It is very difficult to drive at low speed but the engine has a lot of power and the car is very light, so it shouldn't be easy. At high speed it is simply a great challenge - a fun challenge with lots of lateral sideways movement, four-wheel slides and a dangerous change of direction. I love it.


Problems with the Beta?

Well once again I'm having to use Sparse-Grid Super-Sampling in order to smooth out the jaggies, just like every previous ISI based sim. This is really annoying as it cuts the framerate a lot, but if i don't use this setting i have annoyingly jagged painted white lines on the track sides and lots of flickering trackside objects (fences etc).

Circuit texture colours seem very cartoonish and over-bright. Yes i am a bit disappointed in the overall graphical standards here, but the game can actually look very nice at dusk and dawn... unfortunately at midday the colours want to burn my eyes out.

Also the shadow LOD's are truly shocking, especially during the trackside camera replays - no shadows at all under the cars until they get very close to the camera... it just looks awful and ruins what would otherwise be a nice looking sim. Even in the cockpit view i see shadows on the grandstands drawing-in as i'm driving.


Overall though i'm very happy with the Beta as it has had the opposite affect to C.A.R.S.

C.A.R.S. looks stunning, but the physics feel so sluggish that i just can't enjoy driving it - i don't want to drive it. rFactor 2 doesn't look like anything special, but the physics are so good i just want to finish this post and get back behind the wheel again. Of course i know C.A.R.S. isn't even close to Beta stage yet, so it's an unfair comparsion. It's just nice to have something which finally feels like a progression in terms of driving experience.

Thank you.

[samuelkorthof]

I totally agree with u. I´ve got the change too drive prof simulators powered by rFactor Pro. rF2 is the first sim that gives the same feeling as those prof simulators. It´s way more intuitive and there is much reallife and it gives you more logic feeling to openwheel racing. There will be much less "alien" setups I think. I have too learn racing all over again but that makes it just more fun.

[Mr.Ferret]

I agree too, fr3.5 feels how i would imagine it should, it isnt an F1 car its wings are smaller it has less ground effect and the tires are smaller narrower and a different compound, it reminds me of the FOX from Live For Speed but with a little more power and a little less overall grip. I had a ball of a time getting this thing around a drying sepang yesterday, go offline and you just slide right out and understeer, its really something. Love hustling it around mills too, really dont want to get on the marbles on some of the faster turns (such as the 6th gear left kink and the really long left hander which leads into the hairpin and the second last corner, can take it flat if you get the curb right and your trail braking, also pulling the brake bias back a bit to 53.5 front helped me out and a little more wing.

[Denstjiro]

i've seen complaints about the tires heating/cooling too quick but i gotta agree with above posts, love the F3.5! (and the other 2 as well)

Imo its a perfect mix what they gave us in the beta, i just keep hopping from one mod to another endlessly :-)

[andrerezende]

I agree that the FR 3.5 remembers the LFS FOX with too much oversteer and less grip.

I've been trying to reduce the oversteer in Mills Iner Loop C withou sucess. Someone have a setup to send to compare?

[HuntTheShunt]

First off, the tyre physics are not complete yet which explains why we are complaining unjustly about the cars slide not being reported to the FFB system. Suspension movement feed to FFB is wonderful though.

It helps if you increase the sound level for tyre slide in the config.

I would appreciate any setup pointers as to how to get the best out of the beta FR 3.5 in the meantime.
Thanks.

(Logitech G25)

http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.ph...se-for-the-FFB
http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.ph...ructive-review
http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.ph...our-controller...

[Jameswesty]

Its physics are Fine ( im sure they can be tweeked) but the core phisics are totaly drivable and its a easy car to drive in general.

The issue is that the shock of bumps going through the shock is overwriting the G' frce and car grip FFB of the car , Because of this with my G25 at least you cannot use the FFB feel the weighting of the car ( unless its a very fast long corner with no bumps)

If you turn the FFB off the car is actually far easer to drive with a bit of practise , using visual clues and the sound of the tires you can tell at what point the car will lose control.

So sure they might finalize the tire model and some other aspects but the core issue with the car is the FFB if they change that it will feel "right" and be easy to drive from the FFB alone. ( in the same way you can tell the grip or what the car is about to do in the other cars using FFB alone)

All the cars in Rf2 are 100X esear to drive than cars in Rf1 because the tire and grip physics are so much more realistic the cars want to point forwards and tend to slide sideways rather than spinning of and getting into a tank slapper.

[navorsky]

By far, formula renaut 3.5 is my favorite car in rf2. I´m used to a lot of simulators , and i have spotted this in other topic, but i´ll reafirm this: FFB effects in F3.5 are the most and more detailed ffb effects i´ve ever experienced in ANY open wheel racing simulator. As mentioned before, the car needs a lot of pit work to be driveable and competitive, but since you´ve got the right setup, this is the car you want to drive. It actually let you feel the road, it reports to you every bump, and every little detail the car is experiencing on track. This car is so fun to drive, that even when i kiss the grass , i know it was because of me... not because the car s*cks nor the physics s*cks. This can be clearly identified.

It almost reminds me the golden era where i used to drive karts around my local track... Not the same feeling offcourse, but the same fun nonetheless...

[MarcG]

I've not dirven it properly yet due to the "Bonnet Bug", it does'nt show up in Cockpit view and I can see through the footwell....kinda ruins the immersiveness so I'm waiting for that to be fixed (ISI do know about it!).

[mikeyk1985]

I imagine also that alot of people who don't like the FR3.5 haven't noticed the high,medium and low downforce packages avaliable, as most people expect to adjust downforce only from the garage menu. I imagine with a good wheel and pedals it's a blast to drive, unfortunately I have a basic wheel with no ffb and laughable pedals so it's quite hairy to drive right now

[Jameswesty]

By far, formula renaut 3.5 is my favorite car in rf2. I´m used to a lot of simulators , and i have spotted this in other topic, but i´ll reafirm this: FFB effects in F3.5 are the most and more detailed ffb effects i´ve ever experienced in ANY open wheel racing simulator. As mentioned before, the car needs a lot of pit work to be driveable and competitive, but since you´ve got the right setup, this is the car you want to drive. It actually let you feel the road, it reports to you every bump, and every little detail the car is experiencing on track. This car is so fun to drive, that even when i kiss the grass , i know it was because of me... not because the car s*cks nor the physics s*cks. This can be clearly identified.

It almost reminds me the golden era where i used to drive karts around my local track... Not the same feeling offcourse, but the same fun nonetheless...

What wheel are you using ?

With my G25 every time you go over a bump you lose all other FFB effects and as the tires are bumping up and down constantly that is most the time.

As I said above in my other post the physics seem to work fine with this car and I find it easy/predictable to drive its just the FFB doesn't convey the weighting when the wheels are bouncing up and down. ( at least with my g25)

[Derohk]

if mine worked id post something useful here :/

[navorsky]

What wheel are you using ?

With my G25 every time you go over a bump you lose all other FFB effects and as the tires are bumping up and down constantly that is most the time.

As I said above in my other post the physics seem to work fine with this car and I find it easy/predictable to drive its just the FFB doesn't convey the weighting when the wheels are bouncing up and down. ( at least with my g25)

I´m using a G25 as well... I have noticed the bumps, but i can´t say its overwriting any of the FFB effects. The G effects feel´s just right imo. I´m using default FFB , not using the logitech profiler ... ( I have noticed, somehow, the profiler did mess up my FFB in a lot of other sims ( race07 / historx / rfactor 01 ) . Since i disabled it, things started to work a lot better... Anyway, my G25 is doing quite a good job in rFactor2 stock settings...

[PLAYLIFE]

My biggest gripe with this mod is the woeful sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKWveqkL6p0

Even though they aren't F1 standard, they still produce a HUGE amount of downforce. It doesn't feel like that is the case with this mod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KHv0...eature=related

[buddhatree]

Even though they aren't F1 standard, they still produce a HUGE amount of downforce. It doesn't feel like that is the case with this mod.

But have you tried the different downforce packages? You have to pick your downforce package when you choose the car. Can't be adjusted in the garage.

[PLAYLIFE]

But have you tried the different downforce packages? You have to pick your downforce package when you choose the car. Can't be adjusted in the garage.

I have and I admit it is better than default. I'm still not convinced though. I'm mostly basing my opinion on the polished classic 60s mod; I think the F3.5 had much less effort put into it, or at least, that's how it seems. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate or greatly dislike it, but of the 3 mods it's my least preferred.

[buddhatree]

Agreed. The 60's cars are a step above.

But perhaps we feel that way because we are GPL fans?

[HuntTheShunt]

I've not dirven it properly yet due to the "Bonnet Bug", it does'nt show up in Cockpit view and I can see through the footwell....kinda ruins the immersiveness so I'm waiting for that to be fixed (ISI do know about it!).

How come you have that?
Mine looks like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZpA4AGEcdw
What setup causes the bonnet not to be visible?

[Fergy]

I love the mod, it's hard but fair meaning if you put the time in and dial everything in you start to understand the mod a lot better. Wheel settings are crucial for this mod, the car set up it's self is just the half.
Go and buy a codemasters game if you want to master something in a day...
Drop into Accr for set ups and help.

[HuntTheShunt]

Drop into Accr for set ups and help.

?

What and where is Accr?