1.070 to 1.1xx - In any other piece of software it would be a minor patch you might not even install or ever hear about, let alone anticipate its release. In the land of rFactor milk and honey it's another story altogether. Thanks to Gjon, ISI and Scott_J for their assistance with this update preview which spanned 1.132 - 1.140RC2.

Please note the rFactor update is still a WIP, and this preview does not necessarily represent the final update.

What's New - Overview

So... what's new as at v1.140? The WIP readme file rfactorcentral had access to at the time of writing (since published) lists well over 100 updates of varying shapes and sizes. One thing is clear - ISI have been listening to the rFactor community, though sometimes it might be impossible not to hear all kicking and screaming that goes on - we love our rFactor!

Every new feature and fix in the update can't be covered in detail here. This review includes stand out items along with what I found notable and of interest along the way. ISI's changes log is definitely worth a close look, for new and experienced players alike.

Note: I know very little about stock cars which are a significant part of this update, apologies in advance for skipped details regarding stock cars.

Graphics

• Auto Refresh FPS
  Specify a framerate threshold below which the game will automatically attempt to reduce detail to improve framerate. Provided PC resources are available it appears to work very well in peak hour traffic e.g. race starts.
   
• Vertical Field of View
  Increased range of available vertical FOV settings. Good one!
   
• Latest DirectX SDK

Artificial Intelligence

• AI Track Learning
  When enabled in the .plr file run a test day with a single AI car and it will attempt to learn the track and report its progress
   
• AI strength and aggression saved on a per-mod basis
  More per mod stuff is always welcome
   
• Improvements to AI behaviour
  As someone who spends as much time racing offline as online I've really enjoyed the various improvements to AI behaviour in this update - those babies have learnt to overtake amongst other tricks.

Gameplay

• Pit Stop Timer
  Shows time remaining in Pit Stop, but only visible when Message Center is on. I would've preferred it displayed independently of Message Center with the option of sounds to indicate pit progress and completion.
   
• Starting Light Sounds
  Often start lights can be obscured or just not visible at all. Small detail, but nice touch I notice at the start of each race. More sounds in rFactor would be great.
   
• Seat and mirror positions now stored per-vehicle, but only for owned vehicles.
  Again per mod vs global - good thing.
   
• Updated Pit out and Pit Crew Figures
  The freaky low poly ghost pix exit guy has had a makeover. I still want to nuke that bad boy with a global hide option, but a good update - especially the pit criew.

Input Devices

• Vehicle inputs are now read on a thread at over 100Hz for better precision. Can be turned off in plr file.
  Could end up being one of the key improvements. Maybe this is why my laptimes have improved in 1.140? :)
   
• Auto-detection of Logitech G25 wheel
   
• Force feedback improvements

Replay

•  Fixed a problem where replay clips wouldn't play correctly after being saved and re-loaded.
  Amen! This bug has been a real PITA for people who edit replay files.

Multiplayer

• Added new type of start "Fast Rolling" which automatically skips most of the formation (pace) lap.
   
• Implemented lobby chat through matchmaker

Results

• Added Mod filename and Season to the results XML file.
   
• Added fuel level to local results file.  Each lap description includes the approximate fraction of full capacity.

Modding & Misc

• Added loading bar color to rFm
   
• Added ability to specify what vehicle upgrade configurations must be used at a given track.
   
• Added pitbox re-skinning
   
• Added HDV entries to configure the pit menu and the time required to perform pitstop operations
   
• Added ability to have non-linear grip drop-off with wear

Please refer to ISI's change log for a complete list of updates.

rFactor Update Preview