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rFactor

Learning Curve: Low Gear Required

Firing up rFactor for the first time is a bit daunting. The 23-page printed manual does a decent job covering the many configuration options and multiplayer setup, but the three pages devoted to bringing new players up to speed are woefully inadequate. Creating a driver profile is the first order of business, and though it's tempting to not select a race series (and instead choose the "All Vehicles and Courses" option), don't. Structured race series are only available when a particular series is tied to a driver profile, a fact that the documentation fails to point out. That may sound like a nitpick, but the rest of the game has the same slightly confusing feel. Navigating the clunky interface and learning the structure of a race weekend is a trial-and-error affair.

It's not drift racing, but a well-timed rear-wheel slide can be a useful technique

All vehicles have modeled cockpits, including this Panoz Esparante JRD Cabriolet

The learning curve is steep, though that's unlikely to deter racing sim fans. Unfortunately, even experienced drivers may lament the lack of any driving tutorials, a la GTR 2's driving school. Even though such mini-challenges are ripped straight from the Gran Turismo series of games, brief tutorials covering basic and advanced driving techniques are a boon. Jumping into an open test session has its benefits, but focused lessons lower the barrier to entry while providing practice for veterans. To its credit, rFactor ships with a range of difficulty profiles for rank novices to seasoned experts. Driving assists and realism options can also be tweaked individually to suit skill levels and personal tastes. The driving experience can effectively scale from a forgiving, arcade-like experience to an insanely difficult simulation.

Difficulty settings can be fine-tuned for driver ability, though the game ships with several difficulty profiles

The vehicle selection interface offers a brief performance overview

With Much Practice Comes Great Rewards

The racing experience ranges from open-ended to completely focused. The game doles out starting credits (which can be spent on upgrades and vehicles) based on which race series is associated with a profile. The "All Vehicles" choice awards five million credits from the start, and in this mode the game is a sandbox for racing aficionados (though experience points must still be earned to purchase certain vehicles). Select a dedicated race series, such as "Open Wheel Challenge '06", and you'll begin with just a few thousand credits. Here, earning experience points and credits is the name of the game. The privateer-style setup means that you're docked credits for offenses such as pit-lane violations, depending on realism settings. Progressing through an individual series is straightforward, but the various series are disconnected. Though purists will cry foul, a customizable career mode - spanning a number of series - would help flesh out the single-player experience.

Realism settings can be adjusted for increased to enhance the game's simulation aspect

Upgrades must be purchased, but thankfully you can begin with five million credits in the bank

While learning the ropes isn't exactly intuitive, the game really begins to shine after a few hours of practice. If you're fortunate enough to have a quality PC racing wheel with Force Feedback (and select the appropriate pre-set controller profile), the simulation has a tight, authentic feel. A wheel with a clutch and traditional shifter knob, such as the cream-of-the-crop Logitech G25, offer the best experience. Don't bother with cheaper wheels (such as the Microsoft Xbox 360 Racing Wheel); if the brake and gas pedals share the same axis, the wheel is nearly useless. Even with a quality gamepad (and some careful tweaking of analog deadzone and sensitivity settings), it's possible to turn in good lap times.

Page 1: IntroductionPage 2: Gameplay - Getting StartedPage 3: Gameplay - Single-PlayerPage 4: Gameplay - AI & MultiplayerPage 5: Graphics and HardwarePage 6: More Graphics, Audio and ReplaysPage 7: Final Thoughts & Scores

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