rFactor 2 Beta Installation and Launcher

Installation



Installing the rFactor 2 Beta is simple, but there are some things you need to be sure and include. It is downloadable as a single exe file that expands to 795MB. The build version is 49, and the rFactor 2 version is 1.005.

Yes, you're excited! It is finally here! You can hardly wait to get it installed! You run to your computer frothing at the mouth to get it going! Here is some friendly advice....

Stop and carefully read this page first before installing!
http://rfactor.net/web/rf2/first-time-install/

The installer is the usual Nullsoft installer that most of us have seen many times before when installing simulations and games....




Here is the first tip. You may think you can deselect the "DirectX" checkbox because you have Windows 7 (or Vista) because they have a later version of DirectX included. Wrong. You need DirectX 9.0c for a DirectX 9.0c game. It will not step on anything in the Windows 7 or Vista DirectX installations. But chances are you probably already have DirectX 9.0c from another game installation, so you don't need to install it again, right? Nope, wrong. Here's a little secret. There is not one DirectX 9.0c. Microsoft continued doing updates to DX9 and continued calling them DirectX 9.0c long after Vista, and with your luck you'll probably miss some dll file that's required. Do yourself a favor and make sure the DirectX checkbox is checked.




Next consideration. The rFactor 2 Beta has two prompts for where to install. First for the Core files (note the suggested install location).




And there is a second suggested default location for the Data and Settings....




Make sure you don't put both these in the same folder (e.g. D:\rFactor2\ ). It will cause problems later on. Also, the current hot ticket setup for gamer system hard drives is a small SSD (aren't they all?) for the OS as drive C:, and then a monster SATA drive D: for programs and files. Initially for the Beta there shouldn't be a problem using what goes into the Users folders, but as rFactor 2 grows....

I tried without much luck using only drive D:\ for two folders. I kept getting errors when they were in the same folder (D:\rFactor2\) or two folders (D:\rFactor2\core\ and D:\rFactor2\data\). The devs will need to advise what those of us who have the small SSD for drive C: should do to resolve the potential problem.

For my installation of v1.005, I left it on the default path settings.

Update on the SSD drive C and common path questions at the ISI rFactor 2 forum: "On the install "issue". I'm not sure what the problem is nor why Doug had the issue he did. I have a small SSD boot and a large D: drive. I tested the current installer today and was able to install everything into the same folder on my D: drive with no errors, beta ran fine, etc..." Thanks Scott!



rFactor 2 Launcher

As you probably already know, rFactor 2 is modular. Its "control panel" is called the Launcher. From the Launcher you can manage your account, purchase, request the mod ID, access single player, connect to multiplayer, work in the developer area, configure screen resolution, select HDR, check for updates, run the dedicated server, and (whew) update your mods.

Here is what the main Launcher screen looks like after purchase and authorization.



The next four screens show excerpts from purchase and activation procedure. Reactivate equals five times before you need to request more. Yes, it's "Buy License"



At the time of publishing this preview, the pricing has not been established for the Lifetime Online Membership.



Here's a tip. When it comes time to create a password (and of course, you do use strong passwords, don't you?) keep the characters alpha-numeric. Special characters like "[" can't be used.



Be sure to print out or screenshot your confirmation page.



Click the blue bar to check for updates. A lot easier than some games out there that make you practically stand on your head to accomplish the same function.



The Advanced screen allows command line editing (CLI).



Next, let's look at the three buttons in the lower right corner of the Launcher and their accompanying screens: Config Sim, Manage Mods, and Host.

Config Sim brings the "rF Config.exe" file into the menu.



Manage Mods lets you quickly check the inventory and status. The mods, or "rfmod" are dropped into the packages folder. Using the default installation folders, the path in Windows 7 is: "C:\Users\profile name\My Documents\rFactor2\Packages".



As with "rF Config.exe", the hosting capability is added to the menu. If you have a dedicated server, just install the rFactor 2 Beta file on the server and click the Host button. The three Launcher screens will be grayed-out. As stated in the ISI Forums, rFactor 2 does not charge for the dedicated server function, which is the same as rFactor. There is more on the Multiplayer page of the preview about the Host capability.