Post by Pascal Mikula on Nov 5, 2021 19:40:10 GMT 1
Here is how to perform driver changes in rFactor, as well as a few tips regarding the operation :
1 - Getting Ready
First of all, both drivers of a given car must use the same setup during the race. Your setup therefore has to be a compromise for the two driving styles.
In the setup itself, switch the fuel supply for the pitstops to 0 (zero). This will prevent any problem during the driver swap, although it forces you to manually select the quantity of fuel you want to get at the pitstop, while you are still on track.
The setup has to be identical for both drivers in every aspect, including simple stuff like Brake Pressure and Steering Lock. Therefore, it's also recommended that both drivers use similar equipment for driving. That means it's not recommended for a Gamepad driver to team up with a Wheel driver and vice versa.
You will also need to assign a button or keyboard key to the "Passenger Select" function. By default in the game this function has no button assigned, so remember to chose one yourself.
Make sure each driver has the same setup in their setup folder. Each driver must have the setup set as the Default setup; it is also recommended for each copy of the setup to have the same name.
2 - Communication
Chatting being strictly forbidden during the race, you have to be able to communicate with your co-driver(s) during the race to perform driver changes. Whisper Chat messages are obviously allowed (using the /w [full name] [message] command) but it could distract the driver in the car, so use voice chat instead.
Classic Motorsport Hub is hosting a TeamSpeak server as well as Discord voice channels. While most of you use discord and can hop into a call with your teammate(s) easily, TeamSpeak is a bit lighter on PC resources. However, both are available, so it's up to you to choose.
3 - The actual swap
The actual procedure is not as difficult as it may seem, but to make sure no mistakes happen, the actual swap needs to be coordinated properly still.
In this example, Driver A is driving and preparing for a pit stop + driver swap.
Driver B is getting ready to get into the car.
First, Driver B joins the server as a spectator. You must have Spectator Mode on, otherwise you will receive the "Current Session Closed" message.
Once Driver B is on the server, they must make sure the shared setup is loaded and assigned as default.
Driver B then left-clicks on Driver A's name in the Standings display. Driver B then hits the "Passenger Select" button.
Driver B will now receive a message saying "You are now riding with Driver A" - Driver A receives a message saying "Driver B is now riding with you."
If Driver B selected the wrong driver, there's no need to worry. Driver B has to hit the Passenger Select button again, then they receive a message "You are no longer riding with Driver A" - Then Driver B can select the correct driver.
Once Driver A has received the message, they can request their pit stop. Driver A has to scroll down to the "DRIVER" tab in the pit menu and now has the choice between Driver A and Driver B - if Driver A is selected, only the pit stop will happen.
To stage a driver swap, select Driver B.
Meanwhile, Driver B must click "RACE" on the bottom right corner to get into the car of Driver A.
At the next pit stop, if Driver A selected Driver B as the driver in the pit menu, Driver A will receive a countdown in their message box saying "You will lose control in xx seconds" as the driver swap is being conducted. Driver A can now turn off the engine and get ready to leave the car.
Once the countdown is over, Driver B has taken control of the car and Driver A is the passenger. Driver A now has to press the Passenger Select button to de-couple from the car, and both drivers will receive a confirmation message.
Driver A can now leave the server and, if needed, rejoin at a later time to take over the car again.
4 - A Few Tips And Tricks
Driver swapping in rFactor is a delicate matter, often subject to various bugs and problems when not performed in the proper conditions. Here are a few tips that will help you avoid some of them.
- NEVER change your game settings (video, sound, keys & buttons, etc.) once you climbed as a passenger of your car on the server - if you do, the swap won't work. To check if your video settings are fine, try offline with the AIs.
- Do not use any telemetry plugin (Motec or other). Plugins in general are not recommended on a enduro race on rFactor. (Although GID will work fine as per my personal experiences)
- There must NEVER be more than one passenger in a given car at the moment of the swapping.
- If you are a user of the RealFeel plugin, it might happen that your force feedback settings get inverted when you take your turn in the car. If this happens, pressing ctrl+8 will set them back to your settings.
- If you have a drive through or stop & go penalty to do in the pits, do it BEFORE swapping drivers.
- Switching off the auto-save replay option will be of much help to older PCs.
- Finally, a newly made rFactor install, dedicated to the race and created just before it will maximise your chances of not encoutering problems during the race.
1 - Getting Ready
First of all, both drivers of a given car must use the same setup during the race. Your setup therefore has to be a compromise for the two driving styles.
In the setup itself, switch the fuel supply for the pitstops to 0 (zero). This will prevent any problem during the driver swap, although it forces you to manually select the quantity of fuel you want to get at the pitstop, while you are still on track.
The setup has to be identical for both drivers in every aspect, including simple stuff like Brake Pressure and Steering Lock. Therefore, it's also recommended that both drivers use similar equipment for driving. That means it's not recommended for a Gamepad driver to team up with a Wheel driver and vice versa.
You will also need to assign a button or keyboard key to the "Passenger Select" function. By default in the game this function has no button assigned, so remember to chose one yourself.
Make sure each driver has the same setup in their setup folder. Each driver must have the setup set as the Default setup; it is also recommended for each copy of the setup to have the same name.
2 - Communication
Chatting being strictly forbidden during the race, you have to be able to communicate with your co-driver(s) during the race to perform driver changes. Whisper Chat messages are obviously allowed (using the /w [full name] [message] command) but it could distract the driver in the car, so use voice chat instead.
Classic Motorsport Hub is hosting a TeamSpeak server as well as Discord voice channels. While most of you use discord and can hop into a call with your teammate(s) easily, TeamSpeak is a bit lighter on PC resources. However, both are available, so it's up to you to choose.
3 - The actual swap
The actual procedure is not as difficult as it may seem, but to make sure no mistakes happen, the actual swap needs to be coordinated properly still.
In this example, Driver A is driving and preparing for a pit stop + driver swap.
Driver B is getting ready to get into the car.
First, Driver B joins the server as a spectator. You must have Spectator Mode on, otherwise you will receive the "Current Session Closed" message.
Once Driver B is on the server, they must make sure the shared setup is loaded and assigned as default.
Driver B then left-clicks on Driver A's name in the Standings display. Driver B then hits the "Passenger Select" button.
Driver B will now receive a message saying "You are now riding with Driver A" - Driver A receives a message saying "Driver B is now riding with you."
If Driver B selected the wrong driver, there's no need to worry. Driver B has to hit the Passenger Select button again, then they receive a message "You are no longer riding with Driver A" - Then Driver B can select the correct driver.
Once Driver A has received the message, they can request their pit stop. Driver A has to scroll down to the "DRIVER" tab in the pit menu and now has the choice between Driver A and Driver B - if Driver A is selected, only the pit stop will happen.
To stage a driver swap, select Driver B.
Meanwhile, Driver B must click "RACE" on the bottom right corner to get into the car of Driver A.
At the next pit stop, if Driver A selected Driver B as the driver in the pit menu, Driver A will receive a countdown in their message box saying "You will lose control in xx seconds" as the driver swap is being conducted. Driver A can now turn off the engine and get ready to leave the car.
Once the countdown is over, Driver B has taken control of the car and Driver A is the passenger. Driver A now has to press the Passenger Select button to de-couple from the car, and both drivers will receive a confirmation message.
Driver A can now leave the server and, if needed, rejoin at a later time to take over the car again.
4 - A Few Tips And Tricks
Driver swapping in rFactor is a delicate matter, often subject to various bugs and problems when not performed in the proper conditions. Here are a few tips that will help you avoid some of them.
- NEVER change your game settings (video, sound, keys & buttons, etc.) once you climbed as a passenger of your car on the server - if you do, the swap won't work. To check if your video settings are fine, try offline with the AIs.
- Do not use any telemetry plugin (Motec or other). Plugins in general are not recommended on a enduro race on rFactor. (Although GID will work fine as per my personal experiences)
- There must NEVER be more than one passenger in a given car at the moment of the swapping.
- If you are a user of the RealFeel plugin, it might happen that your force feedback settings get inverted when you take your turn in the car. If this happens, pressing ctrl+8 will set them back to your settings.
- If you have a drive through or stop & go penalty to do in the pits, do it BEFORE swapping drivers.
- Switching off the auto-save replay option will be of much help to older PCs.
- Finally, a newly made rFactor install, dedicated to the race and created just before it will maximise your chances of not encoutering problems during the race.