The hard true is, just 200 RR fans are keeping this game alive. And this number is pathetic. The core features are for almost 3 years just "promises". Soon... yea, right. Steam charts don't reflect the even harder reality. Many of the concurrents sims can be played offline, or elsewhere, like GSCE Lets take a look on the most downloaded content from every sim, (taken from RD forum). AC: 176,377 downloads GSCE: 15,857 downloads PCars: 15,529 downloads DirtRally: 4,553 downloads rFactor 2: 11,081 downloads RaceRoom: 192 downloads. By the way, ONLY Dirt and RR are still in BETA. So you think it's all ok, that time is on our side. Think again.
I don't know what you want to achieve with it, but this is a strange comparison. The most downloaded content of AC, GSCE, PCARS, Dirt Rally and rF2 are mods. And R3E is the only sim in your list, which isn't moddable. Well ...... no mods, no downloads.
Stating how the reality looks like, doesn't necessarily mean being happy about it. S3s is offering jobs for programmers, if they have a hard time filling those that's just another reality to face. They have stated numerous times they also wished for faster progress, and how the transition of simbin to s3s and the evolution of r3e has made the codebase less than ideal. Do you imply they should fire their content folks (where content is what is generating money in the most stable form) to have more money for programmers? Complaining all the time doesn't magically change reality. I simply trust s3s in their passion for the genre that they have the drive to improve what is needed as they can afford to. Imo you should not get worked up about this so much, it doesn't do you good. That's not the same as saying everything is okay. I would think the majority of people on this forum have made feature requests in one way or another. I have worked professionally in this industry as artist and as programmer, also was part of a very big quake3 mod for years, yet I would not dare to make a statement about how s3s decides what to put resources on. Features like the spectator overlay could be seen as distraction, same time they are important for making their partners (dtm, ADAC...) And players happy as the infrastructure for streaming games and brand recognition helps s3s to keep those deals and build community. We don't have all the data the producers have (and also not the experience). So in the end what matters is belief in their passion and that the devs seem to be open and approachable people. Those are positives to remind myself of when unhappiness about some things rises. That may sound like fanboyism, but imo it's about acknowledging the people behind it and the cicumstances. Similar would be true for many other developers out there.
Yes. R3E needs to get those core features into the game, and pretty soon! (I hope) And yes. R3E needs to get more people in, a lot more. But if you think we are just 200 keeping this alive I think you need to recalculate..
There, someone sensible and in the know, can we move on now please, less haste more speed and all that. S3 are doing a sterling job with a limited (only in number) team, from my time with this sim I have only seen improvement after improvement in physics, varied and quality content and an ever expanding fan base. My kids are all grown up now but this thread so reminds me of car journeys in the past "are we there yet"
Ehe, wow...Gonna fight the urge to give a statistics 101 here. What Ernie said. I think a good estimator of what the actual number of "regular" users is is competitions. Right now there are 1.5k entries in an ongoing just for fun competition (Touring Classics on Brands), on the finished WTCC@Macau there are 2k entries, SRH competition 3.1k, Fanatec competition 4.1k. Think the biggest numbers I've seen were somewhere in the 5000's. This makes me think that exposure isn't bad. It isn't good but actually a lot of people are aware of this and come back, at least to play the free stuff, competitions aso. Re-working the core of a game while maintaining it's functionality is a difficult task, which S3S has to achieve with what is possibly the smallest team out there, and bearing that in mind they are doing a splendid job so far. What "core features" are you actually talking about that have been promised for 3 years? Because from my pov there is a relatively large number of features missing (saveable setups with more options, multiclass in SP, mandatory pitstopps, races by laps (not time) etc) but I don't consider those core features. They will be much appreciated once we have them, but imo they don't build the core of a working racing sim and many of the features wanted and consiered core features by the users (changing weather/wet races as one of the most important examples) have not been promised so far.
Just for info: The biggest number i've seen is this currently running competition with over 16k entries. Edit: Or the Mini competition with over 18k entries.
Holy moly, haven't had a look in those for a long time apparently. As those are running for months they might not be the best indicator for "regular" usage, but nevertheless they give an idea of how many people know about R3E and at least tried it once. To bad most of those times might have been set a long time ago, before all the positive changes have been made.
Even if it's offtopic, but the reason was, that the Mini Cooper in that competition, was just a conversion of an old 3D model from Race07. And because it doesn't match the graphical quality standard of R3E, the Mini doesn't become regular content. Sector3 has said, that they would have to completely rebuild the 3d model of the Mini. There's no official confirmation, but because the Mini is quite an often-requested car, this will perhaps happen someday. Time will tell.
I may be wrong but I believe that the Mini was "replaced" in the pecking order by the Audi TT so I wouldnt hold my breath on it.
Implementing features takes time and people need to remember Sector 3 isn't a massive team, in fact it's no bigger than the team at Kunos. It is therefore not a surprise to learn Kunos have the same complaints about an unfinished product. ISI hear the same thing too about rFactor 2. “We have a lot of talented people at the studio, and after the restructure, we were left with 10-11 people at the studio" - Chris Speed COO of Sector 3 (taken from here: http://www.redbull.com/us/en/games/.../raceroom-racing-experience-sector3-interview ) Sector 3 have undone all the missteps of SimBin when R3E was a semi-sim that no one really wanted to a sim that is amongst the most well-rounded currently available. Changeable weather and night racing would all be welcome and will likely be added in time.
Although the TT is a very different kind of car with it's RWD, I think the TT might be just as much, if not more fun then the Mini. I have watched a couple of races (The Red Bull Ring destruction derby race being one of them) here on TV and it looks like a fun little rubbing is racing candidate.
Well, looking at Steam charts, I can only find those 200. Oh, and the big numbers in competitions... the content is (was) free for everyone.
That's the average player base, that's not the same number as the amount of people buying content.. If it was, S3S would have been bankrupt as well a long time ago.
When you buy the content and don't use it, this tell us something, or not? Are those people just collecting virtual cars and tracks? Or are they just not finding what they were looking for? Anyway, this is enough for me. I am (was) one of those collectors, waiting forever for the core features. You guys keep saying the team is small. Well, I do believe it. I just don't understand the priorities of this small team: Modifying the physics of DTM 92/ Touring cars. This took time, right? What for? There were people asking for this? NO. New transmission model. This took time. What for? What was wrong with the old one? After a race, free practice, or whatever...can I analyse my times, lap by lap? NO (and this has nothing to do with the physics team). What are my best laps by car/track? NO IDEA There is not such a class of information. And we still do not have a way to save setups, control fuel or tires. Almost three years and counting.