How to get involved
So your interested in racing online with Ausfactor but not quiet sure how to
go about doing it. Follow this setup to get racing in a jiffy.
1. Get the game
2. Backup your game
3. Get some mods
4. Adjust your settings
5. Join Ausfactor
6. Welcome to Multiplayer
7. Get Racing
8. Get Talking
Step 1. Get the game
I presume you've downloaded or bought the CD from
www.rfactor.net. There is a couple of
ways to purchase the game if you haven't already done so but whatever you do,
don't buy it through Bigpond. Users have reported allot of problems with
updating the game through Bigpond (BigScum) so I suggest you steer clear.
The other way of buying it is either downloading then unlocking the demo or
purchase the CD. Either way you'll most likely have to do an online transaction.
Either way once the game is installed and unlocked your ready to get some mods
and get racing with your favourite car and track.
Step 2. Backup your game
What I like to do upon first install of the game is to backup all my
original install files for future use. Often it is best to install a new
mod into a complete new install of rfactor and you can copy the baseline game
files and use that as a complete new virgin game install. So first thing
you should do is to copy your complete rfactor directory and paste it as a
complete new folder somewhere you have room. The default location of your
rfactor directory is C:\Program Files\Rfactor. Note: rfactor will run from a
complete copy of your installation files as long as your license key is in the
correct place. This is handy if ever you have to do a reinstall of
Windows, you can simply backup you license file and game directory and place
them back in the right place at the end.
Step 3. Get some Mods
Ok you've got the game now lets download some mods. The best place to get mods
is http://www.rfactorcentral.com/
You will have to register on the site to gain download privileges but reg is
free. If you feel generous then make a small donation to the site as the guys do
a great job providing terabytes of bandwidth and hundreds of downloads for this
game. Mods are categorised in the menu system so get downloading. If
you need help installing mods I suggest you jump on Team Speak for some help
from one the guys as its very easy to talk you through it rather then type.
Take a look at the Team Speak heading further down this page for details.
Note that when you install a new mod it will be that mod you boot into rfactor
with upon first time, don't panic if rfactor looks different after installing a
mod because you can always switch back from within your game menu. Mods
generally come in two different styles; one is a self installing exe that you
simply point to your rfactor folder and the other is a archive of files you have
to manually extract into the correct folders within rfactor.
Step 4. Adjust your settings
You may have noticed when you first started rfactor, the game started with a
configuration tool for graphics (DirectX, resolution etc), now regardless of whether you have a great rig
with everything on full or a cheap baseline computer that was handed down
from your Dad. you might need to tweak the graphics both in this utility and in
the game. Start off by going into your game directory, that's the one mentioned
above in your C: drive and run the RF config.exe. You might need
some adjustments there where required. Secondly within the game you'll want
to turn the graphics up or down depending on your system. The same goes
with your controller, audio, aids and other game setting, the important thing is
to be comfortable with the feel of the wheel and other game features. I find
that sensitivity is a issue with the game so you might need to turn the 'Speed
Sensitivity' up to a level that makes the car more predictable in corners.
Either way getting comfortable with your game is a must before tackling the
world of competitive online racing.
Step 5. Join
Ausfactor
Ok to review where we're up to, you've got the game, its setup the way you like
it and you've got your favourite mod installed. Click on the
forum link at the top of the site and
register for the forum. Here you will find a wealth of information about
practice nights and race events. We also have a tech support forum for any
question you might have and remember no question is stupid because we were all
new to this once. I have written a tutorial on adjusting a few setting in
the game that might be worth a read, you can find it
here in the tech support forum. The forum is a must for finding out
about our racing as we publish all the information about each event in the
forum.
Step 6. Welcome
to Multiplayer
You have run a few test laps in the game without joining a multiplayer server
and your ready to test your skills against other drivers online. Go ahead, click
on multiplayer. If you want to join a Ausfactor server you can sort the
server by name in the name column. All Ausfactor servers are named
AUSFACTOR.com(mod). If you followed the tweak rfactor tutorial listed
about you should have no problem finding it, however by default the game will
only list 400 servers and their are a bucket load more then that available so
you may need to refresh a few times to find it. Once again the forum is a
wealth of information and you'll need to read some of it to find out the server
password if there is one. Most of the time we don't have a password, but
league events will always have be locked to keep out kiwi's. oops I mean
random foreign drivers.
Step 7. Get
Racing
League nights vary depending on the mod however most of our racing is done
Sunday and/or Monday nights. The original concept was to make Monday night
the night for racing however we have grown so rapidly we dedicate both Sunday
and Monday to league nights for our premier mods. This means you can race
either Sunday or Monday night and your result will count for the entire meeting.
Itrs not the greatest situation but it does allow for larger fields. We
also run leagues on Wednesday nights and Friday nights. If your into NASCAR then
Friday night is your night and Wednesday nights are a fun league in various
mods.
Step 8. Get
talking
Ausfactor has its own Team Speak server for those that like to chat before,
during and after racing and it is really the best way to get help and find out
information quickly with the game. I recommend you get a headset and get
Team Speak then join our
Team Speak server on 202.125.38.154. We have security on the server so
don't be alarmed if you can't go anywhere apart from the lobby, on of the admins
will need to register you.