rFactor Demo - First Impressions

I downloaded the rFactor demo today, and I have to say that it's really quite good.

If you've never heard of rFactor then don't worry, it seems to be one of the better kept secrets on the PC. Essentially it's a driving simulation, covering a variety of car classes across a number of fictional courses, but the beauty of rFactor is the amount of downloadable content available on the internet.

I was a bit sceptical at first. I'd heard a little bit about rFactor, mainly a couple of reviews over a year ago, back when the game had little support on the internet, and a few mentions on forums and race sim websites. The screenshots I saw weren't amazing and the reviews talked about a solid game engine but with little else to shout about.

But since then the game engine has developed and the amount of user mods has increased dramatically. Browsing the rFactor website persuaded me that the quality of cars and tracks now available meant this was worth a second look.

The rFactor demo weighs in at a hefty 1GB, but this doesn't seem quite so bad when you consider what you're downloading is actually the full game. The idea is that you play the demo, love the game, pay to unlock it and then get straight back into the game without any further downloads.

The rFactor demo is limited to 60 minutes of play time, after which it locks down and won't let you play again unless you pay for the full game. It seemed like I managed to get over 60 minutes of play in my first run through the demo, and managed to have a go in most of the cars on a few of the tracks. It was only when I tried to start the game for a second time that it would not let me progress, and took me straight to the payment screen.

In that time I managed to try 3 of the cars on offer in the rFactor demo. These are the Rhez (a small hatchback), the ZType (a small coupe) and the Hammer (a larger, more powerful coupe). Each car has one or more race championships open to it, and the winnings from each of the races can be used to buy upgrades from a decent sized list for each car.

By the end of my run on the rFactor demo I'd managed to quite heavily upgrade two of my cars. More powerful cars means better results, which in turn means more prize cash which goes back into the pot for more upgrades or new cars.

The upgrades include the usual items - brakes, tyres, spoilers but there are also some more unusual items such as an endurance fuel tank, racing interior and even an upgraded horn.

The handling of the cars is excellent, each showing it's own different characteristics. The front-engined Rhez hatchback is prone to understeer as what little power it has hits the track through the front wheels, while the Hammer is much more fun with oversteer slides on offer, ready to catch you out if you squeeze on the power too soon.

Tracks are varied in nature, ranging from wide open circuits with nice grassy run-off areas, through to banked ovals and then to tight city circuits with no room for error.

rFactor's graphics are good, if not quite up there with the latest big titles. There's plenty of trackside detail, not that you'll notice much of it as you hurtle round the tracks, and each of the cars has nicely detailed 3D models and fairly good textures. The graphics can be scaled back from DirectX 9 through to DirectX 7, so the game will run on almost any machine with a 3D graphics card.

Sadly I didn't get chance to try the online play before the rFactor demo locked down, but I'm sure it's good. The reviews I'd read mentioned solid network code, with minimal data transfer and lag, so you should get smooth performance online.

So, having played the rFactor demo, am I tempted to buy the full game? Yes, I am. While it might not have the graphical sparkle of some of the latest releases the driving on offer is cracking fun. Tracks, cars, upgrades, championships - what more could you ask for? And looking at the free downloads on offer on the rFactor websites there's loads of opportunity to extend the life of the game once you've exhausted all of the game's original content.

The rFactor demo can be downloaded from a number of sites, and even as a torrent. Go on, give it a try, what have you got to lose?