RFE Plugin Series 1.

USER MANUAL

RFE Plugin Series is property of Symracing.net

RFE Plugin Series 1.2 User Manual 1 of 21 Rev. 1.7 Oct. 30th, 2013
What is RFE Plugin Series

RFE Series is a set of plugins created with the purpose of Enhancing rFactor. We all know what
rFactor is, and most of the times such a complex engine (simple enough to run on a home
laptop) has been be tweaked to create the most amazing and realistic games. However, not all
the possibilities have been explored yet. There is a lot of work to do, and the only way we can
do (as long as the game code has not been publicly released, will it ever be?) is using plugins
that provide the missing functionality we all love to see in a game.

RFE Series is currently at its third public step, the version 1.2. The plugin series has been
divided into several components, providing each one a different set of features that can be used
independently, or in conjunction with other components. We highly recommend to use the
whole RFE Plugin Series to avoid malfunctions!

RFE Plugin Series Components:

➢The RFE Weather component provides changing climate conditions to rFactor. This
component is released as a plugin for both Client and Server side that will work together
to enhance the environmental changes during a rFactor session. Weather is something
that should affect to all the participants of the session, and this is the reason because
RFE Weather applies mainly into the server side. This addition will enable the variable
weather system and will centralize some of the physical and visual aspects of a changing
environment. However, it is not possible to have a complete weather system running only
on the server and a client plugin is needed to provide all the functionality not already
covered in rFactor.

➢RFE Track component will bring the rFactor track to live. Currently, rFactor's track is a
very static element, and changes are only applied to the tarmac temperature. With the
addition of the weather system, the track will support a drying line, however this is not
enough. We do want a better track, a track that you first have to learn, and the you have
to know, more close to a real track.

➢Tires in simulation are a very important factor, however in rFactor these elements does
not have the attention they deserve. The RFE Tire model component will make tires
behave completely different. Tires will degrade and wear affecting not only the physics,
but the visuals. Flatspots will appear and affect the driving conditions, but that is only
the beginning of a set of changes that needs very heavy testing and more exploration.
The temperature and wear will affect parts of the tire (currently they affect the tire as a
single part), and other physic aspects like geometry will be introduced into the driving
calculus, making the tires something that you must know when you try to get the most of
them.

➢Current rFactor steward is good, but for sure that it can be improved. It is that simple,
rFactor steward control is very limited, and this component will improve the options and
features of the steward system not only in qualifying or race sessions.

➢During our time using rFactor, we missed and suffered one of its big missing features:
being able to synchronize in real time both server and client instances to remove all the
mismatches caused by editing any of them. Actually, during all the tests performed while
developing the RFE plugin series, this is one of the 'most wanted' features.

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Some features are only at the first stage of developments and/or not present into this version
1.2 and can change in the future...

What is new in version 1.2?

After several months of silence and changes happened in our life, we are back with a
version that mainly improves the stability and gameplay in a wider range of users'
configurations.

This version works with both rFactor 1255F and G and on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8.0
and 8.1 as well as Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2012, both 32 and 64 bit.

In addition pre-requisites, like Visual C++, are no longer required.

We have also enhanced few features of RFE Plugin Series like:

– wind at a visual level has been reactivated;
– the default groove has now washed out during the rain, more or less quickly
depending of its intensity;
– the grip is lightly influenced depending of the amount of the groove;
– the RealTime weather option has been activated and must be managed by an
external tool
– the Random weather option has been enhanced for matching the requests of the
community

What do you expect by RFE Plugin Series?

We would like to remind that our mission is to enhance rFactor to bring you to a more real
simulation and what you will experience is only one of the first steps!

If you expect to get on track under a monsoon (by the way, it can happen...), you will be
disappointed... what we like is to introduce you to a different environment where every aspect
of the weather is linked to another one and all together influence the behavior of the car and
your driving style.

We strongly recommend the use of G.I.D. that allows you to better control the temperatures of
the whole environment / asphalt / tire, because, unlike before, now on the temperatures will
be critical to the grip of the car!

Speaking of tires, if the temperature differs too much from the ideal temperature, from now on
this adversely affects the grip and performance: understanding this is essential to get a good lap
time... not only the rain and wet asphalt adversely affect the performance!
For example, apparent similar weather conditions, that is how you perceive seeing a clear sky,
leave you to believe there are no other variables, but reading the ambient and track
temperatures, you may notice wide variations between a certain period of the session and

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another ... and this markedly affects the performance of the tires!
Even an ideal temperature for the track, but with a very low ambient temperature, you should
make us reflect on the fact that soon it will drop the temperature of the asphalt and the grip of
the tires will be negatively affected ... and this is just an example of how, with RFE Plugin
Series, rFactor will become "live"!
Talking about the rain, we can have different intensities of rain that decrease the grip of the
asphalt ... and when the rain stops, according to the track temperature (which is linked to the
ambient temperature), based on how many cars are on the track, according to the wind, more
or less slowly the track will dry out.

Please note that in this first stage the physical effect of the wind is not yet enabled.
We have actually already implemented many other features not present in this version (flatspot
and real wear of the tires, paddles on track, reuse of used tires, etc..), but we prefer to release
them in the future with more accurate tests. Most of the more advanced features will be
available only if the dedicated server will be connected with our "RFE Climate server"...

Now, remember! Look around, “scan” the sky ... if clouds and the mist increase, if the
temperatures change ... could soon be raining and when it will stop to rain the track will remain
wet for long ... so you must also choose the most appropriate time to replace wet tires with
intermediate ones or try the hazard of the slicks.

Why RFE?

Here, before the doubts creep in, as it is!

Why RFE is coming right now?

Yes, it really drives out a coincidence, but nothing more! The project RFE Plugin Series was born
last October 2011 almost by accident: by some friends involved in using rFactor had long talked
about the innovations that were introduced with rFactor2, movies and images that are beginning
to see, but also continuing delays in the release of the game and that's when Iñaki has decided
to create a plugin that would allow to bring to light and use the hidden parts of the code of
rFactor.

But the appetite comes with eating, and then here came the ambitious project of RFE Plugin
Series!
The first private races were held in the rain in the Spanish League rFactor Imperio as early as
December 2011, while almost simultaneously with the release of the first public beta of rF2 has
been the release of the first public package RFE Weather, with mod and track already online
with variable weather conditions.

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Who is Iñaki López?

Iñaki López is the creator and the programmer of the project named RFE Plugin Series. Iñaki by
himself undertook a long and arduous route to bring this plugin to the market.

The RFE Staff is implementing the most ambitious and comprehensive project that has ever even
conceived, to make sure that rFactor will be and remain the most successful simulator ever
produced. After the first release, also several developers contributed to the success and the
progress of the RFE project, releasing several useful tools.

Thank to the Certified Partners, that contributed to the diffusion of the RFE Plugin Series
worldwide and thank to the thousands of enthusiasts that run RFE!

A special thanks to the guys of ROTW that gave us the chance to use a Windows Server 2012 to
quickly fix some code for having the plugin working on a wider range of OSs.
And a special thanks to several friends of mine - Slow Motion: they know the why.

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RFE Plugin Series Version 1.2 components

The current 1.2 version of the RFE Plugin Series include the following components:
➢ RFE Weather version 0.122
➢ RFE Tire version 0.109
➢ RFE Track version 0.006
See the support folder for information about the changes from previous versions.

Installation, please use the installer that better matches your needs:

WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO USE ONE OF THE 2 INSTALLERS BROUGHT

TO YOU BY RFE AND AVAILABLE INTO OUR FORUM.
For your convenience we have also created 2 “RFE Installer” versions, that help you into the
installation process as well as in replacing some components:
➢ RFE Plugin Series Installer, for a quick, safe and easy install of the RFE Plugin Series
only, also to upgrade for a previous version;
➢ RFE Test Pack Installer, less than 200Mb that offers to you:
◦ the installation of a new instance of rFactor (only the basic files) or, in case, the
replacement of a corrupted instance
◦ the installation of the RFE Plugin Series
◦ the installation of the G.I.D. 1.1.5
◦ the installation of one mod and one track updated to RFE, for demo purposes

You can download both them from the RFE forums.

NOTE: the version 1.2 has not changed the structure of the ini files present into the previous
version, but has added new features. Using previous ini versions may disable some of the new
functionality.

BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU INSTALL A MOD READY FOR RFE. FEW OF THEM, LIKE THE FIRST
VERSIONS OUR RFESERIES “THEMOD”, COULD CONTAIN OLDER VERSIONS
OF SOME COMPONENTS OF THE PLUGIN.
Our easy advice is to reinstall the version 1.2 of the plugin every time after
the installation of a mod that can contain part of RFE Plugin Series, avoiding
in this way any crash or failure of rFactor.

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What else do you need?

To enjoy the new environment created by RFE Plugin Series you need to drive a mod on a track
that have been updated to RFE Plugin Series!
You can find several mods and tracks into the repository area of the RFE forums:
http://symracing.net/rfeseries/forum/viewforum.php?f=12

But you can also update by yourself a mod or a track following the several tutorials that we have
released into the tutorial area of the RFE forums:
http://symracing.net/rfeseries/forum/viewforum.php?f=2
To make the updating of the tracks easier, you can download the “Las3Caras – RFE Track
Adapter” software:
http://symracing.net/rfeseries/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=312

Running rFactor enhanced by RFE Plugin Series in local mode (offline)

Once completed the previous steps you will be able to start playing rFactor in local mode
(offline) with different and/or variable weather conditions. The availability of the weather
controls depends on the MOD you might be using, but most of them include this control on the
“Race details” tab when creating a session.

Running rFactor enhanced by RFE Plugin Series in multiplayer mode (online)

Once completed the steps described above you will be able to start playing rFactor in
multiplayer mode (online) with different and/or variable weather conditions.

If you want to join a server, technically nothing is different from the past. Obviously to enjoy the
new environment you need to join a server that is running RFE Plugin Series!

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Hosting rFactor running the Dedicated Server (online)

If you like to create a multiplayer session we highly recommend to DO NOT USE the rFactor UI,
but use the rFactor Dedicated program, otherwise some issues might appear.

Once completed the installation of RFE Plugin Series also into the Server PC, you will be ready to
launch the rFactor dedicated server.
If the plugin is installed correctly, you will find a new “Weather Type” drop-down menu into the
Event Options dialog box, as shown in the next image:

The list of available weather types on this new widget is:

➢ Sunny: Clear sky and best weather conditions, no rain, hot ambient temperature.
➢ Overcast: Cloudy sky and bad conditions, no rain but cold ambient and track temps.
➢ Rainy: Cloudy sky and falling rain, even colder temperatures.
➢ Monsoon: Cloudy sky and storm weather conditions. Very cold temperatures.
➢ Random: provides random weather.
➢ Season: following scripted conditions specific for a track.
➢ Scripted: Weather conditions are scripted (loaded when starting the weekend).

Sunny, Overcast, Rainy and Monsoon conditions are predefined and static weather conditions,
they do not change during the whole session.

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Season, Scripted and Realtime conditions are special cases that both require additional setup
(local or remote).

All the options are available also in “Test Day” session offline mode.

The Random Weather Mode

The new Random mode is now controlled by the GDB (track file) and/or by the same attributes
added into the [Random Weather] section of the RFEWeather.ini file:
➢ "Average rain" (from 0.0 to 1.0)
➢ “Average Rain Intensity” (from 0.0 to 1.0)
➢ "Average day temp" (from 0.0 to 100.0)

The “Average rain” is used to indicate the probability of rain during the session. The bigger the
chances of rain the worst the weather will be and thus stronger storms could be expected.

The “Average rain intensity” controls the chances of getting hard weather conditions even with
higher rain probabilities. The smaller the value, the smaller the storms and presence.

Priority: the plugin reads at first the coefficients into the RFEWeather.ini file:
➢ IF a coefficient is = 0.0 the plugin will try to read the coefficient into the GDB file of the
track;
➢ IF the coefficient into the GDB is not present or = 0.0 the plugin applies a default value

The default values into the RFEWeather.ini file are:

➢ Average Rain = 0.5
➢ Average Rain Intensity = 0.5
➢ Average Day Temp = 20.0

The values are the average for the weekend. The track location and date of the session are
ignored. (you will find more details into the Appendix section of this manual).

In addition, into the rfeweather.ini file there are several coefficients that constrain the sensitive
values to the wanted min/max range (you will find more details into the Appendix section of
this manual).

NOTE: in Random Mode, the weather conditions are autogenerated randomly for the whole
weekend. To autogenerate new random weather conditions you must wait for the natural
end of the weekend or “go to the next circuit/race” or restart the dedicated server.
Restarting the weekend will reproduce the same weather conditions again.

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The Scripted Weather Mode

The special Scripted mode reads the weather conditions from the
...\Plugins\RFE\Scripts\Weather folder.
When you load a track, the plugin will look at a file “.WET” with the same name of the track
that is stored into that folder; if not found, the plugin will use the “default.wet” file located in
the same folder.
You can write the “nameoftrack.WET” file as well as rename the file created for another track.

Despite the fact that weather scripts are very accurate setting weather conditions at certain
'second' in the session, the rfeweather.ini file located into ...\Plugins\RFE\Config folder includes
some parameters that will create weather randomization 'based on the scripted' conditions.
That means that the script will be the main 'guideline' about the weather variability, but
conditions may be different as defined in the script.

This currently applies to the .WET file of any track, if present into the Weather folder as well as
to the default.wet file.
If the script states that rain should start during the first minutes of the session, however it may
happen that no raindrop falls during the whole session, or that rain will last for longer than
expected. Tweaking this parameters you can remove this randomization or increase the weather
variations.
Please note that the 'randomization' of the scripted conditions affect ALL the scripted modes
(including the random option). Remember that a script is created for the whole weekend, and
only IS RE-CREATED if a the weekend is restarted. Restarting a P1 session will reuse the same
conditions (even if they were generated automatically using random mode).
However the 'randomization' in the weather.ini file will alter the conditions ON EVERY SESSION,
so no two Qualify Sessions as well as Races will be equal, even if the use the same scripted
conditions.

The RealTime Weather Mode

This option must be managed by an external tool and developers can find useful info into the
document RFE Weather Development stored into the RFE Support folder. Here we can give only
general info that can be of interest for the users.

RealTime mode means RFE can update the weather conditions twice per second (it is not
necessary to use that high rate) on the basis of the info received by an external tool. This
external tool takes control of the ambient information to be able to update the weather
parameters from an external source at any time.

Is reasonable to think this external tool reads data from a weather website (forecasts or real
observation data), but we can also figure a different way, like a Race Director that in real time
wants to change the weather conditions at certain moments of the race. Instead of using a script
that usually has been written in advance, this weather mode brings also to you the ability to
control the weather conditions in real time.

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We remember that real time control of weather information must be managed developing an
external tool according to your specific needs.

The RealTime mode supersedes any weather mode set when starting the session (using the client
to host the session or the dedicated server) and works on online and offline modes.

Starting Tips

Note that “Rain” option is probably the best mode to start with, as you can check the different
tire behavior on a wet track under 'fixed' conditions. Remember that with variable weather not
only tire's wet grip is important, but tires, brakes and engine will behave completely different
because of temperature changes.
Read the RFE forum if you do not understand how tires' grip are affected by wetness or
temperature.

Although it is not essential to the operation of RFE Plugin Series, to appreciate the quality of the
visual effects due to the new environment we suggest to set the “Shader Level” into the rFactor
config to “QUALITY DX9”.

Pay attention at the level of the “Special Effects” into the display setting UI: level LOWER THAN
MEDIUM doesn't show rainspray and raindrops effects related to RFE Plugin Series (persons in
charge to manage the dedicated server are highly recommended to read the Appendix section
of this manual to find more details).

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APPENDIX

The Scripted .WET file

The content of this special .WET file is a script that must follow a definition scheme described
below, that can be used to set basic weather conditions at the start of any session, and change
them selecting different conditions during the session.
The file must be edited by a simple text editor, like the Notepad and saved into the
folder ...\Plugins\RFE\Scripts\Weather with the same name of the other files that define a track
but with the extension .WET
This means that if the circuit is called “Monza”, but the files that define the track are called
Brianza_ItalianGP, the wet file must be named “Brianza_ItalianGP.wet”

Example of scripted session: Practice 1

The script will set session start as the Best weather conditions available (no clouds, clear sky),
with an average day temperature of 30ºC (temperature on the noon is higher than at night), and
a completely Dry track. The track temperature is also set on the script as 36ºC.

Weather conditions will go worse during the session, and on the minute 5.00 of the session, some
rain drops will fall because of the Drizzle conditions. During this initial 5 minutes, the
temperature will decrease until it reaches 24.32ºC.

From minute 5 to minute 12.50, Rain will increase in intensity and temperature will continue to
drop until it reaches 22.65.

Weather conditions will improve from minute 12.50 to minute 62.00 of the session, and rain will
go disappearing slowly during this period. Average temperature will remain flat, and
temperature may vary only because of the time of the day.

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From minute 62.00 to the end of the session, weather will remain Overcast and average
temperature will remain as 22.65ºC.

Configuring Scripted sessions

The file might include any or all of the following session names:
TestDay, Practice1, Practice2, Practice3, Practice4, Qualify, Warmup, Race.

Note: if you have more sessions running than which you have written into the script (e.g.
coefficients for P1 and P2, but rFactor is running P1, P2, P3), the plugin will try to follow a mix
for those sessions that are not scripted, trying to follow a mix of the conditions from the
previous existing session and Sunny conditions; on the contrary, if you do not run in rFactor more
than one Practice session, you do not need to write script for P2, P3 and P4 as well as you can
duplicate the same script of P1 for the other Practice sessions.

Starting conditions set the ambient status at the beginning of the session, and the following list
of variables may be used:
➢ “Conditions=” are the overall weather conditions. It is a value that goes from 0.0 as the
best weather conditions to 99.00 as the worst weather conditions, being the intermediate
values used to set different clouds status and rain intensity.
Instead of numeric values you can use a name that indicates a predefined weather
condition; available names are: Best, Nice, Clear, Overcast, Drizzle, Rain, Monsoon.

➢ “TrackWetness=”, “OnPathWetness=” and “OffPathWetness=” define how much wetness

the track is, and can be configured globally (TrackWetness) or using different values for
the fast path or drying line (OnPathWetness) and the rest of the track (OffPathWetness).
Wetness is defined as a value going from 0.0 to 99.0 being 0 a dry status and 99.0 a
completely undriveable wet track. Also in this case you can use a name that indicates a
predefined condition; available names are: Dry, Damp, Wet, Soaked, Monsoon.

➢ “AmbientTemp=” and “TrackTemp=” are variables used to configure temperatures on the

ambient (AmbientTemp) and the track (TrackTemp). The temperatures are values from
0.0 as 0ºC and 99.0 as 99ºC. Preset conditions may be used instead of numeric values.
The list of available predefined conditions is: Cold, Cool, Medium, Warm, Hot.

➢ To change the weather status, you may include additional script chunks related to a
minute of the session using the Minute = xxx.xx {} scheme as in the example. That means
the weather will try to catch these defined conditions during the period between this
minute and the previous status.

NOTE: Per-minute settings may include ONLY any of the following variables (with their
corresponding presets): “Conditions=” and “AmbientTemp=”. Any other value will be ignored.

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All the variables may have a value from 00.00 to 99.00. The presets are just a direct relation
from an easy to remember word to a numeric value as described in the following tables:

Conditions preset Conditions Value

Best 30.00
Nice 45.00
Clear 60.00
Overcast 65.00
Drizzle 73.00
Rain 85.00
Monsoon 97.00
Table 1: conditions presets

Wetness preset Wetness Value

Dry 00.00
Damp 25.00
Wet 50.00
Soaked 75.00
Monsoon 99.00
Table 2: Wetness presets

Temperatures preset Temperatures Value

Cold 07.50
Cool 13.75
Medium 20.00
Warm 26.25
Hot 32.50
Table 3: Temperatures conditions.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Cloudy conditions go from 60 to 65 and rainy conditions go from 71 to 99.

A more comfortable way to set the “Conditions Value” is to use a formula that helps you to
reason in a human way, considering the quantity of rain (as well as the quantity of wetness) as a
% from 0 to 100.
Decide the % of rain you want, divide it by 3,33333, sum to 70 and write the result into the
script as “Conditions = nn”

The formula: (wanted % of rain / 3,33333) + 70 = rFactor value

e.g. 42% / 3,3333 = 12,6 + 70 = 82,6 (that you can add as 83)

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Example script
The following script describes a 60 minutes qualifying session starting with clear sky, standing
with clear sky for half of the session, and then raining by the end of the session. The rest of
weekend session have been predefined to have different climate conditions, but these
conditions will remain static during these sessions:

Weather
{
Practice1
{
Conditions = Best
TrackWetness = Dry
AmbientTemp = 30
TrackTemp = 36
}
Practice2
{
Conditions = Overcast
TrackWetness = Damp
AmbientTemp = 22
TrackTemp = 16
}
Practice3
{
Conditions = Drizzle
AmbientTemp = 24
}
Practice4
{
Conditions = Nice
}
Qualify
{
Conditions = Best
TrackWetness = Dry
AmbientTemp = Hot
TrackTemp = Cold
Minute = 30.00
{
Conditions = Best
AmbientTemp = Warm
}
Minute = 45.00
{
Conditions = Drizzle
AmbientTemp = Medium
}
Minute = 60.00
{
Conditions = Rain
AmbientTemp = Cool
}
}
Warmup
{
Conditions = Monsoon
}
Race
{
Conditions = Clear
OnPathWetness = Dry
OffPathWetness = Damp
AmbientTemp = 30
TrackTemp = 16
}
}

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RFEWeather.ini

This file is located into the folder ...\Plugins\RFE\Config and contains several important values
that any person in charge in managing a dedicated server must know well. The file is almost self
explanatory due to the clear information added to the values, but here we want to resume few
of them in detail.

First of all we want to highlight that also driving with different visual conditions can be
considered a kind of cheat; during an online race we'd like all participants can drive in the same
conditions.
For that you can set 2 values that are very important:
➢ “RFEWeatherMinimumShadowSettings =”
➢ “RFEWeatherMinimumFXSettings =”
Both values can be set to 0 = Off, 1 = Low, 2 = Medium, 3 = High, 4 = Max. The second one is
specifically related to the “rainspray” and to the “raindrops”: a value lower than 2 doesn't show
the visual effect.
Any value higher than 0 (zero) set by the person in charge in managing the dedicated will
exclude the participant to actively join the session and a “warning message” will be shown to
that client.

In addition there is another important string that can be very useful to the person in charge that
manages the dedicated server as well as a league, an event, etc.:
➢ “RFEWeatherMinimumVersion =”
If the value is set to “0” every client also without the plugin can join the session, on the
contrary a value set to “default” means that for the current version as well as for future
versions of RFE Plugin Series the server checks if any client that joins the session is up-to-date.

The RFEWeather.ini file manages the way to send technical data to an external application, like
the weather forecast or any other important information related only to weather conditions (see
the document RFE Weather Development stored into the RFE Support folder).
By default it is enabled with the following values:
➢ BroadcastAddress = 127.0.0.1
➢ BroadcastPort = 1975

[Special Settings] section

Here you find several values that, working together, generate randomized variable weather
conditions that are automatically applied to Random, Season ans Scripted options. Be careful to
apply values that are very different from the default ones to avoid unstable weather transitions
and unreal conditions!

To simulate the real effects due to the wetness left by the rain after a shower, but to
“translate” them to the times of the simulation, ie to see the drying line appearing in a shorter
time as well as to see the asphalt drying out faster than in the true life, currently you can
manage the last 2 values of the RFEWeather.ini file:
➢ “CarDampFactor =”
➢ “AmbDampFactor =”

Changing these values means that you do not need to alter the time compression in rFactor.
You need to experiment different coefficients related to the race / session duration and the

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number of cars.

This is a non exhaustive list of several values you can apply:

CAR DAMP

-10X = 1.11574074e-5
-9X = 1.23971193e-5
-8X = 1.394675925e-5
-7X = 1.59391534e-5
-6X = 1.8595679e-5
-5X = 2.23148148e-5 (DEFAULT VALUE)
-4X = 2.78935185e-5
-3X = 3.7191358e-5
-2X = 5.5787037e-5
1X = 0,000111574074
+2X = 2.23148148e-4
+3X = 3.34722222e-4
+4X = 4.46296296e-4
+5X = 5.5787037e-4
+6X = 6.69444444e-4
+7X = 7.81018518e-4
+8X = 8.92592592e-4
+9X = 1.004166666e-3
+10X = 1.11574074e-3

AMBIENT DAMP

-10X = 1.15740738237946e-7
-9X = 1.28600820264384e-7
-8X = 1.446759227974325e-7
-7X = 1.6534391176849e-7
-6X = 1.92901230396576e-7
-5X = 2.31481476475892e-7
-4X = 2.89351845594865e-7
-3X = 3.85802460793153e-7
-2X = 5.7870369118973e-7
1X = 1.15740738237946E-6
+2X = 2.31481476475892e-6
+3X = 3.47222214713838e-6 (DEFAULT VALUE)
+4X = 4.62962952951784e-6
+5X = 5.7870369118973e-6
+6X = 6.94444429427676e-6
+7X = 8.10185167665622e-6
+8X = 9.25925905903568e-6
+9X = 1.041666644141514e-5
+10X = 1.15740738237946e-5

RFE Plugin Series 1.2 User Manual 17 of 21 Rev. 1.7 Oct. 30th, 2013
In case you are using the Random option you can manage the range of the variability setting the
minimum and maximum values. Remember that these settings are working ONLY using the
Random option and they supersede the “average” values stored into the .GDB file as well as the
values added into the RFEWeather.ini file into the [Random Weather] section!

# Constrains for OnPathWetness (0.0 to 1.0)

RandomMinOnPathWetness = 0.0
RandomMaxOnPathWetness = 0.85
# Constrains for OfPathWetness (0.0 to 1.0)
RandomMinOffPathWetness = 0.0
RandomMaxOffPathWetness = 0.85
# Constrains for Ambient Temperature (-100.0 to 100.0)
RandomMinAmbientTemp = 0.0
RandomMaxAmbientTemp = 55.0
# Constrains for Track Temperature (-100.0 to 100.0)
RandomMinTrackTemp = 0.0
RandomMaxTrackTemp = 45.0
# Constrains for humidity Conditions (0.0 to 1.0)
RandomMinConditions = 0.0
RandomMaxConditions = 0.85

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Cloudy conditions go from 0.60 to 0.65 and rainy conditions go from 0.71 to 0.99.

A more comfortable way to set the “Constrains for humidity Conditions” is to use a formula like
the one used for the weather script as shown on page #14 modifying the result from integer to
decimal.
REMEMBER that the 'randomization' feature affects also the random option and the result on
track can differs in min / max constrains.

There are other lines into the rfeweather.ini file that manage several advanced aspects of the
game through RFE, but we suggest don't change them if you haven't a deep technical knowledge
of rFactor.

RFETire.ini

This file is located into the folder ...\Plugins\RFE\Config and contains several important values
that any person in charge in managing a dedicated server must know well. The file is almost self
explanatory due to the clear information added to the values but here we want to resume few of
them in detail.

The RFETire.ini file manages the way to send technical data to an external application, like the
tire's compound for each driver. By default it is enabled with the following values:
➢ BroadcastAddress = 127.0.0.1
➢ BroadcastPort = 1975
A txt file, named with date and time, will be generated into the …\Plugins\RFE\Log every time
you enter an instance of rFactor.

RFE Plugin Series 1.2 User Manual 18 of 21 Rev. 1.7 Oct. 30th, 2013
If you need more info, please read the “RFE Tire Development.pdf” manual that is located into
the Support folder of the plugin.

PLEASE NOTE THAT SAME LINES ARE PRESENT INTO THE RFEWeather.ini. All RFE components
might broadcast additional information that can be processed by external applications.

[VISUAL] section
Currently is possible to enable / disable info about the compound used by other drivers into the
rFactor “Monitor” UI, overwriting the “Team” or “Class” column.

Remember that to receive the right info from the plugin as well as to see the different
compounds used by all drivers the mod in use must be updated to RFE Plugin Series.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Due to the structure of rFactor and the way it allocates the memory using lots of compounds and
their .GMT files (e.g. the 6 compounds of the F1 in their low, medium, high and max resolutions)
can cause a disconnection / crash of some clients after a variable number of participants to a
session.
From several tests we did, usually with a F1 mod (6 compounds in 4 resolutions), exceeding a
number of 20 participants can cause the problem.

Currently, to increase the number of participants that rFactor can manages, you can decrease
the number of resolutions used by each compound, modifying the mod itself.
Obviously a mod with less compounds allows rFactor to manage a higher number of participants.

Sound files location

Sound files are located into ...\GameData\Sounds\Ambient\RFE folder that rFactor reads by
default.
In few mods that points to a different folder for ingame sounds, please check the .RFM file of
the mod itself, pointing to the “ConfingOverrides” section to add the following line:
“SoundDir=GAMEDATA\SOUNDS\Ambient\RFE”

Track .GDB file

This file is located into the subfolder of a track, into ...\GameData\Locations.

To update this file to use correctly the “Random” and “Season” option of the variable weather
conditions managed by RFE Plugin Series, is easy.

RFE Plugin Series 1.2 User Manual 19 of 21 Rev. 1.7 Oct. 30th, 2013
Lines for “Random” option
You must edit the file adding the following lines at the end of the file, but BEFORE the last brace
“}”:
Average rain = n.n
Average Rain Intensity = n.n
Average Day Temp = nn

Where “n.n” is a value between “0.0” and “1.0” and “nn” is a value between “00” and “99”.
Despite these values are the average during the whole year, remember that thay are applied to
rFactor on a weekend basis.

To find info about the realistic data related to the rain for a specific track / location you can
search on the web, into sites like:
http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/ccd-data/prge0111.txt
http://www.weatherbase.com/
http://www.worldclimate.com/

Also the “Average Day Temp” can be written as you find it on the web for the specific location
you need. The value must be written in Celsius. Take a look at this: http://www.average-
temperature.com

Remember that the values stored into the rfeweather.ini file for the Random option supersede
the “Average” values.

Lines for “Season” option

You must consider the values need for this option exactly like the ones that need for a
“Scripted” option.
Copying & pasting a script used into a .WET file at the end of the .GDB file, but BEFORE the last
brace “}”, is enough. Please, read “The Scripted .WET file” section at the beginning of the
APPENDIX for more info.

Several times you see a personalized UI in rFactor depending of the mod used. In few cases that
UI doesn't allow the selection of the Weather: try to replace it with the UI downloaded from
here (thanks to brettf): http://symracing.net/rfeseries/forum/viewtopic.php?
f=44&t=578&p=4267&hilit=season+offline#p4261

RFE Tools developed by third parties

During the months several expert persons developed tools for a better management of the
scripts, as well as the visualization of the variable weather conditions and to automatize the
update of a track. We invite you to visit the RFE Plugins/Addons area into the forum:
http://symracing.net/rfeseries/forum/viewforum.php?f=32

RFE Plugin Series 1.2 User Manual 20 of 21 Rev. 1.7 Oct. 30th, 2013
LICENSE AGREEMENT

Copyright 2012-2013 Symracing.net

By installing, copying, or otherwise using this Software, you agree to be bound by the terms of
this Agreement. If you do not agree to the terms of this Agreement, do not install or use this
Software.

This Software is provided to you free of charge. Should you accept the terms of this agreement,
Authors will grant you the personal and non-exclusive right to install and use this software.

This Software may NOT be redistributed in any way without the written permission of
Authors. You may NOT upload this software to a freeware or shareware site without first
receiving written permission from the Authors. No parts of this Software or other files
provided in this package may be reproduced in part or in whole. This Software or any other
materials provided in this package may not be modified in any way. You may not remove any
copyright or other proprietary notice from this software. You may not reverse engineer,
decompile, or disassemble this software. YOU MAY NOT PACKAGE AND/OR DISTRIBUTE THIS
SOFTWARE IN PART OR IN WHOLE INTO ANY MODEL, with the exclusion of the entities that
Symracing.net approved as RFE CERTIFIED PARTNERS.
For more info about the Certified Partnership program please refer to the Symracing forum here:
http://symracing.net/rfeseries/forum/viewforum.php?
f=45&sid=03b8a7b26f660d166808aea400fa9466

This software is Work In Progress and may include software errors (bugs) that can make rFactor
crash. Purpose of the Software is to show our progress on a specific funcionality under
controlled circumstances. You may not use this Software for other purpose than running under
the rFactor's instances.

You may install and/or use this Software as long as you get no profit from that. Otherwise you
have to sign an agreement with the Authors.

This Software is provided "AS IS". You agree that by accepting this license, you are expressly
acknowledging that the use of the software is AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHORS MAKES NO
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO
THE SOFTWARE AND ANY ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE
LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS
INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF
THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF THE AUTHORS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

This Software is protected by international copyright treaty provisions. Any content published by
community using this Software is a property of their authors and cannot be redistributed or use
to get profits without their permission.

RFE Plugin Series 1.2 User Manual 21 of 21 Rev. 1.7 Oct. 30th, 2013