However, do not dismiss rFactor as quickly as this. It is formidable in its simplicity - its easy to mod base and game engine means that literally hundreds of car and track mods have been created for the game. And these aren't mods that have been thrown up in a couple of minutes - far from it. In many cases, some of the cars have been modelled and their physics tweaked, with real-life physics data from real racing teams! The connections and friends that people have in this community are incredible. It all means that you get some of the best and most realistic racing on the market today.
The graphics are fine - they're not exactly cutting edge like Crysis, however they suffice for rFactor standards. The racing is also good, however rFactor is often let down by its rather ropey AI. Often you will go into a corner with the AI breathing down your neck, and it is not entirely uncommon to just be knocked out by their poor braking. It is certainly no better than Grand Prix 3 - a game where the AI had to be up to scratch as there was no real chance of proper multiplayer.
And multiplayer is where rFactor is a confused animal - it has the good and the bad. The good news is that lag is little to non-existent, with players only "warping" if their internet connection is really bad. Anyone on a standard landline internet connection should be absolutely fine. The only real issue is that due to the popularity of third-party content, you may struggle to find a game which is actually running a mod and track that you have got. Even if you have one version of Silverstone, for example, the server might be running another. The best thing to do here is join a league, such as the one at Raceconnect, which will provide you with downloads for the mods they are running, and offer clean, fun racing for almost every single night of the week.Ultimately, rFactor is a brilliant game. But for singleplayer enthusiasts, you may find that the game will often irritate and seriously annoy you. It is at its best however when played online, and to be honest with the way things are going, you'd be mad not to be playing it that way.
