Will the game include advanced ambience effects like wind? If so how do these effect the player.

Wind will be included (most likely after the open beta), and will have an effect on both cars and environment. A typical example would be the approach to the Masta Kink: If you have had the wind behind, you may need to bring your markers for lifting and/or braking further away from the turn-in. You may also need to adjust gear ratios to cope with the faster speeds, which may cause engine damage.

Is full clutch support added in the game? And are transmission systems implemented true to real life (F1 paddle, sequential shifting etc)

Currently the clutch behavior remains constant, no effects of heat or wear are simulated during the initial open beta phase. As for the transmission, semi-automatic, manual, sequential and H-shifters are supported. H-shifters no longer suffer shift delays and so are no longer penalized for vehicles to which they are appropriate. As for gearbox wear and crunching, this is something we’d like to see by the time of the initial release.

Tell us about the mechanical damage. What parts can experience failures and is it related to the actions of the driver?

For the initial stages of the open beta phase, brakes and engines can fail when punished, such as choosing poor ducting or constantly over-revving the engine.
As stated in the previous answer, clutch and transmission damage is definitely a priority and there are also other aspects of mechanical failures we will be looking into as we move forward, these include slow punctures and tire blowouts.

Will turbo charges be simulated? I.e. boost lag.

Not currently, but this is something that will come into play at some point.

Can rFactor 2 handle more than 3 input devices? (HID Joysticks etc)

rFactor 2 will accept up to four controllers.

What differentiates rFactor 2 from its predecessor and other simulators on the market?

While it is possible to modify other racing titles, we believe the community will find rF2 a more supportive platform for modding than was even found with rF1.
rFactor 2 will be a constantly changing environment. Whether it is coping with changes in the tires, track surface, or weather, even the fact that you may be blinded by the sun as it sets and transitions into night, you won’t be racing on the same track, or having the same experience, at the start and finish of your races – unless you want to.
Sim racing has been about finding the ultimate setup for far too long, we’re trying to build something that more closely matches the real experience of racing.

With the industry putting emphasis on graphics these days, how important is it to improve on the visuals? And what is the team doing to make it stand out from the crowd?

In some cases, too much emphasis is put on graphics these days. Pretty screenshots can often help when marketing a product, but if the gameplay is lacking, you are pulling players into a trap. With that said, we realize that we need to stay current with the market.
We’ve included a post processing system for effects like HDR (with more to come later), as well as other enhancements to our rendering engine. However, while other products shoot for an “over-the-top” (atmospheric and artistic) look, we prefer to set the real-world as our target. We spent a long time trying to replicate a human-eye look; so some new things such as HDR may have a more subtle look than you may be used to in video gaming.
We do have some visual elements that we feel help us stand apart in that they also directly affect the simulation experience, such as the visual elements of our RealRoad system. And finally, we fully intend to continually update rF2 with new visual features both during the Open-Beta period and beyond…

Are elements (like the headlights) dynamic from car to car? Meaning that the AI cars will decide on their own when to turn on the lights or wipers.

Cars do not turn their headlights on at the same time, no.

Will rFactor 2 include laser-developed tracks?

No. We do not believe this to be a cost-effective solution for a retail product. It has a place, and we do use the technology, but only with our rFactor Pro customers.

Will there be DLC after the release?

DLC is way too limited. Like with rF1, ISI will continue to support rFactor with new content, features, and enhanced racing experience for years.

How many tracks can we expect in the final release?

The open beta will have six or more tracks (note that some tracks have multiple layouts, and some may not be immediately available in the open beta), while the initial release isn’t known.
This is somewhat an unanswerable question in that rF2 will not have a planned final release. While we will move from a Beta stage to an initial release, the development of rF2 will be an ongoing experience. We plan to continually add new features, cars, tracks, etc. We can’t really say for certain how many cars and tracks will be available when we move to the initial release, it all depends on what we consider ready at that point.

Can you tell us about the new online system in rFactor 2?

If the online system were the only addition to rFactor 2, it would still be a major one. The infrastructure we’re building will be a major step forward in mod handling.
It will be much easier installing and using mods. We will not manage or control the mods, but we now allocate IDs and use these IDs to make sure everyone has the same version number. It takes away mismatch issues commonly found in rF1.

Can leagues still use their own mods?

Yes. You can re-package content specifically for your league from other mod packages.

Are mods from rFactor 1 compatibly with the new game? If so how difficult is it to transfer content over to the new software?

No, they are not directly compatible. Some work will be required, and experienced modders should be able to adapt both their work and their practices very quickly.
It would be worth modders taking the time to work on their mod a bit, to bring it in-line with the new features of rF2, before releasing it.

Will there be a “unique vehicle check” that ensures no duplicate cars in a race?

Not at open beta launch. There are still some server rules to implement.

Will rFactor 2 support very large maps (over 200km square)?

That would be a HUGE track. There could be other factors to make it not work, but memory would be the largest. It has never been tested…

When is the open beta/demo coming out?

The demo is not the open beta. A demo will come later and will be free to try. The open beta will be a full early purchase of the software.
We project that we will be in Release Candidate stage around the Christmas Holiday. We think it may be too hectic for our testers and staff to try to push out a product at this time, so we are now likely to release the open beta early 2012.

What will be in the demo or open beta?

At this time we are lining up the following content for the open beta:
Historics 1960’s package – 2 announced tracks, generic cars.
Historic 1960’s package – 1 new track, 1 licensed car will be added sometime during the open beta, as soon as they complete internal testing.
Formula Renault 3.5 & Megane packages – 3 tracks, 2 licensed car types.
These packages may receive updates and further cars and tracks after the open beta release.
The demo version is likely to be a time-limited version of the full product, but we will not be building a demo until AFTER the beta process.

As it stands now, what is the target for release?

We do not have one. We don’t work that way. Our focus is development, not marketing (the marketing department that normally sets release dates with most software developers). We realize that an understated and open-ended approach may be confusing and hard to accept, but a worthy product sells itself, regardless, and this is our style.

For more information about this upcoming simulation visit our rFactor 2 forums and make sure to visit the official rFactor website as well.