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[Teknopathetic]

"Locking to horizon might help some with sickness, but for me, it just doesn't make a lot of sense when sitting in front of a set of fixed controls. The cockpit is moving about relative to what you're holding on to, which affects hand/body presence. In my experience, a locked horizon slightly increases the possibility of nausea due to this odd mismatch, and it makes the car slightly harder to control.

But as they say, using a stiff race car on a smooth, flat track, the difference between the two is subtle, so if you're suffering from nausea from one or the other, it's very unlikely to solve your problem by switching. If you do a ton of banked oval racing or rally driving however, the difference is significant. There is no right answer, unfortunately, as shown by the number of options that RealHeadMotion offers. But for me, if the option is simply between locking to horizon or cockpit, then it's definitely cockpit. On Dirt Rally, the horizon lock is totally distracting, and quite unpleasant."


This is my thinking. I'm also inclined to say that it's probably part of the reason why Driveclub got slammed for nausea by "major" publications and the general public (it locks to horizon), yet Dirt Rally (which doesn't lock to horizon by default on PC) hasn't.

 

[kiyomi]

F1 2017 gameplay trailer.

I hope this is one of the Good Ones and not one of the Bad Ones.

 

[terrible]

That's great - thanks for posting.

Does anyone have any other 'wish I'd known that' set-up tips for a sim racing VR noob?
Specifically Project CARS and R3E for now?

If you have the power for it set R3E to "vr 2.5" in the launch options in Steam. It seems blurrier than other games at the default, to my eyes anyway. I don't have the horsepower to get it up that high myself, I think I'm at 2. I tried 2.5 and it looks nice but I got framerate drops so I had to lower it. Heck just read this thread. That's where I got my info.

I don't currently have pCARS installed so I can't help with that sorry.

 

[Mascot]

I'm in!

I've only played a dozen or so laps around Monza in pCARS so far, all on default settings (whatever they happen to be) but... holy shit. VR is legit. This has to be the only way to sim race. Those are real cars around me. I'm in a real car. On a real fucking track!

After decades of 2D displays I keep forgetting to look around, but by Jesus, when I do. It's magical. Just simple things like overtaking a car and glancing across and seeing a real man, helmet on, driving the car next to me. It's fantastic.

Yep, the resolution sucks, especially coming from 4k. It's not that it doesn't matter, it's just that you forgive it because the sense of presence is almost overwhelming, and you do soon forget it. I haven't played for long yet but there's been no feeling of nausea so far. Fingers crossed on that one.

I need to play with the settings a bit but does the game auto-calibrate? I can't seem to select a higher res than 720p in pCARS for some reason. Any ideas?

Also, I can't for the life of me work out how to launch Assetto Corsa in VR. It's not showing up in my steam VR library like pCARS does.

Anyway, first impressions are excellent. I'm very happy with my £328 investment.

If you have the power for it set R3E to "vr 2.5" in the launch options in Steam. It seems blurrier than other games at the default, to my eyes anyway. I don't have the horsepower to get it up that high myself, I think I'm at 2. I tried 2.5 and it looks nice but I got framerate drops so I had to lower it. Heck just read this thread. That's where I got my info.

I don't currently have pCARS installed so I can't help with that sorry.

Ah, will do. Haven't tried R3E yet. How do you launch it in VR? Edit: sorry, just checked your link. Thanks.

 

[Betta Lines]

I need to play with the settings a bit but does the game auto-calibrate? I can't seem to select a higher res than 720p in pCARS for some reason. Any ideas?

Also, I can't for the life of me work out how to launch Assetto Corsa in VR. It's not showing up in my steam VR library like pCARS does.

The '720p' in PCARS is not the VR resolution.

For AC you pick Oculus Rift in the video options.

For R3E you put "-vr" in the launch options.

 

[Mascot]

The '720p' in PCARS is not the VR resolution.

For AC you pick Oculus Rift in the video options.

For R3E you put "-vr" in the launch options.

Many thanks sir.

The pCARS resolution is a weird one then - I normally play that one at 2k with high/ultra, but the settings were 720p and low/med when I checked them this evening.

 

[Dave_6]

Amazing isn't it?

 

[Betta Lines]

Many thanks sir.

The pCARS resolution is a weird one then - I normally play that one at 2k with high/ultra, but the settings were 720p and low/med when I checked them this evening.

I'm can't remember exactly how PCARS handles it, but the 720p could be the monitor output setting while you're in VR, although I'm not sure why it would be limited to 720p.

The other settings are relevant to VR however, and it most likely dropped everything to low/med when it detected the headset (and with good reason - I doubt even a 1080Ti can run PCARS consistently well at high/ultra in VR).

 

[Megasoum]

F1 2017 gameplay trailer.

Bad remix of Born to be wild and looks like the possibility filter is back for the historic cars...

Other than that it looks great and can't wait.

 

[Mascot]

Amazing isn't it?

I'm blown away. Seriously. This is the future of sim racing.

 

[Darkdeus]

I'm blown away. Seriously. This is the future of sim racing.

Make sure to try Assetto Corsa with supersampling! Looks way better than pcars to me.

Set the per pixel display density to 1.5 or 2.0 in the Assetto Corsa Oculus in file in your my documents folder then use this rift post process filter: http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/natural-graphics-mod.4551/

Make sure AA is set to 4X and everything else ultra except reflections.

Try this track too. It's a laser scanned track of a real highway in Japan.

http://assettocorsa.club/mods/tracks/shuto-expressway-c1.html

Try some of the hyper cars on it with the reverse track layout with those rift settings. One of my favorite experiences in the rift and a great one to show non sim racers since it's pretty easy to dry on the highway.

 

[Betta Lines]

Also one thing everyone has to try at least once is to park up, and get out of your seat (carefully!) in Assetto Corsa and stand next to your car (or even walk around it, if you have the tracking space). This can't be done in PCARS (because it doesn't use full models for cockpit view) or iRacing (because it has a bounding box).

It's most effective in cars that have a seat height to your sim rig, because you can stand up and it feels like you're standing correctly on the ground. (If you do it in something super low like an F1 car, you'll stand up and feel like the ground is up to your knees).

 

[Dave_6]

Yeah it's pretty cool in AC to get out of a car at the top of Eau Rouge and look down. It's an elevation change you just can't see racing on a monitor.

 

[Watevaman]

Fired up some R3E last night with the T500RS for the first time in at least 4 months. It was so much fun, but damn did I lose my skills.

I really need a bigger screen. I love playing on my 55 inch TV but that means dragging everything out of the office and downstairs. My little 21 inch monitor, sitting 4 feet away, just doesn't cut it.

 

[Mascot]

Make sure to try Assetto Corsa with supersampling! Looks way better than pcars to me.

Set the per pixel display density to 1.5 or 2.0 in the Assetto Corsa Oculus in file in your my documents folder then use this rift post process filter: http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/natural-graphics-mod.4551/

Make sure AA is set to 4X and everything else ultra except reflections.

Try this track too. It's a laser scanned track of a real highway in Japan.

http://assettocorsa.club/mods/tracks/shuto-expressway-c1.html

Try some of the hyper cars on it with the reverse track layout with those rift settings. One of my favorite experiences in the rift and a great one to show non sim racers since it's pretty easy to dry on the highway.

Will do - thanks!

Also one thing everyone has to try at least once is to park up, and get out of your seat (carefully!) in Assetto Corsa and stand next to your car (or even walk around it, if you have the tracking space). This can't be done in PCARS (because it doesn't use full models for cockpit view) or iRacing (because it has a bounding box).

It's most effective in cars that have a seat height to your sim rig, because you can stand up and it feels like you're standing correctly on the ground. (If you do it in something super low like an F1 car, you'll stand up and feel like the ground is up to your knees).

Yeah it's pretty cool in AC to get out of a car at the top of Eau Rouge and look down. It's an elevation change you just can't see racing on a monitor.

Sounds awesome - I'll try that tonight.

Fired up some R3E last night with the T500RS for the first time in at least 4 months. It was so much fun, but damn did I lose my skills.

I really need a bigger screen. I love playing on my 55 inch TV but that means dragging everything out of the office and downstairs. My little 21 inch monitor, sitting 4 feet away, just doesn't cut it.

I bought a Hisense 49" 4k TV (M3000 I think) purely for gaming and (even as a KS9000 owner) I have been very impressed with it. Got it new for around £300ish.

 

[TJP]

At a cost of 4.99 EU with no news on 'lifetime' online subscribers getting anything, even a discount. I will be watching this with interest as other sims have created very good DLC value propositions.

More info here: https://twitter.com/rFactor2

 

[TylerDurden4321]

Wasn't it a free car in Assetto Corsa?

I mean, rF2 should absolutely charge for new DLC, but not at a price that reminds of iRacing. A tiny bit higher priced than R3E, that's ok for me if it's well done.

Another thing I don't like about this is that it's a current GT3 car which is in every other goddamn sim as well. GT3 is over-represented already and if I feel the urge to drive it, I'd want to go against a full roster of GT3 cars, so rF2 wouldn't be my first choice, even if it felt better and was a more realistic presentation of the handling than what AC and R3E offer.

Also... maybe first get all the tracks to the same visual standard (I mean track-side objects and textures, lovely little details only frequent visitors would notice etc.) that is about where other sims currently are. Some tracks in rF2 are really well done, but others are not up to the quality of good community mod tracks.

 

[AerialAir]

https://pplware.sapo.pt/jogos/project-cars-2-aquecimento/

This website, which is a pretty well respected publication when it comes to technology in my home country, says that suposedly, Pcars2 will have over 200 vehichles:

More than 200 vehicles from the 40 different classes of Project CARS 2 are a paradise for motorized sports enthusiasts and recently a special Porsche presence has been confirmed in the game. Actually, Porsche is in force in Project CARS 2 and already confirmed 11 cars, such as the fantastic Porsche 935, the hero of Le Mans GT1-98, the Porsche 911 GT3 R, the Porsche 936 and the fast Porsche 962C.

First time I've seen this though, are they accounting for the DLC and expect the game to go over 200 with the Season Pass?

 

[seattle6418]

This website, which is a pretty well respected publication when it comes to technology in my home country, says that suposedly, Pcars2 will have over 200 vehichles:



First time I've seen this though, are they accounting for the DLC and expect the game to go over 200 with the Season Pass?

Fours packs of eight cars, so we should have 187 on launch + 32 = 219 cars.

 

[Mascot]

Had my first sensations on oncoming nausea in the Rift using Formula A cars in pCARS last night, but bloody hell - it was worth it. I swear I was feeling phantom G-forces through the corners and under braking with the heightened speed and lower PoV. It was utterly amazing but I maybe need to work on my VR legs a little bit after thinking I had a free pass in the slower cars.

VR is definitely going to make me drive a whole selection of cars (and tracks) that I've totally ignored up until now.

Do any of you with VR headsets ever go back to 2D screens for sim racing? I'm obviously new to VR and still full of wonder but at the moment I really can't imagine going back. 2D seems so... limited now.

I do need to sort out my menus and options now. Things like a quick 'reset view' button for each sim, sorting and saving better HUD options, mapping new buttons on the wheel etc.

Does anyone know if there's a way to permanently remove the timing bar at the bottom of the 'screen' in AC, for example? I know a few presses of F9 will cycle it off but it seems to reappear with every new boot.

 

[TJP]

Job listing mentions working with S397 to make cars for sim dev S397: http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/about/jobs

Sim Racing
-Develop rFactor 2 with Studio 397
--Ensure delivery of Studio 397 timeline to release of title
--Liaise with internal departments to make sure all liveries, tracks and data is passed on to Studio 397
--Work with Studio 397 to manage the launch and community on Steam
-Issue a RFP for broadcast/esports competition for providers
--Confirm dates for the proposed 4 Season 4 online races
--Work with esports TO/broadcaster for talent, rules and stewarding
-Team integration
--Build plan for teams to take game software
--Help teams develop software integration strategy, with local activations

 

[Betta Lines]

Do any of you with VR headsets ever go back to 2D screens for sim racing? I'm obviously new to VR and still full of wonder but at the moment I really can't imagine going back. 2D seems so... limited now.

I do the majority of my sim racing on triple screen, despite having both Rift and Vive set up.

The timing bar on AC should not be resetting on each load.

 

[marvelharvey]

Do any of you with VR headsets ever go back to 2D screens for sim racing? I'm obviously new to VR and still full of wonder but at the moment I really can't imagine going back. 2D seems so... limited now.

I've returned to my monitor for the following reasons:

- I missed the FOV of Ultrawide
- When in VR, I'm unable to see my LCD readout on my steering wheel, showing my revs/gear. Info I desperately need when in the Skippy.
- Also, I can't see my button box and often mistakenly flicked the wrong switch or twiddled the wrong dial.
- But the main reason was eye strain. I could only drive for 15-20 minutes before feeling tired. Not ideal for the endurance racing that I enjoy.

VR is awesome. I love it. I'm just going to wait for the tech to improve before jumping back in.

 

[Dave_6]

I've only had my Rift for a little over two weeks but after reading Mascot's post above, I just tried a few laps of AC and iRacing on my monitor (27" 1440p 144hz G-Sync) for the first time since I got it. I've got FAR more time on a monitor than I do on the Rift but I can already see that I'm faster with the Rift. I've done 6 races at Pocono this week in the fixed truck series (all with the Rift) and I'm over a second slower now using the monitor. Missing the turn in on each corner, slower off each. Even though the resolution and pixel density of the monitor looks so much better, I can't see myself using it anymore for racing.

Granted I never had triples and button boxes, that might be a different story. As a single screen user though I won't be going back.

 

[Mascot]

I've only had my Rift for a little over two weeks but after reading Mascot's post above, I just tried a few laps of AC and iRacing on my monitor (27" 1440p 144hz G-Sync) for the first time since I got it. I've got FAR more time on a monitor than I do on the Rift but I can already see that I'm faster with the Rift. I've done 6 races at Pocono this week in the fixed truck series (all with the Rift) and I'm over a second slower now using the monitor. Missing the turn in on each corner, slower off each. Even though the resolution and pixel density of the monitor looks so much better, I can't see myself using it anymore for racing.

Granted I never had triples and button boxes, that might be a different story. As a single screen user though I won't be going back.

At the moment I'm as slow as fuck in VR because I'm still pissing around with a massive shit-eating grin on my face, but I can easily see how I'll be faster through better precision and reading of the track if nothing else. And holy hell at the elevation changes and undulations on tracks that I previously thought were pretty flat..!

I've no doubt that the wow factor of VR will diminish with familiarity but at the moment I'm still finding it pretty amazing just sitting on the grid and glancing around. I really don't think I'll ever go back to 2D though, I really don't. It would feel like such a big step backwards. I've got two mounted tablets, two mounted iPhones and a keypad 'button box' that are now sitting there completely unloved.

This VR tech is the real deal. I'm loving it.

 

[Darkdeus]

Yea I can't go back to the monitor now for sim racing. I have Dirt 4 but don't play it. I was hoping they would add support after release, like with Dirt Rally, but I haven't heard anything about it.

I'm definitely faster and a better driver in the rift. I'm not a great driver to begin with though but for me everything is easier.

 

[Mascot]

I promise I'll STFU about VR soon (no promises!) but I did my first pCARS race in a thunderstorm last night (Atoms at Zolder) and it was easily the most visceral experience I've ever had with my clothes on. Totally mind-blowing.

 

[Dave_6]

I have PCars but I uninstalled it a long time ago. Think I'm going to download it again just to try out the VR.

 

[TylerDurden4321]

...my first pCARS race in a thunderstorm last night (Atoms at Zolder) and it was easily the most visceral experience I've ever had with my clothes on.

Now I wonder if people take their clothes off for certain VR... apps.
Thanks Mascot

 

[Dave_6]

Leave it up to PCars to screw up some of my Windows settings, of all things. Wallpaper disappeared, theme and colors changed. Lol.

 

[DD]

Automobilista v1.4.5 RELEASED

Added Curvelo circuit ("A" & "B" layouts)
Added Stock Car Brasil 2017 series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVnugt1ftDA

 

[TJP]

https://forum.reizastudios.com/threads/automobilista-july-2017-development-update.2445/

Close to the end of AMS development...

 

[DD]

https://forum.reizastudios.com/threads/automobilista-july-2017-development-update.2445/

Close to the end of AMS development...

Holy sh*t, they keep delivering! Really great stuff! <3

What makes it great to me is how alternative it is. I remember when I used to play Toca 2 and 3, diving into those V8 Supercars series and those Aussie tracks I've never heard about, and it was an amazing experience. Don't get me wrong, I love Spa, Monza, etc. But it seems that some of these tracks are in every single major racing game out there, so being able to race in Curvelo or that Ecuatorian circuit I've never knew about is effin great. There's one South American track I'd like to see in the game, tho. The beautiful Potrero de los Funes circuit, in Argentina.

 

[TylerDurden4321]

I drove that new AMS track yesterday. Love it! It's great for pretty much all car classes!

Holy sh*t, they keep delivering! Really great stuff! <3

What makes it great to me is how alternative it is. I remember when I used to play Toca 2 and 3, diving into those V8 Supercars series and those Aussie tracks I've never heard about, and it was an amazing experience. Don't get me wrong, I love Spa, Monza, etc. But it seems that some of these tracks are in every single major racing game out there, so being able to race in Curvelo or that Ecuatorian circuit I've never knew about is effin great. There's one South American track I'd like to see in the game, tho. The beautiful Potrero de los Funes circuit, in Argentina.

Yea, I didn't have Stock Car Extreme and when I bought AMS, I never would have thought that a "glorified rFactor mod" would become (probably) my favorite racing game.

The FFB is just fantastic, overall quality of the cars and tracks is super high and the diversity of cars and tracks just does it for me. Most games just overdo it on Formula 1 or former Formula 1 circuits that are too long and fast for some slower cars.

 

[Mascot]

Does AMS have a VR option?

 

[Dave_6]

Does AMS have a VR option?

No. Reiza's next project will have it I'm pretty sure. Still worth playing without VR though.

 

[Mascot]

No. Reiza's next project will have it I'm pretty sure. Still worth playing without VR though.

NOTHING is worth playing without VR, you heathen!!!11

 

[Dave_6]

NOTHING is worth playing without VR, you heathen!!!11

Lol I'm close to being that way but AMS is too good to not play it.

I'm definitely getting more used to VR now; did a 75 lap Indycar (iRacing) race last night at Kansas (fast!). Guessing it took an hour with cautions but not once did I feel tired or have any eye strain.

 

[TJP]

Does AMS have a VR option?

From what I can recall with the community funding VR was on the cards however I believe Reiza will hold that for their next sim which will be DX 12 based making it easier.

RBR has VR support if rally is of interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTG4ScaHSYE

RBR vanilla vs modded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHqd1aTLR80

 

[Mascot]

From what I can recall with the community funding VR was on the cards however I believe Reiza will hold that for their next sim which will be DX 12 based making it easier.

RBR has VR support if rally is of interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTG4ScaHSYE

RBR vanilla vs modded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHqd1aTLR80

Great - thanks.

Was messing about with R3E in VR last night but it kept seating me off centre to the left and really close to the steering wheel, even after resetting the view in the Oculus app. Is this a known bug and is there a good workaround?

 

[Betta Lines]

Great - thanks.

Was messing about with R3E in VR last night but it kept seating me off centre to the left and really close to the steering wheel, even after resetting the view in the Oculus app. Is this a known bug and is there a good workaround?

The reset view in the Oculus menu is generally not a very useful way to reset the view in sims (unless you're way off for some reason). Each sim has its own reset view shortcut. AC and rF2 is Ctrl+Space, Dirt Rally is Left Ctrl, LFS is F8, and iRacing, RaceRoom, and PCARS need to have it assigned to a button (somewhere in the control menus).

Obviously you need to lean to a different position before hitting the shortcut, e.g. if you want to sit further back, lean further forward and hit it, so that when you sit comfortably you're further back than before. Most sims can be adjusted in this way, but you can usually fine tune it with a camera or seat adjustment. In RaceRoom, there are 'seat controls' to fine tune the head position.

 

[Mascot]

The reset view in the Oculus menu is generally not a very useful way to reset the view in sims (unless you're way off for some reason). Each sim has its own reset view shortcut. AC and rF2 is Ctrl+Space, Dirt Rally is Left Ctrl, LFS is F8, and iRacing, RaceRoom, and PCARS need to have it assigned to a button (somewhere in the control menus).

Obviously you need to lean to a different position before hitting the shortcut, e.g. if you want to sit further back, lean further forward and hit it, so that when you sit comfortably you're further back than before. Most sims can be adjusted in this way, but you can usually fine tune it with a camera or seat adjustment. In RaceRoom, there are 'seat controls' to fine tune the head position.

Thanks Betta, that's useful info. I couldn't easily see a 'reset view' button in the R3E menus, but I was getting a stiff neck navigating them in the Rift..! I'll take another look.

In other news I had to weave through a high-speed pile-up down Mulsanne (GT3s against the AI) in AC the other night, and it looked bloody epic in VR. A proper WOW moment. There was no time to stop with only steering to save me. The crash physics on the other cars looked phenomenal, with one bouncing off the armco and snaking across the track entirely convincingly, and another spinning through the dirty stuff down the side of the track. it must have done 1080 degrees before coming to a stop. Stuff like this is just on another level in VR.

 

[TJP]

And what a shitshow it was to buy...attempt to buy GT3 DLC pack and have to add money to my Steam wallet, buy the DLC and restart Steam twice before the pack appears in my inventory! No news or fanfare from Studio 397 about the release either. It seems the apple does not fall far from the ISI tree!

Bsimracing story: http://www.bsimracing.com/rfactor-2...eased-worlds-fastest-gamer-registration-open/

 

[TJP]

Sorry for tne changelog..

New content:
BMW M235i Racing
BMW M6 GT3 : Bathurst 12H 2017 liveries

Game:
Lowered default minimum force setting for Thrustmaster wheels.
Fixed Slow Down penalty calculations on turbocharged cars
DRS no longer deactivates from lateral G’s
Changed so game stops reporting error 13 when leaving a game session after only losing a couple heartbeats during the session
Change so the pitlane speed information overlay always shows when inside the pitlane.
Fixed a case where cars would appear to be hovering above tarmac on pre-race screens.
Fixed some data displays showing a ticker counting up to 0 at race starts.
Fixed an invalid lap overlay that was sometimes showing without any text.
Added a button to view the leaderboards upon finishing a hillclimb run so we could get rid of the non elegant solution of showing the position bar to inform the player of his position.
Changed the logic for the “Restart” button in leaderboards & competitions so it no longer purges your best lap and can still show the live time diff to your ghost on the data display.
Fixed a message wrongly stating the next lap would be invalidated in Hillclimb runs.
Fixed an issue where the HUD elements would sometimes be moved when coming back from an instant replay.
Fixed a crash occuring sometimes when cycling through cameras in the pitlane.
Game now aborts start-up if no display adapter resolution was found.

Multiplayer:
Added a dedicated server setting to set a latency limit (in milliseconds). Any player caught consistently above that limit will be automatically booted.
Added a dedicated server setting to force the race to end after a set time (in seconds). When set to OFF, the server will always wait for a race winner.
Fixed an issue where the dedicated server would sometimes not wait for late joiners to complete their loading sequence and proceed to next session anyway.
Fixed a case where disconnected players would sometimes remain visible on the HUD track map.

Sounds, Cameras, Physics & AI:
All cars: new external gearshifts added.
All cars: Adjusted suspension sounds.
All cars: Road Noise is now pure of any chassis sounds. Increased trigger sensitivity of bump samples.
Audi TT cup : Increased AI respect for other cars space
Mercedes 190 DTM 1992 : New sounds
Opel Omega DTM 1992 : New sounds
Hockenheim : fixed a harsh cut detection on the right hander entering the stadium area.
Nordschleife : Tweaked AI speed in Carousel.
Spa-Francorchamps : added some fly by camerasPortal & Backend:
Added Team information on player profile and leaderboards.
Free content is now visible again in store.

Art:
Lada Vesta 2017: Fixed an interior window texture
Nürburgring : modified the font of the Porsche tagline on the GP pitwall.
Spa-Francorchamps: Resurfaced to reflect current asphalt, small fixes and tweaks.

 

[Dave_6]

Think I'm going to stick with using the monitor in RF2. Their VR implementation is early (and beta) but it just doesn't run well at all, even turning all the settings to low/medium with all AA off and only one car on track. I've got a beefy PC (1080ti + 7700K) and it was still stuttering/chugging, plus I kept having issues with it not wanting to launch if SteamVR was already running.

 

[Betta Lines]

Think I'm going to stick with using the monitor in RF2. Their VR implementation is early (and beta) but it just doesn't run well at all, even turning all the settings to low/medium with all AA off and only one car on track. I've got a beefy PC (1080ti + 7700K) and it was still stuttering/chugging, plus I kept having issues with it not wanting to launch if SteamVR was already running.

You saved me some effort there Dave_6! I was just thinking I should check rF2's VR to see if it has improved. I'll wait for a few more updates I guess.

 

[kiyomi]

So! Some impressions of the G29 that arrived last week. I actually ordered a G920 but I was sent a G29 and thought, eh, it's not really worth complaining about. I've got about 3-4 days of good use out of it, although I wasn't able to use it much last weekend, unfortunately.

As it's my first wheel of any kind, real car or otherwise, it's kinda hard to make a qualitative judgement on the merits of the wheel over others in the competing price bracket. All I can say is I'm enjoying it quite a bit and brings a physicality to sim racing that you'd never get with a controller.

My initial impression was that I didn't much care for the experience, and was pretty disappointed and had thoughts of returning it. For the first day or two I just couldn't get used to it -- the weight, the sensitivity, but mostly, just using my feet at the same time as trying to hold and steer a wheel. As someone who regards himself as a pretty quick driver with a controller it's been a real learning experience. I feel like only maybe 40-50% of what I know and do with a controller actually translates to driving with a wheel. You have to make such a bigger effort with a wheel and it's taking me time to get used to.

I actually recalibrated it at one point in Assetto Corsa because the steering felt way, way too heavy. I'm not sure what was going on but a recalibration fixed that and it's been a lot better. I think in AC it would be nice to have a rack speed option that seems to be in the other games I've tried, for certain cars especially. Maybe I'm missing it. Generally the FFB feels lively enough in AC without being too harsh or overly taxing, but I wouldn't say it's my favourite.

I tried Project Cars next and it feels.. fine? I like the amount of customization in pCars but I have no clue what 90% of the settings for FFB do. Driving an P1 car in the rain at Le Mans is still fucking awesome, though, and it's one experience I can't really get anywhere else right now. I'd forgotten how fun that could be.

R3E was the next game I tried and in my humble and probably misguided opinion, I think this has my favourite FFB. There's a real weight to the cars and it just feels satisfying and.. ugh, I'm gonna say it... visceral. I feel most in control and as though I can really throw the car around in R3E and have it respond to me through the wheel. It also makes the base hotter than any other game, so I guess it's the most sensitive or something?

I tried iRacing this morning and it feels pretty decent. Not a whole lot to say because I've barely spent any time with it, but if there's one game I'm going to spend a lot more time on, it's probably going to be iRacing.

----

My biggest issue, in all games, is braking. I don't have a racing chair or one that'll plant nicely to the floor to compensate for the braking force I need to reach full pressure. I'm not really sure that I'm keen on the rubber block Logitech put in there without the reassurance that I'm not going to move my chair back 2ft every time I want to slam on the brakes. People say that block is there for a better feel, but for me, I get to that point and I can't really push a whole lot more, not comfortably, and yet I'm probably only hitting 80-90% brake pressure.

My solution to this has been different in every game, I lowered the top end deadzone in both R3E and AC and that works reasonably well, but in iRacing, I'm finding it very hard. I guess my only option would be to recalibrate the brake pedal and fool it into thinking 80% real world pressure (roughly) equals 100% ingame pressure?

In iRacing there doesn't seem to be an option to reduce the sensitivity of the throttle either, what would be a workaround for that? It's not really progressive enough atm.

Sorry for the ramble, wheel's got me all excited~ as for lap times, I'm generally 3-4 seconds slower than I was with a controller, I put that mostly down to braking/corner speeds. I'm also WAY less consistent atm.

 

[Dave_6]

You saved me some effort there Dave_6! I was just thinking I should check rF2's VR to see if it has improved. I'll wait for a few more updates I guess.

It needs more time in the oven so to speak. Playing on my 1440p monitor, I can max it out easily with my new rig and still get 60+ fps.

 

[Betta Lines]

So! Some impressions of the G29 that arrived last week...

Lots of thoughts there, interesting to read.

Not sure why you picked the G920? The G29 is the same but with more buttons, so you got the better option (unless you needed Xbox support)!

The physicality is why I suggested running the main FFB setting low to start with, as it just generally gets in the way when you're learning inputs. 'Rack speed' adjustment should not be necessary in any modern sim (it used to be a major problem, particularly confusing in isiMotor-based games - Automobilista has addressed it but it's still a bit of an odd solution). The calibration wizards in sims like iRacing and AC should detect your 900 degree rotation correctly and give you the appropriate lock/ratio for each car you drive. The rack speed should, in theory, be correct for every car (in-game wheel should align 1:1), and adjusting it to be more 'responsive' is unrealistic and usually a bad idea (even though it might feel better initially).

The way the RaceRoom gives you a strong sense of 'weight' is probably what is causing the motor to heat up the most. It has, in my opinion, the strangest-feeling FFB of the current circuit-based sims (although it has improved dramatically), but I guess it aligns the closest with what you expected FFB to feel like. Your opinion might change after you drive other sims for longer (but it might not, who knows!).

Regarding brakes, I was thinking about suggesting you remove the rubber in my previous post, but it was already long and it felt like a bad idea to tell you to pull your pedals apart as soon as you got them! But if you're pushing yourself back in your chair with heavy braking, definitely take it out. I've done it myself, not difficult to take apart (just try not to dislodge the cables from their runners too much and make sure they go back in place before screwing stuff back down - they're easy to pinch). The alternative is to short-calibrate as you say, but you're probably better off with the full throw of the pedal.

Same goes for the throttle - you can put a dead zone at the bottom to make it feel less sensitive, but you're just losing useful throw if you do that. I think you just have to get used to it (or put an additional spring in the throttle pedal when you take them apart to increase the resistance a bit).

 

[Ocho]

Anyone here running triple screens in iRacing without using surround display? I don't really like switching to surround display just for iRacing, and last night I forgot to activate it and opened the game, and it was showing in my middle and right screen, but not the left one (the game was actually centered on the right screen). I wonder now if it's possible to run the game without having to enable surround display by adjusting some settings. Couldn't get it to work last night though, I had to turn surround display on.