Automobilista 2 V1.4 Force Feedback Overview & Recommendations

By the way, I never said that I knew better than the Fanatec employees. These are just my personal experiences that I have had with FFB and various bases (and it was a lot). I'm sorry but Fanatec has lost all credibility with me. I look at it objectively and without any sympathy, no matter what manufacturer it is. It's not my nature to sugarcoat things. I prefer to be honest, even if some people don't like it. But I can live with that

 

And again, FEI is not an amplifier. With FEI 100, the incoming signal is simply not smoothed. As soon as FEI is reduced, a filter intervenes to flatten the signal. With FEI 30, the original signal is simply a flattened FFB with additional latency. In the future, the FEI filter will probably disappear completely, as Fanatec has developed the newer INT filter to solve the problem with the FEI filter. FEI is probably only still included in the software because of the old bases.

I also use the FX control a little, but this control simply amplifies artificially created effects (as the name suggests.

btw quote Fanatec:

• Force Interpolation “INT” filters and smoothens the incoming rough game FFB signal and increases the refresh rate. For example a 60Hz FFB signal (e.g. iRacing) looks like rough steps on a graph and can also feel like this, but using Force Interpolation, the signal is recreated as a smooth curve. In comparison to FEI, this filter is a lot more powerful as it doesn't influence latency as much, has a better smoothing algorithm and doesn't eliminate effects completely.

 

For me it would be further proof that the FEI is wrong and does not work correctly if Fanatec makes this controller disappear. Like I said, you can believe anything, I don't. And by the way, I'm no longer interested because I switched to a base that does it right

 

I do not like the FEI as well. tuned it down to 30 max 40. It feels like a very fake rumbling the whole time. A car does not rattle that way. If it does, I suggest a visit to the engineers.

 

If you don't like FEI then set it to 90-100 and increase the INT filter to 5-7 then you have a rounded FFB without the massive losses that an FEI 30 causes. The lower the FEI number, the more the filter intervenes.

The deeper the FEI filter, the more oscillation you have in the steering wheel, which is also due to the low latency caused by the deep FEI.

 

Need help with understanding of FFB settings for a Simagic user. I'm getting more and more in taste with AMS2, so I want to end with some really good settings setup.

- As a reference I took recommended settings for Simucube 2 Sport:
Default+
LFB - 2
FX - 50
Damping - 50
- As low as possible enhancers within SimPro manager, not to spoil the signal as Fanatec's FEI, that everyone messing with here.

I even started with smoothness 1, still to much noise AMS2 generates. So ended up with 3 as for now. WIP here.
- I took latest Stock Car 2024 as best possible and finished representer of game's capabilities + no aids here.
- Played a bit with FX and Damping in both directions. To understand what it affects at the end. At this point my latest preference:
FX - 50. Still NOT much noticeable difference here between even 20 and 60, so I left it as 'recommended'.
Damping - 40. While I like a bit more 'raw' feeling. Still oversteer compensation effect is not that snappy as with lower values.

So now few things I want to understand and where to move further.
1) What the hell is that FFB noise is at the straights? And it's progressing with a speed. Also it's not about 'square' tires as in rF2, while here it's present even out of the pit. This noise much more noticable at Default+ profile.
Increasing damping in-game or filtering within SimPro manager - can't get rid of it.

So, what effect the game what's to reproduce here? And how to get rid of it?
If it's engine vibration effect that just progress with speed/rpm - then it's ridiculous.

2) With Default profile the load of front tires in the corner or while changing direction at straight lines - is much clearer and more noticeable then with Default+ profile. Why is that?
P.S. rFactor 2 effect with wheel getting harder over braking and lockups would come also handy, but not sure if it's implemented in AMS2. Or maybe it's also not noticeable for me.

3) Absolutely no feeling of UNDERsteer. I suppose there should be some vibration when front tires loses grip and side-friction starts to affect it. So, this transition between grip and slip - not noticeable with both Default or Default+ profiles. The only way to understand that car is understeering - visual.

Would be very grateful for any help on described concerns.

 

Also a Simagic user. I recommend not using the game's default FFB profiles. Best I've found is this AMS 2 game changing FFB : r/AUTOMOBILISTA (reddit.com). It's a profile that completely removes all the extra noisy effects from the game.

Without those, you can focus on fiddling with the SimPro settings to your liking. I'd share my personal settings as well if you want a starting point but I'm away rn, maybe tommorrow.

 

@TotallyTroll, @Horia M and others:
Check out Daniels custom file V700 and see if that suits you:
Automobilista 2 Custom Force Feedback - Overview & Recommendations

Cheers.

 

@SimRacer, Horia M.
Thanks gents for sharing this.

After some more testing, reading and tweaking I can say that it's still far from good FFB setup. And of course, even more far from any 'game changer' as people claim with their settings. For me it's even worth then Default, Default+. And here is why (#TLDR here):

1) This one will be huge, but very important for Simagic owners.
In description of V700 profile it's said that FX and Damping sliders gives 0 effect, when custom preset used. Yet it did... And here comes 'the thing' about Simagic. When FX is set to 0 - we don't have that annoying FFB noise / vibrations. Same as other effects... Or they are just quite weak. Toy can still feel the cerbs, slip, a bit of suspention load, but they are just not 'juicy' at all. The most noticeable change immediately is engine vibrations when car stands still. They are now gone. After more play with FX values, I've figured out that 5-6 is the maximum acceptable values for Simagic owners with custom profiles. Probably with our wheels this engine vibrations effects progress with the speed not in a way it should. When you set FX at 7 - these vibrations progress into the noise and become noticeable again. Maybe it's not a car's vibration but 'tire friction'. Yet for us it's just an annoying FFB noise when the car just goes straight.
With Daniels custom file V700 things getting even worth. Yet not exactly because of custom profile itself. But because of recommended FX value: 18-25. With these values both custom profiles make this 'FFB noise' to harsh and even grainy, compared to Default/+ profiles.
#Undrivable.

2) Slip angle feeling / counter steering.
With both custom-ffb presets slip effect becomes very weak. So, when you go sideways, you just relax your hands to feel what's going on. Yet the car counter steers itself with such an ease, that it feels like almost as you drive with some steering help )
At the end this important part of working with car's rotation brings no more please for me, with this FFB setup. It's almost returning you to an ages of low-grade wheels with poor force.
And the worst part here - after loosing a car in a slip, slide, the moment it obtains grip back can brake your arms with such a powerful and sudden force.

3) Oscillation at the straight lines.
Daniels custom file recommends setting mechanical friction at 0. Yet it brings oscillation to a steering wheel when going straight and releasing it.
After some testing I've noticed that this relates to FX level we set in game.
For FX 5-6 I recommend set it to 12%.
Rule of thumb here:
It should be the lowest value with which your wheel not oscillating at straight lines.
So, the conclusion here (no offence to an author) that his Simagic suggestions are useless since he uses Simucube wheel.

4) Weight transfer.
This part is the only one I liked about using custom-ffb settings. You can really feel when the front wheels are loaded with the weight. And now wheel becomes heavier under the braking (this part still works quite strange - like a script. wheel becomes heavier only if you brake if it's turned into a corner. When you brake hard straight - no effects here).

At this point I'm stuck. Don't know how to combine custom and default+ profiles. Perfect scenario would be going myself into ffb_custom_settings file, yet I don't have time and will to do that. Other sims are waiting to be just driven...
P.S. Probably will return to AMS2 when some new FFB rework happen. Or someone will do the good custom for Simagic.

 

you will find a link to one that’s been used by many for a long time in my signature .

 

Haha... yeah...

That's also the biggest problem with my FFB profile (and probably all "no FX/damping" profiles), the fact that my hands get snapped off if the car starts sliding. It's a massive downside but one I'll have to live with for now. The "pure" FFB feeling without any of the added artificial effects outweighs the risk of breaking a finger.

Tbf I've found that the slip feeling is still there, I can still tell pretty well when the car is starting to lose grip - it's just that if it does, 9/10 times I'm ****ed. Cause it's either try to catch the car or lose a finger.

Honestly Troll, if you manage to find a good FFB please let me know since I'm also on a Simagic + NEO.

 

Hello Troll
You seem to be mixing something up. I never said that the value (FX) and damping have no influence on the V700. This is exactly why I recommend setting (FX) 18-25 or according to personal taste (I personally drive with 15 FX or depending on the car and route). Be sure to set the damping to 0 in the game and better adjust the damping to your personal taste in your base. But the way I see your problems, there are other reasons why you are not satisfied. You might be running after a sim you think is perfect (personal taste) and trying to find it in Ams2. But that will fail. The next point is your settings, I don't think you've understood everything about the in-game settings and your base settings and the difference between defaults and customs. I don't mean that in a bad way, I just want to tell you that there is no perfect solution and there are many ways to get a very good feel for Ams2.

By the way, for me personally there is a big difference between swinging on the wheel (which is not desirable) and vibrations on the wheel (which is desired). I want to feel the curbs in the wheel, I want to feel the track in the wheel, I want to feel the tires in the wheel and and and... Because it's a sim I still think it's the most important thing in the steering and at the end in the Wheel can be felt. Of course, other hardware (Motion, VR, Buttkicker) comes into play, but that's another topic. But I don't want a "dead" wheel where I can feel almost nothing. Of course, in the end it is always subjective and the user decides what he likes or doesn't li
ke

 

@TotallyTroll @Horia M
Hello, I also have a simagic alpha 15 nm. I'm currently using the custom default file (the one shipped with the game) but with all these lines removed:

```#allow 30% headroom
(headroom ( - 0.7 gain))
(clipTo ( + 1.3 headroom))
(clipTo ( if headroom 1.3 clipTo))

(output (hard_clip output clipTo))```

If you want the original custom_settings, just delete it and launch the game to regenerate.

Without this clipping headrom, I have all the room available for the base. For me, this file nowadays, give me the best raw (not digital or artificial) feedback.
Base settings are very similar from yours (TotallyTroll):
FFB at 90% (just because I want some little headrom to avoid burn the base (too hot))
Wheel rotation speed: 20-30 (At your taste. This option also heats the base, because the lower the rotation speed, the greater the resistance, it is like adding friction, so if you decrease this value, you should also reduce the friction that is added.)
Mechanical damping: 25%
Mechanical friction: 15%
Rest at 0.

Ingame:
45-65 gain (depending on cars, because with this file, the FFB is very raw and the clipping is here in some high load turns),
0 fx,
0 low force,
0 or 50 damp (at your taste, it just smooth a little bit the feedback from your wheels, im testing with both values).

Now, if you want mute more feedback, you can play around smoothness and feedback frequency. But for me there is no feedback that is too much. The steering wheels in real life also vibrate, and certain sensations of the asphalt are noticeable in the hands.

Now, I use the Porsche GTE and the feedback compared from LMU is waay better imho.

 

@Coanda Have you had a go of the Porsche Cup cars recently? On my wheel there is a constant pulsing in the FFB, it's not particularly noticeable at idle but it becomes more obvious as speed increases. It's the only car I experience this with and I can't dial it out with settings. It's present on both Default and Default+ and in custom files.

Would be good to know if it's something other people experience too.

 

300mm | CSL DD 8nm | Default+ | Gain 65 / LFB 0 / FX 35 / Damping 30 | and my Fanatec settings are identical to yours.

 

That comment might be pretty old, but I just have to second what is written there.
I didnt do too much stuff in ams2 lately, but when I did, I was always wondering why the ffb was telling me less about tire load and weight transfer than what I'm sure I was already feeling in the past. Stumbled upon that comment, gave the "Default" a go and immediately the feeling I remembered was back.

To be honest, I'm a bit confused about the Default+ Profile, because I always thought it just is the same as Default but with more effects on it. However, the Default+ does feel lighter and just has more noises, but gives me less info about where the weight of the car actually is.

My CSL DD still runs with the recommended settings from the initial post.
The only thing which still bothers me, is running the formula cars. For some reason, those cars are still communicating "less" with the ffb (not to call it somehow "arcady") compared to gt style cars.

 

This gives some info on what each of the 3 profiles includes.

 

Hello. Is there any way to see the original default and default + game files? Where are they located? I would like to compare with some custom files.

 

AFAIK you can’t see the files