Automobilista 2 Custom Force Feedback - Overview & Recommendations

I even know of people who do without FFB altogether in order to be faster, and this has happened in various simulations. Now imagine that in reality you had this 0% feedback in your steering axis and were faster as a result. Then you realize how poorly a simulation simulates reality. A simulation should also be fun and when it comes to realism everyone has different views and ideas. Even real racing drivers have completely different opinions for very different reasons. For me it is always a compromise to simulate reality, or to be more specific, to simulate reality as well as possible. It can be too much or it can be too little to just feel the FFB on the wheel. There are things that FFB cannot simulate via the wheel or can only simulate poorly and thus it is counterproductive. In these cases, it might be better to add immersion (VR/Motion/Buttkicker/Belt-tensioner/Active Pedals and much more) to simulate this realism better than with the FFB on the wheel. Furthermore, a lot can be improved by correct settings on the bases together with the game settings. What people ultimately prefer is very different and comes down to personal taste. That's why FFB and physics are always very controversial and will never lead to correct results because they are not reality. Ams2 does a lot of things right and it is just a lot of fun to drive the different cars and to have this hobby

 

Yes, that's true, the DDS have changed a lot and made it more realistic than in the beginning. But there's still a long way to go, or not everything has changed for the better. Consider, for example, the loss of mechanical feel in the steering axis with the DDS, which have gear/belt bases. This now has to be compensated for by the FFB or by adjusting the bases accordingly. I know people who were very disappointed after buying a DDS because they lost that natural feeling

 

I raced with Default+ all night yesterday to do a comparison with the recent files I've tried here. We did a 2.5 hours race wet/dry-day/night with multiple pitstops. The lap times were fine, but the original FFB is way to chatty for me. Most of my race buddies say the samething as many of them don't use the default FFB.
There's way too much noise specifically at the center at high speed. Damn wheel feels like touching the lid of a popcorn maker with so much explosions inside. You just can't beat the smoothness of the custom FFB.

 

This!
I still believe AMS2 shines with T300 specially if you throw the heavier SF1000 wheel to it. I've mentioned this in the previous posts. That rubber feel on T300 is something else.
I have a T818 base (great base btw) and an Evo. None of them come close to T300 in terms of the tire feel. I even tried the new T598 with the Direct Axial Drive, but I keep going back to T300

 

I think this will improve in a few years when there will only be DDS. In the past, there were only Gear/Belt bases, and the simulations were tailored to them, which made things much easier for the sim studios and also for the users. Today, it's a difficult balancing act, and it requires many compromises due to this variety of different systems. We'll see what the future brings

 

100%, DDs are fast and they'll get better once the sim engines fully adopt to em. The technology behind Thrustmaster Direct Axial Drive is actually huge. They've eliminated that cogging lame feeling with this new thing and if the company don't go belly up once the global recession hits; the next release, smaller, stronger and improved model will put a smile on many faces.

 

Incredibly I’m actually starting to get pretty good ffb from AMS2 now
Been amending a custom file over the last week , after returning to ams2 to test it out after a few years break

bodnar simsteering

I’ll post the custom file when done

ams2 has improved a hell of a lot

 

@Danielkart

But I don't want to be top10, I want to be top1, top2 on a bad day with everything messed up. ahah
If there was an ffb that would give me "exact" feeling of perfect grip on every car every time, I would use it, it would be almost as "cheating" ahah.
The thing is for me old Assetto is very intuitive. I change car and I'm complaining about the car, not the ffb. ahah It's very "direct" and very "connected".

These midcorner moments where AMS2 ffb feels disconnected really hurt me. Some people get used to it and just understand how to deal with it, but for me it's going different than what I expect from the ffb.

I've made it work with Defaults for years and messed around with wheelbases. But now after joining LFM and trying to be competitive but consistent... now I really feel the pressure.
I just saw some guy on twitch show me that he drives with Reiza's custom "basic" ffb at 70 and 0 sliders, and he did show the 2nd fastest laptime ever of LFM on GT4 Spielberg, behind my laptime

But in the end I still struggle for consistency and precision. I mean it can become easier to replicate 100% the inputs with very little force, but at that moment, if the grip keeps changing I don't really feel it, and then I spin because I'm doing "blind inputs".

Racing is dynamics, and that is the biggest fun of it, adapting. I've been racing a lotta GT4s, did 2 GroupC races, 2 or 3 Sprint Car races, 2 Formula Trainer Races and even 1 GT1 race.

A fast driver is supposed to feel things and be smart and adapt quickly. In old AC my ffb experience is very dynamic in a sense, if tires are overheating or getting cold I can really feel it and adapt, I can drive without a hud sometimes...
The tire info on the hud ends up being less valuable than the actually good FFB info on the tires.

I just look for any advantage anywhere I can get it, and regarding FFB I think I'm trying to work towards something that never "surprises" me.
Like having a random spin :O "I spun? How did this happen?" kind of thing.



@AdrianJ I can't wait to try your file as well. I've tried so many things and to be fair, many of you have done a huge great work. I wish I knew how to write a whole algorithm like rfuktor and whole custom files altogether like some of you.
And many people give honourable mentions to many of your files when asked about custom ffb or some particular famous tunes.

 

It will maybe only be suited to bodnar & OSW servo based ffb systems
If you have then brill

 

I decided I better test some other car types, soi I grabbed the Brabham BT52 and then the Formula Retro or something - 1990 era cars? So they have no TC, No ABS, 'excessive' power that needs very difficult taming to run them fast. Plus you are unlikely to be able to do a full lap WITHOUT one, or a few, big rear slides when they catch you out! (Group C are another good class for this)
So far I only used rFuktor V3.9.4 as it comes.... but after a few hours I could not decide what I thought about it, or what it did, or did not, do... as just re-learning those cars was a full time effort! LOL
Nothing stood out as amiss, but for all I know the Defauilt+ or FullFFB or DanielKart might all feel 'nothing amiss' also!
The GT3's are a reasonably tame sort of car (in the spectrum across all racing car types!) which can make them half bad for FFB testing returns, but also half good - as a car that tends to run truer for most of it time, shows up the changes clearer when they happen that less often. Those F1 cars are constantly "in full control now... oh not now... pulse throttle here... dab brakes there..."., which you should be able to assign 'realism' to but it is just a lot more to take in and separate aspects of it all.
At least I didn't come away with any (that I recall) "Hmmm, that was definitely not right" parts of FFB.

And it made those GT3 cars look a bit more of a joke..... hehe (in terms of skill level required). That range of F1 1960 (1965?) to somewhere 1990 (before TC) were where you could tell the REALLY great drivers from the 'averages'. (Rally sort of always told that too.... and at Pikes Peak etc)
The GT3, LMP2, LMH etc are more like 'perfect cars' that just need someone to drive them SMOOTH and ACCURATE - not ALSO super fast reactions of precision corrections and inputs to keep them running optimally. And to even stay on track!

 

This might be a stupid question lol...
What is the different between "rack force" and "basic"(Reiza custom ffb blanket)
I know they feel different, but why?
I wish I knew how to understand everything written inside these files. If there is any sort of topic that explains it I would read it.

I saw a guy on a stream who was really fast using the "basic" profile and for him it was the best.
I was quite surprised but then when I noticed how much I love the consistency gained from "rack force" I tried "basic" and guess it feels quite nice, I've been on slower cars haven't tried any GT1 or groupC yet. As long as I get accurate and fast communication from the physics, the essential is there.

 

Very well explained, which is exactly why I personally consider AMS2 to be one of the most complete and best simulations on the market. The variety is unique, and when I can circle these old cars around a track, it's a lot of fun. I also like driving GTs, but for me, those are the cars in AMS2 (and in other simulations) that I personally enjoy the least. Maybe it's because I'm a bit older and grew up in a different time. Well, to each his own, and we now have many, many simulations, so everyone should be able to find something to suit them

I just think you're looking for too much and chasing after everyone who's fast and uses a different FFB. There will always be faster guys with all sorts of FFBs, from basic to customs or no FFB at all. Everything's possible because it's "just" a simulation.

 

Is the Full FFB custom file still being maintained/used around here? I read some positive things about it.

 

Rack force is the basic file with smoothing and dampening removed.

 

Thrustmaster Direct Axial Drive technology and the new Simagic Evo bases advertise their "0% cogging" technology. Yes, it makes them very fast and lively, but it also has disadvantages.The natural mechanical feel of a steering axle is lost, and because they have absolutely no resistance, these bases are much more likely to vibrate and produce high-frequency noise or your wheel will behave like a helicopter rotor. This is why you keep going back to your good old T300, because it can reproduce this natural feel much better than any DD. Every base, or even every FFB, should have a certain amount of damping or friction, otherwise the problems mentioned above will arise. I 'm excited to see what the base manufacturers come up with in the future

 

@Danielkart is funny that you actually avoided my question. I just asked to anyone who understands those files the diff between those 2 particular ffbs that both have characteristics that I like.

TBH I just been having a great time with the "basic" profile and that surprised and amused me.
I just want the FFB to help me to the best of what is possible, instead of hindering me and getting in the way of driving.

BTW a confusing thing was that I've found a few versions of your own files and I'm not even sure of which one to use, there is V7000 Topspeed for DD bases and also V7000 Topspeed (Fine Tunning Version) for all DD bases.

Thanks, they did feel incredibly similar but the "rack force" did feel quite "loose".

 

Buddy, I wrote you in a private message that the fine-tuning version was the predecessor of the Topspeed 2 (It's all there on page 458)
I don't know what you're talking about. But you seem to change your files like I change my socks, but it's great that you've now reached Basic

 

For some reason I didn't see any reply sorry that I've missed it. TBH sometimes I find it interesting to speak with the people who create the files. I just wish I knew as much as some of you guys do, or knew where to read and learn about it, etc...
Just to figure out stuff.

It was funny but in last week's LFM race I had the fastest Race lap ever GT4 on Spielberg, driving a car that I only used once... the Merc GT4 instead of the "meta" Audi... but I spun it and got scared. I was using your file when I drove that car I think.
Due to wanting to feel more rear, just by increasing oversteer scale already helped a ton (ofc).
But I wanted to know what to do regarding the rear lightness that in profiles like "basic" I don't have that much lightness and therefore it's closer to what I'm used.

I've been driving AMS2 at least 8h a day for the past few days, (I guess I'm addicted to it lol) and so I've been testing a lot of stuff and ideas.

It's very frustrating for me when I work hard towards being the fastest guy or the 2nd fastest guy and not being able to materialize results because of lacking consistency and control, specially under pressure or more dynamic conditions that catch me by surprise.

Thanks for the message reply and I'll be sure to check it out, sorry that I missed it.

For me learning from the other's insights is more valuable than just mindlessly practicing and hotlapping vs fast ghosts or beating faster and faster times. Eventually it comes to a point where I want to mimic a certain lap time and be close to it in the "least favourable" conditions, test endurance.

AMS2 lends itself to be amazing for endurance racing, and sadly I work saturdays where most online endurance racing happens but I really miss doing 1h or 2h races with pitstops, dynamic weather, FCY etc and just doing "qually lap" after "qually lap" during a race (when allowed to) just like Senna and Schumi used to do. Or just learn to adapt to tire wear and temps like modern drivers do while still racing hard.

 

I am 65 years old and, ever since attending my first GP in 1968 with my dad, I have been addicted to F1, always dreaming of being able to race. I enthusiastically started sim racing in 1999 with Grand Prix Legends. Since then, much has changed from the days racing with my yellow Logitech wheel sans FFB to my current Fanatec CSLDD (even though I am still using my original JPS-Lotus-themed, homemade wooden rig with IKEA chair and ButtKicker).

While the past 26 years have provided me with endless fun racing my childhood heroes, my enjoyment has never been more than in AMS2 with these wonderful custom FFB files that have been provided to us over the years. Even my beloved PC2 is now playable! In AM2, I am now using "rFuktor ? experimental 3.9.4" and my mind is comprehensively blown: in my opinion, the feedback has never been better.... subtle and clear.

As my sim racing days are set to come to an end sooner rather than later due to deteriorating health and fading eyesight, I wanted to express my many, many, many thanks to everyone for the selfless effort and countless hours in developing these wonderful custom files for our enjoyment - Karsten Hvidberg, JP, Shadak, Panos, Kuku, TomP, NuScorpii, tUMi, Danielkart, as well as numerous others that have contributed through tweaks, comments and feedback since 2019-ish to make this all possible. You are gods in my eyes.

 

Thank you so much for the kind words, Eddie!

You have been on quite a long journey simracing, it sounds like!
Time is weird, as we all know. It was already around 5 years ago since we did the first few AMS2 custom ffb files, trying to fill back in the scrub effect that went missing...

I hope you stick around for just a little longer, since I think we have a real nice improvement on the way in the file. So far tests indicate so, so I'm hopeful!

My time will come to an end here soon as well. Come September, I'm ending here for at least the next year, since I will not have access to my rig.

Again, thank you for your words, they do mean a lot - that we didn't just only do it for our own ammusement in the end - that somebody else enjoyed it too.

All the best,

-K