Automobilista 2 Custom Force Feedback - Overview & Recommendations

Is this also why you recommend 20 to 30 "FEI" on the DD1/DD2 right? Those settings make it more linear? I never thought about that because every "guide" left all the "game forces" at 100% and FEI was also treated as a "game force" but now I noticed it felt like an artificial boost on high frequency or small things, and by lowering FEI in many other ffb files or even reiza's profiles I've found interesting changes.
I used to have to run "interpolation filter" in AMS2 because there was a rattling grinding noise all the time on the DD1 in AMS2, but with just a small FEI reduction from 100 to 70 that noise disappears and it becomes smooth.

 

When I still had my DD1 I used to have my FEI at 70 % all the time, tried 20-30 but 70 was the sweet spot for me. Just my personal preference.

Short question for @Karsten Hvidberg: Do you want the pre- 3.9.4 files also to be listed or just your latest file?

 

Fanatec and the settings—that's a very difficult and controversial issue. I'll explain my perspective on it later.

 

They are just experimentals, and not tuned to feel good.
I have a new file ready, with the most important development for 4 years in it, and finely tuned it as well.
I think that might be better suited for any listing. Here was a smiley, but not working on mobile.

 

Alright, will replace the current latest file with the actual latest file then. Looking forward to trying it when I‘m back home again.

 

No, this doesn't make it more linear.I generally try to let the game and its FFB work and not override the base.I generally try to avoid vibrations, high-frequency noises, or other anomalies from different systems (bases) because this allows for more detail to be felt and thus the "real FFB" reaches the hands.I generally try to use as few amplifiers or filters as possible in a base, keeping it linear and blending them together with the custom file.

Fanatec is more complicated here than other bases.Specifically, Fanatec uses the "FEI" to drastically increase the FFB effects, which leads to undesirable effects.The FFB file doesn't need to increase the effects; the file itself handles this. If you increase "FEI," you now need "INT" to reduce the roughness and smooth the FFB.So, I did exactly what I tried to avoid as described above: I used high values for the amplifiers and filters in the base.Through many comparisons with other dds, I've also noticed that a Fanatec Podium dd1/dd2 with less FEI and INT works better and is more comparable to other dd bases.Otherwise, they would have to change the entire file and adjust it accordingly. Added to that is the Peak and Linear mode, which I posted in another thread just a few days ago. I've attached it here again:


Text from the Force Feedback thread:
Fanatec simply truncates the peak, thus achieving fewer Nm in Linear mode to only achieve a constant holding torque.The logical conclusion from this is that you can feel more subtle details with Linear than with Peak, because higher forces can mask them.I think with a dd1, it's about 15 Nm instead of 20 Nm.There are many opinions about what's better and what isn't.For me, after many comparisons with other bases, the problem with Fanatec is the motor in these old dd1/dd2 bases and the poor internal FFB algorithms.This means that the in-game signals from a simulation are not processed and output well.Nevertheless, I personally still prefer "Peak" so that the full, highest torque can be utilized in certain simulation situations.However, to utilize this peak effectively, certain settings must be adjusted.Specifically, this means that "FEI" must be significantly lowered to feel the game's more subtle FFB details again.Otherwise, everything will be too masked, or there will be extreme vibrations or high-frequency noise, or a very coarse and grainy feel."FEI" and "INT" are, for me, the key to achieving peak performance with Fanatec.I'm also someone who tends to set everything to linear and neutral, but this can't be applied across the board because there will always be special cases.One could also say that if these two values are kept high, Linear would be the better option.If these two values are kept low, Peak would be the better option.


You'll even notice that I've provided two different options for the Fanatec Clubsport dd bases (12Nm and 15Nm) for the base settings (with FEI and INT), because there are different tastes, and not everyone feels the same. Everything I've written here is my personal impressions and experiences, but they don't necessarily reflect other opinions.In the end, everyone should take what they want, and it should simply be fun

 

And hopefully then we will all finally find out what the "?" in the these experimental files was for... Smiley on mobile here not working.

 

Yea, for a tiny moment I was wondering what that was about If you type : and then ) you get the smiley btw, or at least a smiley

 

here comes the custom ffb hype train
Smiley working on PC

 

Hehe,
Yes, sorry, I know it can come off rather annoying, sorry about that (mobile smiley working?)

But it really will make the world a better place and all people live in harmony with one another. On the track it will make us all appreciate the competition and be happy for the other person when they win.

Or maybe it will make us finally give up and go back to Default+, full on FBB custom file disbelief.

Hmmm, I can't decide, but it's one of those 2.

 

This is quite interesting, thanks for spending time detailing this to me since I had no prior understanding of these settings specially FEI, Interp I thought was just a smoothing filter.

I personally agree with you that the most unfiltered base with the least abnormalities or "strange things" not only feels the best and most direct, but it is also the best for performance.
I agree that even if you're under 15nm using peak you're still activating the full energy from the motor.

Sometimes I wonder if the new Fanatec bases are really worth it but I mean, if I upgraded it should only go 1 way: simcube.

But I've became dependant on the Fanalab ease of use for FFB and Led profiles.
IDK if it's possible with your simcube? to edit the FFB profile while driving mid race?
(increase decrease any parameters as you see fit) That is something I used to do a lot in AC while driving if I got tired I would reduce gain.

Another thing is in Fanalab I have game tabs or folders, for AMS1 AMS2 AC etc... then inside each one, I have 20 30 40 profiles, with the steering wheel leds matching the cars and gain etc.

(In case of AMS2, if I used different AMS2 ffb settings for a car, I would write them down on the Fanalab profile).
And even in AMS2 I can have any Fanalab FFB and Led profile load up when I load the car onto the track.
This is such a seamless experience where I can quickly jump from 1 car to another without much worry. If I ever got a simcube, which wheel should I get? I literally have no idea.

In fanatec I've got the DD1 F1 bundle, I've used the M3 GT2, but for a rounder I really like the "Podium" Porsche GT wheel with the "endurance module". I really like the leds since I see them light up under ABS/TC, lockup or wheelspin. Even DRS lights too.

If money wasn't an issue I would go for the top of the line Asher McLaren wheel obviously but I have no idea how to even start "porting" all my led profiles ... seems like a daunting never ending task.

 

Not everything at Fanatec is bad. When I think about the Belt bases, they are still among the best on the market today. I also think the new Fanatec bases are better than the old dd1/dd2 bases.It all depends on your priorities, and if you like the LED profiles, Fanatec is fantastic. I have and always have had different priorities for a base. For me, the most important thing is the feeling a base gives me.The knockout for me with my dd1 was the extreme flex of the base, which varied greatly depending on the manufacturing process, and unfortunately, the QR2 adapter wasn't available back then.This flex ruined the entire gaming experience for me. Plus, the updates and firmware were always a gamble; sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. I think the new dds are better from Fanatec now, too, and I hope things get better for this company.

There are good and not so good aspects to every base when you compare everything.When I say the Simucube is the gold standard for me, that's only referring to the feel of this base. For other things, there are bases that do it better than the Simucube. So, set your priorities and what your requirements are for a base, and then decide whether to buy one

 

I do agree with you, but the experience many complain might have been from "old Fanatec", meaning: I only got into sim racing recently, only got my DD1 at the start of 2023 from a guy who got it previously (I only got the change to "jump" to DDs because it was "kinda cheap" lol) and there were some crazy black Friday sales around 2022 and 2023.

I'm not poor poor but I'm not really rich (no "working class musician" is rich lol) and therefore I feel very guilty to indulge in this expensive hobby. I spent 2 years with just the G923 before deciding I really wanted to get into this hobby for real.

I've even had 2 different DD1s at one point, while still having the G923, and I also got a huge sale from a local store that had "new old stock" of a TS-PC at 50% price brand new.

For a brief moment, I had many gear (too much) that I ended up testing and selling and comparing everything.
But at 1 point I had 3 complete setups (logitec) (normal dd1 + bmw m2 gt3) (PS4 dd1 F1 + V3 + killswitch bundle)
(everything was from great second hand deals, I was able to always re-sell everything I got to avoid capital losses)

My experience with both DD1s was of quite minimal if any, flex on the QR1.
I noticed that many people might not know to tighten the rubber, which is a "cumbersome" process and not a plug and play quick release. And you must tighten it hard to really fixate the wheel.
In the worst case scenario, of using full DD1 power, there is even a "helper screw" (ala thrustmaster style) but if you're not changing the wheel, this screw should make things as tight as possible.

There were also lots of 3rd party mods online.

TBH for me the feel of the base should be the priority, but I also want ease of use and fast and easy access and ofc led control... I would have to use simhub for the wheel.

But for example with Heusinkveld pedal software, they developed internal "keybinds" in the "SmartControl" soft for the pedals where you can change pedal settings while driving, with the wheel. I wondered if simcube could come up with something like that?

For me the biggest problem with Fanatec is the lack of quality of the materials.
I've sat on a friend's rig with SC2pro and cubecontrols wheel a couple of years ago, it was rock solid ofc. I noticed that the SC2pro feels quite unexpectedly strong and fast. But it was on another rig could be driving position, but I felt surprised that I wasn't expecting it to feel that strong. It's hard to explain.

But I notice on Fanatec (and I'm afraid other made in china brands) the wheels cannot handle the full 15nm 20nm 25nm of the bases... I would think you get more flex on the wheelside QR and the wheel handles themselves than the shaft from the DD1/DD2. And that is a big problem, Fanatec designs are very outdated.

Trying to mix best of both worlds I could go to Simagic and their feature rich wheels but I see everything else (except SC2pro) as "sidegrades" of some sort, or to some extent. Why spend that much if I'm not aiming at the top. My only temptation on the Fanatec bases is comfort to keep same ecosystem and profiles, cheaper wheels vs SC2pro quality wheels ofc... but the Fanatec wheels will never be "that good". And the ones that are, are also as expensive as any Ascher wheel, at that point Ascher is better by huge miles.

But I don't see all the doom and gloom even on the old QR1 everyone talks about, but maybe if I owned a simcube and an ascher for at least a few months I would feel that difference, but on first impressions... for me Thrustmaster plastic is the worse. I've even had 2 Sparco P310 wheels from them, I had to return the first because the plastic was tilted on the back and the wheel would sit on the base at a wierd tilted angle. And the flex is huge. Even the G923 had less flex. I only had the TS-PC for 1 or 2 months, and barely used it, just made some videos and re-sold it a "open box new".

PS btw forgot to mention, really miss selling the M3 GT2 wheel but had to go to sell the base and I didn't want to keep more than 1 base. But tbh the M3 GT2 (v1 old version) felt sturdier than the Carbon F1 wheel... but the alcantara grips I hated it. Very high maintenance.

PIC for reference:

 

No, not annoying at all. I am very serious. I get hyped for these types of things.

 

Yes, I know all about the 3D mods or the screw for the dd1. Every base has advantages and disadvantages, even a Simucube. But honestly, I'm not here to create rankings for bases; there are enough influencers promoting them for that. It's important to me to tailor the various systems (gear/belt/hybrid/dds) to the simulation as well as possible and to improve or eliminate the disadvantages of the bases, but I can only achieve that with a custom file. Or for people or beginners who don't have the time or inclination to spend a lot of time dealing with FFB/base settings or in-game settings

 

@Danielkart
Is there a way to edit the sound effects somehow? That curb rumble sound is so fake and unnatural that me and many friends had to mute the surface audio completely. I set it to 1, but it was still so loud and distracting. Also, the RPM cutoff sounds like an overheated AK-47. There's no costumer support info to share feedback.

Happy Sunday,

 

There are many users who find the Ams2 soundscape still needs improvement. I'm one of them, and I tend to turn certain sound options down because otherwise it distracts or annoys me. But Reiza is constantly working on improving it, and they've already made some improvements. I'm no expert in this area, but there are many good tips and advice on this topic here in the forum. The hardware used will also play a big role

 

I didn't mean to start a whole DD base ranking debate, but I was wondering if there is anything like this you can do on simcube or the reply is just a flat no?
Like no ffb editing on any sort of keybinds?
No seamless leds unless you use Simhub for the wheel?
BTW, which wheel did you have when you had the DD1, and also on the SC2pro?
How do you think the diameter affects the ffb?

Should I adapt any settings? (like 320mm vs 270mm), right now I only have Formula F1 270mm wheel. (I would expect to "feel more") and not less, with a smaller diameter.
I also notice that a larger diameter it's slower to turn but gives more precision etc, all the common sense.
I wonder if your settings were tailored on a 320mm wheel. (since you have the comment of 5% inertia for light wheels)

I'm also curious to see what will be the end result of what karsten has been cooking up but ATM I think I went too deep the customffb rabit hole and at some point I end up overthinking everything and questioning every variable a bit too much.

 

The last couple days i have been using this Rack Force file and i must say that i am really liking it.
11nm
in game gain 90-100
0
0
0
Adjust car specific FFB
GT3 g1 and 2 and Fjr tested so far.

Car specific FFB range for me so far 80-90

 

No, Simucube doesn't have these options from Fanatec, but there's Simhub.

The steering wheels have a huge impact on the overall driving experience. Diameter and weight can and will change everything. If you open my dd files, it says that I test everything with wheels with a diameter of 300-320mm (I would have to change it to 300-330mm). I only had a steering wheel that small, 270mm, on my old dd1, which was always too small for me personally.

My steering wheels are as follows:

Simucube Tahko GT21 with 330mm diameter

Clubsport Steering Wheel BMW M3 GT2 V2 with 320mm diameter (sold)

Clubsport Steering Wheel Formula V2-5X with 270mm diameter (sold)

Gomez Sim Industries GSI Hyper SL with 300mm diameter

Cube Controls Mercedes - AMG GT Edition with 320mm diameter

Cube Controls GT PRO V2 Zero with 320mm diameter

Evil Racing DGT + Wheel v2f with 300mm diameter

But immersion hardware can and will completely change the experience. That's why it's like going down a rabbit hole here, too. That's why I give people as much information as possible and as precise recommendations as possible. But even here, there will always be differences, but they won't be as big