I drive wheel, but I also drive gamepad, and I’m a wee bit unhappy about the latter. To very quickly cover off my experiences of the latest update using a wheel, it’s all positive. As of now, I think AMS2 has surpassed ACC in terms of an FFB experience. ACC certainly gives an excellent solid sense of driving over a surface, but AMS2’s ability to convey complex information, such as the tramlining of a fat-tyre Porsche, is actually amazing. Annoyingly, RF2’s FFB is still way ahead of either: Its ability to communicate road surface, impacts and steering is extremely convincing. Still, it’s no longer as untouchable as it once seemed. So, the wheel in AMS2 is a great experience. I have absolutely no complaints. Sadly, the gamepad remains a poor cousin. And that’s a bit strange. Every other driving sim manages to get gamepad implementation right. And by ‘right’, I mean it: There has always been something wrong with AMS2’s gamepad, and while it’s gradually improved, it’s remained consistently inconsistent. All the complaints about under and over steer held against the sim’s physics remain seemingly present (to a greater or lesser extent), while using a gamepad. For example, belting down a straight, in a Porsche GTE or GT3, it’s all too easy to flick the car sharply to the left or right. This happens in corners too, and it’ll happen regardless of pad settings, steering lock, car setup, tyre temperature or wear. In every other sim I’ve tried, this simply does not happen. In fact, it’s not even an issue in PC1 or PC2, both of which have significantly nicer gamepad experiences. Looking at ACC, rF2, PC1 & 2, and RRR, regardless of what you think of their physics, they all allow nuanced, progressive movements with a gamepad that are entirely under the user’s control, and allow for a good simulation of driving with a wheel, These sims exhibiting none of the seemingly random twitchy, oversteering inconsistencies of AMS2’s pad. And while these frustrating traits can be dialled down in the controller settings in AMS2, they can’t be eliminated. I’m over 600 hours in incidentally, so it hasn’t stopped my enjoyment, but it certainly has consistently reduced it. At this momentous turning point for AMS2, surely pad support can finally be resolved? *Oops. I got the patch number slightly wrong. It should be 1.3.1.0. Can someone change that? Thanks!
When talking about controller improvements it helps if you post the controller settings you use, whether you use any driving aids, if you use tap steering or precision steering, etc. I only played ACC on 2 free weekends but I own all the other games you mentioned and I use my own custom controller settings in all of them. Personally I think the PCars games aren't that great with controller, at least not for precision steering with realistic aids. I often mention AMS2 having built-in filters/dampers that cannot be turned of and cause a bit of delay in the inputs, that sensation is worse in PCars1 and even more worse in PCars2 imo (Ian Bell mentioned in the PCars forum a few years ago that PCars2 controller improvements were aimed at tap steer players). Imo it would be great to have something more like AMS1, where I could disable all the aids, filters, dampers, get raw input, and fine tune from there.
Yeah, look I'm not interested about getting into controller settings. That discussion has taken place ad nauseum on numerous different forums. This isn't a setting issue; It's about consistency of response. We're all aware that AMS1 is very similar to rF2, being based on the same engine of course, but PC1 & 2 are at least consistent, and that's my point here. I'd rank gamepad implementation in sims thus (best to worst): 1. AMS2 2. rF2 3. RRR 4. ACC 5. PC1/2 6. AMS2 When it's acting as expected, AMS2's gamepad is the best. When the inconsistency kicks in, it has to be marked as the worst.
Yes, consistency of response is important and AMS2 could improve on that, but how do you get consistency of response with default controller setup if each game has different default controller setups? Imo the best way to compare controller response is to use the same controller setup across all games, and maybe even use the same steering lock & steering wheel range car setup in all games. Ideally default controller settings should cater to as many people as possible, but in order for developers to create good default setup it's important that people post their favorite controller setups, which aids they use, and whether they use tap steering or precision steering (this one makes a huge difference in which controller setup is best for you).
In terms of road feel when using a gamepad theres no sensation of what the wheels are conveying no road bumps no actual road feel coming through, all that does come through are braking, loss of traction, rumble strips and gear changes and that is why for me ACC still is the gamepad king.
Well that's an entirely different subject, but I totally agree. There's no reason for gamepad haptics not to give us more detailed information. ACC is clearly better in that respect. Tell you what though, if you're only using a gamepad, you're missing out on a huge amount of car driving characteristics in AMS2.
Because AMS2's controller issue isn't connected to controller settings. I could use one of the many post-it notes full of controller settings I've developed over the lifespan of AMS2, and not one of them will prevent the high and low speed oversteer that's still (intermittently), present. Take rF2, and by extension AMS1. Perhaps not the easiest setting to dial into a gamepad, but once done, the likelihood is that you'll never change it, because the underlying characteristics are consistently 'progressive'. High speed behaviour is as predictable as low speed behaviour. The issue in AMS2 has become better since the controller baseline reset by Reiza several months ago, but if ACC, RRR and rF2 are 123456789 into a turn, then AMS2 is currently often something like 12345679
That is the consensus yes and sadly due to my limited room i am not able to accommodate a wheel, the gamepads vibration shortcomings dont detract my love for AMS2 at all, it still plays great with a pad and if Reiza were to adress this in a future update AMS2 would be a near perfect sim in my eyes.
This is strange because ME lacks settings. You can't set steering rate, disable dampening or set linearity correctly. Easy fix is just open settings and fix linearity settings and you have any other game from it.
As of the latest update, the inconsistency issue remains in some cars...or maybe it's certain tracks? Anyway, it's further receded. I used to see it in the Porsche GT3 all the time, but now I only notice it in the 911 Porsche GTE. I'll keep testing.
Oh, my poor English. Fix would be nice but nobody cares. We have PC2 input if I remember it correctly. But potential fix should be rather easy if you have access to the engine.
