Send help, I developed a simracing addiction

[Curratum]

Someone on reddit and on the Automobilista 2 forums told me to bump AI aggression up to 80% to avoid random collisions like this, so I did...

 

[Great Deceiver]

Curratum I have been bitten hard by the bug. Already ordered a T300 RS GT to replace my G29 that I bought... 4 days ago. Send help.

Deceiver, my good man, you're in for a world of sexiness.

I only used that VERY old Logitech Driving Force Pro, but people online keep telling me that all Logitech wheels, G29 included, are consistently notchy and don't feel as snappy and smooth on the feedback and self-centering as the Thrustmaster.

I only playtested the second-hand T300 RS GT I got for an hour, because I need to permanently mod my desk with an extra piece of wood below so the clamp holds nicely, but even in that 60 min of testing, I was shocked how much better the T300 is.

It's a "to the moon and back" world of difference, the power, the crispness, the feeling of the force feedback, the smoothness of it all, the larger wheel rim size...

Be aware that you can also replace the rims of the T300 without changing the wheelbase with the motor, which is great for when you really dive in the deep end.

The brake mod with the rubber cone that comes bundled with your T300 RS GT I found altogether too stiff. I always wanted a progressive and generally stuff brake but this is way too much. You can set the brake saturation and pedal potentiometer range in Assetto Corsa so you get like 60% braking when you hit the rubber tip a short way in the real pedal's travel, then modulate pressure for the remaining 30-40% but it's very taxing on the angle and leg.

I've found this softer foam rubber brake mod, which I will be buying this week, hopefully it's durable. If all else fails, people say to just put a squash ball between the pedal arm and the inside of the casing :D

You really do need to add me on Steam so we can do some friendly racing some day! I'm not very competitive but it's always a lot of fun.

Man Curratum you really weren't kidding when you said the difference was staggering. It's really something else. It feels much more powerful and yet at the same time much smoother, with none of the toylike qualities of the G29 (plastic rattling mostly). It's fucking amazing. My wheel stand's holes couldn't align with the T300 mounting spots because there's a bevel in the front which stops the wheelbase from going back further, but the provided clamp was more than enough to secure it. I had some minor issues locking the rim in place with their (admittedly shoddy) version of "quick release", so it was a little loose at first, but I've since worked it out and it's now 100% stable. The rubber grip feels quite good and the paddle shifters are better than the G29's. The pedals that came with the GT set (T3PA-GT) are way better than the Logitech's, especially the brake, which now feels much more natural.

All in all, an incredible upgrade and totally worth it. So much so that I would recommend everyone looking for their first wheel to just save up some more money and get a T300 straight up and forget about the Logi altogether. It's a world of difference for not too much more if you live in a civilized country anyway.

Now I have to go full sperg and reconfigure each game to my liking again. The only downside to this whole thing is that Thrustmaster's drivers don't save settings per application, but that's fairly minor. Logitech's G-Hub did it.

 

[Curratum]

My thoughts exactly, man! Getting anything less than the T300 is just a waste of money. The gap in quality is much bigger than the gap in pricing.

I live in a shithole too, would never have been able to afford the T300 if I didn't happen upon a second hand deal at 195 EUR instead of the store price which is 430 EUR here, so I feel this.

 

[Curratum]

lol tried posting those clips on the Autismobilista subreddit...

"Before posting your topic or comment please consider whether it is constructive for it to be shared with the Automobilista community. Posts that are destructive in nature, which only seek to devalue the Automobilista franchise without basis or to diminish the enjoyment of others within this community will be removed."

I can't devalue your game any further than your own dev team, you Brazilian gyppo pieces of shit.

Bonus item:



Special bonus, same track and grid, only with AI aggression at 0% instead of 80%:

 

[anvi]

I like that T300RS GT Edition. I was also looking at the Fanatec CSL Elite. I need to keep the noise down and the cheaper ones have loud rumble action.

 

[Great Deceiver]

Curratum I've been playing the Shutoko Revival Project on AC, it's pretty amazing. One of my favourite racing games was Genki's Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2 on the Dreamcast and this is like a super version of that. The modding spergs for this game are completely insane, they've even come up with an AI traffic script that works online. This is the game that keeps on giving. I paid fucking 3 dollars for the full thing with all DLC and it's gonna last forever.



Anyway, I'm really digging the T300, but there is one particular issue that's kind of bugging me. If you turn your wheel very slowly on the desktop, can you feel the notches in the belt? I'm not sure if this is an issue with brand new belt-driven wheels or what, but I can definitely feel some notchiness, it's difficult to describe because it's not clunky like the G29, but it's not completely smooth, you can feel the tiny teeth on the belt. It's not really an issue when you're driving, but it's one of those things that are in the back of your mind and if you pay attention you can notice it.

Not a dealbreaker of course, but I didn't see this mentioned in any review of the wheel that I could find, and I saw a lot of them. Maybe the teeth smooth out a bit with use? How does yours feel?

Another thing is that the sleeve around the wheel seems to loosen up after a few hours of use. I may not be tightening the screw enough...

 

[Curratum]

I do feel the slight notchiness of the belts in there, but it's nothing when you're driving. The Logi wheels are always much notchier.

I really don't think the step from a T300 to a DD wheel would be as meaningful as from a Logi to the T300.

I haven't used it enough for it to loosen up on the release, but I screwed it in so hard, my fingers hurt the first time, so I hope it stays in place :D

 

[Curratum]

In other news, I bought all the content for RaceRoom Racing Experience (R3E) yesterday.

Autismobilista 2 is such a massive turd, I deleted it again and hid it from my library. Needed something to alternate AC with. Will report back on it R3E when I finally mount the wheel. I found a piece of wood and screwed it into the gap under my desk, now the T300 can clamp up fine.

 

[Great Deceiver]

I do feel the slight notchiness of the belts in there, but it's nothing when you're driving. The Logi wheels are always much notchier.

I really don't think the step from a T300 to a DD wheel would be as meaningful as from a Logi to the T300.

I haven't used it enough for it to loosen up on the release, but I screwed it in so hard, my fingers hurt the first time, so I hope it stays in place :D

The Thrustmaster clamp is really good, my wheel stand has a very thin metal shelf (maybe 10 mm thick) and I was afraid it wouldn't be thick enough, but the mechanism clamped up very securely. How thick is your desk?

 

[Curratum]

I do feel the slight notchiness of the belts in there, but it's nothing when you're driving. The Logi wheels are always much notchier.

I really don't think the step from a T300 to a DD wheel would be as meaningful as from a Logi to the T300.

I haven't used it enough for it to loosen up on the release, but I screwed it in so hard, my fingers hurt the first time, so I hope it stays in place :D

The Thrustmaster clamp is really good, my wheel stand has a very thin metal shelf (maybe 10 mm thick) and I was afraid it wouldn't be thick enough, but the mechanism clamped up very securely. How thick is your desk?

About 25 mm, but it has a shitty bevel edge, it's retarded. Still clamped up fine when I tried it though. Desk edge looks like this, except the slanted piece is even deeper:

 

[Great Deceiver]

On that should be totally fine, the pressure points with TM's clamping setup are completely backloaded.

I'm having to restrain myself not to get the overpriced TH8A shifter now. Bought a USB adapter for the dingy Logitech one instead (won't work on the PS5 though).

 

[Rincewind]

Pick up chess or solving crosswords instead. Much cheaper.

Or playing old text adventures. Or writing poetry. Cheapest hobby ever.

 

[Curratum]

Today I was told that being overtaken by the AI, then slammed sideways by the AI car means that it was actually me that divebombed the AI into the corner.

I swear, the simracing "community" is full of such retards that the worst ones in here look like the librarians of the Vatican in comparison.

 

[Haba]

Or writing poetry. Cheapest hobby ever.

Ooooh yes.

 

[Curratum]

We're in business, fellas!

p.s. Tried WRC 9 on the wheel, I'm abysmal with it but starting to get used to it.

Spoiler

 

[Rincewind]

Or writing poetry. Cheapest hobby ever.

Ooooh yes.

Cheap because you won't need to worry about mortgages, pension, and all sorts of other financial stuff

 

[Curratum]

Pulls up hood and puts hands in pockets

If one were to ask what the best modern day car sim on PC is, what would this theoretical answer be?

And the closer to Gran Turismo, the better. The good GTs I mean.

Assetto corsa/Competizione, automobilista 2, pcars 2*

*bad ffb, and I've got problems with wheel angle sync

Project cars 2 has inexplicable performance issues on a number of tracks. Rain also shits up the fps really bad.

In my humble, yet informed opinion, the best titles you can get on PC right now are Assetto Corsa, AC Competizione and RaceRoom.

Autismobilista 2 is completely unplayable against AI, in more or less all vehicle classes. A lot of the cars have shitty physics and slide and oversteer a lot under throttle, and I can't be arsed with setups.

AC is the old faithful, it just works. RaceRoom is a pleasant surprise, they have rotating multiple leaderboard challenges and a relatively active MP.

Word of warning - while AC Competizione is good in terms of physics and tracks, it's a CPU hog. I go from locked 60 to wobbly 40 fps when I switch from hotlap solo to full grid, on a mid-range i5. The fact that you only ever get to race GT3 and GT4 cars is also not to my liking.

While we're here, might as well shill for RaceRoom a bit.

https://game.raceroom.com/store/cars/
https://game.raceroom.com/store/tracks/

You can get all of this for 65 EUR, I got it just the other day. That's a pretty good deal, considering how much you have to pay for AC Competizione for just 2 (similar) classes of cars, no open wheelers, no FWD touring cars and about 30% of the tracks in RaceRoom.

 

[Curratum]

I just got 10 000 VRP through their point shop, then spent it on the premium pass with all content.

Mostly bought it for the active MP and the leaderboard challenges, AND to have something with AI that isn't Autismobilista.

Have you seen Automobilista 1 AI, though? :D :D :D

"Hmm, maybe we'll just hang back and observe computer-controlled opponent cars in their natural habitat..."

 

[Curratum]

Great Deceiver Boot up AC, get the Kyalami 1976 track (here - http://www.mediafire.com/file/koudsyzdee6aqpz/Kyalami_Grand_Prix_Circuit_1967_Version_1.0.zip/file ) and then load up the 1967 Lotus of Ferrari F1 cars and let them rip here. You're welcome!

The older tracks without extreme curves and chicanes let the old F1 cars shine as well. Ping me if you want more old versions of tracks to play the old cars on. Wrestling those things is something else! Almost the same power as a modern F1 car, but no downforce and suspension out of hell.

Edit: Actually here's a list of cool old tracks: https://thracing.de/tracks/

You owe it to yourself to try at least Spa 1966 and Rouen les Essarts from that list.

 

[Curratum]

In other news, driving for any stretch of time on wheel and pedals is taxing. I'm in an office chair and it's not the most comfortable positioning, but just keeping your foot hovering over the brake all the time and tapping the two pedals 40 times a minute in rally is just so strenuous.

I have no idea how those bastards keep going at full concentration for ~2 hours in F1.

 

[Curratum]

Also, how you prevent yuor chair from rolling backwards when you are pressing the pedals?
I'm strapping it to the wheelstand with cargo belt, but that's too unwieldy.

I use this ONE SIMPLE TRICK.

(It's an armchair that weighs like 30 kilos)

 

[adddeed]

In other news, driving for any stretch of time on wheel and pedals is taxing. I'm in an office chair and it's not the most comfortable positioning, but just keeping your foot hovering over the brake all the time and tapping the two pedals 40 times a minute in rally is just so strenuous.

I have no idea how those bastards keep going at full concentration for ~2 hours in F1.

You need a comfortbale seating position and leg position. A racing chair setup makes a big difference.

 

[Curratum]

Would love that, but as you can see in the photo, I just don't have the space for that.

The low-tier rigs that just have a comfy seating position and a metal frame to mount stuff so your chair doesn't dance around and you can pound the brakes aren't even that expensive, just don't have the physical space for one.

 

[Great Deceiver]

Great Deceiver Boot up AC, get the Kyalami 1976 track (here - http://www.mediafire.com/file/koudsyzdee6aqpz/Kyalami_Grand_Prix_Circuit_1967_Version_1.0.zip/file ) and then load up the 1967 Lotus of Ferrari F1 cars and let them rip here. You're welcome!

The older tracks without extreme curves and chicanes let the old F1 cars shine as well. Ping me if you want more old versions of tracks to play the old cars on. Wrestling those things is something else! Almost the same power as a modern F1 car, but no downforce and suspension out of hell.

Edit: Actually here's a list of cool old tracks: https://thracing.de/tracks/

You owe it to yourself to try at least Spa 1966 and Rouen les Essarts from that list.

It's funny, one of the main reasons I like driving 1991 era F1 cars is exactly because of their incredible downforce - in many ways it feels a lot easier than driving the GT cars, which feel airy and jumpy in comparison.

Will give this track a try, thanks!

Also, regarding the physical effort of playing with the wheel/pedals - yes! It's really taxing, but it helps keep the session times down, which is a good thing.

In other news, playing a lot of different games really brings into light the inadequacy of Thrustmaster's lack of profiling app. Having to alt tab to set wheel angles for different games is really backwards compared to Logi's solution. For example, I have a 540 angle for Snowrunner, 360 angle for F1 cars (AC's soft lock doesn't work for some custom cars, including some of the best F1 mods), 1080 for trucks... it's a mess. I thought it was a minor issue, but it's not so minor when you're hopping across various games with some regularity. Also, sometimes the driver doesn't save your last setting for some reason (i.e. I set the wheel at x degrees and then it just resets to whatever the previous setting was); this mostly happens with RBR.

 

[Curratum]

Huh, all games I play have a soft-lock option, so the game adjusts the steering lock angle on the fly for you.

I have it set at 400 in WRC, I have set AC to auto-set it per car in CM, and PC2 and AMS also do this for you. RaceRoom has soft-lock too.

I keep the same setting inside the control panel.

AC: