rec.autos.simulators

1) Split axis controller support without a 50% dead zone (i.e. figure
out how to do it right).
2) Why is this the only game I have that I have to enter the sign for
the force feedback direction?  Every other game I has manages to figure
this out without my help.  This has confused quite a few people and
turned them off to what is otherwise an excellent FF implementation.
3) Completely overhauled setup file system - separate directories for
each track, separate identities or extensions for each vehicle, no
typing in the goddamn file name every time you want to resave it,....
4) Completely overhauled menus - damn near everything backs out to the
main menu.  Sometimes I just want to go one level back, but I can't.
5) Better tracks - more attention to road surface smoothness, crown, and
camber.
6) More thorough setup options - there are options in the setup file
that are not exposed in the menus, and the range of spring, bar, and
damper settings is insufficient.
7) Multiplayer - I realize there are potential licensing issues, but I
am told that it is not even reliable on a LAN.  Just get TCP/IP LAN play
working reliably, and the user community will do the rest.

Anybody have anything else to add?

"Haqsau"> Anybody have anything else to add?
  I pretty much agree with all that, but...if they are coming out with it in
May, then we are too late to be of any use.  Surely by now all features will
be locked and only debugging/balancing will be occuring.
dave henrie

To me, this is the most important aspect. This needs to happen! The current
system is a real pain.

What is an example of not being able to go back one level?

I would like to see the 'ghost lap' facility that is so useful in the Ubi
titles. It is the best way of getting your lap times down IMO.

Iain

Never seen the problem -works great for me with an MSFF, and great for a
mate with LWFF and BRD Pedals.

If you get confused by that - then god help you if you try and cross a
road - you have to look both ways and everything

Agreed - the current system is moronic.

Agreed - clunky - inefficient - slow - generally bolllocks

The NUMBER ONE REASON THAT F12001 SUCKS!!!  The tracks are totally
appauling.  Take a look at F1RC tracks - they make F12001 look like
something from a console. (I refer to accuracy and detail - not the general
look - although F1RC wins that to)

Never gonna happen - the ammount of setup options is verging on excess as it
is.

How about a physics engine that isnt so innacurate that you have to have F1
cars with spring ratios about 1/3rd of what they are in real life?

Doug

I said the same thing recently. The ghost lap feature also makes hotlapping
a lot more fun. At least you're racing against 'something'.

Also, if you***up a lap, all you have to do is hit a key and you are
instantly put back at the s/f line instead of having to finish a botched
lap.

David G Fisher

Silly remark - he is right, it's only confusing and I also can't see
why f1 2001 is the only sim who has this err.. 'feature'.

Andre

Because it's one of many 'vague' options for the ff. I messed a lot
with different settings, and well, as you will have read in many
forums, for some the ff is amazing, for some the ff is total garbage,
even with the same wheels. Like most other things in f1 2001, you know
it -can- be very good, it just takes so damn much tweaking and
guessing to get it all working good..

I would like to see a WORKING MULTIPLAYER btw so all the hotlapping in
f1 2001 and the GT mod actually have some use.

Andre

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~hg/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18521...
85216

It's a combination of game controller settings (windows), and in game
settings. I changed the FF level to positive instead of negative, and I've
made the overall FF strength 90% instead of 85%. It's all in the text file
attachment (at the forum).

Ice D

I thought that maybe this was not supposed to happen in an F1 car,
that you can't feel when you're driving on the edge, but I'm not too
sure about that.. I guess we would see a lot more wrecks at every F1
race :-/
But the lacking ff became much more obvious when I tried the GT mod..
Yup, something is missing allright..

I'll let you know if your settings work for me, thanks again.

Andre

I believe all Logitech wheels require the negative direction.

Two examples I can think of.  First, when you are done with a test
session, if you hit the back button it takes you back to the main menu.
I would like to be able to go back just one level so I can change
tracks, or even two levels so I can change cars, esp. since going back
to the main menu generally means waiting for the car and track selection
graphics to load again.  Secondly, in the controller setup, if you click
on a controller icon in order to set axis sensitivities, and then want
to go back one level to reassign keys or check to make sure you are
setting the right axis, you can't, the back button takes you all the way
back to the main menu.  I just think it is far more logical for the back
button to always take you back one and only one level, as is common in
other programs.

What I am referring to here is that it seems like a lot of people who
have come to this NG with complaints about FF not working right simply
had the sign backwards, and did not understand the menus or what they
were feeling well enough to realize that this was the problem.  Since
this NG only represents a pretty small minority of the people actually
playing the game, I'm betting a lot of people out there got this wrong,
and are thinking that the FF sucks as a result.  Which is sad, because
it works great if you can get it set up right.

LOL!  See my second response to Iain for an explanation of what I meant.

Hmm, not sure about that one.  The max. spring rate (250 N/mm) is high
enough that it is in the same range as the tire spring rate (typ. 210 -
230 depending on pressure) and packer spring rate (also 250 N/mm).
Those values are directly from the generic.tbc and williams.hdv files,
respectively.  The problem I have been having is that even with fairly
light springs it seems to be impossible to apply sufficient damping to
the suspension, which is why you spend so much time bouncing around the
track.  I want to be able to apply more damping.  Also it's
bass-ackwards that you can stick a max 300 N/mm bar on the front and
only a max 150 N/mm bar on the back.  If you proportion the spring rates
to the weight distribution, you usually end up needing a rear bar that
is the same or slightly larger than the front.

| With F1 2002 threatening to appear in May, I'm worried that it will be
| nothing more than a season update.  F1 2001 is a great game, but there
| are some things that really need to be fixed.  Things I'd like to see in
| F1 2002 -
|
| 1) Split axis controller support without a 50% dead zone (i.e. figure
| out how to do it right).
| 2) Why is this the only game I have that I have to enter the sign for
| the force feedback direction?  Every other game I has manages to figure
| this out without my help.  This has confused quite a few people and
| turned them off to what is otherwise an excellent FF implementation.
| 3) Completely overhauled setup file system - separate directories for
| each track, separate identities or extensions for each vehicle, no
| typing in the goddamn file name every time you want to resave it,....
| 4) Completely overhauled menus - damn near everything backs out to the
| main menu.  Sometimes I just want to go one level back, but I can't.
| 5) Better tracks - more attention to road surface smoothness, crown, and
| camber.
| 6) More thorough setup options - there are options in the setup file
| that are not exposed in the menus, and the range of spring, bar, and
| damper settings is insufficient.
| 7) Multiplayer - I realize there are potential licensing issues, but I
| am told that it is not even reliable on a LAN.  Just get TCP/IP LAN play
| working reliably, and the user community will do the rest.
|
| Anybody have anything else to add?
|
|
|

Andre

Although I know some people have had problems, for most people there are no
'vague' ff options, there is only a selection of 'low to full' effects, and
a strength setting. The 'total garbage' you refer to seems to be down to the
hardware drivers being used.  With one set of drivers for my Ferrari wheel
the ff was 'garbage' but installing a newer version made the ff 'amazing'.

It's a pity that this is not straightforward for everyone, I agree.

Iain

Andre

You get exactly the same effects in F1 2001, but as discussed elsewhere, not
everyone is able to get their wheel working to best effect. The ff here is
every bit as good as GPL.

Iain