rec.autos.simulators

Well I have F1RS and am enjoying it slowly....however I have come to the
conclusion that I MUST save up for a wheel....I use my CH F-16 with fwd
back for throttle and brake and left right for steering and even though
it analogue I guess it can't compete with a wheel.
The only wheel I have tried is the Thrustmaster F1...or is it T2, the
one with the paddles for throttle and brake. It's a demo at a local
store with MS cart and i feels pretty good thou is wiggly in the middle
and doesn't feel that solid.....is it still pretty good for the money???

All the other wheels I have seen in the sub $100 price range look cheezy
and flimsy..ie the CH one....I know the TM NASCAR wheel looks amazing
but is also much $$$ and I don't think I play racing games enough to
justify it..plus I am broke :)...
so advice...name a wheel thats above average sub 100 ok perhaps sub
150ish or can I get good with my joyticj and practice..
ALEX
btw having F1 for only just over a week I tried my first full GP..FPS
was great all throughout until the start at interlagos...WHAM
suuppppeerr slllooowww (ie 5FPS ish for around 5-10 secs) until after
the chicane then It became normal....hmmmm plus I get those black
artifacts things on the screen..I am patched to 1.08
I have done quick races with 1.05 etc before and at the start it never
dropped that badly...it was awful

Turn off replays, and try to get the V1.05 patch :-) Also are you
playing the game with a 3dfx card?

Agreed. That is why I never deleted my 1.05 patch file. I can always
reinstall it :-)

--
Header address intentionally scrambled to ward off the spamming hordes.

% Well I have F1RS and am enjoying it slowly....however I have come to the
% conclusion that I MUST save up for a wheel....I use my CH F-16 with fwd
% back for throttle and brake and left right for steering and even though
% it analogue I guess it can't compete with a wheel.
% The only wheel I have tried is the Thrustmaster F1...or is it T2, the
% one with the paddles for throttle and brake. It's a demo at a local
% store with MS cart and i feels pretty good thou is wiggly in the middle
% and doesn't feel that solid.....is it still pretty good for the money???

Are we talking Canadian $?  

It sounds like the wheel you are describing is the Thrustmater GP1 (no
pedals).  This is the best low price wheel about.  After some use the
"tension" mechanism does get a little slack.  You may want to check the
following URL's for how others have upgraded or "re-juvinated" their
GP1's or T1/T2 wheels:

Here are some good sites to visit about fixing or upgrading your
ThrustMaster Wheels/Pedals.

Alison's Racing Pages
The URL is http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~alison/racing/
T2 Wheel http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~alison/sims/t2.htm
GP1 Wheel http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~alison/sims/gp1.htm

Joeri J. Cox also has some great information at:
http://huizen.dds.nl/~jjcox/

The next step up in your price range is the Thrustmaster T2, which comes
with pedals, shifter and 2 buttons on the dash (can be used for
shifting).  Also there are a couple of sites that provide methods of
adding buttons to the wheel (if you are so inclined).

The next jump is the Thrustmaster NASCAR Pro wheel (a.k.a F1 Pro).
However, in Canadian dollars this one would be out of your price range.

% All the other wheels I have seen in the sub $100 price range look cheezy
% and flimsy..ie the CH one....I know the TM NASCAR wheel looks amazing
% but is also much $$$ and I don't think I play racing games enough to
% justify it..plus I am broke :)...
% so advice...name a wheel thats above average sub 100 ok perhaps sub
% 150ish or can I get good with my joyticj and practice..
<snip>

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I believe you're referring to the TM Grand Prix 1 ... I bought one a
couple of months ago, and like it a lot for the price (got it on sale at
CompUSA for $40). I've been playing F1RS with it quite a bit, and it's
quite a change from a joystick. If you're on a tight budget, I think
it's a good deal.

I'd rather recommend adding CH Pedals to the GP1, first because the foot
pedals of the T2 are bad and secondly you can use the wheel pedals for
shifting gears which is neat. Additionaly you can use the CH Pedals for
flight sims. Most value for the buck... ;^)

l8er
ronny

--
Toys'R'Us '99: "So, would you like a hand gun with that action figure,
kiddo?"

          |\      _,,,---,,_        I want to die like my Grandfather,
   ZZZzz /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_              in his sleep.
        |,4-  ) )-,_. ,\ (  `'-'     Not like the people in his car,
       '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)            screaming their heads off!

% I'd rather recommend adding CH Pedals to the GP1, first because the foot
% pedals of the T2 are bad and secondly you can use the wheel pedals for
% shifting gears which is neat. Additionaly you can use the CH Pedals for
% flight sims. Most value for the buck... ;^)

Not a bad combination either (I am pretty sure that Alison's URL which I
mentioned in my post describes this combination).

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 - Jeff D. Garant  -  Ford Motor Credit - Systems Analyst -