rec.autos.simulators

i have the microsoft ff wheel it works well with most games
but i have found that there is a very large dead zone or null zone in the
middle of the steering input in some games
I have downloaded a utility to change the input.dll file in win95 and 98 but
it does not seem to improve the thing
i notice it most in games like Ubisoft F1rs and Need For Speed III
this is a great steering wheel overall but i have found a lack of
consistent force sometimes.
usually the beginning of a race the wheel is nice and stiff then as the race
progresses the force feedback gets weaker and the input seems very
sluggish.sometimes the return to center spring tension  gives up all
together.

Robocat

No need to use that, use the profile editor, there's a "Einstellungen"
("Settings")
button, where you can turn off the deadzone, switch to 2axis pedals,
etc.

This sounds like flaky hardware, maybe you should exchange the wheel
having
those symptoms...

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 wouldn't be surprised if this is normal. I have a MS FF wheel. And
after 1-3 laps it does loosen up. However this is definitely a good
thing. After it loosens up exactly as you describe it (the wheel basicly
doesn't recenter) then all of the cool FF effects appear. You can
most definitely feel all tension disappear when you slide through
a corner. As you get grip back, the force stiffens again. However
I find the wheel to be much harder to keep on the proper driving
line. No problem with my T2 but the control seems really screwed
when the wheel is tight. Also if you want the wheel to tighten
up and recenter during a practice or qual session, just his escape.
The wheel will recenter. Then when you hit RESUME you will have
a still wheel again. However on my case I definitely prefer
to looser wheel. The effects I have felt are:

Looness in the turns.
Bumps on kerbs.
Crashes with cars & walls.
Shifting (very strong effect).

I really don't like the fact that at the start of any session in F1RS the
wheel is very strong and recentering. And then it loosens up. I may try
setting the recentering to low or something and see if this effect gets
reduced.

Stay tuned :-)

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cisko [AT] ix [DOT] netcom [DOT] com

The fix is to set the centering level to minimum and force to MAX
in the Joystick properties. I ran about 30 laps like this no problems
at all. And I can definitely feel the tires loosen up in turns where I
start loosing traction. Very cool!

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cisko [AT] ix [DOT] netcom [DOT] com

I wonder.  Could it be that one's arms are just adjusting to the FF
function, and it _feels_ like it's getting ligher?

I don't notice this, but I will try to be concious of it and see if I
can tell it.

I sure don't notice it in MTM2.  That things beats the hell out of you
:)

The coolest part is in the water.  Talk about _stiff_.  You can barely
turn the wheel!

BTW... I _think_ there is a 3-way conflict between MTM2, the Diamond
Monster II, and the MSFFW.

The game locks up in the 2D menu system, with the sound playing but
stuttering.  I've read about a dozen other reports of this, but not
enough details on the hardware to detect a real pattern.

I do know that if I use the i740 controller in the Diamond G460 instead
of V2, the problem doesn't occur (of course, the graphics don't measure
up, and it 's a lot slower).  Or, if I remove the MSFFW and the
SideWinder Software, I can use the Monster 2 just fine.

-Larry

Is the water frozen? If not, I'd think the wheel should be easy to
turn...

Trips

Definitely not. You can easily test this by stopping on the track and
turning the wheel. Does it return to center? When it loosens up
the wheel does not return to center. Also, I found that this only
happened when I had the max centering effect turned on. I never
had the wheel loosen up when the wheel centering was set to
low. In fact F1RS is awesome with this wheel while the FF
effects were set to max and the wheel centering was set to
low.

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cisko [AT] ix [DOT] netcom [DOT] com

We're talking 7 foot tall tires running thru a wash that's 7 foot deep
in water.

That would make for stiff steering...

-Larry

Hmmm....

I played Viper for some 4 hours straight last night, and I still didn't
notice it.

But, my arms actually _ached_ when I was done!

-Larry