rec.autos.simulators

Sony PlayStation Q

Steve Smit

Sony PlayStation Q

by Steve Smit » Sat, 01 Jun 2002 08:10:00

Whew!  Glad to hear that, Joe...'cuz thus far, GT3 feels like my first few
hours playing GPL (i.e., sux eggz).


> On Thu, 30 May 2002 22:16:40 GMT, "Steve Smith"

> >I've seen the argument advanced that console driving games are designed
for
> >gamepad control in the first place, so that using a wheel and pedals not
> >only doesn't improve the control "experience," it may actualy impede it.
> >Anybody car to comment?

> Totally depends on the game. For GT3, the wheel is absolutely an
> improvement. It increased both my sense of immersion and my actual
> racing times.

Haqsa

Sony PlayStation Q

by Haqsa » Sat, 01 Jun 2002 08:49:54

Increased your racing times eh?  So the wheel is not good then?  ;o)


> On Thu, 30 May 2002 22:16:40 GMT, "Steve Smith"

> Totally depends on the game. For GT3, the wheel is absolutely an
> improvement. It increased both my sense of immersion and my actual
> racing times.

Joe6

Sony PlayStation Q

by Joe6 » Sun, 02 Jun 2002 01:46:12



Whoops! Never post before your first cup of coffee, folks.

Dave Pollatse

Sony PlayStation Q

by Dave Pollatse » Sun, 02 Jun 2002 12:34:27

FWIW, the xbox controllers are actually a USB hub plus one controller, but
they don't use the normal wiring/connectors, and have some extra wires to
support lightguns and what have you.  Plus Xbox games don't get "direct
control" over the USB subsystem, so they're currently limited to xbox
devices.  The PS2's USB ports are more like "do what you want"--each game
seems pretty much free to support anything it wants over USB or Firewire,
but you have to build support for each device into your game.  Logitech
provides a driver for their stuff (including the sony-badged GT3 wheel), so
those devices are pretty well supported by most driving games these days; I
think some of these games support the MOMO wheel, but it doesn't have a DPAD
or anything.


> If you have a Logitech Wingman FF GP, it will work for you.
> (USB). And btw, the XBOX do NOT have USB, but the PS2 have it.



> > Um, fellas?  (Looking sheepish)

> > Had my first video-game console, um, experience this afternoon (GT3 on a
> > Sony PlayStation2; gearing up to do a review of racing games for Motor
> > Trend).  Feels kinda like Tom Hanks in "Big," or Gulliver in Lilliput.
> > Clumsy, galumphing old dude squeezes into Kiddie Kar and embarrasses
> himself
> > by careening around like an elephant pedaling a tricycle or a seal on a
> > tightrope or a chimp juggling lawn furniture.  The worst part: trying to
> > modulate brake, throttle, and steering with a pair of what feel like
> digital
> > (on-off) joysticks with a total travel of about half an inch in either
> > direction.  I know USB gear designed for PCs will work with Microsoft's
> > Xbox, and I see the PS2 has a USB port, but I can't remember if the Sony
> is
> > PC-compatible.  Anybody know?

> > --Steve (Feeling sheepish.)

Steve Smit

Sony PlayStation Q

by Steve Smit » Sun, 02 Jun 2002 20:29:23

Thx, Dave!


> FWIW, the xbox controllers are actually a USB hub plus one controller, but
> they don't use the normal wiring/connectors, and have some extra wires to
> support lightguns and what have you.  Plus Xbox games don't get "direct
> control" over the USB subsystem, so they're currently limited to xbox
> devices.  The PS2's USB ports are more like "do what you want"--each game
> seems pretty much free to support anything it wants over USB or Firewire,
> but you have to build support for each device into your game.  Logitech
> provides a driver for their stuff (including the sony-badged GT3 wheel),
so
> those devices are pretty well supported by most driving games these days;
I
> think some of these games support the MOMO wheel, but it doesn't have a
DPAD
> or anything.



> > If you have a Logitech Wingman FF GP, it will work for you.
> > (USB). And btw, the XBOX do NOT have USB, but the PS2 have it.



> > > Um, fellas?  (Looking sheepish)

> > > Had my first video-game console, um, experience this afternoon (GT3 on
a
> > > Sony PlayStation2; gearing up to do a review of racing games for Motor
> > > Trend).  Feels kinda like Tom Hanks in "Big," or Gulliver in Lilliput.
> > > Clumsy, galumphing old dude squeezes into Kiddie Kar and embarrasses
> > himself
> > > by careening around like an elephant pedaling a tricycle or a seal on
a
> > > tightrope or a chimp juggling lawn furniture.  The worst part: trying
to
> > > modulate brake, throttle, and steering with a pair of what feel like
> > digital
> > > (on-off) joysticks with a total travel of about half an inch in either
> > > direction.  I know USB gear designed for PCs will work with
Microsoft's
> > > Xbox, and I see the PS2 has a USB port, but I can't remember if the
Sony
> > is
> > > PC-compatible.  Anybody know?

> > > --Steve (Feeling sheepish.)

Nick

Sony PlayStation Q

by Nick » Tue, 04 Jun 2002 07:43:35


Console driving games are designed for a mini-joystick and analogue buttons,
just like a PC racing game is designed for a joystick - as a basic input
device (Y: acc/brake, X: steer). A wheel has the same axes, but the player
does a different motion to set the inputs. (eg pressing the throttle =
pushing a joystick forwards). So any wheel acts exactly the same as the
gamepad, except you can be much more accurate with a wheel. So that argument
is *almost* completely false. Of course, most games support the most common
wheel (Official GT wheel) out of the box anyway.

I say 'almost', because it is possible that some games would have a
non-linear throttle control from the gamepad. The only example I can think
of at the moment is Dropship: United Peace Force (not a racing game - as the
name makes blindingly obvious) - where you really need to push the throttle
in really hard to engage the afterburner. Only the last 0.5% of button
movement engages it. I originally thought it was weird that the buttons only
move, what, a millimetre?, yet there are 255(not certain about this, it
might be more) discrete input values. I thought it was impossible to be that
accurate (as a human being), but if you play GT3 you can just perfectly hold
the car at your chosen RPM almost without even trying after a few days. Of
course, scraping bronzes in the license tests with a pad becomes just
snatching golds with just about any wheel - which on the highest license
tests (Viper at Laguna Seca, GT40 at Seattle, Toyota GT1 at Monaco) equates
to about 3-4 seconds a lap quicker with the wheel! And going off the
racetrack is an immediate fail - so no 'clipping' the corkscrew :-).

As an aside, I like the way the highest license is not just the fastest cars
on the hardest tracks. The GT40 is about getting the front end tucked in,
the GT1 spins up in the first 2-3 gears so that is an exercise in getting
the power down out of tight corners. There is an MX-5 around Trial Mountain
which is all about keeping momentum - a vastly underpowered car through
medium speed corners with a really fast gold time to beat.

Nick.


rec.autos.simulators is a usenet newsgroup formed in December, 1993. As this group was always unmoderated there may be some spam or off topic articles included. Some links do point back to racesimcentral.net as we could not validate the original address. Please report any pages that you believe warrant deletion from this archive (include the link in your email). RaceSimCentral.net is in no way responsible and does not endorse any of the content herein.