rec.autos.simulators

This may sound petty but at least it's not about the N2 patch (that I've
had no problems with BTW)!!
I'm a fan of race games - sims and arcade.
My PC is almost entirely built around these things: P200, Rendition,
Thrustmaster T2 and ACM card (had to get ACM for I'76).  That's not an
inconsiderate amount of moolah spent in pursuit of my hobby.
To the point-
Why do software houses produce auto racing games without an option for
linear steering?
Now Papyrus, Microprose and, amazingly, Microsoft seem to be aware that
'race car controllers' exist and cater for them accordingly, but I'm
amazed that other softcos ignore them.  I would have thought that people
crazy enough to spend 130 pounds on a wheel and pedal set for their
computer (like me) would be prime targets.
How hard could it be, at the very least, to include joystick sensitivity
settings (like MTM)?
I would have bought Screamer, Screamer 2 and NFS if they'd supported my
controller, but I'm not going back to keys or stick now that I have
experienced the magic that is N2+T2.  The setup screen for the Screamer
demo even has a (bad) picture of a T2 in the background.  And what the
hell is that thing in the (demo) Daytona (sic) USA controller selection
area?  A Saturn controller?  On a PC game??
Lastly, why does I'76 say that it supports T2 on the box?  IT DOESN'T!  
There is a difference between 'recognising signals received from' and
'supporting' an input device.  I am not happy.  A game with so much
potential gathering dust.  Activision seem to be patching it like
there's no tomorrow so maybe there's hope for linear steering yet.
I've tried the trick of calibrating smaller wheel movements, but it
still isn't really acceptable.  With a wheel you -need- that ability to
finely adjust your line (even in arcade games), to have decent turn in.
Anything else feels less like rack and pinion and more like *** band
and chewing gum.
Does anyone else feel the same?
I'd like to know if I'm alone in the world on this subject before I mail
Activision.

Hoping for a response,

Mark
Reading, UK

 No your not alone.  I've griped about this for a long time.  It was my
enjoyment of NFS that movtivated me to spend the money for a ECC wheel/pedal
system.  What a huge dissapointment  NFS turned out to be with a wheel,  
because of it's nonadjustable non-linear steering.  Suddenly I ceased to play
NFS,  and Nascar,  Indycar,  and F1GP came to life.  I will NEVER repeat
NEVER,  buy another drive sim or game that doesn't PROPERLY support a
wheel/pedal system.
                                                 Don Scurlock
                                                 Vancouver B.C.

Dana Bailes

BTW, NFS does support linear steering, I don't think NFS2 does though.

<snip>

I had a dialog with Jim S. from Papyrus on this exact point. Nascar 1 had
true linear steering. Nascar 2 does not. The reason for this is because of
the limitations of the commercial wheels available. There are no
commercial wheels that have more than about 270 degrees of "turn" lock
to lock. This limits the range of turn that users have and doesn't allow for
realistic steering without too much sensitivity.

I built a wheel with two turns lock to lock, using gears from the wheel shaft
to the potentiometer. (actually the lock is adjustable from 0 to about ten turns)
I have it set so I can easily change gear ratios also. I use a 3:1 ratio mostly.
I try to set it up so that the wheel is turned about a quarter turn through the
corner at all tracks. That is about where the actual Winston Cup cars are
set if you notice when watching an in-car view on TV.

Using Nascar 1 I can set the wheel lock on the car to 30 degrees and the car is
drivable on all tracks. Can do a "U" turn at 'Dega in a lane and a half.

Using Nascar 2 the physical (???) limit in the car is about 12 degrees of actual
turn of the wheels on the simulated car. Any adjustment over 12 degrees is just
adjusting the sensitivity. You can test this by doing slow "U" turns in a wide
place on any track using different settings.

I can understand Papyrus' position here, they have to make it usable in a lot
of different hardware situations. I do wish they would put in a few more options
on the configuration menu.
Hope this helps explain some of the reasons/problems.
Ralph Williams

/----------------------------------------------------------------------\
/Ralph Williams      My real .sig file is in the shop getting repaired.\

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Dana Bailes

wow guys get with it

________

Eldred Pickett
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