rec.autos.simulators

I recently bought a joystick and tried to use it on F1GP expecting lower
lap times. However, my lap time (fastest) was 4 seconds off my time at
Monza (730HP) 1:24.6 to 1:20. Do I need more practice or adjust the
lock? It seems less precise and needs more work and is difficult to turn
at the chicanes quickly (the 1st at Monza). Also, I seem to try to go
into turns much quicker than I would with a keyboard, and I spin off
more quickly. It seems at turns I would have too go much slower. Also,
it is difficult to keep the car in a straight line. Help!!!

                                Guanyao,

From my experience there is nothing better for F1GP than the virtual pilot
yoke because of the handling it gives you. The experience is nothing short
of a real race car. I had a joystick for sometime but never managed to get
used to driving a car with a stick :). You probably will be better of
setting your accelerator and brake controls to the joystick buttons and
worry about turning only with the joystick.

Anand.

|> From my experience there is nothing better for F1GP than the virtual pilot
|> yoke because of the handling it gives you. The experience is nothing short
|> of a real race car. I had a joystick for sometime but never managed to get
|> used to driving a car with a stick :). You probably will be better of
|> setting your accelerator and brake controls to the joystick buttons and
|> worry about turning only with the joystick.
|>

I have a pretty crappy joystick, and I find tht I have almost all-or-nothing
response from it. However, in calibrating the joystick F1GP shows a nice full,
smooth range. I had thought, therefore, that the response was because of
F1GP's famous "train-tracks" mentality. Does the VP really give better
response? Also, if you put accel./brake on the buttons how do you change gears?

--

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``I'm not artificially intelligent, I just work that way.''

I've had both the virtual pilot yoke (fwd/back was throttle & brake, and
the
two buttons were the gear shift -- very similary to real F1) and the T1.
The T1 beats the virtual pilot hands down.  Since there isn't too much
difference in price between the two, get the T1 for the driving sims, you
won't be sorry!
//
// Glenn L. Austin
// Computer Wizard and Racing Car Driver

//

Afzal,
I did not use the joystick much. While I used it I was learning F1GP. So
was always on the automatic gear shifting mode. In my opinion the VP gave
me a lot more realistic feeling of driving a car. The VP is not going to
get rid of the steering-wheel assistance you can easily see in F1GP, but
it should definitely give you better handling. The way I setup the yoke
was using a y-adapter and use my maxx-pedals for accelerator and brakes. Then
put my upshifts/downshifts on the buttons on the yoke. But again opinions
differ and you might want to get the T1 wheel. I haven't tried that one
yet so can't say which one is better.

Anand.