ACC Setup for Podium DD1/DD2

[DrRob]

Lads,

coming from my SimuCube2Pro I tested by brothers Fanatec Podium DD1 setup and tried to set it up to replicate the same feeling I get from the SimuCube2. He seems to be overdriving the car a lot.
I drove a few laps, fiddled with the settings, but ... what I was struggling with is

• getting a good indication for front end grip loss (strength FFB high -> low)
• loosing that overall "dough stirring" feeling

With the SimuCube I get a lot clearer feedback from when I loose grip mid corner while I overdriving the car, it is far less pronounced on the DD1 no matter which setting I tried to change. Makes it hard to "feel" the tyre properly. Not talking overly pronounced as it was in AC with the understeer setting activated, but just enough to feel when you loose grip.

Secondly the wheel feels very heavy in a wrong way, where it feels like... stirring dough really. Hard to describe. But it feels less responsive / too meaty with less fidelity somehow. The overall amount of FFB strength feels okay though.

Could you please do me a favor and share your setting in the DD1 / DD 2?
Especially interesting if you managed to dial those things out / in.

Much appreciated.
Cheers!

P.S.: I could post my SC2 settings if that helps!

 

[EsxPaul]

I have no personal experience with the Podium, as you know @DrRob but have you tried the recommended settings from Fanatec?

Podium Wheel Base DD1 / Podium Racing Wheel F1® PS4™ (PC Mode or V2.5 Comp. Mode)

Tuning Menu Settings:
SEN 1080 (shown as 108 on some displays)
FF 38
SHO 100
ABS User Preference
FOR 100
SPR 100*
DPR 100
NDP 10
NFR 5
BRF User Preference
FEI 100
MPS Const.

*SPR and DPR values have no effect.

In-Game Settings:
Steer lock: 1080
Gain: 70
Min Force: 0
Dynamic Damping: 100
Road Effects: 0

Taken from their webpage

 

[DrRob]

Cheers @EsxPaul ! I checked the website and also the comments. Especially what a chap named "Sean Smith" wrote seems interesting.

@all
Generally I would like to hear others about their insight on the above observations of mine.
Even more so if they had a go at different DD drives and can compare.
Is this behavior of the Podium DD inherent and typical?

 

[RobertR1]

Funny enough I have those issue with my OSW. Can’t feel the front end and I’ll take your interpretation of “doughy” also.

mind sharing your sc2 settings? I can’t get the front end chatter or scrub to come through the wheel. It goes from load to light with no build up or transition in between.

 

[DrRob]

Funny enough I have those issue with my OSW. Can’t feel the front end and I’ll take your interpretation of “doughy” also.

mind sharing your sc2 settings? I can’t get the front end chatter or scrub to come through the wheel. It goes from load to light with no build up or transition in between.

Sure, will do when I get home.

Typically I drive the Merc. I set my FFB at 40% / 10 Nm (driver) and 100% ingame so that I have to fight the wheel a bit. Say on Zandvoort (Rob Slotemaker-Bocht) or Zolder (Butte). When cornering I can clearly feel the build-up to max grip and the drop after. Depends on car/tyres and speed of course.
More pronounced in Optimum track driven in anger with 2-3 lap old tyres, less to no feel on wet/green and/or brand new or really old tyres.

Yesterday I test drove the Bentley against the Merc in Misano. My impression (subjective!) was that the Bentley is generally easier to drive fast but less communicative through the front axle. Merc loses front end grip faster, but the transition to grip/no grip is more pronounced.

The most satisfying is when you "surf" the max grip wave through a corner, like braking before the corner hard, slight trail braking and then release the brake into the corner and the car goes round like on rails. I love that feeling when I get it right.
E.g. Zandvoort (Tarzan-Bocht), Misano (Rio),...

 

[DrRob]

These are my current settings:
Ingame FFB in 100%, Damping 0%

 

[DrRob]

Ok, last try from my side, then I'll shut up.

I wonder if anybody beside RobertR1 is getting my point?
There is a thread on the SimuCube forums even, that they do not feel enough frontend grip with the SC2, whereas I consider the frontend grip communication to be very good with it (ACC).

Is everybody content with their Podium setup in ACC and have a pronounced frontend feedback?
Or didn't you have the chance to test drive other wheelbases and hence cannot compare?

Cheers, Rob

 

[RobertR1]

I really wish @kunos would add the ffb effects from AC so we can tune to our liking. It's not hurting anyone and gives more options.

 

[Lezzam]

Here are my 2 cents.
In the Fanalab V1.23 BETA tuning menu i've set the sliders this way;
SEN: AUTO
FF : 65%
LIN: OFF
NDP: 10%
NFR: 5%
NIN: OFF
INT: 2
FEI: 100
FOR: 100%
SPR: 100%
DPR: 100%
ABS: OFF
SHO: 100%

In game settings (ACC version 1.3.8)
GAIN: 40%
MINIMUM FORCE: 0%
DYNAMIC DAMPING: 100%
ROAD EFFECTS: 30%
FREQUENCY: 333Hz
STEER LOCK: 1080
LINEARITY: 1
BRAKE GAMMA: 1
GEARSHIFT DEBOUNCING: 50ms

 

[Flyinjake]

I have the same issue with my DD1 PS4 on ACC on a PC (concole version announced). However, I think it can have something to do with the driver and firmware installed on the DD base. I am running the v347 driver/firmware on my base. I did find though that lowering the Force Feedback (FFB) value to around 28 gives me a balanced strength in the wheel. In-game I'm running the Fanatec recommended values. For more feedback from curbs and road, you can try to increase the Force Feedback Intensity (FEI) value on the base. I did try the beta driver v352 briefly until it bricked my base, so Fanatec shipped me a new one but with the v347 driver. According to Fanatec forum, driver v346 should be more suited for DD drives. Try at your own risk and read the known issues before you upgrade. Be prepared to brick your base and send it to Fanatec workshop for repairs. Their beta drivers are not stable for many people.

 

[DrRob]

Cheers @Flyinjake !
Do you feel the transition from grip to no-grip clearly? Like steering getting light when you overstep the grip capacity of the tyre? I can feel that on my SimuCube2 but had difficulties on the DD1 with newest drivers/software (I think it was v.347)

 

[Ermz]

I've been playing ACC since the first early-access release on a T500RS, and recently upgraded to a DD1. I know exactly what you're referring to here.

ACC has had a tendency toward this super high 'damped' feel, with very little surface detail protruding through it since the beginning. We originally thought it was an issue with the T500RS specifically, and in various ways they made it more manageable in subsequent versions, but the FFB in this game never got any better than marginally mediocre.

I thought the DD1 would change this, but it didn't at all. That 'doughy' feeling you describe is present, and surface detail compared to games like rF 2, AMS 2, BeamNG is practically nonexistent.

NOW. Here's the realization I made. There's some kind of weird bug going on. I set the recommended Fanatec settings on my wheel, and experimented with every conceivable permutation of settings until at one point I started getting all this oscillation and noise just going down straights. Something is better than nothing, right? Well, I immediately started driving better even though the constant vibration was overbearing.

Turns out the setting that 'fixed' it was the FFB Update Frequency. I set it to 222Hz, left the game, came back in, and it started showing actual surface detail. Mind you, it won't actually work if you just do it in-game then try. You have to exit to the menu then go back in. I don't know what's going on under the hood of that FFB engine, but it's not an elegant piece of work.

From there you can actually dial the settings in a meaningful way. Mind you, even with these details back the FFB is still mediocre compared to rF2, AMS 2 and BeamNG. The game itself just has a very banal, uninspired physics model, and seemingly no amount of subsequent patching can solve this for them.

Anyhow, good luck and enjoy!

 

[DrRob]

@Ermz Cheers for the insight mate! Will ask my brother to try the 222Hz and report back. I was seriously disappointed to go back to the DD1, which led me to sell my T500 and buy a SimuCube2 and discover it is nowhere close to the SimuCube with ACC.

Other than that: You thoughts about ACC... noted.
Personaly, I think ACC is the best sim out there at the moment and suits me quite well. The only sim which manages to let me believe I am connected to the car and the tarmac through the steering wheel.

 

[Ermz]

Hopefully it sorts out your issues! Doesn't help that the game keeps reverting me back to 333Hz.

 

[DrRob]

Hopefully it sorts out your issues! Doesn't help that the game keeps reverting me back to 333Hz.

It does? So you have to check and change again from time to time?
Can you maybe set a read-only lock on the respective file (if you know hich one it is)?

 

[bondyboy]

Have you tried having relatively low in game FFB gain (like 35% to 60%) and control the strength you want via Simcube software?

I found doing that made a hell of a difference with my Accuforce, all the missing low to mid end detail restored and the top end was less flat (big kerb impacts all felt the same etc.)

Was also the suggestion by Aris in one of his latest streams for his DD wheel

 

[DrRob]

@bondyboy Cheers for that mate. I always control the gain in the SC software. Ingame it is 100%. Don't want to get bitten by the SC2s full power if it goes haywire (which it to date never did).

The SC2 feels great. Haven't touched the settings since.
I feel that there is still potential in the DD1 settings though. There is too much unneccesary damping involved diminishing the actual FFB. At least that is how I perceive it. So I was looking for ways to counter that.

My brother has his hands full with his little daughter so couldn't test any new settings as of late. So no new fedback from him.

 

[Brad Bickel]

DrRob I 100% understand what you are talking about. I have just upgraded from a T300 to a DD1 hoping for more fidelity and a little more strength and can say I am really really disappointed with my DD purchase. I love ACC but I can't get it feeling any good have tried all types of settings to get it right (prefer my T300 at this point).

Out of interest in Fanalab what are your "Dynamic FFB" settings on the Fanatec DD? I've experimented and disabled them but still can't get a good balance.

 

[RobertR1]

@Ermz the “rolling dough” is the perfect description for the lack of feel in my OSW 20nm setup. No matter what I change, it’s lifeless and numb.

another example; if you set a dd wheel to 100% and then drive around where it’s clipping all the time, you just feel the weight of the wheel but no actual details in the FFB due to clipping, that ACC feels to be overall.

I have AC and rf2 feeling very communicative while acc is just so numb.

 

[DrRob]

Out of interest in Fanalab what are your "Dynamic FFB" settings on the Fanatec DD? I've experimented and disabled them but still can't get a good balance.

I'm sorry I am not familiar with the Fanatec settings at all. I can ask my brother about his settings if you're interested. Did you per chance also try the recommended Fanatec settings?

Assetto Corsa Competizione (PC) - Fanatec Recommended Settings

General Notes: * The settings below are considered to be reasonable baseline values for Assetto Corsa Competizione (PC).

forum.fanatec.com

Tuning Menu Settings:
SEN 1080 (shown as 108 on some displays)
FF 38
SHO 100
ABS User Preference
FOR 100
SPR 100*
DPR 100*

NDP 10
NFR 5
BRF User Preference
FEI 100
MPS Const.

*SPR and DPR values have no effect.

In-Game Settings:
Steer lock: 1080
Gain: 70
Min Force: 0
Dynamic Damping: 100
Road Effects: 0

Someone else posted i the Fanatec Thread:
My new tested settings, interpol at 3, fei 100 and in game gain @ 40 and Damper off in game, always had at 100 as recommended but now off = much better. NDP at 20 , SEN auto, FF 100, Lin off, NFR off, NIN off, FOR 100, SPR off, SHO 100 , Feels much better now in my case.

What I can tell you from my SimuCube2 is that I set Dynamic Damping ingame to 0.