Simracing With A Gamepad

[ltcars]

The biggest problem for a keyboard user is the lack of brake control, you need to drive with abs

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Simple as that. I wish I had a job, I wish I had my own bedroom, I wish I had a much better PC, I wish I had a steering wheel with pedals, and so on.

Gifted you a year of premium so you at least can race with us.. with a pad

 

[Epistolarius]

Thank you for writing this article @leon_90.

 

[Davide Nativo]

Thank you for writing this article @leon_90.

Thank you mate, your kindness caught me off guard

Thanks for appreciating it lads, I write these for you, so knowing you liked it makes my day!

 

[Andy_J]

Two word from me.
First - Sim is the key. If Ypu wanna drive SIM racing You can't use a gamepad .
If You not agree - try to drive with Your own car without wheel, gas and brake pedals. Try to imagine how You can drive Your own car with a gamepad? I'm sorry but to drive people still useing a wheel and pedals not a gamepad. So Sim is short name of simulation. SIMULATION man! Means - You drive with a car, you use a wheel and pedals, if You fly with a F-16 or something You use Joystick with throttle controller, if You play Mario Kart use gamepad. The end of story

So you would only play Operation Flashpoint or ARMA 2 or Squad with a real assault rifle then?
You are only playing a game. If you think your car racing is really simulated, get a partner to bash you in the face with a 10lb lump hammer every time you crash. Then it's simulated.

 

[CC]

When using a gamepad the only thing you can carry to real world driving is basic car theory.
If you become a racing alien using gamepad you cant expect to jump into a real car and replicate 10% of your skills.
On the other hand if you become an alien using a realistic simulator you will be able to perform way better and use much more skills on a real car.
That's why I don't consider any gamepad user a simracer. There's a very distinct line between both gaming and simulating.
Simracers improve hands and foot coordination not their useless thumbs!
Agree that everyone should use whatever they are happy with but let's keep the terminology clear shell we.
A so called simulation game will no longer be a simulator for the user when ditching real car controls.

Hi I do not agree at all with what you are saying,
I have had the pleasure of experiencing best of both world,s I have had 1000,s of world records on games over the past 30 years or so and mainly only play racing games 99.9% of the time,
and using a control pad or a wheel its mainly about common sense knowing when to use a certain amount of throttle or brakes each and every corner,
take your 10% and maybe add another 85% I do agree there is some difference using the wheel did actually make me faster, but only because the steering inputs was a lot smoother. well way smoother,
so instead of cornering and maybe making 3-4 inputs with the pad correcting positions, with the wheel its 1 input in and 1 input out turn it turn out,

with experience with the pad this becomes natural over the years, now I admit today I am quite rusty with both due to lack of game time last 2 years or so,
but using a wheel you honestly believe its 90% better ?

 

[Nico]

Gifted you a year of premium so you at least can race with us.. with a pad

Wow, I'm out of words... didn't expect to get anything by complaining about my situation. Thanks a lot! I'll try to get some additional practice and join a race when I have time.

 

[SockyNoob]

Just a few months ago I was still using a Xbox 360 controller. I can tell you one thing. Racing sims are definitely playable on it. You won't be as fast as you would on a wheel nor is it anywhere near as fun, but it still teaches you how to drive in a sim and is definitely a nice starting place. Much better than the other alternative of a keyboard and mouse.

 

[motoliser]

Hi I do not agree at all with what you are saying,
I have had the pleasure of experiencing best of both world,s I have had 1000,s of world records on games over the past 30 years or so and mainly only play racing games 99.9% of the time,
and using a control pad or a wheel its mainly about common sense knowing when to use a certain amount of throttle or brakes each and every corner,
take your 10% and maybe add another 85% I do agree there is some difference using the wheel did actually make me faster, but only because the steering inputs was a lot smoother. well way smoother,
so instead of cornering and maybe making 3-4 inputs with the pad correcting positions, with the wheel its 1 input in and 1 input out turn it turn out,

with experience with the pad this becomes natural over the years, now I admit today I am quite rusty with both due to lack of game time last 2 years or so,
but using a wheel you honestly believe its 90% better ?

Hi. I didn't say the wheels are 90% better. It also depends on the overall quality of your sim Rig.
Same way game pads without analog controls also make a difference. The point is with a sim Rig you are using pretty much the same skills the majority of racing drivers do in a real car. Driving with Gamepad can only simulate an handicaped person with adaptative car controls, so only in that case you could call it a simulation experience.

 

[Dennis Phelan]

My first sim racing was done with a joystick. It went well with the 19900 modem hookup for "online" racing.
Sorry, no it did not and I got as wheel as soon as the wife could afford one.

 

[dreamer al]

I am happy using my XBox One controller. I am sure a wheel is a much better "experience" but I have no wish to use a wheel. No, I do not want sympathy from so called "wheel drivers"..........lol.

 

[Patrik Marek]

Don’t mind doing that in real life

what an arcade!

great rendering engine though!

 

[pollinho]

I'm currently doing a year abroad and after a few weeks I felt the urge to drive again, so after starting with a pad, upgrading to an entry level DFGT and later to an T300RS I am back at the pad since a few months. Now equipment-wise that is obviously a step back, but then again I feel like that is only one aspect of simracing and even though it is a often discussed topic, it is not the essence of simracing in my opinion. I mainly stick to hotlapping right now, just because my hardware is also not the best, but all of the important things regarding driving can be done with a gamepad as well. Finding the right lines, improving them, getting more or less consistent with laptimes, positioning on the track are things that can be learned with a pad as well. Obviously a wheel will be an upgrade and will give you an edge in precision and accuracy (and will therefore also improve the mentioned things) but a gamepad is a sufficient tool to do simracing just as well. At the end of the day it is just a different level of abstraction, because even with a top level multi-thousand-dollar-rig you are still not sitting in a real car, feeling real forces and ultimately risking your real life, but sit in front of a computer that is trying to simulate the real thing.

Another aspect however where I can totally understand the bias against gamepad users is competitive racing. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying you can't be competitive with a pad, but rather that if it is about a competition, if it is about skill, then everybody should have at least somewhat similar hardware and the difference between a pad and a wheel is something that in this aspect I would consider quite a large difference.

 

[Durge Driven]

I think most wheel owners would still not beat best GPLRank Nords times done with a joystick way back when p

His paws too big for gamepad p

 

[Travis]

Good article.

I say run whatever you like.

As a PC gamer, I prefer to use a wheel and pedals for sims as the FFB is often sublime and shines with a wheel (pedals are a little hit and miss at the lower end) and for arcade racers, the Xbox One (or 360) controller is a great alternative.

Just like in the building of a gaming PC, one can go nuts and buy a DD wheel and pro level pedal set along with motion rigs, butt kickers, surround sound systems and even fans to replicate wind (which Barry Rowland on his Sim Racing Garage YouTube channel tested). One can use a handheld controller and have a great time such is the joy of PC gaming and many devs recongise this by supporting wheels and controllers.

One must remember console gamers are hampered by decisions of the companies to change the input method of controllers which screws up third party support. I wonder how many people invested in a Logitech, Thrustmaster or Fanatec wheel & pedal set for their Xbox 360 or PS3 only to discover they aren't compatible with the latest hardware from MS and Sony. If that were me, I'd stick with the default controller too.

 

[Thombike]

So you would only play Operation Flashpoint or ARMA 2 or Squad with a real assault rifle then?
You are only playing a game. If you think your car racing is really simulated, get a partner to bash you in the face with a 10lb lump hammer every time you crash. Then it's simulated.

No - I mean better use right tool to right work. Understand? Some here says - Your real car is real and that is just a game. Well..as a amateur race and rally driver I can to say - not that simple is that. In My car, whatever, I drive 50-80 or 200km/h feeling is much, much more better. I know everything what my car, wheels, tires, suspension doo in this time. In Sim more is just simulate by FFB in wheel..Yes - Wheel. Gamepad (or Keyboard) have no FFB so You have no any 0,1% that feeleing whtch You have in a car. So...thats why try only imagine to drive with a car without any singnals which car gives You? Well... You don wanna have to feel how many bullets shots your machine gun in life or game so...we use for that keyboard and mouse and more is no needed. But is something more. People who says - I dont have money for wheel but i want to drive simracing. Ok...but alone or in public servers not in a league. Why? For example, some people says - my break pad are totally finished and tires too but i have no money to buy new one. What says law in this case? Than You can't drive with your car, beacouseYour car is a danger for You and every road user. Buy tires, breake pads than drive on street with oters. You can not agree - is that ok. So if in league every member drive with wheel and You say - Hi, I wanna drive with but i have no money for a 150$ wheel for my 500$ computer with 300$ monitor...well. I understand some guy like Nico, with 4 people in 2 room in country where life is more difficult but...He is one. Hundreds living in much better living condisions, in reach countries where 100 or 300 $ is not a big deal and says every time - I have no money for that. No...You only have no respect for others. Nothing more. I buy my wheel in little hard time in my life just beacouse respect for other players. And for much more precision too

 

[apex11]

Tell Me please, becouse I dont know, what type of racing Mudrunner simulates? In whitch part is a Sim racer? And most important in reading is to understand point. The point is - I have deep in my a.s who play with this orother controller. I said only - try to imagine to drive with real car and steering with gamepad? Do You get it?

I mean mudrunners is a fun game with a controller, saying it is possible to enjoy something with a controller...

 

[ltcars]

No - I mean better use right tool to right work. Understand? Some here says - Your real car is real and that is just a game. Well..as a amateur race and rally driver I can to say - not that simple is that. In My car, whatever, I drive 50-80 or 200km/h feeling is much, much more better. I know everything what my car, wheels, tires, suspension doo in this time. In Sim more is just simulate by FFB in wheel..Yes - Wheel. Gamepad (or Keyboard) have no FFB so You have no any 0,1% that feeleing whtch You have in a car. So...thats why try only imagine to drive with a car without any singnals which car gives You? Well... You don wanna have to feel how many bullets shots your machine gun in life or game so...we use for that keyboard and mouse and more is no needed. But is something more. People who says - I dont have money for wheel but i want to drive simracing. Ok...but alone or in public servers not in a league. Why? For example, some people says - my break pad are totally finished and tires too but i have no money to buy new one. What says law in this case? Than You can't drive with your car, beacouseYour car is a danger for You and every road user. Buy tires, breake pads than drive on street with oters. You can not agree - is that ok. So if in league every member drive with wheel and You say - Hi, I wanna drive with but i have no money for a 150$ wheel for my 500$ computer with 300$ monitor...well. I understand some guy like Nico, with 4 people in 2 room in country where life is more difficult but...He is one. Hundreds living in much better living condisions, in reach countries where 100 or 300 $ is not a big deal and says every time - I have no money for that. No...You only have no respect for others. Nothing more. I buy my wheel in little hard time in my life just beacouse respect for other players. And for much more precision too

I think quality of driving differs from person to person. You need skill to drive fast and safe. A wheel can help you get it but it doesn't mean that you are instantly better than with a pad or keyboard.
I personally don't drive online because I notice how I can be sometimes a nuisance with a keyboard but I had some pretty good races.

 

[Spocky]

Great article!

I would say that , as a pad user for years , I've had this conversation more than once and imo it all comes down to how is the pad used and how people driving with well&pedals think we drive. Using an Xbox360 /XBONE controller means you got analog input , which means you should use it. We are not always breaking and accelerating like crazy , then pushing the joystick all the way to the left/right. A wheel is always more precise , but a controller is always a viable options too ( and the quality you get for a 40€ controller is awesome).

On top of that , I never recommend to anyone willing to start a new hobby to expend a **** ton of money out of the box , so starting with AC (or any other sim racing ) by playing with a controller is the way to go. If you love it , the ceiling is as expensive as you want to

I mean, I do break/accelerate full most of the time, and I practically always push the stick left/right on F1 games (RF2 not, I find that subtle inputs work there) but then I know it's the wrong way (and am trying to change it) and I know I'm not good enough to race against people online seriously.

 

[Andy_J]

No - I mean better use right tool to right work. Understand? Some here says - Your real car is real and that is just a game. Well..as a amateur race and rally driver I can to say - not that simple is that. In My car, whatever, I drive 50-80 or 200km/h feeling is much, much more better. I know everything what my car, wheels, tires, suspension doo in this time. In Sim more is just simulate by FFB in wheel..Yes - Wheel. Gamepad (or Keyboard) have no FFB so You have no any 0,1% that feeleing whtch You have in a car. So...thats why try only imagine to drive with a car without any singnals which car gives You? Well... You don wanna have to feel how many bullets shots your machine gun in life or game so...we use for that keyboard and mouse and more is no needed. But is something more. People who says - I dont have money for wheel but i want to drive simracing. Ok...but alone or in public servers not in a league. Why? For example, some people says - my break pad are totally finished and tires too but i have no money to buy new one. What says law in this case? Than You can't drive with your car, beacouseYour car is a danger for You and every road user. Buy tires, breake pads than drive on street with oters. You can not agree - is that ok. So if in league every member drive with wheel and You say - Hi, I wanna drive with but i have no money for a 150$ wheel for my 500$ computer with 300$ monitor...well. I understand some guy like Nico, with 4 people in 2 room in country where life is more difficult but...He is one. Hundreds living in much better living condisions, in reach countries where 100 or 300 $ is not a big deal and says every time - I have no money for that. No...You only have no respect for others. Nothing more. I buy my wheel in little hard time in my life just beacouse respect for other players. And for much more precision too

Still you are only playing a game mate FFB or not. And you are not better than anyone who doesn't have a wheel. I would put money on it that there are many sim racers that can beat you just using a keyboard or a controller.