can you get really good with a controller?

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And by good I mean being able to compete with those who use wheels. Unfortunatley, I can't finance a wheel and I actually like a controller. Im married with kids so a full race set up is not an option :)

With enough practice do you guys think one could get competitive?
 
I use a controller and race against people who own wheels all the time. Even though I don't win every time, a lot of the races can get pretty competitive. So I would say that with enough practice with a controller, you could compete with the wheel users.
 
Wheels will always offer a level of steering precision that controllers can't match, but any sim that offers well-configured algorithms to dampen your inputs can be very manageable with joystick steering, no matter how realistic the physics get. I'd say it depends on the car you're driving and how unruly it can get. It's easier to be competitive in cars with more grip and/or weight, compared to something skittish and liable to rotate suddenly, like a Caterham.

I use a wheel on PC sims, but I've always played console games with a controller, and I'll be doing the same with PCARS on Wii U. I'm not a WMD member, but based on videos and accounts from WMD members it appears that PCARS has been tuned and refined to work smoothly with joystick steering on a controller. So, apart from the wildest cars in the roster, I believe controller users could be competitive.
 
If you ain't got a smooth thumb, I don't think you can compete.
It's people like me who'll give you a chance at winning. But that's just because I'm a rookie (at my wheel)!
A controller will never be as precise as a wheel! That's my point. You just can't move a stick to those degrees as you could with a wheel!

just my 2 cents.
 
Like Wolfe said the controller inputs are dampened. I believe this actually makes the game easier with the controllers. This is based on other games not pcars however from the people I know with early access. The transition from forza to pcars for controller users should be rather seemless
 
I was just speaking of this in or team forum. Even though it won't match the procession of a wheel, they make thumb stick extentions that will increase procession. We have a team member with muscular destraphy and I suggested that she try this to see if it helps. I've never tried it but seems like it would really help. I use to drive a long time ago with a flight stick. Worked real good. Someone needs to test this theory.
 
Does anyone know how much effort SMS has put into making controllers workable? I read the entire PDF with the fees back from Hamilton and the Stig and it seems like all they used were wheels. I'm concerned the controller situation is going to be like the F1 games where you spin out at every corner.
 
Does anyone know how much effort SMS has put into making controllers workable? I read the entire PDF with the fees back from Hamilton and the Stig and it seems like all they used were wheels. I'm concerned the controller situation is going to be like the F1 games where you spin out at every corner.

I've been playing with the controller for the last week for exactly that reason. It's easy to drive. You have to be smooth if you want to go really fast, but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. If you're spinning out, you're either going too fast or being too violent with your inputs, which is how a simulation should behave.

It's harder to hold the car on the very edge of grip than with a wheel, because of the limited range of motion and the lack of FFB, but I think the controller does a good enough job that unless you're trying to compete with aliens you'll be fine.
 
I see a lot of my friends not using the sticks how they are supposed to be. It's called analog sticks, not push hard to the side sticks! :D
 
I see a lot of my friends not using the sticks how they are supposed to be. It's called analog sticks, not push hard to the side sticks! :D
Exactly, if you play this way you'll probably be spinning out or at least not being very competitive.
If you treat it more like an analog input, sort of like a wheel, then things change :)
 
And by good I mean being able to compete with those who use wheels. Unfortunatley, I can't finance a wheel and I actually like a controller. Im married with kids so a full race set up is not an option :)

With enough practice do you guys think one could get competitive?
The Ferrari 458 GT2 at Spa combo is the most popular TT on RSR Live Timing for Assetto Corsa. He did use TC and ABS but the fastest time recorded for the combination is on an X360 controller. Just hover your cursor over the "i" on the right hand side for more info.
 
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Exactly, if you play this way you'll probably be spinning out or at least not being very competitive.
If you treat it more like an analog input, sort of like a wheel, then things change :)

That is the whole point of the controller inputs being dampened, so you don't have to be millimeter perfect to be fast. Just push the stick to the side and let the game figure out approximately how much that will turn the wheel for your given speed. When progammed properly it is very easy to do and do well.
 
That's how I play most console racing games -- including quick flicks/taps for small inputs -- and I'm a top 1% driver in Forza Horizon. Racing games with dampening for joystick steering are pretty much designed to be played that way.

Of course, the Forza games offer "Simulation" steering for those who prefer to be more deliberate with their inputs, and PCARS will also offer options to tailor the dampening to your preference.
 
That's how I play most console racing games -- including quick flicks/taps for small inputs -- and I'm a top 1% driver in Forza Horizon. Racing games with dampening for joystick steering are pretty much designed to be played that way.

Of course, the Forza games offer "Simulation" steering for those who prefer to be more deliberate with their inputs, and PCARS will also offer options to tailor the dampening to your preference.

Exactly how I play forza 5, I have several top 50/100 times fwiw. and i am about as fast with my wheel and controller but much more consistent on the controller. the wheel is just terrible in that game so it is collecting dust until pcars. I will be the first to admit that I hate forza, however I love racing and can't afford a PC :( so for now its my only option. Having said that controller driving is something they do a pretty good job with. Although Sim steering very blatantly shows where forza is lacking in the physics department, normal steering hides them well enough for some ( definitely not me ) to consider it a "Sim"
 
Without having read everything in this thread; I think beeing competitive has two sides: The pace for one fast lap and for a whole race.

If you are really good with the controller, beeing competitive over one fast lap is as flx said depending on you skill on the pad. The hard part is to keep this for a whole race. I think it is far more difficult to stay competitive over a lot of laps because you just have more response fromt he car on a wheel.
 
If you can be competitive with a pad depends entirely on your skill with said pad. We could set up some nice challenges after release where our own dottore46 sets a time with a pad and you wheel'd peoples try to beat it... Would be interesting! :D

Do you think there will be any difference lap time wise between PC, XBOX and PS4.

On most games i think PC is always a little faster
 
Do you there will be any difference lap time wise between PC, XBOX and PS4.

On most games i think PC is always a little faster

If the Pc laptimes are faster it will be because all the racing-sim aliens play on the pc since there were no real sims on the consoles until now.
 
If the Pc laptimes are faster it will be because all the racing-sim aliens play on the pc since there were no real sims on the consoles until now.

Right! ok let me put it this way then. If an "alien" did a hot lap on each platform would the times be the same?
 
If you can be competitive with a pad depends entirely on your skill with said pad. We could set up some nice challenges after release where our own dottore46 sets a time with a pad and you wheel'd peoples try to beat it... Would be interesting! :D
Im open for suggestions :sly: @mattersend I dunno if you can be as competitive as with a wheel, but its still great fun with a gamepad....and isnt it what this is all about? In the meantime you can check some of my controller videos and see if its still worth to play with a gamepad. :)

 
If the Pc laptimes are faster it will be because all the racing-sim aliens play on the pc since there were no real sims on the consoles until now.
Don't know about Forza but I think many of the GT aliens will have no trouble holding their own on either PC or PS4. With tens of thousands of drivers there is a lot of talent there. At least one name I recognize at the top of the AC leaderboards was a GT alien as well, but a lot of pc guys use their real names, including me, so there may be others and I don't recognize them.
 
I have a guy in our Xbox race leagues (forza, F1) and he dominates us with a controller! None of the wheel users can come close to him, he even puts himself at the back of the grids so he has something to do otherwise he's just hot lapping. Total freak
 
I have a guy in our Xbox race leagues (forza, F1) and he dominates us with a controller! None of the wheel users can come close to him, he even puts himself at the back of the grids so he has something to do otherwise he's just hot lapping. Total freak
Forza is setup with the pad being the main focus of development hence why wheels are always slower with Forza, Im hoping the controllers guys are slower with PCars. Selfish i know but imo it should be easier with a wheel than a pad.
 
Forza is setup with the pad being the main focus of development hence why wheels are always slower with Forza, Im hoping the controllers guys are slower with PCars. Selfish i know but imo it should be easier with a wheel than a pad.
I'm sure it's easier with the wheel. I definitely think so, leaderboards are also mostly filled with wheel players, but that may be due to the fact that on PC most people have serious setups, could be different on consoles.
 
In Forza the learning curve is much greater with the wheel than the controller. With the controller it allows to ride that 100% grip through turning. I have played Forza all my life 2-5 with a controller but now just made the switch to a wheel. I've had the wheel for about a month now and now just as a fast than I was with a controller. That said, in Forza with a controller it is so easy to be on the edge the whole lap. Making fast times easier to put in lap after lap. With the wheel you can put in those fast laps just maybe 1 out of every 10 or so laps.

I really hope that pCARS acts like other sims so it will be the exact opposite of Forza.
 
Why should it be more difficult than it needs to be?

Ideally, the controller should offer a seamless experience that allows you to manipulate the controls very similarly to how you would operate the wheel yourself if you were using one. It should be immersive, not an obstacle you have to wrestle with to complete a lap at speed. The aim is to simulate what it's like to drive a car, not what it's like to drive a car by remote control.

Games like Forza only "hold your hand" insofar as they prevent you from making rookie mistakes, like continuing to add steering lock once you've reached the limit of traction or immediately throwing in full opposite lock when you countersteer. That may be helpful for novices, but if you already know better, it just helps you to focus on the race instead of trying to get around with needlessly erratic steering. Of course, there are different styles and levels of dampening, and some are more "hand-hold-y" than others.

Fortunately, PCARS includes options to tailor the input parameters to each individual's preference.
 
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