DFGT experiences, tips and tricks

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Khoin

Khoin

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Khoin
Hey all,

Using the search button I've found a number of threads concerning the DFGT, but none really recent and not totally related to my "questions", so I'll make this new one...

First, a bit of background:

I bought GT5 at release and played it with a DS3 from the start. Using L2 and R2 to brake and accelerate I was doing pretty good, but of course, a wheel just adds so much to the game. Unfortunately I only had an old DF (with on flappy paddle broken off) which I thought would be incompatible.

Only after I got to around lvl 25 aspec did I notice the DF in the options menu, so I dusted it off, found it had a USB and not a PS2 connector, hooked it up and presto, a wheel :D

But then I realised it didn't have FFB (which surprised me, because I thought the "motorised" steering wheel was what one called "FFB" in a wheel, but apparently a bit of rumble should also be in there :)). And of course, I couldn't use MT with only one paddle. And, it has way less rotation...

So I went and bought a DFGT. I've now played with it for about 2 hours, and I must say, it's about as big a difference to the DF as the DF is to the DS3!

Although both give you much preciser control over the car (mainly in regards to steering, throttle and brakes with L2 and R2 really work very well I think), actually "handling" the car with the DFGT is another story.

My first go with it was in a high powered MR car with all assists of, bar ABS1, and I was just all over the place :P And not only that, whenever the back stepped out, I was completely unable to get control back in any way... Most of this is, I think, due to the extra rotation, although it also seems like the cars are way more sensitive to too much throttle with the wheel still turned... After some practice in some slower cars I've gotten better, but I'm still not close to what I could do with the old DF.

I probably have to mention the fact that I don't have a playseat or wheelstand, nor do I have a table to mount it on (well, not in front of the telly at least... besides it being a coffee table and therefor far too low, my girlfriend would probably kill me if I secured the wheel to the shiny designer table she's so happy with :)). So, I use the "leg holder" (or whatever it's called) that I got with the DF (for those who do not know what this is, it's a piece of plastic that you attach the wheel to, that you can then hold between your legs, thus holding the wheel in place).

This worked very well with the old DF. But it might be a bit less suited for a wheel which needs more rotation...

So, after this long-winded intro (sorry about that), I'll get to the actual questions :)

-Is anyone else using a "leg holder" thingy, and if so how well do you think it works (compared to securing it to a table or stand)?

-Am I right in thinking the rotation of the DFGT is not related to the car your driving (ie, an FGT will need to be turned just as much as an old, slow roadcar)?

-It kind of feels like the old DF actually gave me more feedback about what the car was about to do, though that might just be because I was more used to how it felt... anyone else played GT5 with both that shares this feeling, or disagrees with it?

-I've seen several different "best setups" for the DFGT's FFB, so far I've tried FFB 3 and FFB 7, both with no power steering, on simulation, and all assists of except for ABS 1 and, sometimes, TC5. I didn't really notice any big differences... Is the FFB setting only for the "rumble" you get from curbs and such? And has anyone actually felt the "grip give out" at any point?

-Has anyone succesfully made an improvised wheelstand out of "waste" materials and if so, care to share design? I'm prolly gonna try this anyway, but no reason to invent the wheel again (hurrhurr) if someone already has. (I know, I could buy one, they're not that expensive, but I'm getting married in a month and we're expecting our first baby in little over 5 months... while it's not that we can't afford it, the girlfriend has gone to frowning upon frivolous spending a tad more lately...)

-And finally, any neat tricks to using the DFGT? I mean, how do you actually catch a 600 bhp MR monster with no TC when it decides to go AWOL?

TLDR version: How do you get the most out of your DFGT? :)

Thanks for reading ;) Oh and one last "tip" from me to end it with: I think using a DF will possibly make the game easier... the limited rotation means easier turning and oversteer-catching, while it still has the precision of a wheel... and I don't know how much you "lose" by not having FFB... but this tip might be proven worthles by answers to my questions.
 
I use a coffee table that is too small, but I just use a very low chair for it (like an F1 car:sly:) and it works quite well, although a taller one would be better. I've had my DFGT for about a week in a half and at first I thought I would never be able to control a powerful car with it but now I'm probally the same as or better than when I was using a controller. The 900 degree steering will seem weird at first but you'll get use to it pretty quickly.

  • From what I can tell the rotation isn't connected to what car you drive, but this works quite well for me.

  • The wheel setup is down to personal preferance. Power steering on and FFB 5 works just fine for me.
I think all it takes is some sort of stand (a coffee table will do) and practice.:)
 
Thanks :) I can't really fit anything more between the couch, the table and the TV, except for possibly a custom stand... I'll just use the leg holder thingamajig for now and see how much I progress :D

Shame about the rotation though... I believe that when I was playing GT4 I read somewhere that with a DFGT it would actually do that, but I might be mistaken.

I'll try the different FFB setting to see which suit me best.
 
I've been using my DFGT on both PS3 and PC for quite a while (since GT5:P, and for Grid, etc). I usually use ABS 1 and TC 1 as I'm not "1337" enough to go without any driving aids. Having a wheel definitely increases your precision with driving. I use it on a coffee table from my couch (I hate driving slumped over, but it's what I have, and I don't have $$$ for a floor setup or stand or anything).

As for FFB, I use it at 10, cause that's awesome, and the implementation is better on GT5 than any other game I've played (including on PC, at least in my mind. This includes NFS:Shift, Richard Burns Rally, Dirt 2, and TOCA:RD3).

You definitely receive FFB from not only the rumble strips, but even from the HP of the car when starting off the line in FF cars, unevenness in the road (try Circuit de Sarthe without chicanes in a fast car, you'll see what I mean on the straightaway).

One thing that I think you mentioned, that I really love is that you can feel when the car is losing traction/giving way. It's not like in a real car where you'd feel the Gs of it, but they emulate the tire function very well, as you'll suddenly lose traction right at the edge and the tires no longer steer. The easiest and best example is in a snow map, grab your favorite 4wd, gun it on a long straight, and try to turn into the next corner at a speed you know is too fast. You'll immediately lose all FFB in the wheel, indicating that your wheels are just sliding. Very cool effect.

I hope you enjoy your DFGT as long as I have been and longer! (I received my DFGT from my g/f back when GT5 was supposed to come out, almost 3 years ago, as she promised to buy them together for me. She finally bought GT5 at launch, but I've had the wheel since first supposed to come out)
 
Khoin
Hey all,

Using the search button I've found a number of threads concerning the DFGT, but none really recent and not totally related to my "questions", so I'll make this new one...

First, a bit of background:

I bought GT5 at release and played it with a DS3 from the start. Using L2 and R2 to brake and accelerate I was doing pretty good, but of course, a wheel just adds so much to the game. Unfortunately I only had an old DF (with on flappy paddle broken off) which I thought would be incompatible.

Only after I got to around lvl 25 aspec did I notice the DF in the options menu, so I dusted it off, found it had a USB and not a PS2 connector, hooked it up and presto, a wheel :D

But then I realised it didn't have FFB (which surprised me, because I thought the "motorised" steering wheel was what one called "FFB" in a wheel, but apparently a bit of rumble should also be in there :)). And of course, I couldn't use MT with only one paddle. And, it has way less rotation...

So I went and bought a DFGT. I've now played with it for about 2 hours, and I must say, it's about as big a difference to the DF as the DF is to the DS3!

Although both give you much preciser control over the car (mainly in regards to steering, throttle and brakes with L2 and R2 really work very well I think), actually "handling" the car with the DFGT is another story.

My first go with it was in a high powered MR car with all assists of, bar ABS1, and I was just all over the place :P And not only that, whenever the back stepped out, I was completely unable to get control back in any way... Most of this is, I think, due to the extra rotation, although it also seems like the cars are way more sensitive to too much throttle with the wheel still turned... After some practice in some slower cars I've gotten better, but I'm still not close to what I could do with the old DF.

I probably have to mention the fact that I don't have a playseat or wheelstand, nor do I have a table to mount it on (well, not in front of the telly at least... besides it being a coffee table and therefor far too low, my girlfriend would probably kill me if I secured the wheel to the shiny designer table she's so happy with :)). So, I use the "leg holder" (or whatever it's called) that I got with the DF (for those who do not know what this is, it's a piece of plastic that you attach the wheel to, that you can then hold between your legs, thus holding the wheel in place).

This worked very well with the old DF. But it might be a bit less suited for a wheel which needs more rotation...
Click to expand...

Hehe, eventhough I got my DFGT since GT5P, I used it yesterday for the first time in GT5 (I had no real problems with DS3). My problem is like yours, I have no cockpit, I have to play on a desk and a couch. It requires alot of work to set up my wheel in my room + it isn`t very comfortable, I doubt that heavier/taller people then me could use it in my room.
But after some practise, it immediatly improved my lap times alot. For practising I took my FGT to the 300km Grand Valley event, after some 20 laps I was again able to produce consistent and -uhm, for my driving level of course- fast lap times. At the end I could make a 15 lap stint on soft racing tires, without any slides and was about 3-5 seconds per lap faster then with my DS3. I like the DFGT. Maybe because Im karting alot in real life and have no problems to use left foot braking (Im using it sometimes -if I drive my dads automatic- in real life too).

Bolded part:
Uhm, have you ever tried to throttle a litte bit while touching the brake at high speeds? I don`t know whether this advice is stupid or not, but I always loosed the back end of my F40 on Le mans at the end of the long straight while braking, after some laps I tried to give some gas while braking and the car was fine. Heel and toe downshifting without a clutch on a DS3 and DFGT? xD
 
Thanks for the replies, I'll have a go at making that custom stand I think, looks doable enough :D
 
I've been using my DFGT for a little over a week now. WOW did it make a difference in my precision while driving!

It concerns me that you are using a wheel that is so unsecured. Having a stable wheel is very important. Try securing it on something, anything! I've got mine secured on a metal stand and its quite stable and enjoyable to drive.

I'm not sure what your shifting preferences are, but I prefer shifting with the paddles. This freed me up to change my sequential shifter to function as the reverse and ebrake. I was finding it too hard to hold the triangle reverse button as the wheel spun if happened to crash out. With reverse on my shifter now I can recover quite quickly.

Continuing on with paddle shifting, I find the stock DFGT paddle buttons to be adequate in most cases, but in situation with extreme rotations sometimes it is near impossible to keep a finger on the shift button. I've recently run across a good example for a set of DIY flappy paddles. If I do the mod I will document it and post it on the forums.
 
capnbard
I've been using my DFGT for a little over a week now. WOW did it make a difference in my precision while driving!

It concerns me that you are using a wheel that is so unsecured. Having a stable wheel is very important. Try securing it on something, anything! I've got mine secured on a metal stand and its quite stable and enjoyable to drive.

I'm not sure what your shifting preferences are, but I prefer shifting with the paddles. This freed me up to change my sequential shifter to function as the reverse and ebrake. I was finding it too hard to hold the triangle reverse button as the wheel spun if happened to crash out. With reverse on my shifter now I can recover quite quickly.

Continuing on with paddle shifting, I find the stock DFGT paddle buttons to be adequate in most cases, but in situation with extreme rotations sometimes it is near impossible to keep a finger on the shift button. I've recently run across a good example for a set of DIY flappy paddles. If I do the mod I will document it and post it on the forums.
Click to expand...

Yup, ideally I do need to secure it to something, although the leg thingy works better than you might expect (and can be quite sturdy with a bit off effort). I'm still using AT for now, getting used to the wheel first. Once I go over to MT I'll have to figure out which I prefer, but reverse and handbrake on the seq shifter does seem practical.

Edit: found a picture of the leg holder thingy (shown with the DF) that I now use for the DFGT, for those who have no idea what it is :D

373_1_image.jpg
 
Khoin
-It kind of feels like the old DF actually gave me more feedback about what the car was about to do, though that might just be because I was more used to how it felt... anyone else played GT5 with both that shares this feeling, or disagrees with it?
Click to expand...

I also am under the same impression. I used to use a GT Force from Logitech since GT3 up until last week when the pedals started acting up. I replaced it with the DFGT, which I love btw, but I do think you statement/question is accurate. Somehow I get the feeling that the FFB on the old GT Force was not necessarily stronger, but I could definitely feel the road/tires/slides more with it than with the new DFGT. I also think that you may be right when you say that it may be due to the fact that we were so used to the old one in the first place that we were able to predict the car's behavior a little better. Time will tell I guess :boggled:
 
Guys in relation to a cheap table I got this table out of Ikea for £10, its called the Laiva or something like that, perfect height for the wheel and playing :)

b87d1bf2.jpg
 
The lack of feel you have for the car is probably because of the huge deadzone the dfgt has. Be sure not to countersteer too much when the back steps out and be gentle on the throttle.

For racing the wheel is ok (you can still use the buttons on the wheel most of the time) but for drifting it needs a smaller deadzone and an e-brake lever..

I would advise to buy a wheelstand if your planning on using the wheel a lot. Its more comfortable to play with and it cleans up / folds away quickly.
 
I'll probably build my own "wheelstand" at some point. An ikea table like the one above is a good cheap solution, but it wouldn't fit between the coffee table and the couch, and I can't store it anywhere convenient. It's important to me to be able to put all the wheel-stuff away (the wheel and paddles fit in the built-in closet in the livingroom, a table like that wouldn't :)) yet also be able to set it back up quickly (since I can often only play for a short while).

I'm also considering fixing up some kind of belt-system to attach to the leg-holder thingy which I could wrap around my legs to hold them in place :P I don't know how comfortable it would be... but it might work :D
 
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