Letting "noob" friends try your rig...

  • Thread starter ZevZoq
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ZevZoq

ZevZoq

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Canada
Canada
I had a buddy over last night and decided I wanted to show him my set up. I'm pretty pleased with my DIY rig...it came together in a way that I really get a kick out of and I wanted to show it off a bit. So, I took it out of the closet and put it together - a process that takes about 3 minutes, which is one of the things I'm most pleased about. Now, when I use the rig it's 100% stable and locked down. I have no issues at all with things shifting or moving around or anything like that - which is another aspect I'm pleased about. But, I'm familiar with using wheel sets with games and with Force Feedback in general. My buddy gets behind the wheel and within seconds he's attempted to save a spin by applying 100% of the force of both legs to the pedals at the same time and pushed the base a couple inches forward against the TV console. As I'm watching him attempt to steer I can see the wheel base flexing on the plate it's mounted on from the force of him pulling on the wheel. At times, he's actually lifting the whole stand off the floor...lol. He spent about 15 minutes driving around in a few different cars and by the end he was sort of getting the hang of it and was enjoying himself but the whole time I"m thinking "**** I hope my gear survives this!"

I think I've rid myself of the urge to show off my toys. :lol:
 
I let my friends race, but give them strict instructions:

1. It’s expensive. Break it, you buy it.
2. It’s not a tank.
3. I turn the FFB down a bit, not because I don’t think you are strong enough. You don’t have to prove your manliness on my rig.
4. It’s called a loadcell. You push it a bit harder, but don’t go full Chuck Norris on it.
5. You don’t brake by pulling the wheel.
6. The wheel is not a handle to get out of the rig.
7. It’s expensive. Break it, you buy it.
 
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Smallie
I let my friends race, but give them strict instructions:

1. It’s expensive. Break it, you buy it.
2. It’s not a tank.
3. I turn the FFB down a bit, not because I don’t think you are strong enough. You don’t have to prove your manliness on my rig.
4. It’s called a loadcell. You push it a bit harder, but don’t go full Chuck Norris on it.
5. You don’t brake by pulling the wheel.
6. The wheel is not a handle to get out of the rig.
7. It’s expensive. Break it, you buy it.
Click to expand...
that's a good list of rules. Especially 6 lol. I actually run the FF at a moderate level anyway...I'm not a "max torque" guy at all. So the actual force effects he was dealing with weren't real heavy. I also switched to AT for him because it's just a G29 wheel and I was pretty worried he might destroy those little micro switches shifting gears. But you forget just how foreign and weird it all feels at first.
 
Smallie
I let my friends race, but give them strict instructions:

1. It’s expensive. Break it, you buy it.
2. It’s not a tank.
3. I turn the FFB down a bit, not because I don’t think you are strong enough. You don’t have to prove your manliness on my rig.
4. It’s called a loadcell. You push it a bit harder, but don’t go full Chuck Norris on it.
5. You don’t brake by pulling the wheel.
6. The wheel is not a handle to get out of the rig.
7. It’s expensive. Break it, you buy it.
Click to expand...

8. Don’t touch my belongings.
 
Nobody of you guys has kids or nieces/nephews?! Best way to find out how sturdy your rig is and if everything is properly mounted :D

My 3yo niece played less then ten minutes with a (turned off) t300 on a gt omega titan and something got loose so that the plate where the wheelbase was mounted could be moved without a lot of force lol
 
i386
Nobody of you guys has kids or nieces/nephews?! Best way to find out how sturdy your rig is and if everything is properly mounted :D

My 3yo niece played less then ten minutes with a (turned off) t300 on a gt omega titan and something got loose so that the plate where the wheelbase was mounted could be moved without a lot of force lol
Click to expand...

Yes, I have a nephew and yes, the rig requires maintenance after he's used it!

To be fair, it's an old Playseat and the joint holding the wheel base plate to the rest of the frame has always been a weak spot in the design - it will loosen quite easily and the wheel then flops into your lap. I'm used to it and have learnt how not to provoke it but my nephew somehow manages to loosen it every time.

It's annoying, but really the problem isn't the nephew, it's the design of the seat.
 
No shoes for mine. I am always barefoot. Friends can wear socks if they want, but no shoes. That cuts down on the some of the extreme force some would inflict on the pedals. Never had any problem with anyone overdoing it on the fanatech ff wheel. The big problems come from the VR. Most people who have tried it don't last more than a few minutes. My Grand-daughters, 5 and 7 do fine if I set it up for them. They'll go all day. Son took awhile to get used to it and can go about half an hour now before he gets queezy. Daughter-in-law tried it once. She panicked whithin seconds when she wreckeed into a wall and tore the VR set off her head and threw it on the floor. No more Gran Tourismo for her.
 
hermtownhomy
No shoes for mine. I am always barefoot. Friends can wear socks if they want, but no shoes.
Click to expand...

I keep forgetting that a lot of people live in countries where you keep your shoes on in your house! If I would walk into anyones house with my shoes on (here in my country), that would be as weird as if I would pick my nose and ask somebody to hold the booger.
But I guess that is another thread 🙂
 
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i let a few try mine but after the 3rd time, i say no more. people get crazy and put way to much force on the pedals and pull the wheel hard and im wondering if the gear teeth in the wheen will break. they lock it out and keep trying to twist it. i never let anyone touch it now. too much money to let someone destroy it. as for the vr2 headset ...NO WAY.
 
March of '23 I had a lot of family in. Excepting that time I hosted a college solar powered car team, it's the most people I've ever had in my house at one time. I had just got the PS5, GT7 and G29 in Dec. '22 and VR2 on release in Feb. '23. Let a bunch of them try it out. No shoes allowed, briefed each and every one on handling the VR, by the headband and not the scope, and don't take it off without extending the scope first, etc. Had them work through the eye calibration thing then put them in an S600 on Tsukuba and let them try to beat my time. I reckon it turned out Ok. Nothing was broken by the time they all left and none beat my time. Have had all three of my grandsons try it out as well. Those 3 know not to break my 🤬.
 
I let anyone who wants try. If what I put it through doesn't break it, it'll be just fine. I usually crank the FF and I have my load cell turned up high enough that it takes some force to lock the brake. I don't think most people who try it are gonna exert more force on it than it does back at them. Everyone who has tried it absolutely enjoys it. A few of them even have potential. My daughter and her other half have my old playseat challenge for when they can swing a wheel. Maybe I'll gift them one...

Long story short, I think it's the best hobby I've found. It's kinda like driving a car on track enough that it satiates a thing for me. I think sharing that with people who would likely appreciate it is cool. I wish a friend of mine had a rig and shared at some point in the past. I would have gotten one sooner!
 
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Hitting the whip & nae nae on my wheel aside, it's really funny when they're not really car people and pick something like a Veyron, thinking they will be just as fast as the car.

The moment they reach the first corner I'm either hearing that the game is unrealistic or that the track has too many corners lol

--

I'm not as upset if they kick my pedals because I also hate them.
 
Having a friend many many many years ago let me play GTR2/GT Legends on his rig set me down a path of creating a life long passion and hobby that evolved my love of cars and racing in to something I could immerse myself at home in.

Since I got my first G27 I've always let people play on my various set ups. One to share my passion but was also encourage more people.

Even let my daughters 6 year old friends lose on my kitchen table set up and

IMG_8065.jpeg


My set up now is a lot more dedicated, stable and sophisticated now so have no problems anyone trying it young or old.

The worst part is watching them drive it like they are playing one of those arcade machines....think Sega Daytona 🤣
 

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