We’ve been discussing a lot of things internally, and our current plans are
Remove torque bandwidth limit setting.
Rationale: Any sensible FFB settings do not have any torque signal content above ~1000Hz anyway, so we will be setting it at 2200 Hz (or unlimited, then we can remove that filter from code altogether which will streamline development).
Remove Bumbstop settings (all of them, including fine tuning the bumbstop to outside/inside the steering angle range). Add a “Soft/Medium/Hard” setting. Move that setting to profile settings.
Rationale: too many settings, rarely if ever used.
Replace Ultra Low Latency Mode with a on/off checkbox.
Rationale: Too difficult filter to explain in a sensible way.
Implement automatic running simulator detection. Or simulator dropdown (i.e. manual selection)
Rationale: We can tune the ultra low latency mode setting automatically to match the running simulator’s known features. We can also move the bumbstops a bit outside the steering range automatically so that in-game calibration that requires maximum angle to be detected, can be detected successfully. This has caused numerous support issues to us.
Remove DirectInput fine tuning sliders.
Rationale: people do not read manual and set these at random values when they do not have any effect. With automatic game detection, we can set some sliders to their correct/sensible values based on game’s own expectations and optimized driving feel.
Just to add, that removing extra clutter and complex code, we can focus better on implementing features and new filters that makes the Drivers faster and improve the driving feel.
If “hard” gives me a setting, where I get a crash-into-wall like effect right and left of the set steering angle, I will be happy with it. I have the bumpstop setting at max.
Good point. You’d have to do the work then, instead of the user.
All the things I am actively using and fine tune will be gone.
Thanks GD for listening to your customers.
Any chance to keep these changes in simple mode only, I will literaly have no choice but stop updating softwate otherwise.
I find this very, very hard to believe, as the settings we are leaving untouched have 1000 times more effect on driving feel.
We get ~10 support contacts every week on how to set the settings, and when we extrapolate that to all our resellers, it is obvious that there is an issue of the device being hard to use if we do not try to improve on this.
Can you suggest maybe a better solution that helps development (more meaningful features faster) and user experience especially for first-time users?
I am fine with these points except for Ultra Low Latency Mode. Maybe its hard to explain the filter but its not that difficult to play a bit with the slider and see which effect it has.
Automatic sim detection would be a great way to have automatic torque on/off in or out of the sim doesn’t it?
Don’t care for torque bandwith or bumpstops, one time set and forget.
As a iRacing only driver i also don’t care for directInput filters but i guess there are others than me who likes to play with them.
We had conversation on TBW before, and yes I use it for tuning the hardness of feedback, for most titles prefer it at Unlimited to have as much details in the signal as possible and adjust smoothness via other means.
If you ask me, Unlimited must be locked default, but as other users have different way of achieving FFB nirvana I’d leave it where it is. It used to be one of the main mean to tune FFB hardness (digital feel) since Argon OSW days, leaving it out will be major downgrade for most seasoned users.
ULC, I use 5% for AC as it does not need oscillation control but small ULC removes some harshness and smoothes wheel kickback. For R3E I had to use full 20% as oscillation is unbearable otherwise
DirectInput effects, for AC damper is at 0 as there is a bug with some damper left in the signal after car starts moving, adding some noise. DR2 has some weird wheel pulsation, jerking if Friction and Damping are not set to 0.
Considering that everyone has own idea on how ideal FFB should feel, some like it dampened, some more detailed, what auto sim detection with enforced settings will be good for. Aggravation of the user?
As far as solution, you already have one. Simple mode, if you keep all these simplifications in that mode that should make everyone happy.
Software should be easy to use, that I agree, but it should not limit user options of fine tuning the final result. We have done it for much complex domains like tax preparation, when you can either click a few buttons and have “Taxes done for you” with automation and auto import, or dive into details of individual forms. But we have never taken any options out completely.
Sorry Mika, i don’t get your point on the device being too hard to use. I came from using Logitech wheels since 2006 where practically i have spent infinite hours trying to make these things to work (never actually got a decent feeling). So i consider myself as an absolute noob with DD wheels. When i got the SC2 pro, just with the suggested base profiles in 5 mins i was able to get an amazing feeling (first time in my life) and suddenly the wheel forces made sense. Now after owning this for over 5 months i keep improving the feeling by experimenting with each and every available setting. There is an experience curve to anything. Even if i had the perfect options from the beginning, i wouldn’t probably be in position to appreciate them anyway. I have seen that even by changing a slider by 1% it can make a huge difference. I dont mind about the bumpstops but i have seen serious differences with all the other points that you mentioned.
For those that cannot understand or are too bored to experiment (fair enough), they should stick to the simple mode, maybe you can enhance this more somehow. All i am trying to say is that i love this thing as it is and i would prefer these things not to change unless there is a serious reason or limitation from the programming/developing side.
Agree with the simple approach. When I started using TD I was baffled to understand and had always wished it was simple. An example would be Dbox vs Simtools
I believe Leo Bodnar previous king of the hill has always been simple.
But I got used to it and took me a while to stop fidgeting. I am not a pro driver to notice some of the difference and getting more seat time is better than just fidgeting with the settings. Seat time will make you faster not the constant software setting changes.
Also, I understand its difficult for folks to give up control and fine tuning once they are used to. but I think this anxiety will be temporary as we will all get used to the simple settings. better in the long run.
Having a simple only mode will severely handicap the market appeal of the SC2 vs the competition and I definitely won’t be upgrading my firmware if that became a reality.
I wouldn’t buy or want to own a high end wheelbase that only had narrow window template settings and limited adjustments.
Being able to have two identical units that can be made to feel as if they were made by two vastly different manufacturers is one of the biggest selling points for me.
I completely understand limiting settings that could cause harm to the servo if misused but that’s as far as I would want any changes to go.
Another complimentary option to Simple mode is a collection of “good” predefined profiles shipped with the software.
If provided profile works well for the user without any changes why would he need to go into settings or contact you on how to set things up?
With that in place I see little value in Dumbed-down mode unless there are missing profiles for some rare or old titles.
What I would like to see is a settings database where we could upload and download settings for different cars and games. This would help new DD owers alot. Even for me that suddenly want to try a new car or another game and just want to jump in and drive.
Usually I am not one to voice my opinion, but please don’t remove the DirectInput fine tuning sliders. I play a few games on a daily basis that use strictly canned effects and I would love to keep as much control over them as possible.
I have teammates who use Fanatec because they faithfully recognize that they are technological dumb and prefer a plug & play product rather than a quality product that is difficult to configure.
So my recommendation in this case would be to maintain what the current configuration would be in an advanced way as it is, but to make a simple configuration more striking, with an online profile import mode, where you do not want to utilice on An advanced profile, you can enjoy general or specific profiles for games or cars, leaving people who like to investigate and improve their experience, manipulating the advanced mode and exporting their profiles.
That way you will be happy to all customers and holders of Simucube products.
I recently purchased a Simucube 2 Sport. One of the reasons I chose the SC2 over the Fanatec DD was the amount of customization True Drive provides. While I understand your intent to make the software easier to use and more appealing to the masses, there are users like me who prefer having more customization options. It’s like iOS vs Android, the latter has its wide user base for the same reasons.
The way I interpret this, is that some features that are maybe complicated and/or rarely used (in the right manner) will be simplified or removed. But that doesn’t remove all the customization options, does it? So an improved and user friendlier plug & play ‘simple’ mode sounds great to me, with extra customizable ‘advanced’ settings for those of us that are looking for that.
Regarding torque bandwidth limit: It was useful when there was no reconstuction filter, and now that we have slew rate filter as well that can be use to soften the feel - complementing the reconstruction filter very well, the torque bandwidth limit has become redundant as the aforementioned new filters just do the job better.
If we choose to get stuck in the Argon mode forever, we will never be able to implement more useful new stuff due to code complexity, testing time and (in case of especially IONI) hardware performance.
