As many of you know, I love music and like to create playlists to go along with the things that I'm into. Some of my notable ones from the past are 'Carrie Rieger Mix' (for my friend's movie 'Brotherhood of Blood') and 'Left 4 Dead' (goes with the game of the same name and was published in OXM). After much thought and tweaking, I think I've got my latest mix nailed down. Like the title says, its for F1 in general, not just for my much beloved Xbox game F1 2011. It started with the song 'Champion' that's actually on the game's soundtrack, as well as a 3 Doors Down song that to me fits the sport perfectly, and it grew from there.
The playlist IS meant to be listened to in order, but works just as well on shuffle. The vibe is supposed to shift from pre-race/first race of season, to racing action, to the struggle for victory, to becoming champion at the end as you listen through while portraying the epic fun, excitement, and drama that is F1. As I list the tracks below, I'll talk a little bit about why each was chosen for the list.
1. 'Stadium Parking Lot' by Apollo 440 - Picture the cars parked on the grid, with all the fans and VIPs and media circulating. The building excitement as lights out looms before the race. I thought the fun and bombast of this song worked perfectly for pre-race. "There's a party in the stadium parking lot" as everyone gathers for the big race.
2. 'Back in the Saddle' by Aerosmith - "I'm baaaaaaaack/I'm baaack in the saddle again"...Could there be a more perfect badass song for the first race of a new season?
3. 'Line Up' by Aerosmith - The title alone on this one hints at why it was selected. Kick the tires, light the fires, hit the grid and 'line up' for lights out. "If you think that you're strong/wanna fight well come on/and line up".
4. 'Stop the Rock' by Apollo 440 - There's a reason why this one has appeared on the soundtrack for 'Gone in 60 Seconds' and Gran Turismo 2. Great fun tune for driving action
5. 'The Champion In Me' by 3 Doors Down - There isn't a song out there that could have better lyrics for F1 than this one. It embodies the climb from rookie to champ as well as the struggle to cross the line in P1. Not to mention it ROCKS. Essential track.
6. 'Cold Rock the Mic' by Apollo 440 - the last of 3 tracks from this artist, another good one for racing action. Also appeared in the Gran Turismo games.
7. 'The Distance' by Cake - If you are even remotely familiar with this song, you know it has to be part of this playlist. The rhythm, the zone, going the distance. Besides, the groove and opening verses are unbeatable: "Reluctantly crouched at the starting line/engines pumping and thumping in time/the green light flashes/the flags go up/churning and burning they yearn for the cup/they deftly maneuver and muscle for rank/fuel burning fast on an empty tank/reckless and wild they pour through the turns/their prowess is potent and secretly stern..."
8. 'Bulls on Parade' by Rage Against the Machine - The Red Bull theme. 'Nuff said.
9. 'Make Some Noise (Put 'Em Up)' by The Crystal Method - Cuz a TCM track is always good to go with intense racing. Strictly speaking, this one is about duking it out with one's fists, but it still fits perfectly with an intense wheel-to-wheel duel.
10. 'You've Got Another Thing Comin' by Judas Priest - All about the will to win. These lyrics say it all: "Ooh so hot/no time to take a rest/hang tough ain't room for second best/...out there is a fortune waiting to be had/you think I'll let it go you're mad/you've got another thing comin..."
11. 'I Won't Lie Down'(Remix) by Face to Face - Epic hard driving electronica remix of a great song, perfect for the epic final push to the finish, the refusal to lie down and accept defeat, no matter the odds or the cost. "I'm not afraid of the price I pay/I won't lie down as you walk away..."
12. 'Champion' by Clement Marfo & The Frontline - The victory anthem. "I'm feelin 10 feet tall/unstoppable/I'm the champion/...why you comin back for more?/I'm undefeatable/I'm the champion.."
13. 'Good Time' by Leroy - I always remember this as being the feel good song in 'Driven' after the day had been won. Even though the actual lyrics don't match up much the vibe is spot on. This is the anthem for parc ferme, raining confetti, and the taste of champagne. Are you having a good time? HELL YEAH.
Hope you all enjoy the playlist!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
F1 2011 - Season 2 Canadian GP
YES, BABY! YES! That's how you win the Canadian GP woooo! lol.
Ah what a race...This one was special I think because it wasn't luck or perhaps an overpowered edge from some setup that I looked up online. I actually spent quite a bit of time preparing for this race in Montreal, doing all of my own setup work ahead of the actual race weekend. No engineer presets. No looking anything up. 100% mine.
It started with an afternoon early last week, spent reading some great articles covering the fundamentals of, and the correct procedure for, setting up a car for a track. I really wanted to learn to do setup myself. Looking up other peoples setups can bring mixed results and honestly, its too much like pressing the easy button, ya know? Fine if ya trounce the computer with your own work, but otherwise its too much like plain old cheating for my taste. I distilled all the info down into an easy to follow procedural guide, and the next evening I went to work in the 'simulator' (aka Time Trial mode) and started trying to figure out the setup for my Torro Rosso. It seemed that my guide had worked like a charm, but of course adjustments always have to be made after setup in TT, mainly because in TT the car runs with no ballast, essentially without the weight of any fuel.
Next step was to do some 30% GPs (short weekends) driving as Sebastian Buemi to see how his Torro Rosso behaved with my setup applied. That would allow me to iron out most of the problems. It also gave me a good idea of the tire strategy that I might have to employ due to the nature of the track. The setup definitely needed some adjustment for lapping under fuel load to account for maneuvering with the extra weight in the car. All that ended up needing to be done was a small tweak to the rear wing, and I was pretty sure that I had it. Of course that wasn't the end, because in GP mode the car is Buemi's 2011 Torro Rosso, unaffected by the changing tiers and R&D that goes on in career mode. But it was the end of my simulator work.
I took a break from gaming for the Christmas holiday, and then today, it was back to racing. I opened up the race report and got some news that wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for. While practice would be dry, qualifying would have heavy rain, and there was a 53% chance of rain on race day. Not unexpected, but dry would have been best, as that is the condition I developed my setup in, and I had not yet had any experience adjusting a track setup for wet conditions. Worst of all, I would have to try to make some of the changes while it was still dry, with no real way to know how it was going to perform until qualifying was under way. Yikes. I finished first in practice, so at least I was on to something in comparison to how the other teams were setting up for the conditions.
Fast forward to qualifying. Heavy rain, with running restricted to full wet tires. I don't want to set up for heavy rain as only light rain is forcast for race day, and I'm also thinking that it won't be wet for the entire race. That's my gamble...set up to qualify well, but still perform when things are dried out. The best I get out of my car is P4, which all things considered is not bad. 2nd row on the grid is more than good enough, and I've got the car handling the way I need it to in the wet without making too much sacrifice for dry conditions. I also know that setup alone will not win the day. Montreal is a track that, in my experience, is dictated by pit strategy more than all out speed. Armed with what I learned about pitting from my race sims, I moved ahead to race day.
Its raining for the start of the race, and intermediates have been selected for the start. This is good in relation to my setup. If conditions stay wet I have just 2 stops to make, which I will have to time right, on target or otherwise, to catch people in the pits, since simulator experience says I will not be fast enough to get the delta on the guy behind. I also MUST avoid pitting at the same time as the competition, since I am at a disadvantage with my garage at the far end of the pit lane. I get an excellent start, easily taking the lead going into turn 1. I have a second, then almost 2, over Button in 2nd for the entire first stint. Its still raining when I have my first stop, which I take a lap early based on feedback. I also know that the rain is going to stop in 10-15min. I'm able to overtake everyone when they pit over the next few laps, and I'm back in the lead, lapping well on my 2nd set of inters, decently out in front of Button and Massa, my only real challengers. Things are drying out, and I hear the call as I come down the front straight that Button has pitted for options. I've got one eye on the gap I have over him, and its rapidly shrinking. I lose almost 3 seconds of my lead just in sector 2. SHIT. Obviously I have to pit IMMEDIATELY whether I think I'm ready or not, because when I look at the race director info, the 4 cars behind me all have options. I need to get some faster shoes on ASAP! lol. Coming down the back straight I look at the lap counter and realize that I could gamble and put on primes...I know from my testing that I am very fast on them. I COULD be fast enough to keep anyone in front of me on options from getting the pit delta, and leap frog them while they pit during my longer stint. If it could have just stayed wet, the outcome of the race was almost certain for me barring a badly timed stop. Now, its fly by the seat of my pants time, and pray that it works against whatever strategy the other teams are running. I drive straight into pit lane, ask for primes, and fly back out. I come out JUST in front of Button, but he's consistently RIGHT on my gearbox. He's fast on those options, and I think his team must have gambled on setting him up dryer than me. I'm holding him off but I make a mistake that lets him get a DRS overtake on me down the back straight, and I can't make it up at the chicane, or at turn one. After that Button is just too fast and I can't catch him. Its not long before he's about 10 sec out in front of me, but I'm able to stop the bleeding there. Soon, Button's options are done, and I pass him while he is in the pits. My plan has worked. I'm in the lead again, but...I'm going to have to make one last stop, for primes to take me to the end. I decide to check the race director info again, because surely all those people that had fitted options, including Button, will now pick primes and run to the end of the race, right? Wrong. It seems that I'm getting a belated Christmas gift in the form of everyone that is even a REMOTE threat, once again including Button, is choosing to take another set of options. I should be able to fit my primes and be able to pass them when their options give out, which is guaranteed to be a number of laps before the end of the race. I push hard during this lap, knowing that I can pit immediately to get my primes and easily make it to the end. I come into the pits for the last time, ask for primes. I also need a front wing change from some wall contact when I was duking it out with Button the first lap after coming out of my last stop which costs me a couple seconds. I only drop down to P4, with Massa in P3 just in front of me. I get the overtake on him pretty quickly, but Button in the lead is pretty far out there. He does NOT however, get the pit delta. I catch another guy in the pits. I'm P2. I know Button will have to pit. I'm pushing as hard as I can. Button still does not have the delta. Finally...he pits. I pass him. But he comes out of the pit lane just a second or two behind, and he's still faster than me. 5 or 6 laps to go, and I'm fighting him off of my gearbox all the way down the back straight, through the chicane, and down the front straight, just barely holding him off. I'm still faster in sector 2 but there's nothing in it now. If he gets in front of me its over. But he doesn't. Last lap, I cross start/finish with him almost literally up my tailpipe, having saved just enough KERS to keep him behind me. WOOOO HOOOO! WHAT A RACE!!! P1!!! I WIN!!!
It was an incredible feeling, getting that win all on my own merit, all with my own setup work. My tire strategy couldn't have been more perfect. I made 3 stops...the rest of the field made 4-5. That is most certainly where I won it, and the edge from my setup is what allowed that strategy to work. I was only .6 or so of a sec slower than the fastest lap of the race, which was set on options. I love races like this where you have to figure it out on the fly, and you really don't know what's going to happen until you cross the line on that last lap. All I know is, all the hard work paid off, and it was EPIC.
I have now won two of my personal triple crown of races, which is the back to back series of Monte Carlo, Montreal, and Valencia. Can I win at Valencia and take the crown? I certainly will be putting in the same amount of work that I did this time. We'll just have to wait and see...
Ah what a race...This one was special I think because it wasn't luck or perhaps an overpowered edge from some setup that I looked up online. I actually spent quite a bit of time preparing for this race in Montreal, doing all of my own setup work ahead of the actual race weekend. No engineer presets. No looking anything up. 100% mine.
It started with an afternoon early last week, spent reading some great articles covering the fundamentals of, and the correct procedure for, setting up a car for a track. I really wanted to learn to do setup myself. Looking up other peoples setups can bring mixed results and honestly, its too much like pressing the easy button, ya know? Fine if ya trounce the computer with your own work, but otherwise its too much like plain old cheating for my taste. I distilled all the info down into an easy to follow procedural guide, and the next evening I went to work in the 'simulator' (aka Time Trial mode) and started trying to figure out the setup for my Torro Rosso. It seemed that my guide had worked like a charm, but of course adjustments always have to be made after setup in TT, mainly because in TT the car runs with no ballast, essentially without the weight of any fuel.
Next step was to do some 30% GPs (short weekends) driving as Sebastian Buemi to see how his Torro Rosso behaved with my setup applied. That would allow me to iron out most of the problems. It also gave me a good idea of the tire strategy that I might have to employ due to the nature of the track. The setup definitely needed some adjustment for lapping under fuel load to account for maneuvering with the extra weight in the car. All that ended up needing to be done was a small tweak to the rear wing, and I was pretty sure that I had it. Of course that wasn't the end, because in GP mode the car is Buemi's 2011 Torro Rosso, unaffected by the changing tiers and R&D that goes on in career mode. But it was the end of my simulator work.
I took a break from gaming for the Christmas holiday, and then today, it was back to racing. I opened up the race report and got some news that wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for. While practice would be dry, qualifying would have heavy rain, and there was a 53% chance of rain on race day. Not unexpected, but dry would have been best, as that is the condition I developed my setup in, and I had not yet had any experience adjusting a track setup for wet conditions. Worst of all, I would have to try to make some of the changes while it was still dry, with no real way to know how it was going to perform until qualifying was under way. Yikes. I finished first in practice, so at least I was on to something in comparison to how the other teams were setting up for the conditions.
Fast forward to qualifying. Heavy rain, with running restricted to full wet tires. I don't want to set up for heavy rain as only light rain is forcast for race day, and I'm also thinking that it won't be wet for the entire race. That's my gamble...set up to qualify well, but still perform when things are dried out. The best I get out of my car is P4, which all things considered is not bad. 2nd row on the grid is more than good enough, and I've got the car handling the way I need it to in the wet without making too much sacrifice for dry conditions. I also know that setup alone will not win the day. Montreal is a track that, in my experience, is dictated by pit strategy more than all out speed. Armed with what I learned about pitting from my race sims, I moved ahead to race day.
Its raining for the start of the race, and intermediates have been selected for the start. This is good in relation to my setup. If conditions stay wet I have just 2 stops to make, which I will have to time right, on target or otherwise, to catch people in the pits, since simulator experience says I will not be fast enough to get the delta on the guy behind. I also MUST avoid pitting at the same time as the competition, since I am at a disadvantage with my garage at the far end of the pit lane. I get an excellent start, easily taking the lead going into turn 1. I have a second, then almost 2, over Button in 2nd for the entire first stint. Its still raining when I have my first stop, which I take a lap early based on feedback. I also know that the rain is going to stop in 10-15min. I'm able to overtake everyone when they pit over the next few laps, and I'm back in the lead, lapping well on my 2nd set of inters, decently out in front of Button and Massa, my only real challengers. Things are drying out, and I hear the call as I come down the front straight that Button has pitted for options. I've got one eye on the gap I have over him, and its rapidly shrinking. I lose almost 3 seconds of my lead just in sector 2. SHIT. Obviously I have to pit IMMEDIATELY whether I think I'm ready or not, because when I look at the race director info, the 4 cars behind me all have options. I need to get some faster shoes on ASAP! lol. Coming down the back straight I look at the lap counter and realize that I could gamble and put on primes...I know from my testing that I am very fast on them. I COULD be fast enough to keep anyone in front of me on options from getting the pit delta, and leap frog them while they pit during my longer stint. If it could have just stayed wet, the outcome of the race was almost certain for me barring a badly timed stop. Now, its fly by the seat of my pants time, and pray that it works against whatever strategy the other teams are running. I drive straight into pit lane, ask for primes, and fly back out. I come out JUST in front of Button, but he's consistently RIGHT on my gearbox. He's fast on those options, and I think his team must have gambled on setting him up dryer than me. I'm holding him off but I make a mistake that lets him get a DRS overtake on me down the back straight, and I can't make it up at the chicane, or at turn one. After that Button is just too fast and I can't catch him. Its not long before he's about 10 sec out in front of me, but I'm able to stop the bleeding there. Soon, Button's options are done, and I pass him while he is in the pits. My plan has worked. I'm in the lead again, but...I'm going to have to make one last stop, for primes to take me to the end. I decide to check the race director info again, because surely all those people that had fitted options, including Button, will now pick primes and run to the end of the race, right? Wrong. It seems that I'm getting a belated Christmas gift in the form of everyone that is even a REMOTE threat, once again including Button, is choosing to take another set of options. I should be able to fit my primes and be able to pass them when their options give out, which is guaranteed to be a number of laps before the end of the race. I push hard during this lap, knowing that I can pit immediately to get my primes and easily make it to the end. I come into the pits for the last time, ask for primes. I also need a front wing change from some wall contact when I was duking it out with Button the first lap after coming out of my last stop which costs me a couple seconds. I only drop down to P4, with Massa in P3 just in front of me. I get the overtake on him pretty quickly, but Button in the lead is pretty far out there. He does NOT however, get the pit delta. I catch another guy in the pits. I'm P2. I know Button will have to pit. I'm pushing as hard as I can. Button still does not have the delta. Finally...he pits. I pass him. But he comes out of the pit lane just a second or two behind, and he's still faster than me. 5 or 6 laps to go, and I'm fighting him off of my gearbox all the way down the back straight, through the chicane, and down the front straight, just barely holding him off. I'm still faster in sector 2 but there's nothing in it now. If he gets in front of me its over. But he doesn't. Last lap, I cross start/finish with him almost literally up my tailpipe, having saved just enough KERS to keep him behind me. WOOOO HOOOO! WHAT A RACE!!! P1!!! I WIN!!!
It was an incredible feeling, getting that win all on my own merit, all with my own setup work. My tire strategy couldn't have been more perfect. I made 3 stops...the rest of the field made 4-5. That is most certainly where I won it, and the edge from my setup is what allowed that strategy to work. I was only .6 or so of a sec slower than the fastest lap of the race, which was set on options. I love races like this where you have to figure it out on the fly, and you really don't know what's going to happen until you cross the line on that last lap. All I know is, all the hard work paid off, and it was EPIC.
I have now won two of my personal triple crown of races, which is the back to back series of Monte Carlo, Montreal, and Valencia. Can I win at Valencia and take the crown? I certainly will be putting in the same amount of work that I did this time. We'll just have to wait and see...
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Thank You, Santa!
Xmas loot! A couple of very nice argyle sweaters (I looooove argyle!), knit SJ Sharks old time hockey tuque, and Microsoft Wireless Wheel for my Xbox. And a diecast Red Bull RB7!!! The hoodie and black beanie both have headphones built in! Totally awesome! Also got an awesome "stocking stuffer" in the form of F1 2011 for iPhone! F1 on the go yay!!!
Award for awesome gift this year has to go to the wheel, since it makes playing F1 2011 about a million times better. A VERY close second would have to be my die-cast 1:32 scale Sebastian Vettel Red Bull RB7, which unfortunately didn't make it in time for Xmas morning. I was pretty pissed there wasn't a Mark Webber one though, especially since they made Lewis AND Jenson for the McLaren cars...hmph. Will make an update when the car arrives...
Hope everyone had a great Xmas! Ho-ho-ho! lol
PS: I didn't intend this post to be in bad taste, a 'look what I got' post. I just really liked my few gifts and wanted to share them with you all.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
F1 2011 Wireless Speed Wheel Test
All I can say is ohhh myyy lol. Oh glorious smooth handling! Oh precise control! I don't know about other games, but this wheel is the absolute minimum you should have for playing F1 2011. While I would LOVE to have a full wheel & pedals rig, I have three major hurdles, the largest of which has nothing to do with cost or space, but ends up compounding both of those things.
See, I have this ergonomic issue that even affects me when I drive a real car, where the angle of my legs in conjunction with holding my feet up to operate the pedals causes debilitating pain in the ligaments on the inside of my knees. Seriously. It's minimal when driving for real, but still there. Now when I use my PS2 wheel rig while sitting in either my AK Rocker racing chair or my other regular chair, it hurts so much by the time I'm done I can't even stand up and it takes a REALLY long time to go away. So, basically, I don't use my wheel rig much. A full racing chair frame rig would put me in an ergo position that alleviates it, but I haven't the money let alone the space for such a thing, nor do I have the money for the full wheel & pedals rig anyway. But we all know playing racing games with a gamepad is bullshit and seriously hampers performance. I got pretty good at it in F1 2011 but its impossible to use without full TCS because the travel on the accelerator trigger is so short that its somewhat like an on/off toggle. Also, I couldn't do things like take 130R at Suzuka flat out because steering with the stick just isn't precise or responsive enough. Weaving my way through long sweeping turns due to lack of precision sucks, and it also cost you time.
As you can imagine then, I was very intrigued and cautiously hopeful when the Wireless Speed Wheel for Xbox 360 was announced. I read a lot of good things in the reviews that came out afterwards, and I decided that I really would like to have it for playing F1 2011, so I've spent a lot of time making it known that I wanted it under the Xmas tree! Completely unexpected, I got an early Xmas gift from a friend, a GameStop giftcard. Jackpot. I decided to go ahead and get it early since I didn't want to deal with the possibility of it being out of stock as we approach the holiday. Xmas rush and all that.
I brought my new Wireless Speed Wheel home last night, and immediately dived into testing it. I want to be clear and reiterate what others have said when reviewing it, which is that the term 'wheel' is somewhat of a misnomer. It is not a stand in for the wheel experience per se. It is a controller with precision tilt control that mimics the mechanics of a wheel. You 'turn' (really tilt) the controller to steer, with gas and accelerator on the respective triggers. That said...WHAT AN IMMEDIATE DIFFERENCE!!! It threw me just a tad at first just because there is no resistance when turning like you would have from a true wheel. Its just floating there. But I adapted to that within one lap. I made a small tweak to the dead zone and it was instantly exactly perfect 1:1 turning. No lag at all. What kind of difference are we really talking about here? For one, I found I could now take the infamous 130R turn flat out, when it was impossible with the gamepad. No joke. The S-curves were MUCH easier too, more fluid and devoid of the weaving and overshooting I got as a result of both imprecise steering and not enough throttle control on the gamepad. Speaking of throttle...it is important to note that the triggers on this controller are MUCH better. They are sprung a bit less stiffly so your hands don't get tired from pulling/holding them during long races, and more importantly, they have longer travel, so you get much more precise control over the application of both throttle and brake. I'd call it the same amount of control that I can get out of the pedals on my Logitech wheel which is pretty impressive for controller triggers. Besides the handling difference that I saw in terms of just steering and getting on the throttle, one of the biggest signs that I had far superior control was in the rate of my tire wear when using this controller. Being able to get on the throttle correctly, without the over application I was getting with the gamepad, and being able to steer smoothly, made it so that I was easily able to reach the end of my stints, and even go several laps over if I desired, when it was sometimes difficult to even get comfortably to the end of a stint before. Less getting in the gravel and wheel spin makes for happy tires after all. Always a good thing! The wheel also has rumble feedback, albeit a bit weaker than a gamepad or FFB wheel (maybe due to position/size of motor, perhaps in the interests of saving weight), so I can still feel the curbs, gravel, impact with other drivers, etc.
I had everything dialed in, but it seemed that after doing a few Grand Prix race tests, that I was a tad slow, as much as a second from where I should be, which struck me as very odd since I was able to maneuver much more smoothly. Shouldn't I be faster now? I thought perhaps it might just be my usual trouble with being sufficiently fast at Suzuka (in spite of now being able to take 130R flat out) rearing its ugly head. So I decided to hit up Yas Marina as my next testing ground. That is one of my best tracks and I had good baselines from doing time trial and GPs there previously and fairly recently. Though I won my test 50% GP against pro AI by almost 8sec BETTER than my last GP there with the same distance and AI settings, the fast lap and overall lap times still showed that disturbing time deficiency. I went back and looked at the video replay, and I finally saw the problem. I think it is what definitely cost me against the pro AI at Suzuka. I was slow on the jump out of corners. Yeah I was putting the trigger down, but the response was sluggish somewhat so I wasn't getting up to speed the way I needed to. Ah ha. Adjust the throttle saturation in the advanced wheel settings. First thing this morning (didn't have time to finish last night, much to my annoyance) I got up and went back to Yas Marina in time trial mode to see if I could fix the application of the throttle. Upping the saturation increases sensitivity and response. Easy fix. At 50% saturation it still seemed sluggish. Hm. So I tried 95% and...AH HA! That was it! Getting out plenty fast with plenty of power, but not with the 'toggle' effect of the gamepad, thanks to the amount of trigger travel. I was getting away quick like before, sans wheel spin, and reaching 210mph by the end of the main straight when I had DRS open and dumped all KERS after coming out of the hairpin, just like when I was using the gamepad. Before the adjustment I was just getting to 200mph, proof that I wasn't coming up to speed quite fast enough. I also took a 10th of a sec off my best TT time, a 1:37.050 that I had set doing a 'miracle lap' with the gamepad. Improved to 1:36.917!!! Proof that the throttle was now right, and the improved control really IS making a big difference.
The Wireless Speed Wheel RULES, and its a fantastic, affordable compromise for a FFB wheel rig. It won't give everyone the immersion of a rig, but it does give you far greater control of your racing game. Its so superior to a gamepad that its not even funny. I can only speak for F1 2011, but I hear good things about other games like Forza as well. The wireless speed wheel DOES LACK LB AND RB BUTTONS, which makes for some small problems, like fast forwarding time in practice and qualifying. You CAN switch controllers tho, and then switch back. Note that sometimes you have to re-set your custom wheel settings when you do this but its a little thing, perhaps a bit of a hassle if you're doing a long race weekend. I don't think its a deal breaker though, really, considering the benefits vs the gamepad. Just keep your wheel settings written down somewhere handy. Me personally, I'm putting them on a post-it inside my F1 2011 case lol.
Speaking of settings, here's what I finally settled on to suit my style and what felt right to me. I left everything default except the following:
Steering Dead Zone 1%
Throttle Saturation 95%
Changed KERS to X button
Changed Status to B button
It should be noted that I am using an automatic gearbox at this time. If and when I start shifting manually I was thinking of changing the buttons to this:
Shift up - X button
Shift down - A button
Status - B button
DRS - Y button
KERS - D-pad up
One last thing I almost forgot... Some reviews mention that your arms might get tired from holding the wheel up with no support, but I did not find this to be a problem at all. The angle I sit at in my AK chair allows me to easily rest my forearms when not doing turn maneuvers. I think you can find a way to do this no matter what you are sitting in/on. Besides the wheel itself is pretty light. I found that my gamepad controller hurt my hands/arms a LOT more. Ergonomically the design of this wheel is pretty brilliant. When you are holding the throttle all the way down it just feels like a natural, easy grip on the 'pipe'. I found that fatigue over 50% or higher distance was massively reduced, in spite of the whole having to hold it up because its not anchored thing.
I hope all of you that read this find it to be informative and helpful in deciding if the Wireless Speed Wheel is right for you. I'm sure that all of us would like to have the expensive FFB wheel rig, but this controller really is a fantastic compromise, a fantastic value for what you get out of it, and as such, a GREAT decision on Microsoft's part. It has made F1 2011 so much better for me. Thank you Microsoft for this peripheral! Well done! (but it should have had LB/RB buttons...just sayin...)
UPDATE:
As it turns out, when I went out to do R&D work during Suzuka practice, I discovered that I needed to dial the throttle saturation down to 70%. Needed to have just a bit more of a mellow spot for easing out of turns. It's perfect now hehe. :)
Thursday, December 1, 2011
F1 2011 - To McLaren or Not to McLaren?
Here's the deal. In my F1 2011 career, the contract offers for next year have started coming in. The first 2 came after Spa. Lotus and Force India respectively. I was heavily considering Force India. Now after a big win at Monza, I've got three more, including an offer from one of the "big three". Torro Rosso, Williams...and McLaren. Seems my beating their boy Hamilton to a bloody pulp (I picked him as my rival) has gotten their attention!
There it's is. Right in front of me. My ultimate goal to race for one of the top teams. My rookie season hasn't even ended, and my big break has come. You would think there would be no question right? If only...
Do I go to McLaren, which gives me a BIG chance of scoring a Red Bull contract...or do I go to Torro Rosso (Red Bull junior team)? This is my big quandry. I'm sure my F1 friends are reading this right now and thinking its a no-brainier. Go with McLaren. Straight to the top. But...that kinda takes away the fun of working my way up through the teams doesn't it? I was kinda looking forward to a season or two with a middle team, you know. The way I always pictured it was to go to Torro Rosso next anyway. And maybe, just maybe that's a better path to Red Bull than one of the big three would be. I have this chance to go to McLaren...but I kinda want to go to Torro Rosso first. And I will have a true lower team experience there because I'm turning my career difficulty up to Pro AI after this first season. I would hate to miss that experience and go straight to just win win win. Sounds crazy, I know. I think I'd still be in this quandry if an offer was on the table from Red Bull! It just seems too EASY to go straight to the top after only one season.
The other thing hanging me up? Well...As a loyal Red Bull fan, the idea of driving for McLaren leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Just sayin'.
I guess at the end of it all, the chance at McLaren is moot since I wouldn't have the opportunity if I'd started on the higher difficulty. I just wanted to learn the ropes and guarantee some achievements early on, ya know? Call me crazy, but I think it's gonna be Torro Rosso. Go to "Red Bull Jr." and work my way up. I pretty much have to chose before the next race. Tough call, but I think Torro Rosso next, and the AI that matches my skill, will make for a more enjoyable career. :)
There it's is. Right in front of me. My ultimate goal to race for one of the top teams. My rookie season hasn't even ended, and my big break has come. You would think there would be no question right? If only...
Do I go to McLaren, which gives me a BIG chance of scoring a Red Bull contract...or do I go to Torro Rosso (Red Bull junior team)? This is my big quandry. I'm sure my F1 friends are reading this right now and thinking its a no-brainier. Go with McLaren. Straight to the top. But...that kinda takes away the fun of working my way up through the teams doesn't it? I was kinda looking forward to a season or two with a middle team, you know. The way I always pictured it was to go to Torro Rosso next anyway. And maybe, just maybe that's a better path to Red Bull than one of the big three would be. I have this chance to go to McLaren...but I kinda want to go to Torro Rosso first. And I will have a true lower team experience there because I'm turning my career difficulty up to Pro AI after this first season. I would hate to miss that experience and go straight to just win win win. Sounds crazy, I know. I think I'd still be in this quandry if an offer was on the table from Red Bull! It just seems too EASY to go straight to the top after only one season.
The other thing hanging me up? Well...As a loyal Red Bull fan, the idea of driving for McLaren leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Just sayin'.
I guess at the end of it all, the chance at McLaren is moot since I wouldn't have the opportunity if I'd started on the higher difficulty. I just wanted to learn the ropes and guarantee some achievements early on, ya know? Call me crazy, but I think it's gonna be Torro Rosso. Go to "Red Bull Jr." and work my way up. I pretty much have to chose before the next race. Tough call, but I think Torro Rosso next, and the AI that matches my skill, will make for a more enjoyable career. :)
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