Project Cars

[pk500]

Phew! That's great news. Thanks, Terry.

[dbdynsty25]

Phew! That's great news. Thanks, Terry.

Except he's playing it on the PC, where those options are available. Who knows if it will be there for the XB1/PS4 versions. Lots more tweaking you can do on a PC.

[GB_Simo]

Wait for it, PK. This from someone who isn't me, posting on Eurogamer's forum thread on PCARS:

"No matter what I tweak, the pad controls, on XB1 at least, are actively making me hate this game. I might as well be playing with the d-pad for all the control they're giving me.

"It's weird as I've been getting on fine with the 360 pad on PC, but this is horrible. Most of the time any movement of the stick beying a mm either way sends you lurching into a corner, then at other times it's seems to artificially limit how far you can turn the wheel making you understeer massively.

"It all just feel really loose and not at all like I'm driving a car. Lame."

I have no idea how it handles on PC - I'm probably going to find out soon enough, mind - but while Don's settings are better than default by a distance on XB1 (you can do exactly the same tweaking on all platforms where controls are concerned), there are still things that aren't right. Tl;dr version: I still think the controls are broken. A sample:

- Before F1 2012 was patched, there was an issue where at certain corners, pad users had an understeer that no setup or driving tweaks could cure. If you were a millimetre off on your corner entry, you'd be yards off course by the exit. Project Cars on XB1 has corners like that.

- I ran a sort of classic touring car race at Brno earlier - old DTM Mercs, M3s and Sierra RS500s, proper racing cars. With Don's settings, having started in a gentleman's last place, I was sideways into the first turn in a slow, lazy slide that I could hold with throttle and steering and it was sublime. Half a lap later, that terminal understeer mentioned above. There's not always a consistency in behaviour from corner to corner in the same car, which makes it difficult to commit.

- If you hit a kerb hard enough (think the "sausage kerbs" that you get in the inside of some chicanes), the steering locks in whichever direction you were turning at that moment. The last chicane at Donington National, for instance, is a right-left, so it stands to reason in my mind that at some point, I'm going to want to turn left. If I wallop the inside kerb on the right hander with any kind of lock applied, the car just keeps going right until either I brake to a stop or waggle the stick until the game listens to me. It's not specific to that track or that corner either - I can recreate it on any high kerb. I've had a quick look at the public PCARS forums and it looks like an issue being seen by other players too.

- This one is really odd. I ran some more laps at Spa in the LMP1 Audi earlier. The quick stuff is still harum-scarum but more manageable with the settings Don posted. The slow stuff...Spa has two medium speed right-left chicanes, Les Combes and Fagnes. If I'm just turning right, the direction change from straight ahead to right is instant, as it should be. Same if I go from q straight line to turning left. If, however, I want to go from turning right to turning left, the direction change is so slow that I have to anticipate when I'll want to turn left and make the input in advance of when I want to turn. The in-game steering wheel in the cockpit view shows the same - before turning left, the wheel goes relatively slowly from right lock to centred, so I'm still turning right even after I've asked the game not to.


And then you race some LMP2 cars at Le Mans, you're slipstreaming down Mulsanne, the sun's going down, you're watching your temperature gauges after a whack at the start but everything seems fine, so you're going to have this fella in front of you when you get to Mulsanne corner, or maybe you'll surprise him going into Indianapolis instead. Then, it's heaven...

[TCrouch]

Phew! That's great news. Thanks, Terry.

Except he's playing it on the PC, where those options are available. Who knows if it will be there for the XB1/PS4 versions. Lots more tweaking you can do on a PC.

It's the same exact settings on PS4 and XB1.

[XXXIV]

Phew! That's great news. Thanks, Terry.

Except he's playing it on the PC, where those options are available. Who knows if it will be there for the XB1/PS4 versions. Lots more tweaking you can do on a PC.

It's the same exact settings on PS4 and XB1.

SWEET!

[dbdynsty25]

Holy crap, what an improvement. This game is SO good from a driving standpoint. Probably one of my favorite driving models ever. The feel and the weight of the cars is incredible.

[GB_Simo]

Ongoing thread regarding controller issues on XB1 - the issue with quick direction change I mentioned earlier, and with cars continuing to steer in one direction even when you've asked them not to, is already flagged as a known issue being worked on by the devs. Good to see they're already on it, concerning that it's present in the retail version even after months of delays:

http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showth ... -Solutions

Might be worth keeping an eye on. The corresponding thread for PS4 users is much shorter, but the few posts in it suggest that the same known issue is present there to some degree.

I've found the PC version for a price I can live with so I'll try to post a direct comparison later.

[vader29]

I may have to let you guys beta test the Xbox version and then maybe pick it up on sale later down the road.

[F308GTB]

I've found the PC version for a price I can live with so I'll try to post a direct comparison later.

Digital download? What's the price/link?

[vader29]

8.9 from IGN http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/06/ ... ars-review

[GB_Simo]

I've found the PC version for a price I can live with so I'll try to post a direct comparison later.

Digital download? What's the price/link?

Yes: https://www.instant-gaming.com/en/456-b ... l-edition/

I can't see a link to convert it into dollars but it's the best deal I could find this morning. Not a company I've ever used before but it seemed ok - the key was delivered instantly and the payment triggered the right authentications from my bank.

[pk500]

I'm confident either the settings in the YouTube video or a patch from Simply Mad will fix the XB1 controller issues. Simply Mad is a PC developer, so it's used to patching.

Maybe I'm naive, a petrol-addled, blind optimist. Hope not.

[TCrouch]

I know that the only difference between PC and console is that the sliders are in 5-position increments on console. So you can get 10 or 15, but not 13.

And the OS reviewer that I had test it out on PS4 was able to easily dial in the controller settings and race very well with a gamepad, so I know it's not a PC-only thing.

I haven't personally tried it on console, but considering they were very specific to allow a lot of settings be adjusted on console (even graphical effects, motion blur, and things that aren't normally done outside of PC), I can't imagine it being unplayable with some tweaks.

The problem is, much like Shift 2, that you can spend so much time tweaking it can drive you nuts. And it may feel great with one car and like sh*t with another. That's the danger, but in the different car types I tested on PC, I was in good shape with those settings.

[GB_Simo]

Got the PC version downloaded. Pad controls are far less twitchy on PC than XB1. I've got so much more confidence that in Ginettas at Donington and the Audi LMP1 at Spa, my first flying lap on PC was a second quicker than anything I've done on XB1 after two days of practice. On both systems, I'm using the settings from the YouTube video Don posted. I was using them when I wrote that list of XB1 issues last night too.

Here's the difference illustrated in one example. I arrived at Eau Rouge in the Audi on the PC version, made the same tiny steering input I'd use to get somewhere near the apex on XB1 and didn't even make the corner - I ended up using the run-off on the outside to almost straight line it. That's how big the difference is with exactly the same in-game settings in use. The feel when playing on PC is everything Terry and Scott's impressions say it is and if the XB1 version can be made to feel the same, we're all going to be very happy with it, but I'm miles away from making it feel that way at present.

The OS reviewer's thoughts on the PS4 controls mirror the impressions I've read elsewhere, so I can't see any reason why it shouldn't be possible on XB1 either. I'm still trying - I'm currently trying a new install, just in case the day one patch didn't apply correctly or something like that.

[Naples39]

I've found the PC version for a price I can live with so I'll try to post a direct comparison later.

Digital download? What's the price/link?

Yes: https://www.instant-gaming.com/en/456-b ... l-edition/

I can't see a link to convert it into dollars but it's the best deal I could find this morning. Not a company I've ever used before but it seemed ok - the key was delivered instantly and the payment triggered the right authentications from my bank.

Thanks for the link. I just bought it from there at $36 (down from $50 on normal Steam store), and activated it in Steam no sweat.

[cfiore]

And the OS reviewer that I had test it out on PS4 was able to easily dial in the controller settings and race very well with a gamepad, so I know it's not a PC-only thing.

TCrouch,

Would it be possible to get the PS4 controller settings the OS reviewer used?

Thanks!

[TCrouch]

His settings (and difference from in the video):

Steering Deadzone 10 (from 15)
Steering Sensitivity 30 (from 0)
Throttle Deadzone 10 (from 0)
Throttle Sensitivity 30 (no change)
Brake Deadzone 10 (13 in video, can't do that in console with gamepad. Increments of 5 only)
Brake Sensitivity 15 (no change)
Clutch Deadzone 0 (from 10)
Clutch Sensitivity 45 (no change)
Speed Sensitivity 90 (from 75)
Controller Filtering Sensitivity 0 (from 50)
Force Feedback 80 (no change)
Controller Input Mode 3 (no change)

Not sure what the Filtering Sensitivity does--that's the most drastic adjustment he made. He said he likes the car a little snappier, and that the turning radius was too sluggish on the defaults (wasn't for me on PC, so maybe that's the big difference), so he got it a little quicker to respond at low speed, yet not so twitchy at high speed (upping speed sensitivity).

[cfiore]

His settings (and difference from in the video):

Steering Deadzone 10 (from 15)
Steering Sensitivity 30 (from 0)
Throttle Deadzone 10 (from 0)
Throttle Sensitivity 30 (no change)
Brake Deadzone 10 (13 in video, can't do that in console with gamepad. Increments of 5 only)
Brake Sensitivity 15 (no change)
Clutch Deadzone 0 (from 10)
Clutch Sensitivity 45 (no change)
Speed Sensitivity 90 (from 75)
Controller Filtering Sensitivity 0 (from 50)
Force Feedback 80 (no change)
Controller Input Mode 3 (no change)

Not sure what the Filtering Sensitivity does--that's the most drastic adjustment he made. He said he likes the car a little snappier, and that the turning radius was too sluggish on the defaults (wasn't for me on PC, so maybe that's the big difference), so he got it a little quicker to respond at low speed, yet not so twitchy at high speed (upping speed sensitivity).

Thank you very much!! Can't wait to get home and try them!

[Rodster]

How's the AI in this game? I'm leaning on going with the $36 deal Adam posted.

[GB_Simo]

How's the AI in this game? I'm leaning on going with the $36 deal Adam posted.

Prone to sudden swerves and braking off the start, but once you're through that you'll enjoy racing it. The AI goes for gaps, defends position where it feels it's necessary, races itself very convincingly (I've genuinely enjoyed watching some of the racing taking place around and ahead of me while I've been driving) and its pace can be scaled (only in 10% increments on console, but that's still a wider range than we're used to) from 10 to 100% strength, so you'll be able to find a level that suits you. It can sometimes get a bit aggressive with contact (occasionally a lot aggressive) and on tracks where the corners are marked by cones, bollards or tyres you'll find said markers scattered everywhere by about lap 2, but it's generally very good.

[GB_Simo]

His settings (and difference from in the video):

Steering Deadzone 10 (from 15)
Steering Sensitivity 30 (from 0)
Throttle Deadzone 10 (from 0)
Throttle Sensitivity 30 (no change)
Brake Deadzone 10 (13 in video, can't do that in console with gamepad. Increments of 5 only)
Brake Sensitivity 15 (no change)
Clutch Deadzone 0 (from 10)
Clutch Sensitivity 45 (no change)
Speed Sensitivity 90 (from 75)
Controller Filtering Sensitivity 0 (from 50)
Force Feedback 80 (no change)
Controller Input Mode 3 (no change)

Not sure what the Filtering Sensitivity does--that's the most drastic adjustment he made. He said he likes the car a little snappier, and that the turning radius was too sluggish on the defaults (wasn't for me on PC, so maybe that's the big difference), so he got it a little quicker to respond at low speed, yet not so twitchy at high speed (upping speed sensitivity).

You know what you said about tweaking forever and a day to find settings that work with one car but not others...?

I'm using the Ginetta G55 at Donington, the Zakspeed Capri at Oulton International and the Audi R18 at Spa as XB1 test beds. I tried these settings on the Ginetta and there was minimal twitchiness. It felt like the PC version, except for the final chicane, where the car felt safer and easier to drive out of the corner, if a bit ponderous. On to Oulton and through the first few corners I was thinking about writing you a love song in celebration of how wonderful this was, until I got to the fast left before the banked hairpin and grabbed a big handful of unexpected understeer.

It wasn't until I drove the Audi that I cracked it. The speed sensitivity that the OS reviewer has settled on for PS4 is too high on XB1, not in a "in my subjective opinion" way but in a "these settings are 6 seconds a lap slower at Spa" way. The ponderous feeling at Donington and the understeer at Oulton were really the game physically limiting the amount of steering lock available as speed increased, to stop me darting all over the road at high speed.

At low speed, the car feels more stable and isn't appreciably slower, something from which the Ginetta and the Capri benefitted for most of the lap on those particular tracks. At faster speeds (in the Audi, this means anything above middle revs in 2nd gear), the only way to overcome the limited lock is to drive slower, so the double left at Pouhon goes from almost-flat in 5th to a brake and a downshift. It feels safe, secure and controllable but it's dog slow - you can't pick up the throttle until you're almost off a corner, so quickly does the available lock diminish with acceleration. Every proper corner with that car/track combo drives a gear lower with these tweaks than with Don's settings, which is where the 6 seconds each lap disappear to, or else the car just won't turn.

I tried setting the speed sensitivity to 80 but that was back to being too twitchy for the Audi. 85 felt a bit better but I started to doze off before I could really tell, so that's next on the list to try. Getting closer, at least...

[GB_Simo]

News, gentlemen. SMS have acknowledged controller issues with the XB1 version and will be patching. With that in mind, it doesn't seem worth me continuing to chase after a better control setup for now, but here's an illustration of one of the main reasons for the game being quite so twitchy, the level of thumbstick movement needed to reach full lock:

http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showth ... post890157

Those two pictures alone show why the XB1 steering is so twitchy and why it's proving impossible to dial out. At least they're working on it, though.

[TCrouch]

That's so strange that one specific console would have an issue with it, but nice find, Adam.

[Rodster]

Supposedly, work has begun on the sequel.

[DChaps]

Ian Bell (Head of SMS) has been taking a beating in the official Project Cars forums, but taking it quite well given the level of hate being thrown their way. It appears they have found a fix and are working on getting it through the MS Certification process. I think they have a lot more work to do before working on Project Cars 2. However, they are an Agile/SCRUM type development shop, so technically, Project Cars 2 development probably started at some level a long time ago. This is a product that is constant change and updates and the team responds quickly. Give em a week or two before throwing them into the "Takedown: Red Sabre" category.

http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showth ... One-Issues

[Please read] Xbox One Issues - UPDATED
Hey guys,

We are aware of the issues some of you are encountering at the moment with the Xbox One.

First of all please make sure that you have the latest patch applied. The size of the game should show 18.5 GB.

If you are having problems with the controls set "Steering Deadzone" to 0

For further help check out those threads:

Xbox One Controller: Settings, Problems & Solutions
http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showth ... -Solutions

Known Issues Collective Thread
http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showth ... -reporting!

The devs are working flat-out to fix the biggest issues as soon as possible:

Quote Originally Posted by Ian Bell (Head of Studio)
We are aware of the issue and it's our top priority. It's only affecting a small minority.

Quote Originally Posted by Ian Bell
We'll ship it as soon as we can. It has to go through the verification process with 1st parties. Plus we need to replicate and fix it!

Quote Originally Posted by Ian Bell
We've reproduced and fixed the controller input issue internally. We're working on getting the patch out ASAP.

=====================================

We're seeing those who downloaded the digital version having much less of an issue. We're seeing those who have properly patched having less issues.

Please set deadzone to zero and ensure you've added the release day patch. It doesn't fix everything but it helps.

Let's not jump to false conclusions guys. We paid for many months of testing on consoles with external professional testing houses. We built console versions daily and tested internally. Namco had a substantial internal QA process on both consoles and finally, Microsoft and Sony both tested extensively to clear the game.

The controller issue did not come up in any of these tests and we suspect it's a retail version anomaly affecting some people.

Rest assured it's our number one priority at the moment. Our main issue is that we are struggling to replicate it on our development kits but we will find a solution and get a patch out as soon as we fix it.

Oh dear. How can I put this. We are aware of the issue and it's our top priority. It only affecting a small minority. We are struggling to replicate it on dev kits which are subtly different to retail kit. But as I have said three times now we will fix it and issue a patch ASAP.

Shall do Rednev. When we ship a fix for this we'll also include a small but worthwhile 4% or more improvement in performance.

The track team are also busy on optimising any remaining framerate issues in problem areas.

The game runs at 60 FPS 95% of the time. Under heavy usage it's pretty much always above 30. We could consider a lock at 30 if it's what the majority would prefer.

We've already found 4% more performance on Xbox and are still tinkering. But game breaking it isn't. What is a problem is that some users are experiencing freezes/lag when braking and the rumble effect kicks in. This is also our top priority.

I posted somewhere else (can't find it right now sorry) but we've already added 4% overall to XBox performance and we're squeezing it until it squeaks to get more out of it.

Also the track team are hard at work optimising the worst problem areas remaining.

We'll ship it as soon as we can. It has to go through the verification process with 1st parties. Plus we need to replicate and fix it!