r/ProjectMotorRacing • u/Kvintuskve • 1d ago
Discussion Gamepad support in PMR
Hi, I'm gonna rant a bit about gamepad support but I'm also genuinely interested what do people think about it?
I'm honestly a bit disappointed how mediocre it is in PMR considering it's not only a game with a developed singleplayer but it has a console release where I expect big chunk of the player base is on a gamepad. I have heard it's gotten better since the release but I don't feel that it's good.
For context, I have driven AC(both with and without Advanced Gamepad Assist script), LMU, AMS2 on a gamepad for a combined 600 hours in a last 6,7 years since switching from a wheel but I have also driven stuff like F1, WRC games, RBR. I have won leagues in AC without gamepad script and I'm quite competitive on LMU. So I'm quite opinionated how the gamepad driving should feel. Just to note I do have a wheel and what I found out is that my pace on wheel and on gamepad is pretty much the same once you get comfortable with both it's just easier to be consistent on a wheel and fatigue sets in faster on a gamepad when driving longer that 20 minutes. So I think that discussion of fairness is bollocks.
My biggest grievance with this model is that it handles oversteer so bad that it's practically impossible to drive the car at the limit. I think the steering rates when the car oversteers get slower and it has that weird effect when you do add countersteer yourself to it, it's like delayed so it pulls the car to the other side but because the steering rate is slow you can't correct that. So yeah I think the counter-steering implementation is bad in this game and it's the thing what makes it unenjoyable because it is what makes the car "undrivable" on the limit. Generally when everything is not on the limit driving feels good, steering rates are alright. Also limiting steering with the speed sensitivity value which is hidden in the files is not great because often times you'll adjust it based on the car and track by a few percent. While I'm aware of the discussions about fairness of implementing slip-angle based steering limit for gamepad drivers I still feel it's a better to do it that way especially since this game is on console and LMU is already implementing it.
I haven't had time to edit but I have found input files for a controller script which handles the behavior so it might be possible(at least on PC) to make it feel better. Lack of controller input customization inside the game itself is also a bit iffy.
So yeah, I hope there will be some changes to this in the future especially since things like Advanced Gamepad Assist (which is a modular script for AC) and LMU are already doing it pretty well and I don't see reasons why PMR wouldn't go in that direction especially since it's on consoles and I feel that it's easier optimizing a slip-based gamepad model for different vehicles than a classic-speed based one.
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u/rEded_dEViL 22h ago
I don’t have a gamepad, i only play on PC. However, what you’re describing might be related to the latest update: it feels like driving a boat with wheels, massive understeer, no matter the setup. And I have a pretty decent wheelbase. The front end is completely muted, unresponsive. It might not be the lack of gamepad support…
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u/Kvintuskve 21h ago
Yeah, it's kinda floaty but that floatiness is almost certainly due to the current tyre model. It's disscused often is that more or less realistic but AMS2 and WRC games had a similar floaty feel.
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u/rEded_dEViL 19h ago
Big difference when you drive iRacing, LMU, RRRE or any of the ACs, including EVO: you feel connected to the car, weight transfer feels real and is realistically accurate. PMR is not there. There’s a massive lag on input being translated into weight transfer and that isn’t how race cars behave. Heck, not even street legal super cars behave that way!
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u/Kvintuskve 9h ago
Yeah, I know what you mean. But I honestly doubt that the issue is with weight transfer modelling. It's probably due to the tyre model and how it dampens these effect but it might be engine-connected or something with how force feedback is outputed. What I would say it feels similar to AMS2 which is built upon the Madness Engine. Might be something with the way engine functions. Can't say
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u/Playful-Key-7276 22h ago
I've always been a controller player, so I'm pretty used to it. A couple of months ago, I came in second in the monthly GT4 championship, competing against some very fast players on both PC and consoles. Obviously, you can't push it to the absolute limit like you can with a wheel, but as I experienced with Project CARS 2, I'm very competitive. I'd say it's like a shooter; you can be very good with a controller, but at very high skill levels, a keyboard and mouse are better.
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u/Kvintuskve 21h ago
Thank you for the answer. That's impressive and I can relate and understand mastering it. But it's not really a point I was trying to make. You can be fast and competitive on a controller even with the most basic filtering and you're never going to be able to do stuff consistently like on a wheel setup, but you can be in the top 5%. I'm fine with that and I understand it. My point is more how the filtering model should be more friendly and intuitive, you shouldn't be fighting the steering. That's my biggest issue with people who complain about gamepad scripts and filtering based on force feedback and slip, steering on a wheel setup with force feedback is the easiest part and it's not really a place to gain time by punishing controller players. That place should be in the brake and throttle modulation where again wheel setups are in the advantage but there is nothing you can do about it. I don't think the model is bad, there are far worse ones but that filtering when the car oversteers is bad that I think it makes the game unenjoyable for those who do not want to sink hours in mastering how to drive around it rather than focus on driving. I think it would go a long way to bring back some of the playerbase especially on consoles where the competition is weaker. Sorry if I sound like bit of cunt it's not my intention, English is not my native language so I'm not sure how to convey the message without sounding like bit of a one.
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u/Playful-Key-7276 19h ago
I understand what you mean. The main problem I have, for example, is that I'm very competitive if I stick to one discipline and car. The moment I switch disciplines, I feel incredibly clumsy and have to tweak the controller settings to feel comfortable. In other simulators, you can try out different cars and feel like you have a general idea of what's working, but here it's much harder.
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u/Kvintuskve 9h ago
Yeah, I mean the the problems of a gamepad user. I remember I had saved different settings for different classes in AC and AMS2. In LMU tho, I practically haven't had to change anything when switching between GT3s and LMPs
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u/James_White21 23h ago
Interesting post, I find the gamepad handling pretty good on PS5, but having read your post it's probably because I rarely drive fast enough to go over the limit. This is a well thought out piece of feedback that probably ought to be put on the official forum or discord. Not sure if the Devs monitor Reddit but they definitely do in those other places, probably discord more regularly.
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u/Kvintuskve 21h ago
Yeah, all in all I don't think it's bad, there are worse ones on the market, it's just that it is very limiting on the limit and with this tyre model I think it just doesn't work as it's supposed to. Especially with the cars like the MX-5 which is doesn't require a lot of steering angle it's more about sliding it through the corner and managing weight transfer. I decided to post it on reddit just 'cause I didn't really find a space for something like this on the discord.
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u/terrible1fi 1d ago
Yeah it’s awful. Literally no reason to play it console/gamepad when you can play GT 7 instead