Keyboard gameplay: help to decide between Normal or Simulation steering for a more realistic driving

Forza Motorsport Legacy Motorsport FM7 Discussion
1

I play on a keyboard, and I don’t want a controller or wheel.

I know keyboard just can’t give the same freedom of a wheel, for example, but I just want an advice for a more realistic driving for a keyboard setup.

A little bit of backstory:

I played Forza Horizon 3 a lot with all assists off, including “manual w/ clutch”, and never had problems, even with hypercars.

Now, in Forza 7, with the exact same assists setup (everything off, “manual w/ clutch” transmission) I have problems controlling some cars:

2014 Porsche 918 Spyder
1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

(note I used the “rent car” feature, then NO TUNING at all)

The “problem” (or at least what I consider a problem…) is these cars simply spin out TOO easily if you enter a little bit fast in the corners: that forces me to - when I hear the minimal skid sound - just drive slower than I think I should, fearing the car could go out of control.

Even with NO throttle, the car can spin out. I even try to hold the clutch sometimes, but no success.

With a little experimenting, I nailed it down to the “Steering” assist:

-If it’s in “Simulation”, I get this problem;
-If it’s in “Normal”, the same cars DON’T spin out;

However, cars like

2015 Nissan #23 NISMO MOTUL AUTECH GT-R
(insert some F1 car here)

simply DON’T spin out in the same situations with “Simulation” steering: of course, there’s burning out / skidding if you try cornering a little bit faster than you should, but the car WON’T spin out: slowing down a bit will fix things out, and you can regain your trace.

While in “Simulation”, cars perform differently in the “spinning out” aspect, I suspect those which spin out could be performing WORSE than their real-life counterparts.

After watching some real life videos from 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder, I remain with the impression that in my setup (keyboard + all assists off), the car is MUCH more slippery than in real life. That’s my main concern: I think the game’s car is worse than the real car.

I then used “Normal” steering for a while, but then, all cars seem so bland: easy to drive, and no spinning out (unless I turn the steering all the way while in high speed, and use the handbrake) at all. Then I wondered: Is it realistic for a car to hardly spin out?

Considering I don’t have a car and can’t drive in real life, I’d like to know from someone what is the more realistic from these two:

-“Simulation”, where I have to “fight” SOME cars, in order to avoid spinning out;

or

-“Normal”, where EVERY car seem to be impossible to spin out;

I just need an advice to play in a more realistic way in my keyboard (no wheels or gamepads with analog controls, please)

Thanks!

2

You are going to find it tricky as being a keyboard, it is all or nothing, much like a dpad. Tapping is really your only option.

What you are seeing is the speed sensitivity in action. Normal is quite conservative, Sim is much looser and allows you to go to full lock, or near it whenever you want regardless of the speed the car is moving at.

3

Tapping works well with GAS and BRAKE not considering this bug . I mean, the game interpolates values between 0 and 100%, so that a tap in the brake won’t represent the max brake level.

Hmmm…interesting! Thanks for the knowledge. And what do you consider the more realistic between these two steering modes?

I’ve experienced that counter steering phenomenon you’ve explained in “Simulation” steering. I assume for a keyboard, “Normal” steering is more realistic in your opinion?

I grow up playing in a D-pad, shifting gears in DPAD UP and DPAD DOWN (Sega Master System / Sega Genesis) and L and R in the Dreamcast.

But I simply NEVER got used to accelerate and brake using L and R analog triggers.

The same for the steer: I’ve NEVER got used to play in a analog stick. I consider the travel distance in a analog stick from 0 to 100% very tight, and hard to use with precision in the middle of a race.

As for vibration, the first thing I do when I play a game in a gamepad (that’s very rare to happen) is disabling it. That since Dreamcast days: Test Drive Le Mans, San Francisco Rush 2049, and other games.

I simply can’t play racing (and fighting) games with vibration enabled.

Fixed the title from “realistic” to “more realistic”, as I want to choose between the two steering modes.

Thanks for your comment! Very constructive, by the way. I mostly play games with the keyboard. I have a XBOX 360, a XBOX One, and a Madcatz Fighting Stick, but the keyboard is used most of the times.
I like the controllers, but also like the keyboard. And there are games you run out of input mappings in a regular controller (there are more actions than buttons). That won’t happen with a keyboard, given the number of keys.

Thank you for your opinion! I really meant “more realism”. I know it won’t be 100% accurate, but I only need to decide between the two, and want to know from experienced people what in more close to reality.

4

I only play on a controller, but the normal steering is fairly realistic. I can get the cars to oversteer or understeer depending on the situation. and the weight transfer and resulting consequences are simulated fairly decently. I very rarely get complete loss of control with the normal setting unless I do something stupid like backwards e brake entry into a corner.

Sim steering on a controller is fine until you try to counter steer then it is almost always an instant tank slapper, because like Dust said there is no speed sensitivity so when you go full lock on the joystick the car goes full lock in the game.

In general the mid engined cars in this game have some weird physics, and that particular Aston Martin likes to oversteer.

5

I was taught if I dont have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

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There is no realism with keyboard… Face the truth…

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7

There is no realism, its a game.
Only simulated realism and input methods.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2018/05/16/xbox-adaptive-controller/

You can bet given T10’s history of all people being able to play, Forza will be expected to work with Microsofts new controller.

How is a keyboard any different than driving with the dpad on the controller?
While it wont be the best way to play, wont give you the best control over the car, but its not like it is impossible.
No idea how we all got along before analog sticks came along in the modern sense…

8

I mean, with a controller or a wheel you get the feedback from effects/vibrations, with a keiboard you get nothing at all…

9

so? some would turn vibrations off entirely on the controller to make the battery last longer… Haptic feedback isnt necessary to play a game.

Like, how did you ever throttle before they added rumble triggers?

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It’s not necessary but adds more realism when keyboard don’t at all. Asking for realistic drive with a keyboard is like asking for realistic drive with a guitar.

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So if one plays with vibrations off and uses dpad on a controller its different to playing with keyboard how?

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There are no differences at all you will get the same realism as you get driving with a guitar, same level of realism.

13

So we’ve established now that input is input and game does things when input is received. But what you’re really telling me, is that there is a chance?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GD0-WdtDhI

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“Keyboard” and “realistic” in the same sentence… Still laughing hard 10 minutes after reading it!

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Any reason why a controller cant be used if you don’t mind me asking? The biggest difference will be that the cars in Horizon have much more grip than the more realistic level of grip in Motorsport (ironically the race cars grip is more realistic in Horizon that Motorsport) and are not as easy to control as a result. I run sim steering in Horizon and peasant steering in Motorsport, simply due to tankslappers being a bit much to control.

Are there not keyboards available that have pressure sensitive buttons like the PS2 pad, that gave pretty good control over throttle and brake in GT and Enthusia.

Not sure why the attitude, some people may have difficulty holding a controller, just like my leg spoils me from using a wheel and pedals. And why shouldn’t a person be allowed to want a decent level of simulation just because of their chosen input device. You could argue that using a wheel with paddles to drive a 60s mustang isn’t realistic, nor is driving an LMP 1 with manual w/Clutch, without TC on w wheel and pedals with a H pattern, with the racing line on, just as unrealistic as using a pad or keyboard to be frank.

16

Finally. :smiley:

17

To me there is till no realism using a keyboard to drive or well the realism is the same as driving with a guitar.
There is no option in game that adds more realism driving with a keyboard at least to me, maybe is subjective. I just give you my point of view nothing more

18

Go with Normal.

Our age is showing.