Steam/PC Mega Thread

[RPS]

50 minutes ago, Mick said:

..... None of you ever played Smash TV? 

Yes why.

[OctoberRaven]

13 hours ago, Mick said:

..... None of you ever played Smash TV? 

BIG! MONAAAY!

BIG! PRIZES!

I LOVE IT!!

[Mick]

 

>:D

[RPS]

I did not end up playing XCOM 2 because I saw Monster Sanctuary was on GamePass. 

This game is amazing. It is like a 3v3 Pokemon/Metroidvania. However, the RPG systems are quite detailed with a skill tree as opposed to learning new moves. It is fantastic.

[Mick]

19 minutes ago, RPS said:

I did not end up playing XCOM 2 because I saw Monster Sanctuary was on GamePass. 

 

But the aliens continue to make progress on the Avatar project. If we are going to slow them down, we need to move fast.

[RPS]

3 minutes ago, Mick said:

But the aliens continue to make progress on the Avatar project. If we are going to slow them down, we need to move fast.

Imagine if XCOM 2 was actually real life simulations guised as a video game. 

The only reason it cannot be true is the save scumming.

 

[Azazel]

Picked up Rimworld, ended up not having to work this morning so I started my first colony and may they all RIP already.

I never did finish Monster Sanctuary.  I felt it got a little grindy but that was partially my own fault because just like in Pokemon I can never just choose a team of 6.  I think I was pretty close to the end, too.

[Baddar]

Metro 2033 is free to claim on Steam until the 15th.

[FLiam]

21 hours ago, Baddar said:

Metro 2033 is free to claim on Steam until the 15th.

Is it the original or the Redux?

[Bobfoc]

13 minutes ago, FLiam said:

Is it the original or the Redux?

It's the original. Redux is £2.99 or $3.99.

[Meacon Keaton]

@A Businessman, I know we spoke about rfactor 2 before. Did you know there's a demo on Steam? I downloaded it and will be firing it up after the NASCAR race. Give us a chance to try it out and see if it's worth the purchase. 

[JasonM]

43 minutes ago, Meacon Keaton said:

@A Businessman, I know we spoke about rfactor 2 before. Did you know there's a demo on Steam? I downloaded it and will be firing it up after the NASCAR race. Give us a chance to try it out and see if it's worth the purchase. 

You guys into sim racing, or just generally looking at rFactor to get your fun racing in?

Asking because I engage in simracing (ACC mostly), so it'd be cool if there are more of them on EWB.

[Meacon Keaton]

7 minutes ago, Jasonmufc said:

You guys into sim racing, or just generally looking at rFactor to get your fun racing in?

Asking because I engage in simracing (ACC mostly), so it'd be cool if there are more of them on EWB.

I’m very, very slowly making my way into it. 

[Schlitzbrille]

34 minutes ago, Jasonmufc said:

You guys into sim racing, or just generally looking at rFactor to get your fun racing in?

Asking because I engage in simracing (ACC mostly), so it'd be cool if there are more of them on EWB.

My interest in sim racing is pretty much as non-serious as possible; hell, I'm a fan from afar seeing as I keep putting off installing AC until I swap out the SSD in my laptop so I can play around with stuff I'll never get to IRL.

Case in point:

 

[Meacon Keaton]

On 14/03/2021 at 17:56, Jasonmufc said:

You guys into sim racing, or just generally looking at rFactor to get your fun racing in?

Asking because I engage in simracing (ACC mostly), so it'd be cool if there are more of them on EWB.

What wheel do you use? I’m trying to figure out if I want to get serious enough for the G29. A buddy of mine has one and I loved it and my favorite iRacing streamer uses it too and swears by it, considering it’s one of the “cheapest” options.

[JasonM]

1 hour ago, Meacon Keaton said:

What wheel do you use? I’m trying to figure out if I want to get serious enough for the G29. A buddy of mine has one and I loved it and my favorite iRacing streamer uses it too and swears by it, considering it’s one of the “cheapest” options.

Oh baby, my favourite topic! (Rant incoming)

So I currently use the T300 RS GT (T300 + T3PA pedals), which you can get for give or take 300-350 euros depending on day to day prices. I have it bolted onto a GT Omega wheelstand (without seat, because that would take up too much space.)

Before that I used my starter wheel for about 3-4 years, which was a Driving Force GT which I got second hand for 40 bucks and ended up reselling it for 50 bucks. That wheel was absolutely immense and the perfect cheap wheel with Force Feedback.

If you're playing on PC, a second/third/fourth hand DFGT can still give you a lot of fun. But they're become more scarce as they're quite old and the drivebelts often have gone.

I would say a second hand G29 is your best bet nowadays for a good quality starter wheel, a new G29 is a harder sell (if it's around 200-250), the wheel itself is quite good but the pedals are a significant weakness (they're sturdy enough, but braking is not intuitive due to how soft the brake is).

The T300 is an even better wheel, but again suffers from poor ootb pedals. The RSGT (the one with the three-pedal T3PA set) removes that weakness and is phenomenal value for money, but that higher 300eu price tag is a very hard sell for someone getting into the hobby.

You could also go for the G29 as your main wheel, then when you feel the itch for more racing buy a fancier set of pedals to enhance your experience. Most major pedal brands have ways (either directly via USB, or with a dongle to USB) to mix-match.

Which brings me to the biggest part of my simrig rant.

Part 2: Those damn pedals.

So there are two types of pedals in the world. There are your regular pedals that most sets come with, and there are fancier 'load cell' pedals that are becoming more and more popular as they become less expensive.

Regular Pedals: So with your regular pedal set, it works very simple. The further you press your pedal down, the more input is given to the computer. This works fine with throttle, flooring the throttle = 100% throttle in game. With the clutch it's the same, flooring the clutch = 100% clutch, and the leeway needed.

Now for brakes it gets trickier, because brakes irl aren't done through pure pedal travel. It's done via pressure, the harder you press the brake the more brake force gets put through the hydraulic lines and thus the harder you come to a stop. This becomes an issue because in racing games the difference between locking up and having the perfect brake application can be super fine, and not something you can easily learn. It's really hard to perfectly hold your brake 50% of the way down...

That's why there's now...

Load Cell Pedals: These are pedal sets where the pedal input is done via potentiometers that measure the force put on the pedals. On the cheaper sets, these are more often than not just the brakes, but there are expensive sets that even have clutch and throttles done via force instead of travel.

The biggest advantage is that using 'pots' on your brake will make brake application not a case of travel, but a case of how much force you put into your brakes. This makes it a lot easier for your mind/body to figure out how much application you need to do to get a specific result. It's easier to remember that you need to push the brake x hard for turn 1 than how far you have to push it down.

PS: If you use load cells and set the KG/LBS resistance high and you're sitting in an office chair, you're going to push yourself to the other side of the room. And a foldable playseat can possibly get ripped apart by the forces. So those Load Cells aren't pure advantages.

Part 3: Just give me an answer on those pedals

Pro's:
Load Cell: Better braking in every way, better build quality.
Normal Pedals: Cheaper, still sturdy, the better ones have some resistance (either ootb, or with a rubber stopper) and can to some degree get you racing at a very good level.

Con's:
Load cell: Will blow up your playseat. More expensive. Probably need a rig for it. Why is my hobby spiraling out of control.
Normal Pedals: The cheap (OOTB) ones have zero brake resistance, are flimsy, and generally will be kinda naff.

So here's a tl;dr for what the best pedals are on the market rn.
Regular pedals: Thrustmaster T3PA/T3PA Pro (With Clutch) or Fanatec CSL Elite (W/o Clutch)
Them Fancy Ones: Thrustmaster TLCM or Fanatec CSL Elite LC (It's the elites with a third pedal add-on).

Part 4: So That G29, then?

Go for it if the price is right (150-200eu), the OOTB brakes are way too soft but the wheel is best in its class (expensive starter). (Some people I know put a squash ball behind the brake pedal for added resistance)

If the T300RSGT (Not the RS) is on a price downswing (250-300), drop a bit more and get a significantly better package. The wheel is the best price/quality in its class (midrange). The T3PA are arguably the best regular type pedals out there, closely followed by the CSL Elites (Really depends on how much you want a clutch pedal for your gaming experience).

Or check out Thrustmaster or Fanatec and see if you can put together a package that you like best.

Also one last advantage of those two brands over Logitech, modularity. Especially Fanatec has an immense selection of steering wheels. Too bad they can't be matched between brands.

Best for beginners: Logitech (DFGT/)G29
The Next level, for a good price: Thrustmaster
The Next level, for the customizer: Fanatec

Part 5: I have too much money and I want to not just destroy my rig but also rip my flimsy arms apart.

I will save the Direct Drive wheel madness for another time.

[Mick]

So, I'm planning to start up my own Twitch soon, and the big question is going to be what kind of content do you think would work? 

[Forky]

3 hours ago, Mick said:

So, I'm planning to start up my own Twitch soon, and the big question is going to be what kind of content do you think would work? 

Content you enjoy. Don't do content just because you think it'll become popular. You have a 1 in 1000 shot of making anything happen so do what you enjoy and people will come. It's very easy to spot someone who is playing something just because.

[Meacon Keaton]

Granted, I only watch three streamers, one being our Cloudybear, but yeah you have to find something you love and that you can converse with your viewers while doing. I have an iRacer that I watch because he’s so good at driving and reading the chat. I’ve tried other iRacers who say nothing other than the odd swear word while driving because they’re so focused.

[lanky316]

I can't get my head around how some people are able to read the chat and stay focussed on things like that. I know, as much as I love playing all sorts of games, I'm shit at them so the idea of keeping track of things during a race so well baffles me.