Best Automobilista 2 Settings for Thrustmaster T248
Automobilista 2 is an interesting simulator with a lot of unique cars not seen in many other games. It plays great with a wheel. While it's been in development, the force feedback system has continually improved, though it's difficult to find settings that work well across so many different types of cars. For the Thrustmaster T248, the default force feedback isn't terrible by any means, but I find it is difficult to feel the grip all the time.
This can be fixed by using a custom force feedback file. A lot of the cars in this game are not easy to drive and I often struggled to control them. This new force feedback file makes it easier for me to feel what the car is doing and, therefore, to control the car.
In this guide, we will install this custom force feedback file and look at the settings you need to set in-game, on the wheel and in the Thrustmaster Control Panel to improve the force feedback.
Custom Force Feedback
Download the file rFuktor 5.0.1K.zip from this post on the Reiza Studios Forum.
Unpack the zip file and copy the file: ffb_custom_settings -Tumi SC Pro tweak.txt
to: Documents\Automobilista 2
Rename it to ffb_custom_settings.txt, replacing the original file.
This file was created by Kuku Maddog and tweaked by tUMi to raise some of the forces. Despite being created for a direct drive wheel, this works very well for the T248 by adjusting some of the force feedback settings instead of using the recommended values that come with the file.
Thrustmaster Control Panel Settings
Automobilista 2 has a Soft Lock feature, so it will automatically set the proper steering angle for each car in the game. Set the rotation to 900° on the wheel and calibrate the wheel in-game.
| On-Wheel Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| ROT | 900° |
| FORCE | 4 |
| FFB | 1 |
FORCE at 4 bars with FFB at 1 creates a perfectly linear force feedback response with no clipping, which is the ideal for any racing game.
| TM Control Panel Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Rotation | 900° |
| Overall Strength of all forces | 65% |
| Constant | 100% |
| Periodic | 100% |
| Spring | 100% |
| Damper | 100% |
| BOOST | Off |
| Auto-Center | by the game |
Rotation and Overall Strength are identical to the ROT and FORCE wheel settings, respectively. Changing it in one place overwrites the other. I recommend changing these on the wheel and ignoring the values in the Thrustmaster Control Panel.
Spring and Damper are not used by Automobilista 2, so can be set to any value without issue.
BOOST should always be turned off. For an in-depth look as to why, see my BOOST Force Feedback Analysis.
Automobilista 2 Settings
In Options > Controls > Edit Assignments:
Unfortunately, there is no preset for the T248, so you will need to manually bind the steering, pedals and all the buttons manually for these wheels.
In Options > Controls > Control Scheme:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Wheel |
| Make | Custom |
| Pedal Type | Separate |
Once you bind the steering and pedals, make sure to Calibrate the wheel and pedals in order to get the Soft Lock working properly.
In Options > Controls > Configuration:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Steering Deadzone | 0 |
| Steering Sensitivity | 50 |
| Throttle Deadzone | 0 |
| Throttle Sensitivity | 50 |
| Brake Deadzone | 0 |
| Brake Sensitivity | 35 |
| Clutch Deadzone | 7 |
| Clutch Sensitivity | 50 |
I removed the Throttle and Brake Deadzones, but that's personal preference. You may also want to lower the Throttle Sensitivity, since many of these cars require delicate throttle control.
In Options > Controls > Force Feedback:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Custom |
| Gain | 85 |
| Low Force Boost | 30 |
| FX | 40 |
| Damping | 0 |
Gain is the maximum power you feel in heavy cornering, for instance. Since the custom file we are using was designed for much more powerful wheels, this can be left quite high without any major clipping issues. Some cars are noticeably lighter than others, so you may need to adjust this for certain cars.
Low Force Boost is the force in the center of the wheel. This helps you feel many of the lighter forces.
FX is the feeling of bumps and kerbs. You may want to adjust this based on the car and track. It can get annoying if the track is particularly bumpy.
Damping adds weight to the wheel. This doesn't make a huge difference, it's a very light force. These wheels don't need damper forces most of the time, so I turn this off.
Conclusion
Automobilista 2 has come a long way over the course of its development. The force feedback has improved a lot and they keep improving other aspects of the game as time goes on. There are a lot of cars and tracks that I haven't raced with in other games, so it's been a lot of fun trying them all out. Admittedly, though, I do find it gets tedious tweaking the force feedback between the different cars.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.