Best Need For Speed Heat Settings for Thrustmaster TMX / T150
Need For Speed Heat, while most certainly being an arcade racing game, actually plays very well with a wheel. The default settings aren't great for the Thrustmaster TMX and T150, but with a few setting adjustments, it actually feels very good.
The force feedback is very basic, which is all that is needed in a game like this. You never have to worry about losing control of the car; the physics are much simpler than that. It's much more about creating an immersive experience than any kind of serious driving simulation. Taken for what it is, the game plays very well.
In this guide, I will show the settings I use that complement the game the best.
Thrustmaster Control Panel Settings
There is no way to set the steering angle in-game, so it must be done in the Thrustmaster Control Panel. Most arcade games play better with smaller steering angles. I found that 360° feels a little too sensitive and unnatural. 540° feels more natural, but can feel unresponsive in the center of the wheel. 480° ends up being a good compromise.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Rotation | 480° |
| Overall Strength of all forces | 100% |
| Constant | 100% |
| Periodic | 100% |
| Spring | 100% |
| Damper | 100% |
| BOOST | Off |
| Auto-Center | by the game |
Spring is used by Need For Speed Heat for the Wheel Spring Force setting.
Damper is used by Need For Speed Heat for the Wheel Damper Force setting.
BOOST should always be turned off. For an in-depth look as to why, see my BOOST Force Feedback Analysis.
Need For Speed Heat Settings
In Options > Controls:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Wheel Deadzone | 0.0% |
| Wheel Force Feedback | 55.0% |
| Wheel Tire Force | 50.0% |
| Wheel Spring Force | 5.0% |
| Wheel Damper Force | 0.0% |
| Wheel Surface Force | 30.0% |
| Wheel Collision Force | 45.0% |
Wheel Deadzone makes the game ignore the input in the center of the wheel. There is no reason to use this on these wheels.
Wheel Force Feedback controls the overall strength of the vibration effects.
Wheel Tire Force controls the actual force feedback. Raising this too high will make the wheel too heavy.
Wheel Spring Force controls the Spring force, which constantly pulls the wheel to the center. A very small amount works well, but setting it too high overwhelms any other force.
Wheel Damper Force controls the Damper force, which adds weight to the wheel.
Wheel Surface Force controls the vibration effect you feel when you are on dirt. This is just a constant vibration and can get annoying if it's set too high. You may even want to turn this off, depending on your preference.
Wheel Collision Force shakes the wheel when you hit something. I like this fairly strong since it adds a nice bit of feedback when running down all those road signs and lampposts.
Troubleshooting
If the wheel isn't being recognized, or the force feedback isn't working, try installing Logitech G HUB, even if you don't have any Logitech products. For some reason, having the Logitech drivers installed seems to help the game support other brands of wheels as well.
Conclusion
Need For Speed Heat is surprisingly fun with a wheel. I honestly wasn't expecting much as I had always thought of the Need For Speed series as meant to be played with a controller. I was completely wrong at least about this title in the series. It's not the most amazing force feedback I've ever felt, but it's still a lot of fun.
Let me know if you have any comments or questions.