Best Need For Speed Unbound Settings for Thrustmaster T248
Need For Speed Unbound is clearly meant to be played with a gamepad. On release, there are no force feedback settings in the game. It doesn't even make any mention that there is wheel support in the menus. Despite all that, it actually works with the Thrustmaster T248.
These open world games are fun just to drive around and explore, which is still enjoyable even without the best force feedback. That said, I do hope that they improve the wheel support.
The wheel can navigate all the menus and even has force feedback, though it is very basic and quite light. You're mostly feeling the vibration effects that you would feel on the controller. One major issue is that you have to lower the steering angle.
In this guide, I will show the settings I use in-game and on the wheel to get the wheel working as best it can.
Thrustmaster Settings
Since there are no wheel options in the game, we have to change the steering angle on the wheel itself. Most arcade games play better with smaller steering angles. I found that 360° feels about right.
| On-Wheel Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| ROT | 360° |
| 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 | 360° |
| 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 is used by Need For Speed Unbound as the main force feedback.
Damper is not used by Need For Speed Unbound. I keep this at 100% since there are some games that require it.
BOOST should always be turned off. For an in-depth look as to why, see my BOOST Force Feedback Analysis.
Need For Speed Unbound Settings
In Settings and Accessibility > Controls:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Controller Vibration | On |
| Deadzone | 0% |
Controller Vibration enables the vibration effects on the wheel as well.
Deadzone has no effect on my system, but I have seen other people say they needed to set it 0%.
In Settings and Accessibility > Driving:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Gearbox Type | Manual |
| Auto Reverse | Off |
Gearbox Type should be Manual for maximum control.
Auto Reverse should be Off so that holding the brake doesn't make you reverse.
In Handling Tuning:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Traction Control | Off |
Traction Control should be turned off just to make the car a little more dynamic.
Troubleshooting
If the wheel isn't 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 Unbound definitely needs some work. Adding actual wheel settings into the game would be a good first step. Though I wonder if the physics would even support it at this point.
Let me know if you have any comments or questions.