Best Taxi Life Settings for Thrustmaster T248
Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator is a surprisingly fun game that feels similar to the Truck Simulator series, but instead of hauling cargo, you’re a taxi driver in a 1:1 recreation of Barcelona. You need to follow the rules of the road, find parking and navigate city traffic, while dealing with some unpredictable AI cars and pedestrians. While the force feedback is basic, it's enough for the low-speed driving of these road cars.
The default settings for the Thrustmaster T248 are too strong, making the wheel unrealistically heavy and stiff. This is very easy to fix with a few setting adjustments. The goal here is to have a realistic feel of a modern road car with power steering, so the wheel should be easy to turn and self-correct at a natural rate.
In this guide, I will show you the settings I use to improve the force feedback and what you may want to adjust for your own setup.
Thrustmaster Settings
Since these are all road cars, you want to use the full range of the wheel for a realistic feel.
| 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 are Damper used by Taxi Life for the Force Feedback Spring and Damper settings.
BOOST should always be turned off. For an in-depth look as to why, see my BOOST Force Feedback Analysis.
Taxi Life Settings
In Game Settings > Gameplay:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Gearbox Modes | Simulation / Simulation + Clutch |
Gearbox Modes should be Simulation or Simulation + Clutch, if you want to use the clutch and an H-pattern shifter. If you do want to use a shifter, be aware that the in-game car has to have a manual transmission installed.
In System Settings > Controls:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Device Type | Steering Wheel |
| Force Feedback Damper | 40% |
| Force Feedback Spring | 60% |
| Force Feedback Constant | 90% |
| Force Feedback Periodic | 65% |
| Custom Setup | Off |
Force Feedback Damper controls the weight of the wheel when the car is stopped or moving at very slow speeds.
Force Feedback Spring is the main force that centers the wheel while driving. This is a very strong force, so you don't want this to be too high. This comes down to personal preference, so feel free to adjust this as you like.
Force Feedback Constant is the sharp force you feel when you hit something or go over a curb or speed bump.
Force Feedback Periodic rumbles the wheel when you drive over some types of grass. This is basically never felt.
Custom Setup isn't necessary unless you have other devices that connect over USB, like separate pedals or shifter.
Conclusion
The main issue with the game is the AI traffic. Sometimes they behave very strangely, stopping at an intersection for seemingly no reason. I hope they continue to improve this aspect, as the base game is actually quite fun.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.