Best WRC 7 Settings for Thrustmaster TMX / T150
WRC 7, like most rally games, really shines when you play it with a wheel. Unfortunately, the default force feedback settings don't give the best first impression. The forces are too violent and there is too much vibration that makes it very difficult to tell what the car is doing. Maybe on higher end wheels this is less of a problem, but on the Thrustmaster TMX and T150, it just makes a mess out of the force feedback.
Thankfully, the game provides a great deal of customization when it comes to the force feedback settings. I tested every setting until I found a nice balance of forces so you aren't fighting the wheel and still get plenty of information about the car and road surface.
Thrustmaster Control Panel Settings
WRC 7 automatically sets the wheel rotation based on the value you set in-game, so you can leave the value in the Thrustmaster Control Panel at the maximum. Be aware, though, that it modifies the Thrustmaster Control Panel value directly, and it hasn't always reset the value when I've exited the game.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Rotation | 900° (TMX) 1080° (T150) |
| Overall Strength of all forces | 100% |
| Constant | 100% |
| Periodic | 100% |
| Spring | 100% |
| Damper | 100% |
| BOOST | Off |
| Auto-Center | by the game |
Spring is not used by WRC 7, so the value actually doesn't matter. Some games require Spring to be on for their force feedback to work, so I keep it at 100% as a general rule.
Damper is used for the Shock Absorber Force.
BOOST should always be turned off. For an in-depth look as to why, see my BOOST Force Feedback Analysis.
WRC 7 Settings
In Options > Controls > Steering Wheel > Settings:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Steering Sensitivity | 45% |
| Steering Dead Zone | 0% |
| Max Wheel Angle | 540 |
In Options > Controls > Steering Wheel > Force Feedback and Vibrations:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Force Feedback Level | 75% |
| Level of Force Feedback Vibration | 60% |
| Spring Force | 50% |
| Shock Absorber Force | 0% |
| Constant Force | 20% |
| Friction Vibration | 55% |
| Engine Vibration | 40% |
| Impact Vibration | 30% |
All the forces needed to be lowered quite a bit and especially the vibrations. I really do like how the game separates the forces and vibrations and gives separate overall levels for each type. It makes it easy to keep the same proportions of forces, while raising or lowering them all equally.
Force Feedback Level is the overall strength of the force feedback.
Level of Force Feedback Vibration controls the overall strength of the vibrations.
Spring Force resists the wheel turning, but lightens the wheel when you lose traction.
Shock Absorber Force acts like a filter for the force feedback, smoothing out the spikes. This adds a lot of weight to the wheel, so keep this very low if you use it at all.
Constant Force provides feedback about the track. This is how you feel bumps in the road. This can be a very jerky force, so you don't want to raise this too high.
Friction Vibration vibrates the wheel when you are off the track.
Engine Vibration vibrates the wheel when you are near the redline and when you shift gears.
Impact Vibration vibrates the wheel when you hit objects on the track.
Conclusion
Much of the fun of a rally game comes in how connected you feel to the car. If you don't feel as if you can control it well, the game simply isn't fun. It can feel more like guesswork than actual skill when you are speeding around corners. Once I got these settings dialed in, and with a little practice in how the game physics work, I felt like I knew what the car was doing and had the confidence to drive it naturally.
Let me know if you have any comments or questions.