Tips for Controller/Pad players

[xiddam]

I've been playing this game for a week now. my long return since F1 2010 (PS3) by Codies. The handling model of F1 2016 was a shock to me at first using the controller, way too much understeer and lack of control, I'm getting the hang of it now though. I thought I would start a thread where fellow controller users (i'm using a DS3 via SCP drivers on the PC) could post some hints and tips for all of us to use.

note: no "buy a damn wheel and pedals you peasant" trolls please ;)


Game Settings:

- use assists, using a controller is hard enough already!
- Lower the AI by one level (you can change it race by race so don't panic)
- Full TC
- Anti-Lock brakes
- Auto gearbox (if you wish)
- Racing line (if you wish)


Car Settings:

- Aim is to minimise the sense of understeer when playing with a controller
- stiffer suspension (improve turn in reponse)
- more camber and toe (improves turn in)
- Ballast weight all the way to the rear (reduces understeer/ increases oversteer)
- Brake Pressure set to 100% (shortens the brake distance for any of those unresponsive controllers/pads... but Anti-Lock Brake assist is a must if using 100% pressure)
- Brake bias to the front (I use 54% front. The limit is 50%)
- Open diff (maintains traction and makes accleration smooth but a tiny bit slower. I use 54% open diff and it feels like I have great car control when using the DaulShock3)


General notes/tips:

- I'm old school from the PS2 generation and I still use the X and [] buttons to accelerate and brake, haven't had too many issues playing this way.
- I would say these F1 cars feel more like touring race cars
- It seems Codemasters want drivers to be SMOOTH in this game, you need to be Jenson Button and not throw the car around like Fernando Alonso in his prime.
- Be gentle on the throttle around corners (I have to tap the X button in bursts and let Full TC help me out a little to keep that smooth driving style in check)
- Breifly coasting into and out of corners helps controller/pad players be more smooth.
- You will find you'll need to brake a little earlier than you think. Racing line assist does help here.
- Braking in a straight line also greatly helps maintain car control
- Minimizing off track adventures certainly helps you keep the car under control using a controller/pad
- Despite what some say, tyre management programme is not impossible on a controller/pad


If there are any other controller/pad players out there, feel free to contribute your own tips or ask for help if you are struggling with playing the game on whatever device you've got.

[rikwes66]

interesting. Few points though: I think folks having so much trouble is due to sensitivity of the pad-controls ( when at first you start to move right or left it hardly responses but after a while it accelerates ,making corrections more difficult ) . You can't do a "quick reaction" b/c of that . And that's something no settings - none which are currently present in game,that is - can fix.

My advise would be to always start with full assists on until you get the hang of it and then deactivate those assists one by one . I have yet to disable any assist b/c I want to make absolutely certain I can handle the car with the pad . But there really should be a sensitivity -slider ingame .

you're right about quite a lot of things though.You can only succeed if you steer smoothly ( start turning motion well before you're actually at the corner ) .I myself have a lot more trouble with acclimatization than with tire management ( I find the " ideal line " for the former quite daft on quite a few occasions )

[Kim Chee]

I do just fine on an XBox One controller on my PC. First tip: get yourself out of the habit of using the face buttons for gas/brake. Use the shoulder buttons if they have any kind of gradient other than all on/all of like most buttons. The shoulders triggers on most current-gen controllers can do this.

I drive with ABS on and nothing else assisted. No TCS, no braking assist. It's a matter of discipline in knowing where you should feather in the throttle, when to drop the hammer, and when you can really lay on the brakes. I find myself actually braking LATER than the braking line suggests and still nailing the corners. And I can also brake while throwing my car into the corners without completely flinging myself off the track.

As for the steering, results may vary. A lot of that is dependent on your setup ingame. If you really fine-tune your car setup and find something ideal for the track/conditions, you'd be surprised what you can get away with. I was just doing the tire management drill in Baku and I was beating the target deltas by 4-5 seconds on Expert. Not that it matters because the game crashed as soon as I finished the test but that's a complaint different thread.

You do make a lot of good points, I'm not arguing that fact. It's a good system for someone coming from F1 2010 straight to 2016.

[Tobcoach]

Thnx for the tips. I find F1 2016 extremely difficult to play, and it varies from track to track. I'm using a PS3 controller, and all assist are on. I've tried everything, even playing with the sensitivity-paramaters, but I just can't get the hang of it. With some races, I'm better of using the keyboard-controls. Go figure...

The game handles better though than F1 2015 but much worse than F1 2014.

I getting desperate now and am wondering if I made a mistake in buying this game.

[Erik]

The steering is too slow with a controller, they did a really bad job with F1 2016. In the previous games you had much more responsive steering input with a gamepad.

[Lonewolf Commander]

Hey can you do a guide for people who use a keyboard

[Danzo234]

I'm using a wiiu pro controller, since I had to sell my wheel a while back (don't ask, very long story), its a pain. My biggest problem is wheelspin coming out of slow corners, I found that fiddling with the diff and fuel mode can help, but at times its just tap-tap-tap. Fidling with settings on the fly can be a challange though, so I sort of have my own sectors, where I set setting for the most difficult corner coming up. It's not foolproof, but it sort-of works. Better than nothing, or maybe its just placebo...

I haven't even got an idea how to start tackling that brutal understeer though...
Not to mention tyre management is impossible, but that also has to do with my driving style, not just the pad :D

Originally posted by Vengeance 1415:

Hey can you do a guide for people who use a keyboard

I saw your thread about the keyboard, do you think those setting affects pads? I'll try next time I have time to play.

[Lonewolf Commander]

i have no clue good try it

[Lonewolf Commander]

It did help but i need to tweak it a bit more but made the same can be said for you

[Danzo234]

Originally posted by Vengeance 1415:

It did help but i need to tweak it a bit more but made the same can be said for you

Great, I'll give it a go when I have time for more than 2 laps :)

[Lonewolf Commander]

just make it setup to what you need some people race differently than other so take your time with it