Fanatec Direct Drive Degradation

Discussion in 'Bug Reports' started by Adam Baldwin, Aug 8, 2021.

  1. Adam Baldwin

    Adam Baldwin Registered

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    Fanatec direct drive wheel bases (DD1, DD2, CSL DD) experience degradation of force feedback quality with each press of “drive.” Upon RF2 start up, the wheel bases perform as expected. However, with each subsequent “drive” the FFB has increased noise, jolt forces, oscillation, and notchiness. Exiting and restarting RF2 fixes the issue. This isn’t always possible during competitive events.

    I know this is a previously and frequently reported bug. However, with the release of the Fanatec CSL DD, I expect this to become an even bigger issue for RF2.

    In speaking with Fanatec technicians, the issue appears to be fully with RF2. This bug does not exist with Fanatec DD wheel bases in other sim titles.

    Can we please address this?
     
  2. Filip

    Filip Registered

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    Just an idea, maybe it's stupid one...
    Can you check if controller.json changes between each drive?
    Before each drive alt tab and copy file contents somewhere ant then diff compare afterwards?
    Maybe there's a pattern, maybe even you can manually change json on the fly as a workaround for game restart.
    But I don't know how and when rf2 reads file, flushes to disk...
     
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  3. MileSeven

    MileSeven Registered

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    Rf2 doesn’t have a unique way of creating FFB for specific brands of wheel. It’s either a bug that affects every FF wheel - or it’s an issue in the Fanatec software/firmware/hardware that is interpreting the FFB output of the sim.

    It doesn’t seem to be an issue with my Simucube 2 Pro DD wheel - or, at least, not an obvious one - so why are you so sure it’s an rf2 issue when rf2 doesn’t really know anything about the controller that is connected to it?

    It is possible that rf2 is iteratively botching something up - but from my experience of the SC2 (and all the non-DD wheels I had before), I currently believe they are ignoring whatever Fanatec is choking on.

    Have you done any kind of systematic logging of the FFB torque through Motec, for instance?
     
  4. davehenrie

    davehenrie Registered

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    I have had my Clubsport wheel for about a year. It's not DD, but it is Fanatec. Right from the start of my ownership, I saw posts about how the Fanatec wheels would go spongy after repeated trips to the pits. I have only experienced that once. But I have seen issues over the year that almost every owner swears it only happens in rF2.
    That may be true. rF2 may send more or different data than other sims, it may require a very specific set of driver instructions. That would mean Fanatec AND S397 would have to work together to determine the issues. I don't think Fanatec would write a set of drivers THAT ONLY WORKED with rF2 no more than I would expect NV to write a rF2 specific video card driver.
    But since there does seem to be some sort of communication corruption between rF2 and Fanatec products. Any investigation would be welcome.
     
  5. Filip

    Filip Registered

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    Uneducated guess: ffb is idempotent.
    It's either bug in rf2 or fanatec drivers.

    In speaking with Fanatec technicians, the issue appears to be fully with RF2.
    Uneducated guess 2: it's definitely RF2 bug.
     
  6. davehenrie

    davehenrie Registered

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    If STRICTLY an rF2 bug, then why aren't Simcube & other DD users complaining of the same issues?
     
  7. Filip

    Filip Registered

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    You are right, it can be anything.
    Probably motec can reveal the cause?
     
  8. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    If I remember correctly people who posted about this in the past have found nothing in the game's FFB output to reflect this feeling. Such a degradation would be much more likely to happen to everyone as well.
     
  9. Filip

    Filip Registered

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    @Lazza @davehenrie
    Does motec monitor games final ffb output before wheel drivers take over?
    If that is the case then it's definitely problem in the wheel.
    But why only in rf2?
    And what about Fanatec support?
    I don't think they would easily dismiss such major reported issue?
     
  10. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    It doesn't need to be an either/or.

    The FFB output is what the game is saying the FFB should do. That says nothing about how the game is talking to the wheel.
     
  11. Filip

    Filip Registered

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    What you're saying sounds contradictory, game is talking to the wheel through ffb.
    Unless you mean ffb signal generated by the game is independent from the wheel. That signal then gets processed for each wheel depending on rf2 chosen wheel profile?
     
  12. mixer61

    mixer61 Registered

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    When I hear that Raceroom can't produce a good profile for Simucube2 and is able to make an excellent profile for Fanatec DD and almost the opposite for rFactor2, Filip is maybe right...
     
  13. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    The logged FFB is based on the physics and some simple scaling. So yeah, that won't change between wheels - it's all game generated, so if it were causing this then all wheels would have the same thing.

    We can also presume the wheel hardware itself isn't causing it, because again it would do the same in all games.

    Perhaps (and I'm purely guessing here - I don't know anything about device driver protocol) there is an established series of steps in the communication procedure (initialization, re-initialization, resets, ...) and rF2 has it very slightly wrong - which for whatever reason doesn't affect any other wheels, but does in this case. Somewhat like a website that is built and works fine in nearly all browsers, but the creator missed a 'best practice' memo and one browser displays a table wrong.

    I would suggest such a minor fault is likely at rF2's end, because if the wheel has some special requirements it seems unlikely all/most other games happened to get that right. But it won't be visible at the telemetry level.
     
  14. DaVeX

    DaVeX Registered

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    Just a brain fart from my side but...
    Everytime you press drive and car "respawn" on pit or grid FFB is resetting (while on menu the wheel is loose and then back on track/pit it turns on).
    Probably during the process something goes wrong because it is somehow similar to starting again the wheel with the game already running.
    I bet that is the issue, resetting/pausing and restarting the FFB while moving from track to menu and back to track causes degradation.
    Did you notice this even after finishing a race and starting a new one without leaving the game?
     
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  15. Jon Davies

    Jon Davies Registered

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    Bumping this thread, thanks to Adam for highlighting to me. Experiencing the issue with CSL DD and is actively impacting me in any competitive race sessions. Only way to resolve is through leaving and restarting game. Doing this during warmup prior to race is not feasible.
    https://forum.studio-397.com/index.php?threads/csl-dd-ffb-issue.70404/#post-1078332

    Also had a response from Fanatec advising it will be a game issue.
    https://forum.fanatec.com/discussion/23806/csl-dd-strange-magnetic-noise-and-distorted-ffb#latest
     
  16. Highlandwalker

    Highlandwalker Registered

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    It may help if any body with the problem installs Fanalab, it may not make any difference but it's worth a try.
     
  17. Highlandwalker

    Highlandwalker Registered

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    There are new Fanatec drivers available now version 415 which could help.
     
  18. davehenrie

    davehenrie Registered

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    I think about a year ago, they released drivers that were supposed to help rF2. Still working the problem it seems....
    And thankyou @Highlandwalker for the heads-up on the drivers, but for some reason, I cannot get them to dload. Just a link leading to a link. I can see the files, just can't get them to dload.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2021
  19. Highlandwalker

    Highlandwalker Registered

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    Try this page it should directly download as zip file. Click on download link.
    https://forum.fanatec.com/discussion/23824/fanatec-driver-415-for-csl-csw-and-podium-wb-all-wheels
    1. Switch off your wheel base. (Very important) Could cause problems if left switched on.
    2. Then uninstall old driver.
    3. Install the new driver. (Run this file from the zip file Fanatec_64_driver_415.msi
    Hope this is of help.
     
  20. davehenrie

    davehenrie Registered

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    That got it. The link from the same forum just wasn't working, The one in that thread did. Thanks
     

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