Separating ground feedback and aerodynamic forces

PICuS · Post by **PICuS** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:34 pm

How many devices can FS Force drive?

I have not yet bought and tried a copy of FS Force, but intuitively, I am resisting the idea of having ground feedback sent through the yoke.

Is ther any way of either splitting the outputs of FS Force to drive more than one FFB device? Alternatively, can multiple copies of FS Force work on multiple networked PCs?

Post by **RussDirks** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:34 pm

FS Force only drives on device. However, as you mentioned, you could have multiple copies on networked PCs.

I understand what you're saying about feeling ground feedback through the yoke, but keep in mind that when an airplane goes over a bump, the entire airframe vibrates, which would include the yoke. Of course, the primary way we would feel it would be through our seat, but simulating that would require a fairly hefty budget.

PICuS · Post by **PICuS** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:17 am

Yes, I agree that you will feel it through the yoke also.

I am thinking about a smallish device put under or inside the seat rather than having a full motion platform.

So, I can run multiple copies of FS Force in a network?

Can one extract or manupulate the outputs from FS Force via Direct X?

Post by **RussDirks** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:43 am

PICuS wrote:Can one extract or manupulate the outputs from FS Force via Direct X?

Not that I'm aware of. You would have to configure your device to appear as a proper force feedback device under Windows, which would entail writing device drivers - major pain I'm sure. The alternative would be to use the guts of a FF joystick, and wire your own motors to that.

crim3d · Post by **crim3d** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:35 pm

PICuS wrote:I am thinking about a smallish device put under or inside the seat rather than having a full motion platform.

I've been using bass shakers under my seat for a year or so. They make a HUGE difference. At the beginning I was all the time thinking that it's not a very good solution because the bass component of the sound coming from the game/sim not necessarily match the ammount of vibrations you should feel. Even sometimes is inverted (an idling engine has a bigger bass component that a full throttled engine althought at full throttle you should feel a lot more vibrations, not less as it happens with bass shakers). Now I'm so used to it that I simply enjoyed it very much and I can't live without it. Sound feels "hollow" to me without the shakers.

Sense of touch is very important, a lot more than people thinks. So I recommend you to go on with your project and also to add bass shakers if you already haven't done it. You can also build them quite easily, I built the ones I have.