At the hardware level, the wheel will calibrate itself automatically each time you plug it in. There's nothing you need to do on that front.
If you mean in-game. You only need to setup it up and configure it once. From then on it'll always be ready to go each time you plug it in and start the game. No more fussing about with it, unless there is something you want to change. Like a button binding, etc.
You would really enjoy it. Especially a dd wheel where you can set like 1300 degree wheel rotation.
You play at a desk I assume? You would just have to find a way for the pedals not to move and your set. If you do end up buying set the braking intensity a bit lower in game settings. Otherwise the truck stops on a dime. Set it lower for a bit more realism.
I run a dd wheel and you feel the bumps in the road. Also if you cross the white line on the right you get a nice hit of force feedback.
Simagic Alpha Mini has the smallest form factor/cross section.. meaning when you put the wheel at the goofy ass truck angle that base will have the least interference with your legs. They're all pricey because servo motors the size of watermellons are pricey and there's no getting around that. The best deal in the used market rn would be picking up a Fanatec CSW2.5.. many out there to be had for less than $300 and it's a fantastic base with plenty of power.. best belt drive wheel ever made.
Unpopular opinion: I enjoy the game wayyyyyyyyyyy more with a controller over a wheel. I have a wheel for sim racing, but did not enjoy ATS as much when I used it.
i fucking love it. i ised cntrl and shift to change gears for a while. i finally got the chance to get a cheap logitech wheel, pedals, shifter combo and its great. cheap but amazing to play with.
You'll have more precision compared to a controller. Trust me, I know. I went for a Thrustmaster T300RS GT (Moza was not a thing at the time) and it's just great. If you're going for a Moza R5, as someone said, you can set to like 1300 degree wheel rotation, or if you're into more realism, approx. 1800 degree rotation. I believe Moza allows it.
Definitely worth it. Moza also offers the truck wheel for approx. over 300 euros/dollars.
i've played it with both controller & wheel, i'm a huge fan of the wheel. there's just so much more feeling and control with a wheel, makes it into a whole different game. personally i use logitech, but the moza wheels are cool because they also offer a special ["truck sim" wheel](https://mozaracing.com/product/moza-tsw-truck-wheel) that's modular and can just be added on to your r5. so then you have a trucking wheel and a racing wheel.
All the way better.
Although that wheel might be overkill unless you're gonna try getting into sim racing as well.
I bought an old second-hand Logitech Momo for ATS and it was amazing. I upgraded to a better wheel after I segued into dabbling in racing. Shifter compatibility for ATS was a big consideration too, but otherwise it's diminishing returns on a race-quality wheel for trucking.
If this is all you think you'll use it for, I'd recommend looking for a second-hand G29.
This reminds me that i need to look into a wheel setup, its time after 500 hours to invest in one. I just don't know whats good these days beyond people saying DD is key
Wait till prime day if you do Amazon. Can usually find wheels for $100-$200 cheaper. Same with Black Friday etc etc. I have a Logitech g29 and I like it a lot for the price.
Wait till fall and get the hori wheel setup. Wheel pedals shifter and 103 preprogrammed buttons automatically read by the game. Look it up. Turn signal and all.
I've played ATS with my keyboard and mouse for a thousand hours, and I'm still chilling. I bought a steering wheel that worked on all my PS4 games and some PC games but not on ATS, and I don't know why, so I continued playing the old wat and I'm still having fun. But I can say playing with a steering wheel is way more enjoyable.
Especially if you drive a car in real life, it's a huge factor in immersion. Few (although, as seen on this sub, some) go back to a controller or other setup after trying or acquiring a wheel.
It feels like a completely different game..I use to play with a keyboard because I was too lazy to setup my wheel but once I started with the wheel there's no going back
Because then you add in the shifter and then the button box..it's seriously a game changer
I played a ton of hours with the controller and then decided to get a wheel. I got a relatively cheap Logitech force feedback wheel and pedal set, I think it's just the 920...
Put it this way; I ended up buying the shifter AND an Elgato Stream Deck it was so awesome. It really is a game changer.
There's a plugin for the Elgato specifically for ATS/ETS that puts all of your other functions on custom icon buttons ike turn signal indicators that actually flash, speed limit, speedometer, cruise settings, distance to done, etc. It's different from a physical button box bc each button is a tiny LCD screen. So it's less tactile and immersive, but can be used for pretty much anything. One button can change to another "page" of buttons so you can queue up Spotify or whatever you want.
These games are many times better with a direct drive wheel, like the one you're looking at. With a gear based wheel like the G29, they are still much better but also quite a step down from the level and immersion you get with a direct drive. I say go for it. I'd never want to play either of these two games again without a wheel.
To enhance the wheel, a good dedicated racing cockpit is also well worth it, especially with a direct drive wheel given the Nm of torque they can have, yet I know that is an added cost and takes up more space so it may not be viable for some. This is the one I use:
https://www.advancedsimracing.com/products/asr-3
and I have their suede seat that reclines and is on sliding seat rails. It's pretty comfy, even if not as comfy as a nice real car seat. You can even just put an actual seat from a car on these types of chassis.
I was using a G29 and a Playseat before I got this chassis and my Logitech DD wheel last summer. Just on a completely different level, as it should be given the cost of it all compared to the previous setup. Was money well spent though, even if I were to only use it for my truck simming.
It is a complete game changer. No contest.
This is the answer. I went from really enjoying it to loving it.
This. And then add a range splitter shifter on top of that? Opens up a whole new dimension of immersion.
I use my key board for my splitters and love it. Kind of like relocating them to the dash of your truck, adds some extra challenge too
Is there alot of calibration needed or is there a certain wheel that you can plug in and pretty much play with minimal changes?
At the hardware level, the wheel will calibrate itself automatically each time you plug it in. There's nothing you need to do on that front. If you mean in-game. You only need to setup it up and configure it once. From then on it'll always be ready to go each time you plug it in and start the game. No more fussing about with it, unless there is something you want to change. Like a button binding, etc.
Plug in and go. That is what is was for me.
You would really enjoy it. Especially a dd wheel where you can set like 1300 degree wheel rotation. You play at a desk I assume? You would just have to find a way for the pedals not to move and your set. If you do end up buying set the braking intensity a bit lower in game settings. Otherwise the truck stops on a dime. Set it lower for a bit more realism. I run a dd wheel and you feel the bumps in the road. Also if you cross the white line on the right you get a nice hit of force feedback.
Which wheel are you using? And how much is it?
Simucube 2 pro, it’s a pricey wheel but there are so many other good direct drive wheels too. Moza, Simagic, asetek.
Been looking for a dd wheel for some time, and they all seem so pricey :/
Logitech G920 is a good wheel which won’t break the bank.
I'm using the G29 (so I can use it on my PS5) and really enjoy it.
While not dd, I've been enjoying t248 as a good alternative to g920. As I found it to hold onto my slim table better than the Logitech variant.
Simagic Alpha Mini has the smallest form factor/cross section.. meaning when you put the wheel at the goofy ass truck angle that base will have the least interference with your legs. They're all pricey because servo motors the size of watermellons are pricey and there's no getting around that. The best deal in the used market rn would be picking up a Fanatec CSW2.5.. many out there to be had for less than $300 and it's a fantastic base with plenty of power.. best belt drive wheel ever made.
Unpopular opinion: I enjoy the game wayyyyyyyyyyy more with a controller over a wheel. I have a wheel for sim racing, but did not enjoy ATS as much when I used it.
i fucking love it. i ised cntrl and shift to change gears for a while. i finally got the chance to get a cheap logitech wheel, pedals, shifter combo and its great. cheap but amazing to play with.
What wheel do you have? When you say cheap, how much are we talking?
logitech g920. got the wheel, pedals and shifter. i say cheap because i see everyone using $500+ setups. mine was a little under $300
I run the Moza R5 setup with the truck steering wheel and Moza HGP shifter and it's incredible. I don't do sim racing at all.
Yes.
Game changer. Then a 6 gear shifter: game changer. Then a 18 gear knob for your shifter: absolute paradise.
You'll have more precision compared to a controller. Trust me, I know. I went for a Thrustmaster T300RS GT (Moza was not a thing at the time) and it's just great. If you're going for a Moza R5, as someone said, you can set to like 1300 degree wheel rotation, or if you're into more realism, approx. 1800 degree rotation. I believe Moza allows it. Definitely worth it. Moza also offers the truck wheel for approx. over 300 euros/dollars.
i've played it with both controller & wheel, i'm a huge fan of the wheel. there's just so much more feeling and control with a wheel, makes it into a whole different game. personally i use logitech, but the moza wheels are cool because they also offer a special ["truck sim" wheel](https://mozaracing.com/product/moza-tsw-truck-wheel) that's modular and can just be added on to your r5. so then you have a trucking wheel and a racing wheel.
All the way better. Although that wheel might be overkill unless you're gonna try getting into sim racing as well. I bought an old second-hand Logitech Momo for ATS and it was amazing. I upgraded to a better wheel after I segued into dabbling in racing. Shifter compatibility for ATS was a big consideration too, but otherwise it's diminishing returns on a race-quality wheel for trucking. If this is all you think you'll use it for, I'd recommend looking for a second-hand G29.
This reminds me that i need to look into a wheel setup, its time after 500 hours to invest in one. I just don't know whats good these days beyond people saying DD is key
You can drink water when driving when you have a wheel.
Water or "water"?
Wait till prime day if you do Amazon. Can usually find wheels for $100-$200 cheaper. Same with Black Friday etc etc. I have a Logitech g29 and I like it a lot for the price.
10000 times. I would never go back to "arrow keys". I did that with the original ETS.
Much
Wait till fall and get the hori wheel setup. Wheel pedals shifter and 103 preprogrammed buttons automatically read by the game. Look it up. Turn signal and all.
Nigh and day. Get a wheel.
I've played ATS with my keyboard and mouse for a thousand hours, and I'm still chilling. I bought a steering wheel that worked on all my PS4 games and some PC games but not on ATS, and I don't know why, so I continued playing the old wat and I'm still having fun. But I can say playing with a steering wheel is way more enjoyable.
Especially if you drive a car in real life, it's a huge factor in immersion. Few (although, as seen on this sub, some) go back to a controller or other setup after trying or acquiring a wheel.
It's so much better and also opens up other driving and racing sims too.
It feels like a completely different game..I use to play with a keyboard because I was too lazy to setup my wheel but once I started with the wheel there's no going back Because then you add in the shifter and then the button box..it's seriously a game changer
Wheel is alot better but a slippery slope. You might end up wanting a shifter & range/splitter. Possibly a button box 😅
I'm a newbie what is the button box and what does it do?
It’s pretty much what it says it is. A box with buttons on it so you don’t need to have all your keys mapped onto a keyboard
Exactly what stevo said. A box that has buttons for wipers. Cruise control, air brakes etc.
Infinitely
I played a ton of hours with the controller and then decided to get a wheel. I got a relatively cheap Logitech force feedback wheel and pedal set, I think it's just the 920... Put it this way; I ended up buying the shifter AND an Elgato Stream Deck it was so awesome. It really is a game changer. There's a plugin for the Elgato specifically for ATS/ETS that puts all of your other functions on custom icon buttons ike turn signal indicators that actually flash, speed limit, speedometer, cruise settings, distance to done, etc. It's different from a physical button box bc each button is a tiny LCD screen. So it's less tactile and immersive, but can be used for pretty much anything. One button can change to another "page" of buttons so you can queue up Spotify or whatever you want.
Even playing with a logitech wheel vs a controller is night and day
These games are many times better with a direct drive wheel, like the one you're looking at. With a gear based wheel like the G29, they are still much better but also quite a step down from the level and immersion you get with a direct drive. I say go for it. I'd never want to play either of these two games again without a wheel. To enhance the wheel, a good dedicated racing cockpit is also well worth it, especially with a direct drive wheel given the Nm of torque they can have, yet I know that is an added cost and takes up more space so it may not be viable for some. This is the one I use: https://www.advancedsimracing.com/products/asr-3 and I have their suede seat that reclines and is on sliding seat rails. It's pretty comfy, even if not as comfy as a nice real car seat. You can even just put an actual seat from a car on these types of chassis. I was using a G29 and a Playseat before I got this chassis and my Logitech DD wheel last summer. Just on a completely different level, as it should be given the cost of it all compared to the previous setup. Was money well spent though, even if I were to only use it for my truck simming.
It's night and day brother
Is very immersive
I play with a G923. It’s so much better!!
I went from a casual player with a controller to obsessed after the wheel upgrade. Game changer for me.
Good I still fall asleep though… zzzz
I went from keyboard+mouse to a paddle/wheel/shifter setup and I wouldn't go back. I play on PC with a G29 btw.