Project Cars VR Thread

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Super sampling options added....in a fasion.
http://steamcommunity.com/games/234630/announcements/detail/583609044408921536
So i have spent a long time changing settings and reading up on what works and what does not, which leads me to this thread.
My hope is that we can discuss tips and tricks to make the game run at its best for VR, all other regular discussions about the game itself would be better over in the PC game section.

here is the blurb form the steam update...

The next Project CARS patch is now live on Steam. This one brings a host of Virtual Reality improvements, and features full HTC Vive support. We support SteamVR's room customization option when using the HTC Vive, so whenever you're in the game menus, you'll see the SteamVR room in the background. This allows you to customize the look of the 3D space surrounding the menus via the SteamVR Workshop. We're looking forward to seeing all the creative Project CARS themed custom backgrounds that our fans come up with. :)

We've also implemented the often-requested VR mouse support, Gaze control support, and the ability to seamlessly swap between them and use them along with Custom Controllers and Gamepads.

Due to the extent of the Virtual Reality updates, we strongly recommend that you delete the configuration files that store the various settings. These are found in "\Users\<username>\Documents\Project CARS" and are the files with XML extension.

Project CARS - PC Patch 11.0

Virtual Reality
* HTC Vive support
* Gaze control implemented, providing hands-free interaction with the User Interface
* Mouse pointer control in HMD view implemented
* Photo mode is now fully functional
* Depth of Field effects now work correctly
* The game will now retain controller focus when the player removes the HMD
* Improved rendering system for Crepuscular rays and Sun flares
* Improved rendering of dirt and rain drops on Helmet visor
* Improved the default seat position
* Improved the default HUD position
* Improved default camera settings to prevent the car tilting independently from the player at steep inclines
* Fixed a refresh issue on the UI when returning from a race to the main menu
From that the most important part for me was "\Users\<username>\Documents\Project CARS" and are the files with XML extension

Since i had commited to playing in VR rather than regular, i wanted to start from scratch with my visual settings.
The other main part is lowering expectations with the graphics, i know it sounds harsh but with this game in VR, the detail is nowhere near as sharp as you want it to be. Jaggies and jerking are the two main culprits for me.

For a reference point, I am using [email protected], 8gb 1600 ram and a 980gtx.
Here are my settings:
G-force and world movement affect the bouncing and acceleration the camera reacts to. for me these are just right, setting to 100 will be more dramatic when clipping bumps etc.
Flare/bloom and all that jazz just blinded me! don't get me wrong, i love the realism that gives but it is a performance hit. maybe i will apply it again and see.
TFx16 is what most people suggest, everything else is as mentioned before. I read that frames ahead might be better at 2, i tried it and it made the movement jerky.
Shared devices is meant to be for wheels and other accessories. didn't seem to hurt putting it on, considering how many extra items are plugged in using the vive. Jitter set at 4, some say 0 is fine, others say 2..

I have seen no difference (or certainly performance increase!) in cranking things above low. Here is a video showing all the differences in adjust the graphic options:

https://youtu.be/wdUmhUhSgYk

As you are probably aware, its a good looking game as standard, its a case of stepping it back a bit and removing the jaggies.
I run DS2X and is nice and smooth, i have read about people using higher tahn that with a better setup and it helps even more. I have not tried using FXAA and SMAA instead.
Only other thing to add so far is that i use a 360 pad and have to adjust the seating position in the game menu to get it just right. World scaling is within that same option and that just shrinks or enlarges the car/driver to suit your own proportions.

I hope this is of some use to other VR users, please tell me if you find any other useful tips!
 
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Oh thanks so much for this, I will start tinkering with my settings soon. All I know is that looking into the sun glare definitely hurts my poor 970. So I will set it to minimal next time I play.

That said, I will upgrade to a 1070 soon and hopefully I can crank up a lot of the visuals, it seems a real shame to leave everything on low. :)
 

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I am sitting at 117 mins on this game, 3 mins left to tinker before I refund it.

Really wasn't impressed with the immersion. Maybe jaggy removal would help.
 
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I am sitting at 117 mins on this game, 3 mins left to tinker before I refund it.

Really wasn't impressed with the immersion. Maybe jaggy removal would help.

Simply put, our graphics cards are not powerful enough to run this and it look nice. Pascal to the rescue I think.
 
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Simply put, our graphics cards are not powerful enough to run this and it look nice. Pascal to the rescue I think.
I think its more the limitation of the headset display, oculus games like luckys tale and farlands scale really well into the distance with little jaggies but they are moving at a much slower pace. I think if they fixed the distance jaggies then the compromise would be pop ups.
Currently i think a 970/980 is enough for vive. You look at nvidia funhouse saying it needs 1080 to run, it doesn't make sense. What i mean is project cars looks great on the second display while i am in VR but the exact same picture looks rough through the headset!
 
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I think its more the limitation of the headset display, oculus games like luckys tale and farlands scale really well into the distance with little jaggies but they are moving at a much slower pace. I think if they fixed the distance jaggies then the compromise would be pop ups.
Currently i think a 970/980 is enough for vive. You look at nvidia funhouse saying it needs 1080 to run, it doesn't make sense. What i mean is project cars looks great on the second display while i am in VR but the exact same picture looks rough through the headset!

To get rid of the jaggies and make things look much better, you need to up the supersampling. I obviously don't have the hardware to do this yet, but other report that is the way to go, especially for games like ED and pCars.

A good example would be Out of Ammo. If you run it at 100% scaling then you can see jaggies. But run it at 150% and it looks so much nicer. Problem is I start to get missed frames. Same for things like The Gallery.

I really do think the 970 and 980 are not enough for beautiful looking VR games. Functional yes. But 980Ti/Pascal and up is needed to make things look great.
 
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Thanks for the thread - nice idea. I myself have spent quite a bit of time tweaking all the settings, exiting the game and going back into it etc.

Basically I bought the Vive for driving games with my G27; Project Cars and Assetto Corsa. Couldn't get AC to run at all - think a patch came out that stopped "revive" working. Project Cars is supported and runs ok but yes very jaggy and I found viewing into distance just not sharp enough, almost blurry (possibly resolution limitations).

Forcing some SS in Nvidia Inspector does help to smooth out the jaggies but it comes at an FPS cost - I really need to be gaming at 90fps, if this can't be sustained then it drops to 45fps which definitely isn't as nice. I'm using an OC'ed Gigabyte 980ti.

Must say the immersion and experience though through VR is different to anything I've had before. Really suits driving games I think. Just wish it was a bit better. I'm convinced it can be awesome though when the tech is there to do it.
 
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Any chance of resizing those pics? Makes trying to view thread on many devices a PITA.

Looking forward to getting my Rift and using Project Cars with my G27 though!
 
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I Have 2 x Titan X and its still a jaggy mess .. doesn't matter what setting I throw at it .. even had the rez at 4K (to match monitor)

Alas with SLI in VR a broken mess in most games, having 2 of something isn't very useful.

My second 980Ti has been sitting largely unused since my rift arrived... :mad:
 
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Managed to get a mates Thrustmaster TX and playseat hooked up with the Vive and PCars last night, and we both promptly started feeling sick which kind of ruined the experience!

Running a 1070 and [email protected] it just runs like absolute garbage. Turned everything low/off and was hitting 56fps, which I assume is why we were feeling the motion sickness. Turned all the VR and camera settings to 0 as the article above recommends. The only thing I can think that might have had an impact on FPS was that we had Full Screen Monitor View to Yes. I'll try turning that off tonight and seeing how it helps.
 
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Took a lot of messing to get the gaming running right on my Fury X, keep at it the machine sounds more than capable.

Are you hitting 90fps constant? Do you know if there a way to show fps in the Vive? I have fraps and/or afterburner OSD which shows on the TV which is how I saw the 56fps, but I'm not sure how the fps on the TV relates to what the Vive sees?

We have another evening on it tonight so hopefully we can get it going properly :)
 
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Seems like it was just the full screen monitor setting that was taking me down to 45fps. I deleted all 3 xml files from my docs and its now running a solid 90fps. We both still get a little bit of motion sickness on tracks with dips and bumps, elevation changes, but apart from that its all good. 1M Coupe on Silverstone Stowe was great fun:)
 
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