Regenerative Steering Feedback and Discussion

Dev Server "Sky Odyssey" General Discussion - Dev Server
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1
Expand Regenerative Steering Testing?
  • Yes
  • No
0 voters
How Are You Finding Regenerative Steering?
  • Happy With the Implementation
  • Needs Improvement
  • Not a Fan
  • Unsure
0 voters

The devs have added double differential steering to a handful of top tier MBT’s this dev server, what are your opinions on this feature, how could it be improved?

Personally i’d like to see this feature expanded to a wider variety of vehicles for testing to show the benefits or weaknesses for a variety of vehicles.

Example Steering Details:

Spoiler

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Example Braking Details:

Spoiler

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Key Things to Note:

  • Neutral Steering is done entirely via the steering units rather than a neutral gear.
  • Brakes are either on or off, they cannot be used for directionalised steering, only reducing the speed of the vehicle.

Bugs Found:

  • Steering causes an increase in acceleration, likely because the base engine power then has further power added to it, rather than a fraction of the base engine power being used for steering.
    This can be easily seen when turning with left and right without holding the W key, the tank still accelerates even though the engine should not be producing substantial power.
  • STRV122 no longer neutral turns effectively.
  • Vehicle Inertia and Track Friction Require tuning.
  • Tanks cannot change gear whilst turning, this is again to do with the application of power whilst steering.

https://community.gaijin.net/issues/p/warthunder/i/BTJFvvg4yD0y

My Suggestion for Controls:

15 Likes
2

This is an absolute blessing.

Many of us had been waiting for this for 9 years… since 2017, back when the Regenerative Steering suggestion was first passed to the developers.

Finally, modern tanks actually drive and feel like modern tanks and not 1920s tractors.

If you are going to subject the full implementation to a vote, I hope the community will do the right thing and vote in favour of it.

EDIT: I have discovered a way to pull tighter turns in city maps: Cruise Control (CC) 1!

EDIT 2: That being said, I maintain that Leopard 2’s current regenerative steering may be too suboptimal for close range/low speed driving. While, on the other hand, Type 10’s is still too abrupt at higher speeds.

Perhaps an arrangement can be made where it turns as sharp as Type 10 at low speeds, and as smooth as Leopard 2 at higher speeds.

Alternatively, a keybind toggle compromise to please everyone in every circumstance:

keybind toggle.

Say I bind the toggle to… J, for example.

Maginot.

I use regenerative steering across the whole map in general because it’s an absolute blessing to drive cross-country, but then I get to the tight city part;

Press J, regenerative steering is toggled off to allow for easier city driving. A quick and easy compromise to appeal to everyone all at once under every possible circumstance.

EDIT 3:

Excellent feedback!

I believe, with these changes, fixes and improvements, that a new iteration of MUCH better Regenerative Steering could be made.

9 Likes
3

My expectation, which may not be correct, is that the use of brakes should still work with a double diff system, so using Q + E for left and right brakes to induce sharper turns would alleviate the turning issues if and when it is needed whilst retaining normal regenerative steering.
Currently the brakes do not effect turning, atleast not in a significant way which could be a bug.

It turns out that directional braking would not be correct, however you should be able to brake and accelerate irrespective of turning, which you cannot do in game yet.

6 Likes
4

Feels great on the Type 10s tbh

Just let the previous steering mechanic happen when you brake and turn or something for emergencies lmao

8 Likes
5

The problem with that is that it would remove the Cruise control keybinds.

Although maybe that can be solved by making CC be activatedby doing double-tap? I believe that’s an option now?

6

It either needs work, or needs to be reverted - remember how that bug from last patch where if you reversed you could never lose speed, it feels like that but - more.
The principal is there but it feels like buggier than the accidental bug that previously showed up

1 Like
7

Could you describe or show abit more what you mean by this?

8

I already have CC bound to my side mouse buttons to make way for Q and E aha when steering challenger 2 so im not sure what the best binding practise would be.

1 Like
9

I have them bound to Q & A :3

I use ESDF for movement

1 Like
10

there’s a video here of that bug - at the minute regenerative steering feels like how this was but…more

11

If you mean steering without losing speed/feeling abit more like a race car, this is the point of the steering system and why it was highly requested.

2 Likes
12

Add kicking down a gear for a tighter radius, expand to all that should have it (All MBTs relevant could be a start)

13

Would be great if the regenerative steering stopped when you let go of w. In the current way it just keeps turning like you are still holding w.

From a stop you can only neutral turn or go forward/backward and turn.

If this can be fixed I believe it would be perfect.

16 Likes
14

When braking there needs to be something similar to the old system where it starts a stronger turn.

And when letting off the throttle it needs to start prioritizing steering as well.

Outside that, during acceleration & throttle it works flawlessly.

6 Likes
15

This is intended, as the devs described in the patch notes, there is a minimum radius for each gear whether you have power on or off. The only way to turn tighter would be to stop the slow the inside track with a brake.

16

Its horrible in the current way. You will lose every situation where the enemy appears behind you if you are in a leo driving full speed because it takes 6 years to turn around.

Having another keybind to turn it off or control the brakes wouldnt make any sense imo.

Only way to fix this would be to use regenerative steering only when w or s is held. This would also follow more how the old steering works. Wouldnt need to completely rewire your brain to use.

9 Likes
17

So that would be possible if, say youre moving forward at high speed and want to do a sharp right turn you then release w for accelerating and regenerative steering but turn with d and switch to s for applying the brake on the inner track or vice versa. While obviously when youre in reverse at high speed you release s for regenerative steering and/or press w for applying the brake for the respective inner track of where you want to turn? Could that make sense?

18

There are several reasons why regenerative steering systems (more accurately termed “constant-radius steering systems”) have limits on their turning radius.
First, real-world tracked vehicles are delicate mechanisms; if a sharp turn is attempted while traveling at high speed, the tracks can easily come off. The limit serves to prevent this.

A second reason lies in the system’s use of a differential gear to create a difference in track speeds; by combining two rotational speeds, it decelerates one track while accelerating the other.
In this setup, Input Shaft 1 is directly connected to the engine, meaning it rotates at roughly the same speed as the engine. Input Shaft 2 comes from the transmission, so its speed fluctuates in accordance with the vehicle’s speed.
The steering system applies addition and subtraction from Input Shaft 1 to Input Shaft 2. Consequently, while the vehicle is moving slowly, the influence of Input Shaft 1 is significant; however, as the vehicle speeds up and the rotation of Input Shaft 2 increases, the relative influence of Input Shaft 1 diminishes.
This results in reduced acceleration and deceleration of the tracks during high-speed travel, thereby increasing the turning radius.

Fundamentally, older vehicles like the Tiger or Churchill were designed so that the turning radius increased as speed rose. This is a historical characteristic, not a game-imposed limitation. While some vehicles can be forced to turn more sharply using their brakes, there is generally no way to turn within a radius smaller than the specified minimum.
If this behavior is undesirable, the entire system would need to be removed.

1 Like
19

Needs improvement as I said in the poll. I agree with your points regarding track-breaking.

Leaving a comment here so the post gets more attention.

1 Like
20

After extensive testing of the regenerative steering, I have a few things to say and recommend players who are going to play Leopard 2s, Type 10s and Type 90s.

General conclusion: This new steering system will allow players to retain their speeds when making small turn adjustments in large maps with little obstructions. However, in maps like Advance to the Rhine and Sweden, knowing the maps is key to utilising and maintaining the speed without needing to make sharp turns. In the event sharp corners are required for manuevering, speed has to be monitored and reduced down to lower gears in order to make the turns, otherwise you will come face to face with walls and structures.

General recommendation: When attempting to make sharp turns, let go of the acceleration button and tap on the brakes intermittently to get the speed down, or enable cruise control 1 to allow the game to slow the tank down for you to get around tight corners.

Gameplay differences: This new steering system allows fast tanks to get to position rapidly as it does not hinder your mobility or ability to keep speed as u make turning adjustments, which is extremely useful in maps with lots of flanking opportunities. However, it changes how you play in city maps entirely as the faster you go, the harder it is to turn the corners.

6 Likes