What's the secret to going fast?

General discussion about your experience with the game.
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Haruna
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What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Haruna »

Seriously.

Where and how do drivers find speed in places I seem to struggle endlessly? Are long hours of practice just not enough? Do they simply corner and never ever use the brake/lift throttle? Seriously.
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Trigger Happy
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Trigger Happy »

As I saw in replays, you need to use max. of track to run as much with full throttle as possible. Especially kerbs are necessary to take in consideration, they are often wider, that driver thinks.

Next - to learn precisely line of AIs on track to make immediate judgment, which line to use for its overtaking. Example is first chicane of Hunaudieres Straight at MiltonDuPont's Le Mans. If I'm closely behind AI before entering the chicane (distance shorter than length of car), I attack in the chicane on left side of road. If distance is longer, I attack in exit of the chicane on right of road. This helps to prevent crashes with AIs on track, which cause big loss in time and sometimes even damaging car.

Knowledge of car and tracks - e.g. if car has safe pits settings and track has kerbs with black parts, I avoid entering the kerbs if a particular kerb has higher number of black squares than the other color no matter, that it could be shorter way.

Keeping stable pace during loosing grip on tires is key and even more important is to great inlap and outlap - both - good laps on track and good choice of lap for pitting. Precise and well planned pit stop with good laps before and after can give even 5 seconds sometimes.

Techical background is important too - good keyboard, even if it may sound weird. E.g. Serginho had big problems with racing longer races and TTs, but now he can join and win everything.

I's just basic, more I cannot remind now, maybe I'll add something later. And off course, this are tips from average driver. Not lightning, so I cannot wait to hear some hints too. :yummy:
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thegreatfalcon
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by thegreatfalcon »

Ivo Porč wrote:Techical background is important too - good keyboard, even if it may sound weird. E.g. Serginho had big problems with racing longer races and TTs, but now he can join and win everything.
Yeah prefer a keyboard with a medium-soft touch :bg: Too soft feels strange I think while too hard make it difficult to press the keys...

Also, avoid analogue steering or joystick since the game does not take them in consideration; There's only a ON and a OFF position programmed :bg:
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Trigger Happy
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Trigger Happy »

The Great Falcon wrote:Also, avoid analogue steering or joystick since the game does not take them in consideration; There's only a ON and a OFF position programmed :bg:
It takes it in consideration for turning, not for brake and throttle. Check readme. ;)
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Mad Dan
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Mad Dan »

About keyboard :D it ruined GR career of my friend, !skareggae!, he was last due to many stucked letters in hi keyboard :(

anyway I raced iun my first 40-50 races onnormal keyboard (THIS) but after that I noticewd that it was much easier for me when I was using kinda notebook keyboard with "flat" keys :misch: . Just to say...
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Buka
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Buka »

Keyboard is a metter of taste. I raced for 2 years with very old one with high keys and showed the same results as I do now when I have lower keys. Main secrets probably are strong nerves and good reaction plus trainings.
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Quklis
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Quklis »

Practice is what makes perfect. Sometimes I try to learn better lines with slower game speed, 90% gives you far more time to react.
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akouk
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by akouk »

Haruna Say wrote: Where and how do drivers find speed in places I seem to struggle endlessly?
Basicly you have to learn to steer earlier and let the car deal with the corner, as it will carry itself on a radious affected by speed.
Try this at a 90 degree corner:
Go down a straight and turn hard in the corner at full speed. The car will probably go wide out, but observe the turn radious. You will notice that there's room for that radious to get closer to the apex of the corner and eventually fit inside the road, if you turn earlier. If the 90 degree corner has safficient width, then it's no need to slow down at all.
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thegreatfalcon
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by thegreatfalcon »

Ivo Porč wrote:
The Great Falcon wrote:Also, avoid analogue steering or joystick since the game does not take them in consideration; There's only a ON and a OFF position programmed :bg:
It takes it in consideration for turning, not for brake and throttle. Check readme. ;)
Then it doesn't support my 360 controller :shhh:
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Rendy »

Does always taking inside lines helps to be on top?

Also, I've tried to find my best racing line but sometimes my "Throttle-Brake-Throttle" trajectory gone wrong. How can I fix my trajectory?
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Quklis
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Quklis »

Rendy wrote:Does always taking inside lines helps to be on top?

Also, I've tried to find my best racing line but sometimes my "Throttle-Brake-Throttle" trajectory gone wrong. How can I fix my trajectory?
Brake is actually quite useless, the car slows down on itself quite nicely and you can even control it.
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Paw
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Paw »

Rendy wrote:Does always taking inside lines helps to be on top?
I've made an "professional" picture showing how it looks. If you take the tactic outside-inside-outside you can drive faster through the corner. On the picture the red dot is the centre of the corner "roundness", while the turquoise one - center of the red driving line quartercircle. So it does make the difference and you can carry the speed through the corner. It would look otherwise, if there would be another turn after this one: a righthander. In this case you should tighten the first driving line, to place yourself on the left - the 'outside' of the folowing corner. That's my, the lame driver's :2c:
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Trigger Happy
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Trigger Happy »

Somebody mentioned here on forum this page with tutorial of racing line:
http://www.drivingfast.net/techniques/racing-line.htm
http://www.drivingfast.net/techniques/track-corner.htm
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Mad Dan
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Mad Dan »

well it depends also on Hmap you know, I think that you just should get as close as possible to sunktyres :shrug:
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Buka
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Buka »

Those racing lines doesn't work properly in GR. It has arcade physics. And IMO Dan's right, you need to go as close to synktyres as possible - that's the most important.
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Ginseng
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Ginseng »

Braking is really useless in 99% of the cases. Depends a bit on the car physics. I usually never brake, I just release the acceleration button early enough to slow down. Most important is of course that you adjust the timing of that as the tyre condition changes and the fuel changes so the timing will change almost every lap.

For me I find driving with a gamepad easier, well maybe I am the only driver who uses an old gravis gamepad but i just cant get the right feeling with the keyboard (and I have never been a maniac on PS or XBox that i use a gamepad now ;-) ).

Thing you need to keep in mind is that you should make the track as straight as possible. Sound weird but turning slows down so try to get through curves or "S" formations as straight as possible. Just see a track as many straight track parts with some turns. Make the "turns"-part of a track as little as possible. Therefore use all track that is available, also curbs and if possible and allowed use the grass.

important for a race is also the right pit stop tactic. Therefore its good to test a bit and see when the AI drivers do their pit stop.

Being close to sunk tyres is important but dangerous too. once bouncing over them will destroy a good lap time usually.
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by The lost Ninja »

I wouldn't say that braking is THAT useless. On tracks with many curves, my nephew uses the brakes a lot, while I use to drive like you, Ginseng.
Most of the time, he'll win, maybe I'm just timing wrong.
Also on ovals, I just can't seem to find the ideal driving-line, if I'm not able to block him, I've got to let him go without any chance. :weep:
We're both using the same keyboard, with normal keys (wasd & arrow keys).
It's so depressing!

btw, I always wanted to have the gravis pad also , just never seemed to get my hands on one (or two).
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Ginseng
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Ginseng »

The lost Ninja wrote:btw, I always wanted to have the gravis pad also , just never seemed to get my hands on one (or two).
Image
Ja, this was my first game pad...

But later i changed to my current one, a game pad pro. If I need to brake then I do with one of the front buttons so that i don't have to move thumbs or fingers. Originally I used that for PC soccer games but was and is quite useful for me now with GeneRally.
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thegreatfalcon
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by thegreatfalcon »

The lost Ninja wrote:Image
Awesome!!!! I have the same!!!
But it's not working since I don't have game pad port on this computer's mobo
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by TuomoH »

Ginseng wrote:Braking is really useless in 99% of the cases.
Depends on the track a bit as well but on overall you might be right.
For me I find driving with a gamepad easier, well maybe I am the only driver who uses an old gravis gamepad but i just cant get the right feeling with the keyboard
I've always used a gamepad - the current one must be my fourth if not fifth...
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by AleksiNir »

About braking - I use brake to get my car into a slide in tight and slow corners so it turns around the corner apex/radius faster. You also lose some speed and lotsa grip, so I'm not sure if it helps anything :lol: This is also handy with very understeering cars.
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by zsoltbartok »

Oh, an interesting topic! I am not a good driver but I have been struggling with getting faster for some time and here's what I can add to your thoughts:

I agree with Ivo, the quality of the keyboard may be important! I used a traditional keyboard in the beginning and when I bought my laptop I realised that the built-in keyboard sometimes dosn't react! :compko: So, as I had a gamepad, I started to use that one instead, because it never lags.

But: the keyboard is better for me. With keyboard I steer with my index and middle fingers (right hand) and press gas with the left hand. There is a difference with gamepads: I have to use the left hand thumb for steering - so only one finger. My reaction time is better when the "steering fingers" are separated (maybe because they have to move a shorter way to press the button?). I was talking to Madd Dogg and he also noticed this thing.

I think reaction time is important in GR, as I usually find the ideal line soon but have difficulties in driving on them, to brake (or release gas actually) and turn in the perfect fraction of second... (I need more practice runs, I know. MissileSurfer, the actual GRC champion revealed that he did at least 50 runs before login. This is the secret, maybe? :sherlock: ).

And a final thought: some people (like me) rarely press the brake, mainly they release the gas. But others constantly press gas and press brake simultaneously to slow down. I don't know which may be faster - what do you think?
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TuomoH
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by TuomoH »

mizzamar wrote:But: the keyboard is better for me. With keyboard I steer with my index and middle fingers (right hand) and press gas with the left hand. There is a difference with gamepads: I have to use the left hand thumb for steering - so only one finger. My reaction time is better when the "steering fingers" are separated (maybe because they have to move a shorter way to press the button?). I was talking to Madd Dogg and he also noticed this thing.
You can use whatever buttons on your gamepad as well. When driving in GRASCAR (oval champ) at some point I changed the buttons so that I could steer with my left and right index finger.
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by zsoltbartok »

TuomoH wrote:You can use whatever buttons on your gamepad as well.
Yeah, I have tried many combinations. Even the analog stick on it, but it felt slow. Recently I gave up experimenting and use the gamepad the way it is intended to be used, thumbs on the main control buttons.
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Re: What's the secret to going fast?

Post by Vilkku »

I brake a lot, so now I know what I've done wrong!

I'll be back! :winner:
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