I run in manual . I changed the button configuration so that square was gear down and circle was gear up. been running Manual ever since I got gt5. It makes you take corners faster cause you get to choose what gear to be in in each corner. You can keep it on the limiter for how ever long you want.
It may take a few hours to get used to them, but its definatly worth it, sometimes in automatic it will change gear when you dont want it to,
say you are in a car that will shift to 2nd when speed is below 50.
You slow to 48 entering a turn, the car shifts to second, you accelerate and it shifts back to 3rd.
So there you have 2 extra shifts and time lost.
If you have it in manual you can memorise the gear needed stay in 3rd and you save 2 shifts.
So over the whole lap this may save you many shifts and alot of time.
When in manual you can run the revs a little higher aswell to get a small advantage, and in some cars it is actually faster to change up gear before it redlines.
YES! pretend these next few words are the exact reason that would make you switch over. Dropping down gears while cornering is like another driving tool. Shifting up at high speeds while turning can make you gain traction. Literally another world.
think of it this way- race(road) car all have manual transmissions or the requirement for you to initiate the shift if using paddle/sequential shifted trannies. Same thing with rear wheel drive....pretty much a requirement for "real" race car(obviously class races etc require FF, MR drives)
Point being if you wanna be a racer, you gotta shift.
ANd your post....learn to shift??? no reason for it to take more than a minute to learn, one button for upshift one for downshift. After that you just drive and quickly it becomes automatic. What takes time however is learning shift points- when to shift for max power, to handle track situations and even how to save tires/equipment by short shifting etc..
all part of race craft
It was the same for me. I simply couldn't comfortably use the DS3 trying to steer, accelerate, brake and gear shift. I'd love to drive manual as the AT really annoys the hell out of me at times, but I simply can't coordinate it. If I should ever be able to justify buying a wheel, I'll instantly change to manual.
The only reason I have always run automatic trannies in racing games thus far has been that I've simply never bothered learning a stick in reality. I never was into Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport until FM2, after which I hastily snatched up FM3 and now GT5. Through FM2 I used all the driving aids, but when I went to FM3 I started off with the race line turned off and then gradually started ticking off ESC, TCS, and then ABS so all I eventually had was the auto tranny. I went into GT5 using only the auto tranny, but after a month or so I finally decided it was time to get adjusted to manual.
I've never looked back. I really enjoy the extra control I have over the engine with a manual transmission. I'm so glad I finally got around to adjusting to a manual gearbox.
I went to a MT during the GT4 SLR Challange. The first time I ran it with the MT I won and never went back to AT. Not only is it faster, it's more fun.
It's not moving the finger that was an issue for me, it's having the finger in place to be able to move it. I'm sure some people can hold the DS3 comfortably, while steering, accelerating, breaking, shifting gears, changing views, looking back and whatever else they may need in a race. Unfortunately, I simply can't.
Go manual. Bit weird at first with the controller, but after a day or so you really notice the benefits in almost every corner you take.
Also, it gives you a nice fuzzy feeling when you really nail a section of the track. Shifting becomes second nature - as easy as turning or accelerating.
I agree manual gear control is superior to an automatic. But unfortunately I have driven auto since day 1 on GT1 and that is what I'm best at, right now. The few times I have tried manual, it takes away just enough of my attention from braking points and holding the line that I am often all over the track, out of control. Practice makes perfect and I will get better with time. But right now I am *way* faster with the automatic, imperfect shifting an all. It just allows me to focus on braking points and carving the perfect apex.
It is well worth the time to learn, in real life and the game.
As a side note: keep in mind the engines power curve. When I did TT#whatever in an Evo the automatic **** shifted just after the red line every time, but my torque peaked about 3k rpm before that. By keeping the rpms lower I got much better acceleration and handling. It took at least 2 seconds off of my time.
As another side note:
I don't know about in the game (I've never used a wheel for any gt game) but synchronized shifting is a must learn for any car older than around the 80's. The newer cars trannies got too much going on for it to work properly. I learned it on an american AE85. I miss tha car...
The ability to shift your own gears, translates into you having more precise control of the powerband, and torque to the wheels. In a nutshell, it lets you have better corner control as well as control exiting the corner.
The ability to shift your own gears, translates into you having more precise control of the powerband, and torque to the wheels. In a nutshell, it lets you have better corner control as well as control exiting the corner.
If you use X and [] as throttle and brakes then use the triggers as gear up and down, if you use the triggers as throttle and brakes use the right stick as gear up and down.
Manual gives allot more control over the vehicle and slightly increased braking force and higher and predictable corner speeds (you no longer need to glance at the speedometer when entering a corner just be in the right gear for the corner). just choose a track to practise and keep going around until it feels right then try some lower races.
I always played AT on racing games in the past due to starting out on a PC with a controller that wouldn't allow MT. Whenever I have tried MT in GT in the past it screwed up my concentration to the point I couldn't race. I made up my mind before I got GT5 that I would switch to MT. So when I got GT5 I made the switch but started out doing a lot of the license tests. This really helped me to get the hang of it. Now MT is like second nature and is WAY more fun than AT. I'll never go back.
If you use X and [] as throttle and brakes then use the triggers as gear up and down, if you use the triggers as throttle and brakes use the right stick as gear up and down.
Manual gives allot more control over the vehicle and slightly increased braking force and higher and predictable corner speeds (you no longer need to glance at the speedometer when entering a corner just be in the right gear for the corner). just choose a track to practise and keep going around until it feels right then try some lower races.
Heck, manual shifting with an H-gearbox could be even faster than using paddles in certain situations, except someone shows me with paddles how to shift from 5th to 3rd
