What is happening to some people in the Sarthe enduros?

I don't know how many posts I've seen on various forums talking about big problems people are having in the Sarthe enduros in B-Spec mode. Here's a typical example, this one from the Tuning and Settings Forum:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1696057&postcount=44

He's not alone. Lots of players are having this problem. Its really puzzling because most of us just set our B-Spec drivers loose, wander off, and come back next day to pick up our prize car and loot.

If you're having trouble, or had trouble at one time, post a little report here telling about what happened to you. Maybe we can get to the bottom of it.

Who knows, maybe its just a matter of the wall-slam-on-the-straightaway glitch happening when you're not looking, but it would be nice to get it figured out.

I have had it once but not as frequent as some.

It looks like Bob wants to turn into a road that is not there.

It happened early in my game which maybe before I lifted the ride height but I can not guarantee this is the cause - maybe when I have some free time ie post M34, M13 and 3 more F1 colours I will run it again with a lowrider and a well setup car and see if there is a difference.

"What is happening to some people in the Sarthe enduros"

Well, after about 24 hours I finish the race and collect some cash and a car.

Think about it... a car that is fast enough to beat the competition, topping out over 200 MPH on a 24 hour endurance... The HP diminishes as the race progresses. I think you put more than 4000 miles on a single Sarth 24 hour races.

Use the Formula Gran Turismo on the two Sarth 24 hour. Because you cannot change it's oil, it doesn't suffer from oil/HP breakdown! One of the game glitches.... It is always 904 HP!

I'm currently about 8 and a half hours into the Sarthe 1 endurance race, using a combination of A-spec and B-spec. B-spec Bozo seems to keep coming off in the first chicane, so I have to keep getting back on to get the car back into the lead.

God that B-spec driver's a tool.

This is the - lets turn right for the chicane on Sarthe 1 when the car is actually racing on Sarthe 2 scenario. Is it a glitch, is it the bumpy track v low ride height, is it dumb driving ? I do not know but it does happen to the B-spec and some of his opponents and normally at the same two places. It is frustrating but you can live with it.

Steven

Chris Criswell

"What is happening to some people in the Sarthe enduros"

Well, after about 24 hours I finish the race and collect some cash and a car.

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On a more serious note, I noticed on Sarthe 11 that he would occasionally turn left for no obvious reason, then take ages to sort it out. It could increase his lap time for that lap by up to 50 seconds. Car was the Formula GT, all settings standard, including wing and gearing. He wasn't trying to turn for the chicane because in Sarthe 2 the chicanes are still there, but coned off, so if he was trying to drive around the chicane, he should be successful. Also, he was not turning anywhere near the start of the chicane, and he was turning the wrong way (left instead of right). It always seemed to happen on his second lap after a pitstop, and on the next lap he would go and explore the tyre wall at the end of the long straight instead of taking the tight right hander.


It did not look to me like he was trying to take a road that was not there, but rather that he was having some kind of problem which his programming could not deal with, and, after seeing how fidgety the car looked, combined with the fact that it always seemed to happen in the same place, allied with the fact that someone on this forum has demonstrated that b-spec achieves IDENTICAL lap times around the nurb in laps which always included an offroad adventure in the same location, I put it down to the AI driver, possibly influenced by fuel load, always losing control in the same way at the same speed after hitting the same bump, and gets involved in an accident that fools him into thinking he needs to turn left and slow down, perhaps because he feels that the rear end is threatening to slide to the right, and that perhaps the reason he repeats this is because his programming has little allowance for random changes.

In other words, if he does the same thing in the same place, and all outside influences like fuel load and tyre condition are the same, he will have the same accident, again and again. And again. And again again...

If this is right, it suggests that b-spec has the capacity to learn, but has no memory, or a short memory.... I conclude that he is a fish. (memory span of a goldfish is 7 seconds according to Jasper Carrott) Other, possibly related evidence, suggests that mine is a Clown fish.

Raise...ride...height...


I have not had this problem, even when using a 6000 point B-spec Bob (since then he has improved). I just rasied the height 10 clicks or so before racing from where I would keep it driving a smooth track.

ive noticed that if you call your b-spec buddy in twice in as many laps, hell drive along slowly as if he was checking it out :s

i did that once in le sarthe I with a pescarolo sport peugeot and he would drive somewhat normally on push, but, anything less he hit the brakes when it went over 135mph. leaving him out for 1-2 laps cured his issue.

Yeah - ride height seems to be the key thing.

My trusty B-Spec Bob completed both Sarthe I and II 24 hour races using the Minolta Toyota with no problems at all. He's only got about 3500 B-Spec points, machine skill 46 etc. I;'e only used him for Enduros so far.

All I did was leave the settings on the Minolta stock (I use set up C for B-Spec leaving everything at default settings except for tires - RH front, RSH rear) and changed the oil. He won Sarthe I by several laps and Sarthe II by 3 laps. The ride height is much higher than I'd use myself but it stops the car grounding out on the Mulsanne straight. He would pit every 8 laps with about 2-4 units of fuel left if he was set to 4 and overtake.

Did the same thing for Nur 24 hours too - won easily, I'll repeat them with a slower car sometime in thre future, trying to get 100% now and unlock all the cars.

Hope that helps,

Pilot

Pilot, may I suggest you wewre lucky ? I used the Minolta same spec as you and he spun out.

Steven

P.S This problem seems to be happening with the PAL not NTSC version.

StevenDunn99

P.S This problem seems to be happening with the PAL not NTSC version.

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Ah ha! there is a huge clue. I have NTSC and have run both Sarthes with the Minolta, the R89 and the Sauber and have had zero problems. And I run these with a b-spec driver that has less than 2500 points, as I only let him do the three 24 hours races. I do, however, let him run at setting 3 or even 2 if possible. With low experience he seems to get unstable at setting 4 or 5 and actually takes more time per lap.

Famine

...Watch what happens to the AI - they get a tow at 200mph and... they swerve into the barrier and die.

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Never noticed it. So it has something to do with drafting?


.

bigjoe

Ah ha! there is a huge clue. I have NTSC and have run both Sarthes with the Minolta, the R89 and the Sauber and have had zero problems. And I run these with a b-spec driver that has less than 2500 points, as I only let him do the three 24 hours races. I do, however, let him run at setting 3 or even 2 if possible. With low experience he seems to get unstable at setting 4 or 5 and actually takes more time per lap.

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A clue Blue, a clue. Yes I think we're getting somewhere, I hope. I have the North American version and have never encountered this LeSarthe glitch.

bigjoe

Ah ha! there is a huge clue. I have NTSC and have run both Sarthes with the Minolta, the R89 and the Sauber and have had zero problems. And I run these with a b-spec driver that has less than 2500 points, as I only let him do the three 24 hours races. I do, however, let him run at setting 3 or even 2 if possible. With low experience he seems to get unstable at setting 4 or 5 and actually takes more time per lap.

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Payback for M34 lol

StevenDunn99

...This problem seems to be happening with the PAL not NTSC version.

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Yeah, this is important.

Peeps: When you post your experiences, let us know if you're running PAL or NTSC.

i recently won the sarthe 1 for the 2nd time..1st time was a 965hp Sauber C9..n then i wanted a lil challenge so i used the BLACK Toyota GT-ONE race car with a stage 3 turbo givin it 866hp..n i won by 3 laps ..yet nothing unusual happend yet..im praying it doesnt happen

Everytime I try to b-Spec it my car swerves into the barriers, not noticed what cases it to so it might be a draft but it's killed any chance of me getting 100% and the prize car since I'm never going to get chance to or use what little chance I ever may have to spend 24hrs infront of the TV playing GT4.

COMPLETELY off topic, but Mythbusters proved that a goldfish does indeed have a longterm memory. It's a crappy longterm memory, but it's there.

I'd say that B-spec Bob is more akin to .... an idiot.

live4speed

Everytime I try to b-Spec it my car swerves into the barriers...

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PAL, correct?

Zardoz

Never noticed it. So it has something to do with drafting?


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If it's good enough for the Mercedes-Benz CLR, it's good enough for GT4's AI...

Do it - it's fun. Draft an AI F1 car then nip in front of it. As it drafts you it'll suddenly swerve - almost always to the right.

Drafting may be part of the cause but it is more than that. I have had my B-spec driver go into the wall when well clear of the field - (Its in the how to lose a big lead book of racing).

Steven

StevenDunn99

...I have had my B-spec driver go into the wall when well clear of the field...

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You have the PAL version of the game, correct?

Zardoz

Yeah, this is important.

Peeps: When you post your experiences, let us know if you're running PAL or NTSC.

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My experiences as previously chronicled in this thread are on PAL. This fits the pattern of PAL b-spec frequently noticing something very attractive in the woods to the left of the Mulsanne straight.

Slipstreaming was not a factor. It was all his own work, often with no witnesses in front or behind it. Some of the competing AI thugs in the same race had similar crashes at about the same place. *edit* but not neccessarily at the same time or while close to any other car *stop edit*

Can anyone on PAL confirm that "raise....ride.....height" makes an AI clown, who was previously driving into the Sarthe barrier, cease such unproductive behavior?

Alfaholic

Can anyone on PAL confirm that "raise....ride.....height" makes an AI clown, who was previously driving into the Sarthe barrier, cease such unproductive behavior?

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Someone PLEASE do this test. These threads are nearly a daily occurence, and proof of ANY sort is welcome.

Zardoz

PAL, correct?

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Yep, the much improved "cough" PAL version.

Is there a license test that will allow people to see the official R3 racing line for that section of track? I have the NTSC version and have not had this problem.

Whoever tests this out by changing the ride height, try lowering downforce as well. All the bouncing could be confusing the "A(WOL) I" and making it panic and swerve.

I saw this very same bug appear on Opera the other night. One of the AI cars turned right around turn 2, and drove along the straight bouncing off the wall.

Not encountered anything like this at Sarthe, however. (This is on NTSC.) Not done the endurances, but I have done a fair amount of racing there.