500PP FR Challenge

[Nexviator79]

Is it just me, or is anyone else finding the AI this time around to be a heck of a lot thicker than usual?

I mean apart from swerving across the road wildly and smashing into each other as they both try and take the inside line side by side they also seem to be taking incredibly slow and sweeping lines.

Maybe it's because I haven't done seasonals in 8 months but I don't remember them being quite this brain dead..

The car I'm using is a stock RX7 FD '02

Yes Husky,
They seem to be trying to "race" each other now, rather than just running the track in a single file line. Makes getting around them a whole lot more fun. Still have to chase down the rabbit, but I like these last few races better than the previous ones.

 

[PapaGnr]

I used the 2014 Corvette Prototype with 200 kg. added & bhp reduced to meet PP. I had a few fender benders with the more aggressive AI, but won easily. Great fun.

 

[NCRthree]

I'm trying to win these using Sport Hards instead of Mediums. No tuning in bone stock cars ABS 0. Cockpit cam, No HUD. Not so easy!

Laguna I used a '10 Camaro SS. Tried against the 04 M3 grid and won a couple times. Doubt I could beat the Shelby on Hards.

Rome I used the Alfa 8C. Very slippery, took me a while. So many crashes. Got to within 1 second behind the Shelby twice. Finally just ran against a different grid (RX7) to get an easy win. This car is quite challenging with no aids. Really had to be on my game and be consistent to get close to the Shelby.

I'll probably go back and run Mediums but first I'd like to get wins with the Hards. Hopefully the other races have a similar difficulty level. Really have to minimize mistakes and time the passes just right for momentum. Dig it!

 

[zippy_the_cat]

I've actually been punted off a couple times by the AI in these races, so yeah, they're more aggressive. The backmarkers and midfielders seem a bit more prone to it than the guys at the front -- which, when you think about it, is realistic.

 

[MeanElf]

Oh great, thank you, another race with a couple of specific winning cars where you get ***another rolling start*** and you need to play bumper cars with 9 or 10 other really slow cars, as you chase that top car, who by the way started almost 25 to 30 sec. ahead of you, within 5 laps. But I have to admit they added a few longer tracks to race this time in but they HAD to ADD that last KART TRACK !!!. Driving simulation my @ss!! Strongly considering bypassing the next GT game.

Playing bumper cars, really? Most of us run it clean as that's a part of the challenge. Also the overpowered cars are there but you don't have to use 'em.

As for the rest, it's been that way since the first, so I'd have thought it shouldn't have been a surprise after just over two years. We can all hope for a different style, or at least a fairer field in the Seasonal if they're included in GT6. We won't know until then I suppose.

 

[Dan]

I had to be "that guy" and used a tuned S15 RM for the first two races. Both easy wins, but I doubt I'll do the rest because I got so bored and I don't need any of the prizes.

 

[BuckRidge]

I used a 1969 Camaro Z28 set at 500PP and all aids off except ABS set to 1. I'm going to detune to under 500PP to see what happens. Want to try the Buick GNX also.
With GNX at 496PP: Beat Shelby at Rome by .046 sec. Good race.

 

[MeanElf]

I used a 1969 Camaro Z28 set at 500PP and all aids off except ABS set to 1. I'm going to detune to under 500PP to see what happens. Want to try the Buick GNX also.
With GNX at 496PP: Beat Shelby at Rome by .046 sec. Good race.

Yeah, you can usually use a well underpowered car and the AI are adjusted accordingly. Not always the case, the 430PP being an example. I forget which car I chose, but it did surprisingly well.

Yes Husky,
They seem to be trying to "race" each other now, rather than just running the track in a single file line. Makes getting around them a whole lot more fun. Still have to chase down the rabbit, but I like these last few races better than the previous ones.

Nothing to do with your post, though I do agree, but damn...I suppose it had to happen at some point with forum supplied avatars...

 

[BuckRidge]

Update:
Lost to Shelby by 3.12 sec at Trial Mountain. My fault. Beat a 2002 RX-7 Spirit R Type A at Laguna by 6.769 sec. Shelby didn't show up. 491PP Beat a 2004 M3 at Special Stage Route 5 by 2.412 sec & then beat a 2004 M3 at Eifel (Kart) by 1.545 sec. That was a challenge!! Beat '96 Grand Sport (C4) by 13.342 sec at Trial Mtn. Have to change oil & take on the Shelby!!

 

[nowayback]

Trial Mtn at 380pp Toy 86 GT 12 154bhp 1232 kg quick tune. supra rabbit. 8:35.917 2.095.600 . 202800 xp. Easiest track for low pp I think. At least 10 lower pp in it

Sloppy laps, havent tried other cars yet.

370pp , 140bhp , 1232kg
2.232.000, 216.000 xp, 8:35.917, bl 1:42.116...lot of time to be found still

365pp 126bhp, 1099kg, 8:37.5xx. bl 1:42.122
2.294.000 cr, 222.000xp

 

[NCRthree]

Sticking with the Sports Hards and no tuning/no aids managed wins at Trial Mountain and Route 5.

Used both Premium TVR's at TM. Got the victory with the Tuscan. The Tamora is nice but I was just a bit quicker in the Tuscan. Love both those cars on Trial Mountain. Ran against the RX7 grid.

Route 5 I wanted to use a Japanese ride. No luck with stock RX8, RX7 or 370Z. Would have had to add power...not just yet though. I'd forgotten about the Lexus ISF and had never driven it before. Reminds me of a less powerful M5. Agile for it's size and lots of top end. Won on my second try against the 04 M3 by a second.

Haven't tried the custom track yet, probably need Mediums for that. I'm glad to win on the Hards though. It was just difficult enough for me to get close wins after a few tries. If these Events are too easy for you, give those tires a run. I haven't run against the Shelby, I assume it's the fastest rabbit.

I'm so glad SRF is back to optional. It made pitching these cars around so much fun. Looks like PD could put all the forced SRF Events back to optional.

 

[frenzal]

Used the Amuse R1 at 409PP (1,775,000 @ 170% bonus) against the Supra RZ rabbit? at Eifel for the win taking the lead on the last turn. A lovely little car to drive around here.

Serious difference to trying to catch the Shelby at 495PP.

 

[t3hCheezewhiz]

I used a stock '08 M5 and kept it at 485 PP. Fun to drive and one every race. Probably because I painted it pink.

 

[vovillia]

Used my 40 yo Lancer Rally car, this was a lot of fun!

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

Spoon S2000 Race Car with Suspension Changes @ 490PP

 

[vovillia]

BTW, I won an Alfa 8C in Racing Yellow

 

[testorz]

I managed to win these events with a Ferrari 599 '06 detuned to fit the 500pp requirement ! That Shelby Series One was tough to catch at trail Mountian and Laguna Seca !

 

[byegad]

Kart circuit again!

Why????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[Rionmoon]

'66 Cobra 427 NO ABS if yer man enough to run it

'96 Corvette Grand Sport which is 'Mercam and cause its LOUD AND PROUD. FULL OF HORSEPOWER AND FREEDOM

Unlike the Euro junk

 

[v123moto45]

I used the Chevrolet Silverado SST Concept turned down from max horsepower to 506HP/500PP, front brakes to 8, back brakes standard at 5, traction control to 1, SRF on and ABS set to between 3-6, this may seem stupid but it seems to be working.

 

[vovillia]

I just got several PM's about my Lancer Rally Car and they want more info, so I'll post some here

My Lancer ('74 1600 GSR Rally Car) has 488 PP, fully tuned, cleaned and refurbished all, SRF on, ABS on 1, TCS on 5, auto TM, everything else was off, I also used the Mediums (Tried Hards which was impossible to win on both Kart & Laguna)

If anyone wants settings info, please PM, because that's just a lot of info to type up here

I also noticed, and want to point this out, but there's seems to be a gap in difficultly with whoever you race against that starts in 1st, if you have a RX-7 up in first, the race will be easy, or if it's the Series One, it's going to be a fun challenge. There was also a M3 once, but that was just as easy to deal with as the RX-7.

 

[Dalone]

I just got several PM's about my Lancer Rally Car and they want more info, so I'll post some here

My Lancer ('74 1600 GSR Rally Car) has 488 PP, fully tuned, cleaned and refurbished all, SRF on, ABS on 1, TCS on 5, auto TM, everything else was off, I also used the Mediums (Tried Hards which was impossible to win on both Kart & Laguna)

If anyone wants settings info, please PM, because that's just a lot of info to type up here

I also noticed, and want to point this out, but there's seems to be a gap in difficultly with whoever you race against that starts in 1st, if you have a RX-7 up in first, the race will be easy, or if it's the Series One, it's going to be a fun challenge. There was also a M3 once, but that was just as easy to deal with as the RX-7.

Yes Vovillia, it has been previously noticed that a different car on pole (usually referred to here as 'the rabbit') can often make a difference as to whether you win or lose.
It actually applies to every Seasonal race and becomes a very important aspect of the race if you are running a very low PP.

 

[vovillia]

It actually applies to every Seasonal race and becomes a very important aspect of the race if you are running a very low PP.

That explains a lot, with most of the races, I just use a car that is detuned to fit the requirements rather than using a car that is fully tuned but falling 10-20PP below the requirements

 

[tejr]

I didn't realise I could use Sport mediums until second from last race!! I had been using hards the whole time! LOL! Was a great set of challenges this week though, I had a craving for driving the M5 and my wish was granted! I found a detuned M5 was faster than the M3 CSL.. M3 was nicer to drive but the M5 sounded a lot nicer! My Tuned GT86 was almost identical in lap times to the M5 but a bit of a handful..

 

[ID_racing]

Really a lot of fun at Rome. I went with the Toyota 86GT ´86, tuned to 478PP, on Sports mediums. You need a total time of max. 6.40.00 to beat the Series One, and this car can give me these laptimes (at best!!)
1. 1.22
2. 1.20
3. 1.18.5 - 1.19.5
4. 1.18.5 - 1.19.5
5. 1.18 - 1.19 drafting behind the Shelby.

Just about pulls it off.

 

[MistyRainne]

Well, I finally got around to the wrong-wheel drive challenge.

Weapon of choice: Camaro SS ’10, my favorite FR among the cars I have (and one of the first FRs I ever bought). Basically still stock but with LSD tuning, and it happened to already be at 500 PP exactly, so I switched it from Sports Hard to Medium, and gave it a pretty new paint job (I’d had it in stock Red Jewel Tintcoat without stripes, and now Midnight Purple Pearl, really pretty except now it has big fat white stripes on it out of nowhere...) – all the more motivation to drive it! – then set off.

Also, all aids (except auto transmission) off, including zero ABS, as usual for me.

Rome, 3rd place on first try, behind only the rabbits. Despite not being familiar with this course’s Reverse configuration!

Trial Mountain, 2nd on first try, with 1st place in sight on the end straight. Bumped into a few walls on my right, because I’m apparently more used to RHD cars and the Camaro is LHD, so there’s more car on my right than left in cockpit view. Otherwise, I felt pretty good in this one, and I feel confident I could win this after a few tries.

Laguna Seca, 2nd on first try. Oddly, it didn’t feel sticky this time, though maybe I’ve just gotten used to it so it’s not unexpected anymore? (Same way I’m getting more used to RWD so it feels less squirrelly.) Some charlatan knocked down most of the brake signs going into the first hairpin near the end of the race, but by that point, I already had a feel for where they were.

SSR5, 3rd on first try, but with 2nd well in sight at the end. Rocked lap 3 and felt pretty good! Then promptly goofed a lot on lap 4. And I’d just gotten good at remembering the mini-hairpin after the long arc turn through the tunnel!
At one point, I carried too much speed into the tunnel: cue frantic glancing between the road (trying not to spin out or hit anything while braking in a hurry in a RWD car without ABS ) and the speedometer (aiming for around 130–140 km/h (or 80–85 mph), which seems to be the speed Sports Medium tires can carry through this turn), and managing to get through in one piece! (What, you want me to have to watch the tachometer too? I’m busy!)

Eifel Kart, 4th on first try. What a devious little track this is! Braking zones that extend into previous turns to challenge one of RWD’s weaknesses. Not knowing this track, I found myself doing emergency drifts from time to time, which felt awesome when they worked.

One thing I noticed early on is that all these races are longer than the ones in the FF Challenge: the FF Challenge races are all around 10 km long, while these are all around 18 km long. (Around 6 and 11 miles, respectively.) This gives you much more time to catch up to the leaders, more time for the rightful winner to take her rightful place, so these have all felt much easier – or at least less frustrating – than the FF Challenge races despite me being more used to FWD.

So, it’s turning out better than I thought it’d be! And I got a bunch of new horns! I will treasure them always.

 

[MistyRainne]

Then back to each to wrap them up. Took a few tries, but now I’ve golded them all!

Rome — It was actually the LHD/RHD thing (of all things) that was on my mind when reattempting this, having to remind myself I can cut closer to things on my left and not as close on my right. Most useful with the turn leading into the back straight (or at the end of it, in the non-Reverse configuration) so I can get onto that straight with some measure of speed. But, only took a couple runs to catch the leader after the back straight.
Time: 6:47.117, by 1.021 seconds.

Trial Mountain — This one took longer than I thought it would. Ran it many different times, refining my approach as I went (such as lifting into turn 3 (the downhill left-hander) rather than braking) each with pretty much the same result as the first: just able to see the leader going into the back straight in the last lap.
One of these times, I coasted through the finish line, figuring it’s yet another distant 2nd... but the race wasn’t over, it was actually just the 4th lap, so I’d made the same progress as before, but faster, and got a free lap! After a few more of these “free laps”, I finally caught the leader just past the downhill turn leading into the front straight. The traditional handbrake turn through the finish may have been unwise with things so close! But it didn’t betray me. This time. (But read on.)
Time: 8:23.382, by 0.505 seconds.

Laguna Seca — Either this was the easiest of the group, or I was at my peak. I won on my very next try, despite fishtailing between turns 9 and 10 one time, and overrunning into the dirt on the last turn later on, all in the same race. (Some peak!)
Time: 8:28.615, by 2.212 seconds.

Special Stage Route 5 — This time, I managed to get into the lead with time to spare... and in lap 4! With plenty of lead by the end, I felt like a mere handbrake turn through the finish line just wouldn’t do, so I did a handbrake turn before it and reversed through the finish!
Or would have, but instead I got snagged on the side wall and sheepishly limped across the line into 3rd place. Then ran it all over again, and got the lead in lap 4 again, and against my better judgement, tried that flourish finish again! Which at least resulted in a 360° twirl across the line. Totally meant to do that.
Time: 8:14.557, by 5.010 seconds.

By this time, I was nearing the 20 million credit limit again, so I went on another shopping spree through the Dealerships, picking up whatever looked interesting. (The Zonda R doesn’t bite, does it?) But my engine had cooled down during this time, so I had to warm up again for the last race.

Eifel Kart course — That first sharp corner is trickier than the Corkscrew, with the segmented braking zone! After half a dozen runs – and resorting to turning the driving line display back on – an approach I’ve found that seems to work somewhat well is to brake in segments: brake, coast-turn, brake some more, etc, and to switch to gentle trail-braking toward the main turn. Also, lifting (vs braking) is enough to get through the final turn, the one at the hilltop.
Eventually, was within slipstream range of the two rabbits by the end of the 4th lap, and won with plenty of time to spare. (6:48.972, by 6.888 seconds) Then I went for it again without the driving line, and caught the leader around the turn leading into the front straight after a few attempts.
Time: 6:56.296, by 0.722 seconds.

See, this is what I was expecting the FF Challenge to be like, and this to be like that one!

For my troubles, I get some Standard car (Aston Martin V8 Vantage ’99) in an awful shade of yellowish green. And reached A-Spec level 31 with the very final race. And got some experience, and stories to tell. 👍

 

[Rionmoon]

They make zero attempt to move when being overtaken, previously they would move when they detect a nearby car.

Something is definitely wrong with them.. I've never seen anything like this

...aaaaand this is how much different than racing with most of the live people online?

Simple solution is to just pass them before they get stupid.

Just like real people online.

 

[Rionmoon]

Well, I finally got around to the wrong-wheel drive challenge.

BTW, what is the RIGHT wheel drive then?

 

[killerjimbag]

Misty would you care to explain how you had a car with no stripes "gave it a pretty new paint job (I’d had it in stock Red Jewel Tintcoat without stripes, and now Midnight Purple Pearl, really pretty except now it has big fat white stripes on it out of nowhere...)" and now the stripes appear?
I can't understand how that would happen?