Automatic or Manual ??

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kitchenboy

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Extinct Vulcano, Pilanesberg, South Africa
I'm guessing i already know the answer to that but still let me get some opinions.
I have played Gran Turismo since the second one and always with A/T, and it has not really been a problem, now however in the online races especially i've noticed that most cars get out of corners quicker then i do, even if it's the same car, i would imagine this is due to them using M/T and are able to rev higher?
If that is the case i suppose i'll need to start learning to use manual pretty quick :confused:
Any input is greatly appreciated.
 
Without meaning to sound elitist, you need to switch to manual. All assists are designed in the game to be easier but slower than having it off and managing it correctly, and it's the easiest of the assists to turn off and will make a big difference to your times.

Just work out the button mapping gears to something that feels most natural for you. Some people use the face buttons, some use R1 and R2, and some use the right analog stick.

I find X to gear up and Square to gear down works best for me.

Then you'll generally want to gear up when you're about to hit the rev limiter and gear down to the desired gear going into each corner. GT helps you out with a suggested gear indicator, however you'll find that's not always best
 
Kinna39
Without meaning to sound elitist, you need to switch to manual. All assists are designed in the game to be easier but slower than having it off and managing it correctly, and it's the easiest of the assists to turn off and will make a big difference to your times.

Just work out the button mapping gears to something that feels most natural for you. Some people use the face buttons, some use R1 and R2, and some use the right analog stick.

I find X to gear up and Square to gear down works best for me.
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Thanks mate, just as i thought, i have a wheel so that makes it a bit easier to switch anyway, just gonna have to bite the bullet and learn the proper way:lol:
 
kitchenboy
Thanks mate, just as i thought, i have a wheel so that makes it a bit easier to switch anyway, just gonna have to bite the bullet and learn the proper way:lol:
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No worries - I added a bit more above too if that helps. It shouldn't be too tricky to pick up and you'll probably find it more fun using the gears as well.
 
kitchenboy
Thanks mate, just as i thought, i have a wheel so that makes it a bit easier to switch anyway, just gonna have to bite the bullet and learn the proper way:lol:
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IF you have a wheel with paddle shifters you will soon be in driving heaven. It's still very doable with a controller but it can feel like you are trying to play the flute with all that finger movement!
There's nothing like braking for a corner and going bam bam bam on the left paddle to time that apex just right. A/T often leaves you at 2nd when you should be in first for a tight hairpin.
In no time at all you wont even notice the extra work as muscle memory will take over.
 
The simple answer is, yes. Switching to a manual transmission gives you a greater degree of control over your car, in turn allowing you to drive it faster. This is something I realized back in GT2, and I've used M/T for any racing sim I played ever since.
 
Thanks Guys, really appreciate the input, funny thing is i only drive M/T in real life, always felt more connected and involved with the car, especially my 330i BMW.
the problem was that when i started playing GT2 i was 40 years old and had never played any kind of game before, so never having even held a controller it was just easier to use A/T and it kind of stuck.
 
MrKnufis
The most i like about using MT is in case i'm going wide in a curve i can down a gear instead of braking, especially with MR Cars
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This. Engine braking is extremely important if you want to shave off those milliseconds from your lap times, and only the manual transmission allows you to perform proper engine braking.
 
It's just way more engaging to drive, regardless of the performance boost (which is actually very minor/non existent in quite a lot of games). Once you get used to it, it's completely second nature. I hate it when they don't allow you to manual shift, even in arcade/open world games.
 
By going in manual mode, it also allows you to hit the redline. In some cars, I do this because somehow, some engine just sounds better when near the redline (not referring to the fact how awesome the engine sounds in the sounds in the game), although some engines too sound better below the redline, like the escudo's engine.
 
In close races the difference in auto vs manual could be a big deciding factor, it’s ironic that given a choice any of the teams in F1 or WEC would give their drivers auto boxes, full auto would give a big advantage over a manual car.
I prefer the auto if I’m honest and wish they’d make the box better as more often than not it’s in the wrong gear to maximise performance but hey ho...
 
John Smith UK
In close races the difference in auto vs manual could be a big deciding factor, it’s ironic that given a choice any of the teams in F1 or WEC would give their drivers auto boxes, full auto would give a big advantage over a manual car.
I prefer the auto if I’m honest and wish they’d make the box better as more often than not it’s in the wrong gear to maximise performance but hey ho...
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If I remember correctly, F1 and WEC actually ban automatic transmissions, specifically requiring them to use sequential transmissions. Williams technically had an automatic back then in the form of CVT, which was quickly banned because of its advantages.
 
Also a possible reason why others don't use or like the AT in the game is because in gameplay, it doesn't act like an actual one. For example, a typical AT would change its behavior by upshifting or downshifting depending on the input made in the throttle. However, in gameplay, the AT behaves much like a MT, where it doesn't upshift at all nor drop the RPM down when you let go the throttle and doesn't downshift as you push the throttle down when it should. You need to wait for it yet to reach a certain RPM just to do those shifting. So it's just essentially a MT controlled by an AI, that the engine speed would always match with the speed of the car while running.

The real AT in the game are the cars that have only one gear, those with CVTs that when you use, only indicate 'D' in the display and they somehow really act like one because the RPMs would drop when you don't press the pedal at all. I don't know if all those with CVTs in the game act like this but I tried it with the Mitsubishi i Concept in stock tranny and it certainly behaved that way. Maybe PD fixed this in GT Sport, which I haven't played yet because I don't have a PS4.
 
John Smith UK
My point well made... autos are better than manuals..
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Didn't say you're wrong ;) (if we're talking about raw pace)
Although, AT isn't really all that good in GTS, as stated by GTV0819
GTV0819
Also a possible reason why others don't use or like the AT in the game is because in gameplay, it doesn't act like an actual one. For example, a typical AT would change its behavior by upshifting or downshifting depending on the input made in the throttle. However, in gameplay, the AT behaves much like a MT, where it doesn't upshift at all nor drop the RPM down when you let go the throttle and doesn't downshift as you push the throttle down when it should. You need to wait for it yet to reach a certain RPM just to do those shifting. So it's just essentially a MT controlled by an AI, that the engine speed would always match with the speed of the car while running.

The real AT in the game are the cars that have only one gear, those with CVTs that when you use, only indicate 'D' in the display and they somehow really act like one because the RPMs would drop when you don't press the pedal at all. I don't know if all those with CVTs in the game act like this but I tried it with the Mitsubishi i Concept in stock tranny and it certainly behaved that way. Maybe PD fixed this in GT Sport, which I haven't played yet because I don't have a PS4.
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Alpha Cipher
Didn't say you're wrong ;) (if we're talking about raw pace)
Although, AT isn't really all that good in GTS, as stated by GTV0819
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That I can't say cuz I happened played the game yet so I have no idea how ATs would behave there.
 
GTV0819
That I can't say cuz I happened played the game yet so I have no idea how ATs would behave there.
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You're pretty much spot on at how AT is basically AI-controlled MT. It only shifts at preset rpms, and doesn't consider the environment and inputs at all
 
I've always used AT and always will unless I get a wheel (highly unlikely), it just seems to go naturally with the controller, and manual goes naturally with a wheel. I have trouble with motor skills and coordination in general though, thinking of things beyond steering and controlling the speed of the car is beyond my mental capacity. I do drive MT sometimes though, like the Raptor in GTS is completely undriveable with AT, and a lot of the lower powered older cars get bogged down, like the A110 sometimes and it was a big problem for the Spitfire in GT6. I don't enjoy it though and don't feel like I'm at my best. Normally though AT doesn't slow me down too much, I finally got to S-S. I'll never be at Alien-level speed but I'm content with where I am.

In real life I never drove MT for my first 10 years of driving, but now I finally am most of the way through learning and it's definitely more fun, especially in cars with good shifters like Hondas and Mazdas. My next car will be a manual.

It blows my mind though that PD haven’t added the ability to shift the AT though, like PCARS has. If you know you’re in the wrong gear, you can manually downshift, but otherwise you don’t have to think about it
 
Alpha Cipher
You're pretty much spot on at how AT is basically AI-controlled MT. It only shifts at preset rpms, and doesn't consider the environment and inputs at all
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The autocorrect is lame lol. It should be 'haven't' rather than 'happened'.

I'd still like to see though if it still behaves that way in PS4. Good to know that you at least get my point.
 
Wow pretty interesting people like AT better I was always a At driver but learn to drive manual on here but when I tried to go back to AT I was horrible cause I couldn't control my speed while turning
 
AT since GT1. I’ve always played GT on a controller, so AT was much more comfortable to use for me. I’ve been thinking of getting a wheel, so I might mess around with MT then.
 
Let me tell you how it was in my world.

My dad only had manual cars when I learned to drive so there was no choice.

In the virtual world I started with Geoff Crammond's F1GP and used auto. But one day a friend of mine heaped scorn on me for this and I tried it out.

5-10 mins later I wondered why I even bothered with automatic.

You have so much more control with a manual car.

You use whatever gear to control your speed instead of watching the speedo.

Its almost a completely new way of driving.
 

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