Currently on your first time through GT3?

[frenzal]

It seems i'm not the only player currently on their first time through GT3, so i thought i'd give us somewhere to feed through, save using other non related threads to post updates.

I'm currently at 80.9%, having completed all licenses bar the Super license. 2 golds, and a mixture of silvers and bronzes in there. I've completed Beginner and Amateur classes, all bar 4 series in Rally, all enduros bar Cote and Tokyo, and all series and championships in Professional, except for the Elise Series, and the S Class championships. I'm also up to Area B in the Hard Section of Arcade, and haven't done any of the Time Trials at all yet. There's also a couple of races in the Zitz and Clio series i'm still yet to do, having only done enough races to get the points i needed to win them. I've picked up 3 Polyphony 001's and a Polyphony 002 from the enduros, and am using a couple of these as workhorses to redo some of the Professional Championships such as All Stars etc to pick up the different prize cars i want.

Currently tossing up whether to do the Time Trials, finish Rally's, Arcade or whatever. Probably will do the Time Trials to give myself the practice and skills i need to try the S Class licenses, i've done bronze on 2 of those.

I've got about 7.3 Million in the bank, but reluctant to spend money....true to real life(except for the 7 Million in the bank) Tossing up whether to get myself another memory card, to run another game, in which i can go for completion in as quick a time as possible, but still using vehicles compatible with the relevant series i'm running in.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Me too. I'm behind the rest of the world when it comes to Gran Turismo. I didn't even get a PS1 till the year 2000 and didn't discover Gran Turimso 1 till December of 2003! I started GT3 last summer and thought I would be done by now. I didn't realize how much time is needed to complete this game! It's not like GT2 at all...doing just one Amateur series (like the Deutche Touring Challenge) can take an entire afternoon! I haven't even started the Pros yet...or rallies or enduros.

Right now I have 4 games going. 1 is an American who doesn't race anything with less than 8 cylinders (no replacement 4 displacement). I also have a a ricer memory card as well as a yuppy (Lexus IS200, Mercedes CLK, BMW 328 Ci, etc). I agree with you about the money saved comment.

 

[frenzal]

That's an interesting concept...different types of drivers...yuppies, rice burners,euros and so on. It's something i might look at when i finish this game, and i gather dependent on multiple memeory cards. Although time is going to be a factor as i've got a family to give time to, and i've got V8 Supercars 2 waiting in the wings to play as well. AND i picked up Call of Duty, Secret Weapons Over Normandy and Medal of Honour, so the call is strong.

Next mission...Redo Pro GT Allstars, i need to get the GT-One Race Car from there, then give the Time Trials a go. Then finish off the rallys.

 

[Uncle Harry]

frenzal
Have a look at my thread with full write up for a minimum day GT3 game..
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51387
Might be of some help with car selection.

 

[frenzal]

frenzal
Have a look at my thread with full write up for a minimum day GT3 game..
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51387
Might be of some help with car selection.

Thanks Uncle. Yeah, i found your 0 - 100% thread a few weeks ago, and it's been priceless in that
a) It gives me a good idea as to what cars i'm going to be tackling
b) Lets me see where i'm at in comparison to the better drivers by being able to compare my winning times to yours, and see what areas need improvement
c)A few good tips of what i'm going to be up against e.g. to quote your words "the blindingly quick R390" in the Pro GT Allstars Championship. I've been using a Polyphony 001 to do and redo that champ. to pick up the rest of the prize cars. Firstly, i found that i could only win Test Course by drafting, with no pit stops, and by the time we got to Tokyo, the bloody thing had me matched, it was only superior handling got me home.
d) Enables me to work out pit strategies etc.

So, again, thanks muchly for an invaluable thread. And by the way, congrats on a bloody great game, and ditto for the write up. Awesome effort, very well written. A benchmark for writing up a game.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

That's an interesting concept...different types of drivers...yuppies, rice burners,euros and so on. It's something i might look at when i finish this game, and i gather dependent on multiple memeory cards. Although time is going to be a factor as i've got a family to give time to, and i've got V8 Supercars 2 waiting in the wings to play as well. AND i picked up Call of Duty, Secret Weapons Over Normandy and Medal of Honour, so the call is strong.

I've got other games as well but I never finish them. Like for instance within the last year i started GTA: Vice City, Baldur's Gate, and some other game I'm forgetting the name. I just get eventually bored with them or something. Long live Gran Turismo

 

[ImprezaAddict]

ive done 1 and a half times through gt3. the day i got gt4 i stopped palying it

 

[frenzal]

It's funny, i've got other games as well but i never finish them except the Tomb Raider series and Resident Evil. Like for instance within the last year i started GTA: Vice City, Baldur's Gate, and some other RPG i'm forgetting the name. I just get eventually bored with them or something. Long live Gran Turismo

One of my ‘drivers’ has been with me since day one of GT1 (the V8 / V10 guy). I imagine he's a recovering drug addict who finds God thru racing instead of Narcotics Anonymous. From the south..has a southern accent...like someone you'd see in a NASCAR event. He dug all those old muscle cars in gT2

One of them 'good ole boys', eh. Name of Cletus, with the Valvoline cap, pair of dirty torn jeans, and a faded flannellette shirt with 3 buttons missing, hanging out over the hairy red stomach portruding over the top of the jeans.

Well, i got into the Time Trials last night, got 1st's all the way up to Laguna Seca, hopefully finish the rest off this evenin'. I found the Trial Mountain one interesting...the time required for the MX-5 there was only a 1:49, yet the time required for gold in the S-license for the same car, same track is a 1:52. Is there a difference in the HP of the 2 Mazdas, or just an anomoly in the game? An interesting thing i've noticed with the MX-5's....there is a good range of them, with regard to year of manufacture etc..how do you tell the difference in the game, i haven't seen anything in their specs to indicate this.
I'm planning on running the Roadsterer Enduro a few times, there's some nice paint jobs in there i'd like to pick up. Plus, i've found that's a good race to run with the stock cars. Nice tight racing, it makes for a good challenge.

Once the Time Trials are done, next mission is the 'S' Class Licences. Then finish off Arcade.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Hey do you have to complete all the Arcade races to make 100%? I sure hope not..that'll take forever and I'm planning on skipping the Arcade races so I can just jump into GT4.

 

[frenzal]

Yup, that's my man. Good ol'e boy from the south...left his acetalene torch on one day and his meth lab blew up so now he just races cars for a living.

Hey do you have to complete all hte Arcade races to make 100%? I sure hope not..that'll take forever and i'm planning on skipping the Arcade races so i can just jump into GT4.

Yeah, you do have to. But my understanding is that if you just run the Hard races, you actually are credited with the Easy and Normal win corresponding to the race you complete. A good car for the hard ones is the R390 Road car, taken from your simulation garage..as long as it is still stock.Although you can change the oil and add Super Softs. I've found that AI can be sometimes unmatcheable, depenadant on your choice of weapon. You can take an 'S' Class car and come up against a bloody 787B. Another good choice in the B Class cars is the Altezza..it makes for some good, close racing. The choice of Class is irrelevant..you can choose any class to race with. I had actually run both Easy and Normal before i found out about only having to do Hard. And you unlock the rest of the courses and bonus cars as you go through. Plus 1st's are required in all the Time Trials in Arcade Mode. With your experience, i can't see you having any trouble there.

And you can use any Rally Car you pick up in simulation mode to do the rally races in Arcade...including the Imprezza LM, if you want to knock it over pretty quickly. As long as it is still stock, you'll just have to fit Rally tyres.

 

[KAMKA-Z]

I'm new to the game myself, about 2 months. New to game consoles too this being our (My Son's) first. I knew that the Gran Turismo series was pretty respected as a racing sim so I was easily swayed to the PS2. I picked up a used GT3 off ebay and here I am. I think I'm less than 1/4 complete. I think I'll move on to GT4 before I get to the endurance racing. I don't like the idea of pitting every five laps to change tires. Right now I'm working on the Tahiti Maze, the evolution meeting, and the BI license. I'm having a tough time with the slalom. I've built a seat with attached pedals, the wheel (suckyMadCatz) sits on my knees for now. I did some real racing (IIRA,SCCA) about twenty years ago. I'ts much easier, especially braking.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I'm new to the game myself, about 2 months. New to game consoles too this being our (My Son's) first. I knew that the Gran Turismo series was pretty respected as a racing sim so I was easily swayed to the PS2. I picked up a used GT3 off ebay and here I am. I think I'm less than 1/4 complete. I think I'll move on to GT4 before I get to the endurance racing. I don't like the idea of pitting every five laps to change tires. Right now I'm working on the Tahiti Maze, the evolution meeting, and the BI license. I'm having a tough time with the slalom. I've built a seat with attached pedals, the wheel (suckyMadCatz) sits on my knees for now. I did some real racing (IIRA,SCCA) about twenty years ago. I'ts much easier, especially braking.

You shouldn't have to pit every 5 laps. Just use slick tires...they last longer. I'm having a tough time with that slalom too, but I'm trying to get a Gold. It's 10x harder than the slalom in GT2.

 

[frenzal]

I'm new to the game myself, about 2 months. New to game consoles too this being our (My Son's) first. I knew that the Gran Turismo series was pretty respected as a racing sim so I was easily swayed to the PS2. I picked up a used GT3 off ebay and here I am. I think I'm less than 1/4 complete. I think I'll move on to GT4 before I get to the endurance racing. I don't like the idea of pitting every five laps to change tires. Right now I'm working on the Tahiti Maze, the evolution meeting, and the BI license. I'm having a tough time with the slalom. I've built a seat with attached pedals, the wheel (suckyMadCatz) sits on my knees for now. I did some real racing (IIRA,SCCA) about twenty years ago. I'ts much easier, especially braking.

Nah, stick with it mate. You won't regret it. Like Parnelli said, just run with slicks. The pit stops and strategies make for interesting racing. Depending on the class of car your running, you can get up to 10 laps or more out of a set of tyres.
I haven't Golded all the licenses, but i remember the slalom was a tough one.

Currently:
Having previously done the Seattle Endurance 3 times for 2 Tommy Kairas and a Nismo Road Car ( kept one of each) , i whiled away 3 and a half hours this arvo trying for the Esperante...i never thought i'd be so annoyed at 2 Polyphony 002's and a Nismo. Naturally i kept the F-1's. Currently on the prize car wish list is to complete my set of Japanese Touring Cars, Le Mans racers, and the racing versions of the various passenger cars. Picked up a nice XJ220 Race Car yesterday.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Nah, stick with it mate. You won't regret it. Like Parnelli said, just run with slicks. The pit stops and strategies make for interesting racing. Depending on the class of car your running, you can get up to 10 laps or more out of a set of tyres.
I haven't Golded all the licenses, but i remember the slalom was a tough one.

Currently:
Having previously done the Seattle Endurance 3 times for 2 Tommy Kairas and a Nismo Road Car ( kept one of each) , i whiled away 3 and a half hours this arvo trying for the Esperante...i never thought i'd be so annoyed at 2 Polyphony 002's and a Nismo. Naturally i kept the F-1's. Currently on the prize car wish list is to complete my set of Japanese Touring Cars, Le Mans racers, and the racing versions of the various passenger cars. Picked up a nice XJ220 Race Car yesterday.

I've always loved the enduros. In GT1 my favorite part of the game was when I discovered the Grand Valley 300KM. Whoo boy, I did that again and again. I was happy that in GT2 they had even MORE enduros to finish, but dismayed to find they didn't program the tires correctly (super softs last up to 15 laps in my Silvia just like hard tires did, even tho the game manual said SS tires aren't as durable)
I'm psyched they got it right in GT3.

Doing a tire stop every 10 laps makes for that perfect bathroom or bong break

 

[frenzal]

I've always loved the enduros. In GT1 my favorite part of the game was when i discoverd the Grand VAlley 300KM. Whoo boy, i did that again and again. I was happy that in gT2 they had even MORE enduros to finish, but dismayed to find they didn't program the tires correctly (super softs last up to 15 laps in my Silvia just like hard tires did, even tho the game manual said SS tires aren't as durable)
I"m psyched they got it right in GT3.

Doing a tire stop every 10 laps makes for that perfect bathroom or bong break

Yeah, i really enjoy the enduros, especially when i'm driving well i can get into a nice rhythm, and post some consistent times. Best effort so far was running Trail Mountain twice in a RUF CTR for the result of 2 Polyphnoy 001's.
One thing i'd really love to see is a Super Enduro, along the lines of a 12 Hour or even a 24 Hour race. Particularly if you were able to change the oil during pit stops, and have allowance for saving the game whilst on a pit stop. Naturally it would have to accomodate lighting changes, with the addition of inclement weather another variable to make things interesting. They could make the prize pool of cars and dollars equally attractive, say two or three million for the win, and a full book of 4 top cars as the prize.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Right now I'm forcing myself to do the races in progression: Beginner, Amateur, Professional, and at some point during the Pros I'll do my first enduro. It will be a morsel long awaited for the tasting. You are right, frenzal, during an enduro you can get one hell of a rhythm going and get some amazing moments (most of which unfortunately weren't recorded by GT1 and 2 during the replay). I remember striving lap after lap to finally catch that elusive Lotus 111S in GT2's Trial Mountain Enduro, or triumphantly winning the Toyota GT1 in the last lap of the SSR5 All Night event after a careful pit strategy that paid off even tho I was running with my tires going orange...

 

[frenzal]

My first enduro was the Roadster around Apricot Hill, all stock MX-5's. Having got used to using HP to overcome deficiencies in my driving, it was a real kick in the arse to have to knuckle down after i spun out on the first corner into the kitty litter. My first few laps i beached several times trying to push too hard to catch up, so it was a matter of working out my pit strategies and being patient, as i had a lot of time to make up. I didn't reach the lead until about halfway through the race, and wasn't really troubled from there on in, although there were some nerve wracking moments under pressure with orange tyres. I picked up a nice Limited A Mica Merlot for my troubles. Very nice car.

The sense of relief and elation at the chequered flag is why we play this game... well some of us, anyways. When your thumbs are nearly shaking at that last corner because there is a bumper nudging yours, and you hold it together to scrape home by .021 of a second ( my tightest winning margin in a race ) , well you can't beat that in this game. Unless it is that elusive Time Trial, i nearly threw the controller through the ceiling when i finally got top time at Tokyo.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I frequently underpower my cars. Matter of fact, in an enduro if I'm leading within the first 5 to 10 laps, I've been known to restart my game because if I lead that early it means the rest of my race will be extremely boring.

I've had enduros like you mentioned, in which I don't capture the lead till the middle of the race, usually thru a combination of pit timing and keeping my lap times as low as I can. Sometimes, you can even pit earlier than the leader to gain a jump on him, because by the time he's in the pits, your tires are already warmed up.

 

[Gil]

Yeah, you do have to. But my understanding is that if you just run the Hard races, you actually are credited with the Easy and Normal win corresponding to the race you complete. A good car for the hard ones is the R390 Road car, taken from your simulation garage..as long as it is still stock.Although you can change the oil and add Super Softs. I've found that AI can be sometimes unmatcheable, depenadant on your choice of weapon. You can take an 'S' Class car and come up against a bloody 787B. Another good choice in the B Class cars is the Altezza..it makes for some good, close racing. The choice of Class is irrelevant..you can choose any class to race with. I had actually run both Easy and Normal before i found out about only having to do Hard. And you unlock the rest of the courses and bonus cars as you go through. Plus 1st's are required in all the Time Trials in Arcade Mode. With your experience, i can't see you having any trouble there.
And you can use any Rally Car you pick up in simulation mode to do the rally races in Arcade...including the Imprezza LM, if you want to knock it over pretty quickly. As long as it is still stock, you'll just have to fit Rally tyres

Actually, the best car for the arcade races, barring the Test course and Rallies is the Opel Speedster (Vauxhall VX 220).
Remember, whatever car you show up with will be "matched" in class.
With the Opel, you will be pitted against other "B-class" cars and the Opel has near A-class performance.
For the Rallies either of the Subarus will hold the day, even over the Lancer at Tahiti Maze.
For the Test Curse, Oops! Course, I would Use one of the Racing Skylines or Supra's. Cause that's what will show up. Another option is to tune the Gillett Vertigo, and widen the gear ratios for high speed.

 

[supert10]

I won all the arcade races including the rallies with an Accord Euro R (in the
Pro mode. Thats 10 laps w/tire wear)

 

[frenzal]

Finally bronzed the S-3 license test ...now got to try and sort out Time Trial 8. No matter what i try and do, i can't get past third. Need to find about 4 secs. I usually go alright in the Rallies, got to try and work this one out.

Found a nice car for some close racing in Arcade Hard....the C-West Razo Sylvia i had sitting in my arcade bonus garage. Came up against another Sylvia and a SuperAutobacs Apex MR-S at Rome, it made for a nice tight battle. I'm the first to admit my abilities are probably just a smidgin better than average, and tight racing like this certainly helps your driving improve.

Finally finished the Rally's in simulation mode, into Area C (Hard) in Arcade Mode now, planning on alternating between finishing Arcade and the Time Trials, and getting my Super License. Currrently running at 86.2% done. Just under 10.3 million in the kitty.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I just started doing Arcade. Super Speedway on Hard setting. I'm so far behind.

 

[frenzal]

WELL I just started doing Arcade. Super Speedway on Hard setting. I'm so far behind.

What car are you using? Is it from the arcade garage, or your simulation garage? I know when i first got to SS in Hard mode, i had to get the braking point and throttle control right on the last turn, and get my driving lines right. I had gotten too used to relying on speed alone, and it wasn't enough when in Hard. Again it is dependent on the car being driven as well. You will be surprised how much time you can make up, i know initially it seemed impossible.

 

[Uncle Harry]

WELL I just started doing Arcade. Super Speedway on Hard setting. I'm so far behind.

I used the Mercedes SLK from B class, won all the arcade races in hard.
I reckon it is easier in a slower car class.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

What car are you using? Is it from the arcade garage, or your simulation garage? I know when i first got to SS in Hard mode, i had to get the braking point and throttle control right on the last turn, and get my driving lines right. I had gotten too used to relying on speed alone, and it wasn't enough when in Hard. Again it is dependent on the car being driven as well. You will be surprised how much time you can make up, i know initially it seemed impossible.

I did that Super Speedway race in a PT Croozer. I don't plan on doing them all in my PT...but it seemed an appropriate car to start off with. And I believe you about getting driving lines right...it is better than relying on power, although I don't plan on taking the Arcade portion as seriously as I do the Sim. I'll go ahead and overpower my cars if I have to here since... there's no money involved!

Yeah Harry, I'm using my own garage for these....I like being able to tune if I have to and I don't think you can tune the Arcade cars that the game gives you.

 

[frenzal]

I did that Super Speedway race in a PT Croozer. I don't plan on doing them all in my PT...but it seemed an appropriate car to start off with. And i believe you about getting driving lines right...it is better than relying on power, although i don't plan on taking the Arcade portion as seriously as i do the Sim. I'll go aheaad and overpower my cars if i have to here since... there's no money involved!

Yeah Harry, i'm using my own garage for these....i like being able to tune if i have to and i don't think you can tune the Arcade cars taht the game gives you.

That's right, you can't tune the Arcade cars, but by the same token, any tuning you put into your own cars becomes null and void in Arcade...all that carries across is an increase in HP through oil change, and any change in tyres you may make. That is my understanding anyways, i saw it here somewhere. I found the Altezza on offer in the Arcade 'B' Class garage offered some good racing.

At the moment i'm having a hassle with License S-8...that bloody GT-One Race Car is a shocker to drive there..there's no way it could be like that in reality. The damn thing spins out all over the place. On the plus side, it's teaching me increased throttle control, i've only got to find another 1.8 secs. Gearing control is difficult for me as i don't have the dexterity others are blessed with, i can't drive in manual, so i've got to rely on throttle control and better braking alone. Bronzed all the others in 'S', that's all that is holding me back. And still looking for about 3 secs in the Time Trial at Swiss Alps II...not sure what i can do there other than practice.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

That's right, you can't tune the Arcade cars, but by the same token, any tuning you put into your own cars becomes null and void in Arcade...all that carries across is an increase in HP through oil change, and any change in tyres you may make. That is my understanding anyways, i saw it here somewhere. I found the Altezza on offer in the Arcade 'B' Class garage offered some good racing.

Not so. All you gotta do is hop over to Free Run, tune your garage-car at the appropriate track, and hop back to the Arcade Race. This way, I could use my 6-speed racing tranny along with revamped suspension settings.

Now that I'm doing it, I kinda dig the Arcade. I just did the 5-lap race at Midfield. I figure I'll do a race per every time I fire up GT3 rather than just do them all at once. It makes a perfect warm-up before I delve into sim racing. That Midfield race was moderately challenging in my PT. I won, but I only passed the leading Silvia on lap 4 (out of 5). Not bad...I bet if this were Easy mode, I would be totally bored, though.

 

[Uncle Harry]

At the moment i'm having a hassle with License S-8...that bloody GT-One Race Car is a shocker to drive there..there's no way it could be like that in reality. The damn thing spins out all over the place. On the plus side, it's teaching me increased throttle control, i've only got to find another 1.8 secs. Gearing control is difficult for me as i don't have the dexterity others are blessed with, i can't drive in manual, so i've got to rely on throttle control and better braking alone. Bronzed all the others in 'S', that's all that is holding me back. And still looking for about 3 secs in the Time Trial at Swiss Alps II...not sure what i can do there other than practice.

Frenzal,
This may sound crazy but it does work.
Select manual transmission. Once the test starts make sure the car is in 3rd gear,( I think the test starts with the car in third) and then leave it there for all the turns, once into the main straight you may want to select 4th.
People have passed doing this.
The wheel spin is reduced heaps by using the higher gear and the car is alot easier to control.
Also at the top of the hill, the left hander you can run the curb on the right hand side to make it easier to turn, just remember to brake a little earlier for the next right otherwise you will be into the wall.

 

[frenzal]

Not so. All you gotta do is hop over to ‘Free Run’, tune your garage-car at the appropriate track, and hop back to the Arcade RAce. This way, i could use my 6-speed racing tranny along with revamped suspension settings.

Now that i'm doing it, i kinda dig the Arcade. I just did the 5-lap race at Midfield. I figure I'll do a race per every time i fire up GT3 rather than just do them all at once. It makes a perfect warm-up before i delve into sim racing. That Midfield race was moderately challenging in my PT. I won, but i only passed the leading Silvia on lap 4 (out of 5). Not bad...i bet if this were Easy mode, i would be totally bored, though.

Ok, thanks Parnelli, i wasn't aware of that. Not that it matters, i'm just using a stock Razo Sylvia out of my Arcade garage, i'm having some good races with that. And yeah, i could never go back to Easy again, next time through i'll go straight to Hard.

You're right, it's a good way to warm up for the Sim racing, a quick 5 lapper round Arcade.

 

[frenzal]

Frenzal,
This may sound crazy but it does work.
Select manual transmission. Once the test starts make sure the car is in 3rd gear,( I think the test starts with the car in third) and then leave it there for all the turns, once into the main straight you may want to select 4th.
People have passed doing this.
The wheel spin is reduced heaps by using the higher gear and the car is alot easier to control.
Also at the top of the hill, the left hander you can run the curb on the right hand side to make it easier to turn, just remember to brake a little earlier for the next right otherwise you will be into the wall.

Thanks Uncle, it's funny, using regular auto i have gotten to within 1.8 secs,with a dodgy back half of the test. In comparison to my best ghost car, i've had a really slick front half and back half, just not in the same test. I'm gonna give your idea a shot and see how it goes. I can see how that theory would work. Cheers