DiRT 3: Career progression & General discussion.

You learn alot of lines through the ghosts though and what sort of speed you can take a corner, however some of those lines aren't neccessarily what I'd call legitimate with huge cuts on the odd stage. I ran a couple of TTs pre-PSN coming back with a couple of now beaten WRs on tracks the quick TT runners hadn't got around to, and I definately got quicker at those tracks but I could only run a stage 3 or so times before I'd be bored so the first run would be a sighter, second would be a full blown run and the third would iron out the mistakes I made as best I could and that was it.

I think a combination of racing online and TT would be optimal, TT ghosts will sometimes make you realised you can go much much quicker through a section then you ever thought and racing online will help you learn how hard you can push before you make mistakes and thereby how to make sure you don't make the mistakes when it counts. To finish first, first you have to finish.
 
I've found that you can take anything from a four and up flat out, unless the corner tightens. I've seen guys online who will take a three flat; I'll only risk it in Trailblazer if the corner is wide and it's a stage I know. Mostly, your heart wants to take everything at full tilt, but there's something in your head that slows you down. I've found the old adage of slow in, fast out works best - especially in Landrush.
 
interludes
I've found that you can take anything from a four and up flat out, unless the corner tightens. I've seen guys online who will take a three flat; I'll only risk it in Trailblazer if the corner is wide and it's a stage I know. Mostly, your heart wants to take everything at full tilt, but there's something in your head that slows you down. I've found the old adage of slow in, fast out works best - especially in Landrush.
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Firm applier of that theory in Dirt, I always drive for the exit and try to get good traction even if it means slowing down early. It's ultimately what happened against AOS on TB on the last turn, I slowed down early (to early infact) and got a nice smooth exit whilst AOS pushed into the turn quickly, passed me mid turn but lost it on the exit. Most people online push far to hard into the turns, not talking about AOS now, and end up sliding way wide and scrubbing all their exit speed to make the turn. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
 
Yeah, that's the one thing I've picked up on so far - people push way too far. I've seen a dozen people or more quit out when they realise they can't win, but I learned very early on that you should just keep going because anything can happen. I was racing against a Russian guy on Harisjarventie in Finland, and he was five seconds down the road from me after I made a mistake early on. I really pushed, and maybe I shaved a second off him by the end, but it was his race to lose. And lose he did; the final corner of the stage is a six right on tarmac, but it's way tighter than you think. A lot of people cut it, but the road drops away steeply, and it's really easy to get flicked across the road if you do. Which is exactly what this Russian guy did; he couldn't get it back across in time and ended up crashing on the far side of the finish. He got reset when he went beyond the bounds of the track, but by then I'd coasted through and won the stage by three seconds.
 
I know the exact turn you mean, there's alot like that which are really dangerous to cut in an actual race where there's no flash back or restart to save you like in TTs and such. It's a very silly move to make when you're leading let alone on the final turn! Some of the TT ghosts are just balancing on the line of being thrown out of control almost the entire lap and I just think how many attempts it must have took to not be thrown off. There's tarmac sections on Kenya which have the same steep drop aways and harsh transition between tarmac and dirt on the sides which will just spit you out if you have a low and stiff set up but can be usable if your suspension has enough give but still remain risky in places.
 
I really like the tarmac sections in Kenya. There's a lot of time to be had there. I've found races can be won or lost based on how well you carry speed into them. One of the transitions onto tarmac always throws me. There's high banks on either side, and there's tarmac on the actual bank itself (like the road has been hastily covered with tarmac rather than the road being planned). Going onto the tarmac is always a problem, though I can get through easily when coming off.

My worst corner at the moment is probably in Norway. When you go around the edge of the Olympic stadium, with that long brick wall on your left and then under the bridge, the road starts climbing again. There's a six left into a six right that flows into a hard three left. I always get the first corner in the sequence wrong; there's actually two corners to it before the right, though the first half isn't in the notes. If you cut it, you get pitched across the track and usually wind up in the trees.

The other one that is a constant bogey is in Michigan. It's a two right onto gravel, then a four left onto tar. It's not so much of a problem going that way; it's the opposite direction that usually hurts. The notes tell you there's a six right, then a six left and keep right into two left. However, the six left is sharper than you think, and then temptation is there to get down on the power - which has resulted in me missing the next turn altogether more than once because I aim for what I think is the turn, but it's a gap in the hay bales. Going through it takes you beyond the track boundaries.
 
I really like the Kenya tarmac sections to, infact I always like that feeling of extra grip when you get on a tarmac section on any track be it full tarmac Monaco or a section on a stage. Not that I neccessarily prefer it to dirt, snow, or whatever other surface you may be on but it's just so nice when you can really hook it up after fighting for traction everywhere else.

As for weaknesses, I wouldn't say I have a particular corner I'm bad at, but I definately don't feel as quick in S2000 cars for some reason. I seem to be more loose in them and seem to run wide more often then I'd like to or do in other classes. Finland would appear to be my weaker location, though perhaps this is because more people are familiar with Finland so I don't seem as quick in comparison.
 
That's the only part you remember of our race, just that last part.. :P

I opt for slow in-fast out but since I never listen to pace notes (if applicable), I still have to make a judgment based off the map. However, given the terrain obstacles, I may turn late or too early. For example, if I'm making a corner around a hill or an open area with trees, I try not to get too close as the uneven ridge just kills control of your ride and I most likely drive into the wall or trees. I'll get it down eventually 👍
 
AOS-
That's the only part you remember of our race, just that last part.. :P
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Not at all, but the fact you were there with me at the final turn was a testament to your own ability. Above average to say the least 👍.
 
Dragonistic
Not at all, but the fact you were there with me at the final turn was a testament to your own ability. Above average to say the least 👍.
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Modest too. Lol.
 
AOS-
I still firmly believe online stats are inaccurate. Results are what truly matter imo.
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I mean the stats based off your results, i.e. wins, podiums based off total races. Not the average speed stuff etc.
 
Still not accurate. If I continued playing against people less skilless than me, I'd have a high win rate. But does that mean I'm good? Not necessarily... # of wins for just about any game can be manipulated by fighting less skilled players and quitting before you lose.

Competitions are what really show off one's potential.
 
Well I haven't quit a race yet, and pro tour gives me no choice of who I race. So have I manipulated my stats? It's not a perfect indicator and I never claimed it to be one, but at the moment I have 92 races total (6 Jams) with 86 wins and 91 podiums and no matter how hard someone tries that sort of ratio won't be easy to obtain through manipulation. I'm merely suggesting that those sort of numbers would suggest I am classed as above average, and thereby your own performances scaled against mine would put you in that category as well.

It's accurate enough to give that sort of result with general correctness with a certain confidence level, I'm saying no more then that. You can easily argue competitions are skewed just as much by the opposition (particularly as opposition is fixed) and similarly as with all statistics and results be it from random public matches or full competitions they are only historical and may not reflect the current position of a person(s). Though again I'm not claiming one way is better but both are flawed in their own ways, ultimately there is no way of showing someones true potential with perfect accuracy, for example during a competition I will improve marginally by some amount which won't be at the same rate as others, immediately rendering the result outdated even if only slightly and the same can be said for total online stats.

Which is why I wasn't trying to make any specific claims as there's no accurate measure I gave a generalised statement so I don't see why you're picking up on it at all. Were I to have been more specific by saying something like I'm number 1 at Trailblazer (which by the way I do not think I am, or even close :lol:), sure I could see you picking that apart as there's no way to really support that claim.
 
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