Driving Lessons/Tutorials

R

Rookie Racer

11
Canada
Toronto
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Project Cars will be the 1st driving simulator that I intend to actually get a handle on. I've dabbled before in the past, but was quickly dismayed at the results. This time... I've got myself a Thrustmaster T300RS and Wheel Stand Pro V2 Deluxe, so I'm already invested in this Project Cars endeavor. But I've got a lot of learning to do... so I'd really like to know to what extent, if any, the developers of Project Cars have created a learning-ecosystem of some sort to help introduce the mainstream to sim racing.

I have not found/seen any 'official' info on this, so if there is any, please share... or if the developers are reading, maybe they could chime in.

Thanks!

(I'll be using the PS4 version of Project Cars, when it is released)
 
First thing to do is get all your settings to your taste, wheel settings, FOV, car settings and so on.
I would just do some hot lapping on your own to get the feel and all the settings right.

Then maybe start career in the clio and build your race craft, just take your time and practice practice practice.
Its all about finding the right balance to suit you 👍
 
Just learning your way around the track will help a lot, its not as easy as it sounds. Also if you feel out of your depth on a new track (as I am sure I will) there is a driving/racing line which will help with when to brake or reduce speed.

As there are loads of tracks new to me I am sure I will have the driving line on during practises until I know what I am doing.
 
Start with a slow car (e.g. Clio Cup in career) and start with slow laps. Try to drive faster when you are confident enough and always watch your tire temperature! Sometimes you need to drive faster to get enough grip. And don't touch the setup until you can run smooth and fast (when you can beat the AI at 80% for example)

But as both above me said, it's all about practice. It can also help that you start only with real aids in the car. Starting with all aids and switching them off later means you have to learn to drive all over again.
 
Practice and time attack can be boring but it remains the best way to understand how the physics works in any game.

I also suggest that you remove mist driving aids right from the start. Aids can be disturbing during the learning process.

If you come from Gran Turismo like me, you will rapidly notice some significant differences: the fact that you really need to transfer the weight of the car to the front wheels for it to turn better was the most obvious one during my first sessions.
 
I appreciate the suggestions so far. Please keep 'em coming.

Two of you mentioned starting with Cleo Cup 'cause it's slower. That seems to make sense. That's as slow as one gets in Project Cars, besides go-karts?

There's a SafeIsFast Youtube video called 'Open Wheel vs. Closed Wheel Racing: Which is the best path toward a successful racing career?' Some drivers in it make the case for starting in open wheel cars. Not sure how this general argument would play off of the specific suggestion of starting with the closed-wheel Cleo Cup. Any thoughts?

Psychoazubi, you mention real aids vs. all aids. This implies that there will be a lot of 'fake' aids in addition to real aids. I'm not familiar with either group of settings, but I like how you point out to I'd essentially have to relearn everything if I started with fake aids on and then made the switch to only using real aids. Thanks.

TGR Kefran, you mentioned "mist" driving aids. This immediately brings to mind windshield wipers, defogger, etc... but logic would have me believe I'm probably way off on what you're referring to, hm? Are mist aids the same as the 'fake' aids that Psychoazubi seemed to be alluding to? Please elaborate.

These beginner suggestions are helpful, thanks. But there still seems to be no info yet on whether Project Cars will feature any sort of tutorials/lessons/tips ecosystem on driving and/or the general world of motor sports (how various Series compare to one another and fit into the whole of race car driving). Heck, I'd even pay an extra $20-30 if it came as additional DLC, if the lessons were well implemented and extensive.
 
There are some great YouTube tutorial videos to watch. My favorite ones are made by Empty Box.

Here he shows how to learn a new track.

 
"most"... sorry :D

The Clio is slower than GT cars but it is relatively unstable so I do not consider it the easiest car you can start with.
It is a good choice anyway. Just keep in mind that AI drive it very efficiently: I found that some races were difficult to win at 100% difficulty settings compared to other series involving faster cars where AI are much slower proportionally.

If there was a car to consider as a the "rookie choice", I think it would better be the Ginetta Junior. Same pace than the Clio but more stable and easy with default car tune. There is a race series with this car that you can select to start the career.

I hope I avoided typo errors this time !
 
Rookie Racer
Project Cars will be the 1st driving simulator that I intend to actually get a handle on. I've dabbled before in the past, but was quickly dismayed at the results. This time... I've got myself a Thrustmaster T300RS and Wheel Stand Pro V2 Deluxe, so I'm already invested in this Project Cars endeavor. But I've got a lot of learning to do... so I'd really like to know to what extent, if any, the developers of Project Cars have created a learning-ecosystem of some sort to help introduce the mainstream to sim racing.

I have not found/seen any 'official' info on this, so if there is any, please share... or if the developers are reading, maybe they could chime in.

Thanks!

(I'll be using the PS4 version of Project Cars, when it is released)
Click to expand...
I hope I can bypass the swear filter with this:sly: but iRacing has a professionally done series of videos on online racing that any new (and many experienced)sim racer should watch. Almost everything in the videos will apply to Project Cars and most racing sims in general. Racing lines, cornering, braking are all fundamentals that must be learned to be consistent and fast in sim racing.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqZLBOpI5JFKebBA_i-SCkGRRypXovWv6
 
Ya, I came across those YouTube iRacing tutorials yesterday - they look good. I'm currently making my way through the Youtube SafeIsFast line of tutorials, which are pretty extensive.

But beyond non-interactive lessons, what I would really like to see in-game would be features like:

1. ability to pause the game, then manually rewind a bit and try a do-over to see how the outcome changes;

2. while playing, an AI 'instructor' pauses the game at particular points and poses a question with 3 selectable answers. Example: You have been racing for 12 minutes, your tire temperatures are currently #, #, # and #. Should you, A) immediately pit-stop and have your tires changed, B) you have 2-4 more laps before they likely need to be changed, or C) it is unlikely they need to be changed before the end of the race?

3. while playing, an AI 'instructor' pauses the game and brings your attention to various instrument measurements or track conditions or opponent positioning and gives you an explanation of what needs to be done or identifies an opportunity to be taken.

It's these sorts of immediately now-relevant tips, as opposed to 'pre-emptive' lessons, that I would LOVE to see in game. Obviously, whether something like this is in the game or not is already said and done, as the game has gone gold. But if it's not in the game... boy, I'd pay extra to add it as DLC!!!
 
Haven't seen any mention of some sort of training course. I do think it's a good idea to at least have general tips etc. I feel Gran Turismo 6's licence events had good pointers going into each of them.

Just remember the golden no. 1 rule...

SLOW IN FAST OUT

Always keep that in mind and you won't go too far wrong.
 

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