I'm just running around it in the DB9 on S2's for the time trial. I've gotten a bit better on it, but I still feel the entries to a lot of the corners are very "vague". On several corners you enter the corner from the center of the track rather than the traditional
wide entry-sweep in-sweep out
and also don't have room to run wide so must contain your exit to the middle of the track to prepare for the next corner. It's just feels very "wafty" and imprecise.
I've started to brake differently for some corners. Instead of the usual situation where you would be hard on the brakes in a straight line, before turning into the corner and powering on from the clipping point onwards, I'm now braking softer but for longer whilst turning towards the apex gradually. Trail-braking to an extent I guess you could call it. This is the only way I can get the car pointing in the right direction when it reaches the apex, and also make the late-apex that a lot of the corners need due to them becoming tighter on the exit.
I find that the last two corners are particularly awkward due to the exit being a bit unsighted (I play in-car view) due to the gradient of the circuit.
Yeah, its a very unique track in this respect, I find you rarely run the same line twice in a race there.
But thats part of why I enjoy it, I can hit corners like Casio at Suzuka perfect and get the braking and turn in dead on every time. That is enjoyable in itself, however its refreshing to have a challenge like Fuji where its difficult to nail the lines everytime and you can lose time everywhere (after all, its the slow corners where you lose most time).
I used to hate Fuji, but after much online racing thanks to Prologue, I grew to really enjoy it. I still find it a little frustrating for running hotlaps and testing setups. But I love it for the racing action you get, and the sheer speed you can take sometimes. It has a lot of corners where you can take alternate lines and this is what helps keep a race battle going.
With 3 or 4 cars, you can battle lap after lap taking different lines and the different setups of cars have a more pronounced effect.
The miles of run-off don't bother me much because you rarely end up using them, and when you do, you gain little advantage. They at least help keep everyone in the race, even if some of those people are punters.
There is also a lot of satisfaction to be had from running rear-wheel drive cars at Fuji and battling with the AWD cars, keeping them behind you while keeping control is mighty fun and very rewarding. If you choose a good line then you can minimise the effect of their superior cornering so you can slipstream and blast past on the straights.
Its a completely different beast than Suzuka but I love both. I like all the tracks in Prologue, they all have unique character.
For me this track is with the Ring where I have a love/hate relationship with it. It's one of those tracks where you hate it when you first start because it just seems overly difficult, than as you get more time on it it get's easier and a little more fun. Although it probably has to have one of the worst 1st corners, right up there with Mugello and Sebring.
Worst 1st corner? Pah, its perfect for me, a real test of your braking and speed judgement. I love Mugello too, that was my favourite track in Ferrari Challenge, last of the late brakers is my favourite game.
I can see why people don't like it though, like the rest of Fuji, its a messy corner (like TrouserPlank said), you never really feel satisfied with the result and always feel you could have used a better line or gone faster, then you try faster and over-shoot or lose speed in the following straight. But like I said, I find this a refreshing change and a nice challenge. It also equalises everyone, you can gain a lot in these corners by just being a little more daring than the guy in front.
