How do you close the gap?

  • Thread starter Pyoverdin
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Pyoverdin

10
Hi, please bear with me as this is my first post.

A few months ago I used to get good top 100 times, but now I've dropped out of each 100 and am desperate to get back in.

I took my fav car (GT LM Spec II test car) for a spin at Eiger forward, and got 1'10 on my first try,switched immediately to manual, and got 1'09'5. Crapy first two laps, but then after 10 laps i couldn't improve...a shock to me when I found out on the net (I have no ethernet, only HSPDA modem cannot sign in to PSN, please help) the first time is at 1'05! :scared:.

I always dreamt of getting a no.1 time with the GT LM, but I guess it has dissapated. I used to get 1 second behind the no.1, now i pretty much suck. Plus the sixaxis has no ingame clutch! why?!

Please help/ give me tips for a top 10 time, Thanx in advance.
 
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IF I were good enough to make top10s, I'm not sure I would shoot myself in the food and share the tips so other people can take my spot, anywho I suck and don't have any tips, sorry :)
 
I'd say you need a wheel to get a top 10 time, especially with a popular car like the GTLM
 
I would say download the replays and watch the entry, exit speeds to corners, and the lines but you cant do that. So then just practice until your thumbs fall off
 
Well, after reading this I went online to see if any of my top 10 times remained, sadly they did not. But I'm still in the 20's and 40's or about there on a couple tracks.

The only way to get better is to drive. Do a bit on your own and see how fast you can get. Then look up the leader's replay and find where he's killing you. You don't need a wheel to get high in the ranks, but it certainly, most definitely helps.
 
If you want to get 1st, you not only need a wheel, but you need to use the clutch also. This applies to all the fast cars, or at least the highly contested cars.

My best advice is to get the car turned sooner and stick your foot/thumb in the throttle sooner. Also, dont have a life outside of GT5P. Good Luck 👍
 
Is there a way to watch top 10 replays off of the net? Because I can't connect to the net using my ps3 due to an HSDPA modem. Is there any way I could do so, by means of a laptop and 3.5G modem?

- I killed myself yesterday and got a 1'08.8 on HSR with the Amuse. Blast!
 
If you can't connect to the net on your PS3, you won't be able to get on the leaderboard anyway?!?
 
My advice to ya is: Seat time, Seat time, and more Seat time!!!!!! They SAY practice makes perfect, and in this case it can't get truer!!!!
 
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TN2004S4
My advice to ya is: Seat time, Seat time, and more Seat time!!!!!! They practice makes perfect, and in this case it can't get truer!!!!
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This is true. Nothing quite like playing often to speed up.

For the record, I have some top-10s currently using a DS3. None of my podiums still stand I don't think.
 
It helps to watch other people's laps and try some of the dfferent techniques they try.

Don't stick to the same line every time. Change it up and see if you find something that works. Later apexes, earlier apexes, different braking points, different entry speeds, different everything. Make sure you're trying to stay at wide open throttle for as long as possible throughout the lap, while still being in control of the car obviously. Make sure you pay special attention to the exit of corners that have a long straight after them. If you exit that corner just one mile per hour faster, you'll be going one mph faster the entire length of the straight, and that can turn into a big chunk of time.
 
lucag120
Why is the clutch faster???
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Clutch use allows shift times to be as fast as you can perform rather than waiting fo the games' shift algorithm. You've noticed some cars shift more slowly than others?
Also, you can downshift from one gear directly to another instead of sequentially. Example: 6-2 downshift.

lucag120
so a Driving Force Pro is useless now???
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Not useless, but the old DFP is about obsolete.
 
It definitely helps watching other peoples laps to get an idea of where you are losing time, on a lap like Eiger Nordwand forward its easy to lose time at the first few turns between the start line and the little wooden bridge, saying that just about every turn on that circuit is easy to lose time on :lol:
 
maximumattack
just about every turn on any circuit is easy to lose time on :lol:
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I'll just fix this for clarity. :sly:

What's interesting is, when you're within the pace that keeps up with any of the top ten ghosts many of them are fast in different areas than others.
 
clacksman
What's interesting is, when you're within the pace that keeps up with any of the top ten ghosts many of them are fast in different areas than others.
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To elaborate on this point- Usually the fastest time is with a clutch. I know from experience. Daytona Road is a great example because of the long straights. It really sucks going through a turn faster than P1, having better exit speed, and watching him pull through you on the up shifts. Granted we are talking tenths, maybe hundreths of one second, but that is the diffenence between 1st and 2nd.
 
IsmokeGT
...Granted we are talking tenths, maybe hundreths of one second, but that is the diffenence between 1st and 2nd.
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So true.:)👍
It all adds up, my advice to you Pyoverdin is:

Find the best line through the corner's...then stay focused!
Staying focused is the ONLY way to get the laptime your aiming for.
If youv'e lost focus, turn it off and come back later. You will be needing maximum focus to get in a higly contested top 10 Time Trial.
Take it easy mate,;)👍
R*
 
hang on, clacksman, Isn't shifting down sequentially faster because it increases engine braking???? therefore making clutch on down changes redundant?

The rest of your post makes perfect sense though.
 
Changing the topic slightly:

You want to become number one in racing.

So you do believe you are the next: Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Stig, Alain Prost, Juan Manuel Fangio, ....

Fair enough to have some ambition.
Look at the career of these people. It will take time, suffering, getting the right advise, some talent and perseverance, .... and there are no guarantees.
It's wonderful if you make it, make certain it was fun to try if you don't ever get to your goal.

Remember, if you aim for nothing, that is what you will reach nothing, so focus and persevere.

I switch from following the gost of nb 8 or 7 and working with my own ghost replay to see where I make mistakes and how to correct them. It is hard work though and sometimes not very rewarding (man I'm a stinky driver at times). Analysis of replays I try, but that is a lot of work (breaking points, corner speeds, acceleration points, etc...)

Good luck
 
For me, when I joined GTP I was lower D2 using a pad (d-pad for steering). This was hindering me quite a lot. Changing to using a wheel, specifically G25 (I don't use the clutch) has over the space of 6 months promoted me to a Division 1 driver. I've practised absolutely loads, especially if I had a week or so off work for various holidays. However it is very possible to see major improvements even if you can't play every day, you don't have to dedicate your entire life to it.

I don't really play any other games any more, just GT5P. That has made a great difference. Watching the top #10 replays is incredibly valuable as a starting point. After a while when you finally have mastered using the wheel as a control method, you can start to see where you are quicker. Just whatever you do, don't expect to go faster overnight using the wheel. If you have used the pad for driving for years, the transition could take some time, so be patient.

Racing online with the fastest guys can help a great deal too. Not necessarily trying to "race" them, but watching their lines and seeing when they get on the throttle and where they are faster lap after lap. Unfortunately there isn't a great deal of online racing activity these days.

As some have said, the clutch offers a great advantage on tracks with significant full throttle sections. But I can still hit top 5 times at a place like Suzuka East or London reverse because the focus is so much more on the corners and there are fewer gearshifts depending on the car being used.

All the best
Maz
 
lucag120
hang on, clacksman, Isn't shifting down sequentially faster because it increases engine braking????
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Braking distances (well, times) are so short it's difficult to do every downshift correctly (so I hear from some 6-speed users). I'm pretty sure the clutch is needed for this too.

You know what? Here's a Youtube vid of a G25 users' (PSN ID: z06fun) free run lap in a 671pp (maxed) Subaru at 700pp Fuji F. Note 1:45.973 lap time. Note downshift technique.
edit: this might have been at 600pp ... I forget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ0wmGTbp7s
 
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The GT series has always been a bit unnatural when it comes to downshifting, for example I can go from 5th to 1st gear at 70mph and the engine will scream and bounce of the rev limiter until my road speed can match the gear I'm in. Ferrari Challenge on the other hand will make a horrible crunching noise if you try to downshift too early and you will stay in the higher gear until you slow the car down more and attempt the down shift again, this is much more realistic and rewarding when you get it right.
 
This doesnt apply to TT, but it does apply to racing: The fastest times are never smooth. And I have noticed it translates to not being smooth in a race. All this is fine now because we dont have tire wear. When we do get tire wear some may wonder why their tires cant go as long as others.
The same can be said about mechanical damage. Your transmission may not blow apart in 1 or 2 laps if you downshift too aggresively, but it will in 20 laps.

My major point is that the fastest guys in GT5P may not be the fastest guys in GT5, although Im sure they are good enough to change up their driving style and adapt to the change between GT5P and GT5.
 
About a year ago, my best placing was top 12 with the Audi R8 at Eiger, then with the update it was wiped. Not sure how that time would stand now, though I am sure it would be pushed right down.

Now, with just 10 laps with any car on any track, I can pretty much get top 200 times which sounds good, but are 4-6 seconds off the pace on some tracks which is a lifetime.

If I really put the effort with a car, and dedicate a few hours per car per track, I can get in the top hundred with some cars at some tracks. Lets face it though, there are some talented and dedicated drivers outhere!

I would say that I am a far better GT4 driver than I am GT5P, I guess because GP5P has a more difficult physics model.
 
Like some people have already said... a wheel will definitely improve your chances of getting a top 10 time, and it is still possible with a sixaxis controller. I got 7th in the citroen c4 on suzuka a few weeks a go with a controller on but then again, it's not exactly the most popular car for TT. I can quite easily get into the top 50 for some if not most cars. I probably play about 1 hour of GT5P a day... but your times will utlimately depend o how much spare time you have and your raw talent in the first place; without practice.
 

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