I got the Driving Line Blues...

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ALB123

ALB123

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So, I notice that a LOT of Online Rooms do not allow use of the Driving Line. I've been playing Gran Turismo for 7 months and I do alright here and there, but I can't drive worth a damn without the driving line active. I don't need it to show me the proper "driving line", but to show me braking zone intensity. So often I will turn off the driving line in Arcade Mode and go out onto a track that I know well and I'm continually overshooting chicanes and plowing into corners because I'm carrying too much speed.

I don't know how the heck so many of you can play this game with Driving Line turned off. Without actually feeling the sensation of movement in your body, how did you learn to drive without it?
 
I've been playing GT since the release day of GT1. I love driving fast on here! Honestly, to me, it takes time, but eventually, you'll learn the course well enough to do a full lap without even running a tire into the white lines. If you need help, I'm literally always active here.


:cheers:
 
ALB123
I don't know how the heck so many of you can play this game with Driving Line turned off. Without actually feeling the sensation of movement in your body, how did you learn to drive without it?
Click to expand...

practice, a lot of practice.

play a lot, someday you'll just remember where to brake, how much of brake you need and when to release it.

and since I never used (there wasn't driving lines in the first GTs), it just gets in the way.
 
Actually it takes a bit of practice but you will find that you will be faster without the line enabled as it will make you slow down more than you need to in many cases and in some cases have you braking where you could be on the throttle.

You just have to get a good feel for the tracks and even that little shift indicator can cause you to slow more than needed. I played GT4 which of course does not have a driving line so I learned most of the tracks the hard way. I used the line early on in GT6 especially on the new tracks but I found I was faster when I turned it off in almost every case though I did over run a few corners at first ;)
 
Then use the recommended gear as a braking signal.

Use this simple system,
Red Number > Prepare or brake just a bit.
Red Flashing Number > Brake NOW.

Try getting less dependant to visual signals and pay atenttion to the circuit signals (200m signals, lines on the road), not the game ones.
 
Practice on a track by yourself and turn off everything including shift indicator.

After an hour and a lot of patience, you should be getting the hang of it.

I am on Suzuka 99% of the time, so I pretty much know what speed I need for each corner.
 
ItGivesYouWings
Then use the recommended gear as a braking signal.

Use this simple system,
Red Number > Prepare or brake just a bit.
Red Flashing Number > Brake NOW.


Try getting less dependant to visual signals and pay atenttion to the circuit signals (200m signals, lines on
Click to expand...
ItGivesYouWings
Then use the recommended gear as a braking signal.

Use this simple system,
Red Number > Prepare or brake just a bit.
Red Flashing Number > Brake NOW.
Click to expand...


Ah yes, the ol' pre-line days. This is how it was done in the early games GT1-GT4(?). I still use this method.
 
The red number helps when you don't know the track but can make you slower than you could be without it. I can't say the number of times I have saw it pop up something like a red 3 as I am near the redline in 4th coming into a bend where what I really need to do is not brake or downshift but hit 5th and keep it floored.

It does help a lot until you can drive without it but you will be better after a while if you turn it off.
 
As someone already said OP, for online racing in rooms which disallow the driving line, the gear indicator is a pretty decent replacement for the driving line which you can use the same way as the driving line.

I'm a driving line user as well. I'm not really using it as my line, nor do I use it's braking point. I use it as a gague for how big my balls can be in each corner. Every lap I'm driving as deep into every corner beyond the game's suggested braking zone as I dare. It's really kind of a cheat........or at least makes it really easy, so I see why hosts disallow it so often. It took me a while to get used to not using it, because it really is a crutch

But again, use the gear indicator. Do some offline practices with the line ON and pay attention to the gear indicator out of your periphary vision, and make mental note of how it corelates to the suggested braking zones and how deep into them you brake. Nurb's a good place to do it since it's throwing like every type of corner at you in one convenient place. Once you have that timing down you can use the gear indicator pretty much the same way you'd use the driving line, at least when it comes to your braking zones.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'll have to just start practicing without it turned on. I'm sure it's going to be tough for a while, but if it makes me a better Gran Turismo driver, that's all I want!

@LarryL That's pretty much what I'm using the driving line for too -- I know that I don't have to start breaking when the line turns red. That's MUCH too early. But it DOES give me an idea of how far I can push it. At least, it has up until this point. I'm going to start practicing without it soon.
 
For me, finding physical reference points that are fixed like road patches, skid marks, paint, or a visual range where two landmarks line up @ your braking point or turn-in point. (Say a light pole & a distant tree or mountain peak.) Track side brake point markers are also quite useful when available.
As stated above loads of practice.
 
I typically use the Driving Line since I like to cruise online with it, plus I personally play GT to relax not crash into the walls or rage quit. But everyone has their own reasons for playing I suppose.
 
I say turn everything off. I turn the whole HUD off. It really helps immerse yourself into the game. Just get into the game and eyeball it. Ya should be able to get the hang of braking distances before too long.
 
As for the gear indicator it is right there in the middle when driving bumper view so it is very easy to see.
 
Yea after time trialing myself on cdrtain courses I know them and where to brake etc.

I try to use the msp to refresh my memory and the gear indicator on tracks im less sure of.
 
Do as real drivers do, and what others have posted here, use visible reference points on the track. Real racing drivers use the feel of the car, yes, but they use visible reference points all the time. That is why they are there.

Best place to learn to use them for the first time is on Monza 👍
 
Just brake a short while after the suggested gear indicator starts flashing, braking later as you get more used to the circuit. It's worked perfectly for me since I started playing GT4 aged ten.
 
It doesn't sound like an issue where the driving line is needed. Try a slower car and work yourself up. If you continue to crash, then get an even slower car. Almost guarantee you won't plow into barriers with a Citroen 2CV. ;)
 
ALB123
So, I notice that a LOT of Online Rooms do not allow use of the Driving Line. I've been playing Gran Turismo for 7 months and I do alright here and there, but I can't drive worth a damn without the driving line active. I don't need it to show me the proper "driving line", but to show me braking zone intensity. So often I will turn off the driving line in Arcade Mode and go out onto a track that I know well and I'm continually overshooting chicanes and plowing into corners because I'm carrying too much speed.

I don't know how the heck so many of you can play this game with Driving Line turned off. Without actually feeling the sensation of movement in your body, how did you learn to drive without it?
Click to expand...
@SCClockDr has given the best advice. There are things all over the track that you don't notice until you need to use them in order to judge where your braking points are.

The most obvious is the distance checks on the side of the track before most turns (200m, 150m, 100m, etc.) They are the easiest way to find your braking point but they can be knocked down.

The next easiest is the striped curbs themselves. For example, for turn 1 you need to brake 1 car length before the curbing starts and for turn 2 you need to brake when you rear tires pass the start of the curb. Not all track and all turns have the curbing though.

Next you can use other marks on the ground like where the grass stops and the gravel starts before a turn, or on Spa for turn one there is a bunch of tire tracks from where people start the race and then a white line. depending on how fast your car is you either brake just before the white line, right at the start of the tire marks, or just before the tire marks. that's for 450, 500, and 600pp respectively.

I keep everything but SRF on in my lobbies because anything that makes players crash less often means better racing for everyone. all the aids ultimately make you slower so you want to eventually get to where you don't need them. I occasionally use racing line, but only to judge where my opponents braking point is so it kinda is a cheat regardless of how you use it.

I would recommend keeping the racing line on in a practice run and look for the visible cues I listed on each turn. Once you have found the cues for each turn, keep the line on and figure out where you need to brake at each cue. then turn the line off and it's like you never needed it. after a while you will eventually be able to judge where to brake just by feel.

I could give you countless examples on here but it would be easier to just show you online. if you want to send me a FR on PSN I'll be happy to go out with you on some tracks and help you in finding the best visible marks.

Hope that helps.
 
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ItGivesYouWings
Then use the recommended gear as a braking signal.

Use this simple system,
Red Number > Prepare or brake just a bit.
Red Flashing Number > Brake NOW.

Try getting less dependant to visual signals and pay atenttion to the circuit signals (200m signals, lines on the road), not the game ones.
Click to expand...
As well as other visual cues such as a series of corners or undulations and even a particular tree or shrub. :lol:
 
For me, I'll use the driving line on a new track for a few laps to get used to the flow of it and then ignore it and just use it for braking points.

I've tried using the flashing gear indicator but that doesn't help me, I always find that I'm braking too early.
Sometimes I see the driving line says to brake but I can drive through that little bit without doing it so if I'm using the gear indicator I'll become much slower.
 
I too use the braking indicator. Like you with the driving line, if I turn it off on most tracks I'll brake too late or too early for certain corners. That said, I know the Nord so well that I'm faster with it off. It was so handy for Shuffle racing in GT5, as each different car had different braking capabilities & the brake indicator helped you to suss them out very quickly. I'd like to learn to drive without it, but can't be bothered!

My advice is; turn it off (as well as the flashing brake indicator) & work up the tracks like a real race driver would.
 
ItGivesYouWings
Then use the recommended gear as a braking signal.

Use this simple system,
Red Number > Prepare or brake just a bit.
Red Flashing Number > Brake NOW.

Try getting less dependant to visual signals and pay atenttion to the circuit signals (200m signals, lines on the road), not the game ones.
Click to expand...
I love the gear shift indicator, it's worked for me since GT3, however, be wary of the corners where the braking point is displayed far too early (Suzuka and many others), and as a general rule, any powerful car on sports tyres or grippier should usually take light corners one gear one gear higher than suggested, or two gears higher in an RBX.

Very rarely is the flashing gear indicator displayed too late, but when it does happen it can catch you seriously off-guard, one notable example is going from Conrod straight to The Chase at bathurst (super-ultra-high-speed chicane), base your braking judgement on landmarks and memory, not the little flashing "2" in the corner.
 
Question for the OP
do you have a track you that you know 100% where you need to brake, turn, ride mid throttle, etc???

Drive that track, but actually look at everything around you when you are doing them.

For me, I've known my way around Bathurst since I can remember. I've watched every V8 Supercars/ Australian Touring Car 1000km race from end to end for 25 years.
I know exactly where those real racers place their cars, where they short-shift, where the bumps are, where the braking zones are.

Here's a good look at Bathurst, and even though he's in a Ferrari, all his turn-in points and braking points are similar to the usual V8 Supercars or GT Production Cars that race there.
Reason being that although it may be more powerful and faster top speed, being lighter and better braking keeps those markers in the same spot.


As mentioned above, you "should" get most cars through the first RH into the Chase 100% flat-out
Straighten it up down the guts of the track and brake hard in a straight line

A stock BRZ which I've been cruising around in in GT6 has basically the same braking points on the track as the race cars mentioned above even though it's only doing half teh speed, simply because it doesn't corner or brake as fast as the race cars.

Long winded post, but my point is to use the game aids as a guide in a slow car, to allow you to match up braking/ turning points with "real" objects.
 
My continued thanks to all of you offering me different suggestions on how to improve without relying on the driving line to tll me when to brake. I know that I've been lazy, relying on that line to turn red - I figured since my eyes are pretty much right there anyway it beats looking for that 100M or 150M sign, or line painted across the track, or small bush, or whatever. But, I know you are all correct. I will become a better driver in GT6 if I can drive without the dependence on that line. I'm going to see how I do with the gear indicator blinking tonight.

Unfortunately, no I do not know ANY track inside and out yet. I probably know Monza the best because it has the fewest turns. I will see how I run there with the line off tonight. I'll be coming into those chicanes with a lot of speed!

Thank you for all the suggestions to drive with me. I'll be taking you up on those offers soon. :-)
 

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