Need help with online racing...

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ZohsixGT5

ZohsixGT5

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pipesta
I can't believe I'm really asking this but I don't know what else to do at this point.

For the past few weeks, I have been struggling to be competitive when racing online. After racing against the AI for the past 10 years, online is a totally new and different challenge, and I just can't seem to adjust. The difference in the online physics isn't helping me either.

Usually I can get a good start and run with the pack, but lately by the 4th or 5th corner I brake too late or put a tire in the grass, and then my race is over. I'm not trying to be aggressive, I'm just trying to keep my position. I have done so much hot lapping over the years that I try to take the same line and speed through corners, when most of the time online, it's just not possible. It's pretty discouraging because I know I can be quick around these tracks with my eyes closed, but online I just make mistakes.

Just for a little background: I have a GT5 cockpit setup with a G27. I am pretty quick when on the track alone, and have Racing License from Skip Barber IRL. I race in rooms with a <600pp limit on sport soft tires.

I am no rookie to driving, but I am a rookie to online racing apparently. Has anyone here gone through the same problems? What helped to improve your online racing aptitude? (no distractions, headphones, more focus, etc.)

Thanks in advance.
 
Hotlap online, practice practice practice 👍
 
Join a friendly racing series and compete in the events. You may start out last but you will climb as the season goes on. I have seen a big improvement in the guys in my series.
You need to do all your practicing online, in your own lounge for example. Invite a few friends along to offer tuning advice etc.
 
Driving solo doing hot laps is all well and good, but you learn no racecraft
 
Racing against the AI is easy because they are predictable. With all of the whinning last spring about AI running into people, PD toned them down even more in one of the patches. Before that patch I could bump draft an AI car. Now, if you are next to an AI car, just move over and tap him once... he'll pretty much hit the brakes. It's not realistic.

Online is much more like real world. There are always hacks, no matter what room or what level of racing, in this game or in the real world. You have to learn to manage traffic - where to be agressive and where to defend. A defend line is way different than a hot lap by yourself line. Try setting your track map to 2 - a wide track setting. This way you can see if someone is looking to dive bomb you into a corner. On starts, take an inside line down the first couple of straights so it's harder to t-bone you in the corners. Starts are about survival - get through the first half lap, then you car sort out who's really at your skill level.

Also, qualify well and defend turn 1. I use the look back button alot when racing online. Two reasons. First, I'm looking out for the hacks. Second, I don't want to unfairly cut off a good driver who is racing me clean.
 
Stop making mistakes. :D ;)

I saw you come in my Nurb room last night (450pp/SS) then quit.. I presume out of frustration. We had some pretty quick guys in there at the time so that propably did not help.

You just gotta keep at 'er. The 'ring is not the easiest online, but if you master it, you will be good at all the tracks.
 
esoxhntr
I saw you come in my Nurb room last night (450pp/SS) then quit.. I presume out of frustration. We had some pretty quick guys in there at the time so that propably did not help.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was frustrated. Same thing happened last Wednesday too. Normally I would stay and continue the race but that track is so long plus I was just mad at myself. I'll join the 450 room tonight, I guess I just have to practice and suck it up until I can be competitive. It just really sucks making noob mistakes online when thats not how I drive at all offline.
 
I had the same experience as you early on OP. My solution was to give up on offline tuning completely and tune online only. With the Spec 2 the differences may be reduced but I believe it's still the way to go. You'll get used to the online physics, your reaction times and movements will smooth out and you'll be better in a week. Some cars are dramatically different online some are not.

You can do a search and find the fastest cars at each PP level. Start with them and the broaden your experience once you've mastered them. There are a number of solid garages on GTPlanet like Praiano's, RKM and others that will give you some good solid online tunes to work with so you aren't starting from scratch. When trying any tune, make sure it specifies that it was done or tested online or skip over it.
 
ZohsixGT5
I can't believe I'm really asking this but I don't know what else to do at this point.

For the past few weeks, I have been struggling to be competitive when racing online. After racing against the AI for the past 10 years, online is a totally new and different challenge, and I just can't seem to adjust. The difference in the online physics isn't helping me either.

Usually I can get a good start and run with the pack, but lately by the 4th or 5th corner I brake too late or put a tire in the grass, and then my race is over. I'm not trying to be aggressive, I'm just trying to keep my position. I have done so much hot lapping over the years that I try to take the same line and speed through corners, when most of the time online, it's just not possible. It's pretty discouraging because I know I can be quick around these tracks with my eyes closed, but online I just make mistakes.

Just for a little background: I have a GT5 cockpit setup with a G27. I am pretty quick when on the track alone, and have Racing License from Skip Barber IRL. I race in rooms with a <600pp limit on sport soft tires.

I am no rookie to driving, but I am a rookie to online racing apparently. Has anyone here gone through the same problems? What helped to improve your online racing aptitude? (no distractions, headphones, more focus, etc.)

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I just GT5 about 6 weeks ago and for the last week or so I have be trying to race online. I do ok, but the cars I race against seem to have at least a 25pp advantage over anything I have. I guess I will have to work on tuning. What I hate is when I get a penalty for cutting a corner because someone else ran me off the track. Or, if there is a pile up in a corner and I drive around it I get a penalty. I just leave those races. I guess I will practice and tune on line when my credits get high enough. Good luck and I hope we see each other in a race sometime.
 
Thought it was time to revive this thread and see if any others can add to it

I'm in a similar position to the OP. Feel like I'm quite fast offline and can do well when practicing in my lounge. It seems when I get in a group I can do well for a lap or two then inevitably seem to lose it somehow and then end up in last place. Some of it is nerves as after this happening a few times now I'm thinking about it. Some of it is paying too much attention to the other cars and forgetting about my braking points and racing line. Some of it is getting bumped (even very lightly) and then getting a tire off track and spinning.

I think the biggest thing is practicing racing in groups online, but I'm looking for any other helpful tips as well.
 
Practice- Join a Shuffle Race room and get used to watching the other cars. Set your Track to '2' so you can see the other cars around you.

Practice- Those lines you practiced by yourself are the ones you will drive when your winning/not battling. Only practice online in a lobby or open room.

Practice- Lap a track over and over leading up to a race. Know every corner.

Race- If you join a series and end up in the dirt for the first couple of weeks, that is ok. You will get used to the other drivers and relax. But race race race. Maybe join a Go-Kart or low PP series first. Or even spot races would help.
 
Online racing is different. Needless to say actual people race differently than the AI. I find more so than not a well tuned car can make all the difference. Perhaps skim though some of the tunes offered here on the website! I know they have helped me a bunch. There is also a good amount of information on tweaking the tunes or making them yourself.

Also if you can find the right folks in an online room, I find most people are pretty helpful in giving pointers and even car tunes while you race around the track. It never hurts to ask. Practice is also very recommended.
 
For me online goes with different feelings than offline. When I fail in an offline-race, I just press "re-start", while online the race is gone as time passes by. Additionally I feel a win in an online race more rewarding than dominating soul-less AI-robots.

Both might lead into feeling more pushed to catch-up once you're falling behind. This might turn you in an overeager mode (just like a BOB in the red zone) and cause even more errors. Stay cool and let others make the mistakes for you. Even if you should find yourself fighing for the second to last position, there might be good fun and a rewarding moment if you succeed!

Car choice: You might like to favor the forgiving cars over the ones going on the razors edge. This will leave you some room for errors or to recover from unexpected incidents, where forced by the traffic you have to leave your race-line, take different breakpoints etc.

Consistancy more than theoretical lap-times is often the key to win. And both the right race-attitude and a car you can rely on in tricky moments might help you on that.
 
First of all i aint a top class driver in this game , however i do manage to finish on the top half of the list 99% of the time . Then again i race mostly the odd cars . 500pp stratos , 550pp z28 camaro are my favourite settings .

I used to never be that good of a hot lap racer but more of a steady driver . That helped me a lot . It is better to produce laps of 1 sec slower ( this beeing mostly 3 to 6 lap races ) and driving solid without mistakes then going out and driving out on the limit all the time .
Almost 99% of the races i'm in everyone makes at least one mistake . and there comes in the stable driving , if you can manage to get good laptimes with no mistakes then super laptimes but spinning out in one lap . recovering costs way more time .

Also when driving in the pack losing a position aint the end of the world in some situations , if you see someone coming in to fast , let him pas seeing you can be pretty sure he will fly past his braking point and lose it or go wide .

Also damage control is important , sometimes if you run wide you see people trying to rev it up to recover mostly ending with a spin , ease of the throttle and try to smoothly get back on the track . yes you will lose a couple of sec , but spinning off will xost a lot more .

It is al difficult to explain , i don't know if you ever have driven on a track competitive but it is very simular , i remember in the day when i first started everything needed to be full trotthle , but over the years experience set in and taking advice from older racers and everything went so much smoother .

A very big thing is also , chose you're cars wisely some are very easy to controle and correct if soething goes wrong , the NSX or Evora for example , take a Ruf or Camaro and they will bite you so hard it will hurt .
 
GTP_FastM3
I think the biggest thing is practicing racing in groups online, but I'm looking for any other helpful tips as well.
Click to expand...

1.) Join an online group of intermediate fun racers. There's a group called C.R.A.P. Look in the appropriate forum.

2.) Host shuffle races on popular tracks (eg. Spa) & whenever possible, start the races when the fields are still smallish. (6 cars or so) This way you can also boot trouble makers who are spoiling it for the clean drivers.
 
since Performance Points mean nothing in GT learn what cars are better at certain PPs, for example the Elise, NSX, LFA, etc. also race like you would by yourself, if you race YOUR race the other drivers will eventually mess up, wait for them to make the mistake, and don't be afraid of contact.
 
DaDog
First of all i aint a top class driver in this game , however i do manage to finish on the top half of the list 99% of the time . Then again i race mostly the odd cars . 500pp stratos , 550pp z28 camaro are my favourite settings .

I used to never be that good of a hot lap racer but more of a steady driver . That helped me a lot . It is better to produce laps of 1 sec slower ( this beeing mostly 3 to 6 lap races ) and driving solid without mistakes then going out and driving out on the limit all the time .
Almost 99% of the races i'm in everyone makes at least one mistake . and there comes in the stable driving , if you can manage to get good laptimes with no mistakes then super laptimes but spinning out in one lap . recovering costs way more time .

Also when driving in the pack losing a position aint the end of the world in some situations , if you see someone coming in to fast , let him pas seeing you can be pretty sure he will fly past his braking point and lose it or go wide .

Also damage control is important , sometimes if you run wide you see people trying to rev it up to recover mostly ending with a spin , ease of the throttle and try to smoothly get back on the track . yes you will lose a couple of sec , but spinning off will xost a lot more .

It is al difficult to explain , i don't know if you ever have driven on a track competitive but it is very simular , i remember in the day when i first started everything needed to be full trotthle , but over the years experience set in and taking advice from older racers and everything went so much smoother .

A very big thing is also , chose you're cars wisely some are very easy to controle and correct if soething goes wrong , the NSX or Evora for example , take a Ruf or Camaro and they will bite you so hard it will hurt .
Click to expand...


Thanks for this advice. I think it really has a lot to do with my issues. In A-Spec and hotlapping I can spin every few laps and it doesn't cost me. In online I seem to have an incident almost every race and it takes me from the front half of the pack to the back. Many times it's of my own doing, but on a few occasions I get knocked off at the first couple corners.

I think I have to get comfortable with not being front of the pack for awhile. I'm trying to post lap times like the leaders, which means I'm trying to drive at 10/10ths the whole race. Doing that inevitably leads to crashes. I'm going to have to learn how to drive at 9.5/10 and accept being a little slower then the fastest, but hopefully still fast enough to finish better than I am now.

edit: Thanks to those making the car recommendations. I was aware of some of those already, but I'll tweak my favorites list to get a good stable of cars that are quickest instead of just cars I like.
 
ZohsixGT5
I can't believe I'm really asking this but I don't know what else to do at this point.

For the past few weeks, I have been struggling to be competitive when racing online. After racing against the AI for the past 10 years, online is a totally new and different challenge, and I just can't seem to adjust. The difference in the online physics isn't helping me either.

Usually I can get a good start and run with the pack, but lately by the 4th or 5th corner I brake too late or put a tire in the grass, and then my race is over. I'm not trying to be aggressive, I'm just trying to keep my position.
I am no rookie to driving, but I am a rookie to online racing apparently. Has anyone here gone through the same problems? What helped to improve your online racing aptitude? (no distractions, headphones, more focus, etc.)

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Good questions. This will sound cocky but anyone that's raced only know the biggest key to online racing is being on pole, leading in the first corner and avoiding the chaos...lol.

Beyond that, no distractions helps me. I've got a good surround system, I favour the rears with added db, and the hood view offers me the best engine sounds to help with up and downshifting and hearing tire squeal. I can't hear anyone talking on their mics when I'm racing and can't use mine either, it's that loud. I have some headphones on standby so as to not bother anyone else that might be here when I'm racing.

I have also found it useful to do practice first laps. That is, you cruise around to the S/F line trying not to heat up the tires too much, take a position on the grid (make sure no one is coming up behind you) and then do a mock start, to check for wheelspin and to find the braking point on cold tires in the first corner. Pay careful attention to that first hotlap on cold tires as the car will handle differently and you need to adjust.

After a few laps tire wear will kick in on some cars and again the handling will change and you need to adjust.

And the biggest tip is, never ever run offline again when you have a choice. The physics are so different online (tire wear always on) that running offline just gives you a false sense of security you won't have online. Do all your practice and tuning in your own lounge or with buddies online.

In most online racing, if you aren't on the pole and disappearing into the sunset, the goal of the first lap is often survival. Try to never position yourself outside of someone on any corner in the first lap, especially in the first corner. Give up a spot to get inside if you have to. Most of the carnage occurs in the first corner, with guys braking too late and either ramming from behind or the inside of guys and pushing them off the track or spinning out. If you are hugging the curbing on the inside you are safer, not safe, but safer. More times than I can count I've entered the first corner in a reverse grid situation in last place and come out in the top 5 or better by avoiding all the carnage.
 
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