I am at best a mediocre player, and I'm as new to online as everyone else is, but here are a few observations and personal rules of conduct I have settled upon from the first week of GT5 online:
-Join or host games with the racing line disabled and with full realism settings. The driver assist features make people overconfident, and everyone gets target fixated on the pretty blue line. The line is nice to help you learn tracks, after that it is best set to off. Besides, playing GT with the line on isn't racing, it's Guitar Hero with steering. Whether it's enabled or not, in congested corners the racing line simply doesn't exist. Even if you think you have the right-of-way, assuming everyone else agrees will probably end in tears.
-Don't race high HP in pub rooms, or if you do so, just enjoy it for what it is. There is no minimum HP setting and the host usually isn't savvy enough to put the weight or model restrictions on as well, so you get massive straight run behemoths, little corner slicers, and million dollar GT1 cars playing in the same sandbox. Just have fun racing the cars in the same class as you and expect to have obstructions. I prefer the low HP tuning races, because everyone is pretty close with HP/kg, and everyone can afford one.
-If time permits, I prefer higher lap races over lower, especially on short tracks. In 2-4 lap races everyone is in a rush and-hold ups and collisions are more costly. Longer races reward the better drivers, and weed out the griefers and squids. ...at least until you lap them.
-If I make a mistake, it's my burden to bear. I don't come off the track and then jump right back on into traffic. It's totally unrealistic (no one would put their life on the line like that), but for me it's really just about respect. You F'ed up ...so suck it up and don't be greedy. You're just going to get hit and go off again anyhow. By the same token: if you spot trouble ahead, don't expect to swish through on your primo line and then act like the offended party when it doesn't work out.
-In congestion, race with the 3rd person cam or pay attention to your mirrors. Whether you're the trailing/overtaking car or the leading car, there is limited real estate in the corners. It's usually unintentional, but -like the inside rammer in reverse-, you have the guy trying to apex a corner who can't see the car alongside him and going:
*thunk* "Dude bra ...my car won't turn what the hell?!" *thunk-thunk*
-The more people racing, the cagier you should drive (especially on tight tracks and most especially at the first low speed corner). Hang back and let 'em have the whole track, you'll need the gap to clear all the carnage.
-If someone is trailing you and on your inside when entering a wide corner, don't try for the apex. It doesn’t matter if you were out in front; it's your own fault if you get hit. If I'm stacked with someone entering a wide corner, I keep to my lane unless I'm extremely confident I can do otherwise. Neither of us can hit the apex so it usually winds up a draw. Of course you have to trust the other guy to do the same, but thems the breaks. If you think someone's going to try to late-brake past you, sacrifice the pretty cornering and establish yourself on the inside early.
-By all means crowd the line if someone is gaining on you in a close race, but if it is apparent you are out classed, let them by. You aren't proving anything by blocking a McLaren with your Volvo.
-Relax, and realize people screw up. It's funny how in a collision it's always the other guys fault.
-Join or host games with the racing line disabled and with full realism settings. The driver assist features make people overconfident, and everyone gets target fixated on the pretty blue line. The line is nice to help you learn tracks, after that it is best set to off. Besides, playing GT with the line on isn't racing, it's Guitar Hero with steering. Whether it's enabled or not, in congested corners the racing line simply doesn't exist. Even if you think you have the right-of-way, assuming everyone else agrees will probably end in tears.
-Don't race high HP in pub rooms, or if you do so, just enjoy it for what it is. There is no minimum HP setting and the host usually isn't savvy enough to put the weight or model restrictions on as well, so you get massive straight run behemoths, little corner slicers, and million dollar GT1 cars playing in the same sandbox. Just have fun racing the cars in the same class as you and expect to have obstructions. I prefer the low HP tuning races, because everyone is pretty close with HP/kg, and everyone can afford one.
-If time permits, I prefer higher lap races over lower, especially on short tracks. In 2-4 lap races everyone is in a rush and-hold ups and collisions are more costly. Longer races reward the better drivers, and weed out the griefers and squids. ...at least until you lap them.
-If I make a mistake, it's my burden to bear. I don't come off the track and then jump right back on into traffic. It's totally unrealistic (no one would put their life on the line like that), but for me it's really just about respect. You F'ed up ...so suck it up and don't be greedy. You're just going to get hit and go off again anyhow. By the same token: if you spot trouble ahead, don't expect to swish through on your primo line and then act like the offended party when it doesn't work out.
-In congestion, race with the 3rd person cam or pay attention to your mirrors. Whether you're the trailing/overtaking car or the leading car, there is limited real estate in the corners. It's usually unintentional, but -like the inside rammer in reverse-, you have the guy trying to apex a corner who can't see the car alongside him and going:
*thunk* "Dude bra ...my car won't turn what the hell?!" *thunk-thunk*
-The more people racing, the cagier you should drive (especially on tight tracks and most especially at the first low speed corner). Hang back and let 'em have the whole track, you'll need the gap to clear all the carnage.
-If someone is trailing you and on your inside when entering a wide corner, don't try for the apex. It doesn’t matter if you were out in front; it's your own fault if you get hit. If I'm stacked with someone entering a wide corner, I keep to my lane unless I'm extremely confident I can do otherwise. Neither of us can hit the apex so it usually winds up a draw. Of course you have to trust the other guy to do the same, but thems the breaks. If you think someone's going to try to late-brake past you, sacrifice the pretty cornering and establish yourself on the inside early.
-By all means crowd the line if someone is gaining on you in a close race, but if it is apparent you are out classed, let them by. You aren't proving anything by blocking a McLaren with your Volvo.
-Relax, and realize people screw up. It's funny how in a collision it's always the other guys fault.
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