Road to GT Academy 2013

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Hey GTP. :) I proposed to myself a challenge ever since I golded every GTA 2012 challenge and was able to consistently rank pretty high (10k-6k) in every GTA 2012 leaderboards. I want to enter GT Academy 2013 next year because by the time it gets here I will have the legal age to compete, but here is the thing. I'm a DS3 user and have no experience with the wheel. I want to make this a reality. And I'm determined that I can do this. But I need help. There's a few things I wanna ask and if anyone can give me tips on how to be a better player please do. First here's a few things about me:

-I golded all Red Bull x2010 challenges with a DS3. Got it in December 2011.

-I've yet need to go gold the first race of the grand tour. I decided to stop trying way back in January 2011 after I got 1:17:043. Haven't even touched the damned challenge after that happened.

-Got all main entries in GT series (GT1, GT2, GT3, GT4, GTPSP, GT5) So I am extensively experienced in this game, but with a controller.

-I am able to put up nice lap times in the games challenges. Normally in any leaderboard driven challenge I am at least in the top 10k people or higher up. Both in time trials and drift trials, though I can't really see drifting helping me at all in this. :P

Some questions I got are:

-Should I get a wheel?

-If so, which ones do you recommend me? ATM although price is indeed a issue (part of the reason I haven't gotten one in the first place.) I want to see what are considered the top wheels for GT5 regardless of price.

-Should I go for the GT5 Platinum, will this help me at all to be a better player?

If I have any more questions I'll post them here. Thanks for taking from your time to read this and/or answer my questions. :)

Cheers~
 
- Yes. National finals use wheels, and the game's a lot more enjoyable anyway.

- DFGT, G25, G27. New or used. All 3 of them are a steal right now.

- nah.

Make sure Puerto Rico is eligible for GT:A.

And personally I wouldn't have high hopes on making it to the final event.
 
I know as a fact that they don't sell wheels at my local gamestop so I I'm not sure if I would be able to buy em used unless it's by ebay. :p I'll go check em now.

And If I'm not mistaken PR is indeed eligible. Let me go check again now.

EDIT: I just checked and it says that it's open to all US Citizens. So I am indeed eligible. :)

Here are this years rules: http://us.gran-turismo.com/us/academy/2012/rules/
 
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just searched using google.com.pr and it seems no one is selling a used one. Here (Chile) I could get either of those in 5 seconds lol.

Maybe you could try going to local stores, though most probably they won't have a dfgt (best choice), or local websites I don't know of.
 
avens
just searched using google.com.pr and it seems no one is selling a used one. Here (Chile) I could get either of those in 5 seconds lol.

Maybe you could try going to local stores, though most probably they won't have a dfgt (best choice).
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You are so lucky!!!! I'll have too deal with some other option then. Ebay and Amazon first. After those sites I'll keep looking elsewhere. I doubt they sell these at the online gamestop store, then again they overprice everything so that would probably be my last option. :s
 
No... They are scarce and forums are normally dead. Only 30% of the whole population here have internet so yeah. :/
 
If you want to get better, stop playing against the AI! That will set you back a bit because you don't need to push yourself to beat them and when you don't push, you don't learn. Anything in time trial will be helpful, Special events has some good time trials as well as the Seasonals. Another tip for getting better is to get online (not public lobbies so much) and join a team or league, most of those drivers will have tips and tricks that will help you push your skills to the limit.

As for a wheel, if you really want to pursue this, you should get one. I've owned 2 G27's, the first one was bought used from classified and had burnt out motors and the seller had a no refunds policy. The second one was brand new, bought the same day Prologue came out, it's still going strong as ever even though it gets abused quite a bit. Moral of this story is, I'd strongly recommend buying new! Just a preference of mine.
 
Thing is, if you are able to be fast with a DS3, it shows you understand a fast racing line and how the car will react to small inputs, if you were to get a wheel, you would just need to adapt your coordination to the wheel, because you won't lose the knowledge you had prior to owning the wheel, once you adapt to the wheel and how it reacts to your inputs, then you can apply your knowledge to your driving again and will be able to be just as fast if not faster.. good luck! :)
 
Thanks everyone for the input. :) I will be trying to get a wheel pretty soon. Right now I'm between the G27 and the DFGT. And I'll keep in mind the AI thing. I just wish sometimes online there were better balanced lobbies. Most lobbies online aren't regulated very well because most of the time the hosts don't know all the capabilities they have. I'll look for a looby soon though.
 
interpunct
Right now I'm between the G27 and the DFGT.
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Well... I would say buy the DFGT. As earlier said, they're used at the finals, and then there's the price. Atleast in Danish Kroner there's a big difference in the prices between those two. (1200 for G27 and only 750 DKK for the DFGT.)
 
Dean J
Well... I would say buy the DFGT. As earlier said, they're used at the finals, and then there's the price. Atleast in Danish Kroner there's a big difference in the prices between those two. (1200 for G27 and only 750 DKK for the DFGT.)
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Apparently the US Finals are using the T500, which makes sense since it is the official wheel of GT5.

If you can afford the G27 I would recommend it. It's a couple steps up from the DFGT overall and at times it can be found for around $200.

In order to improve and get an idea where you stand in the world of GT start joining some racing leagues, not open lobbies. Some of the top leagues like PURE have current National Finalists along with former finalists. Same with the WRS. Every week has multiple finalists competing in the Time Trials and is great for figuring out where you are speed wise due to the range of talent and experience in the series. You can also compete in 3D3/WRS online races and see how your TT speed translates to racing.
 
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mcfizzle
Apparently the US Finals are using the T500, which makes sense since it is the official wheel of GT5.

If you can afford the G27 I would recommend it. It's a couple steps up from the DFGT overall and at times it can be found for around $200.

In order to improve and get an idea where you stand in the world of GT start joining some racing leagues, not open lobbies. Some of the top leagues like PURE have current National Finalists along with former finalists. Same with the WRS. Every week has multiple finalists competing in the Time Trials. The WRS is great for figuring out where you are speed wise due to the range of talent and experience in the series. You can also compete in 3D3/WRS online races and see how your TT speed translates to racing.
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Right now off amazon the DFGT is 120$ versus the G27 which is 220$. That's a whole 100$+. Which I don't have the money on hand right now. I mean I know the G27 is a bit expensive but I didn't expect to be on such a high price when compared to the DFGT. Still. I think the G27 is a lot more similar to the T500rs right?
 
The T500 is in a whole another league compared to the G27. The FFB is tons better, the rim is another inch wider in diameter which is a bigger deal than it sounds. The DFGT is a good wheel, especially for the price but it's weak point is the pedals. The springs are so weak it is hard to get a good feel for pressure. But if you are fast you are fast, it won't matter much what pedals you are using. For some people like me, though, the better pedals make a difference. When I initially switched to G27 I saw a decrease in times and increase consistency, I just needed the feel for the brakes that a G27 gave me. Whatever wheel you decide to buy it will be a quality wheel that will increase your enjoyment with the game.👍
 
I only have two things to say... Don't find any excuses (age, controller, experience) and secondly, as soon as you meet someone better than you, add this person and reach his level. Repeat that until you reach the top.

Edit: Don't say what you've done (top 10k, etc), just focus on where you want to be.
 
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MOTORTRENDmitch
Thing is, if you are able to be fast with a DS3, it shows you understand a fast racing line and how the car will react to small inputs, if you were to get a wheel, you would just need to adapt your coordination to the wheel, because you won't lose the knowledge you had prior to owning the wheel, once you adapt to the wheel and how it reacts to your inputs, then you can apply your knowledge to your driving again and will be able to be just as fast if not faster.. good luck! :)
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I really like this post. 👍

If you are racing with a ds3 then aim for the top ds3 spot...and do the seasonal...try to understand your mistakes/what you do wrong.
 
Thanks guys really. I appreciate all inputs all of you have made here. Now I made my decision.

If I intend on competing next year and be the best I can possibly be, I'll need a wheel soon. I'm gonna see if I can gather up some money to go and buy the G27. Hopefully when I get it I'll also finally learn how to drive manual instead of automatic. Always been a Auto player but I've noticed that people in general get better times while in Manual.

So my last question: Should keep driving on auto transmission or change to manual?
 
Manual transmission makes a huge difference. There are times when the advantage is minimal, but almost no scenario where auto will be faster. Some cars power band means you shift well before or after auto will shift and sometime you want to stay in a bigger gear to maintain grip and GTA 8-5 was a great example. Switch and don't look back.

Final tip: Join the WRS (here at GTP) and run time trial weekly, study replays from the top drivers, ask questions, learn fast lines at all tracks with a wide range if cars. Learn from some of the best.
 
WRP001
Manual transmission makes a huge difference. There are times when the advantage is minimal, but almost no scenario where auto will be faster. Some cars power band means you shift well before or after auto will shift and sometime you want to stay in a bigger gear to maintain grip and GTA 8-5 was a great example. Switch and don't look back.

Final tip: Join the WRS (here at GTP) and run time trial weekly, study replays from the top drivers, ask questions, learn fast lines at all tracks with a wide range if cars. Learn from some of the best.
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Practicing on manual now. Feels pretty weird to be honest. I keep forgetting to shift back and forward so it's confusing for me. Since I always been auto since GT1, this is a totally new thing for me. Right now I'm going to get the Chaparral 2J Race Car since it's coming up in around 16 in game days. After I get that I'll go back to practicing manual I think on either Special Stage Route 5 or Trial Mountain.
 
It will take away your concentration at first so will likely slow you down until it becomes 2nd nature to shift. At that point you'll be in position to take advantage of manual... Downshift early for better turn in with tight cars... Stay in higher gears when traction on exit is an issue. And learn to read the power curve in the setup screen to optimize shift points... Use route X to test... There are cars where shifting early alone can gain you 1 second per lap... E.g. Autobacs gt300 car you shift at least 1000 rpm before red line (going from memory). Again you'll learn all this stuff in the WRS.
 
interpunct
Thanks everyone for the input. :) I will be trying to get a wheel pretty soon. Right now I'm between the G27 and the DFGT. And I'll keep in mind the AI thing. I just wish sometimes online there were better balanced lobbies. Most lobbies online aren't regulated very well because most of the time the hosts don't know all the capabilities they have. I'll look for a looby soon though.
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You can find some decent rooms to race in when you put the setting to no skid recovery and race for real. I have never been able to join a league because I have no set schedule. In the mean time copy what the leaders are doing...settings, racing lines, brake points, apex/exit speed. It will take some time, but eventually you reach their level. I am in the same boat you are.

Can some one put a link to the WRS?
 
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I'll be racing in WRS and posting lap times soon. I'll learn from the best. :D

I'm still a bit skeptical about the PSN ID thing. Do I really need to make a new PSN ID for this? :/ I won't mind making one if this will be for arcade only purposes. I seriously don't feel like getting all the stuff I've worked hard for again in another account.
 
interpunct
I'll be racing in WRS and posting lap times soon. I'll learn from the best. :D

I'm still a bit skeptical about the PSN ID thing. Do I really need to make a new PSN ID for this? :/ I won't mind making one if this will be for arcade only purposes. I seriously don't feel like getting all the stuff I've worked hard for again in another account.
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You do have to make a new account but it really isn't that hard and takes very little time. Once you have run the qualifier about half the time Arcade cars are used so nothing needs to be purchased and the other half the cars are very affordable. If standard cars are used they are always available in the OCD at the time so easily attainable. And money shouldn't be a problem at all, we have a dedicated group of people running the B-Spec grinder so you are always making money. Add me with your GTP_account and I will start running you now. If an expensive car is used they usually give plenty of advanced warning so you can save up and purchase it in time. Overall, it really is worth the time and effort. You get really good organized events to compete in, you can see your improvement and progression over time, and receive tips from some of the best racers on GT5. The WRS/3D3 online events are organized so well it's amazing and it really makes them a lot of fun. Those guys put hours into event planning and setting up regulations and restrictions. Check out this thread for example, and notice how well it is done and then also the quality of drivers, some national finalists from around the world on there. Not all races are endurances like that, they run special events once every month or two.

So yes, in my opinion it is worth the time and effort of the tag.
 
First of all, if there will be a GT Academy 2013, then good luck! I do hope that it will continue for the years to come though, because I have about 3-4 more years of waiting before being the legal age to compete. And if you can get your hands on a steering wheel, then that will be great because it will be the same thing that you will be using in that National Finals and in the real life tests if you qualify.

Once you get your steering wheel, then you can look at real life driving tips and tricks and apply them to GT5 driving, because GT5 is a driving simulator after all right (even though it doesn't simulate real life driving 100%, it's still close)?
 
interpunct
I'll be racing in WRS and posting lap times soon. I'll learn from the best. :D

I'm still a bit skeptical about the PSN ID thing. Do I really need to make a new PSN ID for this? :/ I won't mind making one if this will be for arcade only purposes. I seriously don't feel like getting all the stuff I've worked hard for again in another account.
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Yes, it's required to create a GTP tag PSN account. It's really not a big time commitment and there is no need to collect all that "stuff" in the new account (cars/license tests/badges/levels/etc.). Just use the new GTP tag account for the WRS competitions and keep your original account with all your "stuff" for everything else. Nobody will ever ask you to abandon your original account.

Note that you will need to build up that new account to level 16 (i believe) to unlock the seasonal event used for GTP_Registry Qualifier, but that takes about 30 minutes. Just share a car (e.g. 2J) from your main account and borrow it with the new account and run a few seasonal events and destroy the AI with little effort. A few seasonal races will get you to level 16 and will also give you enough credits to buy the cars used for competitions for a few weeks. A good percent of weeks the WRS uses arcade cars which require no credits anyway so the competitions won't require much if any grinding. Just run a seasonal event now and then or run the seasonal time trials when they come out with the new account.

Finally, after you submit your registry qualifier you could have a couple week wait while your submission is processed. That processing will result in your being assigned a division (1 to 5) and a handicap (which you can improve later by competing in the events). Put a decent effort in the qualifier, but don't over do it. If you put too much effort into it then you'll be place so high you'll be competing against near aliens and it will be hard to keep up in your division -- that can be discouraging. On the other hand, if you don't put any effort into it you'll end up getting placed too low and that's called "sand bagging" and is frowned upon. The general rule of thumb is put about as much effort into the qualifier as you'd expect to put in during a weekly competition (most events are a week long). That way when you are competing you will be compared with drivers at your level. If you improve over time and consistently outperform your division you'll be promoted and you'll be competing for podiums in your division all along the way. It's actually a very cool system and you can use your handicap to judge your progress over time.

Hopefully by the time GTA 2013 rolls around you'll have been promoted several times, picked up lots of new skills and you'll know how to extract those last tenths from the track and you'll be ready to advance. And even if you don't advance next year you'll have a lot of fun and learn a lot along the way. 👍

All your questions can be answered here:

Time Trials: GTP_WRS Comprehensive Guide
Online Events: GTP WRS-Online : Comprehensive Guide
 
MSTER232
Once you get your steering wheel, then you can look at real life driving tips and tricks and apply them to GT5 driving, because GT5 is a driving simulator after all right (even though it doesn't simulate real life driving 100%, it's still close)?
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No it isn't. But it doesn't matter, because it is the wrong thread.
 
mcfizzle
You do have to make a new account but it really isn't that hard and takes very little time. Once you have run the qualifier about half the time Arcade cars are used so nothing needs to be purchased and the other half the cars are very affordable. If standard cars are used they are always available in the OCD at the time so easily attainable. And money shouldn't be a problem at all, we have a dedicated group of people running the B-Spec grinder so you are always making money. Add me with your GTP_account and I will start running you now.
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I'll add you soon. Making the account now. And WRP001, I just did that. I'm going to go and grind the nurb seasonal where they give out 100000 XP.
 
On the qualifier for WRS, by sector 2 and 3 Im guessing they mean part 2 and 3 on the intermediate section. Just making sure because the example time is a lot longer that it should be. Also are we allowed to know what a division 1 time would be so I know what to aim for? :lol:
 

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