Should I even bother with Sport Mode at this rate?

  • Thread starter MIE1992
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MIE1992

MIE1992

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Ridley-X4
It feels like I rarely gain any positions above my qualifying position, and I've only won a single race. I've never been on pole, and idk how I'm meant to manage stuff like whether I'm dive-bombing or not when it feels like every race is always so chaotic and I can only give so many things my already-divided attention. At this rate, it'll probably be years before I make much progress towards the trophies for wins/poles, let alone have any skills worth an iota in FIA points. Why should I even bother? My DR is decreasing, and soon I won't even be a B-rank anymore. Even if I came in P1 in the FIA races, I wouldn't even get 1k points. And that's if I didn't get disconnected when I tried to qualify for the Makers' race tonight.

EDIT: Here's my profile, FWIW.
 
The worst thing you can ever do is get discouraged, because at the end of the day, someone will always be faster than you. It's just a fact of life. I've learned to just ignore it. Not everyone is born to be a super driver that can sweep every race. GT Sport's Sport Mode offers some of the cleanest racing I've seen in any modern console racing game. You won't find a better experience without resorting to spending thousands of dollars on a PC and a setup and switching to one of those hardcore racing sims. Since getting GT Sport, I've really grown to appreciate the many battles I've been involved in. Going door-to-door with an equally-skilled driver is so intense and fun.

Like I said, don't get discouraged. Just keep plugging away at those races. You won't get better unless you keep trying. Nobody looks at the Driver Ranking to judge their sportsmanship, if that helps. It's the Sport Ranking that matters. As long as you keep your Sport Ranking at S or A, you'll be respected within the community.
 
I agree with the other comments. Sport Mode in GT Sport is probably the cheapest way to get good racing. Is it a hardcore sim? Not really. Is it just a game that is meant to be beaten? Definitely not. If you're not having fun, then of course either reevaluate why you play or do something else that is fun.
 
I feel like his could be me. I'm mostly SR S all the time, although this weekend I took a dive to B after a few tries at the GR4 Nurby GP event. I hover in the high C/low B DR ranks, depending. I dropped to DR D yesterday after being punted deep into the gravel in T1 after being gridded P2 and quitting in disgust- I'm just not going to race with drivers like that- sorry! Dragged myself back up to SR S DR C after a few races at Maggiore today- even managed a "Clean" star. Still, there are still too many other players ("players", NOT "drivers"...) who are perfectly happy to use the crash to pass method. I find myself enjoying racing the AI more than real people. (Sad, given how subpar the AI in most racing games is...)
 
Depends on what your goals are for Sport Mode. Do you want to get the poles and wins trophies, or do you want to get to A+/S? Both of these require totally different approaches.

The former? Spend ~1 hr qualifying minimum. Qualifying is everything. Using the Meta car, in qualifying and in race. Shifting it correctly. Beyond that, getting on the right time of day. Knowing which car and track combos are easy targets... Today for example, Race A, CTR's @ Nord. I literally did 1 crap qualifying lap only and got a 7:24 and i've got 2 wins already with that time. both times 1/3 of the grid didn't even qualify, and I didn't even have pole position on the 2nd win.

Which brings me to my next tip- consistency. find a track to call "home". the best way to get wins is be more consistent at a track than anyone else. Pick a track, and do 1000 online races there. When you're finished, do 1000 more. why.. consistency is everything. Literally anyone can do a screaming hot lap, but if you're the only one who can do 100 laps out of 100 without going off, the win is basically yours. Needless to say Nordschleife is "my" track. But most S class drivers have "their" track. thats where you see insane qualifying times.
 
Depends on your goals. If you want to dominate your opponents, win poles and races, I don't think sport mode is the one for you - very few people manage that and as said above, consistency ia key. Sport mode is about being matched with oponents with similar skill and having the relevant battles. Or putting it shortly - the thrill is in the race, not necessarily the win.
 
Well dont like the system either but love most of my races. Only when i get punted on purpose then i dont like my race anymore.....

But yeah..... i need to forget about rating because otherwise i just cant race anymore.
 
Ever since the dumb new penalty system I only race tracks I enjoy and also have good width to them; meaning they have alot of places to pass and have room to spare. For me personally If I see any these tracks ill race...

Dragon Trail,
Autodrome Lago Maggiore,
Kyoto Driving Park,
Big Willow,
Circuit de la sarthe

Only exception is the Nordschleife because its such a fun track so ill take the risk of losing DR/SR

All of these in either Gr1,Gr2,Gr3

Gr4 is too slow and the risk is not high enough for people to be punished for their decisions. Im an A/S
 
MIE1992
It feels like I rarely gain any positions above my qualifying position, and I've only won a single race. I've never been on pole, and idk how I'm meant to manage stuff like whether I'm dive-bombing or not when it feels like every race is always so chaotic and I can only give so many things my already-divided attention. At this rate, it'll probably be years before I make much progress towards the trophies for wins/poles, let alone have any skills worth an iota in FIA points. Why should I even bother? My DR is decreasing, and soon I won't even be a B-rank anymore. Even if I came in P1 in the FIA races, I wouldn't even get 1k points. And that's if I didn't get disconnected when I tried to qualify for the Makers' race tonight.

EDIT: Here's my profile, FWIW.
Click to expand...

What? you are doing great..!
http://www.kudosprime.com/gts/stats.php?profile=1774529

How to drive clean..? read here: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...ng-behaviour-how-gts-should-be-played.375408/
 
I feel similar. I think PD have done a poor job of incentivizing Sport mode.

14 clean races in a row? Great just have to start at the back and cruise for 14 consecutive races. 91 wins? If I don't start in the top 3, may as well quit to lower my rating to have a better shot next time. Get my DR up? So I can see higher numbers in FiA, big deal.

The racing in itself might be reward enough if it weren't for too many missteps like wrist slaps for idiotic drivers and an unconvinced physics model.
 
I find that a lot of people in B/S can't hit consistent lap times, did a couple of races in the Nurb GP gr4 daily, couldn't qualify higher than 5th. Even discounting the glitchy starts (where the top cars brake and the guys in 7th 8th get a massive boost). I still got 2nd in both. Just by being consistent and looking at passing cars out of corners rather than into them
 
I have to admit I'm getting a little bored with sport mode now , I bump from mid B to low A D/R and that's pretty much where I'm at, I've said this before but the lack of progression , for instance starting in lower powered cars and working your way to group 1 from clean racing and being quick would have made me much more excited, I think PD have made a mistake by seemingly listening to all the people who moaned it wasn't GT7 and they've been ripped off and has made them loose there way, it's GTSPORT , why waste time on a SAMBA BUS ( as nice as it is ) . I like 99% of people are never gonna win a championship and so it's really just single races, also the lack of real racing cuiruits is really starting to take it tole .
 
MIE1992
It feels like I rarely gain any positions above my qualifying position, and I've only won a single race. I've never been on pole, and idk how I'm meant to manage stuff like whether I'm dive-bombing or not when it feels like every race is always so chaotic and I can only give so many things my already-divided attention. At this rate, it'll probably be years before I make much progress towards the trophies for wins/poles, let alone have any skills worth an iota in FIA points. Why should I even bother? My DR is decreasing, and soon I won't even be a B-rank anymore. Even if I came in P1 in the FIA races, I wouldn't even get 1k points. And that's if I didn't get disconnected when I tried to qualify for the Makers' race tonight.
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You've won a race - that's a damn sight more than I've done. I think fourth is my best, in a one-make race.

I'm pretty cool about it though, if I finish a couple of places higher than I started I consider that an achievement :cheers:
 
If Sport mode isn't fun for you, why don't you try to find a nice series and race in lobbies with like-minded people ? Sure, it's not nearly as plug'n'play than sports races, but it's always nice to do that when you can.
 
Just enjoy the racing, I often race against the likes of Turimo-lester in the dailys which only gives me very little to no chance of winning. It's still intense and fun racing for other positions which is enough for me.
 
You've got to get out of the mentality that winning is the goal. Single player always lines up the gold medals and anything other than a win against AI feels shallow. Racing online isn't about winning (for me) but for the great clean battles you can find against other intelligent players.

Concentrate on the longer races as the sprint races (and first few laps of longer races) are often chaotic. That can be fun as well, yet is often very messy at the lower ranks.

Sander 001
I feel similar. I think PD have done a poor job of incentivizing Sport mode.

14 clean races in a row? Great just have to start at the back and cruise for 14 consecutive races. 91 wins? If I don't start in the top 3, may as well quit to lower my rating to have a better shot next time. Get my DR up? So I can see higher numbers in FiA, big deal.

The racing in itself might be reward enough if it weren't for too many missteps like wrist slaps for idiotic drivers and an unconvinced physics model.
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I wonder what the game would have looked like if it was more geared to clean overtaking.

Instead of wins: Total number of contact free races.
Instead of pole positions:: Total number of contact free position losses (neither off track)
Instead of fastest laps: Total number of contact free overtakes (neither off track)
Instead of consecutive clean races: Total number of days at SR.S

Perhaps what would have been more incentive to race clean and tanking your ratings won't help you achieve any of that, yet it should happen organically by racing clean.

As it is now:

For wins: Tank SR/DR, drive dirty, easy win.
For poles: Tank SR/DR, qualify for an hour, get pole, if no win, quit to tank DR/SR.
For fastest laps: Cut the track where beneficial as the time penalties don't count towards your lap time.
For consecutive clean races: Hang back, which tanks DR for the other achievements, quit the race if you make a mistake (preserves the clean streak)

As you see, all those achievements mean nothing, can easily be gamed, and encourage dirty driving.
 
GTS is sublime when racing with friends who drive clean. SM is ruined by all the tweaks PD has done.



Jerome
 
kilesa4568
You may be missing the main point here. You bought a racing game, not a levelling up achievement collecting game. Forget all that crap.
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Problem is, the game isn't at any point designed like an actual racing experience.
In racing you can't win them all, but the game literally tasks you with winning everything. Every event/stage in the game has a bronze/silver or gold check-mark next to it.

I agree with you, but I think part of the reason Sport mode is such a mess (to the point that I've long since abandoned it) is because the whole game is designed for you to win and get pole positions. Look at the trophy list for a start! Can you imagine what junior formula would be like if to advance you literally had to win every single race?
 
When I was was in my early 20s I felt like you. I wanted to win races. Joined a league and finish 2nd in the championship even after joining mid season. Little by little I grew tired of winning by 10 or more secs.

Today at 31 I prefer to have a tight race where I have to battle for a position. The last race that was really good was a FIA race qualified 16th, finished 9th and lost 8th at the finish line. Very tight and clean. I dont care if I race for 1st 7th or 15th. I want a tight clean race.

If you want to win at all costs you can try lowering you safety rating to B. Usually in Sr B drivers are slower and less precise. But it is likely you will find dirty drivers. With your Dr I still dont think you will be able to win.

You clearly need to learn more how to drive faster. I highly recommend you to spend some hours qualifying and racing against your ghost. Not to qualify in front but to learn the fast lines. Then try and get the fastest race pace you can without crashing/going off course.

That is how I learned to drive back in gt5.
 
Ofuscor
I highly recommend you to spend some hours qualifying and racing against your ghost.
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Using your own ghost may be fine if you are a fast racer to begin with.

But if you need improvement in your race craft and technique to be fast then racing against your own ghost and the mistakes you are making that are a big reason for your slower pace will not show the improvements you desire in your racing.

Racing against bad form will still result in bad racing form, using replays though to watch and learn from top running drivers is a much better tool for improvement for many.

One thing I think many people overlook is the value of saving your races replays and going back and watching them for use as a learning tool.

Say you are running in 15th driving a 911 and another 911 driver is running in 3rd position.
Watch the replay and see what the 3rd place driver is doing different than you are that makes him faster and able to run in third driving the same equipment as you while you are stuck in 15th.

Is he taking certain corners in a higher gear at a faster speed than you? Is he taking different lines into, through or out of the corners? Where are you using a touch of brake where he isn't or is he getting on the gas sooner on the corner exit?

Well if he is driving the same car on the same course if he can do it there is no reason that with practice you cannot do it from a whats possible standpoint and then you can actually see exactly what the fast guy is doing different.

I think that studying the replays of the faster racers in the same car and how or why they are faster is one of the best tools available to garner information to help your own advancement.

Watching all the faster racers is fine but watching what another racer does better than you in the same equipment is the most valuable. Also you can see what aids maybe you are using that none of the fast guys employ that may be a cause of you being slower.

Also it will show you that yes you can turn off certain aids or reduce the TCS and still control the car, the replays give you the proof that with practice you can do it as well.

Then you can spend the time practicing when you have something that you know for a fact can be fast to practice.
 
DJCarlos
I'm rank D and my daily races always have a few As in pole and the other high spots, a few Bs and then us Ds and Es making up the back of the grid. I don't think I've ever just raced against people in the same DR group as me.

Which kinda makes it hard to win.....
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Oh well, that is because there isn’t enough people in your rank. Try to play during peak hours.
 
@VFOURMAX1

The idea is to set a fast lap and try different lines because you know there is still time there. Looking at a top player may help but most likely they are way beyond.

Also try changing brake balance to -2 on a lot of cars it shortens a bit the braking distance.
 
MIE1992
It feels like I rarely gain any positions above my qualifying position, and I've only won a single race. I've never been on pole, and idk how I'm meant to manage stuff like whether I'm dive-bombing or not when it feels like every race is always so chaotic and I can only give so many things my already-divided attention. At this rate, it'll probably be years before I make much progress towards the trophies for wins/poles, let alone have any skills worth an iota in FIA points. Why should I even bother? My DR is decreasing, and soon I won't even be a B-rank anymore. Even if I came in P1 in the FIA races, I wouldn't even get 1k points. And that's if I didn't get disconnected when I tried to qualify for the Makers' race tonight.

EDIT: Here's my profile, FWIW.
Click to expand...

I have discovered that if you put in a good 30+ laps of qualifying that you should be able to do a full daily Race C without making any mistakes. Being consistent will get you better finishes than outright speed. How many times have you been passed buy someone then you go by them a lap later when they are stuck in the kitty litter. On track that are about 2 minute lap times I am typically 2-3 seconds off of the top time for the day, but I run race laps on par with my Q time, when you look at race results rarely are people putting in laps that are close to the leaderboards. 1 mistake and the ensuing penalty could easily cost 10-15 seconds on 1 lap which could easily put you in front of each car that makes a mistake. I would go for trouble free races and consistent lap times first, the speed will come naturally over time.
 
I've gotten a little bored with Sport Mode. I was all about the Daily A, but I hate that it's always a one-make. If they were to open those races up so that they're category wide (N100, N200, etc.), it'd be a lot cooler and would probably reinvigorate my interest. I know I can do all of that by setting up a lobby, but I'd also like my performances to actually count as part of my Sport Mode record.
 
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