- 41
- Australia
- CSTBFO_jad
TLDR: I have a 15min Custom Sophy stock car challenge for you to test out.
RULES
Achieve 1st place with a Clean Race Bonus using a completely stock road car straight off the showroom floor. No tire changes. No tuning. As is.
Game Difficulty - Hard
Race Difficulty - Professional
This Custom Sophy Race is designed to work with any stock road car on any compatible Sophy track. All you need to do is choose your fav car & track and get racing.
Have a look at my race demo at Tsukuba below. Race settings are at the end of the video. Or keep scrolling.
Demonstration
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I noticed at the launch of Sophy 2.0 that choosing a stock road car over a tuned vehicle gave better results regarding the randomly chosen opponents you were put up against. Even something as simple as changing the tire compound rendered the opponents either too fast or too slow. The same can be said regarding the recently added Custom races.
I also noticed that when driving against these Sophy drivers in an overly aggressive way, they would often retaliate in like manner. And when racing clean (passing when the space allows for it without making contact) they would reciprocate when making their own moves. This doesn't happen all the time as they still have a lot to learn but for the most part they appreciate a clean move and yield accordingly.
With these two things in mind - stock cars and good racecraft - I began work on creating a challenging custom race that encourages great wheel to wheel racing while pushing your stock car to its limits.
A breakdown of the Custom Race settings:
Why no tire & fuel depletion?
The reason I chose to turn these off is twofold;
1. I wanted to create a Sprint Race version of a Sophy Quick Race that you can quickly jump in and enjoy a good stint.
2. The tire & fuel depletion still needs work by PD. I had several inconsistencies when trying to get it to work reliably.
Why 15min Endurance Race?
The aim is to start from the back and make your way through the traffic to first place with a Clean Race Bonus. After multiple test races with various different stock cars (new and old) I found 14m was impossible for my driving skills to get to first place with a Clean Race Bonus. And 16min I found was too easy. So I settled with 15mins as it was very challenging but not impossible.
Why is Boost Mode turned off?
There is a bit of a controversy with Boost Mode. However with my challenge using stock cars and aiming for the Clean Race Bonus, I found with Boost Mode on it felt unnatural in the race. With Boost Mode off the cars naturally spread out and the front runners start to pull away from the pack. The result was challenging navigation getting through the slower traffic clean and then some really great battles with the last 1-3 cars up the front.
What about racing cars?
I've not tested this Custom Race with racing cars nearly as much as I have with stock road cars. But what I have tested so far works well if your main focus is achieving the Clean Race Bonus. Just make sure to change the Car Category setting to the group car you're using. And again, if you want the opponents to stay competitive keep your car stock. Don't even change the tires. Use only what comes with the car.
With online races being what they have become, it's refreshing to jump into a race where racecraft and competitive driving is the main priority. So if you need a break from the punters and bumpers and just want a good, challenging wheel to wheel battle, try out this Custom Sophy Race. I hope you like it.
