- 28,516
- Brooklyn, NY
- KR_Viper
- I Renown I
By now you should be well into your own, maybe you're in the mid-20's in A-Spec mode. Maybe you're well into the 30's n B-Spec mode. Whatever the experience, whatever the situation, this guide is for you. This guide will be updated on a near constant basis, providing you with tips from those who have been around the the bend several dozen times and have perhaps even cut a few - this guide, The Hitchhiker's Guide, is your one-stop destination for advice, racing techniques, tuning tips, and a way to understand as well as enjoy the game to a better degree, despite all of the not-so-nice things found in GT5. Perhaps you're wondering how to get that silver trophy in any of the license tests. Maybe you want to push yourself to that limit previously unknown and stride for those several hundredths of a second and go for broke, looking to obtain the gold trophy.
Again, whatever your situation, you will find it all here.
If you have advice of any kind that you'd like to contribute, don't be shy, speak up!
Table of Contents
I. Artificial Intelligence? In what universe?
II. Knowing your limits, and then breaking through them, barbarian-style.
III. License Tests. Oh, the joy.
IV. B-Spec. Why?
V. Tuning. Oh, how I fear thee.
VI. Knowing how to pick a vehicle.
VII. Man, I want to take fantastic photos, how do I do this?!
VIII.
IX.
X.
I. Artificial Intelligence? In what universe?
You've gone up against the timid AI time and time again, so this should come as absolutely no surprise to you - the AI lacks the intelligence half of the initial-ism, and is nothing more than a hindrance to your skill set and speed. The faster you can successfully get all of them behind you, the better off you will be. I simply cannot stress this enough. They do have a select few characteristics that will make you jump back approximately 30 feet because it's the most well-handled maneuver you've ever seen them execute since having the game and for those reasons alone (and the occurrences that warrant these split second responses are far and wide to be honest) there are a few factors you should be aware of when racing against the AI in different terrain and/or weather settings...
II. Knowing your limits, and then breaking through them, barbarian-style.
Ever wanted to slap the taste out of your best friend's mouth for having achieved an event with gold (or even a silver) trophy, and the best you can possibly manage is bronze? Well, guess what? You can also achieve most, if not all, of the special events and license tests in silver or better as well.
How you ask?
Practice, practice, and more practice. "Well, duh, I already knew that. What else can you tell me?" Calm down, Skippy, you see the idea of practice is commonly seen as nothing more than getting passionately acquainted with the track. If you know the track like the back of your hand, then surely the rest is easy, right? Now you know you've only gotten that bronze trophy you loathe so much. Practice is so much more than getting to know just the track and nothing else. Of course, knowing the track is a major contributor to familiarity and the eventual success that's associated with it, but there's another factor...and this factor is just as important, if not more important - what's that factor you ask? The vehicle you're using, Skippy. The vehicle.
See, just because you managed to do an astonishing lap time with a car that seemingly molds itself to the contours of the track does not mean you've learned anything. What do you do when you're faced with the challenge of a vehicle that requires more concentration and the utmost precise use of throttle, weight, and steering controls? Crash into a wall and embarrass yourself? Of course not, which is why you take said vehicle to a track you're completely unfamiliar with and learn the hard way. Cuss your little head off, because you'll be doing this for a while. Skill doesn't come to you easily, for if it did, why would you be reading this? Learning with such a car will gradually improve your skill set far more than the rather conventional way of "working your way up." because you're adjusting to a greater demanding car from the get-go, and are essentially accelerating your comprehension of vehicular dynamics. Some cars get antsy when you approach an apex carrying too much speed, some cars will allow you to approach that same apex without shifting to the far end (oversteering), some cars will demand that you brake before approaching that apex because they'll either understeer or will simply plow straight through.
As you progress forward you'll almost definitely find yourself in a situation where you know exactly where to adjust, where to back off, and where you can dart right through a corner without any problems whatsoever. When you've come to that point, then and only then, can you pat yourself on the back...and maybe even slap the taste out of your best friends mouth for a second time, whatever floats your boat.
III. License Tests. Oh, the joy.
Having problems with that license test, or all of them for that matter? Can't seem to get that silver or gold time? Well this is where Section II of this guide can be your best friend, because the license tests are a lot easier than you might think. Yes, they are, I see you shaking your head in disagreement - stop it! A few quick tips to remember is the following:
IV. B-Spec. Why?
Chances are you've played Gran Turismo 4 and are already familiar with B-Spec mode, or as some of us like to refer to it as "B-Spec Bob". If you're new to B-Spec, the only key information you need to know is the AI is your driver and you must monitor and instruct that driver to victory through the use of one of four commands: Pace Down, Maintain Pace, Pace Up, and Overtake. If you're thinking "Wow! That sounds exciting, I can't wait to try it out." Yes, you can...wait for as long as you need to, B-Spec isn't a very good feature, it wasn't implemented as well a similar feature in Forza Motorsport - but that's neither here nor there. It's even more annoying this time around because it's an independent mode to the game, meaning you can no longer switch between A and B-Spec modes at will, nope, no longer can you take a brake by entrusting your 7+ lap lead over the AI....to the AI. Now you must train your driver to become the best in the pack, and while that sounds promising it is far from it. Considering you're now familiar with some of the actions the AI are notorious for, your B-Spec driver is in no way, shape, or form exempt from most of that and unless you're constantly monitoring your driver, and telling him to speed up or overtake it's almost guaranteed he wont' do any of that on his own.
Yes, consider yourself a babysitter because you're going to be here for a while. If your driver is stuck behind the pack, you'd better instruct him to either overtake or up his pace (overtaking seems to be directly aligned with this) because if you don't, your driver will remain there until it's given enough free room, provided there's no upcoming corner, to overtake of it's own accord and/or the driver's in front make a mistake.
The races are twice as long, the tires are restricted (no big deal), and the reward credits are skimp...not to mention you have to keep an eye on your driver's statistics as well. If this meter tips into the hot zone keep an eye on your driver and instruct it to decrease it's pace, because it will make a mistake that could cost you the race win.
Again, whatever your situation, you will find it all here.
If you have advice of any kind that you'd like to contribute, don't be shy, speak up!
Table of Contents
I. Artificial Intelligence? In what universe?
II. Knowing your limits, and then breaking through them, barbarian-style.
III. License Tests. Oh, the joy.
IV. B-Spec. Why?
V. Tuning. Oh, how I fear thee.
VI. Knowing how to pick a vehicle.
VII. Man, I want to take fantastic photos, how do I do this?!
VIII.
IX.
X.
I. Artificial Intelligence? In what universe?
You've gone up against the timid AI time and time again, so this should come as absolutely no surprise to you - the AI lacks the intelligence half of the initial-ism, and is nothing more than a hindrance to your skill set and speed. The faster you can successfully get all of them behind you, the better off you will be. I simply cannot stress this enough. They do have a select few characteristics that will make you jump back approximately 30 feet because it's the most well-handled maneuver you've ever seen them execute since having the game and for those reasons alone (and the occurrences that warrant these split second responses are far and wide to be honest) there are a few factors you should be aware of when racing against the AI in different terrain and/or weather settings...
- The AI does not "see" you as you do them, the only thing they "see" is their predetermined racing line, and yes, this does apply to the rest of AI on the field as well...they do not see one another either, just their racing line. If you find yourself attempting to overtake them from the outside or inside, be very weary of how you do it...because the AI will, 9 out of 10 times, collide with you.
- The AI is very slow at taking corners, so it would be best to not follow too closely behind them because if you do, you'll find yourself in one of two (if not both) predicaments: A. They brake far too early, earlier than they should in any and every ideal situation. B. They brake far too often for tight bends. What are the implications of said predicaments you ask? Simple, if you follow too closely you'll find yourself colliding with them, and then "sticking" to them for some unknown reason.
- Which brings me to this point, whenever you're "stuck" to the AI, you can almost always expect them to pulse brake. What's pulse braking? The action that, for whatever reason is going through the AI's virtual mind, the AI performs where they brake constantly in pulses. If it helps, think of someone constantly turning a flashlight on and off, and there you go - pulse braking.
- The AI is very, very, very slow when racing in snow events. That's really all that can be said here.
- At times the AI is nothing more than a crash test dummy, and about 8 times out of 10, depending on the situation, you're either the crash test (and the AI is the dummy), or you're the dummy (and the AI is the crash test).
- The AI loves to perform the PIT maneuver if you invade their one-track (no pun intended) line of "vision".
- Despite being able to take you out with relative ease, it's seemingly impossible to even unsettle the AI's movement no matter how hard you crash into them, unless it's a head-on collision.
II. Knowing your limits, and then breaking through them, barbarian-style.
Ever wanted to slap the taste out of your best friend's mouth for having achieved an event with gold (or even a silver) trophy, and the best you can possibly manage is bronze? Well, guess what? You can also achieve most, if not all, of the special events and license tests in silver or better as well.
How you ask?
Practice, practice, and more practice. "Well, duh, I already knew that. What else can you tell me?" Calm down, Skippy, you see the idea of practice is commonly seen as nothing more than getting passionately acquainted with the track. If you know the track like the back of your hand, then surely the rest is easy, right? Now you know you've only gotten that bronze trophy you loathe so much. Practice is so much more than getting to know just the track and nothing else. Of course, knowing the track is a major contributor to familiarity and the eventual success that's associated with it, but there's another factor...and this factor is just as important, if not more important - what's that factor you ask? The vehicle you're using, Skippy. The vehicle.
See, just because you managed to do an astonishing lap time with a car that seemingly molds itself to the contours of the track does not mean you've learned anything. What do you do when you're faced with the challenge of a vehicle that requires more concentration and the utmost precise use of throttle, weight, and steering controls? Crash into a wall and embarrass yourself? Of course not, which is why you take said vehicle to a track you're completely unfamiliar with and learn the hard way. Cuss your little head off, because you'll be doing this for a while. Skill doesn't come to you easily, for if it did, why would you be reading this? Learning with such a car will gradually improve your skill set far more than the rather conventional way of "working your way up." because you're adjusting to a greater demanding car from the get-go, and are essentially accelerating your comprehension of vehicular dynamics. Some cars get antsy when you approach an apex carrying too much speed, some cars will allow you to approach that same apex without shifting to the far end (oversteering), some cars will demand that you brake before approaching that apex because they'll either understeer or will simply plow straight through.
As you progress forward you'll almost definitely find yourself in a situation where you know exactly where to adjust, where to back off, and where you can dart right through a corner without any problems whatsoever. When you've come to that point, then and only then, can you pat yourself on the back...and maybe even slap the taste out of your best friends mouth for a second time, whatever floats your boat.
III. License Tests. Oh, the joy.
Having problems with that license test, or all of them for that matter? Can't seem to get that silver or gold time? Well this is where Section II of this guide can be your best friend, because the license tests are a lot easier than you might think. Yes, they are, I see you shaking your head in disagreement - stop it! A few quick tips to remember is the following:
- Be sure to map the RA Function somewhere on your controller as you will need it to adjust brake bias, and in some tests you'll find you can't disable ASM, with the RA Function you can.
- Know the limits of both the car the test assigns to you, the track you're on, and your own limits. Once you're assured of such a feat you can gradually (but steadily) begin to use those limits to your advantage. What do I mean by that you ask? If the test were to assign to you any FF car you'd know right away that you'll be taking a tight bend as the test wants you to familiarize yourself with a front-heavy DT layout, otherwise known as "understeer". Learn to take a wider line and then clip the apex so you can enough speed throughout the rest of the corner without running too widely, and without having to moderate the throttle in any fashion whatsoever. Once you've achieved that work on staying as close to the inside (or outside) line as possible without warranting any of the aforementioned precautions.
- When you're placed in tests where you have to overtake AI opponents (the graduation test of Licenses B - IA, and every test for the S License) familiarize yourself with the points mentioned in Section I because they will serve you well, and will save you a lot of frustration and indelible rage, trust me.
- Be prepared to spend a bit of time with some of the tests.
- Avoid getting overly frustrated as it won't get you anywhere.
- Unless you need to familiarize yourself with the section, or the entire track any of the tests place you on, avoid using the driving line as from my experience it has you braking as constantly (and as unnecessarily) as the AI would therefore you'd be lucky to get a time that would entitle you to a silver trophy.
- DO NOT enable TCS or ASM as both will drastically slow you down when it detects erratic movement to any degree, at best enable TCS to 1 as it won't interject much at all and will still allow you to explore the limits of the vehicle to see what you can and cannot do.
Remembering these tips is absolutely paramount to the success you want because the more aware of your surroundings and car capability you are, the better driver you'll become. A better driver is a faster driver, and a faster driver gets faster times. There are some tests that you can get gold on your first try, don't expect the rests of the tests to be as simple and clean cut. Something I'll mention independently of the above tips is during the rally events, you must remember to keep as close to the inside or outside line as possible, as any excess traveling will cost you valuable time. Avoid drifting like a maniac, because no matter how cool you think it looks, it's excess transitional movement that will cost you time.- Know the limits of both the car the test assigns to you, the track you're on, and your own limits. Once you're assured of such a feat you can gradually (but steadily) begin to use those limits to your advantage. What do I mean by that you ask? If the test were to assign to you any FF car you'd know right away that you'll be taking a tight bend as the test wants you to familiarize yourself with a front-heavy DT layout, otherwise known as "understeer". Learn to take a wider line and then clip the apex so you can enough speed throughout the rest of the corner without running too widely, and without having to moderate the throttle in any fashion whatsoever. Once you've achieved that work on staying as close to the inside (or outside) line as possible without warranting any of the aforementioned precautions.
- When you're placed in tests where you have to overtake AI opponents (the graduation test of Licenses B - IA, and every test for the S License) familiarize yourself with the points mentioned in Section I because they will serve you well, and will save you a lot of frustration and indelible rage, trust me.
- Be prepared to spend a bit of time with some of the tests.
- Avoid getting overly frustrated as it won't get you anywhere.
- Unless you need to familiarize yourself with the section, or the entire track any of the tests place you on, avoid using the driving line as from my experience it has you braking as constantly (and as unnecessarily) as the AI would therefore you'd be lucky to get a time that would entitle you to a silver trophy.
- DO NOT enable TCS or ASM as both will drastically slow you down when it detects erratic movement to any degree, at best enable TCS to 1 as it won't interject much at all and will still allow you to explore the limits of the vehicle to see what you can and cannot do.
IV. B-Spec. Why?
Chances are you've played Gran Turismo 4 and are already familiar with B-Spec mode, or as some of us like to refer to it as "B-Spec Bob". If you're new to B-Spec, the only key information you need to know is the AI is your driver and you must monitor and instruct that driver to victory through the use of one of four commands: Pace Down, Maintain Pace, Pace Up, and Overtake. If you're thinking "Wow! That sounds exciting, I can't wait to try it out." Yes, you can...wait for as long as you need to, B-Spec isn't a very good feature, it wasn't implemented as well a similar feature in Forza Motorsport - but that's neither here nor there. It's even more annoying this time around because it's an independent mode to the game, meaning you can no longer switch between A and B-Spec modes at will, nope, no longer can you take a brake by entrusting your 7+ lap lead over the AI....to the AI. Now you must train your driver to become the best in the pack, and while that sounds promising it is far from it. Considering you're now familiar with some of the actions the AI are notorious for, your B-Spec driver is in no way, shape, or form exempt from most of that and unless you're constantly monitoring your driver, and telling him to speed up or overtake it's almost guaranteed he wont' do any of that on his own.
Yes, consider yourself a babysitter because you're going to be here for a while. If your driver is stuck behind the pack, you'd better instruct him to either overtake or up his pace (overtaking seems to be directly aligned with this) because if you don't, your driver will remain there until it's given enough free room, provided there's no upcoming corner, to overtake of it's own accord and/or the driver's in front make a mistake.
The races are twice as long, the tires are restricted (no big deal), and the reward credits are skimp...not to mention you have to keep an eye on your driver's statistics as well. If this meter tips into the hot zone keep an eye on your driver and instruct it to decrease it's pace, because it will make a mistake that could cost you the race win.
Last edited:
Who is this aimed at exactly? 
Anyway my advice is to buy overpowered cars and cut the track, it's the fastest way through the career. Of course you shouldn't do this online, except for when you have another, terrible sounding 458 Italia to beat at Le Sarthe.
