The 'tape over your brake indicator' experiment

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humpus

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Humpus01
In GT4 you're able to turn off the suggested gear indicator / brake indicator. Unfortunately this feature is locked in GT5:P.

Now I know not many people turned this feature off (or even knew it could be turned off), so here's what I did:

I simply put a piece of ducktape over the place where the suggested gear pops up.
I marked the spot in yellow on the following picture:

3639991535c1d5945853.jpg


What almost everybody is doing right now in GT5:P is just waiting for that red flashing number to pop up and start braking... Trust me, you are.

So go and give this a try, you'll notice you (almost) never picked any braking points by surrounding signs or other track elements. As a result this does take some getting used to, but I find it much more rewarding in the end.

Personally, I think this feature should always be disabled in pro mode. If you're someone like me, who turnes TC and ASM off, why would you need help spotting your braking points?
Ofcourse, a lot of you aren't going to agree with me on this one. Maybe it's an option we'll be able to select for private online races :p

Btw: If you own an expensive TV, I wouldn't use ducktape ofcourse.
Doesn't matter how you do it, just make sure no light comes through that spot.

So go and give it a try, and post your thoughts!

EDIT:
And for everyone who's still going to bash me on the 'trust me, you are' part, read this frist please.
 
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No...trust me, I'm not. Yes I'm aware of it, but I always brake much later than what is recommended (my driving style) and I have never let it affect my brake points or gears.

Fuji is one example - off the end of the straight I brake between the slight kink in the road (very slight) and the start of the ripple strip, when the flashing indicator wanted me to brake much further back.
 
Good idea... but I would have to figure out a way to do this without sticking ducktape on my LCD TV. Or just wait for it to become an option in the final version. I agree though its much more challenging without the warning ahead of time with the indicator. 👍 And yes, I HAVE been using it as a way to keep track of the braking zones... I wont lie :sly:
 
80Y 2C2
No...trust me, I'm not. Yes I'm aware of it, but I always brake much later than what is recommended (my driving style) and I have never let it affect my brake points or gears.

Fuji is one example - off the end of the straight I brake between the slight kink in the road (very slight) and the start of the ripple strip, when the flashing indicator wanted me to brake much further back.
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Im sure youll be timing yourself to brake by the light sometimes.... i admit i use it and cant help it because its flashing, I just remember the delay when to brake... i do wish you could turn it off.
 
80Y 2C2
No...trust me, I'm not. Yes I'm aware of it, but I always brake much later than what is recommended (my driving style) and I have never let it affect my brake points or gears.

Fuji is one example - off the end of the straight I brake between the slight kink in the road (very slight) and the start of the ripple strip, when the flashing indicator wanted me to brake much further back.
Click to expand...

I use that exact same slight kink. As for the flashing light it dosnt bug me, dont even go by the gears they suggest. Repeatedly racing a track over and over it will become second nature on braking points.
 
Instead of tape, could you maybe just not look at it?

I never look at it cause half the time it tells you the wrong gear or the gear I dont want to come out in. So I just learn not to look at it. I'm looking ahead down the road or through the turn, not at the bottom of my screen to see what gear the comp. recommends.
 
Schmo
Instead of tape, could you maybe just not look at it?

I never look at it cause half the time it tells you the wrong gear or the gear I dont want to come out in. So I just learn not to look at it. I'm looking ahead down the road or through the turn, not at the bottom of my screen to see what gear the comp. recommends.
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You cannot ignore the flashyness :D
Ofcourse I don't even look at what gear they're suggesting, but covering the suggested gear really proves how much I (and many others) rely on it.

And braking later than it suggests is not ignoring it. :)
 
All I agree with is there should be an option to disable it. If they have hud on/off, that will take care of it.
 
humpus
You cannot ignore the flashyness :D
Ofcourse I don't even look at what gear they're suggesting, but covering the suggested gear really proves how much I (and many others) rely on it.

And braking later than it suggests is not ignoring it. :)
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Maybe I didn't say what I was trying too correctly. I'm aware of what the flashing light is doing, but I pay no respect to it. More like what I was saying in the second paragraph, I have picked out my own braking points for most corners, and if I haven't, intuition is what I use - sure I fumble for a few corners/laps, but it comes together. I'm not anywhere near the best driver in the world, but I don't owe any of my skills to a flashing red light. 👍
 
Schmo
All I agree with is there should be an option to disable it. If they have hud on/off, that will take care of it.
Click to expand...

That would be acceptable, ofcourse.
But I intend to take it a step further and disable it as a host in online races.

Kind of like Supercar challenge, the host determines which driving assists are allowed.
 
This is exactly what I'm trying to ween myself off of currently as I'm looking forward to the posibility of turning the HUD off in GT5. Even though I'm running full 1080p, I'm finding it difficult to pick out elements in the track to use, and end up semi-reverting to the flashing indicator.

I don't use the suggested gear nor begin my braking when it begins flashing (both are usually wrong), but rather use it almost as a visual indicator in itself. I usually brake much later and have learnt how long after the flashing begins to brake.

On Suzuka TT for example, I can get within 3-4 seconds of the leader with most cars on Pro, but put me in the Citroen by GT, which has only the one gear, and I'm totally lost!

I think using the Citroen by GT might be another good way of learning general braking points (of course, each car varies).
 
Thanks to the OP for telling me what I do, lol. As already posted, the gear number is usually wrong and it comes on at the wrong time. I usually use the rumble strips as a guideline. Also, I use the blue line sometimes (in crowded races) and its braking points are way different than what I go by.

Going into the chicane at Suzuka is a good example, I look at the overhead sign going into the chicane. If you watch the shift indicator, or when the blue line turns red, you end up braking too early, which is unacceptable when you are trying to cut .1's off your lap times.

BTW- I use Samsung TV's (23in or 40in) and no tape is going on them.
 
Don't you think taping your TV screen is a very extreme measure to hide unwanted HUD? I like to remove the clutter from the heads up display leaving the bare essentials such as the lap time stopwatch in the corner. I can't say I use the brake indicator consciously, I have had the racing line feature on a few times and I don't really use that for braking reference either.

If I stick a little square to my TV then I have to take it off again when I want to use my TV for watching programmes. So if I don't rely on the indicator and it doesn't annoy me, there seems little point in trying to hide it personally.
 
Stevisiov
Don't you think taping your TV screen is a very extreme measure to hide unwanted HUD?
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If you're playing on a 10 year old TV? Nope :p

Stevisiov
If I stick a little square to my TV then I have to take it off again when I want to use my TV for watching programmes. So if I don't rely on the indicator and it doesn't annoy me, there seems little point in trying to hide it personally.
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Well, there is a point to me, and some others.
I said in the OP a lot of you won't care about it, but I think there are enough people who do. If I'm driving in PRO mode, with driving aids off, I want all aids off. Brake indicator is an aid, and that's not what pro stands for.
 
I would never put ducktape on my LCD monitor (it doesnt have glass infront of the screen, so i would most likely ruin the panel) and also dont really pay attention to it.
 
I can honestly say I never even notice the flashing gear indicator thing.
 
humpus
If you're playing on a 10 year old TV? Nope :p
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Unfortunately, I'm not. :p

Well, there is a point to me, and some others.
I said in the OP a lot of you won't care about it, but I think there are enough people who do. If I'm driving in PRO mode, with driving aids off, I want all aids off. Brake indicator is an aid, and that's not what pro stands for.
Click to expand...

I didn't realise pro players would actually use the brake indicator, in fact I thought it was to tell you when to change gear, I didn't realise (until the OP) it told you when to brake. :ouch:

Of course, I'm not knocking anyone for wanting to cover it, without trying to sound rude though, it sounds very OCD. :p
 
How do you turn it off in GT4? I've been looking for that option since forever. I don't like to use it at all, so I pretty much ignore it. I don't think you need tape use braking references or anything, I've been doing fine just not paying attention to it (though it sometimes does cause a distraction).
 
Most of the time the recommanded gear is the wrong one for me. I ignore it and I fix my brake points with elements in the background or a mark on the track.
 
What brake indicator? There's a brake indicator? How does it look and what does it do?

Edit: And BTW, isn't it duct tape not ducktape?
 
Cohiba100
What brake indicator? There's a brake indicator? How does it look and what does it do?
Click to expand...

According to the OP, when the gearshift indicator starts to flash it's time to start braking, I cannot say i've ever noticed it, nor am I near my PS3 to try.
 
IsmokeGT
As already posted, the gear number is usually wrong and it comes on at the wrong time.
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But that doesn't mean you can't use it as a marker. ;) For instance: indicator flashes (which it usually does too early), wait 1.5 sec, then brake. It's very effective too, since it's dynamic (it changes when you have a faster or slower car).

An option to turn it off would be nice. But I will not be sticking anything to my screen, thank you. :p I'll just take the risk that I use it on a subconscious level, rather than mess up my TV. ;)
 
Cohiba100
What brake indicator? There's a brake indicator? How does it look and what does it do?
Click to expand...
I can't play GT4 anymore (sold my PS2 and my PS3 isn't backwards compatible) so I can't look it up. But it's there somewhere, deep inside the options :)
 
I could use the duct tape, since we have an old TV. But I don't really pay attention to it, I do use signs and marks that come with the track.
I would maybe use it when a new track comes in GT5, but after several laps I wouldn't probely be using it anymore.
 
80Y 2C2
No...trust me, I'm not. Yes I'm aware of it, but I always brake much later than what is recommended (my driving style) and I have never let it affect my brake points or gears.

Fuji is one example - off the end of the straight I brake between the slight kink in the road (very slight) and the start of the ripple strip, when the flashing indicator wanted me to brake much further back.
Click to expand...

Quoted, for truthfulness.

My brain has the same braking point marked on Fuji. 👍

The flashing gear indicator is just advice.

...and there's NO way that I'd be putting tape on my screen.
 
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d3br34k5
Quoted, for truthfulness.

My brain has the same braking point marked on Fuji. 👍

The flashing gear indicator is just advice.

...and there's NO way that I'd be putting tape on my screen.
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I'm not telling you to do that. I wouldn't put anything like that a good TV, but mine's over 10 years old.
It's just a test I did and it proves (for me) that I can't ignore the damn thing.

And since the majority here doesn't seem to notice it, you won't really miss it when it's gone.
So PD should ban it from professional mode, or at least make it an option like the racing line. Everybody happy.

As a result, professional mode get's the difficulty level it deserves and online races will be more difficult. Or more chaotic with inexperienced drivers, but that's why I vote to turn it off in pro mode.
 

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