Tips for consistency and learning a new track?

[Mattatsu]

I got GTS a week ago now and am hoping I can get some help with being more consistent and learning tracks.

When learning a new track, I usually start with a slower and easier to control car and do a few dozen laps, trying to go as fast a second I can from the start. With each lap, I try to determine my preferred line and braking points for that car, but the latter always seem to vary (I’m assuming because I’m either entering the braking point at a different speed or a different angle, or maybe I just don’t apply the same percentage of brake/throttle, or my steering angle is different).

As a result, it seems to take me forever to learn a track, so I’m curious if there are any tips for improving consistency, or just general tips to help learn a track that any of you would be willing to share with me?

For what it’s worth, I’ve always played with the driving lines, cone markers, and brake indicators off (as I don’t want to get too reliant on them and I actually like the process of figuring it out myself - I just want to speed up the process). I play with a DS4 pad set to motion controls (steering sensitivity 4), and triggers for pedals. Always MT and TCM set to 0. ABS is default.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: forgot to mention that once I’m somewhat comfortable with a track using a slower car, I’ll move up to something a bit quicker and review/modify braking points as necessary, but it usually takes a few hours and different sessions to get there because of my inconsistencies.

 

[Nielsen]

Go to Circuit Experience under the Campaign tab. It has video tutorials and descriptions for every major circuit configuration. Try to get gold on every sector, and in the process you cannot avoid learning quite a lot. This mode was made exactly for this purpose, and it's also a nice way to earn some fast credits in the early game.

 

[Mattatsu]

I was thinking of that but thought that learning on slower cars would be a bit easier, but perhaps you're right. I’ll try it. Thanks!

 

[seadog777]

I was thinking of that but thought that learning on slower cars would be a bit easier, but perhaps you're right. I’ll try it. Thanks!

@Nielsen is spot on - Circuit Experience helped me no end, in particular taking the time to watch the (short) video advice for each section.

 

[Chevy Heavy]

I would add that it might a good idea to leave the cones on. They are a good indicator of where the apex of the corner is. Start you turn in around the 1rst outer cone, the 2nd cone on the inside is your apex and the 3rd outer cone is your where you should exit. As an added bonus it's fun watching them fly when you hit them. Be careful though because they will launch you in the air sometimes if you hit 'em just right. Also check out the top 10 qualifying times in sport mode. You can watch how the fast guys race the track. You can also download their ghost to follow when you qualify. This is a very useful tool that has made me a faster driver. Good luck and have fun.

 

[CBH]

I got GTS a week ago now and am hoping I can get some help with being more consistent and learning tracks.

When learning a new track, I usually start with a slower and easier to control car and do a few dozen laps, trying to go as fast a second I can from the start. With each lap, I try to determine my preferred line and braking points for that car, but the latter always seem to vary (I’m assuming because I’m either entering the braking point at a different speed or a different angle, or maybe I just don’t apply the same percentage of brake/throttle, or my steering angle is different).

As a result, it seems to take me forever to learn a track, so I’m curious if there are any tips for improving consistency, or just general tips to help learn a track that any of you would be willing to share with me?

For what it’s worth, I’ve always played with the driving lines, cone markers, and brake indicators off (as I don’t want to get too reliant on them and I actually like the process of figuring it out myself - I just want to speed up the process). I play with a DS4 pad set to motion controls (steering sensitivity 4), and triggers for pedals. Always MT and TCM set to 0. ABS is default.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: forgot to mention that once I’m somewhat comfortable with a track using a slower car, I’ll move up to something a bit quicker and review/modify braking points as necessary, but it usually takes a few hours and different sessions to get there because of my inconsistencies.

To learn a track go to the Time Trial in Arcade and select a track, and you can compare times for each lap you do on that car you are using and your split times as well.

Circuit Experience is very good for learning a track, and you can compare each sector and lap times with other player on your friends ranking list.

 

[TonyJZX]

Everyone has the right idea... the last new track top to bottom to me was Autopolis?

I made the mistake of taking a GT3 car out first and it was hard. An easy amateur league race in hatches is probably the best choice at the start and then work your way up.

Also if possible, watch some in car TV race footage.

 

[KaiB]

I got GTS a week ago now and am hoping I can get some help with being more consistent and learning tracks.

When learning a new track, I usually start with a slower and easier to control car and do a few dozen laps, trying to go as fast a second I can from the start. With each lap, I try to determine my preferred line and braking points for that car, but the latter always seem to vary (I’m assuming because I’m either entering the braking point at a different speed or a different angle, or maybe I just don’t apply the same percentage of brake/throttle, or my steering angle is different).

As a result, it seems to take me forever to learn a track, so I’m curious if there are any tips for improving consistency, or just general tips to help learn a track that any of you would be willing to share with me?

For what it’s worth, I’ve always played with the driving lines, cone markers, and brake indicators off (as I don’t want to get too reliant on them and I actually like the process of figuring it out myself - I just want to speed up the process). I play with a DS4 pad set to motion controls (steering sensitivity 4), and triggers for pedals. Always MT and TCM set to 0. ABS is default.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: forgot to mention that once I’m somewhat comfortable with a track using a slower car, I’ll move up to something a bit quicker and review/modify braking points as necessary, but it usually takes a few hours and different sessions to get there because of my inconsistencies.

All the opinions above are the basic and probably you have to see them has a tutorial, do the license/missions/circuit experience, i advice you to make the first lines of license/missions and try to gold them so you can receive cars, when you complete a line you get cars has rewards, when you feel more confident you can try to gold all the above cause you receive free cars that can be usefull in future, campaign races give no prices take that in mind.
Campaign i found it useless but has a beginner before you jump to sport mode it´s better to try single player races so only for that reason i recomend single player campaign races.

Asside that theres one single recomendation that made and sometimes still make all the diference in how i fast learn a track.

One of the most important aspect...,if not the most important it´s to learn the breaking points in any track and they can be diferent depending on the car you driving.

So taking that in mind theres a simple feature i use before i lose time to try to "record" visual markers has braking points, that feature it´s the simple blink your current gear your on, if you notice when you get near a curve it starts to blink, even now i use it has braking reference in some situational ocasions like when leaving the boxes and you arrive at T1 with lower speeds.

It work like this, first laps you use it has reference to start to brake, when shift marker start to blink you brake..., most of the times and in stock/bop cars youll notice that you can break a bit later and then youll start to adjust using that feature.
After sometime ingame you´ll get experience and learn to find markers on the track.
There are people that recomend cones and other ingame assistances but i did that way to train my brain to use the less assist possible.

Other advice..., if you play with DS4 lose some time and learn to play with motion sensor(in options try to put it sensible to be more acurate) that simple feature of the gamepad will payoff in the long run since you can be more smooth and your fingers will be relaxed even in longer races, use L1/L2 has brake and acelerator and learn to play with manual gears

After you get used to gameplay and find your own methods try watch online races and streamers videos.


I recomend you to go youtube and see Tidgney Gt driving lessons, he give usefull advices ^^

 

[Granadier]

Also if possible, watch some in car TV race footage.

It really is a thrill to watch real world racing drivers take the same lines that you’ve learned in Gran Turismo. Just a testament to the fidelity this game has achieved.

On topic though, others have mentioned the circuit experience feature which is fantastic and I also highly recommend. It does fall short when trying to learn the alternate or reverse layouts of tracks that will come up in daily races unfortunately.

Outside of arcade time trial you can also use the Lobby feature to create a public room for practicing the track. This can be more fun for learning since you’ll get to practice with other drivers. Personally I have lobby settings saved for Race B+C practice along with two for the FIA races and then can just tweak the track and class/fuel/wear settings quickly each week.

Hope that helps!

 

[Taxrik]

This sounds counter-intuitive but, once you’ve been playing a while, if there’s a track you’re having particular problems with, have a go at taking the Super Formula car round for a few laps.

It’s quick but it has mega downforce and, with some sticky tyres, it’ll go round corners faster than you think and at speeds other cars won’t. This means that you do whole laps and start working out the ‘flow’ of the corners rather than repeatedly going off at the same corner and not working out the right lines through that and into the next. Doing whole laps and steadily refining your lines will help, then when you try other cars you just need to worry about adjusting braking points. Worked for me with Suzuka anyway.

(And the cones are good too)

 

[Mattatsu]

Thanks everyone for your tips! You all have given helpful advice so far, and will definitely keep it all in mind.

I’m going to do those Circuit Experiences (including watching the videos which I usually ignore) and turn the cones on (mainly just to learn the apexes and where I should exit the turn, I want to use actual track landmarks for braking points references though so I’m not screwed if someone punts the cone) - I’ll disable the cones once I get my line and braking points down.

I’ll also check out in-game and maybe real life replays, as well as YT videos to help, if needed.

I’ll do online lobbies eventually, but still want to get a better feel for what I’m doing (and maybe do some AI races to force me to learn alternative lines while staying clean).

Also, that Super Formula idea is a good one. I have some Gr.1 that’s probably my best car for corners and I can see it helping coming up with a basic line pretty easily.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[TurboTacho]

Wow, another new player in the game. Welcome aboard!

Usually I'd look at the speed to "capture" the reference speed for entry, apex and exit of a corner if I feel that I could go faster around there.

I recall this similar tip to get around a corner faster. But that's if you've gained enough confidence around a bend and getting the good hang of it.

 

[fisheye]

Those double cones before a corner are a better indicator of when to start braking than using the red "BRAKE" indicator.

 

[OJT6627]

People here gave some very good advices, but i can give some extra tips that might be very useful even for a non-beginner

A good starting advice from me would be to pick the car that is most suitable for your driving style (even if it isn't the fastest in its class). Because while the base racing line, so to say, stays more or less the same for all cars, a lot of small differences come up depending on the car's qualities: the brake distances, how hard you go on the entry, how hard you exit, the grip limits of the car when it is just away from starting sliding but still having enough grip to complete the corner cleanly etc. Having a car that you're very familiar with makes the track learning experience much easier and faster

Another advice is to take the learning slowly: going around corners at slower speeds and to brake way earlier than you should. That way you're not overdoing it and get a rough understanding on how much harder you can push in this sector on your next lap. It usually takes me a couple of tries to figure out the speed and trajectory (assuming that the track is new and unfamiliar to me) and from that it is a matter of training

Last, but not least: general consensus is "wide out, narrow in, wide out" when going around corners, but on some sections you might want to take the corner narrower or wider than you'd think you need to because it might improve the entry point for the corner that comes up right after the one you just drove through or it might open up a good overtaking opportunity. Don't be afraid to experiment

As for the consistency, it has more to do with your physical qualities rather than the track knowledge. Fatigue can be a pain, especially in endurance races

 

[Mattatsu]

I started with the idea of starting with slower, easier to control cars and working my way up, but I’m starting the think it’s a better idea to just use the car I want to ultimately use (which is mostly Gr.3 cars).

After going up from an N200 to an N300 and then right up to the Gr.3 Viper, I realized the braking points aren’t terribly different (I guess the more powerful cars have more powerful brakes to compensate), but I really struggle with controlling Gr. 3 cars around corners, so I feel that I should just stick with them and learn the subtleties of braking and throttling around a corner.

I’ll do the first few laps at a medium pace though, and pick it up when I’m a bit more aware of the track.

 

[TurboTacho]

I guess the higher powered cars and competition tuned ones are more sensitive to throttle application.

Definitely the driving lines and approach are different across classes, but the basics are still the same. Just gotta practice more and get the feel of the handling of various high powered cars and sensitivity.

 

[Illum_Concept]

I notice that you mentioned you use TCS 0. That's highly commendable but at least when practicing why not consider flipping TCS on for, say, GR3 or above. Struggling to keep the car under good throttle control (which is very tough on DS4) won't help you learn the track, which you mentioned as the reason for your post.

 

[Mattatsu]

I notice that you mentioned you use TCS 0. That's highly commendable but at least when practicing why not consider flipping TCS on for, say, GR3 or above. Struggling to keep the car under good throttle control (which is very tough on DS4) won't help you learn the track, which you mentioned as the reason for your post.

I may do that, but I’ll see. I am getting better at controlling Gr.3 cars, which is my main concern. It took a while to get used to trail braking and applying partial throttle with a slower acceleration to full, but I’m getting the hang of it.

I’m also adjusting the BB a little to help me out if I feel it’ll get me something a little more comfortable and optimal.

I’ve been watching some of Tidgney’s, TheKie25’s, and Z28gaming’s videos and they’re helping me out a lot.

I still struggle with consistency a bit, but am getting better as I get more comfortable.