What's your race length?

[mister dog]

I have it on x2 and i find it ideal to go through career as it gives you a bit more time to race and get to know the circuit, but the races are just long enough to be able to progress relatively fast also.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I have it on 5x length. It gives time to let the pack sort themselves out, and lets the race develop to the point where things can happen. All up, it's about twenty minutes.

Except for endurance races. I tend to set those at 3x, so that they come in at a manageable twenty-five minutes.

I set cup races to normal length. I don't care too much for them.

 

[Imari]

3x.

I've tried 2x and found it to be just a bit shorter than I wanted, and 5x is too long for me if I'm going through the full practise/quali/racex2 weekend. I may bump it up to 5x later on as I learn the tracks and cars and need to spend less time in practise, that extra ten minutes of practise can just transition into race time.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I may bump it up to 5x later on as I learn the tracks and cars and need to spend less time in practise, that extra ten minutes of practise can just transition into race time.

You pretty much need to re-learn the circuits once you step into Tier 2. And I'm guessing you'll have to do it again for Tier 3.

 

[Trux]

Started x 5 but have now scaled back to x 3. Very Hard AI. Forced cockpit and no flashbacks. One win so far after 7 seasons in Open Wheel. Best Touring car finish is 2nd.
Tough going but am loving it

 

[mister dog]

Actually how's X5 with full damage on? You're able to survive that long seeing how tight packed the racing is?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Actually how's X5 with full damage on? You're able to survive that long seeing how tight packed the racing is?

The starts can be hairy, but after a lap or two, it settles down. You just have to keep your nose clean.

The real danger is in damaging your gearbox. It will go; it's just a question of when (though I use automatic - I have never been able to change manually on a controller). It starts audibly clunking, and slows you down quite a bit. I've just done two fifteen-lap races at COTA National, and I was three seconds down when the gearbox was shot. It went on lap 7 of 15 (although around Brands, it will last about 13 laps of a 15 lap race).

 

[Trux]

Actually how's X5 with full damage on? You're able to survive that long seeing how tight packed the racing is?

With the longer races I take less risk. It's a more realistic experience. The field also stretches more so if i'm careful during the fist couple of laps I can then pick my opponents off. I line my opponent up for the pass rather than try to get past at all costs like people seem to do online.

The cars all have different strengths and weaknesses as does each opponent of course. This becomes more apparent in the longer races.

I had a race where I was lapping a similar pace to the girl in front (Sofie Muller) at Algarve.
I found that she was pulling away from me out of the corners but I was better under braking. I spent at least 5 laps behind her but eventually pulled off a clean pass into T1 by watching her line and only making the move when i was sure I could squeeze past.

It's a much more satisfying experience (for me anyway) than bashing my way through the field, getting taken out and then complaining that the AI cheats. LoL

I actually think Codemasters have done a wonderful job with the AI. It can be a surprisingly "sim" like experience if you want it to be.

Sure there are occasions where mid race I get T Boned. My race is ruined and I spend my remaining laps cursing the AI. However watching the replays can be very enlightening. It's surprising how many of those incidents are actually my fault!.
At least with longer races I have a chance to catch back up. Settling for a mid pack points finish adds to the whole championship thing for me.
It also adds longevity to the game as I can replay the championships I didn't do well in.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Also, it really depends on the discipline. In Touring, everyone will be reasonably tightly packed. There's the odd straggler, but if you fall behind, it's possible to close the gap, and after fifteen to twenty laps, most of the field will be covered by about fifteen seconds. On the other hand, Open-Wheel races will become much more spaced out over the full race distance, to the point where passing lapped traffic becomes a skill (lapped traffic will put up a fight, but they're so slow that it's only a problem if you catch them in a bad spot). I've found you tend to race around in clusters of three or four, and it's very difficult to break away and chase down those in front; if you do, you tend to drag others up with you.

 

[Imari]

The real danger is in damaging your gearbox. It will go; it's just a question of when (though I use automatic - I have never been able to change manually on a controller). It starts audibly clunking, and slows you down quite a bit. I've just done two fifteen-lap races at COTA National, and I was three seconds down when the gearbox was shot. It went on lap 7 of 15 (although around Brands, it will last about 13 laps of a 15 lap race).

Huh. I've never broken a gearbox yet. I've done steering a few times from being a little too Maldonado in my passing technique, and I wrote off the car once smashing full speed into the wall at the bottom of Eau Rouge. I do like a game with terminal damage, even if it took an 80+G impact to do it.

 

[mister dog]

^ So it must be prisonermonkeys then!

Very cool indeed to hear that the car breaks internally depending on how you abuse it.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

^ So it must be prisonermonkeys then!

Probably. I have no mechanical sympathy to speak of.

Huh. I've never broken a gearbox yet. I've done steering a few times from being a little too Maldonado in my passing technique

I pretty much expect to do my steering in if I'm racing in Street. If Touring is close-quarters combat, Street is close-quarters combat where the arena fights back.

I had my exhaust done in once. I misjudged the entry to a corner in Washington, got spun around by the AI, and before I had a chance to get off the racing line, I got a whack from a second car.

 

[doblocruiser]

I have it on normal and I like it a lot.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I've noticed some of the drivers tend to get fatigued in longer races. I was driving for Kicker in the Grid Grand Slam, and when it came time to do the Touring races at Algarve, my team-mate was in the thick of it, consistently running in third and occasionally holding second for half a lap. But after about lap ten, she started to go backwards. The top five were running line astern, and I was frequently looking backward down the straights, so as far as I know, she didn't make any mistakes - she just couldn't keep up as the race went on.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I ran a shortened Formula B race at Spa yesterday, and I noticed that the AI was mad as a bus. In two laps, there were four roll-overs. I suspect that if I had run the full ten laps, it would have been much more sensible.

 

[GTboyz]

The starts can be hairy, but after a lap or two, it settles down. You just have to keep your nose clean.

The real danger is in damaging your gearbox. It will go; it's just a question of when (though I use automatic - I have never been able to change manually on a controller). It starts audibly clunking, and slows you down quite a bit. I've just done two fifteen-lap races at COTA National, and I was three seconds down when the gearbox was shot. It went on lap 7 of 15 (although around Brands, it will last about 13 laps of a 15 lap race).

Wait the gearbox will worn down over the time ? Im on normal length so i never experience this, that is so cool.

 

[Ameer67]

X3. X2 if I feel lazy that day.

 

[Silver-Sylph]

X2, long enough for me not to get extremely frustrated at the over agressive AI but gives me long enough to do battle and let things settle down.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Wait the gearbox will worn down over the time ? Im on normal length so i never experience this, that is so cool.

Over longer distances, yes. But I'm using automatic and I'm pretty aggressive at times. It also depends on the circuit - I can do 15 laps of Istanbul without much of a problem, but I will have pretty much ruined it after about six laps of COTA.

 

[GTboyz]

Over longer distances, yes. But I'm using automatic and I'm pretty aggressive at times. It also depends on the circuit - I can do 15 laps of Istanbul without much of a problem, but I will have pretty much ruined it after about six laps of COTA.

What are the factors for worn down gearbox ? Long distances, aggresiveness , anything else ?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I don't know. All I know is that the longer and harder I push, the faster it wears out.

 

[Awong124]

I originally wanted to do all x5 races, but realized that I really wouldn't have time to get through the game if I did that. Now if I start near the front I'll do shorter races. If I start near the back I'll do longer races so I have time to get up to the front.

 

[Grippy]

I wish they gave us Significant XP bonuses for the race lengths. Many players would otherwise not even consider racing with more laps. I find myself in this boat. Race longer and way harder or level up the career and unlock new championships? I'm picking the latter often. Also, it rewards players for harder, longer racing and with more strategy.


My ideal bonuses would be +30%XP for 2x, +70%XP for 3x, +150%XP for 5x. With cool off periods for the bonuses where they then only provide half the bonus next race so you don't level and finish career too quickly lol. I think that's perfectly fair.