Why won't my B-spec driver [i]drive[/i]?

[SpyHunter]

I noticed in the Sarthe II 24 hours, that my B-spec driver won't get nearly the speed I will in the straight section. He doesn't seem to want to upshift to 5th. This is in a 787B. He just seems to hold the car at a steady speed. This is whether the speed setting is 3, 4, or 5. Baffles me that the car will go much faster and he is unwilling to put it there. I, sadly can't tell you how many points he has, or rather, had, as I just recently had to start all over again do to the corrupt save problem. I will say that I did run quite a few races with him and he was able to drive the car comfortable on the 3 setting, full tuned.

 

[hispeed]

The topic has been touched before with the "mad and nervous into wall-crashing" at high speed on the long straight of Sarthe II. One theory is that the B-spec driver thinks that the chickanes (of Sarthe I) are still there and sets his speed accordingly.

 

[Zardoz]

This has nothing to do with the slam-into-the-wall-on-the-straight glitch on Sarthe II.

This is the "B-Spec speed limit" issue in GT4. Not one car in the game will reach its maximum A-Spec speed when run in B-Spec mode, on any track.

I tested all the Le Mans cars (except the R89C) on Sarthe II, and they were all anywhere from 20 MPH to over 30 MPH slower in B-Spec mode than I could get when driving them in A-Spec mode. An example was the Audi R8, which reaches 260 in A-spec, but only 229 in B-Spec.

Why does PD do this? Who knows, but maybe they want to encourage us to A-Spec the events. Makes sense: If we can be a lot faster in A-Spec, we have more of an incentive to not be lazy, right?

 

[VT]

The top speed thing doesn't really matter if your Bspec driver is good enough. I spent about an hour coaching him through the Sarthe II enduro and got him a near two lap lead then set it on 'cruise' and won the race by a lap and a half.

 

[Sven]

I painstakingly set up my Sauber to have a top speed of 385km/h in the air, then I gave it to the b-spec pilot and he only went 350. Made me angry. Still won though, thanks to the Sauber's awesomeness.

It could be part of his "programming" as a means to conserve fuel, but it was just annoying.

 

[Orion_SR]

My experience suggests that the speed setting has more influence on how fast or safely turns are taken than... how hard he's pushing the accelerator. On tracks like High-Speed Ring and Test Course, adjusting the pace has very little influence on lap time.

 

[undrewear]

My experience suggests that the speed setting has more influence on how fast or safely turns are taken than... how hard he's pushing the accelerator. On tracks like High-Speed Ring and Test Course, adjusting the pace has very little influence on lap time.

I'm not so sure about that. I saw a 2 second difference (each) between 3 & 4 and 4 & 5 using b spec on the Formula GT series at High Speed Ring. What I have noticed is that he is only willing to accelerate for so long. Because he was willing to take the corners faster, his acceleration started at a higher speed, and he wound up going 2-3 mph faster. If he hit a wall, his top speed on the straights wound up being slower, even though he had plenty of room to keep accelerating. I messed with it the entire time on High Speed Ring. My conclusion is that your b spec driver is retarded and should never be used if there is any kind of "competition."

 

[SpyHunter]

My conclusion is that your b spec driver is retarded and should never be used if there is any kind of "competition."

LOL! Yeah, my guy won pretty easily. Then again, I did do almost half the race as well, Let him run, then me, then him......

Just sucks watching him be faster then the AI in the corners and then losing ground in the straights. Very sad.

 

[Zardoz]

..Just sucks watching him be faster then the AI in the corners and then losing ground in the straights. Very sad.

Like I said: Its probably PDs not-so-subtle way of saying "Get in the car and DRIVE, dammit!"

 

[DarkKni9hT]

IMO. the AI drivers are P-U-S-S-I-E-S!!! Especially on the long straight types of tracks. It hacks me off to no end to have my driver set on push/overtake and watch him roar up behind another car only to slam on the brakes and "wait" for an opportunity to pass on a two mile five lane straightaway!!! WHAT A JOKE!!!

PD really dropped the ball on the programming for these drivers. Quite possibly for the afroementioned reasons. They should have given the AI's a learning curve that follows the patterns of the A-Spec driver's routine.

 

[full_wick]

I found that my B-Spec driver drives better when rewarded with ice cream. I spoon it right into the DVD slot. He loves it!

Ahaha, seriously though, I think that you should be able to really train your B-Spec driver like DarkKni9ht said. Maybe have an option of racing with him as training, then he will try to drive the line you do. But even better, (hope they put it in GT5!) if an AI driver is close enough to see the way you take a corner, and you take it better than they do, they should try to copy you.

 

[Orion_SR]

I'm not so sure about that. I saw a 2 second difference (each) between 3 & 4 and 4 & 5 using b spec on the Formula GT series at High Speed Ring. ... My conclusion is that your b spec driver is retarded and should never be used if there is any kind of "competition."

I'm not exactly sure either. It's hard to make specific tests for some of the theories. However, thinking of pace as primarily influencing turn speed will probably lead to less frustration. Also, I suggest avoiding Push unless there is a turn approaching and there is a car directly in front to absorb the impact. My B-driver also seems less likely to hit the car he's trying to pass in the straight if Fast is used instead of Push.

My B-driver is not retarded (don't worry, I don't believe you intended an insult). He can win any race in the game and even won a 200 A-point Opel race. His skills are maxed, so he passes when instructed, and he can run most courses on Fast without mistakes if the tires are good and the car is properly tuned. I expect to win against even competion if the track is long enough. He will win against slightly more powerful cars if I back-seat-drive and tell him exactly when to pass. The B-spec driver will improve with enough B-spec points. The AI-drivers don't seem to improve, but they are off-topic anyway.

 

[-= XplosiV =-]

Just a thought- would your b-spec drivers go faster on straights with 100/100/100 in skill ? Might be an idea to post who's B-spec bob has what skill, and use a common car, same settings and see what results you get ...

 

[Orion_SR]

If a good test is found and data is available for other levels, I will test the upper end. However, I suspect that there won't be much difference. Instead, you might try turning off ASM or other driving aids. I read some fairly credible posts suggesting that the AI-drivers don't use driving aids and that is the reason B-drivers loose ground in the straights.