TTTTTTTTTTTTTT IIII RRRRRRRRRRRRRR TTTTTTTTTTTTTT IIII RRRRRRRRRRRRRR TTTTTTTTTTTTTT IIII RRRRRRRRRRRRRR TTTT IIII RRRR TTTT IIII RRRR TOTAL IMMERSION RACING: CHALLENGE MODE GUIDE by Jamie Stafford/Wolf Feather FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM Initial Version Completed: December 14, 2002 FINAL VERSION Completed: December 25, 2002 ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== CONTENTS Spacing and Length Permissions Introduction Challenge Mode Minato City Tips General Tips Braking Cornering Rumble Strips Concrete Extensions Tires Drafting/Slipstreaming Wet-weather Racing/Driving Handling Diagrams Contact Information ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== SPACING AND LENGTH For optimum readability, this driving guide should be viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier. Check for font setting by making sure the numbers and letters below line up: 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ============================================== PERMISSIONS Permission is hereby granted for a user to download and/or print out a copy of this driving guide for personal use. However, due to the extreme length, printing this driving guide may not be such a good idea. This driving guide may only be posted on: FeatherGuides, GameFAQs.com, f1gamers.com, Games Domain, PSXCodez.com, Cheatcc.com, gamesover.com, Absolute-PlayStation.com, GameReactors.com, RedCoupe, InsidePS2Games.com, CheatPlanet.com, The Cheat Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru, CheatHeaven, IGN, cheatingplanet.com, RobsGaming.com, neoseeker.com, ps2fantasy.com, and vgstrategies.com. Please contact me for permission to post elsewhere on the Internet. Should anyone wish to translate this game guide into other languages, please contact me for permission(s) and provide me with a copy when complete. Remember: Plagiarism in ANY form is NOT tolerated!!!!! ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== INTRODUCTION Total Immersion Racing is perhaps one of the best racing games on PlayStation2 in relation to its price. At only $19.99 NEW upon release in the United States, Total Immersion Racing certainly delivers A LOT for such a low cost. It may at times be best to compare Total Immersion Racing with Le Mans 24 Hours, and it is generally a toss-up as to which is the better game. Total Immersion Racing allows players to enter the world of ALMS-like (American Le Mans Series) sports car racing. In this game, there are three car classes (GT, GTS, and Prototype); in most race modes, all three car classes compete simultaneously despite their major differences in car power and characteristics. Since the player must begin Career Mode (which is used to unlock many elements in the game) in GT Class - the lowest of the three car classes - it is imperative that the player learn to stay out of the way of the faster, higher-class vehicles while still maintaining some semblance of intra-class competitiveness; in this respect, GT Class competition is more difficult, as Le Mans winner Derek Bell has mentioned several times in covering endurance races for Speed Channel. Watching real-world multi-class endurance races such as 24 Hours of Le Mans, Petit Le Mans (10 hours or 1,000 miles, whichever comes first), Rolex24 at Daytona, and 12 Hours of Sebring will certainly put this into glorious perspective - especially when in-car shots from the GT Class vehicles are used to show the closing rate and overall tremendous speed of the faster car classes... especially at nighttime. This guide is specific to Challenge Mode in Total Immersion Racing. This gameplay mode features thirty-seven challenges. Most of these challenges use six identical cars on a given circuit at once. Some challenges feature a full race grid with GT Class, GTS Class, and Prototype Class cars all competing simultaneously. Also, there are a few races which are VERY lengthy, at 25 laps or longer for these races. ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== CHALLENGE MODE Challenge Mode is essentially a miniaturized version of Career Mode. Here, the player is given a car to race in a short 'season' against five other IDENTICAL cars (usually; endurance-style challenges and a few other challenges use a full grid with all three car classes represented). The same rules of Emotions, points, etc., apply here as in Career Mode. Initially, only the Audi TT-R (GT Class) is available in Challenge Mode. Winning its mini-season of three rounds unlocks the Audi TT-R in Single Race Mode and makes the next challenge available. This sequence is then repeated ad nauseum until all challenges in Challenge Mode have been completed (won). There are thirty-seven challenges in total, although initially only the first thirty challenge icons can be seen (either in full color or grayed out). Challenge Mode does not include levels of difficulty, so the player can make any desired car set-up adjustments in any of the challenges. On a VERY important note, there is NO opportunity to save game progress within a Challenge Mode series. This can be rather important with the longer Challenge Mode series. To ensure that the player has enough time to participate in a series, add the number of laps in the series (this is always given at the Challenge Select screen) and multiply by 2 minutes 30 seconds. This equation will cover GT Class racing at most race circuits; GTS Class and Prototype Class competition will obviously be faster (up to forty seconds faster per lap for Prototype Class racing, depending on the circuit in question). Until the final challenges, Challenge Mode is not really difficult at all, although those players who do not tune the cars for better handling performance (especially through and exiting corners) will find themselves doing A LOT of countersteering. The Race Engineer can fix this to some extent, but much of the car's performance will still rely quite heavily upon the player's driving skills. Of the thirty-seven challenges, Traffic (Challenge #27) is unique in that the player and another competitor in the Prototype Class BOTH start at the very back of an eighteen- car multi-class field; in this challenge, there are ONLY TWO ENTRIES in the Prototype Class. The idea is to keep finishing first in the Prototype Class, which is obviously made easier should the player be able to quickly clear all the traffic and lead the entire field. Also, there is NO opportunity to qualify for the races in this challenge, meaning that the player will ALWAYS start from the final position. For player reference, here are all thirty-seven challenges in Challenge Mode, including all of the circuits used (and the number of laps per circuit) for each challenge: Challenge Name Circuit Laps -------------------- ----------------------- ---- Abt Audi TT-R Springfield 2 Hockenheim 2 Silverstone 2 GT Cup Silverstone 2 Monza 2 Hockenheim 2 Springfield Short 3 Noble Silverstone 3 Hockenheim 3 Springfield Short 4 British vs. German Hockenheim 3 Silverstone 3 Hockenheim Motodrome 4 Qualife Monza 3 Talheimring 3 Silverstone 3 Euro Cup Monza 3 Silverstone International 4 Talheimring 3 Hockenheim 3 BMW M3 Silverstone 3 Monza 3 Hockenheim 3 German GT Hockenheim 10 Sprint Cup Silverstone International 3 Hockenheim Motodrome 3 Springfield Short 3 Rockingham Oval 3 Sintura Rockingham Oval 4 Silverstone International 4 Talheimring 3 GTS Cup Silverstone 3 Monza 3 Hockenheim 3 Springfield 3 Talheimring 3 Panoz Esperante Rockingham 3 Springfield Short 4 Monza 3 Storm Cup Monza 3 Silverstone 3 Hockenheim 3 Vemac Talheimring 3 Hockenheim 3 Springfield 3 Sebring Cup Sebring 4 Sebring 4 Lister Storm Hockenheim 3 Silverstone International 3 Talheimring 3 Trans Atlantic Silverstone 15 Sebring 15 McLaren F1 Monza 3 Hockenheim 3 Talheimring 3 Rockingham Oval 5 British Cup Silverstone International 4 Rockingham 3 Silverstone 2 Far Eastern Minato City 25 BMW V12 Monza 3 Talheimring 3 Hockenheim 3 Prototype Cup Monza 4 Sebring 4 Hockenheim 4 Rockingham 4 Talheimring 4 Minato City 4 Dome Minato City 4 Silverstone 3 Hockenheim 3 High Speed Rockingham Oval 8 Talheimring 4 Hockenheim 4 Panoz LMP Hockenheim 4 Talheimring 4 Sebring 3 Fast and Furious Monza 1 Springfield 1 Silverstone 1 Talheimring 1 Hockenheim 1 Minato City 1 Sebring 1 Rockingham 1 Bentley Monza 3 Silverstone 3 Hockenheim 3 Sebring 3 Traffic Monza 3 Springfield 3 Silverstone 3 Minato City 3 Sebring 3 Rockingham 3 Audi R8 Sebring 3 Hockenheim 3 Silverstone 3 Monza 4 Audi vs. Bentley Silverstone 5 Hockenheim 3 Pilbeam Monza 3 Silverstone International 4 Talheimring 3 Hockenheim Motodrom 5 Rockingham Oval 5 Sebring 50 Sebring 50 Lister LMP Monza 4 Silverstone International 4 Rockingham 4 Bonus Car Monza 50 Intercontinental Sebring 4 Minato City 4 Monza 4 Rockingham Oval Rockingham Oval 50 Rockingham Rockingham Oval 6 Springfield 3 Minato City 3 Rockingham 4 Note that the Rockingham Challenge is an open-wheel challenge, with all participants using Rockingham Champ Cars (CART-style cars). Winning the Rockingham Challenge unlocks the Rockingham Champ Car for use in all race modes. ============================================== MINATO CITY TIPS Minato City is the without question the most difficult race venue in Total Immersion Racing. A fictitious street circuit supposedly set in Japan, the most important thing for 'conquering' the Minato City street circuit is to establish and maintain a strong rhythm as quickly into a race as possible. This is especially important for the 25-lap GTS Class Endurance in Challenge Mode. The Minato City race venue is essentially the Monaco of Total Immersion Racing. The Minato City street circuit is primarily comprised of corners, most of which are TIGHT right-angle corners; these are primarily connected by VERY short straightaways. This circuit configuration means that there is virtually NO use for top-end speed at the Minato City race venue; instead, cars should be set up for optimal cornering ability and especially FAST acceleration when powering out of the many tight corners. Whereas Total Immersion Racing is generally friendly toward aggressive drivers when it comes to cornering, Minato City is definitely NOT friendly to those with aggressive driving styles. ============================================== GENERAL TIPS Save game progress and game settings at every opportunity. Total Immersion Racing does not use rules; in other words, there are no official repercussions (such as ten-second penalties or immediate disqualifications) for unsportsmanlike or dangerous driving, shortcutting corners, etc. Many corners (especially chicanes) do have barriers to ensure that all drivers (including the player) keep to the racing line, and there are plenty of sand traps and gravel traps to significantly slow cars which go off-line at many corners, but this is really the extent of the implementation of any 'rules' in Total Immersion Racing. Note, however, that it is DEFINITELY possible (and highly likely) to anger the CPU- controlled competition through blocking, swapping paint, etc.; some drivers may even develop a deep-rooted grudge against the player and take extreme measures to attempt to knock the player's vehicle out of the way or foil the player's chances of winning a race and/or a championship in the given car class. On a similar note, Total Immersion Racing does not include car damage. Generally, this is because car manufacturers adamantly oppose having their vehicles seen in anything but prime, pristine condition. Further, with so many vehicle manufacturers represented in the game, only ONE would need to refuse to allow their cars to have damage modeling for the entire concept to be eliminated from the game. The PlayStation2 features 256 levels of button sensitivity (for the X, Square, Circle, and Triangle buttons), and Total Immersion Racing makes definite use of this feature. Pressing harder on the accelerator button (set to the X button as the default) will provide faster acceleration; pressing harder on the brake button (set to the Square button as the default) will provide harder braking. However, Truly fast acceleration and truly hard braking will very quickly tire the player's thumb (and potentially the player's entire right hand). Therefore, it may be best to take a break for ten to fifteen minutes after every two or three races; this will allow the player's thumb and hand to relax. Players can expect some FIERCE racing competition in ALL classes. This can be especially tricky when racing in the Prototype Class, as while the player is fending off intraclass competitors, the player may well be weaving through GT Class or GTS Class cars which are all having a rather nasty battle between themselves. Higher-class cars are more difficult to drive cleanly (especially through and exiting corners) than lower-class cars. Specifically, higher car classes tend to have 'squirrelier' cornering characteristics. This can be remedied to some extent by using proper tuning; however, there are never any tuning options available at the Amateur difficulty of racing in Total Immersion Racing. When racing in higher-class cars (especially cars in the Prototype Class) and coming upon lower-class backmarkers, it is important to get through these slower vehicles as quickly as possible. Backmarkers in any form of racing tend to slow down the faster cars, and racing is certainly about speed. Also, the more backmarkers that can be positioned between the player and the following intra-class competitor, the harder and longer that competitor will need to work to get to the player... and this can be just enough time to secure a (comfortable) race victory. Also, with several backmarkers between the player and the following intra-class competitor, the less pressure is placed upon the player, which generally results in cleaner, safer driving; this is because drivers under fierce pressure in a battle for position/points are much more prone to making a mistake, such as going wide through a corner and accidentally letting the competitor through on the inside line. Auto racing is largely dependent upon racing line, braking zones, braking strength, and acceleration strength. Total Immersion Racing very much places these four prime elements of auto racing into play. Certainly, a car's set-up can affect a player's race, but the way that the player uses these four areas to make the most of a car's set-up is key to success... moreso than in many other auto racing games due to the construction of the physics engine. Try to keep out of the sand and gravel which line the inside or outside of many corners at most race venues. Dropping even a single wheel into this 'kitty litter' will slow the car tremendously - even to as slow as 30MPH/48KPH. This is not so bad when racing at Amateur difficulty, as it is rather easy to maintain a large lead or to catch up with the rest of the cars in the class. However, at higher levels of difficulty, slowing to such slow speeds for even a single second can drastically change the outcome of a race. When participating in Prototype Class, it is quite possible that at longer circuits (such as Sebring International Raceway), the player will need to contend with GT Class cars in races of four or more laps. Another few laps beyond that, should a race be so long, the player will need to contend with GTS Class cars. If the player has angered any of the GT Class and/or GTS Class drivers during Career Mode or earlier in a Challenge Mode series (especially if those drivers hold a grudge against the player), they could make passing quite difficult, despite the general 'courtesy' of pulling aside and allowing the faster, higher-class cars to pass by easily. Therefore, when approaching these backmarkers, it is a good idea to ensure that the Emotions icons are activated (this is toggled on and off via the L1 button by default) to get some 'advance warning' on approach and before attempting to make the actual pass(es). The player may wish to always have Emotions activated. This will make it much easier to spot competitors far ahead and/or far behind the player's car, due to the height of the Emotions icons. Unfortunately, however, each race begins with Emotions deactivated, so the player must always remember to activate the Emotions icons. It IS possible to take a corner so quickly that a car goes up on two wheels. However, this is a bit difficult to do, which makes actually FLIPPING a vehicle virtually impossible to do in this game. Since an extra championship point is awarded for holding the fastest lap at a given race, the 'perfect season' includes both winning ALL the races AND setting the fastest lap at ALL the races. Oftentimes, winning ALL the races in a season is fairly easy, although some defensive driving may be required in the final lap(s) as the other drivers start feeling desperate. However, setting the fastest lap for even ONE race is sometimes rather difficult. Many corners in the game have distance-to-corner markers which are small signs placed near the pavement on the outside of an upcoming corner; some race venues also use cones or pylons to help mark corners. In many racing games, if these cones, pylons, or distance-to-corner markers are run over, they are destroyed and/or knocked far away from the circuit itself, and are never replaced. However, Total Immersion Racing will replace these important elements, so that they are back in place the next time the player comes to that section of the circuit. Therefore, in two-player mode, there is no point in trying to knock away the distance-to-corner markers in an effort to fool the opponent into changing the braking zone and thus potentially making a critical racing mistake. Total Immersion Racing is generally quite friendly to aggressive drivers, especially when it comes to making passes entering/through/exiting corners. The Minato City race venue, however, is rather the opposite. Amazingly, the cones and pylons in the game will GREATLY slow cars when hit. While it may be impressive to watch the pylons and cones fly through the air or skim across the ground, it is best to avoid them at all costs. At Rockingham Oval and when on the oval portion of the Rockingham stadium circuit, KEEP OFF THE APRON!!!!! Putting the left-side tires on the apron at high speeds will almost always unbalance the car, causing it to suddenly pitch to the left. Those familiar with NASCAR racing (or its pavement- based feeder series) will already be quite familiar with the results when this situation occurs in real-world racing; interestingly, in Total Immersion Racing, the skidding of the car in this situation sounds VERY similar to its real-world counterpart. Of the many race venues in Total Immersion Racing, only five are initially available. The others can be unlocked for ALL gameplay modes by winning at those venues the FIRST time they appear in either Challenge Mode or Career Mode; failure to win at race venues in this manner means that these circuits will not be available to the player in Single Race Mode and Time Trial Mode. Fortunately, it is NOT a requirement to also win the series/seasons in which these circuits first appear in order to unlock these race venues. Cars can be unlocked for all race modes by winning their appropriate challenges in Challenge Mode. Some cars can also be unlocked by performing well in Career Mode. ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== BRAKING The first step in driving fast is knowing when, where, and how much to slow down (braking). In some games, a brake controller can be acquired or purchased, allowing the player to customize the brake strength by axle or by adjusting the bias of the brakes toward the front or the rear of the car. The use of a brake controller will affect the braking zone, as will other factors. Specifically, the car's speed on approaching a corner, the amount of fuel in the car at a given moment, the drivetrain of the car, the weight of the car, and even the car's center of gravity can all affect the braking zone. Similarly, the driving conditions - sunny, overcast, damp, wet, icy, snowy etc. - will affect the braking zone for each corner (as well as the car's ability to attain high speeds). Except for purely arcade-style games, the braking zone will differ somewhat for each car depending upon its strengths and weaknesses. It certainly helps for the player to try a Free Run or a Time Trial (if these modes exist in a given game) to learn the circuit(s) - including the braking zones. When looking for braking zones, try to find a particular stationary object near the entry of each corner; it helps tremendously if this object is far enough away from the circuit that it will not be knocked over during a race. To begin, try using the brakes when the front of the car is parallel with the chosen stationary object. If this does not slow the car enough before corner entry or if the car slows too much before reaching the corner, pick another stationary object on the following lap and try again. Whenever changes are made to the car - whether to the brake controller or to other aspects of tuning and/or parts - it would be a good idea to go back into Free Run mode and check that the braking zones still hold; if not, adjust as necessary using the method in the paragraph above. For those races which include fuel loads, the car will become progressively lighter during a race. The lesser weight can often mean a slightly shorter braking zone; however, if tire wear is excessive (especially if there have been numerous off-course excursions), that might dictate a longer braking zone. Cars with a higher horsepower output will inherently attain faster speeds, and will therefore require a longer braking zone than cars with a lower horsepower output. Try a Volkswagon New Beetle, a Mini Cooper, a Dodge Viper, a Panoz Esperante GT-1, a Corvette C5R, and an F-2002 (all in stock/base configuration) along the same area of a circuit and note how their braking zones differ. A final note on braking: To the extent possible, ALWAYS brake in a straight line. If braking only occurs when cornering, the car will likely be carrying too much speed for the corner, resulting in the car sliding, spinning, and/or flipping. (Some games purposely do not permit the car to flip, but a slide or spin can still mean the difference between winning and ending up in last position at the end of a race.) If nothing else, players should strive to become of the 'breakers' they possibly can. This will essentially force a player to become a better racer/driver in general once the player has overcome the urge to constantly run at top speed at all times with no regard for damages to self or others. Also, slowing the car appropriately will make other aspects of racing/driving easier, especially in J-turns, hairpin corners, and chicanes. ============================================== CORNERING Ideally, the best way to approach a corner is from the outside of the turn, braking well before entering the corner. At the apex (the midpoint of the corner), the car should be right up against the edge of the pavement. On corner exit, the car drifts back to the outside of the pavement and speeds off down the straightaway. So, for a right-hand turn of about ninety degrees, enter the corner from the left, come to the right to hit the apex, and drift back to the left on corner exit. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for a sample standard corner. For corners that are less than ninety degrees, it may be possible to just barely tap the brakes - if at all - and be able to clear such corners successfully. However, the same principles of cornering apply: approach from the outside of the turn, hit the apex, and drift back outside on corner exit. For corners more than ninety degrees but well less than 180 degrees, braking will certainly be required. However, for these 'J-turns,' the apex of the corner is not the midpoint, but a point approximately two-thirds of the way around the corner. J-turns require great familiarity to know when to begin diving toward the inside of the corner and when to power to the outside on corner exit. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for a sample J-turn. Hairpin corners are turns of approximately 180 degrees. Braking is certainly required before corner entry, and the cornering process is the same as for standard corners: Approach from the outside, drift inside to hit the apex (located at halfway around the corner, or after turning ninety degrees), and drifting back to the outside on corner exit. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for a sample hairpin corner. If there are two corners of approximately ninety degrees each AND both corners turn in the same direction AND there is only a VERY brief straightaway between the two corners, they may be able to be treated like an extended hairpin corner. Sometimes, however, these 'U-turns' have a straightaway between the corners that is long enough to prohibit a hairpin-like treatment; in this case, drifting to the outside on exiting the first of the two corners will automatically set up the approach to the next turn. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for a sample U-turn. FIA (the governing body of F1 racing, World Rally Championship, and other forms of international motorsport) seems to love chicanes. One common type of chicane is essentially a 'quick-flick,' where the circuit quickly edges off in one direction then realigns itself in a path parallel to the original stretch of pavement, as in the examples in the Diagrams section at the end of this guide. Here, the object is to approach the first corner from the outside, hit BOTH apexes, and drift to the outside of the second turn. FIA also seems to like the 'Bus Stop' chicane, which is essentially just a pair of quick-flicks, with the second forming the mirror image of the first, as shown in the Diagrams section at the end of this guide. Perhaps the most famous Bus Stop chicane is the chicane (which is actually called the 'Bus Stop Chicane') at Pit Entry at Spa- Francorchamps, the home of the annual Grand Prix of Belgium (F1 racing) and the host of The 24 Hours of Spa (for endurance racing). Virtually every other type of corner or corner combination encountered in racing (primarily in road racing) combines elements of the corners presented above. These complex corners and chicanes can be challenging, such as the Ascari chicane at Monza. See the Diagrams section for an idea of the formation of Ascari. However, in illegal street/highway racing, the positioning of traffic can 'create' the various corners and corner combinations mentioned here. For example, weaving in and out of traffic creates a virtual bus stop chicane (see the Diagrams section at the end of this guide). Slowing may be necessary - it often is - depending on the distance between the vehicles. See the Sample Circuit Using Some of the Above Corner Types Combines in the Diagrams section at the end of this guide; note that this is a diagram for a very technical circuit. At some race venues, 'artificial chicanes' may be created by placing cones and/or (concrete) barriers in the middle of a straightaway. One such game which used this type of chicane is the original Formula1 by Psygnosis, an F1-based PlayStation game from 1995, which used this at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve along Casino Straight (shortly after passing the final grandstands at the exit of Casino Hairpin). One thing which can change the approach to cornering is the available vision. Blind and semi-blind corners require ABSOLUTE knowledge of such corners. Here is where gamers have an advantage over real-world drivers: Gamers can (usually) change their viewpoint (camera position), which can sometimes provide a wider, clearer view of the circuit, which can be especially important when approaching semi-blind corners; real-world drivers are obviously inhibited by the design of their cars and racing helmets. Great examples of real-world blind and semi-blind corners would be Mulsanne Hump at Le Mans, Turns 14 and 15 at Albert Park, and each of the first three corners at A1-Ring. Also important to cornering - especially with long, extended corners - is the corner's radius. Most corners use an identical radius throughout their length. However, some are increasing-radius corners or decreasing-radius corners. These corners may require shifting the apex point of a corner, and almost always result in a change of speed. Decreasing-radius corners are perhaps the trickiest, because the angle of the corner becomes sharper, thus generally requiring more braking as well as more turning of the steering wheel. Increasing-radius corners are corners for which the angle becomes more and more gentle as the corner progresses; this means that drivers will generally accelerate more, harder, or faster, but such an extra burst of speed can backfire and require more braking. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for sample images of a decreasing- radius corner and an increasing-radius corner. For traditional road racing circuits, increasing-radius and decreasing-radius corners may not be too much of a problem; after several laps around one of these circuits, a driver will know where the braking and acceleration points are as well as the shifted apex point (should a shift be required). However, for stage-based rally racing, where the roads are virtually unknown and the driver knows what is ahead only because of the navigator's instructions (which - based upon notes - may or may not be absolutely correct), the unknown can cause drivers to brake more often and/or more heavily. For rally-based games, such as the Need for Speed: V-Rally series (PlayStation/PSOne) or for World Rally Championship (PlayStation2), there is often specialized vocabulary used: 'tightens' generally designates that a corner has a decreasing radius, whereas 'widens' or 'opens' indicates that a corner has an increasing radius. This need for 'extra' braking is also tempered by the fact that in much of rally racing, corners are either blind or semi-blind, due to trees, buildings, cliffs, embankments, and other obstacles to clear vision all the way around a corner. One particularly interesting aspect of cornering is one which I honestly do not know if it works in reality (I am not a real-world racer, although I would certainly LOVE the chance to attend a racing school!!!), but which works in numerous racing/driving games I have played over the years. This aspect is to use the accelerator to help with quickly and safely navigating sharp corners. This works by first BRAKING AS USUAL IN ADVANCE OF THE CORNER, then - once in the corner itself - rapidly pumping the brakes for the duration of the corner (or at least until well past the apex of the corner). The action of rapidly pumping the accelerator appears to cause the drive wheels to catch the pavement just enough to help stop or slow a sliding car, causing the non-drive wheels to continue slipping and the entire car to turn just a little faster. Using this rapid-pumping technique with the accelerator does take a little practice initially, and seems to work best with FR cars; however, once perfected, this technique can pay dividends, especially with REALLY sharp hairpin corners, such as at Sebring International Raceway. ============================================== RUMBLE STRIPS Depending on car set-up and weather conditions, rumble strips (sometimes also called 'alligators') can be either useful or dangerous. The purpose of rumble strips is to provide a few extra centimeters of semi-racing surface to help keep cars from dropping wheels off the pavement, which can slow cars and throw grass and other debris onto the racing surface (which makes racing a little more dangerous for all involved, especially in corners). Generally, rumble strips are found on the outside of a corner at corner entry and corner exit, and also at the apex of a corner - these locations provide a slightly better racing line overall. If a car is set with a very stiff suspension (i.e., there is not much room for the suspension to move as the car passes over bumps and other irregularities in the racing surface), hitting rumble strips can cause the car to jump. Even if airborne for only a few milliseconds, at speed, it could be just enough so that the driver loses control of the car. Obviously, if one or more wheels are not in contact with the ground, the car is losing speed, which could be just enough of a mistake for other cars to pass by, and the lack of contact with the ground could result in excessive wheelspin which risks to flat-spot the tire(s) when contact is regained with the ground. When the racetrack is damp or wet, however, it is generally best to avoid using the rumble strips. Since rumble strips are painted (usually red and white), ANY amount of moisture will make the rumble strips extremely slick as the water beads on the paint, so that hitting a rumble strip in the process of cornering (especially at the apex of a corner) will cause the tire(s) to lose traction and often send the car spinning. ============================================== CONCRETE EXTENSIONS Similar to rumble strips are concrete extensions. These are generally (much) wider than rumble strips, and may or may not be painted (at FIA-approved F1 circuits, for example, these are generally painted green). Also, whereas rumble strips protrude slightly above the level of the racing surface, concrete extensions are at the same level as the racing surface. Concrete extensions can be used in the same manner as rumble strips. However, if painted, concrete extensions should be avoided for the same reasons listed above for rumble strips n the event of wet or damp racing conditions. Players should note that in some games - especially where challenges or license tests are involved - concrete extensions are often NOT designated as part of the official track, resulting in an 'Out of Bounds' designation. This is true, for example, in EA Sports' F1-based series (F1 2000, F1 Championship Season 2000, F1 2001, and F1 2002) and in the Gran Turismo series. ============================================== TIRES As a 2000/2001 Michelin commercial campaign (shown in the States) stated, the tires are the only safety features on the road which actually TOUCH the road. Implicit in this series of commercials is the message that special care must be given to tires. In the case of Michelin, this means that choosing Michelin tires is far safer than choosing any other brand of tires (note that this series of commercials had been running since LONG before the Firestone/Ford controversy erupted in 2000). In the case of racing/driving games, this same implicit message - that the tires are the only safety features on the road which actually TOUCH the road - means that special care must be given to the tires to keep them from wearing out too quickly. Of course, some games (usually arcade-style games, such as the Ridge Racer series) do not use tire wear. Other games do offer an array of tires, but simply to provide higher levels of pavement grip as higher levels of tires are acquired or purchased (such as Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero). Other games have races which are simply too short to make tire wear a viable issue; an example of this type of game would be Downforce. In general, tire wear is not an issue in rally racing games. Some games simply provide Levels of tires. Here, the assumption is that Level 1 tires provide the least amount of pavement grip, with higher levels providing more pavement grip than previous levels. However, many games (especially simulation-based games such as Le Mans 24 Hours and the Gran Turismo series) offer several choices of actual tire compounds. For non-racing cars intended for mundane street use, Normal tires are standard issue. While Normal tires may work well on the highway and on city streets, they are virtually worthless in an actual racing situation. Normal tires do not provide adequate grip to be effective in racing. This is most noticeable when trying to corner at relatively high speeds with a vehicle with Normal tires. Simulation tires supposedly give a more accurate feel of what it is like to drive a racing-tuned car. Sports tires are a little better than Normal tires. When first playing a racing/driving game which offers Sports Tires, one of the best things you can do to improve your chance of success is to upgrade to Sports Tires as soon as possible. This will improve cornering ability, and provide a little more grip for acceleration (especially from a standing start). Racing tires come in an array of 'flavors,' with each tire compound giving a varying level of grip countered by an inverse level of durability. Not all racing games offer such a variety of tire compounds from which to choose. Super-slick Least grip, maximum durability Slick Medium-slick Medium Average grip, average durability Medium-soft Soft Super-soft Maximum grip, least durability Note that in some games, Slick and Super-slick are more likely to be called Hard Tires. Dirt Tires are required for dirt-based rally events. In some racing games (primarily Gran Turismo 2 and Gran Turismo 3), some non-racing cars can also be equipped with Dirt Tires - and in some cases can easily outperform rally-dedicated vehicles if given proper tuning considerations. Intermediate Tires are often used in games with varying weather effects, such as Le Mans 24 Hours. Whereas Normal, Sport, Super-soft, Soft, Medium-soft, Medium, Medium-slick, Slick, and Super-slick Tires are designed specifically for dry racing conditions, Intermediate Tires are generally used when the pavement is damp. A good indicator as to whether Intermediate Tires or Wet Tires (see the following paragraph) should be used is whether there is a large spray of water - often called a 'rooster tail' - coming up from underneath the car at high speeds on the straightaways. If there is not a rooster tail, or if the rooster tail is fairly small, then Intermediate Tires should be a good choice. Unfortunately, EA Sports has never included Intermediate Tires in its F1- based games, despite the fact that Intermediate Tires are used in real-world F1 racing; Intermediate Tires very much came into play, for example, at the 2002 Grand Prix of Great Britain. Wet Tires are designed for truly wet conditions. A good indicator as to whether Intermediate Tires (see the preceding paragraph) or Wet Tires should be used is whether there is a large spray of water - often called a 'rooster tail' - coming up from underneath the car at high speeds on the straightaways. If there is a large rooster tail, then Wet Tires are definitely needed. Some racing games have an on-screen tire indicator. This can range from a set of brackets or an image of the car with the tires highlighted in a particular color to a small line with an arrow indicating the condition of the tires. If the color system is used with a bracket or an image of the car with the tires highlighted, then the following colors are often used to indicate tire conditions: At the beginning of a race and immediately after a Pit Stop, the tires are brand new ('stickers') and need to be brought up to temperature as quickly as possible so that they can provide the best possible grip. This is noted by dark blue tire indicators. During this period, sharp turns or extremely-fast cornering will almost certainly cause the car to slide, and perhaps even spin. However, slides and spins will bring the tires up to optimum temperature even faster, so you may wish to purposely induce slides when entering corners, IF the tire indicators are dark blue. Once the tire indicators are green, the tires have reached their optimum performance temperature, thus providing you with the best possible grip for that set of tires. The amount of time the tire indicators remain in the green color range depends on your driving style, the amount of time off-course (in the grass or sand) or banging the barriers (or other cars), and the initial selection of tire compound. Note that in some games, new tires put on in a Pit Stop and tires on the car at the beginning of a race start with green indicators (bypassing the 'stickers' condition mentioned above). As the tire indicators switch to yellow, you need to start taking better care of your tires. You may experience slides when cornering. Orange tire indicators are a warning to get to Pit Lane to change tires as soon as you possibly can. You will be sliding around a lot more. Red tire indicators are effectively Game Over. Unless you have a HUGE (multi-lap) lead or a significant horsepower advantage over your competitors, you will not have a chance of winning the race, especially if you stop to change tires. Essentially, you are driving on pure ice, and the only way to 'reliably' get around the circuit is to ride the rails (barriers) alongside the circuit. Note that not all four tire indicators will be the same color at all times. If even ONE tire shows a red indicator, you need to limp back to Pit Lane to change tires as soon as possible. Even if a game does not have a tire wear indicator, players will inherently KNOW when the tires are worn due to the amount of slipping around, primarily when cornering and during extreme braking and acceleration. Some games, such as F1 2002, will have team radio communications which state that the tires are wearing down. If available in a given game, traction control affects tire durability. With a low traction control setting, the tires will spin for a while (especially on a standing start or when under strong acceleration out of a corner) before they actually grip the pavement; the friction of the pre-grip spinning wears away at the tires. With a high traction control setting, wheel spin is reduced or even eliminated, thus extending the durability of the tires. One of the best ways to reduce the durability of the tires is to corner at high speeds. The game manual for Gran Turismo 3 gives an excellent, highly-detailed description of what occurs with the tires when cornering; this explanation should be read at least once by EVERY serious gaming racer. In short, cornering at high speeds causes a high percentage of the tire to be used for speed, and a low percentage to be used for the actual cornering. To combat this and thus extend the durability of the tires, try to brake in a STRAIGHT line before reaching a turn, thus reducing overall speed and providing a lower percentage of the tires to be used for speed, and a greater percentage used for cornering. Note that if the percentage of the tires used for speed is too high compared to the percentage used for cornering, the car will slide and/or spin. Perhaps one of the best things to do to learn to take care of the tires is to play a racing game (such as F1 2002) in which vehicle damage is available. Playing with the damage option on will certainly make the effects of worn tires quite visual. As tire grip wears away (due to a long stint, multiple off-track excursions, etc.), the car may begin sliding around, potentially resulting in car damage (broken and missing parts), which REALLY makes driving a nightmare at high speeds. Many racing/driving games do not make this damage visibly clear, so it is easy to underestimate the condition of the tires; similarly, without any car damage (generally due to licensing concerns, but also because damage modeling requires MUCH more from the game programmers), cars in these games can simply 'ride the rails' around corners when tire conditions are less than optimal. ============================================== DRAFTING/SLIPSTREAMING One very useful racing technique is drafting, also known as slipstreaming. In some forms of motorsport, especially in oval track racing such as NASCAR and IRL, drafting is essential to making passes; NASCAR even raises drafting to an art form at its restrictor plate races by forcing cars to draft off each other simply to stay in contact with the leaders. Drafting works because of the aerodynamic vacuum which occurs behind a vehicle moving at a high rate of speed. As air flows around Car A, there is an area around which the air is forced as it flows off Car A's rear end. If Car B can get close enough to Car A, its front end can get into this vacuum area. Since vacuums prefer to fill their void with anything
possible, Car B is drawn closer and closer to Car A.  If the
driver of Car B does not do anything or does not react fast
enough, then Car B will eventually crash in to the back of
Car A.  However, once sufficient vacuum-assisted momentum has
been gained, Car B can pull out to the side, exiting the
vacuum with added momentum/speed, and rocket past Car A.

By using Car A's natural high-speed vacuum in this manner,
Car B will emerge from the draft with a major advantage in
terms of speed without ever pressing harder on the
accelerator.  Often, drafting results in an additional
5MPH/8KPH over Car A; while this may not seem like a lot of
extra speed, it is often enough to make a successful pass.

Drafting is a great tactic for oval and tri-oval courses.
However, its effectiveness at road racing venues is
essentially limited to just long straightaways.  In this
case, it is highly important that Car B safely make the
drafting pass well before the braking zone for the next
corner, as the added speed will require earlier and/or
stronger braking.  Also, cars with variable downforce -
especially cars with wings, such as CART and F1 cars - seem
better able to make use of the draft.

Specific to F1 2002, there is a draft/slipstream meter on the
right side of the screen during races and other events (such
as challenges) in the game.  This can be useful, with the
meter lighting up from bottom to top as Car B approaches the
rear end of Car A.  When the meter is fully lit, the player
should quickly pull out of the draft/slipstream or risk an
accident.

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WET-WEATHER RACING/DRIVING
Almost everything written to this point in the guide focuses
solely upon dry-weather racing/driving conditions.  In fact,
most racing/driving games deal ONLY with dry-weather
conditions.  However, simulation-based games will include at
least a few wet-conditions situations.  This can range from
Gran Turismo 3 - which uses two circuits (hosting a total of
eight races between Simulation Mode and Arcade Mode) where
the roadway has A LOT of standing water, as if the races take
place just following a major prolonged downpour - to F1 2002
- where in most situations, players can purposely select the
desired weather conditions for a given race.

In wet-weather racing/driving conditions, it is IMPERATIVE to
use tires designed for wet-conditions usage.  For example, in
F1 2002, in a full 53-lap race at Monza, I purposely tried
running as long as I could with Dry Tires, then switched to
Rain Tires when I could no longer handle the car's inherent
sliding about... and my lap times instantly dropped by more
than five seconds.

In games which offer Intermediate Tires, such as Le Mans 24
Hours, the period when the racing circuit is simply damp (at
the start of a period of rain, or when the circuit is drying
after a period of rain) can be tricky in terms of tires.
Intermediate Tires are certainly best for these racing
conditions, but the time in Pit Lane spent changing to
Intermediate Tires can mean losing numerous race positions,
especially if the weather conditions change again a short
time later and require another trip to Pit Lane to change
tires yet again.

Tires aside, simulation-style games simply will not allow a
player to drive a circuit the same way in wet-weather
conditions as in dry-weather conditions.  The braking zone
for all but the gentlest of corners will need to be extended,
or else the car risks to hydroplane itself off the pavement.

Throttle management is also key in wet-conditions racing.
Due to the water on the circuit, there is inherently less
tire grip, so strong acceleration is more likely to cause
undue wheelspin - which could in turn spin the car and create
a collision.  If a car has gone off the pavement, then the
sand and/or grass which collect on the tires provide
absolutely NO traction at all, so just the act of getting
back to the pavement will likely result in numerous spins.

In general, cornering is more difficult in wet conditions
than in dry conditions.  To help ease this difficulty in
cornering, simulation-style games will sometimes allow the
player to change the car's tuning during a race (if not, the
player will be forced to try to survive using the tuning set-
up chosen before the beginning of the race).  Tuning is
covered in more detail in another section below, but the main
aspect to change for wet-weather conditions is to raise the
downforce at the front and/or rear of the car; this will help
improve cornering ability, but will result in slower top-end
speed and slower acceleration.  If the car's brake strength
can be adjusted, it should be lowered, as strong braking will
raise the likelihood of hydroplaning off the pavement;
lowering brake strength will also mean an additional
lengthening of the braking zone for all but the gentlest
corners of a given circuit.

When the circuit is damp or wet, rumble strips and concrete
extensions (which are usually painted) should be avoided as
much as possible.  The water tends to bead on the paint used
for rumble strips and concrete extensions, making them
incredibly slippery, especially if a drive wheel is on a
rumble strip or concrete extension while the player is in the
process of turning the car; this will cause undue wheelspin
in that particular drive wheel, usually resulting in the car
spinning.

==============================================

HANDLING
Independent of any tuning options, many racing games use
Handling to differentiate performance among cars.  A common
misperception is that cars with better a higher Handling are
inherently better than cars with a lower Handling score.
This is not necessarily the case.

ALL aspects of a car's performance need to be varied from
person to person.  For example, the exact same car set-ups I
offered for F1 2001 and F1 2002 work fine for me, but
terribly for many others (although they are generally good
benchmarks for others to use to begin tuning the cars to
their needs).  The reason is that driving styles vary from
one person to another; even for the same person, driving
style is likely to vary as more and more experience is gained
within the racing/driving genre.

Handling is no different from tuning, horsepower, etc., when
it comes to driving style.  A car which has a high Handling
score will be much easier to turn in general... but for
someone with a REALLY fine sense of cornering and D-
pad/analog-stick/racing-wheel control, a car with a high
Handling score may actually corner TOO well.  On the other
hand, a young teenager playing racing/driving games in
preparation for learning how to drive real cars may in fact
need or prefer cars with a higher Handling score BECAUSE they
are easier to turn.

Handling is ESPECIALLY important in those racing/driving
games which do not have (m)any tuning options.  Tuning can
generally be used to make a 'bad' car 'acceptable' or a
'good' car 'great' in terms of handling (tuning can be used
conversely as well).  For example, raising the front and/or
rear downforce on a car will improve cornering, which can
make a car with a moderate Handling score perform much better
at more-technical racing venues.  If tuning options do not
exist (such as in games in arcades), Handling scores become
VERY important.

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DIAGRAMS
This section contains the diagrams referred to earlier in the
guide.

Ascari Chicane (at Monza):
   *
    *
     *
      *
       *
        ***
           *
            *****************

Bus Stop Chicane (Variant I - Wide Chicane):
   *******************           *******************
                      *         *
                       *********

Bus Stop Chicane (Variant II - Narrow Chicane):
   *******************           *******************
                      ***********

Decreasing-radius Corner:
   ->*******************
                          *
                             *
                               *
                                *
                                *
                               *
   <-*************************

Hairpin Corner:
   ->*****************
                      *
   <-*****************

Increasing-radius Corner:
   ->**********************
                            *
                             *
                             *
                            *
                          *
   <-*******************

J-turn
   *******************
                      *
                     *
                    *
                   *

Quick-flicks (Variant I - Wide Chicane):
   *************
                *
                 *************

Quick-flicks (Variant II - Narrow Chicane):
   *************
                **************

Sample Circuit Using Some of the Above Corner Types Combined:
    ******|******       *****
   *      |->    *     *     *
    *          **   ***     *
     *        *   **        *
    *         *  *    *     *
   *         *  *    * *     ********
   *          **    *   *            *
   *               *     ************
    *******       *
           *******

Standard Corner:
   *******************
                      *
                      *
                      *
                      *
                      *
                      *
                      *
                      *

U-turn:
   ->*****************
                      *
                      *
                      *
   <-*****************

Virtual Bus Stop Chicane:
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
                     Car #1   ->->->->->->   Car #3
   Player Path: ->->->->->->->   Car #2   ->->->->->->->
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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CONTACT INFORMATION
For questions, rants, raves, comments of appreciation, etc.,
or to be added to my e-mail list for updates to this driving
guide, please contact me at: FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM; also, if
you have enjoyed this guide and feel that it has been helpful
to you, I would certainly appreciate a small donation via
PayPal (http://www.paypal.com/) using the above e-mail
address.

To find the latest version of this and all my other
PSX/PS2/DC/Mac game guides, visit FeatherGuides at
http://feathersites.angelcities.com/

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