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| Gran Turismo Beginner FAQ &Tips |
Page Updated: October 3, 2004 |
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Over the years, people who start playing Gran Turismo ask a lot of the same questions over and over. This page was created to help beginners find their way a little easier, while playing the series. Many very good players are also willing to share their considerable GT knowledge with them, too. Refer new players to this page and let them learn for themselves how to cope and improve their driving skills. Bookmark this page, if you wish. Above all else, enjoy your game and have fun while playing because it can be frustrating, for new players and experienced ones alike, dealing with a few common problems. After all, GT is only a game. General Comments Getting Started License Tests and Time Trials Cars General Comments How tough is playing Gran Turismo? Once you get the hang of using the Dual Shock 2 controller for steering, you will progress quickly, depending upon how much time and effort you put into learning the skills needed. Steering wheels are more natural than using joysticks to steer and wheels also protect your right thumb from pain caused by constantly pressing the X button. How do I complete the game? What must be done? The GT3 manual is not clear as to what you must do to finish a game. You must:
Starting Your First Game I am a Gran Turismo virgin. What should I do first? Without exception, first read the GT manual, cover to cover. It has the basic info you need for understanding what to do and how to do it. There is a driving skills section that will help anyone learn how to drive the various cars better, even if you have your driver's license now. Manual or Auto Transmission? Which one is best for me? Each transmission has its place. The Auto is useful for carefree driving, learning the game and for when you try to set some speed records. Many very good drivers use only this set-up. The Manual transmission definitely offers more control, especially if you use a steering wheel, since some people struggle doing everything with a DS2 hand controller. Try starting with Manual in low powered cars first, then try the Auto transmission. Which one is more comfortable for you? Where did my game save go? A common mistake is to save a race replay (video) as the game save. You think you saved the game, but you used the wrong icon, so when you reload your game, nothing is updated - you lost everything you did during the last session. Make sure you click on the floppy-looking icon to Save the game, not the "Movie Camera" icon, which Saves the replay. Tests & Time Trials What should I do after I read the manual? Get all of your licenses next. Why? Because after you get your licenses, you will know how to drive different cars pretty well and the game will progress quickly and easily, vs spinning out, banging walls and other cars. Poor driving will only frustrate you. Good driving is more fun and rewarding. The higher licenses give you confidence and the skills to enjoy the game more. Wow, some of those tests (or Time Trials) are difficult! How can I do better? The following tips help during any test, but it references R-8: Practice, practice, practice. GT is a challenging game, so strive to do better. The effort you put into doing well will pay off quickly. Go to Free Run and drive, drive, drive. Drive any course backwards, too. Take it corner by corner and learn the intricacies of each part of the track. Familiarity with the course helps a lot! (R-8 is fun!) Take other exams that use the same course. This way you problem-solve a specific section only. Brake early! Diving deep into a corner and expecting to slow enough to take a curve in the road is no way to go fast. Go slower to go faster. Haste makes waste. Don't be afraid to lift off or feather the gas (or brakes) while going through corners. This helps control drifting and running off exits. Turn on your ghost and watch the demo, to see where you lose the most time compared to their example. You need to do this occassionally, to learn how to drive better. Their examples are only guidlines of what is possible, though. Some tests with blue lines must be followed exactly, or you will not pass; I found parts of some tests, such as B-8, don't work so well if you stay on their line. Learn your own style of driving. I found that, depending on the R-8 corner (such as starting the middle s-curve, and the corner just before the pavement), your tires will bite hard while braking and unexpectedly slow you down more quickly than some other corners, so watch for that. Occassionally turn your ghost off. You will try harder. I've won a few tests not knowing if I'm early or late. This idea works great with no ghost, too. Make your own markers by using the green/red/blue section times that pop up and, if you don't meet each one of them (around '35, 1'05, 1'29 for a gold R-8), stop the test and start over, so you don't waste time and get frustrated. This will more systematically train you on each section of the course, too. After a while, you will be able to judge your final time, well before you cross the finish line. On the other hand, make sure that you take every third or fourth test and try to complete it fully, that way you learn the whole course quicker. It won't matter that you time expire - you're learning the course. Learn from the pros! Watch these super replays to see how they did it. How do I see what Single races must still be won? In Arcade/Clear Status, you will see a list of which races have or have not been won and with which level of difficulty. If you win a race in Hard mode, you automatically win the easier race levels, so try to get used to winning races in "Hard" mode first. It will save you having to race all of the easier races. As you win more of the Single races, you open up new "areas" and your Arcade garage acquires more cars. Cars What car should I buy first? Who says you must buy a car to start the game? Having said that, you can finish the game no matter which car you buy first. Pick your poison and learn from using whatever car you choose. If you don't like your first choice, you can always restart with a new game, if you have not progressed very far. You have two options for acquiring cars: buy them from the dealers; win them. Most cars you can either buy or win, but some are only prize cars, therefore you must win them. Some cars can only be bought. Winning a great new car is a very good incentive to playing well and efficiently. Save your seed money for improving the cars you acquire! Should I buy a car or win them? That is your choice, but having started more than one game, it was much more enjoyable, for me, keeping my money for upgrading prize cars and using prize cars to win even more cars and money. How many cars are in the game? There are approximately 182 GT3 cars and the game's garage allows for 200 maximum. GT2 and GT4 have different amounts of cars. They range from weaklings to nearly uncontrollable power monsters. Each has its advantages and/or disadvantages, good points and bad points. There is no one "best" car. It is best to get used to using all kinds of cars, not just one or two that interest you personally. Why? You need the knowledge of how different types of cars handle, to win the game. Some races or tests use small, light-in-weight and weak-in-horsepower cars, some use big, heavy, powerful cars. Some have front wheel drive, some have rear wheel drive and some cars use all wheels to drive the car. Each will handle differently. So, as you can now imagine, the broader your knowledge, the better you can handle what the game throws at you. How many cars should I get? Why not get them all? You have room in your garage and some very interesting cars are available for you to drive. Should I sell some cars, to raise money? Some cars are not available more than once, in each game, so, if you sell them, you can only get them again by trading with someone who may be willing to sell any they have, or you need to restart your game. Be careful of which cars you sell. Selling duplicate cars is safer, plus you save a spot in your garage for more cars. If you need more money, go win some more races! That's what this game is all about and that's how you learn quickly. How do I keep track of which cars I have/need to get? Here is one way. Make a printout of all cars and categorize them as win-only, buy-only or "both" winnable and buyable. As you acquire each new car, update your list as to whether you now own it or not. This way you can try to win all of the win-only and "both" cars, then buy all of the buy-only cars as you win enough money. You will save yourself a fortune, plus you will gain your very good driving skills faster. Car Care: Everything you need to know about oil and engine wear Taking good care of your engines will pay off in the long run. Know your car's limitations and restrictions.
Copyright © 2004 MasterGT |
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