B-spec Scripting: Settings for Collecting 0 to 7375 Points (110,000 Cr. Test)

[Orion_SR]

Why do you buy rims? So you can pick your car out in replays against identical competitors? I suppose it also uses up a day, helping to unlock tracks faster.

Are you reasonably sure the day used, and/or the purchase itself, will not affect what lineups will appear?

Yeah, that was the basic idea. The one-make races were getting a little confusing. I've taken to viewing the race from the position of the other vehicles as a method of avoiding accidentally changing something during the race. I find the rear bumper view of the lead car is often very entertaining, and provides a method of observing the handling of the car.

Adding a day by adding a wheel purchase is also intended as a built in buffer for mistakes. If someone enters the wrong race, or enters the correct race using A-spec, it's possible to make up a day by skipping a wheel purchase. I'm not sure if any of this is important, but I was hoping to add a little flexibility either way.

And I'm not at all sure what might influence the lineups. As far as I can tell, the lineups I listed above are always the same after a reset. The most different save I have to compare with is my B-spec 10000 save with a little more than 14000 A-spec points, and it always provides the same lineup as well. Any hints on what does or doesn't influence the restart lineup would be appreciated, it's a major hurdle for these methods.

Added: The Wheels are also intend to provide a method of identifying when I am using the Sports Tires handicap during certain races. However, I seem to be getting inconsistent results. Sometimes the fancy rims show up on the Racing and Sports Tires, other times they only appear on the wheel type for which they were purchased.

 

[SportWagon]

I.e. sometimes (but not always) fancy rims unexpectedly show up when you don't expect.

That would be a nasty bug, after the song-and-dance you need to go through to specify what category (sports/racing) of rims you're buying.

In a test save, can you try explicitly buying rims for the other category, to see if it seems consistent then?

It doesn't depend upon whether you change the tires, or whether the game changes them "to conform to the regulations", does it?

 

[Orion_SR]

I don't think so, I'm following the same basic procedure, but have changed the sequence of events to be a little more streamlined. During testing I usually buy the car, change the oil, save, buy the parts, check the HP, change the settings, save, buy wheels, save, and run the races. Now that I know exactly what I need I buy the car, buy the parts, change the oil, buy wheels, change the settings, save, and run the races. The more streamlined approach seems to have fancy rims only on the racing tires that were installed before entering the wheel shop and selecting Racing Wheels.

Or, maybe that was the save where I was changing the wheels using the Wheel Shop selector because it was faster than going to the Parts and Setting menu. I'm not sure. But I'll be watching. I'm not all that worried about it either way. The car looks better with the custom wheels so having the same rims on both sets of tires if fine by me. I just wish I knew what's changed from then to now.

The game is not changing my tires to conform with regulations. I don't buy racing tires for cars that can't use them for the few races they will enter, so it's never a concern.

 

[EA11R]

I accidentally deleted my file, so I may give this a try while I've still got the opportunity.

 

[Orion_SR]

I accidentally deleted my file, so I may give this a try while I've still got the opportunity.

Great! And judging by your handle there's a pretty good chance you'll be willing to try the updated and more profitable plan that use the Cappuccino (EA11R) '91 as a starter car. Should I start posting what I've got worked out so far? I'm currently working through the A-2 Ginetta collection to confirm that my documentation matches my spreadsheet.

 

[EA11R]

Whichever one you recommend is totally okay with me. And yes, please post up anything you've got that would help with the option you've recommended me.

Though, I actually can't remember why I chose that name... Suzuki Cappo is fairly nice, but not exceptional... Oh well, I've grown attatched to the name.

Also, I guess it's probably a good thing that I didn't try harder to rebuild my all-gold portfolio today. I'll feel much less regret deleting it again to start and follow your exact plan. I'll probably have began the quest by the end of this weekend. I won't have my DFP available to me, but I'll have a PS2 at my disposal, and I can supply the copy of GT4 and memcard. It's all working out quite nicely.

Cappuccino with Turbo 1, Racing Chip, and Weight Reduction 1 (core*)
* The "core" parts will always be the same on subsequent races

Does the 'core' apply to chip and turbo as well, or just the weight reduction? Also, what is this 'restart lineup' you keep speaking of? I've got the general notion, but I can't tell how we're supposed to implement it; Do we enter the race, pause and quit out, then restart and only then do our race the first time? I figure that, in such an exact process, any misunderstanding would be slightly catastrophic. Other than those two issues though, I just read through your new plan, and those are the only two things I don't understand of it.

I'd prefer to do this new, Cappo-based plan; it's much better-written than the other, and I don't have to fuss about with GT3 to use this new plan.

 

[Orion_SR]

This part of the training plan picks up where the 10,000 Credit New Game Start left off.


Completing the A-1 Collection

Go to UK, Triumph, Classics

Day 12: Buy a Triumph Spitfire 1500 '74 for 17200 Cr.

Go to the Triumph Tune Shop

Buy and equip NA Tuning: Stage 1, 4600 Cr.
Buy and equip a Racing Chip, 1000 Cr.
Buy and equip Sport Tires: Hard (S1), 4100 Cr.
Buy and equip Flywheel: Sports (Sports Fly), 400 Cr.
Buy Flywheel: Semi-Racing (Semi Fly), 500 Cr.

Change the Oil; 50 Cr.
Day 13: Buy nice looking wheels, 500 Cr.

Credits: 398

Spitfire with NA1, Racing Chip, and S1 Tires
=91HP, 8.933 PWR
Flywheel and Weight Balance may be modified for each race

Go to UK, Triumph, One-make Races, Spitfire Cup
Enter El Capitan Normal

Verify the Sports Flywheel is equipped, and Weight Balance is 0 at 0

Day 14: El Capitan Normal, Sports Fly, Steady
Win the race, 3000 Cr., Credits: 3398
6.090 MOV, Time 5'15.047
B-spec: 557/10/6/5

Equip the Standard Flywheel and change the Weight Balance to 6 at 0

Day 15: El Capitan Normal, Normal Fly, Weight 6 0, Steady
Win the race, 3000 Cr., Credits: 6398
4.377 MOV, Time 5'17.523
B-spec: 596/11/6/6

Verify the Standard Flywheel is equipped and the Weight Balance is 6 at 0

Day 16: El Capitan Normal, Normal Fly, Weight 6 0, Steady
Win the race, 3000 Cr., Credits: 9398
6.385 MOV, Time 5'14.342
B-spec: 610/11/6/6

Equip the Semi-racing Flywheel and change the Weight Balance to 0 at 0

Day 17: El Capitan Normal, Semi Fly, Cruise
Win the race, 3000 Cr., Credits: 12398
8.687 MOV, Time 5'13.304
B-spec: 620/11/6/6

Equip the Sports Flywheel and verify the Weight Balance is 0 at 0

Day 18: El Capitan Normal, Sports Fly, Steady
Win the race, 3000 Cr., Credits: 15398
7.967 MOV, Time 5'14.007
B-spec: 629/12/6/6

Verify the Sports Flywheel is equipped and the Weight Balance is 0 at 0

Day 19: El Capitan Normal, Sports Fly, Cruise
Win the race, 3000 Cr., Credits: 18398
5.982 MOV, Time 5'15.122
B-spec: 636/12/6/6

Change the Oil, 50 Cr.
Wash the Car, 50 Cr.
Credits: 18298

 

[Orion_SR]

This part of the plan has a rather long series of races, but they are fairly painless considering how short they are, the simple settings and instructions, and confidence that the wins, credits, and points will be collected on schedule.


A-2 Preparation

Enter the Ginatta G4 '64
Change the Oil, 50 Cr.
Day 20, buy nice looking wheels, 500 Cr.

Go to the Ginetta Tune Shop:

Buy and equip Exhaust & Air Filter: Sports (Sports Exhaust), 1550 Cr.
Buy and equip Racing Chip, 1250 Cr.
Buy and equip Sports Tires: Soft (S3), 6200
=102HP, 4.467 PWR, S3 Tires

Credits: 8748

Change the Weight Balance to 29 at -45
Save and Reset to fix the Restart Lineup


A-2 Collection

Go to European Events, Europe Classic Car League
Enter Fuji Speedway 80’s

Race Notes: Usually the strategy is to collect all the points as quickly as possible, but for this series of 20 races the plan is to repeat each race with the same setting until the points stop trickling in, then figure out how to collect the remaining points before earning the 200,000 credits required for the B-1 and B-2 training plan. The first 16 races will be run with a pace of Cruise, the last two of these races (Day 35 and 36) will have a repeated race time – the machine points have run out. The next 3 races will use a pace of slow in order to collect the remaining battle points. The final race will be held at the K Cup - Tsukuba Circuit with S2 Tires and will provide the last few A-2 machine points right on schedule. The credit balance can be used to track the number of races with a pace of Cruise. Look for the repeated race time of 3'41.179, and then switch to the Slow pace.

Ginetta G4 ’64 with Sports Exhausts, Racing Chip, and Weight Balance of 9 at -45
+S3 Tires for the Fuji Speedway ‘80’s races

DAYS, PACE, MOV, TIME, B-SPEC, CREDITS
Day 21, Cruise, 4.938, 3'40.878, 962/17/9/10, 18748
Day 22, Cruise, 6.247, 3'39.634, 1134/20/11/11, 28748
Day 23, Cruise, 5.287, 3'40.220, 1190/21/12/11, 38748
Day 24, Cruise, 4.458, 3'39.961, 1223/22/13/11, 48748
Day 25, Cruise, 6.136, 3'39.120, 1240/22/13/11, 58748
Day 26, Cruise, 6.429, 3'38.589, 1255/23/13/11, 68748
Day 27, Cruise, 5.040, 3'39.517, 1270/23/13/11, 78748
Day 28, Cruise, 4.338, 3'41.488, 1284/23/14/12, 88748
Day 29, Cruise, 6.441, 3'39.189, 1300/24/14/12, 98748
Day 30, Cruise, 4.098, 3'40.178, 1309/24/14/12, 108748
Day 31, Cruise, 6.120, 3'38.953, 1314/24/14/12, 118748
Day 32, Cruise, 6.257, 3'38.537, 1320/24/14/12, 128748
Day 33, Cruise, 4.669, 3'41.201, 1224/24/14/12, 138748
Day 34, Cruise, 5.475, 3'39.899, 1325/24/14/12, 148748
Day 35, Cruise, 3.442, 3'41.179, 1325/24/14/12, 158748
Day 36, Cruise, 3.442, 3'41.179, 1325/24/14/12, 168748
Day 37, Slow, 5.591, 3'41.457, 1360/24/14/13, 178748
Day 38, Slow, 5.315, 3'41.415, 1370/24/14/13, 188748
Day 39, Slow, 3.252, 3'41.429, 1370/24/14/13, 198748

Credits: 198748

Equip Sports Tires: Medium (S2) and verify the Weight Balance is 29 at -45

Save and Reset to fix the Restart Lineup

Go to the Beginner Events, Lightweight K Cup
Enter Tsukuba Circuit

Day 40: Tsukuba Circuit, S2 Tires, Weight 29 -45, Slow
Win the race, 2000 Cr., Credits: 200798
10.988 MOV, Time 3'52.424
B-spec: 1386/25/14/13

Change the Oil, 50 Cr.
Wash the Car, 50 Cr.
Credits: 200698

___



And that's the extent of the current text documentation. I'll continue working on the rest of the training guide, and try to put together the complete plan in a new topic within the next day or two.
___


Training Guide Overview

A used Cappuccino is purchaced to collect some A-1 points while earning credits for a Triumph Spitfire to finish the A-1 collection.
The Cappuccino wins the Ginetta G4 from the Beginner K Cup races which is used to collect points in the A-2 subclass.
A new Triumph Spitfire completes the A-1 collection at El Capitan; a single model One-make Race.
The Ginetta G4’s slowly collects all points in the A-2 subclass over a series of 20 short and simple races.
For the most part, the Ginetta G4 races will earn all of the credits required to complete the B-spec training.
A Chrysler Crossfire is purchased to collect points in the B-1 subclass in a series of 5 very close races.
A Clio Sport V6 Phase 2 collects the B-2 points while winning the Clio Trophy once, and finishing up with one more race.
The Clio is upgraded to collect the C-1 points while winning the Clio Trophy once, and finishing up with one more race.
One Clio Trophy Race Car is sold to complete the credit requirements. Another can be kept as a prize.
A Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG is purchased to complete the C-2 collection over a series of 3 races at Nurburgring.
The SL 65 AMG is used to collect track points from the Silver Arrow races and earns the CLK Touring Car.
The CLK Touring Car is used to collect track points while earning credits from the DTCM.
The CLK Touring Car is upgraded with Turbo 3 to collect all points in the D-1 subclass from the DTCM.
The CLK Touring Car is upgraded with Turbo 4 to collect all points in the D-2 subclass from the DTCM.

Credit Balance is 425,002 at the end of the collection.
Sell 2 Mercedes Race Cars to reach 1,912,500 credits.
Optionally sell the last Mercedes Race Car and the Clio Trophy Race Car to reach 2,751,873 credits.

I'm working on a slightly different sequence than I used in my test run that avoids selling one of the Clio Trophy Cars by changing the order of a few races, so I still need to confirm the exact values for the last few races.

A-1, B-spec: 636/12/6/6; 4 total tracks completed
A-2, B-spec: 1386/25/14/13; 5 total tracks completed
B-1, B-spec: 2327/37/24/23; 8 total tracks completed
B-2, B-spec: 3468/50/36/34; 13 total tracks completed
C-1, B-spec: 4610/62/48/46; 18 total tracks completed
C-2, B-spec: xxxx/xx/xx/xx; 24 total tracks completed
D-1, B-spec: xxxx/xx/xx/xx; 29 total tracks completed
D-2, B-spec:7375/100/73/73; 29 tracks and all floating points confirmed.

 

[Orion_SR]

Whichever one you recommend is totally okay with me. And yes, please post up anything you've got that would help with the option you've recommended me.

Does the 'core' apply to chip and turbo as well, or just the weight reduction? Also, what is this 'restart lineup' you keep speaking of? I've got the general notion, but I can't tell how we're supposed to implement it; Do we enter the race, pause and quit out, then restart and only then do our race the first time? I figure that, in such an exact process, any misunderstanding would be slightly catastrophic. Other than those two issues though, I just read through your new plan, and those are the only two things I don't understand of it.

I'd prefer to do this new, Cappo-based plan; it's much better-written than the other, and I don't have to fuss about with GT3 to use this new plan.

I definitely recommend the new 10000 Credit starter plan. This is the basis for the B-spec Training Guide I've been building towards, and I would very much like to have it verified, but I think you will recognize the advantages from the overview posted above.

The "Core" description is still leading to some confusion. Core is suppose to describe the basic tuning of the vehicle that doesn't change from race to race. Parts that might be changed get listed for each race description. The new description format is suppose to clear up some of this confusion. Before each race are instructions to change or verify each part, and the mod parts are also listed for that race for easy verification. The tuning description should match the race mods.

So on the Cappuccino setup, weight reduction 1 of course is part of the core since it can't be removed. The racing chip and turbo are core since they are never added or removed - or would have been part of the core vehicle on the 1st race if we had the credits at the time. To some extent, the core tuning often represents the maximum potential of the vehicle for that subclass - a combination of horsepower and weight (PWR), tires, and downforce, just like A-spec. There is also an apparent base-level that causes the Dodge RAM to be an unusual qualifier for A class points. I don't completely understand this process, but have had a great deal of success borrowing methods from A-spec 200 racers.

The Save and Reset procedure is key to scripting many of these races. Again, I'm still worried about the limits, but I have had some verification that the process is repeatable. The Save and Reset procedure is only needed for some races. When practical, I try to select races with a single model vehicle as an opponent so the lineup is always the same.

Save and Reset: Get the car ready and save the game. Turn off the game system and turn it back on again. Go to and enter the appropriate race without doing anything that might change the Restart Lineup which is, hopefully, always the same.

Entering a race will change the lineup, so will practicing. I suspect Photo-mode will as well. Buying a car doesn't change the lineup, and I think buying tires or wings might be safe. Buying parts definitely doesn't change the lineup. Still, the procedure as described is to get everything ready, and then save and reset. If you get half way through a series of races and need to stop, you can always save and reset to get the lineup back.

 

[Orion_SR]

B-1 Preparation

Go to USA, Chrysler, New Cars
Day 41: Buy a Chrysler Crossfire '04, 35670 Cr.

Go to the Mopar Tune Shop

Buy and equip NA Tuning: Stage 2 (NA2), 12000 Cr.
Buy the Clutch: Sports (Sports Clutch), 1600 Cr.
Buy and equip Clutch: Twin-Plate (Twin Clutch), 2600 Cr.
Buy the Flywheel: Sports (Sports Fly), 430 Cr.
Buy the Limited-slip:Full Customize (Full Slip), 6300 Cr.
Buy and equip the Carbon Driveshaft (Carbon Shaft), 2750 Cr.
Buy and equip Tires Racing Tires: Super-hard (R1) (R1 Tires), 8100 Cr.

Change the Oil, 50 Cr.
Day 42: Buy nice looking wheels, 500 Cr.
Credits: 130,648

Parts Change/Settings

I am moving away from using the Set Tabs for vehicle parts, but for this series of races it is still easier to explain the Tab configuration than to constantly switch the many parts used to arrange 5 very close races. This subclass was my first effort to script a point collection and I spent quite a bit of time trying to make the races as interesting as possible.

The Full Limited-slip (Full Slip) settings is the consistent difference between the tabs. Set A doesn’t use Full Slip. Set B has the Acceleration increased by 2 to 42. Set C uses the default setting: Full Slip 10 40 20 (torque, acceleration, and deceleration).

The initial configuration for settings tab Set A, Set B, and Set C are:
Set A: NA2, R1 Tires, Twin Clutch, Carbon Shaft
Set B: NA2, R1 Tires, Sports Clutch, Full Slip 10 42 20
Set C: NA2, R1 Tires, Sports Clutch, Sports Fly, Full Slip 10 40 20

B-1 Collection

Crossfire with NA2
=289HP, 4.711 PWR

Go to USA, Chrysler, One-make Races. Crossfire Trophy
Enter Twin Ring Montegi Super Speedway

Verify Set A is selected and configured with R1 Tires, Twin Clutch, Carbon Shaft, and standard limited-slip

Day 43: Twin Ring Montegi Super Speedway
Set A: R1 Tires, Twin Clutch, Carbon Shaft, Steady
Win the race, 7500 Cr., Credits: 138148
0.214 MOV, Time 2'24.511
B-spec: 1725/28/16/19

Enter Trial Mountain Reverse
Change to Set B and verify R1 Tires, Sports Clutch, and Full Slip 10 42 20

Day 44: Trial Mountain Reverse
Set B: R1 Tires, Sports Clutch, Full Slip 10 42 20, Fast
Win the race, 7500 Cr., Credits: 145648
0.063 MOV, Time 3'54.998
B-spec: 2174/34/22/23

Enter Seattle Circuit Reverse
Equip the Standard Clutch on Set B and verify R1 Tires and Full Slip 10 42 20

Day 45: Seattle Circuit Reverse
Set B: R1 Tires, Normal Clutch, Full Slip 10 42 20, Steady
Win the race, 7500 Cr., Credits: 153148
0.004 MOV, Time 4'05.371
B-spec: 2280/36/23/23

Day 46: Prize Car Delivered - Dodge VIPER GTSR Concept '00

Enter Seattle Circuit Reverse
Change to Set C and verify R1 Tires, Sports Clutch, Sports Fly, and Full Slip 10 40 20

Day 47: Seattle Circuit Reverse
Set C: R1 Tires, Sports Clutch, Sports Fly, Full Slip 10 40 20, Steady
Win the race, 7500 Cr., Credits: 160648
0.241 MOV, Time 4'05.308
B-spec: 2304/37/24/23

Enter Twin Ring Montegi Super Speedway
Equip S2 Tires and the Twin Clutch on Set C
Verify Sports Fly and Full Slip 10 40 20 on Set C

Day 48: Twin Ring Montegi Super Speedway
Set C: S2 Tires, Twin Clutch, Sport Fly, Full Slip 10 40 20, Cruise
Win the race, 7500 Cr., Credits: 168148
0.070 MOV, Time 2'24.554
B-spec: 2327/37/24/23

Change the Oil, 50 Cr.
Wash the Car, 50 Cr.
Credits: 168048

 

[Orion_SR]

For more information on the new plan, check the link below.

B-spec Training Guide - 10,000 Credit New Game Start

 

[EA11R]

I've begun my testing, and there's a slight problem:

After day 9's race, you said the stats should be at 442/9/5/4, but my stats are at 442/9/5/3. Actually, I got that the first time I tried, when I accidentally touched the overtake button in the middle of a race, so I redid the whole thing over again, but still, my battle skill is only 3 at this point in time. I'm confused... I'd assume that the first number would be the most precise, and ours are equal, but the last number is not. I'll stop testing and wait for further instruction from you.

 

[Orion_SR]

I've begun my testing, and there's a slight problem:

After day 9's race, you said the stats should be at 442/9/5/4, but my stats are at 442/9/5/3. Actually, I got that the first time I tried, when I accidentally touched the overtake button in the middle of a race, so I redid the whole thing over again, but still, my battle skill is only 3 at this point in time. I'm confused... I'd assume that the first number would be the most precise, and ours are equal, but the last number is not. I'll stop testing and wait for further instruction from you.

442/9/5/3 should be correct. It matches the documentation in my spreadsheet. I'll update straight away. Thanks. I was pasting directly from the data in my spreadsheet in later descriptions, so hopefully this will be less of a problem. However, I had to copy everything from the screen in the first place, and I tend to overlook the same mistakes, so I suspect there will be more.

If 2 of the 3 verification numbers (MOV, Race Time, B-spec) match, then the mismatched number is probably a mistake on my part. Sorry. When you get into the one-make races and don't need to save and reset, go ahead and peek at the next race or two. If things didn't match as expected, the differences will be quickly become apparent.

 

[EA11R]

Alright, very nice then. Also, I think I have one more number to verify the accuracy: times. It measures to the nearest thousandth of a second, so that's probably actually pretty foolproof there...

I basically knew what was wrong, but you wanted me to test it, so I guess that includes pointing out minor corrections. Well then, back to the PS2!

 

[Orion_SR]

The combination of Race Time and MOV should be very accurate, but in this case the fool your are trying to proof against is me. When I need to transpose information from one place to the another, there is a reasonable chance that something will get scrambled. I've become quite proficient over the years at checking myself and reducing these errors to a minimum, but chances are you will find numbers that look almost correct, but the digits are mixed up. The cross check of MOV and Race Time should be reasonably accurate. It's fairly unlikely that the race time would be different but the gap between vehicles would remain the same, or the other way around.

The MOV can be a difficult number to grab. If the lead is fairly large, then the time might only be displayed for a second or two, maybe less. For single races I can find the difference between race times easily enough, but for championships, the race time and MOV are only displayed once, and I've got to be right there watching in order to type in the digits and hopefully verify them as correct. I've usually got to run through the series several times before I get all the information I need.

And of course, it would certainly be nice to verify that all of my B-spec scores are correct. However, in order to check each score it will be necessary to exit to Home from the middle of a championship, perform the Save and Reset procedure again and again, or at least exit and wait for screens to load as you navigate the game menu. The plan was to take care of all that nonsense and provide documentation that was accurate enough that people would feel a great deal of confidence proceeding through a long series of races without the need to check the score or save, just in case. It really speeds up the process and makes the point collection rather painless. I don't even feel that I'm wasting much time when I settle in to watch the real time display of my favorite races.

So as much as I'd like all of the number verified, I hope that once you get the hang of the system that you'll try to test the general flow of the races. Does the plan fit together and provide natural save points? Are some series complex enough that a scripted save would be appropriate to prevent repeating many races? Is the documentation clear and accurate enough that you feel confident that races will be won and the points will collected on schedule? For example, the Fuji series with the A-2 Ginetta is 19 races in a row on 1 track. It would probably be a very good idea to exit for another Save and Reset procedure at least once during this collection.

 

[EA11R]

19 times? Wow, that's interesting.

 

[Orion_SR]

19 times? Wow, that's interesting.

Yeah, sorry. It doesn't take long. If I could figure a way to get a decent prize from the B-1 car then I could cut that down to a less intimidating number of races. But credits are a persistent concern, and this was the best intro I could put together.

The challenge to that series was finding a single setting that could win 19 races in a row. That car tends to slide of the track in a couple of places, and the randomness of developing skills made it difficult to manage without a bunch of pace or setting adjustments. So settle in for a Cruise and keep an eye on the credit total - maybe take a save at around 100k, and again before the Slow races just to make sure things are still on track.

Everything going okay so far?

 

[EA11R]

Yeah, everything is going smoothly. I'm currently staring down the barrel of that 19 race combo. And at day 10, the battle skill turned to 4 and all the numbers synced up again, so it's just a typo of day 9. I'm gaining more and more confidence, and checking the numbers less and less, but when I do check the numbers, they line up exactly. But I just noticed, you said initially to give the car a 29kg ballast, then you said to give the car a 9kg ballast. It's clearly a typo, and I won't have trouble figuring out which one it is (unless it's neither ), but you'll want to fix that.

At one point, I set the controller in my lap, tried to enjoy Cedric the Entertainer on TV (easier said than done), and found that I lost by 10 seconds, so now I'm setting them on my GT4 case on my stationary bed. Nothing else will get accidentally pressed.

*singsong voice activate*
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to Fuji we go! With Razorblades and Hand Grenades! Hi Ho! Hi Ho!

You have no idea how long I've been wanting to type that. That was very satisfying, indeed.

 

[Orion_SR]

One strategy for avoiding accidental changes during the race is to scroll up or down to another vehicle. Frequently I find the pole position car to be an interesting angle from which to view the end of the race.

The 1st couple of races of the Silver Arrow series are especially enjoyable when viewed from the cinematic camera angle of the McLaren. I've got an imaginary TV commentary that runs through my head that describes all the virtues of the McLaren, but to the surprise of the broadcast team the SL 65 AMG steals the win. The 2nd race is more of a grudge match between the two cars - now that the secret is out. The 3rd race was suppose to be the SL 65 AMG breaking first and defending the lead down the straight, but when I finally managed to arrange that race it didn't score the points required to finish the subclass in 3 races, so the less dramatic version is included in the guide. The first half of the race still has most of the same great battles for position and passing, but the McLaren misses it's pass just before that long straight up the hill and never recovers.

Currently I'm trying to figure out a way to continue with the collection. My current plan is to identify sets of 29 races that are confirmed to collect all the points. I'm working on the La Festa Italiano series; 2 races down, 1 to go. The Lancia Stratos is getting the job done nicely. The format that seems best is to find settings that can win the race for the collection, and win the race a second time using the same settings. The difference between race times is supposed to be an indication of a completed track. If you score Time A then you just collected all points from that track. If you score Time B then you just confirmed that there are no more points on the track.

 

[EA11R]

When you go to the K car cup for the second time, does it matter whether or not you clear the records of the victories? You might want to specify which one, if either over the other, should be chosen.

 

[Orion_SR]

When you go to the K car cup for the second time, does it matter whether or not you clear the records of the victories? You might want to specify which one, if either over the other, should be chosen.

Okay. Good point. I'll see where I can add a note about this under procedures. It doesn't matter if you clear the records or not. If you clear the records then you'll be a little closer to earning another car if you decide to repeat the other races as well. If you clear the records on the B-1 Crossfire series then you'll only have 1 race to earn another Viper - which can't be sold for credits, so what's the point. I've been choosing Don't Clear so I have a visual record of the tracks that have been cleared.

On an extremely technical note. The Crossfire instructions imply exiting from the Seattle race to earn a prize car, but then Seattle is repeated right away. If you repeat the race before exiting then I suspect you can skip one of the Don't Clear messages, but then your Diary will be slightly out of order since the 2nd Seattle race and car delivery will be switched.

 

[Orion_SR]

As I'm getting into the Track Points I'm finding the Save and Reset Procedure to be more and more annoying. I'm considering an alternate strategy, but need to verify that other players get similar results. The plan is to account for the changing lineups for consecutive races.

For example: The Save and Reset Procedure is used to fix Restart Lineup 1. After the first race proceed directly to the second race and compete against Restart Lineup 2. The third race would be against Restart Lineup 3. If the races are interrupted and Restart Lineup 3 is required after a game start, then it should be possible to cycle the Lineups by entering and exiting the races.

That's the basic theory anyway - I'll test as much as I can. In the meantime, can anyone verify my Restart Lineups for La Festa Italiano? The Stratos is my car of choice. There are many less expensive alternatives if you just want to peek at the lineups.

La Festa Italiano Restart Lineup Progression

Restart Lineup 1
Fiat Coupe Turbo Plus '00
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA '02
Lanica DELTA HF Integrale Evoluzione '91
Alfa Romeo Spider 3.0i V6 24V '01
Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6 24V '01
Lancia Stratos '73

Restart Lineup 2
Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6 24V '01
Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 24V '98
Alfa Romeo GT 3.2 V6 24V '04
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA '02
Alfa Romeo 166 2.5 V6 24V '98
Lancia Stratos '73

Restart Lineup 3
Lanica DELTA HF Integrale Evoluzione '91
Fiat Coupe Turbo Plus '00
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA '02
Alfa Romeo Spider 3.0i V6 24V '01
Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 24V '98
Lancia Stratos '73

This series is particularly attractive because the Alfa Romeo 155 2.5 V6 TI Race Car '93 can be sold for 265,624 credits. The short series of 3 single races is on par with the DTCM as a credit earning series, but the constant need to reset to fix the lineup slows the process considerably.

B-spec Notes on the Lancia Stratos '73

The Stratos appears to be a powerful choice for this series. Experiments with the new Alfa Romeo's were disappointing. I tuned the Stratos minimally to see how cheaply I could collect the track points and it didn't take long to find a winner. The +14s indicate that each race was tested individually on a save with 7375 confirmed points minus 1 track - 7361.

Autumn Ring Reverse
Oil, Turbo 2, Racing Exhaust, Racing Chip, Racing Fly, S2 Tires, Steady
New Track: 0.134 MOV, Time 3'17.338 (+14)
Old Track: 3.947 MOV, Time 3'15.959

Cote d'Azur
Oil, Turbo 2, Racing Exhaust, Sports Clutch, Semi Fly, S3 Tires, Steady
New Track: 5.888 MOV, Time 4'00.400 (+14)
Old Track: 7.794 MOV, Time 3'58.431

Infineon Raceway - Sports Car Course
Oil, Turbo 2, S3 Tires, Steady
New Track: 3.267 MOV, Time 3'55.862 (+14)
Old Track: 8.853 MOV, Time 3'51.677

I entered the variations I used in a Family Cup race at difficulty level 0 and compared the competition presented with the Normal Car Family Cup Opposition Table. The lineup presented seemed to indicate that the Stratos I was using was pretty much in the middle of the B-2 subclass with no hope of ever competing for B-1 floating points.

It took quite an effort to finally bump the Stratos up to the bottom end of the C-1 subclass with the Sports Tire requirements of the race. All power upgrades tops out at 317HP. Equip Sports Soft Tires (S3). Add Port Polish for 327HP, and Engine Balancing tops it out at 338HP. Apply Weight Reduction: Stage 3. Add a Wing with 15 front and 15 rear downforce and the Stratos is still a B-2 car. Max downforce of 30 30 will finally bumped it up to a C-1 car. I haven't identified the max downforce with max horsepower and minimum weight, but I tried some other combinations with max downforce and S3 tires. With a downforce of 30 and 30 and S3 Tires, the Stratos is a B-2 car; with 338HP and no weight reduction, with 327HP and weight reduction stage 1, or 317HP and weight reduction stage 3.

 

[EA11R]

I've just finished day 48, and all has gone like clockwork thus far. I've accidentally pressed a few buttons and had to restart a couple of times, but the errors were all mine, not yours. However, your description of the Crossfire is just slightly ambiguous; you should state that the NA2 is a core upgrade. I got third in two seperate races and had to reset because I took the descriptions too literally.

And wow, those are some very close races! 1/250 of a second is pretty hard to coordinate, indeed. I've started to enjoy your method of watching races; rear bumper cam and cinematic view of AI car # 1 is quite fun. I talk to B-Spec Bob in old English as he approaches, eases off, and eventually nudges past. "Greetings, yon Chryslerman! Art thou tired? Needst thou a nap? Come hither!"

 

[SolidSnake15]

Since this thread deals with B-Spec, mabey this question will fit.

Does Bob get better at driving if you put him on practice and leave him for a while? The other day I knew I would need Bob for the upcoming races I was going to do and with 0 points on his record he kinda sucked. So I put him on LaSarthe I, sped it up X3 and let him at it for 3 hours real time with the Minolta. Does this make him better?

 

[Orion_SR]

Since this thread deals with B-Spec, mabey this question will fit.

Does Bob get better at driving if you put him on practice and leave him for a while? The other day I knew I would need Bob for the upcoming races I was going to do and with 0 points on his record he kinda sucked. So I put him on LaSarthe I, sped it up X3 and let him at it for 3 hours real time with the Minolta. Does this make him better?

If he had 0 points to start with, then any practice at all should earn some points, and this should make the B-spec driver better. However, there are many disadvantages to this strategy. If you practice without racing then he won't be able to earn any battle points, and without battle skill he'll have difficulty with shorter races. You probably earned most the points he was going to collect from that practice session in the first 4 or 5 laps. If you only practice on one track then you may be missing out on some pretty easy points available on another track, and he'll have a bit more difficulty the first time he tries a new track. If you only practice with the most powerful race cars then he'll only gain skill with the powerful race cars. On the other hand, if you only intend to race powerful race cars, then it isn't necessary to practice with less powerful vehicles. If you randomly practice, race, and collected points without tracking where you got the points, it becomes very difficult to find missing points.

Which races and vehicles did you intend to race? Perhaps I can suggest a training schedule that would quickly gain the skill required for those races - see the Saleen example in this topic, or the DTCM collections in the 10,000 Credit Plan Training Guide.

 

[SolidSnake15]

If he had 0 points to start with, then any practice at all should earn some points, and this should make the B-spec driver better. However, there are many disadvantages to this strategy. If you practice without racing then he won't be able to earn any battle points, and without battle skill he'll have difficulty with shorter races. You probably earned most the points he was going to collect from that practice session in the first 4 or 5 laps. If you only practice on one track then you may be missing out on some pretty easy points available on another track, and he'll have a bit more difficulty the first time he tries a new track. If you only practice with the most powerful race cars then he'll only gain skill with the powerful race cars. On the other hand, if you only intend to race powerful race cars, then it isn't necessary to practice with less powerful vehicles. If you randomly practice, race, and collected points without tracking where you got the points, it becomes very difficult to find missing points.

Which races and vehicles did you intend to race? Perhaps I can suggest a training schedule that would quickly gain the skill required for those races - see the Saleen example in this topic, or the DTCM collections in the 10,000 Credit Plan Training Guide.

This was before I did the GT World Championship. Bob was doing really terrible and I was having trouble with a bunch of the races.

I was focused more on giving Bob experience with the car (Minolta) than I was getting experience with the track. The car takes a while to slow down so I wanted bob to get a feel of early braking.

Although all that practice at LaSarthe did pay off. One of the extreme races was at LaSarthe and I really didn't feel like doing the race. I felt confident Bob would win. He won by a quarter of a lap.

 

[EA11R]

I've finished B-2 collection, am on day 58, and there are no issues thus far!

I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You know, when I get to start driving again...

In the meantime, I've just downloaded an LFS demo to my comp, and it's delightful! Difficult, though, with keyboard.

EDIT: Make that, C-2 Prep! I've just built the 807 bhp Mercedes, and will start the C-2 collection sometime. The pattern hasn't betrayed me yet!

*Exclamation point overload*

 

[Orion_SR]

Rock on. Thanks for the update. I'm glad everything is going well. I'm particularly fond of the 1st two SL 65 AMG vs McLaren races - best viewed from the cinematic view of the McLaren. The Clio series is another favorite. I have a few variations on that vehicle with complete collection sets.

I'm still struggling with trying to add another 29 tracks to my collection. I've been running the Championships since they lock in the lineups. The SL 65 AMG got another turn at the Pan Euro Championship. The 5 race series added 3 new tracks. An Impreza WRX played double duty in the Stars of the Pleiads and collected B and C class points; 3 new tracks each series. I had planned to enter the WRX in the Japan Championship as a B and C class car, but there aren't that many new tracks to be gleaned from that series so I'm holding off for a while. However, I'm also working to increase game completion so I might revisit this series soon.

I'm having fun with the RX-8 Races now. I'm fairly certain I can get this vehicle to compete for B-1 floating points if the tracks are generous enough in combination. This might be a more profitable replacement for my beloved Crossfire series. The startup costs are fairly low as well so it's a good starter plan for a 110,000 credit start or test save.

 

[EA11R]

There's a number scramble in your Day 77 times: It's listed as MOV.462 and time 6:10.546, but my finish time is 6:10.462. I've checked my B-Spec points, and they're all the same as yours, but I won't save until a few more races pass, just to make sure I didn't very subtly screw up.

EDIT: I just redid it and got 6:10.250. What's going on here?

 

[Orion_SR]

It's difficult to tell what the difference could be. I occasionally get slightly different results and I'm never sure why. For this specific race, I switched the order of the collection a little, and perhaps didn't notice this subtle change. In my 1st run I ran this series to finish off the track points after all floating points were collected. In the final version I collected these track points first so I could keep one of the Clio Trophy Cars. Usually when I switch the order of races everything remains the same except the point progression, but sometimes not, and I'm not sure why.

However, I don't think there is anything to be concerned about. These races are only for the track points, and usually they aren't too much of a concern, especially for such a good race. Don't worry for now, these track points shouldn't change anything on the D-1 and D-2 collections. If you end up 1 point short at the end you can hit this track one more time - I doubt it will be necessary.

Still, after such a long succession of matching race times I can see that this might be a bit worrisome. I'm not sure how to document this.

Added: If you are nervous about that unusual time, I can work up the point progression for the other ending: sell off the last Clio Trophy car, collect the D-1 and D-2 points, then hit the DTCM for the confirming track points.