Does anyone know how B-Spec mode actually works?

[Azhur]

^Definitely, the same as everyone else does, and this doesn't change with his strength levels. He doesn't stay either hot or cold for a different amount amount of time as his strength depletes, either. There's always the risk of him being more careless and burning through more tire when he's at max temp, but this has gotten less risky as his level has increased. I look forward to watching him drive for 24 hours straight. I hear race car drivers lose about 1 pound from sweat alone during an hour of driving.

I hope this doesn't get patched soon...

Is your driver having to fight for position at all once tired in these races? I definitely notice an increased likelihood of mistakes from tired drivers battling for position. They can overtake lapped cars that are pulling over for them just fine, but they will be making too many mistakes to keep a position or gain a position if they have to fight for it. When they're just cruising around it doesn't seem to matter at all like you said though. As for the lap times, the car is lighter so it should be faster late in those enduros. Getting a clear lap to run fast is the real challenge at that point.

 

[ccmar]

Asking for facts about B-Spec is a fruitless task, there are loads of differing opinions. All I know is that my B-Spec idiot can drive lambo murchilago chrome line without issue, but put him in a Toyota Vitz (thats about 50HP more powerful than the competitions) and he's lost. The "mistakes" he makes are not mistakes, he gets the car around a corner, then the algorithm that decides on whether he makes a mistake or not decides its time for a mistake and he guns the accelerator and drives off the track. I've stopped with B-Spec now, can't take any more of it until I get facts as to how to play it, too much conjecture at the moment.

I agree with you, and although I haven't given up (yet) on b-spec mode I just wish there were some kind of manual for it because so far (lvl 13) the only viable strategy I've found to win is giving my drivers overpowered cars. That vitz cup was an absolute b**** to win, it was the last one I won among beginner events and it took my lvl 6 or 7 (at the time) driver at least half a dozen attempts. What we need is facts and guidelines, not a 5 line paragraph in some half assed 8 page manual printed in black and white.

 

[iReznor]

You get some really nice cars in B spec.(furai)

Overall, you get better prize cars in B-Spec. That's the only reason I'm doing B-Spec. I really want the GT by Citroen. I doubt I'll play B-Spec again after that.

 

[Troux]

Is your driver having to fight for position at all once tired in these races? I definitely notice an increased likelihood of mistakes from tired drivers battling for position. They can overtake lapped cars that are pulling over for them just fine, but they will be making too many mistakes to keep a position or gain a position if they have to fight for it. When they're just cruising around it doesn't seem to matter at all like you said though. As for the lap times, the car is lighter so it should be faster late in those enduros. Getting a clear lap to run fast is the real challenge at that point.

No. I've kept a close eye on him throughout long races (he'll run empty in Extreme, and I think some Expert races, even), and he really seems no better or worse. If at any point I felt I needed another racer, even slightly, it would simply be a matter of putting a level 0 Bob in my Formula GT and I could have him to level 15-20 In a couple unattended hours. I really have not seen any loss of driving ability once he's been on the track 4x as long as the other guys. I was actually expecting likely outcomes, for example: less strength = sluggish with the pedals, slower turn-in and exit, less mental strength = mood swings (stays in hot or cold longer), less responsive to commands, more likely to make mistakes.

I love this game, but there really are a lot of "WTF, PD?" moments. The game is clearly unfinished, and I really feel like they were counting on pre-orders to be their testers.

 

[Hawker77]

I'm having no problems with B-Spec. It's a nice break from driving and as long as you put some upgrades on your car, its not hard at all to win races.

 

[Troux]

In GT4 it was a "nice break from driving." Now it's half of the game, and it's essentially repeating the first half, except you watch someone else play.

 

[Gazaka]

I agree it's nice for a break from driving; or even just something to do whilst eating or on the phone. I'm current B-spec 23.

Can anybody assist with the Auto Pit Strategy option? I mean, there are no guides on it and we can move this slider up or down; but to what effect? EDIT: just found out. slider is % of strength before they pit in. Hope it helps

 

[calan_svc]

In GT4 it was a "nice break from driving." Now it's half of the game, and it's essentially repeating the first half, except you watch someone else play.

And it's twice as long for crap cars and payout, with a bob that can't drive to save his arse.

PD could at least give us a "Move the hell over Bob; I'M DRIVING!" button.

 

[Crowood]

The "physical" and "mental" bars ONLY effect your driver in the "hot" area. Once your Bob is ice cold he can drive with both empty bars till forever, but he really falls to sleep in corners.

When he´s hot and the bars are empty, also you keep pushing him with "increase pace", he will make heavy cornering mistakes (spinning, crash into walls, drive in the green).

 

[eVilate]

This part I'm really unsure about, as I've yet to see any use out of the strength and mental strength bars. My only guess is that it's meant to be patched later (thanks for the unfinished game...). I'm BSpec level 29, and so far I've finished all races available to me (including all four endurance races) except for the Formula GT (JUST got my FGT) with only ever having one driver (currently level 32).

I've noticed absolutely no difference between my driver at the very start of the race and at the very end. He is no more clumsy or wreckless, no less skilled at overtakes, no less responsive to my orders, etc. As an example, on the 90 laps of Laguna Seca (I think it calls for up to 4 drivers), both bars were completely depleted by lap 20 or so (they don't recharge at all), and his fastest lap was lap 63 or so. Last night, I did the Indy 500 (calls for 4 drivers) for the 10th time or so, and my fastest lap was number 169/200, with lap 199 .2 sec behind it.

At this point, I strongly believe you're wasting your time to train a second driver, unless you want a different temperament (I actually wish I had a hothead).

Completely agree with this, although I do myself have 4 drivers. The Strength bars seem pointless as when they are depleted my drivers drive just the same. I have done the 24hr Le Mans 4 times now with 3 drivers using the X1. My drivers are out of strength on both bars by 5 or so laps and then continue to do at least twice that with the same lap times.

 

[Varegg]

The "physical" and "mental" bars ONLY effect your driver in the "hot" area. Once your Bob is ice cold he can drive with both empty bars till forever, but he really falls to sleep in corners.

When he´s hot and the bars are empty, also you keep pushing him with "increase pace", he will make heavy cornering mistakes (spinning, crash into walls, drive in the green).

Yeah ... I noticed this also ...

And ... the more you command him the faster the physical and mental bar will deteriorate ...

I've tried different strats but the one that works best so far is to command him a lot in the beginning keeping him very hot and make sure he's got a good lead and then pace down to the middle where blue meets red ... in that area he will hold the same pace as the rest ... when his mental and physical bars are empty I pace him at 1/4 roughly, he may loose a second or two pr round in that area but his lead at that point is so good it doesn't matter ...

^^ And that is my "cool" driver ...

My totally hot driver almost doesn't need directions at all ... I start out the same as with the cool guy, pace him up to a lead and then he pretty much handles his own ... if he at one point is getting caught up he will pace up by himself and pace down again when his lead is sufficient ... the cool driver in the same situation tends to let other cars pass and get away ...

My cool driver is better for high speed circuits like Indy, Monza and Daytona etc etc

My hot drivers is better when the track is more challenging ...

They all love the Mazda Furai

Cool: K. Schuhmacher (22)

Hot: S.Leonardi (22), S.He (14) G.D'Agostino (9)

Very hot: B.Lee (18), H.Potter (18)

Selecting a B.Spec driver: Don't just pick the first you find, the best drivers I have had great braking and cornering skills and a higher accuracy ...

Didn't have any problems with any race until "Like the wind", not even Historic Car cup was that difficult, aced that on the second try

Anyhow ... that's my 2 cents on the matter ...

 

[hIGHWAYtOhEAVEN]

So does anyone know how B-Spec mode actually works?

When I select Increase Pace, does he only increase his pace for the duration of the time bar that pops up when I select that option or does he increase his pace for another duration of time? How much can I change the pace (ie if I push it 5 times will it be the same as pushing it 15 times).

Do I select overtake every time I want him to overtake single vehicles or does it put him into 'overtake mode' where he will attempt to overtake every car he comes across?

Hi Tom,
this is a great read on the B-spec mode. It covers pretty much everything of it, the only problem is that it is in Italian, maybe google translate can help those who don't speak italian.
I'll try to translate it in English for you later if GoogleTranslate isn't able to make it properly.
Let me know.....

http://www.gtdrivers.it/modules/new..._id=1960&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0

Very very useful...

 

[emmepower]

Sorry, I did not read all the tread. But I need to tell this somebody
I just know my driver, lev 10, class 8, in the mini challenge does not go flat out on the straight.
It is so frustrating.

 

[Troux]

^Just watch him in the hairpins on a track like Cote, that's frustrating. Looks so robotic, like the brake and gas pedal are on/off switches.

 

[trav523]

Hi Tom,
this is a great read on the B-spec mode. It covers pretty much everything of it, the only problem is that it is in Italian, maybe google translate can help those who don't speak italian.
I'll try to translate it in English for you later if GoogleTranslate isn't able to make it properly.
Let me know.....

http://www.gtdrivers.it/modules/new..._id=1960&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0

Very very useful...

My favorite bit of google-ish so far: "When the rider is nervous, the risk is that **** face, but definitely check the best of times"

 

[jmeGT5]

Overall, you get better prize cars in B-Spec. That's the only reason I'm doing B-Spec. I really want the GT by Citroen. I doubt I'll play B-Spec again after that.

What the free X1 at Lv35 wont keep you going?

 

[TomDrum]

That Italian page is interesting to read.

I have also noticed the lack of difference between full physical and mental strength compared to none.

I'm still trying to figure out when to activate overtake because sometimes he does it himself and other times he won't until I say to.

Also it's annoying you can't cancel commands and issue new ones, it's all about timing. Has anyone else got any more explanations on how the system works?

 

[WRECKU]

They do get better with experience but at times their actions are hard to watch. I found it is best to set up a race and walk away. It is to frustrating to watch at times.

The one piece of advice is to make sure they have enough experience before they go into a tougher race. If they loose just keep grinding them on easier races till their levels build up and then tackle the harder races.

For doing nothing the rewards are great and B spec should not be overlooked. Free cars, free money and free time for you.

 

[Rotorist]

This is true to some extent.
It really depends a lot on the level of your driver.
I can keep my top driver in the maximum hot-zone almost forever without him making any mistakes at all, especially on the Daytona-oval etc.

The higher the level of your driver, the better he can cope with pressure I'd say.

Fully agree, depends also to the B-spec driver's aggressiveness.

 

[Rotorist]

It doesn't work.

It's garbage if you ask me. Guy is stupid at level 1, and stupid at level 23 (yes, need to update my sig)...

Bad choice of driver from the beginning. "He" has to be near the middle of the bar, or else "he" doesn't evolve well.

 

[Niko-H]

I still haven't figured out how the idiot B-spec drivers drive. Nor have I figured out exactly what the commands accomplish.

I know that pace up, maintain pace and pace down move his mood bar around which I think mean that if he gets too far into the red, he's more susceptible to quitting the race and starting his own personal drifting/donut competition.

And I think "overtake" means pull up alongside the other car and then slam on the brakes and watch as he drives off. On the 6th lap he finally got it though.

 

[AussieStig117]

The heat, stress, pressure metre, whatever you want to cool it is really stupid. Not every driver messes up because they are under pressure. I can't imagine how bad the B-spec drivers would do in a close NASCAR race, actually it wouldn't be close because they'd all be facing the wrong way with a bent front bumper, except for the one at the front who thinks it's a sunday drive and he needs to brake for the turns at Daytona

 

[FULL_THROTTLE]

B-Spec has 4 options:

Drive like a slow noob, Continue driving like a noob, Drive like a complete noob, Ram cars off the road

tbh, I just give my lame racing driver an X2010, he can just about win with that 👍

 

[dong29]

You want to match the in-game stress bar with the drivers global personality. When you create your driver they have different attributes that will be beneficial for different courses (cornering, braking, mental/physical strength, overall experience) and a personality bar which shows their comfort zone. During the race you want to keep the drivers stress/personality arrow where they are comfortable. If you have a "hot-headed" driver you need to push him throughout the race, keeping him high in the red. If you leave him unattended he will go to ice cold. If Bob is not in his comfort zone he will make mistakes or slow down. If you do not provide instruction, Bob will start to freelance, usually getting into trouble.

The Mental/Physical strength bars deplete throughout a race. As the physical bar depletes, Bob's ability to perform overtakes or take simple corners becomes impaired. As his mental strength decreases, his ability to follow through with your orders is impaired. Bob won't drive off the road if either bar is empty, but if you don't have an overpowered car you will lose the race.

You need to build a team of multiple drivers because of the endurance races, different skill requirements for each track, and because your driver will have days when they should not race. The latter is signified by the arrow above their helment during driver selection. Build your team with dfferent personality types and abilities.

I think PD missed an opportunity with B-spec. Incorporating RPG elements in to a team manager could have been really great. If you want to have fun in B spec, enter races with evenly matched cars. It will test your skill and unfortunately your patience.

 

[Airrider]

Yeah. Those points seem like things PD should have addressed. It's just a bit too bad that we were kind of left alone to create the unusual field of study known as Bobology.

 

[WRECKU]

Simple rules for simple Bob. Race him often in lower races till he has a lot of experience before putting him in difficult races and you will have very few problems.
I'm finished B Spec with all gold and rarely paid any attention to my Bobs.

 

[Sincx]

The Experience bar is like the drivers Age, it still increases when other drivers race because aging doesnt stop when your are sitting in the pits.
Once at his max Experience the bars that affect braking speed strength ect will start reversing instead of going up when you level up they will decrease over time once they get too low its will be wise to retire the driver and hire a new one !

It has been said you need to do 500 races in B spec total ( with whatever drivers ) to reach max Experience and earn your trophy. Just that one driver needs to have been 500 days ingame to reach that max.


As for the the Arrow, this is how your driver is performing if he races.

Up and Blue means hes at the top of his game at that moment and will give you the best lap times with the fewest mistakes.

Middle and Green means hes at normal performance

Down and Yellow means hes at his worst at the moment and will have slower lap times and make more mistakes.

Hope this clearifies that part up at least.

 

[WRECKU]

........................
It has been said you need to do 500 races in B spec total ( with whatever drivers ) to reach max Experience and earn your trophy. Just that one driver needs to have been 500 days ingame to reach that max.

.......................

My Bob's experience bar filled at 427 races and I got the trophy.

 

[tatfa]

I have put one of mine on almost every circuit he has about 150ish races and he is about 4/5th nearly done in his career, i worked on the principle he has to drive each track not how mnay times he drives "a" track .. He is now though starting to deplete in speed, i will keep him on until he ends his career if possible. Plus try to get different Bobs with different skills for different tracks , you want a Speed king for tracks like Daytona and a Twister for tracks like Deep Forest etc , Horses for courses, You don't put a Shire horse in the Derby the same way you don't put a Througherbred to pull a plough.

 

[StevenDunn99]

Just that one driver needs to have been 500 days in game to reach that max.

That is correct.

If you have only one Bob he will need to complete 500 races, but once a Bob is created he ages one day whether he races or not. eg (in theory, because I only have one bob) if you create 2 bobs at day 1 and only use one of them, then after 500 days both of their bars will be full even though 1 has never raced. People often confuse races completed with days in game.

My Bob's experience bar filled at 427 races and I got the trophy.

Yes, but that happened because he was in-game for 500 Bspec days, not for doing the 427 races.