GT4 License Tests: I Give Up

[F310B]

I'm not convinced as to the point of putting driving aids in most of the S-license tests. ASM and TCS, set correctly, will make you faster. But they take away from the driving/learning experience. In S13, the Audi R8, which should be a frickin monster, is reduced to child's play to drive by driver aids. Same with the Bentley in S15.

Something else annoys me, not to do with licenses. The 5 second penalty for colliding with computer cars. Even if he rammed you off the track. It drives me mad.

If I met the person who came up with that idea in the pub, I would buy him a pint. Then I would chuck the contents in his face. Then I would spit on him. Then I would insult his mother.

 

[MaxPower1]

Well, after barely passing my iB licenses I'm pretty much stuck on most of the iA licenses, let alone any of the S licenses. I've decided to just plain give up and load a cheat save game as it's no longer fun to try to hone my driving ability past a certain point to continue on with the game.

When the game came out, I went nuts with my gameplay time and eventually I have completed and gotten silver or higher in all the B and A licenses. Recently, I just spent hours trying to get halfway through iA license after spending hours squeaking through with bronze in the iB license.

I admit that I'm obviously not as good as a driver as everyone else who has gotten gold or silver or whatever on all the licenses. I don't have a problem with that pecking order. I'm just tired of trying over and over again to get those licenses instead of doing what I really enjoy - racing and buying cars and tuning them.

I'm about 55% complete with the game and my only obstacles are the races that require licenses I don't have. I love the racing aspect but have truly grown to hate the licensing portion. For years and with all the other GT games I used to preach "license tests teach you how to drive!" but to me, it's clear that in GT4 this is not the case.

I will have a TON of fun racing and winning a challenging course with my ASM and TCM-off car for 100 aspec points but when it comes license time on the same course, I can't even score bronze. That's frustrating and really, not fun to me anymore. I feel no pride anymore from squeaking through a license with all bronze, only the sadness of wasting hours and hours doing routine busywork instead of racing like I want to.

Once I had a pride level with GT2 and GT3, thinking I could muscle and sweat and strain my way through all the races and through all the licenses. Get all the cars and all the colors for my garage, and whatnot.

I just can't do it with GT4. Maybe I'm just getting older and I covet my spare time more than I used to when I played those older GT games and run those license tests 1000 times to get Gold. Maybe my skill level has decreased. Maybe my TV is bigger or my wheel is more sensitive. Whatever the case is, I'm tired of fighting with it.

Sadly this means I gotta wipe my save and load up a downloaded Xport save with all licenses and a trillion credits, and start over. Cheating yes, but to me, it means getting more from the game and increasing it's value.

Then you should learn to drive...

 

[hitman146]

cheating is not the way to solve your problems just try try try until you get it

 

[Killg0re]

i can't see what kinda satisfaction cheating would give. To me i bought the game, and just use a save game from someone else spoils the whole fun. I agree that it
might become frustrating when you aint getting any further with those licenses. Am not a superskilled driver, but i manage in there.

To get all golds isn't my thing(yet), but to get bronze wasn't that though. So that leaves a few options, one's that i might be better than i believe i am, or 2nd: others aint committed or skilled enough. And i agree that when u "cheat" with a savegame, you also get in trouble with the races with those cheated licences.

my conclusion, i will NOT cheat by using a savegame from someone else, cause it will ruin my "goal" and proud. But i think it is up to everyone him/herself to cheat or not to cheat, it's importend that you are enjoying the game, and that differs from one to another, how to enjoy it.....

 

[F310B]

To those who say license tests don't teach you how to drive, you are wrong! They will teach you much quicker and better than races will. In races you can afford to be lazy. You can win a close race after working hard, and think it was because you drove well, when it wasn't; when in reality you had quite a good car. With license tests that margin of comfort does not exist.

Cheat if you want, but don't ever think license tests don't teach you how to drive.

 

[gsavill90]

Sadly this means I gotta wipe my save and load up a downloaded Xport save with all licenses and a trillion credits, and start over. Cheating yes, but to me, it means getting more from the game and increasing it's value.

You wont get more from the game, you'll feel empty and upset. It took me ages to complete the licenses up to S, even in bronze, but now that ive done it i feel good about it. It is possible its just you need to dedicate loads of your time.

This is a stratagy with all the lisence tests in:
http://cheatplanet.com/ps2strategy/gran_turismo_4.txt 👍

 

[schuey87]

Just tried iA16 (The Nissan R92CP on a section of Le Manns). Bl**dy hell. Nearest I can get is about 2.5 seconds off the gold time, coming out of the first corner onto the straight I'm about 0.3/0.4 secs in front of the demo car when watching the replays and I'm as quick as he is through the corners, but the car just kills it when I try and accelerate out of any of those 2nd gear corners after the long straight. The amount of wheelspin is ridiculous, I tried staying in 3rd and it reduced the wheelspin a lot although it was still there, but it loses you so much time when it is really quite a bit of speed from what speed I should be doing in 3rd. How can I avoid this wheelspin? I watched the replay and the guy there is throttling about 3/4 when exiting the corner, even when I'm throttling half the wheelspin is unbearable, its like hes driving a different car. Don't get me wrong I love it when the ASM is off, but turing the TCM off on a 900hp car is lunacy isnt it?
Any tips?

 

[Deondre]

I'm glad they made some of the stuff as 'difficult' as they did. I went back last night to get rid of alot of those ugly bronze medal and trade them in for golds! I did all of B and A and am 2 away from doing Ib and 3 away from finishing Ia. Even got a couple of golds on some of the S license tests! After playing through the game for so long I've gotten a mich better "feel" for the game and my patience has grown alot more!

 

[katana87]

when i first started the game i didnt really care of how i did on the licenses i just passed them all with the majorty of them being bronze. But once i'm done with the game i will go back and do them over get gold on all of them.

The only time that i cheat is when i have completely finished the whole game and just get the credit amount cheat, so that i dont have to worry about my money and just make really good cars and race my friends.

Do any of you have any good ideas what cars would make a very good race? as in to say that the most important thing is your driving style. We ran short on what to race dont know. too many cars.

Thank you any suggestions would be great, this would make a great thread.

 

[Ax Battler]

I'm finding the S-Licences impossible, on the demo of the Amalfi course the car clings to the road, it never jumps or skids when I try it the car is all over the place and I have to slow right down to control it, I was 8 seconds outside of a bronze.

I get right the way through the course then the car suddenly decides it wants to spin out or I skim against a cone, they made this far too hard.

 

[Lethalchem]

I'm finding the S-Licences impossible, on the demo of the Amalfi course the car clings to the road, it never jumps or skids when I try it the car is all over the place and I have to slow right down to control it, I was 8 seconds outside of a bronze.

I get right the way through the course then the car suddenly decides it wants to spin out or I skim against a cone, they made this far too hard.

Don't think of the gas and brake as "on/off" switches. You don't have to go full throttle or full brakes. Sometimes you just need slight pressure (that's why they have the gas and brake gauges), or sometimes you simply need to "lift" off the throttle momentarily. 👍

 

[Ax Battler]

I managed to get bronze on that eventually, I've done 8 of the S-license tests but they are really proving difficult, each one is taking ages, I know they're not meant to be easy but the things you fail for seem too minor and it gets damn frustrating to fail for skimming a barrier right near the end. I dread to think what the ring one will be like

 

[wfooshee]

I'll add my 2 cents worth to this thread. As an experienced competiton driver, I will tell you that:

YOU CANNOT MAKE UP TIME IN A TURN.

DEEP BRAKING IS FOR PASSING, NOT FOR SPEED.

ONE MPH EXIT SPEED IS WORTH 100 TIMES MORE THAN 1 10TH OF A SECOND LATER BRAKING.

The caps and emphasis are not because I'm yelling rudely, it's because these are the three biggest causes of failing to drive quickly.

A turn has a speed. You cannot exceed that speed by trying harder, pushing deeper, whatever. Doing so runs you off the outside. You have to wait for the turn to finish before you can go faster.

By "outbraking" a competitor, you are hoping to force him further off-line than you have to go, and thus exit the corner in front. In doing so, however, traffic ahead of you will be farther away, and traffic behind you will have gained. Deep braking is not faster, it is merely a way to punt him out of the way. When driving by yourself, as in license tests or time trials, there is only pain when missing the brake point.

Every MPH you start a straight with is with you until the next application of the brakes. The ghost cars in the license tests absolutely prove this. You dive past the ghost car into the turn, you're way ahead of him at the apex, but since you probably didn't actually hit the apex, or you're still trying to slow down enough to make the turn, he drives away from you out of the turn. Thus the converse: every MPH you leave in the turn is lost forever. No track in GT4 shows this better than Laguna Seca. It absolutely punishes you for late braking. You can brake less than half a second late at each turn, and you'll be off ten or fifteen seconds for the lap, because you'll have no exit speeds on those long straights.

 

[JohnBM01]

I know that sometimes you have to cheat to win, but this is nowhere near fair. Why cheat, especially in Gran Turismo 4? Is GT4 just a cheap one-night stand? Is it just a game you can breeze through without getting anything for having some sense of accomplishment? Is it so boring that you just want to get to the end without having to endure through the rigors of endurances and tough times? As it's asked, where's the satisfaction in cheating? What's accomplished by GameSharking a game this advanced and challenging? Or did you know this game is challenging? This game isn't a cheap thrill. It's the real deal. As it's called, how can you enjoy "The Real Driving Simulator" if you can't drive? It's like trying to be Iron Chef when you can't cook worth anything! Did Mario Andretti acheive greatness by going beyond the rules? Did Jacky Ickx sleep his way to 6 outright Le Mans victories? The answers to all is "hell no, John!" If GT4 is horribly cheap so that cheating is the way to go, then you'll get some respect for it. It's like when I kept hearing people say that "MegaMan: Network Transmission" (GameCube) was difficult, it was a hard game, but it could be beaten. And I did just that last year.

I guess the reason why GT4 is so uninteresting to some people is maybe... (1) "it's no Burnout 3." (2) It's impossible to beat. (3) I just don't care for the actual GAMEPLAY. Either any of these or (4) I just want to beat it and get on with life. Learn to drive. The license tests can help. And not to be rude, but if you can't drive, you're not going to pass the License Tests. There is B-Spec mode, but you'll have to learn A-Spec if you're going to get anywhere in the game. Cheating is a sin, not a necessity. Cheating through GT4 is for people who simply didn't care about the game since its arrival. If PD wanted to, for every cheat enabled in the game, PD could have taken away your credit winnings and give you a loss in your Win Ratio as well as 6th Place finish (regardless where you finish). And if in a championship, you lose EVERYTHING you won. Anything to stress that driving is better than cheating, PD will do it and more.

 

[Ax Battler]

It's only a game, people spend their hard earned money on it they can do with it as they please. Some people struggle badly on the license tests and just want to race but they can't do all the races without the licences so they cheat. I can't see the problem if that's what people want to do, I've never cheated myself though you could argue repeating the DTM race is 'cheating'

 

[GuyNamedJohn]

What's accomplished by GameSharking a game this advanced and challenging? Or did you know this game is challenging? This game isn't a cheap thrill. It's the real deal. As it's called, how can you enjoy "The Real Driving Simulator" if you can't drive? It's like trying to be Iron Chef when you can't cook worth anything! Did Mario Andretti acheive greatness by going beyond the rules? Did Jacky Ickx sleep his way to 6 outright Le Mans victories?

Well, I can honestly say that, having now gotten myself down to only .409 seconds away from completing Mission 11, the satisfaction is incomparable! I KNOW I'm going to get it. I can taste it! So, I know what you're saying John. Nice post and thoughtful argument against using a cheat device to short-circuit the gaming experience.

However. There are many people out there who love the game but are just not that good at it, and who, for one reason or another may never be ace drivers among the top echelon. We're all very good at different things in life; for some people, being a video game wizard isn't it.

For me, opening up my game with a Codebreaker is not a sacrilege. For me, using a cheat device to open the game up to goodies I may NEVER otherwise see hold no conflicts with still immensely enjoying the many, varied challenges. For me, the two can co-exist. I have seen no degradation in my enjoyment of the game (in fact, my enjoyment has only been heightened), and still play IT and nothing else.

You know what would be a "sin"? Throwing one's hands up and walking away from GT4 out of sheer disillusionment and frustration, and never getting to experience the fun that it holds.

This is why we must be careful not to pass harsh judgment upon those who struggle just to, for example, get through the license tests. Not everyone has the ability or the sheer time required to development these skills.

They oughtn't be berated for coming forth publicly and honestly admitting they don't.

Cheers ~

 

[SuperCobraJet]

I'll add my 2 cents worth to this thread. As an experienced competiton driver, I will tell you that:

YOU CANNOT MAKE UP TIME IN A TURN.

DEEP BRAKING IS FOR PASSING, NOT FOR SPEED.

ONE MPH EXIT SPEED IS WORTH 100 TIMES MORE THAN 1 10TH OF A SECOND LATER BRAKING.
Every MPH you start a straight with is with you until the next application of the brakes. The ghost cars in the license tests absolutely prove this.

I couldn't agree more. While the license tests can be very aggravating especially when you have to use a "crap car", the key is just what you have mentioned. Any one you are having trouble with, STUDY the demo run. This will help you drive the line, braking and speed you need to run, particularly off the corners. For me, it helps to be in the right frame of mind, and have the patience to make the sometimes many attempts necessary to complete. If I don't, I will just run some other races. But the main ingredient is; the challenge is before you and it can be done!
BTW, cheat if you like, but anybody can do it that way.

 

[Sharkey]

Something else annoys me, not to do with licenses. The 5 second penalty for colliding with computer cars. Even if he rammed you off the track. It drives me mad.

If I met the person who came up with that idea in the pub, I would buy him a pint. Then I would chuck the contents in his face. Then I would spit on him. Then I would insult his mother.

Ditto. That stupid penalty system drives me nuts too. I absolutely hate it when he ramms me and then I get the penalty. No damn logic at all.

 

[SuperCobraJet]

Just tried iA16 (The Nissan R92CP on a section of Le Manns). Bl**dy hell. Nearest I can get is about 2.5 seconds off the gold time, coming out of the first corner onto the straight I'm about 0.3/0.4 secs in front of the demo car when watching the replays and I'm as quick as he is through the corners, but the car just kills it when I try and accelerate out of any of those 2nd gear corners after the long straight. The amount of wheelspin is ridiculous, I tried staying in 3rd and it reduced the wheelspin a lot although it was still there, but it loses you so much time when it is really quite a bit of speed from what speed I should be doing in 3rd. How can I avoid this wheelspin? I watched the replay and the guy there is throttling about 3/4 when exiting the corner, even when I'm throttling half the wheelspin is unbearable, its like hes driving a different car. Don't get me wrong I love it when the ASM is off, but turing the TCM off on a 900hp car is lunacy isnt it?
Any tips?

Practice getting off the first corner, there is alot of time there. As for the traction problem, you will have to baby the throttle a little especially on the last corner.

 

[Sakurazuka]

YOU CANNOT MAKE UP TIME IN A TURN.
DEEP BRAKING IS FOR PASSING, NOT FOR SPEED.
ONE MPH EXIT SPEED IS WORTH 100 TIMES MORE THAN 1 10TH OF A SECOND LATER BRAKING.

Hello everybody.

I totally agree 👍
That's why I love Gran Turismo series (I've played GT1, GT2 and now GT4) a lot.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think this fact is more obvious in GT4 than in GT 1 or 2.

The most time-savers for time attack are brakes, tyres and shocks. Power come after.

 

[Darts]

It's only a game, people spend their hard earned money on it they can do with it as they please. Some people struggle badly on the license tests and just want to race but they can't do all the races without the licences so they cheat. I can't see the problem if that's what people want to do, I've never cheated myself though you could argue repeating the DTM race is 'cheating'

Cause there are over 729 to buy with lots of them being very expensive, that isn't cheating.

 

[neilX]

I'll add my 2 cents worth to this thread. As an experienced competiton driver, I will tell you that:
YOU CANNOT MAKE UP TIME IN A TURN.
DEEP BRAKING IS FOR PASSING, NOT FOR SPEED.
ONE MPH EXIT SPEED IS WORTH 100 TIMES MORE THAN 1 10TH OF A SECOND LATER BRAKING.

I totally agree with this.

To those who say license tests don't teach you how to drive, you are wrong! They will teach you much quicker and better than races will.

I totally agree with that too - the Licence Tests are there to make you a better driver and I believe that they do just that if you learn how to complete them all.

I've played all the GT games and my "driving skills" have been improving with each version. The Bronze awards aren't very difficult to get and if you're not able to achieve that much, then I think you need more practice before you're really able to compete properly in races that require that level of qualification.

There have been some tests in GT4 that initially seemed extremely hard, but with a few attempts and some practice, I'm able for them all.

Just the other night, I spent 1:30 just doing Coffee Break 4!
I'd managed Gold in about 40 minutes, but I wasn't satisfied: I'd only got 40.998, the demo driver got 40.999 and the Gold time is 41.000. So, I kept going until I got 40.619, and even then I was able to see that I was going very wrong in a few places and I knew that I should be able to get under 40. I took me 1:30 to get to that stage though, and there would be no other way to get that far without practice.

I think that Bronze is achievable for everyone and for those who are having difficulites, the only solution is to keep going at it!

 

[Speeden]

How do you get gt3 to gt4? (lisence)

 

[wfooshee]

Just tried iA16 (The Nissan R92CP on a section of Le Manns). Bl**dy hell. Nearest I can get is about 2.5 seconds off the gold time, coming out of the first corner onto the straight I'm about 0.3/0.4 secs in front of the demo car when watching the replays and I'm as quick as he is through the corners, but the car just kills it when I try and accelerate out of any of those 2nd gear corners after the long straight. The amount of wheelspin is ridiculous, I tried staying in 3rd and it reduced the wheelspin a lot although it was still there, but it loses you so much time when it is really quite a bit of speed from what speed I should be doing in 3rd. How can I avoid this wheelspin? I watched the replay and the guy there is throttling about 3/4 when exiting the corner, even when I'm throttling half the wheelspin is unbearable, its like hes driving a different car. Don't get me wrong I love it when the ASM is off, but turing the TCM off on a 900hp car is lunacy isnt it?
Any tips?

You may be applying throttle a bit early. If the car isn't "lined up" yet, throttle will throw the tail, and wheelspin is greater with one side light. This is part of what makes the license test in IA at the back chicane on Fuji so difficult, also. Wait just a little bit, and roll the throttle in, rather than slamming it on and backing off when the wheelspin starts; it's too late then.

 

[neilX]

How do you get gt3 to gt4? (lisence)

You can't.
If you have a GT3 save, you can go into the Status screen in your Garage and import a limited amount of money from GT3.

If you have GT4 Prologue, you can get passes for just the National A & B licenses, but you don't get the prize cars.

 

[ali900]

🤬-The-Tests!!
ITS VERY HARD at s licence... i can do it but it takes me SO much time and concerntration!!!
Also..... the coffee breaks are NOT a stress take away... i use to have MORE fun on prolouge but gt coffee's just doesnt feel so good...
💡 id rather buy a car.. tune and drift it which is more fun!! 💡
but the tests are so
and the last S licence test is a ... c9 sauber on the nurb! which is
i know ... sorry about the smilies if they are gettin anoying but no mood to type alot lol....

i rather went and did the beginer hall and the mission hall from the licence which got me a car
beginer hall is much better as its now atlast with cars than a timer... might help you take the stress away... i took my anger out on a AI lol... but its all good
Keep trying... im on the S licence part and it is hell for me... but il keep trying!!

 

[L28eT]

One of the first things I did in ALL the Gran Turismo games was do the licenses...ALL of them...Before I even do a Sunday Cup...that's what I do....
I realize that licenses can be hard...as for me I fly through them like in an hour or so with silvers and golds to top it off...I don't...If I were you and were really frustrated I'd just use the cheat...I don't use cheat, I like to go "All game, no cheat" style. But if I were you I'd just use the cheat

Good Luck

 

[Jimbo6666]

The tests are hard ,at least to get gold. But if you cheat you can't get the 100 percent game finished car ,can you ? Which one is it btw ?
Also I've seen you don't need to get gold in the coffee breaks to receive the gold licence car.Is that right ?

 

[TheChemist]

Black Formula GT is the 100% prize.

 

[GuyNamedJohn]

How do you get gt3 to gt4? (lisence)

What neilX said but with clarifications:

1) You can import B License, A License, and up to 100,000 credits all from a GT3 save. It does not have to be Prologue.
2) You can ONLY do so at the very start of your GT4 game.