[Hypothetical] Supposing I came last every race...

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RikkiGT-R

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Having watched a lot of videos lately, and read numerous threads of people being rightly disgruntled at GTS' penalty system, it got me thinking...

Supposing I start each race and actively avoid other drivers, make no effort to defend the racing line, move over to let basically anyone past and so on. Would that effect my rating negatively? I'm by no means a beginner, but I've always avoiding playing online because people, by and large, are idiots. They are actively idiotic and go out of their way to be absolute morons. The penalty system in GTS has done nothing to temper these persuasions.
I've got the game ordered now, should be here by Thursday, and I'm going to have to race online. But I'm genuinely considering simply taking part, starting the race and getting to the finish line with as little fuss as possible. My #1 goal for any race will be to finish it without ever so much as bumping into another driver, even if that means slowing down from first place at the last corner to let #2 past - just in case he might crash into me otherwise. I really don't care.

So hypothetically, where would that get me? Is there a negative rating for back markers? I'm not going to intentionally come last, I'll still drive the way I drive, but I will not be aggressive/defensive in the slightest. I've noticed there is an economy in-game (yay), but will I not earn money at all unless I push for podium finishes?
 
Don't stress it mate! Take your time to adjust to the game and then just jump in.
You will have some bad races with really bad drivers.
But you also have a ton of races with lots of fun.

If you say that you are able to stay behind a car if there is no space, understand when where to attack (and where not) you are already above alot of other players, especially in the lower ranks.

I recommend to just go for it. Your DriverRank will level according to your skill. Don't be afraid
There are some posts where the DR & SR calculation is explained (pls, use search). it helps ;-)
 
What kind of race driver doesn't defend? That's not racing. You may as well mow your lawn instead and save your money, racing clearly isn't for you.

Yes a fair point. But as I said in my OP, I’ve read a lot of negative stuff which has me concerned that racing online will only end up annoying me. And it’s supposed to be fun.

But going by the other replies I may be misunderstanding what the reality actually is. My only experience of racing online so far is with Forza - and I hope you’re aware how bad that is and why I feel the way I do.

Incidentally, I have held multiple hardcore records on Forza as extreme as F1 cars in the rain (no assists) so I’m not exactly a beginner driver. I just have concerns about my efforts being ruined by idiots :banghead:
 
I come from Forza too, switched a year ago and I can tell you the online behavior is like night and day. In GTS there is much less chaos. The idiots which remain are rather sneacky lil *** who punt you here and there. T1 at Monza is still chaos even in GTS, so there is no change, but overall you very often get racing how it's suppost to be. I think you will be having more trouble getting your head around the physics, because they are bit tricky at first. But once you get the groove on it is so much more rewarding than forza, trust me. Just don't think to much and race. Trial and error is the way to go. ;)
 
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You'll be fine!
If you can keep up the motivation to get to the higher ranks (A and above) and keep your Sportmanship rating up, you'll have get great races!
And if you are as skilled as metioned, you should have no problem with that.
 
You should bang out a few Race C's for starters then, it'll build up your sportsmanship rating ten times quicker then race A's and B's.
Although even at 99 max SR you'll still find the occasional idiot.
Picking the right time of day to game can make a big difference to the types of crowds you encounter as well.

Also earning credits in online mode is a joke, completing offline challenges and a little grind of some campaign stuff is the way to build a stable of the cars you'll want and need.
 
So hypothetically, where would that get me? Is there a negative rating for back markers?
The lowest possible DR score is 1. For the first five races the game will hold you with a DR rank of E before allowing you to become a DR D - this is the only time you will be E ranked. You can build your SR in that time (it starts at B, and unlike DR it can fall to E), so it's entirely possible to be DR E and SR S.

You won't face any penalty for doddering around in last, other than being unable to increase your DR score from 1.
 
You'll be fine!
If you can keep up the motivation to get to the higher ranks (A and above) and keep your Sportmanship rating up, you'll have get great races!
And if you are as skilled as metioned, you should have no problem with that.

I’m a lot more seasoned than my OP might have suggested. I’m definitely not a newcomer, I always drive with a wheel and absolutely no assists active - I prefer it hardcore.
It really was mainly a hypothetical question, as I’ve watched guys like Super GT playing the game and getting all manner of penalties when they clearly weren’t at fault, so I hypothesised avoiding people at all costs (and would that affect my rating negatively).

I will feel my way into it and see how it goes :scared:

The lowest possible DR score is 1. For the first five races the game will hold you with a DR rank of E before allowing you to become a DR D - this is the only time you will be E ranked. You can build your SR in that time (it starts at B, and unlike DR it can fall to E), so it's entirely possible to be DR E and SR S.

You won't face any penalty for doddering around in last, other than being unable to increase your DR score from 1.

Cheers Famine. On that note I’ll just play a “wait and see” kinda game, I’m really keen to get off on the right foot.
Because I’m coming to the party quite late, I’d be mortified to get a load of unfair penalties right off the bat which would make me look like a noob without a clue - which is the real reason I’m asking this question :D
 
I’m a lot more seasoned than my OP might have suggested. I’m definitely not a newcomer, I always drive with a wheel and absolutely no assists active - I prefer it hardcore.

You'll probably want to turn on ABS. I've heard in other games ABS off allows you more control of your braking inputs, not so much in GTS. You'll find that pretty much everybody leaves ABS on in this game.
 
You'll probably want to turn on ABS. I've heard in other games ABS off allows you more control of your braking inputs, not so much in GTS. You'll find that pretty much everybody leaves ABS on in this game.
Opinion on the forum seems to back this up strongly, although after the last update there's a few who are talking about "ABS weak" setting being improved.
Traditionally there's been a lot of grumbling about the game having a very non linear throttle (not sure if that's fixed now) and I think some people used to also complain about the brake pedal having a bit of a dead zone.
Just something to consider and adjust for if you find the pedals not responding the way you expect.
 
Thanks for the heads-up regarding ABS, I'll bear that in mind when I get up and running.
 
If you‘re actually fast and catch up with the physics just set a quali-time and you‘ll probably end up in the first few rows of the grid every race. Since you‘re a seasoned racer you should be able to run away from slower drivers pretty quick or be able to force them into errors by applying pressure :)

Have fun! :gtpflag:
 
I totally get where you're coming from. For that exact reason I've never did an FIA season at any level. I know it's just a game but I was totally put off by my 2nd and 3rd ever FIA race. Cars stuck on the grid and then racing alone while the race was ongoing in the background somehow. Then of course there's the penalty system. I don't have the patience for crap like that and I shouldn't have to.
 
Having watched a lot of videos lately, and read numerous threads of people being rightly disgruntled at GTS' penalty system, it got me thinking...

Supposing I start each race and actively avoid other drivers, make no effort to defend the racing line, move over to let basically anyone past and so on. Would that effect my rating negatively? I'm by no means a beginner, but I've always avoiding playing online because people, by and large, are idiots. They are actively idiotic and go out of their way to be absolute morons. The penalty system in GTS has done nothing to temper these persuasions.
I've got the game ordered now, should be here by Thursday, and I'm going to have to race online. But I'm genuinely considering simply taking part, starting the race and getting to the finish line with as little fuss as possible. My #1 goal for any race will be to finish it without ever so much as bumping into another driver, even if that means slowing down from first place at the last corner to let #2 past - just in case he might crash into me otherwise. I really don't care.

So hypothetically, where would that get me? Is there a negative rating for back markers? I'm not going to intentionally come last, I'll still drive the way I drive, but I will not be aggressive/defensive in the slightest. I've noticed there is an economy in-game (yay), but will I not earn money at all unless I push for podium finishes?

Its massively overblown, sure theres always idiots but they will be low ranked if they're doing it purposely and regularly.
If you are a decent racer and can keep the car on track for multiple laps with a similar laptime youll have no trouble moving up.
People always assume the worst too, remember most people are sat at home and especially now have distractions at home so theres always potential for accidental hits.

Id say 85% of the 400+ races i've had went by without a hitch.
This game is a revelation on console for multiplayer racing and is way ahead of anything else.
 
T1 at Monza is still chaos even in GTS

Most circuits can be, but things calm down after that. And I would suggest it is for one obvious but over-looked reason: on a flying lap we are 99.9% aware of our braking distances. On a rolling start approaching the 1st corner we have a completely new speed that can nearly always be inconsistent as we don't know our starting position until we get matched so there is no way we can practice a braking point from a new speed and distance. I think the majority of folk in fairness do try their best.
 
Most circuits can be, but things calm down after that. And I would suggest it is for one obvious but over-looked reason: on a flying lap we are 99.9% aware of our braking distances. On a rolling start approaching the 1st corner we have a completely new speed that can nearly always be inconsistent as we don't know our starting position until we get matched so there is no way we can practice a braking point from a new speed and distance. I think the majority of folk in fairness do try their best.

Sorry, but i disagree. if you run into this issue, your approach is questionable.
If you drive on a racetrack and are "not sure where my brake point is here!", then brake earlier ffs.
otherwise that's just something "that makes you look bad!", and rightly so

i think the problem here is the mindset of players. There is ALWAYS that dude that's "going for it"... because "if you are no longer going for a gap...." bla bla blurp... you know the bull****tery.

But, Lebowski is still right. It happens. And it happens too often as well.
 
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If you don’t enjoy sport mode, there are plenty of privately run leagues to find on this forum that are fun, friendly and clean.

I get the frustrations and the penalty system has gone backwards, however if you pick your races and don’t let it get to you it’s the best racing game I’ve played in years.
 
I really do appreciate all the replies!
I’m expecting GTS delivered any day now as well as my TH8A shifter to complete the setup.

I’m really not as bad as I made out in my OP, it’s just that I’ll be 40 in July (been a gamer all my life really) and yet I have never actively played online. So this is a big step for me to commit to doing it, and I don’t want my motivation killed/fun ruined.
I guess people only start threads and post videos when they are annoyed so it’s all I’ve seen lately, and that has given me a skewed impression of the game.

I am genuinely looking forward to it now :gtpflag:
 
I’m older than you. I approached sport mode with caution also.
I did a couple n100 as my first races, treating the race as if it was my car.
I avoided incident and when I received my safety rank it was S immediately.
You will want to maintain 99 sr points as much as possible. If you drop below S 99.
(Your S on your homepage in game will be bright white) then you will want to regain 99 ASAP. At 99 you can race, below that imo the best priority is to get 99 again.
Below S to A on sr begins to get chaotic.
Below A is chaos.
My advice is forget DR just retain 99 sr at all times.
When you get down below A people have no idea what to do and there are people intentionally wrecking others. It’s a joke down there.
I’d say stay 99 value sr above dr and you will be fine long term.
At times drivers will get into the 99 lobbies who are not regulars and cause BS, but over time its the best you will get.
I wouldn’t be discouraged by videos etc, play for yourself and you will see...
 
@Groundfish - thanks for the great info!
Can you shed any light on using a shifter? In case the other guy doesn’t get back to me.

I’ve just spent £150 on it, I’d at least like to be able to use it in time trials etc :nervous:
 
@Groundfish - thanks for the great info!
Can you shed any light on using a shifter? In case the other guy doesn’t get back to me.

I’ve just spent £150 on it, I’d at least like to be able to use it in time trials etc :nervous:

So far I have drawn the line at shifter purchase, so I don’t currently use one. Can’t help ya there. I’m sure you can use it on the cars that allow it in areas outside sport mode.
I didn’t even click on the race entry button for the looongest time. First race I was in about sixth place, at Tsukuba and some cars ahead (3) were going at it getting rough. I lifted to keep a safe distance, and the game gave me a green sr up arrow!
So from that point on I associated sage behaviors with the happy green arrows.
It’s quite funny because it was simply coinciding with me finishing a clean sector, nothing to do with lifting.
I think it’s best to not overtake unless you are certain the spots yours until you get to mid high B or so on dr.
Then you can begin to race harder.
After you try the online you will know if it’s for you after some races.
I was instantly hooked, personally.
 
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