Used Driving Force Pro - $30 CDN
Mercedes SLR McLaren - 610000 credits
Practice session at the Nurburgring Nordschleife - 0 credits (if you reset after!)
Winning Mission 34 - PRICELESS!!!!
WOOO! HOOO!
So I actually beat this S.O.B. !! Hours later and I'm still flabbergasted. I was certain I'd never beat it and I'm here to say it's possible - at least with a wheel anyway. If you win this bugger with a DS2, you should be flying Predator drones or piloting deep-sea ROVs because you have a godlike hand-eye coordination going on. All hail the DFP! I still can't believe it!! YES!
So what I did was buy an SLR, set ASM to 0 and TCS to 2, then practiced for 5 1/2 laps in GT-mode World Circuits. My laptimes were: 7:13.426, 7:06.275, 7:09.191, 7:04.257, 7:02.232 - I quit lap 6 at Karussel because it was already a slower lap than my best and I had pretty much learned my braking points by then (which is key IMHO).
Then I gave the actual mission a go. The mission car is definitely different, oversteers more into corners, and understeers more out of them. Force feedback is a godsend here, it really helps adjusting to the differences.
My first attempt was a lesson in braking properly for the pre-Flugplatz crest. I took Flugplatz on the grass the whole way around the outside and it really didn't help. I never touched the wall though, and it was a good lap otherwise, but I only passed 2nd place exiting the final corner and I never saw the 300 SL.
Attempt #2 saw me put the right rear on the grass in the uphill braking zone leading up to Adenauer Forst, spinning and ramming the nose in the wall next to the right hander before the slowest left/right there. Got a 5-second penalty but the lap was wasted anyway. I'd already used the first attempt to get a feel for the mission car so I gave up this lap right then.
Attempt #3 - GOAAALLL!!!! err WIHHHHNNNN!!! Made all the early braking points I knew I needed to make, and when I came up on opponents I took it a bit easy, generally waiting for the exit of corners to just power right past them. Easily out-braked 5th place going into Karussel though, fun times! I got 4 wheels off just after the final intermediate, trying to be careful taking 2nd place, almost lost it but I kept my nerve and got it back on the road just in time to brake before the fast left/right chicane. Kept it pointing the right direction and on the road before braking for the final right/left and then put 2 wheels on the outside passing the 300 SL on the exit of the final turn.
YES!!!
Winning this mission was literally
the most excitement I've ever gotten out of Gran Turismo, and perhaps any video game. For example just now I was pumping my fists in the air like I was Vettel last weekend or something, and this is hours later! I certainly enjoy video games but they rarely motivate me to wildly gesticulate over and over for hours. I had to take a short break on the final straight, paused it for abour 4 minutes to calm down because I was so excited to actually be on the straight with a shot at actually beating this mission. I didn't want to screw up the end with a win in sight - and I nearly did screw it up, but in the end I DID IT!!! WOO HOO!
Release NTSC/NA!
Final laptime: 9:11.958!
MOV: 1.137s!
Split Times:
1:49.577
1:40.293
1:32.281
1:19.274
1:06.422
55.498
40.557
32.223
25.966
14.006
and I missed getting the last split the only time I've got that far into the replay...
WOOOO!!! Pics probably soon.
edit: made an animated gif of my 2 near-misses, 1 4-wheel grass excursion, and the passing maneouvers, most of my pics aren't good enough to bother posting full-size: