Mission 34 - Mercedes Mclaren SLR at Nurburgring

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g0ld
Believe it or not, I did this mission im my first try now that I started over. I have the PAL version and it was simple.
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Good one mate! I have to retry and retry just to get into rythm... I heard that PAL version is a lot easier than NTSC and it seemed to be true because I'm on NTSC system...
 
Wombat1965
Tried this one exactly once, and realised I needed far more skill, even after years of playing the game quite successfully in other areas...the missions don't even interest me anymore. The reason being that in a video game, a "challenge" has to be actually achieveable by the average person, not a person who's spent every waking hour for weeks playing the game, otherwise it becomes frustrating and, frankly, boring.

The comments about "Learn the track" might work for lesser tracks, but having been around the Ring a couple of times in the passenger seat of a mates Mercedes (nothing exciting, just an old 380SL with good suspension and tyres), and being a racer myself, I can tell you that once you start to think you might recognise a couple of corners, it can jump up and bite you, and you say "where the hell did that corner come from???". In the pits you talk to guys who run there almost every day and after years they still sa the haven't "learnt" it, it's just too long.

The comments about the Merc in the game are spot on too...in real life all the road reviews say the same thing...too much power for the tyres, enabling you to be beaten by much slower cars.

I'd like to see this mission done with a sporty Merc or Audi with about 200 less horsepower...đź‘Ť
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Personally I found learning the Nurburgring really easy. When I drive round the Nurburgring it's the same as any other track, it's just a long lap. The only time I really notice how long it is, is when in the enduro races you have to pit every lap for tyres, and I think "that's strange". I would say it took me 20, 25 laps to learn the Nurburgring.

Mission 34 is hard, though, or at least I assume the american version is. I just did the PAL mission 34 again and won by 3.3 seconds in 9:13.3, with two 5-second penalties (never a good thing). I blew time in all sorts of places. I was only 1:35.5 back after sector two, whereas usually I am 1:31 or 1:32 back. This was due to a crash and 5-second penalty on the approach to the fast left hander before the slow right hairpin in the second sector. You have to turn in very early with the Mercedes, I find, and be quite forceful with the steering, and hang on for dear life at high speeds. A car with no spoiler or downforce of any kind isn't really meant to travel at 190 mph.

I think winning with a 12 second advantage shouldn't be too hard. Although doing that on PAL may mean catching computer cars at very awkward places, I don't know.
 
Sure enough it's doable. I tried it again today and won by 10.446 seconds on my first try. I was impressed but not surprised that I caught the second car at a very awkward spot, at the fast left hander just after the carousel. Needless to say I got a 5 second penalty, which I reckon cost me about 5 seconds this time, annoyingly. For anyone who knows that corner, it is very awkward and narrow, pretty much flat but it's still possible to go off there or screw up the position for the next corner. And that's without a car hogging the road in front of you.

So unless you have tried it, I'm not sure you should say winning by 12 seconds on PAL is the equivalent of winning by 0.1 seconds on NTSC. I wouldn't. It wouldn't even be that hard if not for the bitch of a second car that you catch just after the carousel, at a narrow high speed left hander. The simplest resolution would be to get to the carousel a couple of seconds quicker.

I caught the first car on the run down to Bergwerk (the right hander before the long climb up the hill, the corner where Niki Lauda crashed with suspension failure). I caught the last two on the long straight, and I caught the third car on the high speed twisty bumpy bit that I don't particularly know how to describe in detail. It's the second car that's the bitch. Ideally you would get to the carousel a couple of seconds quicker and pass him on the exit, but I was really booking it.

I think this test becomes a lot simpler if you only turn in really early. After an initial bit of oversteer this car completely understeers in the mid-corner. So just turn in really early. Use the kerbs, as well, to take the corners tighter.
 
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Yes, as stated many times in the thread, the PAL version is MUCH easier than the NTSC version, and yes, it equates to about 12 seconds easier.
 
Even the PAL version is for pros. You people that have managed it, and with quite an ease, I regard you as the cream of the crop, 5% - no - 1% best players of the game.
 
Okay I won by 15.3 seconds with a 9:03.5. I also won in 9:05.7 with a 5 second penalty which cost me a couple of seconds at least. What's this lark about the PAL car finishing in 9:16? I have never seen it finish faster than 9:18 as far as I can recall.
 
AlexGTV
Even the PAL version is for pros. You people that have managed it, and with quite an ease, I regard you as the cream of the crop, 5% - no - 1% best players of the game.
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Thanks (I assume what you are saying applies to me), although there are some amazing tips you should consider. I know GT4 isn't a perfect simulation but it seems to me that the kerbs on the inside of the corners are like magnets. If you stay close, you go fast. Particularly in this car, which understeers whilst cornering (after turn-in oversteer).

Also I recommend the high speed, uphill right immediately after the first split (the hardest corner on the circuit without a doubt), early in the lap. You know the corner right? Although it's a hard corner (in the sense that its difficult to get right, and easy to crash), it's a perfect corner for pulling off some rotten slides. I got 9:05 about 5 times, and one of those included the most awesome 30 degree slide in history. Through that corner. It's a great corner for getting the feel of the limits of the car, which are actually quite extreme (traction control seems quite strong).

Also anyone who says you don't have time to look at the speedometer is lying. I do it all the time. I literally gauge my speed into the fast corners by looking at the speedo. You will gain more by braking early, looking at the speedo, and taking the correct speed, then accelerating through and out of the corner, than you will lose by braking slightly early. Maximise your minimum speed.

If it's any consolation I only have 38.8% completion, despite 80 golds and whatnot. My win to lose ratio is 58.5%. To be fair I have no intention of completing the game. That must take ages.
 
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F310B
To be fair I have no intention of completing the game. That must take ages.
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Actually, if you play for 8 hours a day you can finish the game in 1 month and a half and if 1-2 hours a day, could take about 1 year or less. But I tell you, I'm now 99.6% through the game with only 2 Endurance left - I feel appreciated... And I'm sure you'll appreciate it too ;)

Anyway, I finished this Mission with a lap time of 9'12.xxx. I failed this mission by quite a lot, so I decided to take no risk and do it properly. For your information, I'm on an NTSC system.
 
F310B
Also I recommend the high speed, uphill right immediately after the first split (the hardest corner on the circuit without a doubt), early in the lap. You know the corner right? Although it's a hard corner (in the sense that its difficult to get right, and easy to crash), it's a perfect corner for pulling off some rotten slides.
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I'll follow your advise as I always braked quite a bit to fight the understeer and come off. I imagine how much time can be saved there by the long stretch of full throttle section that follows immediately.

F310B
If it's any consolation I only have 38.8% completion, despite 80 golds and whatnot. My win to lose ratio is 58.5%. To be fair I have no intention of completing the game. That must take ages.
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I imagine your low ratio being a result of poor car choice for the events than anything else. (low 60s here). For instance I showed up at the hard Tsukuba Wet with an Integrale HF and the opposition was a Benz C9!
 
AlexGTV
I'll follow your advise as I always braked quite a bit to fight the understeer and come off. I imagine how much time can be saved there by the long stretch of full throttle section that follows immediately.
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Also I recommend watching the speedo to about 115-120 mph for that corner. If I remember correctly. This should allow you to floor it, slide, and not go off. Also I recommend setting your speedo to miles per hour, not clicks per hour, as the former is less precise. This makes it easier to remember, because the numbers are smaller. Obviously use manual gears if you can.

PS. I love the C9. It's my favourite car as I am a big Schumacher fan. Has a little understeer which is perfect then considering the group C cars' tendency to chew up the rear tyres, because it makes the handling more even late on in the stint.
 
A slow running speed indication is the last thing I want in an already "slow" realistic game. I might as well fall asleep. 13 miles are these!
 
AlexGTV
I'll follow your advise as I always braked quite a bit to fight the understeer and come off. I imagine how much time can be saved there by the long stretch of full throttle section that follows immediately.



I imagine your low ratio being a result of poor car choice for the events than anything else. (low 60s here). For instance I showed up at the hard Tsukuba Wet with an Integrale HF and the opposition was a Benz C9!
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Yeah I never really bothered about it, I enjoy goofing around. I quit a lot of races halfway through.
 
Finally got mission 34! NTSC version :cool:

After months and months of trying... very slowly improving. My time was 9'14.557, but it was not a very clean run. I crashed at the end, making a full 360, interfering with the first place car... without getting a penalty! :dopey:

So there's some hope for those of you who haven't got it yet, as I'm only an average driver. (22058 A-spec points, licenses 3-55-22, 25.1% win ratio...)

What now? I'm at 100.0%. Maybe I'll try to get more A-spec points -- I should also try to win mission 34 cleanly. But I'll especially be spending more time on GT5!
 
I have the PAL version which means that the mission is considerably easier. In fact, it was easier than I thought when I really went to try it out, passed it on my 3rd attempt or so. Later I returned to it and completed it despite getting a 5 second penalty. After that, I officially declared Mission 23 as the hardest in the game. :sly:
 
Today is the day!
After failing miserably a lot of times before, I made the final go at it.
First, on one of my alternate saves I bought the damn car (I will never buy it proper - I don't like it and I don't need it) and went for the Nurburgring 4hour endurance equipped with N3 tyres.
That allowed me to learn how to lap this track in this car slowly with careful lines and early breaks. I entered this race on and off whenever I get some time (never really finished it). The opponents weren't a threat, just some moving obstacles, but it's ok - it gave some idea of how to pass. I spent like 7-8 hours in total practicing like that. My record time on N3 tyres was 7:12 (I could easily lap around 7:14).

Then I equipped S1 tyres and made 1,5 hour practice with them. Record time clocked about 7:04. After that I decided to finally try the Mission itself.

The car in the mission is not 100% stock, it must have some settings altered because the stock SLR do not behave this way on the kerbs and grass, also the jumps are much higher and crazy. It likes to spin way too much than the purchased one.
On my second or third try I managed to be 2nd with 4 seconds deficit and it was great because before I never get beyond +15secs on the line.
My final try (maybe 10th?) wasn't great at first, I messed a few corners in the first half but never spinned and stayed off the penalties, the second half was much better, maybe because my splits weren't ideal and I expected to just practice the final sector. The split on the beginning of the long straight was +14.5.
The passing of the second placed car was great and crazy, very high speed on top of the hill (just after the last split) with two wheels on the grass. I think I gained a lot on the approach to the final esses.
I saw the gullwing making the final corner and thought to myself: cool this will be the first time I'll see him passing the line. Last corner wasn't perfect, but just nice enough to hammer down those hp's in the sprint to the line.

I won by some 0.3 secs.

Finally. I got the Nissan and the black Formula, but it doesn't matter.
100% - that matters.

Knowing this track is not enough. I remember trying the Mission just after the Nurburgring 24hr endurance and it was just humiliating. Only hard practice SLR+Nurburgring paid off for me. I'm an average racer and if I can do it - everybody can.
 
I hate this mission, it is so long and tedious! :ouch:
But luckily i have beaten it, so i never have to try it again.
Luckily again, i have PAL version so the wait before the mission starts is shorter.

So, here my little story about beating this mission:

After many tries and fails, i finally got good start at the mission and i thinked myself: Now i will beat this thing!
I passed the first car easily. Then the second and third car. đź‘Ť
At the second last car i was pretty nervous, but when i saw the 300SL, i were very nervous! :scared: I just thinked at my mind: Don`t fail, don`t fail!
Then got to the last corner, it was a drag to the finish line againts the 300SL.
I won by measily 0.678
After i winned, i was like: I...beat...this...mission....WOOHOO!
I can`t remember what my total time was, it was long time ago when i beat that mission.

Advice: Practice, practice and practice...
 
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I beat it after many attempts, and because i was pretty frustrated with the mission, I used wall rides and shortcuts =\. Plus seeing that you do not fail the mission if you collide with the BACK end of your car nor do you even get a penalty, so as I was at the end of the straight and the SLK was definatley gonna beat me if I hadnt done what i done. I purposely spun out using the E-brake in a last ditch attempt with the only intentions of knocking the SLK out with the BACK END of my car so i wouldnt get penalty nor fail the mission. And it was a success. the SLK was deep in the grass and I was cruising to the finish line. I just wanted to get that mission over with and didnt care now. Plus this was a couple years ago so I was younger. But I beat it :D (driving dirty ofcourse but cmon :P)
 
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I have a tipp: On that mission the SLR was eqiped with RSH typres and default settings and default driving aids. I recommend - if you have the weed - to get a SLR and add Racing Super-Hard tyres and not to do oil change. Leave the driving aids as they are also. It will be the same. You can practise that way easily and will need only a few attempts to beat this mission. It's not that hard as it looks. All you need is patience and practice.
 

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