- 19,727
- Alabamamania
I have't played GT2 much in the past year or so, just a little run here and there, since I'd thought that I've done everything there is to do with this game...Except for those nasty Simulation Tires.
So I fired it up, and my eyes adjusted almost immediately to the graphics. The sensation of speed is actaully better with the blurry graphics and lack of polygons, in my opinion, but of course, it's a bit choppier than I remember. And steering with the D-pad is really hit-or-miss; how did I ever set fast and consistent laps with it?
In any case, I started out with the usual 10K credits, but kept in mind that Sim Tires cost 2,000 credits. So I bought a red '91 Honda CR-X in the used lot (I didn't use that car much in the past), and figured it would be a good starter car with Sim tires.
I started with the Sunday Cup event at Tahiti Road; it's usually the easiest first race in GT2, since I've only used the Sim Tires twice in 5+ years of messing around with the game. The difference is staggering; however, fans of GT4's physics model will be suitably impressed that it makes a GT2 car respond a lot like it would in GT4. You have to be very deliberate with braking and steering, and how you use the throttle. The "traction circle" concept (read the manual) really comes into play here, as you can't possibly turn and brake effectively when Simulation Tires are equiped.
Therefore, the CRX was much harder to drive than I remember; you have to obey the racing line, or you'll crash into the walls quite easily. So it's actaully kind of fun with the limited grip when running Practice Runs with these tires. However, the AI seems to use Normal tires, which have loads more grip in comparison. The AI won't care for the fact you have to brake early, so it will hit you from behind. The AI also takes the corners faster (that's a first!), so they'll have no shame in tank-slapping you when they arrive side-by-side. The AI also won't take a different line to pass you, they're not really programmed to do so, unless it's overtaking a slower car in a straight line.
So on to the racing: The AI are mostly Kei cars in this race at Tahiti Road (I've always had a fondness for this track, it really should return to GT5); so my 150+hp would just run away, right? Not quite..my opponents huit me every chance they had, and stayed close to the finish. I managed to keep them all at bay, but at the finish, we were all covered by less than one second.
[ More as I get time to type it all in, my notres are at home. ]
Day 2: Scored some trophies in the B license tests. I wasn't getting hung up on getting gold.
Day 3: Tried the Tahiti Road race in the FF Challenge. I hung on grimly to 4th place, as I couldn't have a chance at the leader.
Day 4: Same race, but I crashed into the pit wall at end of the first lap. I wasn't going to catch the 5th place car, so I retired.
Day 5: Same as before, but even though I was up to 2nd place, I lost all my places by taking the tight 2nd-gear right turn at the proper speed to prevent wall-riding. I finished 6th.
This Sim Tire thing isn't as easy as I thought it would be.
[ More info later on... ]
So I fired it up, and my eyes adjusted almost immediately to the graphics. The sensation of speed is actaully better with the blurry graphics and lack of polygons, in my opinion, but of course, it's a bit choppier than I remember. And steering with the D-pad is really hit-or-miss; how did I ever set fast and consistent laps with it?
In any case, I started out with the usual 10K credits, but kept in mind that Sim Tires cost 2,000 credits. So I bought a red '91 Honda CR-X in the used lot (I didn't use that car much in the past), and figured it would be a good starter car with Sim tires.
I started with the Sunday Cup event at Tahiti Road; it's usually the easiest first race in GT2, since I've only used the Sim Tires twice in 5+ years of messing around with the game. The difference is staggering; however, fans of GT4's physics model will be suitably impressed that it makes a GT2 car respond a lot like it would in GT4. You have to be very deliberate with braking and steering, and how you use the throttle. The "traction circle" concept (read the manual) really comes into play here, as you can't possibly turn and brake effectively when Simulation Tires are equiped.
Therefore, the CRX was much harder to drive than I remember; you have to obey the racing line, or you'll crash into the walls quite easily. So it's actaully kind of fun with the limited grip when running Practice Runs with these tires. However, the AI seems to use Normal tires, which have loads more grip in comparison. The AI won't care for the fact you have to brake early, so it will hit you from behind. The AI also takes the corners faster (that's a first!), so they'll have no shame in tank-slapping you when they arrive side-by-side. The AI also won't take a different line to pass you, they're not really programmed to do so, unless it's overtaking a slower car in a straight line.
So on to the racing: The AI are mostly Kei cars in this race at Tahiti Road (I've always had a fondness for this track, it really should return to GT5); so my 150+hp would just run away, right? Not quite..my opponents huit me every chance they had, and stayed close to the finish. I managed to keep them all at bay, but at the finish, we were all covered by less than one second.
[ More as I get time to type it all in, my notres are at home. ]
Day 2: Scored some trophies in the B license tests. I wasn't getting hung up on getting gold.
Day 3: Tried the Tahiti Road race in the FF Challenge. I hung on grimly to 4th place, as I couldn't have a chance at the leader.
Day 4: Same race, but I crashed into the pit wall at end of the first lap. I wasn't going to catch the 5th place car, so I retired.
Day 5: Same as before, but even though I was up to 2nd place, I lost all my places by taking the tight 2nd-gear right turn at the proper speed to prevent wall-riding. I finished 6th.
This Sim Tire thing isn't as easy as I thought it would be.
[ More info later on... ]
. I start using it after I have a chance playing GT4. It even make my GT2 tuning closer to GT4, GT2 will understeer like GT4, which is now I consider as fun 
.
Car & Driver magazine had this to say:
I see, I am not suppose to take it with simulation tires..........
).
Have to start all over again *cries like a baby*
