- 49
- Cascadia
- MistyRainne
I grew up alongside the NES and Super NES, and have fond memories of playing games while growing up. I mainly play RPGs (Final Fantasy in particular), but not exclusively. These, it seems, are among the few things that have been enduring interests of mine over my life so far.
My father was a small-time race driver back in his day, and has tried to impart some of that to me, or at least speaks of it at times.
Once upon a time, these things converged when he brought home a few NES games hed apparently noticed somewhere, among which was Bill Elliotts NASCAR Challenge. I didnt get into it much, I just ran on Daytona on easy mode, but I liked the atmosphere, just getting out ahead of everyone and cruising along to the hum of the engine on a serene, empty track on a beautiful day. (There arent many visual details in that game, but the mind sees many things.)
Ive played a handful of other racing games over the years since then. Although its strictly a secondary thing for me, racing has always been part of my gaming life. Enough so that I picked up GT5 (XL) on a whim a couple months ago, and Ive found myself playing it more than the game I originally set out to get that day!
And once I learned my way around the menus enough to figure out how to do so, I already have fond memories of hours-long races on a Toscana Tarmac custom track, cruising along to the hum of the engine on a serene, empty track as the beautiful day gives way to a beautiful night.
And learning a lot about driving and cars along the way! Although theres a lot that Im still trying to wrap my head around. Ive been drifting back and forth between GT5 and PlayStation Home lately; though even in the latter, I still find myself doing little time trials in my head and thinking about racing lines when riding around Acorn Meadows Park on the rental bikes there and their quirky physics (Gran Turismo is easier than this!).
GT5 is my introduction to the Gran Turismo series. For me, its a pastime, not a lifestyle, so the investment of a driving wheel isnt warranted for me. But I figure that a subtle hand can make a stock DualShock 3 work well enough, and that its more important to do the right things (get the right braking zone, tune the car properly, etc) than the details of which limbs are used in what ways to do them; that the right words are more important than the right voice.
Otherwise, Ive tended toward favoring realism, so I turned off all driving aids even on my very first drive in the game, and Ive gotten by without them once I got the hang of the basics of handling.
That said, I admit I still use Automatic transmission. I figure itll do what Id do manually 95% of the time anyway, while drawing only 5% of the mental traction that Manual would require. (If only shifting didnt have to be done so often!) Maybe someday Ill wean myself off Automatic, but for now, it works well enough. (Except for my Integra RM that keeps bouncing off the rev limiter in 1st and 2nd when I want to get moving, despite experimenting with gear ratios to minimize that. That awful sound
may be just the motivation I need to go Manual!)
I also recently turned off the racing line display, and have kept it off. I find that I pay more attention to the track now, getting more intimate with its ways, seeing the road rather than just the line. (Though its still useful for a track Im not already familiar with.)
Meanwhile, reading about the game on TV Tropes, a link brought me to this forum; a footnote in my mind, but I recalled it when I had a question to pose that I wasnt in a position to answer myself, which brought me here. Like the game itself, this place is intimidatingly big and its hard to see where to begin!
I dont know how much Ill be able to contribute to this place, beyond stopping and investing in a new thread (or bumping an old one) every time I have some inane new question, or something to say that doesnt warrant a thread or even post of its own, or just want to chat and hang out.
So, Im wondering, are there any chat rooms associated with this site? (IRC especially.) Any presence on PlayStation Home?
Think of it as a road bridging the two tracks Im driving on.
My father was a small-time race driver back in his day, and has tried to impart some of that to me, or at least speaks of it at times.
Once upon a time, these things converged when he brought home a few NES games hed apparently noticed somewhere, among which was Bill Elliotts NASCAR Challenge. I didnt get into it much, I just ran on Daytona on easy mode, but I liked the atmosphere, just getting out ahead of everyone and cruising along to the hum of the engine on a serene, empty track on a beautiful day. (There arent many visual details in that game, but the mind sees many things.)
Ive played a handful of other racing games over the years since then. Although its strictly a secondary thing for me, racing has always been part of my gaming life. Enough so that I picked up GT5 (XL) on a whim a couple months ago, and Ive found myself playing it more than the game I originally set out to get that day!
And once I learned my way around the menus enough to figure out how to do so, I already have fond memories of hours-long races on a Toscana Tarmac custom track, cruising along to the hum of the engine on a serene, empty track as the beautiful day gives way to a beautiful night.
And learning a lot about driving and cars along the way! Although theres a lot that Im still trying to wrap my head around. Ive been drifting back and forth between GT5 and PlayStation Home lately; though even in the latter, I still find myself doing little time trials in my head and thinking about racing lines when riding around Acorn Meadows Park on the rental bikes there and their quirky physics (Gran Turismo is easier than this!).
GT5 is my introduction to the Gran Turismo series. For me, its a pastime, not a lifestyle, so the investment of a driving wheel isnt warranted for me. But I figure that a subtle hand can make a stock DualShock 3 work well enough, and that its more important to do the right things (get the right braking zone, tune the car properly, etc) than the details of which limbs are used in what ways to do them; that the right words are more important than the right voice.
Otherwise, Ive tended toward favoring realism, so I turned off all driving aids even on my very first drive in the game, and Ive gotten by without them once I got the hang of the basics of handling.
That said, I admit I still use Automatic transmission. I figure itll do what Id do manually 95% of the time anyway, while drawing only 5% of the mental traction that Manual would require. (If only shifting didnt have to be done so often!) Maybe someday Ill wean myself off Automatic, but for now, it works well enough. (Except for my Integra RM that keeps bouncing off the rev limiter in 1st and 2nd when I want to get moving, despite experimenting with gear ratios to minimize that. That awful sound
may be just the motivation I need to go Manual!)I also recently turned off the racing line display, and have kept it off. I find that I pay more attention to the track now, getting more intimate with its ways, seeing the road rather than just the line. (Though its still useful for a track Im not already familiar with.)
Meanwhile, reading about the game on TV Tropes, a link brought me to this forum; a footnote in my mind, but I recalled it when I had a question to pose that I wasnt in a position to answer myself, which brought me here. Like the game itself, this place is intimidatingly big and its hard to see where to begin!
I dont know how much Ill be able to contribute to this place, beyond stopping and investing in a new thread (or bumping an old one) every time I have some inane new question, or something to say that doesnt warrant a thread or even post of its own, or just want to chat and hang out.So, Im wondering, are there any chat rooms associated with this site? (IRC especially.) Any presence on PlayStation Home?
Think of it as a road bridging the two tracks Im driving on.
) just to say: Welcome to 
