Worst Track

[poolio]

i dont particularly hate it but the test course bores the hell outta me. having said that though i have had some close, memorable races on there with loads of slipstreaming and overtaking

 

[red70mach1]

If Seattle would be a real street circuit, then our cars may not last a real race distance.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

i dont particularly hate it but the test course bores the hell outta me. having said that though i have had some close, memorable races on there with loads of slipstreaming and overtaking

The GT1 & 2 test course certainly has a bumpier ride which gets to be nerve-racking in some cars, doesn't it? In GT3 it is so mirror-smooth...like a real-life test course.

I read somewhere that in GT1 & 2, the tracks are pieced together in small 2D sections, and each section becomes a bit of a bump when we drive over it. ¬

 

[SagarisGTB]

The fact that SSR11 is even on that poll is offending, SSR11 is godly good.

The worst is the test course because it isnt a race course, though I have had a few close races there with drafting but even then, its only the last few laps that are exciting.

 

[Vision GT]

GT3/GT4 Test Course. I just hate that track, you'll top out and then the chaser drafts and then you draft. Then the last lap is just the tricky part.

 

[The Hawk]

I love Test Course, EVEN i can play with the Rover Mini in there

 

[ImprezaAddict]

this isnt a very old thread and i just saw it so sorry if its wrong to do it

but i voted for Grand Valley, it sucks and its way too curvy for me

 

[Parnelli Bone]

this isnt a very old thread and i just saw it so sorry if its wrong to do it

but i voted for Grand Valley, it sucks and its way too curvy for me

That doesn't mean it sucks, it just means ..ah, I'll hold my tongue!

 

[Tornado]

They even messed up some of the classic ones like deep forest and
Laguna Seca by makeing them so perfect and slick looking. Ahh well thats life...

In PD's defense, Laguna Seca does now look somewhat like the actual track and not something PD made on some dumpster through graffiti.
Anyways, I voted SSR11. I heard such great things about it and came to it expecting greatness. Unfortunately, it seems like a thrown together assortment of turns and doesn't flow right at all. It is very beautiful though. My personal favorite is Complex String. I wish I could have a race there, but it is still very fun to do in a drifty car (RUF RGT, Sprinter Trueno SS, TVR Tuscan Speed Six).

 

[BMWteamPTG]

i personally love the test course. it does give you a chance to top out your car and learn and appriciate real life skills like slip drafting and proper positioning on corners.

i voted rome...hate that course witha passion and always have. so glad to see it out of GT4.

and SSR11...im hurt..lol...love that one too

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Route 11 rules. All the hairpins are great places for your car to out corner others, and if you can't do that, you've got a couple straight sections to hopefully kill them with power and/or a good draft. A lot of times, the AI screws up the corners...I've noticed they tend to use too much gas too early, then they hit a wall. If you time your turns correctly, you can therefore get a better jump out of those corners.

 

[Perfect Balance]

I hate the test course, but R11 is great, my favorite track, perfect for drifting.

 

[frenzal]

I really dislike Deep Forest II with a passion...its always been my bugbear on MR Beginner and Professional.It took me ages to get a handle on beating it. And SS R11 in the Pro Vitz series...still havent beaten that bastard. Fortunately, i got enough points up by that one to win the series.

And i'm not too fond of Rome Reverse...the first two left handers always give me troubles, and most of the other corners and sweepers just give me the irrits.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I really dislike Deep Forest II with a passion...its always been my bugbear on MR Beginner and Professional.It took me ages to get a handle on beating it. And SS R11 in the Pro Vitz series...still havent beaten that bastard. Fortunately, i got enough points up by that one to win the series.

And i'm not too fond of Rome Reverse...the first two left handers always give me troubles, and most of the other corners and sweepers just give me the irrits.

I'm just thankful Rome SHORT is gone, reversed AND normal. It's not that I hate the track so much as I hated the way the GT2 cars would pile into you/each other in turn 3. Bleah.

 

[frenzal]

I'm just thankful Rome SHORT is gone, reversed AND normal. It's not that i hate the track so much as i hated the way the GT2 cars would pile into you/each other in turn 3. Bleah.

I haven't played GT2...was Rome Short anything like Rome in GT3? Are 1 and 2 worth playing now that i've nearly through GT3? Or is 3 just a rerun of 1 and 2. I probably should have a squizz around, see what feedback is out there on the first 2.

 

[Duke]

Route 11 rules. All the hairpins are great places for your car to out corner others, and if you can't do that, you've got a couple straight sections to hopefully kill them with power and/or a good draft. Alot of times, the AI screws up the corners...i've noticed they tend to use too much gas too early, then they hit a wall. If you time your turns correctly, you can therefore get a better jump out of those corners.

Too bad they oiled the track surface before the race, and the lighting makes it totally impossible to see any of the turn-in points or the apexes, and the AI cars always get a huge top speed boost on this track.

Other than that, it would maybe be OK in the reverse direction.

 

[graveslids]

I can't vote, my most hated track is not on the list. Apricot Hill forward or reverse has always given me fits. Especially reverse as most of the apexes seem to be at blind crests with out distinctive braking or turn in points. In regards to those slagging Rome, try to learn the course, top to bottom, makes for one of the most competive tracks in head to head racing. For me it's the perfect mix of tight corners and fast sweepers with a few exact placements thrown in for good measure. However I do understand the hatred focused towards it, that's how I used to be about Seattle, which now ranks as my #2 fave right behind Laguna Seca. What can I say, elevation changes jazz me.

Short of Apricot Hill.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I haven't played GT2...was Rome Short anything like Rome in GT3? Are 1 and 2 worth playing now that i've nearly through GT3? Or is 3 just a rerun of 1 and 2. I probably should have a squizz around, see what feedback is out there on the first 2.

Rome short is the same track as the Rome in GT3 except it's cut in half. Instead of making that left turn past the colosseum, just imagine making a sharp (VERY sharp) right turn that puts you on the backstretch. It takes lots of skill to make this turn but even more to do it in a manner that avoids collisions.

Yeah, the first 2 games are worth getting if you don't mind the fact that the graphix are crude. Not sure what you can find in Australia, but you can get either one at any used gaming store nowadays for less than $10 in North America. You can still find GT2 brand-new for about $14. Even if you don't like 1 & 2, they're both cheap enough.

GT1 offers the most challenging gameplay (in my opinion), actual qualifying runs, and turbos with actual turbo-lag. It's cool to play GT1 just to see where it all came from, but it has too many Japanese cars (and not enough American and European) so I eventually got bored with it. But every now and then I go back.

GT2 has tons of cars, still has the used car lot, and the gameplay isn't as tough unless you make it tough. Money is the easiest to come by in this game. I've created a website that makes GT2 challenging, by the way, for anyone else who finds it too easy.

If you buy GT2, DON'T get it online. Early versions of the game are extremely buggy (game freezes, black screens, etc) so if I were you I'd just go to my nearby department store if they have an electronics section, and see if they have it new.

I love the car selection in GT2 but the quality, physics, and beauty of GT3 are great as well. GT1 is my least favorite. Haven't bought 4 yet.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Too bad they oiled the track surface before the race, and the lighting makes it totally impossible to see any of the turn-in points or the apexes, and the AI cars always get a huge top speed boost on this track.

Other than that, it would maybe be OK in the reverse direction.

Nope, there's no oil on the track, you just gonna learn to treat your throttle gently with a capital G. When you're turning into those hairpins, it demands precise control, and when you're leaving them, you wanna give ¼ then ½ then full-throttle. Don't just floor it or you'll wind up getting sideways or ramming a wall.

On the other hand, I agree with you about the lighting. It makes R11 extremely difficult. The best thing to do is to learn where to start braking. I tend to use various cues to help me know when to brake depending on what car I'm driving and how much power it has. (like the 100 or 50m signs or even a lamppost or tree).

Sometimes if your car is struggling to pass the AI in the corners, it helps to just follow them thru the course, keeping a close distance, so that when you're on the straight, you can get a decent draft..but then slowing into turn #1 is pretty tough if there's a car right behind, ready to push you into the wall.

I think those of us who did the original Route 11 in GT1 with its dual under construction*chicane would agree that GT3's Route 11 is a cakewalk in comparison.

 

[frenzal]

Rome short is the same track as the Rome in GT3 except it's cut in half. Instead of making that left turn past the colleseum, just imagine making a sharp (VERY sharp) right turn that puts you on the backstretch. It takes lots of skill to make this turn but even more to do it in a manner that avoids collisions.

Yeah, the first 2 games are worth getting if you don't mind the fact that the graphix are crude. Not sure what you can find in Australia, but you can get either one at any used gaming store nowadays for less than $10 in North America. YOu can still find GT2 brand-new for about $14. Even if you don't like 1 & 2, they're both cheap enough.

GT1 offers the most challenging gameplay (in my opnion), actual qualifying runs, and turbos with actual turbo-lag. It's cool to play gT1 just to see where it all came from, but it has too many Japanese cars (and not enough American and European) so i eventually got bored with it. But every now and then i go back.

GT2 has tons of cars, still has the used car lot, and the gameplay isn't as tough unless you make it tough. Money is the easiest to come by in this game. I've created a website that makes GT2 challenging, by the way, for anyone else who finds it too easy.

If you buy GT2, DON'T get it online. Early versions of the game are extremely buggy (game freezes, black screens, etc) so if i were you i'd just go to my nearby department store if they have an electronics section, and see if they have it new.

I love the car selection in GT2 but the quality, physics, and beauty of GT3 are great as well. GT1 is my least favorite. Haven't bought 4 yet.

Thanks for the info. Yeah, it still annoys me about the top heavy percentage of Japanese cars in GT3. So, if GT1 was worse, then i doubt if i'll go there. I'll probably just go straight to GT4. Still on 80%, just working on re-doing different championships and enduro's to pick up different cars i want in GT3.

And yeah, Route 11. I used to really hate it, too stop start for me. But a matter of perserverance and just practice on those tight hairpins has really helped my game elsewhere. It's not like you can avoid the damn thing if you want to win the game. I'm gonna head back and finish the last 2 Pro Zitz races when i'm a little more confident. I have found that when i go onto the tracks that i dislike with a more positive frame of mind, i do get better results.

Regarding the post on Apricot Hill...until i had become a better driver, all the courses with the sand 'off track' areas really gave me the irrits. I didn't have the walls to bounce off and keep me on track Laguna Seca was another one i just didn't like, any of the really technical tracks. Now i love the challenge of getting the corkscrew right...i get through it ok about 7 times out of 10 now, really only nailed it perfectly about 2 times ever, it was nearly as good as sex those times. And that last left hander, similar percentages, similar feelings.

 

[Dropout.]

The fact that SSR11 is even on that poll is offending, SSR11 is godly good.

That and Cote.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, it still annoys me about the top heavy percentage of Japanese cars in GT3. So, if GT1 was worse, then i doubt if i'll go there. I'll probably just go straight to GT4. Still on 80%, just working on re-doing different championships and enduro's to pick up different cars i want in GT3.

Regarding the post on Apricot Hill...until i had become a better driver, all the courses with the sand 'off track' areas really gave me the irrits. I didn't have the walls to bounce off and keep me on track Laguna Seca was another one i just didn't like, any of the really technical tracks. Now i love the challenge of getting the corkscrew right...i get through it ok about 7 times out of 10 now, really only nailed it perfectly about 2 times ever, it was nearly as good as sex those times. And that last left hander, similar percentages, similar feelings.

GT1's American cars: Camaro Z28 (with no Mustang to compete against), Corvette Grand Sport, Corvette C5, Viper GTS, Viper RT/10, and 2 or 3 prize cars like the Dodge Copperhead ("Concept Car").

GT1's Euros: TVR Griffith, Cerbera, and Cerbera LM. A couple Astons.

I think that's it...could be wrong, but I'm almost positive that's all the non-Japanese cars.

Apricot Hill is one of those tracks that looks easier than it is. In GT2, I've done thousands of laps on that course, but (perhaps) just 200 in the reverse direction. I agree...turns 7 and 8 (after the loooong 180 degree right-hander) are really tough because they're blind. That hilly section at Complex String is good practice for this area because you have to approach the top of the hill aiming for something you can't see yet. Therefore, it's a very intuitive track.

I have to disagree about the sex comment! Sex is always better! (unless it's really bad skanky sex).

 

[frenzal]

GT1's American cars: Camaro Z28 (with no Mustang to compete against), Corvette Grand Sport, Corvette C5, Viper GTS, Viper RT/10, and 2 or 3 prize cars like the Dodge Copperhead ("Concept Car").

GT1's Euros: TVR Griffith, Cerbera, and Cerbera LM. A couple Astons.

I think that's it...could be wrong, but i'm almost positive that's all the non-Japanese cars.

Apricot HIll is one of those tracks that looks easier than it is. In GT2, i've done thousands of laps on that course, but (perhaps) just 200 in the reverse direction. i agree...turns 7 and 8 (after the loooong 180 degree right-hander) are really tough because they're blind. That hilly section at Complex String is good practice for this area because you have to approach the top of the hill aiming for something you cna't see yet. Therefore, it's a very intuitive trak.

I have to disagree about the sex comment! Sex is always better! (unless it's really bad skanky sex).

Yeah, i see what you mean about non-Japanese cars. Having seen that, i guess i shouldnt complain about the multitude of hondas, toyotas etc. in GT3. Regarding comples string, i'm starting to practice it a little more, seeing as how there are so many sections of tracks which are relevant to specific sections of complex. As much as i really do dislike practice.

You will notice i said "nearly as good as sex". Mate, i recall when starting out, or if i was in the middle of a drought....even really bad skanky sex was good sex.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Ah, practice makes perfect! For me, it's the license tests. As much as I hate doing a license test for the 495th time, I know it's improving my game, and there are times during actual races when you'll need that extreme control to get buy a stubborn car without tagging a wall and ruining your timing.

So far as the tests go, when I finally nail that gold...it's not just as good as sex, it IS sex! ha ha.

 

[graveslids]

Apricot HIll is one of those tracks that looks easier than it is. In GT2, i've done thousands of laps on that course, but (perhaps) just 200 in the reverse direction. i agree...turns 7 and 8 (after the loooong 180 degree right-hander) are really tough because they're blind. That hilly section at Complex String is good practice for this area because you have to approach the top of the hill aiming for something you cna't see yet. Therefore, it's a very intuitive trak.

That's the main reason I lodge my vote against this track. As I said earlier, I've yet to come across any quality braking or turn in points for this section so it's been driving me nuts for near on 6 years now. I'm to the point I just do what I can to avoid this track, which drives me nuts seeing as how I really enjoying hitting the mark correctly going through chicane (turn 12 normal, turn 2 reverse).

As far as Complex String goes, I have no problem with the undulating S curves. That was just finding the right speed to tackle it as a rhythm section, or so it seemed to me.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I only recently got the hang of Ape Hill reversed in the last few weeks. In GT2, you rarely ever race this track. You'll only do an occasional Manufacture's event there, and of course the Event Generator will let you have it sometimes, but in GT3, you have to do the reversed version a lot more, so I've become better at it. \

After the 180° right (I'll call it turn 6), you wanna tackle turn 7 by starting on the right hand side and aiming inwards so you wind up with your left tire running across the red & white grid. I usually brake lightly before I can even see the grid. It's tempting to not brake at all, but a tap or 2 on the brakes will help you control your car if indeed you're not in the right place. The AI is usually on your tail here, hungry to destroy your cornering path, which kinda sucks.

After this, turn 8 is pretty obvious...it's a curve to the right, but if you mess turn 7 up, you'll be running in the grass or sand or braking too heavily on turn 8, so it's important you get #7 good.

Personally, I LOVE turn 9. This is the sharper left-hand. I usually take this one wide...starting with some more light braking and then nailing it flat-out. I've noticed a lot of AI cars mess this turn up, and I've figured out how to pass them here, that's why I love it! In GT2's Apricot Hill Enduro (non-reversed) the AI usually takes these 3 corners wrong or at least not as fast as they could be. It's a great drifting area, too.

 

[Duke]

Man, I love Apricot Hill in both directions. It was among my favorite tracks in GT3 as a substitute for Sears Point. I'm deliriously happy that Sears Point is in GT4.

My only gripe with Apricot Hill in GT3 is this: in the turn combination that you're describing, in either direction, the rubber marks showing the sweet spot lead directly into the kitty litter from either side of that blind apex. So if you follow what appears to be the line, you wind up getting dumped directly into the sand trap.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Hey, I never noticed that.

 

[Gr@n_Tur1sm0]

I voted Trial Mountain as my worst. I really do hate it, backwards and forwards. I can never seem to get a clean line through the tunnel corner.
I also hate parts of Grand Valley. I really hate the the corner leading onto the bridge, and the one through the tunnel. I always seem to understeer everytime!

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I voted Trial Mountain as my worst. I really do hate it, backwards and forwards. I can never seem to get a clean line through the tunnel corner.
I also hate parts of Grand Valley. I really hate the the corner leading onto the bridge, and the one through the tunnel. I always seem to understeer everytime!

I tell you what, Gr@n...that corner you describe in Grand Valley is pretty tough, even for Parnelli. There's several ways to do it but if you want to get thru it quickly, it's a guarantee you'll wind up missing the inside wall of the short tunnel by inches. If you go thru it slowly, you can of course get a nice, clean line...but usually in an actual race, you're NOT going slow and you can't take your time!

I usually start the beginning of the tunnel on the left hand side, and then use minimal throttle (maybe even a tap on the brakes if I get too grippy or too understeery) as I go thru the tunnel. If you manage to get this part right, you should then aim towards the inside of the END of the tunnel. This should be your innermost portion of the entire corner. If you're not about to hit the inner wall, you can then FLOOR the gas and voilá, you're now racing across the bridge.

I've seen the AI mess this up. Sometimes, they'll wind up taking this turn too wide and they'll tag the left of the bridge. boom it'll knock them sideways! Watch for this because if they're right in front of you, they'll hit you as they fumble.

Trail Mountain: Good practice for that area you describe is the B8 license test. Forget about gaining a gold medal, just do it over and over till you can consistently get a silver. Watch the demo. You'll need to follow the dotted line in the road and start turning into that corner BEFORE you're out of the first tunnel. This corner is entirely blind at first. If you do it right, you'll be going across the yellow lined section on the inside left \\\\\ and into the 2nd tunnel.