rec.autos.simulators

Although this game is a rush, when I compete on GameSpy Arcade, all the
other guys in the race
pass me like I'm standing still!

I can't understand it....is there a way to trick your car out or something??

Any help would be much appreciated!

thx in advance,

ch

Some possibilities:

1) You didn't choose the hardest (pro?) difficulty setting when you
installed the game
2) Your setups aren't as good
3) You're not as fast as the other guys :o)

Seriously #1 has to be checked as if you run at lower difficulty, you won't  
run as fast as at "full" difficulty.

It's a while since I last played DTRSC (over a year) so forgive the vague
answer.

cheers
John

Your right on! I started moving after changing the setting, thanks!

And you're not used to being passed in auto racing sims/games? :-)

Seriously...

Once the game loads and you're looking at the Main Menu:

Click on "Game Options".

Select "Detailed" event info. You'll need the practice time once in a
Career Mode, as well as a few other niceties.

Select "Arcade" damage or "None" (to learn). The "Simulation" setting
over- reacts to the slightest bump on your front end, and your car
will be useless the rest of the event. Arcade will provide plenty of
damage, especially in view of the way the AI is not bashful about
banging wheels with you.

Tire Wear is your call.

Enable "Auto Reversing"... you'll use it for some time to come.

And now we get to the important setting: "Vehicle Handling". If you
have been running it at less than full-tilt... you'll have to learn to
drive again once you DO bump it up. I suggest setting this at full
tilt and sticking with it.

The above gets you ready to actually start learning how to drive the
car competitively.

Now, about those AI...

If you're going to do a Career mode... you can start at the lowest
level... but as your skills increase, you'll be blowing them away:
Boring.  However, you'll be amassing money and headed toward the day
that you can buy a "bad boy" sprint car... so you hate to start over
with new career set to a higher skill setting. I suggest you spend
some time in the Single Race mode learning to truly drive the car. (AI
difficulty will be discussed below.) When ready to start a career, I
would suggest starting a career at the "Amateur" setting. This will
give you some fun competition at most tracks.

Single Race: Set the AI slider down around 46-47. (This assumes you're
running the "Vehicle Handling" at full-tilt and you've become fairly
accomplished at driving the car. (Note: At once you pass 50 on the AI
setting, they start getting tough. The slider is WAY disproportionate
to the FAST side.) If you have to lower the AI even more in order to
run among them, by all means, do that. It will help you learn the ways
to pass, as well as running in traffic.

About driving the car in "full tilt" handling:

This is NOT "a throw it in the turn, full lock right and flat foot it"
physics model. (Disclaimer: There are some tracks flat-footing will
become necessary as your skills and AI intensity increases.) At a
slick track, your most responsive driving tool will be the throttle
and line selection. For now, slow down your attack to the curves, and
try to learn how to toss the car into a curve, and use the throttle in
conjunction with the steering wheel to take the car where you want it
to go. Once you start aquiring a "feel" for the car, you will find
that you are constantly making steering wheel corrections to keep the
cars attitude in the "go fast" mode, as well as most times using the
throttle. Ever see an in-car cam on a World Of Outlaws car? The driver
is CONSTANTLY working that steering wheel to keep the car headed where
he intends... sometimes BIG corrections. As you increase in your
understanding and feel of the sim car, you will too... and your speeds
will go up as well.  Also, experiment using the brake to "set" the car
up for a turn. Touching the brake will help pitch the car into a
slide. This technique is NOT needed in all track situations, but you
WILL use it in some situations. Learn to use the brake too.

Another tip: Some tracks "hard-pan". That is, the moist dirt is kicked
off the middle of the track, leaving what appears to be a racing
"groove". In dirt racing, that darkened/dry area is the
slickest/slowest way around. Once your skill level increases to where
you can place the car where you want it, and yet you're still racing
your ***off to run with the AI, you'll learn to search for fresh,
moisture ladden dirt. Sometimes it can be found up high (called the
"cushion"), sometimes down low. Learn to use it. You will eventually
be able to tell by your engine whether or not your finding traction or
wasting power in useless excessive wheelspin. Also, look for a good
"line". Some tracks want to be "squared off", others want to be run up
high in the cushion, or down low in the fresh dirt. Some tracks you
want to come in low and hot... slide across the hardpan tail first...
use the cushion, then square-off the exit. Each track can be quite
different, and the dirt condition will change that track, too.
Actually, there is MUCH more to this sim than most may realize at
first. Learn the car, learn to read the dirt, and experiment with
lines.

In all, DRT-SC is a lot of fun. Hope some of this helps.

Andre "Jammin' In the Dirt Tonight" Ming

Thank you, thank you for all this advice, especially running on soft dirt. I
thought the groove had more traction!!!

Actually I was talking about racing against people on Game Spy Arcade, who
are really fast!

I wondered what type of controller you had , and if you raced on the net..

Again, thank you, this is invaluable information for anyone racing drtsc

PS...Do you have any setups you could e-mail me????.....:)

CH