rec.autos.simulators

First a little background: I hadn't been interested in racing games until I
tried Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit on a whim.  I really got a kick out of
racing while trying to avoid the cops. :-)  I know, that game is
pure arcade, and not sim, as well as the sequel High Stakes which I also
played.  But it got me interested in this stuff.  I find myself watching
racing now, too (CART, F1, even rally).

Now I am playing Porsche Unleashed, which is a step up from the pure arcade
aspects of the previous games I'd played.  I've been having a lot of fun
with both evolution and factory driver modes.  But now I've hit a stumbling
block in my development:  I got a factory driver mission which requires you
to drive a manual transmission.  Now, in real life I've only ever owned
automatics, so I am duck out of water.  It's ironic though because I have
been thinking that this is something I really need to learn anyway, and
here I get this mission which REQUIRES it.

So, now I am here to ask if you can offer information on this topic.  Are
there any sites which cover the theory and give some explanation?  I can
drive and upshift (using paddle shifters), to accelerate through the gears,
but that's the extent of my skills. :-)  For instance, once you get up to
speed, and are approaching a corner which requires you to slow down, what
do you do then?  Brake, then downshift, or downshift, or just brake without
downshifting?  What is the clutch?  (Though Porsche Unleashed doesn't
require you to use this or even have an option for it, that I know of.)  
Agh, basically, I need to learn the entire process.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

When I'm approaching a corner, I'll first let off on the gas, allowing the
engine's inertia to slow me down somewhat.  As this happens, the revs will
then start to fall, to the point where they are no longer in the useful
portion of the rev band (lower torque, throttle response).  At this point
(2500rpm and below for my car) I downshift, keeping the revs where I want
them.  As I prepare to turn into the corner, I apply the brakes, turn in,
and snick it down another gear.  The reason I gear down is because when I
hit the apex (middle) of the corner, it's time to begin accelerating out,
and I want as much torque as I can safely use, without spinning the tires.
From 15-45mph - second gear usually is good.  First is a definate no-no.
Most cars won't even let you into first under a set speed, and even if you
do, you'll probably redline the engine.   Conversely, third will leave you
with no torque, as the engine'll be too hgih up the rev-range....

What is the clutch?  (Though Porsche Unleashed doesn't

The clutch basically disconnects the transmission from the engine, allowing
you to switch gears.  An automatic doesn't have one (technically) so that's
why they can be quicker off the line.  But there's tons more control with a
clutch, as you can slip it to modulate the power delivery, and even put in
full clutch to avoid stalling, or just to coast along.  IMHO, if you have
any means of using an analog clutch (pedal vs. button), try it - it's good
practice, and at least half the skill in driving a manual is working the
clutch properly...

I suggest you break before you downshift. You don't need to downshift before
you have to accelerate again.
Downshift at high speed is (on RWD cars) just like applying your rear
brakes,
and it will make your car spin. And the Porsches are very touchy about this.
:)
Just play around with it, you will get the hang of it.
When you have some more practice, you will learn to listen to the engine and
shift at the right levels to keep the engine at the right rev range.
If you develop bad habits you will pay for it when you move on to more
realistic
sims, where you will blow your engine by over-reving it.

What you normally would do in real life with a manual transmission (stick)
is to
press down the clutch and get off the accelerator, apply the brakes and
shift
down, get off the brakes, press the accelerator to match the engine rev. to
the
speed, release the clutch and then press the accelerator to the floor!

If you have only two pedals, you can use your left foot on the break and
"rpm-match" with your right foot while breaking. This way you can downshift
during the breaking and cornering more easily.

Since there is no clutch in NFS PU, you can say you're driving one of these
manually controlled automatic transmissions, (tiptronic, steptronic). They
have
no clutch, their just automatic transmissions you can shift manually by
giving the
stick a little tilt, or by pressing buttons on the wheel. The Porsches are
available
with this transmission, even the turbo I think. (It's a shame.)

Then you have the F1 style transmission that you can get in a Ferrari and
Alfa
Romeo. It is a manual transmission, but you shift by pressing buttons on the
wheel, and the transmission applies the clutch automatically. It has a
clutch
pedal, but you only use it when you start, and probably if you mess up
(Desperately trying to recover from a spin).
Could someone comment on how you drive a car with such a transmission?
Do you use your left foot on the brake? I guess at high speed you can't just
get off the accelerator, apply the brake and shift down?

If you need more help with NFS PU there is a newsgroup for it:
alt.games.need-for-speed

What mission requires manual? The 360?

You'll have a lot of fun with NFS PU. Take it online when you have finished
evolution and are getting tired of racing the AI.

Jone.

good luck,

uwe

The 'mission' he is talking about requires a 360 degree spin within 2 lines
of cones.  If you just want to pass that mission, do this: accelerate
towards the cones, shifting up when you redline, I think that will put you
into 3rd gear by the time you hit the cones.  Just before you enter the
cones, hit the handbrake and turn the wheel to full lock.  The car will
start to spin.  As you pass by 90 degrees of spin, release the handbrake and
turn the wheel to full opposite lock.  Change down 1 gear while you are
spinning from 90 degrees to 270 degrees.  As you pass 270 degrees of spin,
center the wheel and floor the gas.  The car should complete the spin and
you drive away into the sunset. :)

After finishing the game in both factory driver and evolution modes with the
automatic ***, I did both of them with the manual.  It's very forgiving
with the manual so it is good to learn with.  If you can complete both of
those, shifting will become almost automatic for you and you'll be able to
carry it into other sims, i.e. GPL.

Good luck!

    -Phasor

*Never* coast in general driving - certainly not in performance driving.
The only exceptions are downhill in a traffic jam, to save wear on the
clutch; and low-speed maneouvering sometimes.

Also search the Google archive on rec.autos.driving for this topic.

Jonny