Please help a newbie racer!

You sim gods will probably get a laugh outta this, but please go easy on me. 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.

"Ped Xing" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > ...I got a factory driver mission which requires you > to drive a manual transmission....I can > drive and upshift (using paddle shifters), to accelerate through thegears, > 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 brakewithout > downshifting? 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 > require you to use this or even have an option for it, that I know of.) 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...

Hi! 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.

On Wed, 13 Mar 2002 00:45:36 GMT, Ped Xing <[email hidden]> wrote: > do you do then? Brake, then downshift, or downshift, or just brake without > downshifting? What is the clutch? (Though Porsche Unleashed doesn't Make sure you brake first, then downshift once the engine revs are low enough. Downshifting too early (with the engine revs too high for the rear wheels) might send you into a nasty spin (then again I don't know if PU handles this realistically) good luck, uwe

Jone Tytlandsvik <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:a6n7cj$fnu6t$[email hidden]...

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> 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!

Erm... small but important change: *don't* get on the clutch until the instant you start the gearchange. Keeping the engine connected adds engine braking, and some inertia which helps to prevent lock-up, and means that the engine hasn't dropped to idle when you come to engage the next gear. *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

Hehe, I was in exactly the same boat, and it was the beginning of learning how to drive the manual transmission in sims. NFS:PU is an excellent place to start IMO. 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 tranny, 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 "Ped Xing" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > You sim gods will probably get a laugh outta this, but please go easy on > me. > > First a little background: I hadn't been interested in racing games untilI

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> 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 astumbling > block in my development: I got a factory driver mission which requiresyou

Quoted text (8 lines)

> 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 brakewithout > 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.