CM2- Driving Technique?

I have just started playing Colin McRae 2, and I am absolutely pathetic! My times are so slow. I think my problem is that I am just not sure what racing line to take when cornering. Having played numerous F1/Nascar sims, the driving techniques needed for CM2 are obviously so different. Could some kind soul explain such things as a) how do I approach a corner ie on the inside or outside b) when should I brake, if at all, c) what direction is my 'nose' pointing when driving into the corner, and d) are there any other skills needed to keep my times respectable. One other thing, I find the brakes to be very poor, and ineffective. Is this just me? Thanks for any help, and putting up with my ignorance. PJ

I've rediscovered CMR 2.0 myself lately (durig the long, lonely evenings, some of you will know why :) ), and it's sooo good with the LCD shutter glasses that I bought (you tend to stay away from those ditches, rocks and trees). With that said, the driving line itself isn't all that different from any F1/Nascar sim. The only benefit that you have in those sims is that you have the privilege of knowing exactly the braking and turn in points on the circuits, while in rallying you need to listen to your co-driver. And listen you must, especially as in CMR 2.0 he tends to give you info about a second too late :). Even increasing volume helps with this, but let just one of his notes pass and you'll be finding a path out of the woods. With that said, since you do not know the corner, the technique slow in-fast out is the way to go. There are many lines through most corners that are about equally fast, but approaching it slow and exiting fast once you have realized the difficulty of the corner is the way to go, as it allows for more margin for error than other approaches. The usual wide entry, apex, wide out line applies, though, just as in other sims. You might want to stick to the inside line a bit longer, though, at least until you see what the road ahead brings. Now, to the driving technique; assuming that it's loose (i.e. non tarmac) surfaces we're talking about, sideways attitudes are really best suited for slow corners. With faster sweepers, try keeping the nose pointed quite forward, as this will scrub of less speed and will generally provide more lateral grip than more spectacular attitudes. If your nose is drifting wide if you enter a corner too hot, do not hesitate to dab the brake to tuck the nose in and make the corner; just don't overdo it, as once you find yourself too much sideways you'll soon become part of the scenery. Brakes themselves are quite effective, but the loose surfaces do not provide as much grip as tarmac, and that's why braking distances are longer. Also, do not too eagerly floor the throttle once you're sideways; in a 4WD car such as those in CMR 2.0 this will mean that a large part of the lateral force will be used for accelerating the car, and this isn't good if you still haven't finished the cornering. I hope the mixture of tips above will be at least somewhat useful. Greetings, -Gregor Paul Jager wrote:

Quoted text (14 lines)

> > I have just started playing Colin McRae 2, and I am absolutely pathetic! My > times are so slow. I think my problem is that I am just not sure what racing > line to take when cornering. Having played numerous F1/Nascar sims, the > driving techniques needed for CM2 are obviously so different. Could some > kind soul explain such things as a) how do I approach a corner ie on the > inside or outside b) when should I brake, if at all, c) what direction is my > 'nose' pointing when driving into the corner, and d) are there any other > skills needed to keep my times respectable. One other thing, I find the > brakes to be very poor, and ineffective. Is this just me? > > Thanks for any help, and putting up with my ignorance. > > PJ

Very good Gregor, also remember you can pitch the car the opposite way of the corner and slide if your trying to slow down fast for a tight turn after a fast section (because dirt is a deformable surface and the car digs in). This is called a pendulum turn and they are quite fun. Also, you can get on the gas quite early and you seem to carry more speed through the turn. Also, for sweepers, it's good to keep your right foot pretty far down and LFB so you can keep the engine and turbo spooled up, though it's not all that critical, and it also balances the car more. Thanks, Alex Gregor Veble <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted text (48 lines)

> I've rediscovered CMR 2.0 myself lately (durig the long, lonely > evenings, some of you will know why :) ), and it's sooo good with the > LCD shutter glasses that I bought (you tend to stay away from those > ditches, rocks and trees). > > With that said, the driving line itself isn't all that different from > any F1/Nascar sim. The only benefit that you have in those sims is that > you have the privilege of knowing exactly the braking and turn in points > on the circuits, while in rallying you need to listen to your co-driver. > And listen you must, especially as in CMR 2.0 he tends to give you info > about a second too late :). Even increasing volume helps with this, but > let just one of his notes pass and you'll be finding a path out of the > woods. > > With that said, since you do not know the corner, the technique slow > in-fast out is the way to go. There are many lines through most corners > that are about equally fast, but approaching it slow and exiting fast > once you have realized the difficulty of the corner is the way to go, as > it allows for more margin for error than other approaches. The usual > wide entry, apex, wide out line applies, though, just as in other sims. > You might want to stick to the inside line a bit longer, though, at > least until you see what the road ahead brings. > > Now, to the driving technique; assuming that it's loose (i.e. non > tarmac) surfaces we're talking about, sideways attitudes are really best > suited for slow corners. With faster sweepers, try keeping the nose > pointed quite forward, as this will scrub of less speed and will > generally provide more lateral grip than more spectacular attitudes. If > your nose is drifting wide if you enter a corner too hot, do not > hesitate to dab the brake to tuck the nose in and make the corner; just > don't overdo it, as once you find yourself too much sideways you'll soon > become part of the scenery. Brakes themselves are quite effective, but > the loose surfaces do not provide as much grip as tarmac, and that's why > braking distances are longer. Also, do not too eagerly floor the > throttle once you're sideways; in a 4WD car such as those in CMR 2.0 > this will mean that a large part of the lateral force will be used for > accelerating the car, and this isn't good if you still haven't finished > the cornering. > > I hope the mixture of tips above will be at least somewhat useful. > > Greetings, > > -Gregor > > Paul Jager wrote: > > > > I have just started playing Colin McRae 2, and I am absolutely pathetic!

My > > times are so slow. I think my problem is that I am just not sure whatracing > > line to take when cornering. Having played numerous F1/Nascar sims, the > > driving techniques needed for CM2 are obviously so different. Could some > > kind soul explain such things as a) how do I approach a corner ie onthe > > inside or outside b) when should I brake, if at all, c) what directionis my

Quoted text (7 lines)

> > 'nose' pointing when driving into the corner, and d) are there any other > > skills needed to keep my times respectable. One other thing, I find the > > brakes to be very poor, and ineffective. Is this just me? > > > > Thanks for any help, and putting up with my ignorance. > > > > PJ

"Alex Kihurani" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:e4bf7.96$[email hidden]... > Very good Gregor, also remember you can pitch the car the opposite way of > the corner and slide if your trying to slow down fast for a tight turnafter > a fast section (because dirt is a deformable surface and the car digs in). That's quite an interseting point. I'd so far figured that one could model dirt, mud, snow etc by simply changing the coefficient of friction, but thinking about it a deformable surface will mold itself around the car, presumably resulting in an increase in friction. Has anybody looked into this yet?