this is the part that scare me. my knowledge base for the game is so far away all this information. I need to learn it because there are so many cool features that I should be implementing. I am still in fast food mode instead of knowing the fine dinner menu.
OK, a few key terms.
BHP = brake horsepower.
PP = performance points.
Now, it goes without saying - the higher the BHP, the more grunt the car has and, effectively, the quicker the engine can push it along.
However, BHP isn't an ideal measure because cars vary so much in weight. A car that weighs 700kg and has a BHP of 100 and a car that weighs 1,000kg and has an equivalent BHP will be a lot different in terms of speed.
Crudely speaking, the PP indicator (which stands for performance points) gives you a pound-for-pound indication as to how good the car is. It uses a number of variables about the car, most notably the BHP and weight (but also things like downforce, location of the weight, etc) to effectively rank the car.
The idea is that it allows people with an array of different cars to find a level competitor, even if one person chooses a huge Mustang and the other chooses a tiny Vauxhall Corsa.
IronCity said:
@fick, tighten up the gears???? I am so blindfolded to this game's potential
I presume this is meant for me, not Fick?
When you have purchased a car in the GT (career) mode, you can then buy a range of additions for that car. One such addition is a customisable gearbox, meaning you can shorten/tighten the gears (quicker acceleration through them) or lengthen/widen the gears (slower acceleration but a higher top speed).
The reason I need to tighten up my gears on Laguna Seca is that as things stand, my Altezza Touring Car is set to have a higher top speed than it is reaching - therefore, I am sacrificing unnecessary acceleration for a top speed I'm not even hitting. This is where testing on tracks comes into play...
IronCity said:
oil change????? I love games that give you a 4-page manual, mostly with pretty pictures, but you need to know 20 pages.
Once a car has clocked enough miles, it needs the oil changed. Over time, your car will lose BHP as the oil gets gritty. Change the oil and you'll get your lost BHP back.
Sminky said:
I presume its all rather self explanatory and straight forward as opposed to needing some engineering and mechanical savvy?
Just to clarify - I also drive on automatic, but the fact is having your gearbox set up for acceleration or top speed is a fairly crucial modification to get the most out of your car dependent on the track.
There is an excellent help section within the tuning/settings screen. Click on whichever element you want to play with, then look for the little red help button (on the right, either top or bottom).
You can get really technical with changing the toe angle or the camber of the wheel, etc, but the more basic changes are more self-explanatory.
Adding weight to the car will slow it down, for example. Lowering the car will make it more aero-dynamic, but probably a bit trickier to handle and also less stable on uneven surfaces.
For me, the customisation of the car settings in order to eke out a few tenths of a second per lap is really rewarding. I guess others might not be so inclined. That being said, I have played so much of the GT career mode that I am now content with just trying to beat my own lap times.
