So I took a break from GT3 since my game order was delivered. I bought a bunch of old games: Forza, Juiced, Project Gotham Racing 2, V8 Supercars 3 and Rallisport Challenge for XBox, and the odd one out, God Of War for the PS2. God Of War was the first disc to go in a console, and it's been there solidly for over a week.

Action adventures aren't usually my thing, though I do have Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time. I quite enjoy these, but the replay value isn't the same as a driving game so they tend to get played through once or twice and left to rot. No doubt GoW will go this same route, but I gotta say I've had an awesome time playing this game over the past week.

Test B-1 | Starting Accelerating And Stopping 1
Test Course | New Beetle 2.0

Ok, this is your basic start/stop test, pretty straightforward. The trick is to use manual and start in second gear to maxmise traction off the line. Despite this, I tried a couple runs with an auto tranny and managed gold anyway with a 0'34.937. Start RPM is between 3500 and 4000, 'deadline' rpm (where the rev limiter cuts in) is around 6300 and all going well the braking point is just short of the 950m line. Piece of cake.

Trying the manual transmission method, you can start in second from redline with minimal traction loss and get a much quicker start. I was able to run a 0'34.430 without too much trouble.

Gold: 0'35.100
My Time: 0'34.430

Test B-2 | Starting Accelerating And Stopping 2
Test Course | Viper GTS

This is the same test as B-1, but with the much faster FR Viper. Leaving it in manual, I dove right into this one using the same tactics. All that was required was
to find the right braking point - about midway between the 850m mark and the start of the '900' signwriting
on the road right before the 900m line. I'm guessing maybe 870m or so. As soon as I hit gold, I moved on - very boring tests.

Gold: 0'25.200
My Time: 0'25.189

Test B-3 | Basics Of Cornering 1: FF Cars
Deep Forest | Coupe Turbo Plus

This is the left hairpin at the end of the Deep Forest start/finish straight - a basic late entry 'hook turn'. I hit gold on the second run, albeit by just a sliver. Figuring as I'm not out to break any records right now, I quickly moved on the next test.

Gold: 0'31.100
My Time: 0'31.091

Test B-4 | Basics Of Cornering 2: FR Cars
Deep Forest | Honda S2000

Again the same test with a different drivetrain, though this time the two cars are more evenly matched for power. This one took quite a few tries before I managed to gold it - lots of silver runs 0.1s or so above the gold target. In the end I hit gold on a run that completely disregarded the suggested line, digging deeper into the turn before a sharp hook back to the apex and out. Launch rpm is found quite low down on the little Honda's high revving gauge - around 3000rpm.

Gold: 0'29.100
My Time: 0'29.020

Test B-5 | Cornering Response 1: FF Cars
Grand Valley | Civic Type R

Ack, who put yo momma's car in the game? This one tries to teach you the somewhat technical esses section at Grand Valley, but you're more likely to learn something about controlling launch traction than anything else. The little Civic really struggles to put the power down off the line, and once it's moving, it struggles to put any power out at all. Beyond the start, just follow the dotted line and you're home and hosed.

Gold: 0'34.400
My Time: 0'34.372

Test B-6 | Cornering Response 2: FR Cars
Grand Valley | Mazda MX-5 1.8i

This one proved to be the most challenging so far, if only for the tightness of the gold target. The Mazda is reasonably easy to launch, with the sweet spot just a tad under 5000 rpm. I found it faster to take a slightly wider line right from the start line and then cut in early for the left and ride the ripple strip up to the turn-in point for the following right. This gives you some extra roadway over the suggested line. The Mazda likes to four-wheel drift under deceleration, so you can't be off the power for too long. Only short, medium braking is needed for the tight left hand into the tunnel and again, get back on the power quickly and smoothly. I ran a whole bunch of silvers here before finally striking gold.

Gold: 0'33.000
My Time: 0'32.961

Test B-7 | Basics Of Sequential Cornering
Deep Forest | MR2

This one started out looking very difficult, but it soon proved to be a whole lot easier than expected. The
car will launch at redline with no wheelspin and you can really throw it into the turns - there's no need to let off the throttle for as long as the dotted line suggests. Once I worked these two things out, the gold came quickly.

Gold: 0'33.000
My Time: 0'32.907

Test B-8 | Domestic CIass B Licence Final Exam
Trial Mountain | Skyline R32 GT-R Vspec II

Heh, this one is tough, we all know it. Reckon I'm gonna save it for another night so I can attack it fresh. Check back in a day or two for the outcome.

Edit: Took a crack at it after a couple days out and immediately jumped into the silver time zone. Being mostly downhill and off-camber, the Skyline tends to drift, so the key is to minimise this with early and gradual throttle application out of the turns. I took gold after about 20 mins, a damn sight better performance than the last time I ran this test, which took me days of trying before I finally saw the gold.

Gold: 0'42.800
My Time: 0'42.713

Another free pickup for the garage. While it's not in the same league as the Panoz, the little Mazda MX-5 1.8i will do very nicely as a starter car for the Beginner League. Mine was an ugly aqua colour, but hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?

The B tests were a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from screamingly easy to quite challenging, and with a final 'exam' test that really should have been an A or IB test. In all, the golds fell quite quickly and more easily than I recall from other times I've played through the game.

Back to Time Trials Part 2 | On To Licence A Tests

Today brings the second half of the Arcade Time Trials. I'm looking forward to some challenging runs in some decent equipment, and ultimately to pick up that shiny new Panoz Esperante for career mode..

Trial 6 | Apricot Hill Raceway | Castrol Tom's Supra JGTC

Now THIS is the supremely addictive GT3 I remember! Being the first run of the night, I started out just feeling my way around the technical Apricot Hill, rolling in for a third placed 1'20 first time through. Pretty soon I began to feel more at home and racked up a first placed 1'18, only a couple tenths below the record. Right then I realised there was a LOT more time to be saved and I set to the task. Lap times fell repeatedly for quite a few runs before they began to bunch up in the high 1'16's. GT fever had struck and I lost count of the laps after that point, but soon eoungh I was either chasing my ghost all the way home or dropping a wheel off the kerb and failing. Time to call it quits.. for now. There's definitely another 0.5sec at least to be shaved here.

Record: 1'18.558
My Time: 1'16.313

Trial 7 | Grand Valley Speedway | Castrol Mugen NSX JGTC

First place, first lap. Sweet. But a high 1'48 just wasn't gonna satisfy me tonight. A second run stripped just over a second off my time, and the third took me down into the 1'46's with a fairly tidy run. There's still some room to move, but I'd better get cracking if I'm to get any decent sleep. Besides, I always found MR cars just a trifle, er.. dull.

Record: 1'49.453
My Time: 1'46.984

Trial 8 | Swiss Alps | Impreza Rally Car Prototype

Woot, another first place on the first lap. Gotta admit I've spent a lot of time at Swiss Alps - I used the track once to see if there was any real difference between the GT3 rally cars, and ran countless laps at Swiss Alps in the testing. As it turns out, there's near to naff all difference between any of them, save perhaps for poorer starts from the FF Xsara. Anyways, I wasn't gonna settle for a measly 0.3 sec below the record, so I ran a couple more laps and dropped another 1.5 sec. Good enough.

Record: 1'23.703
My Time: 1'21.978

Trial 9 | Tahiti Maze | Lancer Evolution VII Rally Car Prototype

Hmm, I remember this being a bit of a toughy. I guess that stems from there being a bunch of hairpins that'll fail you if you're too hot and smack the wall. Generally I quite like the Maze, but for licences and time trials, let's face it, she's a bit of a bugger. Nonetheless, I'm pressing on. First run yields a third place in the 2'02 area, quickly followed by a run just a smidge over 2'00 flat. Quite a few missed runs later I realised I need to actually slow down for the hairpins and drive through them rather than my usual balls-to-the-wall powersliding approach and notch up a first place run. Funny, I really don't feel like bettering that one right now.

Record: 1'59.964
My Time: 1'59.432

Trial 10 | Complex String | Ruf RGT

Right. The previous nine runs were simply the warmup to this, undoubtedly the most technically challenging course in the game, Individual sections alone aren't so daunting, but then you need to string them all together successfully in a run lasting up to five minutes, you're gonna get a lot of missed runs. And that, I did. When I finally did manage to cross the finish line for the first time, I'd pulled down a respectable third place somewhere in the 4'54 range. Not bad, only five seconds to find. Forty-five minutes later, and despite gaining up to 4 sec on my ghost by the straight beyond the expanding loops, I still hadn't finished a second lap, and I'm running outta time for the night. I figure it's a good time to take a break and pick it up again tomorrow. The wonder lap will surely come then.

Edit: Back for another round, I was soon back into the swing and actually finishing laps. The first of these was a 4'50, stripping 4sec from the previous night's time and less than a second off the record. A few more tries and it was done, crossing the line well ahead of my ghost, and the record. I gotta say here that there's still plenty in this track, at least another second, if not more. Can't say I'm feeling much like making another run though!

Record: 4'49.869
My Time: 4'48.164

And there she is - what a beaut! A brand new Panoz Esperante GTR-1 in my career garage, potentially ready to totally blitz the Beginner and Amateur League competition. But meh, where's the fun in that? To be honest, I'm none too sure exactly what I'm going to do with this car, perhaps sell it and give myself a nice cash boost to start the career off right. For now I think I'll just hang on to it and head to the Licence Tests.

Back to Time Trials Part 1 | On to B Licence Tests

With the Single Races over, I'm now heading to the Time Trials, and hopefully to pick up a free Panoz Esperante for career mode. The trials are split into two parts, here's the first..

Trial 1 | Midfield Raceway | Lotus Motor Sport Elise

What a great little run this is. The little Elise is a joy to drive, so nimble and responsive thanks to its great power-to-weight ratio. After one missed run where I was too hot, too soon and into the kitty litter at the turn after the tunnel, I immediately settled in and ran 1'23, passing up the record by over a second. The PD staffer driving the demo car is quite a hesitant chap, preferring to drive a perfect, but slower line, so it's pretty easy to put this one to bed quickly.

Record: 1'24.993
My Time: 1'23.692

Trial 2 | Trial Mountain | Mazda MX-5 1.8RS

I was on the money here from the first run, pulling down a time of 1'49.109, mere tenths off the record. The next run was good enough at 1'47.909, but I wasn't content and ran a third, sub 1'47 lap. That'll do for now, but I'm sure there's up to another second in there.

Record: 1'49.025
My Time: 1'46.995

Trial 3 | Tokyo Route 246 | Honda S2000 Type V

Another case of the happy first lap ending in disaster,
I overcooked the critical last left into the start/finish straight and collected the wall for a fail. In another
feat of cockiness, I've forgone the ritual viewing of
the demo run before this race, so by the end of my second attempt, I'm staring at a time, wondering if
it's good enough. Turns out it certainly was, with a margin of more than two seconds on the record.

Record: 2'02.330
My Time: 2'00.015

Trial 4 | Deep Forest Raceway | Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec II

I sense a pattern emerging here. I'm thinking,
'Finally a car with some balls!', and what do I do? Chuck it sideways into the green stuff. Heh. A couple silly errors later, I'm over the line with a sub 1'27,
good for second place. Next run is good for first, but I want more and keep trying. Couple runs later, I get it, just a tad over 1'25. Gotta say this is the most fun and challenging trial so far, the Skyline carries enough speed through the turns to take things beyond the technical. Awesome car.

Record: 1'26.360
My Time: 1'25.067

Trial 5 | Laguna Seca Raceway | Dodge Viper GTS-R Concept

Woot, actually finished a first attempt lap this time, even if it was only good for third place. Anyways, speaking of awesome cars, this sure as hell is one. Oodles of power, virtually no traction problems, turns like an Evo and it's red, with racing stripes. What more could you ask? The track however, isn't one of my favs when it comes to 'limited' racing such as Time Trials and Licence Tests, because it's all too easy to stick a wheel in the sand and blow an otherwise good run. Several of these mishaps later, I 'm settled for a mere 0.5sec off the record and switching to blog mode.

Record: 1'23.178
My Time: 1'22.521

Heh, it was all over far quicker than I'd expected really - I guess I was figuring on tougher times to beat. The perhaps comes down to my years behind a GT controller, and perhaps also due to the switch away from any sort of driving aid. I have a real suspicion that this change is really bringing my times down, and I gotta say the cars feel much better for it - more.. direct. Looking forward to finishing up the TTs tomorrow and launching headlong into the game proper.

Back to Arcade Area F | On to Time Trials Part 2

The final stage of the GT3 Arcade Single Race mode, Area F. I'm running all races on Hard difficulty, with no ASM or TCS. Completion here brings me four new Arcade cars and an Ending Movie.. I think.

Race 30 | SS Route 5 Wet | Ruf RGT

Well, the 'competition' were more like obstacles in this one, at least up to the end of the start straight, after which they were never seen again. I guess taking the RGT was pretty unfair, but my rule is to use the first car that features in the track video loop, and that's the RGT dammit. As it happens, I'd also been running a little free practice around R5 Wet last night, so that helped quite a bit as well.

8'12.894 Ruf RGT (1'35.751)
8'35.595 Tuscan Speed 6
8'39.589 Elise 190
8'41.222 ZZS

Race 31 | Apricot Hill II | Altezza RS200

The MR2 put up a nice fight during the first lap while I was finding the traction limits on the revvy Altezza, but it soon disappeared in the mirror and was eventually passed by the AI Altezza as well. That's saying something I guess, just not sure what.

8'54.907 Altezza RS200 (1'42.934)
8'57.619 Altezza RS200
8'59.281 MR2
9'03.446 Mazda MX-5
9'05.339 Mazda MX-5
9'06.986 Sirion X4

Race 32 | SS Route 11 II | Panoz Esperante GTR-1

Damn! Now that was a tough race. Working my way through the pack was tough enough, but then five laps of paint trading with the faster GT-One and 787B really got the heart racing. Those two absolutely kill the Panoz on the straights, so it was a case of watching them disappear into turn 1 and then a fight back to the lead on every lap. Two failed attempts later, I finally had enough lead by the end of lap five to hit the finish ahead of the Mazda. Woo, go me!

9'24.884 Panoz Esperante GTR-1 (1'50.330)
9'25.336 787B
9'26.677 GT-One Race Car
9'30.065 Panoz Esperante GTR-1
9'31.924 Camaro Race Car
9'33.134 GT40 Race Car

Race 33 | Tahiti Maze II | Lancer Evolution VII Rally Car

Meh. Too easy. I made several bad mistakes and yet the doddering Focus barely saw me for most of the race. While I'm aware that this is arcade mode, you'd think that at least the Rally races would be fairly close, given that all Rally cars are roughly the same spec. Ah well, a win's a win - bit tough to complain I guess.

8'18.093 Lancer Evolution VII Rally Car (2'01.215)
8'30.629 Focus Rally Car

Sheesh, this is a touchy race with driving aids off - really takes a lot of concentration on every tight turn to keep the power to the ground. Even so, I managed to spin out nastily on lap 3 and still push ahead of the 787 once more. A worthwhile race in an S CIass car.

7'22.620 Vertigo Race Car (1'24.859)
7'25.496 787B
7'27.096 Zonda Race Car
7'30.041 Esperante GTR-1

All in all, I'd have to say that Area E was more difficult than Area F. The wet races seem daunting, but it's just the regular physics model exaggerated - you soon get the feel for it. As long as you watch the throttle you're safe since the AI can't handle wet turns without coming to a complete stop. Aside from that, the Rally race is also a doddle.

Prize cars picked up here were the awesome Viper GTS-R Concept, the formidable TVR Speed 12, plus the two at the top of the heap, the GT-One Race Car and the Mazda 787B. Ending Movies A and B were also unlocked - watched 'em dutifully, promptly forgot 'em.

Back to Arcade Area E | On to Arcade Time Trials

Area E? What about Areas A through D you ask? Well, heh, I guess I got my ideas coming in the wrong order lately. The grand plan to restart GT3 from scratch was hatched a few days before the idea of blogging the project, and I've already completed the first four Arcade Areas in the game. It's a pity in a way - there were some pretty nice races in there, and I did actually consider redoing them for the sake of blog completeness, but.. nah.

So anyway, on with the show. Here's Area E, all set out nicely, despite the vaguaries of the rather suspect GS WYSIWYG Editor. You work with what ya got, eh?

Race 25 | SS Route 11 | Viper GTS-R Team Oreca

Ah, Route 11 - how I missed this awesome technical track in GT4. And how unready I was for it! First run through I managed a third behind the screaming 787B and the Zonda Race Car. This served to remind me of the track layout and left me primed for a rematch.

Gotta admit I was a bit concerned, but as it turns out I managed to beat out the 787 with a best lap of 1'47.96. Plenty of room for improvement, but it was nice to feel the track knowledge slowly coming back.

9'17.140 Viper GTS-R Team Oreca (1'47.960)
9'18.137 787B
9'20.308 Zonda Race Car
9'21.873 Viper GTS-R Team Oreca
9'25.003 Vertigo Race Car
--'--.--- GT40 Race Car

Race 26 | Deep Forest II | NSX Type S Zero

No problems here really, but God I'm rusty! A spinout after the back straight on lap 2 saw my NSX Type S Zero passed by the second and third placed Corvette Grand Sport and Supra RZ, but it wasn't much trouble to pass them up again, particularly due to the awful lines the AI take through the two tunnels.

7'21.692 NSX Type S Zero (1'24.727)
7'23.540 Corvette Grand Sport
7'24.311 Supra RZ
7'26.168 Mazda RX-8
7'27.663 Lancer Evolution VI GSR
7'30.273 3000GT VR-4 Turbo

Race 27 | SS Route 5 II | Denso Sard Supra GT

An absolute walkover. Usually you expect JGTC races to be fairly close, but this was not one of those. I hit third place by the first turn, and slid into first right after the double chicane. Kinda disappointing, but it was still nice to be back at Route 5, one of my fav GT3 tracks. I'll make a note here to come back and retry this one at Professional level.

6'45.582 Denso Sard Supra GT (1'18.693)
6'55.821 Castrol Tom's Supra GT
6'57.804 XJ220 Race Car
6'57.958 Calsonic Skyline
6'58.549 Castrol Mugen NSX
6'59.734 Falcon XR8 Race Car

Race 28 | Seattle II | S2000 Type V

After repeated unsuccessful attempts in the Corvette C5R (against the GT-One and R390) and then in an Alto Works (damn you New Beetle!), this one was far too easy in the Honda. Gotta love the chassis on the little S2K - it handles like a wet dream.

9'31.140 S2000 Type V (1'52.389)
9'37.140 S2000 Type V
9'39.925 Integra Type R 98 Spec
9'41.851 200SX
9'42.510 Legacy Touring Wagon GT-B
9'44.035 Silvia K's S13

Race 29 | Cote d'Azur | Impreza WRX STi

This race was run pretty much solo, aside from the obligatory argy bargy at the first turn. The nimble little Impreza just eats up this track, which is not something you can say about the AI at Monte Carlo, regardless of what they're driving. This has to be my fav track of all the GT3 courses, and I immediately fell back into the Cote d'Azur 'zone', repeatedly realising I was actually thinking of other things while the car seemingly drove itself. That's a nice place to be.

9'37.038 Impreza WRX STi (1'53.489)
9'42.560 Skyline R33
9'43.437 NSX Type R
9'48.133 3000GT VR-4 Turbo
9'48.527 300ZX
9'49.901 Lancer Evolution IV GSR

All in all, a pretty tough Area, especially those C5R races. Prizes forthcoming were the Ruf RGT (yay!), Tuscan Speed 6 (hohum), Esperante GTR-1 (it'll do for now) and the mighty Nissan R390 GT1. Not a bad haul.

Back To Introduction | On To Arcade Area F

It was always gonna happen, and this week it did. I started fresh game of GT3, and I've been having a blast.

The goal is to complete the game 100% and collect as many unique cars along the way as possible. ASM and TCS will be off on every car and in every race. A side effect will be the chance to double check all the data in my extensive GT3 'Infobase' spreadsheet and to bulk that data out with more lap and race times.

The plan so far:

1. Complete all Arcade Mode Single Races on Hard difficulty
2. Complete all Arcade Mode Time Trials, win Panoz Esperante
3. Gold all Licence Tests, win Mazda MX5
4. Beginner, Amateur, Professional Leagues in order
5. Somewhere in there fit in Rally and Endurance Leagues

So far I've been running the Arcade Single Races and just began Area E. This is my first time through with GT3 using the right analog stick for accel/brake and also with no ASM/TCS whatsoever. This has really pushed the difficulty (and fun!) level up a notch and I'm finding some decent competition, which is nice, and probably impossible without the right stick setup.

My approach with car selection for the Arcade races is to use the first car I see in the track's video loop, where possible. If that car isn't available, I just choose a cIass and car at random. This can make for some challenging races, like the last couple - the Mazda MX5 found some stiff competition in the Lexus Altezza at Apricot Hill, and the race before I was hard pressed to keep up with a RUF 3400S at Tokyo in a Lancer Evo VII.

So yeh, on with the game! o/

On to Arcade Area E