Manual gears becomes so automatic you don’t even realise you are doing it. Just get a bit of practice. It really helps because you can use the engine to brake (to an extent) and best of all, you control how fast you want to go out of a corner. I noticed when I first got the game that the automatic gears are a bit indecisive – and I reckon they cost you time. I am going to try some online races with no aids to see if I can get used to it. But (ignore this please, Magnificent one) when I turn TC off on the pad, I can’t seem to get the throttle application right. I spin coming out of corners enough as it is due to lack of traction, and I have it set to full! As for ABS, I can manage for a while, but I get tired of having to be so delicate on the brakes. It makes me feel like I am losing about a second per corner! Anyway, I am unofficially going to make it my goal to race the finale with no aids at all – not even the pit ones!
By the way, Magffrey; my biggest gripe about the dual-shock controller isn’t the lack of travel on the triggers. My biggest problem is how the game doesn’t let you choose how direct and fast you want to turn in to corners. What I mean is, when you want to go through the fast chicane at Melbourne for example, you want to whip the steering wheel from left to right as quickly as possible to get a clean exit. But the game, despite having the toggle pushed all the way across, takes over from you, and slowly moves the wheel back to the right in a smooth manner. I know this prevents people spinning, but there should be a way to turn it off, because it leaves us guys with pads around 1 second per lap worse off than people like Magnificent Geoffrey. It’s most annoying when you are trying to correct a spin, because by the time you have got the wheel at full opposite lock, you’ve already been pointing the wrong way for half a second. So that is why I don’t have TC off. It is relatively easy to control your throttle application, but you can’t steer the car properly, meaning correcting spins isn’t going to happen. Don’t believe me? Then try it for yourself. It is possible, but it’s much easier with a wheel.
