I've had this game now for about 2 weeks and I'm not doing that bad, but there is something bothering me. I spend a lot of my time driving around the Blackwood GP circuit, and my best time is a 1.34.xx, however I can't seem to get any faster than this, even if I drive outta my skin I just can't get any quicker, yet I've seen players doing 1.32's.

These faster drivers seem able to accelerate much faster from the corners that I can, so I was wondering if it's my controller that's messing my times up? I use an old MS Sidewinder USB joystick (not ideal for driving I know). I know it's not my setups because I'm getting setups from the quicker players, and my driving is normally pretty smooth and consistant... so I'm at a loss as to where I'm losing time?

Any suggestions?

posting a replay of your driving usually helps with getting tips on how to go faster

oh okay... but how do I do that exactly?

It's one of two things, your racing line is off along with your Braking point/Apex/Trail braking...or mostlikely its because of the joystick. For your line, just watch a replay of faster players and learn their line/brake point/apex and that should help with that point. But as I figure, you cant get 100%brake of 100% acceleration while turning with the joystick beacuse of the design...and anyways, i really recommand getting a wheel, or even using Mouse/Keyboard which would be easier in my opinion.

2 Weeks !!!!, bloodly hell mate, after my first 2 weeks i was happy to do a lap without crashing

Thats not a bad time for a newb, unless you're driving the FOX

You'll probably get 4000 thousand posts telling you to go buy a wheel, so let me be the first. Go buy a wheel. But, having said that, there are some seriously quick guys out there who use Mouse and Keyboard (even WR holders).

But the best advice i can give is :-
1)Have patience, it will come
2)When racing, find the quick guys, go to spectate mode and watch everything they do, line's, brake points etc, then join the race yourself and have a go
3)Download the Hotlaps, both the WR's, and the laps maybe 1 sec faster than you, The WR laps will make you sick, (coz, It's physically not possible to go that fast, round that track, and not crash ) but it's something to admire (have a look at some of the laps around the longer course's at South City, esp in the Formula cars, you'll see what i mean)
But, the laps about 1 sec quicker than you, just watch and learn, 1 sec is easily within you reach, especially when you see how many mistake's your making


Edit, i must be the slowest typist on the planet, i thought i was the 1st person to see this thread

Quote from Mazz4200 :

Edit, i must be the slowest typist on the planet, i thought i was the 1st person to see this thread

haha, sorry to spoil your fun

If you're driving the GTi or GT, 1:34 is a darn good time! The world record hotlap is 1:33.x, so I guess people doing 1:32 on servers are probably getting a draft down the back straight (that can REALLY help your laptime) or maybe getting a corner cut somewhere. If you're in the GTi especially, speed out of corners could be a result of the FF layout. FF cars really don't accelerate very well at all with anything beyond very minor steering input, so even if you're following the same lines as the faster guys, you may be doing it with a slightly different series of steering inputs; when you're past the apex, maybe you're still turning the wheel a bit, while the faster guys already got the car turned around nicely before the apex and hardly have any steering input after it, allowing them to get more acceleration than you do. Just an idea

best advice i can give is don't try to go faster!

what i mean is just let the laps flow and all of a sudden you find your best time is 1/2 second faster

Seriously, 1:34.x is a great time for new player. Realistically ~1:33.3 is the fastest you'll see in a race without bumpdrafting or other trickery and there's only a handful of players that can pull it off, provided they get a perfect lap.

Having said that, I would suggest to look into two things:
-Make sure throttle cut on upshift is turned off (options/player)
-Exit speeds. Since the XFG has so little power, it's very important to carry a lot of speed onto the straights, especially in the uphill sections. Exit the S 2-3mph too slow and you lose half a second. Do the same in the last corner and you're at a full second already, plus it'll hurt the first sector of the next lap.

If you want to compare different lines through a corner or turn-in techniques, I would suggest checking your speedo at certain points on the straights after the corner. At Blackwood you can use the sector marks and the finish line for example.

Just for reference, on a very good lap I usually see 140km/h at the finish line, 165 just before braking for turn 1, 155-156 at the first sector mark, 178 just before the bridge, 125 across the second sector mark and 112-113 through the last turn.

If you really wanna get technical it might be a good idea to use AnalyzeForSpeed (http://www.ctd-racing.com/AFS/) to compare your lines/speeds to others.

I've been playing this about a week and my best lap time is 1:29.74 in the XGT and 1:32.xx in the XF braking points are a little off, either too early or too late, but i'm still learning just keep practising

Quote from Xaid0n :

I've been playing this about a week and my best lap time is 1:29.74 in the XGT and 1:32.xx in the XF braking points are a little off, either too early or too late, but i'm still learning just keep practising

1:32.xx in XFG??? Wow...can you post a replay so I can see how its done? I've been LFS'ing for 2 years+, and NEVER got below 1.33 (without tweaking!)

I have been playing LFS since 2002, and I have NEVER broken 1:33 on BL in the XFG, my pb is 1:33:36, and in races I am lucky to get lower than 1:34's

Dan,

32's weren't difficult before patch S/T/U. With the current physics it's borderline impossible.

Quote from Bladerunner :

1:32.xx in XFG??? Wow...can you post a replay so I can see how its done? I've been LFS'ing for 2 years+, and NEVER got below 1.33 (without tweaking!)

Ummm I think this is the replay (3 laps) im going to ask my friend to convert it to avi. soon, hope it works

EDIT: Ohhhhh you thought i did in the XFG, I wish LoL, but yeah come to think of it i have hit 1:33 just havent got the replay, replay here is of the XG turbo did a 1:29

Thanks for the info everyone

Quote from Peteuplink :

Thanks for the info everyone

if u drove 1:34 in version P, its ok, but if u did it in S/T its really fast for a rookie. gettin out faster from corners can caused by set differences, or even driving style. for starting, try PBUs set from team inferno, great for start low 1:33s possible w it (patch U)

Quote from RevengeR :

if u drove 1:34 in version P, its ok, but if u did it in S/T its really fast for a rookie. gettin out faster from corners can caused by set differences, or even driving style. for starting, try PBUs set from team inferno, great for start low 1:33s possible w it (patch U)

I'm driving on version U, I'm generally getting 1:35's but every now and then drop into the 1:34's. The only race sim I've played consistently before getting LFS is the Grand Prix series by Geoff Crammond.. but that was getting boring because I find them all way too easy now. That's why I came to race against real people

well then you're doing pretty well (better than me, I've only done 1:35s!) - maybe you should move on to other tracks and cars? the general experience will likely improve your pace for blackwood / gti when you come back to it in future, too.

go buy a wheel to go faster. I got that same joystick and i know it won't win u a race any time soon

Quote from Rappa Z :

go buy a wheel to go faster. I got that same joystick and i know it won't win u a race any time soon

I'm planning on getting one next weekend

Quote from AdamW :

If you're driving the GTi or GT, 1:34 is a darn good time! The world record hotlap is 1:33.x, so I guess people doing 1:32 on servers are probably getting a draft down the back straight (that can REALLY help your laptime) or maybe getting a corner cut somewhere. If you're in the GTi especially, speed out of corners could be a result of the FF layout. FF cars really don't accelerate very well at all with anything beyond very minor steering input, so even if you're following the same lines as the faster guys, you may be doing it with a slightly different series of steering inputs; when you're past the apex, maybe you're still turning the wheel a bit, while the faster guys already got the car turned around nicely before the apex and hardly have any steering input after it, allowing them to get more acceleration than you do. Just an idea

remember when i got 1:36's in Q, then i got a 1:35.07 due to the massive XRT sat on my rear bumber the whole way down the straight!

pete: so did you make it to 1:33 yet? I got to 1:34.19, 1:33 feels like it'll be tough...

Quote from AdamW :

pete: so did you make it to 1:33 yet? I got to 1:34.19, 1:33 feels like it'll be tough...

Nah, I've driven the wheels off the thing and the best I can manage is a 1:34.8x. Had a cracking race yesterday though. Started last out of 11 cars, doing 6 laps at blackwood and doing consistant low 1:35.0x managed to get to 3rd . The only 2 drivers ahead of me were doing mid 1:34's

One thing LFS has done is made me a much smoother driver than I was previously. Now all I need to do is work on speed

A 1:33 at BL with the XFG is not easy, and you need a lot of experience and practice to do it.

Also, it is VERY hard if you are using Auto Clutch... by using that, you'd get very low 1:34's on average, but would be tough to consistently get 1:33's. You have to use Button Clutching to get 1:33's... it is how they are all doing it.

You will now ask what Button Clutching is... so I will let someone else explain zzzzzz nn

I see you've been driving on our server... I'm glad you enjoyed it

tweaker: hum, guess my 1:34.19 with auto clutch is OK, then...I don't have a clutch pedal on my DF-non-pro, and I've never driven a real car so I'm not used to doing the whole clutch thing anyway, so I guess I'll stick to it .

pete: man, you're luckier than me - somehow I always wind up on a server with four people doing 1:33s . My strategy is generally to stay patient, try and work my way up when people ahead of me screw up, then block like crazy...hehe. I've had a few second places now in real competitive races, not any first yet though. I'm trying to work on some other tracks now. All the South City tracks are kinda fun (except sprint 2, can't get the hang of the long compound left hander in that course at all).