Discussion:
The Microsft Ediburgh competetion
(too old to reply)
iddqd
2004-05-07 10:41:58 UTC
Permalink
Well I would not mind winning a trip to the US or some of the other
goodies (Like €4.000) but is it just me or does it suck that to have any
chance at winning it you gotta have the Speed 12:-(

I think they should have put the competetion to be Track Specials or
Pacific muscle because in thoose classes there are more competitive
cars. Not like Ultimate where the Speed 12 is king.

I don't want to cheat and get an AR and I'm still about 40 platinums
away from the Speed 12 so no prize for me:-)

Regards

Bruno
Marty James
2004-05-10 02:06:31 UTC
Permalink
Bruno,

Pity huh... $4K would come in handy!

Good luck with those platinums - I've got 9 to go (just some CCs), last time
I caught up with you I have about 100 platinums to go, and I was on a 1:38
on the ring... I'm doing 1:22s now.

Here's some tips I thought may assist you:

- I did all the speed cameras first... Pretty easy, get the right car and
conserve momentum & maximise exit speeds. Be aware the the right car isn't
always obvious... Look for low power slide values, but high acceleration /
top speed.. Depending on the run's layout.

- One on One's are the next stop off... Look for a way to get ahead and stay
ahead... If it means compromising your lap time for track position etc then
do it. If you can cut him off or put him in a spin etc and keep your
momentum, the rest is easy.

- Street Races are also relatively easy - if you're not in 1st or 2nd after
the first couple of corners, you'd do best to restart the challenge.

- Hot laps become easier if you can just set a reasonable time close to the
goal and use it's Ghost as a bench mark... But don't cross the finish line
unless you're ahead of the ghost!!! Even if you fail the challenge the
previous run IS the ghost for the next attempt - so see it through if you
better your time. This method will allow you to see where you can make
improvements.

- Timed runs are just a matter of monitoring your split and determining the
require lap time. If you struggle, keep and eye on your split while trying
something different in a particular sector, you'll find that any clean lap
can still vary quite a bit depending on your lines.... Obviously you want to
look for maximum EXIT speed unless there's a tight combo of turns or
chicane, in which case you want maximum exit speed FOR THE LAST CORNER.

- Overtaking challenges are like timed runs, in that if you're really
struggling, there's something missing. Try a different car or different
line(s). Usually there's a point where you suddenly get really close to, or
shatter the goal... That's the key you need to find.

- Cone Challenges, first thing to do is drive around at 90% speed and learn
the layout/sequence, but look for cones that are difficult to 'link'
together (< 2secs apart). These are the trouble spots. Place a priority on
getting as many combos as possible, not on how good each one is.. 3x quick
combos is preferable to 1 long slide. Most platinum CC mean you just need to
complete the lap(s) without banking your kudos until the end... Link large
gaps with slides or cleaner lines/more speed. If you still aren't close,
throw in a slide off the start or or pick up extra 'two wheels' or slide
combos along the route.

But the most challenging this is none of the above:
- Find time to play
- Resist the temptation of getting hooked on TOCA2/V82!

All the best, see you online! (Finally got XBL last week!)
MJ.

Gamertag = brrmbrrm
Post by iddqd
Well I would not mind winning a trip to the US or some of the other
goodies (Like €4.000) but is it just me or does it suck that to have any
chance at winning it you gotta have the Speed 12:-(
I think they should have put the competetion to be Track Specials or
Pacific muscle because in thoose classes there are more competitive
cars. Not like Ultimate where the Speed 12 is king.
I don't want to cheat and get an AR and I'm still about 40 platinums
away from the Speed 12 so no prize for me:-)
Regards
Bruno
iddqd
2004-05-10 09:21:30 UTC
Permalink
Hi Marty,
Post by Marty James
Bruno,
Pity huh... $4K would come in handy!
Yes, it sure would mean my summer holiday would become a more excotic
one! Also the trip to the Coca Cola 600 would not be a bad thing.

Actually the €4000 would come to around 4,733.38;-) The cheap USD has
done wonders to my budget making spare parts/upgrades for my bikes a lot
cheaper.
Post by Marty James
Good luck with those platinums - I've got 9 to go (just some CCs), last time
I caught up with you I have about 100 platinums to go, and I was on a 1:38
on the ring... I'm doing 1:22s now.
Nice going. To bad the CC's are more like work than fun.
Thx for the tips. You've pretty much got everything nailed down and
there is only really two things which I'm gonna elaborate on.

When doing One on One and Street Races it is sometimes better to go for
the car with the best acceleration rather than the car which brings the
fastest laptimes. The fast acceleration makes it easier to get ahead in
the start and on some track overtaking once everyone is up to speed can
be pretty impossible meaning if you use your mirror and drive a bit
defensively you can win even if you don't get fastest lap. Of course in
some classes the overall fastest car is also the one with the best
acceleration.

I found that starting out with the slowest classes is the best way to
go. Simply put when going for platinum it means doing a lot of miles
meaning you will get a lot more rutine throughout completing the goals
and the learning curve is less steep starting with cars that are slower.
Post by Marty James
- Find time to play
That's a tough one. I find that since spring has arrived I can't really
bring myself to race daytime due to the nice weather and even the
evenings are being ruined by more social stuff:-)
Post by Marty James
- Resist the temptation of getting hooked on TOCA2/V82!
Not sure what V82 is but TOCA2 looks like a must have. Also I've got Far
Cry on my PC!
Post by Marty James
All the best, see you online! (Finally got XBL last week!)
Welcome to the club, I'll look for you.
Post by Marty James
Gamertag = brrmbrrm
I'm off now - I can hear my MTB calling me:-)


Regards

Bruno aka. COOLdotDK aka. Cool.DK (When playing UT)
Marty James
2004-05-11 00:34:21 UTC
Permalink
Post by iddqd
Actually the €4000 would come to around 4,733.38;-) The cheap USD has
done wonders to my budget making spare parts/upgrades for my bikes a lot
cheaper.
Tell me about your bikes.
Post by iddqd
Post by Marty James
Good luck with those platinums - I've got 9 to go (just some CCs), last time
I caught up with you I have about 100 platinums to go, and I was on a 1:38
on the ring... I'm doing 1:22s now.
Nice going. To bad the CC's are more like work than fun.
Thanks! Correction... Obviously I meant 6:22 around the ring. Not 1:22!!!
Whoops. Now down to just 6 platinums, did 3 CCs yesterday, 2 with the GT1
and 1 with the F50. Getting easier. Sometimes you just get the feel for it
and have rhythm, other times you make 50 attempts and want to smash the tv
with the controller. :)
Post by iddqd
Thx for the tips. You've pretty much got everything nailed down and
there is only really two things which I'm gonna elaborate on.
When doing One on One and Street Races it is sometimes better to go for
the car with the best acceleration rather than the car which brings the
fastest laptimes. The fast acceleration makes it easier to get ahead in
the start and on some track overtaking once everyone is up to speed can
be pretty impossible meaning if you use your mirror and drive a bit
defensively you can win even if you don't get fastest lap. Of course in
some classes the overall fastest car is also the one with the best
acceleration.
Good point. I almost always went with the best acceleration. Not only good
for the start, but it means if you do loose the lead you can make a great
dive under brakes, then turn, point and shoot.
Post by iddqd
I found that starting out with the slowest classes is the best way to
go. Simply put when going for platinum it means doing a lot of miles
meaning you will get a lot more rutine throughout completing the goals
and the learning curve is less steep starting with cars that are slower.
Hmm, I agree to an extent, but I didn't find that the classes were very
progressive in terms of difficulty. Having done all the challenges in the
KWS in Silver and half in Gold before trying any platinum, I felt I had
enough experience to take on any challenge... I'm ranked 49 in 110hrs. Don't
get me wrong though, there's plenty of Platinums that I still wonder HOW THE
HELL I COMPLETED!... And I'm not looking forward to the roadster CC
challenge or the Capitol Hill one.
Post by iddqd
Not sure what V82 is but TOCA2 looks like a must have. Also I've got Far
Cry on my PC!
TOCA2 and V82 (V8 SuperCars 2) is basically the same game. Over here in Aus,
the V8's are like our designated national motorsport. I'm sure the name
variation is just a licensing/marketing thing...

Check the Australian website (V82):
http://www.xbox.com/en-au/v8supercars2/

And compare with the US and UK sites (TOCA2):
http://www.xbox.com/en-us/tocaracedriver2/
http://www.xbox.com/en-gb/tocaracedriver2/
Post by iddqd
Post by Marty James
All the best, see you online! (Finally got XBL last week!)
Welcome to the club, I'll look for you.
Cheers!

I'm typically online around the following hrs:
- Monday 1-3pm (3-5am GMT)
- Tuesday 1-3pm (3-5am GMT)
- Random nights 11pm-1am (1-3pm GMT)

Obviously I'm GMT + 10 at present, and I only play PGR2 online. My online
hrs aren't really suited to gaming with you, but we could always plan a
session!

Later,
MJ. (brrmbrrm)
iddqd
2004-05-12 09:20:58 UTC
Permalink
Post by Marty James
Post by iddqd
Actually the €4000 would come to around 4,733.38;-) The cheap USD has
done wonders to my budget making spare parts/upgrades for my bikes a lot
cheaper.
Tell me about your bikes.
It's just a passion of mine. I use bikes both for everyday comuting and
for fun and my current collection looks likes this.

- A 40+ years old classic gentelmans bike. Very laied back to drive
which I use once in a while for short rides like when the sunday morning
trip to the nearest baker.

- A 15 year old 14-speed road bike build of Coloumbus steel tubes. My
first really nice bike and it has about 40,000 miles on it. For the last
couple of years I've been using it for comuting when the weather is nice.

- A Giant TCR-Team road bike. ALu-frame, 18 speed, lots of carbon stuff
(fork, seatpost, spokes, hubs) and fitted with very nice gears and
brakes. It tips the scale around 8 kg so it's not super light but
neither am I sound it needs to bit able to handle me:-)

- A Santa Cruz Chameleon mountainbike configured as a rigid (= no
suspension) single speed which I use for comuting in bad weather and
also a little messing about.

- A Specialized FSR Elite. It's an semi-old full suspension bike which
has been upgraded and tinkered with all over. This is the one taking a
lot abuse when I go riding in the woods and that is a bit costly on the
equipment. For example a really nice handle bar sets one back $100 or more!

And finaly I starting build myself an replacement for the old 14-speed.
So far I've only got an Colnago steel frame, a nice fork and a few other
bits so there is still some way to go but the basis is nice.

I actually can't think of a single day in a long time where I didn't
ride a bike regardless of snow/rain/sun. It's just my favourit way of
moving about:-)
Post by Marty James
Thanks! Correction... Obviously I meant 6:22 around the ring. Not 1:22!!!
Whoops. Now down to just 6 platinums, did 3 CCs yesterday, 2 with the GT1
and 1 with the F50. Getting easier. Sometimes you just get the feel for it
and have rhythm, other times you make 50 attempts and want to smash the tv
with the controller. :)
I know the feeling. Like with most other things some days completing
challenges comes easy and other times one is really better of doing
something else.
Post by Marty James
Good point. I almost always went with the best acceleration. Not only good
for the start, but it means if you do loose the lead you can make a great
dive under brakes, then turn, point and shoot.
Exactly.

I must admit to not driving fair when racing the computer but then again
it's not really like the computer is either. I have the feeling that the
computer cars are following an invisble line in the road and that they
often will follow that line even when traffic or their lack of speed at
the start means they could do better otherwise. Something which also has
the effect that in some situations they push you a lot:-(
Post by Marty James
Hmm, I agree to an extent, but I didn't find that the classes were very
progressive in terms of difficulty. Having done all the challenges in the
KWS in Silver and half in Gold before trying any platinum, I felt I had
enough experience to take on any challenge... I'm ranked 49 in 110hrs. Don't
get me wrong though, there's plenty of Platinums that I still wonder HOW THE
HELL I COMPLETED!... And I'm not looking forward to the roadster CC
challenge or the Capitol Hill one.
The absolute hate ones for me so far has been the American Muscle
challenges. I really don't like being forced into driving a car that is
all power and crap handling.
Post by Marty James
TOCA2 and V82 (V8 SuperCars 2) is basically the same game. Over here in Aus,
the V8's are like our designated national motorsport. I'm sure the name
variation is just a licensing/marketing thing...
Ahh, got it.
Post by Marty James
- Monday 1-3pm (3-5am GMT)
- Tuesday 1-3pm (3-5am GMT)
- Random nights 11pm-1am (1-3pm GMT)
I'm sure well eventually bump into eachother:-)
Post by Marty James
Obviously I'm GMT + 10 at present, and I only play PGR2 online. My online
hrs aren't really suited to gaming with you, but we could always plan a
session!
One thing we can't solve is the lag due to the distance. I've played
with a few people from down under before and some times it was fine
other times there was simply to much lag cause voice communication to be
distorted and cars to teleport all over. We shall see how it goes.

At the moment I don't get to play a lot so I'd rather not scheduele
something but lets get back to that if we don't get to race by chance.

Drive safely

Bruno
Cool Joe!
2004-08-10 01:52:03 UTC
Permalink
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Post by iddqd
Well I would not mind winning a trip to the US or some of the other
goodies (Like €4.000) but is it just me or does it suck that to have any
chance at winning it you gotta have the Speed 12:-(
I think they should have put the competetion to be Track Specials or
Pacific muscle because in thoose classes there are more competitive
cars. Not like Ultimate where the Speed 12 is king.
I don't want to cheat and get an AR and I'm still about 40 platinums
away from the Speed 12 so no prize for me:-)
Regards
Bruno
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