Formula C is making me want to quit this game

[spacelemming]

So far I've done Ginetta Juniors and the Clio cup and, despite some early teething problems, really enjoyed them. I decided I wanted to do something completely different for my next series and chose Formula C.

I hate it. I hate it so much. I can't even get round the track most of the time and my best time so far was still 5+ seconds out form the AI.

I've looked at previous threads on the internet and have dabbled in changing up the setup and even changed the settings on my controller but none of it is helping.

This obviously just isn't the car for me right now and the fact that I can't back out of the contract and do something else is honestly the nail in the coffin for this game for me.

[morgoth13]

I personally didn't find the car all that bad but I was apparently not pushing it near as hard as you can since I was a bit farther off the leaderboard times than usual. When I tried to push harder it always ended badly. They did make some changes that improved it in patches as I understand. It must have been quite the mess before that!

But the bots are quite good with them, you can expect to have to slow them down for this series. You can always turn off practice/qualifying and retire from the races. It's not as fast as quitting outright but you can skip to the end of the season fairly quickly that way.

Don't be afraid to try the Formula Renault 3.5 in the next tier though. That car is usually considered to be terrific right out of the box(and the AI is much more reasonable too). I loved driving it, much more pleasant than the FC or the Rookie imo.

[spacelemming]

I guess I'll try lowering the difficulty drastically just so that I can actually enjoy this series and then I'll see what happens next. Ultimately I don't think track racing is completely for me. I don't have the patience to optimise every aspect of my driving

[Mahjik]

Another thing, IIRC, there is something strange with the Formula C tires. Check to see if there is a "Sport Tire" available. If so, you will likely find that tire much better to drive.

[spacelemming]

I did look into changing the tires for the practice and qualifying for the first stage, where the weather is foggy. It did make an immediate different but the weather had changed for the actual race so I went back to automatic. Guess I'll try the sport tires

[spacelemming]

Tried all that stuff. Still can't even get through 2 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ laps without being rammed off the road by the ai, or spinning out, or just watching them sail past me while I struggle round the corners. This ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sucks.

[Mahjik]

The tier career system is designed to get more competitive as you go higher. This is kind of weird as it doesn't make the AI consistent. However, it's built like it is in real life. The lower tiers in real life do have drivers who just aren't fast. They are hobbyist who enjoy racing but only compete for fun. As you move "up the chain", the competition gets better.

To get an idea of where you should set the AI, run a "Quick Race Weekend". Those don't use any of the career AI logic and just run the AI exactly what you set it at. Once you determine the proper AI level for you, use that only in career. Don't move it up or down because the cars around you are slower or faster.

[spacelemming]

Ok, guess I'll try that. Thing is I've already done the Clio cup, which is the same level as Formula C, where I was a whole 20 seconds faster than 2nd place in one stage!

[Mahjik]

Originally posted by spacelemming:

Ok, guess I'll try that. Thing is I've already done the Clio cup, which is the same level as Formula C, where I was a whole 20 seconds faster than 2nd place in one stage!

Yes. Driving open wheelers is a different approach. When I did the career, there were certain tracks I just couldn't keep up with the AI and some where I was faster. Where as with the tin-tops, I could be consistently faster. However, I know I suck at open wheelers so this was not a surprise. They do take a different driving technique. You have to learn to take advantage of the aero.

[EF_Neo1st]

Originally posted by spacelemming:

Tried all that stuff. Still can't even get through 2 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ laps without being rammed off the road by the ai, or spinning out, or just watching them sail past me while I struggle round the corners. This ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sucks.

Spinning is usually because of using too much throttle on lower gears (that for Formula C may be up to 3rd gear) while you are still turning.

AI actually is "kind of" dumb (or blind) and may ram you if you stay on the racing line but is exiting the turn slower (or at the straight but slower or braking too early for the turn).
In that case, as you have not posted a video of how you are driving, I guess you are exiting the turn slower than AI, what mean you are not taking a proper racing line, using too much brake and throttle, or overshooting the braking point (what mean you either have to leave throttle for too long through the turn or to do corrections, so you lose speed and stability for the exit of the turn) or starting to turn too late or too soon.
To improve you have to find a way to do the turns where you maximize your turn exit speed.

Slow-in/Fast-out, nice and smooth. You want to be faster on straights, not just "to enter the turn as fast as you can" (what can be done overshooting the turn but then you need to do corrections or release throttle through the turn where other drivers would be already using more throttle or full throttle).

He explain it much better than me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvcuGoVhpxw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZlOkt1oU2k

Check how the car is reacting to your thottle, brake and steering inputs and try to check where are the limits of your car and track.
Some turns you dont need to hard brake, some you just tap brake.
Some turns you dont need to fully release throttle, just use less throttle through the turn.
Some turns you can start earlier or later than what you are used.
Braking, throttle and turning vary from car to car (may vary just a little bit to a lot) and if you are not used to the car handling, it is normal to do mistakes, the Ginetta and the Formula C are in fact a lot different.