I’ve been drooling over Project Gotham Racing® 2 for more than a year now, ever since the first playable builds were made available to us here at Microsoft Game Studios. You would think I’d have mastered the game by now. You would be wrong.
Like many of you, I struggle with the game’s many nuances. I blasted through the easiest levels of the Kudos World Series (Steel and Bronze), but so far my quest for success at Silver, Gold, and Platinum has come up empty. Sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in thePGR version of the movie Groundhog Day; like Bill Murray, I'm failing the same challenges over, and over, and over again.
I need help. Luckily, one of the coolest things about working here at Microsoft Game Studios is the fact I can just pick up the phone and call the people who make games like PGR 2. I can speak to the true experts—the men and women who know the game from the inside out. Not only do they know how the game works, they also know how to work the game.
In my quest to improve my driving skills, I went to Jimbo, the Test Lead for PGR 2. When I asked Jimbo to prescribe some easy-to-understand tips and tricks for PGR 2 racers who are looking to move up the leaderboards, he came back with a wealth of information, which I’ve listed below.
Some of what he tells us may seem counter-intuitive at first—for example, slowing down to go faster—but keep an open mind long enough to give his suggestions a try. What do you have to lose, other than a second (or two) off your lap times?
Basic Tips
Use the left trigger! To get the best lap times and win races, you have to exit each turn without hitting the wall or lifting off the throttle (the right trigger). Brake hard and early, coast if you need to around the middle of the corner, and then hammer the throttle as soon as you’re certain you won’t hit a wall exiting the turn.
Drive defensively. When driving in traffic with someone on your tail, hug the inside of the turn. Don't give them room to push you aside and bully past you. It's not the fastest way around the track, but if you want to hold your position, you can't let them get inside you in a turn. They'll punk you into the wall, and then you're toast.
Look behind you, someone may be gaining. Use the rear-view mirror or “look back” with the Y button. You may not want to take an optimum line through a turn if someone's right behind you because that leaves you vulnerable. So check your six!
Drafting is the key to overtaking. You can gain speed by closely following the car in front of you, but you need to time it so that you pass them just before a turn. That way, you gain the overtake Kudos, and your opponent will not have time to re-draft you and overtake you.
Make the most of Xbox Live. If you have XboxLive, take advantage of it. Look at the leaderboards and see what cars the top drivers used to post the best scores. That will help you spend your Kudos tokens wisely. Also, download and watch replays of the best racers. See how they get those insane scores. You might not be able to reach the top of the list, but you'll surely improve your technique by watching the experts.
The course is wet; watch your adhesion!
Advanced Tips
Use engine braking to slow down. Engine braking is very pronounced in this game. There are many turns where simply lifting off the throttle will allow you to get around the corner without having to brake. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You'll find this technique will allow you to drive more aggressively than otherwise might have seemed possible.
Curb your enthusiasm. Often curbing can disrupt a faster car because it gets the car up on two wheels and prevents you from turning or accelerating until you get all four wheels back on the ground. In some cases, you'll be faster if you hit the brakes hard to avoid curbing at the apex of a turn because you'll be able to maintain control of the car and exit the turn faster. It's not the fastest way through a turn, but it's the fastest way to get out of a turn, and that's the higher priority.
Learn how to shift. Using the manual transmission is essential if you want to be "King of the Ring." Downshifting manually in certain turns will put you in the optimum gear/RPM level for exiting the turn with more speed. You won't have to wait for the auto-transmission to downshift to the proper gear. (Note: Even if auto-transmission is selected, you can press X button any time when your car is "lugging" to trigger a downshift. However, learning how to downshift manually is worth the effort if you want to be the best.)
Going all out—all the time—will slow you down. The best racers are the ones who take their car to the limit of adhesion without going over the edge. It's far better to drive consistently at 95 percent of the car’s adhesion than to drive at 102 percent, where you'll lose valuable time correcting spins or decelerating to avoid contact with walls and guardrails.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T! While it can be a jungle out there, the higher the caliber of your competition, the more respect you'll get (and the more you'll need to give). The top drivers do everything they can to avoid collisions. If you want to reach the top, learn how to let someone get past you without causing you both to crash. Somewhere later in the race, that person may show you the same courtesy you showed them. That's the best racing you can experience.
Maybe you want to take the optimum line through that turn ... or not.
