Ridge Racer V progress update....

[isamu]

Hi guys.

Well since I've found myself back into Ridge Racer V in(surprisingly) a big way, I figured I'd give an update on my progress and share some thoughts:


I just completed the Battle Royal with one of the hardest cars to drive...the Angelus:






Spent TWO hours trying to tame that ---smurfette---!! This is actually the second time I beat the Battle Royal this week. The first time was with the much easier(at least for me) Crinale Devil car. This time I did it with the Angelus and my GOD what a difficult speed demon to drive! The Angeles has so much grip and is sooooo twitchy it's ridiculous! There is NO drifting whatsoever! It's straight grip and is completely on rails. The problem is that it requires such a unique driving style.

I'll preface this by saying the following: I am using a steering wheel and playing RRV in an emulator(PCSX2). In the emulator, I'm restricted to a plugin called Lilypad. The problem with Lilypad is it does NOT emulate either a NeGcon or a JoGcon. It *only* emulates the Sony Dualshock 1 or 2 controller. That means that even though I can use my steering wheel, the emulator, and hence the game, thinks I'm using the analog stick to maneuver the vehicle. This presents an assortment of challenges and issues, because you have to spend minutes if not HOURS tweaking and dialing in the perfect sensitivity. This involves a shitload of trial and error getting the wheel to feel just right and somewhat close to what a smooth "NeGcon-like" steering sensation should feel like. Suffice it to say, I had to dial the sensitivity WAAAY down in LilyPad but after hours of fiddling with the damn thing, I finally got it to where my wheel and pedals feel pretty good. Still isn't perfect, but good enough for this car to drive adequately.

Once I got the control issues sorted out, I had to basically relearn how to drive what is essentially the GRIPPIEST car in *ANY* racing game I've ever played, and one that requires an absurd amount of throttle control and precise steering. What made this even more of a pain in the ass, is the fact that I JUST came from completing the main Grand Prix with the LOOSEST car in the whole game...the Himmel E.O. The Himmel E.O. is a ---smurfing--- BOAT. Seriously it literally feels like a heavy boat that sways from side to side and has a VERY awkward drifting mechanic! Although now after having beaten the Grand Prix with it, I love the Himmel EO to death(yes Jett, even more so than the Solare) since it has now clicked with me and is a BLAST to drive!! So anyway, I came from the complete opposite ends of the spectrum and went from driving a boat to an overpowered rocket and it simply took a long time(ie a couple hours) to nail the Angelus down.

With the Angelus, you have to let off the throttle ever so gently to make it cleanly around corners at Outer Pass(the track the Battle Royal takes place on). You need to feather the pedal and ease off ever so gently for a split second to initiate some oversteer just enough so the car hugs the corner tightly. Sounds easy enough but believe me it aint, especially with a steering wheel when the game thinks you're using a dualshock. Huge learning curve people.

Couple this with what is undoubtedly the CHEESIEST AND DIRTIEST AI car in racing game history...the Crinale Devil car, constantly getting in your way and deliberately passing you and then coming to a deadstop right in front of you, and you're in for a serious exercise in tedium! God, if I never race against that damn Crinale again it'll be too soon! Namco was CLEARLY trolling us when they coded these AI cars. They are the MOST aggressive AI cars I have ever raced against in videogame history. I'm talking worse than everything from the Gran Turismo series, to Daytona USA, to Need for Speed Shift, to Hot Pursuit, to Mario Kart to F-ZeroGX. NONE of those games have AI as aggressive as the ones in Ridge Racer V. NONE....Period!

Anyway, now that  I've been the Grand Prix twice and shattered all time trial records with two different cars...the Solare and the Himmel E.O., and won the Battle Royal twice, I think I'll be starting a new Grand Prix with a car I haven't driven yet, the Fiera(the little Honda looking hatchback). After that I'll probably tackle the 99 Lap Trial...which isn't difficult by any means, just mind numbingly long!

Jett.....your move my man See if you can beat both the Master Class Maximum GP with the Himmel EO, and the Battle Royal with the Angelus and using a steering wheel! Mwahahaha!!!

[Malenko]

Are you playing in software mode on that? Anytime I try a hardware mode the cars are textured oddly.

[isamu]

Are you playing in software mode on that? Anytime I try a hardware mode the cars are textured oddly.

Hardware mode only. Yes cars are glicthy but it's a small price to pay for the much better picture quality that HW mode delivers. Since there's no resolution upscaling in software mode, software mode looks like ass in comparison.

[marioxb]

Why not just use a real PlayStation in the cab? Wouldn't that be easier?

[isamu]

Why not just use a real PlayStation in the cab? Wouldn't that be easier?

Several reasons why. My ffb steering wheel, pedals, and stick shifter not being compatible with any home consoles among them. Not to mention a much nicer looking version of the game, no HDMI on a PS2, etc etc etc....

[Malenko]

Why not just use a real PlayStation in the cab? Wouldn't that be easier?

Several reasons why. My ffb steering wheel, pedals, and stick shifter not being compatible with any home consoles among them. Not to mention a much nicer looking version of the game, no HDMI on a PS2, etc etc etc....

save states, alter resolutions, built in cheats, faster boot up, etc

[ant2]

Have to give pscx2  a go soon. Quite a few good games. Gran turismo, ridge racer etc.
Hopefully my pc is fast enough and the wheel configuration isnt too bad

[Brandon_Roth]

Thanks a lot to share good information .


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[isamu]

All I can say is if you guys do end up playing this magnificent game, be prepared to start pulling your hair out. Some of the races on hard difficulty are the very true definition of batshit insane. Frustration doesn't begin to describe it.

[isamu]

Have to give pscx2  a go soon. Quite a few good games. Gran turismo, ridge racer etc.
Hopefully my pc is fast enough and the wheel configuration isnt too bad

Yup, and you haven't messed around with PCSX2 in a while, you're in for a treat. According to the forums they have made very good progress in both speed and accuracy since the last post in this thread. I haven't used the emu in ages so I can't wait to see how some of the racing games run these days in the latest nightly builds.