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Need help on how to use manual transmission in videogames

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xenphor:
I've used manual in real life one time, and I rarely ever use it in video games, but I want to learn how to use it. I'm playing Daytona and I don't even think it's possible to play that game with automatic because I can't take turns without excessive breaking. However, in that game I actually cheat and map the gears to individual buttons so I can go from 4th to 2nd gear and completely skip 3rd, which I'm assuming you can't do in real life or other games.

So how should I be using manual in either Daytona specifically or, more generally, other games that use it more realistically? How do I know when to shift? How do I know when to break vs. changing gears? Do I downshift and then break or break and then downshift? How do I upshift so that I don't stall out? I'm always distracted when using manual because I'm either in too low a gear or too high and then lose tons of time.

For now I'm using a controller so keep that in mind.

MrThunderwing:
I can't speak for sim racing games (as I never play them), but in arcade racers no two games behave the same way in terms of how manual gears work, in terms of drifting and cornering, so it's not really possible to give general advice that applies to all of them. So, for example, what works in Daytona USA won't work in Scud Race or Outrun 2 or Daytona USA 2 (unless, supposedly, you're using the Hornet in Power Edition but even then it feels different to me compared to D1...).

In terms of specific advice for Daytona USA, using individual buttons to shift is a valid way to play, and the ability to skip gears (i.e. 4th to 2nd) is something you can do with a proper shifter in the arcade and is how the game is meant to be played (and, as you asked, is something you can do with a real-life gear change as well). The idea in Daytona is to drop to a low gear and turn, to start initiating a drift, and the go back to a high gear when you've got the car at the correct angle to get the car to stop sliding and complete going through the corner without hitting a wall or coming off the track. The pros use a 4-2-4 (so going from fourth to second back to fourth) sequence with their gears to do this. I always seem to have a bit of trouble doing that though and find that a 4-1-3-4 sequence seems to work best for me. I'll post a video of me playing against a buddy to demonstrate it below (I'm the red P1 on the left). Using this technique you can do every sharp corner in both the Beginner and the Advanced course without having to touch the brakes once. The Expert course is another matter altogether though and a combination of brakes and gears is needed here I find (but TPH I've never fully mastered this course so others might disagree).



The drifting technique in Daytona USA 2 is a bit different and requires a combination of both brakes and gear changes. It's a lot easier to spin the car out if you're not careful.

BadMouth:
If playing with a gamepad type controller, I'd want sequential (shift up, shift down) shifting regardless of the original controls.
This is possible with RacerMAME and the H2Seq programs (also works in model 2 emulator).
http://racermame.altervista.org/index.html

In the older games that only had hi/lo, pay attention to the speed you are going when your speed stops increasing or only increases slowly.
IIRC it's around 180 on Outrun, but I haven't played it for a while.  Just before you hit the speed where low gear is going to top out, shift up.

Like MrThunderwing said, on 4-speed games the shifter is used in place of the brake a lot (when I play anyway).

I typically ignore the brake unless the game has a hairpin turn where it's required.
These are games.  The reality of how a shifter and clutch work in real life usually don't apply.  ;D

Fursphere:
My personal preference is to avoid using a manual shifter (any type) if its an option.

After driving so many clutches in real life - sports cars, military 6x6 trucks, pickup trucks, almost anything you can imagine - video game clutches and shifters fail.  The feedback required just isn't present in video games - so I just avoid it if possible.

To each their own of course.   :cheers:

xenphor:

--- Quote from: MrThunderwing on January 11, 2015, 07:31:48 am ---I can't speak for sim racing games (as I never play them), but in arcade racers no two games behave the same way in terms of how manual gears work, in terms of drifting and cornering, so it's not really possible to give general advice that applies to all of them. So, for example, what works in Daytona USA won't work in Scud Race or Outrun 2 or Daytona USA 2 (unless, supposedly, you're using the Hornet in Power Edition but even then it feels different to me compared to D1...).

In terms of specific advice for Daytona USA, using individual buttons to shift is a valid way to play, and the ability to skip gears (i.e. 4th to 2nd) is something you can do with a proper shifter in the arcade and is how the game is meant to be played (and, as you asked, is something you can do with a real-life gear change as well). The idea in Daytona is to drop to a low gear and turn, to start initiating a drift, and the go back to a high gear when you've got the car at the correct angle to get the car to stop sliding and complete going through the corner without hitting a wall or coming off the track. The pros use a 4-2-4 (so going from fourth to second back to fourth) sequence with their gears to do this. I always seem to have a bit of trouble doing that though and find that a 4-1-3-4 sequence seems to work best for me. I'll post a video of me playing against a buddy to demonstrate it below (I'm the red P1 on the left). Using this technique you can do every sharp corner in both the Beginner and the Advanced course without having to touch the brakes once. The Expert course is another matter altogether though and a combination of brakes and gears is needed here I find (but TPH I've never fully mastered this course so others might disagree).



The drifting technique in Daytona USA 2 is a bit different and requires a combination of both brakes and gear changes. It's a lot easier to spin the car out if you're not careful.



--- End quote ---

Is that some handicap or something in daytona? How is he getting 16s?

What about games that are pseudosims like Gran Turismo 4? Specifically, in challenges where you have to overtake a bunch of cars starting from the back? Is it still the same, using downshifting to brake and shifting up when you redline?

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