~B
General Tips:
1. If you find yourself on the grass/gravel at any time, instead of burying the
throttle continuously (you will inevitably spin), just hold it on for about 1
second, then take it off, then back on again, and so on. You will find that by
doing this you can still have complete control over the steering of the car, and
you will not lose too much speed. In addition, if you feel particularly reckless
you can use this tactic to negotiate sharp corners and chicanes (by cutting
across the grass) by approaching the said corner as fast as you can, cutting
across at a suitable point and steering your way back onto the road. Tracks on
which this proves *very* useful include Hockenheim, Intelagos and, if you feel
confident enough, Spa-Frangorchamps (the weird corner just before the starting
grid (with the Shell logo) is perfect!).
2. Because there is no black-flagging in F1, you can forget all about usual
driver etiquette and simply slow down for a tight corner by slamming into the
back of a car in front. You will find that even at top speed (160mph+) you will
slow down to just the right speed instanteously!
Note however that this pseudo-cheat is only useful if you have DAMAGE OFF,
although you knew that didn't you... Didn't you?!
3. Forget all about pitting for new tyres in dry weather (with TYRE WEAR ON
obviously) until they have reached at least -350%. You lose very little speed
while they remain above this value. However, leave it to degenerate below -430%
and you will suddenly lose traction and skid completely out of control as soon
as you even begin to take a corner.
4. Using slicks in wet weather may be entertaining for the first few goes but if
you want to have any chance of finishing the race in the points you *must* stick
to the correct tyres for the conditions. Incidentally the experience of having
slicks on in the wet is roughly the same as having tyres that are below -430% in
dry weather.
5. Familiarise yourself with the braking capabilities of the car. If you can
leave braking until the very last minute you can often gain vital milliseconds
on the opposition whilst still being able
to drive through the racing line.
6. Unfortunately Psygonsis have seen fit to provide only the basic rudiments of
crash-dynamics. The only components you can actually remove from the car are
the front and rear aerofoils. Therefore attempting to cause a glorious combined
320mph+ crash by driving the wrong way will only result in your own car skidding
backwards for a entirely unfeasible distance. Compare this with the superb
F1GP2 crashes in which *everything* can be smashed off and you will soon see
that such a practice of driving the wrong way up a track proves very lacklustre
in the entertainment department.
Also it is worth mentioning that it is impossible to make the computer drivers
falter. They never leave the racing line and no amount of pushing and shoving
will convince them to leave the track. Mightily disappointing.
7. If the race is becoming too much like a 4, 3 or even 2-horse race. Stop your
car on the racing line on a particularly nasty corner (sharp chicanes are best)
and, if you are positioned correctly (there is a great deal of room for error)
every car in the race will get stuck behind you and stay motionless until you
see fit to proceed.
Note that this practice is of no value to you whatsoever unless you are already
in 1st place, even then it is still entirely pointless although you may alter
the race order slightly. It is however a source of much laughter and indeed
frustration as the artificial intelligence engine is revealed as being flawed
quite majorly. Really Psygnosis, would you expect real F1 drivers to sit in a
queue for 5 minutes without even attempting to pass the obstruction?...
8. If you are feeling bored, drive using the fly-by camera. You'll crash often
but it does provide you with the oppurtunity to see the car up close and even
watch as the driver's head moves. Not particularly funny but it does seem to
wile away a few minutes well.
9. Try driving up a steep hill (I think there is some on the right on Intelagos
after the first corner). You'll slide down and bump all over the shop. Try
climbing up slowly from the side. Try challenging your friends to a
"who-can-stay-on-the-steep-hill-the-longest" competition. Try jumping off by
getting a huge long run-up and at the last minute drive up the side.
Not strictly the purpose of the game but... alright I was bored OK!
10. Complete the season on either ARCADE or CHAMPIONSHIP and try the
graphically-impressive "shaped-like-a-F1-car" course. I think you have to
finish first, maybe someone out there can confirm/discount this.
