Survey: TOCA - Manual or Automatic?

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 4:54 pm

Hey guys,

Just curious if you guys are racing with manual or automatic transmission. In real life you can't get me near an automatic transmission ... if I'm gonna drive then I want to have full control and enjoy the experience. But TOCA is kicking my butt because every race is in a new car with a new transmission with a new number of gears and different gear ratios. It's very tricky and takes me a race or two to get comfortable with the new vehicle. This obviously takes a toll on my online rating so I've been switching back to automatic to stay competitive. So, do I just suck, should I put more time into manual, or just stick with automatic?

mixdj1

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 4:59 pm

I use auto in every racing game. Yeah, it's not the purist's choice, but as I told Terry the other night after finishing second to him in an FFord race, second place is first loser.

I'm going to do whatever gets me closer to the top step of the podium, and right now that's auto tranny.

Take care,
PK

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 5:31 pm

With every new racing game, I stick with auto for a while. For some reason, I need a warm-up period to get used to the game before switching to manual control. Maybe if I mapped the controls to PGR2 settings, but I don't wanna do that.

In a week or so, i will be all-manual I think.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 6:10 pm

I use manual in everything. I hate having to learn a game, then re-learn it if I change driving styles (auto vs. manual). I just suck at the beginning, and get better as I play the game more and learn the gearing for corners, etc.

koebner69 · Post by **koebner69** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 9:08 pm

It is unthinkable to use auto tranny-may as well let the cpu steer,too.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 9:13 pm

koebner69 wrote:It is unthinkable to use auto tranny-may as well let the cpu steer,too.

I would if it would let me.

Im bad enough with the auto. Us weenies like racing too.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 9:13 pm

koebner maybe all guys here arent as good as you are with a stick... haha don't talk down!

p.l.u.r

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 9:21 pm

You could say I run out of talent when trying to do the shifting myself on this game. In the arcades I'll always shift myself, but at home I usually let the console do the shifting for me.

I'm concentrating too hard on either making the next turn or not running into the computer as I miss my braking point.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 10:38 pm

koebner69 wrote:It is unthinkable to use auto tranny-may as well let the cpu steer,too.

Why? Formula One -- the pinnacle of driving in non-rally motorsports -- used automatic trannies last year. Now the series has reverted to using semi-automatic boxes where the drivers only have to upshift with the flick of a paddle.

If an auto tranny is good enough for Michael Schumacher, the greatest non-rally driver alive on this planet, it's good enough for me.

I'd rather win with an auto tranny than finish second with a manual.

Out,
PK

mgoblue · Post by **mgoblue** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 11:04 am

I use auto tranny as well...I'm not that good as it is, I'll have some good races, but then I'll have some pretty bad ones. If I went to manual I'd be really bad. Then again, I haven't played too many racing games lately, maybe in a couple months when I'm pretty solid I can try manual, but right now it's just too much to think about, I'd rather be concerned with driving clean (pretty clean, there'll always be some contact

) online.

Kruza · Post by **Kruza** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 1:16 pm

I personally use MT. But I don't see anything wrong with anyone choosing to use AT. A player can do just about equally well with either tranny. It only comes down to which type one prefers to use.

Kruza

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 1:25 pm

Last night I started experimenting with the clutch option. I mapped it like you have it Kruza, but had trouble with that clicking. So, I tried the A button for clutch, B for up-shift, and X for down-shift, and was able to get through some laps without destroying my gear box.

I fear the standing starts with the clutch, but I am thinking about switching. Maybe I'll go a few days with just the manual shifting, no clutch, until I get more comfortable. But it is a super-cool feature to have.

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 1:30 pm

Manual here, but with auto-clutch. By the way, I completely suck, but I play so many racing sims on the PC with manual, that I can't go to auto on the console without it screwing up my PC racing. PGR2 was the only console racer recently where I was only auto. I could never get a button combination to work for shifting that felt right. Fortunately TOCA allows you to map the buttons however you want.

Kruza · Post by **Kruza** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 1:40 pm

I just wanted to add that I use both types of MTs offline (standard & with clutch) but only standard MT while racing online. Using the clutch poses too much of a disadvantage for me whenever competing in races online, so I don't bother with it.

Kruza

koebner69 · Post by **koebner69** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 7:51 pm

I'm not THAT good at racing games,but shifting gears is such an integral part of driving fast/competitively that I think it's as important as steering and braking.I suppose using auto-fielding in a baseball game or letting the cpu execute a running play in football is a good analogy.It's a third of the challenge.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 9:51 pm

Koeb:

True, somewhat. But your analogy isn't ironclad.

Baseball players in real life don't use auto-fielding. Football players don't take plays off and use CPU bots as substitutes.

Some pro race drivers use automatic or semi-automatic transmissions.

There is a difference.

Take care,
PK

J_Cauthen · Post by **J_Cauthen** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 9:56 pm

I use automatic in the console version and manual in the PC version. If I had a decent steering wheel and pedals for the Xbox (hint-hint Logitech), there's no doubt I be playing it in manual as well.

Gamepads are cumbersome enough - for me anyway - in driving games to handle the steering, throttle, and braking; let alone shifting. I've tried a number of combinations with TOCA 2 on the XBox, but I simply can't come up with something that feels comfortable for manual shifting.