Learning on a PS4 Racing Game

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, my husband told me, “You’re nowhere near ready to drive a Boxster GTS with a manual transmission. First, you need to be able to drive smoothly in either PDK or manual mode in Gran Turismo on the PlayStation.” That brought out my competitive side, so I fired up the Gran Turismo Sport game we have for PS4 and gave it a try yesterday.

グランツーリスモSPORT – PS4

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Normally, I’d automatically choose “AT,” but this time I selected “MT” and took a Mazda Roadster and a Golf for a spin. The trouble was, I couldn’t quite figure it out. Even when I took my foot completely off the clutch, the engine didn’t stall. I even ended up a full lap behind, stopped in the middle of the circuit, practicing hill starts—and still crossed the finish line without really understanding what was going on (-_-).

A Misunderstanding

When my husband got home from work yesterday, I told him, “I didn’t really get it.” He replied:

“That MT control setup is for a different PS4 game. For Gran Turismo, just use the paddle shifters.”

I grumbled a bit, but then he said, “Okay, let’s practice now.” (Luckily, both girls went to bed early.) He told me to show him how I’d been driving, so I crept along, shifting into second, then third, slowing down, stopping—the works.

My husband nodded and said, “Ah, I see. I get it now.” Then he explained:

What I meant yesterday wasn’t that you should practice the way you did in driving school. In the Panamera, I wanted you to get a feel for driving in Sport mode by shifting gears yourself with the paddles.
See how the car accelerates when you let the revs climb, and how slowing down and downshifting before a corner lets you accelerate hard on the way out. I wanted you to experience that kind of driving by using the paddle shifters.

…

…

…Wait,

You didn’t say any of that yesterday! (,,ﾟДﾟ)!!

I’m not the sort of person who can hear one thing and magically figure out the other nine. I can’t read between the lines, and I’m no car expert, so you have to explain things carefully or I won’t get it ┐(´д｀)┌

Taking a Cayman GT4 Around Suzuka

So my husband set up a Cayman GT4 in the game, and we decided to try it out at Suzuka Circuit, where the course calls for plenty of gear changes. First, he showed me how it was done:

Once I understood the idea in theory, we switched drivers.

At first, I was flustered and had no idea what I was doing. But gradually, I got the hang of it, and found myself thinking:

・A car can go this fast even at 4,000 rpm! (Well, it is a Cayman GT4.)
・It’s fun to choose when to change gears and drive at my own pace!

I was pleasantly surprised by all sorts of things, and had a pretty great time behind the wheel. But it was tiring to do something so unfamiliar, so the lesson was over after 30 minutes.

The Joy of Driving a Manual

This morning, before heading to work, I dropped the girls off at kindergarten and daycare, then parked near the station and planned to take the train. I tried using the paddle shifters for the drive there. The Panamera Turbo has far too much power, and of course the real car felt completely different from the game (naturally, lol). But once I got onto the main road and accelerated while shifting when I wanted to, it felt incredibly satisfying and fun.

So that’s what makes driving a manual so enjoyable.

I think I’m beginning to understand why my husband is so set on manual cars. For now, he’s told me to keep practicing in the game until I get a feel for it. But I’d love to try driving the Boxster GTS for real this weekend.