Participate in Mission race No.34. 1st place
Time: 9'12.114
Driving Missions : Mission 34 : "1 Lap Magic: Mercedes Showdown!"
Venue: Nurburgring Nordschleife
Me: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren '03
Opponent(s):
.. 1 - Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe '54
.. 2 - Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor '98
.. 3 - Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5 - 16 Evolution II '91
.. 4 - Mercedes-Benz SL 500 (R230) '02
.. 5 - Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG (R230) '04
Margin: -0'02.395
+ 250 A-spec Points
+ $50000
Please keep in mind that these are not necessarily my best times (CLICK HERE for my best times/replays). Please refer to these track maps when looking up Turn numbers/names * Special thanks to AMG @ GTPlanet.net for the hard work put in to generate them!!! *
To note, the PAL version has a shorter wait time for M34 (115 seconds), and the average finish times for the 300SL is around 9'16.000. For whatever reasons the designers did this, the fact is that this Mission can be passed without "cheating", regardless of which version is played. But, with that said, I have no problem running "dirty"...
Ahhhh... the Bane of all undetermined GT4 players... Mission 34. There are many out there who will do everything in this game, except this Mission (wussies!). Many consider this to be one of the toughest challenges the GT series has to offer (USA version). But, considering how long it took me to complete Time Trial #10 for GT3 (Complex String), I'd say M34 isn't that bad.
It took me months to finally get TT10, and it only took me 4 days (first go-through) to do M34 ("only"... heh). Maybe I learned a lot from playing GT3, my first of the GT series. TT10, in fact, was one of the first things I did with GT3. But for the most part, I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't be able to pass M34 if they REALLY put their mind to it.
My thumbs were virtually destroyed after my first go-through. My right thumb (acceleration, braking) was pretty much flat to the tip. My left thumb (D-pad Steering) was a little worse off... Here's a picture of it after I finished M34 for the first time:
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/1952/si850758pq4.jpg
The bruised part of my left thumb is actually flat. I couldn't get a good enough angle to show it... A very thick layer of skin was eventually peeled off of both thumbs.
Anyway, the only good "cheats" I've found for this Mission is wallriding at Bergwerk and Karrussel. You can get exit speeds much higher than if these turns are taken legitimately. In terms of lawnmowing (grass-cutting), the only section where I felt this benefited was between Hatzenbach and Hocheichen. You can keep speeds in the mid 90s while running through the grass, but braking for the left hander can be tricky (to avoid wall contact). All other benefits from lawnmowing (grass-cutting) seemed marginal.
S: + 2'03.000
One of the funnest things to do is sit and do nothing for two minutes. Yay. I chose to take the entry into Hocheichen normally (no lawnmowing)...
T1: + 1'50.371
T2: + 1'41.060
I still haven't found a good way to grass-cut Adenaur-Forst. It's a tricky angle, and the barriers make it difficult to know how to properly line up the car for the exit. I took it legitimately, but others may choose not to do so. However, I exit VERY wide, and bang into the outside wall on the left. No penalty, but loss of momentum was significant.
T3: + 1'33.075
Coming through Spiegelkurve, I find myself too tight to the right. I try to head to the left for a better approach into Drei-Fach Rechts, but I do so too suddenly and too firmly. I swing the steering hard to the right to correct again, and my back end breaks loose. I manage to settle the car, after drifting the entry of D-FR. Fun stuff!
T4: + 1'19.508
My turn-in for Breidscheid was too early and/or too tight. This puts me deep into the sidewalk on the right side for the exit, and I slightly rub against the wall. Not a whole lot of speed lost, but wall contact, nonetheless. I wallride Bergwerk...
T5: + 1'06.375
T6: + 0'55.103
Coming out of Klostertal, the AMG comes into view. I pass it as I wallride Karrussel, but I lose a bit of speed from the final bump against the railing.
T7: + 0'38.129
The SL 500 comes into view as I cross T7, and I finally pass it heading into Brunnchen.
T8: + 0'29.854
T9: + 0'23.403
I go off briefly to the left as I head into Schwalbenschwanz. After getting through, I see the 190 heading into Kleine-Karrussel, finally overtaking it as I push through Galgenkopf.
T10: + 0'12.603
The Kompressor is WAAAAY down the straight, but I manage to catch up to it by the time I cross T11.
T11: + 0'04.126
I brake at the bottom of the hill, to steady the car for the final turns. Losing control and/or getting a penalty HERE lends itself to many broken DualShock2s... It's better to take it easy and overtake the 300 near the final right hander. I brake too late for Hohenrain, and I nearly go off track to the left. I regain control, and head for the final corner from there. I pass the 300 to the inside, just before braking and turn-in for the final right.
F: - 0'02.395
I cross the line at 9'12.114, going 97 mph in 2nd gear.
Here's a video of my run:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5781751016686398801
So now that this is done, I'll buy some cars and then continue with Missions 5-29. Here's what my Game Status screen looks like at the end of this day (before the Prize Car is awarded):
http://gt4.mygt4diary.com/gamestatus.asp?d=87
Thanks for reading. Thanks for watching. And Have A Great Drive!
RoadHazard
http://www.mygt4diary.com/
