Overcoming Performance AnxietySo you want to race with the big dogs, but you’re afraid you won’t be up to snuff on Xbox Live&*174;? You are not alone! If the archaic advice about picturing the competition in their underwear doesn’t work for you, there are other ways to beat the pants off ‘em. The following tips can help you overcome performance anxiety and compete on Xbox Live with style, knowledge, and confidence.
Solo CareerBefore heading off to sure and certain Xbox Live fame and glory, utilize the Project Gotham Racing® 3 Solo Career feature to nail the basics. Test drive cars of varying abilities, perfect shifting techniques, and hone your powerslide proficiency. Gaining confidence, mental flexibility, and learning not to panic will round out your playing skills.
Easy RiderBegin by mastering the Novice and Easy difficulty settings. It’s tempting to go for the trophy and call it game over, but if you want to see your name in lights on Gotham TV, that’s just the beginning. Pay attention to everything, from your timing strategy when pulling off the starting line to tuning in to the whine of the motor when it’s time to shift up.
Earning Kudos is more essential to your Solo Career than your Online Career because Kudos allow you to unlock the concept cars. However, earning Kudos will help you learn the trickier maneuvers that improve your driving proficiency. On the easier tracks, learn to control a car with high Drift so that you can rack up the Kudos combos and perfect the various powerslides. Practice all of the powerslide techniques until they become second nature to you. There are seven types of powerslides in PGR 3:
E-Brake Drift: Brake as you enter a turn; tap your emergency brake to slide into the turn, and then shift up to regain momentum.Power Over: Make a sharp, fast turn while accelerating.Feint Drift: Before turning a corner, turn the wheel slightly in the opposite direction, and then turn it back hard in the original position.Braking Drift: Hit a corner fast and tap the brakes to hinder the rear wheel traction. While fishtailing, maintain the slide by turning into the spin while accelerating.Power Feint: Make a slight turn away from the corner on approach, and then turn back toward it while accelerating.Braking Feint: Make a slight turn away from the corner on approach, and then turn back toward it while braking.Braking Power Over: Take a corner at high speed, let off the gas, and then brake hard while making the turn.
Race Ghost Coast to Coast
Once you’ve mastered the easier tracks and skill levels, take advantage of the next best thing to a live competitor by racing your Ghost. A Ghost is a recording of your best time or skill on a given track, provided that you are using the same difficulty setting and car model. Think of racing a Ghost as the game of golf. I’ve never enjoyed golf because I didn’t understand why people think it’s so compelling. Finally, I realized the attraction is that it’s you playing against your best score. In trying to beat your own game, you improve your aptitude and ability. The only other thing I had against golf turned out to be a myth®that golf is actually an acronym for Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. It’s not true, so now I have a grudging respect for the game, but I digress. Race your Ghost until you consistently beat your best score on the difficult tracks. Now, you’re ready to move online.
The Rank Ain’t RankThere’s been some discussion about how the online ranking system for PGR 3 chalks up. Actually, it’s a marked improvement over the old rating system. The current system ensures that actually winning the race in good time counts for something—not just how many 360°s you can pull, or prolonged slide combo maneuvers you can manage before someone crosses the finish line.
With this in mind, you should race against like- or higher ranked competitors. This is great news for PGR 3 newbies because higher ranked players can’t come in on a whim and dominate the lower-level competition to boost their own scores. Actually, doing so might actually lower your leaderboard standings because you need to race like-ranked or higher players to boost your overall rank, as well as the actual system rank (the level that the ranking system assigns your profile). In addition, race your low end cars against high end cars, and compete in all types of trials, such as Timed Events, Racing Events, and Style Events.
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