Blogs Obsessive Compulsive Time Trial Disorder

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I used to play this game with an original CH Flightstick. So many laps.

 

I can't play racing games any other way. I annoy myself sometimes.

 

What are the implications of this online then where resets are impossible? Is there still satisfaction there?
For me GT5 is still a happy blend of ease of play and believable handling, and most of my racing is done in the online shuffle races, where sometimes it's impossible to compete for the win, but the midfield battles are phenomenal. A hard fought 6th can be incredibly satisfying.

 

Same. The CH Flightstick was so much better the the keyboard.

 

Gran Turismo 3 was my staple gaming diet years ago. A got hold of some sort of unlock for it, so you started off with like 10 million credits. So ditching everything I had already done to start again, this time, everything perfect. From the license tests, to which cars I won in which order. That means Complete an endurance race after a couple hours, win the wrong car, start again. Now do I win?

In fact I struggle when I can't repeat anything over and over again, it just has to be right.

 

sometimes u have to learn to wreck to succeed at racing. u have to learn how to get yourself out of those bad situations so u can recognize them when they pop up again. ive found during qualifying that sometimes all the tweaking and finetuning u are doing is actually slowly but surely ruining your setup and sometimes its best to just reload the default setup and race a few laps then start tweaking again. then once u stop crashing u get to the real fun... trying to shave off hundredths or thousandths of a second every lap

 

Absolutely Trackmania style behavior. If you even land a jump without being 100% parallel to the road, it's over. You wouldn't understand unless you've played it, but there is no margin for error.

 

I wondered if someone would say Trackmania. That game is all about shaving off seconds, although it's also more fun and casual than some racing games so it's ok.

Besides Trackmania, I haven't played a racing game quite so OCD since I was a kid. I used to spend forever trying to get the perfect run, and I used to do that in other games too. As I got older though I started caring less and less, and by now, I still do it but no way near as much or as strict.

 

The last game to do this to me was the Mirrors Edge time trials.
So. many. restarts.. but had to get 3 stars across the board.

 

I defo relate to this, but it depends on the game. Can't think of examples right now but some games are just more fun to carry on regardless of mistakes whereas others lend themselves more to endless restarts to seek getting it right.

I remember when I first got F1 2011. I was working from home one day when I took a lunch break and booted the game up. I went on to spend the whole afternoon endlessly restarting Monaco just to get a non-crash lap in. It's how I go about learning the track. I honestly must have restarted 100 times. But eventually I won the race in the Lotus and it was one of the most enjoyable afternoon's I've ever spent gaming.

I can also get a bit like this in Fifa, reloading saves repeatedly until I win every game with the crappy team I support that's always cruddy and slow in Fifa.

Surely others are like this in games where you have tight health and ammo limits, constantly quick-saving and quick-loading...?

 

I've never had such an obssesion in racing...I just can't make it perfect. I only care if I pass the level or not. Sometimes I do go back, but that's when there is an achievement I want to earn. Otherwise, I don't care. Precision side-scrollers like Dustforce and Super Meat Boy are just nightmare to do perfect, it's insane.

 

I feel you pain

 

I only had this when I played Moto Racer (1997). I would be furious any time I did anything at all wrong. I would boost for as long as possible, then shift down and brake as quickly as possible through turns, etc. If I felt that I did any one thing at all wrong, I started over.

I may have gotten a little obsessed with Mario Kart 64 too.

 

i loved moto racer, especially the speed bay track. i found it quicker to not use boost on turns, and get really low/tight in the turn then BOOST after the apex - ahh good times

 

I've done that on racing games since I was a kid. But typically, thats the only way to unlock every hidden item and such in many games (I don't generally play realistic driving sims, usually things like Project Gotham, San Francisco Rush and the like). Actually, I do it on most other games for this same reason. For instance, it was absolutely the only way to get every last unlock in Starfox 64. Many games require this kind of playing, and so you get used to it in general. Actually, those are usually the games I play the most, because they actually reward replay.

 

GT5 had me do this repeatedly. I wanted that perfect race damnit.

 

sega rally championship (first game) on teh saturn - which was faster on teh first stage - the celica or the delta spent so many hours racing that one

 

@ Harlequin

Oh yes, yet for a game that lasted not much more than 5 minutes I cant remember another since where i could replay it so many times ...

Seems to me Mr Bulter that your taking the thrill on improving from the game. And it great to learn what does what on changing the car setup to eek more from a lap.