B-Spec mode

CAS FAN

Outstanding Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2003
Messages
35,564
Reaction score
8,662
Points
5,584
Location
York
I can't really get my wheel out etc. in the day when the kids are about so I thought that i'd give this a bash today. I must say, i'm very impressed! :eek:

I wasn't really expecting to play this mode much but I must admit that my initial impressions are superb and I can't wait to get my drivers built up so that I can get to the later series.

It's pretty simple in many respects. You select a car from your garage and stick a driver in it and then you enter races as normal. Your driver has certain characteristics so you need to take these into account with your race strategy. You also have a certain level of mental and physical strength (which you have to manage in the race).

You command your driver by issuing commands to slow down, maintain speed, speed up or overtake and your driver has a kind of effort bar which increases the more you tell him to speed up. Obviously the more you tell him to speed up and overtake etc. the more likely he will crash so you need to time your push for certain parts of the race and parts of the track.

Anyway, I can't see a thread set up for this mode yet so maybe we can use this one to either arrange any B-Spec races or to discuss the mode in general. :)
 
I think this mode is great to watch a car you like drive around a track. On the other hand. If they hadn't put this mode in de game i wouldn't have mist it. I can watch my own replay's. Can't see myself playing this mode much.
 
I think this mode is great to watch a car you like drive around a track. On the other hand. If they hadn't put this mode in de game i wouldn't have mist it. I can watch my own replay's. Can't see myself playing this mode much.

To be honest it's a lot more than that though. There is a fair bit of strategy that comes into it and I can see on the later races when there's full damage, fuel and tyre stops needed then it will be a great mode to play.

It's certainly no replacement for A-Spec, but then again playing Football Manager is no substitute for playing a good game of PES or FIFA. They are different games and provide different experiences. :)
 
I personally find it a waste of time but I'm sure some people will find it enjoyable.
 
let my driver take a high powered ft-86. managed one set of races fine, then second set he just couldnt control the car, spun it atleast once a lap. i gave up
hope to try it out more once its availible online
 
Tried this mode but didn't really get the strategy. But I'll try and give it another go when my hand starts aching from getting all those gold trophies!
So how do u know which command to dish out and when? surely you'll never tell your driver to decrease the pace!!
 
Tried this mode but didn't really get the strategy. But I'll try and give it another go when my hand starts aching from getting all those gold trophies!
So how do u know which command to dish out and when? surely you'll never tell your driver to decrease the pace!!

If you have a good winning lead then it makes sense to let off a bit as that reduces the risk of a crash or a spin. You can stay with some cars until a certain part of the track and then push for an overtake or say on an endurance race where someone just ahead has pitted you can go hell for leather to do a few flying laps to try and take him in the pits etc.
 
So does he carry on with ur command until you issue the next one? e.g does he keep on trying to overtake until he finally does or he just tries until that timer thing run out?

First race I tried, he kept falling back and towards the end of the race, went off at almost every corner! Second race was slightly better tho - finished fourth
 
So does he carry on with ur command until you issue the next one? e.g does he keep on trying to overtake until he finally does or he just tries until that timer thing run out?

First race I tried, he kept falling back and towards the end of the race, went off at almost every corner! Second race was slightly better tho - finished fourth

No, he only initiates the command you have given him whilst the timer for that command is on. If you say want him to maintain pace or to keep accelerating then you need to keep issuing the command.
 
let my driver take a high powered ft-86. managed one set of races fine, then second set he just couldnt control the car, spun it atleast once a lap. i gave up
hope to try it out more once its availible online

The B-Spec mode really needs to be understood and more thought put into what your dealing with to be honest. Your B-Spec Bob is a rookie, he's not a pro who's used to hammering a 400bhp car around a race track hitting perfect brake points and nailing apexs. You need to treat him as such, and let him learn and gain experience so he can jump into something with that sort of power and handle it.

In saying that, i have thrown 2 rookies into a Enzo with 600bhp in a 'Professional' ranked event (La Festa Cavallino - Ferrari's only) and both won, driving it fine. But you need to manage them correctly, and i think that comes with experience of how to talk them through a race.

Tried this mode but didn't really get the strategy. But I'll try and give it another go when my hand starts aching from getting all those gold trophies!
So how do u know which command to dish out and when? surely you'll never tell your driver to decrease the pace!!

The commands and the status (mindset) is a bit confusing, but im at Lv16 and managing 4 drivers now, and with that experience it makes much more sense now.
You've got the basic 4 commands, slow, maintain, push, try to pass. They do 2 things though, it has a short term impact (for the length of the timer being displayed) but it also changes the drivers overall mindset (the blue-grey-red bar).
A driver in the blue area is going to be slow in and out of the corners, they've backed right off and are coasting. In the red they're pushing like mad, and could easily lead to mistakes.
If they're stuck behind someone or someone behind challenging them they'll get hot-headed and they'll wander into the red zone all by themselves, so its your job to maintain that, tell them to back off a bit and keep a cool head. When they've not got anyone around them they tend to settle back and that results in slower laps, so even with a good lead its always wise to keep them focused and not just let them crawl round, because the AI will knock 2sec a sector off you and could easily cause you problems.

So the key to success seems to be keeping them calm, dont let them fall asleep, and telling them to pass doesnt make that much of a difference, i *think* they tend to exit a bit stronger so they've got a better jump on the car infront, i dont believe it improves their willingness to be strong when side by side turning into a corner, often they turn to jelly and back off.


Im really enjoying the B-Spec, ive progressed much further in this mode than A-spec (in the actual 'X-Spec' events, so excluding license, specials, and Level rank lv22/16 atm) because i can boss them about and watch tv eps on the 2nd monitor :D plus sometimes its a bit too noisy driving at night so i'll do a bit of B-Spec'ing.
One thing thats really made it more fun for me is the fact that i've spotted AI drivers using surnames which mean something to me (theres plenty of racing names in there, and even spotted W.Brown & B.Zamora in there :laugh:) but i first noticed my own surname in there, so i spent a while flicking through names till i found mine (took maybe 50 attempts). Then i spotted surnames of ex-teammates, guys who've been real good mates for a good few years and we've had great times together, and i spent about 1hr giving my 3rd & 4th drivers meaningful names. Theres 2 more in there which i want badly but didnt appear, when i get my 5th driver i'll spend as long as it takes to get those surnames though! It just gives them a personality i can relate to, talk to them almost. My first guy i didnt even know i could pick a surname, he's ranked 8, he's getting binned as soon as i've got my 6th guy, his name is meaningless and my other guys have something i can relate to and hurl abuse at like in the good old days. I wish they'd let us give them names (or at least a better way of picking the name than randomly plucking them from the list, cos i'll see a surname repeated 3-4 names after its just appeared! :mad:). Then i'd be in heaven.
 
telling them to pass doesnt make that much of a difference, i *think* they tend to exit a bit stronger so they've got a better jump on the car infront, i dont believe it improves their willingness to be strong when side by side turning into a corner, often they turn to jelly and back off.
Good post for those confused. I'll just add a few things:

Doing and "increase pace" which you time to run out just before a good overtaking point, then issuing a "overtake" does seem to make them a bit better at getting around i think. Think of it as a one-two combo, but ive done this and my guy just seems to fly past someone who hes had problems overtaking with just a +pace or overtake :confused:

The blue/green/orange arrows next to their helmets might be their fitness? As in if theyre on a Blue NE arrow they seem to do much better than an orange SE arrow. I cant work out how it changes though, if you rest them they seem to go Green eventually.

I'm not sure if experience is related to how easy they win? but they done seem to like being in stupidly overpowered cars compared to their opponents, so something like +30bhp seems to keep their edge better.

One thing thats really made it more fun for me is the fact that i've spotted AI drivers using surnames which mean something to me
Ive got a Shumacher, D.Bos (The Boss), and a (laterially thinking) rude one which ill not post here :smashin: :rotfl:
 
I've got 2 drivers currently on the go - one's a hot-head and the others an ice-man - it seems to be horses for courses which each suiting different cars and tracks.

Ice-man was given an M3 on Eiger Nordwand and couldn't do a lap without spinning the car at least once whereas Hot-head won it convincingly.

So far I've done more B-Spec than A-Spec events although A-Spec has a higher rank currently thanks to the licenses and Special Events (Rank 16 A-Spec, Rank 14 B-Spec). A good way of making some cash while doing other stuff around the house - like watching I'm a Celebrity cos you can run off during the ad breaks and start the next event :D

The drivers seem to slow down quite badly towards the end of races - doesn't seem to be related to mental / physical strength though as they'll often put laps in 7 secs slower than their quickest time, but tell them to quicken up and they'll usually do a new fastest lap.
 
Diddnt PD say you can play this mode on your web browser?
Yeah, but its not implemented yet. The GT website has it earmarked for December, so take that with a pinch of PD salt.

Good post for those confused. I'll just add a few things:

Doing and "increase pace" which you time to run out just before a good overtaking point, then issuing a "overtake" does seem to make them a bit better at getting around i think. Think of it as a one-two combo, but ive done this and my guy just seems to fly past someone who hes had problems overtaking with just a +pace or overtake :confused:

The blue/green/orange arrows next to their helmets might be their fitness? As in if theyre on a Blue NE arrow they seem to do much better than an orange SE arrow. I cant work out how it changes though, if you rest them they seem to go Green eventually.

I'm not sure if experience is related to how easy they win? but they done seem to like being in stupidly overpowered cars compared to their opponents, so something like +30bhp seems to keep their edge better.

Ive got a Shumacher, D.Bos (The Boss), and a (laterially thinking) rude one which ill not post here :smashin: :rotfl:

The arrows, i also thought it was their fitness/workload, if you use the same guy over and over they're overworked and wont perform as strong as they could if fresher. I've seen them on downward then return to neutral, and it all seemed to make sense and i pointed this out on another forum when someone asked what it meant. However someone pointed out thats not what the in-game manual says, and they're right. The game manual claims its whether they're in form or not! Thats absolute rubbish mind you!
When i added my 3rd & 4th drivers (at the same time) i sent them out to do a fairly tough series and they won them fine, the car was a bit too quick for the competition really, but at the moment they're stats are:
#3 Class 10, 6 Wins/6 Races - Neutral arrow
#4 Class 10, 8 Wins/8 Races - 45' Down arrow

How someone who's won all their 8 races can be on a downward form trend ive no idea. Likewise how their form could improve without doing anything is equally impossible. Im pretty sure it is there physical/mental shape, whether they're in need of rest or fighting fit. Maybe the term 'form' in a horse racing type sense is correct? It could be the correct term, or it could be something lost in translation maybe, but 'form' in my book would be your past results trend. A streak of wins is good form, but GT5 has that as a decline in 'form'.

I've got 2 drivers currently on the go - one's a hot-head and the others an ice-man - it seems to be horses for courses which each suiting different cars and tracks.

Ice-man was given an M3 on Eiger Nordwand and couldn't do a lap without spinning the car at least once whereas Hot-head won it convincingly.

So far I've done more B-Spec than A-Spec events although A-Spec has a higher rank currently thanks to the licenses and Special Events (Rank 16 A-Spec, Rank 14 B-Spec). A good way of making some cash while doing other stuff around the house - like watching I'm a Celebrity cos you can run off during the ad breaks and start the next event :D

The drivers seem to slow down quite badly towards the end of races - doesn't seem to be related to mental / physical strength though as they'll often put laps in 7 secs slower than their quickest time, but tell them to quicken up and they'll usually do a new fastest lap.

I havent quite figured out the 'character' value, whether it means they're better in those situations, so a hot head can handle living on the edge, and a cool guy can still put in quick laps when taking it easy rather than crawling round.... not sure yet.

The slow-down at the end of races is almost always simply because they're mentality slider is to back off. If you tell them to push and get it into the neutral area there laps will return to decent times. Going back to my #3 & #4 drivers, throwing them out in an Enzo to do 8 laps around Suzuka and similar tracks there mental and physical bars would be drained with about 25% distance left, they dont seem to suffer from this though, at least not whilst leading. Originally i let them coast home thinking pushing may send them over the edge (also expecting them to make mistakes anyway) but ive seen no issues, maybe if still mixing with other drivers it'd be more noticable... havent seen it yet and there stats are improved now so not sure i would see it till i add 5th, 6th and replace 1st as well.
 
Good stats there! My one and only driver (lvl4 i think) has 4wins from 16races! and 3 of that came from using a really fast car for the series - approx 5sec a lap faster than the competition.
I've also noticed that when he was way out in front and crawling round the track, I told him to start push hard and he started making mistakes - once spinning the car!
If it's a tough race, and he's under pressure, telling him to push makes him loose that spot as well almost always.
 
Last edited:
The arrows, i also thought it was their fitness/workload, if you use the same guy over and over they're overworked and wont perform as strong as they could if fresher.
This seems true. I started the big level 14 supercar challenge (4 races against racing-spec touring cars), and my guy (level 14? 15?) started off with an up arrow, but the races are so long, after the first his strength was almost nothing, and mental down half way. He got first, but was obviously working hard. His arrow swapped to the green straight one.

Second race (two laps of full Nurbergring) he was really having problems overtaking, started making mistakes on the second lap unless i managed his pace down alot. Just squeezed in an overtake for the win on the straight before the last corner. He was on almost no strength, and 20% mental, but still first place. His arrow swapped to the orange SE one.

The next two races he really struggled: are they Madrid and Cape Ring? He's done those before in the Murcielago, so its not like the car or track are new, but his strength and mental seemed to plumet really fast (and these are long races), and started making loads of mistakes, only getting like 8th and 9th places.

So my thoughts are it is their fitness, but if they are unfit they lose strength and mental quicker than if fit. Just a guess, so if someone else can try a really long series and see if it seems to match? Ill try to level him up a bit more, get him with a blue up arrow, and try again...

I havent quite figured out the 'character' value,
Im not sure which one that is? But i know the americans have slightly different names then the UK version. I think they have an "Experience" bar vs the UK "Career" bar? I might try to find a yank screenshot to see if it sheds any more light.
 
Last edited:
Character is how hot headed or cool they are... the higher up the bar your chap is the quicker he gets angry and the slower he cools down. At least, that's how it seems to me...
 
If they update the game so you can fast forward B-Spec races then I might give it more of a go but until then, what's the point? I'd rather actually compete myself.
 
Im back at work today wishing that the browser version was up and running, that is when this will really kick off for me, but while I wait Ill still do some races so Im not outclassed by everyone!
 
This seems true. I started the big level 14 supercar challenge (4 races against racing-spec touring cars), and my guy (level 14? 15?) started off with an up arrow, but the races are so long, after the first his strength was almost nothing, and mental down half way. He got first, but was obviously working hard. His arrow swapped to the green straight one.

Second race (two laps of full Nurbergring) he was really having problems overtaking, started making mistakes on the second lap unless i managed his pace down alot. Just squeezed in an overtake for the win on the straight before the last corner. He was on almost no strength, and 20% mental, but still first place. His arrow swapped to the orange SE one.

The next two races he really struggled: are they Madrid and Cape Ring? He's done those before in the Murcielago, so its not like the car or track are new, but his strength and mental seemed to plumet really fast (and these are long races), and started making loads of mistakes, only getting like 8th and 9th places.

So my thoughts are it is their fitness, but if they are unfit they lose strength and mental quicker than if fit. Just a guess, so if someone else can try a really long series and see if it seems to match? Ill try to level him up a bit more, get him with a blue up arrow, and try again...

Just wondering - in GT4, a race was the equivalent of a day, if B-Spec drivers need recovery time during a series event, can you not do an A-Spec event yourself in between and allow them to get their fitness back up again?
 
I'm struggling to see the point of this mode. Seems like a complete waste of time to me. I'd like to control my cars, not tell someone to speed up or slow down :boring:
 
I thought the same to start with but you can win some really good cars and you don't have to watch all the time. I usually leave B-Spec on when I am doing something else like working on my computer. i hear you get the Zonda for GT World Champs;):eek:
 
I'm struggling to see the point of this mode. Seems like a complete waste of time to me. I'd like to control my cars, not tell someone to speed up or slow down :boring:

There is more depth to it than that though, it does require some tactics as you progress.

I thought the same to start with but you can win some really good cars and you don't have to watch all the time. I usually leave B-Spec on when I am doing something else like working on my computer. i hear you get the Zonda for GT World Champs;):eek:

Yep, that's incentive enough right? :D
Plus it's easy AFK money in the lower levels.

Badly needs a fast forward button.

Agreed :(
 
There is more depth to it than that though, it does require some tactics as you progress.

Which as far as I can see still equates to either pressing a speed up, slow down, maintain, or overtake button, while watching the game control where the car goes. God knows how long it will take to max a drivers level but it looks like possiblibly 20-30 hours of game time will be spent watching (however pretty it may be) the game driving for you. :boring:
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom