P-Mar Project

[BenjaminSoulé]

one month ago when I achieved what I considered as a very good time on P-mar poject (TT phantom).
I was really happy to be the first on timetable.
Today I just saw Al Sartwell Time on NTSC version. : : :

Is there any tip you can give to me Al ?
I really love this track and want to be the fastest !!!

[Hyper Shadow]

Methinks Mr. Sartwell is a master of the NegCon and the added control of the pitch gives him a bit (lot?) of an advantage over us mere mortals.

[BenjaminSoulé]

"Added control of the pitch" ?
But we also have control of the pitch, it's really difficult to use it without turning but it can be used...
is the picth control of negcon is more effective ?

Anyway Al is 20+ seconds faster than me, I hope there's another tips to help me to reach his time.

[AmishRobot]

Yes, the pitch control is more effective on the NeGcon. Since the steering and pitch are completely independent of each other, you don't run the risk of accidentally veering off to the side while trying to nose up/down. Also, since there's a wider range of movement in the steering, it allows you to be both more subtle and make quicker turns. It really does make that big a difference once you get used to it, though Al is very good in his own right. :smile:

[Lance]

the controller can make some difference, but not a lot [my opinion]. it mostly depends on sheer undivided attention maintained for the entire race. Al is clearly superior at this; while there are several pilots with negcon controllers, only one of them, Joel, ['science'], has been able to compete with him at his level, and as far as i know, only on one circuit. Al's achievement is to drive with great attention and energy on every circuit. you must also try to experiment with many racing lines through a course and to find every possible shorter way through, and to use hyperthrust in the right places.

if only i could do this!

it is also a possibility that differences in genetic superiority for the kind of actions required in videogame racing may be quite important. level of physical health and energy may have a big effect also. as a soon-to-be 59-year-old man who doesn't have very good eyesight or a very good attention span, i am most probably doomed to never achieve the absolute top performances. but it is nonetheless very satisfying to do well by my own standards.

you should always be optimistic and positive about doing well, but you also have to be realistic about it, and not feel too bad if you are not beyond human.

[infoxicated]

As a side note, I took a NeGcon home for the weekend and found it... well... impossible!

Granted, I think it's a NeGcon that's been round the block a few times, as it floats over to one side. That meant I had to have a fairly large "dead zone" - taking away most of the advantage of its fine control.

I only tried it with Fusion - not the earlier versions. Since it's not mine to keep, I decided it wasn't worth the effort of confusing myself! :smile:

[AmishRobot]

Switching to the NeGcon - especially after playing so long with the normal pad - definitely takes some getting used to. It's similar to going from an automatic transmission to a manual in other racers. It's hell getting used to, but it makes a difference once you do. One thing's for sure... the dual shock analog stick is a joke by comparison.

I had a NeGcon for a while, and I can tell you it made a huge difference. I can't compare time differences because when I had it I would just play a while and never save, but I was getting lots of perfect laps, and being able to find and maintain the line was a whole lot easier, and a lot more fun.

...Unfortunately, I loaned the controller to a friend, and shortly after he and his wife split up. :sad: Guess who got my controller...

I had it set with about 3/4 rotation and a very small dead zone, so I can see where yours wasn't very effective, infox. The only problem I ever had with it was hitting the left airbrake while coming off a right turn. It put my hands in a very unnatural position. But after a while, I found I rarely needed to use the airbrakes with proper deceleration.

[Status]

Negcon this, negcon that... Come on, we all know the Power Glove is the only way to fly. :wink:

As stupid as this may sound, the key to cutting down your laptimes is to take chances. A lot of players (and this is true of all racing games) find one line that they like the best, and it gets really hard for them to change or improve it. Take corners faster, take different lines, whatever you can change, change it. It may seem like a lot of work for a quarter-second here and there, but it all adds up.

This is just a guess, but if the NegCon is as accurate as everyone says, it probably makes scraping and nailing your jump landings a breeze. I'm still not planning on giving up my dual shock any time soon, though. :smile:

[BenjaminSoulé]

Ok
All of you when you're talking of dual shock do you talk about the two little joystick (dont know th english word for it) ?
I tried to use it but it was really difficult to move without pitch.

Thank you for your tips, I will try to do my best with my actual controller because I can't find Negcon here.

[Lance]

yes, ben, he means the joysticks. but i don't use them. i just use the d-pad. i find that the joystick control just feels way to loose, and won't react fast enough.

[JABBERJAW]

buy a negcon. practice the initial tunnel until you can get through it most of the time without hitting(I use pitch up the whole way through so I can turn better at the end, use assegai. As far as jumping over those turns depends on which version you use. on ntsc I jump off to the left to make it, for 3se I jump straight over it, and you might be able to do even better by cutting off some area on the right, which I didn't try. for pal 3 it plays in the middle of the two as far as floatiness is concerned so I'm not sure. But, definitely get that tunnel down pat.

[AmishRobot]

When referring to the dual shock, I mean the analog sticks. Which I never use, because they're too loose for accuracy, and don't have enough play for precision. They're the worst of both worlds, IMO.

I'm all digital until I get another negcon. But I was thinking earlier today, that if it were perhaps possible to rig up a small trackball controller, perhaps that might work well (after a whooole lotta practice). I think I'll do a little digging online this weekend to see if anyone's ever gotten odd pc peripherals to work on a playstation. Fun project, if nothing else I guess. :roll:

[vincoof]

Ben: you can NOT buy a neGcon in France today, because the production stopped. I had a lot of luck to be able to buy one last year (en fait c'était un invendu, ce n'était même pas une occasion!). It's a good controller. As everybody say you need a bit of training to get used with it but it's worth it.

Also, it's a painful controller (really) and it lacks of buttons.

[science]

the most painful thing on a negcon is the analog buttons, which i use for thrust and hyperthrust. if i go a couple of weeks without playing, i literally have to play 3 or so days in a row to build the muscles back up in my thumb so that i can play comfortably. i suppose that the white ones are more uncomfortable than the black ones as well, since the black ones fit your hand a little bit better.
like al was saying though, buy one. check ebay and/or set an automatic search so that it looks every day for you. then when you get one, stick with it. there have been a few pilots here that used a negcon and didnt like it, and thats probably because they didnt give it enough of a chance. i remember when i first got one, i hated it for about two weeks and was mad as hell that i even spent money on the thing. now, i dont know how i ever played without it. if i use a regular playstation controller, i try to twist it in half.rin:

[vincoof]

> if i use a regular playstation controller,
> i try to twist it in half
:
I'm sure that happened to everyone who tried the neGcon ! :smile:

[Confusion]

So NeGCon is THAT good? I had loads of chances to buy that thing but I never did. The whole concept of twisting your pad put me off... Maybe I should buy my friends one (he's had his for ages and it's in mint condition since he doesn't use it).

Doesn't seem to matter though since I can still do fairly well at Wipeout 3 SE (or the Original) on certain circuits (Look For Anthony Long in the tables).

[BenjaminSoulé]

Ok
Maybe that your friend have a name and a phonenumber... I`m in England for a few time and I`m searching for new friends... :wink:

[FishDK]

I played WO for a long time with the normal controller and last year I got a negCon and my times improved. I was also mad when I tried it out the first time, but after a day I got the hang of it.
Anyhow - does the nose pitch have anything to say about your speed? I only adjust my crafts nose when I go over a jump. If it does affect your performance while you are going straight, then what possition should i keep the nose in?

I think I wanna buy a new negCon since i left my old one in Europe and my mother probably doesn't know where to look...damn..

<>< F I S H ><>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: FishDK on 2002-02-24 06:46 ]</font>

[science]

check ebay. alot of them have been popping up lately.

[The Boye]

On 2002-02-18 13:46, infoxicated wrote:
As a side note, I took a NeGcon home for the weekend and found it... well... impossible!

Granted, I think it's a NeGcon that's been round the block a few times, as it floats over to one side. That meant I had to have a fairly large "dead zone" - taking away most of the advantage of its fine control.

I only tried it with Fusion - not the earlier versions. Since it's not mine to keep, I decided it wasn't worth the effort of confusing myself! :smile:

When you start up the PSX/2 make sure the controller is sitting centred this can cause the configuration to be set to the left/right. My neGcon does sit off centre because it's getting on a bit, but you can calibrate the offset in the controller options so it takes the offset as centre without the need to use a deadzone.... don't use any deadzone, spoils any accuracy for slight adjustments on approach to corners.