Ruminatorial

Nürburgring

So today I played Gran Turismo 4 some more. I had finally gotten a car capable of winning the last championship in Professional Events: an '01 Audi R8 Racecar. It doesn't have as high a power/weight ratio as the '88 Jaguar XJR-9 Racecar but overall it's way easier and faster to drive.

So I win all the races in the championship series except Hong Kong, and none of them was easy. I can finally savor the prize which is only unlocked after winning that series: Extreme Events. I go there, and it turns out there's a whole new license you need to earn before you can enter most of them: the S license. Geez-us! So I work my way through them one at a time, and none of them is easy. Only two or three of the 15 do I pass on the first try, and only one do I get better than a bronze. Then I get to the last of the 15 tests: One lap of Nürburgring Nordschleife. This track is insane enough with the normal lax rules of the game, but in testing mode you can't let all 4 wheels get into the grass or BZZZT! Try again!

On my second try I get 99% of the way around, breathe a sigh of relief, and drive off the track. G%*&S!S*&#@$IT! So I work at it a bit more, feeling frustrated. I eat lunch. Try some more. Turn off the lights so I can see the track better. Try some more. Hang a dark sheet over the window so I can see the track better. Try some more. Make some tea. Try some more. Eat some chocolate. Try some more. I'm literally sweating from the effort of trying to navigate this 22.8km circuit.

Eventually I do finish the circuit, 20 seconds faster than necessary to pass the test. Geeze. Maybe if I just slowed down and finished the damn thing I could have saved myself 3 hours...

posted by Jeff @ 10:21 PM