Before I began playing, I had to first define what I want to do.
- First, I hate using "cheats". I don't have an Xport or GameShark or whatever... I'm all thumbs. While I'm not against those who use them to play their own games, I simply don't want cheats as part of this gamesave's experience. All races will be completed by myself, meaning no B-spec'ing my way past 24hrs @ "The 'Ring", or the other two 24hr Endurance Races, and no DualShock-handoffs!! [EDIT] While I don't necessarily consider it "cheating", I will *not* be transferring any Cars, Licenses, nor $Cr from another card...
- Secondly, I hate losing, and I love Gold Trophies. A 100% Win Percentage is an obvious goal, and golds for all License Tests are a must. If I can't win a race or get gold, I won't save the game until I figure out a way to do so.
- Third, I'd like to finish this game as soon as possible. Both in real time and game time. There are a number of things that will push my Day count above the bare minimum, but I'm not going to waste any days at non-race events other than the Driving Missions and License Tests. Because I got gold for all License Tests, my gamesave will probably have at least 31 extra days above the "minimum" when I finish: 11 extra prize cars delivered; 16 extra license test days; 4 extra cars purchased (if I can't get to 100% by Day 694). [EDIT] After studying the Used Car Listing Cycle and the Prize Car List, I've decided to forego this goal. While I won't be "wasting" days, I'll be buying the every unique lowest mileage Year/Make/Model vehicle that shows up in the Used Car Lots. That means around 400 "extra" days that will have Diary entries...
The rest of the goals are not in order of priority. Since I'm still learning about the game (prize lists, race reqirements, used car list cycle, etc.), I can't judge how practical certain goals might be, but...
- Use as few cars as possible. When I finish, I want my garage to be filled with as many undriven cars as possible. This means using the same vehicle in a lot of different race events, and will lead to a lot of interesting matchups. I'm not worried about using a Formula One car against a field of showroom models, nor am I worried about taking advantage of the game's lack of damage physics. I feel I've "earned" the right to do so with my thumbwork by getting all gold for my licenses/missions, where dirty driving is appropriately punished. [EDIT] I just wanted to clarify that while I might not drive a used car, it will still have mileage on it. Fortunately, the "Driven" column in the Game Stats screen will show which of the cars in my Garage I've gotten into...
- Buy as few cars as possible, and buy used cars when possible. This one was a much bigger goal for GT3 than it will be for GT4, since you only needed to buy 2 cars to finish GT3. I took a look at the prize list (for the USA version), and there aren't many vehicles that satisfy the requirements for the One-Make races. The goal here is to use as many cars from the One-Make races in the less-restricted events, when you're often up against much tougher competition. [EDIT] This goal is no longer valid, as I am now prioritizing the acquisition of every non-showroom vehicle. However, my goal is to use as few vehicles as possible to get to 100% (should be around 70).
- Have +8000000Cr by day 694. There are 4 vehicles that appear on the Used Car Lists only once during the 700 day cycle. They're all high-performance monsters, known as the "Black Beauties", and they WILL be in my garage (unless this game can be completed before Day 694). [EDIT] This is no longer a goal of mine. Since all 4 of the Black Beauties can be acquired elsewhere (3 in the showrooms, 1 as a prize), this is not a priority anymore.
- Score as many A-spec points as possible. While I'm more likely to prioritize using fewer vehicles (which may result in mismatches in my favor), I still want to make the races as competitive as possible. The A-spec point formula (however it works) seems to be fair enough, and I don't want to abuse the race restrictions (or lack of them). I'm sure others will have much higher A-spec totals, but I'd still like to get as many as I can with the rules I've set for myself.
- Do not sell any car, and try to limit repeated models in the Garage. I don't want to sell a car because I want the gamesave to be as "unused" as possible. This means keeping all prize cars, and trying to avoid buying cars that are awarded as prizes (later in the game).
- CHEAPSKATE!!! I want to spend as little as possible, but my goal isn't to have the most $Cr by the time I get to 100%. I just want to keep myself from buying a bunch of mods for a car when I don't need them. This will also help me with my A-spec point total. Oil Changes and Car Washes should be kept to a minimum. [EDIT] This goal has been changed to: Spend as little possible on mods. Since I'll be buying every Year/Make/Model found in the the Used Car lots, my cash-hoarding goal is no more...
Other than that, my main goal???
HAVE FUN!
I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would wonder why I want to do this, but the truth is that I genuinely enjoy doing what I'm doing (or at least what I hope to do). The planning, the execution, and the achievement of my goals are all the payoff I need to endure what I'm about to go through...
And I thank you for being there with me. Stay tuned for more updates, as I've got plenty of info and videos to keep you entertained!
Have A Great Drive!
RoadHazard
http://www.mygt4diary.com/
