Manual or Automatic?

[funone22]

Personally I prefer the automatic transmission because it's the best one and you can concentrate more on what your doing which is driving. Car racing games are like one of my favorites so these are the one I usually pick.

 

[JoshPosh]

I would say automatic. Why? You can enjoy the game more and not worry about shifting all the time. If it's not the real shifting like that of a real car, with foot pedals, then I don't care for it. It also sets the standard when you are playing with friends. Everyone plays in automatic. Beginners can jump in right away and not worry about manual controls.

 

[shreklock]

If I play with a wheel which has a clutch and a stick, I obviously play with manual. If I'm on keyboard, automatic all the way, because switching gears on keyboard is horrible.

 

[theGIJST]

Well, when you get used to the sound of the engine at high RPMs, you will know by sound when you have to shift up. And, basically, you have to shift down when you want to slow down in a corner. It may be hard at first, but later you will get used to it and it will come naturally. Just like driving an actual car, driving it at first is a bit hard, and you may get confused when to shift up and when to shift down, but the more you drive, the more natural it comes.

 

[BluBird]

Depends on the car really, if i'm in a fast car and i'm approaching corner after corner quickly, i prefer to be on automatic.

In the slower paced races I really enjoy manual, cruising along, being able to enjoy each perfect gear change.

 

[shreklock]

Well, when you get used to the sound of the engine at high RPMs, you will know by sound when you have to shift up. And, basically, you have to shift down when you want to slow down in a corner. It may be hard at first, but later you will get used to it and it will come naturally. Just like driving an actual car, driving it at first is a bit hard, and you may get confused when to shift up and when to shift down, but the more you drive, the more natural it comes.

Yeah, and it's much easier if you have a responsive wheel. I was astonished how much feedback it can give.

 

[theGIJST]

Yeah, and it's much easier if you have a responsive wheel. I was astonished how much feedback it can give.

What steering wheel are you using? I'd like to buy a steering wheel with a clutch pedal, and a gearbox with actual gears, not just up or down. But, the only one I've found is a G27 Logitech, and that's just overpriced. 200-300€ for a gaming steering wheel? That's too much, I can buy a car almost for that money. Are there any cheaper, but also good, steering wheels?

 

[GlacialDoom]

Automatic, definitely. I'm usually not that good at racing games, let alone when I also have to concentrate on shifting gears manually. In real life I prefer manual, but then again, I don't drive at lethal speeds like in video games.

 

[teabwoi]

I prefer to drive using the automatic in most racing games. So sometimes I like to use the manual transmission but that is in cases where I might be drag racing or something.

 

[Kamarsun1]

Most racing games give you the option to choose whether you want manual transmission (wherein you must control the shifting of the gears yourself) or automatic transmission (the AI controls gear shifting). I have always chosen automatic shifting as I don't want to trouble myself more during a race. Which setting do you prefer?

I use automatic. I just never seem to get it going when I use manual. For years I didn't know how to drive a stick so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

 

[GamerPerson]

Automatic all the way because manual is too tricky for me. I've tried it on other racing games and Mario Kart Wii, the story was always the same. I didn't know what I was doing and sucked at gripping the turned like I should have been able to. Maybe I'm just destined to be an auto user for the rest of my racing days.

 

[AmenoKaji]

It depends on the game for me. I usually like manual since I tend to drift cars and I find it easier to do it like that. But some games you get a car that is either just really too fast with really short shifting that you need automatic or there are just some tracks where the shifting is just too difficult.

 

[niiro17]

I use Automatic in games. In real life, I don't know how to drive yet but I want to learn Manual first.

 

[burtpovski]

I think automatic is more for the unskilled players. Manual is the way to go! It's just more challenging to play manual.

 

[Strykstar]

In real life I prefer driving manual because you get a much better feel for the car, but when it comes to racing games then automatic wins it for me, manual just gets too distracting.

 

[rajesh1209]

I always use the automatic mode. My friend recommended me to use the manual mode of transmission and I tried it. My first impression was bad and I didn't use the 'manual' mode again. Using the automatic mode makes the gameplay very easy. You don't have to perfectly shift gears again and again. So, I prefer automatic transmission.

 

[erook7878]

I have no idea how to drive shift. I really admire those that can drive shift, especially in a racing game, where you have to shift quite frequently. I had a friend who drove shift and I was blown away.

 

[wallcat]

I never really thought about it much. I think I leave it on whatever it defaults to, which is usually automatic. I think this is the best option for me anyway as it frees me up to focus on everything else.

 

[GenevB]

Automatic mode in game is for the best, it lets you focus on the actual objective, which is winning the race while having fun, in real life, a manual gear box is for the better, it makes you feel more of a driver and also helps you focus on staying safe while driving.

 

[erook7878]

My friend always told me it's better to use manual, but I never really understood why. What are the advantages to using manual in racing games? Do you actually complete races faster on manual versus automatic?