Wolf Feather/Jamie Stafford
FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM
FINAL-2 VERSION
Completed September 14, 2001
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CONTENTS
Spacing and Length
Permissions
Conventions
Introduction
Tips
Sample Times
The Circuit
Wish List
Contact
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SPACING AND LENGTH
For optimum readability, this driving guide should be
viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier.
Check for appropriate font setting by making sure the numbers
and letters below line up:
PERMISSIONS
This guide may ONLY be posted on FeatherGuides, GameFAQs.com,
PSXCodez.com, Cheatcc.com, Absolute-PlayStation.com,
InsidePS2Games.com, RedCoupe, CheatPlanet.com, The Cheat
Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru, cheatingplanet.com,
vgstrategies.com, GT3TuneShop, hellzgate, ps2fantasy.com, GT3
High Speed, and neoseeker.com.
Permission is granted to download and print one copy for
personal use.
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CONVENTIONS
The course and segment names for this circuit include the use
of characters which are not standard to the English language,
on which the Internet and standard text-only documents are
based. In order to eliminate the potential for 'strange
characters' in a standard, text-only, Internet-distributed
document, these characters have purposely not been used -
much to the consternation of language purists, including
myself.
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INTRODUCTION
Why a guide specific to a single circuit in Gran Turismo 3?
As those familiar with F1 racing or F1-based games already
know, the Cote d'Azur circuit (better known as the Monaco
street circuit) is a tight and highly-technical course. In
fact, in many F1-based games, the Cote d'Azur/Monaco circuit
is by far the most difficult to play.
Secondly, I wrote rather detailed driving instructions for
the Monaco circuit in my driving guides for F1 2000 and F1
Championship Season 2000. The details listed here are taken
from these driving guides, with appropriate modifications.
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TIPS
Most of the races at the Cote d'Azur circuit feature high-
power cars, so a natural inclination is to obtain a car with
as much horsepower as possible (especially the Suzuki Escudo
with Level 4 Turbo, resulting in over 1800HP) and start
racing. Unfortunately, that tactic backfires instantly at
Turn 1. The Cote d'Azur circuit is so narrow and has so many
tight corners that all that power is actually
counterproductive; such high-horsepower vehicles are best
suited for courses with many long straightaways, and
especially for the oval Test Course. Opt for a lower-powered
high-power car instead.
In races for which tire wear is an issue (such as the Cote
d'Azur Endurance Race, which is 78 laps long), the two most
important decisions are: 1.) tires, and 2.) pit strategy.
Actually, these two issues are obviously related. By
choosing lesser-grip tires, your tires will not wear out as
fast, enabling you to stay out on the circuit longer. This
plays directly into pit strategy, as the longer you can stay
out on one set of tires, the fewer overall pit stops you will
need to make. In the Cote d'Azur Endurance Race, some cars
change tires every 5-7 laps, while I have had one car change
tires every 13 laps. Note that if driving an F1 car, you can
ONLY use Medium tires, so trying to extend tire durability is
extremely important. No matter what tire compound you use,
see my GT3 Tires Guide (always available at FeatherGuides:
http://www.angelcities.com/members/feathersites/) for tips
on extending tire wear.
Where possible, riding the rails can be very beneficial.
This allows you to keep up your speed in cornering, and also
seems to reduce tire wear since you aren't using the brakes
quite as much - thus enabling you to stay on the circuit one
or more extra laps before pitting to change tires. However,
this is EXTREMELY difficult 'correctly' to do with an F1 car
due to its open-wheel structure.
If you can change your chosen car's downforce settings, use
high downforce for both the front and rear of the vehicle.
This will allow your car to corner much more effectively.
Normally, a high-downforce set-up means a lower top-end
speed, but there is really only one place where your car
MIGHT reach the upper limit of its speedometer (The Tunnel),
so this is really not an issue.
If you have a fully-adjustable racing transmission, use a low
gear ratio for this circuit. A low gear ratio provides more
power for acceleration, and the number of tight corners and
the lack of long straightaways render a high gear ratio
completely impractical.
Perhaps the greatest tip for the Cote d'Azur circuit is to
take the time to qualify. The circuit is so narrow,
especially in most corners, that passing is extremely
difficult. By qualifying, you can hopefully place yourself
on pole, and not need to worry for a while about trying to
pass other cars; also, it will be difficult for other cars to
pass you due to the tightness of the course.
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SAMPLE TIMES
At the (very good) suggestion by someone who had read this
guide, I here add some sample times for the Cote d'Azur
circuit:
Celica SS-II 197HP 2:10.534
Corvette C5R 620HP 1:41.084
CTR2 512HP 1:54.995
Escudo Pikes Peak Version 981HP 1:47.573
F687/S* 914HP 1:28.618
Lancer Evolution VII 316HP 1:46.514
Rally Car Prototype
MR-S S Edition 138HP 2:07.942
New Beetle Cup Car 201HP 1:59.942
Nismo GT-R LM Road Car 300HP 1:55.345
ZZII 542HP 1:41.368
*This is one of the F1 (open-wheel) cars in the game. The
Cote d'Azur/Monaco circuit is specifically used for F1 racing
in the annual Monaco Grand Prix.
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THE CIRCUIT
'To finish first, first you must finish.' The Cote d'Azur
circuit is a highly daunting temporary street course,
especially from the Driver View, as the barriers are FAR too
close for comfort, and passing is extremely difficult for
even expert drivers. If there is a problem with a car, there
are extremely few places to safely pull aside, so all drivers
must be constantly wary of slow cars around the many blind
corners. The most significant key to simply finishing a race
at Cote d'Azur is SURVIVAL, which means a slow, methodical,
patient race. While driving this circuit, players may want
to have "I Will Survive" playing on auto-repeat!!!
Pit Straight: Not straight at all, the 'Pit Straight' fades
to the right along its entire length. Near the end, the Pit
Lane rejoins the main course from the right.
Turn 1 (Sainte Devote): This is a tight right-hand semi-blind
corner; heavy braking is required long before reaching Sainte
Devote. To the left on entering this corner is one of the
few areas to pull off the course if there is a problem.
Overshooting the corner results in smashing against the
unmoving barrier, but if you slide into the barrier at a good
angle, you can slide along it and around the corner. The
uphill portion of the course begins here.
Straightaway (Beau Rivage): Not really straight with its
varying-direction fades, the circuit climbs steeply uphill
here. Because of the fades, this is actually NOT a passing
zone; you may think you have enough room to pass a slower car
and actually pull up alongside it, but then you and the
slower vehicle will end up bumping each other and/or a
barrier because of a fade. Even worse, the sun is directly
at the top of the hill here, making visibility very difficult
for quite some time until your eyes can adjust to the
brightness (another reason to try to qualify on pole before
the race begins).
Turn 2 (Massanet): This is a sweeping decreasing-radius left-
hand blind corner requiring moderate braking on entry and
light braking as you continue through the turn, unless you
ride the right-side barrier. The exit of Massanet is the
highest elevation of the circuitŠ which has only just begun,
even if it IS all 'downhill' from here!!!
Turn 3 (Casino): Hard braking will be needed for the right-
hand Casino. This corner almost immediately follows
Massanet, and begins the long downward trajectory of the
course. This corner is actually wider than most, to the
extent that a car in trouble may be running slowly along the
barrier on the outside of the corner. Be careful not to
scrape the left-side barrier while exiting Turn 3; similarly,
do not overcompensate and scrape the right-side barrier at
the apex of Casino, or ram into barrier of the tiny pull-off
section to the right on exiting Casino. If you have extreme
tire wear, brake VERY early for Casino, or else you will find
yourself sliding into the wide paved recovery zone to the
outside of Turn 3.
Turn 4 (Mirabeau): Following a long downhill straightaway,
heavy braking is needed for this right-hand blind 'J' turn.
A small pull-off area is provided on the left on entry. If
you miss the braking zone, your front end will be banging
against yet another barrier. This corner continues the
course's downhill slope, which adds to the difficulty of the
turn.
Turn 5 (Great Curve): Following an extremely short
straightaway, this left-hand hairpin is one of the slowest in
Gran Turismo 3 (rivaled only by certain segments of the
Complex String circuit). If you have excellent braking
ability, you can actually PASS (a rarity!!!) by taking the
tight inside line, or you can pass by riding the right-side
rail around Great Curve; otherwise, it would be best to drive
through Great Curve single-file.
Turns 6 and 7 (Portier): This pair of right-hand corners form
a 'U' shape, but neither can be taken at any respectable
speed without riding the left-side rails. Between these two
corners is a pull-off area on the left. Turn 7 is the
slowest of the two corners, and is the most difficult in
terms of the almost-nonexistent view of the track. If you
can accelerate strongly coming out of Portier, you can pass
one or two cars entering and driving through The Tunnel.
Straightaway (The Tunnel): This 'straightaway' is actually a
very long right-hand decreasing-radius fade in a semi-tunnel
(the left side provides a clear view of the water). Unlike
the REAL Tunnel (or its versions in F1-based games),
visibility here is excellent. Start braking for Nouveau
Chicane shortly after entering back into the sunlight.
Chicane (Nouveau Chicane): The course narrows as you come
around the chicane, but then 'widens' back to 'normal' at the
exit. Unfortunately, there is a barrier here to force you to
keep to the official circuit; short-cutting is not possible.
If your tires are very worn (tire indicators orange or red),
Nouveau Chicane will cause you A LOT of headaches. If you
happen to ride up on the rumble strips, you may find a corner
of your vehicle banging the adjacent barrier at just the
right angle to either bring your car to a standstill or tip
the vehicle in a bad direction.
Turn 8 (Tobacco): This left-hand corner is best taken with
moderate braking. The barrier prevents a good view around
the corner on approach, but taller vehicles can be seen
nonetheless.
Turns 9-12 (Swimming Pool): This is essentially a double
chicane around the swimming pool in the classic 'bus stop'
configuration. Turns 9 and 10 form a tight left-right
combination, for which moderate braking is required. After
an extremely brief straightaway, Turns 11 and 12 form the
opposite configuration (right-left), but are even tighter.
This opens out onto a short straightaway where you MIGHT be
able to pass ONE car.
Turns 13 and 14 (La Rascasse): This is a tight left-right
chicane requiring heavy braking for Turn 13 and VERY heavy
braking for Turn 14. Even worse, Turn 14 is a 'J' turn, so
the racing line is also very important here. The Pit Lane
begins to the right at the exit of La Rascasse. If you have
very worn tires, La Rascasse will also cause you significant
amounts of frustration as you slide toward the outside
barrier.
Turns 15 and 16 (Anthony Hoges): A tight right-left chicane,
these are the final corners of the Monaco circuit. The
course narrows here through the chicane, then 'widens' to
'normal' for the Pit Straight. Moderate or heavy braking is
required entering Turn 15.
Pit Entry: The entrance to the Pit Lane is to the right
immediately after clearing La Rascasse. Given that La
Rascasse is a blind corner, on every lap, expect a slower car
here headed for the pits. Keep hard to the right to avoid
the barrier on the left when entering Pit Lane.
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WISH LIST
Here are a few additions and changes I would like to see to
the Cote d'Azur circuit in future incarnations of the Gran
Turismo series:
1.) Please allow some races to be run in reverse (Cote d'Azur
II).
2.) Acquire a license from FIA (governing body for F1 racing)
to actually call this the Monaco circuit, thus
eliminating any potential for confusion.
3.) Get rid of the @$#&$#&*$^#$%*#*$ sun at the top of Beau
Rivage!!!!!
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CONTACT
For rants, raves, etc., contact me at FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM
To find the latest version of this and all my other PSX/PS2
game guides, visit FeatherGuides at
http://www.angelcities.com/members/feathersites/
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Wolf Feather Jamie Stafford
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Just as there are many parts needed to make a human a human, there's a
remarkable number of things needed to make an individual what they are.
- Major Kusanagi, _Ghost in the Shell_
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What isn't remembered never happened. - _Serial Experiments Lain_
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