This Assetto Corsa Competizione guide offers handy tips for both beginners and experienced ACC players.
Photo credit: Kunos Simulazioni
Getting into a new game can be exciting, but it can also be overwhelming at times. Especially when you get your hands on a true racing simulation like Assetto Corsa Competizione. Just like any other game, the GT simulation has its own rules and oddities that you will have to learn about.
In this guide, we will point out five common rookie mistakes in ACC and tell you how to avoid them.
1. The wrong choice of car
Jumping into a new game with many cars may tempt you into trying out everything at the very beginning. While some exploration can be helpful, you should stick with a specific car to start with when you really want to get into the game.
In our video on the best cars in ACC, our friend and expert Jardier explained that front-engined cars are the best choice for beginners because of their safe handling, even on difficult tracks and under wet conditions. Some of his suggestions for rookies are the Aston Martin V8, the Ferrari 488 or the Bentley Continental.
Once you have chosen your first car, stick to it and learn how the physics in the game work. As the next step, you can try and check out different setups to see what effect they have on your car. Once you have found your driving style in ACC and built up enough confidence, then it is time to look for a car that fits your needs.
2. Leave traction control ON
In games like F1 2021, players will tell you to learn to drive without traction control to be faster. However, that advice does not apply to ACC. GT cars are designed to be driven with traction control, so make use of that assist.
But what is traction control? To put it very briefly, traction control is designed to reduce wheelspin and helps you to not spin the car on the exit of a corner. The more of it you use, the less twitchy your car will be. But with more traction control also comes more understeer and slower exits out of the corners, which costs you time as well in the end.
The lower the value of traction control is, the more control is in your hands. But, the car becomes more unstable and without it, and as such you will be in great danger of spinning in an inattentive moment.
In Assetto Corsa Competizione, it is a big task to find the right balance. Generally speaking, you will most likely be faster the less traction control you use without shutting the assist off completely. If you are still racing with a lot of help, try decreasing the assists step by step and get used to having everything in your own hands. For a deeper insight into the topic, we recommend watching our dedicated tutorial video.
3. You aren’t braking correctly
Every game is different when it comes to the correct handling of the brake pedal. That is because of the different physics engines and tyre models each simulation has. A lot of games tend to punish you for braking with full force, resulting in locked up tyres. But Assetto Corsa Competizione is different.
ACC allows you to be hard on the brake, thanks to the ABS system. As our friend and ACC expert Jardier explained in our dedicated tutorial, this completely changes the way you can handle corners.
For those who just want to know the basics, here’s a short and simply summary: the most efficient way of approaching corners in ACC is trail braking. That means that you brake early and as hard as you can. Then release the brake slowly as you approach and sweep through the corner. Do not brake too late and keep in mind that the more ABS you use, the longer your braking distance becomes. More information on the impact of different levels of ABS and car setups on your braking can be found in Jardier’s tutorial as well.
4. Do not destroy your Safety Rating in Single Player
The Safety Rating is an important factor in ACC as it can decide on whether you are eligible to join certain competitions or not. What many newcomers to ACC do not know is that offline races also count for your Safety Rating! That means that going on a rampage in Single Player might close some doors for your next online lobby.
HOW TO GAIN SAFETY RATING IN ASSETTO CORSA COMPETIZIONE
But there is an easy way to resolve this issue. Simply go to the game options and look for the “rating” setting in the “general” tab. Turn it off and offline races will no longer affect your Safety Rating.
5. You aren’t practicing efficiently
Success comes from talent, hard work and a lot of practice. But if done wrong, your exercise can become ineffective. A lot of drivers think that improvement comes from driving a certain car and track over and over again. But actually, the opposite is true.
One of the most useful tips to quickly improve in ACC (and any other racing game) is to take a step back, have a look at your replays and be honest with yourself. Find out where you do not hit the racing line perfectly. Watch past races to see if you are too little or far too aggressive. Let a friend or teammate have a look at your driving. They will most likely spot mistakes you did not see yourself.
Also: avoid the grind. Our brain needs time to rest and process our exercise. Instead of spending several hours non-stop on a track, divide your training sessions into smaller portions. You will see that improvement will come quicker than you think.
What is your advice for beginners in Assetto Corsa Competizione? Tell us by tweeting @overtake_gg or leave a comment down below!
