Many people find it tough when they try their first MotoGP game. With this guide, you’ll be on your way in no time!
Photo credit: Jacob Hancox / Milestone
With the recent release of MotoGP 21, there will be countless players who need a little help getting off the ground. Whether you are totally new to the series, have picked it back up after a few years out, or simply just feel like you can’t get a grip on MotoGP, this is the guide for you. Using the steps below, you will be able to hit the ground revving in MotoGP 21.
Make proper use of the tutorials
When you first start up the game, you will be offered the opportunity to play a series of tutorials. If you’re anything like us, your initial instinct would be to skip the tutorials and learn on the fly. After all, tutorials are boring and often they don’t teach you half as well as just diving right into a game.
With MotoGP 21, that is not the case. We highly recommend the tutorials to any new or struggling players. MotoGP is tough to get to grips with in the first place, plus the tutorials themselves are actually quite fun! The various tutorial ‘missions’ all teach you a different aspect of the game, as well as introducing you to the various assists which are available. More on those later.
Going through and paying close attention to the tutorials really does help. Make sure you’re understanding what the explicit goal of each tutorial is, so that you know which skill it is that you’ve developed, or which assist it is that you no longer need. If you find certain tutorial missions too difficult – and there’s no shame in that – you can skip ahead to the next one and just keep going.
Use assists, but pay attention!
Assists, or ‘riding aids’ as they are called in MotoGP 21, are a great way to help out newer players. MotoGP has a lot of various aids available to the player, including brakes, electronics, gear shifts and even steering. Read the description of each assist, and try to understand what exactly each riding aid is doing for you. We recommend playing around with these assists quite a bit, so that you learn which you need and which you can do without.
Once you’ve found that sweet spot, try removing an aid every now and again. If you can’t yet live without it, then you can simply put it back on, but you’ll find you’re improving much more than you realise!
Trajectory aids
Trajectory aids are another kind of assist that don’t fall under the category of riding aids. At their max level, trajectory aids provide an ideal racing line for you to follow as closely as you can, giving you an indication of when you need to brake or speed up.
This is probably the most useful assist that the game has to offer – but be warned! Playing with the racing line on does make it difficult for you to switch to riding without it further down the line. That is where curve indicators come in. This medium level trajectory aid gives you a point to start braking, a point to aim for at the apex of the corner, and a point to exit through. This way, you start to build a better understanding of what parts of the track to be on without removing your stabilisers completely!
Find your most comfortable ride
When we started playing MotoGP 21 for the first time, we thought that we should start with the Moto3 class of bikes, as these are the slowest and theoretically the easiest to ride. As it turns out, a top-level MotoGP bike is more forgiving than a Moto3 bike. As such, you could switch to using the faster model to practice with, because you may well find it more comfortable to control.
This is a question of feel though, so try out the Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP bikes and see which class fits you best. Then, use that comfort class to practice with to learn the fundamentals of motorbike racing. At the end of the day only practice makes perfect, but it certainly pays to ensure that your practice is perfect.
General Riding Tips
In terms of the gameplay itself, it’s hard to give direct advice as to which will have a tangible benefit. Nevertheless, here are a couple of snippets which should help you out at least a little.
First, make sure you’re turning in nice and early. It takes time for the centre of gravity on a bike to shift from one side to the other, and as such you need to start the process in advance. This will feel a little odd at first, especially for those who are used to four-wheeled sim racing, but after a while you’ll start to get a feel for how far before the corner you should be turning in.
Another thing to bear in mind is that kerbs are dangerous for a bike, much more than for most cars. If you find yourself braking or accelerating on a kerb, the bike will buck around beneath you and you’ll either lose some time or be thrown off the machine entirely. Therefore, it’s best to give the kerbs a nice wide berth when you’re starting. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to consistently rewind time because you keep falling from your bike.
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