Board Thread:Game Discussion/@comment-28753807-20161113204906/@comment-29898480-20161114175458

Here are some pointers for how I find braking points/acceleration points, which you can't really separate in practice as where you brake determines where you can safely go back to throttle. There are additional details I could add - for high power vs low power cars, for example - but I didn't add them so as to keep things simple and general.

For braking, start far back and move up incrementally, *always using a reference point*, so you can keep track of what you're doing. It's important to get a good, consistent run into the corner so entry speed is more-or-less constant as you do work on the braking point. Always go back to the throttle as early as you can. Pick a point on the turn exit - the end of the exit curbing is usually a good, memorable, unambiguous one - and note corner exit speed. This is the number you are maximizing. ALWAYS MAXIMIZE EXIT SPEED unless the turn is part of a combination. Push braking as late as you can without compromising exit speed.


 * NOTE: the optimal braking point is not the last possible braking point.  If you go too deep it hurts exit speed.  Resist the temptation to always try to brake later and later, it hurts your times to go too deep**

Rumble strips are part of the track, use them fully.

Have 4 wheels on track during braking. Having 2 off track significantly extends braking distance.

However, under acceleration it doesn't seem to matter if you have 2 off, so you can drive really wide just keeping two tires in contact with the paint/rumble strip without compromising acceleration.

When really working up turns, it's hard to focus on more than two or so per lap at a time. There's just too much to remember if you're trying to do all of them at once.

Combinations and S-turns: the goal is to maximize exit speed of the last turn. Make whatever compromises necessary to earlier turns in order to nail the final turn of a combination.

The longer the straightaway after a turn, the more important that turn is. Use this rule to set priorities.