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There are a lot of cars to drive in Midtown Madness 2, and each has its own quirks to master. While it will take practice with each vehicle before you get used to their handling, there are some general tips you can follow to keep yourself on the road and in the lead.
It's important to test all of the available cars, because you don't know which is the best for you until you've driven them all. Novice drivers sometimes assume that their driving skills are terrible because they can't seem to control the car they've selected. What they may not know is that different people react differently to different cars. Start with a vehicle that matches the speed and handling you're comfortable with and follow the tips below. Before you know it, you'll be a master with all of the cars.
Taking Turns
There are three parts to a turn: The entry (going into the turn); the apex (the middle of the turn; and the exit (where your car straightens out). Your goal is to attain the fastest possible speed exiting the turn because this will determine how fast you enter and pass through the next straightaway.
The line at which you take the turn will determine your exit speed. The axiom, “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line” applies here. The straighter the line you take through a turn, the faster you'll exit the turn.
Approach the turn along the far edge of the road (i.e. if you're approaching a left turn, get as far to the right as you can before you begin the turn). Let up on the gas to reduce speed (tap the brakes if you're going too fast). Cut into the turn and hug the inside as close as possible. Begin a smooth combination of straightening out and accelerating, aiming for the outside of the turn. By the time you reach the outside of the turn and are heading into the straightaway, you should be at full throttle.
The cut across the apex should be short. If you're holding too long, either you turned too soon, or you were going to fast as you approached the entrance. Holding too long through a turn will greatly reduce your chances of gaining a high rate of speed through the exit.
Regaining Control
In an all-out race for the finish, or when racing for home with stolen gold, players will inevitably run into each other, creating a lot of chaos. The player who can recover from the chaos the quickest, is going to win.
The first rule of thumb in regaining control of your car is to let off the gas. Amateurs will invariably try to recover from a spin by wildly turning the wheel without letting off the gas. This only leads to further loss of control, and frustration on the part of the driver.
As the car is spinning or sliding, the drive wheels have already lost their grip on the road. Keeping your foot on the pedal exacerbates the problem by making sure the already spinning wheels spin faster. Whenever you feel like you're about to lose control, let off the accelerator -- you'll be amazed at how much faster you can recover.
If you begin to fishtail (when your back end slides to either side), letting off the gas will help reduce the sliding, and you'll eventually stabilize.
If your car starts to slide, turn in the direction you are sliding. Amateurs often turn in the opposite direction, causing them to spin out. If you're starting to slide right, turn your wheel to the right. It doesn't take much counter-steering to snap you back into place.
Sliding into Victory
Sliding isn't always undesirable. In fact, once you master sliding through a turn you'll find that it's a piece of cake to lose less experience drivers.
The key to sliding through a turn without slamming into buildings or other objects is to start your turn early. Understanding how early to turn can only be achieved with practice.
Let's say you're screaming through Picadilly Circus and you need to make a sudden turn to the right. You must start your turn well before you would if you were driving like a sane person. When you do start your turn, tap on the handbrake and jerk the wheel into the turn. This causes your back end to come around. If you let the back end continue to come around, you'll spin and most likely slam into something. To avoid this, the second your car starts to slide, you must counter-steer. So, if you need to make a high speed turn to the right: 1) tap on the handbrake and jerk the wheel to the right -- your back end swings left and pulls your car into a leftward slide; 2) counter-steer to the left until the car straightens out.
When executed properly, you can make high-speed turns into the tightest alleyways watch your pursuers as they slam and spin into cars, buildings and whatever else is in the way.
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