monte carlo is awesome.
i ran a quick stage, the default one which is roughly 7 miles, and was doing so good... until i got mid-way through where i started hitting more patches of ice and even what looked like clear road was significantly more slippery. i had a few major mistakes but came to grips (ha!) with it.... until i hit the final 3rd which was ALL snow and ice. i kept the car in 4th for torque, but kept spinning tires and sliding my way through everything, using the ebrake when necessary to swing the tail around. while i was still posting green sections i knew i was losing time. then it hit me - at service i did what i always do - i swapped my tires to soft. surely there was a better choice!
raced the same stage again in the same car, this time with a winter set. i lost a few seconds in each of the early sections due to the decreased (but managable) grip, but boy did i make it back and then some for the remainder!
the tire choice is going to be REALLY significant racing a multi-stage event here. i imagine we'll get studded options for sweden?
also, i think this stage really shows off the car handling and predictability improvements of dirt rally. i loved the first, but aint no way in hell were my first ever runs in monte carlo in that game nearly as clean as these were. its not that the handling is easier, though it is, its just that everything feels more where it should be and the car behaves as i expect. every.time. the snow and ice feels just like it does in my own car (evo x) where the throttle can really, predictably, control the slide and set you up to throw it around or pull you out of a slide depending on inputs.
