However, it’s a very specific, and different one. How does the AI reacts in your races when you’re in first place, and you have a fairly big lead?
It flips the visor, takes a swig of Gatorade and chalks up a gold medal for finishing 2nd.
Does being third in the universe of FM5 wins you gold too?
Yes.
A difficult concept for players with FM5 is that they’re used to only first place counting for anything and everything else is worthless. Second is the first loser and third is a bigger loser. In real motorsports, even the best don’t win all the time, but not coming in first place doesn’t make them a crappy driver and finishing second or third in a Formula One grand prix is still an amazing feat. In video game logic, however, the second and third guys are crappy drivers and should retire because they stink. In FM5, gold/silver/bronze don’t represent podium finishes, but rather race performance. It credits a podium finish as being a great job (gold) followed by fourth through sixth as a good job (silver) and then seventh through ninth as an honorable effort (bronze.)
For most players, if you’re winning regularly (first place,) you’ve got the difficulty too low. You aren’t expected to place first every time. You’re expected to be fighting for position all the way to the finish line and maybe fall short of first place even by the end. Turn 10 doesn’t want that battle to end, but if you’re claiming the lead before the end and just cruising to a win after that then you aren’t having the experience they want you to have. Once you’re out in front, your race is over and you’re just hot lapping, and they don’t want that. They want you coming through the final turn of the final lap and still struggling to catch the leader.
Yes, you’re Golden!