While not using vehicle assist, manually shifting gears is not smooth, nor is starting the vehicle.

With respect to starting/stopping the vehicle, I'm also seeing instances where the 'R' key (for starting/stopping the engine) is being ignored by the game, requiring many subsequent 'R' character key presses. Sometimes the 'R' key is missed due to a slight very noticeable delay/stagger from the driver/player getting into the vehicle animation and transitioning to a player now sitting at the steering wheel of the vehicle and ready for driving function. And, sometimes or most times, the 'R' key is just missed for whatever other reason, requiring subsequent 'R' key presses for stopping/starting the vehicle.

With respect for the fluidity of manually shifting gears, looks like the programmer used more time ensuring the graphics of the gear indicator for shifting gears looked really spiffy and realistic, however the manual shifting is by far from being fluid, or not at all similar with real life gear shifting.

One, the vehicle has to be completely stopped for shifting gears, and simply using the emergency brake on a hill with the vehicle sliding (wheels locked-up) is not sufficiently stopped for shifting gears ... and is far from realistic shifting gears in real life.

Two, the animations for starting/stopping the vehicle, as well as getting into a vehicle and out of a vehicle are not at all realistic, while having the urgency of an on-going firefight or other life threatening scenario. More seemingly, the animations are similar to what happens when I'm dating a girl, and I perform my seemingly easily repeatable choreographed routine and dance of getting in and out of my vehicle, along with either prior/subsequently opening the passenger door for my date. Within an urgent state, more than two things would be happening at the same time. Such as, open the car door, getting into the seat and starting the vehicle while also operating the gas and brake pedals. Within the game, the operations and animations are agonizingly acted one at a time, as if the player is missing a brain.