View Full Version : Online First Impressions
Hello.
Right away, I like the game simply because it's a racer. I bought it and for the first time in my life with any game, I went online right away instead of messing with career.
Straight out the box there were problems with connecting with other players. There weren't too many who bought the game at that time. There were little over 700 players in the world according to the scoreboards. So the problem definitely wasn't server crowding. After three failed attempts I made my own room. Simple room, assists on and novice. Incidentally we are talking about ranked matches.
Ok fine so far. Got a feel for it and raced. All LaGuna Seca with Minis. I'm not the best racer in the world but I got a time of ~1:36 seconds.
Then someone hops in the room and does some cheat where he does the track in 1:06. Now I know there are better racers than I but seriously, half a minute? 10 seconds, 15 seconds, even some crazy nut who lives and breathes this stuff 20 seconds ....... but 30? Oh yeah, in a three lap race he somehow lapped everyone ..... same car, same race.
Workaround: create a room with all assists off and full damage on. It's the pro setting.
But wait, there's one more negative....
The game freezes constantly, even after installing it to my HD.
OK the Good stuff.
Individual tire pressure. I like that. Got a track where there are 7 more lefts than rights? You can now accommodate the appropriate tires.
Cockpit view gives you a good "feel" for your ride.
Engine noise is breathtaking.
Price of game. $40
Many different racing paints on each car. Minis alone there are over thirty.
One question if anyone can answer:
I have to "quit" after an online race is completed then it bounces me back to the option to create a whole new room.....is that right? In other words, after creating the room, waiting for players, qualifying, racing and finishing an online race, is "quit" the only way to seal the deal and does it count towards the achievement? Or am I missing something?
That's it for now. In all, it's a good game and I have faith that SimBin and/or Atari will fix the loose screws fast. Looking forward to DLC cars.
Buy it.
AZT_Mad_Monk
19-02-2009, 08:33
that might only be on ranked rooms like in TDU where you are forced out after 1 race
Yes, tonight I found out that it is indeed true what you say AZT Mad Monk. Tonight I got two out of the three xbox live achieves. 50 online host and participate in 50 online races. The 50 wins is close, very close. :)
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Online Second Impressions:
Racers are getting better lap times on their tracks. Tonight it was more difficult to get the first place wins than it was two days ago. Tuners have already started playing with the tweaks and friends are being made fast.
A patch is definitely in order for that time cheat where you zip around the track. For now what I had stated above as a workaround is still working .... but the cheaters are perfecting their craft, I fear the good racing is going to go away within the next few days.
If the Atari folk are reading, please grace us with a scoreboard wipe as well if and when that patch comes. I am quite certain that the real deal racers would not mind one bit if there is a fair shot at the number one spot on the board of their choice. As it stands, the cheaters get the glory.
See you all for tomorrow nights review. :atari:
Tonight I got my final XBL Ranked achievement. 50 wins. Yay. One drawback, the cheaters are moving into the online pro territory and winning races. One had joined my room and I fully expected him to receive a drive-thru penalty as all the others have done but not this one, he was special. Not only did he cheat (with the shift glitch) but he won with no penalties. After a couple races another one showed up but this time I quickly ended the race premature, subsequently killing the room. No cheater is gettin' another win from me ever again. I don't care what the cost is.
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So after tooting my own horn I started career mode. Found out for again how completely awesome a good racing game can be. mdr1
Of course I started at the pro setting, I mean why not go for the gold? Got up to and stopped at the second Radical race. How insane the track can be when you don't know it at all and are learning it as you play.
The online may have issues but career is definitely the move in this game.
I don't know why I keep writing to this diary, but I'll keep at it because it allows me to reflect on the game which I am growing to enjoy thoroughly.
Tonight marks my complete feel for the game. It's good. After fighting with the controller for I don't know how many races, I finally realized you don't need to gun it all the way through the track. Just find a good braking point and stick with it no matter what. That way you will stay on the track instead of losing all your momentum going through the grass and the A.I. won't catch you.
One thing that does bother me the most is the A.I.. There's no give whatsoever. When I am racing in this game, MY CAR acts the way its real-life counterpart would ... at least I am given that impression by the vehicles behavior. It saddens me when the A.I. cars are so programmed to their own behavior that it's counter intuitive. I don't mind being pushed and shoved in my car but if I try to push back, G_d help me because there is no equal rights there. A.I. wins everytime, hands down. I'll spin-out or just get knocked about, sometimes even airborne, until last place. The one good thing is that even in the pro setting, they are quite slow, once you get ahead of the pack, better stay there. :)
It bothers me that I can't fight back is all. Too much of a throwback to the really, really old driving games I used to play where the A.I. acted just the same. I mean, that was 1980.
Oh yeah, to get the track achievements in pro setting, you must also be in manual? I'll answer that one tomorrow night.
Tonight a good friend finally got the game and we entered our codes for the Dodge Charger. Been playing the game so long I almost completely forgot about the bonus code.
We each got the achieves for Club Racer room and the one for Player Match Winner. Cool beans. Now to work on the other player achieves will take more time, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Lots of fun deliberately wrecking each others cars. Only one scrupilosity, we couldn't turn around and go back the other way for any real length of track to get full head on collisions. The game has a feature that discourages that. Don't get me wrong, that particular feature is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC for online fools but there should be an option to turn that off for friendly rooms. I guess there's no LMS to be played in Race Pro. Ah well.
I used manual today and what a world of difference that makes. Strongly recommend you getting used to it. Where I was struggling to get into the right gear using automatic transmission is now rendered moot. I shift at will, there is MUCH more control over the vehicle, and getting into the turn at the right gear is always 100%.
The achieves didn't come for finishing first with Pro-setting on any track, even in manual. Not even after completing my first Championship Race. What gives? Exactly how do we get the achieves? When I find out, I'll let you all know. I read somewhere on these forums about being in Single race, I'll check that out.
But I did get the achieves for Championship Contender and The Champ as well as Champ for Life. superg
Steve1UK
24-02-2009, 09:48
Been using manual gears in racing games for 13 years now. Would NEVER ever use auto again. Too slow!
BlueFin175
24-02-2009, 15:39
... Only one scrupilosity, we couldn't turn around and go back the other way for any real length of track to get full head on collisions. The game has a feature that discourages that. Don't get me wrong, that particular feature is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC for online fools but there should be an option to turn that off for friendly rooms. I guess there's no LMS to be played in Race Pro. Ah well.
Indeed and totally agree. While I can see why they did it, a FULL collisions option would have been nice so that those of us that enjoy some different game types could enjoy LMS [or Backwards Idiot as we like to call it] from time to time. They really need some short tracks for this kind of thing too, Brands Hatch Indy would have been perfect !
Steve1UK: 13 years is a long time. Respect to you for that. I started using manual transmissions when Forza1 came out. I still like the automatic depending on the game played, like TDU or Burnout Paradise for instance. Experimenting with different driving techniques keeps any racing game new for me. In the end, manual is the best bet for Pro Racer and I don't think I'll stray from it. :)
BlueFin175: Brands Hatch Indy indeed my friend. That track would've been nice. Even a oval as some folks liked it for its simplicity. More brain energy used to set up the perfect attack instead of turning. One of the reasons my friend bought the game was to deviate (in good ways) and make up new game types for player matches---I can't talk about it anymore, I'm getting upset. :cry:
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Here we are, tonight marks the turning point in the game for me. I figured out that yes, it is Single Race that you need to do to unlock the achieves for each track as well as a host of others. One fail was the achieve called, Pole Sitter - "Get pole position in professional". It seems it doesn't cascade with the two lesser achieves for the same accomplishment. You know, when you get pole position in PRO setting you would expect to automatically get the Novice and Semi achieves as well? Well you don't. You must do them individually. No biggie, it's not like it takes a day to get them. Below is a list (complete?) of the Single Race achieves.
I also got all the Hotseat achieves as well. Very simply, you need a second controller. The A.I is a little more forgiving in the Pro setting. This particular mode can be lots of fun with two people. I highly recommend you try it with your kid or with a friend who likes driving games. The approach is something new to consoles and I give it a very warm welcome. Imagine that, something new in a racing game that's good. If only we could do it online? That would make it exponentially greater.
To the Reader: Please don't get me wrong when I write negative comments. They are not meant to influence one way or another. The game, Race Pro, is quite good coming from a company that has no experience with console gaming. These comments are just thoughts of mine to try to make something that is good and hopefully push it to ........ extraordinary.
:atari:
Qualifier
Front Man
Pace Setter
Pole Sitter
Novice Winner
Front Runner
Like a Pro
Clean Conscience
Monza Win
Brno Win
Oschersleben
Macau Win
Pau Win
Porto Win
Zandvoort Win
Brands Hatch Win
Curitiba Win
Valencia Win
Anderstorp Win
Laguna Seca Win
Road America Win
O-M-F-G. Wanna know why the game is $40?
I totally hate the A.I. drivers in this game. They are on rails, have all assists on in every mode, and are completely intolerable. Forgive me this entry as I almost smashed something in frustration and need to vent it out.:mad:
The Guia circuit. I'm no wall rider but sometimes I do hit 'em. The track is about as thin as a pencil. Walls everywhere and some have little edges that will bring the car to a stop no matter what speed if hit. Then the A.I who was 7 seconds behind somehow magically whooshes in and spins me 180 degrees instantly. Now I have to do a U-turn in a one lane race AFTER all the other A.I drivers have pass. Usually ramming me at top speed and sending my car airborne before I get my bearings back.madred:
Think that's bad?
How about this.
I'm in 1st place, I made it to the end of lap 5, I'm at the point of turning into the 3-part straight when the A.I. Dodge Viper comes from behind and does a pit and roll maneuver on me. :aie:
I CAN'T FIGHT BACK! How the heck can the A.I. do this to me and when it's my turn to give some back to them, they don't budge!!! They don't even show a sign of fishtailing, they plow through you like you weren't there and keep on.
I'll try again tomorrow. Still love the game, it's the A.I. that I don't like. That's my one complaint that I'll register, I'm allowed one.
I guess miracles do happen. I woke up today, sent my son off to school and promptly attacked Race Pro again. After about 4 restarts, I finally, FINALLY got the Gold Team Lister unlocked. Now I'm stuck with the Saleen in the Guia Circuit LOL! I guess that'll happen in time.
Had to take a breather today from the game. It is very addicting and frustrating when things don't go right so COD4 was played. Always fun to shoot off a few bullets and kill something in a game instead of breaking controllers.
I'll have to tackle Race Pro in small increments now. There's one more series before the F-3000's start and I hurry no more. The 1000 achieves club can happen as early as tomorrow, but I don't want to have to go through this game on any other level than Pro. It's such a good feeling to cross the finish line first when the A.I is set to HARD. VERY HARD I'll never touch, that's for the RACE PROdigies.:respect:
Still hate the A.I..
Finished all races in Pro Level including the Stand-In challenges. All except one, Koenigsegg. I don't know if I can handle that car without any assists. Eventually I'll give it a go, but not before the game is completed. Speaking of which I am now scared to proceed to the F-3000 races. eekblue:
You know what I found out? Once a particular series is completed, if you choose to redo it then the A.I. acts kinda "scared" of you. I actually was able to pit-and-roll some of them right off the track. Sure they are still wicked but somehow my car is stronger? I dunno, maybe it's just my confidence is growing because the race, like I said, was already completed.
Another thing, If you finish two races with Gold and the last with Silver, you only get the Bronze and Silver edition bonus cars in the end even if you have it set to PRO. Just thought you should know.
I sorted through this forum and found the TRC Hotlap Challenge (http://forums.eu.atari.com/showthread.php?t=89413) so I decided to give that a go in the wee-hours. I'm sure I can shave off a good two seconds. That Turn1 is the key to the whole thing. The picture below has my GT edited for privacy. This is what I got in a Chevy Lacetti:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa27/IPackedWarmPiss/P1000017a.jpg
See you all tomorrow night.
Entry:
After many, many attempts to even reach first place on the first F-3000 race, the one at Monza, I have decided to switch the settings to Semi-Pro. I just can't, for the life of me, get any better than where I am currently so I give in.
The A.I. is completely relentless and obnoxious. I can't believe they can swing me off the road but switching positions, given the same maneuver, they still win and I still swing out. It's just not right ...... or fair. So I toned it down. {sigh} I'll probably wind up trying it again but not before finishing the game in Semi-Pro. Looks like all the effort put in from the beginning to complete in PRO it is now a wash.
There will be others who will succeed where I have failed and to them I give Kudos and respect. Doing any F-3000 Career Race in Pro and actually completing the set in 1st place deserves it.
I STILL love the game! :)
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