Help: How to learn WO2048?

Hello everyone, I might need a bit help here with WO2048.

WO2048 is a completely new game for many who never owned a PlayStation Vita. I wouldn’t have guessed it from footage alone, but now that both WOHD (Fury) and WO2048 are packed into one collection, it’s quite apparent how different these two games handle.

I figured WO2048 would be more forgiving considering its wider tracks. But it’s quite the opposite if you’re aiming to master A+ class and all skillcuts one day.

So, what’s the best place to start? Obviously it involves a lot of practice (read: Speed Lap). But is there anything other to it? Like: If I aim for A+ class, should I start at B class to learn the tracks? Or A class? Or start with A+ right away? Should I try to master the tracks without skillcuts first? I find it difficult to start at significant lower speed classes, as ships tend to sway differently when you go faster.

Which brings me to the next point: Which craft to choose? I’m impressed of how differently the Speed, Fighter and Agility ships really feel. It’s like they have different centers of gravity. And obviously there’s not the one craft to rule them all. But maybe there’s one that fits the general preferences of each player?

With WOHD it was Assegai or EG.X for me. Not because they have quite good handling stats, but because they tend to not overreact to steering. With WO2048 I see me scraping along walls as I try to correct my racing line, because simple steering has too less of an impact and airbraking is too sensitive. I have no problem with steering into curves early and slide through them. So the Fighter class seemed like a good choice for me. But it’s too heavy and comparatively slow. Mapping the airbrakes to L2 and R2 for more analog control doesn’t work for me as I cannot perform side shifts consistently. So it’s basically airbrake on/off for me.

Mind you: I haven’t unlocked all ships yet, as I’m half way through the campaign of WO2048. But I’m already feeling a bit frustrated searching for the right ship. I tried different ships on the same track to compare their handing, but I still didn’t get the hang of it. I guess it’s an interplay of all the things stated above. Yes, I’ve seen Charlie’s new brilliant guide on WO2048 and I got the basics. But for me it’s less about what to do than about how to get there. I guess WOHD was easier for me as I got familiar with the tracks by playing WOPure and WOPulse before (although I suck at the latter).

Long story short: I have a lot of fun with WO2048 but limited time to play it. I like to go A+ fast. I don’t plan to get Racingfan’s skill levels, but I want to get better at it, while still enjoying the game. And I need the best approach to get there. Any advice?

I imagine WOOC’s version of WO2048 to handle a bit differently with 60fps, but maybe I’m totally mistaken here. That’s why I’m also thankful if someone redirects me to any of the WO2048 forum’s threads, if this has been covered before.

I struggled with this on the vita at first and I'm struggling now on the console so I understand where you are coming from. The answer you seek lies in the physics.

Lines and rolls are still important but you need to view the game in a different light. Try to think of the handling like you are drifting. Wipeout are ships, but the mechanics behind a lot of the racing games where drifting is a thing vaguely apply here. The speed pads give an indication of what your optimal line should be and racing lines are arguably more important than rolls are. As a general overall tip use speed pads to help figure out your lines.

Fundamentally the physics are so different to hd or Fury that it helps to play 2048 enough without playing the hd side until you get used to the physics for a while. It was the biggest transition and remains the most annoying difference to me. On that note, 2048 started out as a vita exclusive and it retains a lot of the original handling quirks because of the port.

Hellfire goes into a lot of the finer points in his video if you haven't watched it.

My tips for getting better have always been as following:

Zone mode if you want to get familiar with the speed and improve your reactions
Speed laps if you want to get familiar with a track
& Time trial if you want to improve your consistency on a certain track

(in that order)


Tips for controller usage are, do not hold the air brakes unless for hair pins, give them slow taps instead to align your ship to pass the apex as close as possible.
If you can get used to it, try the motion sensor with pitch only, it helps a lot to separate steering from pitch (if you can get used to motion sensor), and pitch is rather essential for turbo rolls, shortcuts and some harder to perform rolls ;)

I'm also struggling with the 2048 tracks... but it's not just the physics. At least the first few tracks, the trackside setpieces look very similar in a lot of places (all set around the city) so I get pieces of the tracks messed up in my mind. Quite a few times I've turned right because I thought there was a corner, and plough straight into the wall. In zone mode it's marginally better. Partly because you're on the same track for many laps, but taking the first zone run in the campaign as an example... there's a bend where the outside of the corner seems to just continue into the distance, with only a small object in the middle of what appears to be the track to indicate that it's a 90degree left. it looks to me more reminiscent of the hexagon shields from a Zone Battle in Fury, so I've rammed into the invisible wall beside it several times. I've been caught out by various invisible walls many times so far.
Honestly my current feeling on 2048 is that it's kinda cool but the tracks need more visual differentiation and even some kind of indicator of where the edges are would be enormously helpful... something like the red and white kerbs or rumble strips on real racetracks to show where the track actually goes. I'm glad to get to play (what is for me) a "new" wipeout, but the track design is really grinding my gears.

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Originally Posted by mannjon

As a general overall tip use speed pads to help figure out your lines.

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Seems plausible. Should help as a guidance.

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Originally Posted by mannjon

it helps to play 2048 enough without playing the hd side until you get used to the physics for a while.

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Yep, I figured that to be the case. I treat WOOC as two different games really and I’ll probably not touch WOHD for a while. After all, WO2048 is the new game for me and I played WOHD plenty of time on PS3.

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Originally Posted by mannjon

2048 […] retains a lot of the original handling quirks

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Actually I do not have any problems with a different handling. It changed with pretty much every installment and I’m totally fine with it. I cannot say it puts me off, I’m just having a hard time to get the hang of it. That’s probably due to the fact that I have less time to play games nowadays. That’s why I’m searching for a way to get a faster access to the game. Which brings me to …

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Originally Posted by Cipher

Zone mode […] Speed laps […] & Time trial

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… which class to start with if I aim for A+ in the long run? And should I try to take the skillcuts right from the start? Same goes for the ship: Like I mentioned before they behave differently in different speed classes. What to choose first? Take a slower speed class, get to know the track and adjust ships and racing lines as I go up in classes?

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Originally Posted by Cipher

do not hold the air brakes unless for hair pins

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I get the impression air brakes tend to react in an over sensitive way with certain crafts. Which gets me to my Fighter/Speed/Agility statement in the first post.

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Originally Posted by Cipher

try the motion sensor with pitch only […] pitch is rather essential for […] shortcuts

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Thanks for the heads-up! I do use the motion sensor for pitch already but I’ll probably need a much bigger focus on pitch in general.

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Originally Posted by Lion

the trackside setpieces look very similar in a lot of places (all set around the city) so I get pieces of the tracks messed up in my mind.

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Oh wow, I can totally relate to that. First time playing WO2048 I was like „where do I have to go?“. Experiencing the tracks first hand really is a different story than watching some footage of it. I got totally lost. That’s also the reason why I get the impression Sol and Altima are at least easier to the eye. Even tough I know where the track should go in theory, I get confused constantly and miss entrances. I can only imagine how it must have felt on PS Vita with its small screen and 30fps.
But yeah, I guess that’s really something that gets better over time. But you have to [i]force[i] yourself into playing the tracks. It’s somewhere between joy and frustration. I don’t remember it to be that hard in the past, but that’s probably just my memory that’s playing tricks on me. Again: I have less time to play games nowadays – WipEout pretty much being the only game I’m willing to make an [i]effort[i] that will probably pay off with pure enjoyment in the long run.

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Originally Posted by Lion

I'm also struggling with the 2048 tracks... but it's not just the physics. At least the first few tracks, the trackside setpieces look very similar in a lot of places (all set around the city) so I get pieces of the tracks messed up in my mind.

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It is even worse for 2048 zone. I don't know who made the stupid decision to make the tracks the same color as the wall for the B class zones but it is horrible. There are other zones that are almost as bad but B and the start of A class are the worst. The walls should always be visually contrasting to the track. It is unnecessarily more challenging because you just can't tell what is going on and it had nothing to do with skill level (aside from counting memory as a skill).

Completely agree. And this is probably not a problem specific to certain users, I think it’s going to be quite universally annoying.

You just gotta fix the glow on the track in the distance and it won’t matter what class you’re in, it’ll just look neat and slick.

Zone in 2048 is worse from the vita version as yeah sometimes the walls get so bright from the colors amd the textures are simple so i cant see them

i never noticed that, they look normal to me

The first thing I did was just to go around every track really slowly to find where all the skill cuts were, a lot of them you wouldn't notice if traveling at speed, and since they can make your times faster, it would seem best practice to learn the quickest route first, then improve your times from there.

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Originally Posted by blackwiggle

The first thing I did was just to go around every track really slowly to find where all the skill cuts were, a lot of them you wouldn't notice if traveling at speed, and since they can make your times faster, it would seem best practice to learn the quickest route first, then improve your times from there.

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Also, there are some skill cuts that are just as fast as the normal route, but provides access to barrel rolls that are not normally accessible. Once you find skill cuts, try to figure out how to effectively use them too! ;)

In addition to blackwiggle's already excellent advice is to do the same thing to find all the barrel roll spots. You cannot elite pass a lot of the TT challenges without knowing all of the easier ones.

So, mannjon, I followed your advice to align my racing line to the speed pads and as simple and obvious it may seem – it works quite well! Sure I don’t catch them all (yet?), but it works as a general guide. I figured I should start with A+ right away and set a timer to 30 minutes or longer doing nothing but speed lap for a single track. After 30 minutes: On to the next one! Needless to say I didn’t do all tracks yet. Sure there’s still plenty of room for improvement, but after a few laps you get used to the speed and see the track more clearly. Except for Unity Square of course, because this track is a nightmare for me right now.

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Originally Posted by blackwiggle

skill cuts […] can make your times faster, it would seem best practice to learn the quickest route first, then improve your times from there.

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Yes. Emphasis on can. Some skill cuts, even if you perform them correctly and don’t bump into walls, do not have any positive impact on your racing line unless you’re barrel rolling. So they’re basically just harder routes without benefit if you cannot perform a barrel roll because of low shield energy or mines all over the place. A failed barrel roll can even make you lose control, making it worse.

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Originally Posted by mannjon

Once you find skill cuts, try to figure out how to effectively use them too!

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Exactly. I set a priority list for learning a track yesterday: 1. Get around the track without bumping into walls. Try to avoid too much airbraking and sideshifting. Use the speed pads for guidance. 2. Try to take skill cuts where possible. Focus on smooth entry and exit to keep a clean racing line. Sideshifting may help. 3. Apply barrel rolls.

Consequently my lap times were longer at first than they could have been if I had chosen the „easy“ routes and applied barrel rolls from the start. But I want to make sure to get a good racing line first and get better from there on. After all it’s not about competition yet at this point.

My plan is to do the other tracks next. And the whole thing again after that. Feels a bit like doing homework – haven’t had that for a long time :D Not too bad after all; after ~40 laps you kind of get into the flow.

I chose Qirex Speed. For now, it gets me trough the curves nicely. Lets see if it works out in the long run. Sadly, on some open track sections I can’t quite figure out where the track walls really are. They’re invisible and seem a bit off sometimes. So I try to cut a few centimeters and see me slamming into rocks. But well, that’s a story for another time.

And for what it is worth, I really struggled with the time trials at first but it was because I was using the wrong ship. The best ship for just elite passing all the time trials was the Feisar prototype ship. It is a little tough to unlock and is the hardest prototype challenge for me. I even had fewer trouble with the piranha prototype.

But once you unlock it the Feisar prototype will serve you well for time trials. If you didn't know, the ship starts out at sub-whatever speed you are on, but your overall max speed potential increases with each speed pad hit. When fully charged, your speed will be faster than the speed class you are on. This works well for tracks that have a lot of pads up front because you'll be going faster than the speed class for the majority of the race. It can make a10 second or more difference.

Love this knowledge being passed on about Feisar Prototype :lol .....Only at the Wipeoutzone :lol

I'm finding similar 'Secret's ' playing Formula Fusion:pirate , but problem is they might change...Oh well ..... I live in interesting times...see what happens.:)

A little tip I also found when playing online in the 2048 side, watch out for the pilots using the Feisar prototypes. You'll be humming along in first place and out of no where get passed by someone in the prototype! Your only chance at beating a skilled prototype pilot is to hit them with something when they pass by, because damage from impacts will make the Feisar lose speed counters and slow their max speed potential down.

If you want to use it effectively in a race, you'll be vulnerable for the first 1/4 - 1/3 of every lap because people can catch up to you when you aren't cheat speeding. ;)

The best way to learn is to just play different tracks in Zone Mode to learn the track layouts and also get used to higher speeds. Also, if you want to tackle the most difficult tracks, use the AG-Systems Agility or Prototype since they have the best handling (warning though. Prototype's speed is only at 50)

Does someone take the last skillcut in Capital reach? (in A or A+ I mean, I'm not interested in low speed classes).

I would if somebody was on my arse and no other way of 'Getting Away'....it's tactics really when you get down to it....Fight or Flee.....depends how confident you are at getting to the finish line first ...That's Wipeout :rock

I look at it this way.
If somebody want's to fire a weapon at me, that usually means [unless some serious control re- mapping] that they are going to be taking their thumb off the Thrust button at one stage, so they can fire that weapon.
If you know the tracks well enough, and have weapon alert active, you can sort where and when your opponent is waiting/wanting to use their weapon.
Armed with that knowledge, if crafty enough, and using your HUD well enough, you watch and play it out like a fast moving chess game.

I've see really good players do just this , and on occasions, managed to get in the same zone with players of my same talent, and we have played out the same .....hugely satisfying for all playing.....mostly for both players that participated one on one, regardless of result.

... I don't take my thumb off the thrust to fire, though. I just slide it up across the square button so I'm pressing both, then slide back down. Same for absorb - slide across.

You don't do that? :P


But yeah, mindgames in combat racing can be pretty intense. ((I used to play Blur back in 2010-2013 and dear Lord, I was a nightmare when it came to mindgames :P ))

Yep. ^ this. I call it the weapon slide.

About the mind games, there is nothing more intimidating than a pilot holding on to a turbo for me. If I'm 2 seconds ahead and I notice someone holding a turbo, I know they are just waiting for that shortcut. Even worse is when I have a turbo I'm holding and someone else does too. It puts the pressure on to land that shortcut or lose the race. Another fun thing to do is when a full lobby chooses the same ship or they all choose a Fury version, and then you change to the non Fury version or use a different ship. I had a race the other night where it was nothing but Fury Icaras. I swapped out to a Tigron, won the race, and then everyone else swapped to Tigron! Given this was not a lobby full of pros, but still I thought it was a little funny. It's like "what does this Tigron guy know that I don't? Guess I'll find out."