Piloting Tips: 2097/XL

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this is the first of the piloting guides to be officially started.
for anyone who wonders how those top guys in the records tables could possibly go so fast, this is how they do it.

this thing could get awfully big and unwieldy if we discuss the tips in this same thread, so if you want to comment on the tips or ask questions about them, please start a separate thread for the discussion. only post the actual tips here in this one.

__ Lance
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we're starting it off with list of shortcuts for 2097, already posted by Asayyeah [Arnaud Senand] in the Pilot's Lounge forum, but copied here as an excellent introduction to the specialised world of Wipeout racing technique. bear in mind that while 2097 and XL are very similar in the ultimate times that can be done, the way in which they're done may be somewhat different. it's a question of ''floatiness'' which is different in the two versions, and determines where and how big the shortcuts will be. shortcuts may seem fair or unfair, but they are allowed by the physics engine of the game, which attempts to model a kind of reality of the future. the rules of the Wipeout games do not say they're illegal, so times made while using them are allowed in the records tables. here is Arnaud's guide to 2097 shortcuts:

Posted: 06 Apr 2004 17:07 Post subject: List of Shorcuts
Well, as many players have already known this, i have discovered many shortcuts on Wipeout 2097, and few on W3O&W3O SE.
I am going to begin with 2097 my favorite one, obviously Al already know most of them but I wanna create this topic for those who didn't find them before and did want to experiment them.
Personnaly it's one of my interest to find & use shorcuts. Why? because it's an antigravity game so for me flying through walls or after a big jump it's not cheating , cheating is when you put codes. But i need to be more precise on this above, here's my position : i just gotta admit i adapt myself to what have been allowed by the programmer( consciously or unconsciously) . My aim is just to do the best time i can do with what i have got or fund ( airbrakes tapping method or regular shortcuts or insane, unrightness, immoral shortcuts )
I hope in the next generation we could fly as 2097 but without non-sense shortcuts...let's see that in a close future ( make a pray to GOD Wipeout )
Well after this brief explanation. Let's enter the Matrix....of shortcuts.

Wipeout 2097

Talon's Reach
The first one is very wellknown : you can cut the first big right turn at the beginning ; you don't need a turbo weapon to do that on phanthom class, just up your nose and turn a little right through the right wall, be careful in the air don't go too much on right because the wuss-wagon will take you back to the track. With the turbo weapon you can land properly in the middle of the S ( left right turn) just before the ' C ' section ( little tip : put your turbo when you cross the line, up your nose in the middle of the hill just after the last blue left pads and directly cut on your right, fly and land around the weapon icon on the S turn)
The second one is more exciting: you can do this one without any problem & turbo on phanthom class ( achievable without turbo on rapier with auricom and quirex but it's hard), the meaning of this one is going straight away from the C section to the tunnel's entry avoiding the S turns before it ( the tunnel's entry ). In fact when you cross the ' C ' section ( in the middle of the track) there's a small hill, up your nose at the beginning of it ( try to be around 300 kph) cross the wall which is on your right ( don't go too much right : Wuss wagon) in the air you can see the beginning of the tunnel's entry, land properly in the middle of the road ( you maybe need to twist your neg a little on the left when you are in the air). My Tip : If you have a turbo weapon try to put it before the C section, up your nose, cross the wall , down your nose before landind because sometimes there's an invisible wall if you are too high in the air, if it's doing well you are around 400 kph inside the tunnel ( with original ships it's not bad) I only use the first shortcut with Pirahna

Sagarmatha
Just one : but a massive one !! After the beginning of the first tunnel you have an hill which turn on right ( 90°) , if you succeed this one you land just before the jump ( the one before the big right tunnel). It seems impossible but it's true. For that you need absolutely a turbo weapon on phanthom class.Just after you turn on right ( the 90° right turn) Up your nose & put turbo at the same time when you climb this hill ( try to be on the right side of the track) and go through the right wall. Try to find the limit for the wuss wagon when you are in the air try to first land around the C section after that you can find the way to land before the jump. Don't use this one with Pirahna

Valparaiso
There's 3 here ( one small, one big & one i know where it is but can't manage to succeed it...). The first small shorcut is after the long straight line , at the end of this one , left curve & you enter a long opened tunnel, up your nose, put turbo W.when you are on the left side of the track , then cross the wall in front of you ( it's not a big cut just to avoid the few bumps on the right and have a decent straight line entering the right curve). The second one is the one which is difficult to succeed in it : crossing the 'C' section try to be inside the right curve, & be extremely fast to do that :put turbo & up your nose in the same time and twist quickly on the left to land around the entry of the left & right tunnel ( with that technical you have avoided the small cavern with his hard left curve). The last one is really the best one ( you can also do it with the pirahna ship) when you get out from the L&R tunnel , i ve formerly mentionned, put your turbo, don't up your nose for the now try to not decrease your fast speed then when you approaching the big downhill, up your nose when you cross the double pads ( try to arrived from left to right in diagonal) and go through the right side of the wall: well done you are now in the air , when you can see underneath the track on your left with his 90°left corner before the red zone, then twist on your left you can land smoothly on the long straight line ( parallel from the red zone). With this one you can gain at least 3 , 4 seconds... I only use the last shorcut with pirahna

Phenitia Park
there's also 3 here ( one small, one very big & one which i don't use ). The first is the smaller one just after the first little right curve, you get a jump, go on the left side with or without a turbo ( in Phanthom class) and land near the double left pads ( you avoid the long left corner). The second is the one i do not use it's due to the probalities 's law : take another turbo in just one weapon icon is really thin. But if you decided to use this 'cut you need a turbo and another one to chain the last shorcut... So where is he located? try to be on left side when you cross the first 'C' section, nose up + turbo, go straight & land just before the big jump ( you go through a big building on the right side of the track). And if you are lucky you can chain the last major shorcut : when you were in the air, surprise!!, you took a turbo, then you land , get it & up your nose ( try to be on the right side of the big jump) go straight ( you need to continue seeing underneath the track which is on your right, then turn left when you are approaching the end of the big right tunnel and finally land around the second ' C' section ( you have avoided the whole right tunnel !! Did not use any shorcuts with pirahna

Gare d'Europa
Sorry for to the hunter's shortcuts, i didn't find any one efficient on this track. Just a little one but i rarely do ( never with pirahna). He is located near the 'C' section, put turbo when you go out from the tunnel just when you see the tram-wagon on your left, up nose then go on your left to go higher ( cross the 'C' section in the air) twist right ( you cut the first right curve at the end of the big straight line in downhill) that's the only thing which is permitted by this.

Odessa Keys
What a lovely place to find plenty of incredible enormous shorcuts, i have discovered 3 massive shortcut. I only use the last one with pirahna. Well let me introduce the first one : how to avoid a difficult way where your ship bumps all the time, you see where? You start the race with a right & left small cave, then you climb an hill with two pads on your left and one on your right , up your nose ( but not too much) get turbo on the right side of this hill and go straight away( you absolutely need to see the track underneath on your left otherwise : wuss-wagon), when you are in the air turn softly( & down your nose ) on your right to land comfortably on a straight section just before a 90° left corner ( in fact you ve avoided the ' basin ' [ geographical term!!] with the difficulty of bump) This one wasn't very easy to describe, but the second shortcut is easy to locate but quite hard to succed in it. Arewegooo... : after the 'C' section there's a small downhill & you enter a large & long left,right,left tunnel at the end of this one you can see a upstairsbanner with the fat cat : the target is to avoid this tunnel... get turbo & up your nose after crossing the 'C' keep you in the right side of the track before the small jump and take off then in the air go straight away during 2 seconds & when you see the fat cat underneath you, down your nose then turn a little on your left ( go through the fat cat ) and when you hit the ground turn right & left with airbrakes to land softly ( it's a risky business because you can crash easily into the tunnel & explose).The third & last one is a very big one ( Al knows very well this one, i just add one thing more to his method ) after the end of this ' above speech' tunnel, you can see a small uphill with 2 fractures from the track ( the first just after the hill and the second after the big right corner), climb the hill from left to right ( cross the X2 left pads), up your nose, and cut the corner, you absolutely need to land on the single pad's line( where there's the 2nd fracture)& take off immediately on your left, follow in the air the underneath track ( find the limit on your left side with the wuss wagon) if you succeed well you can land on the straight line rather in the pits ( more efficient for having a good time). In phanthom class you can quite easily do this last one without any turbo ( don't forget to just up your nose at max & try to not hit any walls inside the tunnel to have enough speed to cut the first right corner from the first fracture). With a turbo weapon get it when you are in diagonal ( from left to right) , just be careful about not going too much on your left when you take off from the 2nd fracture.

Vostok Island
There's three and a half!! The half one is not a real shortcut just a good tip for having a straight line when the track is divided in 2, take the right track, up your nose and try to find a straight line from here to the first fracture, later from this there's a triple pads on the left, you climb a thin hill which turns into downright,entering a dark tunnel which also turns into right with a single pad's line ( see the 2 tiger's head from both side of the track and the ' danger ' banner ?) It was the scene of the first real shortcut ( avoid this part of the tunnel) : in climbing the thin hill i told you before, up your nose& turn right very quickly into right at the top of the hill ( try not to hit the left wall otherwise put your turbo to have enough speed to cross the tunnel in the air and then land between the 2 tiger's head near the ' danger ' banner). Neverless if you won't hit the left wall before, you now need to get your turbo here, just keep it for the next shortcut( very close from where you land...). The second is not really a big one but if you manage to do it perfectly you can link it without anymore turbo to the last one which is bigger : Just before the 'C' section there's a left pad at the top of a small hill get your turbo here&up your nose. The aim of this one is going through the wall which is on the left side of the 'c' line and land after the fracture ( you have avoided this fracture) then if you land softly without decreasing your speed on the part of track which turn very softly to the right you can go on your left to avoid the jump & the big long left curve ( with the pits) and land softly at the entry of the tunnel. Concerning pirahna i always take the first real ( not the half one) and also the last shortcut.

Spilskinanke
There's only one which is truly possible to succeed ( another one which is not a real one just a tip and another one only done one time by my mate Sleh with a lucky autopilot, i will explain those just after the only one which seems achievable)
When you start the race there's a big hill which turns right, get your turbo , up, and go to your left then to the right to cross the super-structure , but you need to be absolutely on the extrem right side of that building ( in the air ) in order not to explose if you hit this one, and you can land if you succeed just around the pits , under the red bull banner: it's really an impressive one ( the most hardest for me in all the shortcuts). the second one is a small one : when you see the C Section in front of you, up your nose ( no need to have a turbo to do this one) and cross the wall on your right side, in order to have a straight line when you enter the pretty difficult tunnel ( which is not a major difficulty if you try to stand on a straight line inside it).
The Sleh shortcut is easy to understand but i'd like to say it's an impressive one : he started to up the nose like me near the ' C', get turbo , cross the first right wall ( like ive done) but where in the air go straight , he took it by chance an autopilot when he was in the air and immediately got it just half a second the wuss-wagon would have caught him : you know where he lands?? Just at the end of the tunnel ( 4 seconds gain at least), we have tried to do it again , no chances at all !!
I was forgiving a little one : at the end of the race you've got 2 fractures from the track after the first one go in straight line, up your nose , cross the wall in front of you then you land largely after the 2nd fracture

Last edited by Old asayyeah on 10 Apr 2004 22:15; edited 3 times in total

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this technique applies to all ships other than Piranha. on at least one course and class [as discovered by G'kyl [Ben Schmaedig] and confirmed by me and Arnaud, it is actually possible to beat the best Piranha laptime by using a Qirex and this technique. it is also useful if you form a non-Piranha racing league [which currently exists in the XL records tables] or challenge.

this game is different from WO3 in that turbo is not available for multiple partial use; you only get one turbo per lap and it gets used all at once. this greatly affects the technique of getting a lap record. the only way i know to achieve minimum laptime in this game is to use two turbos in one lap. turbos become available just after passing the start line at the beginning of each lap. in the course of a race you must save a turbo to fire just before crossing the start/finish line to begin the next lap; in that way the extra speed will all be used in that next lap, during the course of which you may also use the turbo received for that lap. experiment with the best location on the track to use the second turbo. only experience will tell you the best location because it may vary not only from track to track but possibly even on a different speed class on the same track. there you go; this technique is simple and obvious, but it works, and you have to use it to get a top laptime with any ship other than Piranha, which cannot receive turbo pickups.
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This is a first sketch on a guide for Talon´s Reach on Wipeout XL for phantom class, specially for Piranha ship and using a NegCon, any further correction will be edited in this post, and any help is very appreciated as I think its very possible to cut more time on this track (but dont post questions on this topic, only actual tips, you can post questions on other parts of the forum, if you dont do this Lance will take care of killing you ;)), .

Bear in mind that doing all of this perfectly is difficult and if you cant get it right soon just practice and don’t give up (like me, it took me quite some laps and races to learn what was best to do – and some eyesore to boot, as you don’t blink much when you play this game), and of course this guide couldn’t have been possible without the help of Al Sartwell and Arnaud Senand (father of the brake tapping technique) both masters on Wipeout XL/2097 respectively, I just compiled information from my endless questions to them (thanks guys!) and added information of my own; dont forget this: keeping your max speed is as important as getting your max speed, getting your max speed is just a moment, keeping it is what improves your times.

lets begin already!:


1. The start: do a turbo start (duh!) already aiming for the first speed pad on your right as it is near to the starting line, when you reach that speed pad do a left brake tap, just a little before you reach the next speed pad pitch up (as soon as the hill starts going up), at the speed pad brake tap, keep the pitch until you reach the speed pad as soon as you reach it let go of the pitch for around a sec or a bit less; and pitch down.

speed check: from 0 to 347+ on first lap, from 2nd to 5th its faster arounf from 390/400+ to 370+ on top of the hill (this speed checks are good/optimal speeds to reach on their respective sections and are exclusive to XL as 2097 checks higher numbers)

2. 90° curve+uphill: Keep the pitch down until reaching the top spot in that hill, and turn right smoothly with a brake tap, then pitch up when the hill starts going down again so you can land softly without bottoming, next speed pads right brake tap aligning yourself with the next speed pad on the right, on that speed pad pitch up and brake tap right at the same time, right brake tapping on this speed pad prevents you from bottoming, if you are at high speeds which is our objective the pitch up will prevent this too, just make sure your finger doesn’t get stuck on the pitch up, just making sure it wont bottom will do; keep close to the right wall of the track (fly a little over it, very close) during the jump until you reach the next speed pad on the left , do a right brake tap on those, and align for the next speed pad, reaching that one brake tap, but no pitch on this little hill, just a little pitch up but in the air before landing so you dont lose speed

speed check: from 347+(1st lap)/370+(other laps) + to 399+/404+ (which decreases quick)

3. S curve: Before reaching the S curve there is a speed pad, on this part of the track try to stay close to ground , as it is important as it helps keeping the speed on the next section of track which is a long curve without any speed aid; back to the S curve.. on the S, cut a diagonal in the middle of the S (well kind of a crooked diagonal so you dont miss the speed pad before the S), and align yourself to make a tangent line to the inside wall of the next section.

speed check: 383+

4. C section: Ok, if you did the S curve correctly you will have much less trouble on this one, just keep a steady hand, don’t go too much to the left side, try to keep kinda close to the right or inner wall , and align yourself to the next section.

speed check: 383+ (usually goes down to around 370+ before the ending curves and final speed pad)

5. Ending Curves: at the end of the track comes a series of easy curves, theres a little curve to the right on which comes the last speed pad of the track, I brake tap left here, as tapping is quick it kinda aligns you to make a straight line until the end of the track, on which you have to stay close to the right so you catch the speed pad on the start of the track.

speed check: from 370+/383+ to 390+

About the race line: you will find that writing it or even drawing it on plan view is inefficient, as the game is in 3d perspective, and also timing for the movements is essential (and you will only learn this from practice), the only effective method I find for showing a race line is video, …and practice of course, I have a video of this track which you can find on the forums, bear in mind that I have corrected some things after the video (things that improve time), this things you will be able to see comparing this guide with the video.

I hope this guide helps you fellow pilots, and also spice up the XL/2097 tables ;)

**Sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors, my native tongue is Spanish.

Since I have seen that a good number of people with the XL/2097 Qirex logo dwell in the forums, I thought about collecting some hints for flying the Qirex at Phantom speed on Talon's Reach. Feel free to add and correct whatever you think neccessary. I am certain, a fastest lap time of less then 17 seconds is possible, so let's see if anyone can beat that barrier and show those Piranhas a thing or two about flying building material. *g* OK, here is how I think the Qirex is handled best on TR. By the way, I do not use shortcuts. If you do, your flying probably differs largely from what I describe. If you ask me, it will also be less fun, but that goes far into the subjective. ;)


Boost away from the start and over the left speed pad. Don't try moving over the first blue pad on your right. Thanks to its poor acceleration ability, the Qirex loses a lot of speed in turns, so taking advantage from every speed pad on the straight could mean sacrificing more than you gain. In this case, and from my experience, flying over both pads when having already boosted after or before the finish line equals flying straight and not losing momentum.

Head down the straight until you get to the first hard right. Use your airbrkaes here. "Airbrakes?", you say? Well, yes. First of all, keep in mind that when flying the Qirex you HAVE to use them in order to get around some of the tighter turns. Secondly, the Qirex gets considerably slower here should you take your time for a more traditional turn. Instead, you better make it a quick one, head for the double speed pad and back to speed you are. Thirdly, by not using your brake you are much more likely to bottom out just before the end of the curve, which costs you far more than a short brake.
In order to prevent to bottom out, which can happen even when you use brakes, go into the turn from the outer left of the straight. Hit the airbrake at the top of the slope leading downwards into the curve, then go right and come out of the turn at its right side.

Should you be on a run for a fastest lap record, use your second turbo as soon as you have cleared the curve and be prepared for some ride... (You should have used your first turbo before crossing the start line - see Lance's description of the technique two positings up this thread.)

Fly over the single speed pad and head for the left-most jump-off point, which leads into the first of three chicanes. From now on until the end of the third chicane keep your nose pitched up. You can give it some short rests - in order to be closer to the bottom and so gain some more speed - as soon as you are familiar with what follows next. The most important thing, though, is to make it through this part of the course without hitting the airbrakes even once. And you will need all the height you can get in order to do this.
To not bottom out when coming back to the track, try going down at the right wall just after the two curves. This is difficult to pull off, but it gives you a smooth slide back onto the track as you "scrape" slowly down instead of falling hard to the ground. Keep in mind that this scraping sets your craft a bit more to the left than you might expect, so be careful not to crash into the left wall.

Next you will have to get the speed boost from the double pad on the left. Then go right, then left again, so that the ship is in line with the right wall, and take the second chicane by flying straight through it. That is, make that as straight a line as you can from the apex of the first part of the chicane to the apex of the second part. You should now be right over the left wall. Keep in mind that you still have to keep your nose up. It is essential to stay in mid-air so you won't have to bother about hitting a wall. The Qirex generally can be held at greater heights than the other crafts, which lets you use more of the track than if you flew close to the ground. This really is the key to be fast in TR, since you have to make your way through some very tricky chicanes without bottoming out or using the airbrakes. (However, take care to not cut any of the turns. This takes all the fun out of flying. ;) )

From the end of the second chicane fly a steady circular line so that you get to the apex of the first part of the third chicane while turning to face its second apex. Cross the latter and you are off into the tunnel.
The ship will get down to its standard flight level at the first apex and bounce off again slightly. This should give you enough air between you and the inner wall so you won't crash (you will probably scrape it, though).
If you feel you won't make it through the third chicane, try to fly the same line as described, then hit your right brake and turn right just before the third chicane, then quickly left again. If done correctly, this costs you about half a second, but can still save a good race time.

From here on keep a steady line at the inner walls of the course and make it over the finish line.

OK, so much for a broad description of the most tricky pieces from Talon's Reach. I'd really like to read more from other pilots - as I said 0:16.x should be possible....

...well after 9 years of playin' W'O''2097, I decided to play it in a cheatin' way...

If anyone has stil the old PS1 and a XPLORER cheat modul, you could do diffrent staff with yer aircrafts...
-like fly backwards!
-fly with unlimited autopilot!
-fly with 2 crafts at the same time!
-fly with 3000kph ( you wouldn steer the craft anymore, but... )
-fly with 3000kph and unlimited autopilot ( almost every LAP in 0,9 secs )
and staff like that...
its fun, now I'm 'bout to crack the W'O''FUSION game...

:rock

edit by Lance: Please be aware that although cheats can be used for fun, they cannot be used for any times entered in the WipeoutZone records tables.