No damage is better?

It is hard to believe but true. Last week, after having played Fusion irregularly for a couple of months and having unlocked it 100% and completed it about 80-90% (I still have to complete some Time Trial and most Zone mode) I decided to try an arcade race with the damage simulator turned off (which I hadn't done until then) and weapons off as well.

And I must tell it's a so much better experience. Specially leagues. With this set up the game is more about the racing and less about the weaponry.
Having to get into the pits every lap no matter how well you raced because you fear getting 2 or 3 quakes in a row which would get you out of the top of the league even if you still have more than half of your shields is definitely tiring.
Racing without weapons and without damage simulation gets the game nearer to the experiences provided by 2097 or 3 where good racing allowed you to fly with AG-5Y5, Assegai or Icaras even though their shields were pityful.

This doesn't solve bad scraping, crappy free zones, stupid energy walls or lame physics engine but it certainly provides a much better experience.

As I said in the beginning, hard to believe but true: Fusion is the WipEout where it is funnier to play arcade (or league) mode with no weapons.

I'm not really a fan of the damage sim myself and would have to agree, I hope there’s no such feature on Pure, also I dislike seeing my ship having bits blown off it I mean when I think of an energy shield I picture an invisible shield of energy round my craft that should get weaker with every shot but not actually allow any damage until it has been totally depleted then of course BANG

In fact, I don't even like energy shields (that can be depleted). ;) I prefer to concentrate on racing itself - which is the biggest reason why I don't like the hyperthrust/shield energy linking from WO3 that much. I don't want to take care of damage and shields and stuff, not while playing an arcade racer anyway. Watching tyre wear and fuel consumption in NASCAR Racing etc. is fun, but somehow I feel the less you have to concern yourself with the better it is in a non-simulation game. Though I'm aware of course that this is a highly subjectve matter.

Ben

not sure how this will turn out now, I thought it would be good for the CPU craft in WO 3 for example to use all the weapons, but now I think it could backfire if they do in Pure making it a bit more unpleasant for those of us who pilot the weaker teams in terms of shield power as you would constantly be in the pit costing you vital seconds, we all know how easy it was to destroy a Van Uber :(