10 Things I hate about WipEout Pulse

[RingoSpoon]

I think the majority of these 'ditch it' comments are coming from people who are finding it difficult to BR in Pulse. Heres a tip - make sure you BR on the descent of your jump, and you have the nose pointed down so you can see where you are landing. You should have better success then

I think BR's were one of the highlights of Pure - Hours of fun were had playing with BR-Boost combo's - it really added a lot to the strategy. Please you can never remove them

[eLhabib]

As far as I understood what Colin said, it's not the animation that causes the difficulties. The input for the BR (left-right-left, or vice-versa) is frame based, so when a frame is skipped due to a drop in framerate because so much is going on (enemy ships, weapons fire, etc.) the input itself gets messed up. What I think would be a good way around this problem would be to change the input to this:

First, while in the air, you have to release off the gas (you don't lose speed in the air anyway afaik), then you do the left-right-left (not frame based, so you can do it really slow, too, if you have the airtime), and then you have to step on the gas again to confirm it. I think that would solve the frame issue, and would also make the BR a little more difficult to use on smaller jumps.

Does that sound reasonable to you, Colin?

[tapioca]

Thanks El Habib, i didn't catch it like that.
So for the nub users, would a quick circle be frame-based too ? (this is what i actually do instead of LRL/RLR). But for the D-Pad, i don't see anything that wouldn't affect the gameplay or require a new button on the PSP (can't use the airbrakes buttons because it would slow you down, XXX bash still sounds like frame-based, the other buttons are already used and would require no skill anyway). And i think a quick time event wouldn't be a good idea… release the gas and wait for a gauge to be filled (according on your speed ?). Would it slow you down first then boost, then ?

…make sure you BR on the descent of your jump…)

I personnaly love Barrel Roll, but on some tracks you have to be very fast if you want to place one (on small jumps), so waiting for the nose to point down is not really possible.

[Sausehuhn]

At least for WO:HD you get two buttons and six axis more for barrel-rolls

[Hyper Shadow]

Spin the pad for a barrel roll

[Medusa]

I don't even have Pulse yet. I don't care how difficult BRs are to pull off. Every wipeout game to date has parts which are very difficult to pull off. My problem is the concept of the BR itself. I didn't enjoy Pure as much because the BRs made it very impure. If there has to a gimmick in a racing game, make it hyperthrust, not something totally unbelievable, like spinning your ship around mid-air. They aren't aircraft. They are race craft!

I find the BRs very UNwipeout. Yes the boost they give you is great, yes it is a great divider of the good and the not-so-good pilots, but barrel rolls are just not wipeout. So there.

[RingoSpoon]

I think if you had removed them from Pure, it wouldn't have been such an exciting experience.

[G'Kyl]

I'm sort of undecided. On the one hand, BRs do offer an interesting challenge and a great sense of satisfaction if you can pull them off. On the other hand there is one thing I detest about BRs: Time Trials have become slightly less about finding the perfect racing line and more about finding just one more spot to do just one more BR in order to shave of another second off your lap time...

Ben

[Flashback Jack]

But Ben, that's the fun part of analyzing tracks -- figuring out how to maximize your number of boosts/barrel rolls. Some of these tracks you'd never suspect you could barrel roll in certain spots; boosting before the magstrip leading to the start/finish line on De Konstruct White comes to mind. As you come off the magstrip and turn the corner toward the straightaway, you gather just enough air to squeeze in one more barrel roll. Love that, man.

Oddly enough though, I find barrel rolls incredibly easy to pull off. Technique is critical. I barrel roll using the center of the direction pad as a fulcrum (the "meat" of my thumb covers the gap between the direction buttons; I don't use my fingertips except to steer). Barrel rolls done this way require less motion to register the input.

Essentially my entire thumb rolls/twitches along a vertical axis right-left-right rather than my knuckle swinging a wide arc. Works like a charm.

- F

[zargz]

I think if you had removed them from Pure, it wouldn't have been such an exciting experience.

I think there's nothing exiting about the BR festivals on classic 2 on Pure

so .. whad do I hate about Pulse?

first I wanna say that Hate is a word too strong to use in almost any context
so things I'm less happy with in Pulse are among others the BRs.

.. one thing I detest about BRs: Time Trials have become slightly less about finding the perfect racing line and more about finding just one more spot to do just one more BR in order to shave of another second off your lap time...

Ben

Good point Ben.


I think BRs are not hard to pull of.
my problem with BRs is simply that they don't go well with the realistic world of wipEout.
not with the fysics of the game and not the surroundings (exept the last pack from pure).
here on the forums we've been discussing all from how the antigarvity works till what fuel powers the crafts.
and then we a get a mario cart move in the wo purity ..
what's the scientific explanation of the boost you get?
pilot jerking the steering wheel L R L then the ship rolls in the air thus acummulating energy from .. eerr ..
and then landing you get the boost from .. eeer .. yeh.
and how about the pilot?

wasn't too found of the shield_for_boost thing in wo3
which I'm sure I played in a nintendo game before don't remember now what it was ..

point being there were no BRs nor shield_boost in the first 2-3 games and they rocked
so let's go back to basics as with many other things in Pulse!
Then we might be able to get a working Replay mode with less things to 'capture'
where we really can use the Photo mode to all it's glorious possibilities!

which leads me to the photo mode but that in another post

anyway since in my book Pulse is 97% ok
I call the left 3% minor annoyances and just live with them.

however, if BRs were gone from next installment that would for sure make me a happier person

more to come on another minor annoyances.

[ZenDJiNN]

OK, seing as how BR's are taking a hit, i'll throw in a pet peeve!

Eliminator Mode..... What's the point? LOL! I think this is the one mode in Pulse that i could quite easily do without. So much so, that i don't even bother to do them now, regardless of the points earned. I play Wipeout primarily to race, and although i don't mind the weapons too much, a whole mode just for weapons is just a waste of time ..... (for me).


My son LOVEs it however..... must be an age thing! )

[infoxicated]

I think Eliminator is a good laugh, although it does expose the leech beam as the most ridiculously unbalanced weapon ever - it's essentially a one hit kill in no time at all. Conversely, cannon's seem totally pointless in Eliminator.

I don't even have Pulse yet. I don't care how difficult BRs are to pull off. Every wipeout game to date has parts which are very difficult to pull off. My problem is the concept of the BR itself. I didn't enjoy Pure as much because the BRs made it very impure. If there has to a gimmick in a racing game, make it hyperthrust, not something totally unbelievable, like spinning your ship around mid-air. They aren't aircraft. They are race craft!

I find the BRs very UNwipeout. Yes the boost they give you is great, yes it is a great divider of the good and the not-so-good pilots, but barrel rolls are just not wipeout. So there.

I'm tolerating it in Pulse because the mag-strips eliminate many of the opportunities for them. If it wasn't for them in some tracks you'd be pulling off six or seven every lap. Some tracks are worse than others for it, even with the mag-strips, though.

To my mind, so long as barrel rolls are in the game, it'll never truly be WipEout again.

[lunar]

first I wanna say that Hate is a word too strong to use in almost any context

totally agree.

I`d be happy if the Race times bug was cleared, and if I could learn to steer a ship in a straight line. Agree with most of the rest of that post too, and the quote from Ben. I think if we`ve got to have BRs then Pulse does them just right, but I wouldn` t miss them.

[Rapier Racer]

After a week of play it's time for me to add to this thread, not 10 things though.

Turbos, have become too powerful and too numerous I went from seventh place to first by using ONE turbo just before the jump on Basilico white, I don't remember the Pure turbo being that poweful, check your stats, chances are it will tell you that turbo is your favourite weapon. Looks like in an attempt to keep the high powered weapon count down the games being flooded with turbos which is great you think yes? More speed? Until you consistently start loosing races because the bastard behind you picked one up and blasted right past you from 500 miles away. I've lost more Pulse races this way to real players and the AI in one week than I did in 2 years with Pure.

When you play online, infrastructure and ad hoc it appears the ships are ALWAYS pointing in some stupid looking out of place position, if it's not going along with all the noses stuck right up in the air it's the ships at a sideways angle, this looks complete crap when racing online I mean whats the reason for that? You don't see this on other games. Pure didn't have this fault therefore it was/is avoidable.

The sodding cannon! The way certain players have learned to fire it is very infuriating, using it in short bursts will keep the target stuck at a snails pace not going anywhere for a long time.

Leech beam, was it really necessary for it to shake the **** out of the ship being attacked as well as drain the life out of it? Overpowered.

[Neverdown]

It's logic that the turbo is your favorite weapon because you used it every lap in Speed Lap and in Time Trail. The turbos you encounter during the normal races are just an extra to that.

[Hail Seizure]

I think Eliminator is a good laugh, although it does expose the leech beam as the most ridiculously unbalanced weapon ever - it's essentially a one hit kill in no time at all. Conversely, cannon's seem totally pointless in Eliminator.

The best strategy I've found for Eliminator is to stay behind the pack for a while and let them soften eachother up, then take a bunch of them out at the same time with a quake or a repulsor. The most simultaneous kills I've achieved with this method so far is 3 or 4, but I'm pretty sure a higher body count could be achieved with the right timing. Taking out a heavily weakened ship with a few cannon rounds is also a top laugh.
Funnily enough, this strategy is a lot easier in hard mode, since the AI pilots fire their weapons a lot more and therefore soften eachother up a lot faster.

[Sausehuhn]

And don't try to blow them up when they've just passed the finish line. Because the ship's energy has just refreshed then

[Asayyeah]

explosion fake racetime being recorded into the stats is what i don't like at all but SL will correct that soon.

Except that there's few minor things : no racetime & laptime for tournament even they are recorded into the stats.
Nose of the ships online ( RR mentionned it) ( not a big problem if you are leading and if you race internal view like me )
Into multiplayer the 50 sec waiting for next race of the tournament is not bad at all but i'd liked a way for the hoster to reduce this waiting time at his minimum by simply pressing X.

[Colin Berry]

To my mind, so long as barrel rolls are in the game, it'll never truly be WipEout again.

what is wipeout ?

Wipeout 1 - weapons but no damage
Wipeout 2097 - weapons and pitlanes to regain energy
Wipeout 3 - weapons, pitlanes and shield for turbo mechanic
Wipeout Fusion - weapons, damage affects handling, pitlanes, no speed classes, ship locked to track
Wipeout Pure - weapons, damage, no pitlanes but absorb, barrel rolls
Wipeout Pulse - weapons, damage, absorbs, barrel rolls, mag strips

So exactly what is wipeout ?

Its never been consistent across 2 versions
The most 'realistic version' in terms of real world A would cause B, is possibly fusion given damage affected the ship performance on track, but then it had wierd air vent jump things

Is wipeout 3 what wipeout is ?
Not for me as I really didnt like the shield for turbo mechanic and the force wall weapon was annoying as hell. Was it realistic, is it wipeout ?

Is it wipeout 1, where weapons do no damage but the slow you down, but dont affect anything else.... that in itself is quite arcadey as oposed a real future world

So maybe its wipeout 2097....

But then you cant just keep making the same game

Each game has something different, something new, something that wasnt there before or something remvoed.

what is truly wipeout ?
pitlanes ?
absorb ?
sacrifice shield for turbo ?
weapons cause no damage ?
weapons cause damage but dont affect performance
weapons affect performance ?
ships always floaty but then you can fly through scenery - is that wipeout or is that essentially a bit **** and the result of technology
ships locked to the track ?

my point isnt that barrel rolls are the best thing or worst thing ever, its that the definition of wipeout is different all the time and every game has been different, things come and go.
In the overall context is a barrel roll any more unbelievable than shield strength sacrificing for turbo or absorbing a weapon to get energy or flying over a square on a track to get a speed boost or a weapon ? And is believable the best way to go anyway ? shouldnt fun be the over riding factor ? but then what if believable is fun for some but not for others and what if the unbelievable like a barrel roll, is fun for some but not others, its a minefield of quandries really.

I guess its personal preference at the end of the day not just in terms of barrel rolls or not, but in terms of what Wipeout is. Does the inclusion of Barrel rolsl mean its not truly Wipeout... not for me, I think that is quite over the top. but then my defnition of wipeout is mine, and not yours.

Anyway its nearly xmas can we stop talking about work ? (after your reply which will no douobt bust my balls )
I want to know what you are buying me for Christmas Bob ?


edit - sorry for going waaaay off topic, I blame the booze.
I concur no times displayed during a tournament is a pain, addressed for HD.

[Rapier Racer]

I find myself agreeing with that post entirely. Also, Barrel rolls for the win!

Oh boy that I want to know what you got me for Christmas Bob line was rather amusing! Such cheek eh lol.