Will I ever get used to Phantom?

[crawdad62]

I'm a complete noob at Wipeout. I feel pretty good in my progression but I for the life of me can't get into racing in Phantom class. This pertains more to online racing than anything because if I'm in campaign mode I just do what's expected and move on. If I'm in Racebox I just either choose Rapier or lower or bang around the track in Phantom.

Anyway online I'm sort of limited since most of the races are Venom or Phantom. I get into Venom races and it feels like it's in slow motion. I don't even enter Phantom races because from all the solo runs I've made in Phantom I know I'll not make it through.

Is this just a practice thing? I guess the question I'm asking is did Phantom seem totally out of control for you at first? Is this something I'll eventually get? Of course I know you can't really answer whether or not I'll "get it" but I'm curious if I'm just too hand/eye impaired or if others at first were intimidated by the Phantom speed.

[Task]

Totally.
My first WO was XL, and I spent months learning Phantom. Rapier I could manage, but only just barely. Phantom I was lucky to survive the race, never mind place in the top 3.

The first step is to know the track. Really know it. Fly that thing in TT until it's second nature and you're pulling off consistent times that are among your best. Then crank the speed up a notch. Repeat until you're at Phantom. It will take a while.

The good news is that once you've really nailed Phantom your brain is adjusted to it and it's a lot easier to get back into later. Phantom on WO3 is likely the fastest Phantom there is, but after all the time I put into WOXL it wasn't that difficult to get myself up to the same abilities. I didn't have to relearn Phantom, I just had to really get to know the tracks and Phantom came as a natural progression by then.

This forum is really just a collection of all the people that wanted to put the time into it that's necessary. There ain't much magic to it, it's not about natural piloting skills, it's all practice.

[crawdad62]

Thank you Task. That's exactly the response I was looking for. I suppose if I had just jumped in and ran a Rapier class race right from the beginning it may have seemed out of control too but I sort of worked my way up to it and it's not hard to control (mostly). It just seems like there's a much bigger jump from Rapier to Phantom than the other classes (which may be my perception only).

Practice, practice, practice.

[drenath]

You're also really putting a cap on your skills if you routinely race with Pilot Assist

[darkfaerytales]

hehehehe how good old times...
if phantom was out of my control at first???? hehehehe even the defunct vector (r.i.p.) was out of control for me at first! hehehehe

i remenber the first approach at wipeout was with the wipeout 2097 demo...after a while i've get both the first 2 games and for a month or 2 i was a disaster, i remenber the first times i continuosly think that this game was impossible and what kind of moron could have designed a game so hard, keep in count that once in the old games you have to deal with the checkpoints too , bastards bastards checkpoints, ah how many times at first i never reach even the first check, but i really miss those bastards...but i never quit 'cause since that time i fallen in love...and after i while i had reached progress who you cannot even image you can do now, but believe me if you like very much this game you will become unbeatable, this game is so addictive! hehehehehe

i remenber there was a period who i play so much with 2097 and wo3 that i was able to do at least 2 or 3 perfect laps at race in phantom...

[Rubix42]

While I agree that the game requires a lot of practice to be competent at Phantom speed, I do believe that you need to have a certain amount of quick reflexes as well when you are racing with weapons on. It is one thing to have a solid racing line that you can execute 99% of the time without error. It is another to have to jump, sideshift and dodge weapons fire and then get back to the racing line.

But with practice, anyone can improve and handle Phantom class. Zone mode is a good way to practice, as you learn all the details of the course that way.

[Maschinengeist]

My first Wipeout was Pure, the first game I ever bought for my PSP...I couldn't do anything faster than Flash at first...then I gradually got into Rapier, and I didn't get good at Phantom until I'd had Wipeout Pulse for a while, after it was released. I thought I'd never get good at it.

You know what's really helped me lately, though? Zone on HD. I used to squeak by in Phantom mode, but after Zoning it for some serious loyalty points in a short period of time (lost all my skins with the patch; kept my trophies and campaign progress somehow, though), my Phantom laps have been getting cleaner all the time...I've been nailing consecutive perfect laps lately, because once you've hit Super Phantom, Subsonic, etc., Phantom seems very manageable by comparison, lol.

[Amorbis]

Zone mode is perhaps the best method of getting used to faster speeds such as Phantom. Zone helps you learn the all different circuits and is good for learning to play without pilot assist which can slow you down. Racing competitively is a bit different with all the commotion of weapons, speed boosts and shunting that goes on. Try practicing with weapons online, you have nothing to lose stats wise.

[klax75]

I agree it's all about practice, but I do disagree using Zone mode. Because it's giving you a tricked out AG that is 100% on everything. When outside of Zones you will never get a craft like that, so the turns you do won't reflect the actual races.

I like to use Speed Lap, do 99 laps on a track to learn it. Just keep going over and over the same track. Since it gives me my craft I'll be using online. Speed Lap helps me because the speed stays constant so I cant practice my lines, without worrying about exploding.