Your Primary Racing Downfall

[Vartazian]

So guys, We all have a problem on the track, Im not talking about not mastering a corner or something.

Im talking about something about us that hinders our performance on the track. so Im wondering what yours is.

Mine is a Double Edged sword, it both does me good and bad. And I know some people are aware of it on this forum.

My Rage issues.

I have a Enormous problem with letting my temper get out of hand. Its good because it gets that fire of competition inside me burning. However it is also my downfall because I start making stupid mistakes to start proving myself (Stopping for 3 seconds to shoot someone with rockets instead of just flying) also when Im angry I notice I either have one of 2 outcomes, I race flawlessly or I mess up a F@#$ton.

I cant take losing either. I fear people see me as weak if I lose a race, or a match (in ANY game not just wipeout)

Well, lets hear yours folks

[NeilSmith]

My weakness is my temper for when someone hits me with a missile when I'm in the lead, and it seems like every single ship that overtakes me has a weapon in store for my ship's rear end. My ex-PS3 controller was unfortunate to meet it's doom once because of it But apart from that it's not anything as bad as this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBVmfIUR1DA

[JJohnEames]

My downfall has to be playing the game for hours on end at a time. I get sleepy but i still keep playing [because im addicted, but we all are ] and start to race dreadfully. So long story short, my biggest downfall is not knowing when to quit.

Another thing is lapping bombs. I can't count the amount of times i've lost races because the guy in last place decided to be spiteful.

[Kyonshi]

Very honest and humble post Vartazian

I must admit i got anger management problems... xD I can take losing, but not when i lose to a ridiculously bad pick-up frequency, for instance... Like yesterday, i was first for a long moment on the track, but the game never let me grab one single drop weapon, only ****ing Canons and Rockets, and sooner than expected, the second guy grab a missile and screws me up. Or like i get Quaked, i stop for an eternity, the guy who send it passes me, i restart but the other guy following after hit me with 3 rockets, he passes me, and i get stuck in a momentum where he picks every items up and i pass on inactive pads and the guy following me passes on them when they reactivate and shoots me down. Then after all that, i finally grab the freakin' Shield i needed all this time, if im not destroyed right away...

Another thing which makes me go mad is, like everybody knows me, is when i get stupid collision effects and get thrown out of the track because of it... Now wouldn't like to come across myself during these times... hehe

All of this made me test the durability of my coffee table many times, and discovered how powerful me shouting can be I even broke a controller, yes.

So i know the feeling dude! Just practice saying "Goosefraba"

[Darkdrium777]

Another thing which makes me go mad is, like everybody knows me, is when i get stupid collision effects and get thrown out of the track because of it...

Tell me about it. I now learned to take it with a laugh, but the other day that Talons Junction one was just too much. I admit to raging a little then.

[Lance]

You guys are confirming my reasons for not racing online!

[leungbok]

You don't know Sun tze ("Art or war") ? He says that to win a fight, you must be prepared and accept defeat.

[Vartazian]

Im Very Affiliated with Sun Tzu's Art of War.

However a Great Warrior (racer in my case) Shouldnt lose, He Doesnt make mistakes. Therefore I get angry at myself for making flaws. I get more angry at my failure as a pilot more then at other racers for shooting me.

[yeldar2097]

I can think of three main issues with my online play...

- If I get spun 180 degrees (happens far too often, what gives?) then I find it hard to motivate myself to race properly... Yes, I'm a quitter

- I race to get good times, in my opinion beating people should (hopefully) be a by-product of this. This means that
(more often than not) I will absorb any weapon I have unless it's a turbo, AP or shield. This means that (more often than not)
I get shat on when there are more than 3 people in a room...

- I'm not a tactician. I don't think about whether I have enough energy to BR. If I have enough energy, it happens and that's that.
This means that unless I'm way ahead of the pack and/or get lucky, I will be eliminated during the course of a race.
Recently I've been playing with SFX turned off so I can't tell when I'm critical either

An insight into the way I race.

[Amorbis]

My main reason for not doing as well as others is because I'm not as skilled and devoted as everyone else. I don't race to win, I race because I enjoy racing and I don't race to get records online. If I win then that's great . I do get annoyed if I'm racing competitively such as in an international game and I feel as though I'm letting others down, but that's under different circumstances.

I don't like lag, the biggest non-skill related influence on my racing. There isn't much I can do about being knocked around all over the track. If seven ships collide into me around the first bend then I'm quite demotivated for the rest of the race .

[finngers]

I play this game stoned the majority of the time so while I probably stay cooler then some of you who seem to get irritated with losing or getting shot I space out a lot and routinely pull really stupid shite like airbraking the wrong way or sideshifting way too much and susbequently slamming into the inside of a corner

Then again the reason I could be less competitive or irritable is because I'm always about 5+ seconds off the pace with those who are really good but whatever lol

[DividedXZero]

Lol @ Kyonshi (you're talking about Modest last night right?)

I have sever anger issues, but they never arise in a game....i guess it's because i play my games for fun and to get away from stress. Now i do get frustrated at time. And when odd things happen like getting weapon r@ped I just chuckle or laugh sarcastically thinking "Aww, you think that was cute(or funny) dont you...?"

I can be very competitve, but i know my limits compared to some of the elite. So as long i do my best knowing what my best is, i'm generally content.

But beside the bump the track and float in the air effects, i hate it when i do a sharp turn and brake improperly and end up going OVER the edge of the track in mid turn...so frustrating.

Happened on the 2nd to last turn on Talons Junction fwd and on the U-turn turn (where you BR) on Sol 2 fwd.

[superpj1]

I have a Enormous problem with letting my temper get out of hand. Its good because it gets that fire of competition inside me burning. However it is also my downfall because I start making stupid mistakes to start proving myself (Stopping for 3 seconds to shoot someone with rockets instead of just flying) also when Im angry I notice I either have one of 2 outcomes, I race flawlessly or I mess up a F@#$ton.

I cant take losing either. I fear people see me as weak if I lose a race, or a match (in ANY game not just wipeout)

Well, lets hear yours folks

First of all thanks for this great topic Vartazian, now we don't feel alone

I'm a cool guy but I sometimes lose my temper too ! Especially when I race very good players like xbarnsterx, robcoxy, or a few others. It's psychological, I know that they are skilled and will make virtually no mistakes so I "overplay", I fly too close to the lines or try impossible things and finally I fail miserably but I always stay fairplay, it's important

And yes, like you I sometimes fear what people will think when I lose. When you're ranked 40+ and you lose vs people ranked 10 you feel ashamed, yet having a low rank doesn't always mean the guy is weak, and anyway it's just a game

[lunar]

Good therapy topic. My main issue is lack of time - more of that could cure some other issues. More practice just makes you fly better lines without trying.

My main downfall is that when I play online I cannot enter the "zone" of piloting that I can offline. I am divorced from the ship, not in the moment and not fully concentrating. I`m rarely focussed offline, but online I am several degrees more detached. I forget to concentrate, and won`t allow myself to, sometimes. What makes a really strong pilot is not just reaction times, motor skills etc, it is also the ability to enter the right mental state where skills can reach their true potential, I think.

I accept all that and do enjoy playing online, I just have to avoid it after a very bad day or it will be a worse day.

[CJS]

People can get seriously pissed online. Quite scary.
I've pretty much come this close to snapping my controller in half every time i phail the BR onto the Anulpha Pass bridge. And after the 3rd fail, it respawns you upside down, which makes me want to scream, "I hate Zico" etc. really loud. Another is when your controller runs out of charge and you just coast to the side of the track and everyone passes you. That happened in the last lap of my Motion Master run, and I was WINNING.

[eLhabib]

Good therapy topic. My main issue is lack of time - more of that could cure some other issues.

^this.
really wish I could play more right now, haven't touched the game for over a week.

[LOUDandPROUD]

My mega-inconsistent racing lines. Done and done.

[Aeroracer]

My strength in racing is being able to lose to a superior opponent and not to be unhappy but rather learn and incorperate thier style into mine and mkae me better at the game.

My weakness is getting annoyed with myself when i dont perform to my full ability, this makes me feel like not bothering to practice which wont make me better at the game.

[Chuckzombie]

My general ham-fistedness and fat, clumsy fingers. I even struggle on the race menu! God knows how many people I've accidently "nudged" when I'm trying to adjust the menu filters!

[MEKAGORI]

My weakness is being too nice actually...

If I'm leading in first by more than 5 secnods I usually slow down to let people catch up to me, especially if it's a 1 on 1 race with a friend.