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Thread: How long does it take you to get back to good form after an absence?

  1. #1
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    Default How long does it take you to get back to good form after an absence?

    I have just been "Attempting" to race with the usual suspects in,what would generally be considered at this forum the Elite Phantom league ,and well,to be honest I wasn't any good.
    I used to be getting a few 2nd or 3rd's at least in the same company,not now.
    Quite frankly "I Sucked"
    I was getting owned big time.
    My lines were horrible,my air braking abysmal,weapon pick up's [if any, were average] but I should of chosen better what to do with them.
    People whose "On Track" antics are quite familiar to me were either making me double think myself,or I have lost the ability to be able read their usual mannerisms to out maneuver them.

    It's been a while since I raced in such company,and it showed.

    Anybody else "Lost the Touch" from a prolonged absence ?
    I haven't raced ruthlessly for at least 2 months,possibly 3 due to a lapse of interest.
    But I didn't think I would be losing by 10+ sec on my return.
    That hurts.

    If the same has happened to you.
    How long did it take till you got your racing head back on?
    And what did you do to get your "Chops" back,[I tried racing elite but I find it a bit to easy now after racing the top phantom pilots here]

  2. #2
    yeldar2097's Avatar
    yeldar2097 is offline WipEout HD Cup - Quarter Finalist Veteran Pilot
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    I went on WO sebatical () when I had my exams during summer.

    Took a few (very intense) hours in TT to get back to where I was...If you're looking to get back into it quickly then I'd recommend chasing some of your ghosts on a track/tracks with complex/difficult lines...I think I did Sol 2 and maybe Vineta K (to get BRs/pitching on the go again)....not sure.
    If you just want to get back into the game in general it might take a bit longer. I'd advise against going sub-phantom to get back into the swing of things (I know some people have tried this) because you'll get far too used to whichever class it is that you choose and your phantom game will inevitably suffer.

    /two cents

  3. #3
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    I've been out of it maybe once or twice before but in general I don't really lay on the hours like a lot of other pilots I've seen. It takes me either a few runs of speed lap per track for a couple of days attempting to catch my ghosts or a single night of online races. The latter works much faster but it is rather embarrassing. There have also been many times when I found that after not racing for a while I prefer a different ship. For instance I tend to have a small favor towards Mirage but to get back into Wipeout I almost always have to use AG-Sys classic. All in all though I have found that even with a lack of practice I never have really dropped into abysmal levels. Conversely though practice doesn't make as much difference which is a downer.

  4. #4
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    I easily "forget" how to do it as well and it comes in many forms:
    a) "Away from the game": Was away on vacation for a month this summer. It took me several intense weeks - (not just hours, Yel ... lol) - to get the hang of it again ...
    b) "Ghostbusting": Sometimes I get (too) caught up in doing TT´s and SL´s. When entering the MP-arena, I´m usually like a frog on ice - and getting really anoyed ´cause everybody is evil to me ...
    c) "Speeding up": At a certain time I spent quite some time at slower speed-classes to see how well I managed. When I went "back" to Phantom: - nothing felt natural ...

  5. #5
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    I once didn't play for a month and it took me a good week to get properly back on form. Phantom seemed too fast at the time until I had some serious practice at it - then all went back to normal.

  6. #6
    Rezatron's Avatar
    Rezatron is offline Banned for aggressive behaviour toward members, moderators and admin. Rapier Pilot
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    Didn't play much WOHD last week and when I came back on the weekend I was a little wobbly. Jumping right into high level multiplayer races is not the best idea.

    I played a few rounds of TT Talon's Junction (r), Tech De Ra (r) and Modesto (r) on Rapier and that set me straight. Between that and a few online warmups, I would say 1 hour or so is how long it takes me to get back into business.

  7. #7
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    I can't say I really know. When I have had breaks, I've found it impossible to tell whether it's affected my play. Why? Well because online multiplayer is inconsistent just as a general experience, so measuring your own consistency with it is virtually impossible, I think. I therefore agree with Rezatron, that it's not the best thing to jump back into. So first of all, if I wanted to judge where I was in terms of skill compared to pre-break, I would do some TT or SL, as other suggest. A good thing might be to take your worst scores and try to improve them. If you're really not getting anywhere near them, then you probably have lost a bit of momentum, but can get it back by just carrying on. Once you get back to your old times in TT/SL, you're probably good to go. The chances are that you'll have improved your rank and become more familiar with the the tracks too. It's surprising what little nuances exist on some tracks, which are very easy to forget. Weapons usage is, for me, something that I can also forget about, but it comes back quite quickly, like this:
    "Contender eliminated"
    WTF mate?...Oh yeah...weapons...duh!

    Having said that, the one break I did have recently (ish) was a couple of weeks. I came back feeling very rested and eager to get back into the game. I felt my performance was actually better than before the break. But I think this was just because of the rest and I was probably playing more hours after the break too.

    In terms of short breaks, like a few days, it makes no difference to me. I could go back online and suck, or do pretty well. I really have no idea how to get into 'the zone' while playing online.

  8. #8
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    i just got back home for break but in the 4 days im home i probably wont get to where i was over the summer

  9. #9
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    good topic

    My "immediate form" when turning on wipeout seems to differ massively depending on what mode im playing - if i go for a quick bit of TT or SL, my best time is often set on my 1st or 2nd attempt! Continously lapping the same tracks endlessly seems to rot my brain and my racing lines deteriorate instead of improve.

    However if i jump into a multiplayer race instantly, sometimes i dont adapt quickly enough.

    So now whenever i turn on wipeout, regardless of how long its been since the last time; a humble strole round an empty track on phantom reasures me that wipeouts like riding a bike -- you never forget

    Quote Originally Posted by SaturnReturn View Post
    I really have no idea how to get into 'the zone' while playing online.
    simple, when you win, you gotta want more of it! theres nothing like repeatidly winning in a room full of quality 'zoners
    helps to be host as well, especially for me... i can steer clear of all fury tracks besides TJ
    Last edited by OBH; 25th November 2009 at 11:34 AM.

  10. #10
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    i stop playin for about 2-3 months after i got my platinum (with pilot assist on i might add) it was only because barnster told me about the forum and showed me all the insane vids on here that got that fire going again. it took me a few days to get back to where i left off, i sucked anyway so not much to re-learn. ive only just started tryin phantom out though, ive bin avoiding it for way too long now

  11. #11
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    platinum with pilot assist lol, i bet that was harder like, i managed back then by just knowing a shortcut and most of them u cant do with pa on so hats off too u, must of been decent lines

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackwiggle View Post
    Anybody else "Lost the Touch" from a prolonged absence ?
    I haven't raced ruthlessly for at least 2 months,possibly 3 due to a lapse of interest.
    But I didn't think I would be losing by 10+ sec on my return.
    That hurts.
    In early summer I've had a brake for 5 weeks and it took me about a month to reach the same level as before. Since Fury was released I nearly completely stopped playing WO, I don't want to know how long it would take to become competitive again now...

  13. #13
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    thanx brainbeat. i didnt know any better, id never played wipeout before HD

  14. #14
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    It took me 2 weeks after a 2 months break.

  15. #15
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    depends how long you played for prior to stoping play
    it also depends on how long you stopped for
    it also depends on how much passion you have to get back into the game

    my advice is

    do a bit of zone on a easy track like syncopia to just get used to fast speeds

    then do some SL

    then do some TT

    then if you want to make sure do a few SR

    then get online to race...

    you could skip everything and just go online but you may just get frustrated when you lose games you were easily winning before you quit.but its all really down to mentality and how you handle winning/losing i guess.

  16. #16
    ACE-FLO's Avatar
    ACE-FLO is offline Banned for using a sock account Zone Pilot
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    ... make sure your hands are warm, it helps!

  17. #17
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    I've been away couple of times for about a month, and when I come back it takes a week or two to get "the touch" back. I go straight online because it doesn't really bother me if I lose at first. Everyone lose sometimes. I've never understood why some people get so frustrated if they don't win all the time.

  18. #18
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    Well me and my DS3 had a falling out ever since he developed this erectile dysfunction, extenze needing, flaccid trigger. But it hasn't been all bad. I'll say more than a few races. I usually do that, just a few races already on Phantom elite. Or a tournament. And by then I'm ready to go online and mingle with the other quality racers, which there are a lot more of now by the way. Lot of new names online flying past me.

  19. #19
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    It takes me a week of playing daily to get my touch back whenever I come back after a break. I've never been a top WO pilot, nor will I ever be. I love the series, but I like playing too many other games to ever reach that level of being an Elite pilot.

    Regardless, just remembering the little tricks you used to do without thinking, and getting your brain back into form of having split second reactions takes some time. What you have been doing during your break from the game will help. One time I took a break and played Ninja Gaiden, came back and playing that fast paced game helped improve my WO skills. Another time I played FFXII and that game destroyed my WO skills as it is so slow paced.

  20. #20
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    I'm about to find out...

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