WipEout 2097 and a century of difference.

[Distrupto]

I just downloaded the PC demo of WipEout 2097. So far, Ive played it once. It was VERY different from Pure. For one thing, its graphics were rather chocky and blocky. I started on a FEISAR, which has some resemblence to the Pure FEISAR, but different stats. The controlling from the keyboard wasnt like the easily-held PSP with turn, airbraking, firing, and accerate controls far apart. I crashed into every wall and kept ricocheting off without losing any speed! Then after a while, I could only see half my ship and all of a sudden came to a total halt. I thought something was wrong. Then I realized that I was eliminated! :

Strangely, in the 100 years between 2097/XL and Pure, AG never seemed to evolve, but in 100 years, look how much cars have evolved. The only advances ive seen so far r teleport rescues, weapons being absorbed into shield, advances in shield strength and weapon power and gradually more powerful engines. No real "revolutions".

[Lance]

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it's happening; technology is finally hitting the wall of the limits of possibility.
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[lunar]

Also we should assume that AG Racing is governed by technical rules and specifications, much like F1 racing is today. Triakis could likely produce a weapon capable of not only destroying all opposition instantly, but reducing the whole of Makana to dust and orchids floating on the water. Obviously there would have to be rules outlawing such unsportsmanlike behaviour.Limits on weapon capabilities and ship-performance would be there to enhance the racing, and team engineers would have to work within those limits, hence there would not necessarily have been huge changes in a hundred years.

As for your own 2097 experience: I advise you to get a proper Playstation and a negcon to enjoy the game properly. Played like that it`s just AG magic.

[Distrupto]

Sorry, but if im gonna get a PS, its gonna be a PS-3. Hopefully, the PS-3 WO might not be like Fusion and maybe even better than Pure.

[lunar]

And you will be able to play Wipeout 2097 on a PS3 anyway, probably, so it`s good.

[Lance]

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uh... apparently not. Sony is said to be making no effort to achieve backwards compatibility. the new hardware is just too different. and i suppose that putting in a separate PS2 for it would crank up the likely high price even higher
.

[lunar]

That`s a shame. No room for 3 consoles under my telly...... so the PS1 survives and out goes the PS2. Though this might have to be negotiated with the kids. I suppose we`re at least a couple of years away from any PS3 wipeout arriving yet though.

[Sausehuhn]

The only advances ive seen so far r teleport rescues, weapons being absorbed into shield, advances in shield strength and weapon power and gradually more powerful engines. No real "revolutions".

maybe on PS3?

*images flying over water, more physics and more differnet courses...*

[Distrupto]

Also we should assume that AG Racing is governed by technical rules and specifications, much like F1 racing is today. Triakis could likely produce a weapon capable of not only destroying all opposition instantly, but reducing the whole of Makana to dust and orchids floating on the water. Obviously there would have to be rules outlawing such unsportsmanlike behaviour.Limits on weapon capabilities and ship-performance would be there to enhance the racing, and team engineers would have to work within those limits, hence there would not necessarily have been huge changes in a hundred years.

Sure, AG may be confined in rules, like F1 is, but remember how F1 cars looked in the 1950s and how they look now. AGs havent evolved like that, so it seems really strange.

[eLhabib]

you tell me you don't see any evolution from wipEout 1 to purE???

there is a high diversity in shapes in purE, as opposed to the original w'o'', where all the ships where based in shape on the nx1000.
F1 cars haven't changed in shape as much as AG crafts have!
Concerning an evolution in 'performance': well, of course you COULD make the game even faster, but that would become ridiculous at some point. and there certainly is some evolution in purE's ship performance, like barrel rolls and sideshift.

[Drakkenmensch]

Don't forget an evolution in weapons! Wipeout has LOST more weapons along the way (reflector, superweapons, shield wall, etc) than there were original weapons in th efirst one.

[Distrupto]

Weapons r part of the series. Im talkin about AG Craft. I havent seen WO-1 but the shape hasnt changed much from WO2097 to WOFusion and WOPure. The only performance evolutions ive seen r weapons absorbed into shield thus making pitlanes obsolete, increase in shield power, and slighlty more powerful engines. Handling systems have slightly improved by more responsive airbrakes, sideshifting and barrel-roll, but nothing like ground-effect or rear-wings.

[eLhabib]

ground effect? :
those are AG crafts, remember?

[Lance]

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el, ''but nothing like ground-effect or rear-wings.'' was a reference to the world of cars and how there is nothing that groundbreaking in the tech development of Wipeout despite its having been ''in existence'' for so long. it was like saying 'but no equivalent of autoracing's ground-effect or rear wings'.
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[eLhabib]

alright, but then, how would we know if there has been a lot of evolution? does anyone KNOW what would make an AG craft go faster? we don't SEE better engines, lighter materials, or more precise airbrakes.

[Lance]

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but those are just refinements, not evolutionary innovations. that's why they aren't visible, because they're so minor. yes?
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[eLhabib]

okay, so what evolutionary innovations can you tell me in formula 1 cars?

[Lance]

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wings, which were temporarily banned, then made legal and limited.

passive ground effects, which have been off-and-on legal with different formulas.

vacuum fan active ground effects, which were banned almost immediately in F1, but live on in one of the cars of R4.

crosslink suspensions with in-body shock dampers.

bodywork that semi-encloses the wheels but does not quite break the open-wheel rule.

one materials difference, composites bodywork, has made a visible difference from the racers that were made before the late 50s/early 60s.


all of those are very visible from the spectators' view. maybe there are still more, but i haven't remembered them yet.

in Wipeout, the main visible difference after the original formula is the allowance of two-hulled ships, and likewise more than one thruster whether there are two hulls or only one. but there doesn't seem to be any further visible difference in aerodynamic controls or drag reduction devices. can you think of some others?



edit: i forgot: in auto-racing, the development of tires whose tubesection profiles are wider than they are tall has made a highly visible difference and also a big performance difference.
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[eLhabib]

all you said is true, but can you think of anything like that which converts to the world of wipEout? I can't. Can you tell wether the w'o''1, 2097, w3o, fusion, or purE Feisar craft is the most aerodynamic or efficient? I think there is no point in looking for a technical evolution on wipEout crafts. They are entirely fictional.

[Drakkenmensch]

also, remember a few years back when a few teams came up with differential braking to allow faster speed in turns? It was banned almost immediately because Ferrari couldn't get a victory for the life of them anymore :