As to Barrel Rolls - I mainly use them to break the back of some of the nastier time trials to compensate for some lack of pilot skill. So removing them could turn some of the time-trial tracks into ultimate game breakers for me.
It is abundantly clear that this design doesn't meet with your expectations or previous experiences. This is less of a surprise if you take into account that in Eliminator mode (at least in Pulse, haven't tried in in Wip3Out 3 ***) single-player respawning happens without much of a penalty. In on-line multi-player this behaviour could be even more important for other non-technical reasons.Originally Posted by eLhabib
Who likes playing "musical chairs" ("Reise nach Jerusalem")? Those who always win. However the fact is that those who are "out" the quickest are actually the ones who need the most practice however they aren't going to get any quicker by "sitting on the bench" and eventually they will stop participating. So in fact this may be a good decision for keeping Wipeout HD more accessible to a larger potential audience/community where pilots of a broader skill range can "mingle" in the same race. Sure, it can be satisfying to casually cruise over the finish line in the first position after half of the roster has been "eliminated" - then again a skilled pilot may very well appreciate that a full roster on the track may make the race more interesting while less experienced pilots still have something to do (provided they have enough integrity to stick around in 8th place).
If you want to remove the respawn after elimination then maybe leaving the track should become reason for total elimination?
Granted Wipeout is a combat-racer. But at its core it is a primarily a racing game that uses combat to broaden the racing experience. That is why there is no single weapon that can deplete a craft's integrity in one single hit. The primary effect of receiving a hit is that you are slowed down. Mines and bombs are used to make passing you more difficult; Quake, Missiles, Rockets, Pulse and Cannon are used to create opportunities for passing those who are in front of you. The depletion of craft integrity requires decisions as to whether to absorb the current pickup (or even to choose a pickup instead of an accelerator pad) in order to avoid further slowdown by elimination. Most eliminations are dumb luck - you happened do deliver the eliminating blow. If you want to eliminate a certain pilot you have to deliver multiple hits - in order to do that you have to stay with that craft until it is eliminated. The target craft can prolong this process by seeking and absorbing pickups - in which case the net effect is that the target craft is slowed down. Multiple hits on the target craft will ultimately create the opportunity for the shooter craft to improve it's position - if you forgo this opportunity you are no longer playing a racing game ...
I'm not saying that you are right or wrong - but I can certainly see how "they" arrived at this particular design decision.
(*** My introduction to AG racing was through Quantum Redshift, then Pure, then Pulse - haven't had extensive exposure to Wipeout or Wipeout 3)
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