Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

[Zork Nemesis]

They seem to have a tendency to specifically target you, the player, I've noticed, even if it's not necessarily advantageous. I had this one case where Sonic was in front of me, he was in 5th, I was in 6th, he fired his Swarm backwards at me. I didn't have any items at the time, and the leaders weren't too far up. I've also seen several cases of the bots launching their projectiles backwards at me when there's clearly a better shot in front of them. I've seen them fire backwards at me when I was in freaking last place.

They also play "Mario Kart grooves", if you know what I mean. If you don't, they follow a specific pathway on the course that they won't deviate from unless forced. Place a blowfish in a spot you go that is one of the best means of saving time for that corner, and you'll find it still there on the next lap because the bots aren't programmed to drive into that particular spot. For example, on the NiGHTs course, just after you exit that dream world portal (or whatever it is), there's a rock right in front of you and you can go around it either left or right. I usually pick the right hand path, and I dumped a blowfish (I was in 1st place) in an unavoidable spot on that route. It was still there on the next lap.

[BigBiker05]

I also noticed they like to bunch up. I couldn't get the last turn down on Icy something and had to play it WAY too many times. At the start there are two ways to go. I noticed it changed what way, but they always went the same way together. Later laps it got spread out but bunched groups always went the same way. I think internal tics or something. Like all AI goes same way, but changes over time.

I also hate how twister is worthless on higher difficulties. I usually don't realize I got hit by twister until I turned into a wall. I'll shoot it at AI and it doesn't phase them the least bit, even mid turn.

[abiscuit]

I just want to get all of the characters unlocked but the unfair AI in the higher difficulties is making this stupid. Probably just faster to get a completed save file.

[Zork Nemesis]

I just want to get all of the characters unlocked but the unfair AI in the higher difficulties is making this stupid. Probably just faster to get a completed save file.

From what I understand, AGES requires obtaining every star on Expert, which is no easy feat. I'm quite alright just having Vyse unlocked, but it's probably a good idea to unlock as many as possible so that in online play there's more to pick from (you can't duplicate drivers, so if someone takes your pick, you gotta take someone else).

I also hate how twister is worthless on higher difficulties. I usually don't realize I got hit by twister until I turned into a wall. I'll shoot it at AI and it doesn't phase them the least bit, even mid turn.

Same problem as the Blooper weapons from Mario Kart; the AI is genuinely unaffected. They may swerve a bit, but it doesn't do anything to hinder them since there's no actual controlling force. You'll see people wrecking quite a bit in online mode when you hit them with twisters, far more often than with hard or expert AI, especially in flight sequences.

[Will T.]

AGES needs 165 stars to unlock, and there are a couple more things which require more (180 for one of the console mods, 200 to get to whatever's hidden beyond AGES' unlock space), so not quite all the Expert-level stars are required to get him.

I just had a go at a few of the Expert-level events. The races definitely do approach Mario Kart levels of CPU cheating, but at least you can still usually finish in a solid 2nd due to a last-second overtake rather than getting dropped back to last place by a flurry of blue shells and lightning strikes as you're about to cross the finish line. It feels no less cheaty, but far less frustrating. The non-racing events (drift challenges and such) are difficult as expected, but at least they feel like a legit test of skill since there aren't any CPUs to play dirty tricks on you.

[Zork Nemesis]

AGES needs 165 stars to unlock, and there are a couple more things which require more (180 for one of the console mods, 200 to get to whatever's hidden beyond AGES' unlock space), so not quite all the Expert-level stars are required to get him.

Now that I think about it, I think the past 200 mark is AGES' special mod; it doesn't have a normal mod since it represents Sega history, so it gets it's own mod that's a chore to unlock.

[Zork Nemesis]

You want to talk about rubber banding, Samba is probably the worst offender the bunch. On hard or expert this guy tends to not only come from nowhere, but despite his stats showing low speed (2 without a mod, and I think his speed/console mod gives him a max of 4), he can easily outspeed characters who have 5 or 6 levels in their speed stat on a straightaway with no boosts. He managed to outrun me (as Sonic) on the final stretch of Graffiti City, and I was pissed at that. Let me elaborate how this one happened. The final stretch there's a boost plate and a steamroller. He hit me with a snowball and plowed into the steamroller at the same time, so we started out neck and neck, which we both hit that boost plate at the same time negating acceleration. He still took off and beat me. Again, I was using Sonic and have 5 points in speed against his default 2; I don't think the AI adheres to vehicle stats at all.

[The Domer]

Sounds like a pretty crappy game.

[ketchuo]

Sounds like a pretty crappy game.

Can't judge a game if you don't play it. First rule of judging any game.

[The Domer]

Sounds like a pretty crappy game.

Can't judge a game if you don't play it. First rule of judging any game.

Too late, already judged.

[MasterChef]

VIEW CONTENT:

I did have to lol at this screenshot early. Danica Patrick even sucks in a cart racing game. Lawl

[Masakari]

Sounds like a pretty crappy game.

Can't judge a game if you don't play it. First rule of judging any game.

My impressions from seeing biscuit play it along with this thread is a pretty big meh. I mean, I'll probably pick it up when it goes cheap in the Summer Sale assuming people are still playing it, but I'm at least glad I didn't preorder it/buy it day one.

I still really wish Blur had just a bit more polish on it. That game was fantastic.

[Will T.]

Sounds like a pretty crappy game.

All the rubber-banding Zork keeps going on about is exclusive to the game's super-secret, only-unlocked-after-you've-beaten-everything-on-lower-difficulties ultra-hard mode. Aside from that, the game is pretty solid. Whereas Mario Kart cheats all the time on all difficulties, this game only cheats like that if you set it to the already suicidal harder-than-hard difficulty.

[Zork Nemesis]

My impressions from seeing biscuit play it along with this thread is a pretty big meh. I mean, I'll probably pick it up when it goes cheap in the Summer Sale assuming people are still playing it, but I'm at least glad I didn't preorder it/buy it day one.

I would agree with this statement actually. The game's fun, but it's probably not worth the $30 they're asking. Wait for the inevitable Steam sale and pick it up when it's cheap, and likely by then any additional content (they plan on doing this, Metal Sonic as a driver is already confirmed for such) will be rolled into the package.

[Masakari]

My other kind of annoyance with it is SP unlocks for MP content. I am reminded of Yahtzee's ZP on Super Smash Bros on the dubject - stating that if you go through the SP to unlock the game (Especially for like a local coop party of something), then you have inevitably become so much better at the game than everyone else. In the case of online play with other people, if I bought the game today I'd be disadvantaged in skill and in unlocks, meaning I would either have to play a bunch of SP games, live with not having things unlocked, or cheat and get a save. All of those options kind of suck, sadly.

Blur had an almost perfect system for that: offline/online unlocks were separate - you had a ranking system for SP, and one for MP. Thus, while practise/SP would get you unlocks (And you could figure out what vehicles you liked and what-not), you were starting on basic vehicles in online. As well, prestiging would gain you a fancy car, but would reset your rank down to 1 and you'd have to earn the cars back again.