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[64bitmodels]

One thing that makes Mario Kart 64 more distinct than the other Mario Karts (besides the emphasis on physics and more punishing slightly jank gameplay) is the insane rubberbanding.

You can only have a major lead for so long. I LOVE THIS. I think this design decision as ridiculous as it is, it's pretty fun. It makes every race so much more on edge and interesting when the AI has an unfair advantage and you have to consistently fight for first place. Too many times in other Mario Karts you can get an easy 1st place lead and then the rest of the race is just a time trial with the looming threat of a blue shell. Here you're constantly battling for first, even when you have a lead you won't keep it for long. I've held this opinion for a while and I stand by it. It shouldn't be so easy to just get first place and keep it.

 

[kevm3]

No thanks. What's the point of actually being skilled in your driving, if no matter what, the computer will just magically catch up to you? Mario Kart actually needs to get rid of nonsense like the blue shell and other garbage that lets less skilled players spam other players. I actually enjoy sonic team racing more than mario kart 8 because of the former's emphasis on skill vs item spam.

 

[Banjo64]

I disagree, I think they did a good job with 200cc. For someone who ain’t a pro, like me, it’s very difficult to hold a lead in 200cc.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Mario Kart 64 had some cheats with the A.I.... If you were very advanced in the race, out of nowhere the A.I. doubled or tripled its acceleration to get there.... In addition, the items were already encrypted... You would never have a Star in the top ranks... It was only showing up in rank 6 to 8... It wasn't really based on being random.

 

[Filben]

I think there should be options. Do you want random elements or things weaker players benefit from to make it enjoyable for everyone in the room, even for those who haven't touch a video game for a year? Or do you want to remove (many) random elements to highlight skill and consistency more?

IIRC MK8 has at least options for removing items.

 

[Codiox]

You know what they can bring back? A fucking Mario kart! Almost 10 years I see the same fucking game.

 

[64bitmodels]

Or do you want to remove (many) random elements to highlight skill and consistency more?

I feel like if you were looking for skill in a racing game you wouldn't be playing Mario Kart. Even by kart racer standards the series is pretty easy with the aforementioned exception of Mario Kart 64

 

[StueyDuck]

MK still has rubber banding just in regards to what items will be dished out based on position.

It's not perfect but it's a solution that's on the right track if you ask me. Classic Rubberbanding just feels shit when you having such a fantastic lap or race

 

[Dice]

I think there should be options. Do you want random elements or things weaker players benefit from to make it enjoyable for everyone in the room, even for those who haven't touch a video game for a year? Or do you want to remove (many) random elements to highlight skill and consistency more?

IIRC MK8 has at least options for removing items.

I like this. The Smash Bros approach. Activate or deactivate specific items. Activate or deactivate coins. Rubberbanding AI or legit AI. That would be a really great improvement for custom games.

 

[ReBurn]

No thanks. What's the point of actually being skilled in your driving, if no matter what, the computer will just magically catch up to you? Mario Kart actually needs to get rid of nonsense like the blue shell and other garbage that lets less skilled players spam other players. I actually enjoy sonic team racing more than mario kart 8 because of the former's emphasis on skill vs item spam.

I wouldn't want to see stuff like the shells go away. Those things add an unpredictable element that makes the game fun. Mario Kart isn't about being a skilled driver. It's about knowing how to win while facing the uncertainty of chance. And having a lot of fun doing it.

 

[64bitmodels]

The idea of having a "hardmode" grand prix where the AI has all the dirty tricks in the book as an option after finishing all the main cups sounds fun to me. If not so i can claim bragging rights after beating it.

 

[acm2000]

Garbage take more like, rubber banding and nonsense items are what made mario kart such trash

 

[Pejo]

OP, I should blue shell you in the nuts for that suggestion. If anything, they should put a cooldown and/or penalty on repeated drift boosting.

 

[Robb]

Back? Rubberbanding is definitely a thing in MK8. Although not as aggressive.

 

[RoboFu]

If you are way in the lead every weapon the cpu gets is a blue shell, black ink, shrink thing, or bullet bill.

That’s bad enough.

 

[deriks]

I agree

BUT

As an option, not the only difficulty setting

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

The idea of having a "hardmode" grand prix where the AI has all the dirty tricks in the book as an option after finishing all the main cups sounds fun to me. If not so i can claim bragging rights after beating it.

You are not going to beat it ever.

Seriously, rubberbanding in MK was so bad. I still have nightmares about SMK and its blatant cheating.
There should be some rubberbanding when playing at 50cc, otherwise a medium-skilled player is going to die of boredom playing that. Then again, why should anyone play at 50cc when they’re good enough for 100 and beyond?
At 150cc some AI is always on your tail unless you play literally perfectly, or take some ludicrous shortcuts like in MK7 that the AI is obviously never going to use.

 

[Synless]

I’m pretty confident it exists on some form or fashion. In fact, until this thread I wasn’t convinced it was gone at all.

 

[ParaSeoul]

It still exists. Mario Kart is already so brain dead and casual,why would you make it even more so?

 

[Killer8]

Rubberbanding is the bane of racing games. If a game has really noticeable rubberbanding, frankly I won't touch it. The frustration of losing because the 2nd place cunt somehow caught up with me at literally the last corner of the race is too much.

 

[Tommi84]

Rubberbanding is one of the cancers of gaming.

No thanks.

 

[BlackTron]

Hey guys remember that one time they made a Smash game where they leveled the playing and added random elements like tripping you couldn't turn off in the options screen?

Instead of bringing MK to where Smash is today, it should regress to completely unfair AI cheating by baked-in design. Prove me wrong

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I think Mario Kart should be absolutely merciless. No rubber banding. Everyone has the same chances to get any item regardless what position they’re in.

If anything it should punish unskilled players for being bad. Maybe add a new backwards-firing blue shell that only the top 3 racers can get.

 

[TexMex]

It went away?

 

[kevm3]

I wouldn't want to see stuff like the shells go away. Those things add an unpredictable element that makes the game fun. Mario Kart isn't about being a skilled driver. It's about knowing how to win while facing the uncertainty of chance. And having a lot of fun doing it.

I stopped playing it after a while because it simply became unfun getting hit with nonstop blue shells, lightning, etc.

Stuff like the star, the bullet bill are cool and not nearly as obnoxious as something like the blue shell which you can't avoid unless you have the right item. Almost makes sense to stay in second place until near the end if you want a pleasurable driving experience.

Ultimately, I kind of feel like the need to cater to the 'unskilled' who refuse to improve is what's ruining a lot of Nintendo games. Most of their games, you can't even get to the 'real game' until after you beat it and the stages with actual challenge get unlocked. Even as a kid, what made beating a game like Mario 1 or 2 feel great is that those games actually were challenging.

Back to Mario, I shouldn't be punished for actually having skill by getting hit with nonstop blue shells, especially in the last lap before I'm about to win.

I feel like something like the original Mario Kart did it right because the lightning was somewhat rare and there weren't nonstop items being shot at first place that they couldn't do anything about.

 

[Ishma3L]

nah

 

[drganon]

Get rid of the blue shell first.

 

[Ishma3L]

Get rid of the blue shell first.

bullet bill, lightning, and any other bs "zero to hero" item can go too.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

there weren't nonstop items being shot at first place that they couldn't do anything about.

Not completely true.
The AI in SMK had access to infinite exclusive items to throw in your path. Mario and Luigi could use infinite stars.
Not something as unavoidable as the lightning and most blue shells, but very cheap and not easily avoidable.

What I especially hate about the lightning in MK8 is how the CPU will often use it when a human player is flying over a gap.

 

[The Stig]

Hold on, is rubber banding gone from the latest mario kart?

This is important. If I can play the game without rubber banding I will buy it TODAY.

Ive been dying for a racing game without rubber banding that isnt a sim

 

[Robb]

Hold on, is rubber banding gone from the latest mario kart?

No. I beat most of the cups with a high grade in MK8 by going slow for two laps and then racing up to first place in the final lap.

It’s not as aggressive as past titles I think, but the AI is still made to go slow when you’re far behind and speed up when you’re doing good.

 

[The Stig]

No. I beat most of the cups with a high grade in MK8 by going slow for two laps and then racing up to first place in the final lap.

It’s not as aggressive as past titles I think, but the AI is still made to go slow when you’re far behind and speed up when you’re doing good.

ahhhhh FUCK.

to anyone reading this Id love some ideas for a racing game that ISNT a sim but doesnt have rubber banding. does such a thing exist?

 

[Madserb2023]

No because it removes any skill. No point absolutely being able to nail every turning for it to make no difference. I liked it when I was a child and I could win even from 8th place on the last lap, but not so much now.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Just play 150cc or Mirror Mode and cry when the RNG is clearly against you. You aren't going to get a huge lead in that mode.

Stuff like Rubberbanding or Snaking(MKDS) is just either AI cheating and players exploiting a system to easily win.

Little point in being skillful if all it takes is cheating to win.

 

[Tommi84]

Id love some ideas for a racing game that ISNT a sim but doesnt have rubber banding.

Did someone say Driveclub ?

 

[Knightime_X]

If you fuck over AI ,and they drop several ranks in a race causing them to lose 1st, AI will assign the next in line closest to your score to be the one to get first.

 

[The Stig]

Did someone say Driveclub ?

ok. i found a copy on amazon and ordered it.

 

[Tommi84]

ok. i found a copy on amazon and ordered it.

Enjoy, for me, it was the most played game on PS4

 

[64bitmodels]

Seriously, rubberbanding in MK was so bad. I still have nightmares about SMK and its blatant cheating.

SMK had blatant cheating?

it's pretty easy to get first so long as you just drive well, i think the lack of blatant speed rubberbanding works in SMK because (IMO) it's the hardest mario kart in terms of control and handling, it's so easy to slip off the cardboard track and find yourself in the dirt

Anyways, you must really have PTSD from older mariokarts man, you really hate this take

 

[64bitmodels]

Hey guys remember that one time they made a Smash game where they leveled the playing and added random elements like tripping you couldn't turn off in the options screen?

Instead of bringing MK to where Smash is today, it should regress to completely unfair AI cheating by baked-in design. Prove me wrong

w Smash that affected everyone who played the game including actual human players. This rubberbanding suggestion is just for AI. Normal human online races will continue to be the way they are.

Also, it isn't that baked in. It's legit just increasing the speed depending on how great the gap is between first and all of the rest of the racers.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

I've dropped the entire racing genre due to rubber banding and it is my favorite type of game. I race in real life, own all sorts of turbo cars, had a sim racing set-up in my house and played racing games when I wasn't racing in real life. Nothing is worse than having an absolutely perfect race and then making one small mistake on the last turn and having the cpu magically zoom past you. It's cheap, unfair and not fun.

 

[AJUMP23]

I disagree op.

 

[Phase]

OP, are you Kramer? I think that Kenny Roger's chicken sign is messing with your brain.

Rubberbanding is cancer.

 

[kevm3]

No. I beat most of the cups with a high grade in MK8 by going slow for two laps and then racing up to first place in the final lap.

It’s not as aggressive as past titles I think, but the AI is still made to go slow when you’re far behind and speed up when you’re doing good.

This is pretty much what you want to do on the highest CCs if you don't want an utterly miserable experience of being slammed with item spam nonstop. Better to hang back and then near the end, that's when you actually go for first. Otherwise you'll have your screen sprayed with ink, get hit with blue shells and spammed with lightning nonstop