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[aku:jiki]

Man, this thread is making me more jealous than ever of the readily available HDTV standard for NTSC TV's. From what I gather in this thread, the progressive scan really helps with the visibility which I'm having some major problems with on my regular TV. It's about the only downer I can find in the game, too bad it's a pretty big one for me. I don't like crashing in a situation where I would've easily managed if I had only seen the damn thing coming.

This only really matters in the "burning lap" races and maybe face-off, though. I'm all about the crashing and taking down in other modes, and it's awesome fun.

 

[DarienA]

The update happened already right? Did they make any visual changes to the XBL interface? Anyone who had connection problems previously noticing any difference?

 

[atomsk]

as i already said, things are running alot smoother now.

looks the same though

 

[Lathentar]

Anyone 100% complete?

 

[Ninja Scooter]

the rubberband AI definately rears it head much more in the Face Offs. I could take the guy out 10 times and race a perfect race and he'll still be on my ass til the end. BUt of course if i crash once all of a sudden im 10 seconds behind.

 

[Ramirez]

Fuckin cpu is pissing me off on the Super Series...I take them all out consistently and race perfect,yet their on my ass the entire race.Add that to the fact that these maps are HUGE on the Super Circuit,UGH.

 

[kaching]

the rubberband AI definately rears it head much more in the Face Offs. I could take the guy out 10 times and race a perfect race and he'll still be on my ass til the end. BUt of course if i crash once all of a sudden im 10 seconds behind.

Yeah, but if you keep crashing (just 2 or 3 times will do), the gap between you and him will grow very large. I thought the idea behind rubberband AI was that it made you feel like the race was still close no matter how well, or poorly, you raced?

 

[DarienA]

Yeah, but if you keep crashing (just 2 or 3 times will do), the gap between you and him will grow very large. I thought the idea behind rubberband AI was that it made you feel like the race was still close no matter how well, or poorly, you raced?

I don't think that rule applies during the Face Off's it only seems to apply during regular races and Road Rage, etcs... it looks like in Face Off's in 2nd place you are on your own(from what I've seen in how the AI acts in different modes).

 

[Ninja Scooter]

I don't think that rule applies during the Face Off's it only seems to apply during regular races and Road Rage, etcs... it looks like in Face Off's in 2nd place you are on your own(from what I've seen in how the AI acts in different modes).

yeah, i think its because in Face Off, if you're a ways back in 2nd place, there are no other cars to battle with and build up your boost, so you are pretty much shit out of luck.

 

[kaching]

Eliminator races as well. Once you're down to the last 2-3 cars, the CPU is ruthless about any mistakes you make.

 

[DarienA]

yeah, i think its because in Face Off, if you're a ways back in 2nd place, there are no other cars to battle with and build up your boost, so you are pretty much shit out of luck.

I'm not even sure it's that because extending the boost meter doesn't give you higher top speed it just allows you to boost longer right? At least that's what I thought.. and in that line of thinking I've been in 2nd place by 11 seconds... boosted for all hell got a bonus for continuous boosting and still only shaved 1 second off the lead time.

I think it's the combination of the fact that your racing the fastest car of the bunch, and the rubberband AI for when it's in the lead seems to be turned off... that guarantees that when it is in the lead and has boost it's using it.

My favorite modes are currently Road Rage, Eliminator Crash and Regular Race... I'm not a fan of time trials nor am I a fan of Face Off's.

 

[Gattsu25]

Yeah, but if you keep crashing (just 2 or 3 times will do), the gap between you and him will grow very large. I thought the idea behind rubberband AI was that it made you feel like the race was still close no matter how well, or poorly, you raced?

That's why I prefer to call it elastic AI and not rubberband :b

in this sense is the AI that can only competently navigate the course when they are off screen...let's say the AI gains 10 seconds on you...the skill or boost it took to gain on you is never evident when they are on screen...because as soon as you spot them they never leave your sight until one of you are either taken out or you pass them. The game also becomes much easier IMO when you never touch the boost until passed though that might be a whole other issue.

A car's strength also seems to go into play. During crash mode your car is much weaker...able to break with the slightest scrape. During road rash events and races, your car and the opponent's seem to be near the same strength (maybe it's just me but your car seems more protected against take downs) but the opponent car's protection nearly doubles in face offs. Often I see the opponent rub against the center of an oncomming bus only to abrutly slide against it and appear unharmed. Normally, this would make the races harder, but not when you avoid traffic successfully and only boost when overtaken or to straighten off a drift. The opponent stays near you the majority of the race but with a constantly widening gap so that near the end, even a viscous crash isn't enough for him to overtake you...a far cry from the often neck and neck races when I boost throughout the race.

It's not quite rubberband, but the AI is only a worthy opponent in terms of aggression (still very easily outclassed) -- any driving abilities they possess is only evident when the console (appearantly) doesn't have to worry about drawing them :b

It's a shame the game doesn't have replays.


These are complaints, yes. But that doesn't mean I hate the game.

It's fun.

 

[WasabiKing]

Fuckin cpu is pissing me off on the Super Series...I take them all out consistently and race perfect,yet their on my ass the entire race.Add that to the fact that these maps are HUGE on the Super Circuit,UGH.

Ah, stop yer crying! I actually completed the Super GP series other day, and I'm stuck racing the Indy cars. Now THAT is difficult.

 

[Ramirez]

I just beat the Indy Car Grand Prix,its not that I can't beat them,its just fuckin lame when Im driving good all race then some fucker that I took down 3 times comes up like nothing has happened and takes me out and I drop behind 10 seconds.Its bullshit and there is no excuse for it.Whoever invented rubberband A.I. should be kicked in the nuts.

 

[DarienA]

I just beat the Indy Car Grand Prix,its not that I can't beat them,its just fuckin lame when Im driving good all race then some fucker that I took down 3 times comes up like nothing has happened and takes me out and I drop behind 10 seconds.Its bullshit and there is no excuse for it.Whoever invented rubberband A.I. should be kicked in the nuts.

Can I make a suggestion that might make things easier sometimes? I'm not sure if you've got speakers plugged up or if you are just listening through a regular TV, but I've found on my system that you can hear the AI vehicles as it's closing when you are on straightaways... also it's a good idea to occasionally glance back to see if you see the red arrow that indicates a closing vehicles. Also the game does a decent job of letting you know when the AI opponent is close to you. In that aspect you can be ready and see which side the AI is closing on you... then if necessary you can jump across a few lanes, etc.... I've found that to cut down SOMEWHAT on the frustration of being unprepared for an AI pass.

I've actually found that at the beginnings of races with groups it helps me to let the car right behind me pass immediately... if I don't they always take a VERY aggressive swipe at my car as they pass by soon after the start....

 

[8bit]

Just played this for a couple of hours, initial impressions:

Crashing into stuff is cool, even if I don't really understand the criteria most of the time. In particular, hitting the tuk-tuks and smashing through the Swiss tunnels is great fun.

The music FUCKING SUCKS. As does the announcer.

 

[Lathentar]

You can turn off the announcer.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

is the music really really low for anyone else anyway? I mean, i can turn it up all the way and turn the SoundFX down some, and you can still barely hear it. Oh well, i play with my Ipod in my ears 90% of the time anyway.

 

[teepo]

I just beat the Indy Car Grand Prix,its not that I can't beat them,its just fuckin lame when Im driving good all race then some fucker that I took down 3 times comes up like nothing has happened and takes me out and I drop behind 10 seconds.Its bullshit and there is no excuse for it.Whoever invented rubberband A.I. should be kicked in the nuts.

word

 

[teepo]

i'm 8 hours in and only 30%. does this game include multiplayer because me and my friend played for about 3 hours total.

 

[DarienA]

i'm 8 hours in and only 30%. does this game include multiplayer because me and my friend played for about 3 hours total.

Again in English? If you are asking if there are offline multiplayer modes, then yes... many of the load screens mention that very fact.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

On the PS2 version can you turn the music off?

 

[Gattsu25]

On the PS2 version can you turn the music off?

should be able to...should be something like this if it's similar to the XBox version:

driver details > settings > audio > music volume (lower to mute) [make sure announcer is set to off] > press X to accept

 

[Ninja Scooter]

On the PS2 version can you turn the music off?

yeah, you can even do it in the middle of a race. Just pause it, go to AUDIO and turn the music meter all the way down.

 

[8bit]

I'd like to revise my earlier comment about the music FUCKING SUCKING as it has the Ramones on it.
However, one song does not make a good soundtrack. My wife likes Franz Ferdinand, but the rest is identikit angsty boys with guitars. I can barely tell the difference between most of the tracks.

 

[Gattsu25]

I can barely tell the difference between most of the tracks.

I believe this news.



Then again...this is a problem I have with most mainstream rock. pop, too

 

[Joe]

hahahaha i just saw the thing about the sparks on techtv using wario. funny stuff.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

how does completion % affect live play? apart from practice obviously, because I jumped on for a go last night and got raped by about 1 minute in a game, we could choose a car and of course mine were locked.

I did crash a bit, but not a minutes worth of crashes, especially judging from the other guys saying things like "oh shit" and "damn" almost as frequently as me.

Oh and the computer really likes to nail you at the start of a race huh.

 

[teepo]

Again in English? If you are asking if there are offline multiplayer modes, then yes... many of the load screens mention that very fact.

err. i ment does it include the time me and my friend spent in multiplayer mode in my total hours.

 

[BeOnEdge]

i was playing burnout 3 tonight and i just thought of a mode that this game desperately needs. they should have a "free run" mode with traffic. maybe even a few randomly placed jumps but instead of ramps sitting the middle of the street you could have those "ramp trucks" ala crazy taxi either parked along the street in a few areas or even just as part of the traffic for you to launch yourself off of.

I find that if i start losing in a race i love just crashing into shit. busses, railings, trucks, whatever. they should call it "havok" mode or some shit. even make it availible online kinda like midtown madness 3 had a "cruise" mode online. alas i know EA hasnt left any LIVE hooks in the game for downloadable content. i guess we can only hope for something like this in part 4!

by the way, does the xbox version have the need for speed underground 2 demo somewhere in there? i havent really looked for it but it doesnt just jump out at you either. i havent played online since this last week either. hopefully EAs update has straightend out the mess they made of XBL. bastards.

 

[ckohler]

I have the XBOX version (love it!) and I have two questions:

1) Somebody said earlier in this thread that the game isn't XBL aware.. thus when you're not signed in to XBL in the game, others can't send you invites. Is this true? A friend of mine said he saw me playing on his buddy list and I never play this game online.

2) Anyone figured out a way to have to game remember to always use a custom soundtrack? I hate having to go in and change it from EA Trax every time.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Don't know about 1, though you can still send and be sent messages regardless of whether you're online or not...though not techincally game invites...I'm pretty sure, anyway.

As for 2, the game always defaults to the EA Trax shit and you have no way of changing it...

P.S. isn't that the chick cat from Heathcliff? Wow...flashback...

 

[BeOnEdge]

sure is. sonya owns. i dont thnk the game is live aware.

 

[Gazunta]

Just picked up the game today. It's almost 1am and I've been playing nonstop for the past God knows how many hours. Incredible stuff. Thanks to everyone on GAF for singing its praises.

I plugged the PS2 into the stereo system and then the Ramones kicked in. Rather fitting today

 

[COCKLES]

I have found what has to be the PERFECT song for this game. "Mona Lisa" from the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack fits so damn well it's amazing. Put's an entirely new spin on the game. You guys have to try it out!

Mann

The whole Reloaded soundtrack works pretty well. I was chuffed to do a big crash during the chateau scene music where it switched to bullet-time with my car flying through the air as the music kicked in from where Neo swandives through the air and the guy runs along the side of the banisters in the film. *Perfect* moment.



Oh and another excuse to say EATRAX sucks. I bet the original music before EA bought out Criterion was a lot better - kinda like whats on the options select screen...the music in the game just DOESNT fit a racer.

 

[ckohler]

I made a "Van Halen" mix containing all of the best VH songs. They fit the racing perfectly.

 

[Ramirez]

BO1 & 2 had some pretty crappy music as well as far as I remember...

 

[Lathentar]

What percentage are you guys at? I'm around 93.

 

[Ramirez]

86% I think...

 

[refreshZ]

Quick question...

I've had to restart the entire game twice over now as my profile keeps getting corrupted.
Its the first time I've ever experienced this problem on my PS2 and I have two official Sony memory cards that have never caused me bother. So I have to assume its the game.

Has anybody else had this problem? I've trawled a few B3 threads and haven't seen anyone mention it. Its driving me mad because I absolutely LOVE the game but can't seem to get more than a few hours into it without the same message coming up. I've tried swapping cards, even saving the good data mid way and using the other card when the error appears - but it tells me the data is corrupt anyway.

HELP!

 

[Lathentar]

Just got Gold on all the Races... essentially completing the game.

However, I'm only at 99% complete. I have 7 signature crashes and about 8 challenges left to meet.

2000 takedowns... thats going to take forever. I guess in my pursuit of 40 takedowns in one road rage I'll get closer and closer.

 

[op_ivy]

Oh and another excuse to say EATRAX sucks. I bet the original music before EA bought out Criterion was a lot better - kinda like whats on the options select screen...the music in the game just DOESNT fit a racer.

they have the bouncing souls though, so even if it doesnt fit the game, i gotta give props to ea. bouncing souls kick ass

 

[Sp3eD]

40 hours into this game and I can safely say this is GOTY thus far. So much damn fun.

 

[Lathentar]

I agree fantastic game. I need to get some more Live play in, because I'm nearing 100% completition in single player. 4 Signature Takedowns and 4 Trophies left.

 

[Grubdog]

Wow, this game is amazing! Best racing game ever.

Two things that annoy me though, are the LOADING, jesus, there's SO MUCH loading, I can thank my PS2 for that though. Even when restarting a race it loads, which is freakin annoying. And the other thing, the game doesn't support normal Duel Shock controllers. I only have one PS2 controller, and in every other one of my PS2 games i've used my old PS1 Duel Shock controller to play multi, and it's been fine, but NOOO not with Burnout 3. It only accepts DS2s. What the hell is the difference anyway? Fuck you Sony, i'm not buying another controller.

I would much rather have bought a GC version.

Anyway, besides all that, i'm loving it, all the new additions make it seem like a whole new game than Burnout 2, and the game is just... well it's hard to explain you just have to play it, and you'll love it. *goes back to playing*

 

[Gazunta]

Yeah I had to borrow a PS2 controller to play. I get why it doesn't support the PS1 controlller - it needs to use the analog buttons to control acceleration and braking - but I would have thought Sony TRC guidelines require a message saying "you must have a dual shock 2 plugged in to continue" or something to that effect when you have a PS1 controller plugged in.

It's been a while since I was QA, but I'm pretty sure that's the case...rules might have changed tho.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

Initial impressions:

*The music literally made my head hurt. Having to change the music every time I turn the game on is a chore and a major oversight on Criterion's end.

*The game doesn't look as pretty as you guys led me to believe, although I have only raced one track and I was dead tires and irretable(sp?).

*The 'next song' button is in the wrong place by default, as I couldn't help but hit it over and over while racing.

Are there no jumps in this game?

Based on my little bit of playtime, I don't see how anyone can see this as GoTY material. For front end / saving issues alone, *shrug*

It only accepts DS2s. What the hell is the difference anyway? Fuck you Sony, i'm not buying another controller.

What do you expect? The game needs the analog face/trigger buttons.

 

[Tellaerin]

*The 'next song' button is in the wrong place by default, as I couldn't help but hit it over and over while racing.

The only face button you really need to press when you're playing is X! How could you accidentally be hitting the black button over and over? I can't even imagine how that could happen by accident.

Based on my little bit of playtime, I don't see how anyone can see this as GoTY material. For front end / saving issues alone, *shrug*

If the worst 'front end issue' a game has is requiring the player to switch to a custom soundtrack at the start of each session, then it's pretty damn good in the interface department. As far as saving issues go, the only one I'm aware of for the Xbox version is the bit about not being able to copy saves to a memory card, which isn't an issue for the vast majority of users anyway. I could understand if you felt the actual gameplay was flawed, but slating the game for a couple of minor nitpicks (and they are minor, regardless of how irritating you personally find them) is just petty.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

I played it for like 20 minutes when I wrote that.

I'm playing the game now.

It's pissing me off too, cuz I can't adjust the controls it seems. I really need to since I can't help but hit the 'skip song' button as I race and hit turbo.

Please don't tell me there's no way to change the controls...

 

[Fifty]

You hit black instead of A? That strikes me as a little odd, but I guess it could happen.