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[memoryman3]

"They Ruined Single Player": Mario Kart World Made The CPU Easier, And Fans Hate It

Nintendo giveth, and Nintendo taketh away.

www.thegamer.com

Mario Kart World was poised to become the game that everyone wanted again, but that was before fans noticed a pretty significant change to the game's single-player modes that were included in the update too. In the patch notes, it was revealed that Mario Kart World's CPU characters were being made easier across every single-player mode besides Battle.

While never specified, this was likely a change introduced to try and combat complaints about item spam that have been circling social media for a little while. Unfortunately, most Mario Kart World players seem to agree that Nintendo took things way too far, with the game being called a "snooze fest", and fans claiming that Nintendo has now "ruined single-player".

Here's a video showcasing the nerfed computers in action in the newest patch. Seems like Nintendo nerfed them to the point where they pose no challenge even on the hardest difficulty. The Yoshi player here is playing relatively normally but has attained an overwhelming half-lap lead over the computer. There is no way to revert back to the older COM behaviour unless you delete all data on the Switch 2 and/or buy a physical copy of the game.



Personally, I felt like the COM were fair. A skilled player could easily finish in first consistently in all tracks, but you had to work to reach and keep high positions. Knockout Tour was a bit more egregious as the straightaways leaved less room for skill expression, but three-starring took me less than two days and only a few retries. It's a shame Nintendo felt like the hardest COM were too hard and decided to revert them back to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe levels, where you could win without even really trying.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Already seemed easy to me, not a great sign.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I knew MK8 would still end up being the better game.

 

[deriks]

It was broken on launch date. Still is, but easier

 

[Neff]

I really don't understand what they tried to do with this game and I'm not sure Nintendo do either

I knew MK8 would still end up being the better game.

SPBP

MK8 is king

 

[MagiusNecros]

They made an easy game with no rewards even easier? That's crazy.

Like you get nothing for getting 1-3 Stars on a Cup and you can unlock everything by following a coin car for 30 minutes. And costumes are dependent on location.

Game needs a Classic mode and a mode where you can create your own Rallies to determine if they are big or small as well as implement a Mario Kart Radio feature to make your own playlists with the large amount of music in the game.

 

[Little Mac]

Are you insinuating that they make the single player shit so players are more inclined to pay a subscription for multiplayer?

 

[Jinzo Prime]

"They Ruined Single Player": Mario Kart World Made The CPU Easier, And Fans Hate It

Nintendo giveth, and Nintendo taketh away.

www.thegamer.com

Here's a video showcasing the nerfed computers in action in the newest patch. Seems like Nintendo nerfed them to the point where they pose no challenge even on the hardest difficulty. The Yoshi player here is playing relatively normally but has attained an overwhelming half-lap lead over the computer. There is no way to revert back to the older COM behaviour unless you delete all data on the Switch 2 and/or buy a physical copy of the game.



Personally, I felt like the COM were fair. A skilled player could easily finish in first consistently in all tracks, but you had to work to reach and keep high positions. Knockout Tour was a bit more egregious as the straightaways leaved less room for skill expression, but three-starring took me less than two days and only a few retries. It's a shame Nintendo felt like the hardest COM were too hard and decided to revert them back to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe levels, where you could win without even really trying.

That sucks. I had so much fun with older titles were you had to really try in order to get the 3 star ranking. CPUs getting that far behind is like the ai is non-functional.

 

[Sgt.Asher]

They're patching this like Helldivers 2 originally did. I'm not sure Nintendo would walk the bad udpates though.

 

[blacktout]

I suck at Mario Kart, so I should jump back in now and try to three star as many cups as possible before the next patch, lol.

 

[ThisIsMyDog]

aren't Mario Kart for kids and casuals, so whats wrong with it being easy.

 

[Kacho]

The Yoshi player here is playing relatively normally

 

[memoryman3]

aren't Mario Kart for kids and casuals, so whats wrong with it being easy.

Easy and Normal Modes already exist in the game, and kids aren't stupid. They can adapt to challenges pretty quickly. I was beating the Mario Kart Hard COM when I was less than 10.

 

[Unknown?]

Nintendo should port it to their competitors and Switch 1. I've been told this will make them more money.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I dont play MK games.

How hard can it be to have multiple difficulty levels where people can pick one that suits their skills? For the really good gamers just make an Expert level where only the most hardcore skilled gamers can pull off some wins here or there.

 

[Lokaum D+]

but ppl here told me its the best mario kart since ever

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

There is no way to revert back to the older COM behaviour unless you delete all data on the Switch 2 and/or buy a physical copy of the game.

physical master race asssembleeeee

 

[Shubh_C63]

Is this the nintendo-souls crowd ?

 

[memoryman3]

I dont play MK games.

How hard can it be to have multiple difficulty levels where people can pick one that suits their skills? For the really good gamers just make an Expert level where only the most hardcore skilled gamers can pull off some wins here or there.

Mario Kart does have multiple difficulties! There are two slower speed classes named 50cc and 100cc that reduce the difficulty of the AI. You can also race on the fastest class (150cc) with the easiest CPU if you wish to in versus modes. None of the rewards aside from unlocking Mirror Mode are tied to the highest level, and completing the cups without losing once for three stars isn't required for anything at all - it's only for bragging rights.

The problem here is that Nintendo decided to nerf the hardest difficulty because seemingly that wasn't enough.

 

[Player Respawn]

Maybe they're preparing us for new game+ premium dlc lol

 

[mèx]

Between the online update and this, they royally fucked up this game. I stopped playing and I don't think I'm going to come back, there are better things to play.

Such a shame, the new mechanics are super fun.

 

[tkscz]

Having tried it out, it's not that the computer is easier, the item nerf is what makes it easier.

The computer before the patch were aggressive but not difficult, they just used items more often than they did in previous games and MKW would give out crazy items. Now, I get fewer lightnings, blue shells and the like thrown at me, so the computer feels easier but it's just they aren't being given a bunch of items.

Between the online update and this, they royally fucked up this game. I stopped playing and I don't think I'm going to come back, there are better things to play.

Such a shame, the new mechanics are super fun.

They went back on having three lap races show up less, you'll see them more often and random selection more often lands on a three lap again. That said I've noticed people are ignoring three lap races online now.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Between the online update and this, they royally fucked up this game. I stopped playing and I don't think I'm going to come back, there are better things to play.

Such a shame, the new mechanics are super fun.

I don't understand why they don't want you to play 3 lap tracks in a Mario Kart game. Like, just let people play the game the way they want!

 

[Gambit2483]

Correct me if Im wrong but, can't you change the CPU diffulty in the settings?

 

[memoryman3]

Correct me if Im wrong but, can't you change the CPU diffulty in the settings?

You can. Unfortunately Nintendo nerfed "Hard" COM to basically act as Easy COM and there's basically no way to have a challenging offline experience anymore outside of beating your own ghost in Time Trials.

 

[Gambit2483]

You can. Unfortunately Nintendo nerfed "Hard" COM to basically act as Easy COM and there's basically no way to have a challenging offline experience anymore outside of beating your own ghost in Time Trials.

So you're saying 150cc on Hard is a cakewalk?

I'll check later today but it sounds like some people are over exaggerating.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

When I played it in single player, it felt like I was competing against a human, and I really liked it.

Now, Nintendo really messed up.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Did some testing. Used a bad build IMO Peach and W Twin Chopper, Used Daisy and the Loco Moto on Mushroom Cup in Mirror Mode and achieved 2 and 3 Star with little difficulty and the only racer that keeps up with you on average is the rival racer others you have a 7 second or more lead on everyone else.

Knockout Tour I did Acorn Rally as Rosalina and ROBHOG and I had a 10 second lead for most of the Rally.

CPU AI is definitely toned down. KO Tour no longer a rush and AI just seems to run into obstacles instead of moving out of the way like they used to. It's like regardless of CC level they all behave like they are on 50 CC.

Baby Mode Mario Kart achieved.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

That's really annoying. The challenge on 150cc was satisfying and, in particular, made the Knockout mode super exciting.

 

[neocycle]

In what kind of world are we living in, in which Nintendo can't get Mario Kart right?

 

[6502]

The tracks are too wide, unmemorable and easy to make driving alone any fun, it needs wacky racers groups. It needs harder difficulty modes and more classic circuits.

MK8 had it right.

 

[March Climber]

The CPU was never the problem in Mario Kart.

Everything that's wrong with Mario Kart revolves around the concept of being in 'first place'. No one wants to be in first place because 9 times out of 10 you are punished for it. So what's the solution?

In a few MK, it's to try and be so far ahead that the constant barrage of blue shells and lightning have no effect on you.

In most of the other ones, like this one, it's to thread the needle around 2nd/3rd and wait for a good opportunity to pass on the last lap.

 

[Kacho]

The CPU was never the problem in Mario Kart.

Everything that's wrong with Mario Kart revolves around the concept of being in 'first place'. No one wants to be in first place because 9 times out of 10 you are punished for it. So what's the solution?

In a few MK, it's to try and be so far ahead that the constant barrage of blue shells and lightning have no effect on you.

In most of the other ones, like this one, it's to thread the needle around 2nd/3rd and wait for a good opportunity to pass on the last lap.

I'm think you're on point here. Have you ever played the Sonic Racing games? Are those more about skill?

 

[playbignbox]

The single player wasn't difficult, except for the Knockout Tour, which 3 stars requires you to finish all the tracks and paths in first place. They probably tweaked the difficulty because of this mode, as in some cups it was difficult to regain your position after being hit, with a somewhat high luck factor.

 

[playbignbox]

I knew MK8 would still end up being the better game.

You say it as if Mario Kart 8 was difficult lol you can be sure that this Mario Kart has a MUCH bigger skill gap.

Unfortunately, the internet bubble is trying to force some complaint every week and some comparisons like this don't even make sense.

 

[March Climber]

I'm think you're on point here. Have you ever played the Sonic Racing games? Are those more about skill?

Sadly I haven't had a chance to yet, same with CTR, Blur, and Split/Second, but they are on my backlog.

I have mainly been sticking to the The Crew/PGR/Forza Horizon-type of racers lately because they are arcadey-enough and additionally most of them actually reward you for great racing. I say most because there are a few of them have dreadful rubber banding.

I only purchase and play Mario Kart because my friends play it quite a bit and ask me to join in from time to time. However from a single player standpoint, most of them have CPU that have been at best, slightly annoying, and at worse, a mess.

The first place issue just became worse and worse over the course of newer MK games, and I don't know if they'll ever get it right.

 

[xandaca]

The problem wasn't that the computer players were difficult because they really weren't - it rarely took me more than a couple of tries to get gold in any of the cups, yet I'm utterly hopeless online - but rather the incredibly cheap way items were used to artificially hold players back. Pretty much the only times I lost were because the computer happened to get a perfect combination of items, at the perfect time, to destroy my long lead and let me be overtaken at the last minute. Mario Kart 8 (the Wii U version, anyway) is far superior in this respect, where you can get pulled back but it's not so common or so contrived that it feels so artificial. Nintendo should have changed that, then made the computer players better through taking shortcuts, tighter turns, etc.

(I'll add as a partially related note that I think doubling the racer count in World has made the game far less fun because of the amount of items thrown around in general. Mario Kart is always a bit frustrating and luck-based, that's part of the fun, but as a fairly middling-at-best player, playing online can get really tiresome when the middle of the pack is a constant, all-out assault. Also, none of the new items - coin box, hammers, etc - are fun or useful in any way. Rant over.)

 

[Dalbajobas]

Whats their ecxuse to not have advanced AI like in Forza series?

 

[kevboard]

I knew MK8 would still end up being the better game.

MKW felt much harder in single player than MK8 did. I had zero issue 100%ing MK8, while I had to do multiple tries in a couple of the cups in MKW.

 

[Robb]

Yeah right, THIS ruined singleplayer. Not the fact that there are zero rewards/motivation outside of useless stickers for doing any singleplayer content whatsoever.

It wasn't even hard to begin with, if you actually want competition you go online.

 

[Topher]

Rented MKW from Gamefly and yeah, really is too dang easy. Won the first four races with barely any effort. I'm sure multiplayer is better, but this ain't for me.

 

[Neff]

How hard can it be to have multiple difficulty levels where people can pick one that suits their skills?

SMK always has speed classes and that's what they're for. 150CC on the SNES original is absolutely fucking balls hard, but those days are seemingly gone.

 

[Kataploom]

Come on, it was clearly way overtuned, those fans are the players that get beyond anyone else's reach at some point in the race, which Nintendo shouldn't use to balance the game, besides, sometimes the rubberbanding gets absurd like when you're about to win the fourth race at first for the three stars and out of nowhere a CPU racer appears at light speed

 

[Kataploom]

You can. Unfortunately Nintendo nerfed "Hard" COM to basically act as Easy COM and there's basically no way to have a challenging offline experience anymore outside of beating your own ghost in Time Trials.

I've been playing it after the nerf and while I can get first easier, it doesn't feel braindead easy at all, just yesterday I rage quit because a small error in the last segment of the fourth race made everyone and their moms do me a bukkake and I was far ahead already

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Hahaha, rubberbanding and cheating AI are the worst. I hardly play racing games, so I dont feel it there, but play EA NHL hockey for decades and the cpu has massive cheating gameplay moves on the harder skill levels (you can tell how the game's logic has 3 distinct modes.... offensvie zone, D-zone, mid ice as it turns on and off like a switch) and the AI always seems to have a way to score more goals on you in the third period.

The only time I sunk a lot of time into racers was back in the GT1/GT2 days on PS1. I forget which game it was but you could tell the rubberbanding was there since I'd always get a lead and then in the final lap an AI driven Mustang (I think it was an old school Mustang) would always come roaring back like a tank at mach speed making the finish close. I might still hang on for the win, but sometimes it might blow past me. Always in the final lap.

 

[Kikorin]

Ah yes, every patch they ruin the game if you hear at some random nerds online lol
Last time was because of the online tracks I guess. I'm sure devs are making these changes out of nowhere and not because they have data and feedbacks from people playing the game.

 

[MSduderino]

Single player GPs have been unchanged since OG. THAT's why single player is boring. There is so much opportunity for interesting single player gameplay loop and they have nothing to push you forward in free roam other than wandering. We don't need RPG elements in mario kart, but we need something other than GP and aimless sandbox of p switches for single player. Multiplayer is a whole nother story. I enjoy Knockout tour in short bursts, but there's more potential for multiplayer with the open world too.

 

[memoryman3]

Come on, it was clearly way overtuned, those fans are the players that get beyond anyone else's reach at some point in the race, which Nintendo shouldn't use to balance the game, besides, sometimes the rubberbanding gets absurd like when you're about to win the fourth race at first for the three stars and out of nowhere a CPU racer appears at light speed

That can happen when you play against other human players, as the game gives mushrooms and other boosting items if a player is too far ahead of the pack. Three stars is a thing that is usually reserved for the top players, why shouldn't the hardest difficulty be balanced around them? (within reason). Really, I'm not a world record holder, but I three-starred all cups recently before the patch and it was absolutely consistently do-able if you employ real racing tactics such as taking good lines and knowing when to drift/go on the offensive/play defensively.

 

[Kacho]

Blur, and Split/Second

Slacker. You're missing out on some bangers there.

If Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is good I'll give it a go. Transformed was supposedly solid mechanically.

 

[March Climber]

Slacker. You're missing out on some bangers there.

If Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is good I'll give it a go. Transformed was supposedly solid mechanically.

Lol I'm slowly chipping away at them. Racing game campaigns are sometimes longer than open world games. It's odd. Fun but odd.