CITTIA NOVA soooo hard

[Rouni Kenshin#1]

CITTIA NOVA!!!!!!!!!!

ARGGGGHHH 8O

Cittia Nova is the hardest tract in wipeout pure.

i am trying, i repeat trying, to get gold on single race rapier for it by either i'm blown up or fall of the track or go over the humb before the tunnel and land smack on the sign and that bumps me back a few places so... any advice would be very welcome

[G'Kyl]

Oh yeah,CN, I spent far too much time there in order to complete the game. Well, here's the trick: Keep your nose down! Good pitch control is vital for a fast time at the track. If you want to be on the safe side, get off the accalerator shortly before the turns and take a low and hard turn.

By the way, the most difficult track for me was Modesto Hights at Phantom. Try getting TT gold there when sitting in a well lit train with a PSP shaking like hell! ;)

Ben

[eLhabib]

yeah, citta nuova is definitely the hardest one. here's two cents on how to beat it.

the first critical point is the steep hairpin: be sure to stay on the very left side of the track when you climb, and cut the right turn very early, almost hitting the center with your nose. Also be sure to catch the double speed pad.

the second critical point is the corkscrew. be sure to push your nose down (by pressing up) on left turns. also try not to use the airbrakes too much, they will make you lose momentum. better slow down a bit by releasing the thruster then and there. if you have a turbo pickup, save it for the hairpin AFTER the corkscrew, because you get really slow there if you hit the wall. If you get an autopilot on citta nuova, KEEP IT! It's the only track in this game where you can be a lot faster with an AP. use it in the corkscrew but only after the third hard left turn, when you pass under the billboard. any earlier and the AP will mess up, flying into walls or off the track.

hope this helps.

NOTE: I have posted this exact same post in 'the 154 gold medals challenge'-thread, just reposted it here because I thought it fits.

[Lance]

.
it does fit. but since Rouni would have already seen it, since he posted after your tutorial post, with only one post between yours and his on the same page, he should possibly have not started a separate topic. however, i can see that there is justification for getting more than one answer, so i am leaving this topic in existence and unlocked. your answer in the other topic was probably the inspiration for this topic. ;)

it would probably have been better to simply point to your previous answer, though it does make it easier for people who have not read that topic. i tend to dislike repetition of posts even when they're in different threads. as someone who reads every thread, i sometimes find it difficult to imagine that there would be someone too lacking in Wipeout enthusiasm to read everything! :D
.

[eLhabib]

heh, I can understand that. I also try to read everything on these forums, at least the Pilots Hangout, general, Arena and wipEout PSP threads :wink:

[lunar]

I only just beat Citta Nuova Rapier yesterday, after a few dramas to say the least.

Another tip is to save a turbo for the longest straight - you`ll gain a load of places - then just concentrate on avoiding bad mistakes for the rest of the lap and hit the speed pads as often as you can. Make doubly sure you`re pointing the way you want to go before you hit them. And on the sharp hairpin especially you must get in tight and hit the speed pad without a pause. A few times I went in so tight I ended up not going round the corner at all, and ended up pointing the wrong way while the guys I just turboed cruised past me.

Also I used Harimau instead of my Qirex, which was possibly a sell-out, but helped.

[wirehang]

I'm really stuggling on single race Raiper Citta Nuova, so thanks for the tips. Tonight, hopefully!

matt

[sip]

ha...looks like I'm not the only one. This track discourages me, as I'm currently on Rapier myself. No matter how much I memorize this track, I still have trouble getting into the top 3 :( . You guys mentioned about releasing thrust rather than air brakes...I was wondering if it'st better to do this in any other tracks as well...like Blue Ridge for example?

~Thanks

[wirehang]

All the enemy are going ballistic, which makes it more difficult, too. I can;t get any sort of regularity. Sometimes I'm #2 or #3 other times I'm #6, #7, #8.

[eLhabib]

Citta nuova really is a hard track with some luck required, too. Now, with lots of routine, I manage to get at least in 3rd when I race it (as opposed to all the other tracks where you can get in 1st easily on every racr once you have the routine), but 1st is still very rare here. It will come eventually, don't try it too hard.

[sip]

So I see it's the same problem among everyone. At least I'm not alone. Maybe its just me, but does anyone think that is is one of the toughest WipEout tracks ever (although I think the first WipEout had some hard ones...can't remember considering I haven't played it in ages...and I was much younger)? It might also depend on the way the ships handle in Pure, and the killer AI that bombs you....it really stings when you get a missle up your ship on this track.

[Kansas]

It took me a while, but I finally got used to this track... the one that gives me the hardest time is Modesto Heights... man, I hate that track.

[G'Kyl]

Same here! Modesto is the hardest with some really tricky sections, especially considering it's supposed to be the second easiest of them all. I hate those chicane things in the tunnels, it's SO easy to hit one of the walls there... Citta Nuova only comes second worst and is quite managable once you get the hang of it.

Ben

[sip]

I used to think Modesto was tough at first. It looks hard...and it throws you off I think (at least thats how it was with me). The tunnel only looks scary, but you can make it with minimal turning. Find the center point and ever so slightly tilt your ship from side to side if you need to. The turns in the tunnel (aside from the first major one where you have to slow down a lot) are just there to throw you off...you barely have to do any turning in there at all.

[wirehang]

Snagged CN on the bus home last night - yes! :D

matt

[Space Cowboy]

CN is definitely a bitch, that and a number of other factors put me off playing the tourny's so I've settled for Rapier. To be honest im not that bothered about getting phantom, the honey moon period is definitely over between me and pure, I've shelved it and gone back to playing WO3SE, which IMHO is much more fun.
I think I'll wait for the pure sequel, with any luck they would have sorted the AI and weapons balancing by then, and it might actually be fun to play.

[wirehang]

Come on Space Cowboy, cheer up!

I've had nothing else in my PSP since I got it.

matt

[Space Cowboy]

I wish I could dude, but this game just seems to punish hard work and good racing skills. The number of times I've been hit miliseconds from the finish line in a tourny is just ridiculous. Having to go back and start all over again isnt my idea of fun, especially when I've restarted for the tenth time. IMHO playing this game is getting too much like a chore so i've shelved it till the sequel. Sorry :(

[wirehang]

Fair enough mate.

The slight problems, of which only CN and control reversal disruptor have bothered me so far and hanging on comign out of suspend, are outweighed by the simple fact that I can play it on the bus as I do not get enough time to play games at home.

matt

[sip]

Space Cowboy, I feel your pain. I've been thrown off the track, nearly bombed to death, missled, quaked...I've even made it to the top 3 on the last lap....only to fall back to 6th after being quaked off.

It seems to me it hurts a lot more on CN than on any other track as well. I don't think I've restarted this much, out of frustraion in any WipEout as I did in Pure. The tracks that I truly enjoy (such as Chenghou Project, which happens to be my favourite), I'm usually several seconds ahead of the pack by the last lap. Unfotunately, with CN, it's gotten to the point that I refuse to practice it because its no longer enjoyable. I tend to play stiff and tense on CN. Regardless of the fact that I don't enjoy the track, I absolutely love the rest of the game.

[wirehang]

In time trial mode, i can clear gold by some 4-5 seconds, in the Zone craft. So it's not the course per se, but rather the crazy bastard AI on that level.

matt

[sip]

hhhmm...I think I'll give it a shot without the AI then. Maybe it'll be easier practicing the track through time trial.

[phoenixx]

I wish I could dude, but this game just seems to punish hard work and good racing skills. IMHO playing this game is getting too much like a chore so i've shelved it till the sequel. Sorry :(

Compared to wo 2097 or wip3out you're right. In pure you need luck sometimes - it's a lot more by chance. But things just take a little bit longer. I consider it as a challenge. It's a must. For example I won't give up at CN until I got all gold. :pirate

[lunar]

Exactly - its a challenge. Don`t wish it was easier because when you`ve beaten it the best bit is behind you. The game can get pretty harsh in terms of weapons, but if you fly clean and fast enough you will prevail eventually.

I`ve struggled at times with this, but would hate it if SL decided they made Pure too hard and therefore eased up on the next game.

[Drakkenmensch]

Oddly enough, for me, the corkscrew is not the biggest problem of the CN track, but rather that sharp left turn right out of the corkscrew, right after that quick chicane that could fly through the middle if you line up properly. I have to drop almost all my speed simply to avoid hitting the outside wall, and it's difficult not to hit the wall on the NEXT left turn when you hit those double speed boosts. At least I know what to expect of the hairpin and corkscrew by now.

[yawnstretch]

To those who appear to have given up at the rapier stage I would say don't.

Phantom and flash seem to handle brilliantly for some reason with the pure engine. I never play Rapier - there's something slightly off with it imo (could just be track design suits some speeds better than others.)

Phantom is great - you MUST unlock it.

[Drakkenmensch]

I just finished completing all flash medals recently and I find that Rapier is giving me a lot of difficulty right now - much like I had trouble in Flash after completing Venom.

Come to think of it, I had the exact same problem in Venom after completing Vector... and in completing Vector the first time I played!

Could it be that it's all a matter of practice and perseverance?

;)

[eLhabib]

Oddly enough, for me, the corkscrew is not the biggest problem of the CN track, but rather that sharp left turn right out of the corkscrew, right after that quick chicane that could fly through the middle if you line up properly. I have to drop almost all my speed simply to avoid hitting the outside wall, and it's difficult not to hit the wall on the NEXT left turn when you hit those double speed boosts. At least I know what to expect of the hairpin and corkscrew by now.

a little use of the sideshift maneuver should fix that problem :wink:

[Dogg Thang]

Really? You use sideshift? I never found much of a use for that. I must practice it. Do you use it much?

[Egg]

I always use the Sideshift if I get the Speed Burst off the starting line. It shifts into the centre of the track and away from the tailpipe of the slow fecker in front of you.

You have to time it right, though, cos sometimes you'll prang the guy on your left.

[yawnstretch]

I just turn my ship for the speed burst start.

To be honest I havent given the sideshift braking technique a proper go but Im happy with old-style.

I still think it's a pity they didnt rotate the axis of the analog pad clockwise about 20 degrees. This is the reason everyone is using the d-pad when on tracks like CN the nub makes more sense as you can point up and down more easily as you turn. I've experimented and I can get around as fast with the nub and turn as easily but only if I position my thumb at the awkward angle necessary to move the nub exactly left and right.

[Curved]

Here is a good pass through the final chicane of Citta Nuova.

The guides are to illustrate the optimal approach and turning radius of the turn.

In this specific turn, because the optimal approach is so close to the right wall, if it is carried out correctly, a right boost should not help much.

http://img254.echo.cx/img254/3226/cittanuovafinale9ko.gif

[lunar]

the other thing you can do is wait until you`re almost at the top of the last hill in the corkscrew, hit turbo and fly over the top of the whole fecking lot of it. :twisted:

the hard landing and turn in the air makes this barely quicker than flying the corner nicely, though, and your turbo is probably better saved and used elsewhere, but its an option. :wink:

nice diagram - do you have more? And welcome to WZ.

[yawnstretch]

Nice Diagram - I've been trying to get through all of the tracks with the absolute MINIMUM if no braking but I might give your description a go for CN.

[Curved]

Just made the diagram for the post. Considering that that is probably the hardest maneuver to master in the game, I thought it was worth showing a solution. However, if there are any requests for more, I can make them.

EDIT: I pilot a piranha, so if you are using a feisar, you will probably need to break less.

[Drakkenmensch]

Thanks for the nifty diagram, Curved, the visual aid really makes the maneuver clear to understand! And welcome aboard!

[Curved]

Was just testing and I found that I was wrong about the right boost. Its quite a bit easier to do and probably a bit faster because your heading is already that of the apex of the turn. Sorry about that --

Here is the updated diagram:

http://img60.echo.cx/img60/7171/cittanuovafinale29nb.gif

I guess the important part would be the timing of the boost and the fact that you need to start turning before you enter the turn. -- I labled the L and R buttons on either side of the racing line this time.

[yawnstretch]

Heh - I should save this diagram to my PSP 8)

[eLhabib]

Really? You use sideshift? I never found much of a use for that. I must practice it. Do you use it much?

not a lot, but there are certain parts of tracks I always use it, because it is the most efficient way (like the last chicane on blueridge and citta nuova, the quick right after the long hard left in the tunnel of modesto, and the chicanes at karbonis at rapier and phantom speed). I also use it to correct my racing line if it got distorted by enemy contact, and - most importantly - to shove enemies off the edge at chenghou and sol2 :twisted:

[Lion]

I use side shift an awful lot now... it's gotten to the point where I try using it in earlier wipeouts :P shame all it results in is me smacking into a wall :\

[lunar]

that`s practically all it does for me in Pure. I can hardly get it to do the same thing twice. Sometimes its got me through a chicane at lightning speed..... but then a lap later it`ll either not pull the ship as far across, or too far. I probably just need more practice with it though..... all this new-fangled FX300 technology.... :wink:

[yawnstretch]

EDIT: I pilot a piranha, so if you are using a feisar, you will probably need to break less.

Good point - I do fly Feisar (and it can make it a little harder to get some of the golds in GP2 but it's worth it for the smooth turns imo). Personally I like flying airbrake-less as much as I can.

God I need one more game before bed 8O

[rejj]

I may be imagining it, but I think performing a sideshift gives you a very minor speed boost. Try watching your speedometer and doing a sideshift, say, for the very fist kink in the track at the start of vineta instead of turning for it.

Reminds me of brake-tapping. Kinda.

.. unless I am just imagining it, that is. ;)

[Hellfire_WZ]

Your speed increases, but your forward velocity doesn't. The speedo is taking into account that your ship now has a lateral velocity component by sideshifting, and thus it is combining the two to give you a speed (or a velocity in the actual direction of motion, which is diagonal) that is higher. However, because the two velocity components are perpendicular, they can't affect each other, so the forward velocity can't increase through lateral motion.

[/physics lecture] :P

[Drakkenmensch]

I've recently discovered myself the sheer usefulness of the sideshift as a turning tool. After several days of my WO skills being in the crapper for some weird reason, it all coalesced into a renewed level of skill the likes of which I never experienced before this morning... I had a race on Rapier Sebenco Climb where I was suddenly driving as if I was on autopilot for the entire second half of the race, easily overtaking everyone before I even knew it.

Anyone else ever had a period like this, where your ability to pilot goes down to almost zero right before it resurrects greater than ever?

[lunar]

Frequently. Its all slightly counter-intuitive. Sometimes the best way to improve can be to stop playing for a couple of days.

[Drakkenmensch]

*nodnods*

I hadn't played for a few days until last night precisely because of that, went back to XL a while to clear my head. That did a lot to help, an dI found that a lot of skills in Pure carry over to XL.

Except the sideshift. Trying to do that in XL only makes you look stupid as you slam into the wall ;)

[Hellfire_WZ]

I actually learned to sideshift in Zone mode. Aside from my top zone jumping by about 20, I also found myself flattening Flash class and having an easy time in Rapier as well. As well as shunting some hapless fool off the track on Sol 2. :wink:

But above all, I frequently race on Citta Nuova in Phantom class now simply due to the fact I don't find it as much of a problem now. Mind you, it is a bit weird that I can do it in a Triakis but always screw up in anything lighter.

[E-Magine]

Citta Nuova is a very clever circuit, where speed doesnt matter AT ALL. The trick is to pick a car which has exceptional handling, Rapier is a fast class so the speed's already there all you need is handling. You'll laugh when i say this but i used FEISAR on all the tournaments from FLASH all the way to PHANTOM, i still use it today to finish the newer Gamma Tracks. i did use faster cars for the slower classes bc theyre way too slow with FEISAR. CN's most technical challenge is the corkscrew section and the entry into that ridiculous hairpin. The trick to overcoming the corkscrew section is to airbrake & turn hard that way your car starts to curl, this enables you to get a cleaner entry into the turns and handle the next turn without going too fast. The track is narrow so your opponents will have a hard time to o'take, unless your very slow. If you have an AutoPilot keep it for that section use it after passing the big billboard in the entry into the twisty tunnel. Don't be fooled FEISAR's a fantastic car!!

Give it a shot & Good Luck[/b][/color]

[phoenixx]

D'accord. The difference in speed between the fast and the slow ships is marginal in reality.

[Drakkenmensch]

And even as it comes into technical skills like turning, it's been my recent experience that the specific handling rating of a ship can be largely overcome by the skill of the pilot inside. I've been experimenting with the Piranha, and found that even in Rapier I can still outmaneuver the Feisar team and have it eat my dust.

It's the Way to Carnegie Hall, folks! Practice, practice, practice!

[Lance]

.
practice practice practice
now you're sounding like xEik's mantra. :)

-----------

[looks at Charlie's physics lecture] well done. that's exactly so!
.

[Drakkenmensch]

Practice has seriously paid off. I'm practicing CN in Venom right now, and I found the perfect timing to use the sideshift in the corkscrew turns to GAIN speed in each turn - essentially turning the track's greatest liability into an edge that allows me to catch up seriously on my opponents.

By now, even the autopilot has more trouble than me to handle those turns! Using the Piranha craft (who has the WORST handling stat of all teams) I'm able to compensate for hard turns easily with a well placed sideshift. The real key here is that once you start slipping in a turn using a bit of airbrakes, there is always a bit of a risk that you slip too much, and hit the outside wall as a result. By hitting the sideshift, you not only STOP slipping, but you also cut into the curve even SHARPER - effectively compensating for any handling deficiency in your craft.

I may yet become a Piranha man myself... stay tuned for further developments as the corporate heads of Team Piranha keep trying to seduce me with promises of speed, power, mountains of cash and pretty race bunnies in red and yellow bikinis :D

[Lance]

.
the only other game where i've seen sideshift is Killer Loop, from 1999. it makes all the difference in that game, and is pretty much required to get all the power-ups, many of which are high on track walls or, in some cases, the ceiling of tunnels. it's a complex skill, constantly using sideshift and normal steering together
.

[Drakkenmensch]

Which is why I rarely used it up to this point, beginning to explore it only as Flash posed a serious problem to succesfully navigate the final turn of Blue Ridge.

It's clear to me now that underestimating its sheer usefulness in handling turns was a huge error. It's quickly become a major part of my navigation strategy! It's the best way I found to avoid smashing into the outside wall of the sharp left turn right out of the Citta Nuova corkscrew, and gives me several extra virtual points on my craft's handling stat.

[Lance]

.
in earlier Wipeouts, we use counterbraking [applying the air brake on the inside of the turn] to keep the tail from smashing into the wall
.

[Drakkenmensch]

That strategy sounds interesting for handling XL and other WOs were there's no sideshift - can you describe me the sequence of buttons and controller used in a tight turn, so that I may apply it to my own game?

[Lance]

.
eep. i just read what i wrote earlier. tsk tsk. wrong. ahem... counterbraking is applying the airbrake on the OUTside of the turn. i don't know about other pilots, but i generally find it necessary when having to use the brake on the inside of a turn in order to get the ship over a speed-up pad that is just past a sharp corner and on the inside. to keep from continuing the momentum of the ship so that i smack that inside wall, i apply the outside brake either to stop the ship while it's still parallel to the racing line i want to follow and before it goes too far to the inside, or to turn back straight in those places where i have to turn too far toward the wall just to get to the speed-up pad. or where i just held onto the inside brake too long. ;)
.

[Hellfire_WZ]

Yeah, that's the technique I used to use in W3O and 2097. Turn slightly early and use the opposite brake to laterally pull the craft into the corner so you don't slam into the inside.

[Lion]

easier to pull off with the heavier craft... I do this with the qirex in 2097... never really thought about the technique of it though, just seemed the right way

[Drakkenmensch]

Thanks for tip guys, I'll keep it in mind!

[Drakkenmensch]

*Displays proudly his gold medal for the Flash Citta Nuova track, wearing his brand spanking new Piranha racing uniform and helmet, flanked by a pair of bouncy japanese race queens in Piranha logo bikinis*

[eLhabib]

well actually your bouncy race queens would be brasilian, which ain't bad either! (although I would heavily prefer japanese twins :wink: )

[Drakkenmensch]

The upper brass at Piranha read my psych profile and figured that heavily breasted japanese girls would be more effective in convincing me to put my name on the dotted line :D

[Space Cowboy]

Ah Brazillian girls..... ;) *Has fond thoughts of a Brazillian girl he knows*