Now that it's out, what do you think?

[Roz]

I'm totally pulsed. Been hyped for this game for months now. Played a total of 5 races, and I love it. The graphics are very nice, music is also, menu and overall feel of the game is even better than Pure.

SL made a fantastic job with magstrips. They are VERY subtle, but can be made felt easly. No fancy effects, just a magnetic aura to let you know you're in the field. Very nice.

The first race I had (in the race grid) I had to replay two times to win a Gold. I've set the difficult on Hard from the first race, so that I can experience it at it's fullest. Tried Racebox, for a Single Race on Phantom with Triakis. Haha, second lap and I'm out of the race, totally wasted. Triakis behaves a little diferent I think. Also, it seems when you crash into walls, the game is more forgiving and doesn't "BONK" you to it. Kinda like, I felt I slided more than bonked. Dunno if this is bad or good, or even true. After all, I just had 5 races, can't say much about the game, besides I love it ;D

So what are your thoughts guys?

[phl0w]

Well, I couldn't resist after all, of course! ^^
Having played for an hours now and cleared the first two grids. So I played around 20 races (4500+ loyalty with Piranha) and have a good impression of what Venom and Flash feel like. I don't know if it gets harder, but I won Gold in every race/ time trial/ zone/ speed lap on the first try (Hard A.I. of course).
The crafts feel steadier than in Pulse where they gave in to every bit of camber on the tracks, although they are a bit nervous on the straights, especially on Mag-Strips, which leads to a lot of unwanted wall-scraping that costs you loads of time, since you notice it too late, but I guess that's just a matter of getting used to. Ships acclerate much faster than in Pure, which is necessary since you come to a complete halt, when you get hit or scrape walls in an awkward angle. BRs need you to be more precise than in Pure which is very annoying.
Mag-Strips, while being a nice feature to realize upside down and corkscrew sections, obstruct your view way too much leaving you guessing what's up ahead.
Graphics are obviously very nice and slick, although I encountered slowdowns/ stuttering at certain points on various tracks, e.g. the right-left-right before the Mag section on Moa Therma.
Some other things: Is there a way to disable the unnecessary weapon warning signs?
Arc Prim has got to be one of WO's best tracks ever. I like the flow and combination of fast bends followed by narrow, technical ones and of course the awesome open section, and there's no Mag-Strips! Which leads me to metropia Black!

SPOILER!
The vertical drop is one of gaming's most thrilling experiences, especially on faster classes. The feeling I had when I first encountered the section, completely unaware (Metropia black is a complete different track than just a reverse version of white) is indescribable. I was completely stunned, breathless and I think my heart stood still for a moment there ;) . [/SPOILER]

I guess I just need to play a bit more and it will grow, but so far I like the overall presentation and feel of Pure more.
So much for my first (and second) impressions.

[qirex]

played nearly 4 hours now and I love it. A wipeout dream came true!!! :rock :clap
Ship loyalty points are great for long time (re)play value. only got 18000 yet with well guess what team... ;)
Mag strip is great for extreme-g like track design and better made than in wipeout fusion.
And Infrastructure and Online Stats are the best features of all. I love playing singleplayer knowing to compete with the whole world by uploading stats! 8)
New Zone Mode is also great!
And I love the voices (shipnames!). altough a little to much warnings in game. double and multikill (like unreal) announcer for eliminator would be great!!

Now for the bad things: bugs :|
there are some... just had an online match with totally displaced camera. after i let the track intro run trough. my cam sat in a very high position and I could not see my ship. only 1st person view worked. :(
also the hud sometimes doesn't show the laps and position in concave mode (singel and online) (also what's the difference between flat and standard?). the game froze 2 times for me now. one time by entering pause menu then photo mode just after the race ended. before the select for photo mode came up. the other time it was also cause by slow menu.(game states getting set to slow?)
oh and some of the weapon warnings stay much too long.
[/bug report end] :rolleyes:


also some outlining of the textures in the livery editor would be very use full (maybe with a button to turn on and of in 2d mode?)

small things but maybe if SL plan to patch it some day...

to conclude: Nice work best wipeout ever!!! :clap:clap:clap:clap
(but pitching was still better in 2097 http://ut2004.titaninternet.co.uk/forums/images/smilies/icon_old.gif)

cant wait for dl content (give us gare d'europa and Valparaiso)and announcement of a full feature ps3 ver. :hyper

/edit:
some others things that would be nice for online:
-interrupt the countdown after race (tourney) if everyone finished
-chat for the lobby with pre definable words you can scroll trough with L/R. right know its hard to tell if someone's sleeping or waiting for more players. ;)
-show ping in lobby
-zone & eliminator mode!?!

Oh and is input appreciated (i.e. patch planned) or should I stop ranting and enjoy the game? ;)

[Stew2000]

oooo, I can't wait to get it. :hyper
should arrive Friday, saturday or monday. (depending on how the post-ppl feel.) ;)

for the moment i'll just go and play AvP: Requim ;)

[KANDANG]

i like the sound effect when i hit a bomb ;) this time round.

dunno why the multiplayer tags didn't show up during online races for me.

would have also liked to see "who else" were in the channel I was on (online infrastructure)

overall, pulse will be in my umd drive for the next coupla months.

:hyper

bring on the d/l packs! YEAHHHH

[G'Kyl]

i like the sound effect when i hit a bomb ;) this time round.

Like it? I LOVE it! :) Have to seriously consider whether to run into bombs or not - the high pitched sound and the rest getting muffled is just awesome. Pulse is making you suicidal simply because there's so much fun in that. :)

Ben

[ZenDJiNN]

Yep, just got it, and have to say that it's FANTASTIC!! Online is just great, and although i still love Pure, this one's gonna be doing some work. Still can't get my head round the online skinning though... whoever designed that ought to be given a desk job, it's far too difficult. :)

[Dr. Angryman]

Well, I'm glad to hear that everyone loves it. Sadly, I've decided to wait for the release in the US. I've to many things going on to worry about importing it. :( I hope you guys are still interested in Pulse when I get it! ;)

[Neverdown]

Hey guys, I haven't got the game yet, but could somebody tell something about the loading times? For me, I own a PSP fat, so I hope that isn't a problem like with GTA VCS. Killzone's loading times aren't a problem.
And, could you guys tell me if the game is enjoyable for first time WipEouters from start? Is there a "training" mode or something, that explains the game mechanics and controls?

[phl0w]

I think the game is actually the easiest for first time WOers due to the new grid system. The first two grids consist mainly of events in the slowest Class (Venom) and feature a healthy amount of Single Races, Time Trials, Speed Laps and Zone. In the "old days" a new Wipeout usually meant this: Spend hours time trialing to get to know the tracks and physics to be able to compete in Single Races. Of course, once you did so, Single Racing became a piece of cake and you had no challenge but raced to unlock all the content there was, to- again- concentrate on Time Trialing.
The Grid system introduces you early to the game's different modes and in doing so, it offers a much greater variation not only to learn basic racing techniques, but also get to race against the A.I. in contrast to spending boring time alone on the tracks although you wanted to race other ships (but lacked the skill)!
There's also an in-game manual, and loading screens present basic techniques for the game, side-shifting, barrel rolling, airbrakes, et al.
Btw, do yourself a favour and leave the game's default control setting, i.e. Dual Airbrakes!
Hope that's the answers you wished for.

[Architect]

Since you ask, I will post my review of the game.

http://thepspnation.com/index.php?/weblog/more/review_wipeout_pulse/

I don't know how to hyperlink, so sorry.

[G'Kyl]

As a matter of fact, there's too much about Pulse to squeeze into a few lines, but after having played the game escessively I just love it! To me, it's the best WO ever, beating even my previous favorite 2097. The way the ships fly and feel (heavy and more direct than ever before), awesome Phantom speed, online play and the great track layouts are almost perfect! I think it says a lot when you start Race Campaign all over for a second time... More when discussions about the details get going. :)

Ben

[Dogg Thang]

Better than 2097? That's quite a claim indeed, G'Kyl. It's certainly a great game. So far, I'm loving it. The tracks are wonderful. I had a fear from the shots that they'd all feel the same because the trackside detail looked so similar. As it turned out, the trackside detail all does seem really similar and sometimes you only get glimpses of the differing locations but, while that could be taken as a negative, it actually really works for the game - gives it a really coherent feel.

The craft are great and look excellent. Love the new Goteki and EG.X in particular. Not a huge fan of the new Qirex as it looks really like the Puma 2 from Pure but all the others are lovely.

Handling is very Pure-like and works really well. I think the grid system is great. I don't think I like the mixing of speed classes within the same grid at all but mixing Eliminator with Single Races and Speed Laps etc really keeps it interesting.

I had some fears early on in terms of the Fusion elements that were being brought back. Colin (I think) assured us that they weren't going out to repeat Fusion and that hsn't happened in any shape or form. The mag-strips work brilliantly and are used at exactly the right spots. There's one that throws you into a drop that I adore (can't remember which one it is). And the White and Black courses, again I was nervous about, somehow feel more like new tracks than reversed tracks in other games. My fears were unwarranted.

And I'm having loads of fun with the skin editor. Overall - yep, Pulse rocks.

[G'Kyl]

Better than 2097? That's quite a claim indeed, G'Kyl.

Yes it is, I know. But for me Pulse captures that kind of excitement I had last felt with 2097. :)

Other than that: Agreed! I had the same reservations about the same issues, but those guys in Liverpool prove every doubt to have been wasted thinking time. ;-)

Ben

[benjahman]

I don't understand, this forum is a wipeout fans site and everybody so far says that this game rules??
Well, like I was afraid of, this game is designed for novice players (in order to increase the game sales I guess).
I tried it in a games store and I said WTF?? What an awful handling, so I didn't buy it. The physics are quite good but I don't play for physics, I play for feelings.
I'm very, very disapointed :-

[Riccardo Raccis]

Lurve it :robot

I think that the game is quite a deceiver. It does looks beginner-friendly... in the beginning. But the difficulty curve is rather steep, and I feel that overall the game is much more unforgiving than Pure. Take the pads, for example. Nice, big, shiny, also 3d and not just textured on the track. Cool, user-friendly... not. When you get to it you find out that you don't just need to touch a pad to get the bonus, or to run over half of it (like in Pure). Most often now you really have to bullseye your ship to the middle of the pad to get the speed boost/gizmo.

All this is good. I also like the way speed boosts (all of them: speed pads, turbos and barrell rolls) now give you more acceleration but for a shorter time. And the way the ships clang and bump. It all feels... more real than Pure, and much more dangerous.

The loyalty points are a most cool idea, though they're killing me, cause I'm currently gaining them for EG.X, while I NEED to get them for my Icaras.

You all know what I mean.

Oh! The colors and graphics: excellent, also adding to the feeling of realism and danger. Now you really are afraid to hit a bomb... though the sound effect is genius.

I think I fell in love with this game the moment I got a turbo with an EG.X, went for an accelerated jump, soared through the skies, landed right on top of a Triakis, bumped and sparkled, landed on the track, continued racing.

:clap:rock

[Rapier Racer]

Well, like I was afraid of, this game is designed for novice players (in order to increase the game sales I guess)

Yeah, you know when you set it to Venom and Easy? You get Venom and easy.

[Colin Berry]

Well, like I was afraid of, this game is designed for novice players (in order to increase the game sales I guess).

The game was designed to attract new players as well as to cater for expert Wipeout fans it was not designed for novice players, trust me :)

Hence the 3 difficulty settings and the progressive difficulty curve across the grids.

Easy is Easy, Hard is hard



Phantom Hard is HARD

[benjahman]

The game was designed to attract new players as well as to cater for expert Wipeout fans it was not designed for novice players, trust me :)

Hence the 3 difficulty settings and the progressive difficulty curve across the grids.

Easy is Easy, Hard is hard



Phantom Hard is HARD

Colin, do you mean that you can set the handling of Pulse ? Cause if so, I apologize, I didn't notice it. You know, don't get me wrong, when I say that I'm disapointed by this game, I speak about "handling", I think that the work you've done on physics and track design is really impressive, but the handling impressions I feel is closer than car racing game than an AG racing game.
Sorry about my poor english, I hope that you understood what I mean.

[Rapier Racer]

So now I have Pulse :hyper Loving it so far looks so good ship feels good, the only thing I don't like is the new grid system, which is forcing me to do boring time trials in order to unlock stuff.

[Colin Berry]

Ah I see, no you cant tune the handling, I was referrring to the AI difficulty setting that we put in to cater for expert players and novices. The handling model is tweaked from Pure, there is a range across the 8 ships. With Feisar and Piranha being the extremes, hopefully with enough variety for people to find one they enjoy

[yayamaya]

Totally glorious. The best so far. Even though you can't connect your NegCon. :(

[ZenDJiNN]

Ah I see, no you cant tune the handling, I was referrring to the AI difficulty setting that we put in to cater for expert players and novices.

I only bought my PSP for Pure (& eventually Pulse which i'e just got) and i'm really happy about the difference, especially with the settings for AI. I'm not a great Pilot (yet) so generally start on "Easy" then move on from there..... makes the whole experience a lot more fun and gets me used to a particular track in a "Race Environment" without getting too frustrated at my lack of racing skills. :)


With Feisar and Piranha being the extremes, hopefully with enough variety for people to find one they enjoy

Apart from Icaras (which is my favourite ship of them all - with the exception of the Goteki) does this mean that one of them is "noob friendly" & the other one "Not so"? Personally i find Piranha a lump of a ship to use, whereas Feisar is pretty slick, but neither compare to Icaras.

[0L4F]

Hey Colin, I want to say a big, resounding "THANKS!" to you and the others on your team. As a 10+ year wipEout veteran (played all the SONY games) I feel that, after playing Pulse for about 3 hrs, I think you got everything JUST RIGHT with PULSE.
I can feel that this game was created with the a love for wipEout that you and us, here on this board, all share.
I LOVE the feel of the control of the ships, the graphics (in-game and interface), the sound-design (turn off the music for a while and you won't believe the detail in what you hear), the grid system, the track-design, it all comes together in a brilliant way.
PULSE is everything I had hoped for since the moment I heard you guys were working on another installment. And then some.
And then some more.
I feel that PULSE will eventually even outshine 2097, which I thought was the perfect videogame for ten years, and I think that's a major, MAJOR achievement.

Again: THANK YOU, all on the dev team!

0L4F
Tha Hague, The Netherlands

[Dogg Thang]

One thing I really have to commend everyone on the Pulse team on is just how much more there is here than just a game. The online support is excellent -

Online racing against people anywhere.
Easy uploading of stats and rankings.
The fantastic skin editing - my favourite feature so far.

And it's all managable through both the PSP and PC. This is on top of all the modes and, unlike many games, it seems like a huge amount of work has gone into each mode. I was quite surprised by how customised Eliminator mode is to get it working as well as possible. I'm really impressed with it all.

And download packs on the way. Wow.

[infoxicated]

I've just completed the first grid and it's tops!

It was tough going avoiding playing the game this past year or so, but having the self discipline to keep my hands off has really paid off. :D

I think 3SE has just lost its place as my favourite WipEout. :+

[Wolverine]

Animation for quake rocks :rock :rock :rock

request/suggestion to the designers of the game:

with online play so popular it would be nice for you to have included ship construction mode, so everyone could construct their own ship and race with it.
for example , it might look something like this:
1. you choose hull type (single like in Feisar or Pirhana od double like Assegai, Auricom, etc.)
2. you add details to basic hull ( shape of hull , shape of pilots cabin, shape of ships nose , location of airbrakes ,etc.)
3. you choose engine options ( speed , power , colour of exhaust)
4. than you slap some colour on the ship, and race

every choice you make in making your ship then reflects in ships stats

hopefully you can implement something like this, if not as an add-on for Pulse, than in PS3 version of Wipeout

[Egg]

Doesn't sound likely. It takes months of testing to balance all the ship stats, as it is.

[max damage]

best wipeout eva.
the infrastructure mode is damn useful.

[Lion]

I'm up to grid 5 now I think, I notice that on one track I am 1 100th of a second faster than rob ;)
eliminator is so chaotic it's awesome :D

the only thing I've found that I don't like so far is the countdown at the end of a multiplayer race... waaaaay too long. but if that's the worst I can say? it's awesome

oh, I found a bug though. I have only raced qirex, but if I go to wipeout-game.com, then to Rankings>Ranked then it shows my ship as Harimau. I noticed that this seems to apply to all qirex pilots (particularly noticable for the guy called "qirex" :p)
I don't know if there's a bug submission channel I should use, so here you go

heh, as I type this I am 4 rank positions above zargz :)

[Wolverine]

Doesn't sound likely. It takes months of testing to balance all the ship stats, as it is.

Well. You have to have balanced ships for original Wipeout teams, thats fine.
But it's not your problem if someone get's carried away making custom ship, it will be his problem if the ship he made wouldn't be competitive.

The way I see it stats for custom ship would be made like this:
Every part you put on your ship would have positive and negative stats (weight, power consumption, wind resistance for hull parts, and so on). When all the parts you want on your ship, are put on it all positive and negative stats would be added and you would get values that would be converted in 4 major stats in values from 1 to 10 like the ones for original Wipeout team ships.

Off course there would be safeguards set so someone doesn't make an ubership

[Fascia]

While your idea would work in other games, it's just not WipEout, statistic modifications would ruin the entire balance. If you're talking about purely asthetic modifications, then the skin editor is more than enough, you should be happy :P, I know I am.

[phl0w]

But it's not your problem if someone get's carried away making custom ship

As I understand it, stats from ships only "describe" a ship's handling, but they don't entirely set their handling. All ships have many, many parameters that constitute how a ship behaves and reacts to the game's engine. It'd be impossible for one to just distribute a number of 4 figures between 1 and 10. That's why two ships with the same stats don't behave alike either.

Progress update: Playtime ~4hrs, cleared the first 8 grids. Great game, not the best WO though.

[Frances_Penfold]

Just chiming in with my $0.02 about custom ships. As awesome as that would be, I think it's REALLY important for ship options to be balanced-- otherwise, everybody ends up racing with the same craft (see: Triakus in WO Pure).

[Neverdown]

If you look at the Top-20 you see this teams: AG systems, Piranha, Assegai, Qirex, Triakis and Feisar. That means that 2 teams aren't in the top-20: Goteki 45 and Eg-X. Keep in mind that the game has just been launched and nobody really knows yet.

[Rapier Racer]

everybody ends up racing with the same craft (see: Triakus in WO Pure).

While thats partly true its also not, if you played on Kai you'd have seen that Triakis was seldom used. It's only a supership in certain hands

I'm just moving on to grid 6 myself, my medal box is full of gold only, is yours? :D

[Fascia]

I'm just moving on to grid 6 myself, my medal box is full of gold only, is yours? :D

I'm working my way through Phantom-4, all gold so far, and my thumbs are numb.

So far I'm really enjoying the new format, it feels like I'm working towards something, rather than just doing it for the sake of doing it, as in pure.

[Rapier Racer]

I just need to add, that shortcut on de Konstruct black is great!

[Hellfire_WZ]

Absolutely loving it so far, jumped straight in on Hard AI and have already cleared the first three grids all gold. Good to see my Triakis can still kick some arse ;)

[Chrono]

Don't get too confident. I was cleaning through everything on hard, but the difficulty does seem to increase to higher number the grid, and not just the speed classes. I'm still beating things on hard, but some of the time trials are pretty tough around grid 9 area. I dunno if anyone else noticed the difficulty change around grid 7 or so

[Lion]

I've recently discovered that I am a lot more crap at wipeout games than I thought i was, so I've been going through on medium.
There's a jump in AI difficulty when you get to grid 5. I now generally don't find the lead till part way through my last lap. Was usually first or second lap in the earlier grids
having just started on Grid 6 I think there might be another jump, I didn't even complete my first lap on Fort Gale, wore 2 plasmas in short succession and exploded on my first lap :(

another tiny nitpick..
3 > 2 > 1 - all have even spacing/timing
1 > Go - a longer gap. throws me off quite often, causing missed turbo starts

[phl0w]

It's not that the A.I. gets so much better, they still suck at grid 7 (I'm on 11 now), but what at first appeared like a walk in the park compared to former WO games, i.e. the tracks, gets a fierce roller coaster ride from rapier on, especially some of the Black variations. Still, I do hope the Phantom grid is harder, up until now to grid 10 and 11 the game provides no challenge at all. Outpost 7 seemed like a Silverstream-like plague at first, but is nowhere near that, hopefully we can have some interesting WOZ challenges started soon :hyper
But for that we need more people to have the game.

Btw: Does anybody know what I have to do, to set my W-Lan up, so I don't get an DNS error, when I try to connect to it with my PSP. The PSP connects, but when it's obtaining an IP address I get an 804xxxxx DNS error.

[Lion]

sounds like you need to enable the DNS server in the accesspoint, either that or the accesspoint itself has incorrect DNS server info.
it can't issue correct DNS info if it isn't getting it itself :P

[G'Kyl]

3 > 2 > 1 - all have even spacing/timing
1 > Go - a longer gap. throws me off quite often, causing missed turbo starts

Try Red Bull - you need to improve your reaction time. ;) Seriously, though, as far as I've seen, most pilots rarely miss their turbo start. You just need to hit the pedal as soon as she says "Go!".

Ben

[zargz]

yeh, and i think that's the general idea (with the pause betwee 123 and go).
hopefully there's a random interval there that varies so nobody gets to 'learn' it.
just as in real life racing! 8)

[swift killer]

The robotic voice that describes the tracks reminds me of Transformers!

[Hellfire_WZ]

It actually reminds me of CABAL from C&C Tiberian Sun :)

[Roz]

The voice reminds me of the Protoss, in Starcraft.

Anyway, now that I've some hours on the game and on-line, I still love it. On-line is GREAT, except a few bugs, which I hope will be corrected (if possible). Lots of fun with WZ people here. Track design is awesome and soundtrack is much more solid than Pure's. My favorite Wipeout after 2097.

[G'Kyl]

hopefully there's a random interval there

There is, I think. I actually missed some turbo starts when I wasn't expecting the Go! as early as it came...

[Fascia]

I don't believe it's that the AI's getting harder, but rather that the tracks are getting increasingly technical, and thus are considerably harder.

After playing through almost the entire campagn I can safely say that SL had absolutely no concerns for my mental health when they thought up Outpost 7, I was close to pulling out my hair. Platinum Rush, however, is a perfect balance of technical and speed, easly the best track in the game, if not the entire series. The intimate thin tracks make overtaking a real problem, while the long sweeping curves leave you more open to weapons fire. It's a perfect track.

[phl0w]

I, too, think Platinum Rush is a well designed track. Outpost 7 is a force to be reckoned with, especially Rapier and Phantom. First WO track in years that needs me and my Piranha to actually release the acclerator :evil
Having unlocked all 24 tracks for Racebox now, I find many of them generic and lacking much of the character and atmosphere that made former WO tracks unique. Arc Prime, Platinum Rush, Metropia and Outpost 7, however, are nothing short of ingenial.

[Roz]

I wanted to talk about a few things that I think are very cool on Pulse.

1- Weapons. It seems to me that Missiles had their speed reduced from Pure. Don't know if this is good or bad, what I do know, is that their sound when trailing for a prey is awesome. Fear strikes me when I her that little "phiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiii" and then zang! Missile'D!
Same goes for Rockets, except the sounds. It seems that their speed has also been reduced and that they are affected by gravity, like three cannon balls being fired. I actually like this, because it gives them a little more "personality" while being deadly at the sime time.
I feared that the Cannon would be another food item, but I was wrong. This time around, I feel that the weapon is extremly useful in lots of situations. Fortunately the PSP has no stupid pressure buttons (i think) so when one fires the Cannon, it fires at full speed, in contrast with Fusion, where we needed to press hard on the button to fire it full speed. Anyway, I love it now, and the effects when it hits the walls, barriers and ships is very cool.
The Plasma is deadly as ever, Quake also, although I prefer Pure's animation instead of this one. Mines are same old, and the Bomb also. Like many people, I absolutely LOVE the new bomb sound effect. It's scary and it's kickass. Getting deaf (except for music) for a second is a genius touch and adds alot to the game in my opinion.
Autopilot and Shield are same, although I like more this shield effect than Pure's. Turbo is different as you know. More speed for less time it seems, and I like it that way. Now I can Turbo freely between turns without fear (sort of..).
Leach Beam is DEADLY! Not only does it do very decent damage, it absorbs it to the user and it even derails the target ship! It's a very, very potent weapon in my opinion, capable of massive damage, shield-wise, and race-wise. It also has a crazy range and it locks on!
Shuriken is a little bit random, as it doesn't go out of the tip of the ship. Instead, it seems it chooses it's patch randomly, before going pinball on the walls. It's a nice weapon, although I have no ideia if it has good damage. I guess it's quite lethal in closed packs of ships.
And for last, the Repulsor! I must say, I love the effect on this one. Instant shockwave of pulsing death? Where do I sign?

Thats it, as far as weapons go. I think the arsenal has a very nice balance and SL are to be congratulated for the new sound effects. They add alot to the game!

As for the AI, I think significant improvements have been made this time around. Now the crafts act like a wild pack of buffalos running from the Lions. They are crazy, they ram into us, they behave much more naturally and less "predefined" path AI. Sometimes they even make me laugh with such slaughter and ludicrous racing. They're also much more harder than they were in Pulse (in part, because they're so unpredictable now). While still not hard enough to be frustrating and trully challenging, I think SL made a very good job with the AI. I run constantly on Hard, and they made me restart some races a few times. Of course, experts will complain that they still aren't challenging enough, but I disagree. They're tougher as ever and provide a decent challenge for the majority of the people. Experts are experts, and I think it would be difficult for SL to implement even more AI into the game. But that's what On-line is there for. Human vs. Human will always be more fun than Human vs. AI.

As for the tracks themselves, although I still haven't unlocked them all, I have raced them all (on-line). Some tracks are amazing, other are pure insanity. Anywhoo, I think track design and feel was improved from Pure, as all tracks this time around, have this unique feeling (for me at least). The magstrips also help on giving crazy sections to the tracks, enhancing that unique feeling they have. About the magstrips themselves, I won't say much about it, except, goddamn SL, kickass job implementing them. It's FUN!

[G'Kyl]

Roz, I agree with you on that the AI became a lot harder, but I don't think it's really "there" yet. Let's face it, however challenging it is in Pulse and for that matter: how refreshing the feel to racing it is, it's still, at its core, hardly more than the shooting barrier it is in any other WO game.

phl0w: Yep, I too find Platinum Rush an extremely well designed track! Even though I HATE its Black version as it gets so much more difficult when flying the other direction. I've done so much racing on PR Black - and I still can't master many of its chicances. :)

But: You didn't lift the gas on Citta Nuova?! ;-)

Ben

EDIT: One more remark in regard to weapons... Is it just ME or don't you guys think Repulsor and Shuriken are basically little more than a tweaked Quake and a Missle without lock-on?

[phl0w]

But: You didn't lift the gas on Citta Nuova?! ;-)
As a matter of fact, nope, a hard pressed right airbrake and a well timed side shift always did the job ^^

Well, I think the Shuriken pierces ships, which makes it much better than the missile and Repulsor is THE best weapon, it usually gives me 3 kills or more.

[Rapier Racer]

Autopilot and Shield are same

I don't think thats the case, in Pure if a quake hit you when you had a shield up you still heard the smack and took a little damage but maintained speed and full control. Going along on Pulse I heard a quake coming and activated the shield I was holding paying particular attention to the energy bar to see what would happen, I didn't notice any energy loss or hear an impact sound so maybe the shield is back to its old self giving the user temporary invincibility. Now Pures shield also allowed a little damage if you got hit with a plasma while using it as such I've not been in this situation so not sure about that one for Pulse.

[G'Kyl]

As a matter of fact, nope, a hard pressed right airbrake and a well timed side shift always did the job ^^

Ah, OK, I just remembered I stopped playing CN before getting to use the double tap. I just couldn't be bothered with it for a long time since you could (more or less easily) finish Pure without. :)

[KANDANG]

for me , platinum rush black is the hardest map. :?

at first I thought outpost 7 was tough, probably because of the U-turns but, just do what you previously did @ Citta Nuova (pure) and you'll be able to breeze past them.

[Lion]

I like that absorbing weapons in eliminator doesn't heal you, but gives you the shield momentarily
the new autopilot isn't nearly as retarded as the pure one. though it's also not capable of reality defying manouvres like the 2097 AP, a good compromise and I think it's also a shorter duration than any past AP
I'm pretty sure the new plasma is more powerful, and it's wicked that the AI uses all weapons now :) and intelligently!

[vdoo]

I don't like the grid : like other games (burnout comes to mind) it forces you to play modes you don't like to advance. For example I don't like very much zone yet I've to play it. It's really a minor "flaw", and since the majority seems to like it, I guess it's only me.

Beside that, I think it's amazing. I've not seen all the track at the moment but Arc Prime White it's my new favorite for now. I hope to find a new citta nuova (I love/hate that track) though.

Thanks a lot for such a nice game.
Hope WOHD turns out to be even better.

[phl0w]

I'm not that fond of the grid either, feels like grinding to me, especially as you don't have to complete one to advance to the next, and since there seems nothing to be gained from completing them I don't. I do get the concept though and it may feel a bit more newbie-friendly. In terms of advancing through the game the grid is completely irrelevant though. Also, what are the custom grids for? Who would create an own tournament? WO's most played modes are TT and SR, I just don't see the benefit in creating own grids when a simple mode+track selection as it's always been does the job (better?)

[G'Kyl]

Then again, I'm pretty sure you could get through all the grids without doing even one Zone race. :) You don't need all gold to unlock further grids, mind you.

[Dogg Thang]

Am I the only person who gets quite a bit of screen tearing?

[vdoo]

I've noticed the tearing too, but only on the first few races ... I guess now I'm used to it and dond't see it anymore.

G'kyl I know I don't have too but I don't like to leave something unfinished :(
But like phl0w is saying, since it seems there is no rewards whatsoever for completing all the grids, I'll just go and unlock them to get the tracks and phantom without actually completing them

[G'Kyl]

You're right of course, there is no reward as such. But then, there never has been (OK, there has been a hidden track and a hidden ship...), so Pulse didn't get that part worse than any previous incarnation - only it's a good bit more entertaining on the way. :)

Ben

[phl0w]

Am I the only person who gets quite a bit of screen tearing?
There's heavy stuttering and tearing on Venom and Flash, but Rapier and Phantom run fine most of the time. The game does have problems with Single Races and Eliminator though, especially when there are 3(!) Quakes being announced in your back, a Shuriken fyling about and you're driving into the middle of two Repulsors :dizzy
The game, however, is not the smooth ride that so many reviews mentioned. Another prove that they haven't played the game up to the Phantom grid (maybe they just played Phantom in Racebox and concetrated on TimeTrial, SpeedLap or Zone, where the game does run super smooth!). Only one (I think it was Joystiq's hands-on) so far had the guts to point out the tearing and heavy framerate problems when things get busy.


I'll just go and unlock them to get the tracks
Exactly! Getting all Golds can be done later when I have nothing better to do. For now, though, I want all the tracks on all classes.

[tapioca]

i think the grid system really enhances the learning curve. In previous Wipeouts, the player was quite left on his own. I've never been a great racer before, just because i wasn't fond of time trials (to me the race and items really add much to the overall enjoyment).
The new modes included in the grid help you master your skills in a natural way as the difficulty rises up. For the common racers, i found the new Speed Lap (for example) much more rewarding than Time Trial because it allows making mistakes… It's an important step to feel the tracks and then appreciate perfecting your racing line.
In Pure, although i unlocked all gold in single races, i hardly have more than 20 medals in TT…

With Pulse i enjoy it so much that i'm now spending time breaking my own records on Platinum Rush in Phantom mode. And regarding the (actual) tables, i'm doing quite well. I never thought this would happen…

[Lion]

now that rapier events are starting to show up in my grids I am using zone as a way to adjust my reactions to ease that transition
do a zone just before a class that's quicker than the other events you've just done and it makes it much easier to keep on the track

[Dogg Thang]

Gah! Why must Wipeout be a warzone?! I spoke too soon about the competitors in Pulse not being as crazy as Citta Nouva Pure pilots. In the higher classes, in both Platinum Rush and Outpost 7, it's like being on the front line in WW1 (I wasn't actually there). Bloody hell. Quake, plasma, quake again, boom. Mines, bombs, wall, boom. I didn't even set off the bomb! Someone else did! Bloody hell - it's not fun if I can't do anything about it!

Sorry, just needed to get that out of my system. I was never a fan of the crazy combat in the later WO games. I saw more eliminations in the last 15 minutes than I saw in all my years playing the first three WO games - and that's a lot of years.

[Amaru]

I've become addicted to the Eliminator mode. I usually set it up to Flash, Hard, 25 kills and battle out to some happy j-core. X3 I never thought I'd hear "Quake" announced five times in a row within less than 3 seconds untill yesterday. XD That mode is a killer and it is really a shame that it isn't available in Infrastructure (although I could imagine the servers having difficulties synchronizing the heavy warefare between all the PSPs :P). :3

[phl0w]

although I could imagine the servers having difficulties synchronizing the heavy warefare between all the PSPs
That and WPs stay active, so it's easy to camp them.

[benjahman]

Vous n'êtes qu'une bande de faux Q mes amis, dire que ce jeu est un chef d'Å“uvre est une insulte Ã* l'essence même de la série. Je me barre de ce forum d'amateurs, vous pouvez d'ailleurs me bannir de ce site, je n'ai plus rien Ã* faire ici, et pour l'anglais, on repassera...:pirate

[rageagainstgeorge]

Translated via Babelfish:

"You are only one band of false Q my friends, statement that this play is a chief of?uvre is an insult with the gasoline even of the series. I bar myself of this forum of amateurs, you can banish me besides of this site, I do not have anything any more to make here, and for English, one will pass by again..."

What?

If you don't like the game, you don't like the game. I'm not as fond of Pulse as i'd hoped to be but you don't have to play it you know.

[Roz]

Vous n'êtes qu'une bande de faux Q mes amis, dire que ce jeu est un chef d'œuvre est une insulte Ã* l'essence même de la série. Je me barre de ce forum d'amateurs, vous pouvez d'ailleurs me bannir de ce site, je n'ai plus rien Ã* faire ici, et pour l'anglais, on repassera...:pirate

What do you dislike about the game?

[benjahman]

What do you dislike about the game?

Roz, sorry about my radical feelings and my foreign language but when the passion speaks, it's always rough you know.

Well, the thing I dislike in this game (and for me the obvious point) is the handling, the thing is that everything else is wonderful!! (the physics, tracks design, special effects, ...) but for me, the main thing that makes WipEout a WipEout is the piloting skills, with this new version of Pulse, it's unreal, the way you manage turns especialy, you can't say that the ships float in the air, they are literally glued on the track (on magstrip I would understand but not on regular sections).

But however, the point that makes me sick is that everyone here says that there's no problem with this game, and, as a WipEout fan, I have to protest!! WO1, WO 2097 and WO Pure were great!! WO Pulse sucks, sorry about that but it's a fact.

P.S. Hope that you'll figure out why I'm so vindicative rageagainstgeorge, no offense man...

[Roz]

Well, to each it's own. I do however have to disagree heavily about the handling. If you want a messed up Wipeout in regards to handling, then look at Fusion. Pulse is different from Pure that's for sure, but it sure ain't worse.
I have to ask, have you even played on Phantom? Played Platinum Rush? Fort Gale? Outpost 7? Vertica? Those are some crazy and wonderful tracks on Phantom, that require LOTS of skill to master. Seriously, I'm anxious to see someone master Outpost 7 Phantom. The handling is great, just like in every other WipEout.
About the ships being glued to the track, I have to disagree again. While the old-skool WO's were in fact much floatier and air happy, you still have it in Pulse. Tech de Ra White comes to mind, Amphiseum White and Black, Metropia White and so on. I won't say it's a floaty game, maybe it's not as floaty as previous titles, but I'll be damned if that's gonna make me hate the game and not play it.

[benjahman]

Well, that's your resentment roz, I have mine. Just one thing, try phantom class on 2097 with pirhana, the handling is perfectly set for this category, just check out asayyeah champion videos on youtube and you'll see what I mean...

[Roz]

I know how that is, I tried. I come from the 2097 era, so yeah, I have had my classic WO share. But by that same logic, Pure also sucks, since it feels NOTHING like 2097. But you seem to like Pure, so that argument isn't valid. Unless you actually feel that Pure handles like a Classic WO.
If so, I rest my case.

[benjahman]

But by that same logic, Pure also sucks, since it feels NOTHING like 2097. But you seem to like Pure, so that argument isn't valid.
Agree with you, Pure feels nothing than 2097 buddy!!:beer

[Roz]

OK, great, we have reached an understanding. So, if you say you dislike Pulse because it feels nothing like classic WipEout (1, 2097, 3) and then proceed to say that you like Pure but that it also doesn't feel like 1, 2097 and 3, makes me wonder that there's something weird about all this. You have the right to detest Pulse, but liking Pure and not liking Pulse because of the way they feel (totally NOT classic WO), isn't much coherent if you ask me.

Anyway, I'll stop this now, you're entitled to your opinion. Just don't try and make it as a fact and call us amateurs because we like Pulse.

Cheers mate :beer

[benjahman]

I wish I was a psychologist to understand what you meant but however, I keep my feelings about Pulse, take care my friend:dizzy

[G'Kyl]

Just throwing in another two cent, no more...
What I like about Pulse and what's new to the series is that ships actually feel like heavy machinery floating over the ground. Which is especially encouraging when you hit a bumb right before a corner, airbrake too late and because of that crash sideways straight into the far wall. It's that "new kind of floaty" and what track designers made of it that I like so much about Pulse.

[Dominator]

Have just picked up my copy of Pulse and really love it . . . though AI craft a bit aggresive in hard mode (kinda like Fusion) but still really cool.
I find that the AI are somewhat harder to catch up to when they have a ten second or so lead, much more realistic than Pure where it was so easy to catch and pass the AI craft within half a lap.

Pulse like all the previous wipEout's (except Fusion) is a great game and a credit to SL, of course the ship handling doesn't feel like previous incarnations of the franchise, why should it?? WO2097 felt different compared to the original and we all loved them both, wipEout3SE . . . again somewhat different, it's called evolution people and I welcome the new and small handling tweaks made in Pulse.

Looking forward to the downloads :g

[cybrpnk]

Only recently got Pulse...work commitments always got in the way of me buying the game...:(

Anyway...just wanted to stop by in-between sessions of the game and say a huge thank you and give all of you at SL a huge pat on the back...WipEout Pulse is wicked!!! There I said it...it's great to see that you guys know exactly what you're doing with the series and know where you want to take it...and that vision matches our (the fans) visions of he future of anti-gravity racing...

Music rocks, gameplay rocks, graphics rocks, presentation rocks...!!! Great to see you do not need the good ol Designers Republic to carry on that same sense of minimalistic 'future cool' style that the series has always been known for. Congrats to the graphic design team for pulling it off with unmatched flair. This game just oozes style and is just so damn solid from the get go...everything comes together into a game that makes me proud to be a PSP owner...

I can't wait for the PS3 outting, like I'm seriously having withdrawals in anticipation of a big screened WipEout once again that I can crank through the surround sound and melt away in front of the screen, in a sea of psychedelic brain bending speed...

once again...congrats on a job well done...Pulse IS the future of WipEout...

[Hail Seizure]

What I like about Pulse and what's new to the series is that ships actually feel like heavy machinery floating over the ground. Which is especially encouraging when you hit a bumb right before a corner, airbrake too late and because of that crash sideways straight into the far wall.

That's actually a pretty good description of the handling in WO1 :D

[G'Kyl]

Hehe, probably so, yes. But in Pulse you get that feeling even though controls are more tight than in WipEout - if you do the math then Pulse craft carry more weight. ;) I really think WO ships simply reacted less instantly to airbrake maneuvers - which makes them appear heavier than they really are. In mid-air they float like anything. :)

Ben

[phl0w]

Exactly. Airbraking in Pulse is much more responsive and almost instantaneous. I tend to crash into the inner wall when approaching bends, used to brake early and sharp from Pure and WO3. Pulse's Airbrakes want you to break early but not so hard, a quick tap followed by a side shift or two and you're perfectly in line for the following straight or bend. You airbrake too hard and either crash into the inner wall or have to apply heavy corrections after the bend to keep a straight line (hardly possible on Phantom). Dependent on the ship you use obviously.
Speaking of which: Has anybody managed to clear the two chicanes on Outpost 7 with a Piranha on Phantom without releasing the accelerator? I don't think it's possible, which would explain why there's boost pads everywhere.

Although a common technique in Pure too, I like the improved feel of inertia when side-shifting and pressing the opposing airbrake to slide through left-rights. The ship presses so hard outwards that tapping the airbrake tilts it towards the outer wall, while struggling to turn the other way and clear the bend. It really feels like forcing your ships against all laws of gravitation to behave the way YOU want it to, not Sir Isaac newton ^^ (see last chicane on Tech de Ra White and the right-left-right before the tunnel on Outpost7 Black on Phantom). Awesome

[IDN101]

Had the game just over a week now: BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!

It is easily the best game on the PSP to date.

Graphics, gameplay, music, presentations, content: All cannot be praised enough. Head to Head via Ad Hoc is as addictive as it gets. Haven't managed to play online yet- but I'm REALLY looking forward to it.

MANY, MANY thanks to everyone at SL who has contributed to give us this game.

Ian

[Roz]

Indeed phl0w.

Yesterday I was getting my last medal on Pure (Phantom Descent) and I was shocked on how the side shift is much more subtle. No wonder I keep running into walls in Pulse. The side shift is so much strong and really pulls the ship into that direction, which in turn, introduces me to all the walls. The fact that when the ship glides through them and refuses to get out (you know what I mean about this surely) doesn't help.
I'll just have to get used to it :]

[zargz]

what do I think?

this is the wipEout to end ALL wipEouts!!!

all we need now is a couple of tracks every two months and a ship every four! :D

Nice one SL! :clap:clap:clap

[Lance]

Well, I wouldn't want to END all Wipeouts, but if you mean that you like this one the best one so far, okay. :D

[zargz]

Lace, if you try this game, especially the infra mode, you might agree with me. 8)

ofcource nothing is perfect so there are a a few things that I don't agree with, which i will list in anopther topic whenever that happens,
but they are just a minor issues and as they say you can't please everyone.

in genreral from design till handling Pulse Rocks Big Time! :+

as a matter of fact I'm thinking of buying a psp slim, that has a tv out,
only so I can record all the fun we are having online!!
still thinking it over though coz short of cash :?
when/if I do you'll be among the first to see them clips!
8)

[SausageOfDoom]

for me , platinum rush black is the hardest map. :?

at first I thought outpost 7 was tough, probably because of the U-turns but, just do what you previously did @ Citta Nuova (pure) and you'll be able to breeze past them.

Hehe, well, if it's any consolation, I found working on the track quite tricky too. I am the artist who worked on Platinum Rush (originally I named it "The Greenland"). That track took some effort to find it's feet, but it worked out okay in the end, methinks. I've still not managed to see the final version of the track in the released game. I don't even own a psp and a copy of the game, so I guess I should rectify that!

Anyway, it's nice to see so much enthusiasm for the game. It was fun to work on and seeing it go down well with the people who bought it, makes it all worthwhile. It is one of the most polished games I've worked on and I'm happy about that.

[Hyper Shadow]

I'm loving this game 100% especially the Online racing as it certainly shows a different side to racing instead of beating the AI constantly.

This WipEout is close to W3O in my favorite list, and hopefully I'll be playing the best of you guys at Phantom class racing in the not too near future.

[Asayyeah]

I finished it few days ago in hard mode spending roughly 16 hours into the grids, i also had the chance to test online infrastructure on 2 intense nights, and few other nights spent ad hoc mode at 4 in the same room or through kai. Being full of job i can tell you i haven't slept much those past 10 days...
Anyway, time for me to answer to this thread since i ve got a 1st global view of the game.

one thing before tho, Benjahman : the babel fish thingy didn't translated well what you were saying, fortunately..., be sure your wish may be come true about banishment.

I can picture now how much time it has been needed to do a real fantastic game on a portable console. Pure was a great 1st step, now we are acheiving a new dimension with Pulse cause imo what is absolutely brillant is online through infrastructure, that adds a universal challenge to everyone and let people easy to connect rather than Kai underground selective structure ( but ermm that is my nemesis paradox : easy for everyone and bloody hard for me :|)

Speed feeling, handling, useful pitch nose of the ships, airbrakes working better than pure, grids with such various events, 3 different AI mode, absolutely kick-ass zone mode, thrust better than pure when you ve been hit by a weapon, awesome graphics ( how can they do that into a small console that is fusion quality and even better on hd screen!!), stunning tracks ( tech de ra , outpost, platinum, metropia, vertica ), incredible sounds for each weapon, mini gun rocks in multiplayer (so funny moments spent with Borell), powerful turbo, phantom class is 20% faster than pure's one, customizable liveries : simply a genius idea.
those are my good points on Pulse.

I hope 2 things for future , one in a short range time : SL needs to fix those fake scores created by recording buggy racetime into our profile when our ships get destroyed into SR or tournament grids.

2nd is for the next wipeouts : stay with bronze, silver and gold to unlock 100% of the grids or campaign, but make a platinum or a wipeoutzone medal for die hard pilots. I am sure that few of us from the zone can contribuate to this by spotting technically good scores ;)

[Flashback Jack]

Suppose I'll add my input.

I too have virtually no complaints about Pulse. Well, I have one minor nitpick about it, and that has already been mentioned earlier in this thread -- the laptimes earned in Time Trial and Speed Lap should be combined on the leaderboards.

Other than this, everything else is simply brilliant and I absolutely love the increased responsiveness of the controls. My baby AG-SYS goes where I want it, when I want it to. The dystopic theme -- the darkness, the rain and the clinical insanity of close-quarters racing [to my banging techno tracks streaming off my memory stick] says a rather attractive hey baby to me. And I wholeheartedly submit.

Studio Liverpool, the magstrips are brilliant. Can you say Minority Report? This game reminds me of a Phillip K. Dick novel. The futuristic conceptuals are bang on. Yes, even androids dream.

Phantom is just over the top insane, but most amazingly I find far more satisfying than Pure's own. This isn't because it's faster, but it's more about speed and the improved controls that makes it a pleasure to play. I'm able to hit that oft-spoken about "zone" easier, and it allows me to pull off a serious amount of perfect laps, even on Phantom. Maaaaan, Basilico White's 3.3 kilometers on Phantom is absolute genius!

If Colin is reading this, I'd really like to know the lowdown on pitch control. Does it yield any acceleration/top speed bonuses at all? If so, what degree of bonus are we talking about? Four percent? Five? I haven't been able to put this to any reliable test despite my effort, but I simply want to know whether there's any truth to the claim that we go faster by pitching down on straightaways.

- F

[thaivietg]

okay let me start this off by sayin congrats to the devs of this game for the good work.

now playing on these next gen consoles got me thinking wheter i can still play a racing game on a handheld and having the same feel e.g Mario kart Ds,Burnout,Toca,Wipeout Pure were good but i never got in to any of them expect wipeout and mario kart,but never in my PSP/DS slot for a long time.

Okay,im not saying those games are rubbish,there good but still i dont feel to play them over any other game on a PSP or a DS(football manager 08,FFT,MGS PO,hotel dusk,phoenix wright).though Wipeout Pure is a wicked game,but it still isent perfect due to one reason......no online!

When i purchased Wipeout Pulse,i was expecting the same as Pure with a lag and lonely online mode(not the games fault,really the community)now when i loaded up the game,i was kinda suprised on how good the ships handle,in fact i was more suprised when i loged on to online play and was blown away on how fun and intense the matches are(the custom soundtrack play a part of this - e.g The Prodigy - Fat of the land album)and the custom ship skins you can add really adds on to the brillance of the game.

so all in all,WipEout Pulse is probably the best racing game ive played in a while,not only on a handheld,but Overall,including next gen consoles.

catch me Online, username ThaivietG -

also may i add that if its possible to release a patch where it updates the online lobby,where we can add friends.

[KANDANG]

i wonder what the different chatrooms are for online ? (english speaking, australasia, german, etc.) when you can't chat in the game lobby and it doesn't matter which you join because they all link to the same server and you're able to see the same games that the other servers are able to see.

[Frances_Penfold]

Huh, interesting point.

Perhaps it's a set up for Wipeout HD?

[BARTgai]

hmm, i'm also wondering if a patch is even posible for a PSP game. i have noticed a few 'bugs'

- I dont hear the people cheering. well, i did once, but never again. its too quiet at the finish line..

- a little bug on moa therma white, after the very first turn, some of the rival ships will go away for like half a second, then show up again


everything else is perfect :+

[Dogg Thang]

I wondered about the cheering. I don't remember hearing it at all.

[Stew2000]

ppl cheer on Fort Gale. I know that ;)

[RJ O'Connell]

Got the game Friday night.

I. love. this. game. Visually, it may be the best-looking PSP game around in any market. The game play is incredible, ship handling is solid. The race campaign will keep me going. I cannot wait to get online with this game.

Anything that has been said already, I can use it do describe how I feel about Wipeout Pulse. Good job Studio Liverpool!

[guillaume]

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since last time I posted on this forum, but I managed to catch up with a good part of what has been said here recently. It's funny to see how the post count increase when a new WipEout is released! :)
Obviously I bought Pulse, and after a few hours of playing it, I must say I'm all excited. There are a few things that are a bit disrupting, but I'll leave that for other threads.
For now I just want to thank all the people at Studio Liverpool for this amazing game, and for their presence on this forum!:hyper

[Ricanebleu]

I just finished an eliminator on Rapier class with 0 deaths to 10 kills and I realized I didn't even seen any of the ships i eliminated. And it has been like this on all eliminators so far. Unless it is a leach elimination you just deploy hoping that the AI is weak enough to die. I'm no fan of eliminators but i just thought : instead of so many weapons in eliminator mode like repulsors or shuriken it would be much more fun using just rapid-fire, rackets and missiles. This way you would see who you eliminate at least, you would have to keep the speed up just to keep up with the target. What do you think?

[q_dmc12]

Just got it today from HMV..... guess all that's left to do is upgrade...:?

[phl0w]

Isn't the FW required to play provided by the UMD anyway? What's the big deal?

[Task]

So this time around, I get to "join the club" at the same time as everyone else! Yay! No more of this "coming to the party 2 years late" stuff.

So over the weekend I picked up Pulse, I'd had an EB gift card for nearly 6 months just waiting for that day. Immediately, I found an awesome feature of Pulse: Only $30! Half the price of most of the games on the shelf! And that's the "brand new" price, it's comparable to the "used" price for a lot of games. Right off the bat, I'm thrilled with my purchase, because I didn't have to spend the better part of $100 to pick up the latest AG racing title.
Running Score = Pulse: 1

Next, I hit up the manual. It's full of all the details I'm after, but mentions that it itself is unnecessary due to the in-game manual. Shocking! I see Egg gets the "Ship Artist" credit as well as half the "Particle/Weapon Effects" credit, slick. Lee Carus still in there, Foxxy well credited, good to see.

Finally, time to slot the UMD... And find out that I need to update .02 version increments! Well, it didn't take long to do.

So I watch the intro and it's... forgettable. I starts out reminding me of WO3, very much the flat monochrome display, and then it gets into the AG racing, and it doesn't really go anywhere. Unfortunate, but hardly a big deal, it's only the intro. So I'm sitting there at the intro screen, and it's got a beating heart! Like the game is alive! Late at night like it was, that freaked me just a little bit. So I create a new profile and check out the intro menu, and in all my list of options, not a single selection is either "Single Race" or "Time Trial"! And right there, my mind was blown.
Running Score = Pulse: 2

So off I head into "Race Campaign", and how awesome it is. I love the hexagons. We're doing the same thing we did in Pure, getting a gold for every combination of track and event, but the way it's all broken up and freeform accessable totally abstracts that away and leaves a journey of thrilling exploration behind. The first 4 grids get progressively larger, and the difficulty level slowly ramps up by going from easy tracks and easy race modes to more difficult tracks and more complicated race modes. I want to have Venom beat before I really get into Flash, and the grid totally allows for it, I simply gold all the Venom stuff and move on to the next grid, leaving behind any easy Flash races for me to come back to later when I'm feeling up to them. I can't say enough about how good this system is.
Running Score = Pulse: 5

I supressed the desire to jump in the Qirex and go and I started out in Piranha. I've always liked the flying tank, and it's definitely the tank in Pulse, but I've never liked Piranha before, and this time was no exception. I just didn't like the feel of it, it didn't work for me. I think all the time I've spent in a Goteki has ruined me, I want a bit of thrust and handling now. So I left the Piranha and went looking for something with a lot of shield, and good amounts of everything else... Oh, look, Qirex! Yay! Always trust those instincts, they know what they're on about. 35,000 loyalty points (what a great idea that was!) so far, I have chosen... wisely.

So things I've noticed at this point, in no particular order:
- all the menus scroll from top to bottom, they wrap around. A very nice feature, surprisingly missing in many applications.
- The "Firefly" shoutout in the Arc Prime intro. Awesome!
- Inertia seems to be gone. Coming from Pure to Pulse, I really miss the inertia. Gravity is still in effect, but it seems weaker than before. Do all the ships weigh a lot less?
- Is glue the primary building component in the feature? Why are the walls so sticky? It's just weird...
- Man, those track pads are small! Missing them is easy, hitting them takes skill. Probably a good thing, I can see how practice will be particularly important in this version.
- It is undescribably awesome how the exact same track works so well for TT, or Eliminator, or Zone, or SR, or anything! The whole game takes place on these few tracks in so many different ways, and it really works so well, an amazing achievement!
- I didn't think I'd like the black/white run thing, because of how much I disliked the Fusion "each track is 6 tracks" thing, but they've really proved me wrong here. Doing more than just reversing the track is the real win here, adding overpasses and the like and making the track run differently in reverse gets the gold.
- Man, I dislike Talon's Junction. It's one corner and one chicane, but they mess me up every time somehow. Played this track more than any other, and I'm only just barely passable on it. I'm just not finding the flow here.
- Exceeder really rocks. The first 10 seconds could be removed, and that would make it even better. The Kraftwerk is pretty good, too. Most of the music is pretty "meh", but who cares? We can add any music we want! Yay! Gotta do that one of these days, get Tim Wright back into my WO. 8 )
- The way the game options work is great. Change 'em any time you like, they save, they're like that till the next time you change them. Very good. The "Sequential" music option is awesome. Has that always been there, or is that new to Pulse?
- Turbo: Brief, but satisfying! Awesome. I love it when something is exactly as advertised. 8 D
- The Amphiseum is cool. Is this the first time a track has been designed based entirely on it's environment? I'm surprised at how well it worked.
- Leech Beam. Why not just call it Energy Drain? The effect is shiny and all, but it seems a little overstated. And the whole "energy vampire" thing seems like enough to make it a good weapon, does it have to do that shaking thing as well? This weapon seems a tad over the top in a lot of ways, and could use a bit of toning down in my opinion. Not much, just a little bit.
- Moa Therma. We loves it. My precious. I have played all the WOs, and this is the first track I've ever wanted to have "just one more run on". Not to achieve a certain time, but just because it's fun to run. First time. Ever. Gollum.
- Hey, the results from a race don't show what time everyone else got! Where'd that go? I want to see how many milliseconds I got first by! I want to see how many seconds behind that ship in last place is! There's lots of room on this results screen, where's the times? Man, that made me miss Pure...
- Tech de Ra: Now THIS is the way to make an open section! There's no walls on this bit of track, but you still know very well where the track is and where it isn't. Next time anyone wants to know how to design a track without walls, point 'em at this track as the ultimate example.
- The difficulty level thing is awesome. Medium gives a good challenge in SR and Eliminator, Hard is great to give the AI a needed boost in Head-to-Head so that it's not a total cakewalk. Another difficulty level above Hard would be good though, one where the AI has an excellent racing line, always grabbing the boost, a pure speed AI. Call it "Extreme" or something, whatever. Faster is always better. 8 )
- Eliminator... The implementation here kind of sucks. I love the whole "complete a lap to get some shield back" thing, and the "absorb anything to get shield", those are all brilliant design features, but you have to get the required number of eliminations, which means the winning strategy is to hang back and quake everyone in front of you. Which means the whole "racing" aspect of the game just went out the window. WO3 did it right, give a point for making a lap, and end at a number of points instead of a number of eliminations. And dying doesn't have any penalty. Don't get me wrong, the respawn is great, get back into the action, keep 8 players on the track, but deduct one point from their total to pay for the respawn. This could have been an awesome game feature, instead it's merely okay. So unfortunate. Of course, if it was that good, I'd want to play it online, and that's not really an option from what I've heard...
- The way I'm stuck to the track at Venom really reminds me of Fusion. Like, a lot. I can tell how that'll go away as the speed levels increase though, so it's all good.
- Is this the first time that the AI hasn't been crippled? Is that what makes such a big difference this time around? They're getting the boost start, using all the weapons, bringing their 'A' game, it's just so good to finally have an AI at least attempting to play at the same level as me.
- The records keep track of what your lap times were for your best race time! That's awesome! And the number of speed pads you hit, and the "perfect lap" hexagon indicator! Excellent!
Running Score = Pulse: 8, Pure: 3, W3O: 3, TimWright: 2, Fusion: -371

So I'm partway through grid 7, nearly done with Venom, well into Flash, won't be touching Rapier for a while yet. I need more practice on some of these tracks. So I went out of Race Campaign and into Racebox, looking to see what I could find. Custom Race gives a lot of great options, but I wanted to set up some kind of a Tournament I could then use in multiplayer or something, so I went to look at Edit Grid, and the strangeness began. When I went to edit the track list in the tournament, there was no text! Pictures changed, but I had no text in the right-hand column! So I went poking around in help menus and whatnot, and not much later I got a hard crash to the black screen. So I can see that this game is a little bit buggy outside of Race Campaign, but at least that one main section has been trouble free for me so far.

So far, I'm rating this game as a solid chunk of awesome, but I haven't even gotten into Rapier or multiplayer or any of the online fetures yet. We shall see!

[stin]

Excellent read!

Once you get into Hard AI, go to online then it`s a different ballgame altogether.

About respawn, deduct one point, that is interesting theory.

stevie:)

[bloseth]

Whoa! I thought the elimination-matches went on forever, but with that feature, things would definitly turn _epic_.

[infoxicated]

Task, your subject matter fitted with the first impressions thread, so I've merged them.

[Task]

I was looking for this thread!
Not sure how I missed it, but well fixed! Thanks Foxy.

[Lance]

Is this the first time that the AI hasn't been crippled? Is that what makes such a big difference this time around? They're getting the boost start, using all the weapons, bringing their 'A' game, it's just so good to finally have an AI at least attempting to play at the same level as me.


IIRC, in solo racing on previous WO versions, you've preferred Time Trial to Single Race against the AI; has Pulse changed that preference?

[Task]

8 ) Nah, I'm still a TT kind of guy, opponents only mess up my racing line. But I'm really enjoying the SR experience, which is new. It's a good fight to get to the front, a lot of the time a single well-used Turbo is the difference between "pretty much last" and "pretty much first", but even once I'm in front I know I've got the pack behind me, nipping at my heels, firepower going off behind me, they're just waiting for me to make one good mistake... Solid!

The first grid I set up was a Tourny grid for multiplayer, just to make sure it was possible, but the first grid I make and actually use is going to be a TT grid.
As soon as I've got all the tracks unlocked. Still a couple to go there.

[Lance]

''.. the pack behind me, nipping at my heels...''

Just as long as the pack is not too dAmned far behind you. Those backmarker stragglers that one laps in 2097/XL dropping mines in front of you to ruin your new race record always pissed me right off!

[Task]

On Head-To-Head, the most lead I've ever gotten is about 600m, and that was against a Normal difficulty AI, on a track that I knew really well. That was when I switched to Hard AI for that mode.
And the entire pack doesn't tend to spread out much, so it really is the whole pack, and they're definitely not far behind at all.

I don't think I'll be lapping any of these opponents any time soon! I don't think anyone could lap a Hard AI opponent, they're just not that slow, I don't think it's possible anymore. An excellent evolutionary step for the game!

An incredible improvement over past AI, for exactly the reasons you state.

Which is probably exactly why I don't mind SR much at all in Pulse, once I get in front, I can really TT the track, there's no track garbage to worry about or stragglers. Clear sailing. 8 )