What's the fun in Zone Battle???

[Kyonshi]

Can somebody explain that to me? I tried and i tried to see the fun in it, but no, i can't.

Don't get me wrong, i know how it works, i understand the process of this mode. But it's just... boring. BORING.

And how the **** a ship in front of me already got to zone 10 on a target of 20 when we didn't even made a FULL LAP yet?!??! Maybe yes, there's something i don't get... Ok im playing on Elite, but for cryin' out loud, this is ridiculous. Im doing perfect laps and perfect zones, but dammit its never enough. Well, i can finally win after like, 20 tries...

Like its not enough to slalom through tons of mines and bombs online, we have to go around "barriers" that totally wreck your progress if a ship drops it right in your face. Oh but you can go through them without damage, just simply use all the energy you picked up and shield yourself. And back to square one. Ooooo i'm getting horny how full of action this is.

The thrill of doing another Elite Campaign Legend challenge is less attractive than it was because i have to go through this painful mode for each campaign stage. :|

[XBARNSTERX]

Not fond of it myself, in fact my psn comment explains my feeling towards it. Like you said there are to many damn barriers and the AI jump zones a little to quick. Campaign has to msny zbs and detonators. Where the hell are the races and time trials?:?

[Vartazian]

I LOVE, zone battle, I smash computers left right and centre, not to mention crush people online. its a great rush going Super Zen online dodging barriers left and right with reckless abandon.

Lapping people who are still on Rapier speed while im Subsonic is the BEST.

[RedScar]

I dislike this mode not because of the constant barriers, but because it is not actually zone. I get pushed off my line by ppl in regular races where I can pick up weapons to heal, but in zone battle I have to waste the saved up energy to repair, which after you absorb it once basically means you lose if you are playing at least 1 smart person since you are now behind by roughly 7-8 zones. How is that zone? It should just be renamed "who hits the most boost pads and gets lucky enough to zone boost at the right time" although that's a bit long if you ask me. I have no prob doing it on campain but I don't plan on doing many MP zone battles.

[nexusc]

Agreed, I have absolutely no love for this mode.. the models are awful, the concept just seems hacked together, and all i seem to be doing are quick math calculations as to when the optimal time to use my boost is..

I love Zone.. but, JUST as Zone!

[Darkdrium777]

Yeah, the iffy collisions in online races ruin that a little.
I probably still can't dodge barriers for my life, but that's just me.
The collisions though are a definite drawback to this mode. Fix the lag! There's no reason apart from a bad connection that it should be there. If I can play online FPS without such bad lag, I expect the same level of precision from WipEout HD as I know it is possible.

[Vartazian]

Am I the only zone battle lover? =(

[DeepMix]

ur not the only one man lol i used to think all the people didnt liked this game mode, now im partially sure of it :(

[ProblemSolver]

@Kyonshi:
The fun begins once you know how to play it. And you obviously don't know it.
It's for people like you I wrote a description of how Zone Battle works. Just watch
the 'ZONE / Zone Battle thread ...' (http://wipeoutzone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6501) tomorrow. I will give some usefull tips & tricks
and I will show how one can gradually improve to become a very good Zone Battle
player. I will even show some methods to successfully dodge the barriers most of
the time, that is to say; how to treat a barrier upon encountering...?

You wanna know it? ;)

Zone Battle pwn, honestly.

[RedScar]

Reduce collision damage so I don't lose half my shield while trying to stay inline with the boost pads, and I will play it.

[allstyles]

Zone battle = a cool mode :rock

There should be more lovers out there :clap

[djKyoto]

I enjoy it, it's a good challenge trying to get to zone 40-50 on something like Sebenco Climb. But I can see why people don't like it. Each to their own.

I like normal zone better, but still fun. :)

[Darkdrium777]

I like normal Zone better too :) I don't hate Zone Battle but it would be better without so much lag online IMO. I've got enough with the barriers, don't want ships pushing me into the walls. :/

[sny]

I'm not too fond of this mode either, and I love Detonator, so it's not about diverging from the usual WipEout experience... but I'm not going to give up on it yet, since I've only played it in Campaign mode so far. Perhaps it's a fun experience online. :)

[As Heaven Is Wide]

I am a lover of zone battle mode, online especially. I've found it's at its best when there's a mix of people who know what they're doing and those who just boost as soon as they can. (Maybe it's just me but I like dodging lots of barriers at high speed :) )

I do however think it's a bit annoying losing a lot of shield battling for a speedpad at the start.

[crawdad62]

It's okay. I certainly don't go looking for it online. I wasn't that hot on Zoning if HD either. I guess ProblemSolver will probably say I couldn't understand it either which maybe true. I suppose if I found it compelling I'd learn the intricacy of it.

[yeldar2097]

i prefer normal zone mode and wouldn't CHOOSE to do zone battle but once i get going i find it quite exhilarating. get's pretty hectic at times. i like hectic. good mode :D

[ProblemSolver]

It's okay. I certainly don't go looking for it online. I wasn't that hot on Zoning if HD either. I guess ProblemSolver will probably say I couldn't understand it either which maybe true. ...

I don't know if you understand Zone Battle or not, but Kyonshi didn't by
saying;


... And how the **** a ship in front of me already got to zone 10 on a target of 20 when we didn't even made a FULL LAP yet?!??! ...

He can at least reach the same zone level. If he hits all reachable pads
and doesn't hit anything else within the first lap then there is no way the
AI could be ahead. On some tracks one can even go ahead by doing a
barrel role within the first round.

[billychanxtr33m]

zone battle online is one of my favs, its a shame more people arent into it. people grinding half your health away and blocking pads on the first lap is kind of annoying, but it comes with the territory. but really the only thing i dont like about zone battle is people hitting you with a barrier when they boost from behind you because you never get a "barrier" warning and you dont have a rear proximity marker thing to tell you where people are. i guess you could always just pause and wait for the pack to get away from you so you can do that first lap hassle free but whats the fun in that?

[Phantron]

I’m starting to believe zone battle is the best mode in Wipeout.
It takes zone and gives you a goal to reach, rewards you for not hitting walls while collecting speed pads, and severely punishes you for making mistakes. On top of all that its a race!
Regular zone is great for testing your skill or just simply spacing yourself out and putting your mind in a trance. Zone battle is on the other end of the spectrum, it is chaotic. You need fast reaction time for the unpredictable, not just having the track memorized. Also there is a lot of strategy involved; when to use shield/heal, where to place barriers, when to barrel roll etc.
If so many barriers when playing 8 people is ruining the experience for you, try online 1 vs 1. Its a great test of skill and very intense.

[eLhabib]

I LOVE, zone battle, I smash computers left right and centre, not to mention crush people online. its a great rush going Super Zen online dodging barriers left and right with reckless abandon.

Lapping people who are still on Rapier speed while im Subsonic is the BEST.

oh please... :rolleyes:

[leungbok]

Please El, don't tease Inf... oups, Vartazian ;)

[eLhabib]

I am not teasing. I am begging. Begging for dignity.

;)

[Aeroracer]

Can somebody explain that to me? I tried and i tried to see the fun in it, but no, i can't.

Don't get me wrong, i know how it works, i understand the process of this mode. But it's just... boring. BORING.

And how the **** a ship in front of me already got to zone 10 on a target of 20 when we didn't even made a FULL LAP yet?!??! Maybe yes, there's something i don't get... Ok im playing on Elite, but for cryin' out loud, this is ridiculous. Im doing perfect laps and perfect zones, but dammit its never enough. Well, i can finally win after like, 20 tries...

Like its not enough to slalom through tons of mines and bombs online, we have to go around "barriers" that totally wreck your progress if a ship drops it right in your face. Oh but you can go through them without damage, just simply use all the energy you picked up and shield yourself. And back to square one. Ooooo i'm getting horny how full of action this is.

The thrill of doing another Elite Campaign Legend challenge is less attractive than it was because i have to go through this painful mode for each campaign stage. :|

Its where you get to play all your favourite music and actually get to hear the end of the song, unlike the races that tend to finish halfway through.:p:p:p:p:p:p:p

[billychanxtr33m]

I’m starting to believe zone battle is the best mode in Wipeout.
It takes zone and gives you a goal to reach, rewards you for not hitting walls while collecting speed pads, and severely punishes you for making mistakes. On top of all that its a race!
Regular zone is great for testing your skill or just simply spacing yourself out and putting your mind in a trance. Zone battle is on the other end of the spectrum, it is chaotic. You need fast reaction time for the unpredictable, not just having the track memorized. Also there is a lot of strategy involved; when to use shield/heal, where to place barriers, when to barrel roll etc.
If so many barriers when playing 8 people is ruining the experience for you, try online 1 vs 1. Its a great test of skill and very intense.

could not have said it better myself! :beer in single races somebody can always get lucky with weapons but zone battle is as close as you can get to a pure test of skill and strategy

[tileon]

it's like one of those card games where you must pick up cards from a stock each turn but also get rid of them, thus transfering them to others... like UNO or the shithead.

Wouldn't it be stupid to complain that you loose at UNO despite 'playing really well'?

Like in any card game, some start in pole, some lag behind. But everyone's in the game at the same time. If you have the ability to think abstractly, you must know where you are in the game and what potential that other guy may have of converting the try.

Now, there are simple rules...

I) The more you wait to boost, the more you build up momentum (zone bar).
BUT
1) You risk loosing zone bar by crashing
2) As you go slower you get to fly over less pads than rushing opponents.

II)The lesser you wait to boost, the more barriers you drop.
BUT
1) You don't speed all that much
2)As you go slower you get ... to fly over less pads than speedy crafts. I know it's a vicious circle.

This means that you may overlap a guy and he still finishes 14 zones ahead of you (on lower targets this is common)

Now, these simple rules do not take into account the fact that

1) different targets need different strategies. (you needn't build only complete boosts for a target that's not a multiple of 8...)

2)Players good or bad cannot rush through barriers planted in a bottleneck section. The topography of the track is the key. Modesto reverse is lush hell on Zone Battle.

3)If you've built up a Zone Bar, it's perfectly fine to shield through the barrier-crowded section safely. Usually it's also littered with speed pads, replenishing your Zone Bar safely AND THEN speeding ahead.

4) That you speed/barrier-drop every two speed pad does not necessary mean you are a noob (well if you only do that, yes, you are.) It can also slow down others.

PS: If you're **** at wipeout, being smart won't help. Vice Versa :D

[Kyonshi]

@Kyonshi:
The fun begins once you know how to play it. And you obviously don't know it.
It's for people like you I wrote a description of how Zone Battle works. Just watch
the 'ZONE / Zone Battle thread ...' (http://wipeoutzone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6501) tomorrow. I will give some usefull tips & tricks
and I will show how one can gradually improve to become a very good Zone Battle
player. I will even show some methods to successfully dodge the barriers most of
the time, that is to say; how to treat a barrier upon encountering...?

You wanna know it? ;)

Zone Battle pwn, honestly.

Like i said, i understand how it works. But the thing is, even if i understand it, its wont be more appealing to me. Even if i can win easily, if im the best player ever, i dont find it funny because of the reasons i mentioned. Its too shallow, nothing really happens except going faster, along with the hassle of avoiding barriers... I mean, WipEout is a game solely based on combat racing, which involves weapons mainly. Maybe im too much used to play it this way? That's how i see the game, i know it may not be the same for all of us. Remove the weapons and i lose most of my interest. Its fun once in a while, but i can't really enjoy WipEout without them. ZB is just not for me.

[ProblemSolver]

k k, but I wouldn't say "... nothing really happens except going faster,
along with the hassle of avoiding barriers...". Zone Battle is a fight on
a distance. The barriers essentially keep every player connected to each
other the hard way. xD Anyways, it's rather thrilling to dodge all the
barriers instead of using the shield. And the thrill near the end of a battle,
when you take the risk running on low shield to collect the pads for victory,
is just ... :sonar.

Up to my point, Zone Battle works at its best when played online against
similar skilled players.



I mean, WipEout is a game solely based on combat racing, which involves weapons mainly. ... Remove the weapons and i lose most of my interest. Its fun once in a while, but i can't really enjoy WipEout without them. ZB is just not for me.

So what if we could have weapons in Zone Battle as well? xD