Mario Universe Mario Kart General Discussion - 200CC Announced | Second DLC Pack Coming in May!

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I recently came back from trying out the Mario Kart 8 demo, and I was quite fortunate that my local GameStop wasn't very busy. That gave me over an hour to try out the tracks and certain combinations.

The Grip stat is called "Traction" for the NTSC-U version of the game. I also tried out the Sport Bike and Jet Rider, and apparently, inside drifting has been trickier to handle than outside drifting. In fact, it seems that you're less likely to mess up with the outside drifting vehicles now. In other words, inside drifting may not be as helpful as in Mario Kart Wii, especially without the wheelie boosts.

In terms of the races, I was able to take 1st place most of the time, while my 2nd place finishes were mostly due to Spiny Shells; I never did finish lower than 2nd place. However, I was able to anticipate at least one Spiny Shell ahead of time, but this will come down to if you can check back on the GamePad enough times to see it coming. Some of the combos that I've used did prove to be rather promising as well.

Anyway, the demo gave me a chance to try out some things, and it seems that the game may prove to be a promising one once it's out in less than two weeks.

 

[dimensionsword64]

In this video, at about 0:13, the player got a draft, but he was barely even behind the CPU. Also, it seems like the draft blasted him forward, instead of a small speed up.

BTW, I'm going to the demo tomorrow, so I'll tell what I thought of the game.

I recently came back from trying out the Mario Kart 8 demo, and I was quite fortunate that my local GameStop wasn't very busy. That gave me over an hour to try out the tracks and certain combinations.

The Grip stat is called "Traction" for the NTSC-U version of the game. I also tried out the Sport Bike and Jet Rider, and apparently, inside drifting has been trickier to handle than outside drifting. In fact, it seems that you're less likely to mess up with the outside drifting vehicles now. In other words, inside drifting may not be as helpful as in Mario Kart Wii, especially without the wheelie boosts.

In terms of the races, I was able to take 1st place most of the time, while my 2nd place finishes were mostly due to Spiny Shells; I never did finish lower than 2nd place. However, I was able to anticipate at least one Spiny Shell ahead of time, but this will come down to if you can check back on the GamePad enough times to see it coming. Some of the combos that I've used did prove to be rather promising as well.

Anyway, the demo gave me a chance to try out some things, and it seems that the game may prove to be a promising one once it's out in less than two weeks.

What were the tracks available? Was it only these seven that this guy posted?

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

The tracks that are in the demo include...

Mario Kart Stadium
Mario Circuit
Sunshine Airport
Electrodrome
Water Park
Sweet Sweet Canyon
Toad Harbor
Cloudtop Cruise

 

[Sxips]

I just tried it and it was great. amazing visuals and felt it was better then MKWii. I played as Shy Guy,Larry Koopa, and more.

 

[dimensionsword64]

I really like the new stat system! It all seems really balanced, and having multiple characters with the same stats really will help to make it so the online isn't only one character being used.

 

[IsmaR]

Played 2 matches. 1 as Bowser on Sunshine Airport and one as Roy on Cloudtop Cruise.

 

[dimensionsword64]

Just went! I tried out each stage once, and Electrodrome twice. It plays really nicely! One thing, though, I got a Super Horn in first. It seems as though they're somewhat common, which is very odd.

 

[kylexv]

Just went! I tried out each stage once, and Electrodrome twice. It plays really nicely! One thing, though, I got a Super Horn in first. It seems as though they're somewhat common, which is very odd.

Yeah I know. Saw a CPU Rosalina get it twice in one race!

 

[Blaziken]

I'm currently playing MKW waiting for WFC to shut down. It's still on nearly 30 minutes after it was supposed to shut down.

 

[Gatlin]

I'm currently playing MKW waiting for WFC to shut down. It's still on nearly 30 minutes after it was supposed to shut down.

There's actually still over 9 hours left

http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20140520T23&p0=248&msg=The+end+of+MKW

 

[Blaziken]

There's actually still over 9 hours left

http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20140520T23&p0=248&msg=The end of MKW

Well, that explains everything. I'm going to be at school when it shuts down, so I'm not going to see it go down.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Just finished watching videos of every track and I gotta say they all look incredible... Even the retro ones that I was never fond of look extremely fun now.

This is shaping up to be my favorite Mario Kart of all time. May 30th can't get here soon enough.

 

[ChikoLad]

Just want to say that if anyone wants to play MK8 with me, I'm game. It'd be cool to set up a sort of MK8 community here.

 

[Z'zgashi]

It'd be cool to set up a sort of MK8 community here.

http://smashboards.com/threads/swf-mario-kart-events-thread-were-dead-maybe-return-for-mk8.296058/

 

[ChikoLad]

http://smashboards.com/threads/swf-mario-kart-events-thread-were-dead-maybe-return-for-mk8.296058/

I was hesitant to post there as it had been dead for a while and I am always wary of being frowned upon for bumping a topic without having sufficient justification for it.

But I'll take it that's not a huge deal so I'll contribute to reviving it.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Mario Kart Wii online is pretty much dead with Nintendo WFC being terminated, so it may take quite a while before a Mario Kart 8 community gets established here. We still need to know how the Tournament feature operates for ourselves after all.

 

[R0Y]

I'll be down for Smashboards tourneys

 

[kylexv]

Anybody know which combo they plan on using?
Probably going to use one of the following, inferring that the stats work the same way as Mario Kart 7.

Spoiler

The following have 4.75 in Speed and Weight, 3 in Traction, 2.25 in Handling, and 1.75 in Acceleration:

DK/Standard ATV/Slick/Parachute
Waluigi/Tri-Speeder/Cyber Slick/Parachute
Rosalina/Standard ATV/Slick/Peach Parasol
Roy/Badwagon/Cyber Slick/Bowser Kite

The following have 4.75 in Speed and Weight, 3.25 in Traction, 2 in Handling, and 1.75 in Acceleration:

DK/Circuit Special/Hot Monster/Parachute
Waluigi/Mach 8/Monster/Parachute
Rosalina/Circuit Special/Monster/Peach Parasol
Roy/Sports Coupe/Monster/Bowser Kite

This is subject to change

 

[Vinylic.]

Just played all the maps in the demo. I was rosalina and used the Jet Bike + Monster Wheels + Parafoil as it was the most comfortable to control, even though the drifting is a little tricky to deal with. However, the difficulty in drifting applies to all customizations. I used the slim once and it was quite the frustration because of how much mobility it had, so you cannot keep going for the corners of the tracks or you'll fall off.

Also, you are only allowed to carry one item at a time. Even if you hold the button and reach and item box, you won't get anything. This gives players a more fair advantage in racing, as it makes one in 1st position difficult to keep at it, so going as far from them as you can and taking shortcuts is your best option on avoiding 2nd placements or lower.

I can't decide what combo to go for, but I assure you my character choice will be rosalina. I'd also like to point out that any upcoming tournaments we might have, all I'm really asking for is that the participants can only choose their mii (because I don't want to see multiple players with the same op character).

Also, there's something really weird about donkey kong....

 

[shrooby]

Also, there's something really weird about donkey kong....

 

[Gatlin]

I was hesitant to post there as it had been dead for a while and I am always wary of being frowned upon for bumping a topic without having sufficient justification for it.

But I'll take it that's not a huge deal so I'll contribute to reviving it.

I personally do not care about bumps as long as they are actually content-filled. The only instance in which I do care is when a thread is bumped from like years of inactivity, rather than a few months. Plus, I love that thread and combined with the help of Sariku, we have put a lot of work into that thread, so please bump away any time

I'll be down for Smashboards tourneys

I used to host MKW smashboards tourneys pretty much every weekend back in 2011 when the community was very active. The only reason I stopped was because school started up for a lot of people and other people just generally lost interest in MKW. I was hoping that MK7 would take off and a whole new spring of activity would occur, but for one reason or another, that game never really faired well in the swf mario kart community. If Mario Kart 8 takes off, which I am highly expecting it will, I will definitely go back to hosting tournaments regularly again.

Anybody know which combo they plan on using?

No idea at this time on what kart/bike/whatever; but I know I will most definitely be trying super heavy weights first, mainly because of Bowser. He's the best.

 

[IsmaR]

Also, there's something really weird about donkey kong....

Having played as him/seen his HD fur in person, I actually got this feeling as well.

I was hoping that MK7 would take off and a whole new spring of activity would occur, but for one reason or another, that game never really faired well in the swf mario kart community.

I'd love to either join or host a MK7 tourney the weekend or even night before launch.

 

[Gatlin]

I'd love to either join or host a MK7 tourney the weekend or even night before launch.

IsmaR, I mean, by all means please do.
I would probably join it assuming the timing works out right for me. I also know there are a few of us who do play and/or own MK7 who might wanna play again just for giggles before MK8's release.

 

[IsmaR]

Well it's a nice thought, but if my hosting skillz/mannerisms are even half as rusty as I remember them being, it wouldn't go over well.

I suppose I'd just like to get together and play one last (major) time.

 

[The Real Gamer]

I've been playing MK7 for hours on end in preparation for MK8. I'd be totally down for a pre-release tourney/get together/whatever.

 

[Vinylic.]

We should really just go ahead and do a preparation tournament.

Even if I don't have a Wii U, I'm buying it for another free game.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Anybody know which combo they plan on using?

It'll probably come down to how well the combos can cope with item assaults. You can't back up your defenses this time, so going pure speed may be a very poor choice if the acceleration stat is lackluster.

 

[Mysteltainn]

It really depends on how much the added skill cap to the inside-drifting vehicles balances things. Six months down the road, when people master the timing and all of the tracks, bikes may very well be the best option again like Mario Kart Wii (looking at you, Yoshi Bike and Sport Bike). However, I've also heard that the bikes feel "wobbly" as well by some who have tried the demo... I'm not sure what that means, but we'll all see soon enough I guess. The whole "Coin in 1st place" scenario is going to put a stop to speed being priority as well, especially since they'll no longer be able to carry more than one item. I actually wouldn't be surprised to find that most people will call Triple Reds in 2nd / 3rd the new OP item, since a well timed assault will no longer be avoidable; Reds can also clear the track "smarter" than before I noticed, which also may mean that Reds can no longer be zoned / tricked by taking tight corners; not sure how I feel about that.

I plan on using karts this time around if I can, and I'm curious to try out the ATVs as well. I'm just hoping that the karts and bikes aren't like Mario Kart Wii.

 

[The Real Gamer]

I personally love that 1st place isn't a guaranteed brick wall of defenses anymore. In MK7 if a good racer is off to an early lead and quickly nabs 10 coins you're not catching them unless if someone saves your ass with a blue shell or triple red shells (can you even get those in 2nd place?).

This also means item management is going to be more important then ever. You'll have to think twice about throwing that red shell without another item to cover you now.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

There's also the Super Horn and its ability to stop Spiny Shells. While stopping Spiny Shells is good, it doesn't change the fact that Red Shells can still mess you up afterwards. No matter what you do, a Red Shell or Spiny Shell is bound to get you, even if you wield the Super Horn.

 

[ChikoLad]

There's also the Super Horn and its ability to stop Spiny Shells. While stopping Spiny Shells is good, it doesn't change the fact that Red Shells can still mess you up afterwards. No matter what you do, a Red Shell or Spiny Shell is bound to get you, even if you wield the Super Horn.

I actually consider this one of the problems from what I have seen so far. Especially considering the "Coin in 1st place while having full coins" issue. You really should not be able to get coins from item boxes when you have 10.

Granted, if I can adjust items online, this won't be as much of an issue. If I ever host a tournament and there is an Item Switch function, Spiny Shells are off.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I actually consider this one of the problems from what I have seen so far. Especially considering the "Coin in 1st place while having full coins" issue. You really should not be able to get coins from item boxes when you have 10.

Granted, if I can adjust items online, this won't be as much of an issue. If I ever host a tournament and there is an Item Switch function, Spiny Shells are off.

Coins are supposed to stop you from constantly getting defensive items. Of course, in Mario Kart Wii, Fake Items are useless for defense themselves.

 

[ChikoLad]

Coins are supposed to stop you from constantly getting defensive items. Of course, in Mario Kart Wii, Fake Items are useless for defense themselves.

I believe that is a problem, though. It's like if Smash Bros stripped you of the ability to shield when you are in the lead. Or if the lead player in Smash 4 had a chance of tripping, yet other players didn't. That wouldn't be balance, that's outright placing a handicap on other players.

The defensive options in MK aren't great as is, so the least they could do is not throw in what is basically a dud item. I feel like they nailed the balance in MK8 in general, but kinda dropped the ball for first place players.

 

[The Real Gamer]

There's also the Super Horn and its ability to stop Spiny Shells. While stopping Spiny Shells is good, it doesn't change the fact that Red Shells can still mess you up afterwards. No matter what you do, a Red Shell or Spiny Shell is bound to get you, even if you wield the Super Horn.

1st place has to be threatened by something, so this is only fair.

I'd much rather be hit by a red shell and drop back 1-2 places than be hit by a blue and drop back 5-6 places.

The defensive options in MK aren't great as is, so the least they could do is not throw in what is basically a dud item. I feel like they nailed the balance in MK8 in general, but kinda dropped the ball for first place players.

What would you change? Just curious.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I believe that is a problem, though. It's like if Smash Bros stripped you of the ability to shield when you are in the lead. Or if the lead player in Smash 4 had a chance of tripping, yet other players didn't. That wouldn't be balance, that's outright placing a handicap on other players.

The defensive options in MK aren't great as is, so the least they could do is not throw in what is basically a dud item. I feel like they nailed the balance in MK8 in general, but kinda dropped the ball for first place players.

Do you want a repeat of Mario Kart Wii's Funky Kong and Mario Kart 7's Metal Mario? I didn't think so.

 

[onjai_x3]

Played the demo at gamestop, the game looks so much better in person than it does on youtube. I love Sunshine Airport & it's music.

 

[ChikoLad]

Do you want a repeat of Mario Kart Wii's Funky Kong and Mario Kart 7's Metal Mario? I didn't think so.

Those guys are unbalanced because of their stats (in combination with certain kart combinations). If they really wanted to make a balanced game, they wouldn't make characters with over-powered stats in the first place. Placing a handicap on the player in first place is not balance, it's a poor attempt at masking an otherwise unbalanced game.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Those guys are unbalanced because of their stats (in combination with certain kart combinations). If they really wanted to make a balanced game, they wouldn't make characters with over-powered stats in the first place. Placing a handicap on the player in first place is not balance, it's a poor attempt at masking an otherwise unbalanced game.

You never answered my question.

What changes would you make to item balance while in 1st place?

 

[dimensionsword64]

In the demo, I actually liked karts better. They felt more natural and easy to use.

 

[ChikoLad]

You never answered my question.

What changes would you make to item balance while in 1st place?

I didn't notice, sorry!

Well, to look at other games, one of the problems with MK is that the items are inherently unbalanced, the Spiny Shell being the biggest offender. It's an item that is a guaranteed hit on the lead player. The Super Horn in MK8 will help, but because it's something that will not pop up so often, it's not a perfect solution.

I would say "make the Spiny Shell avoidable by some kind of normal means". In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, the item that targets the lead player is called "Swarm". It's a swarm of giant Buzz Bombers that occupy the track in front of the lead player. Essentially creating extra obstacles for them. It can also effect other players who are just behind the lead player. The item can only be obtained by players in a low position. Hitting any of the Buzz Bombers will result in a painful spin out that will slow you down. The person who activates a Swarm is immune to it.

The Swarm is potentially more devastating than a Spiny Shell, since you could take multiple hits, but it CAN be avoided. If you're a skilled player, you can weave around Swarms. It will inevitably allow people to catch up to you at least a little bit, since you have extra obstacles to weave around on what could be an otherwise straight road, but if you're good, you can avoid it entirely and hold your lead position.

Nintendo aren't going to do that though, since they want to hold on to the Spiny Shell because tradition - so let's look at LittleBigPlanet Karting.

This game has a mechanic whereby you can turn any power-up into a defense missile when you have a homing power-up on your tail. This requires you to have an item in your possession, but it's MUCH better than the Super Horn.

And what better way to show it off than on a recreation of Moo Moo Farm from MK64, complete with recreated Mario Kart items? (the defense missile is used just a little bit after the 1:20 mark):

Another feature that both of the aforementioned games had was that courses could have parts where you would get a specific item from item boxes. If MK8 had parts where you always got a Super Horn, this would be a sufficient way of balancing the game better. They could always be at some fork in the road, and would be on the slower route, meaning there is a "risk-reward" element to it.