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Mario Kart 8 Patch Coming: On-TV Map, Stats Screen, and Improved Online

K

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Deputy Moonman said:
Whoever gets out ahead to first place stands the best chance of actually keeping first place thanks largely in part to the way the items work. If you're in first and can avoid whatever 2nd place uses early in the race, the rest of the race, outside of blue shells, turns into a cluster with 1st place cruising to an easy victory (barring poor driving skills and epic failure). I'm not saying there's a way to fix it, but i would argue that 50% of the races play out that way. So I don't think it makes sense to downplay the impacts that items have in the game. Yeah, it's a racing game, but outside of items or watching the person ahead screw up, there is no real way to catch a person through "racing" when in second place. So the whole racing element in mario kart 8 can be a bit of a misnomer.
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Yes, but there are still blue shells, triple red shells, boosts and so on. There are reasonable chances to take the first place. Not that often, of course, but my point is that the opportunity to fuck the 1st shouldn't really be at every corner. I'm not playing down the impact of the items, I just don't want them to have even more of an impact as of now. If the 1st place is an easy target there's no motivation to be in the 1st place until the very last moment and I don't think that's would be a good thing in a racing game.

Between 27th August and 23rd September, Nintendo and Mercedes-Benz will also host an online worldwide “Mercedes Cup” tournament. All competitors need is a Wii U console, Mario Kart 8, a broadband Internet connection and the Mercedes-Benz karts. Access to the “Mercedes Cup” in the game can be found in the online tournament section.
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That's nice.
 
B

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
Awesome. Nice to finally have a date on those karts.

Wonder if we'll get other karts in the future.
 
A

Azure Phoenix

Member
Well after waiting and hoping for a patch that is a big disappointment. I'd much rather they fix the terrible item distribution system and add support for the upcoming Gamecube controller adapter. And why are those Mercedes karts still the only DLC? Those "DLC characters" from the fake E3 leak would have been a great addition.

mario_kart_8_rumoured_dlc.png
 
G

Guerrilla

Member
Azure Phoenix said:
Well after waiting and hoping for a patch that is a big disappointment. I'd much rather they fix the terrible item distribution system and add support for the upcoming Gamecube controller adapter. And why are those Mercedes karts still the only DLC? Those "DLC characters" from the fake E3 leak would have been a great addition.

mario_kart_8_rumoured_dlc.png
Click to expand...

Yes I agree there def. should be a dlc for more tracks/characters, If it was good I would have no trouble paying 15$ for it.
 
T

Tadaima

Member
Azure Phoenix said:
Well after waiting and hoping for a patch that is a big disappointment. I'd much rather they fix the terrible item distribution system and add support for the upcoming Gamecube controller adapter.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is inevitable, given Mario Kart's solid track record of controller support. If not included in this patch, it will likely come at the end of the year along with the Amiibo update. If the GameCube controller adapter requires a firmware update, we can probably expect it once Smash launches.
 
P

Pikma

Banned
Deputy Moonman said:
Yeah, it's a racing game, but outside of items or watching the person ahead screw up, there is no real way to catch a person through "racing" when in second place. So the whole racing element in mario kart 8 can be a bit of a misnomer.
Click to expand...
That's totally not true, kart specs and driving do matter, I know I've won a lot of (both online and offline) races with driving alone, and without the person in 1st place screwing up in any way.
 
C

CrazedProfessional

Member
KingSnake said:
Yes, but there are still blue shells, triple red shells, boosts and so on. There are reasonable chances to take the first place. Not that often, of course, but my point is that the opportunity to fuck the 1st shouldn't really be at every corner. I'm not playing down the impact of the items, I just don't want them to have even more of an impact as of now. If the 1st place is an easy target there's no motivation to be in the 1st place until the very last moment and I don't think that's would be a good thing in a racing game.
Click to expand...

Let us talk about these three. Each occurrence is far rarer than you imply. The blue shell has been nerfed so hard in this game that in 8 months time people will be discussing it like a myth, an urban legend that appears every 10 races or so because the impact of the blue shell is just a joke here. Not only did they nerf its appearance chance but also made it so it will hit say 5-6 racers on its way to the item hoarder in first place. If you're second and caught on a bad angle of a drift, you will get hit by this thing and well - the item that was originally designed to give second, third and even forth a chance to be with the breakaway now has a good chance of not even changing the lead first place has if it hits you. Unless of course you are extremely good at timing and hit first place over a gap every time with a blue shell and even then they put Lakatu on fast forward so that doesn't do as much either.

Triple Reds are pretty rare in second. Remember when every leap year you would get a star in 2nd in double dash? It's about as rare as that. Let us also not forget that red shells fall victim to quite a few stage hazards out of our control. Notably in Thwomp Ruins, Mt. Wario, RR 64 and Toad's Turnpike where the First player doesn't even have to worry about his/her defensive item being used as it will most likely hit a tree, bouncing chain chomp, rolling gear or a car. Even then, you have to use two of your red shells to take out first place if he has a defensive item. If the pack is behind you, your triple reds might fall victim to a stray green shell or passerby who you unintentionally take out from touching him/her leaving you with not that much of a window to even touch first place.

A boost won't do you much good because there's not really that many "arcade racer" style shortcuts to use them on to gain ground. In most cases you'll be cutting through the grass which will only make you gain about 2 seconds on the leader in most cases. The game is just to skewed in favour of the pack leader and it needs tweaking before more and more people notice it and start hating the game.
 
K

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Pikma said:
That's totally not true, kart specs and driving do matter, I know I've won a lot of (both online and offline) races with driving alone, and without the person in 1st place screwing up in any way.
Click to expand...

Really. These comments here together with that thread about karts customization make me think that I am one of the few that plays this game like a kart racing game with items on top rather than a shooter on karts.

CrazedProfessional said:
Let us talk about these three. Each occurrence is far rarer than you imply. The blue shell has been nerfed so hard in this game that in 8 months time people will be discussing it like a myth, an urban legend that appears every 10 races or so because the impact of the blue shell is just a joke here. Not only did they nerf its appearance chance but also made it so it will hit say 5-6 racers on its way to the item hoarder in first place. If you're second and caught on a bad angle of a drift, you will get hit by this thing and well - the item that was originally designed to give second, third and even forth a chance to be with the breakaway now has a good chance of not even changing the lead first place has if it hits you. Unless of course you are extremely good at timing and hit first place over a gap every time with a blue shell and even then they put Lakatu on fast forward so that doesn't do as much either.

Triple Reds are pretty rare in second. Remember when every leap year you would get a star in 2nd in double dash? It's about as rare as that. Let us also not forget that red shells fall victim to quite a few stage hazards out of our control. Notably in Thwomp Ruins, Mt. Wario, RR 64 and Toad's Turnpike where the First player doesn't even have to worry about his/her defensive item being used as it will most likely hit a tree, bouncing chain chomp, rolling gear or a car. Even then, you have to use two of your red shells to take out first place if he has a defensive item. If the pack is behind you, your triple reds might fall victim to a stray green shell or passerby who you unintentionally take out from touching him/her leaving you with not that much of a window to even touch first place.

A boost won't do you much good because there's not really that many "arcade racer" style shortcuts to use them on to gain ground. In most cases you'll be cutting through the grass which will only make you gain about 2 seconds on the leader in most cases. The game is just to skewed in favour of the pack leader and it needs tweaking before more and more people notice it and start hating the game.
Click to expand...

The blue shelf was nerfed because a lot of people were complaining about the exact thing I mentioned, it wasn't worth being in 1st place except for the final of the race. I didn't mind the blue shells that much, but I understood the complains, because being very good at racing just be fucked up by one of the last places can be very frustrating. I was never hit by a blue shell outside 1st place. There is enough time to see them coming. Even when you're drifting you can still control your drift.

You talk about a lot of specific situations, but the point of having and using items is also planning when and where to use those items. It's part of the strategy. And that's valid not only for the 1st and 2nd place, it's valid for everyone. Because you can be in the 3rd place and there is no point in wasting your 3 reds on the second when 1 might suffice and keep 2 for the 1st place. You don't have to throw your items as soon as you get them, you can keep them for the right moment. And if 2 seconds doesn't get you close enough to the one in front of you then maybe (s)he deserves to win?
 
C

CrazedProfessional

Member
Yeah if I get coins from a set of item boxes then get hit by a red shell I guess the guy who attached glue to his green shell in first deserves to win. Seriously, make held items on the ass expire or autofire after a set time. This current tactic no risk high reward.
 
D

Dr Prob

Banned
I honestly don't mean for this to come across as snarky, but have you ever actually been in first place, CrazedProfessional?

You mostly pull coins, which leave you defenseless against red and green shells, and the latter has been tweaked to home in on a target after a few ricochets, making them practically unavoidable in many situations. On the off chance that you're awarded the luxury of a defensive item, you often have to contend with second place having triple shells, a situation nowhere near as rare as you make it out to be. If lightning is set off and you lose your defensive item you can look forward to pulling two or three more coins before receiving something useful again, and you're always at the mercy of the blue shell, which while certainly appearing less frequently than in previous games isn't even close to the once "every 10 races or so" "urban legend" you're (hopefully disingenuously) making it out to be. There's generally one every race! And if a race goes by without one, there will probably be two the next time!

First place is hardly the stress-free utopia you make it out to be--the game is constantly setting you up to fail. If someone is able to frontrun consistently it's due to them being really fast, not some kind of item advantage. You rarely even get any items at all!
 
Synless

Synless

Member
I would have preferred an actual party system where my friends and I can race online against other online opponents once we all met up. Unless we are missing that option somewhere.
 
C

CrazedProfessional

Member
Leads in this game are made not through the speed statistic but how often 2nd place gets hit. The Coin problem isn't a problem exclusively to first, that shit happens as low as 6th. First only needs one "something useful" to maintain a lead. Second needs two or three to get past First's "something useful". Second using up their "something useful" in a futile attempt to catch first will get hit by Third's more common "something useful". You also don't address the fact that the blue shell now does hit people along the way and that has a decent chance of actually helping first place out.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
Records screen w/ total coins, online win-loss record, character selection rates, etc. being added. Improved online stability.
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YES! This and the on-screen map should've been included from day 1, but great that it's finally coming!
 
D

Dr Prob

Banned
CrazedProfessional said:
You also don't address the fact that the blue shell now does hit people along the way and that has a decent chance of actually helping first place out.
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You're right. The thing that's guaranteed to hit the player in first (outside of the occasional circumstance when they're holding a shroom or a superhorn they didn't have to use to block something else) is actually a blessing in disguise! Can't tell you how many times I've uttered the phrase "thank god I just got demolished by that blue shell." C'mon, man.
 
P

Pikma

Banned
CrazedProfessional said:
Leads in this game are made not through the speed statistic but how often 2nd place gets hit. The Coin problem isn't a problem exclusively to first, that shit happens as low as 6th. First only needs one "something useful" to maintain a lead. Second needs two or three to get past First's "something useful". Second using up their "something useful" in a futile attempt to catch first will get hit by Third's more common "something useful". You also don't address the fact that the blue shell now does hit people along the way and that has a decent chance of actually helping first place out.
Click to expand...
Leads in this game are made through skills, strategy and experience, luck can make you lose races sometimes but it can also make you win others. Aside from very few scenarios, the way you perform in the race has never been this controllable. Did you ever play MKWii? you could win 80% of the races even if you were in 12th place by the start of the last lap, that's (luckily) far from possible this time.

Also, the Blue shell hitting people who get on it's way helps the person that used it, not the person in 1st place. Luck affects everyone not just 2nd or 3rd place.
I have to wonder if you wish the guy in 2nd place to always get triple red shells while you're in 1st place too. Being able to successfully maintain the 1st place for longer periods of time is something positive, unless you don't plan to ever be in 1st place, which I doubt.
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Relix said:
Nintendo is patching... a game?
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Well they patched MK7 before because of that shortcut glitch people were abusing, so it's not surprising.

Glad they finally add an onscreen map, I hate having to look down on my gamepad for that, and my girlfriend has no way to see it with her regular controller.

Now I wish they could fix it so people who are not 1st/2nd/3rd stop getting fucking coins. And that the people who are 10th/11th/12th stop getting a single mushroom or green shell. Also bring back the fake item box!
 
N

Not75Drops

Member
Watch Da Birdie said:
Didn't MK Wii even have a patch of sorts (well, an online competition) that added that Top Boss from Mario Galaxy?
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I think they were already in the game but they activated different ones until they ran out and started repeating them.

There are minor issues such as getting single mushrooms and greens in last place but besides the dumb coin, I prefer it than getting pelted with Lightning and Blue Shells 5 times every race like in MK Wii and to a lesser extent, 7. That shit always happens near the last stretch of the race as well lol.

This isn't likely but here's what happens when items are at their worst.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_43cq3DalZw
 
C

CrazedProfessional

Member
Come on now, if that blue shell hits 2nd or even 3rd too then they're not going to catch up nearly as much. It helps the pack leader because players getting hit by it disrupts any gain competitors can make towards first. Shit should only fly.
 
T

TheGreatMightyPoo

Banned
CrazedProfessional said:
Come on now, if that blue shell hits 2nd or even 3rd too then they're not going to catch up nearly as much. It helps the pack leader because players getting hit by it disrupts any gain competitors can make towards first. Shit should only fly.
Click to expand...

You can always drive to the side so it misses you.

I mean, it's pretty apparent the usual trajectory of it.
 
R

Red Dolphin

Member
xyla said:
Oh and please also safe the stats for the second player online.
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This actually works. I found that the second player needs their own single player save under their own NNID using the same Mii character that you want to use online (while playing under your NNID).

So for example, my wife has a single player save under her own NNID. However most of the time she plays as second player online under my NNID. Any points she accumulates or loses are saved whether she is playing as second player under my NNID or if she is playing as 1st player online under her own NNID.

Hope that makes sense. I had same issue with her points not saving when she was second player when playing under my NNID. It would reset to 1000 everytime we played again. Once she had her own single player save file from booting up the game once under her own NNID the points would save.
This is unlike Mario Kart Wii where the second player was always a guest/clone of 1st player.
 
R

Red Dolphin

Member
CrazedProfessional said:
Come on now, if that blue shell hits 2nd or even 3rd too then they're not going to catch up nearly as much. It helps the pack leader because players getting hit by it disrupts any gain competitors can make towards first. Shit should only fly.
Click to expand...

No I much prefer the MK64/MK7 style blueshell that travels along the ground. I like that it has a chance of potentially hitting anyone in the race and not just the leader. It is easily avoidable anyway for everyone but 1st. You also recover a lot quicker if you're hit by the blue shell in any position other than 1st. The explosion takes longer to recover from.
 
D

dralla

Member
I would prefer a full on expansion pack. Better characters, more modes, more options, ect. I don't think an on screen map is gonna be enough to get me back into it. Great game, but seriously lacking in content.
 
H

HawthorneKitty

Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
If you have a blue shell you're not shooting for first; your priority is to hit those immediately in front of you to increase your standing. If you hit nobody, well sucks for just first place.
 
T

TheGreatMightyPoo

Banned
It's a really cool update but the overuse of those silly looking cars is going to ugly up the playfield.

I mean, I could see a ton of jacklegs just using them because they are new and can.
 
K

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
I will use W25 as my main online car just to piss off some competitors. Because pissed-off players are less focused. :p
 
C

Celegus

Member
Sounds pretty nice, but I miss the finish times more than the on-screen map. Loved seeing the .02 time differences in Double Dash.
 
T

TheGreatMightyPoo

Banned
Bluemercury said:
Any news on the battle mode?
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Yes, it's included in the game.

If you mean """""""""""""""""proper"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" battle arenas to replace the totally """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""unplayable""""""""""""""" current battle mode tracks, then I wouldn't hold my breath.

There's a chance down the road there might be something but I doubt it's high on the list of priorities for Nintendo.

The best reason there might be them is that they would probably be easier to make than all-new racing tracks.
 
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