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Whose idea was it that 15 minute races were fun?

Meier said:
I don't necessarily mind them in and of itself, but it's like -- okay, I just finished this gargantuan race. Now it's time for another. And another. And another. There are literally HUNDREDS in the career mode and there's probably only like 8 tracks or something at most... so you're racing these minor variations repeatedly and it's really just kind of ridiculous.
The reason I don't play sims, right there. I don't even mind the gameplay in them.
 
It's annoying when the game has got messed up rubberbanding AI where it doesn't matter how good you drive, you can't get away from the pack. And then, when you go in the last corner and make a small mistake, are fucked. If that happens after a 15 min race, you're not a happy puppy.
 
The topic creator did bring up an interesting point and I was thinking about something like this a while back. I understand it is SIM racing and they are obviously trying to emulate realism, but I can imagine the frustration of screwing up on the 10th lap and ending up losing the entire race thanks to that slight error. Yes, it hs happen to me in several racing games and I didn;t even try anymore. I suppose it comes with the territory. Adjustable laps for less money option would be a nice and appreciated option for gamers who do not have alot of time on their hands. People complain about the lack of checkpoints in some games,. Well, try playing a hardcore racing simulator and it will teach you to be grateful. I like the way PGR4 executes races. Some people like 15 minute races because it makes the game feel more authentic I suppose.
 
Goldrusher said:
Why did you buy Forza 2 if you don't like racing ?



It sounds like he enjoys racing, but doesn't enjoy the repetition that goes along with having to race a lengthy track several times.
 
Goldrusher said:
Why did you buy Forza 2 if you don't like racing ?



It sounds like he enjoys racing, but doesn't enjoy the repetition that is associated with having to race a lengthy track several times.
 
I agree that they need a few more tracks.

I don't agree with anything else you wrote though. The joy is in learning the best lines in a variety of cars, not getting gamerpoints.
 
epmode said:
Trackmania Nations Forever is the cure! 1-minute races! Balls-hard! Instant restarts!

Instant??? There's a 3-second countdown before start! I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG!

TNF <3. Ten second track time-attacks FTW!
 
ianp622 said:
I downloaded the Grid demo and was amazed at the oversteer. I mean, I could do donuts without using the handbrake, and this was a regular race.


did you put your foot all the way down on the gas pedal or were you just pressing your joypad button slightly?
 
the endurance races are the best part of the game though. but I agree the half-long races are just dull, and there are so many of them. just ai driver all those shitty races and do the endurance ones yourself. pro-tip.
 
Rhazer Fusion said:
The topic creator did bring up an interesting point and I was thinking about something like this a while back. I understand it is SIM racing and they are obviously trying to emulate realism, but I can imagine the frustration of screwing up on the 10th lap and ending up losing the entire race thanks to that slight error. Yes, it hs happen to me in several racing games and I didn;t even try anymore. I suppose it comes with the territory. Adjustable laps for less money option would be a nice and appreciated option for gamers who do not have alot of time on their hands. People complain about the lack of checkpoints in some games,. Well, try playing a hardcore racing simulator and it will teach you to be grateful. I like the way PGR4 executes races. Some people like 15 minute races because it makes the game feel more authentic I suppose.
I cannot think of any race that is 15 minutes in reality though. 15-25 mins though is just a weird time period usually meant to force strange pit strategy(in the case of GT cars will pit on lap x-1/x and one might use very soft tires and pit twice). It is long enough to make a mistake but not long enough to recover from one.

The people into authentic experiences are
-hot lapping most of the time
-doing the longer races(1 hour+)
-playing real racing sims as opposed to driving sims
 
Stick with arcade racers if you don't like long races. Don't screw the rest of us over just because you're playing the wrong game.

I love 2-3 laps on the ring, that feeling of 150% concentration/focus you get where it is just you, the car, and the next couple turns. Everything else just fades into an easily ignored background.
 
The problem with Forza single player is not the length of races, it's the sheer number of them and the grinding you have to do to max out your level. The endurance races are great, you do a very long race for 45-50mins and get very good rewards for it. It's the middle/end ones that are shit, when you have to do 4-5 15min races to finish a event. 10 laps on New York Circuit? Just kill me please. Also, most of the races do not have any challenge at all because you can race in a car thats at least 5sec/lap faster than the rest of the field.

Forza needs:
a. more cars on the track
b. streamline the single player section and balanced events
c. cut down the fat on the single player events
 
Joseph Merrick said:
the endurance races are the best part of the game though. but I agree the half-long races are just dull, and there are so many of them. just ai driver all those shitty races and do the endurance ones yourself. pro-tip.
Nailed it.

JGTC endurance race on Suzuka was awesome-wowsome, probably the best race in the game.
 
My only complaint about long races is that no game (or if there was I missed it) had Ai good enough to challenge the player for that long. I think we could all agree that 15 minutes of fighting for positions goes by in an instant, while 5 minutes of overtaking everyone followed by 10 minutes of running the track all by your lonesome is tremendousely boring.
 
Jonnyram said:
Anyone remember the 99 lap race in Ridge Racer V? Now THAT was hardcore.
Hell yes, I remember completing that one. It was actually a fun race too as you had to spend quite a bit of time overcoming each opponent.
 
You ever play the Marathon sessions in Gran Turismo 3? I used to play that shit all the time back in the summer when I was in HS.....like 60 laps or some shit.
 
I dunno, I steered away from racesims (pun intended) a long time ago, but you should definatly stay away from Rock Band. If the higherranked setlists don't kill you, the Endless Setlist will: all 58 songs in one long session.
 
I like endurance races.
Many race sim fans do, that's why they're in Forza, GT, etc.
In Forza2, you could simulate the endurance races if you wanted.
I enjoy racing 20-some lappers in MotoGP too. It's about consistency, and shaving off tenths of seconds in lap times.
Not for everyone, surely.
 
Kaako said:
FUCK. I remember those...me and my cousin took turns.

My PS2 was paused for days sometimes in one of those crazy long races... One time we went on vacation for two weeks and the PS2 was paused half way through an endurance race the whole time.
 
I hate the last mission in GTA4 because it goes on forever without mid level check points. That shit can suck my motherfuckin' dick.
 
BrokenSymmetry said:
As far as I remember, the longest races in PGR4 are a single lap on the Nurburgring, which takes 6-10 minutes. All other races are 3-5 minutes (which is the ideal length for a race, in my opinion).
The average street race is definitely closer to 6 minutes than 3, but I think it's not so much the lenght of a single race that bothers me in that, but that everytime you want to play a bit of career mode you have to go through one of those tournaments, and that takes anywhere between 30-60 minutes.
Would have been better if there was just a few tournaments in the season, like one per month maximum, and in between was single race events.
 
I used to do online races in Grand Prix Legends lasting an hour, and it was exciting as you had to balance between taking risks and just bringing the car home for a podium finish.

But having a balanced, exciting 15 minute race against the AI cars in any game is a rare occurance. Either you blast through the pack twice, get left behind or suffer from terrible rubber-banding.

This is why I mainly prefer racing against friends in identical cars in any game. The best moments in any racing game have been trying to overtake/avoid being overtaken close to the end of a about 5 lap race (long enough to force some patience, short enough to not frustrate you if make a mistake early on). Epic battles have been fought for the racing line into the last turn.
 
amar212 said:
Long races are not good, but Acheivement Whoring is fine, right?

Hipocrite.
What does that even mean? How would that make me hypocritical? And how is it achievement whoring to like beating the game? The achievements are a product of finishing the game -- I like to beat my games but I do not like having to spend hours doing what I feel like is pointless shit to get achievements. I refuse to do that in fact. The length to beat Forza 2's career mode is absurd -- that's all I was indicating.

Fuck it, editing the OP.
 
shagg_187 said:
3+ HOURS!! FUCKING 3+ HOURS!!!! I remember overtaking all the cars more than 5 times (I had some 4WD Concept Car. Forgot the name).

this. and i expect GT5 to include the exact same mode.
 
MikeE21286 said:
You ever play the Marathon sessions in Gran Turismo 3? I used to play that shit all the time back in the summer when I was in HS.....like 60 laps or some shit.
Can you imagine doing that as an adult with limited time to play and a wife/girlfriend vying for your time? I guess sim racers are just not aimed at people like me which is a shame because I do like racing games and enjoy the core gameplay of Forza 2.

And to the person who asked why I bought it -- I didn't, it came packed in with my Elite purchase.
 
Meier said:
Can you imagine doing that as an adult with limited time to play and a wife/girlfriend vying for your time?
Heh, so play when you have the time? I finished the career recently and I got the game on day one. Still have the car collection achievements to go since I have to race some endurances multiple times to get enough monies for all those cars. hehe
 
I already have a solution for this

Each checkpoint marker is a ... CHECKPOINT, and at any time you can restart from any of the checkpoints you've already passed. So if you mess up huge in the last 5 seconds of the race, just go to the previous checkpoint, done.

And if you don't use a checkpoint-restart give bonus credits.

So now the hardcore are happy, and the normal humans don't get frustrated.
 
PantherLotus said:
I like how the OP has a legitimate complaint about the actual amount of FUN doing repetitive actions, but the standard gaf audience immediately insults his manhood and his streetcred. Do you guys that are all about true simulations wear racing jumpsuits so it can be more like the real thing? You piss yourselves when you play?

It's a real complaint and having to do it sucks (do you really have to do that?). Imagine in Madden having to play real 15 minute quarters with commercial breaks. You gonna play ONE game in three and a half hours?

Nah. I don't think this is about being a hardcore gamer or about "having a pair" (really, gaf?), I think this is about devs artificially increasing the length of the game by holding some magical cheese out in front of a giant mouse wheel. Have fun with that!

Said pretty much what I wanted to. This sort of nonsense is the reason I haven't played a racing sim in a long damn time and enjoyed one. They simply aren't fun for me - which is why I play games in the first place. Everyone's mileage will vary obviously, just not sure why it's necessary to pounce on the guy for, you know, having a complaint with games not being fun to him. Is it really 'Achievement Whoring' to ask that a game feature fun things in it?
 
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