Hotshot Tales, Part 20: Showing No Mercy

Hotshot Tales, Part 20: Showing No Mercy

How would a "mercy rule" for Hotshot Racing (specifically, Barrel Barrage and Drive or Explode) affect gameplay? I've been pondering this question for a few years now, so here's how it could be implemented compared to the standard rules for both modes, in which the game will let the last remaining human player continue to drive until they run out of time, complete all laps, or are eliminated. While it gives that player a chance to survive as long as they can, I'll admit that even attempting to do so can be a challenge, especially on the more technical and/or narrower tracks. My proposed "mercy rule" removes that problem completely in two ways, as described below.

The first part of this rule deals with lapped traffic during a Barrel Barrage. In longer races, it is possible for a skilled human player to be the only finisher on the lead lap, if not the only one, period. However, any players who aren't on the lead lap (human or not) can still continue racing if they have time left to do so. Unfortunately, this can potentially result in them being hit, or even eliminated, by barrels placed by anyone who is on the lead lap. To avoid this problem, any players who are lapped should be given a small amount of time (probably 3, 5, or 10 seconds) to get on the lead lap, and will be automatically eliminated unless they do so within that time. This rule won't be implemented in Drive or Explode, in which it is impossible to finish a race a lap down on the leader due to its different rules.

The second part of this rule applies to both Barrel Barrage and Drive or Explode, and is much more direct in its approach. If only one human player remains, and there are no bots (CPU-controlled players left), the game automatically ends, granting an immediate victory to the sole survivor, without allowing them to drive all the way to the full race distance, and preventing them from having to avoid barrels or dropping below the minimum sector speed in Barrel Barrage and Drive or Explode, respectively. However, although it increases your chance of survival in such situations, it also prevents you from being able to humiliate the opposition even further by completing every lap as the last player standing.

If the "mercy rule" were to be implemented for both modes, it would have to be balanced by having the game award additional cash to the player for every lap completed (or at least reached) in those modes regardless of whether or not this rule was toggled on. Turning it on would thus deprive the player of those extra earnings if it were invoked during such a race, making it a matter of balancing risk with reward by giving the player a chance to play it safe and use it, or ignore it and attempt to increase their winnings. In short, it would be useful for less experienced players, but less so for more highly skilled ones, who would rather be brave and leave it off.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 251: A Duo Reimagined

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 251: A Duo Reimagined

Having created the 2013 AAA Crusader, I began asking myself a question that had been on my mind for weeks: Would this have made even more sense as a 2000s build? To that end, I decided to use it as the basis for the 2005 Wolfram Wolfclaw - and I intended it to be the successor to the WSC-95 concept I'd made in Ellisbury a few years earlier.

Above, from top: Although aesthetically derived from the 2013 AAA Crusader, minor exterior changes helped set the 2005 Wolfram Wolfclaw apart from its inspiration, with a 32-valve dual-overhead-cam-per-bank V8 displacing 5.0 liters in place of the overhead-valve 16-valve 6.0-liter unit the Crusader had. The basic mechanical layout (front-engined, rear-drive, with a 6-speed manual transmission/helical limited-slip differential combo as standard) remains unchanged, however.

Broadly similar in performance to the Crusader, the Wolfclaw is slightly lighter, but more expensive due to a greater use of positive quality points, although given its more premium positioning, this extra quality is justified - especially given the increased redline (7500 rpm instead of 6500). However, it wasn't the only car I recently reimagined as part of my two-pronged plan.

Shortly before I finalized the 2005 Wolfclaw, I dusted off an old manufacturer name from my Kee engine days and created the Macale Manta, a mid-engined, V8-powered supercar with 500 horsepower, peaking near its 9000-rpm redline. This, however, wasn't the original specification - as originally built for a forum challenge, it delivered a more conservative 480 horsepower, and lacked the electronic limited-slip differential and adaptive dampers found in the final version on cost grounds, instead using a simpler helical unit with monotube dampers. Also, the color scheme was changed from a red exterior with a red-on-black interior to a blue exterior with a blue-on-cream interior. Finally, its techpool was increased to a uniform +7 in all areas (except for +8 on the gearbox and suspension), which the Wolfclaw matched.

Above, from top: Duplicating the 2005 Macale Manta I'd previously made for a forum challenge to unlock its full potential was a no-brainer - but I had to increase its techpool allocation to what the Wolfclaw would use just to make that possible, especially since it gave me additional headroom left in the budget for more advanced components compared to the original design.

While the Wolfclaw is a better everyday companion due to its superior reliability, drivability, comfort, and safety ratings, the Manta's more exotic mid-engined look, combined with its slightly higher prestige score and greater sportiness rating (helped by taking 3.5 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standstill compared to the Wolfclaw's 4.1, among other things), make it more of a supercar than a grand tourer by comparison, and in an era and segment where competition was as fierce as it had ever been in real life, this is what would've mattered most to customers.

Above, from top: They may not have been direct rivals, but the Macale Manta and Wolfram Wolfclaw were among the most competitive options in the premium sports car/supercar segment in 2005.

In short, envisioning the 2000s Wolfram Wolfclaw as a brawnier, more refined counterpart to the contemporary Macale Manta (which itself underwent significant revisions after a cheaper, rules-compliant version of it had been submitted for a forum challenge) made a lot of sense for me - and allowed me to make direct comparisons between the two, to more easily justify their place in a highly competitive market.

Hotshot Tales, Part 19: Four Kills at Surf City

Hotshot Tales, Part 19: Four Kills at Surf City

It's very difficult to get four kills in a single Barrel Barrage race at Surf City (the most difficult track added in the Big Boss Bundle DLC to Hotshot Racing) while also surviving to the very end, especially if the race in question is 7 laps long (the longest possible distance), and even more so if the Expert class (the fastest one available) is chosen, but it can be done, although it takes a lot of skill, luck, and patience - and choosing the right car also helps. For this challenge, I chose Marcus' Carbon (the best Speed-class car, and the best car overall) to give myself the best chance of completing sectors within the notoriously strict time limits this track/class combination has to offer.

It took several hours and dozens of attempts for me to get what I wanted, but eventually I managed to pull it off for the first time in months, if ever. Here's how it happened:

Above, from top: A chronology of kills and the final result from a 7-lap Barrel Barrage at Surf City in which I not only got four kills (one each against Xing, Keiko, Mike, and Alexa), but survived until the very end.

Right from the start, I had to be very aggressive against the opposition (by carefully timing and placing my barrel drops to prevent my opponents from avoiding them), and it paid off. Xing (in a Sentinel) was the first to fall, bowing out after just two laps; on the next lap, I took out Keiko (in a Super F-90) and Mike (in an Athena) within the space of just a few seconds. For the next few laps, I mixed speed with precision, avoiding barrels while meeting the sectors' time limits as the opposition kept dropping like flies, until an opportunity for a fourth kill presented itself on the very last lap. Alexa (in a Stallion) was about to be lapped and at critical damage (20 health or less), having taken care of Viktor (in a Blade) a few laps earlier, so I matched her speed and placed a barrel I held in reserve right in front of her to finish her off. My attempt at a fifth kill was unsuccessful, as the last remaining opponent, Toshiro (in a Wild Line) was eliminated before I could catch up to him, but it didn't matter anyway; all I had to do was get to the finish line in time in one piece, and against all odds, that's exactly what I did.

Above: Some alternate angles of all four my kills in this chaotic 7-lap Barrel Barrage on Expert at Surf City (plus Alexa taking out Viktor) as shown during the replay.

In short, this was one of the most chaotic Barrel Barrages I've had anywhere in a long time, and it goes to show that the perfect storm of circumstances (>2 kills in 7 laps on Expert and completing every lap while also being the last man standing) for a Barrel Barrage on any track is very rare and difficult to achieve, but still possible with the right combination of skill, luck, and patience.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 250: A 21st-Century Crusade

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 250: A 21st-Century Crusade

It's taken a while, but finally I've felt confident enough to attempt a fully detailed Automation build on anything made after the 2000s. The 2013 AAA Crusader is proof of that. It's based on the '09 Jackal body set (2.57m wheelbase) in 2-door configuration, so it's not the first time I've tried using it as the basis for any fully detailed build (the first one was a mid-2000s premium convertible sports car). However, this one is especially notable because it arose from an aborted plan to create something for a Discourse challenge - a pony car called the Arbalest. I backed out at the last moment after realizing that it would make even more sense as a 2-seat aluminum-bodied out-and-out sports car, rather than a cheaper, steel-bodied 2+2 pony car.

Above: The Arbalest may have been tempting on paper, but it was never a realistic proposition as a 2+2 pony car - it was just too small.

Turning the Arbalest into the Crusader was relatively simple on the outside compared to the mechanical upgrades I fitted. By extracting 100 more horsepower from the engine, I was able to fully utilize the weight reduction that resulted from using a 2-seat configuration in an all-aluminum body/chassis. Widening the rear tires by 40mm (with wider wheel arches front and rear, thus widening the track) and fitting 19-inch forged alloy wheels (in place of the 18-inch cast-alloy items) also helped, as did using uprated brakes and an aerodynamic undertray. With the suspension and gearbox (now incorporating adaptive dampers and a manual setup, respectively) retuned accordingly, I was able to maximize my performance improvements even further - 193 mph flat-out and a 0-60 mph time of 4 seconds were proof of that.

Above, from top: The Crusader made even more sense than the Arbalest, being a pure two-seater, but it was still a powerful front-engined rear-driver as before - and lighter to boot.

With that out of the way, I then added a fully detailed interior - but with only two seats due to the Crusader having a different seating arrangement. It took several hours spread out over several days to get it right, but I pulled it off.

Above, from top: It may have been my first attempt at adding a fully detailed interior to a post-2010 Automation build, but this one for the 2013 AAA Crusader turned out better than I thought it would.

In the end, I was satisfied with the results of this build, but there may be more to come. A more extreme supercharged variant positioned above it could follow, as could a convertible based on both it and the base model shown here. But for now, the base Crusader represents all the premium sports car a mid-2010s enthusiast could want or need.

Hotshot Tales, Part 18: The King of the Hotshots

Hotshot Tales, Part 18: The King of the Hotshots

Having already explained the worst car in Hotshot Racing and how you can win a race with it even on the most challenging tracks, I'll now show you the best car the game has to offer. And after two and a half years of experience, I have found the answer: Marcus's Speed-class car, the Carbon, is by far the best car in the game. But the stat sheet only tells part of the story on why this car is overpowered.

Above: The Carbon may be the fastest car in the game (over 220 mph without boosting, and 260 mph when doing so), but stats alone don't tell the whole story.

When I first tried out this car, it wasn't just its speed that shocked me; it was its surprisingly controllable handling (contradicting its low drift stat) that propelled it to the top of my list. Specifically, its body roll in corners is minimal, which gives it a stable feel while drifting. This ensures you'll be less reliant on the Brake Tap Drift technique (which I'd described in the previous post in this series) than you usually would; thus yielding higher cornering speeds; sometimes, you won't even need to brake at all while drifting, allowing you to use just the steering inputs to stay in control. Best of all, you won't even need to downshift at all when entering tight corners.

To prove a point, I tried entering the Carbon in the same type of event (7 laps at Surf City on Expert) that tripped me up so many times in the Eagle. Unsurprisingly, I didn't just win on my first attempt, I did so handily.

Above, from top: Thanks to the Carbon's unparalleled speed and surprisingly good handling, I was able to win this 7-lap race at Surf City on Expert on my first attempt (and by over 12 seconds, to boot!), whereas my first win at the same track over the same distance in the same class using Mike's Eagle was much closer, with a margin of victory measured in tenths of a second at most.

In fact, my extensive testing with the Carbon has confirmed that it is undoubtedly the best car to use on any track across all modes and speed classes. Unsurprisingly, anyone who chooses Marcus in local or online multiplayer is best served with one of these, although there are a few cars that come close to matching its overall effectiveness. Finally, I have found its speed to be a boon in Drive or Explode, where it is necessary to remain above a steadily increasing speed threshold just to avoid elimination, while its handling helps it avoid barrels more easily in Barrel Barrage.

In short, the Carbon isn't just the fastest car in the game, it's also the best one overall, period. It should be your first choice in high-level play (unless an opponent already chose Marcus in a multiplayer match), and if the game had an Ultimate Grand Prix spanning all 20 tracks, it would be the best car for anyone to use in such a long, grueling championship.

Hotshot Tales, Part 17: Not an April Fool's Joke - The Eagle Conquers Surf City!

Hotshot Tales, Part 17: Not an April Fool's Joke - The Eagle Conquers Surf City!

Many players consider winning an Arcade Mode race with the Eagle (Mike's Acceleration-class car) on Surf City in the Expert speed class to be the most difficult task in the game. Why is this? The Eagle is, without doubt, the least effective car in the game; although it has the best Acceleration stat, it has one of the lowest top speeds in the game (only 203 mph) and a very weak Drift stat. Specifically, turning hard on its own is sufficient to initiate a drift - but on anything other than wide, shallow corners, this is generally seen as detrimental. Even worse, continuously holding down the brake button while drifting (a viable technique in some other cars) will cause it to understeer. However, there is one surefire way to keep the Eagle under control in tight corners, such as the tight downhill hairpin at the end of The Marina and the final corner (which is a wider, uphill hairpin) at Surf City.

Above: Mike's Eagle may be the least effective car on paper (despite its class-leading acceleration), but even it can be a race winner on technical tracks if you apply the proper technique.

If you really want to win anything with the Eagle, you'll need to master a secret technique known as the Brake Tap Drift, which involves tapping (rather than holding down) both the brake button and the directional button corresponding to the direction in which you want to turn. This prevents the car's mass from shifting forward, thus counteracting understeer. However, for the tightest corners, you'll also need to downshift from 6th to 5th or even 4th - something only possible when using manual transmission. Even so, without the possibility of engine damage due to over-revving, or even the need to use a clutch pedal, the Downshift Brake Tap (which combines the Brake Tap Drift with downshifting using manual gears), can help the Eagle navigate any hairpin turn without losing too much speed. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended to have at least one nitro boost in your inventory upon exiting such a tight corner; for the fastest exits from these corners, activate it as soon as the car has straightened out sufficiently, and shift up until you reach 6th gear to build up more momentum.

Applying these techniques allowed me to win at Surf City over 7 laps on Expert, but it took me dozens of attempts to do so. Even so, I had to adjust my racing line significantly to avoid going out of control and slamming into a wall. Finally, after an hour or so of finishing no higher than second, I claimed my first win with the Eagle on this event setup.

Above, from top: Winning a 7-lap race at Surf City on Expert using the Eagle required me to adopt a whole new driving style, but after hours of practice, it paid off - and I won by less than a fifth of a second.

In short, the Eagle may be my least favorite car in Hotshot Racing, but even it can become a winner on any track with enough skill and practice.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 249: Sharpening the Knife

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 249: Sharpening the Knife

As a continuation of my work on the 1992 Kodai Kunai, I started looking into what a more highly tuned version of it could be. However, since the donor car was already a highly capable sports car, I knew I had to make the new trim more like a supercar, at least in terms of power output. So I took the GT trim (which I had just made) and created the GT400 trim out of it.

The engine received the most comprehensive changes, developing 400 horsepower on 98 RON super unleaded (up from 276 on 95 RON premium unleaded) thanks to increased boost pressure (1.0 bar instead of 0.5 bar) and larger turbochargers, as well as a high-flow intake and exhaust (catalytic converter/muffler). A shorter final drive ratio (to better harness the increased output) yielded a significantly faster 0-60 mph time (4.2 seconds, down from 4.7), but it wasn't the only factor. Staggered tires (245/40R18 up front and 265/35R18 at the rear) wrapped in 18-inch forged wheels (to accommodate 350mm vented front disc brakes with 4-piston calipers - the rear brakes are 325mm-diameter vented discs with 2-piston rear calipers) also account for the quicker acceleration, and extra grip to go along with it. Also, by setting the weight optimization slider to its lightest setting, I saved 70kg even after installing an aerodynamic undertray (to generate additional downforce in conjunction with a front spoiler in place of the lip fixture, which was moved to the rear). Finally, I retuned the suspension to maintain the base car's sporty feel, albeit sharpened.

Above, from top: The GT400 trim takes the standard Kodai Kunai and turns it up to 11 inside and out.

Aesthetically, this new trim was distinguished by different interior materials (to better match its performance-oriented positioning), hood vents, larger frontal air intakes, a taller rear wing, wider wheel arches, and deeper side skirts. However, such giant-killing performance doesn't come cheap - with the base car having a price of $40,000 AMU, adding the GT400 package resulted in something that cost half as much again ($60,000) when new. Then again, when you consider that its performance figures put it in the top flight of its era (with only very the fastest hypercars remaining out of reach), all that extra money is guaranteed to be well spent.

Above, from top: A side-by-side comparison of both trim levels (with the GT400 now being yellow) reveals how much more aggressive and overtly sporting the GT400 is compared to its progenitor.

There could, in theory, be even more potential lurking within the platform - probably in the form of an even more extreme road-legal trim level, or an actual race car - but for now, the GT400 serves as the ultimate expression of the Kunai line, blending agile handling with addictive turbo thrust in a shapely package that can compete with the best that the rest of the world can offer. And it does all of this at a lower cost than others in its class, in both stock and tuned forms.

What next for the Kunai line, then? As good as it is, pitting it against a Parana P600 would be too much of a stretch, given the Parana's far greater prestige. However, it might be possible to throw it into the lion's den of a future group test featuring at least one other factory or aftermarket tuned car from the same year - and if anything like that were to occur in the future, I'd be looking forward to it.