Hotshot Tales, Part 6: Last Man Standing

 Hotshot Tales, Part 6: Last Man Standing

In Hotshot Racing, outside of Arcade Mode, in which the only way a (human) player can be eliminated is via running out of time, you can be eliminated (or "reborn" as a Cop) if your car is destroyed. In fact, in Barrel Barrage and Drive or Explode, it's entirely possible for every player to be eliminated before any of them has completed the full race distance (especially if the race is over the maximum possible distance of 7 laps). This brings us nicely to the point of this post: if there is only one player left in the race, should that player be automatically awarded a victory if every other player has been eliminated? It's a tempting idea, so let's look into it and find out why there should (or shouldn't) be such a rule.

Above and below: An example of a Last Man Standing situation, in a Drive or Explode race at Ocean World - the player's car is the last one on the track just before starting the sixth lap (of seven), with all seven opponents having been previously eliminated, although he/she will only be credited with a win if all laps have been completed.

The pros of granting an automatic victory for the last player standing are obvious: if every opponent ends up being eliminated, there is no longer any incentive to race against them. Ending the race as soon as one player becomes the last remaining one would therefore make it unnecessary to survive over the course of a full-length race. The amount of winnings that can be earned from this kind of victory will remain unchanged, however. Thus, implementing this rule would make it easier to win a long Drive or Explode or Barrel Barrage race (especially one lasting for five laps or more), where the risk of elimination is much greater than it would be in a shorter race.

Above and below: Another Last Man Standing situation, this time in a Barrel Barrage race at Frozen Freeway. All opponents have been eliminated, leaving the player as the sole survivor (and the winner by default), although as with Drive or Explode, they must still complete every lap to finish the race.

The cons of implementing this rule, however, should not be ignored. In addition to removing any incentive for the last remaining player to complete the full race distance, it would also allow players to change their strategies accordingly, by simply managing either their speed (in Drive or Explode) or time (in Barrel Barrage) if they are in the lead while there are only a few opponents left (usually one or two), since their elimination would result in an instant win. This would make a race in either of these modes too easy to complete, and as such could unnecessarily water down the challenge that these modes provide.

Overall, it's actually for the best that Hotshot Racing lacks a Last Man Standing rule. It's meant to be challenging, and getting to the finish line on the last lap if everyone else has fallen by the wayside is part of the fun. For the same reason, a Last Man Standing mode (in which the last car to complete a lap is eliminated) wouldn't make much sense, especially since it would just be a variant of Arcade Mode where you have to avoid finishing a lap in last place just to keep racing. Besides, in the past, other racing games have done it before. 

In any case, you will still technically win a race in Drive or Explode or Barrel Barrage if you are the last player standing, although if that occurs, you must complete every lap to actually finish as the winner, as per the rules. So next time you start a long race under either the Drive or Explode or Barrel Barrage game modes, be sure to stay safe - and survive.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 174: Revising, Reusing, and Remaking Redux

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 174: Revising, Reusing, and Remaking Redux

After over a decade of constant updates to Automation (including a move to Unreal Engine 4 in 2017, followed by the 4.2 update in early 2022), I have learned that one of the key principles in designing cars and engines is to revise, reuse, and remake them depending on the requirements of the challenge it is to be submitted for (if applicable), and whether or not it is incompatible with (or at least requires significant revision for) the latest game build. The KMA K650 V12 5.0 shown below is a classic example.

Above: The front fascia of the KMA K650 5.0 in its current form.

The basic design dates to before the Ellisbury Update to Automation, but I wasn't too proud of it, so I cloned the whole car to create a new version for a different (and more recent) challenge.

The side profile of the K650 is very similar to what it was before, but the lower ride height makes it look far more menacing.

Among other changes, I set the engine family and variant years to 1980, and did the same thing for the car model and trim, but reduced the techpool allocation and quality level to remain within budget.

This is what most motorists will see as the K650 overtakes them.

Wider wheels and tires, a retuned (but still sufficiently powerful) engine, and sportier suspension, combined with bigger brakes, make this a more sporting coupe than it once was, without sacrificing too much comfort in the process.

For comparison, here's what the original design (with all years set to 1978) looked like:

The pre-Ellisbury version of the K650 didn't look too bad on paper, but it was a bit too futuristic for something that came out in 1978.

At least I didn't have to remake the whole car from scratch, given that the original design was made in the 4.2 build of Automation, on a body set that wasn't removed in an update.

In short, reusing or revising previous builds can be a boon if you are short of time, although it may still be better to take the extra time and effort to create a new one from scratch if you are certain that such an approach will yield better results, especially when submitting something for a challenge. In fact, there's one old build in particular that deserves special mention - and one that I remade as the subject of the next post in this series.