I'm actually really enjoying this. The controls really confused me and felt bad at first, but after getting accustomed to Tank Controls (my favorite), it works splendidly.
I agree and have long accepted that RR2 was $5 wasted. It's one thing to improve and another to completely change the game. I mean if Nintendo decides to put upgrades in the next Mario kart, place certain rules on power ups, and make the driving more realistic where racing lines start to matter... That game will no longer be Mario kart, just a new racing game with Mario kart characters and title. That is exactly what pixelbit did to RR! Seriously if I want to worry about stupid driving lines, I already have Real Racing 2 (which I barely play for said fact) for that!
On paper, RR2 does improve upon everything, EXCEPT the feel of the gameplay. A lot of the previous comments (no offense to anybody, really) talk about how you have to adjust to the learning curve, how you have to tweak your car to make it right, how you have to 'adapt' to the new style. This may all be true, but with the way the first one plays, there is zero learning curve, you have to tweak nothing because the gameplay is already perfectly intact and there is nothing to adapt to since the control becomes second nature instantly. I am having trouble keeping a straight line in the new one since every time I push left or right, my car veers off course. So, I should keep racing and try to upgrade my car to compensate for this? No. The control of this game needs tweaking. Great graphics, more tracks, more cars, all of which are excellent additions, but there is no way you can claim that the game has a BETTER feel. I do think that if the controls were ironed out to match the original more then it would be a HUGE step in the right direction.
Did you try to play around with sencitivity settings? I think the controls are perfect for the tracks included. There is also plenty of drifting. The cars here are customizable with upgrades having a huge difference to the way different cars handle. I for one like this one better than the first.
Well the general consensus is that the second is better than the first. Is everything on paper better than the first? Sure. Is it more fun to play? Nope. Yeah, I've fooled around with the sensitivity settings. That was the FIRST thing I did since I was instantly turned off by the controls, but unfortunately I noticed no difference. And really this is my point, that you have to try and tweak things to get the right feel since the right feel isn't already there. My biggest complaint in terms of the controls is how a simple, delicate tap of the left/right tab makes your car jerk. In RR1, you can gently tap left or right and your car barely moves in that direction. A gentle tap left or right should NOT move the cars direction that drastically. I hate being on a straight away since all I do is try to correct what the controls won't allow me to do, which is staying straight. In terms of the drifting... I'm not saying there is no drifting in RR2 and I'm sure you can customize your car to make it drift like crazy, etc. My quip with RR2 goes beyond just a simple 'lack of drifting' and has more to do with the game playing flat. I want to make the point that I am not unhappy with the direction change of RR2 (more polished, new theme, more serious, etc.) as that decision is up to the developer. Eight or nine out of ten things are perfect with this game. Am I going back to the original and enjoying PLAYING that more? Yes. It's a catch 22 because I WANT to like this game, I really do. I was so excited when the price dropped yesterday, but when I started playing it took me a minute to realize something was off, whereas with RR1 it took me a minute to fall in love. I'll continue to play RR2 and work with the upgrades. I'm sure I can 'find' some love in there somewhere.
I think I finally understood what you are saying. Yes, I agree that with the default controls at least, the car does change course at a greater angle when you tap left/right buttons than I would like if I just want it to stick to the road or the straight line. On the other hand to take those sharp corners you do need the controls that are more responsive. It is well worth to stick with the game to get a hang of the controls. I did struggle with them at first, and still do at times but it is such a great feeling to be able to drift through a shortcut on one of the tracks at top speed and get ahead of competition. This is not something that controls in the first game would have allowed. In the end, to each his own and its ok to agree to disagree.
OK so, I played RR2 for about five hours today and really spent some time with it, thus adding some credibility to my perspective on how the game plays. I maxed out the Maxima and Rasboro on career mode. I am enjoying talking about the game on here as I do have interest in it and I see many good things hidden underneath lackluster control that, even after playing it more intensely, I simply can't get past. And as I embark upon this post, I have come to realize that control (or the 'Physics' as some might say) is indeed my biggest gripe with this game, by far. The ironic part is that I have experienced some of the games finest details through LOSING control of my vehicle. I have done some amazing flips (literal somersaults), while sliding off the cliffs is truly well done. Yes I am being serious here since I do think the developers spent a considerable amount of time on the fine details. But like I said, the catch 22 is that my inability to maintain control of my vehicle is what has led me to see such beautiful sights. This is the difference between RR2 and RR1 and this is what made me instantly fall in love with how the first one played: the ability to feel in control of my vehicle. With RR2, it is not an issue of upgrading your vehicle so you can achieve better control. I have upgraded two vehicles fully and still feel all over the place. I literally feel like the cars are floating, or even more accurately, I feel like I am driving on ice. However, as chaotic as the drifts and slides were in RR1, I always felt glued to the road, in control, and the drifts and slides came so naturally because of this. In RR1 there was a balance between the feeling of being out of control while simultaneously you were in control, but with RR2 this balance has shifted and I am in a constant state of trying to maintain control. It is NOT the drifts that are even the issue with RR2. They're in there, and when I am in one the controls don't feel too bad. It is the overall feel of how the control is as a whole that's the problem. I am having a great deal of difficulty keeping my vehicle under restraint and I am constantly overcompensating for this. This overcompensation takes the form of 'tap left, tap right, tap left again,' since simply trying to maintain normal direction results in my car jolting too far to one side. I have adjusted the Steer Sensitivity from 0% to 100% and it doesn't matter. I gently tap left, the car angles 30% too far, then I tap right again to compensate and overcorrect and the car jolts too far to the right instead. It's a constant balancing act in an attempt to keep my car to go straight that keeps throwing me off and testing my patience. It translates into a simple mathematical equation: Slight Tap + Car Moving Too Far + Overcorrection = Frustration. And it's testing my patience because I know there is a good game underneath this. I love the graphics, extra tracks, different modes, all those bells and whistles. I love going from the dirt to the pavement and how it's a totally different feel. But what hovers over all these positives is a game that does NOT control as well as it's predecessor. This is proven by not only what I think, but by comments such as these: "It is well worth to stick with the game to get a hang of the controls. I did struggle with them at first, and still do at times..." I just feel that when you as a player have to adapt too much to something then that something must be off somehow. A 'slight' struggle to get used to any game is expected at first for a brief period of time, but no amount of adaptation will improve the gaming experience if something is fundamentally off kilter. I am sticking with the game because I KNOW that Pixelbite is listening and I overall I like the game besides the controls. I know that tweaking things a bit to infuse some of the feel from RR1 will do wonders. And if that's not feasible, maybe an updated version of RR1 with Retina support and more tracks is
I do hope the developers are paying attention as this is yet another big name release that hasn't been tested properly on an iPod Touch. It loads the menus up fine but crashes when trying to start a race. I've had some degree of success by closing down all other apps, restarting the iPod, switching airplane mode on and turning the music off. But it still only decides to run occasionally. 4th gen iPod Touch 64gb, iOS 5.0.1.
I don't have any problems with the controls, and I think RR2 does feel much better than the first. Power sliding feels so much more satisfying, because the track design is much better and the cars are harder to master. Someone said the first RR was already "perfect" to play from the get go, and I agree with this feeling. This is because the first RR is an easy game to pick up and play, but also easy to master. Which is why the gameplay got boring faster to me. The sequel is a hard game to master, but when you do, damn, feels good. To each their own I guess. Personally I think it's better on all accounts, including gameplay.
Having played RR1 and RR2 I've got to agree that RR2 doesn't feel like a sequel, especially with the change in physics and control. I had been tempted to get RR2 due to the current sale but have decided to give it a miss after having played it on a mate's iPhone. It feels more like a simulation driving game as opposed to the arcade feel of RR1. Instead I would recommend Mini Motor Racing - another game I tried on my mate's iPhone - which I would consider a gem of a racing game. It reminds me of my RR1 days but is a considerably better game in every department. Here's the TA forum thread for Mini Motor Racing in case anybody may have missed this game (like I did) or wants to know more about it. http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=115522
A game can be difficult to master why still having solid core mechanics. The fact that RR1 was easy to master means it had less depth, which has little to do with perfect controls.
Why do I always start last in every single race? I feel that starting grid positions should be based on how good the PI of the car is. The ones with poorer PI should be given an advantage. Not the mofo with the best car (Tommy I think). He has the best car and the front grid position =( PS I don't like how the AI's cars easily nudge you around whereas hitting into them always costs you more than them.
People have been commenting on the various issues with the game, so I'll put in my two cents. There are three key things that I think could be improved: - controls: they're too sensitive - any more than a tap on a basic turn and you're headed for the side of the road or out of control. - AI: they're all too similar - the only difference is speed. With the combinations of fast vs slow and reckless vs conservative, you could have 4 fairly different styles. Then make one a wild card that changes every race or even mid-race, and you have a much more interesting race. I think it would also bring back some of the crazy feel of the first one (that and maybe more dirt and less street). - physics: the AI cars are practically immovable compared to my car, even when I have the highest PI with good handling. I'll try to ram one to make it swerve, and while it barely moves, I'm the one that ends up heading for the side of the road.
I personally think the makers of RR2 should take a look at Mini Motor Racing's control scheme as I found it perfect straight from the start - fairly straightforward to get used to but still challenging as the game progresses. I had been looking at RR2 as the natural successor to RR1 but instead feel that MMR is a much better game at the end of the day. RR2's tank like/sensitive control puts me off compared to MMR's spot on controls. Both have great graphics but then again it all boils down to pure enjoyment and based on that Mini Motor Racing gets the thumbs up from me.
Except you're really talking about physics, not controls. The core mechanics of RR2 are fine. Cars are harder to control because they are supposed to, not because the controls suck. The new physics were made to make it harder to handle the driving. It's more subtle, and it requires more finesse. Because of that, the controls need to be more responsive. Though I'll give to you that it could be less responsive to really quick taps.
Upgraded handling on my cars and turned down the sensitivity to 30. Had a great time with the game tonite. Might even try a lower sensitivity. Nice not having the oversteer and this is my fav overhead racer.
Wow, great discussion!! I must admit it is nice to find a place where I can talk intelligently about good games and get an equally informative response I think with all this brainstorming, Pixelbite will definitely work on an update that is a happy medium to address the concerns that are most in need of attention. Really, I think the developers could use this one single page of responses as a guide for improvements. Artfoundry, SENSITIVE is the EXACT adjective I was thinking when I was playing RR2 5 minutes ago that I should have used in my previous posts. Unforgiving is another. Unforgiving is different than challenging and the lines get blurred here. It would seem that we are in agreement that there is a definite issue with sensitivity in terms of performing basic movements. "Any more than a tap on a basic turn and you're headed for the side of the road or out of control." Exactly. This is what I've been saying. The only thing 'incorrect' about your statement is that it doesn't have to be MORE than a tap, and this is important. A tap in and of itself, which is the barest of movements you can make to turn, is enough to send you spun out if you are not very careful. Any more than a tap can send you off a cliff. Like I said, I've done some amazing flips in this game from a total lack of control. If you play RR1, you quickly notice one important aspect of the control that makes it so good: the micro-tap. I feel that, besides the overall slippery feel of RR2, it is the lack of the micro-tap that sends your car into the guard rail. The question you have to ask yourself is why does my car move so far to the left or right with the slightest of taps when all I want is a movement that is barely noticeable. If Pixelbite could work on this issue first then I feel the other concerns would become secondary. To me, this is 75% of the problem with the game. It's such an issue with me that I keep the Chase Camera on at all times. I find it much easier to keep my focus on the controls
I haven't tried messing with the controls, but I ought to. The buttons are too far apart on iPad. Still I'm enjoying this game, though it does seem to borrow from the design of Death Rally, which makes me want to be able to shoot as well, LOL.
