1/2/2024 0 Comments Need for speed shift 2That having been said, I fully recognize that I am the product of a generation that grew up playing games against the AI and never really developed a taste for “community” when it comes to gaming. This kind of overt, never-ending communication seems to be the wave of the future now that we’re fully immersed in the Facebook/Twitter era it seems that no one can try to check-in an overweight bag at the airport or get stuck in the drive-thru behind the idiot that seems to have never seen a McDonald’s menu before without the world knowing about it. Which is not exactly how EA describes it, mind you it’s really just my perception of it. Autolog is EA’s hybrid social networking / multiplayer hosting mechanism that acts like a big, mechanical eye looking over your shoulder and recording everything you do on publicly accessible boards so both friends and enemies can openly mock you and heap derision on your pitiful lap times. For example, with the Volkswagon GTI I found that I had to preserve as much speed as possible through the turns of Catalunya because there was so little engine available to get back up to speed, but with the BMW M3 I had to brake much earlier and harder for the turns because of its higher weight.Īs I was working my way through race after race, Shift 2 was dutifully recording my best times to the global Autolog system. As with all of the other cars in Shift 2, each requires a different driving style depending on its weight, suspension, and engine power. In these races, you are loaned a car of historical significance, typically from the 1980’s or early 90’s. I found the Retro Hot Lap Challenges to be my favorite mode. While they pay less than the normal races, they are easier to win in that you don’t have to worry about being knocked out of the race by another car or, as in my case, damaging your own car by knocking others out of your way. There are dollar prizes for beating any of three assigned times. In these events, you are loaned a car (usually something nicer than what you can afford to buy) and race a few laps against the clock. The Hot Lap Challenges are great money makers. There are other options for earning money, though. I found that my XP account grew satisfyingly quickly and that I was often promoted to the next higher level without having finished every possible event in the preceding level. The fact that you can gain XP in a race where you have a mediocre finish is helpful too, in that it provides an incentive to keep racing after that first unfortunate spin. You will gain XP for leading a lap, for driving a precise and well controlled race line, for driving in traffic without hitting anyone, and, of course, for placing well in a race. Passing a slower car and being passed by a faster car are both things that require experience to do well and safely, but obviously they are not the same thing at all. But while the experience gained by trailing around at the back of the pack will teach how how to be passed, the experience of leading a race is critical as well. You don’t need to win a race, or even place very well, to gain experience. Experience in real life can take many forms. Once you meet certain thresholds of experience, you are allowed to move into higher class races. In Shift 2, your experience is measure by XP, or experience points. The bottom line is this: in the real world, breaking into the higher strata of professional motor racing is frustrating, demoralizing, and never-ending work. It can take years to rise above the weekend racer level and get into a strong, high visibility racing series. Winning a race now and then is not enough, nor is building a lot of time in a race car without ever managing to step onto a podium. Opportunities for advancement are rare enough that most drivers will drive anything, anytime, and anywhere in order to gain much needed experience. Every rung of the ladder is at least an order of magnitude harder to achieve that the one preceding it, and any combination of bad luck, bad judgment, or bad equipment in any given race can easily knock as aspiring racer back a few rungs. Building a career in motor racing (at least without enjoying the nepotistic advantages of having a name like ‘Senna’ or ‘Earnhardt’) is a long, tough slog.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |