How is it possible to win the Chazcar race?

[captainpatch]

This is a gamebreaker for me. They have made it ABSOLUTELY mandatory to win the race in order to advance the Project Dagger the main quest) any further. The car you are given -- no choice whatsoever -- is a real piece of fecal matter. It has negligible acceleration, it doesn't hold curves well, and its top speed is a joke. ON EASY setting, the best result I got out of @20 tries was 4th. I actually had one race where I managed to get into second place going into the home stretch (the last 5 seconds of the race, heading for the Finish line. But going flat out, FOUR cars shot past me like I was a pedestrian.

I noted a couple posts wherein the posters mentioned that some microtransactions were available. If that is indeed the case, then that makes this game a total ripoff. "Buying success" for just a little bit extra money? If there are microtransactions available here, then you KNOW there are others elsewhere further along. Just a sleazy way to squeeze more money out of customers that have _already_ paid a stiff price to acquire the game.

With no way to upgrade that assigned car to be at least somewhat more competitive with the 7 other NPC drivers, there is NO WAY for the player to win... that I can see.

[essen]

You can't buy your way out of this one.

My best lap time is 1:24 and total time is 2:57, that's more than 15s ahead of other cars on Nightmare. There is a lot of room for error.

A few tips:

- Use a controller.
- Learn to combine brake and boost for long turns.
- Go through the shortcuts (left, left then right).
- For the second shortcut while you are in the air turn your car to go left to make sure you enter it.
- Only use boost when the wheels are on the ground.

[Chubzdoomer]

For me what made the biggest difference was tapping boost repeatedly, rather than holding it.

[captainpatch]

Originally posted by essen:

A few tips:

- Use a controller.

That's not an option for me. I'm strictly a keyboard-and-mouse player.

This is something that I have encountered in several action-heavy games. The challenges the devs come up with were created on the basis of the player using a controller, which is considerably better for reflex manual manipulation. The trouble is, the conversion for the mouse-and-keyboard version doesn't take that difficulty difference into account, which puts K-n-M players at a distinct disadvantage to complete the challenge.

May as well tell a player that in order to win he MUST own a steering wheel controller. (Like I would go buy one of those just for the @5 minutes of gameplay in a half-dozen games each. Same goes for console-type controllers.)

IMHO, if a dev releases a given hardware format game, the game _should_ be winnable using that hardware format.

Also imho, EVERY game that has a series of challenges that MUST be completed to reach the Finish line, _should_ have a method to bypass any of those challenges should a player be unable to complete any given challenge. People buy games with the concept of starting at The Beginning and playing all the way through to The End; NOT start a game, get 1/4 or 1/3 of the way through and then be unable to proceed any further. Those kinds of games is what makes me feel VERY ripped off.

Originally posted by Chubzdoomer:

For me what made the biggest difference was tapping boost repeatedly, rather than holding it.

Not sure if Boost is a different key -- stupid me for not checking the key-bindings more closely -- but what I have experienced is that if FOR ANY REASON I take my finger off the W key (for like making a sharp turn) the vehicle slows down dramatically. (Which, of course, means that any opponents I may have passed **immediately** takes the opportunity to shoot past me. Apparently THEY don't need to decelerate going into hairpin turns.)

[essen]

Don't get me wrong, it's *easier* with a controller (like most car games!) but it's absolutely not a requirement, even for getting a sub 3:03 time and getting the achievement.

[Evilpopcorn]

It's doable with a keyboard, the only microtransactions I've seen are the stupid weapon skins, but nothing that gives you any kind of edge. And not that this game is even- but what's wrong with a game being designed with a gamepad in mind? You're on PC, the great thing about PC is that I can play a game using whatever the hell I want, are you that guy that plays a flight sim then complains keyboard and mouse controls are no good?

[captainpatch]

Originally posted by Evilpopcorn:

(A)re you that guy that plays a flight sim then complains keyboard and mouse controls are no good?

No, I'm that guy that expects that "PC" keyboard-and-mouse games should be just as playable as it is for consoles with controller versions. If _either_ version "has an edge", then the devs and publishers are doing the other format game buyers a disservice.

[essen]

Originally posted by captainpatch:

Originally posted by Evilpopcorn:

(A)re you that guy that plays a flight sim then complains keyboard and mouse controls are no good?

No, I'm that guy that expects that "PC" keyboard-and-mouse games should be just as playable as it is for consoles with controller versions. If _either_ version "has an edge", then the devs and publishers are doing the other format game buyers a disservice.

It's not really about platforms, some types of games play better with different inputs. FPS plays better with mouse/keyboard, car games play better with controller (and even better with a wheel). RAGE 2 has both and allows both inputs, and will even detect your controller if you plug it just before the race (rare!).

[captainpatch]

UPDATE: It seems all I really needed was to use Boost. It took remapping the keyboard several times so that I could adequately trigger Boost and NOT go plowing into a wall every time. Left hand, ring finger on A. Middle finger on W. Index finger on D. Right hand controlling the mouse for camera perspective. The Default key for Boost is the LEFT Shift key . Sorry, the left hand is already fully occupied. (And being massively right-handed, my left pinky isn't all that talented. So I tried to thumb the spacebar -- since I NEVER brake in a race -- didn't work because thumbing the spacebar usually twitched one of the steering fingers. So then the numpad 0 key. Nope; going back and forth between mouse and Boost invariably disoriented me as the camera twitched. I eventually settled for the Up key and KEPT MY HAND OFF OF THE MOUSE entirely. Took about another 20 tries to _finally_ get a First Place.

Moral of the story: Read the damn Tutorials and the Info offerings. Or at least pay attention to the list of key bindings. CLOSE attention.

[servo]

I forget my time but I missed it the first time (2nd place) by only a few seconds as I mistakenly bumped something... beat it on the 2nd try.

Slower is safer some times, get a head of the pack and just drive smart, and continuously boost in straight aways. Like Mario Kart or any racing game take the turns slow, don't boost or even accelerate, and play it safe rather than boosting into the walls or slightly tapping something. A few times around the track and you'll figure out a path you like and probably stick to it.

You can do it... just be positive lol. I personally hate any racing nonsense in games like this but fortunately this wasn't too bad. Not even sure why they put it in again, at least in Rage 1 you could race Online vs friends and such.. not that I ever saw anyone playing that 1 online mode they offered.

Not a gamebreaker, you'll get it.. nothing in this game is too difficult. You can always lower the difficulty for bosses, dens, honestly the hardest Mission for me was one of the larger Powering Stations you have to Overload and Explode. Those ones are great to replay on harder settings after getting everything done via whatever method you want... play on Easy or Medium, can always pop it back up to Hard or whatever it's called.

[captainpatch]

Can I ask whether you use a controller or keyboard-and-mouse. But for me using K-n-M, quite often, if you just tap Boost, if there is the _slightest_ imbalance between A and D, the car shoots in that direction HARD, with no ability to course-correct for a second or two. That kept me bouncing off of walls all over the place. (Costing time on each occasion.)

Ironically, on the ONE race I won, I had moved to the middle of the pack early, slammed into a wall and finished the first lap in 8th place. But some judicious Boosting and a last stretch sprint got me into 1st at the Finish (barely). The funny part was that I DID lose control on that last Boost, but my bouncing back and forth between the walls kept blocking any opponent from zipping past me.