Did I miss a thread??? MotoGP 2006 on 360 tonight?

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:39 pm

It's release day for MotoGP 2006, and as far as I can tell (even used search!!!), there's nobody setting up an online session tonight?

Is MotoGP just played out around here now, or is nobody interested in it? I've got it in-hand, so I know I'll be on tonight. I'm just shocked it doesn't look like anybody else will be

nyisles16 · Post by **nyisles16** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:44 pm

hehe - i have enough trouble on 4 wheels.. me on a bike?? i would put Ben's accident to shame..

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 4:21 pm

Maybe after the World Cup.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 4:38 pm

Not everyone has a 360 yet. I'm guessing that a lot of the hardcore Moto GP racers around here are still gutting it out on the Xbox.

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 5:28 pm

I'm in Charlotte for software training and my 360 is probably entertaining the wife with Zuma back in Huntsville. I'll be up for some MotoGP 2006 this weekend (Sat) or next week though. Interested in hearing impressions in the mean time though. Some impressions from across the pond complained about frame rate issues.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 5:30 pm

I don't have a 360, so it's a moot point, but I read that MGP 2006 adds little to Moto GP 3 for the Xbox other than new liveries, Laguna Seca and better graphics. If that's true, that doesn't sound like a worthy upgrade for $60.

Interested in your impressions, Terry.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:28 pm

First "issue" with the game unearthed at OS:

>>>Oh, and FYI, don't access the leaderboards online. They crash the game. I was terrified my 360 was dying as it was my first freeze. But went to GameFaqs and other sites, seems to be happening to everyone on the leaderboards.<<<

Sounds very fixable with a patch.

Take care,
PK

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:23 pm

I loved MotoGP on the XBOX, but traded it in when I sold my system. I'll probably pick this up and not even shy at paying 60 for it. I miss this game.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:38 pm

Please post impressions here after playing, those of you that have this. I'm a huge fan of the series, but I've seen a lot of negative comments about framerate, tearing, etc. Eurogamer.net also posted some comments from a member of the climax team...comments no doubt likely to get that particular individual in trouble:

Ok. First, the scoreboard bug. MS and THQ have been tracking this for us since the demo released (we don't have internal QA here for GP). We have a fix and it will be patched, but it needs to go through a certification process first, so it's likely to take a week or two. We're keeping an eye on the problems that are occuring and will try to get online as water tight as possible. Unfortunately these bugs slipped through both THQ's and Microsoft's testing and certification.

The tearing. This occurs when the game drops from 60fps. It's still running well above 30, but because the game drops a frame, you get the tear. It was a case of lock the game at 30 or go with the tear; we wanted the higher framerate as it's more important to GP. I don't find that the tearing puts me off in the slightest, but then I guess that's down to the individual.

The framerate issues are worse online than offline, but I'm genuinely surprised at the level of vitriol here. It's not a constant problem, although I agree it's not ideal either. The game was optimised as far as possible in the time available, and the time available is not something we have control over. The frame rate rarely drops below 30 (and that's been verified with with our tools, in case anyone fancies arguing the point), but it appears more noticeable because of the height it drops from. Again, we could have locked at 30, but no one would have been happy with that. Some tracks are worse than others, Mugello for example is one of the worst offenders whereas Laguna Seca is much smoother.

I'm very happy with the game and will be happier still once the online issues are sorted. I've been playing it for months and I wouldn't have done so if I thought it was ****. A LOT of hard work has gone into this, it's been a fight from the beginning. We'd all have loved to have a Gotham sized team and development period, but GP is a very low budget title and will remain so as long as remains an XBox-only product. To those who are genuinely gutted (and not just spoiling for a fanboy scrap), I can only say sorry that we couldn't bring you the game you wanted. We have a longer development window for the next one so hopefully it'll be more to your liking. To those who've posted positive comments and are enjoying the game, thanks!

Motion blur came in for a great deal of hate in GP3. Combined with the distance to which the camera pulled back it hindered rather than helped. We didn't have the time to put together a better motion blur effect for GP06, but it's in R&D at the moment and will re-appear. In light of how nasty the GP3 blur looked, we thought it was better to have none at all than just tart it up for next gen.

Locking at 30 would have had a negative effect on the way the game handles. It was at 30 for a while and it was considerably more frustrating than the finished game. The hardest part of GP06 was getting it running on a 360 in the first place - we were practically at Alpha before we got final test kits.

We've also had to un-do a lot of wrongness from GP3. That game was begun, and largely developed at another one of our studios before being returned to the original team and at one point it was an absolute mess.

Rllmuk (Climax Staff)

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:59 pm

hmmm, maybe I will pass afterall.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:14 am

I've noticed tearing once in a while when looking back at the bike, but I haven't seen a framerate dive yet. I've only run the first 5 rounds of the Grand Prix and 3 or 4 online races, though.

I haven't seen a single thing that would make me dislike it any more than MotoGP 3 yet (other than the obvious scoreboard bug). People will find stuff to complain about, regardless how sublimely a game might play.

I do notice that either I'm VERY rusty, or the braking takes a LOT longer to come down in speed than in previous versions. Maybe they finally tweaked the "brake on the L trigger" to be underpowered so people are forced to use both brakes as in the default controls. But a buddy and I ran some online races tonight and we were both having a hell of a time trying to stop the bikes for tight corners.

Either way, I'm not disappointed in the least that I bought it, but since I seem to be one of the only people who got it, I guess it doesn't matter. If I'm racing solo against the AI, the only person's opinion I care about is my own

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:27 am

pk500 wrote:I don't have a 360, so it's a moot point, but I read that MGP 2006 adds little to Moto GP 3 for the Xbox other than new liveries, Laguna Seca and better graphics. If that's true, that doesn't sound like a worthy upgrade for $60.

Ugh...$60. I'm going to have to pass at that price. I think it's going to have to take a more interesting career mode for me to pickup a title in this series at full price. Based on the demo, it seems like pretty much the same game I've been playing for 3 years. If I can find it somewhere for $40 some day I'll bite.

Gman33 · Post by **Gman33** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:52 pm

I don't normally do impressions but the lethargy regarding this tiltle over here is surprising. No, not everyone has a 360, but this game is one of the best in the series IMO. I have played all of them and as Terry said, the braking is MUCH tougher. I can't tell you how many times I bit it through the corners by either applying too much brake or too little. This game forces you to hit your racing lines which to me, makes it more intense. There's actually three new tracks, Laguna Seca, Istanbul, and one more in China (can't remember the name), which are very demanding and technical. I don't have an HD set, so I have not noticed any tearing or framerate problems. The game looks gorgeous on my 27" Sony Trinitron.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:05 pm

Gman33 wrote:I don't normally do impressions but the lethargy regarding this tiltle over here is surprising.

Nothing's all that surprising, really. We have three main gear-heads that stir the pot around here as far as firing up interest, setting up game nights and such.

Terry is one, and he posted.

PK is two, and he doesn't have the system (but posted)

Zeppo is three, and he's out of the country at some equally insignificant sporting event as far as US interest goes.

I guess you could count Dchaps too, but I think he only plays ten-year old PC titles or something...

( you know I'm kidding, Don)

In all seriousness, though, keep the impressions coming.

Does this year's version actually require you to put some points into braking when doing custom bikes?

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:09 pm

Yes, the Shanghai track is another technical monster. The sequences of spiral-like turns with tightening exits are murderous.

The thing is, at least with me, this game changed "in my favor". My riding style, as most people know, has always been brake early, nail my marks, and just stay smooth. In a random race last night I was racing the hot doggers (coincidentally, they also made the powerslide incredibly difficult to pull off; they even have warnings in the loading screen about how unstable GP bikes are when powersliding now), and I'd watch them try to correct mid-corner and shoot off into the kitty litter.

It's definitely harder, and I think a lot of people are in that adjustment phase since braking is so much more difficult this time. In one particular race last night, during qualifying, 2nd place was twenty-two seconds back. That's just craziness.

But the change on the braking/grip model, the changes of the tracks themselves (I forget the name, but one of the tracks I KNOW I raced in MotoGP2 and 3, yet it seems completely different to me now) make this like an entirely new experience to me. I don't get the lackluster feel it has from people overall, but it doesn't affect me much. I just don't understand it. The racing model in the MotoGP games has always been second to none, and they IMPROVED it with the new braking model.

To each his own, I guess.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:10 pm

webdanzer wrote:Does this year's version actually require you to put some points into braking when doing custom bikes?

For what it's worth, the highest value on my bike right now is braking. I think it's 3 or 4 points higher than cornering, with acceleration coming in third, and top speed lagging wayyyy behind. I have to pour all the help I can into the brakes.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:11 pm

TCrouch wrote: (coincidentally, they also made the powerslide incredibly difficult to pull off; they even have warnings in the loading screen about how unstable GP bikes are when powersliding now)

Awesome!

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:12 pm

TCrouch wrote:
webdanzer wrote:Does this year's version actually require you to put some points into braking when doing custom bikes?
For what it's worth, the highest value on my bike right now is braking. I think it's 3 or 4 points higher than cornering, with acceleration coming in third, and top speed lagging wayyyy behind. I have to pour all the help I can into the brakes.

Thanks, Terry. MotoGP has long been my favorite racer, and the only thing that was even starting to turn me off of it was the powersliding, no-braking, hotdoggers.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:17 pm

pk500 wrote:I don't have a 360, so it's a moot point, but I read that MGP 2006 adds little to Moto GP 3 for the Xbox other than new liveries, Laguna Seca and better graphics. If that's true, that doesn't sound like a worthy upgrade for $60.

Well I've only raced about 10 events so far, so take this with a grain of salt (and it could be construed in one of two ways, actually).

The bikes take SO long to slow down...on some courses (I wish I could remember track names) where they have the long straights into the tight right corners, I'm having to brake before I even see the corner or the "turn indicator arrow". If you're hard on the gas when you see the arrow pop up on screen, you're too late. I don't remember it being so difficult to properly nail the deceleration timing in MotoGP3, but it could just be rust.

I ended up having to use landmarks (a lot of the billboards that go across the track help), and not just those little braking signs, because half the time I miss them. But with some of the new tracks, hitting the proper line through a corner after watching the a$$ end dance around because it's looser than a brooklyn whore during deceleration proves EXTREMELY difficult. I half expect to just completely dump the bike while braking in a straight line, I'm on the stoppers so hard.

I think it feels vastly different than MotoGP3, but that's just me.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:19 pm

webdanzer wrote:Thanks, Terry. MotoGP has long been my favorite racer, and the only thing that was even starting to turn me off of it was the powersliding, no-braking, hotdoggers.

I do know that in the few races that I joined last night...I broke later, hit the turn smoother, and got smoked on the straights. That being said, they still didn't fair too well. When I can beat somebody to the corner, drive it in deeper, and have a higher exit speed, top speed isn't as critical. I saw more people struggling last night than on any first-day-racer release in memory.

Gman33 · Post by **Gman33** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:35 pm

Terry couldn't be more right. The game feels completely different than Moto GP 3 and now I am forced to re-learn how to race the older tracks. (Which is a good thing). Oh and Web, no need to get defensive. I know who posts here, as I have been lurking regularly since 2003.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:42 pm

Didn't mean to come across as defensive, G. I was shooting for mildly amusing.

But, I did want to point out that our core racing-rabble-rousers had reasons for not setting up a game night so far.

I can deal with tearing -though I don't like it, obviously- but if framerate drops on busy corners are too bad, that might keep me from buying.

Gman33 · Post by **Gman33** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:58 pm

webdanzer wrote:Didn't mean to come across as defensive, G. I was shooting for mildly amusing.

But, I did want to point out that our core racing-rabble-rousers had reasons for not setting up a game night so far.

I can deal with tearing -though I don't like it, obviously- but if framerate drops on busy corners are too bad, that might keep me from buying.

No prob, Web, you were amusing. For what it's worth, I did not experience any framerate drops last night and am itching to play it as i sit here at work. It appears to be the pinnacle title in the series.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:16 am

Bought it, and played it for a handful of races last night. I noticed everything.

Seriously, the framerate dives and tearing are there, and annoying, but really -once you get past a period of muttering- don't affect the gameplay. I think it's worse in Need for Speed, and I can play that. As everyone has said, the braking is much more demanding, and I too think that is a good thing. I have to play more, but I'm very pleased with what I have seen so far.

One concern I have is that it is very obvious that there is nowhere the amount of people playing this game online than were playing the Xbox editions of the series.

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:41 am

Thanks for the impressions guys. If only I had a 360. I was saddened when MotoGP 3 didn't really take off with our crowd last year, although I would not have probably had time for it online much anyway. MotoGP is close to becoming my current favorite racing series, so a new version with Laguna Seca had me intrigued.