MASTERS OF DRIVING

[MrThunderwing]

Just coming back to Scud Race after a 9 month racing game hiatus. Yup, nothing's changed....still the hardest game on the planet Can't come to grips with the handling of these cars to save my life. They're just so prone to spinning out. Letting off the gas and trying to successfully hold a slide with pulling a 360 is still an exercise in trial and error. Any tips for getting around the corners of these tracks without slipping and sliding all over the place? Do you guys use the brake to take corners at all?

I'm certainly no expert at the game, but something that definitely helps is making sure you've properly calibrated your gas and brake pedals in Supermodel (by using the -config-inputs command and then, I think off the top of my head, it's option B to calibrate. Just follow the instructions that pop up in the CMD prompt window). Doing this makes sure the game is using the full range of both axes. This seems to give you just a little bit more control over how much gas you're giving the car when you attempt a drift. By default I think the pedal axis is very small, a bit like the opposite of how if someone's trying to steer a racing game with a joypad that's been set up for a wheel, the pad is way too sensitive.

I think the temptation with this game is to try and play it like Outrun 2, where you tap the brake, get back on the gas and immediately go into an awesome drift. In Scud Race, I've found you need to get your speed right down before you approach a tricky bend (like the 2 final hairpins on the Advanced course), then turn and accelerate into them. I find the margin for error for hitting that sweet spot, where you accelerate and drift perfectly through the hairpin like a champ, gaining masses of speed as you do so is incredibly narrow. If you didn't slow down enough and you start drifting too wide, you'll hit the side and spin out. If you slowed down too much, you'll hit the wall on the left. If you come right off the gas to try and correct a drift that's going to wide (a la Outrun 2) the car will spin out. You can sometimes save a drift that's going too wide by frantically pumping the gas instead of coming right off it, but it's pretty hard to save once it all starts going tits up.

To summarise: The game is one a spicy meat-a-ball!

[isamu]

Just coming back to Scud Race after a 9 month racing game hiatus. Yup, nothing's changed....still the hardest game on the planet Can't come to grips with the handling of these cars to save my life. They're just so prone to spinning out. Letting off the gas and trying to successfully hold a slide with pulling a 360 is still an exercise in trial and error. Any tips for getting around the corners of these tracks without slipping and sliding all over the place? Do you guys use the brake to take corners at all?

I'm certainly no expert at the game, but something that definitely helps is making sure you've properly calibrated your gas and brake pedals in Supermodel (by using the -config-inputs command and then, I think off the top of my head, it's option B to calibrate. Just follow the instructions that pop up in the CMD prompt window). Doing this makes sure the game is using the full range of both axes. This seems to give you just a little bit more control over how much gas you're giving the car when you attempt a drift. By default I think the pedal axis is very small, a bit like the opposite of how if someone's trying to steer a racing game with a joypad that's been set up for a wheel, the pad is way too sensitive.

I think the temptation with this game is to try and play it like Outrun 2, where you tap the brake, get back on the gas and immediately go into an awesome drift. In Scud Race, I've found you need to get your speed right down before you approach a tricky bend (like the 2 final hairpins on the Advanced course), then turn and accelerate into them. I find the margin for error for hitting that sweet spot, where you accelerate and drift perfectly through the hairpin like a champ, gaining masses of speed as you do so is incredibly narrow. If you didn't slow down enough and you start drifting too wide, you'll hit the side and spin out. If you slowed down too much, you'll hit the wall on the left. If you come right off the gas to try and correct a drift that's going to wide (a la Outrun 2) the car will spin out. You can sometimes save a drift that's going too wide by frantically pumping the gas instead of coming right off it, but it's pretty hard to save once it all starts going tits up.

To summarise: The game is one a spicy meat-a-ball!

Great post bro. Spot on. Re-calibrating my pedal axis certainly did slightly improve control over the car, but at the end of the day, practice makes perfect. The thing I'm slowly realizing is, Scud Race is a game that plays tricks on your mind. The majority of us who love the game are people who came from Daytona USA and OutRun2. Outrun 2 was a game that most of us were used to playing *BEFORE* we had the opportunity to fully sit down and enjoy Scud Race at home due to the wonderful Supermodel. And because of that, you're 100% spot on...we're so used to the drifting mechanics in OR2, we can't help but feel tempted to drive the four cars in Scud Race in a similar fashion.

For me in particular, the sense of speed in Scud Race is so damn fast, I have a hard time reminding myself I need to slow down a bit as I approach the corner. It's very hard to do this when all other Sega arcade racers allow to take corners at nearly full speed without braking. It's a definitely something we have to train ourselves to do. Still gonna keep plugging away at it here and there though. The art style in the game *alone* is why I keep coming back for more

[isamu]

WOW !!! After a couple hours of practice I finally did it!! I finally came in 1st on the Beginner(Day) track for the first time since the Last Supper! Did it on the sprint mode and actually managed to do it on the Endurance mode as well!

Bro.....if you haven't already, I strongly **STRONGLY** suggest you play the Beginner(day) track on Endurance(and make a YT vid of it )!!!! It's a game changer and breathes new life into Scud race. 60 grueling laps, and you're required to pit at least every 10 laps or so, and your pit strategy really determines where you place at the end. It's hard as hell though because none of the AI cars pit, making it highly unfair But somehow, if you pit at the right times, you'll have a decent chance of catching them and taking over the lead. Be warned though....the 1st place AI driver is a fucking troll, and will rubber-band his way to you if you so much as graze the wall, no matter how far ahead of him you are. He's a real bastard. Anyway I can't believe I'm loving Scud Race again this much. I'm definitely waiting with baited breath for the day online multiplayer support comes to SM so we can have go online.......in ENDURANCE MODE!!!!

[scd]

does someone finished the expert course in scud race using automatic gear? (i did few times and its not so easy)

[isamu]

Man oh man.....I'm loving Scud Race so much it hurts(almost literally, as my arms have gotten sore from the intense force feedback from my DD wheel) !

I've been driving the McClaren F1 and have been able to place 1st in Super Beginner(Endurance/Hardest setting), Beginner day(Endurance/Hardest) and Beginner Night(only on Sprint so far, working on Grand Prix then Endurance). If there's one thing I've learned from playing Scud Race over the past few days, is that it's becoming quite evident that Nagoshi and his AM2 team intended this game to play more like a racing sim than a traditional arcade racer. When you play on Endurance mode, it's a like a new game altogether. Your tires really start crapping out and degrading once you reach lap 8 and then you have the choice to either take a chance and attempt to limp the car around for a couple more laps or pit. If you do the former, you're gonna need to learn how to control the car with very little tire traction and be even MORE careful how you tackle the corners. And believe me, it's not easy! If you pit, well, the 1st place AI driver will pull FAAAR away from you and you'll then need to drive like a champ with nearly zero mistakes to catch him. These are elements of the game that you simply did not find in any other arcade racers from other developers at the time. You didn't see these things in games like Ridge Racer, CruisN USA or SF Rush. Sega was ahead of their time with incorporating these sim-like ingredients into their games.

Now, I can't speak for the other three cars, but the level of depth in the McClaren's handling can NOT be understated! This car allows you to truly tackle corners in soooo many different ways it's crazy. The powersliding mechanics truly are one of a kind, in that they're extremely brutal and unforgiving, but incredibly rewarding once you nail it. Consistency is the absolute HARDEST thing to achieve in Scud Race. I can't stress enough how imperative it is to learn how to make this car dance with your throttle and steering. The level of detail you have over the car with the gas pedal input is beyond comprehension. The margin for error in controlling a slide is EXTREMELY narrow but once you nail it, my goodness, what a heavenly feeling!
I'm still struggling to be consistent in nailing the 1st corner of the Beginner Night track. The way it's designed makes it brutally hard to slide through at high speed without hitting the wall upon exit. It's crazy.

There is a saying that people used to use when talking about Sega's arcade racers and that their "Easy to learn, hard to master". This term was most commonly used specifically for Daytona USA. I can tell you that after many years of driving the Hornet in Daytona USA I still can't "master" its driving style but....I can at least "comprehend" it, if that makes any sense. With the McClaren in Scud Race, comprehension of this crazy beast of a car is something you can throw out the window at first. You're required to spend much needed time learning its intricacies and mannerisms.

The point is, the "Easy to learn, hard to master" phrase applies much more to Scud Race than it does to Daytona. Scud Race is the game that PERFECTLY defines this phrase to a tee. Easy to learn how to jump into any of the four cars to drive, but incomprehensibly hard to master any of them(assuming you're going for 1st place or the best times).

Anyway, Nagoshi and the AM2 team really hit the ball out of the park with this one. He was no doubt firing on all cylinders when he made this game. It's hard work, but the rewarding feeling you get when you place 1st after pulling through the corners with nearly perfect powerslides to catch up to the 1st place AI driver simply cannot be understated. The powersliding *itself*, when done correctly, is like poetry in motion.

I started to loathe Scud Race for the longest time because of its awkward driving style and hard difficulty. I was one of those guys that was there, in the arcades back in 1997 when the game hit the scene and was immediately fascinated with it! I admired it for its sheer beauty and art style, but years later when it became emulated in SM, I slowly started hating the game because I sucked so much at it lol.

Now, many years later, I'm finally coming around. My love for the game is back, but in a different way. No longer do I love the game only for its graphics, but I've also garnered a deep respect for its gameplay and depth. For a game that only offers four tracks(in the case of scud plus) and four cars, I feel like I could play it forever, learning new things about the McClaren and how to tame this beast. If I ever had the pleasure of meeting Nagoshi-san some day, one of the first things I'd tell him is "Thanks for making Scud Race, sir, you're a genius!"

[isamu]

Aaaaaaand with that, Beginner Night has been conquered. 1st place Sprint, Grand Prix, Endurance. Endurance surprisingly didn't take that long. Only about a couple hours or so.

Welp onto attempting 1st in the Advance stage. I'll report back when it's done. In other words, see you guys in 2031

[MrThunderwing]

Bro.....if you haven't already, I strongly **STRONGLY** suggest you play the Beginner(day) track on Endurance(and make a YT vid of it )!!!! It's a game changer and breathes new life into Scud race. 60 grueling laps, and you're required to pit at least every 10 laps or so, and your pit strategy really determines where you place at the end. It's hard as hell though because none of the AI cars pit, making it highly unfair

Yeeeeah, not for me thanks. The endurance modes in these types of games just seem more like torture than fun to me. As in, I could quite easily eat 4 Krispy Kreme donuts and love every mouthful of the sugary goodness, but 60? I'd never want to touch one ever again after that.

The jump in difficulty between the 2 Beginner stages and the The Advanced stage is pretty severe, I'll be interested in finding out how your progress goes in taming it

[isamu]

Bro.....if you haven't already, I strongly **STRONGLY** suggest you play the Beginner(day) track on Endurance(and make a YT vid of it )!!!! It's a game changer and breathes new life into Scud race. 60 grueling laps, and you're required to pit at least every 10 laps or so, and your pit strategy really determines where you place at the end. It's hard as hell though because none of the AI cars pit, making it highly unfair

Yeeeeah, not for me thanks. The endurance modes in these types of games just seem more like torture than fun to me. As in, I could quite easily eat 4 Krispy Kreme donuts and love every mouthful of the sugary goodness, but 60? I'd never want to touch one ever again after that.

60 Kripy Kreme donuts LMFAO Awesome analogy but yeah I hear ya mate. It certainly is no cake walk.

The jump in difficulty between the 2 Beginner stages and the The Advanced stage is pretty severe, I'll be interested in finding out how your progress goes in taming it

Yeah, I'm struggling like hell right now doing it, which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one lol. The long wide hairpin turn before that awkward jump that leads into the tunnel is a fucking nightmare. And the last big U-turn of the track, leading back to the Start/Finish line is an exercise in tedium. I raged quit after about an hour and fired up Initial D Zero instead...much more relaxing.

[MrThunderwing]

Finally got to try out the new network with some actual human players

https://youtu.be/_WdmOJ5GZPc

[isamu]

Finally got to try out the new network with some actual human players

https://youtu.be/_WdmOJ5GZPc

great video bro!

Managed to place 1st in "Medium" stage quite a few times now. This was a couple weeks ago but then I stepped away from the game for a while. Came back to it yesterday and I'm struggling again You CANNOT take breaks from this damn game! You will get rusty QUICK!

Trying to place 1st on medium in GRand Prix mode. It's a whole different ballgame because of the tire wear. Very very very VERY hard and frustrating!!!