Yeah basically that's the idea. I mean, weapons are and always will be at the heart of the WipEout experience. Yeah, it's a futuristic racer, but from the series beginning you've always had weapons, and using them strategically is absolutely a huge part and differentiating factor between winning a race and coming up short. So why haven't they introduced a more strategic, in-depth system to counter attacks from others? Basically at this point if someone fires a lock-in missle at you, you're fucked. If someone fires a quake behind you, you're fucked. That shouldn't necessarily be the case. Imagine if everyone had a short, one second shield they could employ (maybe one per race / lap/ Maybe you have to charge it based on your racing line?) that could at least add some more strategy in there without breaking the weapon system altogether. It also would reinforce the other major aspect of the WipEout series - speed. Being able to perfectly time a projectile deflection near the end of a race and hold on to your top spot would give you such a satisfying rush. My two cents.
Seems you never played the game to the heart.
Sorry, but this sort of
deflecting shield is pretty useless and I tell you why.
... So why haven't they introduced a more strategic, in-depth system to counter attacks from others? ...
The game is full of counter attacks! How? Read the sentence you wrote before
that one, i.e. "... weapons, ... using them strategically is absolutely a
huge part and differentiating factor between winning a race and coming up
short. ...". You use all the weapons to do counter attacks.
... Basically at this point if someone fires a lock-in missle at you, you're fucked. If someone fires a quake behind you, you're fucked. ..."
Absolutely not! It's about 50:50, I guess. For example, you can counter
a missile with a bomb, with mines, with a shield, with a boost, and by
side-shifting/dodging away. It's a common tactics in WipEout pro racing to
cover your ass and this depends on the track as well as on which part you
are actually on. For example, if you can dodge around a corner you won't
hold the mines through that corner. You're possibly going to use them to
lock the corner. The one running behind now has to use his/her rockets,
whatever, to get rid of a few mines to pass through them free of any damage.
Firing a lock-on missile through a tight left-right corner, for example, is
useless (no pro does it) unless it's your only option. The missile will
ricochet around losing all of its energy. That's also a way to counter it,
knowing that they won't make it though some tight sections.
How to counter a quake?
You wouldn't believe it, but if a quake is coming around then the next item
pad will most likely be a shield, not always, but, well, 50:50, I guess. But
you can also counter a quake with a boost, partially. Once the quake caught
up on you, you ignite the boost with you now riding the wave of the quake
without losing your main speed like all the others do.
The exiting weapon system is pretty powerful and it is a wonder that it
could be balanced in such a way that you can pretty much counter any other
weapon, about 50:50 on average.
The point is, you can't simply fire your weapon just to fuck off somebody
before or behind of you. Many beginners are afraid if they get "only" mines
or bombs and simply pick them up whereas these weapons are so powerful
(next to counter other weapons) when places at the right position on the
track. You can gain a seconds in a pro race using them rightfully.
For example, while racing into a tight section of a track, and having seen
that the other one in front of you has picked up an item before, which (s)he
doesn't convert into energy right away, you can most likely assume that
(s)he tries to get you in that tight section with a bomb or mines. So you
better are equip with either a missile, rockets, machine gun, quake, or a
boost to counter it.
... Being able to perfectly time a projectile deflection near the end of a race and hold on to your top spot would give you such a satisfying rush. My two cents. ...
That's what every pro does. Trying to use the best weapon to counter the
final attack. In a pro race, being in second close behind, isn't that much
of a disadvantage. There will be usually one final attack from both. The
weapon you keep depends on how close the one behind is and how the last
corner is shaped. A bomb or mines are your best shield. Running in first
towards the last corner you wait a little for the attack (perhaps a missile
or something) in which case you use the bomb/mines right away. If there
wasn't any attack you will place the bomb/mines at the most effective
position in that corner, because your opponent may have a boost to use on
the finish line.
Just holding a shield through last corner is bad tactics, because you can't
act any longer, only react. It is much better to hold a shield until the
last item pad and use it before hitting it. So you will be covered for about
2 seconds and use your last item to the best of you knowledge.
The cool thing about WipEout is that the end of a race isn't predictable
(given racers of the same kind (online)), yet it's not random. It's just the
cleverness that makes the difference, because everyone races a good line
already. With weapons off in a pro race, everyone is so close together
already.
What makes WipEout so special for me are these final moments when nearing
the finish line with your competitor right in front of you both knowing
there will be one last attack which will decides about the race. And all
this happens in fractions of second and at high speeds.
Having played WipEout for hundreds of hours, most of it online, there is
absolutely no need to change the weapon system. I haven't met a pro racer
saying the weapon system is unfair. If anything, it seems there are a bit
too many boosts at times (in a row) for someone.
What's unfair in the game is the bad collision detection. The collision with
the track is ok, but the routine for collision of the crafts against each
other must have been written by an amateur, no doubt about. Sorry! But it's
bad, always was! And this issue seem not to be address for the Omega
collection looking at the videos. In pro racing we always wanted to be able
to turn collision off. Please! Or implement a better one. It's frustrating.