GRID Online- Where is the sportsmanship?

[Darren.]

This has been a problem that has followed me throughout all three games in the Grid Series, and has now reached boiling point in Grid Autosport.

The scenario: You are in an online race with 7 other players. You have been battling out for a 3rd place finish when the person behind you rams you off the track on a straight road on the last lap. Your car is damaged, you have been provoked to last place.

The question is: What are their motives?

This is something that has been grinding my gears since Grid 1, and to me the problem has gotten a lot worse in Grid Autosport. It takes away everything you have been fighting for, and defeats the purpose of a race is the race was all along a crash festival. Especially now the focus is on AUTOSPORT, you'd expect more clean racers than dirty snobs who thrive off of other players' misfortunes.

So far I wish I hadn't have bought Autosport. I went into it expecting more clean players due to the renewed emphasis on clean Autosport racing. So far this has been quite a long shot off of the reality. Sure the single player is amazing, top quality stuff but the multiplayer may be something I shall be avoiding.

Have you been affected by this? Leave some comments down below!

 

[doblocruiser]

With the exception of a few a-holes from Brazil and Swiss I had great clean online races so far. Say 95%. Sweden, Italy, Spain, Dutch, French, Germans not a single issue!

 

[Azure Flare]

I've been pushed around by pretty much every one that I try to race cleanly. These must be the people that race in dirty lobbies on GT6 or something.

I have yet to be in a race with respectful drivers.

 

[mister dog]

What are the available options to avoid this crowd? Can you filter them out in some way or every room is a gamble?

 

[Johnnypenso]

This is an issue with all games. I've only entered random lobbies and had some good and some bad experiences. Some people just don't care, every race is a smash up derby. I suspect that like in the GT series, forming clubs and holding private races/series will be the way to go in the long run.

One thing that does help though when matchmaking, is to find a lobby and stick with it. Points accumulated determines starting position so the longer you are around the further ahead you start and the less carnage you have to deal with. I've also found that watching my rear view and sometimes moving out of the way at the last minute in a hard braking zone is helpful. I've had more than one guy just go flying by me into the gravel this way

I'd also prefer a text chat option. I'm not big on mics, I play my sound really loud and it overlaps on the mic and people used to ask me to turn it down so I only text. Yes it'll degrade into name calling often, but it can also be constructive to sort out misunderstandings.

What are the available options to avoid this crowd? Can you filter them out in some way or every room is a gamble?

You might find a hosted lobby is better. You can do a search and add in paramters like driving aids, damage etc. I've only done it once so I'm no expert yet

 

[mister dog]

I've also found that watching my rear view and sometimes moving out of the way at the last minute in a hard braking zone is helpful. I've had more than one guy just go flying by me into the gravel this way

Seems like they were doing a Banzai on you then?

 

[Johnnypenso]

Seems like they were doing a Banzai on you then?

Pretty much. In any racing it always pays to know who is around you. I did the same thing in GT5/6 and it was quite effective. Try to keep the very inside of the first few corners to avoid getting undercut and those that come in too hot and fly off the outside of the track. Don't pass on the outside unless you know the other person is a good racer and in control of his car. The usual defensive driving stuff.

I'm also not very aggressive on track except by accident. If someone I don't know gets a draft run on me and is moving up the inside to pass I'll usually just concede the line and let him have it. Sometimes I stick to the outside with someone I know but not always. If I get a draft run on someone and they cover the inside I'll usually run up beside them on the outside at entry but brake early and try to do an over/under move which is quite effective in this game, rather than running around the outside.

 

[anim8r_uk]

This has been a problem that has followed me throughout all three games in the Grid Series, and has now reached boiling point in Grid Autosport.

The scenario: You are in an online race with 7 other players. You have been battling out for a 3rd place finish when the person behind you rams you off the track on a straight road on the last lap. Your car is damaged, you have been provoked to last place.

The question is: What are their motives?

This is something that has been grinding my gears since Grid 1, and to me the problem has gotten a lot worse in Grid Autosport. It takes away everything you have been fighting for, and defeats the purpose of a race is the race was all along a crash festival. Especially now the focus is on AUTOSPORT, you'd expect more clean racers than dirty snobs who thrive off of other players' misfortunes.

So far I wish I hadn't have bought Autosport. I went into it expecting more clean players due to the renewed emphasis on clean Autosport racing. So far this has been quite a long shot off of the reality. Sure the single player is amazing, top quality stuff but the multiplayer may be something I shall be avoiding.

Have you been affected by this? Leave some comments down below!

This isn't an issue with Grid Autosport....... this is an issue with the people playing it. There's not a lot we can do about it.... we can't change people. We've included the impact rating system so you can see who's the dirty players and who are the clean players.

My personal tip would be to enter into races with friends/groups you can trust to be clean..... like most folk on here i'd expect.

 

[mister dog]

We've included the impact rating system so you can see who's the dirty players and who are the clean players.

I suppose this will help a great deal. How about newcomers that are online won't they automatically have a good impact rating as they haven't had the change to cause carnage yet? Hope it goes up quickly if one decides to be a hooligan.

 

[anim8r_uk]

I suppose this will help a great deal. How about newcomers that are online won't they automatically have a good impact rating as they haven't had the change to cause carnage yet? Hope it goes up quickly if one decides to be a hooligan.

Everyone starts on Yellow (Neutral impact rating).... to start with, it'll change quite frequently, but the more you play, the more balanced it gets.... as people need to 'build up' (or destroy)their ratings.

Ratings are:

White = Very clean
Green = Clean
Yellow = Neutral
Orange = Touchy Feely
Red = DEMO DERBY!!!!

 

[Darren.]

This isn't an issue with Grid Autosport....... this is an issue with the people playing it. There's not a lot we can do about it.... we can't change people. We've included the impact rating system so you can see who's the dirty players and who are the clean players.

My personal tip would be to enter into races with friends/groups you can trust to be clean..... like most folk on here i'd expect.

Yup that is a great feature to have. But it would be better implemented if these ratings could be used to create Matchmaking with other players of that impact rating. As we stand at the moment, finding a lobby with like minded players really is the luck of the draw. But thanks for the reply! I have a group of people that I'm set to race with so I'm all good.

 

[Frizbe]

Everyone starts on Yellow (Neutral impact rating).... to start with, it'll change quite frequently, but the more you play, the more balanced it gets.... as people need to 'build up' (or destroy)their ratings.

Ratings are:

White = Very clean
Green = Clean
Yellow = Neutral
Orange = Touchy Feely
Red = DEMO DERBY!!!!

Oh 🤬 I thought the white was were you started and meant you weren't ranked yet and kept wondering why mine wasn't updating.

 

[PIP_36]

Orange = Touchy Feely

Lmao...yep, a few 'touchy feely' racers out there!

 

[doblocruiser]

I was on a street circuit I did not know. Didn't hit a car but quite a few walls Went from white to green So maybe the orange and red ones drive street circuits all the time

 

[anim8r_uk]

I was just in a room.... I'm white and level 24 or something. some bloke was yellow at level 4.... I was in front driving the racing line (ie...the correct way) he was just flat out crazy, no brakes etc..... then screaming down the mic for ME to get out of the way and I should learn to drive....lol

I'm still laughing...... some people make me want to give up on this world....lol

 

[Imari]

As others have said, this is a problem with playing online, not with Grid or any particular game. You'll see it in Gran Turismo, Forza, Wipeout, anything you care to play. Including iRacing.

I've found Grid: AS to be better than most. The impact rating means I can see the retards coming and get out of their way at least. Mostly people have been pretty cool, I've only had a few really annoying sessions and I think it was more due to driver incompetence than any actual malice.

That said, there's hardly anybody online on PC so it's pretty hard to tell.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

This is something that has been grinding my gears since Grid 1, and to me the problem has gotten a lot worse in Grid Autosport. It takes away everything you have been fighting for, and defeats the purpose of a race is the race was all along a crash festival.

Wait, let me get this straight: you bought a racing game and started the online multiplayer to somehow be completely clean and honest racing, despite all of the historical evidence to the contrary, and then you are surprised, outraged and disappointed when your expectations were not met?

There's a simple solution to your problem - drive faster than everyone around you.

 

[BKGlover]

Everyone starts on Yellow (Neutral impact rating).... to start with, it'll change quite frequently, but the more you play, the more balanced it gets.... as people need to 'build up' (or destroy)their ratings.

Ratings are:

White = Very clean
Green = Clean
Yellow = Neutral
Orange = Touchy Feely
Red = DEMO DERBY!!!!

There is one problem with the ratings, if they are similar to GRID 2 and DiRT 3 anyway. These jerk-offs will sit in a lobby as long as the server keeps them in contact, constantly aiming to be a bastard in every event, and once they hit red they will simply cruise around for a while to bump it back up.

Also Darren, why are you surprised? Every game I have played online, not just racing, in almost every match or race I end up in it with at least one "person" whose sole purpose seems to be "Be the biggest bastard ever". My assumption is that 90% of people are 🤬, a number that is higher than real life due to the fact that people get gutsy when they can't be punched in the face for either their ignorance or arrogance. There's a reason I stopped playing online before I moved.

 

[GTboyz]

I dont play online but i did bump some AI accidently, most of the times happened when i cut them from the inside of the turn and they accidently hit my ass. If i play online i might pissed off quite a lot of people i guess.

 

[magic_town]

The problem with the impact rating (or whatever it's called) is that it still doesn't seem to separate the drivers. You can be in a race with people that are white, green, yellow and red.

 

[anim8r_uk]

The problem with the impact rating (or whatever it's called) is that it still doesn't seem to separate the drivers. You can be in a race with people that are white, green, yellow and red.

Yeah, I see what you mean, but conversely if we did seperate out drivers etc, then what happens if all your friends are white/green, but you've had a pretty bad run of things through no real fault of your own? (AI crashes, unsighted accidents etc)..... you'd then be locked out from playing with you friends until you rating was back up to green/white. Autosport is new just now, but later on, it'll take longer to recover your ratings.

Having everyone in a room where you can see ratings in the lobby seems the fairest way to me. I ended up in a room that had 4 red and 2 oranges..... I left pretty damn sharpish

 

[magic_town]

Fair enough I guess, and there probably isn't tonnes of rooms going at once where you could separate the drivers based on their rating. I'd rather have full rooms. I do like the way it works though, you can be white and maybe be involved in an accident that's not your fault and keep your clean rating.

 

[Stiggy]

I think one of the main problems that causes unintended collisions are the lack of mirrors - I've been involved in some side to side contact because of that. Also, whilst being punted off by some orange and red drivers I had an idea... if we can't have mirrors, why not have the blind spot indicator show the impact rating of the driver behind? That way it'll be easier to know when to try and avoid being punted off by aggressive drivers.

 

[anim8r_uk]

I think one of the main problems that causes unintended collisions are the lack of mirrors - I've been involved in some side to side contact because of that. Also, whilst being punted off by some orange and red drivers I had an idea... if we can't have mirrors, why not have the blind spot indicator show the impact rating of the driver behind? That way it'll be easier to know when to try and avoid being punted off by aggressive drivers.

Yeah, mirrors would be good. Something that isn't lost on the team. The impact rating idea along with the blind spot indicator is a good idea. Problem is though.... whenever I've had a red/orange in my room, it's impossible to avoid them as they simply don't brake for corners, so the indicator only flashes up for a split second leaving no time to evade.

Personally, I'd like another button on my wheel that blows up their PS3..... not sure that would get through TRC though...lol

 

[mister dog]

Is it easy to write down the names of the biggest idiots and block them in game, so you avoid them automatically in the future? That's what i would do (but as you probably notice from my question i never play online races).

A bit like the ignore button here on GTP.

 

[ipswich1992]

There's a simple solution to your problem - drive faster than everyone around you.

It doesn't work that way, online racing for me sums up how the internet and how it allows people to hide behind their screens, has made people disrespectful and arrogant.

I wonder why these people waste their 40 pounds/euros/dollars just to behave that way. These are the sort of morons that delight in ruining other people's experiences, for the fun of it.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It doesn't work that way

It always has for me. If they can't catch you, they can't ram you.

 

[Imari]

I wonder why these people waste their 40 pounds/euros/dollars just to behave that way.

Have you ever met...humans?

 

[The Stig Farmer]

Is it easy to write down the names of the biggest idiots and block them in game, so you avoid them automatically in the future? That's what i would do (but as you probably notice from my question i never play online races).

A bit like the ignore button here on GTP.

Naming and shaming online randoms isn't allowed here on GTP itself (look at the "Worst you've dealt with online" GT6 thread) but it should be easy enough to block someone - you can bring up their PSN profile with the touch of a button, and all the options are there 👍

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Anyway, this is exactly the same situation in all racing games. There is an immature minority who ruin the experience for the majority.

I reckon that the vastly more manageable handling model gives people a lot more control, therefore improving the experience; in Grid 2, most overtakes online were from avoiding accidents or by barging people off the road, due to the fact that all cars felt on 'the edge of control' (lol) at all times making them wildly unpredictable. This new handling model works wonders online for close racing, especially in the slower cars. 👍

 

[mister dog]

Naming and shaming online randoms isn't allowed here on GTP itself (look at the "Worst you've dealt with online" GT6 thread) but it should be easy enough to block someone - you can bring up their PSN profile with the touch of a button, and all the options are there 👍

I meant writing it down on a piece of paper for yourself

Can you block users that aren't PSN friends of yours? Really haven't played online so far