online driving

[JackB]

Like most, we have only had this game for a few days and I am already fed up of on-line.

I don't get it.. People clearly don't get the game.. Where as I get overtaken and just think 'fair play' and then try and keep my line, hoping to beat them around the next corner using SKILL, everyone else seems to think that its an arcade game.

I don't know about anyone else, but I am thinking that it would be better if they simply turned collisions off (i.e everyone was a ghost all the time)...

Crap, Gamefly is sending my copy, but I assumed you could race as ghosts... I was counting on that given all the comments about bumper cars and the penalty points system. I spend 99% of my time racing online, because racing the AI is pretty boring, IMO. I'd almost rather just race time trials without other cars for times than race the AI. This is going to be interesting. Glad I'm renting it.

Is there a time trial mode for any car or track?

 

[deadlyflapjack]

I've had a number of races on-line and EVERY one of them was as been described here.. The only way I won was to get ahead of the idiots and watch them fighting/smashing in the rear view mirror! Though, having said that, I was leading a race in my Focus when an Integra just came up and rammed me off.. I was furious and am now totally disappointed. I bought the PS3 FOR THIS GAME, I immediately wanted to send both back to Amazon!!

But sense has prevailed and I'm just going through the single player mode, staying off-line until I can reach the Pro stages.

Its such a shame that Sony doesn't have central servers that all the on-line gaming goes through to help control the idiots, irrespective of which game they play.

.m.

 

[Ja5on]

i had to put up with a few laggy races before i got decent speed ones.

Had some awesome racing with some guys!!!! very very tight close but great. Gave each other room at the right time etc. Granted there was a little bump here and there but nothing serious.

 

[Phil8]

OK well i'v played over 10 online games now, some in the lead and some not, and EVERY single time, i get to the end of 2nd lap in an expert level race and it says "disconnected from the server" *sigh*. I have no lag issues, but i get to the end of the 2nd lap and then it just stops. It's so ridiculously annoying.

Any ideas would be really really appreciated please.

 

[Slip_stream]

I'm sure it's probably been mentioned before...

But what really irritates me are those players who realise you're about to pass them

Then ram you so they don't lose their precious position...

These players usually end up in a wall 15 secs later...

 

[SjefGielen]

I've been playing online tonight again and came to this conclusion:
The next set of races, they have to put races in in which the penalties are high, realism set to professional. So far they've done that, but they also have to put in such races for lower powered cars, also one type races would be much appreciated. Personaly I'd love to see some Mini races and Alfa Romeo 147 races!!!! I tried the first professional game and came to the conclusion I need a lot of practice before I can take my F430 out for a spin (or rather not to spin) around Suzuka, that's why I suggest putting in some Pro races with easier cars. This will keep the bangers away in the long run because if they crash into you with realism on professional they won't benefit anymore because they're likely to leave the track and get punnished by the penalty system. Let them play in stupid kindergarten races while the racefans are having a great time racing each other in stead of playing around a track.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[deadlyz33]

It will be interesting to see laggy races with damage enabled lol.

 

[BrainGow=Bairn]

It will be interesting to see laggy races with damage enabled lol.

That's what i was thinking as i raced 5-6 bumper cars, lag infested, teleport races today... if there were damage there would be no one left at the end of a race!

Allready it's a struggle to survive the entire race... im just happy to start at the end of the grid so everyone takes each other out in the first few corners, and i actually have a bigger chance of seeing the end of the race without being bumped off every 10 seconds.

The problem is the netcode obviously... this is my first online game for the PS3, but it seriously lagging and poor... and i have a decent connection, one that could easily keep stable with 8 people online in forza, or just racing online in PGR3 and PGR4.

I think the problem lies A: in the netcode.. PD have zero experience with online gaming and it shows.

The second problem is that they are pushing too hard with NO options to give.
Why not let US decide how many players we can race with instead of the standard 12/16 players? it is too much for a game like this and make the racing a mess.. bumper cars, and it will never work.

Options PD... options... let us decide how many racers we race against, let us decide (for future reference) if we want damage and/or penalties.
Let us decide if we want to race with or without collisions.

Last thing... the host.. why did PD let there be a host that actually hosts a race?!? this is really wrong.
Yes.. in japan they probably keep their respect and don't always quit a race once they spin out.. but over here in europe and in the states it's a whole different story.. because people will leave once they are last and spun out.

So yeah.. lot's of room for improvement here for online racing... i was kind of hoping that these things would be implemented into the PAL version allready, seeing as how the japanese version allready had these issues as well.

PD is hard at work.. and i respect their work deeply, since they true artist and masters of the racing genre.. but IF they decide to take it online, it should be much better then it is now... this is not racing, this is bumpercars and nothing more... nobody keeps their lines, people teleport and lag all over the place, people taking each other out, drivers who are just there to ram you, and hosts quiting 5 out of the 10 times.

It could and should be better once GT5 comes out... just imagine online racing with weather effects, day and night cycle and pitstops/fuel loss and tire wear.
The idea is great, but if it stays like this, im sticking to offline racing strictly.

 

[Varone]

I'm new to the forums and didn't want my post to be of negative tone but what just happened on GT5 compelled me to say this.

I will admit that I was unlucky this time, but this is merely an extreme version of what happens every race.

Having started for a second time on GT5, I decided to see how my M3 would fare against the competition in the Beginners Super Car race on the highspeed ring. Knowing that I would almost definately start in 1st as I had the least powerful car, I was hoping I could hold onto the lead and avoid confrontation. However-

Turn 1, going okay!
Turn 2 comes and I drop to 3rd to hit the apex on the corner, and a Corvette rams into the side of me. I get a 4s ramming penalty and whilst sliding into the barrier, I get a shortcut penalty, on the OUTSIDE of a corner!!

Coming back onto the road at a painfully slow pace I would have thought I would be ethereal to my opponents but an R35 GTR shunted me into another shortcut penalty at Turn 3.

The other cars in turn 4 and 5 had abit of trouble and I managed to pass a few ethereal cars on the way out of Turn 5 into the home straight. Hurtling towards Turn 1 I was on the racing line and the GTR caught up to me, clipped my back left wheel. I bumped off the barrier and tapped the side of the Nissan. EIGHT SECOND COLLISION PENALTY.

Controller hit the wall, but as I was unsure if I was host or not, I picked it up and raced on to the end. Something needs to be done because I have less collisions in Burnout Paradise at the moment.

 

[Metalteeth9]

Really long quote with good ideas

But also remember, this is Prologue. In essence, we are/will be Beta testers for PD. I am sure they will read forums like here, ask the community for responses to these issues, and implement them in future updates or in GT5.

 

[Laorin]

Yeah my online also has skittish/whacko opponents. here is a vid of what its like for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkuAj_EAv-Y.

That link suggests its to do with PS3's wireless internet connection which I'm using, but I have ADSL2+ so Bandwidth isnt an issue (and I play COD4 with no problems whatsoever).

Anyone know what the problem might be?

Here is another vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCiL4QnwbUs&feature=related
Perhaps I might try a wired connection and see if the issue persists.

Yes, your problem is the fact you are not in japan playing on japanese servers. Intercontinental internet infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired in terms of gaming.

I'd imagine the PS3 (or GT5P) uses UDP for online play as most lag-sensitive games do. Depending on the specific route to the host PS3, you can not possibly be guaranteed any kind of consistency in that connection if it is based in Japan or any other continent. Packet loss, packet retransmissions, all that stuff will happen a lot and you can't predict when.

I think a basic networking course should be mandatory for everyone to take because people are ****ting all over PD's ability to code an online game. I'm not a fanboy but I really don't think it's PD or the PS3 or anything else's fault but the fact everyone is being stupid and expecting online play to be smooth in another continent. Especially in a racing game where very low packet loss is CRITICAL.

 

[JackB]

Yes, your problem is the fact you are not in japan playing on japanese servers. Intercontinental internet infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired in terms of gaming.

I'd imagine the PS3 (or GT5P) uses UDP for online play as most lag-sensitive games do. Depending on the specific route to the host PS3, you can not possibly be guaranteed any kind of consistency in that connection if it is based in Japan or any other continent. Packet loss, packet retransmissions, all that stuff will happen a lot and you can't predict when.

I think a basic networking course should be mandatory for everyone to take because people are ****ting all over PD's ability to code an online game. I'm not a fanboy but I really don't think it's PD or the PS3 or anything else's fault but the fact everyone is being stupid and expecting online play to be smooth in another continent. Especially in a racing game where very low packet loss is CRITICAL.

Ummm, I've raced PGR and Forza online against many people from Austrailia and Europe. I live in California and on Saturday and Sunday mornings, Europe makes up a large percentage of the online lobbies. There is sometimes lag in European races, but I've spent many a Saturday or Sunday morning online racing for hours having a blast. I was even in a European Car Club in the origninal Forza.

PD will probalby get better at writing netcode, but they really don't have a lot of netcode experience. Additionally, Prologue really seems a bit like a full featured beta. Some of these things will be worked out by the time GT 5 rolls around, but people do have a point. Right now, PD just hasn't figured out how to get the netcode working well. You can make excuses, but other games have figured it out, so it can be done.