Hardest Race(s) Ever

[Art Blade]

Probably you know that: A race you can't seem to win...

I think it took me like 1.5 to 2 hours to finally win this bloody career race. I started right away on legend, and no GPS...

Here a pic of the race (don't ask how long as in how many races it took to get that position lol) and ... nice weather! couldn't see much and things got hit by lightning, obstacles like wrecked trucks all around... heavy...

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then, finally... I'd like to know your times for that race, and which car you used. Since I'm quite new to FUEL, the race is in a region you should have unlocked soon. However, the race won, and perhaps it was the race itself, I won a new car! And a maverick on the map, and new gear for the driver etc... LOL, was worth the fight :)

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[spaceboy]

Good job Art, some races are just tough.  I had completed that one an Expert but I don't know the time.  So I decided to go back on Legend - using GPS though  :-[ - and here are the results after a couple runs. (you still would have beat me and you weren't using GPS!)

I find it cool that the "timed" events like the radio towers falling are not timed based on you but on the time of the race so depending on where you stand in the race it will already have fallen or just be falling.  This was a good one because it happens right as I pass the the asphalt gets spewed up right in front of me.

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[JRD]

EXCELLENT RACE SPACEBOY!!  :-X
Great start when you cut 3 or 4 competitors and leave them behind. Cool weather effects too and a thrilling end, you were first by a split second  8)
The vehicle seems to handle nice on dirt and asphalt and it really do sharp turns... oh boy, what a game this one is!!!

[Art Blade]

nice race, spaceboy :) made me chuckle a couple of times because I did some of your mistakes myself, a couple of times :)

Edit: I just noticed you used the Avenger. That car isn't half as good to handle, I tell you  ;D But that was why I wanted to prove I could  win with that car, as I had realised the speed was enough for that track. I would have been 5 seconds ahead of your time, no driving mistakes, but if you hadn't committed all those mistakes, that were funny by the way, you would have been way ahead of me.

I've come across a couple of races now that seem almost impossible to win on legend, so I finished only expert. I'll look into them later perhaps, or if I should need more stars.

Funny thing, that mosquito quad was better than all those high-end tuner the AI were using. Can't remember the name of that circuit race right now, but I failed horrendously on legend with any quad I tested (reloaded a savegame copy then). Then I decided to go check that mosquito... it's still just a fantastic quad :)

In the Riders On The Storm race I used the avenger. It was, like most my vehicles, required for a certain race once. I like to stick to and win with those... resulting in a surplus of about 172,000 credits/63stars at the moment LOL  ;D With that, I could buy a vehicle or three if I couldn't finish certain races for the life of me with what I got.  :) Nice are those mavericks, special cars for 0 credits  ;)

[Art Blade]

had to edit the previous post a little, I didn't recognise the Avenger at first LOL (updated my scores too... 850 miles, 172k credits, 63/216 stars. Man that game is big) I'm now on that race you showed in the other vid... snow etc. lol hard

[spaceboy]

Thanks Art, often for me the key is handling instead of speed, and trying to be smart enough to slow down or slide well through turns.  The number of times I've gotten myself a Loss after being in first place by being too greedy with speed...

[JRD]

Thats how snart racing games should play. Don't just run as fast as you can... attack turns in the appropriate speed, slow down when necessary, study the track  :-X

As in a good shooter, just don't run and gun.... attack enemies in the appropriate way, hide in cover when necessary, study the target  ;D ;D

[Art Blade]

You're both right :)

I've now I think 50 races and 7 of which not gold (legend) Those couple of races not gold are mysterious... I spent so much time and efforts without managing to win on legend but sometimes on expert or rookie... I decided to leave it for later, buy different vehicles and check again. One really tough race was in a set of gigantic tornados in the desert. Clear blue sky, then a black wall waltzing in from the horizon, sky-high, and hell breaks loose. Most of the time you really don't see anything but a wall of grey-white sand and dirt. The only thing that halfways kept me on track was that GPS. I barely managed bronce medal. And another Race with a little breeze in comparison keept whacking me with trailers, cars and everything, comes at lightning speed out of the sky and BAM, either hits you or the driver in front (which made me laugh so hard once I needed a restart LOL)

Races get harder the more you advance, you can tell by the increasing amount of stars needed to unlock areas. The prize money (fuel aka credits) is rising higher, too. I'm looking forward to unlocking the last part of the map now, in the north, with that huge snow-cowered mountain. Races are a real challenge now on legend :) And I needed better vehicles, too.

One funny thing though, "hardest race ever" - the AI failed to even finish! It was so funny... a quad race, a huge jump across a deep gap, canyon style, and everyone ahead of me smacked right into the rock wall below the edge on the other side. Those who made the jump were rendered useless, machines burning. And then... I don't know how, but I managed to jump across nearly undamaged. So I had all the time in the world to peacefully and carefully cruise towards the finish... check how far the only survivor is away from me in the end... a lol-moment. :)

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[Art Blade]

People! :) I've finished all career races on legend except one single race. I barely managed to win that particular nasty one only on rookie.

Big Cleave: Endless Road
I hate it. Imagine, again, I won every  race on legend, the highest difficulty level. But one.  >:( 71/72 gold. 216/218 stars. So I believe it's safe to say it's not my general driving inaptitude.

That race is strange. It's for a selection of heavy muscle cars and buggies. The AI seems to be "broken" in that race. Just now, the last race (out of say 100 attempts) I was not far from the finish, when the only AI car in front of me all of a sudden disappeared ?! Lucky me. I was thinking the AI or even the game was programmed to prevent a player from winning that race. Not intentionally, but I think that race has not been tested properly on legend. Incredible.

Please, someone, anyone, make me laugh hysterically by telling me you won that race on legend without any difficulty  ;D oh, and screenshot please :)

[Art Blade]

Gee... can't believe it, I really made it at last. :) Needed a special car, "deathgrin" and had to swing around corners full speed... drifting in the mountains is so wicked. Phew, glad that's over ;)

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[JRD]

How's that for adrenalyn?

Art... I see you still have lots to do in FUEL... me, I'm trying to get it done to have my copy with me, but things are beyond my reach...
Soon pal, soon  ;D ;D ;D

[spaceboy]

congrats Art.  It amazes me how fast you moved through all the races!  I think it'll be Christmas before I get that far.

[Art Blade]

Thanks, spaceboy. Although "fast" is relative... took me like a little over 45 hours (and a good part of that I spent on a couple of tough races LOL)

I had to go back to some races once I had unlocked those vehicles the AI was already using. That was something I didn't like much, the AI cheating like that. And man, silly bushes, rock-solid... I spent so much time repeating races that were nearly won but failed due to crashing into full metal plants. Or I got pushed off a cliff by a car half the size, weight and speed of mine. Then the surface issue... the absolute worst was the first career race on the list of Mount Rainier. Snow and ice that's supposed to be slippery. When you intent to drive across snow it actually slows you down to a rediculous "speed" as if driving through treacle. But if you slip off the road, you keep sliding like mad into the direction you went when slipping off... no way to get back into the race properly... restart. And of course the AI doesn't seem to notice, they get back on track instantly and they drive like it was a warm summer day :) Bastards  ;D Those hmmm glitches? I think it's a glitch, not programmed properly... Also very annoying are small rocks and trees and bushes, all solid, that appear to be just there where a shortcut would be nice for you. Do the devs think it is funny to call it open world when during a couple of races you get either slowed down by surface or rocks and plants if you want to take a shortcut? All that took me quite a bit of time. Could have been more fun without that stuff, I was not exactly happy when I had to stick to roads and tracks so narrow that my car just fit with barely room to sway or swerve, else crash or drop off a cliff or slow down like crazy. And AI that I left behind comes popping in sideways like on rockets... or AI that gets ahead is within seconds over a mile away. Or AI that was like a quarter mile behind pulls up within like 3 seconds. I want their fuel or nitro tanks :)

Sorry for the rant, but the game in general is so cool that I don't understand why stuff like that is in it. Those hardest races were mainly hard because of silly programming/design.

Now, after the career, I feel relaxed because now I can drive with what vehicle I want and where I want. There are still lots of challenges left and hunting down those doppler trucks and climbing for liveries (they seem to be always in difficult spots). Some races were actually cool and fun enough that I just repeated them a few times without having to :)