• ModNation Racers •

[Northstar]

I don't have that much of a problem with loading times and seeing as the game is literaly building the tracks on the fly when loading plus all the mods and karts with all the options and differences then I'm ok with loading. I'm going to have long day of it tommorow.

I don't mind them when it comes to an online game, but the single player modes should be a bit faster since all the info is already on the HDD.

Load times are actually ruining this game for me, It's an awesome game, but I don't want to wait 10 minutes to do a 3 minute race than another 5 minutes to get back to the career screen.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

I really do not understand what the problem is with PS3 games and online functionality. Either 'they' haven't got a clue what they are doing, or someone somewhere doesn't know when to quit... It is a joke, it honestly is. Three years down the line, and I'm still buying, and they are still making, games with broken online functionality. How is this still possible!?

Because many people have not experienced anything like what you have often described over the last few years. And a quick visit to Team Xbox and other 360 forums will show you just as many if not more people complain about XBL online play.

What's the common denominator one might ask, and it's often the individual or game.

The other common denominator is often the total lack of actual evidence, other than small samples of anecdotal opinion... and instead a great deal of hyperbole and FUD in it's place. 👎

It reminds me of all the ridiculous myths about the PSN somehow being super slow... yet they couldn't explain why is it then, many people get very fast download times of the PSN. The reality I guess is that for some, it's a lot easier to blame Sony, Microsoft, or whomever for their problems when it might very well be a problem with their internet connection, their ISP, their modem, their router, etc.

I get why some people do it, it's just unfortunate that they chose to do it, rather than have a reasonable discussion and focus on actual facts, rather than making wild unsupported claims, especially when there are facts that punch huge gaping holes into their argument.

OK, rant over.

Fair enough. Me to.

 

[magburner]

The other common denominator is often the total lack of actual evidence, other than small samples of anecdotal opinion... and instead a great deal of hyperbole and FUD in it's place. 👎

Come on will you! Everything I have posted here (apart from my PS3 crashing twice), can be substantiated just by loading the game up.

I get why some people do it, it's just unfortunate that they chose to do it, rather than have a reasonable discussion and focus on actual facts, rather than making wild unsupported claims, especially when there are facts that punch huge gaping holes into their argument.

What facts are there about MNR, that punch holes in my argument then?

 

[Moglet]

It reminds me of all the ridiculous myths about the PSN somehow being super slow... yet they couldn't explain why is it then, many people get very fast download times of the PSN. The reality I guess is that for some, it's a lot easier to blame Sony, Microsoft, or whomever for their problems when it might very well be a problem with their internet connection, their ISP, their modem, their router, etc.

My PS3 is running from the same router as my 360 with the same settings, and the PSN is much, much slower. The waiting times for the system in general are poor compared to my 360, and a lot of my Live friends with both consoles have noticed the same.

It took me almost an hour to even start ModNation Racers due to downloading a console update, then installing it, then downloading a game update, then installing it, then waiting for the game to install.

My brother's 360 runs at the same speed as mine too, and the speed difference was even bigger at my old house, in which I had to leave my PS3 on overnight to update. If it comes down to paying for the better service, then it's well worth the money for me. If it's just a strange anomaly amongst my friends I'll be ringing Derek Acorah in the morning.

 

[Dave A]

It's probably not the service, it's probably the router. I had a router that didn't work well with my PS3, but if I plugged it straight into the model it ran really fast. now I have a different router and it runs just as fast as it did direct to the modem.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Come on will you! Everything I have posted here (apart from my PS3 crashing twice), can be substantiated just by loading the game up.

What facts are there about MNR, that punch holes in my argument then?

Re-read my post, and your comments that I quoted that prompted my response. You didn't single out MNR, you made blanket statements about "PS3 games" and online functionality, which my response is directly addressing.

Just like there are issues with 360 games online, there are issues with PS3 games online.. yet you seem to always try and make it seem like it's an exclusive issue with PS3 games... and like Moglet, ignore the fact that many online issues are the fault of the user, regardless of what console or even PC game they are playing.

My PS3 is running from the same router as my 360 with the same settings, and the PSN is much, much slower. The waiting times for the system in general are poor compared to my 360, and a lot of my Live friends with both consoles have noticed the same.

More unsubstantiated anecdotal opinion, great.

Ignoring the fact that there have been plenty of speed test comparisons between XBL and PSN that showed practically no difference, but there was even one that Foolkiller posted a long time ago that showed the PSN was faster with some files.

Ignoring the fact that just because you have both consoles connected to the same router in NO WAY guarantees you have it set up correctly, and depending on the router, the settings used, and the settings on the PS3, it's certainly possible that you are getting slower download speeds than your 360, but that's on you to fix!

I get it, it's a lot easier to blame someone for your problems then actually figuring out how to fix them, but that's on you.

However, I would certainly love to see video evidence of these supposedly drastically slower download times you constantly love to claim you experience on a regular basis.

If you can provide it, maybe it will shed some light on 'your' issue.

In fact, if you do that, I'll make a video of me downloading files off the PSN, and then you can compare it to your own download times and so you can see for yourself.

After all, if as you like to constantly claim that the PSN is the problem, then it should be slow for everyone, and not just you and your friends.... right?

It's probably not the service, it's probably the router. I had a router that didn't work well with my PS3, but if I plugged it straight into the model it ran really fast. now I have a different router and it runs just as fast as it did direct to the modem.

Exactly. Just like using OpenDNS to bypass an ISP server, adding the PS3 to the router's DMZ, among many other things can fix many connection issues.

Unfortunately though, like in past threads where this has been explained to him, Magburner, Joey, and a couple others who constantly claim that the PSN is super slow compared to the XBL (but coincidentally never provide any actual proof) - they refuse to believe it, and instead just blame "Sony".... which considering their long history of Sony/PSN bashing, may suggest an all together different agenda, and that maybe they haven't been all together honest.

 

[magburner]

Re-read my post, and your comments that I quoted that prompted my response. You didn't single out MNR, you made blanket statements about "PS3 games" and online functionality, which my response is directly addressing.

Maybe I should of made the point clear. All the games that I have purchased, with a few notable exceptions seem to suffer some sort of problem regarding their online functionality. 👍

The only games I have brought for my PS3 that haven't involved some form of shenanigans when it comes to online functionality is my collection of EA Sports games. For some reason EA seem to nail the online functionality every single game. What are they doing right, that others seem unable to accomplish?

Just like there are issues with 360 games online, there are issues with PS3 games online.. yet you seem to always try and make it seem like it's an exclusive issue with PS3 games...

Considering the fact that I do not own a 360, the issues that concern me ARE exclusive to the PS3!

and like Moglet, ignore the fact that many online issues are the fault of the user, regardless of what console or even PC game they are playing.

Now, who is making unsubstantiated and anecdotal opinions? There is absolutley nothing wrong with the setup for my PS3! It was working fine before I played MNR, and it was working fine after I played MNR. The only time it didn't seem to be working fine was when I was actually playing MNR, so what does that tell you?

Unfortunately though, like in past threads where this has been explained to him, Magburner, Joey, and a couple others who constantly claim that the PSN is super slow compared to the XBL

Excuse me! Point me to the post where I compared the speed of the PSN to XBL. I have not, and cannot make the comparison, because I do not have a 360. 👍

considering their long history of Sony/PSN bashing, may suggest an all together different agenda, and that maybe they haven't been all together honest.

Hey, I stumped up forty quid for this game. I didn't buy it on the understanding that it would be broken in some way, I brought it on the understanding that it would be working as expected. I certainly didn't pay forty quid to be an online beta tester! 👍

DN, I think that sometimes you are too defensive when it comes to the PS3. You fail to see the problems there are regarding online functionality, and try to dismiss peoples concerns just because they don't fit into the way you like to see things.

The only issues I have with the PS3 are regarding its online functionality in some games. I enjoy my PS3 when it is working as it should, but I do not enjoy it when it is not. I also have the right to voice my concerns, because I am a loyal Sony fan, and I have been for the past fifteen years.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

DN, I think that sometimes you are too defensive when it comes to the PS3.

I could care less about defending the PS3, what I care about is when people say things that are simply not true. It does a disservice to those who might get misled.

You fail to see the problems there are regarding online functionality, and try to dismiss peoples concerns just because they don't fit into the way you like to see things.

Sorry, but that isn't true. In fact, in many threads over the last three years I have criticized the PS3 for the lack of some of the online features that I praised XBL for having, like player match making among others.

I have also criticized many things about the PSN and the PS3 that I didn't like, like the lack of a search function on the PSN store, the lack of sorting options for media on the HDD, like the lack of achievements/trophies, like they layout of the PSN store, like the limit of just 12 files for background downloading, and many other gripes I have had over time, and thankfully, all of these were fixed or improved with various updates, but I was certainly vocal about my criticism.

So I'm sorry, but suggesting otherwise would be a lie, as I have the posts to prove it.

What I have an issue with is people that lie, grossly exaggerate, and mislead others into believing something that isn't true... thus the reason for the signature.

 

[HN7]

Just picked the game up, and most of my times are spent looking at the loading screen. It's not enough to ruin the game but enough to irritate the hell out of me.
Other than that issue, I can see this game will last me a long time (twice as long with the loading time )

 

[H20HYBRID_GT]

One thing right away... I'm not trying to complain, I'd much rather find the reason for my issues with PSN...

I had this discussed here and elsewhere many times, but never someone found a way to fix this ( Sony tried to help, too, but with little to no effect...).

OK, 1st I had 1.5 MB dsl connection and everything was fine for 1-2 years, then I got a new contract with 2.0 MB and... well that's when my problems began. It started slowly with lagging and got worse everyday. So after I tried couple of things (router/ modem / cables / connection reset by ISP) I went ahead and got a cable connection with 20MB... no, it did not help... it got maybe worse.
Thing is, sometimes I can play online just fine, but then just something little must happen and it gets bad again, i.e. someone send me a message or someone kicks me from a room... sounds weird, but it's happening (almost) everytime and very predictable. I called Sony (again) they said get a new router, ok bought router works fine, 1 week later everything starts again to get worse and lagging like hell ('scuse me).
So, umm that's my status right now and despite everything works well on PC and Xbox (most of the time), I shall say PSN is the best thing ever? (sarcasm, just in case)
Another thing which makes me wonder what's actually wrong is: I can play new games just fine, but whenever there is a "connectivity" update of any sort, I'm screwed, it will get unplayable within a week.
Not to genaralize, this happened with only two games (incidentally the ones I was most interested in playing actually), i.e. Tekken 6 and Resident Evil 5.
It became evident with Tekken 6 btw, because I know lots of people were comlaining about the online, but it worked fine for me (most of the time). The day the update for better online play hit was it for me then, from there on it only got worse to the point of being 'unplayable'.
Sorry for being kinda offtopic (I think it has something to do with what's being discussed here tho), but I'd just like to know if someone of the smart people (no, no sarcasm) here would have a solution for me or if it's really just bad PSN performance...?

(PS: as I said, it worked just fine for me, unfortunately not for too long and even an ISP change including much higher download/ upload speed did not help)

 

[Joey D]

Wow I just love it when threads digress into stupid banter about how the PS3 is some how a scaled down version of Jesus/Zeus/Mohammed/Flying Spaghetti Monster.

I hate this game. The loading times are ruining it for me and it's way to frustrating. All I want to do is unlock bodies so I can build carts, that's it. But a lot of the bodies are so freaking hard to unlock because the challenges are too hard. Maybe I suck at video games I don't know.

And this is sad because I wanted to like this game and I am loving the concept behind it. It's Mario Kart with more personalisation which I really dig. The track creator is awesome and really easy to use. The customisation with my racer dudes is great as well but the racing and load times are driving me up a wall.

The online thing doesn't bother me either. I tried one race, it's the same as all online video games, and it sucks. There are the two guys that have way to much time and will walk you all over the track, there is the handful of people that don't care and just want to cause the race to be frustrating, and then there are the couple of people that are confused because all they wanted to do was play a game. I think I'll pass on the online play.

 

[Moglet]

Ignoring the fact that just because you have both consoles connected to the same router in NO WAY guarantees you have it set up correctly, and depending on the router, the settings used, and the settings on the PS3, it's certainly possible that you are getting slower download speeds than your 360, but that's on you to fix!

Both are connected using the bog standard settings to find my router. The user should not have to mess about with a multitude of settings just to make the console work at the correct speed!

I get it, it's a lot easier to blame someone for your problems then actually figuring out how to fix them, but that's on you.

However, I would certainly love to see video evidence of these supposedly drastically slower download times you constantly love to claim you experience on a regular basis.

If you can provide it, maybe it will shed some light on 'your' issue.

I've rang Sony tech support, my ISP tech support, asked for help online, DMZed the PS3 etc. Nothing has fixed the download speeds. I'll make a video of it if you really want me to, I've just got to find something to download.

Exactly. Just like using OpenDNS to bypass an ISP server, adding the PS3 to the router's DMZ, among many other things can fix many connection issues.

Neither of which have worked. There are still game connection issues on Pacific Rift, all CoD games and ModNation Racers.

I never said it was an issue for everyone. It's just very bizarre that it seems to affect everyone I know except for a few people on here, and changing my router settings seems to have no effect on it. And of course I'm going to use 'anecdotal evidence', I've got better things to do with my time than look up stats about download speeds I'm just posting my experiences.

 

[magburner]

I could care less about defending the PS3, what I care about is when people say things that are simply not true. It does a disservice to those who might get misled.

DN, why do you need to be so belligerent? I remember the last time we locked horns, and I have changed my approach to posting since then. It is an indication of your temperament that you have only chosen to criticise the two gripes I have with the game (ie. load times and online connectivity), rather than to join with me and celebrate the many positive things I have said about MNR. 👍

I have also criticized many things about the PSN and the PS3 that I didn't like, like the lack of a search function on the PSN store, the lack of sorting options for media on the HDD, like the lack of achievements/trophies, like they layout of the PSN store, like the limit of just 12 files for background downloading, and many other gripes I have had over time, and thankfully, all of these were fixed or improved with various updates, but I was certainly vocal about my criticism.

Maybe this highlights the difference between you and I. You seem happy fiddling with the XMB, whilst I like to connect with others from around the world and compete online. Most of what you have stated above are non-issues for me. Not being able to connect online is not a non-issue though, it is a core part of any online game, particularly one like MNR that has many lauded community related features.

To be fair, I feel the online connectivity problems are not the fault of the developers of MNR, but of Sony. I feel that it is time for Sony to take ownership of the core functionality of every game that is released on the PS3, and start injecting some consistency and stability in the way games are developed.

As it stands now it seems that every developer has their own take on how things should be done. Some things work, others don't. Sony need to sort out the wheat from the chaff, and develop a robust framework that is flexible, scalable, and consistent. In the long run, I believe that a system like that could be a worthy feature for the PS3, and a unique selling point. 👍

What I have an issue with is people that lie, grossly exaggerate, and mislead others into believing something that isn't true... thus the reason for the signature.

I have not lied! I will admit that I have embellished on some things. Think sarcasm, frothed up with a sprinkling of hyperbole, and you would not be a million miles away from what I was posting. The core of the problem though, and the basis for my criticism, is fact - The game takes al long time to load, and I find it very hard getting a race online. 👍

 

[Sprite]

ok some rubbish pics from me.

Im going back to my Tsukuba circuit to make its more read and also update it to include run off areas and the like, hopefully wont take me all day but the new track will be up for download. I also have all my Karts and Mods up too, I'm not that good at Karts and Mods but I'm learning

 

[FoolKiller]

Regarding download speeds on consoles, MTV did a test last year. Multiple people in different locations and no one got the exact same results. The only definite across all tests: Wii is slowest.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/02/02/which-console-downloads-games-fastest/

 

[Delphic Reason]

That sounds pretty cool on paper, and I'm sure they eulogised the concept when they first made the pitch for the game, but with hindsight, it is a lousy way of doing things.

I think that's a bit presumptuous. They had their reasons for going that route. Until we know why (searching now), it's a bit early to say "it is a lousy way of doing things".

Well, they have dropped a dogs dangly thing then haven't they? I am in complete amazement that nobody actually noticed this GLARING problem during the development of the game...

Who says nobody noticed? If you had followed the development, you would know it was an issue they had been dealing with since early on. To be honest, I would much rather deal with a little bit of loading, rather then dealing with some of the weird decal loading issues in Forza 3 (way worse than the loading times in MNR).

I hate this game. The loading times are ruining it for me and it's way to frustrating. All I want to do is unlock bodies so I can build carts, that's it. But a lot of the bodies are so freaking hard to unlock because the challenges are too hard. Maybe I suck at video games I don't know.

I don't think it's any more challenging than any other Kart title I've played (besides the ridiculously easy Mario Kart games). I'm almost through with the Career mode, and I must say, I've enjoyed the challenge quite a bit. The blocking/drift/boost system adds a nice touch of strategy.

 

[G.T.Ace]

Short question: Are the Beta tracks still available?

 

[Lion-Face]

I just finished my first track! Well, for the full game, I made a few in the Beta so I had some idea what I was doing when it came round to release time. So I figure I'll shamelessly plug my creation here seeing as its based on a real F1 circuit. Its Bahrain GP circuit 2009 in which I have made two versions, one 'Pure' and the other 'Action'.

Pure is just the track as accurate as I could make it while minimizing pop-in which started to happen when I was filling the track up with props. There are no boost pads/shortcuts/powerups etc, its a Pure version.

Action takes the Pure track and makes it Bahrain ModNation, with a couple of alternate routes, powerups, jumps, boosts and exploding barrels for good measure.

I wasn't sure how it would play, seeing as Bahrain isn't a particularly exciting track, but the Action version turned out quite well, with its long straights you have plenty of time to line up a straight shot and some nice chicanes and combination corners to get some good drifts into, it should be entertaining as a multiplayer race.

The names of my circuits are Bahrain F1 Pure and Bahrain F1 Action.

I'm looking for any and all feedback to help improve my future tracks. I'm currently in the process of a custom made kart circuit, and then I'm thinking of recreating Imola to keep my F1 theme going.

Note: Picture is zoomed far out and missing a lot of detail...

 

[G.T.Ace]

Wow that looks good! 👍

 

[Sprite]

The F1 track looks good. How did you get the curbs placed on the apex's? I need to do this with my creations. I will DL and rate tonight.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

I just finished my first track! Well, for the full game, I made a few in the Beta so I had some idea what I was doing when it came round to release time. So I figure I'll shamelessly plug my creation here seeing as its based on a real F1 circuit. Its Bahrain GP circuit 2009 in which I have made two versions, one 'Pure' and the other 'Action'.

Pure is just the track as accurate as I could make it while minimizing pop-in which started to happen when I was filling the track up with props. There are no boost pads/shortcuts/powerups etc, its a Pure version.

Action takes the Pure track and makes it Bahrain ModNation, with a couple of alternate routes, powerups, jumps, boosts and exploding barrels for good measure.

I wasn't sure how it would play, seeing as Bahrain isn't a particularly exciting track, but the Action version turned out quite well, with its long straights you have plenty of time to line up a straight shot and some nice chicanes and combination corners to get some good drifts into, it should be entertaining as a multiplayer race.

The names of my circuits are Bahrain F1 Pure and Bahrain F1 Action.

I'm looking for any and all feedback to help improve my future tracks. I'm currently in the process of a custom made kart circuit, and then I'm thinking of recreating Imola to keep my F1 theme going.

Note: Picture is zoomed far out and missing a lot of detail...

+REP, nicely done!

Hmmm... maybe we can do an F1 style MNR season. 👍

 

[Christian_C]

I just finished my first track! Well, for the full game, I made a few in the Beta so I had some idea what I was doing when it came round to release time. So I figure I'll shamelessly plug my creation here seeing as its based on a real F1 circuit. Its Bahrain GP circuit 2009 in which I have made two versions, one 'Pure' and the other 'Action'.

Pure is just the track as accurate as I could make it while minimizing pop-in which started to happen when I was filling the track up with props. There are no boost pads/shortcuts/powerups etc, its a Pure version.

Action takes the Pure track and makes it Bahrain ModNation, with a couple of alternate routes, powerups, jumps, boosts and exploding barrels for good measure.

I wasn't sure how it would play, seeing as Bahrain isn't a particularly exciting track, but the Action version turned out quite well, with its long straights you have plenty of time to line up a straight shot and some nice chicanes and combination corners to get some good drifts into, it should be entertaining as a multiplayer race.

The names of my circuits are Bahrain F1 Pure and Bahrain F1 Action.

I'm looking for any and all feedback to help improve my future tracks. I'm currently in the process of a custom made kart circuit, and then I'm thinking of recreating Imola to keep my F1 theme going.

Note: Picture is zoomed far out and missing a lot of detail...

Just downloaded the pure version, very good, only criticism I would have is that the pitlane is made of dirt rather than tarmac, otherwise the track layout is very accurate.

 

[Northstar]

*Bahrain Plain

Love the track, my only criticism is that it's rather easy to take a short cut, I've even done it on accident a couple times.

Side Note: I'm #1 on the time trial charts(at least until someone else does some laps since I'm the only one thus far)

Edit: I finished the track I was working on.

It's called "Northstar Raceway", let me know what you think. It's full of powerups as well so it's rather chaotic in races, there are also a couple tricks that can mess you up. I also have another one published called "Twist", but that's from the demo so it's not as good. I really wish you could put stickers on tracks.

 

[G.T.Ace]

Sorry that I ask again, but I just can't get a answer anywhere:
Are the Beta (NOT Demo) tracks still playable?

 

[Northstar]

Sorry that I ask again, but I just can't get a answer anywhere:
Are the Beta (NOT Demo) tracks still playable?

Did the Beta save all user content in the "Modnation Racers User Created Content" file?

If so than it should.

 

[Christian_C]

Please tell me I'm not the only one tearing their hair out due to the difficulty of some of these challenges on career

 

[Speedster502]

Thinking about trading a bunch of games in for this, seeming I have no games I want to play at the moment. I was in the Beta and loved it, I gather not much has changed since then?

 

[G.T.Ace]

Did the Beta save all user content in the "Modnation Racers User Created Content" file?

If so than it should.

Good question, need to check that out.
Can you search tracks with a PSN ID? If so, could someone search for GTAce, pleasy pleas? 8) I still don't own the game and would like to know if my stuff is still on the servers like back then in LittleBigPlanet.

If you find the stuff, please also tell me what you think, but bear in mind that the Beta had very limited content and time.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Please tell me I'm not the only one tearing their hair out due to the difficulty of some of these challenges on career

Nope. Some of the challenges are tough, but doable.

I nearly have all the tracks from the F1 2010 season downloaded. Now I just need all the 2010 Kart liveries.

 

[kjb]

I have been playing the demo and while I love the game the loading times are horrible is it like that in the actual game?