EA Sports WRC: General Discussion

[m355y]

I hadn’t even noticed they were missing, and only now realise they’re not in DR2.0 either. Fair to say it’s never bothered me much.

 

[UKMikey]

The head to head Special Stages in RalliSport Challenge 2.0 were fun but I imagine the Codies dev team has enough on its plate knocking this game into shape without taking on the additional challenge of modelling completely new locations with a different style of rally driving.

Had they not they may have been able to preserve the Rallycross stages from DR2.0.

 

[Nebuc72]

I quite enjoyed the Super Special Stages in the old Evo Studios PS2 games, but not so much in the more sim aligned rally games.

They've always felt pretty arcadey and gimmicky so I feel they fit those types of games more than they do actual rally sims.. which is odd considering they are in actual WRC but hey-ho.

 

[PJTierney]

At the moment the dev team gets more bang for buck by making standard/long stages and using cut/reversed variants to increase the stage list.

Doesn’t exclude Super Specials in the future (one would also need to consider performance and AI for any side-by-side ones) but it’s likely a lower priority right now vs adding more traditional stages in the future.

 

[SharkyOB]

At the moment the dev team gets more bang for buck by making standard/long stages and using cut/reversed variants to increase the stage list.

Doesn’t exclude Super Specials in the future (one would also need to consider performance and AI for any side-by-side ones) but it’s likely a lower priority right now vs adding more traditional stages in the future.

I'd be happy if the devs never get round to it tbh. They work well at real rallies as they are great for spectators, but they aren't really what rallying is about and they've never been great in rally games.

 

[tbtstt]

I'd be happy if the devs never get round to it tbh. They work well at real rallies as they are great for spectators, but they aren't really what rallying is about and they've never been great in rally games.

I certainly wouldn't mind seeing them at some point if the devs have "spare time" to do them. As you say though, they are typically a gimmick for spectators and I'd personally much rather see the attention given to proper rally stages.

Had they not they may have been able to preserve the Rallycross stages from DR2.0.

It seems increasingly unlikely at present, but I am still clinging onto the hope that the rallycross content from DR2.0 will somehow find its way into a new CM title; either tacked on to EA WRC or as something standalone.

 

[Scaff]

I'd be happy if the devs never get round to it tbh. They work well at real rallies as they are great for spectators, but they aren't really what rallying is about and they've never been great in rally games.

Super Specials have been in the WRC for over 30 years, meaning they have been a part of the championship for longer than they were not a part. If you count the very short single-car Specials they evolved from, they go back even further (I've come across footage from 1983 at Castle Combe - only a decade after the WRC started).



I get an argument for preference, but a claim that they are not what rallying, and particularly the WRC are about is simply not true.

 

[SharkyOB]

Super Specials have been in the WRC for over 30 years, meaning they have been a part of the championship for longer than they were not a part. If you count the very short single-car Specials they evolved from, they go back even further (I've come across footage from 1983 at Castle Combe - only a decade after the WRC started).



I get an argument for preference, but a claim that they are not what rallying, and particularly the WRC are about is simply not true.

Fair enough, but I still think they aren't really what rallying is about. Attacking a crazy country road isn't really the same as doing donuts round a traffic island. Ultimately they are for the spectators rather than the drivers and that's not really the point of a rally game.

 

[tbtstt]

Super Specials have been in the WRC for over 30 years, meaning they have been a part of the championship for longer than they were not a part. If you count the very short single-car Specials they evolved from, they go back even further (I've come across footage from 1983 at Castle Combe - only a decade after the WRC started).



I get an argument for preference, but a claim that they are not what rallying, and particularly the WRC are about is simply not true.

I don't think there is any argument that they have been a part of WRC - and other significant rallies - for a lot of years and I can't deny that I have some fond memories of some of them (1997 Super Special at Silverstone is etched into my memory!) but in my mind they have always been a compromise added in to try purely to make a segment of the rally more accessible to the general public.

Many, many, drivers have directly referred to them as "mickey mouse" stages and, although I do agree that in order to be the best possible rally game, you need every aspect of the sport included, I personally think they are nowhere near as crucial as having the right proper stages, cars, liveries etc. in the game.

 

[space_wadet]

Going by a strict definition of what "pure" rallying is, is a bit of dangerous game. Kenya doesn't really fit the definition, neither do the RX sections in Sardegna and Estonia. Arguably donuts and chicanes added to stages don't either. Real rallies have SSS', so they're a fully fledged part of rallying. Most stages are compromises in some way, and rally wouldn't exist without spectators.

That said I agree SSS shouldn't be a priority, but I do think they're a "nice to have". They're good for breathers in long rallies, as a kind of second shakedown, break in the middle, or even at the end. Even just for variety's sake. I have fond memories of them in CMR 2005.

 

[tbtstt]

Going by a strict definition of what "pure" rallying is, is a bit of dangerous game. Kenya doesn't really fit the definition, neither do the RX sections in Sardegna and Estonia. Arguably donuts and chicanes added to stages don't either. Real rallies have SSS', so they're a fully fledged part of rallying. Most stages are compromises in some way, and rally wouldn't exist without spectators.

Yeah, I agree that the line of "pure" rallying is quite a fine one (and open to a lot of debate!). Using RX sections as part of a bigger stage is less contentious in my mind, as that enclosed section is part of a bigger "proper" rally stage.

The chicanes/donut sections are a necessary evil, purely to bring the average stage speed down. That definitely isn't "pure" rally, but that is a compromise I can (personally) accept if it enables the continued use of the fastest cars.

That said I agree SSS shouldn't be a priority, but I do think they're a "nice to have". They're good for breathers in long rallies, as a kind of second shakedown, break in the middle, or even at the end. Even just for variety's sake. I have fond memories of them in CMR 2005.

Oh yeah, lot of fond memories of them and would be a nice detail to have.

 

[MagpieRacer]

I don't think there is any argument that they have been a part of WRC - and other significant rallies - for a lot of years and I can't deny that I have some fond memories of some of them (1997 Super Special at Silverstone is etched into my memory!) but in my mind they have always been a compromise added in to try purely to make a segment of the rally more accessible to the general public.

Many, many, drivers have directly referred to them as "mickey mouse" stages and, although I do agree that in order to be the best possible rally game, you need every aspect of the sport included, I personally think they are nowhere near as crucial as having the right proper stages, cars, liveries etc. in the game.

Oh man the Silverstone super special was, well, super special.

 

[Dreadmed]

That said I agree SSS shouldn't be a priority, but I do think they're a "nice to have". They're good for breathers in long rallies, as a kind of second shakedown, break in the middle, or even at the end. Even just for variety's sake. I have fond memories of them in CMR 2005.

Aye, I certainly wouldn't mind them as one-off stages to kick things off or as an interlude (they wouldn't be very good as power stages). In Generations I found it a bit irritating when they featured multiple times in the same event.

That said I also agree with PJ in that the priority should definitely be adding more special stages... take Croatia for example, if memory serves at least 6, if not 8 of the 12 total stages use the same section of road on the switchback hill, just with moderately different start and end points. That's one location that definitely needs some love.