Need For Speed Payback General Discussion

[LeGeNd-1]

Just picked up Payback in the black Friday sale couple weeks back. Liked the map - much more personality than the downtrodden 2015 map. Graphics seem to have taken a step backwards however. Handling is much improved though still not the greatest - it reminds me of NFS The Run but a tad more driftier and less weighty. I like the collecting aspects, lifted straight from Burnout Paradise with billboards and such. Finding derelicts and abandoned cars is also a lot of fun. The worse part though, are the performance cards roulette and speedpoints being premium currency. Just pure money grabbing exercise on EA's part. It's literally NFS No Limits "Console Edition". At least Forza 7 has the conscience to go back on their decision. Payback? Pah, no chance. Especially with the game being set in Vegas look alike and all that casino backdrop.

Pity. If it has a traditional performance and visual upgrade structure this would probably be the best NFS for me since MW 2012. As it is, it's just another flash in the pan in this skeleton franchise. Still not looking forward to NFS 2019. Still will be a $25 purchase 1 year later.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

After playing some more I'm starting to really warm up to Payback. It's still not as polished as MW 2012 but in terms of fun and exploring the map it's the closest the series has gotten since. I always say that racing games don't need stories but I think Payback is the only NFS that does it right, apart from maybe The Run. Huge improvement from the trainwreck that is NFS 2015. The upgrade system is still needlessly complicated but if you see it as its own minigame it's tolerable. I found this excellent thread on reddit summarising the brand/perk strategies and this clears things up massively. Now it's just a matter of getting lucky in the draw.



The handling is an interesting one. In some cases it reminds me of MW 2012 brake to drift but with some faster cars and tight corners you can also use HP 2010 handbrake tap technique. And when just driving around it's kinda like The Run. Also the live tuning is much simplified from 2015 and also much more apparent in its effects. It's odd how you can't change it during events and only in free roam though. With MW 2012 you can swap parts on the fly and if you're quick it gives a huge advantage in close online races.

I find myself not caring about vanity items so much so I'm not as miffed about SP being premium currency. Making the last daily challenges reward a premium shipment would allay this somewhat but that's too good to be true for EA.

I have a question though, with the special edition cars (Platinum Pack & Abandoned Cars), I notice that we can swap visual/vanity parts around. Is there a way to return to default or purchase a second copy?

 

[Ak1504]

Personally i liked the "Story" of NFS 2015 more but i´m a car scene nerd so i loved to see the 5 car scene icons in NFS

 

[CleanCut]

I have a question though, with the special edition cars (Platinum Pack & Abandoned Cars), I notice that we can swap visual/vanity parts around. Is there a way to return to default or purchase a second copy?

I'm not sure if I understood your question correctly and therefore I don't know if this is the answer you are looking for:

Vanity items are the only things you can customize on an abandoned car. You can remove the items it already came with and those items go into your inventory, at which point you can apply them to other vehicles in your garage. Likewise, you can put them back on the abandoned car if you choose.

Platinum pack cars are fully customizable and you can purchase body kits, etc.. for them. Whatever parts came with the car initially will show up as "already owned" in the parts selection menus. So you can buy, say, a different bumper, but then select the old bumper that previously came with the car without having to spend money to purchase it. If you are concerned about losing the custom wrap that came with the deluxe edition cars, I imagine you can save the wrap to your library before removing or changing it, thus enabling you to reinstall the wrap at a later time.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Personally i liked the "Story" of NFS 2015 more but i´m a car scene nerd so i loved to see the 5 car scene icons in NFS

The story was basically get the 5 icons together by copying what they're doing in 2015 It's boring and there's not much stake at hand. I can't even remember what some of the races are for. It's like Undercover's story where there's just a few cutscenes with a few random talks in between, but most of the racing is pretty much copy paste.

Whereas in The Run and Payback, you feel that there is a stake at hand and each race you do moves the story forward. I've just done all 5 Tier 1 events in each discipline and I'm amazed how much dialogue there is before and after each race, and how it all ties in to the overall plot. It's not Oscar winning stuff, but just like reading a cheap thriller it keeps you wanting to do the next race to see what the next chapter is about.

I'm not sure if I understood your question correctly and therefore I don't know if this is the answer you are looking for:

Vanity items are the only things you can customize on an abandoned car. You can remove the items it already came with and those items go into your inventory, at which point you can apply them to other vehicles in your garage. Likewise, you can put them back on the abandoned car if you choose.

Platinum pack cars are fully customizable and you can purchase body kits, etc.. for them. Whatever parts came with the car initially will show up as "already owned" in the parts selection menus. So you can buy, say, a different bumper, but then select the old bumper that previously came with the car without having to spend money to purchase it. If you are concerned about losing the custom wrap that came with the deluxe edition cars, I imagine you can save the wrap to your library before removing or changing it, thus enabling you to reinstall the wrap at a later time.

I think you understood half of what I'm trying to say.

Platinum Cars - I got my answer last night - they are purchasable for $0 in the dealerships with all the default customization already applied. So that's easy and I can mess around with them no problem. Eddie's Skyline also follows this route.

With the abandoned cars you can only remove vanity items as you said. My question is, is there a way of knowing which parts were installed with the original car? The Challenger Cold Rim for example has the Blizzard neon and Ice Cream horn (to tie in with the snow theme). Obviously it's easy to remember if it's just 1 car, but later on once I've collected more I won't be able to remember. Is there a way of returning to default mods? Because I don't have the Challenger unlocked yet in dealership I can't check if it's purchasable like the Platinum cars.

Obviously the easy way would just be for me to make my own notes on which parts came from which car, but if there's an easier way I won't waste my time.

 

[CleanCut]

^^^ Nope, no easier way that I'm aware of.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Is it just me or the cops when you bring back Abandoned Cars are really crazy? I took 3 tries with the Diablo to get it back. The normal cops I can deal with but that Rhino is an instant showstopper. Anyone got tips for avoiding them? Even after memorising where they come from it's still difficult to dodge given the road width and other cop cars blocking you left and right.

 

[CleanCut]

Is it just me or the cops when you bring back Abandoned Cars are really crazy? I took 3 tries with the Diablo to get it back. The normal cops I can deal with but that Rhino is an instant showstopper. Anyone got tips for avoiding them? Even after memorising where they come from it's still difficult to dodge given the road width and other cop cars blocking you left and right.

Yeah, someone else on this forum (maybe FT-1?) made the suggestion to hug the inside of a turn when a Rhino approaches and they usually overshoot you wide to the other side. Your car is almost always more reactive than they are, so in the split second you figure out what their trajectory is, turn sharply in from it. The wider angle you take to avoid them, the less they can compensate. If you try to stay on course and essentially "play chicken," that's when you run into bigger problems.

And yes, the cops are insane crazy. I'm so happy they didn't go free-roam on us if they decided to make them that bonkers.

 

[FT-1]

Yeah, someone else on this forum (maybe FT-1?) made the suggestion to hug the inside of a turn when a Rhino approaches and they usually overshoot you wide to the other side.

Don't think it was me, but I totally agree with that method!

I recall suggesting to repeatedly ram the patrol cars equipped with an EMP. Even if it is not charging, it's best to wreck them as soon as possible.

 

[CleanCut]

Don't think it was me, but I totally agree with that method!

I recall suggesting to repeatedly ram the patrol cars equipped with an EMP. Even if it is not charging, it's best to wreck them as soon as possible.

Yeah I feel like ramming the Killswitch cars keeps them from deploying, but I'm not totally positive on that. My theory is that they are programmed to deploy after a certain length of time provided they stay in range. I'm not positive if initiating contact resets that timer, or if hitting them just usually takes them out of range. Either way, hitting them seems to be a fun and effective strategy!

 

[FT-1]

My theory is that they are programmed to deploy after a certain length of time provided they stay in range. I'm not positive if initiating contact resets that timer, or if hitting them just usually takes them out of range.

I think the first theory is true, especially if they are alongside you. Repeated ramming and knocking patrol cars go hand-in-hand, as you will need to hit police cars hard enough to move them out of range in order to disable the Killswitch.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Yeah, someone else on this forum (maybe FT-1?) made the suggestion to hug the inside of a turn when a Rhino approaches and they usually overshoot you wide to the other side. Your car is almost always more reactive than they are, so in the split second you figure out what their trajectory is, turn sharply in from it. The wider angle you take to avoid them, the less they can compensate. If you try to stay on course and essentially "play chicken," that's when you run into bigger problems.

And yes, the cops are insane crazy. I'm so happy they didn't go free-roam on us if they decided to make them that bonkers.

Usually when they came up on screen I'm already in a precarious position being surrounded by other cop cars, or the alternative is going completely off road which would slow me down massively in race class cars. If I try to turn away early they can still change their trajectory too. If I turn away late, well you know how that goes...

It's just crazy how much bloodthirsty the cops are in this game. Probably the most vicious since Undercover. Even HP 2010 wasn't this insane. MW 2012 and NFS 2015 they didn't even bother though so maybe I'm just out of practice As you said it's lucky they don't have cops in free roam otherwise getting anywhere in this game would be a massive pain.

 

[CleanCut]

I would agree they are most aggressive since Undercover, a game I never finished because of that 🤬 Corvette heist mission. But in Payback it really is possible... I dunno, I liken it to a good running back in football - some of them have excellent "running vision," they choose the right holes to burst through and have a special knack for deflecting blows and falling the right direction to make positive yardage... You will get the same thing in Payback with practice. I've had several abandoned car chases that made me want to rage-quit, but after playing the game for (literally) months, even when I get caught by a Rhino, I usually manage to deflect the blow and keep going.

If you just feel like this no matter what, then there's always GZILLA's "NFS Debugged" mod which eliminates the possibility of getting busted no matter what happens.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Playing on PS4 so no mods for me I've only got the game a few weeks so plenty of time to get better. It's fine I guess. I'm more annoyed by the fact that you have to restart the game if you get busted bringing an Abandoned back and want to retry. Why can't they just replace the car immediately is beyond me.

 

[FT-1]

Playing on PS4 so no mods for me I've only got the game a few weeks so plenty of time to get better. It's fine I guess. I'm more annoyed by the fact that you have to restart the game if you get busted bringing an Abandoned back and want to retry. Why can't they just replace the car immediately is beyond me.

That's... Definitely not supposed to happen. If you get busted, the car should still be available to pick up in its original location.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

That's... Definitely not supposed to happen. If you get busted, the car should still be available to pick up in its original location.

Not for me. With the Holtzman I went back to retry immediately and it's not there. Did a few races and came back and still not there. Restarted the game and it's back. Is there a certain time you have to wait for it to come back? I didn't bother checking in immediately with the newer cars so just restarted immediately.

I do use fast travel to get close to the original location though. Maybe if I drive there manually it will be there?

 

[FT-1]

I do use fast travel to get close to the original location though. Maybe if I drive there manually it will be there?

That could be the case, I drive back to the original location after being busted. You can also check the map right after you enter free roam, the abandoned car icon should still be present.

 

[CleanCut]

That's really weird, Legend.. I don't know how it works on PS4, but on PC, you can get back to the original location however you want and the car is always there.

The thing that irritates me is the fact that you have to drive back there at all. I wish they would just reset the mission back at its starting point.

 

[mazdaspeed3pc]

I never tried Payback,due to slow PC (2GB RAM,512MB Graphics card) but as i saw on YouTube,game is 100% arcade.I mean,i will give credit for EA because they had sucess with Payback,but,seriously? I am sorry for negative critic,but they could improve damage,cars etc. In fact 1 on 1 race with no cops is my best choice,but i also like sometimes to have police chase in older games,but they're available in Payback only when you pick up garbage called "Abandoned car".

 

[CleanCut]

^^^ cool story bro.

 

[vinz7531]

I never tried Payback,due to slow PC (2GB RAM,512MB Graphics card) but as i saw on YouTube,game is 100% arcade.I mean,i will give credit for EA because they had sucess with Payback,but,seriously? I am sorry for negative critic,but they could improve damage,cars etc. In fact 1 on 1 race with no cops is my best choice,but i also like sometimes to have police chase in older games,but they're available in Payback only when you pick up garbage called "Abandoned car".

i own and play the game, beleve me there's finesse in driving it (albeit it's arcade) a WRX on the dirt once buffed to around 250 is not easy to control on narrow path. And sometimes I find myself having WRC racing lines to my enjoyment.
Visual damage is good (better than in most racing games). No need for sim damage ot the game would be unplayable and uselessly frustrating.
Police chase are available in many "story" and "mission" type races. So you can have one whenever you want (actually playing the game helps with having the facts right )
It's actually a very good arcade racer. If you don't like arcade, you're not commenting on the correct game

 

[mazdaspeed3pc]

i own and play the game, beleve me there's finesse in driving it (albeit it's arcade) a WRX on the dirt once buffed to around 250 is not easy to control on narrow path. And sometimes I find myself having WRC racing lines to my enjoyment.
Visual damage is good (better than in most racing games). No need for sim damage ot the game would be unplayable and uselessly frustrating.
Police chase are available in many "story" and "mission" type races. So you can have one whenever you want (actually playing the game helps with having the facts right )
It's actually a very good arcade racer. If you don't like arcade, you're not commenting on the correct game

I like arcade,i didn't said that i don't like,but game is really having weird story.As for sure,i hope that next will be the better.
I know that I'm judging on the game even if I didn't tried it,but when i buy better PC,than i can try game,and give really my opinion.Hope that nobody wasn't mad on me.

 

[vinz7531]

No problem, I was just poking at you
really the storytelling part is something I like, it's Fast and Furious like. And there's a lot of talking after and before each race. It keeps you immersed in the story and the goals.
Sure it's different from NFS MW 2005 in the tone, but it's delightful.

When you can, give it a try it's cheap now

 

[LeGeNd-1]

IMO there are only 2 things that keeps Payback from becoming one of the best NFS games: the speed cards and vanity shipments. If those 2 things are unlockable and purchasable like normal parts in old games, I would have no doubt to call Payback the best game since UG2. As it stands, the rest of the game is fantastic but typical EA money making elements prevents it from becoming truly great.

That's really weird, Legend.. I don't know how it works on PS4, but on PC, you can get back to the original location however you want and the car is always there.

The thing that irritates me is the fact that you have to drive back there at all. I wish they would just reset the mission back at its starting point.

Well I just tried driving back for the 350Z and sure enough it's there without quitting the game. Just gonna do this from now on since it takes less time than the initial startup load.

 

[Losco]

Does this game have wheel support?

 

[Ameer67]

Does this game have wheel support?

Yes, but only for the G29 and G920 according to this website.

 

[Losco]

Yes, but only for the G29 and G920 according to this website.

Cool. I have the G29. I'll grab it later.

 

[vinz7531]

Cool. I have the G29. I'll grab it later.

Note that I'm not convinced that playing it with a wheel is actually enjoyable...

 

[Sage Ages]

IMO there are only 2 things that keeps Payback from becoming one of the best NFS games: the speed cards and vanity shipments. If those 2 things are unlockable and purchasable like normal parts in old games, I would have no doubt to call Payback the best game since UG2.

I would add the handling model as one of the game's main issues. It's not exactly great.

 

[CleanCut]

^^^ It's not exactly rubbish, either. The off-road handling in Payback is what all of the cars in NFS2015 felt like. Payback drives like a dream in comparison. Handling is similar to Carbon or Undercover. If they just fixed brake to drift a little bit, it would be more like MW05.