Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (June 21st, 2019)

[Jango]

2 hours ago, Jovahexeon Ogilvie Maurice said:

As cool as Orange Asphalt being in this game may be, I can't help but be baffled as to why they did this.

Holy shit, with full colission and animations, WTF Beenox? Why? This is likely consuming some memory of the game. I wonder what else they cand find hiding off-screen. Someone call that Out of Boundaries YT channel.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

4 minutes ago, Jango said:

Holy shit, with full colission and animations, WTF Beenox? Why? 

Asset reuse, plain and simple. Why completely rebuild a stage from scratch when assets already exist that fit the required need. Taking N Sane's version as a base, and then adding the track/props/whatever else likely took a lot less time and money than doing it all from scratch and a lot of devs do it.

Then, since it's normally not viewable without hacking, they don't clean it up because it's out of the player's sight. There's clearly no hindrance to performance, memory, or anything, so there's no real reason to get rid of it when the player won't be able to get to it via normal means, and it isn't costing performance of the game to keep it.

[Jango]

I know these are re-used assets from N.Sane The question is why keep this stuff there, even if we can't see it? Why not clean everything up and make the game lighter, maybe just maybe, allowing it to reach 60FPS? Granted this leftover isn't eating any RAM from the game as it is because it runs flawlessly on consoles, but it is some memory consuming, they even kept the cars' animations lol

[Ryannumber1gamer]

1 minute ago, Jango said:

I know these are re-used assets from N.Sane The question is why keep this stuff there, even if we can't see it? Why not clean everything up and make the game lighter, maybe just maybe, allowing it to reach 60FPS? Granted this leftover isn't eating any RAM from the game as it is because it runs flawlessly on consoles, but it is some memory consuming, they even kept the cars' animations lol

Because there's no need to. When you've got strict deadlines to meet, you don't have time to waste doing things that are ultimately pointless. If the player can't see it, and it has no problems with performance/memory usage, then there's no harm in leaving it there and using that time on something else. Furthermore, it could easily just be an oversight that they forgot to remove.

Simply because it might use some memory isn't that big a deal. If it was a problem on the scale of something like Inferno Island, where the game does seem to drop frames heavily with background effects like the falling meteors, then that should be fixed to free up memory and make things smoother. Otherwise, if it isn't causing a problem, there's no reason to remove it.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

And that's another one to add to the growing pile. 

Good grief with the polish, Beenox.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

For National Talk Like Pirate Day, this was posted.

Hope we get more insight on other things for the next GP. Doubt we'll be getting a roadmap though. 

[Sonicka]

Well, it certainly felt like that tour lasted FOREVER. I think the period was a bit longer this time though. 
 

Despite that, I have definitely worn down off this game a bit now - I have other things I also want to play. Where I would usually make a habit of doing the Wumpa Time Daily and racking up double time over the 4 day weekend - I found rarely bothered the last couple of weeks.

I purchased / Unlocked everything I wanted in general so I’m quite happy. Didn’t quite make it unlocking the final Crunch Skin - but I’ll just purchase the Nitro with Wumpa to make that up.

Actually, The fact that I didn’t finish the bar and am STILL in the top 5% is telling that other people feel worn out as well.
 

It’s got to a point now where I’ve done so much online I have left out completing a few single player bits, but I’m not even sure I really want to bother for the Platinum Relics and besting Oxide at all the Time Trials at this stage. Maybe after a longer break. 

...So, it’s next weekend for the next tour then? XD

[Jango]

I actually bought everything the GP had to offer this time, even the itens I won't be using as often like some not that great decals... I think saving all that money before the season began paid off I also unlocked the Nitro Gauge stuff very naturally and incredibly early. All in all, this was a cold GP. Ironic, since it was Spyro's xD

I'm looking forward to the next one tho', I like Nina and the possibility of some Crash Twinsanity references or even an entire track based on a level from it, is great! Also, I've been waiting to play as N. Brio.

[Your Vest Friend]

Komodo Moe or we riot. 

It'll be weird when Komodo Joe won't get a costume in tandem though. Maybe they should have saved the wizard skin for this GP. 

[Mars]

Can someone PM me why the Switch version is very worse than the PS4 version? I played the PS4 version before, but I might get a Switch Lite soon with this game. Please Pm with DETAILS as I need to make an educated purchase. Many thanks.

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

A peek at the remaining Grand Prixs for the year, including Karts, Tracks, and Racers. (Neon Circus shadowed racer is obviously Pasadena, but I wonder who the last guy is? I don't recognize him.)

Kinda unreasonably jazzed for Christmas-themed content, not gonna lie. 

[MarioKartGamerDude]

Yo my body is Reggie! 

[Your Vest Friend]

Maybe that last character is the long rumoured King Chicken. It certainly has the shaping for it. 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Hi Pasadena.

Safe to say that Von Clutch and Willy Wumpafruit will be the other two characters of that month.

[Your Vest Friend]

Also I just need to say Nina's design is so cute!

 

Edit: Wait no, the last character looks like a new moose character. Hmmm.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

1 minute ago, Dr Egg-Gin said:

Also I just need to say Nina's design is so cute!

It's nice to see her in HD finally.

I wonder will her MoM design be her legendary.

[Jango]

48 minutes ago, Puppergeist CC14 said:

A peek at the remaining Grand Prixs for the year, including Karts, Tracks, and Racers. (Neon Circus shadowed racer is obviously Pasadena, but I wonder who the last guy is? I don't recognize him.)

Kinda unreasonably jazzed for Christmas-themed content, not gonna lie. 

Okay, wow. This looks exciting, gotta be honest! Super hyped now!  Too bad Nina's track isn't based on Academy of Evil but just a haunted mansion. Looks nice neverthless.

Also, who's that last character?

[Sonicka]

Ha. So much for downtime ^^;
 

No... this is really great, and more Original tracks is something I’m super happy about too - they’ve already proved they have the mettle for it. No expectations attached means they’ll be sweeter too. I also think the gingerbread road theme is an excellent subversion on the Christmas track considering the amount of winter and snow tracks attached to this game already.

I have to admit I was quite happy at 3 extra months of post launch creative content... Actually the base remake of CTR was honestly all that was required to win me over. But all this continued content creating 6 months plus into the game is completely unnecessary and yet astounding to me.

Unfortunately I don’t know who or what a Pasadena is so that Easter egg is lost on me.  (again beyond the original Naughty Dog Canon I’m pretty clueless) but bonus content is bonus content so I’m game for whatever at this stage.

For now, I think I’m heading back to Mario Kart Tour until the weekend. If aggressive microtransations and low percentage randomised gatcha-pon systems are your thing, then you absolutely HAVE to check this game out. It certainly makes CTR’s MTX strategy appear much less demonising in comparison at least.

Side note: It was my first time using the Nitro Bar to get to the final Crunch Skin. I found that they were surprisingly fair with this. In all just 786 coins was all it asked from me after reaching halfway through the very last segment. I’m shocked it calculates it’s so pin-pointedly as I expected a more rigid and unfair coon payout. I’m definitely going to take this route in future GP’s when I do not have the investment time for the tours...Especially if the challenges don’t improve.

[Your Vest Friend]

Actually, I'm seeing a lot of comments saying the last character is our old friend Fasty the Hippo, and...I can see similar shaping in the lower face, collar and apparent helmet strap. But why the antlers, is he dressing up for the occasion?

[Gumbit]

She is finally gonna come back after all these years

[Teoskaven]

If Fasty manages to get actually incorporated, people might as well start asking for Rilla Roo.
Unless Fasty's package involves the "odd ones" and include RR and Yaya Panda.

[Jango]

It's also worth noting that the "Pressurizer" is Von Clutch's kart in CTTR, so I guess we could expect him in November alongside Pasadena. By the way, I love the look of the Carnival track.

Hopefully N. Brio, Koala Kong and Komodo Moe will be added to the Pit Stop during these seasons. Brio is probably a given in October. I think Moe would fit nicely in December, toped with a Santa Claus legendary skin and everything.

 

[Sonicka]

Who exactly is Fasty the Hippo? XD That’s hilarious. 

I’m still holding out that out of the 9(+) characters we’ll be getting over the coming months they’ll still include a few missing classics like N Brio, Koala Kong, Komodo Moe and (to a lesser degree) Rilla Roo. 

[Jango]

This guy:

https://csydes.fandom.com/wiki/Fasty

Some folks say Fasty was supposed to be a playable character in the original CTR, but apparently ND never confirmed this.

He's... Cool, I guess? It's a nice easter egg neverthless. I wish they could add more crossover characters tho'. Imagine Ratchet, Sly or heck, Nathan Drake playable? Maybe even freaking Sonic.

 

[Sonictrainer]

On 1/8/2019 at 7:42 PM, Sonictrainer said:

Do you think Fasty will finally get in?

He is

...but I think they changed his species to a moose, reindeer, or a fusion like some of the other characters