Mario Kart Wii - Gen. Discussion & Info

I think I'm going to play some Mario Kart online tonight to break myself away from the tetris tournament. If anyone else wants to play and hasn't added me yet, send a me a pm.
 
Another beef is that items are so geared towards having a lot of players that they are basically broken in 2-4 player races, which makes the anemic player distribution by the server even worse. There is no reason why anyone should be getting the thundercloud or bloober in a 2 player game. Thundercloud in a 2-4 player game is death.

The fake item block is worthless. No one falls for it. Ever. it's basically a banana, but worse because sometimes if you get hit while dragging it, it actually falls on top of you and hits yourself. Just give me a banana and call it a day.

I have already mentioned the bomb and how it seems to be specifically geared to rape the losers. It is too dangerous to throw ahead (and easy to dodge anyway) so you just drop it and hit people behind you, who are already losing anyway. The worst is when someone drops it directly in front of you and it explodes on you and him, effectively making you both lose. Whee!

These complaints are all drawn from high ranked, low player count races, where one mistake means you are out. The scrub races with a lot of players have their own wonkiness, like people getting a bullet or star for their first item. I mean, just because you are in 9th place doesn't mean you need a bullet. It's only 10 seconds into the race!
 
It actually went very well tonight. Only once did I get the random communications error, which, of course, resulted in me losing 250 points, but whatever.
 
I have never had any problems with the online in MK. that said I have a fantastic T1 internet connection. Hell, I don't even get lag in Brawl unless someone I am playing has a crap connection.

All in all though, I find online in MK:Wii to be vastly superior to online in MK:DS
 
We have the slowest DSL connection available and have yet to have any problems with online play, though we've only had it since Xmas. :) I think the game is fantasic. My one complaint, though, and it is with online play, is why is online play limited to two local players? Me and my two kids can not play an online game together - that sucks and I don't understand why the limitation is necessary.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']We have the slowest DSL connection available and have yet to have any problems with online play, though we've only had it since Xmas. :) I think the game is fantasic. My one complaint, though, and it is with online play, is why is online play limited to two local players? Me and my two kids can not play an online game together - that sucks and I don't understand why the limitation is necessary.[/quote]

Because the game gets really laggy as it is when you play 2 player over wi-fi. 3 or 4 player over wi-fi would probably be unplayable.
 
I hate playing this with two players online. The split screen sucks a fat one. It runs like crap, even though all of the extra video effects are removed. It's harder to see what is coming up, and this is on a 50" screen. My friends play this split screen on a 19" TV. Might as well play with your eyes closed.

Why the fuck did Nintendo not allow the second player to be ranked? What possible harm could it cause? I hate all of these "guests" who do nothing but kill my rating if they happen to get lucky and win. They have nothing to lose. Also my wife doesn't like how I always make her the guest, so she doesn't have a rating.
 
I have a question... I bought my girlfriend Super Mario Galaxy for X-Mas, then we finally played Mario Kart for the first time in a month and we received the princess character from that game as a playable character in Kart....

are there any more characters you need to play other games to obtain?
 
[quote name='Zing']I hate playing this with two players online. The split screen sucks a fat one. It runs like crap, even though all of the extra video effects are removed. It's harder to see what is coming up, and this is on a 50" screen. My friends play this split screen on a 19" TV. Might as well play with your eyes closed.[/QUOTE]

I'm curious what solution it is that you have for playing with 2-players locally, without using a split-screen? Of course you can't see as well. It's a lot better then Mario Kart Double Dash on a 4:3 screen, though. I don't have a big problem with it, but if you are really trying for ranking, yeah, you don't want to be playing with another person locally. That goes without saying. I haven't noticed any performance issues with split-screen play, but maybe I'm not looking hard enough (I'm not saying that facetiously.)
 
[quote name='StarKnightX']Because the game gets really laggy as it is when you play 2 player over wi-fi. 3 or 4 player over wi-fi would probably be unplayable.[/QUOTE]

We only tried this once, actually, but the one time we did it we didn't see any lag at all. Perhaps we were lucky? I guess we will find out. Actually, though, I don't really even understand why 2 players locally would result in more lag. It doesn't make any sense at all. 2 local players wouldn't seem to cause more lag, they would seem to result in less lag. How could a local player be more laggy then a remote player? Anyway, I've started playing this game more, now, so I'll be more interested in online play once I get better at it.

One thing I absolutely don't have the hang of yet is the start boost. I presume this works like in Double Dash and I just have to hit the gas at the right time when the start sound sounds, but I can't seem to figure out the timing of it. I never get a boost. Or am I doing this completely wrong and I have to hit something other then just the gas?
 
[quote name='DestroVega']I have a question... I bought my girlfriend Super Mario Galaxy for X-Mas, then we finally played Mario Kart for the first time in a month and we received the princess character from that game as a playable character in Kart....

are there any more characters you need to play other games to obtain?[/quote]

Nope. That is the only one.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']We only tried this once, actually, but the one time we did it we didn't see any lag at all. Perhaps we were lucky? I guess we will find out. Actually, though, I don't really even understand why 2 players locally would result in more lag. It doesn't make any sense at all. 2 local players wouldn't seem to cause more lag, they would seem to result in less lag. How could a local player be more laggy then a remote player? Anyway, I've started playing this game more, now, so I'll be more interested in online play once I get better at it.

One thing I absolutely don't have the hang of yet is the start boost. I presume this works like in Double Dash and I just have to hit the gas at the right time when the start sound sounds, but I can't seem to figure out the timing of it. I never get a boost. Or am I doing this completely wrong and I have to hit something other then just the gas?[/quote]

Regarding the lag you have to remember that if you have two local players playing together on wi-fi , that's twice the information that has to be transferred over the internet. Your looking at it from the perspective of information coming in , not information being sent out. ie:
If your playing an 8-player race , and two of those racers are you and a friend local playing , that means only data from the other 6 racers needs to be transmitted in , not data from 7.

For the starting boost , all you have to press is gas , nothing else. It's just all about timing. Maybe you could try some time trials runs to practice?
 
[quote name='StarKnightX']Regarding the lag you have to remember that if you have two local players playing together on wi-fi , that's twice the information that has to be transferred over the internet. Your looking at it from the perspective of information coming in , not information being sent out. ie:
If your playing an 8-player race , and two of those racers are you and a friend local playing , that means only data from the other 6 racers needs to be transmitted in , not data from 7.[/QUOTE]

Ok, so you lost me there. :) How does having less data coming in translate into more lag? I would think it would involve less lag because you've get less data coming in and going out you've got two players' data coming from the same console which I would think would be more efficient as the data for both players would be packeted up together. If you had an 8 player race made up of 4 Wii's with 2 players each, that should have the least lag because you'd have the least amount of data being sent around. But, believe me, I am absolutely NOT a networking expert. Perhaps there is some detail that I am missing. No doubt we should try it more and see what the results are in practice. The one time we did it it worked great without any noticeable lag.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Ok, so you lost me there. :) How does having less data coming in translate into more lag? I would think it would involve less lag because you've get less data coming in and going out you've got two players' data coming from the same console which I would think would be more efficient as the data for both players would be packeted up together. If you had an 8 player race made up of 4 Wii's with 2 players each, that should have the least lag because you'd have the least amount of data being sent around. But, believe me, I am absolutely NOT a networking expert. Perhaps there is some detail that I am missing. No doubt we should try it more and see what the results are in practice. The one time we did it it worked great without any noticeable lag.[/QUOTE]

My guess is that your outgoing bandwidth is typically much lower than your incoming bandwidth.
 
[quote name='yourlefthand']My guess is that your outgoing bandwidth is typically much lower than your incoming bandwidth.[/QUOTE]

Ahhhh!!!! Very, very good point. Yes, that is the case for most. I'm actually not even sure what our outgoing versus incoming is. I need to look that up. So, there you go, that must be the answer. Thanks for that insight.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Ok, so you lost me there. :) How does having less data coming in translate into more lag? I would think it would involve less lag because you've get less data coming in and going out you've got two players' data coming from the same console which I would think would be more efficient as the data for both players would be packeted up together. If you had an 8 player race made up of 4 Wii's with 2 players each, that should have the least lag because you'd have the least amount of data being sent around. But, believe me, I am absolutely NOT a networking expert. Perhaps there is some detail that I am missing. No doubt we should try it more and see what the results are in practice. The one time we did it it worked great without any noticeable lag.[/quote]

I suppose I phrased it badly on my part. Let me highlight the key area:

[quote name='StarKnightX']Regarding the lag you have to remember that if you have two local players playing together on wi-fi , that's twice the information that has to be transferred over the internet. Your looking at it from the perspective of information coming in , not information being sent out. ie:
If your playing an 8-player race , and two of those racers are you and a friend local playing , that means only data from the other 6 racers needs to be transmitted in , not data from 7.[/quote]

Although you would think having the data from multiple racers coming from the same source would lessen the lag , but in reality it seems to just make the load worse (for the people sharing the system , not for anyone else). Most likely because the wii has to transmit out two different sets of data from two different racers at one time while also transmitting in data from an unknown number of other racers.

Ultimately YMMV on results. If you can play two player local wi-fi with little to no lag , that's great. From my own experience (and that of many other players) that usually isn't the case.
 
FINALLY got this game a couple days ago. It was a 6 month late birthday present from out of state relatives :D

I've been lovin it.
 
[quote name='CL-Insanity']I will be short and to the point. One Player --- Mario Kart Rocks --- whether with wifi or not... 2 or more players... you can keep it.[/quote]

Really? I've always found that one-player Mario Kart tends to fizzle rather quickly, whereas the multi-player makes MK a recurring game in the party-game rotation.

But I will agree with you in that the Wi-fi isn't that desirable (given its flaws).
 
Just got it in the mail yesterday, won't be able to play that often (grounded but every once in a while I get an hour of Wii or whatever), so I wanna race some people.

My friend code is 1891-6429-3155. PM me yours, and I'll add it.
 
[quote name='Matt Young']My code: 4812-2769-8971

Haven't played online yet.[/quote]

I'll add you. My code is in my sig.
 
[quote name='Matt Young']Oh crap, you're from Springfield? That's where I grew up.[/quote]

That is not where I am from, just currently living. Though it is a small world.
 
[quote name='ProfWho']That is not where I am from, just currently living. Though it is a small world.[/QUOTE]

Ah, I see. I wouldn't want to live there again. It's probably the worst capital city in the country. Watch out for tornadoes!
 
I started playing this again (after buying it and placing it aside). I haven't played online for a while but I'll add you CL and anyone else who wants to start playing this again. Then again, I do have Okami waiting for me too so just bump the thread if you want to add me, my code should be where ever the friend code thread is buried.
 
Just curious...what was the original price on this game? Listenup was comparing the npc's between this and punchout and was saying that mariokart's original retail price was $60 with the wheel. For some reason I thought it was only $50 and came with the wheel. Anyone remember?
 
[quote name='whataboutbob?']Just curious...what was the original price on this game? Listenup was comparing the npc's between this and punchout and was saying that mariokart's original retail price was $60 with the wheel. For some reason I thought it was only $50 and came with the wheel. Anyone remember?[/QUOTE]

Unless when I bought the game it was on sale , I'm pretty sure it came out at $50 with the wheel , cause I know that's how much I paid for it. Like I said it might have been on sale though.
 
[quote name='whataboutbob?']Just curious...what was the original price on this game? Listenup was comparing the npc's between this and punchout and was saying that mariokart's original retail price was $60 with the wheel. For some reason I thought it was only $50 and came with the wheel. Anyone remember?[/QUOTE]

I paid $49.99 for Mario Kart Wii that included the wheel.
 
Guilty of rezzing a dead/old thread here, but thought I'd add a bit anyhow...

So my RL karting nemesis (my sis) going all the way back to SNES and SMK came back to town to visit the family, and we did many rounds of classic karting for old times' sake. As her specialty is SMK and mine is MKDD, we usually compromise with MK64 (not a bad compromise, either). Much blood was left on the track. After we'd beaten the bejeezus out of each other, she revealed that she and her hubby finally bought a Wii. Huzzah! I used her visit as an excuse to then go out and buy her MKW as a "Welcome" present.

Hence, after playing the game for a week after release and then discarding it permanently, I finally picked the bastard back up and gave it a go. My general impressions are still the same: too many big weapons (bolts, POWs, stars, bullet bills, mushrooms, blue shells), too little emphasis on karting skills and red/green shells as a legitimate tactic to move up in the race. Here's an example: I dove straight into 150cc GP cups after more than a year off and took 1st place over and over again despite falling off tracks numerous times and racing poorly in general. There was one cup I raced in which I went from 12th to 1st on Lap 3 on three occasions. That's not cool at all. It's all about the big weapons being held by the back of the pack in MKW -- if you're capable enough to run into a box, you're good enough to take 1st place every time.

One point I will concede, however, to the game designers is that the new mini-turbo is not only easier than the old MTs, it's better and more natural in terms of the other control mechanics. The MT mechanics of MK64/DD/DS now seem pretentious in light of the improved MT mechanic of MKW. I like that the use of MTs in MKW is more about the timing and minimal skid control and not about monkeying around with a lot of countersteer clicks.

I'm going to be playing more to get ready for some online battles with family, and may be visiting this thread for tips. If some others are playing regularly, please update and I'll add you. Gonna pop my racer number in ASAP.

Mario Kart Wii: 3180-4515-8408
 
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I play regularly, and never find anyone to play online with beside random people. I will be happy to add you, only thing is that I won't be online till at least sometime late next week. I am in the middle of moving and won't get set up till next Friday at the latest.
 
I edited this in my earlier post, but I'll re-post here just to bump and see if others are interested. My Mario Kart friend code is 3180-4515-8408, the name attached with that is Starchild. I'll add any active CAGs for some karting fun, so please add me so we can get this party started.

I created a new license when I first got back on, so I'm slowly playing through and unlocking all the stuff I had done on my original license. I'm still unimpressed with the way the game was designed, specifically in the weapons and frequency of weapons. I'm talking here about the local Grand Prix experience, not the online experience (which I haven't played enough to criticize). The designers didn't have to make the title exclusively a "party title," they could have made it both a party title and a pure "karter" in line with SMK and MK64. I don't understand why they went directly for party play. It's a really dumb decision -- well, maybe lazy is a better way of putting it.

It's not the blue shells that bother me. I understand the need to rein in the dude in 1st who's 20 sec in front of the rest of the pack. It's all these damn POWs and Lightning Bolts. I'm still not sure why they are given out with the frequency that they are. Where is the purpose in spinning every damn kart a minimum of twice per lap? From my perspective, it's not Fun to randomly lose my weapons and start from zero twice a lap. What's Fun is racing up through the pack using basic karting, then picking up a 3-red or 3-green to pick off 3rd, 2nd, and/or 1st. Or dogging behind in 10th after a tough break, picking up an unexpected star, jamming the star, then busting my way through a shortcut and a few other racers to work my way into 3rd and be back in the race. Those kind of moves have been fun since the dawn of SMK, and I don't see why they had to be trivialized by all this other bullshit that's going on. They are the essence of karting, they're the pinnacle of the experience.

With weapon distribution the way it is, though, these moments are watered down in spinouts and shells (red, green, or blue) galore. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of lots of shells when it's just the shells themselves moving people up. But with bullet bills, megashrooms, stars, and moving through spun racers being what moves 6th-12th up into contention, shells are almost trivial. In addition, unnecessarily wide tracks eliminate pinch points on most tracks and thereby reduce bananas to nothing more than red defense and negate upside-down boxes altogether. So you're in this weird limbo where you're constantly spinning for no reason, and as a result 7 or 8 times out of 10 everything comes down to the kart with the best acceleration wins. With tracks as wide as they are, you're not going to run into anything on track, so it's this dumb stop/start, push/pull game throughout the race.

And the stop/start is not fair to all classes. High top speed heavyweights used to be a blast to bully everyone with if you had the expertise to pull it off: now, given all the spinouts, fatboys are left standing at the back, spinning up standing MTs to try to keep up. No amount of skill can overcome that, and as a result I'd imagine that heavyweights are largely ignored.

The designers just gutted the game in making it a party title. The replay in GP is trivial. Everything, I suppose, is invested in online. However, in my limited experience online, spinouts (POW and Lightning) have been as frequent as in GP, so that's taking a lot of balance out of the kart classes. Limiting the weapons online would have gone a long way to at least putting some depth/pure karting experience somewhere in the game, but the designers weren't having it. Hence, there's zero balance between kart classes. Good racers can get away with going heavyweight (and think of it as a self-handicap/challenge), but by and large, if you want to play it safe you go light.

Which brings me to the final point: bikes. Why a bike is the best vehicle in the Mario Kart series I'll never know. It's one thing to add it on a lark and make it a cute novelty. It's another to make it a requirement for time trialing and competitive play.
 
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[quote name='Matt Young']This still stands.

4812-2769-8971[/QUOTE]

I have you registered, but it doesn't seem like you have me.
 
Anyone up for some Mario Kart Wii?

FC is below.

Mario Kart Wii: 3609-7735-4006

Send a PM if you add me and wanna play.
 
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[quote name='DJSteel']I'm always up for online Mario kart whenever.. my Friends code 4597-0827-2394[/QUOTE]

I'll add your friend code in a little while.
 
[quote name='ProfWho']I have you registered, but it doesn't seem like you have me.[/QUOTE]

Just saw this since I've been pretty busy lately. I'll check later today.

EDIT: You and CL-Insanity have been added.
 
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[quote name='Got_Wii']Hey Matt, would you mind adding me as well?[/QUOTE]

Sure, I can add you next time I'm on (which may or may not be today). I can't play tonight, though, since I'll be out from 2:30 on.
 
I might be on later tonight. Not sure going to eat with a friend then probably by the local TRU to browse around. If I'm on I will get on here first.
 
[quote name='Got_Wii']I might be on later tonight. Not sure going to eat with a friend then probably by the local TRU to browse around. If I'm on I will get on here first.[/QUOTE]

Cool, if so I will be up for playing.
 
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