FUEL - Openworld racer from Codemasters

[linkster]

Mr Woo

Single player is awesome fun, but its the online I really wanted it for.

The online with friends is useless in so many ways, I played online and it was great, but online with your friends is beyond shit.

you set up a freeride with your party, only to have to leave it to race, and the feature of putting you back at the start after the race finishes with your party, hasnt worked for me. Discussing this with Alan Arndale, we are both gob smacked how this could get out in this state.

The reason for purchasing this has been crushed.

Dont get me started on the other bugs. Game will start in 5 seconds, yeah after another 30 on a loading screen

Pathetic

Agreed. They really have to sort this out.

[scissorkicks]

It was me playing alongside Dave online earlier, and it really was a thoroughly depressing experience. There just doesn't appear to be any kind of persistent "world" to the game. If I go into online free ride and invite a friend, and they join, they'll appear next to me. We can drive around, but if we want to actually race, one of us has to start a separate ranked or player match, then invite the other player in. Then, when the race ends, you both get popped out into different games, even if you're at the same point on the map.

In "open" (i.e. with randoms) Online Free Ride, this would be approaching acceptable if there was someone to set up your own party which remained persistent and the host (or maybe with a voting system - or both, selectable) could start races or whatever, and you all stay together. As it stands (and as Linkster says, it's possible that it's just not working the way it's supposed to at the moment), the online side of it seems hopelessly inadequate to me. I hesitate to say "broken", as you can do online racing and free ride - but the social aspect of it is a failure as there's no party system as such.

And as I (and Dave) have already said - when you're racing, this can be EXCELLENT. I love the bike racing in particular (to other posters on this - once you get a few races out of the way and unlock better vehicles, it picks up pace noticeably). I'll probably slog away at the single player, but the online openworld aspect of it seems completely useless to me. The online races work alright... until everyone gets booted out at the end, usually into different games.

Unlike Linkster, I didn't feel Freeburn in Burnout Paradise put any pressure on you to do anything - especially not online. However, I think Linkster is right - TDU is a much better comparison, and that seemed to handle the whole seemingly-persistent world thing really nicely.

[mr_woo]

Mr Woo

Single player is awesome fun, but its the online I really wanted it for.

The online with friends is useless in so many ways, I played online and it was great, but online with your friends is beyond shit.

you set up a freeride with your party, only to have to leave it to race, and the feature of putting you back at the start after the race finishes with your party, hasnt worked for me. Discussing this with Alan Arndale, we are both gob smacked how this could get out in this state.

The reason for purchasing this has been crushed.

Dont get me started on the other bugs. Game will start in 5 seconds, yeah after another 30 on a loading screen

Pathetic

Man that sounds desperately shit

I bought it mostly for single player but that really needs to be sorted pronto. I really hope they at the very least get a patch sorted for it.

[Rushy]

Are we talking about FUEL or the loading times for FUCKING ANYTHING on Motorstorm?

Glass houses and shit.

MotorStorm 1 had poor load times, fair enough. But it didn't have an install. My comments on FUELs loading times still stand though.

[Dave White]

I thought this would have the lobby system of say Grid with that Codies undisputed racing pedigree. Its incredible in so may ways, but not the reasons I wanted.

The multiplayer racing fun and frolics with friends is there but done so illogically it breaks it , after Burnout Paradise and how seamlessly an online party system can be made this is null and void in my opinion.

I couldn't recommend this to my friends, in fact I did the opposite. I wanted this for multiplayer fun not a logistical nightmare.

So much hard work has been fucked over by a publishing house that has obviously given a timeline with no care or thought to the games intent and main idea.

[mr_woo]

I thought this would have the lobby system of say Grid with that Codies undisputed racing pedigree. Its incredible in so may ways, but not the reasons I wanted.

The multiplayer racing fun and frolics with friends is there but done so illogically it breaks it , after Burnout Paradise and how seamlessly an online party system can be made this is null and void in my opinion.

I couldn't recommend this to my friends, in fact I did the opposite. I wanted this for multiplayer fun not a logistical nightmare.

It reminds me a lot of Virtua Fighter 5, me and my mate gave up on that as every time you had a fight you then had to reorganise another game, send invites etc.

As a singler player game I'd highly recommend it but man the online sounds broken Lot of complaints about it on the Fuel Codies forum as well, with some people emailing Asobo directly. Here's hoping they patch it or something as I would love to have races with some people here.

[Twyford]

Went back to it today for an hour or so and started to actually enjoy the single player, as others have said once you unlock some of the more powerful vehicles it opens up nicely. I'm even enjoying the free roam and have just got the "100 Oil Barrels" Trophy.

But the multiplayer sucks, hardly anyone is online to challenge to a race (I assume people have given up on it already), when I do find a race it often just hangs on "Connecting" and I have to quit out but when you do finish a race you're deserted back to online free roam with no-one about. WTF! This is basic stuff Asobo.

The online is what I bought this for so unless a patch is announced this week, then it's going back. Oh and I can't beleive that you can't use custom soundtracks on the PS3 version, they've given us the worst game soundtrack ever and you can't even change to some decent tunes. Get this fixed too.

[linkster]

Asobo can fix this inside a week but Codemasters is the publisher and needs to decide to patch

[mr_woo]

What are Codemasters like for support of their games in terms of issues etc ?

I know they are only publisher for this one but here's hoping they'll give Asobo a kick up the arse to get this stuff fixed.

[linkster]

They are not ONLY the publisher, they the only people who can decide to patch. Fortunately there is little required of them beyond QA and submission. I'd be pretty confident on this occasion a patch shoud be forthcoming

[macosx]

Too late for me , it's driven off into the sunset. Me and a mate had bought this for the MP but it was just gash. They'd sold me on those tornado vids

[Hello Goaty ♥]

fucks sake.

I just had an hours drive and it froze.

[Dimahoo]

Is this freezing melarky on the PS3 or 360 or both?

[scissorkicks]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that - it froze for me earlier when I was in a game with Dave White. I was just sitting at a heliport and some other players (but not Dave who I was supposed to be in a game with... ugh) were just doughnutting around me.

[mr_woo]

Luckily the game hasn't crashed on me once yet, it's been very stable, and I've had 45min - 1hr drives as well.

EDIT - Fuck me the challenges are hard as nails. It's becoming a bit of a pain in the arse for races as well as it's become quite noticeable that I need faster vehicles to win yet I don't have enough fuel to buy them. Going to have to try for some 3 stars me thinks and try and do some of these feckin challenges.

[scissorkicks]

EDIT - Fuck me the challenges are hard as nails. It's becoming a bit of a pain in the arse for races as well as it's become quite noticeable that I need faster vehicles to win yet I don't have enough fuel to buy them. Going to have to try for some 3 stars me thinks and try and do some of these feckin challenges.

I think Linkster said previously that Challenges force you to use one specific vehicle. There's an absolute bastard of one in - I think - the second zone. it's an Endurance race, and some of the other competitors have way better quads than you, and instantly zoom off at the start. Frustrating.

[mr_woo]

I think Linkster said previously that Challenges force you to use one specific vehicle. There's an absolute bastard of one in - I think - the second zone. it's an Endurance race, and some of the other competitors have way better quads than you, and instantly zoom off at the start. Frustrating.

Yeah I remember that one, the Endurances races are a pain, along with them bloody Blitz challenges, I get a headache doing them.

I do generally find the Chopper Race challenges fun though, those are essentially little puzzles keeping yourself on the right sort of road and knowing where to take the needed shortcuts.

[scissorkicks]

Just had a peep at the Codemasters forums. Folk there are essentially saying the same as we are here - albeit less eloquently

[Hello Goaty ♥]

Okay.. its growing on me slowly...

I liked the challenge where you race a Helicopter.

And then i was reminded that there are hovercrafts to find...

at times this game reminds me of:

[Pioscene]

And now the Goat turns?

Does anyone fancy an online free run just bumming about from one side of the map to the other?

Unlocked the zone in the middle, with the massive lake in a crater.

I like that the game doesn't show you everything at the start, and keeps a few surprises.

[mr_woo]

And now the Goat turns?

Does anyone fancy an online free run just bumming about from one side of the map to the other?

Unlocked the zone in the middle, with the massive lake in a crater.

I like that the game doesn't show you everything at the start, and keeps a few surprises.

Would have taken you up on that offer but was playing Red Faction, destroying shit is fun I shall certainly be up for some raking about online during the week.

Was reading another complaint about the game which make sense, that the helipads should be unlocked from the beginning of the game, even if the challenges/races remain locked. For some people they just want to jump into the world and explore it with friends without doing anything else and having to start from the same point repeatedly makes it very annoying. Maybe something Asobo can take into account if Codemasters let them do a patch.

[Hello Goaty ♥]

And now the Goat turns?

Seems so! Its took 3 days playing it though.

Its a shame the initial few hours are so shite! - Eurogamer? is that you calling?

FUEL could have done with a slicker and smoother structure, but i've got me head round it.

[Dave White]

cmon patch this quick!!

The potential for an awesome community and great online is nearly there.

Linkster if you can find out if there are plans to do this?

[linkster]

Like I said I'd be very surprised if it didn't happen, Asobo are a great bunch and it's not like CM have to do much

[jiroczech]

Fucking Play still haven't delivered my preorder . On the bright side, maybe by the time my copy does arrive there'll be a patch.

All the negative comments in this thread about the MP are worrying me as the MP is what attracted me. Hanging out with my buds, chilling and racing in a huge landscape sounds awesome. But going by comments it seems like it's broken and buggy. I feel like I've been ripped off and I haven't even played it yet!

[Dave White]

Fucking Play still haven't delivered my preorder . On the bright side, maybe by the time my copy does arrive there'll be a patch.

All the negative comments in this thread about the MP are worrying me as the MP is what attracted me. Hanging out with my buds, chilling and racing in a huge landscape sounds awesome. But going by comments it seems like it's broken and buggy. I feel like I've been ripped off and I haven't even played it yet!

It just leaves you pleading why? At the tv? Followed by If only? and then a screaming Oh thats just fucking stupid!!

Like I said of they get the lobby right and being able to stick with your party in a freeride, then be able to race with them, and then go back into a freeride it will be incredible.

[therev]

Gone into the charts at 12, which must be disappointing, I'd have thought.

Willing to be that in five years time there will be loads of those "OVERLOOKED CLASSICS" lists in which Fuel will feature pretty heavily (if only as a single player game).

[linkster]

Gone into the charts at 12, which must be disappointing, I'd have thought.

What you mean in spite of that massive advertising campaign?

(if only as a single player game)

ouch. yeah, that patch ...

[Twyford]

Well I took my PS3 copy back this lunchtime and swapped it for the 360 version., The fact that I can listen to my own tunes on the 360 version is a major factor for free roam. I know I'm going to have to trudge through about 15-20 races and challenges before it opens itself up to me again but having a decent soundtrack should ease me through it.

I've gone from hating the single player to loving it, but for longevity they need to sort the multiplayer out. Don't let us down CM/Asobo.

[p1nseeker]

Don't suppose you know what the secret achievements are linkster?

If you accidentally pm them to me i wont tell a soul!