Struggling with Hard Mode

[Veritas7Ax]

So I recently started this game, thinking as someone who is just kinda "slightly above average" at racing games, I'd have a hard but doable plat ahead of me with enough practice/perseverance. I'm basically down to just the Hard Mode and time trials trophies, the latter of which I expect to be a tough grind. However, I was really blindsided by just how tough Hard is. I managed to win on Crash Cove and Roo's Tubes but barely.

 

Out of curiosity, I watched a video of someone going for platinum by playing Hard Mode, and I notice a big difference in how well they get ahead in the race. I saw what they were doing, and I feel like I'm more or less doing the same thing, albeit with slightly less consistency/skill. This person, at the start of the race, would get the green light boost, then immediately start doing their x3 drift boosts and in 10-15 seconds they'll be in 3rd/4th. Another 10-15 seconds, they're in first and usually hold that for the race. I get my green light boost, jump into some drift boosts (going for x3 perfects) and I immediately fall into 7th-8th place. I keep drifting, boosting, etc. and maybe if I'm lucky, I catch up to like 6th place. My two wins so far I'd say are more a product of luck, getting good item pickups, and cutting corners/using shortcuts.

 

So it makes me think I'm doing something wrong? Again, I easily accept that skill level wise, I'm not a pro, but I don't think I'm doing that badly either. How much does character/kart type matter? I am currently using Penta Penguin and started with Drift type, but switched to Speed. Any other tips or ideas of what I could be doing wrong?

Edited May 25, 2022 by Veritas7Ax

[Yukiko Miyamoto]

Nothing really they probably updated the difficulty making it harder.

[Veritas7Ax]

I think the video I watched was from four years ago, so I guess that’s possible? I don’t know the specifics of patches/updates over the years.

 

Thanks for the response. If that actually is the case, then I’m in trouble. I can probably slowly work on each race and just hope to get lucky and more practiced. Might take a while and I’ll probably need to abuse shortcuts like nobody’s business. Good practice for the trials I guess…

[ChecoMayor]

It's weird, I beat the game before they added the Drift mode for karts, so I used Speed all the way (I don't recall right now, if they added driving styles in a patch) and how you described the drifting, you are doing it the way it must be played.

 

Again, Character/kart doesn't matter if you choose Speed or Drift, that's all you need. It seems that you are having problems keeping the boosts and getting ahead of everybody. You can be doing it right but takes time to perfect it, keep trying to maintain the boost, go on Time Trial and practice a little bit more or practice on Medium, so you can get an idea of how the CPU will react to you getting ahead of them (they patched the multiples Warp Orbs chasing you)

[sssMABsss]

i was trying the first time and it was impossible for me, then I start doing the time trials, and when I finished the time trials with the relics I was always 1st and by a loot of time ahead.

Try to get everything first and then go for the hard mode.

[Riddler535]

I would recommend playing Oxide ghost trials first. That way you can learn to drive every map efficiently without worrying about annoying enemies. After you have somewhat mastered every level in the trials, Hard playtrough won't be that hard since you can get away from the enemies in a lot of the maps.

 

12 minutes ago, ChecoMayor said:

It's weird, I beat the game before they added the Drift mode for karts, so I used Speed all the way (I don't recall right now, if they added driving styles in a patch) and how you described the drifting, you are doing it the way it must be played.

 

Again, Character/kart doesn't matter if you choose Speed or Drift, that's all you need. It seems that you are having problems keeping the boosts and getting ahead of everybody. You can be doing it right but takes time to perfect it, keep trying to maintain the boost, go on Time Trial and practice a little bit more or practice on Medium, so you can get an idea of how the CPU will react to you getting ahead of them (they patched the multiples Warp Orbs chasing you)

 

Speed and Drift styles were even in the original PS1 game. Different drive styles were designated for different characters. For example Polar was a Drift character and Tiny was a Speed character. I would also recommend using Speed for most of the maps. Some maps with tight corners like Dragon Mines, I found easier to beat with a Balanced (or Drift) kart.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Riddler535

[MrGarland]

As long as you learn the drift mechanics and know each track and their shortcuts well enough, it's managable. If you're struggling, you can always practice on Medium. That's what I did when I first started this.

[Veritas7Ax]

22 hours ago, ChecoMayor said:

It's weird, I beat the game before they added the Drift mode for karts, so I used Speed all the way (I don't recall right now, if they added driving styles in a patch) and how you described the drifting, you are doing it the way it must be played.

 

Again, Character/kart doesn't matter if you choose Speed or Drift, that's all you need. It seems that you are having problems keeping the boosts and getting ahead of everybody. You can be doing it right but takes time to perfect it, keep trying to maintain the boost, go on Time Trial and practice a little bit more or practice on Medium, so you can get an idea of how the CPU will react to you getting ahead of them (they patched the multiples Warp Orbs chasing you)

 

22 hours ago, sssMABsss said:

i was trying the first time and it was impossible for me, then I start doing the time trials, and when I finished the time trials with the relics I was always 1st and by a loot of time ahead.

Try to get everything first and then go for the hard mode.

 

22 hours ago, Riddler535 said:

I would recommend playing Oxide ghost trials first. That way you can learn to drive every map efficiently without worrying about annoying enemies. After you have somewhat mastered every level in the trials, Hard playtrough won't be that hard since you can get away from the enemies in a lot of the maps.

 

 

Speed and Drift styles were even in the original PS1 game. Different drive styles were designated for different characters. For example Polar was a Drift character and Tiny was a Speed character. I would also recommend using Speed for most of the maps. Some maps with tight corners like Dragon Mines, I found easier to beat with a Balanced (or Drift) kart.

So that’s a few recommendations to do trials first. Seems like that might be a good idea to try it then. Was originally going by the order the guide said but this seems like solid advice. Hopefully the practice from trials will help a lot.

 

Thanks for all the responses. It definitely was a tiny bit deflating getting left behind so fast by the AI despite seemingly doing things well enough. I guess it’s trial time though. This will be… interesting lol

[Skurkitty]

I still have to go back and do this myself. I tried doing Hard before the Trials as well and just noped out real fast after being left in the dust so easily. When I go back to it soon(ish) I'll have to start with the Trials. Good advice.

[KindaSabbath]

It really comes down to track knowledge and practice buddy. You’ll get there - that I have no doubt!

 

CTR is a fantastic game with lots to learn regarding the in game mechanics. Like someone else has mentioned above - I would actually recommend moving on to the time trials before beating the campaign on hard. Here me out: in the time trial mode - it’s just you and the track. You will have time and space to learn some of the more advanced mechanics (some of which you will need to beat Oxide) and on top of this you will also know the tracks much much better, including all of the shortcuts, which will be handy once you return to the Adventure Mode.

 

The A.I really isn’t too difficult - once you have a better understanding of the game. A strong start to get you ahead of the pack and away from the onslaught of incoming projectiles, is usually more than enough to leave them in the dust!

 

So yeah, I’d recommend spending some time in the TT’s just learning the tracks fully and getting in plenty of practice nailing the shortcuts, getting better at going sideways fast and maintaining fire consistently. Watch some videos on how to beat the Oxide ghost as there’s tonnes of very helpful channels on YouTube when it comes to this game. I’m happy to give you some recommendations if you need! 
 

Feel free to drop me a FR on PSN as I’m always happy to offer tips and tricks with the games that I play, my inbox is always open!

 

Good luck!!!

Edited May 26, 2022 by KindaSabbath

[Destructor-8]

On 25/05/2022 at 7:46 AM, Veritas7Ax said:

So I recently started this game, thinking as someone who is just kinda "slightly above average" at racing games, I'd have a hard but doable plat ahead of me with enough practice/perseverance. I'm basically down to just the Hard Mode and time trials trophies, the latter of which I expect to be a tough grind. However, I was really blindsided by just how tough Hard is. I managed to win on Crash Cove and Roo's Tubes but barely.

 

Out of curiosity, I watched a video of someone going for platinum by playing Hard Mode, and I notice a big difference in how well they get ahead in the race. I saw what they were doing, and I feel like I'm more or less doing the same thing, albeit with slightly less consistency/skill. This person, at the start of the race, would get the green light boost, then immediately start doing their x3 drift boosts and in 10-15 seconds they'll be in 3rd/4th. Another 10-15 seconds, they're in first and usually hold that for the race. I get my green light boost, jump into some drift boosts (going for x3 perfects) and I immediately fall into 7th-8th place. I keep drifting, boosting, etc. and maybe if I'm lucky, I catch up to like 6th place. My two wins so far I'd say are more a product of luck, getting good item pickups, and cutting corners/using shortcuts.

 

So it makes me think I'm doing something wrong? Again, I easily accept that skill level wise, I'm not a pro, but I don't think I'm doing that badly either. How much does character/kart type matter? I am currently using Penta Penguin and started with Drift type, but switched to Speed. Any other tips or ideas of what I could be doing wrong?

 

Yeah the problem is going into Hard mode before the time trials since once you know the mechanics then you will come back better & find it much easier. I remember finding it pretty tough too however once I finished all the time trials then I was able to come back & clear the entire game in under an hour. The difficulty of the AI never received a patch so it's always been this way. The only thing that was changed was that the drift class was added (this wasn't in the original) so there's more choice now than when the game came out. I don't think Hard mode should ever be recommended first as once you get good at the mechanics then you won't find it a problem when you come back. What you are experiencing now is very normal so hopefully that helps.

 

37 minutes ago, KindaSabbath said:

It really comes down to track knowledge and practice buddy. You’ll get there - that I have no doubt!

 

CTR is a fantastic game with lots to learn regarding the in game mechanics. Like someone else has mentioned above - I would actually recommend moving on to the time trials before beating the campaign on hard. Here me out: in the time trial mode - it’s just you and the track. You will have time and space to learn some of the more advanced mechanics (some of which you will need to beat Oxide) and on top of this you will also know the tracks much much better, including all of the shortcuts, which will be handy once you return to the Adventure Mode.

 

The A.I really isn’t too difficult - once you have a better understanding of the game. A strong start to get you ahead of the pack and away from the onslaught of incoming projectiles, is usually more than enough to leave them in the dust!

 

So yeah, I’d recommend spending some time in the TT’s just learning the tracks fully and getting in plenty of practice nailing the shortcuts, getting better at going sideways fast and maintaining fire consistently. Watch some videos on how to beat the Oxide ghost as there’s tonnes of very helpful channels on YouTube when it comes to this game. I’m happy to give you some recommendations if you need! 
 

Feel free to drop me a FR on PSN as I’m always happy to offer tips and tricks with the games that I play, my inbox is always open!

 

Good luck!!!

 

It's good to see you back around here dude! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of those developer times that you did! The times you did on this game were absolutely insane.

[Heather342]

I did the hard mode before the time trials, and while it initially felt impossible against the AI once I got a better understanding of the drift boost and how to maintain it it got a lot easier. Some tracks as well, it's handy to know how to do an airbrake U-turn for the sharp turns, and particularly in Dragon Mines to get good at the bunny hop on the spiral section. After I got through Crash Cove, the rest seemed to come a lot easier with a bit of practice. Just keep trying and you can do it too ?

[xBobo86]

Did hard mode before time trials. I think it took me 2-3 hours just to beat Crash Cove. Felt impossible at the time, but with a bit of practice and better learning of the mechanics everything went the good way. Just had a bit of trouble with Dragon Mines TTs in the end.

[Veritas7Ax]

12 hours ago, xBobo86 said:

Did hard mode before time trials. I think it took me 2-3 hours just to beat Crash Cove. Felt impossible at the time, but with a bit of practice and better learning of the mechanics everything went the good way. Just had a bit of trouble with Dragon Mines TTs in the end.

It’s good to know some were able to push through on hard mode eventually with enough persistence. For me, the advice of switching to time trials first has mostly paid off. I have the first twelve trials done. But yeah, speaking of Dragon Mines… all my good momentum came to a screeching halt there lol.

 

There are a couple times I came close, or so many times I was in the lead going into the final lap and one tiny mistake screwed me. It’s very unforgiving. I tried for three hours so far but nothing. I moved on to Blizzard Bluff for now.

 

But wow, yeah. I don’t know what to do on Dragon Mines. Sometimes I do so well on the spiral, and I get a good lead, only to mess up later. Oxide absolutely BLOWS past you at the end of lap 2 going into the final lap, where if you don’t have a good lead, you’re basically screwed, even with his little mistake on the spiral. It’s just… woof.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Veritas7Ax

[Heather342]

18 hours ago, Veritas7Ax said:

 

But wow, yeah. I don’t know what to do on Dragon Mines. Sometimes I do so well on the spiral, and I get a good lead, only to mess up later. Oxide absolutely BLOWS past you at the end of lap 2 going into the final lap, where if you don’t have a good lead, you’re basically screwed, even with his little mistake on the spiral. It’s just… woof.

There's a YouTuber called TheViperian who has great tutorial vids for CTR, and clearly explains things. I found his videos really helpful, especially for that Dragon Mines spiral. I managed to beat the time trial for that level really quickly once I could nail that bunny hop without losing momentum. The hardest track for me on the time trials was Sewer Speedway.

[Veritas7Ax]

On 6/6/2022 at 3:41 PM, Heather342 said:

There's a YouTuber called TheViperian who has great tutorial vids for CTR, and clearly explains things. I found his videos really helpful, especially for that Dragon Mines spiral. I managed to beat the time trial for that level really quickly once I could nail that bunny hop without losing momentum. The hardest track for me on the time trials was Sewer Speedway.

Was finally able to do it. Turns out the key for me was Sacred Fire reserves. I knew generally what it was, but I didn't really have a complete understanding of it in a way that I could use it efficiently.

Because I realized after that boost pad that takes you up the hill at the end of the lap, I was losing my fire almost instantly. Then I understood the reserves, how to use them, and how to keep your fire going even longer. That made the difference for me. A bit of luck and a basically perfect run, I finally did it.

Now I'm up to N. Gin's Lab. So far, so good. 

[Veritas7Ax]

Double post but Platinum achieved! Thanks again to all who took the time to comment and give advice. Going through trials definitely helped me get the practice I needed I guess! It was weird going back to Adventure Mode and just suddenly crushing all the opponents, but I guess that was the trick!

 

Some of the trials were definitely tough like Dragon Mines, but several of them I was beating the Oxide time on my first or second go. Too bad it didn't count since his ghost wasn't available yet. My point being, some of them are definitely very doable.

[Destructor-8]

Quote

Double post but Platinum achieved! Thanks again to all who took the time to comment and give advice. Going through trials definitely helped me get the practice I needed I guess! It was weird going back to Adventure Mode and just suddenly crushing all the opponents, but I guess that was the trick!

 

Some of the trials were definitely tough like Dragon Mines, but several of them I was beating the Oxide time on my first or second go. Too bad it didn't count since his ghost wasn't available yet. My point being, some of them are definitely very doable.

 

Congrats! Yeah quite a few don't take long at all especially once you get some of the tougher ones done. Nice going on finishing it!

Edited June 11, 2022 by Destructor-8

[MMDE]

When I started replaying this game, I too struggled with hard. I don't know why tbh, but once I got good enough again to beat first race on hard, the rest was pretty easy IMO.

 

To me the most fun is actually the time trials.

Edited December 19, 2023 by MMDE