Wednesday 27 July 2011

How to Attain the Top Multiplayer Rank in Split/Second: Velocity

Split/Second (drop the 'Velocity' part for now) is a nice little arcade racing game by the now defunct Black Rock Studio, a Disney Interactive studio. I am sorry to see this studio go as I genuinely believe it had talent and people who made games passionately.

I like Split/Second. It reminded me of a time where people could casually enjoy the thrill of driving at blistering speeds in surreal settings. In particular, it reminded of the early days of Burnout and what made the Burnout series such a success.

I did acquire the maximum 1000 gamerscore from this game because I enjoyed it that much. The multiplayer was tricky though; I could barely muster the ability to win a single race let alone display consistency in staying amongst the top half of the racing board to reach Rank 1. All that changed though...

The ranking system is quite clever in Split/Second. Newcomers to the game are prescribed the initial rank of 99. This rank cannot be exceeded; you will never go to 100 or any higher than that. The adjustment factor to your skill rank goes as follows. It is calculated based on the difference between the number of opponents you beat and the number of opponents that beat you, per race.

A simple subtraction.

I really like the simplicity of this system for two reasons:

1) It is a true representation of a racers ability to win and compete.
2) It determines your skill in a reasonable time frame.

The often overlooked aspect of this game is drifting. Oddly enough, drifting allows you to build up phenomenal acceleration and top speeds in Split/Second. By taking advantage of the "Power Over" maneouvre, you can quite easily overtake and speed off into the sunset in every online race you participate in.

This maneouvre involves a single hammering down of the right trigger, to sharply increase your throttle input and lose traction. By doing this, even on straights or light bends, you can in a way 'slingshot' your car at breakneck speeds through the track. With time, you can learn to handle every type of corner on every track, and you will be amazed at how much faster you will take bends compared to your opponents. The best car for this is the Ryback Firestorm; the Firestorm has a maximum drift rating.



Try it out. Hammer down the right trigger (once at a time) at a slight turning angle and see how your car will slip and slide, even on straights, with the slightest of angles. You will see just how much the car magically accelerates. Couple that with braking to reduce your speed adequately for hairpins, and you will be unstoppable in races, both online and offline. Make sure you exit the turns at a skewed angle because as long as you dont gain traction too quickly out of the turn, that is precisely where you will be building up the most acceleration.

Using the Firestorm, I was winning consecutive races in 8 person lobbies, giving me a +7 skill ranking each time.

I have noticed people trying to race 'traditionally'; this does not work in this game and will most likely keep you at rank 99 forever.

Dont just wait to get lucky with a certain type of n00b lobby, get on that Ryback Firestorm and leave your opponents in the dust as you drift your way to record lap times and exciting wins. Just be careful of others who are out there who know this trick. You'll have to trump them with experience and finesse on the track.

Good luck in attaining Rank 1!

5 comments:

  1. The game is totally awesome the graphics are pretty awesome elite gt 12. It unlocks when you win all the elite races!!

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  2. What is the name of split second game picture CAR,and how do I get it ????

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  3. What is the name of split second game picture car and how can I get it,????

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  4. You can earn the ryback firestorm (which is shown in the picture above) by coming 1st in all your races, bonuses etc in season mode. Hope this helps

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  5. I reached Rank 1 on the now defunct OnLive service, without ever even UNLOCKING the Fyrestorm. It can be done.

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