darkSpyro

I was thinking of doing some videos on this, but I think I'll run a few things I've discovered about racing by you guys.

1: Modding a vehicle has an almost insignificant effect.
I got to test this with my Barrel Blaster, since it can be modified to such extremes. The Barrel Train (Great Speed, Acceleration, Poor Handling) and the Iron Kong (Armor and Weight boosts, the opposite of the Barrel Train) have a TWO SECOND DIFFERENCE in Lap Time on Dragon Spine Time Attack. I mean, Two Seconds in lap time is a lot to some racers, but the impact is a bit more subdued than I think people realize.

2: You can dodge the mask with a barrel roll.
That annoying mask guy can be dodged in Sky Races by barrel-rolling at the right time for each strike, saving you a headache or two.

3: The races are heavily biased in favor of the leader.
The game has NO "Blue Shell" Equivalent (Something that penetrates the defenses of the leader and OHKO's them). The person in first also constantly gets invincibility and restoration powerups, thus giving them exactly what they want all the time. This leaves players 2-8 no effective countermeasures against them. Bulky characters like DK are nearly impossible to dislodge from First Place as a result.

4: Master The Drift!
You can get a boost from drifting like in Mario Kart, but the effects of Drifting give a far more palpable effect and act like a free boost pad. You can even drift in shallow turns to get an advantage by counter-steering. I have gone entire races without losing momentum by mastering this.

5: Master the Barrel Roll!
A very important move to get a grasp on; Barrel Rolling serves many purposes in Sky races; they let you dodge the Mask, swerve from one powerup to the next, and tighten a turn you think you might not make. This skill takes mastery, however, and you could go flying out of control if you do it improperly.

6: Level-Up and Supercharge!
Characters benefit from the enhanced bulk in racing mode and Supercharging gives them an HP bonus. I've won races with only the HP cushion provided by Supercharging remaining.

Quote: TTD

Traps are also useful, especially the Kaos trap. That thing can do some serious damage.

Traps are locked out in online racing.

The Blue Shell equivalent would make it unfair with the attack mechanics(just try sticking Sea Shadow's secondary on someone and loading them up with smaller orbs mid-ultimate ammo),however,you use Rocket Ram/Bullet Bill for it.

Quote: Bifrost

The Blue Shell equivalent would make it unfair with the attack mechanics,however,you use Rocket Ram/Bullet Bill for it.

I disagree. Getting KOed fully heals you, so a Blue Shell wouldn't be an insane setback, but would at least let other characters take pole-position.

I found some vehicles' stats, usually their handling, can change very drastically if you change the right mods.

Me too, the train mods for the Barrel Blaster made it an absolute nightmare to control.

Not sure about racing but I can definitely tell mods can make the difference.

My Crypt Crusher wouldn't have survived 2 waves of Pandergast's tournament if it weren't for the egyptian mods which increase its armor and Dive Bomber is 100 time better when it's highly maneuverable thanks to another specific set.

Quote: Bionichute

Me too, the train mods for the Barrel Blaster made it an absolute nightmare to control.

That's in the regular areas of the game. In racing, the Barrel Train controls just fine.

if you grind, barrel roll or dive, gearbits triple

a 2 seconds difference is big in my book. several of my online races have been won and lost but less than 2 seconds and thats 2 seconds per lap so 6 seconds total. as far as handling is concerned thats drivers preference, if you got good control you can min your handling in favor of acceleration and speed.

dodging that mask with barrel roll. nice tip i hate that thing so much.

biased in favor of the leader? maybe, i get more invulns than anything else when im in the lead but i really need regens because of all the dang masks. i get alot of infinite ammo as well thats useless. from the close races ive had with other people, when your fighting for the lead its less about wiping the other person and more about out racing them. most people have there vehicle maxed upgraded so they take so much damage to wipe its not really worth it. also the invulns are all but useless as well, maybe 3 times its helped me but because it activates instantly its use is very very limited. WTB ability to use power-ups when you want to.

supercharging. it boosts your speed as well, there are a few portal master powers that effect handling and stuff as well, idk if they are active during online racing or not.

but idk about acceleration. what all does it do? almost all vehicles seems to get up to top speed in less than 1 second so no real advantage there, also 99% of the time your going full speed, no point to slow down or break. maybe it makes the boosts more effective? have to powerslide a shorter distance to get a boost? weight as well, idk if you want it higher or lower. more weight = push around others better? less weight = better acceleration and speed like in real life? something with powersliding?

on another note theres a nice short cut on the golden queen temple race. near the beginning when the path splits you can corner cut from one path to the other by making a hard right turn when you hit the boost pad. takes a little practice to master but ive found it cuts off about 1-2 seconds from your lap time. this short cut only works when taking the right path, got to hit the boost pad at almost a 30 degree angle and aim for the corner of that path. keep turning in air and you will land safely in the path below.

Thank you for giving good tips on racing. Tiki Speaky is really annoying when draining my health and I do see the legit flaws with the racing in this game.

Mods make a huge impact on racing. Plus you have to factor in the stats before adding mods. They are all different.

Invulnerability = I can't be shot at = I can't be challenged for my lead. I've gone races in critical health just jumping from one Invincibility to the next until I pull away from my aggressor.

Out-driving is one thing, but someone like me who has played a LOT of Mario Kart won't be making mistakes, meaning you have to smash my keister in to get me to give up 1st, something this game isn't that good at allowing.

I also recently redid the Barrel Blaster experiment, and the Iron Kong this time came within one second of my all-time record.

I don't know why you were surprised maxing out top speed doesn't have a huge difference. If the mod increased yor lap time by 10 seconds or something it would make all the other mods pointless, coz we are racing after all.

Mods for handling and armour etc have much larger effects.

Quote: PopFizzMagic

if you grind, barrel roll or dive, gearbits triple

This provided nothing towards the thread whatsoever

for sure the vehicles armor takes more damage than your character. as far as that regen theory it would kind of make sense. but overall i think they made it in such a way were mods and character is not the deciding factor in racing, as is should be. i do agree its an A for effort but the racing could have been better. im hoping they make another racing type game ( maybe a spin off?) because skylanders has alot of potential for racing. this is also the first skylanders game where i beat it 100% and i am still playing it. ( yet to play SA and giants)

Quote: Drawdler

I'm curious to see Crusher (who apparently has the highest HP) in racing because of this.

Actually shouldn't Eon's Elite Terrafin and Slam Bam have the highest HP? According to the wiki their normal counterparts max out at 620, which would put their Eon's Elite versions at 1860. Crusher on the other hand maxes out at 940.

Skylanders Superchargers Racing was a really pleasant surprise. I picked it up just to get Hammer Slam Bowser, but when I tried it out, it was really fun!

I really like how we get to see Pandergast a bit more. After playing the console version, I really liked him. I liked his big ego and luxurious attitude. I enjoyed seeing how he is hyped about everything going on around him. The ending was pretty hilarious, not going to spoil anything, but the Racelandia Wrap-Ups were the best, though!

Also, I felt like I was going to explode of happiness when I saw that one familiar face return in that Land Racing Track!

Again, I am not going to say who it was. Don't want to spoil it for my buddies.

It was really good. If you have the cash, buy it. You won't be disappointed.

Quote: Chompy-King257

Skylanders Superchargers Racing was a really pleasant surprise. I picked it up just to get Hammer Slam Bowser, but when I tried it out, it was really fun!

I really like how we get to see Pandergast a bit more. After playing the console version, I really liked him. I liked his big ego and luxurious attitude. I enjoyed seeing how he is hyped about everything going on around him. The ending was pretty hilarious, not going to spoil anything

Quote: Chompy-King257

, but the Racelandia Wrap-Ups were the best, though!

Also, I felt like I was going to explode of happiness when I saw that one familiar face return in that Land Racing Track!

Quote: Chompy-King257

Again, I am not going to say who it was. Don't want to spoil it for my buddies.

Quote: Chompy-King257

It was really good. If you have the cash, buy it. You won't be disappointed.

As a Sky racer, I found tips #2 and #5 particularly interesting...
You've taken my nigh-unbeatability in the Sky, and made me completely and utterly undefeatable!

superchargers racing is really that different from the normal version? i got a wii that my family dosent use anymore, i was thinking about getting it way down the road but it sounds like i might get it sooner, once there is a good sale for it that is. also i knew it was racing only but i thought it was all the same tracks just with a story wrapped around them.

Quote: Muffin Man

Quote: Drawdler

I'm curious to see Crusher (who apparently has the highest HP) in racing because of this.

Actually shouldn't Eon's Elite Terrafin and Slam Bam have the highest HP? According to the wiki their normal counterparts max out at 620, which would put their Eon's Elite versions at 1860. Crusher on the other hand maxes out at 940.

At level 10, probably. Can't speak for the other Elite skylanders, but my Elite Whirlwind has around 2900 HP.(I think some boosts are happening from my portal master rank, but she hits 2500 in Trap Team)

Is it always recommended to use a Supercharged vehicle in a competitive race, such as online? Do those vehicles have a significant edge over the non-Supercharged vehicles?

i think they do but its not a very big edge, a little bit more armor and hp. and maybe more speed if the portal master abilities work in online racing.