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Posted

Come back to me when you're not doing it in the typical Time Trial setup, then I'll be impressed.

Also, I can't imagine that the time lost correcting your flight path makes it worth it.

Posted
10 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Ok.

 

Yes, now I am, well done!

Needed a mushroom that time though. But that's fine. Guess I gotta practice that one.

Posted
3 hours ago, Glen-i said:

Come back to me when you're not doing it in the typical Time Trial setup, then I'll be impressed.

Also, I can't imagine that the time lost correcting your flight path makes it worth it.

I'm sure I read that it is like marginally quicker to do the shortcut but not really worth it.

Posted (edited)

Heads up.  Looks like this latest update has actually changed quite a lot more than first meets the eye...

Quote

General

 
  • Increased the number of ghosts you can download from 16 to 32.
  • Adjusted the extent to which a vehicle is thrown, depending on its weight.
  • Further shortened the time it takes for item boxes to regenerate after another player takes them.
  • Shortened the time it takes for one player to be able to pick up a coin that another player has dropped.
  • Made it so that it is easier to face the way forward in mid-air when using Smart Steering.
  • The cars that the Shy Guys are riding in in Wii Coconut Mall now move from time to time in all modes other than the Time Trial mode.

Fixed Issues

  • Fixed issue where player could not choose a DLC course even though a player in the lobby in “Friends” has the Booster Course Pass.
  • Fixed issue where player did not receive coins even though they used the Feather in Coin Runners to steal a rival’s coins.
  • Fixed issue where player could receive two items from one item box in N64 Toad’s Turnpike.

NERD ALERT!!!!

CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO KART PHYSICS ACROSS THE ENTIRE GAME!!! WEIGHT PROPERTIES HAVE NOW CHANGED FOR ALL KART/CHARACTER COMBOS!!!

 

Check out a list of the weight property changes made here on the Mario Wiki... You may want to rethink your current preferred Kart/Character combo setups now...

This site is very helpful for figuring out ideal setups; including the hidden stats that the game doesn't actually show you in-game.

Edited by Dcubed
Posted (edited)

Right! Time to rate the tracks of Wave 2...

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This track is... a bit bland overall.  It's similar to Tokyo Blur in how it's made up of a series of corridors that lead to a few turns here & there and not much in the way of more open areas.  There are a few more wrinkles in play here, with a few diverging & reconverging paths, and the leaking manholes that give the opportunity for a cheeky trick boost; but there isn't much going on in terms of corner cutting and shortcuts, outside of a few stretches of grass that can be mushroomed over.  The theming is nice though, and it looks a fair bit better than its original MKT counterpart thanks to the MK8 engine's superior lighting system and reflections, makes a big difference; but ultimately, the track design itself is very ho-hum and there just isn't much interesting going on from a gameplay perspective.  Music is ok, not too memorable within the pantheon of the series however... that being said though, I really wanna see Donkey Kong: The Musical.  Given how incredible of a singer DK is? It must be one hell of a show!

 

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It's the original SNES Mario Circuit 3.  There... aren't many changes to speak of that have been made from its original SNES counterpart, or indeed the MKT version; which means that it's still a very solid track, if very flat... much like a real go-kart track.  What I will say though is that the corners are very tight to make with MK8's kart physics model... I can only imagine the chaos that 200cc will be, as you'll be spending half the track having to brake :laughing:

 

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Now, @Glen-i has already mentioned how much of a glow-up this track was from it's original N64 counterpart; but what he didn't mention was how much better it is compared to its MKT counterpart too! Now, MKT introduced an alternative version of Kalimari Desert called... well... Kalimari Desert 2.  So what they've done here is essentially what they did with the likes of Paris Promenade & Tokyo Blur, by combining all of these variants into one single track; and the combination here ends up being far better than the sum of its parts.  What was once two long, boring and largely eventless tracks, gets turned into something far more manic and enjoyable; cutting out the boring downtime and condensing the best parts of each variant into a much more enjoyable experience.  The train is now a constant threat that will cause pileups of chaos, and I am very looking forward to a 12 player night on this track! The visuals also recieve a nice glow-up under MK8's lighting engine and the music arrangement is very pleasantly light, but just jazz enough.  Defo wins the award for Most Improved Track of the Booster Course Pass so far.

 

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It's Waluigi Pinball... now with 200cc and 12 players! A brilliant track gets even better! While it's clearly based on the MKT version, reusing the same geometry & art assets, they have restored the original pinball patterns (which were toned down significantly in MKT) and have even made things more manic by making the pinball delete item boxes when they pass by them now.  They've only made very subtle tweaks here, but that's all they needed to do.  This was already one of the best tracks in the series, and this rendition certainly does justice to it.  The enhanced lighting & reflection effects also go a long way towards making it look much better than the MKT version... but that being said? This track loses some points for reusing the existing Wario Stadium DS arrangment from the base game, instead of giving us something new (Yes, both tracks used the same music in the original DS game, but it's a bit disappointing here, as it's now the only track in the entire game that doesn't get a unique piece of music).  Also the gutter ball sound is missing... funnily enough, this is something that also happened with MKT's rendition of the track and it was eventually fixed; so naturally, I suspect that Nintendo will correct this oversight when Wave 3 launches.

 

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If New York Minute is the Tokyo Blur of this wave? Then this is the Paris Promenade of Wave 2.  The original MKT versions (yes, plural) of this track were all kind of bland on their own... but when combined? Oh boy! NOW it's something worth getting excited about! There's a lot of interesting corner cutting opportunities, alternate paths, cheeky flying sections and mushroom shortcuts going on here; and unlike previous MKT variant courses, this one essentially combines all of its variants to make one long track that essentially consists of one lap, ALA Rainbow Road N64.  Overall, the track design is quite reminiscient of Sunshine Airport, but mixed with Animal Crossing with the way you can cut so many corners with mushrooms.  It's a lot of fun, and certainly one of the best tracks in this wave... but the real winner here is the music.  Dear GOD it is fantastic! Easily the best song that the Booster Course Pass has blessed us with so far.  That sax solo is so good that I think it may well give The Mario Kart Lick a run for its money! Fantabulous stuff! :D

 

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Snow Land continues the grand Mario Kart 8 tradition of taking GBA tracks and stuffing them full of verticality.  Much like Cheese Land before it, the track has been significantly widened up and given tons of opportunities for cutting corners and taking FUCKING AWESOME SHORTCUTS! While this track perhaps hasn't been overhauled quite as much as the likes of Ribbon Road and Cheese Land? They've taken the best elements of the original GBA track and they've really opened up its design, enabling the player to use their own ingenuity to carve their own path through each lap.  I also appreciate how it messes with your kart's grip with the ice physics and snow; there's a lot going on here that makes it really fun and dynamic to play.  There's gonna be a lot of upsets on this track, and I'm looking forward to a full 12 player race on this beast.  Visuals are also really top notch, a good step up from the tracks seen in Wave 1, likely down to the fact that this track did NOT originate from MKT; while the newly arranged music is positively delightful, like playing Christmas itself!  One of my favourites from the Booster Course Pass for sure :D

 

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Now this one is interesting.  It's a track taken from MKT... but its actually been changed quite a lot from its mobile counterpart! While MKT follows the track design of the original MK Wii version pretty closely, this one actually combines elements from the MK7 version, the MK Wii version and even introducing an entirely new shortcut section (found near the left of the starting line) not seen before in any previous rendition of this track!  Seemingly unable to decide on what version to base this MK8DXBCPW2 (what a mouthful!) track on, Nintendo have actually taken the gliding section from MK7 and have combined it with the twin pathways of the MK Wii version; to make three different pathways within the tunnel section!  It's an interesting decision that makes this track feel different from any previous version seen before.  Though I am a bit disappointed in the fact that the music is really not much different from the original version of the tune, and that the left path before the tunnel is still completely pointless; would've been nice to see a few more touch-ups in those places.  Still, Mushroom Gorge was always a solid track, and this version feels distinct enough from past renditions to make this one feel fresh.  Good job Nintendo!

 

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Woah!!! Nintendo lied!!! This aint no remaster, it's an entirely brand new track!!!!! Holy SHIT! :o

Unlike the previous tracks seen throughout the Booster Course Pass, this one features Mario Kart 8's unique gameplay mechanics; most notably, anti-gravity.  What makes this track even more unique is that it combines anti-gravity with extensive flying sections, giving it some... interesting physics that can be exploited!  That being said? The actual course design leaves something to be desired, it's all quite straight and narrow; and the visuals are below the standard of the base game, despite debuting first in MK8DXBCPW2 (just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?).  This is also admittedly a bit of a nitpick, but I really dislike how the handrails (that act as anti-gravity boosters) have no animation or anti-grav design of any kind on them; I literally didn't even know that they were anti-gravity boosters until I accidentally rammed into one, it kind of makes Sky High Sundae feel a bit like a homebrew hack track, rather than an official product.  The music is also pretty low tier as far as MK8 music goes; not bad, but just not up to the standard set by other songs within the BCP, let alone the base game.  Overall, it's a nice enough track, but it feels somewhat unfinished and unpolished.  Much like a typical sundae, this track feels sloppy and slapped together.  Still, I'm desperate enough for completely original Mario Kart content that I'll gladly take it.

Edit:  The Mario Kart Tour version got revealed just now, just about 72 hours after the MK8DX release.  Yeah, I'm comfortable calling this one a MKT port and not a truly original MK8DX track.  Was clearly never originally meant to be an anti-gravity stage; the physics exploits are a clear giveaway, as are the really janky anti-grav boost handrails (that's some proper homebrew hack job that I am shocked that Nintendo deemed ok in a shipping product!).

 

And with that? Here's my ranking for the tracks of Wave 2...

Quote

8th:  New York Minute
7th:  Sky High Sundae
6th:  Mario Circuit 3
5th:  Mushroom Gorge
4th:  Kalimari Desert
3rd:  Sydney Sprint
2nd:  Snow Land
1st:  Waluigi Pinball

Previous Wave writeups
Wave 1

 

Edited by Dcubed
Posted
3 hours ago, Dcubed said:

You may want to rethink your current preferred Kart/Character combo setups now...

Or just carry on as you were cause you are gonna just get Mario Karted on the last corner whatever you pick. Or you like the kart you drive now, or the fact that if you're playing Baby Park it really doesn't matter what you chose.

 

Quote

I can only imagine the chaos that 200cc will be, as you'll be spending half the track having to brake

Surprisingly not a lot. Yes it's chaotic at time, but there really is only the one hairpin bend that needs any breaking, and that's like half a seconds worth for me.

 

I've now done 3* for all new cc of cups up to 200cc including mirror, except 200cc on Copter (is it copter) the one with Sky-High sundae. The floaty glidey stuff is messing me up on both occasions I tried just now. I'm not having trouble with the other three tracks so I'm sure I'll be done by tomorrow.

  • Like 1
Posted
36 minutes ago, BowserBasher said:

I've now done 3* for all new cc of cups up to 200cc including mirror, except 200cc on Copter (is it copter)

Take the Mushroom, and replace it with a Cup! It's Propeller Cup!

Sounds like a crummy ad jingle...

  • Haha 2
Posted

And done! 200cc gave me a few issues but it was more my own fault on Sky-High Sundae by messing up on the last lap. Had a few races where I'd also get Mario Karted near the end of the race which made me restart, but I'm all done. Roll on Wave three.......in like a year! 😆 

Posted

mariokart8dxboostercoursepasswave2banner.620x0.webp

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Wave 2 Out Now

Full press release, plus a paragraph about the additional changes, and video.

Check out the article for all the details.

  • Like 1
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
Posted

mariokart8dxboostercoursepasswave3banner.620x0.webp

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Wave 3 Release Date

Now up on the main site.

Full N-E *Guess Release and a trailer.

Check out the article for more details.

*It's like a press release, with added ambiguity

  • Like 1
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
12 minutes ago, Ashley said:

Blue shells and coins. Either you get something good or you get screwed.

Unless you're first, in which case. DON'T USE THE BLUE SHELL!

Oh yes. All sorts of ideas for theme nights are slamming together in my head!

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  • Like 1
Posted

Custom items is a great feature. Finally I can turn off blue shells and the lightning bolt, which was fun in SMK on SNES cause it showed up once every 2 or 3 races, as opposed to what feels like 2 or 3 times per race like MK8.

Posted

Finally we get custom items and not just the silly "mushrooms only", "coins only" stuff.

Seeing a lot of silly but fun suggestions already. Baby Park, Bullet Bills only. Lighting only races. Blue shells and Bullet Bills. The possibilities are endless.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Posted

Just played the second pack for the first time. That ice creamed themed level at the end was great! Original course I believe? Shame the visuals aren't up to scratch compared to the base game (Mario Circuit SNES looked rough af) but there's still lots of fun to be had.

Posted
2 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Custom items is a great feature. Finally I can turn off blue shells and the lightning bolt, which was fun in SMK on SNES cause it showed up once every 2 or 3 races, as opposed to what feels like 2 or 3 times per race like MK8.

Probably because CPU's aren't programmed to use items outside of their signature one and the feather. So they literally cannot use Lightning. Try playing with the maximum amount of players in any Mario Kart, and you'll find 2 or 3 Lightning strikes is the norm.

You're mad if you think the SMK CPU's aren't some of the most blatant cheaters in the series, BTW.

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