I Officially Su*k at Mario Kart...(POLL)

That's right. I admit it. I suck.

Well, it's not so much that I suck, it's just that everyone else has gotten better (Though, I will say that I can still rock it out in Battle Mode most of the time, so there's a plus I suppose).

You see, a few weeks ago I started working, and I've been away from the house. Problem? I've only played Mario Kart a few times in the past month.

Now, I knew there were some hardcore Mario Kart players out there, but God, everyone seems to be one these days. I've seen people with 9000+ VR points! Are you kidding me? How? HOW? When you get to 7000 you only go up at most 50 points per round...and I'm sure it getting points becomes even stingier as you get higher. How are they doing this?

Anyway, I know 9000+ is not entirely common, but most people have scores somewhere in the 7000 range. It seems as though getting to that score is a scrapfest too at this point, because on a number of occasions, I've seen 7000+ guys coming in 5th or lower.

So...anyone else...suck at Mario Kart? Admit it! I know I'm not the only one.

And if you don't suck, do you have any tips on how to do better? I snake as much as possible, I drift, I draft, I hug the turns, I get all the items, I know how to avoid most weapons, I do it all, but everyone else seems to have some sort of magical advantage.

Maybe I need a new rider. Who do you use? And what kart/bike do you use? I'm dyin' out here, man!

until i just become un-godly, i'm going to stay off the online mode....even if you're good, the item abusing can take you from 1st to 10th in a matter of seconds...hopefully when i get all of my double-triple stars on grand prix, and beat the time trials, i'll be good enough to get past the over-powered items online.

anyway, to answer your question, I'm at like 5400 points

I'm not too bad. I think I'm around 5600. My problem is that I get kicked out of matches all the time for some reason so it counts as a loss and I get points taken off.chipsRgreat

Yeah that sucks. It happened to me yesterday, and I think I lost like 200 points or something. :? Pissed me right off.

my average is 7600 but im having a problem right now when i quit after a race and turn off my system and then turn it on again im having like 200 less points is this ever happen to anyone else puritanico

That used to happen to me, especially when I would get disconnected after playing for a while.

I just make sure to fully "quit" the online game, and then go to the main menu before turning off the system.

[QUOTE="chipsRgreat"]I'm not too bad. I think I'm around 5600. My problem is that I get kicked out of matches all the time for some reason so it counts as a loss and I get points taken off.bob_newman

Yeah that sucks. It happened to me yesterday, and I think I lost like 200 points or something. :? Pissed me right off.

1. Stop playing with your girlfriend (which should be easy for the time being ;)). You said yourself that it's harder to play splitscreen. It doesn't make much of a difference, but the more limited scope of view really is a hindering factor.
   
   
2. Don't use a bike. There are more turns than straightaways overall, so the double drift boost works better than the wheelie.
   
   
3. Acceleration is important. You can't avoid items that slow you down. It's just part of the game, and you're going to be hit with a lot of them. It's better to start right up again rather than come to nearly a complete stop for five seconds every time you get hit. The drop in top speed is a little frustrating, but you don't need to be in first place the whole race. Just keep up with the pack because....
   
   
4. ....strategy in the last lap is most important. As much as you want to hold onto those mushrooms you got at the beginning of the lap for the huge shortcut at the end of the race, chances are excellent that you won't be able to hold them for that long. Most big weapons will knock your items out of you, so you have to be careful about holding onto them or letting them loose.
   
   
5. Always hold something on your butt. Green shells, red shells, bananas (not fake item boxes, since they don't block items this time around). If you get one of these, immediately turtle-head it. Only poop it out when you already have another weapon to use or you have a guaranteed shot at someone with it.
   
   
6. Take every chance to get a new weapon. If you're holding a banana on your butt and have a green shell in reserve as you're coming up to an item box, poop the banana, turtle-head the green shell, and know that your new weapon can't be worse than those.
   
   
7. Be vicious. Waluigi won't knock people around much as he is, but anybody will be a bully with a mushroom. Don't just use mushrooms to make you go faster; use them to knock people off the track.

even if you're good, the item abusing can take you from 1st to 10th in a matter of seconds...johnnyv2003

What do you mean by item abusing? Just curious.

Hmm I have 8100 VR and use Mario with the Mach bike-Nothing special, I know.

The best strategy I can give and the thing I do to win is to get off to a fast start and defend your lead. I ALWAYS have either a bannana or a green turtle shell on the back of me to block red shells. I don't get rid of the item until I have another to take its place.

Now I know lots of people say that "Grr I always get hit by a shell while in 1st and get 10th" but I drive with one thing in mind: Every Second counts. If you hit every possible speed boost pad, do tricks off every possible jump, and wheelie whenever possible then those are all valuable seconds you save that you won't have to desperately make up in the end.

Anyways, thats just what I think you should do if you want to win.

1. Stop playing with your girlfriend (which should be easy for the time being ;)). You said yourself that it's harder to play splitscreen. It doesn't make much of a difference, but the more limited scope of view really is a hindering factor.
   
2. Don't use a bike. There are more turns than straightaways overall, so the double drift boost works better than the wheelie.
   
3. Acceleration is important. You can't avoid items that slow you down. It's just part of the game, and you're going to be hit with a lot of them. It's better to start right up again rather than come to nearly a complete stop for five seconds every time you get hit. The drop in top speed is a little frustrating, but you don't need to be in first place the whole race. Just keep up with the pack because....
   
4. ....strategy in the last lap is most important. As much as you want to hold onto those mushrooms you got at the beginning of the lap for the huge shortcut at the end of the race, chances are excellent that you won't be able to hold them for that long. Most big weapons will knock your items out of you, so you have to be careful about holding onto them or letting them loose.
   
5. Always hold something on your butt. Green shells, red shells, bananas (not fake item boxes, since they don't block items this time around). If you get one of these, immediately turtle-head it. Only poop it out when you already have another weapon to use or you have a guaranteed shot at someone with it.
   
6. Take every chance to get a new weapon. If you're holding a banana on your butt and have a green shell in reserve as you're coming up to an item box, poop the banana, turtle-head the green shell, and know that your new weapon can't be worse than those.
   
7. Be vicious. Waluigi won't knock people around much as he is, but anybody will be a bully with a mushroom. Don't just use mushrooms to make you go faster; use them to knock people off the track.

I'm not a 9000+ Mario Kart player, as those who are can probably tell from my advice. ;) But the reason I'm posting it is so that 1) it might help people who are worse than even me, and 2) people who are better than me can correct me.

[QUOTE="johnnyv2003"]even if you're good, the item abusing can take you from 1st to 10th in a matter of seconds...JordanElek

What do you mean by item abusing? Just curious.

well i don't mean cheating...i'm just talking about how powerful items are in general...it's almost as beneficial to be in the back of the pack if it's a close race, than it is to be #1..so i'm trying to get good enough that i can leave the "clusters" of people behind so i don't get bullet billed, followed by two red shells, then top it off getting lightning bolted while jumping a ramp (that has actually happened to me)

i'm trying to get good enough that i can leave the "clusters" of people behindjohnnyv2003

That's something I should've mentioned. You get screwed the most when you're surrounded by other people. It's not always in your power to get away from the pack, but it's something to keep in mind.

blue shellZumaJones07

Don't blame everything on the blue shell. I hate to say it, but your reason for the existence of 8000+ racers doesn't make sense. Do you really think that they simply have a really long streak of good luck? That's gotta be at least 25 races of "not getting screwed" in a row. Those people are just good. They'll occasionally place low due either to a mistake or bad luck (yes, I admit that luck is a definite factor), but they place high the vast majority of the time, despite blue shells. I don't know how they do it, but they do.

I just hit over the 9000 points mark today (unless my sodding housemates have been screwing my account again), and Im pretty happy with that, though I can probably put that down to the beginners advantage I got for living in Europe as well as knowing the tracks better than Americans when they first took the game online. Its gotten progressively tougher to win, though Im still holding my own.

I use Bowser JR (I dont find him annoying at all, and I love the colour yellow) and the Dolphin Dasher.

My tips are to:

Pick a bike; the wheelie is invaluable. Also, pick something that has average top speed, but fantastic acceleration, as that is what is needed in multiplayer due to the items.

Pick a bike (like the Dolphin Dasher or Bowser Bike) that leans into the curves, rather than away. It allows you to hug the track a lot more.

Drift as much as possible.

Learn where the short cuts are, which are the good ones, and which are better avoided.

There are some items that are always going to hit you, but make sure you can avoid the ones that arent inevitable. Learn how to hop to avoid the POW blocks and if you are in pole position, trail items behind you so that you arent spammed with red / green shells or anything - getting hit with a blue shell is frustrating, true, but there is nothing worse than when a lesser item ruins your lead.

Get rid of fake boxes on the tight corners or awkward locations, but make sure you remember where they are so you can avoid them on your next lap.

Always take advantage of new item boxes, just in case. Trailing a banana and have a green shell in reserve? Ditch the skin, trail the shell and pick something new up.

Learn the courses themselves like the back of your hand, and practice in Time Trial mode. You may not be able to get the highest score in the world, but it will make you better in online multiplayer.

Bully people. If you see someone doing a wheelie, bash into them. If you have a star or mega mushroom *aim* for people. Dont worry, they would do the same to you. Conversely, *dont* wheelie if you are in a cluster, or someone is coming up behind you. Getting knocked back will slow you down.

Use speed shrooms strategically, rather than on stretches of track. Take short cuts off-road. There are a lot of good ones on Marios staple tracks, as well as on Mushroom Gorge. There are others.

Learn when it is best to pull off a trick, and when it isnt. There is a ramp in one of the retro Bowser Castle's for example that, if you do a trick off, makes it difficult to not crash into the wall or lava.

Dont waste items just to be an arse. Use them wisely and sparingly. For example, dont spam three red shells into one player (unless you are second and desperate). Give a bit of time delay between them to mess up numerous opponents or really screw up one person just as they are picking up speed again.

I think thats about it. No doubt there are infinitely better players than me, but these are the things I do, and Ive been pretty lucky so far :)

I just hit over the 9000 points mark today (unless my sodding housemates have been screwing my account again), and Im pretty happy with that, though I can probably put that down to the beginners advantage I got for living in Europe as well as knowing the tracks better than Americans when they first took the game online. Its gotten progressively tougher to win, though Im still holding my own.

I use Bowser JR (I dont find him annoying at all, and I love the colour yellow) and the Dolphin Dasher.

My tips are to:

Pick a bike; the wheelie is invaluable. Also, pick something that has average top speed, but fantastic acceleration, as that is what is needed in multiplayer due to the items.

Pick a bike (like the Dolphin Dasher or Bowser Bike) that leans into the curves, rather than away. It allows you to hug the track a lot more.

Drift as much as possible.

Learn where the short cuts are, which are the good ones, and which are better avoided.

There are some items that are always going to hit you, but make sure you can avoid the ones that arent inevitable. Learn how to hop to avoid the POW blocks and if you are in pole position, trail items behind you so that you arent spammed with red / green shells or anything - getting hit with a blue shell is frustrating, true, but there is nothing worse than when a lesser item ruins your lead.

Get rid of fake boxes on the tight corners or awkward locations, but make sure you remember where they are so you can avoid them on your next lap.

Always take advantage of new item boxes, just in case. Trailing a banana and have a green shell in reserve? Ditch the skin, trail the shell and pick something new up.

Learn the courses themselves like the back of your hand, and practice in Time Trial mode. You may not be able to get the highest score in the world, but it will make you better in online multiplayer.

Bully people. If you see someone doing a wheelie, bash into them. If you have a star or mega mushroom *aim* for people. Dont worry, they would do the same to you. Conversely, *dont* wheelie if you are in a cluster, or someone is coming up behind you. Getting knocked back will slow you down.

Use speed shrooms strategically, rather than on stretches of track. Take short cuts off-road. There are a lot of good ones on Marios staple tracks, as well as on Mushroom Gorge. There are others.

Learn when it is best to pull off a trick, and when it isnt. There is a ramp in one of the retro Bowser Castle's for example that, if you do a trick off, makes it difficult to not crash into the wall or lava.

Dont waste items just to be an arse. Use them wisely and sparingly. For example, dont spam three red shells into one player (unless you are second and desperate). Give a bit of time delay between them to mess up numerous opponents or really screw up one person just as they are picking up speed again.

I think thats about it. No doubt there are infinitely better players than me, but these are the things I do, and Ive been pretty lucky so far :)

wallsy9

Yeah, see, I appreciate the advice (Yours too, Jordan), but I do all of these things. I suppose I just need more practice, a better bike, and maybe a new character.

I'll work on that for now.

I'm currently at 8500+ and homing in on 9000+.FFCYAN

[QUOTE="FFCYAN"]I'm currently at 8500+ and homing in on 9000+.Lunar52

Yeah, see, I appreciate the advice (Yours too, Jordan), but I do all of these things. I suppose I just need more practice, a better bike, and maybe a new character.bob_newman

*Kart!* Ahem. Excuse me.... Something got kart in my throat. I got it out.

[QUOTE="bob_newman"]Yeah, see, I appreciate the advice (Yours too, Jordan), but I do all of these things. I suppose I just need more practice, a better bike, and maybe a new character.JordanElek

*Kart!* Ahem. Excuse me.... Something got kart in my throat. I got it out.

But...the other guy said a bike was better.

And I've been doing some Time Trials with Diddy Kong on that bike that turns corners really tight (can't remember the name), and I shaved 4 seconds off my previous best time on Peach Beach.

[QUOTE="bob_newman"]Yeah, see, I appreciate the advice (Yours too, Jordan), but I do all of these things. I suppose I just need more practice, a better bike, and maybe a new character.JordanElek

*Kart!* Ahem. Excuse me.... Something got kart in my throat. I got it out.

The bikes have the best drifting turns, theyre much tighter, much easier to handle and for what you loose in that little extra turbo, you can make up for in wheelies. (providing you pick a good bike).

I guess its just different strokes for different folks, but Im sticking with the darn Dolphin Dasher even if it does look stupid.

[QUOTE="ZumaJones07"]blue shellJordanElek

[QUOTE="JordanElek"][QUOTE="ZumaJones07"]blue shellZumaJones07

The one thing i hate about the blue shells are how it hits the second or third person.

Heres my story.... Online its all going good, nice third place on DK mountain. Going over he bridge on the final lap. guess what? BLUE SHELL WEE OO WEE OO (siren if you didnt get it). So im like yeah i am safe its all good im in third. NOPE!!!!! i get raped by the blue shell, then i figured out that the first place person and second place person have already crossed the finish line so it hits me! Well now i am angry and i start accelorating towards the finish line..... BOOM get hit by a star! Last Place.

So the blue shell sucks because even though im in third it still considered me as the first palce person. Well if i was in first and that happened to me i would say ok thats fair but NOT IF I WAS IN THIRD PLACE!!!

Curse you blue shells

[QUOTE="ZumaJones07"][QUOTE="JordanElek"][QUOTE="ZumaJones07"]blue shellalexh_99

The one thing i hate about the blue shells are how it hits the second or third person.

Heres my story.... Online its all going good, nice third place on DK mountain. Going over he bridge on the final lap. guess what? BLUE SHELL WEE OO WEE OO (siren if you didnt get it). So im like yeah i am safe its all good im in third. NOPE!!!!! i get raped by the blue shell, then i figured out that the first place person and second place person have already crossed the finish line so it hits me! Well now i am angry and i start accelorating towards the finish line..... BOOM get hit by a star! Last Place.

So the blue shell sucks because even though im in third it still considered me as the first palce person. Well if i was in first and that happened to me i would say ok thats fair but NOT IF I WAS IN THIRD PLACE!!!

Curse you blue shells

The blue shell will hit the person who is ahead the moment it is released. The reason it hit you even though you were in third was because you were ahead of the remaining people. If it was thrown just before second place crossed the finish line it would have gone to him/her. Its happened to me before. Doesn't really bother me. You win some you loose some. ;)

1. Stop playing with your girlfriend (which should be easy for the time being ;)). You said yourself that it's harder to play splitscreen. It doesn't make much of a difference, but the more limited scope of view really is a hindering factor.
   
2. Don't use a bike. There are more turns than straightaways overall, so the double drift boost works better than the wheelie.
   
3. Acceleration is important. You can't avoid items that slow you down. It's just part of the game, and you're going to be hit with a lot of them. It's better to start right up again rather than come to nearly a complete stop for five seconds every time you get hit. The drop in top speed is a little frustrating, but you don't need to be in first place the whole race. Just keep up with the pack because....
   
4. ....strategy in the last lap is most important. As much as you want to hold onto those mushrooms you got at the beginning of the lap for the huge shortcut at the end of the race, chances are excellent that you won't be able to hold them for that long. Most big weapons will knock your items out of you, so you have to be careful about holding onto them or letting them loose.
   
5. Always hold something on your butt. Green shells, red shells, bananas (not fake item boxes, since they don't block items this time around). If you get one of these, immediately turtle-head it. Only poop it out when you already have another weapon to use or you have a guaranteed shot at someone with it.
   
6. Take every chance to get a new weapon. If you're holding a banana on your butt and have a green shell in reserve as you're coming up to an item box, poop the banana, turtle-head the green shell, and know that your new weapon can't be worse than those.
   
7. Be vicious. Waluigi won't knock people around much as he is, but anybody will be a bully with a mushroom. Don't just use mushrooms to make you go faster; use them to knock people off the track.

I'm not a 9000+ Mario Kart player, as those who are can probably tell from my advice. ;) But the reason I'm posting it is so that 1) it might help people who are worse than even me, and 2) people who are better than me can correct me.

[QUOTE="johnnyv2003"]even if you're good, the item abusing can take you from 1st to 10th in a matter of seconds...JordanElek

What do you mean by item abusing? Just curious.

I`m always between low 6000 and 7000... I had one day that play SO bad that went from 6900 to 5400 :lol: wow that hard to go up again.... :P

but I guess I`m a average, no good no awfull.... I just tend to not pick the box items.. my best friend tease me saying if I have a goal of beating ppl without using items, which as you know is pretty close to imposible.... :lol:

I do not know what it is, I just have an ability to pass between the box :lol:

I like the advice I am reading on this thread which will be helpful in helping my odds in online races.

I seem to notice after playing dozens of online matches that I do better if there are less racers, for example, five racers including myself, as opposed to the maximum of twelve. This may be due to the fact that the more racers, the more competition I have, as well as the greater chances of being hit by an item. Even so with eleven other racers, I can finish first, but it seems this is based on luck than skill.

Currently, I have three licenses with ratings ranging from 5700 through 6100 points. By the way, why do in some races that I lose 60 points, but in some I lose just a point?

Don't use a bike. There are more turns than straightaways overall, so the double drift boost works better than the wheelie.JordanElek

I'm not so bad. I have around 7600 VR, all you need to do is practice a lot!