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Is there ANY way of avoiding the blue shells in Mario Kart DS?

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
Merlin said:
I think they should remove them from future games. Stupid idea IMO.
:lol so you got raped by one, don't worry mate you aren't the only one.
 

Grug

Member
You will rape someone with a blue shell just as much as it happens to you.

Thats Mario Kart for you.
 

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
I've been saying it for a long time an item switch for Mario Kart like the one in SSB would've have been great.

Aurora check you PM:)
 
No there isn't… erm, don't mean to change the subject, but does anyone know for sure about how the ink attack works?
I've found that if you get a speed boost just as it's about to hit the ink fades away almost immediately. Also, if you jump about and steer left and right just before it hits the ink will only cover a certain section of your screen… whereas if you do nothing it'll cover the entire screen.

Anyone got anything to add?
 

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
Khalid-S said:
Shutdown the DS before it hit's :)
people that do that are so fucking retarded, when you are playing a 4 player match you have a change to score a few wins I don't really see the point of shutting down the DS because you are losing.
 

Xrenity

Member
Error2k4 said:
people that do that are so fucking retarded, when you are playing a 4 player match you have a change to score a few wins I don't really see the point of shutting down the DS because you are losing.
Indeed.

At a match this morning, every race someone diconnected.

...

And about the blue shell > star/ghost and throwing a bomb backwards is said to work.
 

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
there are a few strategies to avoid the blue shell

like holding a star or ghost item, but the probability of that happening are very slim another good strategy is when someone uses a blue shell, look at second screen check if there is anybody near drive towards them and the blue shell should hit both.
 
Grug said:
Thats Mario Kart for you.

Well no, it's post-SNES Mario Kart, all of which (including the DS version, which I've been playing the hell out of) are inferior to the original for that reason. The blue shell and other unavoidable skill-lacking attacks are complete crap. If someone's half a lap ahead of you, they deserve to win -- often the blue shell doesn't even help the typically last-place person who fires it, but rather lets whoever is in second place zip ahead for a free win. Yeah, I hate getting hit by them, but I also feel like a totally cheap asshole when I use them on others.

At the very least they should've given us the ability to customize items in multiplayer battles. Mario Kart DS is frustrating as hell because it's so much fun and works so well on so many levels, but completely sucks in others. I love it, but I can't help but think about how much better it could've been if it were tweaked in a few important (and easy) ways.
 

elostyle

Never forget! I'm Dumb!
At least it make head to head races with people of different skill levels possible while most other racing games get boring after the first turn if one is better than the other. It's not like it completely randomomizes who wins. Otherwise my record wouldn't be so skewed in one direction (negative).

And many times people sacrifice better stats for the higher item luck with the special karts. so it somewhat even outs.

I mean, I've been shot with the blue shell basically a foot away from the finish line which made me lose the race and it was awesome, so close. I had to laugh about it. For some reason I don't mind losing in this game at all. After all, those 3 mushrooms really helped me get into 1st placeto begin with ;)

Super mario kart gave you red shells, stars and lightnings too and the Star in super mario kart arguably makes more of a difference than the blue shell in mario kart DS. Mario Kart DS hands down finally outdoes super mario kart.
 

DCharlie

Banned
they need a item distribution option.

Just have it :

- position based - basically as it is now
- overal leader based - spanned out over all the games so far , leader board leader gets the crap
- Pure Random - no matter what, it's roll of the dice stuff
- Item set - ability to set which items are dropped (all mushrooms, only green shells)
- rank handicap - distribution based on win:loss ratio

etc etc...

give people the choice!!!
 
elostyle said:
And many times people sacrifice better stats for the higher item luck with the special karts. so it somewhat even outs.

That's kinda true. But then again, if you want to reap the benefits of using a high-item car you have to be in second place or worse, which encourages counter-intuitive and annoying "item farming" behavior and other forms of intentional bad-racing.

DCharlie said:
- Item set - ability to set which items are dropped (all mushrooms, only green shells)

That would be so awesome! Can you even imagine playing an online race with the items set to only bombs?
 

Scrow

Still Tagged Accordingly
elostyle said:
I hit myself once.
me too :(

i've only done it once though... wanted to see what would happen if i launched a blue shell while in the lead. haven't done it since obviously :p

anyway, as for outright banning the blue shell.... i'll admit it can be frustrating if you've earnt a fair lead only to have it cheaply knocked off because of a blue shell, but i think in some ways it's necessary to keep the game balanced. maybe nintendo could provide the option to set rules which remove certain items, that way people have a choice if they'd like to play the game with or without things like that.

more than that though, nintendo should address the powerslide exploit. it's ruining WFC play for me.
 

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
Scrow said:
more than that though, nintendo should address the powerslide exploit. it's ruining WFC play for me.
agree the game should have a powerslide bar, so that people don't abuse it. It'll bring a lot more strategy seeing as you have to know when to use the powerslide and don't waste it on shit.
 
bobbyconover said:
Well no, it's post-SNES Mario Kart, all of which (including the DS version, which I've been playing the hell out of) are inferior to the original for that reason. The blue shell and other unavoidable skill-lacking attacks are complete crap.

So randomly getting a feather that lets you skip 1/3rd of the track is more skill based than a blue shell?

MK is designed to be a more open game where anyone has a chance at winning thanks to the items. Better players will win most of the time, but not all of the time, and that's great because people with a pretty wide variety of skill levels can play Mario Kart together because everyone has a chance at winning. If it was an entirely technical enterprise, where whoever had the most skill won 100% of the time, it wouldn't be as fun for as many people.

-Scott-
 

Aurora

Member
Scrow said:
me too :(

i've only done it once though... wanted to see what would happen if i launched a blue shell while in the lead. haven't done it since obviously :p

anyway, after for outright banning the blue shell.... i'll admit it can be frustrating if you've earnt a fair lead only to have it cheaply knocked off because of a blue shell, but i think in some ways it's necessary to keep the game balanced. maybe nintendo could provide the option to set rules which remove certain items, that way people have a choice if they'd like to play the game with or without things like that.

more than that though, nintendo should address the powerslide exploit. it's ruining WFC play for me.

IAWTP.
You see people with like 400 wins and 0 losses and they snake the whole way through each course. Impossible to beat.
I've also seen some people teaming up; one guy snakes through while the other just hangs back and stops everyone else from taking the lead.
 

Merlin

Banned
Error2k4 said:
:lol so you got raped by one, don't worry mate you aren't the only one.

It's not just that. It makes a huge explosion and sends you right to the back most times. Mario Kart shouldn't be THAT much about the weapons. They always got the balance right until MKDD, but the blue shell is just too much. There should at least be a way of avoiding it. I didn't think about keeping a star or ghost in reserve.
 

Merlin

Banned
Aurora said:
IAWTP.
You see people with like 400 wins and 0 losses and they snake the whole way through each course. Impossible to beat.
I've also seen some people teaming up; one guy snakes through while the other just hangs back and stops everyone else from taking the lead.

What's snaking? I haven't see this yet.
 

Aurora

Member
Merlin said:
What's snaking? I haven't see this yet.

It's when people constantly power slide, even on straight parts of the course.
It's as if they have infinite golden mushrooms making it extremely hard to beat them.
 

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
Merlin said:
What's snaking? I haven't see this yet.
race against Shamrock7r and you'll know what he meant by that.

edit: sorry bout that Aurora :lol
 
I tend to spend most of the race in 2nd place, stayingjust behind the leader and holding onto a red shell. When I hear the blue shell coming from behind, I slow down, let it take out first place and fire off my red shell. Tactic usually works. It`s also rather useful to keep glancing at the bottom screen to see who is holding what.
 

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
marvelharvey said:
I tend to spend most of the race in 2nd place, stayingjust behind the leader and holding onto a red shell. When I hear the blue shell coming from behind, I slow down, let it take out first place and fire off my red shell. Tactic usually works. It`s also rather useful to keep glancing at the bottom screen to see who is holding what.
that works when you are playing 1on1, but in a 4 player match? not even try it, you are gonna get smoked.
 
I don't really have a problem with the item balance in this one, while I did with previous MKs. Yeah, there should be an option to turn off items for the people who want to play mini-Gran Turismo. But that sounds so very, very boring. I think instead of whining about items you should make them work for you. Cheat 2 win. If you've got a good lead going it's stupid to slow down just to get a better item, but if it's neck and neck you'd be retarded not to ease off the gas before an item box in hopes of getting a red shell. Smart item usage is just as important, if not moreso, than racing skill. Just like every other Mario Kart.

bobbyconover said:
The blue shell and other unavoidable skill-lacking attacks are complete crap. If someone's half a lap ahead of you, they deserve to win
If you're half a lap ahead and you lose due to a blue shell, well, you suck. And I think you're completely nuts if you think SNES Mario Kart was any less cheap. The only thing it does better than DS is battle mode. And I haven't actually played it in mult-cart, so hey, maybe it is better!
 

john tv

Member
I like DC's ideas, especially pure random. I see no reason at all why they couldn't have at least made that an option. I don't really mind the way it is now but at least give the players a choice...
 

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Concerning snaking:

I don't do it myself, but when others do it, fine. It takes skill to perform well. If you try it and only get to a blue spark, your speed decreases significantly. You can do it yourself, too, you know.
 

Nick

Junior Member
I made a very lengthy post on TNL about how I thought the blueshell was utter crap to begin with, and hindered the overall replay value of online play in Mario Kart DS. I don't touch the game just TWO WEEKS after the initial release due to the broken online play. Sure, you can just suffer the consequences and keep trying to aim for first place, but without that real true sense of being able to win, this game is generated into hyperbole. You are playing a random game with no REAL chance of winning, unless you snake.

Mario Kart DS is a good game with very gaping flaws, and I do not enjoy the online component.
 
Rummy Bunnz said:
And I think you're completely nuts if you think SNES Mario Kart was any less cheap.

Well, there was no weapon that could be sent out with a single button-press to unavoidably fuck over anyone else, much less target the person in the lead. How was SMK more cheap than that? I've put hundreds of hours into it over something like 13 years now, and have never once had a ridiculous and completely random situation like that play out. The lightning bolt was pretty powerful, but at least it attacked everyone evenly, and at least you could avoid getting trampled if you dodged carefully.

So randomly getting a feather that lets you skip 1/3rd of the track is more skill based than a blue shell?

Of course. It's not like the feather automatically warped you across 1/3 of the track with the push of a button. It could be used to jump over certain portions of track, but at least it required some degree of skill and timing. And it only advanced your car, it didn't screw over anyone else.

I guess I can buy the arguments about keeping the game fun and balanced for everyone. I just wish we were given the option to turn the handicaps off for custom "classic" type races. All the post-SNES item additions are funny and interesting in ways, but I feel like they add more to the random/cheapness and chaos of the game than to the fun of it.
 

Tempy

don't ask me for codes
dot-Nick said:
I made a very lengthy post on TNL about how I thought the blueshell was utter crap to begin with, and hindered the overall replay value of online play in Mario Kart DS. I don't touch the game just TWO WEEKS after the initial release due to the broken online play. Sure, you can just suffer the consequences and keep trying to aim for first place, but without that real true sense of being able to win, this game is generated into hyperbole. You are playing a random game with no REAL chance of winning, unless you snake.

Mario Kart DS is a good game with very gaping flaws, and I do not enjoy the online component.

I disagree completely. Unless you suck horribly, if you're good and think intelligently about item usage, your current position in the race, the character and kart you're using, skill definitely makes a difference. Sure you might not win 100% of the time, but ultimately you WILL win as long as you think and don't do stupid stuff. Local wifi matches are a blast, got a 6-person going at work and it's lots of fun. Sure, weak players might get lucky sometimes, but the better racers almost always win. Like people have said, there ARE multiple strategies against blue shells: get enough of a lead to make it not matter, hang in in 2nd, take out someone with you, use ghost/star, take the opportunity to build a bigger lead, etc etc. I reiterate - it is NOT COMPLETELY RANDOM.
 

Mr Mike

1 million Canadian dollars
I'm sorry, but I'm with the anti-blue shell brigade. It's pretty horrific and horrid how the shell can appear something like four times in a race to knock you back. That isn't skill on anyone's part - in the online matches it feels like chance weighted against me. That isn't fair. I seem to remember that this was a problem in Double Dash, on the DK Mountain - I would play through that and without fail at the very end, just before the big ramp, a blue shell would appear while playing on 150cc. It was like clockwork. You're right Tempy - it's not completely random, it's programmed almost down to the pixel. And that's pretty bad programming.

I also hate: people who DC and those LITTLE TWERP RUNTS with crap avatars, such as a crudely drawn pair of tits (a curvy W with dots in it), a middle finger, or the guy called Antl whose avatar says "You're Gay". Nintendo really must be for kids if all these immature little fucks are clogging up the servers.

I'm really enjoying the game, but it doesn't require any skill whatsoever.
 

Scrow

Still Tagged Accordingly
Bboy AJ said:
Concerning snaking:

I don't do it myself, but when others do it, fine. It takes skill to perform well. If you try it and only get to a blue spark, your speed decreases significantly. You can do it yourself, too, you know.
i see it as an exploit (ie. not as the developer intended it to be used), so I wont use and don't like it when others use it.
 

elostyle

Never forget! I'm Dumb!
This type of discussion sometimes indicates a good game - if someone eventually figures out something to beat it with, so carry on :)
 

Tempy

don't ask me for codes
I agree that the option to balance the items would have been great, but the blue shell CAN be countered. It's not like it comes out of nowhere either. If you go into 1st place you should anticipate for when one comes. You can always hear and see (bottom screen folks) it coming too so it's not like you can't trigger your ghost or shell at the right time, or position yourself next to number 2 to take him out with you.
 

SantaC

Member
I once avoided a blue shell using a mushroom in the right moment. didn't know what happend.


as far as snaking guess, yeah it's ruining some of the experience, but I just learned the technique myself and then it owns. :lol
 

Tempy

don't ask me for codes
SantaCruZer said:
I once avoided a blue shell using a mushroom in the right moment. didn't know what happend.

I haven't tried it myself, but was it at the point it started hovering above you and was about to slam down? Could be another way to avoid blue shells if so.
 
Sho Nuff said:
lol, Mario Kart is as "fair and balanced" as Fox news. I will enjoy owning you with my blue shell online

IAWTP

When you tend to be in 4th place nothing is as rewarding as hitting 3-4 blue shells in a row... yet that dude in front may still win but it sure feels good to light'em up! :D
 

elostyle

Never forget! I'm Dumb!
Honestly I'm for anything that keeps players close together in multiplayer racing games even f it's a bit unfair. I mean, imagine the player drop rate without blue shells, stars and 3 mushroom items.
 

elostyle

Never forget! I'm Dumb!
... isn't that normal mario kart gameplay ever since the n64 one? I mean even on the snes I sometimes was sliding along straight sections because a turn was coming up in the distance.
 
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