double post

It was just dumb luck.

It's more than seems to be, they have absolutely changed the way points are distributed at the end of the race. It used to be a finish in the top 2/3 meant you would gain points or at least remain approximately stationary (unless you were against very weak opposition). Now 3rd place is about the lowest position that tends to get points. I've even lost points in second place due to getting matched to a bunch of people with significantly lower points than me.....

I agree that the points were previously more an indication of time spent rather than necessarily skill but now they are now attributed in a fashion similar to MK Wii (just in smaller amounts). The problem with that though is I think consistently winning (or finishing in the top 3 places) is significantly harder in this game that in MK Wii so one unlucky race can wipe out the earnings from 5 excellent races. I would say that 50% of the time I lead a race from the outset until lap 3 i end up losing due to superior firepower from behind simply because the game decides that you have been in front long enough.

(I think you sort of double posted above, you could have just edited the previous post, lol)

Think of it as strategy, just biding your time from the middle-upper pack, and then banking on your plan to strike and get to first just before the finish line

That's weird, I could have sworn I did edit my post......I certainly didn't copy and past that text into the second post......

I have actually done that from time to time and it's remarkably effective but at the same time it's kinda lame and indicative that the item balance could be a little better. I don't mind winning or losing the occasional game through luck but I would prefer to win or lose through skill or a lack thereof.  That's why I will never begrudge someone who beats me by taking me out with a green shell, or a well timed peel/bomb toss.

Getting rid of coins, or decreasing their frequency, or not giving them to people who already have ten coins, or allowing an item to be held in reserve, or decreasing the frequency of triple red shells would all go some way to restoring a little more balance.

I like the chaos, but racing in 2nd/3rd/4th place in order to take advantage of superior items to overpower a more skilled racer up front shouldn't for my mind be a consistently reliable tactic in a well balanced game.

(BTW: I still love MK8)

The glowing blue antigrav tires glow orange once you build up an orange turbo boost now; am I just noticing it for the first time, or is it a new addition?

Love them!!!

I guess my point is that it's just how Mario Kart 8 is played.  It's the same concept that a headshot is a given that it does higher damage in FPS games, trying to hold onto an upper-mid position most of the race is the "headshot": it's the most effective way to do it.

I know some people want to lead and stay in the lead, but I don't get why people won't just accept that it's not the most effective strategy in Mario Kart, lol

Yes but a headshot takes more skill than a body shot so it makes sense that the tactic that requires the most skill is also the most effective.

I guess it harkens back to the original on the SNES when the game balance was more in favour of driving skill, at least when compared with the modern iterations. Like i said I'm happy with an element of luck but one shouldn't be consistently punished for being faster.

I'm happy to agree to disagree on this though :)

I would have to disagree that a headshot takes more skill, at least no in today's games where gunfire accuracy and recoil is so DRASTICALLY removed from its real life performance, haha

But yes, as a person who has played Mario Kart since the SNES, I see your point, but I've just went along with the changes and adapted to it

As someone who typically breaks ahead at the start and builds up a lead to win, I'm actually finding MK8 less punishing of skill than previous Mario Karts.

Blue shells have thankfully been nerfed, as have pity sex items like the star and bullet, making position more a matter of skill than just getting the right item.