By now most folks with a beta code have at least had the chance to get their feet wet with the multiplayer mode of Blur. If not, don’t despair — that’s what the weekend is for, and this beta will continue into April. I’ve seen a few bugs so far and you may have too; that’s where the “beta” part comes in, of course. Just by playing you are helping generate data that Bizarre can use to fix things, but if you take a few moments to fill out the survey, you can help even more. If it helps, I will make you feel guilty. You are playing for free and this survey is all the developer asks in return. :)
They only seem confusing if you're standing still.
A few people have contacted me to say they are enjoying Blur’s racing but they are overwhelmed by the power-ups and not really sure about which icons do what stuff. Bizarre already has an excellent visual guide to each power-up and what they do, so if you have not seen that, check it out. (And if that doesn’t help you keep all the icons seperated in your mind, maybe these wallpapers will.) However, I will chime in with a few things I’ve learned that I find useful:
- Every weapon has an alt-fire, and I don’t think most people are using them yet. For weapons that are normally forward-firing (like the Shunt and Bolt), pull down on the left stick and hit A to fire it behind you. Similarly, you can launch normally rear-dropping mines forward like a missile by pressing up and A. The reverse Shunt is not a homing missile, but it’s good for taking out tailgaters.
- Also excellent for taking out tailgaters is the Nitro’s alt-fire, an air brake. Instead of simply zipping forward at blinding speed, if you pull down and press A, you stop cold for a second — just long enough to adjust your steering, or just long enough to make the sucker behind you ram into your back bumper for damage, depending on your play style. Then the nitro kicks in as normal. The only thing you lose is a tiny bit of time, so it’s a strategic choice.
- Power-ups can destroy other power-ups. For instance, if you’re trying to outrun an incoming shunt that’s creeping closer in your rear-view mirror, reverse-fire a Shunt back at it and you’ll destroy it. You can also shoot two Bolts backwards at it, or use a Barge once it’s in range.
- Barges are also useful for removing mines from the track. Squeal past one and Barge it when you’re near, and poof — it explodes. Then again, that makes the most sense if you’re about to hit it head-on; if you can get around it, maybe you should leave it there for the next person, hoping that they can’t.
- The second turn on Barcelona, onto the bridge, is almost always going to be chaotic — the first few power-ups are in play, and there’s a section of the track there to the left without a guardrail. A well-time Barge will take someone out; don’t let it be you. But since this section of the track takes a few seconds to navigate, the congestion actually buys you some time; hold back a little, see who gets which powerups, then target the unprotected drivers.
- Don’t forget that the Shock power-up is really only useful if you’re at the back of the pack — it launches electrical attacks in front of the race leaders, hopefully zapping them and slowing them down. You will likely not see it do its work, but don’t assume that it’s not working.
- You can dump any unwanted power-up by tapping the Y button. This frees up one of your three slots for something new, but keep in mind that the ejected power-up remains on the track for someone else to pick up. There’s a good chance that whatever you dump will be used against you in short order.
As I promised, I’ll be online tonight at 9pm EST/6pm PST to trade paint and power-ups with any and all comers.
