Rattler's Guide to Fastest Game on Ice

rattler2 · November 2015

Hello all! Rattler here with some good tips for everyone's favorite gripe, the PvE daily race for the ship.

Now most veterans will already know how to run it, but every year threads pop up about how hard the race is. This year I have decided to head off these threads and provide tips and tricks for everyone! Other veterans are more than welcome to share their tips as well. It is the holiday season, and we are all players in the same game. We veterans used to be new as well after all.

Now... one thing to remember about Fastest Game on Ice is, you don't actually have to RUN the entire track. You're on Ice. It will be slick. Running flat out full speed will mess you up. Especially in the turns. However... there are places where it is safe to run. Also, the edge of the track is NOT a brick wall "you cross you fail". There is some leeway allowing for some minor corner cutting.

Race%20track.jpg

The lines indicate places you can run full out. The rest of the track will work with just basic jogging. It will take some practice, so I would suggest going a couple dry runs before taking "Fastest Game on Ice" to get a feel for the track.

Also... there are ways to kill momentum when sliding. One is the bunny hop. Just a short jump and you won't slide. Another is doing a roll. Just be aware that as you are on ice, it will take a moment to build up momentum again.

The NPC you are racing is pretty much on a rail and unaffected by the ice, but will not change speed.

Any more tips from veterans are welcome.

Happy holidays and see you in Q's Winter Wonderland!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKMgleUxD9w

delliboy · November 2015

God bless you. Thank you, sir.

rattler2 · November 2015

You're welcome.
Now if only we can get a sticky for this. lol

legendarylycan · November 2015

one thing about the bunny hop - make sure you take your finger off whatever key you are using to move forward (be that W, the up arrow or some weird key that no one else has ever used for movement in the history of video gaming) BEFORE you jump, otherwise you will continue sliding instead of coming to a dead stop

hyperionx09 · November 2015

Assign Ice Boots to your taskbar and activate it on the full sprints then deactivate them just before doing your hop or roll.

Alternatively, equip the Ice Boots and just walk most of the race; being aware of your skid rate with them on so that you can time it to glide straight into pointing into the next turn.

markhawkman · November 2015

It IS possible to sprint the entire race and NOT fail, the trick is to memorize the course and use drifting to redirect your momentum in curves. To do this right you need to precisely estimate the amount of course correction before entering the curve.

officerbatman81 · November 2015

I would advise against ice boots, thatll make it worse, and you dont need them.

What i do is jog, not sprint, from corner to corner where the markers are, and you can go on the outer edge where the snow is without going out of bounds.
And when the countdown starts press your foward key and you can start before the breen says go and youll get a head start from your competitor.
Doing this works fine, maybe with a lil practice.

hanover2 · November 2015

You can do it at a dead sprint.

Hold down both mouse keys for forward motion + steering. Tap <shift> in the straightaways for speed.

As you approach a corner, aim your toon in the direction you want to go. Make it look like you are running in place while sliding sideways. Double-tap 'W' when you hit the curve and they will break the laws of physics and immediately somersault straight in the direction they were facing.

With practice, you can turn square corners, arrest all skids, and always come out pointing in the right direction. It only looks like you're losing a lot of time when the somersault brings you to a dead stop. In reality, it's not any slower than sliding in a wide arc around every curve. You can beat the AI opponent every time this way.

And thanks, OP, for the illustration of how to straighten out the curves. That is solid advice right there.

rattler2 · November 2015

hanover2 wrote: »

And thanks, OP, for the illustration of how to straighten out the curves. That is solid advice right there.

You're welcome. I figured a tip thread would help everyone. Well... at least everyone on the forums. Hope everyone likes the provided music too.

rahmkota19 · November 2015

Another piece of advice: let Q change the way you look. This might be placebo, but I found the course much easier flying it as a Fek'Ihri than running it.

Also don't spam the start counter when multiple players are there. If you are the first to spam it, you will start the race off the track, thus an instant disqualification, thus having to pick it up again.

Other than that: don't panic, you got infinite runs.

gulberat · November 2015

Are you sure you don't get forced out of form now at the start of the race? I thought that feature was added one year.

rattler2 · November 2015

gulberat wrote: »

Are you sure you don't get forced out of form now at the start of the race? I thought that feature was added one year.

As far as I know its always been an issue. If there's too many people trying to get in, someone's gonna get disqualified because it doesn't put you on the track.

gulberat · November 2015

rattler2 wrote: »

gulberat wrote: »

Are you sure you don't get forced out of form now at the start of the race? I thought that feature was added one year.

As far as I know its always been an issue. If there's too many people trying to get in, someone's gonna get disqualified because it doesn't put you on the track.

I mean forced out of whatever shapeshifted form Q gave you.

rattler2 · November 2015

Oh that... no. It doesn't force you out. I enjoy running it as a Sehlat cub. KITTY RAMPAGE!

farmallm · November 2015

Thanks for doing this. I done it a few times since the first Breen ship. This should help the new comers on how to do it better.

Jumping and rolling does help on the turns and drifting. So I do a little bit of both. Usually the first few rounds is tricky until I get the rust off me. Then I'm really fast on it.

ssbn655 · November 2015

Good advice for novices. I will add that with practice you can run flat out through the course. You need to use a bit of skill to run in the opposite direction you are sliding not a 180 but just enough to counter the slide. It's tricky but can be done with practice.

hanover2 · November 2015

An etiquette request. If you see someone standing at the race coordinator, don't cut in front of them. Wait your ******* turn. Form a line if there are crowds. And pick a different spot to loiter if you don't intend to race.

farmallm · November 2015

hanover2 wrote: »

An etiquette request. If you see someone standing at the race coordinator, don't cut in front of them. Wait your ******* turn. Form a line if there are crowds. And pick a different spot to loiter if you don't intend to race.

True, this is what I do if I see a line there. I just wait until they all gone then click on the race coordinator.

storules · November 2015

markhawkman wrote: »

It IS possible to sprint the entire race and NOT fail, the trick is to memorize the course and use drifting to redirect your momentum in curves. To do this right you need to precisely estimate the amount of course correction before entering the curve.

Yes, and it is so much faster...before they made the ship reward account-bound I use to do this for all of my alts. So happy that now you only do it once per character and ALL your alts would get the ship. But for me there is no other way to do it than just sprinting the whole race...it also helps that way when you do The Fast and the Flurrious.

Lots of peeps are afraid of sprinting and just have to do it like anything else...more practice makes perfect.

lordsteve1 · November 2015

Something I've found of great help is equipping the counter-command exo-armour as it gives you a speed boost after a roll. So rolling to stop on corners and then sprinting will get you miles ahead.

Also, the track is freely open 24/7 so just go find an quiet instance with barely any players and keep practicing to learn that track. There's a lot of places where you can run flat out and learning the most efficient route with corners you can cut really helps you out.

Also on that final hairpin north of the gazebo on the map it's possible to cut the entire corner by going over the ridge between the two parts of track. Be careful not to cut too much as you can get disqualified but it is possible and cuts a huge bit of the final section.

lingeringsoul888 · November 2015

Thanks for the tip, I might actually be able to get the ship this year.

markhawkman · November 2015

farmallm wrote: »

hanover2 wrote: »

An etiquette request. If you see someone standing at the race coordinator, don't cut in front of them. Wait your ******* turn. Form a line if there are crowds. And pick a different spot to loiter if you don't intend to race.

True, this is what I do if I see a line there. I just wait until they all gone then click on the race coordinator.

Or zone hop until you find a quiet one.

markhawkman · November 2015

Meh, I'd rather save that for races where I tried and failed.(every now and then I'll get a lag spike when racing)

rattler2 · December 2015

Never heard of that trick...

papasez · December 2015

Excellent, thank-you OP and all tip providers for taking the time to share this info. I struggled last year before throwing my hands up and walking away. Armed with these tips I'm confident I'll get this years ship with a minimum of fuss.

Thanks again!

battykoda0 · December 2015

Be careful not to faceplant into the supports as you go under the gazebo right before the finish line. Coming to a dead stop, losing your momentum, and having to move sideways (or worse, backwards) to free yourself can cost you the run.

There is a ground trait that gives a small boost to run speed. Slotting that can really help in the straight line runs Rattler has marked on the map. Also, a new item that can be crafted that we didn't have last year is a weapon with the [Run] tag. Personally, I found the winter boots to cause many issues and avoid using them but your luck may vary based on skill.

legendarylycan · December 2015

there are actually TWO ground traits that boost run speed now; the delta one that gives +5% run speed, and one of the new terran ones that gives +melee damage and run speed (don't recall how much of each, though)

i think some of the command spec passives give extra run speed as well

waldotrek · December 2015

The Delta Rep is the Tier 1 Physical Conditioning. Thanks for answering my question before I could ask it. Also thanks for the guide. Always shy away from the race as it seems too hard.

battykoda0 · December 2015

shadowfang240 wrote: »

there are actually TWO ground traits that boost run speed now; the delta one that gives +5% run speed, and one of the new terran ones that gives +melee damage and run speed (don't recall how much of each, though)

i think some of the command spec passives give extra run speed as well

Thanks for the tip there! I will have to go read the new traits.

Rattler's Guide to Fastest Game on Ice

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