Bro’s been long dead for a while

I don’t, I dig Excitebike

excitebike haters unite ✊

If that's true then you've been dead for years

i gain those 5 years

That actually surprises me, ngl. It's crazy, since so many people supposedly hold Maple Treeway in such high regard.

@@HDRookie Fr, Maple Treeway is my favorite track so I was salty about having to play Excitebike instead. The troll tracks always get picked or ones that people genuinely hate like Baby Park, Excitebike, toad circuit, Tokyo blur, etc

No matter how good of a track is available people always pick that piece of trash oval

@@CeoOfBetttMaple Tree Way is also my favorite track from Mario Kart Wii. I like this track

HOW DID NO ONE PICK ACCELERATED TOILET?!

The greatest strategy

@@HDRookie I'm telling you, I'm no good at Electrodrome, but I'm picking it 70,000 times out of 70,000

Hope to see you return at some point. Try out a LAN some time if you can, totally different vibe than the online ladder and so much more personable.

Change us in uphill battle here, because the Japanese community seems mostly responsible for these trends. But discussion is how we start the change. We just gotta add more people to the side of reason 🙂

@@HDRookie I do wonder how the tracks that are the meta now even became the meta to begin with. Like what do people even see in rWS, Excitebike, MKS and more??

@@silverxks I think it has to do for the things I talked about around 2 mins in

@@HDRookie whoops

@@silverxks forgot to respond, but no biggie.

I somehow have the complete opposite, one person picks it and it always, gets, picked. (To race on)

@@kieronleonard4584 funny how things work😄

Tbh, seeing opponent data wouldn't stop people from going Excite Ike because the people who pick it probably win like only 51% of the time on it, haha But this data would be nice to show people what tracks are actually benefitting them.

Thank you! I do have some podcast episodes up in the past on here, but not sure if it what exactly you're looking for. I try to cover every MK topic possible, but it is tough to thoroughly go through entire topics in a timely manner. I feel like I've got to find a way to get stuff out faster for sure.

This is exactly the kind of thinking that helped AX also later on. We started picking the really difficult to drive courses and the unusual ones (like Piranha Plant Slide, Mount Wario, Bone Dry Dunes, Neo Bowser City, Dragon Driftway, Ribbon Road, etc.) I think in the long run that's what made teams like ours so dangerous to play against

​@@Nick867 Didn't know you did that on AX. Pretty neat. :)

Love it. This is a big part of a winning strategy. Play to your strengths and your opponents weaknesses. Be good where they do not expect you to be. Do not play fair. Well, I say that, and I'm still angry at the FIA for stifling innovation in F1 when teams developed active aero, active suspensions, or flexible aero. Similar problem in WRC, we got turbos and 4WD out of the prototypes that ran in the 80' and 90', but the car were also very fragile. There could have been a push for safety while keeping the pioneering spirit in performance alive, yet they chose to sterilise every aspect. Sorry for the rant.

why did you get banned lmaoo😭😭

The comment section is what we make these for. Glad I could help on your research!

Not many people cover subjects like this and I think it's because it isnt exactly popular. Glad to hear you enjoyed :)

Another Wave 1 enjoyer? Nice. Thanks for the kind words too!

There is only so much you can do as a bike player on Gorge. The best bikers in the world on it will still struggle at higher levels, I'd say

@@HDRookieWhat about Gorge makes it a bad track for bikes?

@@VMan776 I think it's because Bikes don't have super bounces which is really important of Gorge

@@VMan776 The whole track is made out of anti-inward techm, pretty much. Super bounces are everywhere due to the mushrooms, the gap cut is a monster for them, etc. All in all, it is the track from hell for inside drifters.

Welcome to the club 🙂

I do this strategy with Koopa Cape and Dragon Driftway as I am simply faster on that track than 90-95% of players on it and I know alot of the ways how the tracks play and I see alot of success with it.

I feel like Ice Ice Outpost is picked by exactly 1 person in all my matches, but it always ends up selecting it. I'm not a fan of it, but usually get decent results

Glad I could help out :)

TBH, I'm not even convinced that Wario Stadium is that advantageous in 6v6 either. Still very good, not sure if it needs to be an every match kind of track though. I'll talk about it next time for sure. The hard part is - it's played every war - but it seems to be the community's fault that it's overcentralizing, if anything. Not the actual reality of the game.

@@HDRookie This is why I specialize in regional lobbies. I love wars, but I swear 50% of the staple tracks are some of my least favorite in the game

@@HDRookieWhat’s the reason for it being picked so often in Lounges and Wars? I always liked the track but I’m not competitive

​@@agentblackbird9435theoretically very good for first place because of the large amount of coins at the beginning and lack of big shortcuts

@@agentblackbird9435 It has to do with the starting configuration, namely for coins. If you want a deeper dive, look up how to win Wario Stadium on my channel. I talk about the beginning of the race a lot there, and that translates a ton to 6v6 I'd say.

It all comes down to intention, really. I think the track is garbage but pick what you gotta pick, if it's working.

so real

Sydney Spirit & Dolphin Shoals enjoyers: 🕺🏻🎷

Moonview Highway and BC3 fans:

@@OrangeToadGamer i will always say that Sydney Sprint's song sounds like Specialist from Persona 4

i’d pick neo bowser city every time then lol

You're a good friend

Same when I play with my wife and kids, or my brothers. With the added challenge of using Petey on Badwagon with Monster Tires and Wario wing, instead of Rosalina Tripper Roller Paper. I'm in the process of switching to Male Villager, Tripper (Pipe still unavailable), Button, Paper for online play. I'm still "new" to the game, two months I got it, but I spent a lot of time playing MK DS and Wii, so some reflexes transferred, and I play MK8DX quite a lot more than my family does.

Honestly, you just choose tracks you want to learn and usually you become good at them. How did HD decided to become a Pinball team? Well, when enough of us played it and realized that no opponents were stopping us on it. Of course in the top division, it's easier to feel unbeatable on certain courses because there are just nobody to beat you sometimes. You just have to readjust if other teams catch up, but sometimes it doesn't happen. In middle divs, it is a trial and error thing. You should still be able to see when tracks are working, even when playing teams ordinarily above your skill level, I should say. Keep in mind though, teams can adapt and focus in on your strengths. That's the importance of staying fresh and finding new stuff to explore. Or even learning your opponent's tracks for yourself. As for lounge, a lot of things from 6v6 and lounge crossover. If you're fast on a track b/c you practice it for wars, it would make sense that it translates to lounge too. And that's fine, as long as you like it and feel like it's the best pick for you.

It is mainly an issue in a server for organized matches. There are some trends on what gets picked more in worldwide, but since there are only 3 options per race in worldwides, variety is not really an issue there.

This is a good approach toward improving at the game, for sure. And if you're playing a format like with SNS where you don't pick a track (kinda strange since I believe that used 12 switches, no split screen), it makes sense too. That said, I do maintain that if you find yourself in a do-or-die kind of situation, like a big tournament finals, or official match, picking your strongest tracks is definitely favorable. Really it comes down to the situation. There is time for practice, and it is necessary too. However, there are times where execution comes ahead all else.

@@HDRookie I wholeheartedly agree! Yeah, SNS uses 12 Switches with no split screen. I believe they were lifting the random only last year, but I could be wrong. They use the wireless multiplayer mode. Also, 200cc Baby Park for Losers Bracket is truly a wonder to see. I do have some strong tracks that I do choose in cases where I need to make the most of situations. While random keeps me on my toes, I do understand the importance and value of having a go to map that someone excels at. Glad you appreciate the approach and thanks for the feedback! Happy Racing!

I try not to let outside opinions influence my own. But track fatigue is a real thing for sure.

I def don't agree that Trainbow is the only option - but it is a polarizing one. I would argue that Tokyo is just as strong as a bottom spot runner as well, and there are plenty of shroom up courses in this game as well. I do plan to address this in the next vid I do though. I want to take a look at the history of counterpicking in 6v6, how Trainbow fits into that, if the game needs it, etc. But yeah, definitely a bit to talk about with 6v6 specifically.

Not all rare tracks will be good for you. But some definitely can be useful to you, I would say. Don't shy away from finding what works!

Maybe. City tracks are definitely "noobslayer" courses. But all ranked players are still familiar with them. You'd have to work a bit for an advantage, like with any track, really.

I think there are a lot of ways to win on it, and players find comfort in always having an avenue to win, perhaps

Keep in mind, that number is not actually the percent chance of a track appearing in a mogi. Once every 19 races doesn't mean it has a 1/19 chance of being picked. You'd need some slightly altered counting stats. The track order should still be maintained, however.

I think the correct calculation to convert a probability of occurring per race to probability of occurring per mogi is to do 100%-((100%-P)^12), so with 5.2% that would mean dEA appears in 47% of mogis.

@vike996 I had this thought too, but the numbers are still slightly off and the real ones are a bit more complex to get to (prob dont have enough info). P(dEA) =/= P(dEA | excitebike hasn't been picked yet), which is your error here. The 94.8% is still made up of races where dEA is an ineligible track to begin with, so it seems quite likely to me that it actually is played in a bit over 50%.

@@HDRookie ok you made me do the actual maths, assume that P is the number we get on Ito's website which represents how often the track is picked overall. Assume that T is the probability of the track being picked on race 1 of the mogi when there are no restrictions of track choice. We can show that P is the sum from i = 0 to 11 of (T*(1-T)^i)/12. If we plug in the value of P = 0.052 for dEA and solve for T, we can find that T = 0.078. We can then put this T value back into the formula I posted earlier to get back the probability that dEA occurs in a given mogi is 62.3%. This does not account for the fact that the probability of T will be higher for each successive race as other tracks have been eliminated from contention though, but it's too complicated to factor that in.

@vike996 The variance of T is why I didn't bother with wanting to do the Calc. But this overall number still seems a bit closer to what the actual percentage is for sure. That being said, I think it is absurd for a track to be played in over 3/5 of all mogis. Point doesn't change haha

There's a lot of bad regarding it. But also a lot of good, TBH.

I wouldn't say it's objectively bad still. In this case, the third path acts as a fail condition - just because it is least desirable, doesn't mean it has no use. Even for the glider at the start of the lap, something that'll never be used by a serious player, I would argue it doesn't hurt anything. If the track would play the same with or without it, I think that it's a neutral thing, not necessarily a negative. Overall, everything comes down to player preference still. Whether Ninja vibes with you personally is your call - that said, I do think there is a lot to like about it still despite having some odd design decisions.

Nobody really plays battle mode anymore because there wasnt dlc for it

I don't really participate in the battle mode server, so I don't think I'd be able to give an accurate reflection of what is picked over there. That being said, with only 8 stages, I imagine all of them get plenty of playtime.

@@HDRookie yeah, of all 8, only about 3 are top tier too. In reality, I just wanted you to hate on lunar colony

Why do you hate Ribbon road

@@bitstimandwesker8896 im not a fan of the waving road

​@@dracozeon_wii rainbow road has one too

This would be hard. There are many tracks that are probably underexplored. Wario Stadium and N64 Rainbow Road's advantage os just a bit more obvious

@@HDRookie Fair enough just thought a video/series would put a spotlight on underutilized maps

@@dariusbrawl3759 there's a lot I could say still, but I sint want to pretend to be an expert where I'm not is all. Got a lot of other projects to focus on first as well

@@HDRookie Fair enough

At least I actually like how SHS looks and feels

Actually, yes. Especially Excitebike, it requires a lot of skill. The issue with it in particular is that it surprises nobody. Sky High Sundae though, I agree, os simplistic. Somehow though, the players who have practiced it still seem to get better results though. Wouldn't be my go to track personally, but it can work.

I rarely ever play Bangkok tbh. I don't really mind it though

I fucking love SCS

Well they have balanced Deluxe a decent amount. The skill based driving mechanics of MKDS and prior were a bit of a gatekeeper for casual players to truly get into the series I think as well. Also, bikes are more than relevant in 8D's meta. By far the best balance they've ever had between karts and bikes here.

This is an underrated factor in all of this. Tracks do matter, but when players blame the game, they can't effectively throw any ideas of track strategy out the window saying that the reason they lost lies elsewhere.

Nothing wrong with MKS, as long as you're actually good at it and not just defaulting to it 👍

Hmm, I don't know. That might be a little too creative for me. But I have had thoughts about making custom tracks before. Maybe one day!

It is a decent gameplan and optimal for people who don't want to practice. It's pretty toxic for the health of the game though and limiting of player potential, imo.

@@HDRookie oh yea definitely

Yeah. It shouldn't have to be said out loud. There's a lounge hive mind though

That's exactly it. One of my friends was a local competitive Street Fighter player (almost all versions till last year). He was great with Guile, but always practised with 2 more characters just in case he'd face a bad matchup and needed to get the upper hand. He got yelled at a couple of times. 😂

Gold Mine definitely is one of the more simple tracks in the game. But I actually do think it's underexplored, especially in the new meta

im also inward bike and to increase your chance to pass the gap jump, using a star and a shroom helps a lot to take this cut you need a lot of speed, it's still possible with one single shroom but way more difficult than without the star (or without using a speed centered combo, like a heavy character for example) and i'm not talking about the one jumping over the fence because i've passed it like 3 times in my whole life lmao

also if you happen to gap jump, make sure to take the habit to activate your smart steering because you probably won't be able to make a turn before ending blocked in the rocks at the bottom of the wall on the roads right, it makes you lose a LOT of time because you'll have to drive backwards on the grass it's way slower than not jumping and you'll lose a lot of spots

This may be accurate for worldwide races, but ranked players definitely like it for other reasons

You can join the pink gold peach mains in hell. That is where you will learn

@@bitstimandwesker8896 I main Waluigi landship. Not for any stats, I just really like Waluigi and also I really like pirates

You would've driven me insane. That track was so overpicked on worldwide 😅

I wouldn't categorize any course as a mogi course still. At the end of the day, the community decides what is and isn't. And there is reason to question what's currently popular

Sometimes, but there's no rule for that. Often, playing as the same color can confuse opponents, but sometimes teams just prefer sticking to a specific one out of their own personal comfort.

Hey, you can do a lot worse than Water Park still (imo)

You would hate playing with me then 😭

I would say learning tracks definitely helps even more in those lower tiers for this very reason

He was spitting bars with that line. If everyone has superpowers, what makes them so super?

Music Park is great

Yo

Again. I don't think the track is the problem. It's the track's perception

Not liking a fan-favorite track is okay. Not Understanding why people like a fan-favorite track is not.

what is up, iP0STcomments

I actually wrote some notes down about it today. Probably some time after Momocon next weekend.

This track in particulair has been praised past death online, so I’m guessing it’s an overexposure thing

I always get screwed by the pinballs at the end tbh. Until I watched this video I didn’t know they had a consistent pattern

Both pinballs have an opposite pattern to each other. They only will hit 1 of the flippers every time. It can easily be studied, but sometimes the timing makes it hard. I like having a track that makes you adapt to a changing factor like that though, it makes the track feel dynamic, imo.

I of course agree, but I think the track has been insanely good in every game it's been in. While popular casually, it seems that popularity just hasn't translated to comp play which is strange considering it has really high potential in comp, imo.

Personally I prefer playing 6v6 for this reason, you get more control over what is selected collectively as a team and it allows you to actually experiment rather than just sitting in the back and complaining about others lol

So much to unpack here. Let's try to go one by one. How a game is 'meant' to be played is not particularly relevant. If players have a certain way to gain enjoyment out of a game, good for them. Gran Turismo holds little to no interest to me. It is a completely different game. I enjoy the driving elements in Mario Kart, but I also enjoy the items on top of it. They make it much more interesting to me, because races force you to interact with your opponents / try to hit them. I don't play this game to just time trial online. I like it for a multitude of reasons, in which driving is one factor. For the record, Smash was designed as a party game also, with items on as well. Your entire perception of it being a serious game is because the community, like ours, has turned it into a game that is played that way. At its core, it was designed to be a casual 4 player couch game with items, chaos, smash balls, etc. It's cool that there are players that play it in a different ways, and it is competitively deep too. But the same actually goes for MK. The presence of RNG does not make a game inherently uncompetitive. A matter of fact, understanding risk and how it works requires a lot of skill. Turning items off would make the game not worth playing in my mind. Traditional racing games aren't a replacement. Perhaps GT is more skill oriented, but it doesn't make it necessarily more worth playing. As long as Smash players or MK players aren't ruining the game for others, I don't see the issue. I don't go online to play top combinations in worldwide, I stick to private lobbies if I want to play to win. I understand that many people play this game for different reasons, and I want to be respectful to all types of players. I don't pick MK to counterpick players either - this was an analogy to FGC if anything. If I am trying to win, I'm going to pick my best courses. If my opponents aren't strong on that track, it is likely to remain my best track until opponents get better on it. That often just happens for tracks that aren't commonly played though.