Hydro Thunder Oddities

[DaytonaUSA]

So I've been trying to complete Hydro Thunder on the Dreamcast again without using any type of cheats (like the infamous ?PB highscore cheat). I've been actually doing VERY well, and have gotten in first on each of the tracks on Easy, Medium and Hard with the exception of Venice Canals.

 

It's one of my favorite games of all time, but there seem to be some issues. First off, I've encountered some major weirdness with 1st place times. That meaning, I've gotten 1st on some events when I have a highscore time that's not very good, while my highest highscore only got me in 4th place. Concidering I did better in time (which is really the most important thing in Hydro Thunder) I don't understand why I did better with a lower time especially when the boats seem to be a specific distance from each other making sure there's always 1-4 boats at the end of the race you need to beat instead of you easily cruising past the finish line.

 

Proof of this oddity is a glitch I've found a couple times now. Once on Arctic Circle and another on NY Disaster, I've gotten the ship to have infinite boost with no cheats entered or anything. Here's the odd thing, when I had infinite boost, while I got in 1st, it was always by the skin of my teeth.. which makes no sense.

 

First off, is the system based on how well you do, so if you mess up early on it'll be easier at the end, or visa versa? And second, has anyone encountered the infinite boost glitch before? It's not from the start of the level.. it usually starts at my 1st, 2nd, or 3rd boost I hit. If I get a boost while it's infinite boosting, it just adds the boost on the meter, but it still doesn't go down. I can tell you that racing NY Disaster with infinite boost is a MAJOR thrill ride (and infinite jumps, which help). The patrol boat in NY Disaster was able to be hit before I even got to the sewer pipe. But since I wasn't supposed to do that, it kept magically speeding up and hitting the back of my boat, which since I was boosting, made it fly away and the people scream .. over and over and over. The same thing happened with the fishing boat in Arctic Circle. I hit it before it hit the ramp on the boat, which it didn't like, so it kept trying to catch up. It also didn't go off the big ramp next to the tanker because of this.. it ended up going around it to get in front of me while I was in the air after taking the jump.

 

Another weird thing is that some boats are slicker than others (not as much friction on the boat). When you take the ice shoot short cut in Arctic Circle, you got kinda fast. But if you take that same short cut in the boat Damn the Torpedoes, you go so fast that you literally go a half mile in about 3 seconds.. it's almost hard to believe the frame rate kept off, that's how fast it goes. Also, Damn the Torpedoes has a tendency to want to go underwater on Ship Graveyard and Lake Powell when you come down from hard jumps (though, not any other track weirdly enough). It stays underwater, which also slows you down really badly, unless you do the Boost Jump to get out.

 

Just some observations. It appears the game is very very buggy, and the AI doesn't make a lick of sense. Why I can have my best time on a track and not even get in 4th is beyond me.. but my 4th best time is a 1st place win! haha

 

 

Also, if anyone knows a good way to get 1st on Venice Canals, please let me know. I'm having problems with that one. I can't get better than 3rd.

[Kripto]

A friend and I had truly vicious competition on Venice Canals with me finally taking first with 3:28 I believe (It's been a long time...). The amount of practice need to achieve that was pretty serious and I actually had the winning run on video tape to show my competitor.

 

Hydro Thunder on the DC will actually teleport AI boats ahead of you if it deems it needed. You can sometimes witness them falling from the sky to the left or right of your boat.

 

The best thing to do with enemy boats is to avoid any contact what-so-ever. Even when your ship has "Mighty Hull" active, collisions will slow you down.

[DaytonaUSA]

Haha, ok I'll keep trying.

 

Btw, on an unrelated note, I finally unboxed my brand new Dreamcast. I've never had a new one before, and the texture, buttons, triggers.. all feel amazing! I feel like I went back in time haha.

 

Btw, it came with a Generator Vol 2 disk, and the sleeve says there's a Legacy of Kain demo on here, but I don't see one. Is this a typo, or do I have to unlock it somehow or what? Every other game listed on the sleeve is on the disk, so I'm lost.

[+Cafeman]

Venice Canals was the toughest. You are boost-jumping over the early-track walls right? Essential.

 

ANother glitch in the DC version is sometimes the boost meter sticks, giving you infinite boost. That's how I came in 1st on at least 1 level.

[DaytonaUSA]

Venice Canals was the toughest. You are boost-jumping over the early-track walls right? Essential.

 

ANother glitch in the DC version is sometimes the boost meter sticks, giving you infinite boost. That's how I came in 1st on at least 1 level.

 

Lol did you read my post? I mentioned the boost meter sticking . Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll stick on that level. Yea, I boost jumped over the early walls and I take the later shortcuts, but no dice... it's very very frustrating. haha

[+Cafeman]

Lol did you read my post? I mentioned the boost meter sticking . Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll stick on that level. Yea, I boost jumped over the early walls and I take the later shortcuts, but no dice... it's very very frustrating. haha

 

oops, I was tired last night and just quickly skimming, and I missed that paragraph about infinite boost!

 

Its been a while since I played DC Hydro Thunder competitively (but I just got HT Hurricane, another topic!). But I remember the winding Venice canals, that the 1st thing you gotta do is boost jump over the snaking walls. Also, I remember after that, there are a few curves that you can boost jump across the corner, and if your boat hits it right, you slide very quickly. I can't remember the tail end of the course. For me, it was very crucial that the correct boat was chosen, and I'm pretty sure that Tidal Blade was the one I did the best on here.

[Kripto]

Oh yeah, boat choice is obviously super-important...

 

For me, I found that Thresher handled the best on all courses except for Greek Isles, on which I set my highest time using the Area-52 alien boat (whatever it was called).

 

The bonus boat Tiny 'Tanic was hilarious but not very useful. I love the way the rear smoke stack tilts back to be become the booster...

[DaytonaUSA]

Haha, yea actually Tiny Tanic was the one I got my first infinite boost on. It is a very funny ship, but controls like what you'd expect it to.. horribly.

 

I know this sounds silly, but every course (but venice obviously) that I've gotten 1st place in, has been with Damn the Torpedoes. I know it's not the fastest, but it's the best feel for me. The other ones are either too loose or too tight. For a beginner ship, it's VERY nice. You must be very talented.. I couldn't do the Area 52 alien boat to save my life.. that and the hover boat are near impossible for me to master.

 

I'll try the jumping over the walls.. I miss understood you guys, and I thought you were talking about the stair case in the beginning. Now that you mention the snaking walls, it all seems too easy. I bet I can beat it if I do that.

 

I'll get back with you. TOTALLY enjoying the brand new Dreamcast! . I'm so glad I opened it.. oh, and it' is freakishly QUIET! I'm shocked. I don't know if it gets louder with use, or if I just have a newer model than my last one, but for a Dreamcast it sounds like it's not even on .

 

 

Also, if anyone knows why if Legacy of Kain isn't on the Vol 2 Generator Disk, please let me know.