Gaming MK7 unbalanced?

[em jay]

Trying to win 3 stars in my final grand prix (150cc Flower), and by any means of testing there seem to be a few optimal choices for faster laptimes:
Using the lightest drivers (ShyGuy, Toad, Koopa, Laikitu)
Acceleration/Handling type karts (Cloud 9, Clown, Egg...)
Wooden or Roller wheels
Super/Golden/Ghastly glider

This is because characters and karts that boost Handling are rarer as well as more useful, Weight is a useless drain on stats, Speed is underpowered (there is very little difference in measurable speed apart from the very extreme options), Acceleration is vital in races with lots of item hits, and if you're going OffRoad then you're driving badly, or looking to use a marginal shortcut.

Unless there is a style of driving that allows the Heavy/Speed type characters to do well that I am not aware of, Handling and Acceleration are by far the most important traits, leaving most other drivers and karts redundant for fast times.

There are a few exceptions such as Kalimari Desert where a high Speed/Off Road gambit works well, but for the most part this seems to hold true.

I guess what I would like most is to have somebody come on and tell me how to drive a Bowser/BDasher/Slick build quickly. Otherwise all I can do is lament the fact that it's not a PC game where I can go into the system files and mess around with the stats...

 

[RupeeClock]

Grand Prix races do favour acceleration over top speed, as you're going to get halted pretty consistently.
Getting back into the race is more important than maintaining a top speed, so light characters generally have an advantage over heavy characters.

This doesn't mean you have to go for TOP acceleration though, no no, you want to have ENOUGH acceleration. With the grand customisation available to featherweight and heavy characters alike, you have ample viability for whichever character you enjoy using.

MK7 in my opinion is actually very balanced. When it comes down to racers of very similar skill levels, and proper understanding of the mechanics regarding vehicle customisation, and knowing the track's optimal paths, it's up to items to break the mold.
And those items are actually quite fair, save for the dreaded blue shell. But even the Blue Shell can be avoided, or you can take a dive to instead be retrieved by Lakitu for a recovery speed boost.

Now, if we were talking about time trials, it's here where the heavy characters shine. Especially Metal Mario for having the smallest hitbox of all heavy characters.
Heavies can attain the best top speed, and acceleration is a non-issue when you can keep going for the entire race without care for items.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

all I can say is:

1- You dont need fast times to get 3 stars, you dont need to "win" every lap too, you just need to be on is as many time possible. If you win with 0,0000001 of advantage, but the race takes 1:50 minutes, is better for getting 3 stars than if you win with 10 seconds of advantage in a 1:40 race. (This is not true on wii version I'll keep this clear)

2- When you into getting 3 stars, you are on single player mode, so you will almost never be hit by anything (the only exception are the blue shells)

3- Heavy drivers drift less, and that means that you can do corners in a different way and in some tracks take advantage

4- If you boost start, and dont do mistakes, you will do better lap times with heavy drivers in tracks like snes Rainbow Road, GBA Bowser Castle 1, N64 Kalimari Desert and many others for example.

 

[em jay]

3- Heavy drivers drift less, and that means that you can do corners in a different way and in some tracks take advantage

How can you go faster with less drift?

 

[RupeeClock]

Kinda tricky to explain, but your turning style can be favourable or unfavourable for certain tracks.
Your drift actually either goes in, or out, and isn't to be confused with the handling. On top of that, it's a hidden stat.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

3- Heavy drivers drift less, and that means that you can do corners in a different way and in some tracks take advantage

How can you go faster with less drift?

left corner followed for a right corner and vice versa for example. You end the corner in better position to do the next one. It is also a kind of playing style. There are people that start to turn early, and there are other that like to start cornering late.

 

[em jay]

Kinda tricky to explain, but your turning style can be favourable or unfavourable for certain tracks.
Your drift actually either goes in, or out, and isn't to be confused with the handling. On top of that, it's a hidden stat.

I am aware of the hidden stats, and they seem to be even better for the lightweight drivers, giving them higher drift, miniboost, sea speed, air/sea handling...

But I can see how a chicane could be faster with high speed than turbo-drift.

 

[Wizerzak]

Just to add, when picking your acceleration customisations, bear in mind there is a glitch in MK7 with the stats.

Between all x.75 and x+1.5 (for example, 3.75-4.5) the acceleration stat is the same. Your acceleration does not increase until you hit the next x.75

So if you pick a set up of 2.5 acceleration, you might as well have picked 1.75 acceleration. Yet if you up it by just 0.25 more to 2.75 you acceleration will increase dramatically.