Talk:Speedrush TV Challenge - Season 4/@comment-173.239.232.48-20190516035630/@comment-27123099-20190516160814

You summed up my feelings pretty well with this post as well.

To what you've said above, I'll add the following (which was also touched on by MulTvers's post above). I think one of the most frustrating parts of the way the game works now is the fluid difficulty level based on how many upgrades you have. Not only do the goals change (for speed and time events) depending on how many upgrades you apply. But, also the bot difficulty changes as well (for events with other bots). If you have fewer upgrades, the bots and goals are significantly harder. Add a few upgrades and the bots and goals magically become more achievable.

This is most readily apparent on the very edges of the recommended PR. I'll bring up MulTvers's post a little above again, as it's a common tale we've all seen before. He struggled on 7.2 at all 3's for a while. All 3's is a little below the recommended PR for 7.2. With a fair amount of skill, an above average player "should" be able to pass it. That is, if the game were being fair. Instead, frustration mounts as each retry is unsuccessful. Close, but just no cigar. So, then you finally decide to throw 1 more upgrade onto the car, pushing you over the recommended PR and now magically, you pass 7.2 in a few tries. What changed?

We all know from WTTT that adding a single upgrade does not translate to much in the way of decreasing lap times. But, magically, it makes enough of a difference to suddenly make passing 7.2 (in this case) dramatically easier.

What's happening is clearly visible and it takes away from the challenge of the game frankly. It's no longer about how skilled you are (did that one upgrade suddenly make you a much better driver?), it's about whether or not you spent enough to satisfy FM for them to allow you to pass. They have a huge wall set up at the recommended PR, if you're below it, prepare for massive headaches. If you're above it, clear sailing ahead. Again, little wiggle room there for skill to change the balance, despite being what SE's were designed for all along, to showcase skill.