User blog:Noneunknown/Perspective

Just some thoughts on my time in the game itself.

I started in the Summer of 2014, and have been around for most of the updates for the most part. For the most part I have enjoyed my time in RR3, though there have been some rough times. I have seen many former regulars bow out, and watched the game evolve (and devolve as some people seem to note often). So without further ado, here are my recommendations:

Concept 1: Know what you want, but keep perspective. This is one of the most important ideas to have in mind when playing this game. It may seem like common sense, but I have seen it time and again: new and old players alike will decide to throw too many resources (time, GC, et. al.) at too few cars, and get caught with no cash left. As the updates pile up, they feel defeated, like they never can rebuild what they lost. Frustrated, most quit with an indignant rage essay and never return. Even I was a victim of this to a point. When the Group C LM update dropped a year ago, I thought I wanted the 787B, and so I spent myself exceptionally low, and still didn't win the Mazda. I almost quit (again) but then I realized something. I was wasting everything to try to win one car, instead of do what I really wanted, which was to win all the cars in the update, or at least most of them. But because of my shortsightedness, I not only wasted too much on the 787B, in addition I got so mad from the waste than I refused to try to win any of the other new cars in the update as well. My point is this: know exactly what you want out of this game. Whether it is 100% garage, 100% full upgrade, or just winning one car doesn’t matter; it is up to the individual player. What matters is that you know what you want, and you take steps to reach that goal.

Concept 2: This goes with the first concept, but is a bit more nuanced: Play the game, don't let it paly you. I am sure this sounds weird, so let me explain by referencing the general format of this game. This game is designed to catch and keep players by endlessly adding new cars and updates to try and maintain interest. This, coupled with the endless addition of new events requiring the new cars, breeds a mind set in the player that says "I need to win every car in every update just to stay competitive/ahead/et al." Like the previous concept, I too fell to this mentality for many years while playing. See, when inevitably I couldn't win a new car, I would get exceptionally angry, thinking the game was cheating me out of something. I remember the Gauntlet with the 570GT, and of course the 787B in specific, though these weren’t the only ones to be sure. At one point, I nearly threw my phone at a wall during the 570GT event, and almost rage-deleted the game again during the 787B event. Once I cooled off, I looked back at myself, and felt silly for getting so mad at a simple game. I realized I was letting the game play me, in this case my pride, because I told myself I was good enough to get every car, and it was all my fault if I didn't. I finally realized, to enjoy playing the game, I would play how I wanted, when I wanted. And I have enjoyed my time a lot more recently as a result. That is my point here: if you feel like the game is pressuring you to win something or buy something, don’t let yourself be tricked. Take a step back, cool off, and find your perspective, just like concept 1. After that, play the way you want, not the way the game wants you to play.

Concept 3: If I can, you can. Remember when I said I joined this game in Summer 2014? I didn't actually win a car from a special event until the Corvette Stingray from Stingray Evolution at the end of 2015, and that was after competing in almost every special event that had been offered up until that point. It took me about one and a half years of playing this game to win a car from a special event. I think my best rank ever was an extremely lucky Group C or D in WTTT, but I have never to date won GC from WTTT. Even with that, I have over 39 million R$ and over 3000 GC right now with 144 cars, with the luxury of picking and choosing when and how I get any car I want, all without ever spending real currency on this game ever. So my point is this: I am average as a driver, or slightly less, and even so, I have managed to succeed. If I was able to do this, then anyone certainly can with enough drive.

Concept 4: I left this at the end because it should be an important takeaway from my comments: Have fun, but keep moderation! This also seems like common sense, but I have had trouble with this concept, and many others have as well judging by the hate comments I have read over the years. Enjoy the game, but realize there are plenty of other fun and more useful things to do. I probably only play an hour a day, if even that, which leaves more than enough time for Bible study, family, work, et. al. Always take into consideration those around you, to the extent that, at the very least, this game never takes priority over them or even your own life, because that isn’t healthy. Read Romguyony's parting post for more commentary on the health effects and costs of letting the game take center stage in your life.

I don’t want to end on the melancholy note of health and this game, though, so just get out there, race, and have a good time. This really is a game, after all.....:)