I'm making this post after speaking with many people from though l meet ingame, and streamers who I've watched and spoke with to try and help.
I'm sure that someone somewhere has made a post about what l'm about to say, but l feel that it should be brought up again, and again, and again. Simply because what Ghost Games and E.A. have decided to put into Heat has good potential, but i'm unsure if they just haven't released it yet, or haven't thought it through fully. But before heading into the problems the game has,
What Heat has got going for itself.
Day Racing:
The racing CAN be fun if you push aside the problems and issues it has, trying to push yourself to get the best time you can with the car your in for that track, then move on. Then locate back to the Garage and figure out what part you can change out to make things faster. Going at it in the time trials against those in the same crew as you race over and over again to claim the top spot until it can't be beat. A way to grind money to buy parts, cars, and customize said car. Being able to race without traffic bothering you or getting in your way. The only thing you have to contend with is the A.I. that you are meant to race against, unless you have other players join your match. But l'll get into that soon enough.
Night Racing:
Racing for Reputation is the only way to unlock parts and cars, and some people only come here to unlock those parts to get what they want. Which means pushing to 50 to get ultimate+ parts, and to get there means keep racing and messing with the cops to do so. But to get those sweet parts in the end, you need to build up your heat level to Tier-3, then even higher to Tier-5 and head into Heat races for those parts. After which you head back to save those parts, then head back out again and again.
And thus that is mostly what it has for the time being, and looking at it just from that point of view it isn't such a bad game. BUT the game is lacking in so many fields from what it's got to what it NEEDS. And from here on out I will speak from what they have, and what they NEED to put in, what they need to FIX in order to salvage/save this game from its ultimate fate of just being tossed aside. And whether or not this will happen or even be seen is a crap shoot.
To save/salvage the game read from here down: All of this comes from many different games over the years.
This may come to be a lot of things.
Changes to Day Time:
Freelancing/Hiring:
Allow those who wish to not join a crew something to do. By freelancing into a crew the player can earn more cash and help the Crew.
Drag racing: People rather enjoyed this sort of racing.
Sprint Time Trials: This and the one below should be in the same race as they are nearly one in the same.
Speed Trap Trails: This and the one above should be in the same race as they are nearly one in the same.
This can mark who is the fastest in both time and speed and let's admit it, we all know people have an ego to want to claim such.
Sponsor Racing: To make things cheaper in buying cars, parts, and getting free things.
Spectating: Let the players watch other who are racing if they wish to.
Photo shoots: To earn money without having to race, to show off that car they spent time on customizing and have it as a loading screen maybe, or something of the like.
1-on-1 Hill Climb: This should be something that allows players to go at it as the name says. The counter part to the Night scene But just without Traffic really.
A Crew Bank and Crew Garage: This will play in part for different aspects for both day and night.
Tournament system to mark a top crew: From all categories.
Giving crews a reason to race together, to bring in the PvP side of the game during the day, by having the crew pay to join the tournament, the price and vary depending on the tournament, and push it over multiple races with points and in the end of it place the top crew as Champions of the Palm City.
Now you can use the tournament as the Showdown, or you have planned for it. But SHOULD have put in from the start.
Now onto the Night: And what should be placed into the game.
Some the things placed here are things you would expect to find in both night and day.
Loss of Reputation if Busted: In the start of the game, Ana tells you how rep is everything, and getting caught means losing that rep. But all you lose is the rep you would have gained. But you also lose money. Which l get, you have to pay a fine, you keep your car, but you should also lose the Rep you had before. *nods.* But is also a double edge sword, people can love it, but also HATE this idea l am sure.
Never Lose Heat: Now what should happen is when player gains heat, why should it be lose just because player went into the garage? Like how the Cops just magically "Forget" all about what happened. Before in say "Most Wanted" from 2005 if you had heat, you wouldn't lose it. The car that you used kept it. Which should be used here... Well, at least until you get busted. And if it gets to much you should lose your car and the parts in it if the traffic fines/violations. Though it would suck to lose such a sweet car, but if you think about it... In one of the missions you see Ana lose her car, but you NEVER do. And thus, the fun of night running comes with its risks. And this is just one of them.
Pinkslip Racing: To some racing with the chance of winning a car or truck from another player is more fun.
Race Betting: To allow players bet who can win.
Spectating: Let the players watch other who are racing if they wish to.
Sprint Time Trials: This and the one below should be in the same race as they are nearly one in the same.
Speed Trap Trails: This and the one above should be in the same race as they are nearly one in the same.
This can mark who is the fastest in both time and speed and let's admit it, we all know people have an ego to want to claim such.
Photo shoots: To earn money without having to race, to show off that car they spent time on customizing and have it as a loading screen maybe, or something of the like.
Freelancing/Hiring:
By hiring someone outside the crew the crew and earn Reputation without having to race, and the player who doesn't want to be in a crew can earn more Reputation
1-on-1 Downhill Racing: This should be something that allows players to go at it as the name says. The counter part to the Day scene.
Territories And Territory Control between Crews: This is one of the bigger parts that need/should be put into the night scene of the game because it gives Crews a stronger reason to battle one another for control, and from it they can gain things from it. But what that gain is can range into different things. And claim those who conquer all of the territories can claim to be Kings/Queens of the Night. And so every few months or so maybe less or more rest it. Think of this of a tournament ish, or a conquer style. Cops taking out the crews players works to take away their territory.
This part plays part of the Title of both night and day scene of Champions of Palm City and Kings/Queens of the Night.One of the things that can be given is allow them to pick or make a new race and name it after their crew.
This is more of a gray area:
Bring back NFS 2015's style.
Build
Crew
Drift
Speed
Outlaw
As this had meaning to it where you earn a very very low amount of Reputation and was rather fun as well.
This area is more focused to FIXING the problems people have.
Cops: How they are now.
They are just WAY to Overpowering and l get it, 'Why can't cops get fast cars?" But to this idea, there is almost NO difference between a Tier-1 Crown Vic and a Tier-5 "Cross's" pursuit cars other then looks. I've seen streamers with top end cars have H-5 and a crown vic keep up with them going nearly 190mph. They do so much damage to you, and you do VERY little to them even with the Damage Increase mod on, making it pretty much useless. Which makes people take Damage Reduction and Repairs only. But l get that a cop car would be made to take a hit, but when you think about it. Would the Cities budget really sport so many of them? And your telling me how a player can't do the same who's budget can be even higher? Because right now the only way to really deal with cops is to ramp over water ways, ramp into and out of the Race Track, or find those long jumps out in the sticks which is few and between. Turn their car/truck into a battering ram if they see a cop coming at you and aim for their car door, or rear tire and hit them as hard as they can and try to disable them before they can get into the chase. OR to avoid and go around the cop and out run then before they can accelerate up to you. {Which is GODLY if you ask anyone.} And they can pit you like you are on ice, but when you try to do the same to them, its like hitting a tank.
Fix how cop cars SPAWN on the player, set them to spawn around the corner, or farther down the road. Because I've seen how their spawn on top of, in front of, or even right inside your car. I've even had one spawn inside my car and "YEET" my car through the air.
Remove the silly radar on players car, and place it on the cop car. Why Ghost thought this would be a good idea is a mystery to me and others. Making it more a focused cone then a wide circle makes WAY more sense.
How to fix the cops:
Tier-1 Cops: Do more damage, but harder to pit out, slower can harder to keep up and be the toughest to take out, because come on. Who ever seen a Crown Vic match a Super Car
Tier-2 Cops: Have slightly less damage, go faster, and be slightly easier to pit out, and slightly less tough
Tier-3 Cops: Be a balance between Tier-1 and Tier-5 cars
Tier-4 Cops: Have less damage but keep up with higher end cars, and easier to pit out due to much higher speeds from being lighter in weight and have less toughness
Tier-5 Cops: Have the lowest Damage, but THE highest speed out of all the cops, lowest toughness and easier to take out, but come in packs, and meant to chase and keep the player in sight rather then take out the player, call in other units, rhinos, road blocks, rolling road blocks, even giving them killswitchs to counter their lack of damage.
Fix Drifting as its not REALLY drifting in NFS:Heat, and laughable if anything. NFS2015 had a very good system for it. IT felt more real to it and worked so much better then Heats system of drifting. And putting in inertia drifting where you can chain/link drifting into a more art form and style then what you got here. Because its like those who thought of this system has no clue what drifting it. Because drifting and using inertia drifting to chain/link corners together to score more points is how it should be. Because l watch streamers just weave the car from one side to the other over and over {Which makes me want to slap someone} to get the most out of it because its what they HAVE to do.
Fix the order of witch you unlock cars in the game. Because there are some cars you unlock at reputation 20 when you should get them from reputation 1 to 5, even up to reputation 10. Because you get some pretty quick cars VERY early on which makes a lot of the other cars useless.
The story needs in itself isn't a bad idea, but lost it's way, as it makes it seem like its's one thing, but then take a left turn and focus's more on how corrupt the police are. But forgets everything about the Showdown, the League, and Eva Torres. Is this meant to be something that comes in DLC, or in another game? if so that is pretty silly thing to do as the story right now is pretty weak as l've watched streamers skip it because there isn't much there to make the player care. The idea of a good is there, but just not focused on to its fullest potential.
And last, though l do see this more to be slapped away. Give the player a stronger start. Allow them to pick where they come from, Olympic City, Bayview, Rockport, Palmont City, and Ventura Bay. {For those who don't know, those are locations of NFS: Underground, NFS: Underground 2, NFS: Most Wanted, NFS: Carbon, and Need for Speed 2015, which where some of the games that built up this games title. Though Need for Speed 2015 wasn't one that helped built it, but does bring back that feeling of that underground/outlaw feel of the game of racing the streets}. Allow the player to pick between being a cop, or to be a racer would be rather fun, and give more story, as they would get a story of the police or the racer, or both if they wish to. But this would mean giving players the option of trying to bust the players by chasing after them and calling in AI cops, or to run from them. Thus builds even more PvP for the game in general as well.
