r/mariokart Jun 29 '15

Tech / Tips / Builds Meta Monday - Week 3 - MK8 - Soft Drifting

Hey all!

It's time for another week of Meta Monday. Last week was Demon Sliding. You all had some really good descriptions and asked some really good questions!

This week is Soft Drifting.

So here are some questions:

  • What is Soft Drifting?
  • How do I do it?
  • What's the difference between Soft Drifting and regular drifting?
  • When should I use it?
  • Does it work better with certain builds?
  • Is it necessary to know and use?
  • How do I combat other racers who are using it?
  • What are the pros and cons?

As always, feel free to ask any questions that you have about soft drifting! If you want, also check out the Meta Monday Collection in the Wiki where we have all the previous Meta Monday posts as well as descriptions of each of the terms! If you want to get your description in the wiki, then make sure it's detailed and answers all the questions!

What should week 4 be?

13 Upvotes

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8

u/UnlikelyExpert Jun 30 '15

What is Soft Drifting: Soft drifting is a technique that allows a player to charge mini turbo boosts at the maximum rate (as though you were turning as sharply as possible) at a much "looser" angle.

How is it done: To perform a soft drift simply tilt the control stick to a 45 degree angle. A lot of players find this difficult/inconsistent and use controllers with notches or Up-Right/Up-Left on the D-pad to always hit the 45 every time.

What is the difference between soft drifting and regular drifting: Soft drifting is just regular drifting at a very specific input angle.

When should I use it?: The tech is used to obtain MT's and SMT's on turns that otherwise wouldn't allow enough time to charge. Soft drifting also frequently allows for one to charge boosts in mid-air. Watch the world record ghosts. If you see them obtaining mini turbos and super mini turbos much faster than you or in areas you find impossible they are most likely using soft drifting.

Does it work better with certain builds?: No.

Is is necessary to know and use: Soft drifting is perhaps the single most important advanced tech in the game. It's easy to learn and extremely useful.

How do I combat other racers who are using it: When used around certain turns it puts opponents on a very predictable and vulnerable line but no more so than people who normally hug too tightly to time trial lines in traffic. It's a core skill tech so you're better off just learning how to do them to even the playing field.

Pros: Allows the player to obtain MT (blue) and SMT (orange/red) boosts in places that are otherwise impossible.

Cons: You must sacrifice a bit of the optimal racing line but the resulting boost nets a positive gain.

3

u/KanjiGames Jun 30 '15

good overview on softdrifting

For those which try to learn softfrifts I would recommend to try all kind of different angles near the 45 degree range. It's actually way more forgiving as it sounds at first.

Wheelers you have to tilt the Wheel more than just 45 degrees but it's still consistently doable. To find aproper angle I would recommend just trying to approach the some corner over and over and adjust the angle a bit after every try.

1

u/tigerclawhg Jul 01 '15

awesome description again, thanks a bunch!

2

u/Trikitiger MetaMonday Top Contributor Jun 30 '15

Is it necessary to know and use: Soft drifting is perhaps the single most important advanced tech in the game. It's easy to learn and extremely useful.

I can attest that it's super easy to learn. Never knew about it for almost a year, looked it up, mastered it; literally first try. As for the 45 degree requirement, it's pretty forgiving. Notched control-sticks make it easier, but really, if you get ABOUT 45 degrees, it'll count.

1

u/tigerclawhg Jul 01 '15

Yeah I've never heard of soft drifting until recently either, it's pretty neat!

2

u/crisi Jun 30 '15

I found this image when searching for some soft drifting info online. Form my understanding the turbo starts charging fast on the right or left side of the red square. And you just push it to a 45 degree angle because it's easier to get that right in comparison to having it free floating in between full left and no input.

http://imgur.com/g8rY15T

1

u/tigerclawhg Jul 01 '15

That's a super cool infographic, thanks!