Sunday Driver trait is not balanced

[bpdlr]

First of all, I should point out that I'm a big fan of the Driving Skill mod, it's one of those mods I feel should be part of the base game.

 

According to the Wiki, Sunday Driver limits the max speed you can drive at to 30 mph, whereas Speed Demon increases your car's max speed by 115%. Why isn't Sunday Driver percentage-based as well?

 

As it stands, no matter which car I find or how high I progress in the Driving skill, I am still limited to 30mph. If it was percentage based, let's say 50% of top speed, and I was driving a sedan that maxes out at 60mph, I'd be getting the same 30mph top speed. However if I managed to find a sports car that can do 80mph I could then reach 40mph. With the Driving Skill mod at level 5 (15% increase to top speed) I could then get 35mph and 46mph respectively, or at max level I could get 39/52mph. I understand the fastest car has a 135mph max speed, so with 50% Sunday Driver and max Driving skill this would be nerfed to about 88mph (or 68mph without the mod). This is still a huge penalty considering the trait only gives you one point.

[Shakesbeere]

If it's balanced or not (or if it's good design for that matter) I'll leave to you to decide for yourself, but the limiting to a hard number and percentage on these traits does make sense.

 

A sunday driver isn't limited by their car, they just wish to drive leisurely and choose not to go above 30mph. A speed demon wishes to go as fast as possible and is limited by the possibilities of their car, so it makes sense it scales percentage based instead of absolute. With the current naming it makes sense to me. But I have no feelings about the balancing of it as I haven't used either trait in a very long time.

[bpdlr]

37 minutes ago, Shakesbeere said:

If it's balanced or not (or if it's good design for that matter) I'll leave to you to decide for yourself, but the limiting to a hard number and percentage on these traits does make sense.

 

A sunday driver isn't limited by their car, they just wish to drive leisurely and choose not to go above 30mph. A speed demon wishes to go as fast as possible and is limited by the possibilities of their car, so it makes sense it scales percentage based instead of absolute. With the current naming it makes sense to me. But I have no feelings about the balancing of it as I haven't used either trait in a very long time.

 

By that "real-world" logic you're implying that a speed demon is able to get 15% more speed out of any car... It would make more sense to give characters with the Speed Demon trait a buff for travelling at high speeds (e.g. reduced unhappiness) rather than making them break the laws of physics. I think however this comes down to gameplay - being hard-limited to 30mph is just way too harsh a penalty for the measly +1 points the Sunday Driver trait gives.

[Shakesbeere]

Again, I don't think the traits have any meaningful use, especially in multiplayer where I play the vast majority. However it is not physics bending that I think is implied here.

 

The speed demon is simply not scared to take a corner at screeching speeds. The sunday driver might be too scared. Or have no experience for that matter. I certainly have both types of people in my family.

Of course it raises the question "why wouldn't anyone speed up in a life or death situation?" and I think the answer is "it's still a game and why implement a boost system of some kind for a simple trait". Gotta draw the line somewhere.

 

It's not perfect in it's logic but it makes sense. Is it a good trait gameplay wise? Both of them are not useful to me in my situation.

[bpdlr]

My idea of a Sunday Driver is one that is cautious, afraid to push a car beyond its limits or their own, not someone who sticks rigidly to a set 30mph limit out of fear. Even the most timid of drivers will go faster given a powerful car and an open road. A speed demon can push their car faster because they have confidence, not because they can magically increase a car's horsepower by 15%. By the same token, a sunday driver should be able to go faster if they know the road is clear and their car is capable. As for taking corners, a boost to speed is if anything a hindrance and ultimately it's the skill of the driver (player) that determines whether they crash or not.

 

Of course, this is a purely gameplay-oriented mechanic so a 15% speed increase makes sense for a mere -1 penalty. My point is that a set 30mph limit is too much of a malus for a +1 reward.