Trials HD on the XBox 360 is fun!

[George]

Anyone else playing this?

We got an Xbox 360 for Christmas and my kids found this demo that came with the system. Pretty cool. Before that we were just putting discs in the slot and didn't know there were demos built in. Given the apparently online capability of these, that's pretty smart marketing.

I went to my local game store and bought the disc to get the full game and have been having too much fun late at night wrecking motorcycles in all kinds of cool and gruesome ways - exloding oil cans, falling into fiery pits, being impaled on steel poles, etc.

Give it a try if you haven't. The basics are really easy to learn and the controls couldn't be simpler. Well worth the $10 or $12 I paid for it.

Dig the demo right here!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TGUvbNYOb5E

The only bad thing - if you have an older, smaller TV (like my 36" CRT in the basement), some of the text on screen is impossibly small, but you can figure out the game without it. The Level Editor is pretty much unusable on a TV this "small".

I say "small" in quotes because a 36" used to be a monster TV, and now people put them on the curb on trash pickup day.

[Reynard]

But of course! Better then most "full" games and for me, the best exclusive Xbox game available. There was a fairly decent thread back at the refuge about it. In fact it's sequel, Trials Evolution, which is HD on steroids, featuring online racing and a very, very powerful creater toolkit has been around for over 2 years now and I still play that almost weekly. In fact the third installment, Trials Fusion, is coming out next month I believe. :up:

[Cam]

Yes, Trials is great. My bro and I are :hardcore:

Old Trials Evolution thread: http://gtxfrefuge.freeforums.org/trials-evolution-t703.html

[George]

Thanks - just checked that thread but don't understand what the Rubik's Cube and a game that reminds me of Dig-Dug have to do with motorcycle trials.

Trials Evolution looks unbelievable. I wasn't aware it existed. Thanks.

I'm reading that it's an online game. Our Xbox is not online because the kids don't need to know it has that capability and our wifi in the basement sucks anyway. I have to drive by a game store on my way home tonight and will go in and ask, unless anyone can clue me in before then:

Can I just buy the game and put it in the machine as I did with TrialsHD disc or is this something I can only play online? I read about "streaming" but am not hip enough to understand that as it relates to video games. I assume that means playing online against others, which I don't care about - please don't tell me how great it is...I don't wanna know!

Edited to add: Crap. Apparently it's not for sale in a box at a store like Trials HD is.

Amazon has this (what I bought locally) but I can't find Trials Evolution as a CD in a box for sale anywhere, including eBay.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QIY0Y4/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=26879131749&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17315646495772821913&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2h0jq4bytw_b

I did find this, though - Trials Evolution for download for $19.99. That's plenty cheap for as cool a game as Trials HD is.

http://www.amazon.com/Trials-Evolution-Gold-Edition-Download/dp/B00BLS4CYU/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1395958207&sr=1-1&keywords=trials

What if I take my Xbox upstairs from the basement and plug it into the router so it gets a fast connection. Can I somehow download it directly into the Xbox and then take the Xbox back to the basement where it will be OFFline and play Evolution just like I play Trials HD now? Will it install Evolution permanently in the Xbox or can I ONLY play it online?

Thanks for helping a clueless n00b.

And don't help if this is just too basic to take up your time. I'll stop by the game store and get a lesson in living in the 21st century.

Edit #27: Dang. Just realized the Evolution I linked above is a PC download, not an Xbox download.

[Cam]

You can temporarily connect your Xbox to the internet to purchase the game through Xbox Live Arcade. Once it's downloaded, you can play it any time offline. :up: You may have to create yourself an online Xbox Live profile to make the purchase.

[George]

Woo hoo! Thanks Cam. I can do that. Did it recently at the Apple Store to dowload Garageband for the free iPad 2 I was given recently.

Thursdays about mid-day my urgent work for the week is about done and Fridays are usually pretty easy. I might just come in a little tired tomorrow, if I can figure out how to download it tonight.

Oh, a quick question about setting up a Xbox Live profile: I was advised to purchase an Apple gift card to set up my Apple ID so I wouldn't have to use a personal credit card. I bought a $25 one at a grocery store and still have about $20 left over for future use.

I assume I can do the same with a Microsoft gift card and not put any personal information online?

[George]

I'm going too fast here and not thinking this through.

I just realized if I take the Xbox console upstairs and plug it into the router, I won't have a TV available to see what I'm doing on the Xbox. Maybe I can run by the Salvation Army store and buy a small old TV for five bucks or something.... but no, then I'd likely have the same too-small-to-read text problem I have now.

Can I plug a computer monitor into an Xbox? That would be easy.

Either that, or I need to snake a super-long network cable down and around two flights of stairs to the basement...

I guess I'll need to see if the wifi signal is fast enough, and more importantly, doesn't get interrupted while I'm downloading. I surf the web on the basement computer but soemtimes...well, often...the signal comes and goes. I can load a page of this forum, for example, but in the time that I read it I might lose the connection so when I hit the Back button it will say Not Connected. If I refresh a couple times it will eventually load. That's why I haven't even tried it with the Xbox...well, that and the kids who don't know about it until they get older and their friends tell them.

Edited to add: Figured it out -If I can't use a computer monitor with the Xbox, after kids are safely asleep or otherwise occupied before bed tonight, I will hook Xbox to TV in master bedroom for the download. That's right down the hall from the router so the wifi signal should be much stronger than in the basement.

[Reynard]

You can certainly use a monitor with the 360 but you have to have the appropriate cable. I'm not sure about the second gen 360's but the first ones like I have came with only composite/component cables stock but you could buy VGA or HDMI cables for them as accessories.


Thanks - just checked that thread but don't understand what the Rubik's Cube and a game that reminds me of Dig-Dug have to do with motorcycle trials.

Strictly speaking, they don't but are just a couple minor examples of what I meant by very, very powerful creator toolkit. You can make all those things with the game. There are literally thousands of user created Trials courses and games of all types that you can... ahem, download and play with this game.

[The359]

I just downloaded the Beta for Trials Fusion on Steam yesterday, already looking as good as Trials Evolution, although I miss the old warehouse and jungle settings.

[George]

Gents, I've been working on this for far too long and am utterly frustrated. I made myself a "Microsoft Account". I did it on my PC because the Xbox was too incredibly frustrating, as it still is.

So I'm on the Xbox, still trying to PAY MICROSOFT and download this app.

Here's where I am and why I need some help. How do I download this game?

1. Turn Xbox on.

2. "sign in or out" -- "Choose your profile"

We have four profiles - Dad (me), and three more, that I'll call "Son", "Daughter", and "Mom". I chose Dad.

3. Dad says "SIGNED IN" in all caps in green text.

My options here are two: "Sign Out" or "Close".

No matter which I choose, I get sent back to the main menu,

So I scroll over to "games" and select "Browse Games".

Then I typed in the first few letters of Trials and immediatedly found Trials Evolution. Great. I want to SEND MICROSOFT MY MONEY to buy the game.

Found it, and selected "Purchase - $14.99".

Now I'm back in the endless loop I've been in all evening:

"You need an Xbox Live account to continue"

My choices are:

1. Sign Up (I already did on my PC).

2. Sign In. When I click on this, I'm back to the beginning and I get to choose between Dad, Son, Daughter, and Mom. I choose Dad.

I'm sent back to

"You need an Xbox Live account to continue"

My only other choice is "No Thanks".

I've tried clicking on Free Trial for this game and I still get stuck in this endless loop.

Someone please help me before I smash this thing with my 8-pound single jack.

[George]

In contrast, I got a free iPad 2 recently and had myself an Apple ID and Garageband downloaded and working within three minutes.

That sort of sums up my experience with Apple products since the '80s.

[George]

I've tried entering my first name and email address several times on the Xbox and it will not let me proceed. I even gave it my email password, which it clearly asked for, and it say "Email or Password Not Valid", even though I've had the same email address and password for over 15 years.

I'm becoming enraged. Feel free to make fun of the old man who is struggling here.

[George]

What really pisses me off here is that I use a computer all day long at work and I've been online since the mid '90s. While I'm no IT expert, I damn sure know how to operate a computer and a fucking video game console, in the same way that a taxi driver may not be an auto mechanic but he can drive the shit out of a car.

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO GIVE MICROSOFT MY MONEY AND DOWNLOAD ONE GAME?

[George]

Simple solution: PUT THE FUCKING CD IN A CASE ON A SHELF AT THE LOCAL STORE AND LET ME PAY GREEN CASH MONEY FOR IT.

[George]

The biggest problem here is when I select "Sign In" to my "Microsoft Account", my only choices are the four little avatars of Dad, Son, Daughter, and Mom. It's an endless loop that goes in circles.

Where do I enter my email address and password that I just created online on my PC as my "Microsoft Account"?

The "Sign In" button only lets me choose stupid avatars. It does not let me do business online.

Have tried "Sign Up" repeatedly. It won't accept my email password, which I wil now have to change.

I've explained "Sign In".

The only other choice is "No Thanks".

Endless circles. No way out.

[George]

Sorry, I know this is getting stupid but I'm just astonished at this.

Once again:

1. "You need an Xbox Live account to continue"

2. I have three options: Sign Up, SIgn In, or No Thanks.

3. Belive me, I've tried Sign Up and No Thanks extensively and they get me nowhere.

4. Select Sign In.

5. Dad shows as "SIGNED IN". When I click the "A" button to select Dad (my only other option is B for Back), I get two choices:

"Sign Out""

"Close"

ENDLESS LOOP
ENDLESS LOOP
ENDLESS LOOP
ENDLESS LOOP
ENDLESS LOOP

etc.

[21Kid]

Dad =/= the Xbox live ID. There should be a "sign in" option for a new or remote user. Maybe scroll down or go to the next page, or something. Or look at the button options on the bottom, maybe.

[Drachen596]

Recover gamertag I think is an option somewhere. I have two identical sign ins on my 360. One is able to use live the other is not and no way to meerge them that I know of.

[Cam]

George, sounds like you may have to "create new profile" to do what you want to do. You may be able to "recover gamertag" if you already created one on xbox.com via your PC. Look for a "recover gamertag" or "recover profile" option when you first boot up your Xbox before signing in.

If your Xbox has never been attached to Xbox Live, you will have to do a mandatory update, which may take a while. There have been significant changes to the dashboard via updates from the original dashboard, so I don't even remember how the old dashboard works.

[George]

Thanks guys. I'll try again this afternoon with a fresh brain, maybe. Have a good laugh at my expense for the incoherent ranting above. I just did.

Late night and tired after another long and stressful day and getting two rambunctious kids to bed and after a couple beers (but only a couple in about five hours) is not a good time to be trying things like this or ranting on the internet.

[George]

If your Xbox has never been attached to Xbox Live, you will have to do a mandatory update, which may take a while.

Did that last night with no problems. It didn't require any kind of sign-in.

I was really surprised at how well the wifi worked last night. It normally isn't that consistent.

[Cam]

In that case, most certainly scroll to the right once your Xbox boots up and select "Download Profile" instead of signing in as Dad. Read the dialog boxes and follow the prompts to attempt to get the profile you already created with your PC downloaded to your console.

[George]

I could never get back to that magical secret online area last night. I restarted the thing many times but it kept coming back to a startup screen that had words along the top row, something like:

Home Games Social Movies Whatever Something What?

It seemed as if to do just about anything, I had to first identify which family member I was.

Maybe I'll try to disconnect it from the wifi network and then go through the whole "find wireless network" setup process again. It didn't occur to me to try that last night.

[Cam]

Wherever you are, you can hit the Xbox Guide button on your controller (the big one in the middle) to open the Guide. Either scroll down to and select "Sign In" or just press X. If you're already signed in, sign out, then use the Guide. Then, scroll down to "Download Profile" from there.

[George]

The big chrome one with an X on it? I didn't know that was a button I could press!

Oh, man...

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130815124007/transformers-legends/images/thumb/c/c4/Triple-facepalm.jpg/640px-Triple-facepalm.jpg

I need to go home from work. Now.

[Cam]

:lol:

[George]

I imagine this is the equivalent of getting a computer and not knowing what a mouse does.

[Random]

Nah. More like looking frantically for the "any" key. ;)

:toast:

[Kchrpm]

Actually it's like not knowing what the Windows key is.

[Rob]

I'm picturing George owning hundreds of guitars over the years....each with a coil tap/split that he simply never discovered.

[George]

Nah, I sold my last humbucker guitar in the early '90s and have played single-coils only since then. And, coil tap switches are OBVIOUS switches. The chrome button looks like an emblem or a logo. Decoration. I never paid it any attention.

I remember thinking when I got the Xbox, "Oh, good. The controllers are just like the ones on the Playstation."

I'm in...FINALLY, and trying to download the game.


Device Full.

Great.

Off to the googles...or to delete the universe of Minecraft worlds my kids have built.

[George]

Got it.

Like it. A lot!

Still say it shouldn't have been this difficult to purchase something.

The End.

[Cam]

:)

[Rob]

Got it.

Like it. A lot!

Still say it shouldn't have been this difficult to purchase something.

The End.

You should try and buy something on the Playstation Network. You click buy and it says you have no funds, so you click add funds and it asks you if you want to add funds...:lol:...then asks if you're sure. Once you've added funds, it asks you (with confirmation) if you like to use these funds to purchase the game you wanted in the first place.

TAKE MY MONEY SONY!

[George]

Thanks again to all you gents for setting me straight. I only get ten minutes here and there to mess with this game but it is FUN. The map "Elevation" or something like that in the easy section is awesome and gives me the willies at times - like those videos of guys climbing towers and such. It's cool to get that sensation from a video game.

Now I want to buy the Riders Of Doom DLC since all the user-created maps seem to require it, but I'm at "Device Full" again.

Can I just stick a USB flash drive in the back and select it as my storage medium without having to do anything else that takes an advanced degree in online rocket surgery?

[Cam]

Yes, you can use a USB stick for storage. 8 Gb is the optimum size.

[thesameguy]

If you signed up for Live on the computer, it can take a little while to be available on the xbox... like, a few hours. Usually not that long, but it's also not instant.

[George]

^ That's probably what happened. Where's my instant gratification, dammit?

Cam, thanks for the tip about the optimum size. I just returned from Micro Center with a 8GB flash drive.

Hey, if I haven't worn out my welcome here, I have a couple more questions:

1. Since signing up online, I now have an online screen name that appears above Dad when I select my character from the family list. How do I make that go away? The name follows my rider when I play Trials now and it's annoying. I couldn't find a Settings option in Trials Evolution for this. I also don't need to see CluelessDude445 or whatever they named me in the first screen where you pick your avatar after turning on the machine.

2. This is probably not an oft-asked question, but how do I get my Xbox offline now? I haven't found a "Settings" option for this yet.

In my perfect little world, I'd be able to get online when I want to but when my kids are allowed to play and then run downstairs and turn on the Xbox, I'd like them not to see any online capability. I realize they'll learn soon enough from their friends but right now it's a nice little innocent world of Minecraft now and then as a reward or when Mom & Dad are getting exhausted on a weekend afternoon.

Thanks once again. Seriously - I learn so much about so many things at this forum, and I'm grateful.

[Cam]

Uh, you may have to leave your online profile on the machine so you can play the games you bought with that profile. If you really want to delete it, go to the Settings tab, then select Storage, then select Gamer Profiles (or something like that). Highlight the profile you want to delete and press A, then select delete.

You can get your machine offline by simply unplugging the ethernet cable. :P

[George]

Thanks Cam, but it's on wifi, so I can't unplug it. Yeah, I could unplug the router and kill wifi in the house, but I just want the Xbox to not recognize the network like it used to be. Maybe I can change the wifi password so it's wrong and can't connect.

No big deal - I was just curious.

So I have to live the stupid name bouncing along behind me as I play Trials? That I do not like, but I haven't explored all my options, most likely.

[Cam]

There are parental/privacy settings somewhere. I think you can set it so that you need a password to use the online profile. That will keep your kids from using it, but I'm not sure there's a software-side "don't connect to the internet" setting. Poke around the System Settings to see if you can find something that allows you to control that.

[Fiat500]

Also, you can change your gamertag for free within 30 days of creating it if you're not happy with it.
After that, there's a fee, I'm not sure how much it is.

Guide (http://support.xbox.com/en-US/my-account/manage-gamertag-and-profile/change-xbox-live-gamertag#83c9fc93367b474fb0ed9e6b8fd1171b)

[Reynard]

So I have to live the stupid name bouncing along behind me as I play Trials? That I do not like, but I haven't explored all my options, most likely.

So what I think you are referring to are the names of people on your friends list that the game shows on screen when you are running a Trials course by yourself. The game does that so you can "compete" with your friends who play the game even when they're not online and it looks like this http://youtu.be/9birWxJYrKk?t=16m7s

If that's what you are talking about, I'm not sure you can turn it off to be honest, I never checked. :? 99% of the time, I play the Supercross races where everyone is racing together a la Excitebike and there are no names floating along the course.

But then again, if you only just signed up for XBL, you shouldn't have a friends list yet I'm thinking for it grab the names from in the first place. So now I think I confused myself. :lol:

[Reynard]

Duh. Of course it would be your own "ghost" you would be seeing. And yes you can turn it off.

Help & Options >
Settings >
Default Ghost

Move that slider all the way to the right and you're golden.

[George]

Thanks Reynard! Will try that when I get home tonight.

I stayed up too late last night with this silly game. I stuck the 8 GB flash drive in the back and moved the entire Trials Evolution to it, and then dowloaded Riders Of Doom. Very cool for five bucks! There are several new tracks. I played for about an hour and didn't even see them all, much less play them.

The neat thing is I'm only 50% through Trials HD, far less than that into Trials Evolution, and now with Riders Of Doom, it looks like I have many hours of fun ahead of me, and given how little time I have to play it, that should last a long time.

I downloaded a couple of user tracks, but all the bikes were locked. I guess I need to pass more license tests in Evolution. The text on my screen is so small for the downloadable tracks that there might be instructions I'm not seeing, but I'll figure it out. I must admit that I've looked on CL to see what larger TVs cost, just because of this game! I'm completely comforable watching TV and movies on this set (a 36" CRT), which is the largest TV I've ever owned, so it has seemed just great....until this game came along and ruined everything!

*pounds fists on table and cries*

[Cam]

You know, if you're signed in with your XBL profile and online, you can see the leaderboards. You can even watch replays of the top 5000 runs on each track in Trials HD and the top 10,000 runs in Trials Evolution. Additionally, if you have friends on your friends list, you can compare your times with them. My XBL tag is Camegalodon. You know, just in case you wanted to add me. ;)

[George]

I believe I'm being flirted with!

*blushes*

[Cam]

Trials HD is now playable on Xbone.

[8400RPM]

Oh sweet, that's my favorite Trials game. Thanks for the heads up Cam!

[George]

I still enjoy Trials HD on the 360. It's sort of like a first album from a favorite band, I think. Just because they've released two more albums doesn't mean I'll never listen to their first one again. Hopefully having HD on the One will increase the popularity of the series and encourage RedLynx to come out with a fourth version.

Or, more likely, they'll make more DLC for HD that I won't be able to download for the 360. Let's see - where's that rage and rant smilie? Oh, here it is! :D

:angry:

[Cam]

I'm still working on getting platinums in Fusion. :hard:

[George]

Speaking of Trials HD on the Xbox 360, this afternoon I was messing around and, almost without trying to, I created and saved my first user-created track. It unlocked an achievement for doing so. I think I saw somewhere that there's an achievement for playing a user-created track, so if any of you guys want to get that achievement and don't have any tracks on your friends' lists, check mine for an only half-completed track that is definitely a work in progress, but still one that you are able to complete and win a medal for finishing. Trials HD (at least on the 360) doesn't seem to let you search the entire internet for user-created tracks as you can in Evolution and Fusion, but just the ones in your list of friends.

I then spent another hour adding stuff and test-riding it. It's far from done, but very fun to mess around with. I think I may have a new time-wasting activity in my life, and even if all you guys have moved on past the 360, I can still roast my children over exploding barrels of fire. :up:

Oh, by the way, if any of you guys are experienced track creators in HD, can you please tell me how to place a checkpoint? Not a finish line, but a checkpoint. It clearly says CHECKPOINT on the list, and even says in the description something like "this lets riders re-start wherever you place these, rather than having to start back at the beginning each time." Okay, whatever it says in the game is much more succinct than that, but it is clearly describing a checkpoint. Yet, whenever I place one, it is a finish line and not a checkpoint. Strange.

[Cam]

I have never made a track.

[George]

You (or anyone else) might give it a try if you're interested in something new and fun.

Last night, my son showed me how to fix my problem with checkpoints. He seemed to grasp the concept, and more importantly, how to use the controls of track making in Trials HD, in about a minute. The first thing he did was put a platform to the left (on the far side of the "camera") right next to a portion of elevated track and stuck a checkpoint on it. It looks just like how RedLynx places theirs on the tracks that come with the game.

He is seven years old. :up:

[George]

Had anyone told me that I'd have kids playing video games at age seven, I would have said, "No way. I would never allow that!"

But when I see the brain power necessary to build a track in Trials, for example, I would much rather have him doing that than watching Spongebob, or much worse, the inane pre-teen shows that my daughter wants to watch, that are all about dating in middle school and having young girls act like young women, if you know what I mean. I'm disgusted by some of those.

I'd much rather have them figuring out where to place a landing ramp and then testing it with a few different motorcycles to find the optimal placement. That requires brains, and I think video games in general - some, not all, certainly - teach the values of persistence and patience. The Trials series certainly requires those.

When I left for work this morning, the boy was already hard at work building a Trials HD track for me to try when I get home tonight. He has water pouring out of pipes coming from walls and tire fires and he was experimenting with the Physics menu, too. Those are things such as "triggers" you can place to make things happen, such as "when the rider passes this point, have that barrel of explosives that's teetering on a ledge up above fall down and explode just as the rider zooms by underneath". Fun stuff!

[Cam]

Awesome! :D