Hydro Thunder Hurricane ghost races issues

Sorry about that, I didn't notice the date the thread was made.

Please don't make the same thread twice. Someone had already attempted to answer the 1st thread for you.

I was having that problem. I stumbled on a work around - I reduced the Counsel HDTV settings from 1080P to 720 P. Reference level at standard, HDMI Color space to RGB Turned Display Discovery off while playing. I also added a cooling fan. My pc freezes
when it gets to hot... Since I have taken these steps I Run the heck out of the game and it wont freeze anymore. Now what I am running into : The boats are starting to go off center When first starting to play, the boats come out straight, after a couple
of hours of intense jumping and cornering hard, the boat starts to go side ways I have to steer the boat on an angle until I can jump in the opposite direction or I may hit the sides to knock it back straight. Weird.

Here is an email that I sent Vector Unit after I bought Hydro Thunder and then found out I couldn't play the game because it freezes my console every time:

Hello. I just wanted to bring an issue with the Title Update and Xbox Live Connectivity that is causing Hydro Thunder Hurricane to freeze on Xbox 360.

I just bought the game 24 hours ago on Xbox Live.

The 1st time I downloaded the game, I let it download in one go, uninterrupted. When I went to play the game from the My Games menu, it would bring up an all black screen and my Xbox 360 would freeze to the point where the system wouldn't even recognize
when I disconnected the controller. On this try, as well as all subsequent tries to play, I let the game sit on that black screen for 30 + minutes to ensure that the game would not recover from the crash. I was also signed into Xbox Live for the 1st attempt.

The 2nd time I downloaded the game, I tried putting it on a memory unit instead of the hard drive after clearing my system cache, clearing my Marketplace License Data (which re-downloads when you connect to Live), searching for a caution or warning in the
deletion suggestions (there was not one), and deleting the old game file and re-downloading it. Still the same result, a black screen and a frozen Xbox 360. I was connected to live on the 2nd attempt as well.

For my 3rd attempt, I repeated the maintenance processes from the 2nd attempt, but placed the new game file on the hard drive this time rather than the memory unit. I tried to play my game while connected to live with the profile that purchased it again
and it froze as usual. Then, without re-downloading the game, I tried something different. I tried playing the game while signed in to an account that did not purchase the game (albeit on the same console with the license) that also was not an Xbox Live
account but rather a local account on the console. My network cable was still plugged in, but being signed into a local profile, I was not connected to Xbox Live. The game worked. It loaded right up and I could play it as long as I wanted as long as I did
not connect to Xbox Live in any way or even sign into an Xbox Live account (even with the network cable unplugged, an Xbox Live account signing in would cause the game to freeze instantly at that exact moment.) I tried using several other Xbox Live accounts
and Non-Xbox Live accounts and the result was the same every time. Connection to Xbox Live in any way or signing into an Xbox Live account, whether connected to Live or not, would freeze the game instantly.

I noticed the game has had title updates released in the past. I have never obtained a title update for Hydro Thunder Hurricane because I just purchased the game about 24 hours ago. By process of elimination, this title update has to be what's causing
the game to freeze. It freezes at the point where the game would normally disconnect you from Xbox Live and demand that you download the title update if you wanted to remain connected to Xbox Live. Yet the freeze causes that prompt from ever appearing. There
must certainly be an issue on your end or Microsoft's end with the Title Update File.

Now that I have experienced this issue, I have searched the internet and found some other people who are having the same issue over at the Xbox Message Boards. Here is are links:

forums.xbox.com/.../2226339.aspx

forums.xbox.com/.../2134732.aspx

It appears that the issues have yet to be resolved in any way for these people and their issues sound very similar to mine.

I also contacted Xbox Customer support on the phone. They said they have been aware of the issue for a while now. They do not know for sure what was causing it, but I think my explanations will help lead to a solution. They said they would have one of
their experts contact me within 48 hours.

I just thought that someone ought to step out and contact you guys as well, so here I am. I hope that either Vector Unit or Microsoft can arrive at a solution for this problem so that those who have purchased Hydro Thunder Hurricane are able to play the
game.

Thank you.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xbox was supposed to have an "expert" call me back. I seem to be more knowledgeable and thorough than their "experts", with all due respect. I still haven't heard back. At this point I would really like my 1,000 MSP back (600 for the useless game and
400 for the useless DLC). It would be nice if they could get the game working for us again, because it is a good game, but at this point the negligence of both Microsoft and Vector Unit has become inexcusable in my opinion, as people have been reporting this
problem for what appears to be up to a year. I just wish I would have seen the other victims' posts on the forums before I ever made the mistake of purchasing the game. Microsoft, if you're listening, I spend way too much money on your products on a consistent
basis to have my issues with your products blown off like you always do. You guys know the game is a faulty product until you fix the title update issue, yet you have the nerve to advertise it in a brand new deal of the week. That, along with the way your
employee responded to the criticism about "always-online" systems makes me never want to pay you a dime again. I used to swear by the Xbox 360, but now it looks like I'll be buying a Playstation 4 and ditching the Microsoft bandwagon from here-on-out. Now
please refund my 1000 MSP or $12.50 to my card.

Thanks for nothing.

I just wanted to add that to further test the problem, I made Canadian and UK accounts on my Xbox and joined Live with them. For the record, Hydro Thunder works when signed into Live on those profiles. So, the game is only freezing when I am signed into
my USA Xbox Live account with which I purchased the game or another USA Live account, whether they are actually connected to Live or not.

That is all.

Well I got a response from a tier 3 agent via email and it saddens me. Here it is:

Hi Bradley,

My name is Scott with the Xbox Customer Care Advocacy Team. I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding your downloadable content issue and I will be happy to help you resolve this problem. I apologize for any inconvenience that
this may have caused you. Allow me to take a moment to explain the results of my investigation regarding your issue.

I understand you are experiencing an issue with Hydro Thunder purchased from the Xbox Marketplace. I have credited the Microsoft Points redeemed for this content back to your account as a one-time exception.

I hope you understand that we value your loyalty to the Xbox LIVE service and we hope that you can continue to enjoy the unique Xbox LIVE experience.

Thanks and have a great day!

Scott S.

Xbox Customer Care Advocacy Specialist

Customer Advocacy & Exceptions Management Team

They did not investigate the issue at all! I wonder how much of that email response was copy/paste? Here is what I sent back:

Hello Scott,

You clearly did not take the time to read the whole complaint.

In the complaint, I explicitly stated that I purchased not only Hydro Thunder Hurricane but also the 400 MSP dlc add-on for the game as well. That is a total of 1200 MSP, not 800 as you refunded me.

I purchased both the game and the dlc as a result of being lured in by the Xbox Live Microsoft Studios sale. If you guys are advertising a game for download as being on sale, one who purchases and downloads the game or content should be able to reasonably
assume it will work properly. While the issue isn't directly with the dlc, it does render the game unplayable for me thereby making the dlc that I purchased simultaneously with the game completely useless. I believe that I am entitled to a refund for that
as well.

I would also like to mention that Microsoft acts as if it's such a big deal to escalate a problem to Tier 3, yet the response to my complaint sent to me by you, a Tier 3 customer support agent shows a lack of attention or care. You made no comment on the
problem. I know that I am not the only person experiencing this issue, as the representative whom I spoke with on 1-800-4MY-XBOX informed me that it was a know issue and I have seen several posts about the same issue on message boards including those at Xbox.com.
It saddens me to know that Microsoft takes no measure to solve the problem, still profits off selling the game, and only refunds the money to those who even take the time to or even know how to complain to them about the issue. Of over 100 Xbox Live arcade
games I've purchased on your service, this is the only one giving me an issue this troubling. Instead of fixing the issue or even wasting much time acknowledging it, you just sent me a partial refund, the amount of which proves you didn't even read my complaint
entirely and/or carefully, and added a disclaimer about it being a one-time exception. The issue with Hydro Thunder Hurricane not working with US Xbox Live Accounts is not a one-time issue, many people who purchased the game beginning as early as late 2012
are reporting the same problem.

I even clearly spent a lot of time experimenting in search of the specific cause. Yet you blew all that off and make no mention of any investigation into the real issue. Honestly, that is kind of insulting to me. It is a sad day not only when the value
of a dollar is decreasing, yet no one will do anything unless they get a dollar for it and many of those same people wouldn't hesitate to take another person's dollar without providing anything in return. Think about it.

Hey Wraith, sorry that you didn't get an answer before! (You can bump an old thread too, but this new one is also fine.) Have you ever tried playing with the Hard Drive removed entirely? How about playing it with a different profile or on a different console?