Skate 3 Questions

Sup yall. Honestly I never bought Skate 3 until now, and the last game I ever bought was Skate 2 on launch day. Have been doing thinking about getting back into filming videos (my other youtube got deleted), so had a couple questions:

1. On XB1, is there a way you're supposed to connect to online? I seem to get Cannot Connect to EA Server everytime I play
2. Is the trend to film in hardcore mode or normal? I've been getting fluent-ish in nail grinds and other tricks in hardcore, and it's definitely been rewarding so far.
3. Do ya'll just record the clips through XB1's recording feature? Makes the most sense I know but just checking.

Also, welcome back from the dead fluckers.

I haven't had any issues connecting on xbox one and have had several sessions with others already. Might be on your end.
Filming in hardcore is a reward to yourself if you want the tricks to be lower to the ground. I wouldn't consider it a trend. Film in whatever mode you want.
I recorded through the Xbox One Game DVR, yeah. I've been considering running those recorded clips through VLC or something to get the quality up. I'll be experimenting.

I'd say that almost all of here play hardcore