The trailer really pisses me off.
Nothing shown in the 0.9.3 release trailer is actually part of STK 0.9.3. *rolleyes*
Why are you doing this?Anyway, rant mode off. Kinda.
First I was about to say that this update was really disappointing because of so few additions but then I noticed the devil lies in the details and it's not that small, actually. Your tiny changelog just makes it look small, there are many things you didn't even mention.
3 tracks added, 1 track deleted (if I counted correctly). So a net total of +2 tracks. That's actually not too bad. But honestly, I would have expected more after 1.5 years. But hey, I'm not an artist, so what do I know?
The total number of tracks in STK is still too low IMO. STK is still lacking a lot of tracks. The deletion orgy which happens with each release is also not helping.
Hopefully, track makers can add track faster than they get deleted, otherwise we'll have a problem. xD
Candela City is nice to look at but very short. This track definitely must be driven with at least 6 laps, otherwise it will be over before it even started. xD Then it's actually quite okay. I can't find anything wrong with this track, which means a lot.
The Cornfield Crossing is an instant classic. Much fun to drive on. THANK YOU for making it work in both directions (this has been ignored in past releases). The only thing I find strange about this track is the jump. Your kart moves completely in an impossible fashion, as if not jumping at all, like magic. What's also weird is that the jump never fails. You can aim for the completely wrong direction at the ramp and still make the jump perfetly. It's very weird.
I can almost understand why Bovine Barnyard had to go, although I still kinda miss it (you shouldn't be surprised!). Graphically, it simply isn't on par anymore. But there's no problem with the track itself. Good we have those add-ons. On the other hand, BB is not much worse than, let's say, Hacienda.
I like Las Dunas Arena a lot, it's a great arena and the first battle track which actually feels like an arena (becaus it is one!). xD. Very fun to play on.
I am very surprised you chose to
not delete The Stadium. You have deleted tracks of much higher quality in the past. If you know me, I was almost always pissed off when an STK release deleted a track. But this is one of the very few tracks where I wouldn't shed a tear if it had been deleted. Note I don't mind that it's still there either, I'm just noting an inconsistency here.
I noticed that the real finish
is now actually at the finish line. FINALLY! I have waited years for this; it was so annoying.
I hope the new “extra life” karts in 3-strikes battle will be improved in future versions because they seem to be very basic and only half-finished. They seem behave very weirdly. They appear out of nothing and disappear into nothing. There is no animation, no “3 seconds until I disappear” warning (flashing kart) or anything.
It's a very interesting and appreciated new mechanic nonetheless.
I wonder if it is now possible that a 3-strike battle can go on forever since you now can collect extra lives. It never happened in my games so far, however, but that's probably I almost always play at the highest difficulty. xD
The ghost kart feature looks interesting. It's nice to know you can now record ghost karts, but I doubt I will use it as often.
I *think* the kart physics have been improved but I might be wrong.
I don't like the Konqi, or better: That good old Konqi had to go! The AWESOME old Konqi had to go for … THIS? I don't mean the new Konqi is terrible (it's aqually quite cute) or so, but WTF? Good old Konqi had to go? I know, it's the new KDE mascot but I don't care. WTF were the KDE guys thinking? The old Konqi was absolutely awesome, especially in a kart! There was absolutely nothing wrong with the old Konqi kart. It should have never been replaced. Looks like the only reason you deleted it is because of the KDE folks. I'm not even sure if add-ons are a valid excuse for removing an awesome kart. Konqi was one of the karts that really made STK into STK.
Kiki is a weird new character, but it's cute. I don't know much else to say. xD
Unsurprisingly, Story Mode has not really been touched. But surprisingly, Candela City has NOT been added to Story Mode. That's a huge disappointment. Is it really that hard in extending Story Mode? Story Mode as a whole is still disappointing because it is way too short and too weird. Note I was planning to write a full-blown STK review since ages, so maybe I'll write more about Story Mode. Now that a new release is out, I should probably finalize my review.
I noticed you made a few interface tweaks. There are new GUI themes! Nice. Nothing for me, since Peach was already my pick. xD
The kart selection menu has been degraded. It is worse now. I have no freaking clue what the stats mean. OK, the first one is obviously weight (although the icon looks like a handbag) but which bars are now acceleration and speed? I have no idea. Both icons would make sense for either accelleration and speed, so they are useless. IMO the text has to be re-added. A icon+text combination is probably the best.
The race finishing list looks a bit better now, but it still needs work. The most glaring omission is the lack of the ranking numbers in the list. If you have a GP with tons of karts, it's really annoying if you have to count your rank by hand.
The new GP finish animation is still meh. It's just a few people dancing? I don't know … The title still doesn't say my rank, only that I have “finished” the GP.
Overall, the update is good, but I do have mixed feelings. I'm not super excited by it. Especially since the new content lasted barely for 1 hour. This part is probably the main reason why I was initially disappointed. Waiting 1.5 years for 1 hour worth of content. I know, I'm being a dick here, but I'm describing my feelings.
Rationally, I know you also made a ton of under-the-hood improvements as well and worked on features I never care about (e.g. Android). So I can accept that you also did tasks that needed to be done.
Long stort: STK is becoming better! So thanks!