This is a follow up on my previous thread with the same topic :
https://forum.freegamedev.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7865Most of the tracks in STK are the same, but there are a few new addons and some tracks have seen improvements.
The main difference is an extended rating system. Instead of just giving 0 to 5 points for graphics & ambiance, and same for gameplay & fun, before summing up, I will examine some more detailed criteria.
Tracks in STK mostly are devoid from important dynamic changes, hence I won't take this as an evaluation criteria here.
Evaluation guidelines1. Graphics (out of 7 points)
How beautiful the track looks at decently high settings according to me. This includes having nice models, nice textures, having a coherent visual theme, decent contrast, etc.
2. Music (out of 2 points)
How nice the track's music is and how well does it fit to create an ambiance.
3. Challenge (out of 4 points)
The greatest the difference between skilled and less skilled player in the track, the more it is considered challenging. This is also a proxy for a "not boring" track : having some difficult sections requiring good accuracy or good timing make things much more interesting than a lap of Alpine-2 with no place at all to get an advantage. Hence, "somewhat challenging but boring" will see reduced points here.
4. Newbie-friendliness (out of 2 points)
Is the track enjoyable for someone racing on it for the first time and not having a big experience in STK ? Difficult tracks without some easier path (which would be slower for a decent player but is actually faster for someone having trouble with controls) can lose points here.
5. Alternative paths and shortcuts (out of 2 points)
While the quality of alternative paths and shortcuts influence other ratings, it deserves its own mention.
6. Item placement and karts start position (out of 2 points)
These can't make a bad track good, but they can make an otherwise good track bad.
7. Length (out of 1 point)
Tracks of different lengths can be great, but too short tracks create too short races (or too many laps) and long tracks force too few laps or too long races.
Rating listFor items placement, this list do not take into account the SVN fixes of the last few days. Take it as a "snapshot" as of early February.
Track #28 : Black Hill Mansion [4.5/20]- Graphics [2/7] : Suffers from many issues like poor-res textures, polygonal curves, tree floating in the air, user accessible track limits.
- Music [1.5/2] : The music is the only good part of the track. It's decent and fits the theme well.
- Challenge [0/4] : The track is technically difficult to master with its narrow roads and big curves, but the overall gameplay is awful and it's broken with skips.
- Newbie-friendliness [0/2] : the very narrow road and big curves. It doesn't help that at one point it's better to go around the intended road element on the grass than to suffer the kart jumping and often crashing.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : the track is broken so it technically has shortcuts, but none of them intended nor enhancing gameplay.
- Item placement and start position [0.5/2] : item placement is acceptable in most places, but the banana in the very narrow tunnel is bad. Also, karts in the start positions are extremely close to each other, guaranteeing many collisions.
- Track length [0.5/1] : Even following fully the intended path it is too short.
Track #27 : Zen Garden [8.5/20]- Graphics [3.5/7] : QwertyChouskie fixes, most notably water in the river bed, have enhanced this aspect of the track. The tracks also get points for being consistent in its theme. But many textures and models are not on par, with noticeable polygonal curves.
- Music [2/2] : The music fits well with the track.
- Challenge [2.5/4] : The initial serie of narrow curves look scary at first, but it isn't that complicated to handle. The overall driveline of the track isn't very interesting.
- Newbie-friendliness [0.5/2] : The road is very narrow, and the suggested driveline before the bridge is both slower and more risky than cutting through grass. Many newbies crash there.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : This track technically features a shortcut, but it's a very poor one.
- Item placement and start position [0/2] : many bananas on the narrow road after the start could be excused, but the profusion of item boxes in the big curve is insane. The karts in the start position are way too close to each other.
- Track length [0/1] : way too short
Track #26 : Fort Magma [9/20]- Graphics [2.5/7] : there are some decent graphics aspects, like the heat distortions in the magma tunnel (though it has issues). However, most textures are poor, the lava pillars are static and completely unconvincing, moving lava is seen flowing down from nowhere in black pillars, the tracks features the worst case of polygonal curve of the game...
- Music [1/2] : the music doesn't fit very well for the castle of the evil boss of the game
- Challenge [2/4] : there are many occasions to fall off-track in the first half of the track. Otherwise, the general driveline is somewhat bland and would benefit from a redesign from the ground up.
- Newbie-friendliness [1/2] : not very complicated, but the magma part and the last curve before the lap line often cause trouble
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0.5/2] : the road separate in two identical path inside the castle, not adding a lot to the gameplay or fun.
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : some nitro placement is dubious but it's overall acceptable.
- Track length [0.5/1] : slightly over 30s a lap is too short
Track #25: Shifting Sands [9/20]- Graphics [2/7] : The road and sand texture look bad, and the transition is poor too. The far away background is low quality, the track pushes having a dominant thematic color into monochrome excess. Many obvious ugly polygonal curves. The theme is consistent, however.
- Music [1.5/2] : The music fits with the track's theme, but isn't all that enjoyable either.
- Challenge [0.5/4] : There is almost zero challenging part in the track. The toughest elements are catching some nitros and avoiding the bananas after the bridge. It's almost impossible to make a come back on a good player without item advantage.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : The fact that this track is easy to master make it quite newbie-friendly.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1/2] : The track features two ways to get into the pyramid. However, there is not a noticeable difficulty difference, making the slower path hard to justify.
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : The bananas, nitro and item boxes are not too rare or frequent overall, and they're placed in simple but effective patterns. The karts are a bit too close in the starting position.
- Track length [1/1] : decent track length
Track #24 : Bovine Banyard (former official track) [10/20]- Graphics [2/7] : both models and textures are poor
- Music [1.5/2] : the track had a nice music, but the addon uses the new cornfield crossing music which fits it less well
- Challenge [2.5/4] : the amount of bananas actually create some challenge
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : newbies can follow along without major issue
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0.5/2] : features an unplanned and poor shortcut
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : nitro abuse and arguably banana abuse
- Track length [0.5/1] : too short
Track #23 : Hacienda [10/20]- Graphics [3.5/7] : Many low quality textures and low poly model, with dull sand areas. Still good in the theme and better looking than some other tracks.
- Music [1.5/2] : decent music
- Challenge [2/4] : good use of second level skidding is important, but otherwise there is no major challenge. The zipper-jump in the building works poorly.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : simple enough to not disorient newbies
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0.5/2] : There is a shortcut through the sand but it doesn't bring much to gameplay.
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : the first serie of item boxes is very close to the start, too close. I would remove it and do a few related adjustements. In the building, replace the lone item box by two. In the canyon, put the first two item boxes a bit earlier, replace the second group of item boxes by two small nitro cans on the inner side of the curve and a big nitro on the outer, while replacing the nitro close to the end by item boxes.
- Track length [0.5/1] : too short
Track #22 : Oliver's Math Class [10.5/20]- Graphics [3.5/7] : Besides shadow pixelating even at max graphics, which I think is not track-specific, I have a hard time pointing to clear issues, but overall the track simplicity feels cheap. With exploration, one can find a lot of interesting details, like the posters showing other tracks, but this is far from enough to make it on par with the best-looking tracks.
- Music [1.5/2] : a STK classic
- Challenge [2.5/4] : The curves are hard to master, and the sortcut is challenging. The track loses point on being very repetitive and so easier to learn by repetition. It's also too easy to be attacked by a kart a lap behind, increasing randomness.
- Newbie-friendliness [1/2] : behind the happy ambiance and childish outlook, this track is quite hard for newbies with its curves.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1/2] : features a shortcut which requires decent skill to master.
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : the start position is good, but I think the item and nitro density is too high
- Track length [0/1] : way too short
Track #21 : Canyon 42 (addon) [10.5/20]- Graphics [4.5/7] : One of the best looking addons tracks, but still suffer from many common issues for model and textures. It has a lot of interesting details, but important scenery like the rocks, and the rocks-road transitions, is only average.
- Music [1/2] : Lacks a unique music, and the Hacienda music doesn't fit as well with the theme
- Challenge [0.5/4] : The path is too easy to follow and doesn't give enough opportunities for a more skilled player to gain time, even though the varied banking of the curves is fun. A detail : I find the lap line not clear/obvious enough.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : the path is easy to follow
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : I'd prefer to have more lateral space between karts in the starting position. Item placement is decent though not outstanding.
- Track length [1/1] : good length
Track #20 : Snow Peak [11/20]- Graphics [2.5/7] : polygonal curves, low-res textures, barely noticeable falling snow, low variety making all parts of the track feel the same, no details like closed roads to elsewhere.
- Music [1.5/2] : acceptable
- Challenge [2.5/4] : doing great in this track requires mastering proper use of red skidding, and good trajectories. The wooden bridge has significant issues in reverse however.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : without drifting, the risk of going too fast and falling off-track is not that high
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [2/2] : the item placement and start position are very good
- Track length [0.5/1] : 30s per lap is shorter than ideal
Track #19 : Lost Chasm (addon) [11/20]- Graphics [2.5/7] : unclear theme, poor textures, everything is grayish
- Music [2/2] : decent music
- Challenge [3/4] : this addons is in this list in the first place because it has a decently challenging and fun driveline, though it is not very smooth.
- Newbie-friendliness [1/2] : not the clearest of tracks to follow
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : some nitro placements are dubious
- Track length [1/1] : correct track length
Track #18 : Green Valley [11/20]- Graphics [2/7] : horrible grass, 2D trees, many unnatural modelling transitions. The water looks good though.
- Music [1.5/2] : peaceful but a bit boring
- Challenge [4/4] : a candidate for the title of hardest STK track, with those rocks in the middle of the road in many place, and many occasions to fall off road.
- Newbie-friendliness [0.5/2] : a newbie will crash a lot
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0.5/2] : there is an unofficial shortcut, but it isn't great
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : the big nitro cans create too much imbalance, the rest is good
- Track length [1/1] : good track length
Track #17 : Volcano Island [11.5/20]- Graphics [5/7] : There are many details one could nitpick over (for example, the clearly polygonal curves or the bland sand) but the overall quality is fine and better than many tracks.
- Music [1.5/2] : The music is enjoyable but the introduction phase is too long in my opinion.
- Challenge [2/4] : Proper use of red skidding is essential to be good at this track, but that's about it, most drivelines are simple to find and follow
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : while it is possible to fall off-road in some spot, the road is wide enough and curves are gentle enough that this is easy to drive
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : the big nitro can close to the end is a bad choice. Some bananas in strategic spots could make it less trivial.
- Track length [0/1] : the track is long, which by itself is fine, and quite repetitive, which combined with length is an issue.
Track #16 : Minigolf [11.5/20]- Graphics [4/7] : Once a contender for the title of nicest STK track, it has aged and is clearly inferior to the new-gen tracks in visual quality. But it remains decent and consistent in theme.
- Music [1.5/2] : simple but effective
- Challenge [3.5/4] : one of the few tracks where taking all curves at full speed is not advisable. Really test the skills of the player, but loses half a point for that big explosive ball.
- Newbie-friendliness [0/2] : newbies keep crashing and are often frustrated.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0.5/2] : the alternative path between nitro and items is decent but not more. The shortcut towards the end through the grass is passable.
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : the latest version features some improvements to item placement which has become decent. I think that the item boxes close to the start line are too much and too close, however. The kart starting positions are good.
- Track length [0.5/1] : too short.
Track #15 : Green Hill (addon) [12/20]- Graphics [5/7] : rather nice looking track
- Music [0.5/2] : the music is average, and it doesn't fit the track
- Challenge [2.5/4] : with all this nitro, keeping the good skidding lines requires some acuracy
- Newbie-friendliness [1.5/2] : where to go when the first two separated paths join back can be confusing
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1/2] : the track do feature two alternative paths, but they are poorly balanced when it comes to difficulty/length.
- Item placement and start position [0.5/2] : karts are too close to each other in the starting position, and the track suffers from a bad case of big nitro can abuse
- Track length [1/1] : about right
Track #14 : Around the Lighthouse [12/20]- Graphics [4/7] : low quality textures. It would also be less bland if the road went closer to the sea level and allowed to see some nice effects like waves onto rocks.
- Music [1/2] : too repetitive and doesn't blend all that well with the track
- Challenge [3/4] : With the grass slowdown working properly, taking the curves optimally requires significant skill. Loses half a point due to the annoying invisible walls.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : rather straightforward
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : 6 opportunities to get an item box in a lap is a lot for a short track like this
- Track length [0.5/1] : too short
Track #13 : Paradise Peaks (addon) [12.5/20]- Graphics [3/7] : Every part of the track looks the same, and these rocks could look a lot better
- Music [2/2] : good music which helps defining the track's theme
- Challenge [3.5/4] : taking all the curves well requires precision, and the ability to cut some short by going off-road but at the risk of falling is nice
- Newbie-friendliness [1.5/2] : a bit hard for newbies, but quite manageable
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : some nitro cans placements are dubious
- Track length [1/1] : good length
Track #12 : Nessie's Pond [12.5/20]- Graphics [3.5/7] : The theme is consistent, and the curves look enough like curves (that the borders are made of straight lines is noticeable but much less obvious than in some tracks). However, many textures and models are low-quality. The grass, the water, the vegetation and Nessie are among the main culprits.
- Music [2/2] : A scottish-sounding music which is dynamic enough for a racing game and fits well with the theme.
- Challenge [1/4] : This is one of the track where the time difference between players of different skills is the smallest, because the road is wide enough that accidents are rare.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : It's easy on newbies without being boring.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1/2] : It had no intended shortcut or alternative path, but jumping over the river after cutting over the grass makes a great shortcut for the most skilled players, which with the grass slowdown is decently balanced.
- Item placement and start position [2/2] : Item placement is decent, start positions is good with karts not being too close.
- Track length [1/1] : about correct length, though more on the short side.
Track #11 : The Old Mine [13/20]- Graphics [4/7] : the theme is well followed and it looks decently when racing, but there are many typical issues : poor textures, poor road-wall transitions, no water splashing effect (compounded sometimes by missing rescues), exceedingly polygonal irregularities (or regularities) in the walls and ceiling.
- Music [2/2] : a good music
- Challenge [4/4] : one of the contenders for the title of the most challenging STK track. The random mine cart can be frustrating at times, but overall it's very skill-selective
- Newbie-friendliness [0.5/2] : a newbie won't get lost, but he will crash again and again
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : there is no real alternative path or shortcut. Unlike most tracks which would benefit from a harder section, the old mine would be improved with an alternative mine tunnel allowing to skip the wooden bridge (which is one of the hardest sections especially for newbies) at the cost of being slower for players who don't crash often.
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : some nitro placements are dubious (impossible to get without crashing or slowing down a lot)
- Track length [1/1] : it would almost be on the short side, but for most players it's impossible to complete a fast lap without crashing
Track #10 : Ravenbridge Mansion [13.5/20]- Graphics [6/7] : looks very good with the night and the rain, but details like splashing water and more convincing grass/swamp would be welcome;
- Music [1.5/2] : decent and fitting, but not outstanding. There is another music however which seems to have been composed for Ravenbridge Mansion and is not used ?
- Challenge [0.5/4] : not so easy that it would be boring for a good player, but not very challenging either. Loses half a point for no reverse mode support and another half point for serious AI issues.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : a wide road and not too many traps
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1.5/2] : features both a shortcut and an alternative path. The alternative path is a kind of trap, so perfect balance is not needed, but the shortcut could be improved.
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : the kart disposition at the start is terrible. It's too easy to catch the big nitro in the banana/nitro/banana. The rest is rather good.
- Track length [1/1] : good track length
Track #9 : XR591 [13.5/20- Graphics [4/7] : obviously polygonal curves and models, some bad quality textures (including the main road texture), and insufficient contrast between road and off-road in some parts of the track
- Music [2/2] : a very good music
- Challenge [3.5/4] : this track is one of the, if not the, most challenging track in STK. It loses half a point for some road smoothness issues, especially in reverse, and for the tunnel walls which make it too easy to "slide" on them.
- Newbie-friendliness [0/2] : a newbie has a hard time with not crashing and with understanding where the road is going.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1/2] : with most of the broken unwanted shortcuts fixed, the tracks only feature one road separation into symmetrical part and a decently challenging shortcut allowing to bypass it.
- Item placement and start position [2/2] : both are very good overall
- Track length [1/1] : the length is about right, if anything on the short side but players will almost always lose time in mistakes there
Track #8 : Abysses [14/20]- Graphics [5.5/7] : What is outside the driving area is very nice, but it's not what is seen the most, and the interior is somewhat bland.
- Music [2/2] : fits the track's theme well
- Challenge [1.5/4] : most of the difficulty here too is in the proper skidding curves
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : simple enough for newbies
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [2/2] : the starting positio is decent, and item placement too
- Track length [1/1] : about right
Track #7 : Northern Resort [14/20]- Graphics [4.5/7] : The theme, the sky, the falling snow are well done, but the low model quality, somewhat polygonal curves and poor textures affect this track too.
- Music [2/2] : a good music
- Challenge [4/4] : avoiding the bananas, not falling, getting the nitro cans, and skidding a lot requires significant skill.
- Newbie-friendliness [1.5/2] : too many occasions to fall for a newbie
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [1.5/2] : while there is a lot of nitro and item boxes, most of it is smartly placed. The second big nitro can ought to be on the outer edge of the curve, not on the inner part. I'd also remove the very last nitro can and item box. There is already a huge amount of nitro and item boxes, these are easy to catch (especially in reverse) and help too much a chased player.
- Track length [0.5/1] : slightly too short
Track #6 : STK Enterprise [14/20]- Graphics [5/7] : overall good look, though not up to the level of tracks like Cocoa Temple
- Music [1.5/2] : fits the track well
- Challenge [4/4] : definitely one of the hardest track in the game
- Newbie-friendliness [0.5/2] : there are many occasions to be confused by not turning at the right point or to crash or fall
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1/2] : while there is no shortcut, it has a few alternative paths which add a small plus
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : the starting position is decent, but there has been some abuse in item placement. It's one of the rare track where it can be hard to use all your nitro ! I'd remove the nitro between the two close bananas (after the road has been split and reunited). In the area following the tight curve with three small nitro cans, I'd remove two of the four nitro cans (one on each side), and at the end of this section I'd remove the two small nitro cans left of the banana. Even this may not be enough but it should make thing saner.
- Track length [1/1] : not too short, not too long, just right
Track #5 : Candela City [15/20]- Graphics [6.5/7] : Consistent theme, nice models, decent textures, many small details if one look around instead of just racing. Some noticeable polygonal curves however.
- Music [2/2] : Nice and fitting music.
- Challenge [2.5/4] : The first curve is very tricky, but the rest of the track is rather easy.
- Newbie-friendliness [1.5/2] : It's hard to get lost, and apart from the aforementionned curve a newbie can manage.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1/2] : the main road divided into two with many small connecting paths with items is a nice defining element.
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : the two big nitro cans are a significant balance issue. The starting positions would be better if the kart would be placed on a somewhat wider area.
- Track length [0.5/1] : 30s a lap with drifting and nitro in SuperTux is too short
Track #4 : Cornfield Crossing [15.5/20]- Graphics [6/7] : The visual theme is consistent and enjoyable, with good quality of models and textures
- Music [1.5/2] : Nice but not amazing music
- Challenge [3/4] : correctly avoiding the bananas while collecting nitro, and finding the good drifting lines, require skill
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : it's easy to follow the intended path and there is no very hard section triggering too much crashes
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [0/2] : none
- Item placement and start position [2/2] : the nitro cans, item boxes and bananas are not too rare nor too frequent, and their placement contribute to the challenge
- Track length [1/1] : in the sweet spot
Track #3 : Black Forest (addon) [17/20]- Graphics [7/7] : the latest version of Black Forest has risen to be the best looking track in STK in my opinion. Many elements are great, like the trees, the rocks, the houses, the train... and there is a lot of enjoyable detail like the nice river or the birds. It still has some weaknesses, like the ugly base grass texture (mostly hidden with additional grass or flowers on top), but I'm giving it a top mark to reflect its status as nicest track of the game.
- Music [0.5/2] : the music is nice and peaceful, and some like it, but it is neither unique to the track nor do I think it fits it so well. A unique musical theme would be a great enhancement.
- Challenge [4/4] : taken separetely, most of the sections are of very reasonable difficulty, but as a whole the track gives a lot of opportunity to make mistakes.
- Newbie-friendliness [1.5/2] : while driving fast without crash nor hitting a banana is hard, in most places you can't fall down or get lost.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [2/2] : while the track features no traditional shortcut (the railroad tunnel could be considered one however), it features two branching in two different paths. The balance of speed and difficulty is quite good.
- Item placement and start position [1/2] : nitro and banana placements are suboptimal in several portions of the track. The biggest issue (the bananas of the monastery road) will be fixed but some other parts could be enhanced.
- Track length [1/1] : while it is long, it is never boring with different elements both in gameplay and in visuals
Track #2 : Gran Paradisio Island [17.5/20]- Graphics [6.5/7] : One of the best looking tracks, with a lot of small details integrating well together between the sea and the airport.
- Music [2/2] : good fit
- Challenge [2.5/4] : the huge airport curve is not very hard, but skidding well and not falling when taking the first shortcut requires some skill.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : the main path is easy to follow
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [1.5/2] : the secret path with the two big nitro cans is poor, but the two main paths are nice now that the zipper jump has been made slower to improve balance.
- Item placement and start position [2/2] : the item placement is good, the starting position is decent though the karts could be spread wider
- Track length [1/1] : correct length
Track #1 : Cocoa Temple [18/20]- Graphics [6/7] : some polygonal curves but for the most part one of the best looking STK track, though performance is a serious issue on weak graphic cards and/or in network play.
- Music [2/2] : a good and fitting music
- Challenge [3.5/4] : while following the best path has become easy for me with experience, it's actually challenging and make skill differences quite clear.
- Newbie-friendliness [2/2] : by following the easiest (but slowest) path, this track is not too difficult for newbies.
- Alternative paths and shortcuts [2/2] : the best track without contest when it comes to alternative paths and shortcut, with three alternative path and one shortcut all well balanced between speed and challenge. They are not as good in reverse mode, however.
- Item placement and start position [2/2] : the start position could benefit from karts being on a wider area, but this is a minor point.
- Track length [0.5/1] : a bit short