fracture {l Wrote}:21. Fort Magma
Final tracks are supposed to be the hardest and most exciting ones in the game. This track is not difficult at all. In fact, it's one of the easiest tracks in the game. The track is very boring, and adding a short cannonball section as an obstacle does not make this track any more interesting. Music is decent but doesn't fit well for a final track (it could be used for a different track).
In terms of graphics, this isn't the worst track but this is very disappointing for a final track in the game. They could have added some more obstacles, speed boosts, or change the pathing to make the turns more sharp and 90 degrees.
I think this track is the most poorly designed track in the game. The textures used in this track are terrible, and the lap time is too long with no interesting sections at all. A large portion of the track is just going around in circles around the two volcanoes. The inside parts of the volcano doesn't even feel like a volcano. Volcanoes are supposed to be dangerous but this one has nothing. At least add some speed boosts during this section or maybe add some lava on the track or lava obstacles or something to make this track better.
This track is essentially a weaker version of Gran Paradisio Island and I think it should be removed.
Shifting Sands is probably the easiest track in the game. It's also one of the most boring ones since most of the time there isn't any good scenery and nothing is going on. The pathing is good enough to where this track can be improved unlike Volcan Island or Fort Magma. Here are some suggestions:
* When entering the pyramid's main section at the main path, if going fast enough, the player will start flying in mid-air and be unable to control himself. This needs to be fixed.
* Sven improved this track (https://invidious.honeypot.im/watch?v=8zuCsenlc-o) by adding some graphical tweaks. Using these could make the track slightly more interesting and much better graphically.
* There is a small oasis section right before the branching paths which I think should be bigger. Maybe add a bit of grass to make it feel like an oasis.
* The music isn't terrible but it's also very boring. I suggest replacing it with some kind of battle theme like the one used in the addon track Shifting Sands Timewarp.
This track isn't terrible but the actual "hacienda" section feels too short and the ramp with the large nitro tank is completely broken (you're guaranteed to miss or come to a complete stop just by attempting that). After spending less than 10 seconds inside the actual building the rest of the track is just a boring desert drive with no interesting scenery, obstacles, alternate paths, or even speed boosts. The music, which isn't even that great but does fit the theme, is probably the best part of this track.
One of the worst tracks, if not the worst, in terms of graphics. There are too many noticeable polygonal textures, and every turn is pretty much a 90 degree turn with no variety. I also think this is one of the most overrated tracks since it gets selected a lot online. The music is pretty good, but the graphics and pathing is terrible.
This track might as well die because the replacement (https://invidious.honeypot.im/watch?v=BxwwVl6ShfE) will be much better.
One of the nicer looking tracks in the game, but it's also a very boring one, especially on the easiest difficulty, it goes on forever. Maybe add in a few speed boosts? At least the water track that came before this had some giant fish you could drive inside of. This track has nothing.
Now we get to the tracks that are actually pretty decent. This track is fun to race on because it's fast-paced, has good music, and has an original theme (there's already 2 desert tracks, 2 ice-themed tracks, and 2 beach tracks). Zen Garden does have problems, such as the graphics being terrible with lots of polygons and shit. The track itself could be better just by making it slightly bigger.
This track suffers from a few problems such as polygonal textures, weak pathing which makes the track look like it was built using some console video game's level editor, and I can even see the track limits. If I fell off on the right side after the first bridge, I'd be out of the track.
Other than that, this is a somewhat fun track to race on.
Another fast-paced track which doesn't need much improving although I noticed a cutoff between the grass and sand. Shouldn't the grass and sand blend or transition better than just a straight line where it was just cut off? Also there's an invisible wall towards the end of the track if I tried to take a shortcut at the end. These are just very minor issues.
This track is actually fun to race on and could be better if a shortcut was added or if some speed boosts were added all around the track. This could create an amazing chaotic race if the AI used the right items.
Also there's an invisible wall towards the end of the track if I tried to take a shortcut at the end.
This track, with all it's sharp turns, is probably the hardest track in the game
It's one of the more unique tracks and very fun to race on, but it also has terrible graphics
the arrows showing which paths to take suddenly disappear and reappear. That should be replaced with a single large arrow sign hovering over the road so they don't have to disappear just so the player can keep racing.
Ravenbridge Mansion is an improvement, but it just feels too open and easy.
The main path is too wide, the actual mansion section is too short and most of the track is just driving out in the yard. This suffers from the same problems as Luigi's mansion in Mario Kart DS. There are alternate paths and shortcuts which help improve the track, but the main track itself just feels too open and is one of the easiest tracks in the game.
This is one of the more creative tracks in the game and it feels like you're one of those remote-controlled racers in a classroom racetrack setup by the students and their teacher. This is like that new AR mario kart game that will suck (seriously, we wanted an actual Mario Kart 9, not some shitty kids AR whatever the fuck it is).
I don't think this track needs improving, but what would be even better than a track that takes place in a single classroom, is a track that takes places inside the entire school, including the hallways, cafeteria, gym, and if it's an elementary school, a playground. Of course, that would make for a very long track (probably even longer than Black Forest).
The biggest problem with this track is that it's too short, which can only be fixed by renaming it to Oliver's School and adding in a new hallway section or maybe even a cafeteria.
Despite having graphics worse than any other track in STK (except maybe Volcan Island or Snow Peak), this track is still fun to race on. It's the track that proves that a track doesn't need fancy graphics to be good. This track is easy, but not too easy to the point to where it's boring unlike Shifting Sands. I like the change of scenery between the actual town section, the drive by the ocean, and then the actual pond.
I think this track needs a different name since the actual pond is only shown in a small portion of the level.
Imagine how good this track will be once it gets improved in 2.0. We're talking about what could become a Top 5 track.
One of the most difficult tracks in the game.
There isn't anything too bad about this track but the reason it's not higher is because it's somewhat boring compared to other tracks. Once you get past the random minecart section, the rest of the track just feels easy and boring.
While this track was an improvement over the old island track, and it is now one of best desgined tracks in the game, there are a few problems.
* Some sections, particularly the very long spiral turn towards the end of the track, feels too long and should be shortened (maybe go around once instead of twice).
* The alternate path involving the woodne bridge to the airport is hidden to the point to where players can't even see where they're supposed to jump off the main track and into the bridge, and they will probably fall into the water several times.
* There is a cutoff between the sand and dirt sections which should be smoothed to where the sand and dirt blend together instead of just being a straight line dividing the two. This problem is very minor.
Like Oliver's Math Class, this track is one of the few creative ones. It is a bit short but the track itself is hard enough to where most players will have trouble trying to complete the track in full speed without crashing at least once.
Here is where we get to the best tracks in the game which are enjoyable and well designed. This track has some excellent music and almost feels like you're driving through some festival at some old town. I did notice some random giant blob in the background if I pressed 'b' to look backwards during the long road, and then again towards the end of the track. This track is actually very easy, too easy to be unlocked late into the game (should be swapped with Zen Garden in the 2nd grand prix).
Probably the best easy track in the game for the beginners to race on. The best part is getting launched into the barn and then racing down an anti-gravity section. This alone makes it more enjoyable than the shit Moo Moo Farm and Moo Moo Meadows from the Mario Kart series. The only graphical problem is the skybox needs a bit of fixing, I can currently see the cube lines when racing.
Excellent track with many alternative paths. Only problem in this track is the broken ramp inside the temple in which you can get a large nitro can.
Driving inside a space station is actually pretty fun in this track (although the last room after the big jump is boring). This track does everything right. Good item placement, very hard (especially with the first 90 degree turns inside the circular room followed by a banana placed at the right position to where you're going to hit it). Some of the best music in the game, and solid graphics.
. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Well...This track does everything right
Yeah that's why the race is won by the first to get a nitro or a gift 3 seconds after the beginning. That's also why there's too much nitro.Good item placement
very hard
and solid graphics
By far the best designed track in the game with the best graphics. So many alternative paths and hidden shortcuts, including one in which you drive inside an actual house and inside a train tunnel. This is the longest track in the game, but this isn't a bad thing since there is so much to see in this track, unlike Alpine-2 or Volcan Island.
wax {l Wrote}:AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:19. Shifting Sands
Shifting Sands is probably the easiest track in the game. It's also one of the most boring ones since most of the time there isn't any good scenery and nothing is going on. The pathing is good enough to where this track can be improved unlike Volcan Island or Fort Magma.
I am working on a track located in a desert. More specifically, a desert that reproduces the landscape and culture of the Arab world, including parts of North Africa and the Middle East. The name of the track is "1000 Nights" as described in another topic and some people showed a lot of interest in the idea, including Alayan, who is one of the main developers and project managers (Benau is the other). If they are interested in waiting for me to finish before the next release, we can say the old "Shifting Sands" already has a potential replacement that, at least, it's a work in progress track in advance stage.
At the moment, I'm finishing a track in the beautiful scenery that re-creates The Netherlands (in the case you are not aware, all the tracks on STK are located on a planet which is very similar to the Earth. So, there are no tracks named after real places of our planet).
I have other projects (all WIP, but with almost all 3D modeling finished) and a project for a very beautiful track ("Balloons Festival") that reproduces the beauty of Toscana with the hills, a typical Italian village, and a "winery" in the valley with a lot of hot air balloons in the horizon. They could replace two-tracks.
wax {l Wrote}:1. Black ForestBy far the best designed track in the game with the best graphics. So many alternative paths and hidden shortcuts, including one in which you drive inside an actual house and inside a train tunnel. This is the longest track in the game, but this isn't a bad thing since there is so much to see in this track, unlike Alpine-2 or Volcan Island.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Well graphics are good, but what is the sense to make a track that 80% of stk players can't play. My fps go from 70 to 30 in graphics 1. And I don't speak about lags online. As for alternative paths, they're a bit unbalanced so top players never use it. So not interesting for high-level, and too long.
Wuzzy {l Wrote}:Ughh. Why can't the STK dev team just not stop touching the tracks, alrady? You're way past version 1.0 right now, PLZ stop screwing around with the content, already. You're destroying history!
Wuzzy {l Wrote}:There is always something to be complain about the current tracks, [...]
Wuzzy {l Wrote}:I'm afraid, in 5 years, SuperTuxKart will probably be wildly different from what we had at version 1.0, but it is still called "SuperTuxKart" for some reason, and the tracks have been "replaced" for several iterations that none of the original tracks exist anymore …
[...]
Don't get me wrong, I am not against making new tracks at all, I always like it when I see new tracks.
Wuzzy {l Wrote}:I'm afraid, in 5 years, SuperTuxKart will probably be wildly different from what we had at version 1.0, but it is still called "SuperTuxKart" for some reason, and the tracks have been "replaced" for several iterations that none of the original tracks exist anymore …
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:A good and a bit more detailed track takes some months of hard and continuous work. A track with more elaborated graphics, many objects, and details take many months of continuous work or some years to finish working in the free time with no help or with a partnership. The time will be even longer if the track maker loses his motivation or there's no much interest demonstrated by the target customer (the STK players, in this case). That's why I still didn't finish complicated and very detailed projects like "Cosmodrome", "1750", "Viking Ring Fortress", "Port/Tollway", "1001 Nights" and "Netherlands" even if almost all have at least 85% to 90% of the scenery, objects, textures and maps already done.
Note that I'm talking about my tracks, that have many more objects, textures, maps, and details than most tracks available in the main game and addons.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:A good and a bit more detailed track takes some months of hard and continuous work. A track with more elaborated graphics, many objects, and details take many months of continuous work or some years to finish working in the free time with no help or with a partnership. The time will be even longer if the track maker loses his motivation or there's no much interest demonstrated by the target customer (the STK players, in this case). That's why I still didn't finish complicated and very detailed projects like "Cosmodrome", "1750", "Viking Ring Fortress", "Port/Tollway", "1001 Nights" and "Netherlands" even if almost all have at least 85% to 90% of the scenery, objects, textures and maps already done.
Note that I'm talking about my tracks, that have many more objects, textures, maps, and details than most tracks available in the main game and addons.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:Yes, of course, but lack of interest by the target audience in a mentioned project makes me lose the interest to expend hours on a project that most ignored in the topic.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:However, this track recreating the Netherlands is a special case for the reason I have mentioned above. I can't upload a track to test with no textures and maps, since most drivers will know how to drive properly and nobody will understand the theme and the coherence of all objects and elements there.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:So, I need a name to define this track, and only after all files are renamed (according to what people will see in the screenshots) I may upload the WIP track with the final name and everyone may test.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:However, this track has not a complicated or weird path design and most of the length of the path (except for only one part that has an essential design) can be changed and redesigned at any time if necessary (but I bet it won't be).
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:The number of finished tracks released by me was just only one as you know, but the amount of projects fully described is almost 10. Only "Viking Rung Fortress", "1750" and "1001 Nights" got some positive feedback, while the rest were basically ignored in the comments. Why should I waste my time working days, weeks, or months to finish them
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:XGhost {l Wrote}:It does not matter if it is textured or not, if there is scenery around it or not (maybe there is, that's great and already gives an idea of how it might look in the end). Ideally your track can be distinguished from the surroundings and the road layout is clear. If you have missing scenery that would lead the player, just put in simple primitives (cubes, spheres, cylinders) that give a sense of the objects or just use some planes with arrows on them for now. If you would let us drive a simple layout, we could give you feedback and new ideas on that. You can slap whatever theme or setting on it afterwards. If you got key-elements on your road that are tightly connected to your theme, then spend a little more time on only that, blocking the thing roughly together.XGhost {l Wrote}:All you should care about now is the basic racetrack.
I can upload a track as simple as you described, but (attention here) this is one of my three tracks with flat terrain, and couldn't be different: there are a few ups and downs, but the terrain is flat, since it recreates the Netherlands, not Switzerland or Brazil. Flat driveline, almost no objects, and all objects without texture will give a very, very bad impression to every none who tests, no matter how fun the track may be to drive on it. In other words, this (and only this) is a track where the good impression depends on the proper scenario. Anyway, I can upload a track with empty scenery, but the feedback will be lower rated than the project deserves.GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:However, this track has not a complicated or weird path design and most of the length of the path (except for only one part that has an essential design) can be changed and redesigned at any time if necessary (but I bet it won't be).XGhost {l Wrote}:You don't know that. You also don't know how much valuable feedback you might have missed already by not testing it with actual players. It's the same rookie-mistake we see countless times every year the new students start their first projects. You are and always be the worst judge on creations of things you made yourself. Almost universally true.
This is the shape of the racetrack, path, Driveline, or any other name that someone may prefer to use. Is there any way to be a problem for someone? Just a quick look reveals the lack of major difficulty since there's no jumps or crazy experiences like in "Las Dunas Stadium".
Changes in the shape can be made if necessary.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:Anyway, I can upload a track with empty scenery, but the feedback will be lower rated than the project deserves.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:Is there any way to be a problem for someone? Just a quick look reveals the lack of major difficulty since there's no jumps or crazy experiences like in "Las Dunas Stadium"
fracture {l Wrote}:Releasing an empty track to test is exactly what you needed to do.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:Then, I may release the empty track to test.
fracture {l Wrote}:How is anyone supposed to judge a track just by looking at a picture of it?
fracture {l Wrote}:Imagine I just released this screenshot of a poorly drawn track without even using blender or shit and just made a concept then asked everyone to rate this track based on drivability? It's obvious nobody will know shit about how to rate a ******** drawing because there's nothing to test. Release the demo and then we can help you.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:(...) as the conversation goes on on this topic, it seems that there is a popular outcry (...) and I insist on saying "No! Just screenshots. I'll never give you an empty track to test it out. Test it mentally. Look at the layout and see how fun it is to drive. Or are you idiots who can't do that?" This is obviously not me, and I think I already made it clear...
fracture {l Wrote}:This thread has turned to some rando's thoughts on all the tracks to some other guy and his upcoming tracks and a debate on whether to release a demo or not, and I honestly don't care.
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