MTM2.com

The track is an EVO conversion and it is a good one. And no, it wasn't made by Malibu. The remark is necessary since almost everybody associates Evo conversions with Mal, and therefore anybody making a conversion is doomed to be compared with him. That's enough to discourage most candidates but fortunately not Kdawg.

The textures are beautiful and work perfectly well with antialiasing. Not the slightest trace of the dreaded gridlines is visible (at least with ATI cards: I haven't tested nVidia cards). Combine this with the very natural terrain modeling and you get something visually stunning.

The modeling of the track itself (i.e. the part you actually drive on) is also very well done. The design is rather speed oriented with some banking in the curves and a relatively smooth layout. But the banking is moderate and a number of well placed bumps give the track the right "unpaved" feel. The result is a fast-paced and moderately challenging course. Moderately challenging here means that you need solid driving skills to consistently run fast laps, especially in the middle of a pack of LAN racers, but mistakes normally won't cost you a major time penalty.

My only gripe is that the trees are of the drive-through variety. To my taste they make the track more forgiving than necessary and slightly spoil its natural ambiance. The notion of danger, the fear to hit the trees you fly by could add a lot to the racing excitement and the sensation of speed. And in view of the story behind the track namehttp://forum.mtm2.com/viewtopic.php?t=3763, how could a dog use a p..-through tree? It's dog hell, lol.

In spite of this, the track is well suited for LAN racing. Its compact layout is easy to learn (lap times around 1'10'') and the resulting tight, fast-paced multiplayer action is truly enjoyable.

Verdict: Silver Antler Award

Well said, rocketalces. And well done, Kdawg - certainly deserving of prestigious awards.


http://mtm2.com/~tracks/tracks.cgi?bookmarks=8

Yes, very well said indeed! I wish I could get to the point the way he does lol.

I do like this track, which is why I nominated it for our Short Track List shortly after it came out. Actually I had it in mind for one of our list when I first beta tested it waaaaaay back in July of 2004. Yep, 'ole kdawg did his Winterkill impersonation by taking for freakin ever to finish this track lol. It was definitely worth the wait though - it's a fun little circuit. One of the things I like about this track is there are a few spots where you can improvise and take different lines. They're not any faster, but options are typically good, especially on small tracks such as this. If one guy hits a tree stump, usually he/she will take a few others with them since there's not much room to maneauver laterally. Having the ability switch up and use a differnent line to avoid a pile-up or even by pass a slower racer that you can't seem to get by using the road is kind of nice.

At any rate, excellent work Kdawg . . . and a darn good review, Rocket! Seriuosly, you should do more reviews, partner. LOL Antler Award. I like it!!