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All right here we go, I have TRAXX, please tell me the first couple step's. Need 2 do this 1 thing at a time because this is my first time trying this. I need bunch's of help people. Thank's AND wish me luck. Charles

Well for starters there's a forum area here at MTMG called "Traxx", which is where topics of this type should go. However, since your here, you should start with Traxx School. Goodluck!

I need help with comp trucks, is there any thing I can do 2 help them 2 follow course better??? Please help. Got a nice track going, a couple things need a little work, SO PLEASE do give advice. Charles

Now there's a nice question. I've made a few tracks myself, but never had been able to make a truck follow that track. I have no idea why.
Even the easiest i ever made (crazy_rallycross) seems to be impossible for those ai trucks, and that is an easy track.

If i can give ya a little tip, charles. Upload your track to this site as a beta version. post a link to it in the traxx forum (scroll a little down on mainpage and you'll see it). These guys can really help ya out

Without seeing the track to have an idea what you're dealing with, let's summarize a few points.

There are two basic styles of laying in computer courses. The first places the segments at ninety degree angles well back from the corners. The other is to put in a number of short segments to kind of inch your way around the corner. But there is no "real" right and wrong way. If it works, then who can argue against it. There is also the theory that cpu speed affects ai performance. According to this idea, the faster the computer speed, the worse the trucks do - no matter how the course are put in.

One way to work is to put in the main course and make sure the map looks the way you want it (in the game). Then generate the pro course and tweak it until the trucks run good enough you can live with it. (turn off the main course so it doesn't distract you). Then generate the intermediate course and match it to the pro course. The thing to remember is the main course is mostly for the map and other aspects of the game. Once it's set, you can leave it be. It's courses one and two you need to be concerned with. Also, you do not need to have the same number of segments for each course. The pro course can have more (add segments) or less (delete them) segments than the main course.

Also, the complexity of the track doesn't always tell the whole story. There are some tracks you'd figure could never run a computer truck and yet they'll give you a run. But other's appear simple and yet there's nothing you can do to force, coax, persuade or bribe a computer truck to stay on the road.

If you need ideas, use "view pod file" to look at other tracks to see how they've been set up. But if you do this, remember to look at all three courses, not just the main.

Lastly, some courses are impossible to follow. There was one released earlier this year that had an extremely precarious hair pin turn. There was no way the computer trucks were going to follow that thing. In those cases, the trick is to help them recover from the missed turn so they can still complete a lap. It doesn't always look pretty, but at least they'll eventually get back on the road.

PS. I'll move this to the traxx forum once I know you've seen this note.

Thanks Mumhra, got it uploaded, dont really no how 2 do a link with it. Please explain, sorry not the smartEst person I am { Or ain't }. Thanks man, its good 2 learn how 2 do these crazy tracks. Not enough,em 4 me, seems I've done most every thing { tracks }. Love this game. Charles Thanks 2 all

Found your problem right away.

1. The ends of your segments touch each other. That's not how traxx school showed you how to do it.

2. There is no pro (number 2) course.

Here's a picture. The red lines are your course. The blue lines show how they should be.

Yet the best solution is

Dont race computer trucks, race in multiplayer with other real drivers instead.

That's not the point. The point is to make the most complete fully functioning track possible. On top of that, there are some people who don't race online. Tracks are made for everybody, not just one mode of game play.

Ok Phineus, got the trucks working great{Next time I'll read choser} what else needs work? Thank you by the way. Charles

hehee Cant blame me for advertizing.

No, we wouldn't do that :-)


> what else needs work?

Attention to detail... takes getting used to. Here's some ideas for you.
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It's the same few problems throughout the track. It just needs time and patience to go back over everything and tweak them out.

If you set the grandstands to no collide and put the object boxes there to eliminate the invisible overhang, then you need to be extra attentive to the fit, or you lose the benefit of doing it this way.

Same thing for cp flags. Get them facing the right direction, aligned to the road, then refit the poles.

I know it's early, but for texture alignment, you might like to check out using patterns. They really do make the job easier.

http://cownap.com/~mtmg/traxx/patterns.html


And I see you got the animated loaders working. Good work on those.



PS. In the case of the checkpoint marker and it's position to the ckbox.bin, in the picture above, the object box is in the correct place, the flag pole marker is too far back. The checkpoint markers should be positioned toward the place the truck would pass through the ckbox.bin first. Like so.

<center>

</center>

after you think you have your checkpoints correctly aligned, view them from straight overhead to make sure.

On the truck paths.... as I recall you can set the maximum speed for each segment, so that if you need a truck to slow down before a corner you can lower the maximum speed for the segment ending right before the corner.

Big THANKS on the truck speed Mtf_Executioner. Phineus point out so much of the little stuff, Man's got an eye{ Hopefully not the 1 from Lord Of The Ring's 1 }. Some day may-be I'll be that good. I do understand the comp trucks now, tried acouple different lay outs I have, they WORK GREAT. Thanks again people. Charles

Make sure cp1 is fix before releasing it. As a racer, there's nothing worse than hitting something we cant see.
At cp1 i'm hittiing the cp far from the pole. I'm not a track maker myself so i cant tell you how to fix that.

I sure look forward to seeing this when it's ready for release. Look like you are enjoying the experience. Way to go.

Jumper , enjoying this, THank you my friend, I am and will make sure on the Cp's. Thank 4 the encouragement. Got 1 ready now, just a small oval., but is looks nice, comp trucks work good 2. I will get better in time. They will look nicer as I get Better. I again will say thank you 2 SLo-Cope, Mumhra,MTF_Executioner and Phineus 4 getting me going on this adventure {Thanks Gentlemen}. Charles