I’m starting to get the impression Fila is in a race no one else knows about but him. I say that because the guy is cranking out track after track after track, and they’ve all been great. SLO Park is certainly no exception, however it comes with a little bit of a visual…familiarity. For those of you who’ve been around a while you’ll know exactly what I mean once you fire this baby up and take it for a spin. Ok, never mind, I can’t wait that long – I’ll go ahead and tell ya!
With permission from Zoon, who many feel is the all-time MTM-2 add-on track master, Fila made use of textures you’ve probably seen before. While running SLO Park, you can’t help but think of ZEURO Park 99, but once you whip thru a lap or two, you realize it’s definitely a Fila track! That’s not a dig or slam, mind you; it’s just that Fila’s natural tendency is to insert unorthodox corners and jumps that require a little bit of forethought before you commit…and it’s great stuff!! For instance, in the opening stretch, and up thru checkpoint 3, he made use of a little misdirection. He gives you the illusion the road will continue in a given direction, but once you reach the top of the crest, he switches up and goes the other way. He uses this tactic in several places in the track, and what really impressed me is he varied the degree of his directional changes with respect to the road. It certainly keeps you on your toes because there are only like three spots where you can coast (both physically and mentally) on this track. The rest of it demands your undivided attention.
Today Fila’s tracks are vastly more mature (for lack of a better word) in terms of layout and visual quality, which in part I attribute to his own mental & physical growth - the kid is growing up! He’s 16 now, but he was only 13 when I met him in the Zone…trying to hustle some guys in a race. Hehe—ok I threw in the hustle thing for effect, but the truth is this guy has come a heck of a long way as far as the types of tracks he’s putting out, and now more than ever he’s starting to mix it up a little, experiment with a few things, and stretch his imagination. This one definitely lacks some of the mind-twisting angles that can make even the most robust pro racer breakdown in tears (I’ve seen it…and it ain’t pretty), but like that of a pro baseball pitcher, Fila’s throwing a few “change ups”, demonstrating the variety in his track making repertoire.
Oh, by the way, if you’re wondering which tracks I was referring to when I used the expression “mind-twisting angles”, visit
http://teamslo.com, click on “SLO Tracks” and d/l “The Return of DMS” & “Isogiashi Oka”. You’ll see exactly what I mean! : )
I wasn’t going to tell this part of the story about this track, but since Fila was unwilling to in his readme.txt, I guess I have no choice. Yes, he’s older now, more mature…and slightly more stubborn - little punk thinks he knows it all! But please, read on!
While beta testing SLO Park, he had like…7 signs along the road that said “SLOW”. If you’ve ran it already, you noticed it’s not a very long track. There was one of those dang signs at just about every turn, supposedly inserted to help the racer know when to stand on the brakes. Well, several times it was suggested that he remove those signs because there was real no value added by having them in the track. To make a long story short (everyone knows how I hate it when people just go on and on. Hehehe), when he refused to remove them, I called his parents, explained the situation to them…and THEY made him take those signs out. Isn’t that something? It’s a dirty job being a beta tester for these SLO guys, but hey…someone has to do it!!!
Yes, the basic look of the track says, “Zoon”, but that’s where it ends. The insertion of wildlife, campers, and people boating gives this one a very nice feel and ambiance…makes you wanna head out to the nearest forest, don’t it? He also threw in snow, mostly for Winterkill no doubt; that guy is suker (had to mispell it so it would take
) for tracks with snow in them hehehe. SLO Park is neither too hard nor too easy; it’s strikes a very happy medium between the two extremes, and to me, that’s where this guy has improved oh so much!
Outstanding work Fila – you’ve got another winner under your belt! SLO Park tips the “Copey Rating” scale at a whopping “10” guys and girls, so be sure to check it out. Oh and hey - the story about me calling his parents…well that was bogus. I didn’t really do it, however, I would have if he hadn’t of taken out those dang “SLOW” signs!
Hehe once again, great, great job, Fila!!!
[This message has been edited by SLO_COPE (edited 27-05-2002).]
