When you talk about heavyweights in the track-making field…if his name doesn’t come to mind when you’re going down the list, then I’d (gently, quietly) make the recommendation that you “tighten up” on your research. His name pops up 25 times on the MTMG track page, but my guess is there may be a few more tracks of his out there somewhere (and if so, please let us know, World). I’m not saying his legacy is based on the number of tracks he’s made, but rather the kind of work he’s produced over the years. I’ve always loved his stuff –always. On SLO, in addition to our Always Podded List (APL), we have two additional track lists we run, and on those lists you’ll find track names like “ZO Get Psycho” “Heartbreak Cove” Tut This – Tourney Edition”, Maui Jet MX”, and “Denver Valley”. “OGX Oasis” will appear on our next APL, which premieres August 1st. Some may ask, “why is Cope saying all this great stuff about World? Bribery? Coercion? Blackmail? Extortion? Nope - he said he was broke, so there was no way I was gonna squeeze money outta him like I did Malibu350. Hehe actually the fact is World has been a major contributor to this game. Sure, the tracks he’s made are a big part of it, but what many don’t know or realize is the “sideline” work he’s done for others (me included) - making billboards and other track accessories on request. So yeah, not only is he overflowing with talent, he’s a heck of a nice guy!
But hey, enough about World's résumé; let’s hit the track. It was designed specifically for a relatively new format referred to as “Race-Rumbles” (R-Rs). If you’ve never played R-Rs or you’ve heard of it, but you’re not entirely familiar with the format, there’s a description of it here:
http://teamslo.com/fastlane.htm. They’re an absolute blast, and what’s great about R-Rs is it combines both facets of this game into one, so do yourself a favor and give it a go. Odds are you’re gonna love it.
Ok, here we go. In Copey’s humble opinion, a good R-R track should have the following qualities/characteristics: (1) Allow blockers ample room for free roaming, transitioning from checkpoint to checkpoint in order to setup for an assault on the opposing racers. (2) Provide enough room for racers to employ evasive action to elude blockers who mean to do them seeeerious hurt! (3) Have a somewhat simple layout, and (4) be free of excessive models/bins. With that in mind, World has been out of commission for a while where track making is concerned. In fact, he doesn’t really play the game all that much (MTM 2) compared to his earlier years. But low and behold, the guy wakes up one morning (or probably stayed up really late one night knowing him), puts in 5 hours of work, and sh-pow: instant Oasis!
As I said, he’s been out of the track making business for some time, but he somehow managed to capture all of the key qualities I feel are necessary in an R-R track in his first effort back in the saddle. Furthermore, Oasis is fantastic for just plain, old fashioned, racing! In fact, if he didn’t attach the title “RnR” to it, you’d never know it was designed for that purpose. A few of the turns are somewhat treacherous to say the least, but I think that’s good; it shouldn’t be a cakewalk for the racers to breeze through without having to use a few driving skills. Some parts of the tracks are more advantageous to the blocker, and some serve to benefit the racer, which is the kind of balance that makes Oasis an excellent track for this unique MTM 2 format.
The terrain is comparable to what you see on the stock track, “Scrapyard Run”, however Oasis gives you a much smoother ride comparatively. Yep, it’s got the same “skid factor” as Scrap, but pro racers know full well how to make that particular characteristic work “for” them rather than “against” them. World has always been superb where theme is concerned. He never just throws in props to fill up a track with décor; there always seems to be a purpose to what he’s doing. Even on “ZO Get Psycho” for example, there’s no specific theme per se, but he didn’t try to force one either. It’s just a racetrack, a <u>VERY GOOD</u> racetrack! It not only looks great, but it gives you a thriller of a ride from start to finish. For Oasis he went back to his Egyptian theme, sorta like what he used on “Tut This”, but with a slightly different look, and it’s quite impressive to say the least. Nothing is out of place, the trees are a very nice touch, are sensibly positioned, and all are set to no-collide, which is a plus if you’re a blocker rampaging around the track looking for something to smash into. Speaking of trees, I don’t think I’ve seen the blue-green models before, so I’m guessing that’s one of his on “special” concoctions.
I only saw one glaring error, and he and I kind of joked about it. A few of his tree models have taken on a “lighter than air” quality and seem to be floating a bit far above the ground. : ) Serious stuff? Not at all, and it doesn’t effect the playability one bit. Again, he cranked this one out in a few hours, and my guess is he didn’t use beta testers or make use of an “objective eye” to look for such minor flaws, which of course, is every track maker’s prerogative. Overall, however, Oasis looks great, it really does, and it definitely compliments the tremendous layout he’s come up with for MTMers to fully enjoy this variation of the game. If you haven’t heard, there’s a rather serious push to re-popularize R-Rs, and World has definitely aided in that cause with the release of OGX_Oasis.
Copey Rating time!! World is new to the “Copey Rating” system, so indulge me while I provide a quick explanation to this rather complex process. There’s this big box, kinda looks like a gumball machine from the 60s…well, it
IS a gumball machine from the 60s; I just modified it. Anyway, I drop in .35 (inflation – used to be lousy quarter), and it churns, smokes, coughs and does a few other unmentionable things before ultimately kicking out a number, which ends up being the “Copey Rating”. But hey, it’s broke and in the shop, so I’ve been doing them manually for a few months. For Oasis, its Copey Rating is…9 out of 10 possible points!
Say what you want, but in my opinion World is in a class by himself. No, I’m not about to get into comparing names and talking about who’s the best. Everyone knows I am…I mean, I would be…if I made tracks, that is. I’m referring to his style, his creativity, and his knack for coming up with outstanding layouts, track after track after track. Excellent job, World, and man…it sure is nice to see your name on a track again…a new one, I mean. Not sure what your plans are for this game with respect to future projects, but for however long you continue to make tracks, there are lots of people…more than you may realize, who’ll keep enjoying them – playing them time and time again. Awesome work, bud…awesome!!
[This message has been edited by SLO_COPE (edited 28-06-2002).]
