MTM2.com

I have just started using traxx yesterday and I made a simple track. After following traxx school's instructions up to the checkpoints, it says that you can save to a pod and try it out. When I try to save to pod I get this pop-up error:


Backdrop model not specified.
Bad model texture ART\STRTRED.RAW
Bad model texture ART\STRTGRN.RAW


How do I fix this problem?
What did I do wrong?

>> Backdrop model not specified.

This is sort of okay to ignore for right now. The backdrop is the picture of mountains etc. that appears on the horizon of a track. Adding one to your track will be covered in the next lesson of Traxx School.

>> Bad model texture
This basically means you don't have the textures given by the error message. Try extracting the models and textures from your beginning stock track again - steps 2 and 3 from Lesson A. If you didn't use Crazy 98 for this step, I'd recommend going back and using that track since TXX School works best with that original equipment.

Okay, I started a fresh track and I was able to save the POD file correctly. However, it seems like I can't find the POD file in my MTM2 folder. If I mount it, the game won't run and it says it's missing files.


Edit: I changed the name so it has no spaces and I can now run my track just fine. But I still can't find my actual POD file in the MTM2 folder. Also, sometimes the computer controlled trucks seem to do a loop around the corner before driving the correct way again. I'm pretty sure I laid out the CPU paths correctly. What am I doing wrong?

>> Can't find my actual POD

Remember what you called the file...look in the mtm2 folder at the very end or right click in an empty area of the folder >> "Arrange Icons By" >> "Name" to update the list alphabetically.

It also helps very much to make sure you can see your file extensions - this will also prevent an important error when loading your tracks and is absolutely necessary for track makers! For instructions how to do this, click the search button at the top of this page and search for the word "extensions" (without the quotes)...there should be a thread talking about the problem and how to fix it.

(I realize I totally went off topic...sorry...let me know if you find your pod file.)

>>AI's seem to do a loop around the corner

This is due to the way mtm2 handles AI steering and detecting whether a course point has been reached. (Hate to brag, but I recently wrote a course-segment detection script that works better than mtm2's...but that won't help here.), Whether you even see the problem depends on both your computer frame rate (how frequently the 3D picture is redrawn) and the distance between your course segments.

Generally, the trucks will "loop" if the course segments are either not enough at an angle, positioned at an unnatural angle...:

maybe like this:
|
|

___

... or too close together! If you're still working on the traxx school project, it's just an oval...so make sure the ends of your course segments are roughly four squares apart or more, and equal distances from each other. Like this:




(Note: The vertical pieces would each be one course segment, not divided into four sections like this...blame the text-based art lol)

If this doesn't properly illustrate the concept, I'll get a screenshot of my own traxx school project to show you.

There's another reason why the computer trucks might not work, as well. Did you remember to add the segments for courses 1 and 2? See Traxx School Lesson C, instruction number 18 for how to do this.

Thanks for the reply, Mat-Allum. I wasn't able to find my POD file even when I used your search trick but that's okay, I just made a copy of the Crazy 98 POD and then saved my POD over that file.

As far as the computer trucks are concerned, I tried moving all of the track tracers all around without any change. (Yes, I did add the other numbered course segments.) That's okay though. I quickly started up a fresh new track and the computer trucks run through it just fine.

(If you want to play it, use the URL to download it below. Right now, it looks pretty ugly but I just threw it together in 2 days. Let me know if the computer trucks get messed up.)



http://meowth.angelcities.com/TestTrack.POD

I'd be happy to check out the track if you'd like...but the TestTrack.pod file you attached seems to be a copy of crazy98.

Which leads me to ask, do you know if your pod files are saving in the mtm2 folder, or the folder you have traxx in? (Maybe I'm asking stupid questions...but I wanted to make sure we've covered the possibly-overlook-able stuff.)

Also, if you'd like, you can send me the TXX of your track with the computer truck problems and I can check it out myself.

Wow that's strange. I downloaded the file and it was crazy 98 as you said. I think I saved the POD file in the MTM2 folder but I'm not sure. I guess it screws up the POD file if you save it in there, right? Remember, I couldn't find my POD files from scratch so I saved over a copy of crazy 98.

Hmm. The pod file should be basically the same no matter where you save it.

Wait... I figured out a VERY possible problem you may be having, one that would definitely explain why your pod files aren't saving.

Are you using Vista or Windows 7?

If so, that will make fixing this problem a whole lot easier!

Yes, I'm using windows Vista. But if I save to desktop, the POD file doesn't become invisible. I think I will jut save PODs to desktop from now on.

Here's your problem then - you won't have to save to desktop.

Vista and Win7 have security protocols that don't allow programs to access files on the hard drive unless you allow them to.

Do this:

Right click your Traxx program (in the folder or your shortcut on the desktop if there is one - doesn't matter which) and click Properties. On the Compatibility tab, look for "Run this program as administrator." (If you can't find it, let me know...been a while since I had to change this setting.) Click OK.

Now when you run Traxx, you will probably get a message warning you that the program wants to access your computer. Click the button allowing it - Traxx is trustworthy and will not damage your system.

Follow these same steps for MTM2 itself and any other utilities you may use with it. You should have no more disappearing pod file problems.

Alright, thanks. Your trick worked as you said! Now, let's try this again. I made another quick track and it's POD file. I hope this one works... Let me know how it turns out for you.

http://meowth.angelcities.com/ZZZXXXX.pod

I must say you did a great job with your first track! It reminds me of the first track I made...actually, it looks like you did a better job than I did.

Lol @ "Oh, the humanity!"

I did notice that the computer trucks don't turn the corners too well. Here's a suggestion you may want to take if you'd like the computer trucks to work for everybody - try to keep the course segments at least 3-4 tiles apart, so it's obvious for the computer when it's time to steer. Here's a picture to illustrate it. The thick green lines show where ideal placement of the course segments might be.



Remember to re-adjust courses 1 and 2 with "Generate from Main" after you've finished editing course 0.

There's another little trick you may want to use as well. Course 2 is the path followed by computer trucks in Professional mode, and if you wish, you can make those trucks follow shortcuts that they wouldn't follow in easy mode.

In the example above, you could readjust course 2 (after re-Generating from Main) to shortcut in *front* of the NWO billboard - unless this shortcut was unintentional, in which case your choice might be to block off that shortcut or add a checkpoint somewhere between segments 2 and 3.

The three courses don't have to all have the same number of segments, so you could have computer trucks follow completely different paths in each difficulty mode if you wish. (I think course 1 is the path followed in medium mode, but I'm not sure.)

Thanks again for your helpful tips. The track was just a quick test of traxx editor. If I do decide to make a serious track, I'll surely do a better job.

You're welcome. Have fun making tracks!