MCTrek by EmceeMart

EmceeMart · Post by **EmceeMart** » Mon May 29, 2000 1:01 pm

OK folks, here is your chance for revenge! EmceeMart's latest pathetic attempt at making a track
This is from the readme file:
This is the first beta for MCTrek. I had originally planned for a long trek through mountainous country with a few hair-raising leaps, tunnels, winding roads, a house you can drive through, some bridges and some secrets. Over the months, as I've learned more about track making, my ideas for this track have been constantly changing. I have laid out a "short course" for the sake of making it playable whilst testing, so as it is, it is a functional track. BTW follow the computer trucks when you first run it - the course doesn't always follow the road

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Feel free to explore the rest of the layout. I am considering making multiple tracks from the terrain and podding it as a pack in the same manner as Sir James' Popcorn pack. For now though, I am just concerned about getting the terrain, altitude changes, the corner banks, and computer trucks to be competitive.
I envisage the finished track having a few more models, directional signs, fences, buildings etc... but trying to avoid the cursed lag problem.

I intend to add some rock textures, make a bridge for the railtrack (hafta bone up on Binedit) - I would normally have achieved this using ground boxes but the railtrack crosses a tunnel made of ground boxes.

Textures are minimal for now, mostly FarmRoad textures, a few made by me. The checkpoint markers are Malibu350's, some trees by Zoon, some by me. The house you drive through is all my own creation

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Let me know what you think folks.

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Keep on Monster Truckin'

EmceeMart

Post by **Phineus** » Mon May 29, 2000 1:59 pm

>>I am considering making multiple tracks from the terrain and podding it as a pack in the same manner as Sir James' Popcorn pack.

Good goal, but probably a bit early to be thinking about this. Still, good to keep in mind.

>>I am just concerned about getting the terrain, altitude changes, the corner banks, and computer trucks to be competitive.

Good plan.

>>I envisage the finished track having a few more models, directional signs, fences, buildings etc... but trying to avoid the cursed lag problem.

Okay by me. Directional signs or, at least, visual markers will help establish a clear race line.

>>I intend to add some rock textures, make a bridge for the railtrack.

Sounds like you know what you want.

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With a clear vision for future progress, I wonder what mc needs to know/hear. For my part, I think the terrain needs the most work. The shorter course is more interesting than the longer rally right now. But in both cases, the terrain is the weakest feature. Keep at 'er, Emcee.

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- Phineus

EmceeMart · Post by **EmceeMart** » Mon May 29, 2000 2:40 pm

I have included a replay file in the zip (boogie van forward flip then back flip!.rpl). Extract it to your MTM2/Saved replays and see a weird crash by the Boogie Van - flips back end over front when hitting an uphill section of track, then rolls BACK - front end over back end, lands upright, and carries on! Gotta be a freestyle contender..

Yep I agree Phin re the terrain. I am learning with each passing day. The short course sprang to mind on the strength of one of Winterkill's posts about the Expo Straightawy tracks - and of course after running them and inspecting them in Traxx myself. Needless to say this was after months of laying this track out! heehee

>>I wonder what mc needs to know/hear<<

=Folks' preferences
and technical advice from the likes of youself.

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Keep on Monster Truckin'

EmceeMart

Malibu350 · Post by **Malibu350** » Tue May 30, 2000 9:55 am

it seems a bit early to offer up any worthwhile suggestions here except the obvious like the altitude, terrain, textures, and how bout some guard rails

i flew off a couple corners lol me and my brake pedal do not get along too well... seriously though it sounds like you have a good plan and looks to be off to a great start and just in need of some MC brainstormin...

the .rpl was not in the zip you had posted this morning just the .pod, .txt, and the .txx so i didnt get a look at boogey vans tumble.

multiple tracks? why not, sounds great to me every track i've done has two although siberia and dire's alternates are not functional.. i usually just run out of idea's and think what if i do this or that but don't want to screw up the main course so i kind of just branch off and end up working on both at the same time while ideas come and go for each one..

oh ya, the house looks great but it seems a shame to have to bypass that corkscrew turn you made just before it, you may concider laying the course segments (map) to follow that part instead of leading directly to the house and leaving it as a kind of secret short??? just a thought and you would need to make the path directly to the house much much more difficult like the eye of a needle

Flyn_Falcon · Post by **Flyn_Falcon** » Thu Jun 01, 2000 4:50 am

Man, I ran it once & that was enough to ell me that with a little more tweaking, you've got a winner here. Plenty of PHAT AIR, sharp curves, and speed! Nice Job!

EmceeMart · Post by **EmceeMart** » Thu Jun 01, 2000 9:32 am

Ooopsie Malibu! I'll include the replay in the next update - in fact it wasn't Boogie Van, it was Overkill. Now here's a wierd thing... when I watch the replay again, instead of seeing the flip flop, Overkill seems to sink into the terrain like quicksand and then pop out of the side of the mountain! Dunno if it's 'cos I installed Podium.
Back to the track - I have done some extensive terrain editing. Trying to get those banked curves smoother and more driver friendly. Some drastic altitude changes so that there's a more "natural" transition in height. Fixed the first downhill after the start so the first corner is easier to handle (and you don't land in the lake).
I did what you suggested Mal and made the "straight through" short cut not so straight forward. I had a lot of trouble trying to get the comp trucks to go around the first circular descent and pick up the line in the tunnel (I think it's because race segment 1 overlaps segment 5 even though it's on a different level - I used the "copy terrain/level/insert segment/paste terrain" but with no great success).. so I added another alternative route that picks up the road again after the house. So now there are 3 different ways to get to the same place! As I'm writing this I have yet another idea..

Beta 1.1 should be up for inspection by next week.

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Keep on Monster Truckin'

EmceeMart

EmceeMart · Post by **EmceeMart** » Thu Jun 01, 2000 7:33 pm

>>Food for thought: as it develops I'd like to see more "treacherous but recoverable" areas <<
Yup WK, I'm working on that aspect.

The first hill seems to be OK with the comp trucks now (I took out that 2nd little wicked "hump") so the barrier is still there for overenthustiaistc emergencies.

>>The big jump: <<
I have smoothed the terain to make it more "comp truck friendly".... if "trucks with no brains" can make it, then so should a human bean

.. but I am designing this track for "professional" or as PODulater would say under Ego - "Thinks he's good"

BUT yes you are correct WK.. it should be good for rookies too... so I have made a few changes to make it so...
Perfection is far away just yet, but I'm plodding on!

Flyn_Falcon - thanks for your complimentary comment but wait on, it will be better!

>>the way your track is designed (spead out)<<
I had hoped to have the opportunity to put a few things in this track that you cannot do in a more compact course - time will tell.

Beta 1.1 will be up for grabs next week, thanks for you input everyone.

edit>> did I say Podulator? I meant PODium!

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Keep on Monster Truckin'

EmceeMart>

[This message has been edited by EmceeMart (edited 02-06-2000).]

EmceeMart · Post by **EmceeMart** » Mon Jun 05, 2000 9:22 am

MCTrekbeta1.1

From the readme:
A lot of terrain editing! An alternative course layout for the sake of testing. I may stick to my original idea of having multiple tracks podded. As it is now, the course does not use all of the roads, so feel free to explore and find your favourite course. I have added a few more models (mostly for the purpose of keeping the trucks on the road). There will be more "eye candy" in the finished track. The same goes for the textures - I'll worry about that when I'm satisfied with the terrain. I reckon I've got it nailed, almost. Just a few more little tweaks.
A great suggestion by Old_B-rad: "One of my favorite things in a track is a jump or a series of jumps where the landing is spaced so you land on the downhill & gain speed." The guy builds real moto cross & super cross tracks - so I have taken his thoughts on board and I think you will see a definite improvement in this version, especially on the dirt road home run. I'm still working on the railroad bridge (I may just use a ready-made one - like the nice looking one in Fatal Error's Expo track).

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Oh the replay file... I have included it this time, and it's Rampage!
>>edit: no it is Overkill, but I figured out why I was getting the weird replay - It's 'cos the replay file is using the updated track, including all the altitude changes etc.. but the replay trucks still follow the original course they were "taped" on, duh... call me dummy!

I had a big computer mess up over the weekend and had to reinstall MTM2. I don't know what caused it but I suspect it was something to do with PODium - which I have since uninstalled, but I'm still looking forward to the next fixed version as it looks like a neat utility. As a result of the reinstall of MTM2 Podulator no longer works, I suspect it's just a matter of fiddling with the Windows Registry but I'm too chicken to mess with that

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So what is a good Podding utility?

PS. I want to keep the big jump over the lake... as far as I can tell the minimum settings to make the jump are Pro/1300/medium/medium. It took me a while to figure out how to make one of the jumps in Grand Canyon but it was oh so satisfying when I eventually made it! I may make an alternative route for rookie/intermediate for the next update (ideas are still rattling around).

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Keep on Monster Truckin'

EmceeMart

[This message has been edited by EmceeMart (edited 05-06-2000).]

[This message has been edited by EmceeMart (edited 06-06-2000).]