Post by atheistsw on Sept 12, 2015 17:14:25 GMT
This is a playlist of 6 of @steve races that are inspired by real-life GP circuits. I played them with a group of friends, with contact 'ON'. Here are my thoughts.
I have to say, my initial observations from just looking at the map proved to be correct. In all my time racing in GTA I have NEVER seen checkpoint placement done this way, lol! The layouts of the tracks themselves are not bad, but trust me, ANY keen racer is going to absolutely hate the way you've laid out your checkpoints, it runs contrary to EVERYTHING we've learned and used before. Also, to a lesser extent, your prop placement is strange too, if you are going to use those tyre wall barriers then PLEASE line them up nicely, having them side by side as your going down a straight is just asking for trouble as they're practically jutting out waiting to be hit!
F1 Grand Prix Monza
Certain sections are indeed reminiscent of the real circuit, although of course there's much less elevation in the real life circuit! The first chicane is pretty well done but there needs to be a checkpoint on the apex of the corner itself! This track is 3.11 miles long yet only has 13 checkpoints! You rely on people following the road for the most part which is fine, but you need to place your checkpoints on the apexes of corners.. When you look at the map, think of how each checkpoint connects to the other, in a kind of join-the-dots fashion, you ought to be able to see a rough outline of the track layout this way. For all the tracks in this playlist, that is not the case. This was one of the less severe instances but even so, proper checkpointing is a must!
F1 Rockford Hills GP
Again, a decent layout, but again, the checkpoints are all over the place! Very few are actually on the corners and instead are at random places along the straights. Each checkpoint arrow should be pointing in the direction of the next one, this is KEY to laying out your checkpoints. This practice is simply not observed here. Also, some of those tyre walls are placed extremely precariously, clip them together to create smooth walls without gaps that can be potential hazards for racers.
F1 Silverstone Grand Prix
Okay, so in the description you acknowledge the checkpoints are spaced far apart on the straights, but WHY? If you look at the map there is a straight line going east and west, there is simply NO need for this, you have plenty of checkpoints to use! Also, the track is FAR too long to be even a rough rendition Silverstone, there is some slight resemblance in the flow, but those straights go on and on and on so truthfully, I'd remove that name as it's not appropriate.
Industrial GP Circuit
And here is where things gets really weird! Looking at the track layout you'd think this was a fairly straightforward route, but there are whole sections of the track completely un-checkpointed! Also, you have a dynormal tyre wall near the beginning that caused everyone to burst out laughing when they ran into it, easily fixable now, just delete it and replace a new one. Anyway, those checkpoints... Okay, so CP6 is hidden BEHIND a yellow tyre barrier, forcing you to turn left, go ALL the way down to the end where there is a hairpin and then back up again to the checkpoint! Logical way of checkpointing this would be CP6 = Left turn, CP7 = Hairpin, CP8 = Left turn. CP9 points right but actually you need to go straight ahead then turn right (not very clear) to go down a side road to reach the next CP. Again, missing checkpoints galore here! Finally, the final CP is pointing completely the wrong way as you have to practically turn back on yourself to get to the final start/finish checkpoint. Anyone playing this race for the first time would be forgiven for thinking this was a pure troll race in all honesty!
Inner City Grand Prix
Slightly better from a checkpoint-point of view, a lot of them are at least on the corners, if not tight enough to the apex. However, the jump/bridge crossover thing near the end is completely pointless, not only is it straight after a corner, but it's rough as hell and the stunt cam means you can't even see which way you're going! Totally unnecessary, if you want to try to avoid crossover pile-ups during contact races then a line of small ramps wil suffice.
Malibu GP Circuit
Last one and the best of the bunch! The route is nice and the checkpointing is, by and large, decent (Although there need to be additions in-between 2-3 and 3-4) and the propping is also fairly good, with a few tweaks this could actually be a really decent track!
Summary
First and foremost, you need to learn how to checkpoint races correctly. Try the video below as it's a good starting point but there's much more to it than that. Checkpoint arrows should always point in the direction of the next CP. Don't rely on props alone to guide players around the track. Consider what I said about 'join the dots' when constructing your tracks. I'm not sure if you know how to insert checkpoints in between others already placed but if you want to learn more hit me up on PSN, we'll go into shareplay and i'll show you some of the basics you need to know.
I have to say, my initial observations from just looking at the map proved to be correct. In all my time racing in GTA I have NEVER seen checkpoint placement done this way, lol! The layouts of the tracks themselves are not bad, but trust me, ANY keen racer is going to absolutely hate the way you've laid out your checkpoints, it runs contrary to EVERYTHING we've learned and used before. Also, to a lesser extent, your prop placement is strange too, if you are going to use those tyre wall barriers then PLEASE line them up nicely, having them side by side as your going down a straight is just asking for trouble as they're practically jutting out waiting to be hit!
F1 Grand Prix Monza
Certain sections are indeed reminiscent of the real circuit, although of course there's much less elevation in the real life circuit! The first chicane is pretty well done but there needs to be a checkpoint on the apex of the corner itself! This track is 3.11 miles long yet only has 13 checkpoints! You rely on people following the road for the most part which is fine, but you need to place your checkpoints on the apexes of corners.. When you look at the map, think of how each checkpoint connects to the other, in a kind of join-the-dots fashion, you ought to be able to see a rough outline of the track layout this way. For all the tracks in this playlist, that is not the case. This was one of the less severe instances but even so, proper checkpointing is a must!
F1 Rockford Hills GP
Again, a decent layout, but again, the checkpoints are all over the place! Very few are actually on the corners and instead are at random places along the straights. Each checkpoint arrow should be pointing in the direction of the next one, this is KEY to laying out your checkpoints. This practice is simply not observed here. Also, some of those tyre walls are placed extremely precariously, clip them together to create smooth walls without gaps that can be potential hazards for racers.
F1 Silverstone Grand Prix
Okay, so in the description you acknowledge the checkpoints are spaced far apart on the straights, but WHY? If you look at the map there is a straight line going east and west, there is simply NO need for this, you have plenty of checkpoints to use! Also, the track is FAR too long to be even a rough rendition Silverstone, there is some slight resemblance in the flow, but those straights go on and on and on so truthfully, I'd remove that name as it's not appropriate.
Industrial GP Circuit
And here is where things gets really weird! Looking at the track layout you'd think this was a fairly straightforward route, but there are whole sections of the track completely un-checkpointed! Also, you have a dynormal tyre wall near the beginning that caused everyone to burst out laughing when they ran into it, easily fixable now, just delete it and replace a new one. Anyway, those checkpoints... Okay, so CP6 is hidden BEHIND a yellow tyre barrier, forcing you to turn left, go ALL the way down to the end where there is a hairpin and then back up again to the checkpoint! Logical way of checkpointing this would be CP6 = Left turn, CP7 = Hairpin, CP8 = Left turn. CP9 points right but actually you need to go straight ahead then turn right (not very clear) to go down a side road to reach the next CP. Again, missing checkpoints galore here! Finally, the final CP is pointing completely the wrong way as you have to practically turn back on yourself to get to the final start/finish checkpoint. Anyone playing this race for the first time would be forgiven for thinking this was a pure troll race in all honesty!
Inner City Grand Prix
Slightly better from a checkpoint-point of view, a lot of them are at least on the corners, if not tight enough to the apex. However, the jump/bridge crossover thing near the end is completely pointless, not only is it straight after a corner, but it's rough as hell and the stunt cam means you can't even see which way you're going! Totally unnecessary, if you want to try to avoid crossover pile-ups during contact races then a line of small ramps wil suffice.
Malibu GP Circuit
Last one and the best of the bunch! The route is nice and the checkpointing is, by and large, decent (Although there need to be additions in-between 2-3 and 3-4) and the propping is also fairly good, with a few tweaks this could actually be a really decent track!
Summary
First and foremost, you need to learn how to checkpoint races correctly. Try the video below as it's a good starting point but there's much more to it than that. Checkpoint arrows should always point in the direction of the next CP. Don't rely on props alone to guide players around the track. Consider what I said about 'join the dots' when constructing your tracks. I'm not sure if you know how to insert checkpoints in between others already placed but if you want to learn more hit me up on PSN, we'll go into shareplay and i'll show you some of the basics you need to know.
Links