[tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Gravel, tarmac, snow. Whatever the surface, you'll find it here.
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TuomoH
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[tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by TuomoH »

Mixed Bizness is a series in which I finalize tracks that were left unfinished for one reason or another. For this fourth installment, the original tracks span almost 18 years. :faint: :greybeard: Btw, the previous part was released exactly 8 years ago. Time really flies… :rolleyes:

The pack includes the following tracks:
  • Benedict [oth]
    • Recommended car: Formula
    • Lmap, hmap, layout and first objects in 2014
    • Part of my ”apocalyptic formula” series, an abstract street course in a deteriorated universe. Started around the same time as Abelton but didn’t feel as inspired back then.
  • Caivo [ral]
    • Recommended car: General or Monstertruck
    • Layout and track hmap in late 2000’s?
    • My second released SnakeDitor layout ever. I always wanted this to be an offroad track with sunk tyres around the edges.
  • Comeback [cir]
    • Recommended car: Formula
    • Made in 2018 (no AI)
    • After a year and a half of no tracks I made this. However, when I looked back to my earlier tracks, I thought they looked too messy. Because of this, I decided to finish Greenville instead.
  • EdenAir [cir]
    • Recommended car: Formula
    • Made in 2020 (no AI)
    • The newest track of this pack. TE only track started after Evotown. Like Evotown and V’Lage, this was an evolution track but didn’t feel as good. The end point of the evolution.
  • Experia [mic]
    • Recommended car: Mini
    • Made in 2014 (no AI)
    • Wanted to reinvent myself and made this track with the idea of starting an expinmin pack. Didn’t feel right so later that day I made a track that started Expinmin6.
  • Ikeatic [oth]
    • Recommended car: General
    • Hmap, layout and original lmap in 2014
    • Saw a wooden train track at the children’s play area in a local Ikea and made a mental note of the layout. Now, I edited the original, chaotic lmap to something more natural and added the objects.
  • ovalCityO [ovl]
    • Recommended car: Formula
    • Lmap, hmap and original objects in 2004
    • ovalCity was a street course included in the first Mixed Bizness pack. As the track included an oval section, I zoomed in into that part but never felt the urge to finish the track. For this pack, I’ve retouched the objects a bit.
  • PelicanPark [cir]
    • Recommended car: Formula
    • Layout and original hmap in ca. 2003
    • One of the layouts I abandoned as I started to deviate from the mainstream trackmaking. Now, I worked quite hard with the hmap, made it extreme but still smooth. Wanted to make it visually simple but still pleasing to the eyes. Btw, the WIP name for this track was ”MiniNeb”, referring to Nebula Park.
  • PineCounty [ovl]
    • Recommended car: General or Sprinter by Pongo
    • Layout and hmap in ca. 2003
    • As I gathered all the good dirt ovals of GR history in one folder, I remembered this old layout.
  • Redfeel [cir]
    • Recommended car: Formula
    • Layout and original hmap in ca. 2003
    • This track was supposed to deviate from the standard visuals in the fashion of Flaming Paw. For this pack, I decided to follow the feeling of said track. The track didn’t feel exiting enough so I made the hmap more extreme.
Now, go drive them already! What is your favorite? :)
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UTF8
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by UTF8 »

I haven't played much GeneRally in a long time, but I tried out some of these tracks. I think Redfeel and Pelican Park are my favorites. Redfeel's big hill and corners are satisfying to drive through. My best Redfeel time so far is 12.80 with the Formula, which I can definitely improve with a better line through the entrance and exit of the large hill.

Pelican Park is my other favorite. It's can be pretty challenging to get the best driving line through the curves under the bridge. The top right hairpin also has a nasty habit of making my car slide waaay out. It's very deceptive! Improving on that corner would definitely help my lap time. My best lap time so far is 11.21 with the Formula.

Other things: In Comeback, you have to jump into the top left corner to get the most speed and momentum out of it, which is cool to pull off. Ikeatic's AI racers actually feel pretty competitive, or maybe I'm bad at that track lol. EdenAir kind of grew on me after I learned to avoid the sunken tires. Benedict has a messy aesthetic that I find kind of fun, though it's hard to figure out the fastest racing line through the lower offroad portion because of the aesthetic. The top left also has that weird boat conglomeration (I think it's meant to be a fountain). It's really easy to accidentally smash into it, but I guess avoiding it is part of the challenge. In Caivo, there's that big swooping downhill corner that can give you a huge speed boost with the right line. I haven't mastered it though. I don't have much to say on the two ovals, but they have nice scenery. Don't have much to say on Experia.

If I had any suggestions, I would move Ikeatic's pit crew to be more inland into the grass, because they kind of get in the way of the driving line.

There's some nice tracks in here that I'll definitely come back to for lap time improvements.Thanks for making them :goodvibes:
ʕ´ᵔᴥᵔ`ʔづ
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XYY
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by XYY »

Hi TuomoH
I also had a go at all of these tracks :)

Benedict: I think it drives pretty well (also the strength of the AI line is perfect for me). I think I wasn't a big fan of this style of tracks back then and I'm still not 100% convinced by it now, but at least I like the beach area. You however seem to be a fan of the boat object in "all random places", aren't you? :misch: Maybe I would have prefered a little more road markings, but I guess they don't have a place in this style of tracks?

Cavio: My comment is a bit biased here, because I'm not a huge rally lover. I don't really enjoy riding the track at all, but the sunktyres make it even more annyoing, because once you go off the track at a random place, you lose a lot of time. I think the scenery is very well put together, especially those "stone hills".

Comeback: Visually I like this track a lot, it looks very "alife" and a little bit messy, but in a "natural" way. But I don't really like driving the track, the Hmap is too extreme for my taste and it seems to be there just to put the drivers off the track... :scratch: I didn't have a chance against the AI, although I scored the fastest overall lap, I finished one lap behind :scared: I think it would alread be a great help if the bump on the left side wasn't so extreme. But maybe I'm just a too bad or lazy driver to master this crazy hmap... ;)

Eden Air: Visually it's not my cup of tea. It screams TrackEditor all the way, and although the lines are pretty smooth, I think they are just too wide for this world size. Also I think that the red-white kerbs don't look great with the yellow lines, especially if the kerbs start with a white segment... plus the kerbs don't really add extra width, but are "inverted" to the inside (which also doesn't look so good in my eyes). The idea of having a track on an Airstrip is probably not new, but it doesn't look very natural - the airstrip is very wide but short and I've never seen an airstrip with so many high objects so close around (hills in bottom right, forest in top-left). Also the road leading directly onto the airstrip seems pretty illogical to me. The AI line is competetive enough for me. The round booth inside of the first corner looks a little bit sloppy. I think this is the weakest track of the pack.

Experia: Maybe I got lucky, but I finished first in front of the AIs with a significant margin. They sometimes get stuck in the bush on the right or at the House just afterwards. I really like this one, although it's damn narrow. Don't really have a lot more to say about it though... :shrug:

Ikeatic: I'm not a big fan of this track either... The AIs are very strong, after jumping a few times over that hill cust after the crossing I fell 5 secs behind and had no chance of catching up. It doesn't really appeal me visually, plus it is a tad to big to have some fun crash action.

ovalCityO: I think the oval itself is rather good, but it could have been better to just move the oval to the center and zoom in on the track properties than zooming the entire track. Because now the lines look very sloppy. Don't have a lot to say about this, it somehow has an "old touch" (but I can't say for what reason). The AI line is strong. It doesn't really feel like a city, I think there could have been some more "structures", or less grass (I see that in the old track, the ovl was surrounded by grandstands).

PelicanPark: Now this track really has some old old old school vibes :) It reminds me a lot of some of Strava's tracks which were probably published in that same era when you started this one. It looks very clean, the only minor remarks I have visually are the stone with the sunktyres around (what is it meant to be) and the kerb on the outside, which could/should have the same width as all of the other kerbs. Maybe it would have been a nice idea if this track stayed a v1.05 track, because it looks so "dated" and that would have perfected this vision. The AI line is very competitive. Overall, I like this track.

PineCounty: It's a nice track, I have no chance against the AI again. (but it's also offroad ;) ). I think it's a little bid sad that the sign in the back of the track is only visible in 4:3 resolutions, maybe you could have chosen a different point of view to avoid it? I'm not sure. I like the simple, yet effective dithering on the inside of the oval. Unfortunately, I found it hard to see where the Hmap rises on the inside of the oval, but I don't know if it could have been made better with any other offroad surface color? The hedges in the bottom look a bit strange in my eyes but apart from that, I like the scenery. I'm surprised to see no light objects in this one (let it be catchfencing, or start-finish post, or "position scoreboard", although it's not at all a problem.

Redfeel: When I opened the screenshot, I thought "this will be my favourite track". And visually, I still really like this artistic approach. I think the sunk tyre , light and stone fields are an interesting idea, which I've never seen before, although I'm afraind at the bottom-right you missed one sunk tyre and right next to the left light field there's one "wrong" light. I think the concrete posts, or to be more specific the beige top of it, doesn't really fit visually into the rest of the track with its strong red, blue, white, black and yellow accents, but it's a minor thing. Having driven the track, hmm. it's okay but for me it's nothing special :shrug: The AI line is certainly competitive as well. If you hadn't said anything about how old this track is, I would have guessed it's rather from 2010-2015 :mrgreen:
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TuomoH
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by TuomoH »

Thanks a lot for your detailed comments, UTF8 and XYY. :goodvibes: I'll answer some remarks.
UTF8 wrote:[Benedict]The top left also has that weird boat conglomeration (I think it's meant to be a fountain). It's really easy to accidentally smash into it, but I guess avoiding it is part of the challenge.
Yup, it's a fountain. And if you see me putting everything close to the racing line, it's surely there for the challenge. :misch:
If I had any suggestions, I would move Ikeatic's pit crew to be more inland into the grass, because they kind of get in the way of the driving line.
I thought about that a lot but in the end decided to have them there.
XYY wrote:[Benedict]You however seem to be a fan of the boat object in "all random places", aren't you? :misch: Maybe I would have prefered a little more road markings, but I guess they don't have a place in this style of tracks?
Ha, I don't use boats in random places that much. :P Here they fitted the overall aesthetics. The lack of road markings is due to the track coming from such an era when I didn't use them. You can think radiation ate them all. :D
[Comeback]the Hmap is too extreme for my taste and it seems to be there just to put the drivers off the track... :scratch: I didn't have a chance against the AI, although I scored the fastest overall lap, I finished one lap behind :scared: I think it would alread be a great help if the bump on the left side wasn't so extreme. But maybe I'm just a too bad or lazy driver to master this crazy hmap... ;)
One of those tracks where I really like the hmap challenge. I'm very happy how the AI turned out, in the beginning I though there's no way to make it competetive.
[EdenAir] I think this is the weakest track of the pack.
I don't blame you. As I mentioned, it didn't feel as good as the other TEO tracks I made last year. Wanted to get it out nevertheless as I liked the idea and Mixed Bizness cuts me some slack. ;)
ovalCityO: I think the oval itself is rather good, but it could have been better to just move the oval to the center and zoom in on the track properties than zooming the entire track. Because now the lines look very sloppy.
Hmm, didn't think about this solution back then. Not one of my favorites but finally it's done. ;)
[PelicanPark] the stone with the sunktyres around (what is it meant to be)
Just a type of sculpture/piece of art.
[PineCounty] I think it's a little bid sad that the sign in the back of the track is only visible in 4:3 resolutions, maybe you could have chosen a different point of view to avoid it?
Oh, I didn't think it wouldn't show.
[PineCounty]Unfortunately, I found it hard to see where the Hmap rises on the inside of the oval, but I don't know if it could have been made better with any other offroad surface color?
I consider that part of the challenge. :)
[PineCounty]I'm surprised to see no light objects in this one (let it be catchfencing, or start-finish post, or "position scoreboard", although it's not at all a problem.
I actually tried them as start-finish post and also as regular lights but didn't like how they looked.
[Redfeel] I'm afraind at the bottom-right you missed one sunk tyre and right next to the left light field there's one "wrong" light.
Both are very conscious decisions. :)
[Redfeel] If you hadn't said anything about how old this track is, I would have guessed it's rather from 2010-2015 :mrgreen:
Well, the visuals are from 2021 even though the inspiration comes from 2003. ;)

Again, thanks a lot to both of you. :)
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by XYY »

TuomoH wrote: Mon May 03, 2021 4:03 am I don't blame you. As I mentioned, it didn't feel as good as the other TEO tracks I made last year. Wanted to get it out nevertheless as I liked the idea and Mixed Bizness cuts me some slack.
I'm quite surprised by this statement from you, because I for myself only release tracks/cars/whatever which I consider as great (looking back at my tracks, I think it's always been like this, taking my skill level into account). Great doesn't always mean perfect, what is perfect after all, but appropriate, and within my quality standards (they are not "hard-coded" into some specifications, but I can tell when it's certainly below my standards). I find it interesting to see you coming from a different approach, because I've always considered your work as high quality (not always matching my taste), and now I see something so "off" and you being well aware of it :scratch: :mrgreen: If I would have found a track which didn't fit my standards, I would rather scrap it or redo it in such a way that it works (and oh boy, I can tell you there are some tracks, especially rwl tracks, which I started over several times, even after a considerable amount of time already spent. None of them made it to a release yet... :shhh: And I still have so many unfinished tracks in my folders). But please, proceed as you like ;)
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by aliman »

Come on XYY, cut him some slack. Dude's released like a billion tracks. Not everything has to be perfect all the time. ;)

I worked on my mini world tour tracks for months and polished them to be absolutely perfect and I already hate them. :doh: They're just so... meh :yawn:

I do love the passion this game still brings up in people. Two very long review/feedback messages. Love it. :bsmile:
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by TuomoH »

This is an interesting topic, actually. :) I don't aim at great tracks, I aim at tracks that are good enough and deliver what they should deliver. What is good enough varies between the tracks and what I'm trying to do. Greatness is then a side product that comes to some portion of my tracks. Said that, most of the time I do edit the track until I wouldn't change a thing. Pretty much the only exceptions to this are the time-pressurized tracks. I haven't done one in years, maybe I should! :D

When I look at my self-made track folders, I see a big amount tracks I personally consider great, another bunch of good tracks that are nothing special and a handful of tracks (maybe four or five) that in retrospect should've not been published. Even they have felt good enough at the release but the regret has kicked in later. :kickcan: For instance, Paahde 1.0 was a rare case of a track in the last category but the update brings it to the second category.

Mixed Bizness packs have always included tracks of varying quality. While they all include some tracks that I think are great, every single pack includes tracks that I wouldn't release on their own. Some of them are more like sketches of ideas that I didn't bother try to perfect. Nevertheless, they are cool tracks which fulfill their purpose in my eyes. They are good enough. :)

EdenAir was done within the week I made Evotown and V'Lage. (Apart from the AI lines, that is.) It didn't feel as strong as the others and I certainly didn't want to release it in an evolution pack which was the initial idea. However, I felt the end point was good enough to be included in Mixed Bizness. It didn't represent where I was at the moment but I thought it was a cool sketch. The same goes for Comeback, for instance. It didn't represent what I wanted to do at the time but I moved it to "mixbiz" folder immediately. :mrgreen:

Of course I also have tracks that are not good enough and they will never see the light of the day. I just checked my WIP folders which contain all the projects I've started since 2002. Right now there are 180 trk files and a bunch of hmaps/lmaps. Most of them will never be finished. How many will? I've got no idea. Maybe none, who knows. :shrug:
Aliman wrote:I do love the passion this game still brings up in people. Two very long review/feedback messages. Love it. :bsmile:
Yeah, me too. Thanks for your comment too. :)
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by XYY »

Haha, okay. As I already said, don't feel judged too harshly and continue doing what you enjoy - I strive for perfection (and maybe this is why I released ~30 tracks and you released almost 300 :D ). I can tell you it can be rewarding to see the finished product, but it can also be upsetting... :) I never thought about making tracks that "deliver".
I also enjoy this discussion about the passion/philosophy. By the way, I have a little less than 100 unfinshed tracks, but at some time, I erased ~30%, which I considered as too bad to continue... :shhh:
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by TuomoH »

No worries, I didn't feel judged. I just love thinking about and discussing these methodological/philosophy issues. :)
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Re: [tpk] Mixed Bizness 4 - 10 new tracks

Post by TuomoH »

Sorry for the double post but I have to share this with you.

I was checking some random older tracks of mine when I ran into Minbeam from 2007 (part of Project Remix TH). First I thought to myself "Funny, this one has quite similar layout to Pelican Park." Then I opened both tracks in TE and noticed that they have exactly the same layout. Seems that I liked the layout already then but simply forgot to delete the original WIP. At least the hmap has been remade and the visuals are completely different. I knew that sometimes I have a bad memory but this wins a prize. :rofl:
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