[mjello]

This topic is for track ideas that you would like to see put into the game.

Inspirational images. If you saw some amazing bend or torc screw in some game or perhaps a rollercoaster or whatever it might be that made you think: How cool to be driving through that . Put it here and lets see if we cant contribute to some creative ideas that'll make this great game even greater.

This game has an untapped potential for amazing tracks that defy conventional racing and really will let loose the power of the game engine.

The tracks in the game are extremely well made, and one can tell that a lot of effort where put into refining the tracks and make them good and they require really refined driving techniques and all of ones attention to beat the game AI during the 6 minutes of a race.

And I would rather have 4 or 5 different really good tracks (Like we have today) than 16 bad ones. The amount of tracks the game originally where supposed to have. But i, like many others where left hungry for more. Guess economics is the real culprit here.

If you gave us access to some sort of track editor I would be all over it. However, my guess is, looking at the tracks, that it is not possible. How do you make the tracks anyways. Construct them in 3d studio max or something ?.

I will add my own two cents later.

[Etienne]

Yes we use 3DS MAx, and a lot of trial and error. Since we try to bring something new and different in every track, it's always a challenge to balance the gameplay and to solve the AI specific problems. We spend hundreds and hundreds of hours on every track until every meter is really a pleasure. As you said, there's no point having lots of similar and boring tracks

[IceMan]

I was quite inspired by the tracks in the game by Grin called Ballistics. Yes they are all tubes but I'd like to see a track that dives over a waterfall like Niagara Falls, goes underwater then weaves it's way back up to the top!

Also a track in the Grand Canyon (not unlocked that one in Ballistics yet). And one that goes through a building (there is one in Ballistics but I mean one where you can see office workers etc watching through perspex tunnel haha!

One other inspirational game for tracks is Killer Loop (aka MagForce Racing on non-PC platforms) - it includes tracks in the Himalayas and one on a mile high rock on another planet that loops all around the outside of the rock! Though that game has magnetic ability so you don't fall off the track...

It's also worth looking at the Hot Wheels games: Stunt Track Challenge and World Race; both have rather amusing stunt tracks.

The other games that spring to mind are Extreme G3 and XGRA on PS2, these have some epic tracks, the one set in and out of an asteroid in XGRA is rather intense.

[mjello]

I am currently making a sketch of a lvl concept id love to see brought to life.

In the mean time I would like to emplore you not to let the "TM style arrow use" in the lvl's go out of hand. Let me give a couple of examples of what I mean.

Red run. The amount of arrow like signs and !-signs on the road is just too much. It kind o ruins the feel of a real environment. You seems to have used 20 when 2 would have been enough.

The twisted iron has all these flashy yellow arrow thingies. Pls. dont use those. They blurr my vision and seems cheap. I know you are very concerned that people can find their way through the track. But please make em stationary and NOT those lighted yellow neon sign versions. There is other ways to incorporate wayfinding than sign usage. And it doesn't hurt for the track to have a few surprises either .

The blue arrows in the tubes really serves their purpose in giving the driver a hint of where to go, when he would have been clueless otherwise.

In the first 3 tracks its done quite well and also gives perspective to the jump ramps.

All in all the professional track design, hinting at real life formula one racing is a very cool aspect of the levels and really raises this game above any other future racer where they have gone out of bounds in the level design. It really would be a shame to loose that link to reality. But i think you know .

However, combining that hint of real formula one with absolutely out of bounds track twists designs is the real winner for me. With jumps over "the great canyon", maybe even a "stepping stones" jump from top to top requiring speed and attitude control . Jump a mountainspire in an abyss as a High jump .

Imagine a mountain with tubes and tunnels and classic race track sections in multiple levels. Maybe an active volcano for some ridiculous gfx.. But that may be beyond what you want the game to look and feel.

One jump could be really cool (Forgive my mouse drawn beauty ). Running on to a vertical jump where you have to do a backflip and land on a ramp because of a course obstruction preventing you from jumping straight. The details will offcourse be a pain in order to prevent cheating the jump.

[Mac]

All in all the professional track design, hinting at real life formula one racing is a very cool aspect of the levels and really raises this game above any other future racer where they have gone out of bounds in the level design. It really would be a shame to loose that link to reality. But i think you know .

However, combining that hint of real formula one with absolutely out of bounds track twists designs is the real winner for me. With jumps over "the great canyon", maybe even a "stepping stones" jump from top to top requiring speed and attitude control . Jump a mountainspire in an abyss as a High jump .

The idea about the huge jumps is something that I envision and that I WANT to see in stage 2. I want to see some REALLY crazy jumps, don't you? Like "Grand Canyon" jumps and such over very large expanses. I think what with the stage 2 cars being more powerful, such large jumps will be easy (and will look impressive also)

Yes, NSR can't go overboard on the levels as that would ruin it, but making use of the game's physics and bringing about some jaw-dropping moments in courses (big jumps, split-paths, crossroads, corkscrews, etc) is something that should be done and.... I don't need to say that it will be done well. =D


On the subject of the unrealistic levels........ I like the fact that NSR uses reasonably plausible tracks. NSR DOES use quite a realistic physics engine, but if anything, one or two somewhat unrealistic worlds would be quite interesting - A low-gravity world for big jumps (and big crashes? =P) a tron-like world? A world which has sections of track plastered with gravity plates to allow cars to drive some crazy-loop/jump combination?
Okay, maybe that would be overboard ... I've played way too much F-Zero. But there is just so much that could be done.


(Btw I never knew you guys use 3DS Max for level design. o_O)

[IceMan]

Ah yes, low gravity! There was a game (well a demo of a game) by Virtuality KK (a Japanese company) called "Moon Racer". It was for Videologic PowerVR cards only (3DX/5DX cards). It was quite interesting racing with low gravity! So yes, a moon based track could be intriguing! Or maybe a track with an anti-gravity section so you have to race upside down on parts of it...!