Post by deadshotdazzle on May 27, 2018 12:24:55 GMT
Track Builders Tips & Tricks!
A lot of people frequently ask what it is that makes a great track, so I figured we should have a place for all the information stored in our collective mind to help people improve!
I've cherry picked a few comments from other threads to get going!
*DISCLAIMER*
Nearly all the information you see here is subject to opinion and is limited to the boundaries set by the game. A track does not have to have all or any of these things to be great/fun, this is merely a guide to help feed your creativity and help you improve your own creations.
General Tips & Tricks
Grid/Checkpoint Placements & Track Layout
Prop Placement
1. Corners with barriers on the inside should have the barriers follow the same route as the racing line instead of being placed at 90 degrees to the track, this is because when drivers hit a 90 degree barrier they will simply stop and impede other racers. With the barriers following the racing line, if a racer hits the barrier he will be 'pushed' to the tracks outer limits and out of the racing line. Here are two video example courtesy of LancerEvoWRC which demonstrate the best way to build a corner, Video 1, Video 2
Using barriers placed at 90 degrees does however have it's advantages, e.g Broughy's 'Blaine County 24h' track is simply to long to have well proped corners due to the 150 prop limit.
2. Placing barriers on the outside of the corner to guide drivers around the corner and limit the amount of run off room in the entry/exit.
Image courtesy of jbcarfreek
3. A combination of both is always best but obviously uses a lot more props.
4. Defining a corner is not always necessary e.g The hilly roads are often blocked off in the appropriate locations already.
Testing the Track
A lot of people frequently ask what it is that makes a great track, so I figured we should have a place for all the information stored in our collective mind to help people improve!
I've cherry picked a few comments from other threads to get going!
*DISCLAIMER*
Nearly all the information you see here is subject to opinion and is limited to the boundaries set by the game. A track does not have to have all or any of these things to be great/fun, this is merely a guide to help feed your creativity and help you improve your own creations.
General Tips & Tricks
- Racing other peoples tracks will help you notice things to help improve your own.
- Track Theme is a big one for a lot of people so have a clear aim about what your making when you set out. Are you making a Street Racing Track, a Rally Track? Whatever it is try to stick within the parameters you set yourself
- Prop Glitches are your friend and will vastly improve your creations. See fachuro 's easy to follow tutorials HERE.
- Who is going to be using your track? Keep in mind that peoples skill level might be lower than yours so design your track accordingly - rcracer11m
- Just because a lot of people play the track does not mean it is well designed in all areas.
- Track Flow is arguably the most important thing about any track, it's also quite hard to explain. When racing around your track everything you do should feel natural, like everything is supposed to be connected. Simply picking everyone's favourite corners and stringing them together does not make it a good track. - jbcarfreek
- Place the Starting Grid in a suitable location, ask yourself 'what's next?', if the first corner is a hairpin you'll always have incidents - LancerEvoWRC
- The narrower the Starting Grid the less incidents you'll have during the first lap eg. 2x15 is always going to be better than 3x10 - LancerEvoWRC
- The Starting Grid does not have to be 30 players, the chances your going to fill a race are very small - LancerEvoWRC
- Checkpoints need to be placed on the racing line (entry, apex, exit), overlook the turn, place the checkpoint in the place where it's unlikely a driver could miss it, no one should have to go out of there way to hit a CP.
- Checkpoints should not be solely used to point the direction but instead 'aid' the driver, it should feel like you are collecting them on your way round the circuit instead of driving on roads to the next checkpoint - Pardonias
- General Track Layout is very important, you have to anticipate what drivers will do, what speed they're going every time you design the layout e.g If the next section of the track is thin, drivers will need to be going slower beforehand to avoid incidents.
- Is the road suitable? If you can't fit two cars on a certain section it's too small, other things to check for are bumps, vehicle spawns, minimal run-off room etc. -Ser Tandur .
Prop Placement
- Use your props wisely, you are limited to 150 props so don't waste them.
- Props should help guide the player around the track, this can be done a number of ways e.g use barriers to mark a turns apex or use 'arrowed' tyre barriers to indicate where and when the player should be turning.
- Defining a corner can be done numerous ways, some ways are better than others but they all have there advantages.
1. Corners with barriers on the inside should have the barriers follow the same route as the racing line instead of being placed at 90 degrees to the track, this is because when drivers hit a 90 degree barrier they will simply stop and impede other racers. With the barriers following the racing line, if a racer hits the barrier he will be 'pushed' to the tracks outer limits and out of the racing line. Here are two video example courtesy of LancerEvoWRC which demonstrate the best way to build a corner, Video 1, Video 2
Using barriers placed at 90 degrees does however have it's advantages, e.g Broughy's 'Blaine County 24h' track is simply to long to have well proped corners due to the 150 prop limit.
2. Placing barriers on the outside of the corner to guide drivers around the corner and limit the amount of run off room in the entry/exit.
Image courtesy of jbcarfreek
3. A combination of both is always best but obviously uses a lot more props.
4. Defining a corner is not always necessary e.g The hilly roads are often blocked off in the appropriate locations already.
- Corner Exits and Run off's should be made so that they slow down and punish the driver for running wide, without bouncing back into the track, one way of doing this is to angle barriers to guide cars away from the track. Video example thanks to LancerEvoWRC here.
- Custom Built Corners are very hard to pull off and often do not work the way they're intended to, but they are possible and can be used to create new track features e.g Dockyard Autocross
- Blocking off Kerbs and Lampposts is not necessary and will use up valuable props, however a lot of players dislike Kerb-Boosting and loose lampposts due to the issues/incidents that can arise from these things.
- Re-spawning can be slightly manipulated to help reduce incidents, try turning your checkpoints so that cars will re-spawn off the racing line while still facing the correct way.
Testing the Track
- Follow other drivers around on the track, you'll notice when drivers aren't sure where to go, a new 'line' you'd not considered, a track exploit etc. It will only take a few laps for you to notice something needs changing.
- Test your track in GTA Online and not the creator, as a fully modded car is far quicker than a stock one and will you give you a true representation
- Something that will work fine in your head might not work properly in practise.
- Other people are better at picking out flaws on your own tracks than you are, ask for peoples opinions and tell them to be honest!
- If your struggling to get opinions on a track you can use this thread HERE or join the appropriate Crew Slack Chat HERE
If you think something is worth adding just post below and I'll add it in!
This is hopeful my track creations are ok but with these tips I’m sure I can make them 100% better 👍🏼😀
