What would you guys make of a Track Creator?

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Tobias123

Tobias123

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Tobias123
First off, I did a search and didn't find any thread like this, so if there is one kindly point me in the right direction and mods feel free to close this thread.:)

Anyway, what would you guys think if the folks at Polyphony added a track creator feature? Say it was kind of in the same vein as level design in LittleBigPlanet, where you pick a background/template(in this case a more desert-ish track, High Speed Ring type climate, Eiger style mountains, etc), and then basically map out how you'd want your track? Design all the twists turns and straights however you want, how wide the track is, where the pit straight is, etc.

I think that if it was implemented properly and effectively it could be an interesting feature, letting aspiring track designers test out their own ideas, with the possibility of uploading them for others to try out.

Well what do you all think? :)
 
I would rather have a track creator and have to create EVERY track myself than have 30 or so tracks and no track creator. I actually, for some reason, have an image of this track in my head I badly want to create for a game. Basically it goes up and down a mountain and it's like a compilation of the the most legendary corners in racing, a badass 5-6KM straight, etc etc.
 
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It would probably look very baron around the track (like the surroundings) other than the wallpaper backdrop but it would be nice to map out the tarmac and terrain heights and just enjoy pure racing rather than eye candy..

Robin
 
Only with Autocross. I sincerely doubt we'll see a Track Creator of any kind. It isn't like Midnight Club 2 or anything in which you can set up your own tracks using city streets of certain cities. It's not going to happen. But since I have a habit of making points that other people aren't going to agree with me about, go ahead and tell me why I'm wrong... again. (That is, if you're against my views)

Building unique courses and stuff (especially great ones) are tough to make. Think of all the painstaking efforts PD makes to make tracks as realistic and as lovely as possible. Maybe if GT was made available for the PC, I can see this happening. But for here, you'd best hope for downloadable tracks made by PD. I'm sorry. I don't see a track creator happening. This isn't Moto Racer 2. This isn't the TrackMania series. It's just not happening (in my view). Only thing close to a track creator would be with Autocross.
 
What would you guys make of a Track Creator?
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A track.

On a serous note I agree with John, on the level of GT I only see this as even a possiblity in the even of cutom auto cross tracks where you simply place the cones to create your layout.
 
Hyst
I would rather have a track creator and have to create EVERY track myself than have 30 or so tracks and no track creator. I actually, for some reason, have an image of this track in my head I badly want to create for a game. Basically it goes up and down a mountain and it's like a compilation of the the most legendary corners in racing, a badass 5-6KM straight, etc etc.
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That sounds pretty cool.:D I have an idea of some circuits I'd like to make as well, kind of a mix of really high speed sections with a lot of twisty bits thrown in(sounds like most Grand Prix circuits now, but oh well.)

JohnBM01
Only with Autocross. I sincerely doubt we'll see a Track Creator of any kind. It isn't like Midnight Club 2 or anything in which you can set up your own tracks using city streets of certain cities. It's not going to happen. But since I have a habit of making points that other people aren't going to agree with me about, go ahead and tell me why I'm wrong... again. (That is, if you're against my views)

Building unique courses and stuff (especially great ones) are tough to make. Think of all the painstaking efforts PD makes to make tracks as realistic and as lovely as possible. Maybe if GT was made available for the PC, I can see this happening. But for here, you'd best hope for downloadable tracks made by PD. I'm sorry. I don't see a track creator happening. This isn't Moto Racer 2. This isn't the TrackMania series. It's just not happening (in my view). Only thing close to a track creator would be with Autocross.
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I'm not going to disagree with you, I know there would be a lot of kinks to iron out and there are a lot of factors that would need to be looked at before even attempting it. I absolutely agree with what you say about building unique and great courses being difficult, and I don't really think a track creator for GT is a realistic possibility, I'm just interested in discussing it. You make some valid points.:)
 
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Sounds like a wicked idea. If they released a PC-based editor we could do proper map design so the tracks wouldn't necessarily look as barren as the cookie-cutter menu ones you'd be limited to on an in-game editor.

Can't see it happening tho PD don't seem to be one of those companies who understand the business opportunities of community modding. I'd love to be proved wrong tho.
 
Wasn't there a game on PS3 where the company ended up releasing their map tools to have a contest of who will make the best map? Don't remember at all what kind of game it was, probably FPS. That would really be something, though. If people got their hands on map tools I'm sure we would have a good amount of extra tracks for the life of GT5.
 
P3nT4gR4m
Can't see it happening tho PD don't seem to be one of those companies who understand the business opportunities of community modding. I'd love to be proved wrong tho.
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Well, I guess PD actually undesrstands "the business opportunities of community modding". And that is the very same reson why they will never gona release such an option, because it's just not FEISABLE.

And how on Earth would they make money on DLC and microtransactions if they give the Track Creator? Maybe, but if it costs like 100$ standalone.

Ad least, I'd think that way if I were multi-zillion-money-making company - which PD is.
 
amar212
Well, I guess PD actually undesrstands "the business opportunities of community modding". And that is the very same reson why they will never gona release such an option, because it's just not FEISABLE.

And how on Earth would they make money on DLC and microtransactions if they give the Track Creator? Maybe, but if it costs like 100$ standalone.

Ad least, I'd think that way if I were multi-zillion-money-making company - which PD is.
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It's more about exponential sales of base units with no extra work required on PD's part.

What would you rather buy - a game with 40 tracks and new ones coming out every 6months for fee or a game with 40 tracks, hundreds of community tracks, with new ones coming out every day and a best-of compilation released every few months?

It's all about making the proposition more attractive to the punter who has to put his hand in his pocket. Even if it only results in 10% more units shifted, that's 10% for no extra work. Makes not doing it seem a bit silly.
 
OK, I tried to be sarcastic in my first post, so here is the further explanation:

In first, I'd really love the GT series to have the track creator, only idiot wouldn't want that.

But, I guess it will just not happen. There are more reasons "against" than "pro", while development time and quaility-control are most probably first. No fiesability there, epecially because e can safely predict that GT5 - and all of it's very probabale DLC - will offer us the chance to buy almost every GT series track ever made - which I guess is something that PD is oriented to. And in total, that number is almost 100 tracks.

Also, I can safely presume that initial release of GT5 will give us more than 10 never-before-seen tracks in original-licenced-city or whatever form.

And I also can guess that PD desn't share it's philispohy with PC-race-sims, which often relies on SDK-content. Of course, I'd like to be wrong 👍
 
amar212
Of course, I'd like to be wrong 👍
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I don't think you are. PD is a very greedy company, just look at their 'pay for adverts' GTV service.

Companies like this rarely ever realise the benefits of an open source model, it flies in the face of their whole acumen.
 
i think that the idea of a track creator is good because it allows us to build the track that we want and if they implemented this we could share these tracks in online racing aswell as r private rooms(when they come).
 
Robin.
It would probably look very baron around the track (like the surroundings) other than the wallpaper backdrop but it would be nice to map out the tarmac and terrain heights and just enjoy pure racing rather than eye candy..

Robin
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Yeah, the amount of information that would needed to be processed ...

The only really viable way I could see it working is setting a track in an urban setting, where you get to place the barriers to create a circuit. You probably wouldn't get that much space to work in, though.

This has come up before, and my answer remains unchanged: I'd much rather PD put in more real-life circuits, cars and game modes than a track creator.
 
What would be very kewl (and mainly because I'm lazy) is a track creator with lists of corners/sections of track you want to piece together, Parabolica, Eau Rouge, etc etc you could make a track combining them all.

There was an article in a magazine where Hermann Tilke made a track with about 12 or so famous track sections together... I think the track was about 12km in length...
 
I could only see this happening in a situation where fully textured 3D shape files could be created and used...and I doubt any console will have a feature like that anytime soon.

want to make your own track? get a PC game.
 
Am I right in assuming you can make tracks for rFactor? Excuse my ignorance on this, I don't have a very good PC yet but it is in the cards for sometime in the next few months. If so, how long would it take someone to make a track like the Nurburgring (for example to give you the idea of the length).
 
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Thing is, if they have some sort of track creator, it won't be a snap-together dealie-o. I imagine that you'd create the terrain, then texture the trackwork, define what's road and what's sand, what's grass, and so on, add curbs, scenery, barriers, (virtual and real,) timing marks, environments....

You'll drive yourself nuts when you complete four hours worth of work and what worked before doesn't work with your new addons. You'll spend more time hunting down the bug, and by the time all is said and done, you'll be worn out, crabby, tired, and several months to a year will have passed, especially if your project is something epic like the Nurburgring.

I doubt that's what most users will want. Only an elite few will ever complete such a project, and for those who would, I applaud them. I'll bet a select few completed tracks will be as good as Polyphony's. I wouldn't want to deal with it though: I have enough of a time setting up a diorama in Microsoft Train Simulator!
 
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I could see this working in GT.

But... I definitely do not want to see user downloadable content, as I have no doubt that the vast majority of the user tracks will not be up to PD's standard.

It would be good to have your own private track, once you have made it as a racer. Each track would cost a lot to build (maybe 3 mil.) The only times you can drive on the track would be time trials (car testing), arcade races and private room online.

We could possibly have an official GTP track. I am sure that would be of elite standard! :sly:
 
I'd probably just end up making real-life circuits that aren't in the game.
 
P3nT4gR4m
Can't see it happening tho PD don't seem to be one of those companies who understand the business opportunities of community modding. I'd love to be proved wrong tho.
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A track editor on GT? But remember the ethos of GT, its accurate cars and accurate tracks down to the last detail, they must spend thousands of hours just re-creating one track as authentically possible, thats what GT is about, taking real life and putting it as accurately as possible onto a game so we can enjoy doing things we never would in real life.

Sure the Eiger and London Tracks are a bit of creative license, but I deliberately drove round the track to find the office I work in and managed to find it!!

Haveing user content would just comprimise the quality of the game, which for the GT series is its main selling point of being the most realistice race sim out there at the moment. It would be suicide. If you want customization and user content you have Live For Speed.

Dave A
A track.

On a serous note I agree with John, on the level of GT I only see this as even a possiblity in the even of cutom auto cross tracks where you simply place the cones to create your layout.
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However that would work, they do that in real life for club track days, do see why it couldn't work on GT.
 
DreamersParady
A track editor on GT? But remember the ethos of GT, its accurate cars and accurate tracks down to the last detail, they must spend thousands of hours just re-creating one track as authentically possible, thats what GT is about, taking real life and putting it as accurately as possible onto a game so we can enjoy doing things we never would in real life.

Sure the Eiger and London Tracks are a bit of creative license, but I deliberately drove round the track to find the office I work in and managed to find it!!
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Several of the tracks in GT series are fictitious, you mentioned eiger and london but what about HSR, Grand valley speedway, trial mountain, El Capitan or the night track (name escapes me) where it always seems to be raining? Some of the best tracks are the fictitious ones.

DreamersParady
Haveing user content would just comprimise the quality of the game, which for the GT series is its main selling point of being the most realistice race sim out there at the moment. It would be suicide. If you want customization and user content you have Live For Speed.
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Firstly there's no one forcing you to download anything and, secondly, community modding and level design always comes with a rating system and only the best make it to the top. Yes, there would be tons of crap tracks made but these would very quickly sink into obscurity.

You underestimate the talent that is out there in the amateur community. If PD released a toolkit I'll guarantee that teams would emerge who'd bring a great deal of experience and ability to the table and for every hundred crappy, half finished fanboi tracks that got released there'd be one that blew away the PD levels.

Have a look at the Community Bonus Pack for Unreal Tournament - do these look like they 'compromise the quality of the game'?

And one more point, whilst we're on the subject - if PD had released an API with Prologue we wouldn't be posting ad nauseum, whining about the lack of private rooms :sly:
 
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The big advantage of a track creator imo would be that you could choose to make a track without spectators ...

no yelling and whistling, only the engine sound.
 
An idea following on creative license tracks (London / Eiger)

The map of a city could be presented on screen and then you choose where the course goes around the city.

E.g. Choosing your own Paris street circuit and choosing which road and famous attractions to drive past on the course.

Not the best explained idea ever but I hope you get the picture :D

I don't think PD will include it in the game as it goes agains the "real driving simulator" idea, but it sounds cool in theory 👍
 
I don't think a track creator would work very well at all. I have a roller coaster game that incorporates a track designer, which is very open-ended and offers many possibilities. However, this is the problem with it; like Photoshop or AutoCAD or Revit, it can do many things well. But, if you don't know what you're doing, it's almost impossible to create anything that isn't trash.

While the roller coaster track editor works very well if used correctly, it also benefits from a mouse and a full keyboard, which a PS3 game probably doesn't support. Without a mouse, we'd be forced to use the analog sticks, which aren't nearly as precise. Without a keyboard, the convenience of hotkeys to do tasks quickly is gone, and executing functions would be much more difficult. Without an ingenious new idea, making an easy-to-use track creator would be extremely difficult for Polyphony to do.

However, Super_Spig's suggestion is not a bad idea. What he's suggesting is like how Project Gotham Racing 3 incorporated a track editor, where the player can create a track based on pre-existing streets. The major problem with this is that Polyphony would have to model entire cities in painstaking detail in order to make this possible, which would cost them a lot of time and money, and the release date would probably be pushed way back.

A track creator is a good idea, but it would be be extremely difficult to create one that works well with a controller, and it would be equally hard for players to design something that's good quality. Pre-existing roads and streets are the only ways that a track creator could be practical.

/opinion. Please, feel free to challenge it :).
 
91hondawagon's point is the first thing that I thought when I turned my computer off! :sly:

The only thing that I would suggest to that is that PD created one fictional city (saving money etc), with different track aspects from around the world.

Then people could create their own unique track and upload it to the web, and compare and contract different layouts.

Therefore this track is Eiger esque (if that makes sense), in the fact that it is a fictional track made into the game.

This is a really big longshot, but if PD put this idea into GT5 Prologue, people could submit their tracks in and the best design layout get's put into GT5!! :dopey:

Again, I doubt this would happen


Super_Spig
 
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How come for some reason, I can imagine people putting random tracks in, like Forza's test track, or someone making a penis shaped track?
 
Well, we all know what happened with Forza's livery editor.

Granted, we'll probably see some, err... detailed track designs. But at the end of the day, I don't wanna see that stuff anyway.
 

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