Mva Reflex tracks progress

[Mace-x]

Well, i made this topic to know who`s working on tracks, to know their updates, to ask questions and ask for feedback.

right now im working on two tracks, both are remakes from mx simulator:

-Laguna caren, a track raced on chile for the mx2 wc, altrought i changed some things to suit reflex better so i wouldnt call it a replica anymore haha.
-Lost lands: a track inspired on the old mcm2 tracks, altrought im not sure of it really fits the physics of the game...

well, i`ve worked a lot on laguna caren and i think that is ready for some testing, here`s a beta is someone wants it, it`s on the slot 01 so be carefull to not overwrite another track!
http://www.mediafire.com/?8fxyr2ca4n429ya

hope you enjoy it as much as i am, later! 
Mace

[DirtTwister]

I will post links to a couple of tracks that I have tested.  I really haven't had much time to actually play around with making tracks.  I will put up links to my Baatkips, G-Out, and Valley Ride that I have used for testing.

Mace - Can you add some basic texturing so that I can see where the track is?   It is possible to draw white lines in the Crm_Lum file tracing the edge of your track so that you can see the edges of the track.  Without knowing the track path it's impossible to try it out.

Example of a crm_lum with the track outlined in white:



Bruce

[DirtTwister]

I have uploaded some tracks if anyone wants to try them out.

Slot 5 - MCM 2 Hang On no changes just smoothed. It needs to be tweaked for Reflex:

http://dirttwister.com/reflex/betatracks/hangon_Beta_Track_Slot_5.dx9.zip

Slot 6 - MCM 2 G-Out 2 no changes just smoothed. It needs to have some detail put back in and be tweaked for Reflex:

http://dirttwister.com/reflex/betatracks/gout_Beta_Track_Slot_6.dx9.zip

Slot 7 - MCM 2 BaatKips no changes just smoothed. It needs to have some detail put back in, the jump peaks rounded, and tweaked for Reflex:

http://dirttwister.com/reflex/betatracks/baatkips_Beta_Track_Slot_7.dx9.zip

Slot 8 - MCM 2 Valley Ride.  I have been using this track for testing since the first dispmap was put in a Reflex track.  I have tweaked it for Reflex and I have more planned.  The first thing you notice when you bring an MCM 1 or MCM 2 track into Reflex is that it needs more stuff on it.  You have more resolution to fine tune the dispmap and you can add a lot more variation to the terrain.

http://dirttwister.com/reflex/betatracks/valleyride_Beta_Track_Slot_8.dx9.zip

The Beta Track DLC files are needed in order to try out these tracks in Reflex.  Unzip them into the /Database folder of your reflex installation:

Beta track DLC files

Bruce (DirtTwister)

[Mace-x]

ok, wait me, i`ll recompile the track as soon as i can

[VMX_SKYmx99]

Bruce, if you converted the dirttwister sx series to reflex you would be my hero!  I have so many fond memories of running those tracks back in the day.

[Crashnburn11]

Hey guys,

Glad to see you guys almost have custom tracks working in reflex,  that is pretty damn cool.  Does the Terrain Deformation work on the beta tracks? 

[DirtTwister]

Yes it does, but there is another layer of ruts that we do not have working.  There is a bump mapped layer of ruts that follows the track path.  Until we can make a model we won't be able to add that last layer of bump mapping.  It is also the same thing that applies dozer tracks.

[Crashnburn11]

That is pretty cool;  Just read the post on the wiki about the softness maps, guess I need to buy this game now

[al167]

i just added my first track at mvamaniacs.com

al167supercross001 beta


cheers allan

[Xtrem]

Unleashed and Reflex releases coming soon.

[AMA_King]

Several tracks are being posted at MVA Maniacs... for Reflex!
- http://www.mvamaniacs.com/2011_freeride.php?type=All&page=1

They will overwrite other tracks in SLOT 1 thru 8.
- will we need some kind of track loader?
- will there only be 8 SLOTS for tracks in the future?

One guy has skycubes and what seems like a spline working.
When I went flying off track (because I didn't know the turns) it would reset me.
Then I tried to ride outside of the jumps to skip a jump section - it set me back.

I am going to go try a few more!

[DirtTwister]

We have specifically limited the Beta slots to 8 and it is designed to be overwritten.  At this time each person will have to manage what tracks they want in those 8 slots.   A track manager will be needed when we release full tracks.  The resets are caused by painting a reset area on the zone file.

[JamieT]

http://www.mxmaniacs.com/track_view.php?trackid=1148&page=1

A small test track I made for realistic supercross scale tracks.

[al167]

love the scale track. is it a particular track?
man i also like some of your track building techniques. how did you get the jumps so pointy at the top?  what did you use to make the disp map, photoshop or leveler maybe? i use photoshop and the top and sides of my jumps seem a little more rounded. i also like how you built the berms! could you explain the way you do it?

top notch job with the track.
just a couple of things- but nothing bad.
i couldnt do was the dragon back. it would be better if the whoops where a little smaller (only on the take off side) so you could rattle them and land down the other dragon back.
also i think a perfect scale is good but maybe just a little too tight for a game like reflex. maybe 1 pixle to .5 meters would be a little better than 1 pixelto .3 meters(1 foot) it may not be better, but it would be interestig to see the difference!!!
anyway good to see another track builder for reflex.
keep em coming!!!!

cheers allan

[JamieT]

Hey Al,
   Thanks for the comments. It's not a particular track, but I took elements of ama tracks and mixed them together. There abit of atlanta & st louis 2009, Indy 2010, and Anaheim 2001 (yep goin old school... lol).

For building my displacement I used 3d max. Previously I had been using photoshop back in the mva unleashed days, and I was able to make pointy jumps then, but I made my jumps almost pixel by pixel, so it took along time to get a perfect jump. I would plan out the jump shape by plotting the heights for each step on a graph (sort of) and calculate my gradients.

But my method now is so much quicker. I make a plane of 80 by 80 segments in 3d max. Then I use soft selection on the vertices, and just go from there, adjusting the strength and "shape" of the selection.
Then, I map a gradient material (texture) so that it looks like a height map from above, then take a screen shot.  I will then resize down to 81 x 81 pixels. The reason for 81 is because, for 80 segements in my plane, there are 81 vertices. Hope that makes sense.
National tracks are really easy to make in 3dmax also, by using a "path" and a box with a "path deform" tool added to it. You get absoloute control over the shape of your on-track displacement.

As for the dragonback.. I do agree that the whoops are a little steep, and I had been thinking of making them better. The line for doubling is, triple up over those first 3 whoops, and then seat bounce over the (even steeper) top whoop. And it will launch you! This was the line Reed & Stewart used in St.Louis 2009, so that was the line I wanted to be the way to do it, as it seemed that if riders 'rode' up it, they'd lose too much speed to do the double.

At first, I found this track pretty tough myself, with the triple on-off table top section, the dragonsback, and some other rythms, but now after alot of laps, there are rythms that I can do, which I thought would be impossible... If you rail the berms, u can gain alot of speed.

I may increase the scale a little, as I played online yesterday with just one other person, and the turns are so tight, that it caused lag, and appear as if the other ride had missed the turn, and railed thin air over outside of the berm  But now I am sure this is a realistic scale, it will be hard for me to go back on that, as a big part of making and riding tracks for me, is the look and scale to the rider.

-Jamie

[al167]

thanks for the tips with 3ds max. i havent used 3ds before but ive always wanted to learn it. so i geuss its time to get it!!

your scale is right i measured it by making a block 7 pixels wide in the displacement map and then in game you ride up next to it and then look side on and you can see that both ends of the bike line up to the block. (the length of a crf450 is 7.1  feet)

ill give that dragon back another try too!

cheers allan

[MX_Rider_]

sorry for the intrusion on the conversation... but imo supercross  tracks that would work perfect on REFLEX physics are the ones that use the loading track (sx sections) scales, i am talking about the triple, table and the two 180º turns before the triple and the  "finish line"  double... your track would be so perfect if reflex bike had similar gravity/weight Like in REV physics, Jamie you should import your disp map for unleashed and try to ride it with REV (or simphysics T11) and tell us your opinion... there are a few things that don't feel right in your track: dragon back, the 3 in a row table section, I always miss the 3rd table, finish line double is so easy to overshoot and so hard to roll over some small jumps, the bike kick u instantly even when you are braking,  even so I prefer to play your track over the stock ones and all the custom tracks already released!

[JamieT]

No need to apologise

MX_Rider,
I agree that those sections do flow, and feel nice to ride. Yeah I may try it out in unleashed if i get time, although, i dont really have much interest in playing that game anymore, and Id have to read up again on afew things lol, its been a while...

The triple on-off sections are tricky, and it all starts with your speed out of the corner (i cut to the inside, like a race-car line), and the angle you hit the jump. When you get it right, it feels awesome, and Im sure you could carry on hopping to 4th, 5th or 6th, if there were more table tops

The finish line is the tallest jump on the track, and only has a gap of approx 55 feet, so I imagine that in real life, this would be quite an easy jump to make. Also, mine is at the end of a long straight of whoops, so that could be a factor to why it's so easy.
Ive also found alot more speed out of myself the more i play reflex, and I can hit lines on the 125cc, that I used to only be able to do with standard drag/friction maps. So I may need to think about more a little more drag or a different mix that what im using in my map... But also, I think my berms are too easy to rail, so they are being worked on. I will also take a look at rolling the jumps. Could you explain more about what feels wrong to you about the dragonsback?

Once I build more tracks with replicated sections in them, I will be able to tell how good the real life scale is with reflex. I would rather try slow the bikes down in the turns first, as I think thats where the inconsistency with real life is.

Al167,
Thanks for trying the scaled, I measured it yesterday too before I read your post, but I measured 5 pixel space on the textures, and lined that up with the wheel base of the bike, which is 58 inches on a kx450.


-Jamie

[MX_Rider_]

thank you for the reply James, about the dragonsback, it's nothing wrong about it, you did it right, it's about the behaviour of the bike... it simple have a unreal feel... I'll make a video of it and show you...

[MX_Rider_]

here is the link of the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7GiJAkvQjA

you can see how unreal is Reflex physics?