MTM2 Beta Patch 0.43 - Drag me to the finish line

[SparkTB11]

As far as I know, based on various drag conversions that I've done so far, the start light colors appear to be an issue on MTM2 tracks only, whereas in MTM1 tracks like Indiana State Fairgrounds and so on, (and not to mention LegendOfWii's MTM1 drag addons that he created recently.) the start light colors are correct. My guess is that it could be something to do with MTM2's color pallets or something like that, and much like the MTM1 arenas, the start light colors don't seem to clash well.

Here's a few pics demonstrating the problem.





As you can see the stage lights appear purple rather than red, and the go lights appear yellow rather than green. So Cale, you're pretty much in the same boat as me and everyone else in terms of the start lights.

On the other hand, nice work with the track despite the stadium being buggy as hell.

[Cale]

So I completely redid the track from nothing and I'm still having the same issues. Maybe it needs to be done as an MTM 1 track to work?

[Cale]

Well, this is a MAJOR development, and for more than just drags:

monster 2018-07-04 21-34-20-701.jpg

monster 2018-07-04 21-34-30-580.jpg

That is a user-edited model being used as an arena backdrop in game! There are a few keys to this: first, the arena boundaries need to be EXACT to the dimensions of the ground area you're using. So, if you want to do an 8 square x 12 square arena in Traxx, the arena walls - not the entire model, just the walls containing the track - need to be 8 * 32 = 256 feet by 12 * 32 = 384 feet. Second, the model needs to be sitting on the XY plane in BinEdit. You can see some hall of mirrors on the lower edges of the walls in the shots above, this is because it's just above the XY plane, and I'll need to fix that. Third - it needs to be saved as a backdrop bin, which is in the drop down menu of BinEdit when you Save As.

I think I screwed up parts of the model when trying to fix it, so I'll go back and revise those then finalize it and then redo the textures - again - to make it fit OK within the boundaries, and then I can actually start working on ramps and cars and stuff. But being able to do custom models for arenas is HUGE, and opens up some big opportunities. Imagine making a circuit within a city at night...but the city itself is just an arena model around a smaller area? Or doing a ZOoN Kitchen type track in a confined bedroom? If only I had more time to experiment!

(Oh, and FYI...the drag functionality is still all there!)

[SparkTB11]

Now that's a hell of a lot better!!! Can't wait to see what's next! Hopefully there will be more than just cars and ramps, I like to see decorative objects around the track like banners and signs, where you can make it either USA Motorsports themed or PENDA themed. Just some suggestions that I brought to the table.

[Fila]

1st thing: MTM1 only has a standard color palette. MTM2 allows for customizable color palette. That's the reason the drag lights are different. There's nothing I can do about this until the game gets ported to Dx9/OpenGL. It's just the way the graphic engines used to work back then. The only way to get the correct color is to use the same color palette as the mtm1 tracks.

2nd thing: Regarding the stadium issue: I have to look into this. I'm not entirely sure yet where the exact problem lies. Obviously there must be something in the code, that when MTM detects a drag race it does something funny to the arenas. I will double check this later to confirm. I don't think it should be too hard of a fix but stay tuned.

[Cale]

Alright, so I've uploaded the beta to the track page: http://www.mtm2.com/MTM2/Tracks/tracks. ... e+2.1+Drag (it shows up as Indianapolis Drag in game...my bad)

I'm doing this in the hopes that someone might be able to help me debug some of my issues. There are 2 main ones:

1. The arena model works just fine, except for the ends of the track - if you get within a 1/2 grid square of them they hall-of-mirrors out to infinity. All vertical surfaces on the model within about 10 degrees of straight ahead do this at either end. They're all the standard MTM1 face type, so I don't know why the sides of the track are perfectly normal, but the ends are goofy.

2. The cars are supposed to be top crush! I used BinEdit 2.2.8's animator, maybe that's the problem?

Anyhow, play around with it and let me know of any ideas you might have. Much appreciated.

[Cale]

Fixed the top crush issue! I had my base model set too tall compared to the finished crush model. Redefined it so now it should be good. Going to make a few different colors etc. of crush car so it looks more realistic. Still need to figure out the stadium model issue and then I can start to really make it pretty.

[SparkTB11]

I'm getting random disqualifications for literally no reason on some tracks with no inside or outside lines, sometimes the same thing happens on some straight tracks with both inside and outside lines already implemented. Anyone else having the same problem? Then again, it's probably one of the known issues on the current drag system, but worth mentioning otherwise.

[Fila]

Are you talking about the already existing tracks or tracks you are making?

I haven't experienced random disqualifications on the mtm1 drags.

[Fila]

Alright, so I've uploaded the beta to the track page: http://www.mtm2.com/MTM2/Tracks/tracks. ... e+2.1+Drag (it shows up as Indianapolis Drag in game...my bad)

I'm doing this in the hopes that someone might be able to help me debug some of my issues. There are 2 main ones:

1. The arena model works just fine, except for the ends of the track - if you get within a 1/2 grid square of them they hall-of-mirrors out to infinity. All vertical surfaces on the model within about 10 degrees of straight ahead do this at either end. They're all the standard MTM1 face type, so I don't know why the sides of the track are perfectly normal, but the ends are goofy.

2. The cars are supposed to be top crush! I used BinEdit 2.2.8's animator, maybe that's the problem?

Anyhow, play around with it and let me know of any ideas you might have. Much appreciated.

I'm finally going to get around to try this out later.

[SparkTB11]

Are you talking about the already existing tracks or tracks you are making?

I haven't experienced random disqualifications on the mtm1 drags.

They all happen on MTM2 made drags. Even LegendOfWii’s MTM1 drags that he made a little while ago have the same problem.

In other words, it’s most likely the custom drags made for both games will be plagued with random disqualifications issues for no reason. Haven’t had any problems with Cale’s RCA Dome track so far in terms of disqualification problems. Although the AI can be pretty brutal if you don’t manage to cut a good light at the start.

[Cale]

Alright, so I've uploaded the beta to the track page: http://www.mtm2.com/MTM2/Tracks/tracks. ... e+2.1+Drag (it shows up as Indianapolis Drag in game...my bad)

I'm doing this in the hopes that someone might be able to help me debug some of my issues. There are 2 main ones:

1. The arena model works just fine, except for the ends of the track - if you get within a 1/2 grid square of them they hall-of-mirrors out to infinity. All vertical surfaces on the model within about 10 degrees of straight ahead do this at either end. They're all the standard MTM1 face type, so I don't know why the sides of the track are perfectly normal, but the ends are goofy.

2. The cars are supposed to be top crush! I used BinEdit 2.2.8's animator, maybe that's the problem?

Anyhow, play around with it and let me know of any ideas you might have. Much appreciated.

I'm finally going to get around to try this out later.

Make sure you get the newer version...top crush finally works lol.

[Fila]

Are you talking about the already existing tracks or tracks you are making?

I haven't experienced random disqualifications on the mtm1 drags.

They all happen on MTM2 made drags. Even LegendOfWii’s MTM1 drags that he made a little while ago have the same problem.

In other words, it’s most likely the custom drags made for both games will be plagued with random disqualifications issues for no reason. Haven’t had any problems with Cale’s RCA Dome track so far in terms of disqualification problems. Although the AI can be pretty brutal if you don’t manage to cut a good light at the start.

If there are no issues with the mtm1 drags and no issue with Cale's drag then it sounds like the problem is actually with the tracks themselves and something isn't set up correctly. I can check the drags (if you give exact name) to see if the checkpoints are correctly set up. This way we can know whether it's the game code or the track.

[SparkTB11]

If there are no issues with the mtm1 drags and no issue with Cale's drag then it sounds like the problem is actually with the tracks themselves and something isn't set up correctly. I can check the drags (if you give exact name) to see if the checkpoints are correctly set up. This way we can know whether it's the game code or the track.

I'll post LegendOfWii's MTM1 Drags on this topic which just so happens to contain the random disqualification problems. (which are not made incorrectly whatsoever) He even made some experiments to the checkpoints to see what can and can't be done with the current drag system. You'll have to download them via his Deviantart account, the links for them are contained in that topic.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7320

And also, the random disqualification problems didn't use to be a thing to when I first played them, including my drag conversions made by draggers. It just so happens that the problem started occurring in a couple weeks later after playing them for like 30-50 times already. So therefore, I have no bloody clue as to why this is happening now when it never use to be a thing before.

[Fila]

I checked those drags. The checkpoints are not correctly placed. Hence the fact that it sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't is not surprising. Cale's drag has the checkpoints correctly placed.

[Legend_Of_Wii]

If there are no issues with the mtm1 drags and no issue with Cale's drag then it sounds like the problem is actually with the tracks themselves and something isn't set up correctly. I can check the drags (if you give exact name) to see if the checkpoints are correctly set up. This way we can know whether it's the game code or the track.

I'll post LegendOfWii's MTM1 Drags on this topic which just so happens to contain the random disqualification problems. (which are not made incorrectly whatsoever) He even made some experiments to the checkpoints to see what can and can't be done with the current drag system. You'll have to download them via his Deviantart account, the links for them are contained in that topic.

Really? Huh, even my tracks I made are having random disqualification in the community patch... strange.

By the way, here's two types of drags you cannot do with the current drag system, MTM1 or even in MTM2...
These experiments I tried just won't work in MTM1, which means these won't work in MTM2 either.

DragFail1.png

DragFail2.png

The problem with both of those experiments? What problem they have in common is that only one truck can win that makes it at the finish line that has the final checkpoint box... maybe this can be fixed/added into the drag system.

It's too bad, drags like those would be nice to make that functions right. If only we can have extra final checkpoints instead of just 1 final checkpoint meant for 1 truck.
Maybe we'll get drags with course segments like this to work one day if the drag functions were all fixed for the MTM2 community patch?

I'd upload MTM1 tracks if MTMG can accept them on here again, including accepting MTM1 trucks too--I'm one of those folks that still has the original game and still plays it too.
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[Fila]

What are you talking about? You can select MTM1 tracks when you upload.

[Fila]

I can see what you are saying. The problem is the drag code (it's the same as the mtm1 drag) is VERY RIGID. It basically allows for no creativity and the problem is that the drags have been made with this rigid system in mind. (and if you look at your mtm1 drags and then look at my drag template and/or cale's drag you will see where you have gone wrong).

Honestly I could potentially branch out to different drag systems, like the ones you posted above as the tracks can be separated by simply having different drag types. The biggest problem here is time. I haven't had the time to go over the little bugs that are present in the current beta patch. Implementing what you showed above, while doable, will require a lot of time. I'm not saying I am not going to do it. But it can take quite a while until I will get a chance to.

[Slayer]

I guess you can't share the code, get a git going, and get the whole community at this
Probably half of us are programmers around here?

[Fila]

Well... not officially...