| Track
|
Status
|
Ver.
|
Track Slot
|
Music Slot
|
Laps
|
Speed Mod
|
Notes
|
| 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon (Tock)
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Koopa Cape
|
Koopa Cape
|
3
|
1×
|
The remake in and of itself is well done, reviews were generally mixed between which version was better between ZPL’s and this. The problem is with the track itself, council almost unanimously agreed that the track does not work well without Mario Kart 7’s water physics, with the most common complaint towards this version specifically being the clams. Another common subjective issue with all Cheep Cheep Lagoon ports up to this point is that the left path that was originally a glider ramp serves no purpose in this game. For Cheep Cheep Lagoon to make it into CTGP, some serious remodelling must be done to make it play much better given MKWii's physics and how this game handles bumps and airtime.
|
| 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon (Wexos & Crile)
|
Rejected
|
RC1
|
Koopa Cape
|
Koopa Cape
|
3
|
1×
|
Generally speaking, testers didn't really like the layout of the track, which is pretty hard to fix for a retro without just making it a different track. This can certainly be reconsidered in the future if CTGP gains more track slots, which would allow us the ability to freely add a working version of every retro without taking slots away from other tracks.
|
| 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Koopa Cape
|
Koopa Cape
|
3
|
1×
|
Since Cheep Cheep Lagoon is one of the only MK7 tracks not in MKWii, the council was pretty excited to try this out. The visual quality and polishing is something praised by pretty much everybody, but the gameplay left much to be desired. The amount of airtime you get off of the ramps made the track awkward to play for most. Many of the main strategies that were faster in MK7 are now slower here, making the alternate routes pointless to take, such as the right rail underwater. The main route is faster because of the amount of tricks you get, making the rail obsolete. The stick tricks in the water were said to cause all sorts of jank, sending you in directions you didn't want. Our testers also cited time trial lag and very messed up bullet routes hindering gameplay as well. Since not much was changed from the original design to help it work better in MKWii, the council felt like that the track in its current state was not fit for CTGP.
|
| 3DS DK Jungle (Skipper93653)
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision was narrowly overturned upon revaluation. While the consensus among council members was that the track had slightly better visuals, many of the biggest problems of the CTGP version remain. The main complaint with the track is that it fails to fix the bumpy road at the start, which can give wheelie locks and just feels awkward to drive in general. In addition, there are other issues introduced. Ramps, especially the 1st and last one, were also a big complaint, with the former being awkward due to sticky road, and the latter giving way too much air. Flickering textures were also noted, especially with the water in the ending section. Finally, the wallride was noted to be much easier in this version. While this wallride is really cool in time trials and should still exist if possible, having it be much easier would ultimately make the track revolve around taking it without getting shocked, further exacerbated by players being able to take the shroomless ramp for free. Overall, council was unconvinced that this was enough of an upgrade to place over the CTGP version. A new version addressing fixing these issues while maintaining or enhancing the visual upgrades would be a best-of-both-worlds scenario.
|
| 3DS Rainbow Road (Bladestorm227)
|
Rejected
|
1.4.1
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision was unanimously overturned upon re-evaluation. Admittedly, it’s very confusing on how this track was accepted in its current state. The gameplay of this version was heavily criticized by many council members. Various ramps give too much air time, certain sections and turns are stretched vertically enough where wheelies couldn’t be maintained, the rock shortcut can’t be made at almost any angle, road material is corrupted, tricks off the craters can give random air, and the wheel doesn’t spin at the end. Furthermore, many council members found this to be inferior to the current CTGP version and would rather wait for an entirely different version or a version of Solar Edition that fixes its’ bugs. There are just too many issues with the track for it to be suitable for CTGP.
|
| 3DS Toad Circuit (Bri)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Daisy Circuit
|
Luigi Circuit
|
3
|
1×
|
This version of Toad Circuit was seen by many as an inferior version compared to the current CTGP version. The main things that the council brought up were the visuals and the shortcut. The visuals look very similar to the current version with little or no improvements, but it also came with a couple of very minor errors like a Z-fighting boost panel for example. The option of a night version was nice to have, but the shaded parts of the track were seen as being too dark. The second point of contention was the shortcut. The fact that the iconic shortcut didn't count the lap was seen as a huge turn-off for a majority of the testers, as it added a nice aspect of the track's gameplay that it wouldn't have had otherwise. The idea of patching it out was seen as ruining the track for the people who like Toad Circuit for that reason. Lastly, many council members thought that updating Toad Circuit to replace it with a version that doesn't add anything over the current version would be a wasted update slot, and not something that the playerbase would be happy with.
|
| 3DS Wario Shipyard (Skipper93653)
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Koopa Cape
|
Wario's Gold Mine
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted but this decision has been overturned following re-evaluation. A new version of this track would be very ideal, as the CTGP version has several gameplay and drivability related issues, but those issues are not sufficiently addressed within this version.
There are some areas where this version is a clear upgrade. The visuals are considerably better than the CTGP version, with a better-fitting skybox, improved lighting, and added water effects. Bagging (in the warring scene) is way better with item boxes added to the ending section. Furthermore, the item box placement is a huge improvement, as almost all boxes can now be reached.
There are still major issues with this track that must be addressed before its addition. There are many sections (namely outside the cave and before the final flip ramp) that are extremely bumpy. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the author as most 3DS ports have this issue, but it’s still crucial to fix as it significantly hinders the track’s drivability. The pipe current is way too strong and needs to be toned down. The cannon section in MK7 does not translate well to MKWii, but the fix offered here is a lateral upgrade at most, as the invisible road feels jaggy, unpredictable, and awkward, while being very confusing for even experienced players to navigate. The issues with the “shipwreck” section still exist, namely the tight 180 degree turn and the narrow section before the cannon that can force you into the crabs or offroad. As one council member put it, the track feels more akin to “an obstacle course,” which should never be the intent for a modern-day custom track.
Overall, council found that there were not enough upgrades here to warrant a commitment to this track via an update.
|
| 3DURCR Backyard Garden
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Maple Treeway
|
Maple Treeway
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was rejected due to poor theming and bland gameplay. Indeed, while some specific strats are fun to pull off, most of the lap does not feel very interesting. The grassy plains visuals are too generic and while they are executed decently, the track as a whole fails to differentiate itself from the myriad of similar tracks we have seen over the years.
Other issues include how difficult it is to tell offroad from normal road at times, and how aggressive out of bounds is. The layout has independent sections very close to each other spatially, and it would have been far more intuitive if these sections were separated by a physical barrier (most likely a fence) rather than an OoB plane.
All in all, not a bad track, but the track council judged that it would fail to make an impact should it be added to the pack.
|
| Abandoned Space Construction
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
5
|
1×
|
Normally a track like this would’ve been rejected for failing basic quality checks, but since the author has specifically requested feedback and had submitted many tracks prior to this one, we figure it is worth giving some detailed feedback for this track.
Layout:
• The track is 16 seconds long on average per lap, and even with 5 laps, clocks in at around 1 minute and 20 seconds. 16 seconds per lap is just far too short.
• The layout is very rudimentary and lacks any depth, to the extent where all information on this track can be obtained through the minimap. There are no shortcuts, no off-road, no changes in the width of the road, and little changes in the elevation.
• The gameplay offered by the layout is bare bones. Despite the turns within the construction, there is very little that prevents the track from feeling like a rainbow oval.
• The turns within the construction are far too tight, with the last turn effectively being blind. The construction is also very narrow and gives little room for players to avoid items.
• 3 items per set is far too little, especially on a track like this where players will likely remain close to eachother for the entire race.
Visuals:
• The lightmap in the construction gives this mixture of purple and light pink that mesh well together and makes the construction hard to see as a result.
• No arrows in the construction makes in difficult to tell where to go, especially when the walls throughout are monochrome.
• The atmosphere is lifeless. Council understands the area is supposed to be abandoned, but there could be far more done to the scenery and the atmosphere.
• No mipmaps, no BLIGHT change, stretched UVs
• The starbits don’t render properly when up close
Looking through the author’s work, it appears that many of their tracks have the same issues present. If they are serious about getting tracks into CTGP or improving as a creator, here’s some advice:
• Think of more ambitious themes, designs and gimmicks.
• Move towards more complex layouts. Standards have gotten high enough that if you’re going to make a simplistic layout, then the theming, atmosphere, and driving must be nailed.
• Think of how to accommodate players of all skill levels. Ideally, a track should be simple enough for new players to complete a lap w/o continuously dying but have enough depth to keep an experienced player interested.
• Put more time and detail into creating one track than multiple over a period of weeks.
|
| Acid Cliffs
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was rejected, but council thought this was the author's best track to date.
Visually, the track looks good. The colour choices lead to a great mystical and enchanting atmosphere. The author is definitely improving in that regard and the potential is obvious. It should be noted however that the acid part of the name feels quite underused as there is no poison and no enemies that would reference it.
Gameplay focuses on elevation changes with sudden slopes, slanted turns and the likes. That is a good idea and definitely one that could lead to a great track, but it feels under developped here. In that sense, the layout could definitely use some more sections that further push the concept. Moreover, excluding the unintended cuts at the end, the track lacks a fun way to leverage boost items, and considering the verticality, you'd expect some kind of gap and/or jump based shortcut.
Nevertheless, common issues present in other tracks from the author remain:
- There is a lack of cohesion in the theme of track. You are seemingly in space but climbing cliffs, encountering yoshis, minecraft dragons etc...
- The track is heavily stretched vertically. That creates some issues visually, as you cannot really appreciate the details in the background (they are masked by rocks) and gameplay wise, as it leads to bumpiness issues (wheelielocks most notably).
Overall, while the track falls short both visually and gameplay wise, there are ideas that are worth exploring some more and we can only encourage the author to keep persisting and improving.
|
| Alone and Incomplete
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
DK Summit
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
The council was pleased by the uniqueness of the track’s overall theming and aesthetic, but felt that the track is missing just a few key components.
While the uniqueness and concept were praised, some testers found the visuals to be not cohesive enough. Despite the creative usage of translucent textures and a darker cave to contrast, the visuals were found to be a bit empty outside the cave due to the lack of background elements, and unexciting inside the cave as it is currently just pure black. As a result, some testers felt that the outside rainbow theming did not completely match the sense of despair that the track’s name indicated it was going for. Some testers mentioned the possibility of changing the theming inside the cave to fit the idea of incompleteness more. One idea that was brought up by multiple testers was the idea of broken and collapsing buildings, whether that be interactive like the tunnel or in the background.
Gameplaywise, the track has several things going for it. Testers praised the gameplay of the tunnel, stating that it is satisfying to drive. While some expressed concerns about the strength of the shortcut after the cave, the creativity of the shortcut was praised. The shroomless shortcuts were also commended. Testers also liked the ice platforms intertwined with the split platforms giving a sense of risk versus reward as well as multiple options on which way to go. However, testers also worried that the ice platforms particularly at the end were extremely powerful and would become the main route in an online setting, marking the main road obsolete. The exit out of the cave onto a mushroom pad into a right turn raised concerns for some. The reception on the floating platforms section as a whole outside of the cave was mixed, as some testers liked the idea of mixing and matching platforms while others expressed concern of unintuitive and unsmooth driving. The track also has up to 8 obtainable item sets per lap, making shroom glitch a possibility for lap 3. Testers recommend removing 2 or 3 sets.
Overall, track council thought this track was a nice breath of fresh air and has a lot of potential to be a great addition to CTGP, but is just missing the last few things it needs to get in. Council hopes that the author will continue to update the track to fix its concerns and is excited to see what the author decides to make in the future.
|
| Alternative N64 Bowser's Castle
|
Rejected
|
2.0.1
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision was overturned upon revaluation. The author is currently working on an update of this track that address the issues that council members had with this version of the track. Until the update releases, this version will remain rejected.
|
| Aqua Dungeon
|
Rejected
|
1.01
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
The author’s creation of a more complex and involved layout than usual was widely appreciated, but the track in its current state is just not ready for CTGP.
Council members widely praised the theme, as they saw it as unique and with a lot of potential for exploration and immersion. However, the current atmosphere does not feel fully developed/fleshed out. The visuals, while solid, become quickly repetitive and monotonous. This is all exacerbated by the length of the tracks. Some more variety within the visuals to encapsulate that dungeon-esque feel (cracks in walls, better positioning of the Pokemon statues, lanterns, etc.) would do wonders. The track should also have better lighting. While theme does call for the track the be darker than most, it is still very dark throughout the dungeon sections without the strobe lights. There is also a lamp that can clip through the camera, which should be addressed: [1]. Finally, the Koopa Cape-style pipe is cool but its interior doesn’t match the atmosphere. Council recommends that it’s modified to better match the dungeon-esque style of the track.
Many council members praised how well the track drove in Time Trials. However, there are various compounding issues that affect online play. The spiral should be widened, as you must enter very wide in order to not be sent into a wall. The is a distinct lack of shortcuts for its length, resulting in the gameplay revolving around getting shrooms to take the first shroom cut. Adding another shortcut in the mid-section of the track would significantly improve the gameplay. The amount of water currents may be a concern due their potential to cause significant lag online. While the shroomless at the end is cool, there are two types of KCL of the statue which can lead to the shortcut being unpredictable, and the landing should be made sticky road to prevent bad QM upon landing.
Despite this, Council recognizes the potential that this track has and looks forward to seeing a version with many of these issues addressed if the author desires.
|
| Arctic Chill
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
N64 Sherbet Land
|
N64 Sherbet Land
|
3
|
1×
|
While this is certainly one of the more impressive submissions we've received from this author, we think there are still too many issues with the track for it to be considered for addition to CTGP. The most jarring issue the Council had was the slippery ice KCL present throughout the entire race; even though this is a snowy-themed track, having the entire track be ice KCL makes some of the turns unnecessarily difficult or even impossible on some vehicles. Testers were even having trouble making some hairpin turns with the Flame Runner, of all vehicles, so that would be an absolute requirement for an update. The finish line is also a metal grate KCL type, which doesn't really make any sense. A lot of the turns were extemely bumpy and didn't play very well as a result; this can be fixed by adding more triangles to the turn in the KCL model (make sure you update the visual model as well to match it, otherwise you would have issues like players floating or clipping through the ground). As far as shortcuts go, there might be a bit too many of them. Using a golden mushroom in certain spots can lead to you skipping 2 or 3 entire turns, which could save an obscene amount of time (and probably win you the race by default if you used it right). The shortcut that skips the last U-turn in particular is extremely broken; we suggest adding a fall boundary to prevent you from doing that. Some of the shortcuts through the snow also send you flying into the wall when exiting them, which can be fixed by adding sticky road to the area exiting it (be careful not to add too much sticky road, as that will screw over vehicles with a low drift stat like the Spear). As far as visuals go, it's not terrible by any means, but the scenery is fairly bland and doesn't have much going on. The skybox doesn't really fit the track all too well (it seems more "haunted" than "cold"), and the lighting of the track itself looks rather dingy and dark. Some of the downwards turns or slopes are very blind as well. We suggest going through and improving the visuals of the entire track (both the scenery around the track and within the track itself), and fixing those few things to give the track more visually appealing visuals. Remember, you aren't making a track and then just placing random stuff around it; you're making an actual environment, and creating a track within that environment. Additionally, there are some invisible walls that prevent you from doing certain things; instead of making these invisible walls, you should incorporate an actual wall or an object there that would block the player from passing it while still looking natural within the track itself. This track has a lot of potential, and we're looking forward to seeing what this could possibly turn into in the future! If you need examples of snowy tracks that have good scenery, take a look at tracks like DK Summit, Alpine Peak, GCN Sherbet Land, and Crash Team Racing's Polar Pass. Additionally, here's a list of all the bugs we found:
- Some no lap counts and issues with the finish line not extending all the way are present on the track (make sure the checkpoints are done properly!)
- Bullet Bill shouldn't drop you into any turns.
- The goombas don't move, and they don't die when hit by an item, but they do still drop a shroom.
- Snow off-road has the wrong KCL type.
- Some fall boundaries apparently have drivable road KCL?
|
| Area 64
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
The council determined that this track would not do well in CTGP in it's current state. A common opinion was that the gameplay was not up to par for CTGP standards.
Visually, there isn't much to say as it nails the atmosphere here and the theming itself is very unique. It would definitely stand out in the pack. It could do with some BLIGHT changes for when the player goes under the green beams.
Gameplay, however, is where it falls. The scaling for the track isn't consistent; some sections of the track have good scaling, whereas some sections are scaled too small. Sadly, a simple upscale would not fix this as it would ruin other sections of the track. The KCL of the track is inaccurate due to subdivision surface being applied to the road, leading to players driving through the floor on occasion. Even with that, some sections of the track feel bouncy. There are a few turns where it's unsure whether 1 or 2 miniturbos is optimal due to the length of the turn.
Overall, the theming of this track is incredible and it has a lot of potential, but with the current layout and gameplay issues, this track needs work before it is ready to be added to CTGP.
|
| A.S.D.F. City
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
5
|
1×
|
While council greatly appreciates the attempt to modernize ASDF_Course, we believe that this track isn’t enough of an upgrade to justify its inclusion. In terms of design, the consensus was that the visuals were slightly better, but still not up-to-standard, and the slight changes to the layout made driving more awkward than its predecessor. The ramp was also universally deemed to be downgrade, giving excessively big airtime and stalling the flow of the gameplay.
On the topic of an ASDF remake in general, the consensus amongst council is that ASDF is solely in due to its sheer popularity (10th in combined popularity at the time of writing this). Any change to the layout that would be up to todays standards would likely change the spirit of the track, thus we would rather keep ASDF_Course in its current state. If it declines in popularity, we’d likely just remove it outright, since any track with its layout today would likely not even meet basic quality checks.
EDIT 26/1/22: Upon a re-read, the paragraph above is mostly bad info and shouldn’t count as the official feedback.
To address the status of the current CTGP version, ASDF_Course is currently unable to be removed from CTGP due to its sheer popularity in online play (20/218 as of writing). While Council encourages authors to attempt remakes such as these, any update to the track gunning for a slot in CTGP should attempt to keep the layout similar as possible to the gameplay while drastically improving the visuals to keep it at similar popularity. If the current version ever declined in popularity to the point where it could be removed, it will be.
|
| Autumn Path
|
Rejected
|
1.03
|
Maple Treeway
|
Maple Treeway
|
3
|
1×
|
The main issue with this track is a very distinct lack of polish. There is quite a lot of buggy behavior like wall collision not matching the model properly, poorly made respawn points, including one that saves time over the regular route, and awkward bounces along the main road that make it harder to drive than it looks (Some bugs were fixed in an update after submission though). Testers also cited the overdone theme of "maple treeway autumn" track, which already makes multiple appearances in CTGP and other tracks in the past.
|
| Back to the 80s
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been nearly unanimously overturned following reevaluation.
The overall aesthetic is unique and appealing, but the elements that compose it are problematic, with poor, often difficult to look at texture choices, sloppy UV mapping, and amateurishly altered objects. The layout is not to standards either; although much of it is rather basic, it is brought down significantly by awkward ramps and terribly balanced shortcuts, particularly the cut at the start that is faster shroomless and the field of offroad at the end.
|
| Beagle Plains (Lovelifeandtpose024)
|
Rejected
|
2.2
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation. This remake of Beagle Plains was generally criticized for being a mediocre luck track, which CTGP already has a good number of. The ending section was brought up by the majority of testers, who said the blind and tight turns were frustrating and created problems for outside drifting vehicles and the spear. It was suggested this be less windy and a bit more visible to prevent these problems. Removing some of the ending grass shortcuts was suggested as well, to prevent some of the luck endings. The exit of the greenhouse had some issues as well. Testers found that going off the left side of the ramp lands the player in offroad, and suggested this be a stunt trick, as a flip trick gives lots of air. This track had some visual concerns as well. Many testers didn’t like how most of the textures were taken directly from the nintendo tracks, saying this gave the track a very generic feel and some things felt out of place. It was also brought up that the water animation doesn’t loop and isn’t synced, which was off putting. Overall, this track would need a visual overhaul along with a lot of gameplay changes.
|
| Beanstalk Castle
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
3
|
1×
|
While this is a great base, there just isn’t enough polish in the visuals or the gameplay to justify its inclusion into CTGP as it stands.
The theming is excellent, as Council praises its creativity and differentiation from most castle-themed tracks. However, the conveyance of the atmosphere and the visuals within the immediate layout fall short. Council specifically points out the lightmap and UV-mapping as issues. The lightmap makes certain sections of the track (namely the white and blue road) too bright and overpowers the shader that is used in certain sections. Furthermore, the UV-mapping is off specifically at the castle sections and the finish line. These contribute the tracks’ visuals looking very unpolished.
The gameplay and layout could also be refined. The road in the beanstalk sections is overscaled, and give way too much space for the racer, decreasing racer interaction. The leaf shortcuts are good in concept, but the lack of offroad on the leaves makes both overpowered as a shroomless (2nd one) and/or awkward to take. The split paths could use some more balancing, as the left path currently saves significant time over the right path. The most common complaint is the ending castle section, which is far too wide and the most optimal path involves going straight in a line and making 4 consecutive tricks. This section should almost certainly be reworked.
This track has a lot of potential, as the theming is nailed and the feedback within the threads provides many suggestions for the author. But as of right now the needs some visual and layout work to become CTGP-quality.
|
| Blossoming Ruins
|
Rejected
|
Beta
|
Maple Treeway
|
Maple Treeway
|
3
|
1×
|
The council deemed this track as a good start but needs work to be a polished track that would work well in CTGP.
Visually, this is a very good base, however, could have improvements. There are good overall ideas such as the day-night cycle, which is effective when done well. However, it has some imperfections such as z-fighting, unaligned UVs, model holes, and the player clipping through desynced geometry i.e., the carpet. The "blossoming" aspect of the track is developed, however the "ruins" part could do with some more development. The BLIGHT might also require some thought as it doesn't fit the night theming. This could perhaps be resolved with VolcanoPiece/venice_saku moving a BLIGHT effect trigger to change it after a period of time.
Gameplay is where this track needs the most consideration. There are a few turns that some found flowed well outside, but inside the many 90° turns which were closely proceeded by a ramp can be awkward to drive. There were other ramps that were mentioned which were considered issues: the flip ramp into the water stream which was deemed not useful; the very first trick which gives a ton airtime and should be a flip ramp. On the other hand, the addition of a water stream was appreciated as it made the simpler layout a bit more dynamic.
Overall, this track has a good start on visuals and a mostly acceptable layout which needs some changes to improve it. The main issues with the gameplay were the turns in the castle and the ramps giving too much air. Visually, the council thinks it could both develop the overall theming more, and polish the textures and general visuals i.e., UVs of the track.
|
| Botania
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
GCN DK Mountain
|
Moo Moo Meadows
|
3
|
1×
|
- Textures and overall visuals need MAJOR updates (author is already working on this).
- Possibly re-evaluate what parts of the track have sticky road? Multiple testers said that there were sections where the sticky road made the track more annoying to play on.
- The road is way too bumpy.
- If you get hit by an item while trying to take the ramp shortcut near the end, you get completely screwed and have to go backwards. This should be fixed.
|
| Bowser's Gothic Castle
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Grumble Volcano
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
Compared to the previous submission from this author, this is a massive step up. The track is much better in terms of structure, driveability, and visuals, but unfortunately this one still doesn't meet CTGP standards quite yet. The texturing is all too similar all across the track, and doesn't fit the theme that the name suggests. There are plenty of long falls and bad respawn points, as well as item route issues that cause the bullet to get stuck in a few places. The shape of the walls cause you to get stuck if you get bumped into it the wrong way, and combined with a lot of blind turns, it doesn't make for the best racing experience. Regardless, massive props for the very quick improvement in custom track making, and we hope that you can improve even further going forward.
|
| Bowser's Lava Lair
|
Rejected
|
1.7
|
Bowser's Castle
|
Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation. While the track has potential and drives decently, both the visuals and the gameplay of this track were criticized. Visually, the track is too similar to a SNES or GBA bowser’s castle course, and would need a major visual overhaul to ugprade its looks to modern standards. From a gameplay perspective, the various shroomless cuts (skipping the 2nd turn, going up the rail on the slow ramps section, going top route at the end) save too much time while being easily blockable. Most notably, the gap cut shortcut can easily be performed shroomless and basically becomes the main route. The main shroom cut is massive, but is quite difficult to pull off and also is very easily blocked on the shroomless path.The lava gap after the first turn and the fireballs spit by the bowser statue were also criticized for being too sudden and therefore causing lots of problems for beginners. Testers found the slow ramps to be too small, making low tricks far too inconsistent. Finally, the shock shortcut also stood out as being too situational and too powerful, allowing racers who were just in the right position at the right time to gain time for free.
- Most split paths are a source of item route issues, causing bullet bills to go straight in the lava or to drive into a wall.
- The rail at the end after the last few ramps has an invisible KCL at the end of it (Discord)
- Camera glitch if you fall short of the upper path, might not be fixable unless the path gets raised or something.
- The shock shortcut can be done with the Honeycoupe.
- The outro cameras are messed up, supposedly due to an outdated Wiimm's Tools function that has scaling issues on player based cameras.
|
| Castle of Hope
|
Rejected
|
1.5.03
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
2
|
1×
|
This track demonstrates some potential; its distinctly vibrant visuals for a castle track are appreciated, and in some ways driving the track can be fun, especially due to the well-balanced shortcuts.
Unfortunately, many testers, including some who received the track positively, found the visuals to be bland out of repetition without much decoration. Critically, this repetition extends to the track design, especially with its large scale and numerous spirals, resulting in a track some describe as long and boring. Graphics lack polish, most prominently in regards to UV mapping issues and Z-fighting on the start line banner. The slope before the bridge lacks necessary sticky road, and the turn after is blind. A few testers described many other turns as blind as well. The use of heavy off-road without visual distinction was also found to be a problem.
Due to these issues, this track was narrowly rejected. For future evaluation, we would like to see an extra layer of polish in addition to the layout being reworked into one that is shorter, less repetitive, and doesn't demand a large scale.
|
| Chill Hill 2
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
DK Summit
|
DK Summit
|
3
|
1×
|
Despite the track having little to no detail or scenery, it definitely hits the mark pretty well gameplay-wise. Before acceptance, though, the track would most likely need a visual overhaul.
- The sloped turns need a lot more tris.
- The off-road and out-of-bounds need proper distinction, and should not be the same texture.
- The ice part doesn't seem like you're driving on ice, which confused a lot of the testers.
- Bugs with Item Routes, KCL.
|
| Circuit Speedway
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
–
|
–
|
The layout isn't bad, but any playability is immediately ruined by the lack of tris on the curved sections, and by the sheet amount of boost panels that were randomly scattered along the track.
- All animated textures should loop properly.
- There should be proper indication on what is road and what isn't road. A few things that look like road are actually wall, and vice-versa.
- Water has the Moonview Highway LED shader by accident.
- Bugs with KCL, Position Tracking.
|
| Christmas Wish (Jiyuu)
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
DK Summit
|
DK Summit
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision was narrowly overturned upon revaluation. The concept and layout were widely praised, especially for being able to take a Christmas Tree and making a working, intuitive, and fun layout for driving. However, there are a couple of issues with the track that need to be addressed before its inclusion. The unanimous complaint about this track is the shortcut at the top of the tree way. The cut saves over a second if done shroomless, and even more if done with the intended one shroom. This cut either needs to be modified to require multiple shrooms or just removed entirely. Furthermore, the track has way too many item boxes, with shroom glitch being possible at the start of L3 if the most possible boxes per lap are taken. The lighting was also criticized, with the ice section and town being very dim. Finally, the last time this track received an official update was two-and-a-half years ago, which indicates that there are no plans to fix the above issues. There is a lot of potential here and desire to add this track as part of a Christmas update if ready, but for now, it will remain rejected.
|
| Cliffside Circuit
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
3
|
1×
|
The council was overwhelmingly neutral on this track. While there isn't anything wrong with it besides a few KCL bugs and some flickering here and there, the bland theming and lack of any real excitement made this track seem just okay for many testers. The misleading mushrooms were also rather confusing, since the visuals would indicate that the mushrooms would be bouncy or not bouncy given the colors used, however none of them are even trickable to begin with. Not bad, but not good enough for CTGP standards.
|
| Constellation Cliffs
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
3
|
1×
|
After being updated from it's initial CT Jam version, this track looked very promising at first. The way it played was praised the most, as gameplay is very smooth and not hard to figure out. Visually, while the night theme and sky box make the track appealing, it lacks a clear direction, texture diversity and background decorations, which makes the track feel repetitive. Moreover, even though the work on light maps was appreciated, it also makes the track generally too dark. While the gameplay is good, it was also seen by many testers as rather one-dimensional, as the whole track followed the same formula for its turns and ramps, making it play the same the entire way through. Some crucial bugs were also found during testing such as a no lap count respawn and some out of bounds clipping onto the main road. One sentiment that a lot of the council shared was that the potential for a really good track is still there, so perhaps with an overhaul of this design, it could be accepted some time in the future.
|
| Coral Cape (Terron)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Koopa Cape
|
Koopa Cape
|
3
|
1×
|
This remake is solidly put-together, but the nearly unanimous opinion is that Coral Cape fundamentally offers neither a theme nor a layout unique enough to meet current standards. Many testers highly praise the cleanly executed visuals, but certain assets, due to being used to death recently, only serves to amplify how generic the final product ends up seeming. Similarly, although this layout is old, it now seems to represent the epitome of the recent trend of short, simple track designs, especially when distinct features like the ending mushrooms and the tunnel shortcut have been sanitized away (even if they weren't originally used well, they still introduced some character). The track is already overly lacklustre, which leaves a wide variety of gameplay issues to tip the scales overwhelmingly against this track's favour. For example, offroad is generally difficult to navigate, yet arguably overpowered; the road contours are unintuitive, tending to conceal themselves and other things like boost panels; the use of trickable road on the edges at the beach is highly questionable; various no-lap-count shortcuts are possible; and the ending ramp is still awkward.
|
| Cosmo Garden
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Rainbow Road
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
3
|
1×
|
For the creator's first custom track, this track displays a lot of potential, but does not fit CTGP's standards in its current state. Visually, it falls short of the mark. It uses a lot of Rainbow Road assets, is too similar to Cherry Blossom Garden, and feels more like a night-time garden. However the main area the track suffers in is gameplay. While its simple layout was praised, the track is scaled too big, especially vertically with most ramps sending the racers too high. The walls of flowers remove any counterplay around items by masking them. This item issue is further reflected by the blind turns and slopes, most notably the 1st slope that uses sticky road and can easily be trapped. The underwater section uses banked walls which make driving awkward. The cuts also stood out as being very unbalanced. The 1st cut boundaries are unclear as the out of bounds section uses the same grass texture as the driveable portion. Moreover, one shroom is barely not enough to clear the cut, forcing racers to use two despite the cut saving less than the 2nd cut, that many council members thought should be nerfed.
- The coordinates of the track currently go to ±125000 on both the X and Z axis, which will cause items to stop working online.
- The track has no intro or outro cameras.
- There is a weird blue hue that appears in the skybox at high Y positions.
- The underwater section should not be coloured differently on the minimap.
- The item boxes are spread out too far and more should be added at each set.
- The bullet bill should not take the 2nd cut by default.
- Some checkpoints do not cover the whole width of the track and will lead to position tracker issues.
|
| Crazy-8 Circuit
|
Rejected
|
Alpha 2
|
Luigi Circuit
|
Funky Stadium
|
4
|
1×
|
Visually, this track looks like yet another generic Mario Kart track, and this is a massive liability. Many people are immediately turned off by this first impression and find nothing appealing about this exhaustively well-treaded theme, especially in the track's current state where its appearance is a worse version of our existing DS Figure-8 Circuit. The intended irony is not worth wasting the track's visuals in such a way; see Rezway II for an extreme example of how unpopular this problem could cause a track to be. A very significant number of no votes would be flipped to yes solely if this track were given a distinct and polished visual style, perhaps one that complements the wacky track design rather than (intentionally) contrasting it, e.g. a circus theme.
Many council members found much potential in this track's unique layout, making visuals the most outstanding concern--but a decent number had gameplay reservations. Some found the track surprisingly intuitive, but others suffered much confusion. The arrow signs are a good start, but it is still potentially too difficult both to gather an understanding of where things are in general and to simply figure out where it's okay to go next. Arrows on the road are a necessity, arrows elsewhere need some tweaks, and the track could benefit from better landmarks that help players realize where things are. One particular problem that has no clear solution is that players may think they are going the wrong way when they see other racers driving against them, starting on lap 3.
Beyond the clarity problems related to the core concept, other gameplay issues were noted. In contrast to the shortcuts such as those involving the bouncy mushroom which testers found fun, the rest of the layout may be a bit plain to drive. The final turn of the lap, which is driven 4 times per race (unless you take a lap 4 ending strat) and does not have split paths like much of the course does, was cited as a particularly dull example. The three ramps towards the start of lap 1 may be a step in the wrong direction to improve this base layout, as a few testers noted them as abrupt and awkward. Path balance is quite suspect; for the lap 1 route, the wooden bridge shortcut is weak enough that it may even be invalidated by using the mushroom on the left split, and the lap 2 route's shroomless access to the Cataquack platform makes it excessively strong. Bullet Bills have been observed to go backwards on occasion; this seems to always be related to respawn point recalculations, so adjusting their positions relative to item routes should be able to fix that. Varying checkpoint distributions cause the game to be rather bad at position tracking players on different routes relative to each other.
Although this track was rejected quite decisively, the concept drew favourable comparisons to tracks like GCN Luigi Circuit and most of the council found it potentially suitable for CTGP. A visual overhaul is desparately warranted though, and the base layout would benefit greatly from various adjustments.
|
| Crystal Cove
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Wario's Gold Mine
|
Wario's Gold Mine
|
5
|
1×
|
While this track looks very well-made and plays very smoothly, the council found this one to be very bland and boring to race on. The cave feels rather bland and same-y, and the races don't have much going on in them, which makes this track feel a lot like a very polished Brown Loop. 5 laps is a bit overkill as well. If this track had more going on and was reduced to 3 laps, then it would be a lot better. Some other small things we found:
- The boost panels don't show up on the minimap
- Light offroad on some turns should be heavier
- Some turns are a bit blind if not for the large minimap
|
| CTR Hot Air Skyway
|
Rejected
|
v1.0
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
3
|
1×
|
This is a well-executed recreation of a layout that is ultimately a drag to play.
This track's layout can be summed up as turns, hilly geometry, random trickable surfaces, some boost panels, and the occasional ramp. Throughout its minute-long laps, there are a lack of distinct places that require a different approach or enable some kind of unique tech; the closest thing to a shakeup is a simple shroomless cut that might as well be the main route. An enjoyable driving flow is not attained either, as the turns are often concealed by the road itself (also reducing clarity) and preceded or overlapped by wheelie-locking and slipdrift-inducing bounciness.
Furthermore, with a winding layout, no offroad, and no shroom cuts at all, this track has few opportunities for item play besides traps. This makes online races so frontrun-centric they might as well be time trials, which would already result in rather dull races even without the monotonous track design. Even the handful of testers who found this fun to drive tended to demand the addition of at least one shroom cut, e.g. adding offroad to the current shroomless cut.
The visuals are quite good. Conceptually, the track takes an already relatively unexplored theme (sky) into a very creative direction; as of the recent update, this is brought to life in MKW with quite impressive fidelity including nice lighting and various animated details. Unfortunately, even this aspect lacks variation, as the whole track lacks in landmarks and uses the same assets.
|
| CTR Slide Coliseum
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
GCN Waluigi Stadium
|
GCN Waluigi Stadium
|
3
|
1×
|
The 125% upscale still causes problems on non-Mach vehicles. We could try upscaling it further, but the blandness of the track lead all of the testers to the general consensus that the track is better off just left alone.
|
| CTR Tiny Arena
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GCN Waluigi Stadium
|
Funky Stadium
|
3
|
1×
|
This track would be generally okay in Time Trials, but online it would be a nightmare, especially for outside-drifting vehicles. Too many bumps and tricks would lead to everyone getting split, and it would generally just be a mess. It's a cool track, but it doesn't translate well into Mario Kart Wii.
|
| Desert Creek
|
Rejected
|
1.5
|
Dry Dry Ruins
|
Dry Dry Ruins
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision was unanimously overturned upon revaluation. There isn’t really anything going for this track and looking back it was a very questionable acceptance. There are massive drivability issues throughout the entire track. Many of the turns are small and tight, making it borderline impossible for some vehicles to make the turns w/o hitting offroad. It doesn’t help that these types of turns show up throughout the entire track. The boost panels being inside the turns makes it so that its faster to go through offroad on certain turns. Walls can be clipped through in various sections. 9 item sets per lap is just way too much and needs to be cut almost in half. Thematically, it doesn’t do anything unique, and it isn’t presented in an outstanding manner that meets 2021 standards. Put bluntly, this needs a lot of work to be reconsidered.
|
| Desert Cross (FunkyDude15)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Dry Dry Ruins
|
Dry Dry Ruins OR Thwomp Desert
|
3
|
1×
|
This track has a ton of potential, but the 2 cannons and the weird zippers throw everything off. This track would be amazing if those things were to get fixes, and would surely be a strong contender for being accepted.
|
| Distant Dimension
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
In general, the track council had plenty of great things to say about this track. It's clearly a big step up from this author's previous work, as they wanted to try and branch out with their track designs to make something that everybody can enjoy. The quality of this track is a nice upgrade, as the author has been taking our previous feedback and applying it here. Visually, the track is spectacular as always, and the shortcuts added to the track are overall really good. The shroomless shortcut that skips part of the boardwalk was a nice addition, giving a much needed element of strategy to spice up gameplay.
However, with all of that being said, this track still misses the mark for what is desired in track creation nowadays. Visually, the track goes a bit too far while still sticking to a generic lava-themed course, something that is of no shortage in CTGP already. Similarities to Magmatic Sanctuary were brought up a lot as it uses a lot of the same textures while having that signature strong post effect, but with purple instead of red. While a lot was done to make gameplay much better, it's still rather simple to drive, consisting mostly of boost ramps for its gameplay elements. There is a noticeable lack of technical strategies on this track outside of the rails and the shroomless cut, despite the author's best efforts to spice up gameplay. According to many council members, this factor is what this track is missing the most, as more complex and technical layouts are what people desire to be added to CTGP in the current era. Other smaller things noted was that the offroad and the main road are a bit hard to distinguish at times due to the darkness of the track, and a no lap count respawn at the beginning of the track that skips two key checkpoints.
It's quite clear that this track still has a lot of potential, and the council would love to see this track re-submitted in the future if the track receives updates based on the feedback given during the review period.
|
| Divine Paradise
|
Rejected
|
2.2
|
Koopa Cape
|
Koopa Cape
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted but this decision has been overturned following re-evaluation.
In contrast to when it was first accepted, this type of track doesn’t suffice for what council and the community are currently looking for tracks nowadays. While the visuals were widely praised by council members, the track doesn’t do enough to stand out from its stylistic contemporaries. Many council members commented on its visual similarities to tracks such as Sky High Island, Fishdom Island, and Secluded Island. In terms of gameplay, simplistic gameplay is never bad, but it plays almost identical to many 'loop' tracks that have been added or updated within the past year, such as Saltwater Lake or Water Village, both of which have not been very popularly received. This has led to concerns amongst the vast majority of council about its long-term viability within the pack after its potential addition.
Aside from popularity, there are still a few issues with the layout and gameplay. Certain sections were noted to be very unintuitive for testers to navigate; namely, the drivable walls at the beginning, the blind OOB water, and the blind ramp leading into the beach. These types of things should never exist in a track designed to be friendly for newer players. At the end, the shroomless ramp does not function well, as going off straight on the left side leads to instant death. The theme of the track was also noted by many players, arguing that a "divine" track probably shouldn't be in the middle of a rainstorm.
All in all, there’s just not much going for this track as is. It would likely need model adjustments and/or a different theme/atmosphere to garner serious consideration for inclusion to CTGP.
|
| Divine Temple
|
Rejected
|
3.0
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
Rainbow Road
|
2
|
1×
|
While some of the gameplay ideas seen in this track appealed to a few council members, the track got rejected due to outdated looks and numerous layout issues.
The track has not evolved a ton since its initial 2015 release, and it shows. It's mostly composed of a bunch of box-shaped rooms linked together by corridors. Combined with the overuse of the beige colour, it makes the overall setting quite repetitive. This is not helped by a lack of distinct theme. The track goes for a sky temple, but lacks strong elements that would remind players of the theme such as columns, reliefs, sculptures, a pediment... Some of the rooms go for a completely different approach with child toys, objects everywhere, which leaves the overall composition incoherent. If this were trying to go for a chaotic direction like a Mansion of Madness, it would need to go much further and to have striking, very different sections. Finally, there are UV mapping issues, like on the metal fences in the room at the start. Overall, the track does not look appealing and pleasing to look at.
Gameplay wise, the track also has a lot of issues. Some parts, like the shroomless cut, are very interesting, but similarly to the visuals, a lot of the layout feels repetitive and the races drawn out especially with such long laps. This is mostly caused by the long straights which feel like they are just trying to link parts together.
The turns themselves are not satisfying, either being super wide or extremely tight. The sticky tricks before some of them are not only very inconsistent but also send the player very wide. The most notable example of the turn problem is of course the halfpipe turn, where the fog completely masks where to go. Going for the halfpipe is an option, but it loses a lot of time, leaves players vulnerable to items on landing and also makes them hit the roof on the subsequent trick. The track also lacks a clear cut, and while it's not a mandatory element to have, it leaves players starving for a way to use their boost items when the average lap is so long.
KMP wise, some of the objects have completely unpredictable routes, and if the online test is any indication, they do not play well online. Other objects are placed seemingly randomly, like the goombas and the crates right before the end.
Ultimately, it's difficult to find simple changes that would change the reception of this track. The visuals are nowhere near where we'd want a track to be. The theme is heavily undevelopped. The gameplay has striking issues where some parts should be removed, but other parts upscaled.
|
| DKR Frosty Village
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
DK Summit
|
N64 Sherbet Land
|
3
|
1×
|
While this recreation from scratch is certainly appreciated as it makes the track less awkward for this game's gameplay, council still decided it was not worth a slot. The visuals were generally praised as they kept that DKR feel while still adding a lot of details that make the track feel more alive. However, the theme is still something that we have seen multiple times in the past and therefore from that point of view the track certainly does not feel unique.
Nevertheless, the track is ultimately hampered by its layout. It alternates between sections such as the cave which are way too narrow and prone to backspam and then extremely wide sections where there is not much to do. The latter also happen to be very bouncy and inconsistent, as is usual with DKR tracks, which creates a lot of frustration in time trials as getting good tricks is hard to control. Finally, a lot of boost panels are placed in locations where you can either not see them boost panel (and traps that would be on them) or where it's very awkward to get to them.
Overall, this track does nothing exactly wrong, but its simple and straightforward gameplay does not align with what a lot of players are looking for nowadays. In that regard, the
In that regard, the most interesting elements of the track, the left side in the village and the shortcut at the end are currently not viable strategies to go for since they lose time which would at least need to be addressed as the track loses a lot of its charms without them.
|
| Dolphin Harbor
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
DS Delfino Square
|
DS Delfino Square
|
3
|
1×
|
This is certainly a visual upgrade from the previous version submitted, but the track still contains many of the gameplay issues that caused the track to be rejected in its beta stage. Council understands that this is a remake, and it’ll be similar to the original 2012 version, but the layout as a whole is still seen as very cookie-cutter and feels transplanted directly from 2012 with its right angle turns and sudden changes of elevation. There are several objective issues with the track, as the trees do not have collision and the spilt paths are unbalanced. The potential of the track getting into CTGP depends heavily of the author’s willingness to make changes that modernize it, which ultimately might require a ground-up remake.
|
| DS Shroom Ridge (SquireTurnbolt)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Moonview Highway
|
DS Twilight House
|
3
|
1×
|
A high quality version of the track, but ultimately it was always going to be compared to the very popular version current in CTGP, and most council members judged it fared worse in that regard.
Visually, it's difficult to argue this is any worse than the current version, but at the same time it's not clear it's definitely better. Most players have a love or hate relationship with the current version because it has such a unique style. This goes for a more generic theming, which pleases people who strongly dislike the current style but at the same time tends to alienate those who do. While this doesn't use the usual generic assets we see in grassy plains tracks, it still fails to replicate that uniqueness.The track also has a lot of smaller issues, such as a pipe smoke ending abrubtly and generally a mediocre lightmap that makes the track look flat and also creates weird dark spots (such as under the flowers). Moreover, some of the modelling likely led to bounciness issues which forced the KCL to be quite inaccurate at times.
Gameplay wise, the track also fails to be a clear ugprade over current. A lot of council members appreciated some of the choices, such as removing the bomb cars as well as reducing the amount and the size of the cars, though the latter still wasn't a majority and the rest of council felt it took away from the hectic and chaotic races associated with the current version. Nonetheless, the biggest criticism was by far the first shroomcut now being one shroom. The pipe idea isn't bad per se, as obviously gliders aren't a thing in this game. However, it is non intuitive and there is no indication that it is mushroom pad KCL. It being one shroom only also creates massive concerns over the item balance of the track, which is currently great as such a strong cut is best kept behind high position items.
Ultimately, this isn't a bad retro, and had the current not been as popular and iconic, it would have likely gotten accepted, or close to. It was always going to be very hard to dislodge the current version. At best, this is a sidegrade and most of the chocies made were perceived negatively by the track council. Most members mentioned that they would currently rather update current to fix some of its issues such as the bomb cars.
|
| DS Tick-Tock Clock (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Toad’s Factory
|
N64 Skyscraper
|
3
|
1×
|
This track ended up being highly controversial amongst council members. A lot of council members believe that it is at best a slight upgrade but more likely a sidegrade which makes it a risky prospect considering the version currently in CTGP is highly liked and also one of the most popular tracks.
To begin with, the visuals were expectedly highly criticized by council members who like the retro feel of the current DS port. Nevertheless, a lot of members appreciated the new look of the track as well as the animated elements which make the track look vibrant and thought this added personality really gives the track a modern and posh look. However, even amongst these members, some issues were highlighted. The track currently has a lot of space and void, akin to the MKDS version, but uses assets from MK8, which creates a mix that gives the overall product a flat look. These assets, such as the pendulum, end up looking out of place relative to their surroundings and using custom ones would go a long way to improve the visuals.
Gameplay wise, while the track is mostly the same as current, the few differences ended up being a major point of contention. Most notably the moving gears felt great to some members and completely unnecessary to others, who argue that they make any kind of item hit very punishing. The added trickable clock hands were less controversial but still disliked by some players who would have preferred the static red hand present in current version. Most members agreed that the track could use a slight downscale to feel even more similar to current.
All in all, this track may have gotten accepted had the current version not been such a staple of CTGP. This makes any new version controversial by nature as few people actively dislike the DS port.
|
| Elemental Solstice
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 Sherbet Land
|
N64 Sherbet Land
|
3
|
1×
|
This track goes for an ambitious and relatively unexplored theme. On first playthroughs many members were impressed by the overall atmosphere it creates. Nevertheless, it is hindered by major issues that would need to be addressed if it wants to reach its full potential.
Visually, the modelling is decent. The animations are really unique and combined with the lighting they give a lot of character to the cave sections, albeit it should be noted that a common complaint has been that the track is far too dark. However, some improvements could bring the track to a much higher standing. The second cave section is virtually identical to the first, and with how many paths the track has, more texturing diversity would help a lot, especially since offroad (the snow) and walls (in the caves) are sometimes quite similar to the road texture itself. There could be a water based section, a fiery/volcano section, and even without going that far, just more different textures in the caves. Moreover, the track lacks details, which are ultimately limited to the fire and water crystals. Adding more elements referencing the theme (coloured rune paintings on the walls, magic circles, more distinct stone formations, etc...) would give life to the track. In the same vein, KMP objects usage could be improved. There are almost no moving elements or custom objects to go along with the theme and they do not always fit the atmosphere, like the goombas or the crates in the caves. Finally, the two distinct visual styles, the snow areas and the caves, transition into each other far too abruptly. Similar to how games like Super Mario Galaxy do it, as you approach cave entries, there could be small puddles of mud or lava and the snow could get progressively darker.
Gameplay wise, the track had to abide by the split paths rule which is hindering it. There are simply too many which not only lead to a ton of checkpoint and item route issues but create a dilemma. They can be balanced time-wise but it tends to lower player interaction a lot, they can be balanced via item sets, or they can just be very slow and relatively useless. The track tends to go for option 2 and as a consequence you only get 2 boxes in 55s (roughly the length of a lap online) if you go for the fastest path. That's not enough, but having more boxes would then render the side paths useless. It might be better to just block some of the paths completely, but another option would be to go for an Incendia Castle style, where trees could fall (or a lava pool could rise) and block the faster paths on subsequent laps. Moreover, a lot of the side paths are not particularly unique or interesting to drive compared to the main path, with some driving almost exactly the same.
The other major problem is the entire second cave section. It is littered with turns that are far too wide and/or have an awkward shape, such as the right turn before the Grumble Volcano-like split path, and the very long upwards spiral. The section needs to be made more interesting somehow, as it really pales in comparison to the rest of the layout.
The lack of KMP objects also affects gameplay; there is a clear lack of interaction with the track itself and the laps could be a lot more exciting with some more strats included.
All in all, this track holds a ton of potential, but it needs to be polished. The visuals are a strong base to build upon, but they feel too repetitive currently. Gameplay is also solid, but the second half of the track does not feel dynamic enough.
As an aside, the track was played online and we found out that it lags quite a lot, most notably at the start.
|
| Evening Harbor
|
Rejected
|
4.6
|
Daisy Circuit
|
DS Delfino Square
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation.
The biggest gripe the council had with this track were the over-abundance of shortcuts and shroomless cuts. Many were described as being overpowered or unnecessary. The first shroom cut on the track cannot be taken with karts or outside drift bikes without hitting a wall, and the ramps send you off if you don't trick them. The main shroomless saves too much time for how simple it is to do. Many parts of the track could be remade to better accomodate more vehicles, as a lot of parts are very narrow, including the cave spiral section. While the visuals are not bad, they lack mipmaps and use texturing that is now outdated.
|
| Flooded Cavern
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation.
Unfortunately this track gives off more of a "beta stage" vibe that is very hard to ignore. The very flat and outdated visuals make the track look unfinished as a lot of textures look like placeholders. Layout wise, this track suffers from a lot of racing issues. The cave section has a lot of blind turns making navigation and avoiding items rather difficult, and there are two split paths on the track that both have obvious fast and slow routes. Our testers also cited many harsh respawn points all around the track. The track's use of mushrooms is very wonky since the ramps only barely send you far enough, basically requiring that you trick off ramps onto the mushrooms, which would normally be very slow on any other track. While the use of the cross mushroom section is very unique, it also comes with a couple of no lap count shortcuts since you can skip to parts further along the track. Overall this track still needs a lot more refinement and work to bring it up to modern standards.
|
| Flooded Mario Circuit
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was unanimously rejected due to the sheer amount of layout issues and technical problems this track faces. Countless bugs suck as softlocks, NLCs, among other things made this track incredibly hard to play. The layout was criticized for being too much of a mach bike track, and having ramps that can kill you if you aren't prepared for them, such as the triple ramp section and the big one that you can't make while small. The theming of the track was a nice idea, but visually it could use a lot of work, as it felt very bland and hardly felt like you were underwater at all. This track will need a complete overhaul before it has a chance to be accepted in the future.
|
| Forest Island
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
–
|
–
|
This track is very close to being extremely good, but there's a few spots in the track that just don't play well at all. The track itself is fairly large (a downscale would help significantly), and a few turns and sections don't really work well within Mario Kart Wii's physics.
|
| Frantic Funyard
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Moonview Highway
|
Maple Treeway
|
2
|
1×
|
Many Council members state this as one of the toughest tracks to evaluate in recent memory. The visuals and atmosphere of this track were hailed as one of the best they’ve ever seen within any Custom Track via the custom objects, attention to detail, and the immersion that the racer is shrunken into a home garden. However, the layout in the context of a race and the overall gameplay has this track ultimately fall short of acceptance.
The main issue with this track is simply how big it is. It makes various sections feel like they go on for far longer than necessary. An example of this is the spiral at the beginning. Many members found it to be awkward due to its length and width, which results in a dull sequence w/ a lack of player-to-player interaction. The track also contained many straights that were categorized as “too wide and too long” also resulting in lack of player-to-player interaction. The concept of the sandbox is incredible but was deemed to be awkward to drive due to inconsistencies with its bounces and tricks. Ramps throughout the track give far too much airtime and could be altered to give less height, which would speed up the pace of the track. You can land on the RC cars, which is an issue as their location often blind when tricking and hitting them loses a significant amount of time. Lastly, the bottom route of the split path is also a concern, with there being no visual indication of the bottom route’s existence, the cramped turns, and its loss of time compared to the upper route.
The atmosphere and visual detail within are absolutely nailed, but with the standards of new CTs becoming so high, it is hard to accept that doesn’t a full package of gameplay and visuals. Council would love to see a version of this track that is better suited for MKWii’s core gameplay.
|
| GBA Cheep-Cheep Island (SquireTurnbolt & Kozakura)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Daisy Circuit
|
GBA Shy Guy Beach
|
3
|
1×
|
Similarly to Luca's recently submitted GBA Sky Garden, almost everyone on council found this to be a very solid recreation of a Tour design that was butchered compared to the GBA original. This lacks many of the interesting alignments, split routes, and cut dynamics that are present in GBA-based versions. The abridged layout is in a sourspot of length and does not provide unique gameplay. The idea of the Cheep Cheep cut was very well-received, but some players found that it works too unpredictably and needs some tweaking, and sticking it onto an otherwise inferior layout isn't enough to salvage it.
The visuals were generally very well appreciated, but some testers found the lighting too harsh. Objects lack this lighting, such as the crabs, which a few testers noted for different reasons like stiff animation, inaccurate collision, and overly large size. There are also many KCL problems: out-of-bounds and invisible walls are in unpredictable arrangements, leading to late respawns, unclearly blocked shortcuts, and even unintended possible shortcuts. There is an abundance of horizontal walls, some allowing invisible wall bypasses, and the sticky road causes issues and should likely be removed.
|
| GBA Cheese Land (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
3.0
|
DS Desert Hills
|
DS Desert Hills
|
3
|
1×
|
This is a refreshing and unique take on GBA Cheese Land. However, the council decided that the execution of this version just misses the mark, and it feels like more of a side-grade than an upgrade.
Visually, members mentioned how the colours are very desaturated making the track feel quite dull. It was also mentioned how the track loses its detail from the Mario Kart 8 rendition, however, has nothing to replace it. This makes the track feel quite static in comparison. It was stated that objects such as spectators could give the track a potential lift. There are also visual artifacts such as Z-fighting on the start line banner, and some other banners such as the red shell banner being quite crusty due to downscaling. There are also some lighting discrepancies such as there being no BLIGHT changes, the shadows being quite dark, and the mouse model not having the same lighting as other objects.
Gameplaywise, this track offers much more of a smooth path with a few shortcuts. The smooth nature of the path was much appreciated; however, it was mentioned that some of the shortcuts feel rather awkward, and people prefer the current version’s mounds to get low tricks, and these being missing was considered unfortunate and removed driving engagement for members. Also, the mice objects do not move due to the speed being put into the wrong KMP setting. There are some places where OOB can be skipped. It was also mentioned that it could add interest if the first chain chomp was reinstated.
Overall, the track is determined to be quite good, however does not quite reach the standard that council is looking for when it comes to bringing the Mario Kart 8 version to life and improving upon that initial layout. It also was not seen as a general upgrade to the current version as it was mildly underdeveloped in a few places.
|
| GBA Lakeside Park (Flint & Hman6516)
|
Rejected
|
1.0-hotfix
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
The concept and the creativity with its execution were praised by numerous council members, but it wasn’t enough to overcome some of the major issues with the viability of this track within CTGP and the track itself.
The track’s layout has some significant issues in drivability. The geometry of the road is super bumpy, which can cause an abundance of wheelie locks and unintentional slip drifts. There are no shortcuts outside of ramp at the end, which causes both too much reliance on one shortcut and potential for players in top three spots to just stay in the front. Turns fluctuate between too wide and too tight. Furthermore, some meteors come in so fast that its hard to swerve away from their drop point.
It was also a wide consensus amongst council members that the track went too far away from the original design. The volcanic mountain-style visuals are an extreme contrast to the grassy jungle-like visuals that the original and the current CTGP version contains. There is very little distinction in visuals throughout the entire track. Notably absent is the various wide-open patches of grass that can be used a shortcuts and the ramp cut at the end, the latter being an iconic part of the track.
Furthermore, we must consider the status of the current version in CTGP. It is the second-most popular GBA in CTWWs and is considered a staple in competitive play. The CTGP version is by no means perfect, but replacing it with a track that looks and plays very differently would not be a wise move. A new version would preferably be very similar in gameplay and visuals, while providing some sort of nerf to the ramp cut.
Various members of council did say they like the visual style of the track and that they would love to see it polished up and re-used in an original layout. But as GBA Lakeside Park, it’s just not something we can accept.
|
| GBA Luigi Circuit (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
3
|
1×
|
While this is a fine remake, the reception of this version within Council is very lukewarm. The majority did not believe there's enough here to justify an update over the current version.
The visuals here are solid, as many Council members agree that they are an upgrade. However, a lot of the “GBA Luigi Circuit” identity was lost. The lack of background elements, namely the Luigi Blimp, airport, clouds, etc. are all missing in this version. There also is a lack of polish, as there isn't any shading, a considerable lack of details on the track, and certain puddles clip through the floor.
The gameplay is the main issue with the track. The core gameplay of GBA Luigi Circuit is met here; an item-based circuit track with many sharp turns and shortcuts. But many council members note various issues with some of the changes to the layout. While we commend the author for attempting to make the track more interesting, the changes here don’t make the track drive better. The banked turns and slight elevation changes throughout are more awkward to drive. Combined with the widening of the road, it makes the track feel a lot longer in length than it really is.
Many council members note that the track here doesn’t solve the main issue with GBA Luigi Circuit, that being its redundancy when compared to the various other circuit-style retros in the pack. While the current version won’t be removed from CTGP any time soon (due to its status as a retro), the track desperately needs a modernization in the style of GBA Snow Land or GBA Boo Lake to gain relevancy within CTGP.
|
| GBA Peach Circuit (ScyHigh & KawaiiDawn)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GCN Mario Circuit
|
GCN Mario Circuit
|
3
|
1×
|
A remake of GBA Peach Circuit with more dynamic and vibrant visuals, while retaining the gameplay of the current CTGP version would be absolutely welcome. This version attempts to do that and gets somewhat close but ultimately there is still a lot of work to be done here.
The visuals of the track were praised for being dynamic and modern w/o copying from an MK8 style, but there could be some work here. The background elements need some work, as the trees feel extremely out-of-place visually compared to the rest of the model, and the size of the bushes, tunnels, and cliffs being excessive. Inconsistent lighting exists in the tunnel compared to the rest of track. The road needs some fixes too, as the white lines are incredibly jagged and the road texture itself looks similar to Rezway II and other CTs from that era. Model holes were found everywhere throughout the track too and need to be patched before any sort of consideration from CTGP.
There were also some issues found in the drivability. This track desperately needs an upscale. One lap is around 20-22 seconds shroomless and can be way less due to the abundance of shroom cuts. An upscale to where it adds about 7-10 seconds per lap would be significantly appreciated. The first turn needs a complete rework. The turn itself is very bumpy due to inconsistent geometry and the cut saves ~4 seconds per lap from one shroom, which is way too much for a track of this length. The tunnel also has inconsistent geometry compared to the road and gave testers various wheelie locks. 2 item sets are far too little and another should be added (note that GV2 has 3 item sets in itself and it’s a shorter track).
Overall, this is a nice concept and we encourage the authors to keep going at CT creation whether it’s this track or another layout. For this particular track though, a remodel would be conducive to achieve all these suggestions but with the same theme and general layout.
|
| GBA Peach Circuit (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
3
|
1×
|
This new version of Peach Circuit was seen as inferior to the current CTGP version. While the current one doesn't pop up that often outside of competitive play, it provides exciting races nonetheless. This new version, while it's very visually impressive, lacks the gameplay elements that make the current one great online. The main issue is the fact that this version only has 2 item sets on the track, which is not enough for a track that has ~30 seconds laps like this one. Less item boxes on tracks like this makes races a bit lacking. The grass shortcuts on the track have also been cut down in size, and the scale of the track has become smaller as well. In general, the council felt like the visual upgrade did not outweigh the changes in gameplay that this version offers.
|
| GBA Riverside Park (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
The most common opinion of council members is that this new version of riverside park is not a clear upgrade over the current CTGP version.
This version is executed decently, but it has some issues. It tries to expand of the park theme with tents and villages, but in doing so it loses the identity of the original version. Indeed, the GBA blocks are gone and the jungle atmosphere is completely absent. This led to this version feeling more generic and too similar to other tracks in the pack.
Gameplay wise, the reception was also quite mixed. The removal of the slow ramp was appreciated but most council members would have wanted the new cut to keep some sort of difficulty to it. Moreover, this new cut unfortunately creates an extremely strong golden strategy that involves doing both cuts, and that golden strat essentially forces players to come to a stop in the middle of the cut to make the turn on the bowser bike. There is also a shroomless cut that a lot of council members judged did not play well.
Overall, this version isn't bad at all and some parts of it are an upgrade over current. However, it comes with negatives and the latest track rating form clearly indicated that players are satisfied with the current version.
|
| GBA Sunset Wilds (Flint)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Moo Moo Meadows
|
Moo Moo Meadows
|
3
|
1×
|
As it stands, this version is a downgrade from the CTGP version both in visuals and gameplay. Visually, the town and train station at the beginning is a nice addition, but the rest of track is a sea of canyons and sand that becomes very repetitive and monotonous outside of the shy guy tents. A lot of the gameplay is stripped from the current CTGP version as well. This is most notable in the sections after the footprint tricks. Notably absent are the shy guy tents and boost panels, which provided a lot of interaction between the track and the player. Many council members thought the shroomless cut drove worse than the original and cut out a key part of the track’s identity at the end. The last turn was also considered to be awkward, with it being nearly 270 degrees and going far too long. This version could 100% get to a standard that eclipses the CTGP version, but it will need a lot of further work to get to that point.
|
| GBA Sky Garden (Luca)
|
Rejected
|
1.0.2
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
3
|
1×
|
Unfortunately, council almost uninamously agreed that while this version of GBA Sky Garden is definitely high quality, the Mario Kart Tour is significantly inferior to the original. The iconic strats and cuts are gone and the track feels far less interesting to play. The author did as much as was realistically possible to adapt the layout to Mario Kart Wii, but some turns feel quite wide and the replacement for the glider does not feel very engaging.
Visually, this is high quality as per usual with Luca's tracks, but the current CTGP version also has nice visuals and gameplay was therefore the core reason as to why this track was rejected.
|
| GBA Yoshi Desert (MysterE99)
|
Rejected
|
RC3
|
DS Desert Hills
|
DS Desert Hills
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been narrowly overturned following reevaluation.
Generally speaking, the track council was not fond of the idea of adding GBA Yoshi Desert back to the pack, as it was removed in the past for being one of the least played tracks in the pack. That being said, the gameplay of this version is generally much better as the slow ramps are now regular ramps instead, making for more fast paced gameplay. However the layout of the track is the same as it always has been, and many testers found it to be very long and repetitive. This is not fault of the track author, since this just follows the layout of the original track. Speaking of which, the big shortcut still saves too much time, and you can even skip the slow ramp to make it even faster. Many have complained that this leads to unbalanced races as it makes running the track incredibly difficult. The texturing of the track is too bright for some players and is kinda hard to look at for longer periods of time, and the large ad billboards are distracting while racing. If the layout of this old retro was changed to fit better in MKWii, along with some more touching up, maybe we could see it added back to the pack in the future.
|
| GBA Yoshi Desert (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Dry Dry Ruins
|
Dry Dry Ruins
|
3
|
1×
|
The track council has determined that this would not fare well in CTGP. A common opinion was that it was visually repetitive and the gameplay was not quite interesting enough.
Visually, it doesn't look bad, but it reuses a lot of assets such as pyramids and obelisks causing the track to feel monotonous and takes away from the staples of the track such as the sphynx and oases. The execution of visuals are good but can be improved. The UVs don't always line up and the scaling on some objects are reflecting in the scaled UVs. To change up the scenery by dividing the track in sections that are distinct visually; for example the players could drive through a pyramid.
In terms of gameplay, this is about as far as the base layout can go: the nerfed cut is appreciated, there are some good elements such as the small ramps (being nice to low-trick) but the sheer amount of them can make them a bit frustrating at least for time trials. However, it is not enough and the author might need to take liberties to make the layout more interesting. The layout has been compared a lot to GBA Sunset Wilds, meaning it doesn't offer much in terms of uniqueness given Sunset Wilds is already in CTGP.
Overall, this isn't a bad retro remake by any means, but the layout to begin with isn't that interesting and the monotony of the visuals really takes away from its potential. If the gameplay could be tweaked to become more interesting and there were a good amount of scenery changes to keep the player engaged, this could have a ton of potential.
|
| GCN Baby Park (Bruh de la Boi)
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Mario Circuit
|
GCN Cookie Land
|
7
|
1×
|
This track was judged to be inferior to the CTGP version. While the visuals are amazing and the track council appreciated the effort put into it, the current version is one of the most complete track visually, and this track feels empty compared to it. Furthermore, the colours are a bit washed and faded. These two factors combined make the track feel less lively compared to the CTGP version. Moreover, the gameplay was heavily criticized. The added grass patches are awkward to drive as the road going into them uses sticky road. This makes them inconsistent as you will sometimes be sent way out to the outside and other times you will stick. These grass patches can also be cut shroomless by using TF inputs, effectively forcing the players to do these inputs 14 times per race. Finally, the track itself was made wider, which most council members felt does not fit the concept of GCN Baby Park as it makes the races less chaotic.
Major:
-The track lags in both TTs and online races.
Moderate:
-The track has a lot of flickering issues.
|
| GCN Yoshi Circuit (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
2.02
|
GCN Mario Circuit
|
GCN Mario Circuit
|
3
|
1×
|
While this is a good version of GCN Yoshi Circuit, Council doesn't see much reason to add this version into CTGP. With tracks that have versions already in CTGP, it can be difficult to not compare versions. But with Tock’s GCN Yoshi Circuit being as well-liked and established within CTGP, it is borderline impossible to not compare these versions side-by-side. Therefore, this write-up will mostly focus on what this version improves on and what this version lacks in comparison.
The visuals have a mixed reception amongst Council members. Some find the visuals here to be considerably superior to the current version, noting the lighting (outside of the tunnels), road texture, and background elements. Others saw the version as a downgrade, noting the lack of lighting in the tunnels, the size of the rock formations in the background, lack of vibrant colors like the visuals in MK:DD, etc. The consensus is that the visuals are not a clear upgrade to justify its addition.
This version is also a mixed bag in terms of gameplay. Many Council members appreciate the re-addition of the turnskip, but there are various areas changed throughout the rest of the track. The beginning cut doesn’t give a trick, which makes the cut considerably more awkward to take and land. The tunnel shortcut is considerably narrower, making it much easier to cover the road with one Fake Item Box. Various members also note the smaller scale, making it hard for karts to take turns. Overall, despite the re-addition of the turnskip, there are many areas of the track that play inferior to the current version.
This is a solid take, but the consensus amongst Council is that it would be a lateral upgrade or downgrade to the version we currently have in CTGP.
|
| GP Pac Mountain
|
Rejected
|
Beta 3
|
Moo Moo Meadows
|
–
|
3
|
2×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been narrowly overturned following reevaluation.
Several testers that already disliked GP Mario Beach found this track to suffer from similar problems in regards to having bland design and theming, believing that the track would result in poor races online mostly due to the speed mod and that it would be a forgettable use of a slot.
The most prominent concerns were with the elevated grass edges and the trickable red/white borders. Their fully detailed collision models result in erratic and difficult to control behaviour, sending racers in strange directions and causing unwanted airtime.
A growing number of testers voiced displeasure with having a speed modded track in general, and even some that were okay with the concept took issue with its use here. It may be necessary to tone down the speed mod for better gameplay balance and to preserve controllability, as the aforementioned collision issues, combined with the difficulty of certain narrower sections of the track, made the track feel chaotic and punishing to properly navigate.
|
| Haunted Woods (ChaosShadow23)
|
Rejected
|
1.01
|
SNES Ghost Valley 2
|
SNES Ghost Valley 2
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was narrowly rejected after evaluation from council. However, the author has been consistently receiving feedback and plans to update the course to make it better. Until the update comes out, this track will remain rejected.
|
| Harvest Harbor
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Maple Treeway
|
Maple Treeway
|
3
|
1×
|
Testers struggled to find much that this track could offer to CTGP. Thematically, the track relies entirely on vanilla assets that are tired even by the standards of vanilla assets--the Maple Treeway/Delfino Square combination is not interesting in part nor as a whole. CTGP standards now necessitate some memorable and unique centrepieces or ovearching aesthetics and nothing of the sort is evident here. The modeling is quite basic and the track authors among the testers immediately recognized how closely it adheres to the limitations of SketchUp.
The core layout is also too basic to be particularly fun, and its one main draw of many offroad shortcuts is excessive in a way that would only diminish the track's popularity. The U-turn grass cut at the southwest corner of the track is so powerful that it is faster shroomless, and virtually any power items decimate the already short layout via the various other cuts in the area. Similarly to Pianta Plaza, the Delfino Square section of the track is somewhat Brobdingnagian, and the dock cut results in much airtime spent falling in addition to its awkward exit.
Additionally, there is a powerful respawn in the water fountain that would be abused as a shockdodge strat, the Bullet split route at the mud cut is problematic, and there is a weird invisible wall on the last turn.
|
| Honeymoon Lune
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
3
|
1×
|
While this track certainly appeals to Super Mario Odyssey fans, it was ultimately rejected over gameplay concerns.
The visuals of the track are decent, and obviously a track inspired from the aforementioned game will always have potential. That potential is mostly realized, with a lot of references to Honeylune Ridge such as the chapel, the airship as well as various objects which are more than enough to break the monotony of the grey moon. Some textures look a bit blurry, likely because they were downscaled but overall the fantasy is fulfilled quite nicely.
However, the layout itself is where the issues lie. The track as a whole has a lot of jank: you can straight up fly over some of the ramps, most notably entering the chapel or exiting the airship section and the craters are very inconsistent. The latter are also oddly positioned, often right before a tight turn which means it's better not to trick off them. The turns alternate between being too tight and too wide, with the left u-turn before the chapel being the most criticized one due to how narrow it is.
The shortcuts are also rather uninteresting and can be combined for too big of a time gain. Using three shrooms pulled at the last item set, you can completely skip the first few turns to save upwards of 7s while just cutting accross offroad. This goes along with the feeling that a lot of sections feel too similar to one another. That is mostly a result of how the first section is built, where you're essentially driving a series of turn for no actual reason as the chapel entry is very close to the start line. While the airship and the chapel try to break that blandness, the latter is too short and should really be transformed into a proper castle section with turns, as it's currently just a small straight. Finally, a lot of sections are slight uphills, which makes most turns relatively blind and thereby the track is quite awkward online.
Overall, we can see this theme shine and be a major hit if it eventually gets into CTGP. Luncheon Tour has proven that Super Mario Odyssey tracks are highly sought after. However, the gameplay needs to be improved quite a lot to feel more natural in this game. Making the chapel a true section of its own and adding more strats should contribute to that goal, which would guarantee even players who are not particularly appealed by the theme can enjoy the track.
|
| Icestone Shaft
|
Rejected
|
1.5.4
|
DK Summit
|
DK Summit
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision was near-unanimously overturned upon revaluation. Unfortunately, this track has remained in bugfix hell long enough to the point where it’s become outdated both visually and drivability. Even with the amount of bugfixes done to the track, there remains many fatal issues. The cave exit needs to be reworked entirely, as the turn out from it is blind, and the cut that’s straight ahead saves 4 seconds per lap with one shroom. The halfpipe section is overscaled and awkward to drive, with the zippers giving landings that can shoot the player off into random directions. There is a cut around the lake that saves 9 seconds with just two shrooms or one star, which makes it a must-take to win races. The cannon feels out-of-place and an underwhelming end to an involved track. Outside of the track’s drivability, there are countless bugs found throughout the entire track, such as KCL in the mine, halfpipe collision, inconsistent trick at lake cracks, etc. Council does commend the amount of updates that rinorocks made to get the track into CTGP, but with the track being in its current state after two and half years (and no updates since October 2020), it’s probably for the best to remove it from the backlog.
|
| Intergalactic Lair
|
Rejected
|
Beta
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
3
|
1×
|
The council voted to reject this track based on the fact it doesn't look quite finished and some of the visuals are not up to scratch for CTGP.
Visually, the rainbow section has a unique road texture, but lacks in visuals/differentiation, and only contains the same asteroid object. This leads it to it feeling bare and monotonous. The "lair" section doesn't have good texture choices, as well as being very basically modelled. It has a lot of reused assets, huge rooms where nothing really happens, and walls everywhere that really give this enclosed feel that doesn't really fit the lair aspect.
Gameplay-wise, the rainbow section is modelled in such a way where most uphills and turns are completely blind, and wheelie-locks are very common. Most turns are quite awkward to navitgate as it's unclear where they end. It's complexity can sometimes lead to awkwardness in its design. The castle section is quite uneventful and offers no interesting strat or section to spice things up. There aren't many available shortcuts, and the ones that are available are either awkward (such as the halfpipe shortcut exit), or are completely blind (such as driving through the wall in the castle section). There is also no indication near the end that the block island is offroad, leading to situations where the player gets stuck in offroad.
Overall, this feels like an unfinished track, and the theming and visuals have a long way to go before this is considered for CTGP.
|
| Interstellar Laboratory
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
3
|
1×
|
The council deemed that, while this track's concept offers a lot of potential, it wasn't quite delivering enough to be considered for CTGP.
Visually, it's a bit lacking. The beginning section is lots of Rainbow Road assets which don't quite fit the atmosphere of the rest of the track. The lab is interesting for a theme but looks quite flat due to the lack of shading in a lot of places, which would help to break up the large amount of white walls. The theme could be much more explored with the use of objects i.e. mechs inside the laboratory. This track's lack of objects do make it quite static and boring to look at most of the time.
Gameplay-wise, this doesn't offer a lot in terms of interest. The beginning sections are ok, but don't offer much in terms of excitement, and the lab's split paths do not offer anything in terms of a time save (meaning it being on the minimap is also odd if it's supposed to be faster). The half-pipe at the end can throw player off-course and is a bit out of the way, serving no purpose. The track would need some good and unique gameplay ideas that engage the player for it to be interesting to drive.
Unless a major rework of this concept is executed, this is deemed to not have a place in CTGP.
|
| Jungle Safari (Questorian)
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
Mushroom Gorge or GCN DK Mountain
|
3
|
1×
|
This is an impressive remake for sure, but the track has many issues holding it back. The track council was not a fan of the mushroom section and many felt like goldens were too overpowered. But the main issue was the amount of lag the track had (mostly due to fog), even in single player time trials. This is a huge no-no when it comes to track testing, and the track author should've realized how bad it was before submitting the track. Additional scenery detail would also be appreciated greatly.
|
| Lavaflow Volcano (Jasperr & ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Grumble Volcano
|
Grumble Volcano
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was originally accepted with the sole condition that it directly replaces Red Loop. However, given the knowledge that (if the Council were to decide to remove it) Red Loop would be removed regardless of whether this track gets accepted or not, the votes changed from generally positive to overwhelmingly neutral. We figure it's not a good idea to add a track if it's so neutrally received (we have a rule of thumb of 2/3rds majority vote). It should also be noted that items currently disappear when playing online; not sure if this is due to object overload or due to the track being out of normal values or what.
|
| Lunar Lantern Festival
|
Rejected
|
1.02
|
Grumble Volcano
|
Grumble Volcano
|
2
|
1×
|
Council praises the author for taking a creative and unique theme and making it into a such a dynamic track via its atmosphere and usage of custom objects. However, there are a few sections that hold back the track from acceptance into CTGP.
The biggest issues with the track are the two long straights and the section from the hairpin turn to the figure-8. Having a long straightaway on a track is never a bad thing if needed, but all three of these sections together unfortunately kill the racing flow that any track attempts to achieve in the context of a racing game. There’s very little exciting going on in each of these sections outside of the thwomps or awkward bumps, with each taking a while to traverse. There is a lot more that can be done with each of these sections to make them more dynamic and engaging.
The spiral is a nice deviation away from the abundant N64 BC style spirals within CTs, but the way it is currently models forces the racer to go in a specific wide-to-tight line that makes racers in the back exceptionally vulnerable to hitting traps. This is also an issue for more casual players that may find themselves consistently hitting the wall by attempting to take the spiral tight. The spiral is just not user-friendly in its current state.
The final turn is still an issue if you don’t do the turnskip strat, with it being very difficult for even inside-drifting bikes to take. This turn may be a further issue is the player is using a kart or is playing the track for the first time.
There is a lot of potential for this track, but it needs some model edits within said sections for it to fully reach said potential.
|
| Midnight Museum
|
Rejected
|
Almost-v1.0
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
This summary will ignore visual issues as most of them were a result of the lack of lightmap, that the author was intentionally holding off while the track was being reviewed.
While the theme of the track was widely praised by council, the track was ultimately rejected over gameplay concerns, with the overarching feeling that it feels more like a visual display first, with the layout being a result of how the elements were arranged visually, which results in many awkward sections to navigate.
The predominant problem members took issue with is the placement of the ramps and the boost panels. Most of them are positioned seemingly randomly, with a few being right before the turn. That forces players to go for down tricks to take the subsequent turns properly, which is neither intuitive nor something that will play well online.
Moreover, a lot of sections were criticized for being too confusing initially, most notably the very start and the ship area. The former is very tight and the walls tend to be very sudden because it's difficult to make out where to exactly go. The latter is very overloaded visually, with 3 paths that are not clearly indicated. The ship itself also happens to be offroad, but there's no visual cue to highlight that and even then, it is not a viable strategy as it barely saves anything, if at all, compared to shrooming on a straight.
Overall, the track is ultimately held back by gameplay and would certainly gain a lot from having a longer layout that would allow the various visual elements to be more spread out and less crammed together, as a lot of sections are too tight despite residing in very large areas, simply as a result of objects taking a lot of space. It is however undeniable that the theme is unique and well presented, with custom made paintings and objects, and could easily carry an improved layout to one of the better releases of the year.
|
| Midnight Museum
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
The council determined that, whilst the theming and general visuals are good, the update doesn't change enough of the gameplay to make it worthy enough for a spot in CTGP.
Visually, this track is definitely unique in it's theming, and certainly has character to it with the unique exhibits. However, it's execution could be better in terms of lighting. The track seems dark in places due to the lightmap and there aren't any BLIGHT changes which disconnects the player from the track a bit.
The gameplay and layout needs a lot of work for it to be more enjoyable. The trick ramps scattered throughout the track are placed right before turns making the proceeding turns awkward. More specifically, the ramp after the first turn, and the ramp entering the gallery could benefit being like the ramp on the left route (just a normal trickable ramp as opposed to a flip trick). That way, the proceeding turns aren't as awkward. When taking the first right path, the first turn is very awkward to take. The ship shortcut was considered by some members to be quite weak, which might potentially make it redundant.
Overall, this track has astounding theming and creativity and does very well to realise it in the visuals. However, the gameplay/layout was determined to be too awkward.
|
| Mine Shaft
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
Luigi Circuit
|
Luigi Circuit
|
3
|
1×
|
- All of the texturing is slightly off (a lot of white lines on the sides).
- The model for the cows should probably be shrinked (to better match the hitbox).
- A lot of the boost panels (preferably all of them) on the track should be removed.
- The track should be shortened to 3 laps.
- Racers don't start on the ground.
- The only thing "minecraft" about the course are the visuals, the rest of the track was clearly not designed with Minecraft in mind.
- This track generally just feels like a beta version of a potentially good track.
- The minimap is a penis... I know you can't do anything about it now, but come on.
- The visual model and the KCL model do not match.
- Consider removing one of the item box sets.
- Currently, there are 4 per lap, which would mean you'd be getting around 7.5 seconds.
- If you kept the track at 5 laps, the player would be able to eventually get the Only Mushroom Glitch.
- The cows go floating into the air (object routes for cows aren't attached to the ground).
- You can clip through the tan rock wall. <https://clips.twitch.tv/AdorableTenaciousLocustRaccAttack>
- The minimap is slightly off-centered.
|
| Molten Desert
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Dry Dry Ruins
|
Dry Dry Ruins
|
3
|
1×
|
A lot of random trickable KCL with no indication just slapped in the middle of the road. Whole track is way too bright and a lot of the shortcuts barely work even on Mach Bike.
|
| Molten Mountainway
|
Rejected
|
3.2
|
Grumble Volcano
|
Grumble Volcano
|
3
|
1×
|
- The model needs a complete re-working to make the track less bumpy.
- We know that the intention is that the track is bumpy, because it's a mountain, but it's WAY too bumpy.
- Making the entire thing sticky road does not fix this, it just makes it more awkward to drive.
- The shortcut cave still needs to be brighter.
- The shortcut cave shouldn't be completely drivable.
- The whole reject road thing didn't work out very well, either. We suggest you just made the sides of it walls.
- The fire pillars need to have a warning before they go up.
- The blind fireballs when exiting the cave must be removed.
- Any directional arrows exiting the cave must be visible at least for a second before you jump out of the cave.
- Currently, if you don't already have the part memorized, you just get shot out forwards into some off-road.
- The shortcut ramp is broken. Please remove it.
- Making the shortcut only available on 1 lap does not fix it, it just makes the problems arise earlier.
- The fireball that covers the shortcut lap 3 makes you get permanently stuck there if you try to drive into it.
- The lava tide still sometimes counts you out-of-bounds when you aren't in it, and sometimes counts you in-bounds when you are in it.
- Whatever happened here should be fixed. <https://twitter.com/CobaltYoshi27/status/1237429695672725504?s=20>
- Out-of-bounds must be added between the different parts of the cave.
- I know shrooming down into the cave doesn't count the lap, but it really looks like it could possibly be the intended route to some new players.
|
| Monaco GP
|
Rejected
|
Beta
|
–
|
–
|
2
|
1×
|
For the creator's first custom track, this is a very nice job. Recreating what looks like a real life race track in MKWii is not an original idea, but this one is unique among the other tracks like it. It adds a lot of decorative Mario elements that make it really feel like it belongs in the game, and a lot of changes were made to accomodate the game's mechanics. However, despite its positives, this track falls short in terms of playability and technical prowess. Despite the changes made to work in MKWii, this track doesn't go far enough in this regard, still leaving in turns that are really bad for almost all vehicles in the game, and very long straightaways that require multiple chains to traverse. The road is also thin enough to where karts cannot snake properly, making them a pain to use here. The turns are extremely tight alongside being very tight in terms of width, meaning a majority of vehicles would have to slow down for them. The layout and structure of the track is one that might work in other games, but in MKWii it has a lot of flaws. Technically speaking, this track has a lot of issues that could have been ironed out before submission, and while the track is clearly in an early stage of development, it did sour the experience of many of the testers. There's a lot of KCL and checkpoint issues along with a lack of KCL shadows and very bright texturing that not many people enjoyed. Overall, this track still has a long way to go, but a good first track nonetheless. A lot of the council is actually interested in further development of this track, so we hope you continue to improve it in the future!
|
| Moonlight Lake
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation. The theme and the artistic direction of the track were praised by the testers. The track has multiple varied sections, which all look visually coherent with one another, albeit one area that would need to be improved is the water reflections which are currently way too strong and the boardwalk which is too thin. However, the gameplay of the track was heavily criticised. The track feels too long and slow, because most turns are wide and the parts you would expect to be trickable are not. The beach and the boardwalk particularly stood out for being bland and for not feeling dynamic enough. Almost all turns are blind which makes trapping very efficient and confuses players who do not know the layout; this is not helped by the massive lack of arrows. Amongst the few arrows, one points to the Easter egg area, and most testers went to the right at that crossroads assuming it was the main path. The track also has very punishing out of bounds, most notably at the end and at the boardwalk section. The latter also has Bean Corners at every turn and was generally judged to be too narrow. There is a massive 3 mushrooms cut that does not count the lap even though it feels very natural to do. This No Lap Count issue can also be triggered when hugging the left wall near the finish line. Lastly, the bullet bill does not have item routes for most grass cuts, which causes it to run into walls when trying to cut grass with it. While the theme of the track has a lot of potential, this current iteration would need a significant model rework to improve its playability.
|
| MSUSA Chicago
|
Rejected
|
1.5
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
Moonview Highway or N64 Skycraper
|
3
|
1×
|
This port would need to be adapted massively to make into CTGP, and it currently does not feel natural to drive in this game. Visually, it is way too dark with some spots in the track being pitch black. Despite the bright colours used on the walls, the texturing feels very bland and as a consequence it gives a very repetitive feeling to the laps; more diversity would certainly help push the underground theme that the track is going for. It also does not use unique collision effects (for example for the metals walls) which takes away from its overall atmosphere. This blandless, combined with the lack of arrows, makes the track very unclear and gives a bad initial feel upon first driving the track. On the gameplay side of things, the track is nowhere near ready. Continuing with the clearness issues, it's very hard to tell what is trickable and what isn't, with small drops not being trickable and then the end of a slope being a sticky trick. The second alternative path also has no indication that you need a shroom to do it, and obviously this is going to cause players who want to copy others doing the cut to end up having to drive in the (heavy) offroad. The track is also very inconsistent. Sticky road is not used properly at all; the first few turns gave give you random pockets of air, causing a slip that sends you straight into the outside wall, the road before the ground boost panel is shaped weirdly and you can straight up miss the boost panel because of it, and the sticky road before the flip trick does not work and the trick itself therefore may send you into the ceiling. The first alternative path, which has a very narrow and tight 90° turn (which also happens to be impossible with almost every vehicle but the best ones), also suffers from this consistency problem. The red road piece before the turn can randomly give you pockets of air which prevent you from taking the turn at full speed.
Even when everything works and you learn the turns, they feel awkward and are very clearly not designed for MKWii, the very end being a prime example of that with this weird short chicane. Evidently, the turns would need to be modified somewhat to improve the flow of the laps and to add more variety, as most of them are currently 90° turns that are either too long, too short or just way too sudden.
Nonetheless most council members praised the track uniqueness, both for its visuals and its gameplay. The entries of the alternative paths as well as this menacing, mysterious theme give the track a strong indentity to build upon, even if the layout itself needs massive improvements to fit MKWii properly.
Major:
-Item route issues absolutely everywhere, especially near (and into) the alternative paths.
-First item set is way too far away from the start line.
Moderate:
-Boost panels are corrupted.
|
| Mushroom Fort
|
Rejected
|
RC5
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
3
|
1×
|
The track council's vote was fairly neutral on this one. This track was originally put up for a reevaluation after a long time with no knowledge on how the track actually looked and played, for the most part. An experimental update was made to fix the issues we originally had, but even after that this track did not get accepted unfortunately.
The council thought that this track was too generic looking and played very strangely, with two very large spirals and an awkward mushroom pad that were awkward to handle for most. The visuals are pretty outdated, using rather boring textures with bad uv mapping. There were also some playability issues brought up, such as the ramp between spirals being rather janky, and the one mushroom pad you have to hit not being possible when shocked or while small, along with potentially bad respawns if you fall off in the wrong place in many areas.
|
| Mushroom Park
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Daisy Circuit
|
Daisy Circuit
|
3
|
1×
|
Some testers felt that this rather standard mushroom track design doesn't offer much to CTGP, and this was exacerbated by a number of problems. The graphics are very dated, especially in regards to the cave section and the lack of shading on the course model's decorative mushrooms. There are too many obstacles--the Monty Moles in particular are even the likely cause of massive lag issues, and the multiple mushroom stem obstacles in the middle of the road were criticized. The geometry of the cave section results in unclear KCL, along with the shortcut being misinterpreted by some testers as the main route. Respawn points lack care, often being too punishing, too high, or poorly placed next to obstacles. If the layout is to be made more intuitive, an upscale is likely necessary.
|
| N64 Royal Raceway (SquireTurnbolt)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
3
|
1×
|
A new version of Royal Raceway is admittedly very needed, but this version here simply isn’t it. The model was directly ported from DSDX, an MKDS mod that is similar to CTGP, and from the looks of it, ports from there clearly don’t translate well to MKWii. A massive complaint from testers was the drivability of the track. The road is bumpy and uneven. The ramps give obscenely high air and stall the flow of the track. The road that replaces the cannon adds very little and has a bump in the middle that is agonizingly awkward. Many of the turns are stretched and look unnatural. All of these combined make for a less fun experience. The visuals also leave a lot of to be desired. Many of the textures are low poly, which makes them look static and dull, and mipmaps aren’t present. These all aren’t necessarily the fault of the author since it is a port, but a port from MK8DX or MKT would’ve yielded a much better product.
|
| N64 Yoshi Valley (SquireTurnbolt)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Wario's Gold Mine
|
Wario's Gold Mine
|
3
|
1.3×
|
Before it was removed via author request, Yoshi Valley was one of the most iconic and played retros within the game. A new version of the track is definitely sought out by council and players of CTGP. However, this version has major issues that prevent it from its inclusion. The model is directly ported from DSDX, an MKDS mod that is similar to CTGP. These ports do not translate well to MKWii at all. The track is a mess gameplay-wise. The anti-gravity sections were widely criticized, as they simply aren’t compatible with MKWii physics unless altered to be sticky road. Another tidbit that was widely criticized was the absence of the iconic gap cut present in the former CTGP version. Even if it wasn’t present in MK8DX, it’s effectively linked to the the track’s identity in CTGP. In addition, busted checkpoints are everywhere, ramps stall flow by shooting you far up into the air, the road is very bumpy and unenjoyable to drive, the last two turns are nearly impossible to negotiate, and there’s a blind wall on the shortcut right before the finish line. The speed mod does help speed up the gameplay but exacerbates many of the issues above. Visually, textures flicker consistently after the anti-gravity turns, and yoshi egg is just a chain chomp. With ports directly from N64 giving various scaling issues as well, the path forward for a new Yoshi Valley within CTGP might be to remake it from scratch.
|
| Nebula Lava Factory
|
Rejected
|
3.0
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was very close to being accepted, but ultimately fell short. The complexity and tech involved in its drivability with this track was widely praised, and feels like a polished throwback to 2015 and 2016 tracks. The downfall of this track is minor layout issues that just compile on each other. The first straight out of the lava was widely criticized for its bump making the turn effectively blind, which makes items and backspam blind too. The second-to last turn (the uphill one) also contains these same issues, including blind off-road and a pseudo-bean corner. The cut at the end is a nice touch but the lack of clear OOB until you hit the lava is a major sour note for many council members. Some members also thought the end section was too narrow, and could benefit from an upscale. While the visuals are a massive upgrade over the previous version, there are still some decisions that members found to be questionable. Many members would like to see the factory theme pushed more, as there are barely any factory-themed courses within CTGP. The saturation could also be toned down.
Nevertheless, most of the track is already CTGP quality and should the remaining issues, most notably the beginning section, be fixed, a resubmission could certainly reach a different outcome. In the context of recent submissions, the track occupies an interesting niche that council would be very interested in adding.
|
| Nelsonside Valley
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GCN DK Mountain
|
GCN DK Mountain
|
5
|
1×
|
With a very lukewarm reception, this track was found to be too unremarkable and dull. Its plain grassy theme is tired, and although short layouts can be fun, this one doesn't offer enough to make the track's inclusion worthwhile. In addition to these issues, a lack of polish was reported in the various floating KMP objects, poor UV mapping, and jarring seams between textures.
|
| Neon Dimension
|
Rejected
|
1.0-hotfix2
|
–
|
–
|
3
|
1×
|
An update of this track is in progress, so we will re-review it when that time comes. This track is visually one of the best tracks ever made, but unfortunately layout problems make this version very unfriendly to beginner players.
|
| Oil Rig Run
|
Rejected
|
2.3
|
Wario's Gold Mine
|
Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been narrowly overturned following reevaluation.
Needless to say, this track's layout is uniquely intricate and complicated--the council was split on whether this is severely detrimental, with many testers finding the layout fatally confusing. Much of the track is difficult to understand and remember, lacking clear direction, and many of the routes are red herrings that are unbalanced to the point of being useless. It is particularly punishing to fall off the upper route and be forced to use the absurdly slow cannon. The shroom shortcut is overpowered.
Technical issues plague the track as well, including ending no lap count shortcuts, Bullet issues (mostly relating to the track's many routes), invisible walls, invisible road, and places where you can get stuck and must manually fall off. The graphic Gingivitis is Bad sign also needs to go, as unfortunately, CTGP endorses gingivitis.
|
| Pac-Track
|
Rejected
|
Beta
|
Moonview Highway
|
Moonview Highway
|
3
|
1×
|
- Vehicles coming around blind, sharp 90° turns is a no-no.
- Some parts are randomly trickable when they really shouldn't be.
- More fall boundaries are needed.
- The ghost models should really match their hitbox. I would love to see some custom object magic here, if that's even possible.
- Bugs with Bean Corners, Minimap Lining, Respawns, UV Mapping.
|
| Paralyzed Cliffs
|
Rejected
|
1.5
|
SNES Ghost Valley 2
|
SNES Ghost Valley 2
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was universally praised for its unique theming and its faithfulness to the concept, but as is, this track is more akin to an alpha version of a potentially killer track.
Council understands the inspiration and vibe of the course is meant to be lifeless, but as is, the track’s atmosphere is far too bland. The scenery looks more like a wasteland with some cliffs than a rocky planet covered in cliffs and mountains. There is very little change from high-rise rock and grey sand throughout the entire track, and considering the length of the track, it feels very repetitive by the 3rd lap. To put it bluntly, the tracks is more dead than paralyzed, and desperately needs some creativity injected into the scenery to make it feel as if there was a thriving ecosystem before the paralysis.
The gameplay and layout both contribute to the lifelessness of the track. The biggest culprit of this is the 15 second straight, which doesn’t have anything to break it up aside from a couple of flip ramps and a slight turn. This part is a chore to drive and the length could easily be reduced by 5 seconds without making major changes to the gameplay. If you want to keep the straight the current length, there needs to be more turns, more obstacles, more tech, just something to break up the monotony. The cliff section after this has 3 narrow paths that can easily be blocked by one FIB, it should either be consolidated into 2 or reworked. The shroomless cut is cool but there admittedly needs to be another cut implemented to make it not the only controllable catch-up mechanic.
Overall, the concept is promising but the layout and atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired. Knowing this track was made under a time constraint (CT Jams), none of these issues are particularly surprising, but there still needs to be either massive changes or a complete remodel for this track to be adequate for CTGP.
|
| Park Cruise
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
5
|
1×
|
7 item sets × 5 laps = 35 item boxes per race if you spam your items hard enough. First place would be getting shrooms by the middle of lap 3, and the amount of off-road on the track gives him a free win from there.
- Multiple item box sets should be removed.
- The amount of off-road grass should be reduced significantly.
- Out-of-bounds areas should be actually flag with out-of-bounds instead of being gay baby jail.
|
| Pianta Plaza
|
Rejected
|
2.2
|
DS Delfino Square
|
DS Delfino Square
|
3
|
1×
|
Many testers found cool ideas at play here, but the gameplay suffers from various problems and the visuals require an overhaul to distance them from just being Delfino Square 2.
The sprawling routes with neat shortcuts were recognized as having much potential for adventurous play, but not all testers were on the same page about it, with worries that most of it would prove useless or that it would come at a large detriment to player interaction. The large scale is the biggest root problem: vertically, many routes and strats result in much time spent descending through monumental airtime, and the incredibly wide drivable areas limit interaction even further. Driving is fun here with a good number of strats, except there is an excess of trickable surfaces, although some found the potential pacing greatly diminished by the large scale.
For obvious reasons, some immediately compared elements of the track to Delfino Square and found a little too much in common, as if this is just a rearrangement, such as the mud cut and use of the drawbridge being inferior repetitions of elements of that track. This mostly affects the beginning and ending of the layout, as the path variety and strats are concentrated in the middle.
The biggest problem is the visuals. Recycling Delfino Square assets en masse as many other CTs have done in the past, even if that is the point of this track noting its origin Jam, would banish this track from having a memorable identity to many players. On top of that, the large scale makes the track look sparse and vacant, exacerbating the lack of detail, and makes the texturing especially repetitive. The shading is default BrawlBox rasterized lighting that does not do the trick and better lighting/colouring techniques are wanted. This theme must be overhauled--one tester, for example, suggested the "Pianta" name could have indicated greater inspiration from Super Mario Sunshine's visual identity.
With a visual overhaul, a reduced scale, and some other refinements, this design could have a shot in getting the pack, but it cannot be accepted in this state.
|
| PMWR Cloud Garden
|
Rejected
|
1.07
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
The track's layout isn't suitable for Mario Kart Wii. Too many overly tight 180° turns ruins some vehicles like the Spear. The Council also thought that the shortcut that skips the hairpin turns was too easy to do shroomless and too overpowered in general. Theoretically, though, both of these issues can be completely alleviated with creative liberty by making the one shortcut ramp the intentional main route, removing the off-road there, and making the rest of that u-turn some other secret or serve a different purpose.
|
| Prismatic Parkway
|
Rejected
|
Beta 3-hotfix
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
The council determined that this track was too outdated and unoriginal in it's visuals, as well as needing a few gameplay tweaks to be considered for CTGP.
Visually, there isn't much to say given this is mostly the same visuals as N64 DK's Jungle Parkway. This really needs a visual overhaul to be considered; for a track to survive in CTGP, a track really needs to be unique.
Gameplay-wise it has some good and bad. Some players in council found the strats quite fun to do, however the consensus was that the shortcut is quite overpowered for such a short track; the grate turns are quite awkward to drive. Regardless, the praises for the gameplay of the track were certainly apparent.
Overall, this track really needs a complete visual overhaul to be considered at all. Gameplay-wise, it could do with a bit of tweaking to make some of the turns a bit smoother to drive, however the reception was mostly positive. Unfortunately, the visuals could not be ignored when voting.
|
| Prison Block
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
N64 Bowser's Castle
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation.
MEGA is known for making tracks similar to this that are much more polished and have a lot of fun layouts and shortcuts in them, but unfortunately this track falls short of what makes his tracks unique. The testers found that the track is held back by the many blind turns it has, combined with the aspects that are catered to competitive players. This combination would make this track a nightmare for casual players to get used to, as the layout would prove very confusing to them more than anything. Since this track hasn't been updated in years, the visuals leave much to be desired, as a lot of MEGA's other tracks have received the necessary visual updates they needed to increase the quality of the tracks over time. Lastly, the track council have developed the opinion that this track would not be very well received considering the high quality of the other tracks by MEGA already in the pack. Perhaps a major update would be the boost this track needs to win people over, but for now, it's rather outdated.
|
| Puppy Play Park
|
Rejected
|
1.6
|
Moo Moo Meadows
|
Moo Moo Meadows
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been very strongly overturned following reevaluation.
Many testers liked the dog park theme and thought that it was very charming, since dog park tracks are not something you see every day. The dog models look great and make a nice addition to the track. However, despite this, those same dog models can cause a lot of problems online, as they cause a lot of frame drops in high numbered rooms due to their high level of detail. Other than the dogs, the visuals are overall unimpressive and very below modern standards, looking much more like a generic grassy plains track. The split paths do provide a unique twist to the gameplay, since both split paths in the track are designed pretty well and are almost equal speed, however our testers cited a few very janky things about the bridge in particular, like not being able to hop or drift properly while on it. The water geysers were also not received well, due to their inconsistency. This track still has potential to be great once is it brought up to modern standards, and the lag problems are cleared up for smoother gameplay.
|
| Quicksand Trail
|
Rejected
|
1.0-alt
|
GCN DK Mountain
|
Thwomp Desert
|
3
|
1×
|
This track is quite close to being CTGP worthy, but isn't there quite yet. While the far-west desert theme was generally liked by council members, the visuals were still criticized. All in all, the track just feels too bland. Most sections are very wide and lack any kind of background object that add to the overall atmosphere of the races. It's too similar throughout because of its massive lack of colour and texture diversity; everything is more or less orange currently. The town section could be explored more and made livelier. The river section, which seems to be a cornerpiece of the track, could also use a visual upgrade (add grass around the river for example). Finally, the start line feels out of place and does not even extend the whole width of the track.
The gameplay of the track is very unique and this is where most of the track's potential comes from. However, these unique aspects are severely hampered by awkward sections that do not work very well. The uphill section needs work: gravity is quite strong in this mario kart but acceleration is slow, therefore landing from a trick and instantly getting airtime again will cause a dead trick, where the vehicle hasn't had time to accelerate to trick boost speed and loses all its forward momentum. This happens everywhere on the uphill section because of the slope and the way the mounds are shape; this loses so much time anytime it happens that the uphill ends up being very inconsistent While many council members found this section quite interesting, most complained about how slow it was to get through it. Shortening the section a lot and making the boost ramps flatter would alleviate the issue while preserving the concept itself. The quicksand object just does not work right now.
The thwomp shaking, while in no way the fault of the author, happens far too often and is too powerful. Since this cannot be controlled without code support, the object would sadly need to be removed before that becomes a thing. The object itself also plays weirdly. Its exit is sticky road, but the transition from the quicksand uphill to the normal road isn't, which can randomly give the racers random pockets of air over the subsequent two-flip trick ramp. The river being off-road, which forces racers to jump over it multiple time to take the tightest line around that section is a good idea to build the track around. The river being off-road would need to be conveyed somehow, using a panel or a different texture that would indicate the river is actually dry/dead. The section itself is also far too wide and this creates a lack of interaction between racers and also takes away from the jump concept. Finally, outside of the blue ramps it is very hard to know which parts are trickable. There is no difference in the texture used to indicate that the edge of the river is sometimes trickable. The ending section feels like the most uninspired and unnecessary one. It is a very long and wide turn which is awkward to navigate without anything really happening during it. Continuing the river section or just straight up removing this turn would really help the laps flow better. Overall, most sections feel too long and too wide. The layout, as well as the uphill, the quicksand object and the river jumps could really pair well with shorter laps where the track feels dynamic and fast. Moreover, one idea that was mentioned by multiple memnbers is to make the actual road part narrower while adding a bit of offroad to create some interesting shortcuts.
Despite the current issues, the track has massive potential. The concept is solid and unique, the theme hasn't really been explored yet but needs to be pushed massively more to really give the track this western desert feel and the gameplay needs to be polished to give more consistent and fun races.
Moderate:
-Boost panels are corrupt in TTs
-The thwomp desert object would benefit from shading to better see where the waves are, if possible
-The turns right after the uphill are too bumpy.
-The shadow map is very pixelated in some sections.
|
| Rainbow Road DX
|
Rejected
|
1.0-beta2.1
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
1
|
1×
|
While this is a cool concept, this track has severe issues with its gameplay, visuals, and execution that prevent it from serious consideration.
Visually, the track falls short on many levels. Background details to make certain sections more similar to their original design are missing, such as the cloud/meteors in the GBA section, starbits in MKWii, fireworks in the N64 section, etc. Many textures are reused, which doesn’t fit the original sections (I.e.; MKWii road in the GCN, DS, and 3DS sections). Jagged modeling and bad UV mapping exist throughout most of the track (able to see the triangulation on the 3DS section). The visuals here are not really close to CTGP standards.
Various issues with the gameplay were noted. The transition from the SNES to N64 version is way too tight, and the addition of the mushroom led to most council members falling off without a precise alignment. The N64 and DS sections are very bumpy with their spirals. The SNES and GCN sections are way too narrow and desperately need an upscale. The Wii section is awkward to drive due to the section being extremely distorted from the original Wii beginning. The 3DS section goes on considerably longer than most sections and is very bumpy. These sections need a lot of remodeling and perhaps a fresh start from scratch for it to drive well.
In terms of execution, many people found the linear progression from each rainbow road to be dull. Some council members suggested that it would be best to the track to be non-linear in its progression that shows the best/most memorable sections of each track to make it feel as if its more of a track rather than a mashup. For example, instead of the SNES section being at the beginning, perhaps putting the SNES ending section near the end of the track, and the Wii beginning at the start would make the track flow better and feel more natural. The execution of the concept has intrigued many council members but could definitely be pushed more via outside-the-box thinking.
|
| Rainbow Road Revolution
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
1
|
1×
|
The main appeal for giving the author feedback on this track was the creative idea of a rainbow road mashup which would integrate the best parts of each iteration of the track. However, despite its potential, it currently falls short on most aspects.
Visually, the track could use a lot of work. The UV mapping is inconsistent with the turns, the road textures are bland and copy-and-pasted from other CTs, some boost panels are not rotated around the turns, and the boost panel animations don’t line up with said boost panels.
There are many fatal flaws with the gameplay of this track. Ramps, especially on the GBA RR section, send the player absurdly high, there are too many uneventful straights, cuts can save up to 10 seconds shroomless , and objects are poorly placed and feel more of a hinderance than a challenge.
The author here shows a lot of potential with his ideas and we look forward to seeing more of his projects in the future, but the execution isn’t close to 2021 CTGP standards yet.
|
| Rainfall Ridge
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
DS Delfino Square
|
DS Delfino Square
|
3
|
1×
|
This track nails a lot of aspects but as of now, it falls short due to its lack of creativity and variety within its atmosphere
The consensus within Council is that the gameplay is good. It creates a nice balance between being very simple for a beginner to navigate while providing many strats for an experienced player to enjoy as well. However, there isn’t too many strats so that a beginner can’t fall significantly far behind as long as they stay on the track and not hit walls.
Where this rejection lies is its atmosphere and visuals. While a grassy plain theme isn’t a bad thing in itself, it’s over-saturated within CTGP, especially including retros. There needs to be something that makes it stand out beyond its theme and makes it recognizable, and that ace-in-the-hole isn’t there. There are very little details inside and outside of the drivable sections. Without these, the atmosphere is barren. The visuals are decent but they just don’t do enough to carry the lack of atmosphere. 2D trees exist in droves throughout the track, and various textures are weirdly stretched.
If this track were to be re-themed into something more unique, it could be something special and memorable, but for now, it’s not at that stage.
|
| Re-Volt Botanical Garden
|
Rejected
|
1.2
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
DS Peach Gardens
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been narrowly overturned following reevaluation.
Although this track would make for a unique addition to the pack, much of its design proves flawed following its conversion to Mario Kart Wii. Several testers suggest an upscale to address certain aspects that are claustrophobic to drive. There is an abundance of slopes and ramps; some of them can send players into walls, while some testers believe others result in too many trick boosts, which is detrimental to game balance. The shroomless cut near the end was very disfavourably received; it is too over-centralizing a route for how difficult and easily trappable it is, and would likely work better if it required a shroom. It can also be annoying to return to the elevated track for players that fall into the pool at that shortcut.
The retro and realistic feels of the visuals garnered some appreciation but also some criticism, due mostly to the distractingly extreme shadows.
|
| Ring of Fire
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Grumble Volcano
|
Grumble Volcano
|
3
|
1×
|
The council was overwhelmingly neutral on this track, and the handful of members that did provide other votes leaned towards rejection. Bland, generic theming was cited often; this track was not found to stand out among the plethora of lava tracks in CTGP. The visuals appear primitive in certain aspects; the texture choices for the road and offroad are too close to solid colours. The ending gap cut is overpowered, and Bullet Bill routes are very prone to behaving poorly at the shortcuts and dropping players into offroad and pits. The potential is definitely there, but more work is needed; making an effort to differentiate the track's visuals from Grumble Volcano would certainly prove worthwhile.
|
| Sandy Citadel
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GCN Peach Beach
|
GCN Peach Beach
|
3
|
1×
|
Unfortunately, while this track is thematically and, after its visual overhaul, stunning to look at, its design still presents a plethora of problems.
Much of the layout remains very difficult to follow, as visual contrast is minimal, especially in shaded areas. The staircase-turn-heavy design of the track tends to obscure itself, leading to a lot of rather blind areas as it would take x-ray vision to see more than a short distance ahead much of the time. Edges at some points have no visual indicators; as an example of how to address this, a fence or multiple signs that follow the outside of the road exiting the spiral turn would be far more informative than the single sign currently present.
Many testers complained about the staircase turns in general, finding them too numerous for how awkwardly such geometry behaves in this game in regards to mechanics like chaining miniturbos, which is exacerbated by how sharp and cramped many of these turns are. The staircases at the start are very steep, and the ending of them feels especially bad as tricking is made worthless due to the oddly paced boost panel. The shortcut is still strange, as it is viable shroomless (the offroad on the ramp isn't heavy enough), and the halfpipe is awkwardly positioned and landing from it results in inconsistent behaviour.
There are still collision issues present, including out of bounds too close to the road, a lack of smooth collision at the offroad of certain staircases, and the wall to the right after the turn after the spiral having weirdly placed out of bounds and a lack of solid fall. It is also possible to explore out of bounds, but difficult to return to the track.
As for more minor nitpicks, one tester expressed concerns about the incoherent movement patterns of crabs besides the first two, and the final set faces away from oncoming drivers. Some offroad at the final shortcut isn't covered by the checkpoints, and some downwards staircases are, strangely, trickable towards the bottom. For more information, see this video by Carp.
Overall, though, for a resubmission, the most crucial and major change needed for this track is for the layout to be overhauled, reducing the abundance of staircase turns.
|
| SCD Special Stage 1
|
Rejected
|
Beta
|
Rainbow Road
|
Galaxy Colosseum
|
7
|
1×
|
(We judged the track as if it had 7 laps as wishlist indicated so, even though the szs only had 3)
While the final tally may seem harsh, most of council thought the track wasn't bad at all, but just not a good fit for CTGP specifically, even as a potential secret track.
Visually, this is definitely quite faithful to the original material. Both the colour scheme and the texture choices are really reminiscent of retro Sonic games and the result is beautiful. However, that same faithfulness is also a major problem at times. It is quite difficult to make out what surface each texture corresponds to. Indeed, the blue dash panels are actual boost panels, but the grey ones are not. Moreover, with everything appearing so flat, it is very hard to make out trickable surfaces from normal road. In general, the visuals would need to be adapted more to MKWii to improve more clarity.
Finally, a lot of members found that the skybox rotating with the player was too distracting.
Gameplay wise, this track is truly one of its kind. Rarely do custom tracks have so many options in terms of what players can do. This layout provides unique strats all over the place.
However, it suffers from too many critical issues when it comes to CTGP. The strats are all completely hidden (the flip ramp does not look like a flip ramp at all, the cannon is invisible) and the main path is not that interesting to drive, which is a problem in a pack that wants to be as broad as possible.
Speaking of unique strats, the corridors you end up in when performing them are too narrow, and with some players boosting and other going at light offroad speed in there, it doesn't lead to great interactions.
The other critical issue is the length of each lap. Even without doing any cut, the average lap is under well under 20s long, which is far too short. Laps are over before you realize it. The overall length is fine since the track is 7 laps, but that then makes races a bit too repetitive.
Overall, for a first track, this is very impressive. Clarity is the main issue and it is an essential part to ensure a track gets good first impressions. While this ultimately isn't the best fit for CTGP, there are a lot of great ideas in the track, some that could definitely be reused, for example in a lengthier layout that spaces them out more.
|
| Shy Guy Skies
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
3
|
1×
|
This track goes for a relatively unexplored theme. As with all tracks from the author, the visuals are decently executed with a decent attention to detail. However the track is hindered by a few issues that ultimately led to its rejection.
The elephant in the room is the use of VolcanoRock1 (the moving airship) as the central element of the track. Unfortunately all objects that move up and down in the game have poor draw distances; when you look backwards while on the ship, it disappears, which obviously affects playability. Moreover, the airship separates the two paths entirely so you cannot choose which path to use and racers can get separated for 20s, severely limiting interaction; that problem is made worse by the bottom path being over a second slower. Finally, if you reach the ship as it's transitioning from top to bottom, a common situation on lap 2 in TTs, you HAVE to slow down because the front face of the bridge is a wall. It does not appear like there is a solution in vanilla to fix the draw issues and it might not be the way to go. A suggested idea is to only have the bridge move, at a much lower cycle. It would fix the draw issues and ensure racers are on the same path at any given lap.
As for the rest of the track, visuals, while very good already, could be improved. Despite the name of the track, there are almost no shy guys on the track, and they are hidden by a very tall fence. It is also unclear what is actually happening in the track. Are the airships in a battle? Are they trying to fight the players themselves? Using objects such as the rSGB cannon balls (the ship already have cannons to begin with) could make that clearer and easily improve the immersion. Other minor issues include the lack of BLIGHT, spotty areas in the lightmap, UV mapping not being seamless in between the two VolcanoRock1 and the fact that the black trick ramps only have one arrow.
Gameplay is very solid but likewise it could be improved. The cannon could easily be removed, as the gap is fairly short. The bottom path was generally agreed to be less interesting than the top one, as the turns can be quite wide and the section feels a bit drawn-out. The cataquacks are oddly positioned and also too punishing as you can respawn on top of them.
Overall this track has everything it needs to succeed, but some of its issues, most notably those related to the moving airship, prevented the track council from accepting it, as they simply go beyond the scope of simple fixes to make. Its potential is however undeniable and it already has most of the work done with its great theme and its fun layout.
|
| Sky Beach
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
Koopa Cape
|
Koopa Cape
|
2
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation. The track looks stunning but most testers found it to be too similar to Sky High Island and shares many elements with it: it has grassy plains, a pipe, wooden platforms, a cave and then a beach. Moreover, from a gameplay perspective, this track was generally judged to be worse. The track has too many split paths most of which are unbalanced, especially the pipe and the left side of the cave, and it has no catch-up potential because it lacks a viable shroomspot. The beginning section is too narrow as well as blind and overuses sticky road, leading to inconsistent outcomes especially for the various trickable parts. On the other hand, the second part of the track feels overscaled, with many straights being too long and the beach too wide. The pipe was criticised for being awkward to drive. The ramp leading into it does not give enough air and the ramp inside it is very inconsistent. The section directly after the cave is also very confusing, with some playing going to the right instead of on the boardwalk. Finally, the cataquack has weird position and a blind ramp can make you land you straight onto it. The council also found many visual issues. The track was generally judged to be too bright. The beginning section lags in high player rooms. The main road texture has no player shadows. The track lacks a start line texture. The out of bounds is very unclear in the underwater section. There is no water splash animation when falling off any of the wooden platforms. The cave dirt should be made brighter as it is currently too similar to the road. Lastly, the boost panels texture is corrupted. Despite these issues, most testers agreed that the layout itself has a lot of potential and could lead to a very good track.
|
| Skybound Cloudscape
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Luigi Circuit
|
Mushroom Gorge
|
3
|
1×
|
This track is decent, but lack of uniqueness both visually and gameplay-wise leads to a track that is not very memorable. There aren't enough elements that only exist on Skybound Cloudscape, and that is a critical issue when it comes to CTGP.
Visually, the theme is not bad and actually fairly unexplored in the custom track universe. However, it feels highly underveloped and needs to be polished. For the most part, the same visual assets, such as the house, the bushes etc..., are used throughout the track. Furthermore, the scenery is too simple. There is nothing underneath the road itself, which appears to be made of stone and wood and it's all just floating. It could have been interesting to explore architural clues as to how this cloudy world functions.
As a whole, the track lacks cohesiveness. You have ad signs, perfectly intact houses, rock formations and ruin elements (such as a broken pillars), which makes it unclear what is going on. Are we on a racetrack, in a village in the sky or in a ruined world? This issue is made worse by some assets that do not really work together, like the 2D Fly Guys and the 3D Toads.
As with visuals, the track does not do anything that is outright wrong when it comes to gameplay, but it also does not take any risks and as a consequence it feels dull to drive. The turns have a pretty normal radius and some feel long-winded, the cuts are pretty standard. The small platform shroomless is not bad, but it doesn't mesh well with the rest of the layout and is far from enough to add the dynamism that this layout needs.
Simple tracks aren't inherently impossible to get in CTGP, but especially when they are not heavily based on item play, they need to provide players with ways to gain an edge on other drivers, whether it be via fast flowing turns that heavily reward good lines, riskier versions of shortcuts or small shroomless strats sprinkled throughout the layout. When they do not, it creates a layout that more experienced players tend not to remember, as there is nothing that separates them from other simple layouts.
Overall, the track needs a much stronger identity. That can be done via a combination of better visuals that sell the theme better and gameplay that takes more risks. Sectioning the layout into different parts would definitely help, but large changes are needed for us to reconsider this track.
Minor issues:
-Respawn points are very rough; there are multiple no lap counts and a cut near the end
-It is odd that the clouds along the road are not solid, considering their size
-Spiral has major checkpoint issues, including a no lap count
|
| SMO RC Car Circuit
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
7
|
1×
|
While we do like the idea, the layout is basically just two Baby Parks slapped together. There's also a really large amount of lighting flickers. The council would prefer other simple tracks compared to this.
|
| SNES Bowser Castle 1 (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was rejected mainly because most council members felt that this would fail to improve the ratings and the popularity of the track in CTGP, both of which are very low.
The shroomless corner cut was appreciated but the rest of the gameplay changes received a much more mixed reception. The boosts that replaced slow ramps were very divisive, as some members argue the latter add depth to an otherwise simple layout while others think the boosts create a better pace. Likewise, the large amount of obstacles was polarizing.
Visually, the track looks better than the current version overall, but council would have appreciated if the track did not use the same style (along with many assets) that is present on the author's SNES BC3 version.
Overall, this is not a bad version, but not a clear and obvious upgrade that would guarantee much better ratings and popularity in the pack.
|
| SNES Bowser Castle 3 (Mystora)
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
3
|
1×
|
While council generally agrees that the current CTGP version could use an update, the predominant feeling is that this version is not a clear upgrade, with various elements playing worse than the current version.
To begin with, v1.1 introduced new lighting and added mipmaps, and both are currently ajrring to look at. The post-effects are far too strong and almost blinding. The road mipmaps are also on the extreme side and they create a large blurry line right ahead of the character. While toning down these elements is certainly possible, it would not necessarily improve the visuals massively as they are too much on the safe side. The track does not look bad whatsoever, but most assets are taken from the current CTGP version of SNES Bowser Castle 2 and as a consequence this version did not stand out enough. CTGP has been trying to reach a point where most of retros of similar theming are properly differentiated, and we would not want SNES Bowser Castle 3 to be a blue version of another SNES Bowser Castle. The current CTGP version achieves that goal with its textures but mainly with the various elements that add to the visuals: the podoboos, the sunken thwomps, the white and yellow stripes, all of which help break the otherwise very monotone blue tone.
Nevertheless, while the visuals are acceptable, the gameplay has its own set of problems, most of which are a result of the ramps. By using slow ramps, this version flows much worse than current. The 2nd turn corner skip is gone, and the huge ramp section plays very slow as you get speed capped to around 75 for most of it. These two sections are very satisfying parts of the current version, and while using boost panels instead of actual ramps does create some issues (most notably when the players are shrunk), we would rather the fast pacing be preserved and the issues fixed instead of having slow ramps that kill the flow of the track. Moreover, the ramps at the end are angled too high, and you cannot get the same smooth transition from one ramp to the next one due to the increased airtime. Finally, the objects need work; the track is missing some that help dynamize the bland sections of the track such as the firebar last turn and the thwomps before the 3 paths section currently take too much space.
Overall, the current CTGP version continues to do a decent job despite its age, and should we accept a new version of the layout, we would want it to be a clear upgrade both visually and gameplay wise. This new take on the track certainly has potential, but we would want the visuals to take more risk and to feel much more unique, and the gameplay to be improved, with better ramps all around.
|
| SNES Bowser Castle 3 (ScyHigh)
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
3
|
1×
|
A decent version of the track, but in comparison to it's current CTGP counterpart, most council members came to the verdict of the current being better for the pack.
Visually, the rain doesn't make much sense for a Bowser's castle setting and looks unpolished. There was attempts at modernisation with the textures and modelling, but ultimately it was quite polarising. The wall textures being different for the sides and top looks a bit out of place, the garden section could have been fleshed out so much more instead of just incorporating a couple of hedges, but some model aspects such as the bowser statues are good ideas, however, currently they look very decimated. The blue is very saturated and could be toned down a bit. The almost purple road and bright grey just before the final ramp look a bit out of place with the blue.
Gameplay wise, this version falls quite short compared to the current version. The track is scaled quite large and there are lots of straights which have little obstacles. In addition, t's appreciated that the creator has added verticality, however, how it's done here is a bit much. The ramps also give lots of airtime which isn't ideal or satisfying for the player to drive. Also, lots of potential shortcuts are completely impossible due to the checkpoint setup. Either they should be blocked off with out-of-bounds or incorporated to avoid NLCs.
Overall, it is certainly an innovative attempt at a recreation of the retro, however falls quite short in quite a few aspects especially when compared to the current version in CTGP. It was always going to be extremely difficult to try to replace the current version as it is very popular, most members saying they preferred it.
|
| SNES Choco Island 1 (Luca)
|
Rejected
|
2.1
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
3
|
1×
|
This track came very close to passing the feedback stage, but just barely fell short. The most common complaints were the large amount of ramps around the track. These create a trickspam problem, making everyone go at mushroom speed the entire lap and making catching up very difficult. 3 laps also makes the track last 45 seconds at least, which is incredibly short and would be the shortest track in the game if it was added. Some council members also thought that the addition of the first Choco Island is unnecessary, considering the amount of retros in the game already and how simplistic this track is.
|
| SNES Choco Island 2 (Slimeserver)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
3
|
1×
|
While this track is of a decent quality, it was ultimately rejected as most council members felt it was not a clear upgrade compared to the current CTGP version.
This track takes a very different approach in style
Visually, while the track does not look bad, it uses very generic N64 DK's Jungle Parkway assets, and the usual brown tone symbolic of the Choco Island family is lost, and the resulting visuals feel uninspired.
This is also true when it comes to gameplay. While few people are going to argue SNES Choco Island 2 is the epitome of fun and inspiring gameplay, this version removes the ramps at the end which have historically always been satisfying to drive as they create a great corner skip. The mud pit has always been replaced with a loop. Council appreciates that the author tried something different, especially on a large and blanc section, but the loop does not feel much better to drive.
Overall, in spite of strong design choices, this version stays relatively bland and simple, similarly to the current version. In front of such a choice, council would rather take the version that is more true to the original as it at least appeals to people who enjoy it for what it is. The visuals would obviously need to fit the track name more but the gameplay would also need large changes for this to replace current.
|
| SNES Donut Plains 1 (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.0-beta
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
3
|
1×
|
The massive upgrade to the visuals is the best thing about this version, but unfortunately that is all that this track has going for it right now. The track's gameplay has taken a big hit because of the changes to the terrain. It's very elevated in a lot of areas, which causes a lot problems for wheelies on the main bikes, and vehicles with bad drift. The tight turns combined with the road's waviness makes it very difficult to play. The grass and mud have extruded offroad, and it ends up being too steep, which causes most vehicles to get massive airtime when hit the wrong way. The trademarked "SNES Blocks" are massive and are very lazily made, and the main shroom cut where you go in between these walls has blind pieces of it in the grass, making avoiding it pretty difficult. All of these terrain issues combined means that the track's gameplay has gotten unnecessarily hard and overall unenjoyable, requiring very precise driving and shroom usage around the track, when the current Donut Plains 1 has none of these problems. Many testers also brought up that this track would probably not save Donut Plains 1's popularity. This track is already one of the least liked retro tracks in the game, and updating it would not serve any real purpose to the benefit of CTGP.
|
| SNES Donut Plains 2 (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
3
|
1×
|
Many of the changes made in this remake were poorly executed in ways that are significantly detrimental to gameplay. The road is overly lumpy, some turns are oddly difficult to take, and offroad contours are strange. Some shortcuts are blatantly broken, including the shroomless lake cut and the offroad at the final turn. The fence UVs, bad opening cameras, and holes in the minimap further demonstrate this track's rushed nature. Most testers did appreciate the visuals of this version, although some others found it to suffer from asset reusal or believed it strayed too far from the original aesthetic.
|
| SNES Ghost Valley 3 (AltairYoshi)
|
Rejected
|
2.0
|
SNES Ghost Valley 2
|
SNES Ghost Valley 2
|
3
|
1×
|
While Council found this track visually impressive, the gameplay had a lot of problems that ultimately bottlenecked the track's potential.
Despite its incredible visual theme, there are still serious issues with visual clarity - there are a number of turns and holes in the floor are extremely difficult to see. This was by far the most common complaint - the holes were not only blind, but they were also way too large, taking up nearly all of the track's width towards the end. The very first hole after the fliptrick ramp was the most controversial because of how punishing it was despite being completely blind. Some Council members proposed vertex coloring the interior edges of the holes to make them more visible, and nearly all Council members suggested making the holes smaller for easier navigation of the track.
The track's biggest flaw is the shortcut right at the beginning with the cardboard Boos. The shortcut is incredibly frustrating to take because of the invisible crates stacked inside of it. Additionally, it can be done shroomless without even breaking the crates beforehand - a player can simply squeeze in between the crates and save a full second with optimal execution. Council suggests to remove the crates from the shortcut, and to make the shortcut require shrooms. Some Council members also pointed out some other minor issues, such as the skybox and water animations not looping properly, the last trick ramp giving bounces upon landing, some badly placed respawns and item sets.
Overall, the track's narrow scale and its blind turns culminate in a rather underwhelming experience. Due to the track's inherently simplistic layout, most of Council has decided to reject this track for now, although some Council members still enjoyed the track and would like to see it return if changes are made.
|
| SNES Koopa Beach 1 (Luca)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GCN Peach Beach
|
GBA Shy Guy Beach
|
3 or 5
|
1×
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y51ttoM9yk&feature=youtu.be
|
| SNES Mario Circuit 2 (Bubby64)
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
3
|
1×
|
The proverbial elephant in the room here is the atmosphere/thematic choice. The conversion of SNES Mario Circuit 2 into a desert atmosphere within the confines of the original layout is creative and impressive. However, for familiarity purposes, Council wishes for each retro is the pack to maintain some semblance of the atmosphere and visuals that each retro had in their original/remade versions within the mainline Nintendo games, and this version deviates far too much from the atmosphere of SNES Mario Circuit 2 within the SNES and 3DS version to want to include within CTGP.
Regardless, Council has many good things to say about this version. Many Council members praise the author for the execution of the visuals, and the driving through most of the track is relatively smooth while not remaining entirely flat. The creator obviously has potential to be an incredible CT creator and we hope to see some original designs from him in the future.
Some issues with the track that likely would have prevented its acceptance even if it resembled the regular visuals:
• Minimap is BIG. It covers almost a third of the screen and even blocks one turn.
• Turn in cave is extremely tight then ends wide
• No OOB for not making the jump at the end
• Drifting left off the ramp into the offroad isn’t OOB. Since the finish line extends far outward, a player can shroom through the offroad and the lap counts, skipping two turns and saving well over 5 seconds.
• The two shroomer and wallride are iconic to the track and not having them really takes away from the identity of the track.
|
| SNES Mario Circuit 4 (Brawlboxgaming)
|
Rejected
|
v1.0
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
SNES Mario Circuit 3
|
3
|
1×
|
The council determined that this version didn't have any issues for the most part, but did not serve to do anything unique in the pack and would be a wasted slot.
Visually, the track stands out by having a night time theme, but the lack of constrast makes the colours muddy, and makes the difference of the colour in the blocks blend with each other. The visuals are mostly average due to it using almost exclusively SNES Mario Circuit 3 textures.
Gameplay-wise, this has improved upon other versions of the track by widening the large U-turn of the track. However, it is essentially just another SNES Mario Circuit 3 and it's overly unappealing given it is just a flat Mario Circuit track.
The majority of council were not convinced this version adds enough to the track to differentiate it from SNES Mario Circuit 3, therefore not being worth a slot in CTGP.
|
| SNES Vanilla Lake 1 (SquireTurnbolt)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 Sherbet Land
|
N64 Sherbet Land
|
5
|
1×
|
This verdict has nothing to do with Squire’s talents as a creator. Squire pushed the track to its gameplay and visual limits while keeping the SNES layout. The problem with the track is that the layout is simply too dull and basic for Council to believe that it should have a slot in CTGP. Outside of the addition of the shroomless ramp and rail, there is not much done to the track that would make it stand out from other retros and CTs that have similar chaotic gameplay (GCN Baby Park, Jungle Jamble, SNES Mario Circuit 1, etc. Council sees no reason to add any Vanilla Lake into CTGP with its current amount of slots unless there are significant creative liberties that would alter its layout.
|
| Snifit Station
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road or Galaxy Colosseum
|
3
|
1×
|
Ever since its release, this track has had a ton of potential and the latest update has definitely improved it. Nevertheless, it was rejected due to the remaining visual and gameplay related issues, though most council members agreed that the track has a strong base and has clear areas for improvement.
Visually, the track has a good theme. Its color scheme and its various assets from Mario Party 2 and Mario Party Superstars' Space Land properly differentiate it from other space theme tracks, and CTGP itself does not really have any space station track to begin with. The various references to the aforementioned board will please Mario Party fans and contribute to the unique feel of the track. Despite these strong points, the visuals are ultimately held back by some of the sections, which feel underwhelming compared to other. The part after the force field looks quite bland and feels too much like road that only exists to connect the dome to the station. The station entry itself is also empty, as it's a large metal façade that could really use some more colours. This criticism can be applied to the track globally, as compared to Space Land, it looks too monotone. Using more background objects taken from both the Nintendo Switch board but also the Nintendo 64 one (the blooper, the golden shells, the snifit patrol POLICE stations to name a few) could help spice up the visuals and fill up the empty areas. The rainbow tunnel also feels out of place. It's unsure what its purpose is visually, as it's not even used to enter the force field since you go through it both when entering and leaving the dome. Moreover, the lightmap is clearly baked wrong as there are jagged shadows everywhere, most of which are very noticeable.
Gameplay wise, the track has a lot of great ideas. The halfpipes, when they work, feel very satisfying. Moreover, they don't funnel players into a specific line which is often a problem with halfpipes, and there are multiple ways to get the wrap around both of the metal grate left turns. Some of the ramps, most notably near the station entry, are also quite enjoyable as you can clip through the floor (or time a hop properly) to get very low tricks. Overall the track gives players a ton of creativity on how they want to approach the unique sections, and that gives the track a very strong starting point upon which to improve. However, much like the visuals, parts of the layout undermine the dynamism these sections bring. The same section after the force field also feels very empty when driving. There are no objects to interact with, the right turns are far too wide, the cut is too basic and not very satisfying to pull off. This is the one section that really does not feel up to par with the rest of the track, but a similar (albeit weaker) statement could be made about the split path section, where both paths feel like they are just there to link the station entry to the whomp cars sections, in a way that you enter the latter facing straight. While it's obviously natural that this would be the goal of that section, both paths do not feel very engaging to drive, with the right one especially being quite frustrating as you release the left MT into a boost panel and then you have to hold the right MT very long because of same boost panel sending you wide. Furthermore, the paths are quite unbalanced and there is little reason for racers to go left.
Obviously, as author most likely already know, the biggest issue of the track remains the halfpipes. Halfpipes will naturally always be inconsistent and that's a game problem and not really something fixable. However, the halfpipes on this track could feasibly be improved massively in a way that would solve most cases where players do not get the wraps. Making them more vertical and also shorter in height should help racers stick to the invisible walls. Moreover, parts of them could removed near the apex of the turns so that racers do not try to go off them at these precise locations where one is most likely not to wrap. This latter improvement would especially help with the last halfpipe section as it is already quite vertical and works perfectly fine if you take the halfpipe early.
To summarize the main gameplay issues:
- The layout is good for the most part
- The halfpipes are amazing, but simply too inconsistent. Making them more vertical and shorter as well as removing the parts that aren't really fixable should help a ton.
- The main shroom cut feels very underwhelming and is also probably too weak considering the amount of tricks and boosts. Suggestions include transforming it into a platforms cut (which would fit the space theme) that skips off more.
- The section after the dome is very empty and wide.
- The track could use more objects in the background but also ones that racers could interact with.
The track is also littered with more minor problems:
- There should only be one ramp (or both should be made stunt trick) after exiting the dome at the start as it is faster not to trick off the first one, and the second one sends you too far.
- The metal grate section is missing sticky road, which makes it very bouncy if you decide not to take the halfpipes.
- Most flip ramps should be changed to double flip, most notably at the station entry, to really push the low tricking aspect that they provide.
- With slower vehicles, you cannot get enough height off this ramp which leads to a super slow and bouncy landing.
- Some members have complained that offroad is too unclear currently.
Overall, this review is quite extensive as most members really think this track could be amazing with the right improvements. Most sections feel fun to drive both offline and online and the track has a good theme to built upon. It is undeniable that this has a lot of potential and could get into CTGP should it get updated.
|
| Snowpoint Valley
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
DK Summit
|
DK Summit
|
3
|
1×
|
While this track is well built, the track council rejected it after it judged both its visuals and gameplay are not memorable enough that the track would make a strong impact if it were to be added.
Visually, it fails to distinguish itself from the myriad of snow tracks that have been created over the years. It's composed of sections such as a taiga, a canyon and snowy plains that are already very common in such tracks. This issue isn't helped by the blandness of most of the track. It is severely lacking in background elements and there is very little . Moreover, the shading is too faint, which further exacerbates the emptyness of the track. The cave is a prime example of all these problems as it could have really used some more details and lighting to bring it to life. Speaking of shading, a lot of council members complained that the overall brightness of the track was too bright.
Gameplay wise, the track suffers a similar fate. The execution is decent, but the layout is too safe and too simple. The beginning section is interesting, with tight, snappy turns that feel great to drive as well as the possibility to skip the 2nd corner with a shroom (albeit you can unfortunatelydo that shortcut shroomless with a bit of luck). However, everything else pales in comparison to that section. The plains have no objects to interact with and the split path does not lead to interesting choices online. The forest section is not bad, but again there is nothing unique to it and council would have liked strats to be possible using the logs. The cave is very wide for little reason and feels very unexplored. It is kept mostly flat which isn't what one would expect from a rocky ice formation. The entire end also greatly favours golden mushrooms as it uses slippery ice KCL. It creates situations that are neither interesting for the golden mushroom user, as you are mostly shrooming on straights and not doing any shortcut, or the people getting overtaken, as there is little you can do with the poor traction and low speed.
Overall, this track needs to be pushed more. Its theming is too generic and its layout too safe. CTGP needs its share of simple tracks, but to make sure everyone finds some fun on such tracks, we strongly advise authors to add non-mandatory but interesting strategies that spice up the gameplay. Likewise, the visuals need to be memorable one way or another. That Without either of these, most simple tracks we add run into the risk of getting forgotten relatively fast, as they have to compete against already established simple tracks in the pack.
|
| Spectral University
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
SNES Ghost Valley 2
|
SNES Ghost Valley 2
|
3
|
1×
|
The main thing that this track has going for it are how good it looks visually. The lighting is very impressive and the main parts of the track look very dark, yet very well passively lit. However the areas that this track suffers the most is the gameplay and modelling. For a short track, the main road feels very large and overscaled, which made the track pretty boring to some testers. The grass is able to be skipped by getting some air over it, which was a common praise to the track's gameplay as it added some nice strategies, but that also means that the track lacks a good shroom spot and it makes driving the track very awkward and the main road half optional. The beginning building and the sand house feel incredibly out of place, as neither of them have anything to do with the track's name or intended theming. The sand section specifically feels completely different to the rest of the track, and many testers questioned why it was there in the first place.
|
| Sundown Streets
|
Rejected
|
1.02
|
Moonview Highway
|
Daisy Circuit
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation. We, the Track Council, sincerely apologize to SpyKid for the entire situation here, as he obliged in fixing a variety of objective issues we reported under the assumption that those fixes would ensure the track's inclusion in the pack. Unfortunately, the initial acceptance of this track proved very controversial over the time these issues were fixed, and the council's significant overhauls in members and opinions shifted against this track's inclusion, especially as similar track designs became more abundant. In the future, we will do better to ensure stricter acceptance guidelines to prevent this from happening again, require hotfix requests to undergo unanimous approval, and clearly communicate our new stance: that we cannot ensure track inclusions even if authors commit to work on our requested fixes.
Many testers now see this track's layout as dull. Amidst a sea of many short and simple tracks to go around, this one's design ends up as lacking as the last, as alternate routes feel pointless, and what variation this is (such as the cars and certain shroom spots) is usually missable, awkward, or claustrophobic. Overall, an update would need to overhaul and lengthen the design, transforming it away from what many see as a "glorified square" that would contribute far too little to CTGP.
Aesthetically, a few testers appreciate this track's take on the concept of driving through a town, but an overwhelming majority see the result as outdated-looking. The lighting is very unconvincing and just seems like a somewhat ugly tint, many texture choices are too low-res and grainy for their scale, and geometry often feels incohesive due to a UV mapping/texture choice style that fails to produce cohesion between clashing elements, alongside the aforementioned lighting issues. Even for the few testers who do still find the layout acceptable, the unpolished look of the track is very difficult to justify by current CTGP standards.
|
| Super Bell Circuit
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 Mario Raceway
|
Luigi Circuit
|
3
|
1×
|
The Super Mario 3D World theming of this track was uninamously praised as the numerous details added from that game give the track a completely unique spin on what could initially appear to be a bland grass track. However, the track was ultimately rejected by the track council over poor gameplay.
Most of the layout is solid and interesting to drive, but the track is held back by some specific sections that do not play well online or kill any dynamism the layout might have. The spiral at the start is way too wide and long which makes the entire beginning feel very slow to drive. The uphill at the end is too narrow and the sudden transition from uphill to flat. It leads into a pipe which plays very awkwardly online due to the very slanted driveable edges. Pipes should usually have an actual flat portion in the middle so that you can safely drive without bumps being too much of an issue. Furthermore, some of the cuts are awkward to take, especially the ramp one where you actually want to avoid the ramp and just drive in offroad.
Overall, council judged this track had massive potential due to its unique and attractive theme. It would however have to be pushed much more. Visually, the track could use more colours as Super Mario 3D World is a very colourful game. Moreover, the track could use more background details spread around the whole track. Gameplay wise, the experience needs to be made more dynamic by shortening some of the straights, improving some of the turns that are currently too wide, and above all, flattening most ramps as airtime is just not very fun for most players.
|
| The Plain of Atlantis
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
–
|
–
|
3
|
1×
|
Too many problems to list here. See Talk:The Plain of Atlantis. This can be re-tested if a solution is found to the item disappearing bug, or in the future if custom code is added to completely patch out the item disappearing bug.
|
| Thunder Canyon
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
GBA Bowser Castle 3
|
2
|
1×
|
This track was mostly concerned because its gameplay failed to make an impact on most council members. The track itself is quality as it has few inherent flaws, but council believes nothing is exceptional both theme wise or gameplay wise and therefore this track wouldn't necessarily be strongly received in CTGP.
Visually, aside from small model holes, the track is fine. However, it's hard to match the looks to the track name at times, as there are a bunch of broken structures/industrial assets and the canyon aspect can sometimes feel lost. Moreover, the visuals tend to be a bit repetitive especially because the laps are so long.
Nevertheless, the biggest criticism comes from gameplay. The small upper paths create cool shroomless cuts, but the layout as a whole likely suffers from its sheer length. Indeed, for how long each lap is, the track fails to have properly divided sections. It uses a lot of the flip ramp->turn->straight with a flip ramp->repeat pattern and overall it makes both TTs and races feel quite slow. This is compounded by the spaghetti arrangement of the layout where the road goes under and then above other portions of the track. Combined with a lack of strong visual diversity, most council members were left thinking the laps could be much shorter and the difference wouldn't really be felt. Simply put, there is no sense of progression in the laps because neither the difficulty, the actual gameplay style or the visuals change a ton. Adding more obstacles such as KMP objects would allieviate this entire issue somewhat, but it likely wouldn't be able to remove it entirely. Furthermore, the turns themselves tend to be unsatisfying. A lot, especially in the cave sections, are too wide for the best vehicles which makes getting out the MTs tedious. Some are too short to get multiple MTs but too long to only get one.
Overall, this track does not really do anything wrong from a quality standpoint, but it does not feel like a clear upgrade over most of the tracks currently in the pack. Gameplay would need to be strongly dynamized by a combination of more turn variety, actual sections that feel different from one another and/or just a shorter layout in general.
|
| Tideshift Town
|
Rejected
|
1.0-pre1
|
DS Delfino Square
|
DS Delfino Square
|
3
|
1×
|
There are some promising ideas here. The rising water forcing different paths on each lap is a core mechanic with a lot of potential. The gameplay is generally quite fun, as the town section is a tight, satisfying place to chain drifts, the amount of offroad is right for a healthy reset track, and the gap cuts are cool for both shroomless driving and item strategy. Although the theme is generic, the environment is rather fleshed out.
However, the track needs more than that. It currently has two distinct sections, town and plains, and while they are decently fleshed out, there's nothing about their theming that could prove memorable. This track could all too easily be filed away with other generic town tracks that have proved unpopular like Windmill Village and Water Village. For more successful contrasts, Big Nature City better sells a gradual change between its similar juxtaposition of a city and a wooded area, and Crystal Plains' plains area is defined by its proximity to the castle and realized as a farm. Tideshift Town's town ends at a clearly defined line--we have our standard MKW CT town here and our standard MKW CT grassy plains there.
The theming could be built around the core mechanic, but it isn't. In practice, racers do not get a sightline of the rising water, so they may not even notice it until after the magic fences have already guided them into the lap 2 route. The unremarkable grassy path just arbitrarily changes to one that drags on longer, as little more than a bog-standard pond has appeared. There is a lot of potential to make the rising water into a memorable, track-defining landmark, e.g. by adding some Venice-like decor a la Delfino Pier, and/or submerging some structures in the water, but currently it isn't much more than a KMP object. This could also go a long way for adding layout elements to the plains area, as that being generic criticized in regards to gameplay.
People were also concerned about the various technical issues. The OOB grass is currently far too easily mistaken for a shadow and should be hue-shifted instead or fenced off. There are KCL problems especially at the houses, NLCs near the fountain and at the end (CPUs may even be able to trigger an NLC), overly high respawns, and turns that are too low-poly. It's possible to take the star/mega pipe cut shroomless. You can also jump the fence lap 2 with a FIB and potentially make the lap 1 route. The UV mapping on the shroomless ramp is a little silly.
|
| Torrential Flood Lake
|
Rejected
|
2.3
|
GCN Peach Beach
|
–
|
3
|
1×
|
Initially, this track was very difficult to test because the full potential of this track was unlocked by Extended Presence Flags, which is not a CTGP feature at the moment. There was also the problem of the track sometimes crashing CTGP upon loading, which might also have something to do with it. Outside of that, this track is an incredibly unique idea, and the use of EPF's was a creative one here with the 8 different tiers of rising water. Unfortunately this is held back by quite a few aspects of the track. Visually, the track has a unique cell-shaded art style. While in theory it's a nice art style compared to many other tracks, it came across as outdated, as the flat colors made a lot of polygons visual to the player, which normally wouldn't be an issue with normal textures. Layout wise it also had a lot of problems. The shortcut route at the beginning is incredibly tight and reject road can send you in directions you don't want. The colors being very flat also makes it blind, so taking that route optimally is very hard. On every water level setting, the water does not go high enough to make the boardwalk area absolutely required, as even on lap 3 the edge of the beach can be driven on, making the boardwalk obsolete. Outside of the beach section, almost all of the grass is able to be driven on, which creates some shortcuts that save way too much time, so 3 shrooms can let you skip large portions of the track. The rest of the road was seen as very weird to drive on, as some parts are too bumpy and the random trick ramp near the start kills all of your momentum. Lastly, a lot of the council did not want to try and add this track simply because EPF's are not a feature in CTGP, and they would rather wait for a track that uses them to be much more polished and fun to play, similar to a few of the other tracks that are accepted that are waiting on unimplemented features.
|
| Torrential Treetops
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
|
5
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been narrowly overturned following reevaluation.
When we evaluated this a while back, we thought this track had a lot of potential to be a really good short track, with some fixes. However since those fixes were not made, the opinions of a lot of our testers started to sink as the flaws of the track started to stick out a lot more. The main problems were the terrain and the unbalanced mechanics. Laps are around 20 seconds long, but there are 5 item sets around the track, causing shroom glitch to happen quite early because of the track being 5 laps. The terrain is very bumpy, especially when leading up to the split paths, which made the track decievingly hard to drive at times. The split paths are quite unbalanced as one saves a second over the other with no benefit to going the other way. Despite these problems, the council had a lot of positive things to say about this one, such as the visuals and potential for very fast paced races. If these fixes were made then it could live up to the potential it has to be a great track.
|
| Urban Gallery
|
Rejected
|
1.0-beta
|
Mario Circuit
|
Coconut Mall
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation.
To put it bluntly, accepting this in its Jam state in the first place was a bizarre decision. Visually, this track is dull, unmemorable, and looks severely dated. Texture choices are poor-quality and grainy, and no proper shading is present. Some testers found the layout to be boring and claustrophobic, yet at points oddly wide, although others disagreed and believed it has potential for providing engaging gameplay. One tester reported a Bullet Bill route issue at the escalators. If this track is to be reconsidered, it needs much more work, primarily when it comes to polishing its visuals.
|
| Vacay Bay
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GCN Peach Beach
|
GCN Peach Beach
|
2
|
1×
|
This track is visually exceptional, but unfortunately it falls a bit flat when it comes to gameplay and the council hopes it will be improved in the future as this track holds the upmost potential.
Visually, this could be considered one of SquireTurnbolt's best work to date. There is lots of details and the theming is well thought out. However there are common issues such as z-fighting and KCL inaccuracies, that latter of which takes away from the immersion. There are also other small issues such as the water surface animation not looping, and the lack of BLIGHT changes which this track would greatly benefit from.
Gameplay-wise, the track drags on for a quite a long time. Being c.1:20 per lap is fine but just the rollercoaster section alone being 45 seconds of the lap makes the track feel drawn out and it feels like it goes on for too long. The sticky road used on the rollercoaster doesn't always work leading to the player just flying over the downhill. There was an attempt at engagement at the rollercoaster with the use of moving road, but it leads to the player just taking a specific line which doesn't engage the player that much apart from driving on a specific part of the road. The KCL inaccuracies also applies to gameplay in the fact that it can be jarring not knowing what you're driving on given the visuals don't match where you're going, and can rarely cover your screen given you're under the floor. The halfpipe later in the track isn't greatly useful and can lead to bugs when taken, so is likely better off not being there at all. There are also sections of the rollercoaster that are trickable that either don't give tricks often or give tricks too early. The bumps aren't great given you can get dead tricks over and over due to constant bad landings on the bumps. Spacing them out more or making them flatter would be greatly beneficial. Also, the boost from the flip-trick beforehand is completely wasted due to these dead tricks. Some of the paths of the underwater cave can be misleading at times given the invisible pads. Also, there are some pads missing leading to the player jumping off and just dying. Adding more layers to the geysers can help with this. There are many horizontal walls present on the track which should be removed or avoided if possible.
Overall, this track is makes an incredible atmosphere and has great visual execution. With some gameplay improvements, this could make for an incredible track.
|
| Volcanic Skyway (ZPL)
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
GCN DK Mountain
|
GCN DK Mountain
|
3
|
1×
|
This remake is certainly quite promising, but this currently feels like an unfinished track. Visually, while the modern textures and the vertex colouring add a modern take on the track, it currently lacks too many details. The track as a whole does not feel alive. This is due to the skybox not moving at all and the complete lack of background elements and moving objects, which are currently limited to trees and pyramids. For example, the cloud section is too basic and looks more like a floating opaque white road than a true cloud section. The pyramid section is massive but very empty, too dark and feels out of touch with the rest of the track because of the red carpet. The volcano section could use fire pillars and fire snakes jumping on the lava, and the sides of the road are treacherous and look drivable. The desert is this huge sand area where everything is drivable but not much visually interesting, and the grassy plains suffer from the same issues to a lesser extent. Adding more objects and structures to the track would help massively in solving this emptiness problem.
Gameplay wise, the track suffers more or less from the exact same issues the original volcanic skyways. The 2nd half of the track, after the cloud cut, feels very elongated. Most notably the end of the clouds section is basically a weirdly shaped straight that is not very engaging and lasts far too long, and the pyramid section is very underused and just a 90° turn. As a consequence, even after considering the fact that this is a remake, council members believe the track could be shortened massively if these two sections were improved.
The remake also has issues of its own. The cloud shortcut coming back is a welcome addition, but as it stands it saves 7s and is far too powerful. The spiral would need to be altered, for example via a boost panel at the end, and the shortcut itself would need to be nerfed to properly balance it. One suggestion would be to force racers to go wide by adding OOB, and making that OOB visible via vines or any similar floating object like parabeetles or bees. Another suggestion would be to make the cut left side only, effectively shortening the portion it skips, but also making it way more difficult for karts and non top tier bikes.The volcano section is too wide. Making it more similar to how it played in VS3, that is to say you land in a left turn and then you have two back to back right turns before the cannon, could help. As with its visuals, the pyramid section is very underused and way too short because you land in it with a two-flips trick. Finally, the desert section is now a massive straight that feels more like a way to connect the end of the track with the finish line than a true section of its own. Moreover, the small unground cut is now more awkward.
Overall, most council members believe this track has massive potential even if it needs a lot of work. This has been a highly sought-after remake, especially with the return of the iconic cloud shortcut, but the track needs better visuals and a gameplay overhaul to fully embrace its remake status, as it currently feels like a work in progress project. While we generally feel the layout of a remake is best kept as similar as the original layout as possible, there are sections of volcanic skyway that were almost universally criticized, most notably the end of the clouds section and the desert, which have always been too long and not engaging enough.
Major Bugs:
- If kept to a similar length, the track needs to be changed to 2 laps.
- The track lacks two item sets, which makes big portions of the races boring and not engaging.
- You can get inside the big rock near the finish line and this can lead to NLCs but also major skips.
- You should not be able to shroom around the canyon at the end.
- The sides of the clouds should not be offroad.
- The clouds mushroom pads KCL does not match the visuals at all.
- The track lags in VS mode and online.
- Pyramid is far too dark.
Moderate bugs:
- Too many "bill cannot drop you here" item points, especially when they are used on straights.
- Last respawn of the spiral is not correctly angled.
- Clouds fence uv mapping does not line up properly with the edges of the geometry.
- The UVs in the pyramid section need to be improved, and you can currently see a big seam near the top.
- CPUs route issues everywhere.
- No replay cameras, and the intro cameras need to be improved.
- Even if it's not directly the creator's fault, vertex colours flickering is far too strong in the beach section, when approaching the water.
- Slow wheelie bug might lead to major skips.
|
| Waluigi's Choco Factory
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Toad's Factory
|
Toad's Factory
|
3
|
1×
|
- The first ramp should send you at a reasonable angle and not straight up.
- Track should have mipmaps and maybe better textures (especially on the outside)?
- The hump shortcut on the hairpin turn doesn't work properly.
- The truck section should be made wider / larger.
- Starting positions should probably be put where they normally would be, and not off to the side at a weird angle?
- Incentive to go under the stompers (TF conveyor?) would be nice.
|
| Wario Circuit (MysterE99)
|
Rejected
|
3.0
|
Mario Circuit
|
Mario Circuit
|
5
|
1×
|
This remake was praised for its visuals and theming. Many council members liked the atmosphere and the use of custom objects that give life to the track, albeit the general feeling was that the wario theme could still be pushed more. The simple layout of the track was also praised. However, the gameplay was heavily criticised. The overuse of boost panels, with one at almost every turn, make the track rather one dimensional, forcing racers to take a predetermined driving line, making miniturbos non-relevant and generally weakening the cuts far too much. The alternating ramp and boost panel straight is very awkward, especially for outside drifting vehicles, since taking the ramps is not an option compared to going for every boost panel. It also makes bumps too punishing online and makes the lake cut pretty weak. Most testers thought the section would be better as a simple straightaway. Finally, council thought the track should be changed to 3 laps.
|
| Wario's Cosmic Construction
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Rainbow Road
|
Rainbow Road
|
3
|
1×
|
As impressive as this is for a Jam track, this is not fit for CTGP in its current state. There are many glaring design flaws that stood out among the track council. The layout of the track is very unbalanced, since one of the two main routes is much faster than the other due to a very overpowered shroomless shortcut, and the second split path at the end also has a very clear fast and slow route. This issue is compounded by a lack of item boxes in the fastest lines on the track, only encountering one or two per lap during a 2 minute race. These problems offer very little in terms of raceability, and they make frontrunning too strong. Our testers also thought that the track was too overscaled since the track felt too large, and many item route issues were also found, likely due to unrefinement of them because of the quickly made nature of the track. Many people also thought the track was pretty uneventful in the second half and looked very outdated visually, citing designs from the early 2010s as similarities. That being said, the track council still believes that this track has potential if more was added to the track to make it much better to play.
|
| Water Fall, Water Rise
|
Rejected
|
1.0
|
Koopa Cape
|
Koopa Cape
|
5
|
1×
|
While every council member found the rising water concept very unique, but it comes with too many issues that hamper the playability of the whole product.
Irrespective of the rising water, the layout itself is not very interesting to drive. On the first laps, the symmetry of the track, which comes down to a loop, makes even short laps feel very long. The top route is definitely better, but even then it's not close to CTGP standards. The combination of these factors make the track rather bland in time trials as you know what cycles you'll get and the route is completely predetermined.
As for the water, council but also players who participated in the online test complained about the numerous problems it creates, some of which cannot realiably be addressed even with better KMP settings. The first problem is that once you get to learn the cycles, the track is very predictable and similarly to time trials, you're left with a layout that isn't very interesting to drive. Then, the rising water is too sudden. You can choose to go on a path seeing that the water seems to be low, only to get completely stuck in it and have to drive in offroad for 15 seconds. There's also no visual indicator as to how fast it rises and you have to play the track multiple times to know which paths you're supposed to take at given paces. This makes the track extremely frustrating for first time players. Finally, the biggest problem is that should you get hit on earlier laps or should you be slow because you do not perfectly know the cycles, you'll be miss a cycles check and be forced to go on a higher path, and then this snowballs on later laps and ultimately you'll have to take higher and higher paths compared to racers in front. This makes it so there's no reliable way to catch up and you end up spamming boost items whilst not making any ground up.
Overall, it seems difficult to envision a way to fix this specific layout without making it too bland or completely removing its gimmick. Council judges that this concept would best be used on a track that wouldn't entirely be centered on it, where only portions of the track would get blocked off, to create some kind of mix between how grumble volcano evolves and how incendia castle functions. There is definitely potential for a unique and very dynamic track, but massive changes are needed as ultimately this game is best played against players and not against track obstacles that you cannot reliably play around.
|
| Water Island (Cats4Life)
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Koopa Cape
|
Koopa Cape
|
3
|
1×
|
The author ambitiously tried to recreate an iconic 2011 era CT However, they made a lot of changes which council unanimously judged worsened the track, both visually and gameplay wise, especially when the iconic sections and strats of the original, such as the beginning gap cut, the bridge cut and the pipe section, were not kept.
Visually, new sections got added to diversity the track. That is never a bad thing, but the transitions between sections are far too abrupt. The modelling also needs a lot of work. Almost everything is overscaled, and a lot of elements are not detailed enough and feel overly simplistic. Some parts just float in mid-air, like the bridge, others clip through the floor, like the mushroom and finally others are paper thin and look out of place such as the ramp going into the underwater section. There are a ton of UV mapping issues and a lack of cohesiveness due to some of the colouring choices. Moreover, the floating giant billboards do not fit the theme and all and hinder the immersion.
The poor modelling impacts gameplay too. First turn and the end spiral are both awkward to navigate and like for visuals, the track is overscaled, but not in a way that a simple downscale would address since some other sections are already quite tight. The new sections are also not very interesting; for example, the underwater coral section is basically a simple chicane with boost panels everywhere. The track also lacks more KMP objects to interact with. The original had the KC zappers, but they have been replaced by Quagsires that both do not fit and also do not present any challenge to avoid.
Above all, the original track was a short, slightly narrow and very fast paced track, and there was always something happening around you or something to do with your items, and that feel is unfortunately completely lost on this remake.
Overall, this remake does not feel like it truly recreates the water island experience while polishing and improving what aged poorly. Too much has been changed, to the point that the original track is hard to recognize. The new sections do not particularly play well, and the visuals need major work to reach modern standards.
|
| When Geeks Custom Track
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
Maple Treeway
|
Maple Treeway
|
3
|
1×
|
While this track explores distinctive concepts in a short time frame, it was not considered developed enough for CTGP.
Visually, it is a unique art style with a rough thematic aesthetic, however this theme could have been far more developed in its execution. There were mentions of a simple grassland being a bit underwhelming which takes away from the good choice of theme. It was also stated that the track was quite empty and small, which also detracts from the theme. One suggestion was also to make the skybox a bit brighter and livelier. There are also lots of suggestions for different portions of the Paper Mario visuals being used from multiple parts of the game to add variation.
Gameplaywise, it was mostly well received, however felt underdeveloped and too short, the length clocking in at c.26 seconds a lap. Also, the collision for the bushes was not matching that of the visuals, which made for annoyance when clipping the bushes when it was not visually being hit. The shortcuts are a strength of this track and are quite satisfying to pull off.
Overall, the underdeveloped theme and short track length are what really pull this track down. With more interesting and fuller scenery and a longer layout, this track could go a long way.
|
| Withered Fortress
|
Rejected
|
1.1
|
–
|
–
|
3
|
1×
|
- The floor inside the castle should not be completely trickable.
- The troll ramp with the invisible wall in front of it should just be removed.
- Forced dead ends should be removed in the hedge maze.
- The ramp into the spiral should be improved.
|
| WP Tanks!
|
Rejected
|
2.1
|
Moonview Highway
|
Block Plaza
|
3
|
1×
|
Several members remained avid fans of this track's quick layout, but for the vast majority of the council, the resubmissions never came close to addressing the fundamental issues that leave this track unsuitable for the pack.
The most significant problems with the track boiled down to simplistic gameplay. One such issue was the <30-second lap times which some found very undesirable considering the lengthy downtime between online races in this game. Another issue was the reliance solely on 90-degree turns that were dull to drive. These lead to a track design that relies solely on pack play for engaging races and is therefore fatally dull when that fails. The placement of ramps and airtime do not help--the small lips before turns only make them a little jankier, and the extended airtime from the final large ramp feels awkwardly slow as it is not a boost ramp and the slope is high. The shroom cuts were a saving grace, fun to pull off and heavily fleshing out the strategy, but even they received critique for balance, being overly hidden, and rendering the track unfriendly to the casual players who could have otherwise appreciated it most.
The unique strength of this track is in its theming, but that was not valued highly due to lacklustre execution. The scenery is immersive, but dull to a point that even flipped some votes of members who were otherwise interested in the layout. There is little to look at other than flat tans and browns, to a point that even affects gameplay, further reducing the clarity of one of the shortcuts. The faithfulness to the source material was recognized but was ultimately the wrong approach; the decor could use a bit more outside-the-box inspiration. The theme's richness also could have been put to better use in the fundamental layout, as a few members pointed out the gameplay potential of ideas like evading tank crossfire and dodging mines, instead of just having glorified cars running amok.
In the end, this track has fundamentally missed its potential from the conceptual stage in a few too many ways, and for further consideration would need drastic rethinks eclipsing any of the tweaks made throughout this version's submissions.
|
| X Circuit
|
Rejected
|
Beta-Hotfix
|
Luigi Circuit
|
Luigi Circuit
|
3
|
1×
|
This track was previously accepted, but this decision has been overturned following reevaluation. The eponymous gimmick of the track, its X-shaped layout, is extremely uninspired, and no theming exists beyond that, as the visuals are equally unoriginal and thoroughly primitive. This gimmick undermines gameplay, making the fundamental design of the track repetitive with claustrophobic hairpin turns. The bridge ramp landing is too blind for its misaligned position, and the minimap is overly faithful to the gimmick, so it does not help.
However, some testers greatly appreciated the simplicity of the design and the thought put into gameplay balance for online races, finding the track fun. This layout is fundamentally unsuitable for CTGP, but if this sort of gameplay is implemented into a track with a more creative and polished concept, it could be under much stronger consideration.
|
![[1]](https://wiiki-content.acaruso.xyz/664864955815952385/1142169496006701118/ws_changes_18AUG.png){kind=link}
![[4]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1149826724964610168/1167607568999391272/image.png?ex=654ebe49&is=653c4949&hm=e61af78d15dde18e2b1df8c0888d05a476cedca29738d9d03a668e06f600b4a7&=&width=735&height=549){kind=link}
![[5]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/217126063803727872/1168805115168313394/image.png?ex=65531996&is=6540a496&hm=d309e18776e047d774bde1252eaaaf5f8c585aef203c27446d3c49a6ebbc9316&=&width=801&height=703){kind=link}
![[1]](https://i.imgur.com/FCd3VYW.png){kind=link}
