Cookie Country (Kirby's Return to Dream Land) Pack 1.0 (Modern 2.3 + Classic 1.6)

It's the end, for real now - first up here's 2.3:

• Fixed certain checkpoints and by extension the 1st place sound repeating.
• The forest cuts being blocked off on Lap 3 is now telegraphed through extra blocks appearing in the scenery on Lap 2.
• The grey springs on a wall in the forest have been removed.
• In Encore, the red color is restored for directional signs and the sneaker sign.

And as a bonus; in response to outcry and to preserve some history; Cookie Country Classic returns as a separate map (MAPWX) - race the track as it was 2020!
(Okay not exactly the same, very minor adjustments here technically making this 1.6:

• Moved the first item set closer to the starting line as in the modern version.
• The original friendly greeting on map load is now quieter and timed correctly.
• A familiar secret is restored. )

By default, Classic is included in standard track rotation for reasons stated in my extra commentary. To server hosts, you're free to SOC the Classic map into Hell or keep it in normal rotation based on your own preference, I encourage you to treat it as you want.


Unless big bugs are found, this should be the last patch for SRB2Kart's Cookie Country. I'm getting tired and more-so concerned putting out these frequent hotfixes, and I believe the modern map is in a good enough state to leave as-is. From here I'll be looking to the future - thanks again to everyone for supporting all versions of the country, it's been an interesting ride for sure. See you next game!

Spoiler: Extra dev commentary

Since this is the last patch it's also my last opportunity to really talk about the map so I'll go for it:

I maaayy have been too harsh on Classic. I've seen lots of positivity for 2.0 which is great, but unexpectedly more and more players have been expressing their love and even preference for the original. This baffled me at first, I just kept thinking back to the old flaws and assumed 2.0 was "better" by nature of addressing them, but after experiencing Hadal Trench Classic for the first time in years (thanks Sunflower) I was reminded that stuff that seemed like flaws to me, yellow spring panels and awkward giant jumps and frequent apples, might be the appeal for others. They're the kinda quirks that make old maps charming to revisit and it'd be unfair of me to keep my own Classic in the trashbin, so here ya go, it's back!
As for why it's in normal track rotation, part of it is that I'm usually not big on Classic maps appearing in Hell personally and didn't want to follow suit myself - but that's just me, if you think Classic should be in Hell then by all means SOC it in.

While on the subject, I said this on Discord but wanna reiterate here: I don't dislike Classic or anything (in fact I'm starting to find the fun in it again) - at the time of 2.0's release I just saw parts of Classic as outdated, a product of its time, and I wasn't having as much fun playing it compared to other maps so I thought I'd be refreshing to revise the layout. I still very much think the original had potential, and with 2.0 I wanted to realize that by making what I thought would be the best version of it - this is one of two reasons I decided on updating the existing map instead of redoing it.

"Why isn't this a remake?" is a question I'm sure was on peoples' minds even if it wasn't spoken aloud much so I wanna take this moment to answer that. The other reason is Ring Racers - to condense my explanation, lemme put it this way: if I wanted to rebuild Cookie Country from the ground up, I'd much rather wait for the new game than do a full remake twice in a row (one for Kart and one for RR). Personally I think I did a good enough job with 2.0 that I'd say a redo isn't necessary for Kart, I'm plenty happy with where things are now.

Getting sentimental here, Cookie Country will very likely remain a highlight of my online history. Getting this map released was a special moment for me, and especially now in 2023 it feels great to have given the Kart community something fun. Should I end up not mapping more in the future, I'll still be satisfied having made this - that first appearance on Jartcast alone makes it all worth it.

And I think that's that. Thanks for your support over the years, and for playing!

Two gameplay changes in response to feedback and bug reports:

• The jump in the pillars section is replaced with a set of Shi-Springs. The old ramp caused one too many mishaps for racers and was a nightmare for me to work with, but I also didn't wanna remove it and alienate Acro players so I thought I'd try something different. This might spawn the concern of too many spring jumps but honestly I'd rather have that than a buggy ramp, however I'm open to reverting with enough feedback.
• All significant shortcuts in the forest are now blocked off on Lap 3 instead of just the spring ramp.

• Most pits surrounding the outside of the map have been moved closer up. (This was an effort to improve performance but after testing I don't think it actually does, oh well.)
• The "constant 'CCHILLS' could not be parsed" error in console is now gone.

Wasn't supposed to be this early, but...

• Forgot to put waypoints on one of the new checkpoints. Oops.
• In an effort to better communicate the new pillars section, the water level is lowered and new signage is placed on the bridge. Going through the middle is encouraged for first-timers and those that prefer simple routes.
• The middle jump is tweaked a bit - it doesn't send you as high, and thanks to this I was able to move the sector of downwards wind a lil' further up; you shouldn't touch it anymore unless you're boosting. (Can't remove the wind, there's a giant death pit for the spiral jump nearby.)
• Removed the grey spring closest to the side of each pillar, and they're all now properly aligned.
• Added an invisible kill wall next to the waterfall dropping into the lake.
• The checkpoint at the start of the lake is further away from the waterfall.
• Some of the lake's walls are lowered while others were converted into fences, making it a bit easier to see the path.
• Minor visual fixes.

Surprise! Just in time for its anniversary, the World of Miracles' countryside returns with a deluxe renovation!

• Overhauled sections! Going in order...
  
  • Shi-Springs are placed throughout! Most give you a hand, but watch for the greys! (Thanks achii for letting me use 'em!)
  • The opening split paths are now differentiated. The right path remains unchanged, but on the left you'll now find a Sneaker Panel and Springs that'll bounce you forward for a lil' extra flair!
  • The bridge shortcut now weaves into a small path of its own, separate from the pillars, with a dipping waterslide to accelerate your catchup. Additionally, both the cut entrance and the bridge itself are a lot wider, making it much easier to take and more obvious for first-timers.
  • The pillars section is completely reworked from the ground up! Describing it here would be a mouthful... see for yourself!
  • Everything from the half-spiral jump to the edge of the country's lake is also redone! Worth noting is the path underwater: it is now exclusively a shortcut. Take it if you've got the right item on hand, otherwise stick to the main path above.
  • The final (obvious) shortcut within the apple forest is now a ramp with Springs to launch you towards the last turn! Careful though - on Lap 3, it'll be blocked off (literally).
  • The apples' spawn time is significantly increased, making them much less of a disruptive hazard.
• Items:
  
  • A few floating items are now around to help you in a pinch!
  • Placed the first item set closer to the starting line. Previously, if you wanted to take the bridge shortcut with an item from that set, you had to either slow down before the cut or mash the item button. (Shoutout to Sunflower for originally proposing this fix, that was what first got me thinking about a patch.)
  • Placed the second item set before the half-spiral jump, granting you enough time to roll the right item for the underwater shortcut just ahead.
• New visuals and music!
• Other / Fixes:
  • Now with a subtitle!
  • Updated the friendly greeting when loading in - it's now quieter (at least in OpenGL), its timing is corrected to play as soon as the map appears on-screen, and... new voices!
  • Most rushing water now properly pushes you in its direction.
  • Removed the now-redundant Sneaker Panel from the first big sloped turn.
  • Removed a chunk of the audience members in an effort to improve performance.
  • Fixed a GBJ.
  • Proper signpost placement.
  • Credits are now included in the file itself.
    
    
  • Huh. The Ruby's glow seems different today... Probably just the sun's angle.

This will likely be the final Kart iteration of the country.

As I alluded, this started out as more or less a minor "1.6" patch - fixes here, small adjustments there, and maybe a few new textures before calling it a day - but ideas kept flowing in my head as things went on and this is the result. In a sense, I wanted to modernize the map; for about a year or two I could just kinda tell that the original was crusty, and as I was working on these renovations I realized, yeah, I'm having way more fun now.

Spoiler: Extra Dev Commentary (I can't help being wordy):

One of the focuses of the overhaul is improving catchup. It became apparent to me that the original was too easy for frontrunners; there weren't many opportunities to ruin their day with items, and aside from the bridge (which was tiny and not communicated enough to players), effective shortcuts were sparse. With 2.0 I'm hoping to strike a better balance by granting more ways to both get ahead of and ambush other racers, including first place. I felt so strongly on this that I even considered adding a third item set, but I instead opted for a few floating items to pick up.

Speaking of, it can't be understated how much of a difference floating items, friction fix, panel stacking, and Shi-Springs make. For reasons, I should mention that these addons at least vaguely echo some of Ring Racers' new mechanics, of which I was skeptical about years ago during that game's early previews - but thanks to these mods, my eyes are open. They've helped shape some recent community maps I think are fantastic, and now whenever I play the old Cookie Country I feel dead inside. Huge props to everyone involved in these; without their work, this patch would be a whole lot lamer.

Today marks three years since the original release, and even now I still see the map frequently hosted on servers - thanks for the support! With this upgrade, I'm hoping the country will better stand Kart's test of time.



If you're familiar with me, you might've already noted that this is my first real appearance in the Kart scene in a while. Truth be told, I haven't particularly gone anywhere (besides pouring over 1000 hours in Splatoon) - I can't just abandon one of my favorite games - but until now I've been silent and kept to myself for personal reasons. Still no plans for addons but, from here on, I hope to start stickin' around a bit in public spaces again. Lately I've already resurfaced in-game, and depending on the circumstances and my mood, I might hang on Discord sometimes too; I look forward to the races!

Was hoping I wouldn't have had to do this.

• Patched an exploit.
• Added checkpoints to the end of the bridge cut.

A small take on optimization + a few other minor things.

• To indicate a shortcut that was previously a bit obscure, a new Sneaker sign has been placed next to it.
• Changes have been made to the skybox in a hopeful attempt to make the map's performance better; this includes no longer using FOFs of any sort. I can't guarantee this'll result in success but, eh, worth a shot.
• Minor visual touch-ups, including the clouds now properly being in front of the moon. I am deeply sorry for pointing out the fact that they weren't before.
• New map icon to reflect the updated skybox.
• Some familiar, friendly voices will now greet you upon loading the map!