How has NOBODY rated your pack yet?! Let's fix it.
I rate each map based on visuals (how does it look visually? is it clear where to go? etc) and gameplay balance (is it fun to drive? are there any problematic cuts / item sets? etc). While I give every map individual scores, note that the final score is NOT an average of these scores but rather my opinion on the pack as a full package, usually weighing gameplay balance more heavily than visuals. If a map pack is updated, I'll be happy to update my review as well. Hell maps are not included in my review.
- DOS Zone -
Visuals: ★★★☆☆
Balance: ★★★☆☆
DOS Zone is a tight, chaotic 4-lapper that tends to provide a really fun time. I can imagine the black/white theme of this track being really hard to pull off well, but you've managed and it looks pretty good. The first ramp is pretty steep and it's hard to see where you're going on your first time through, but it's pretty minor and other than that there are no particular problem spots.
The item sets are placed a little weirdly: item sets 1 & 2 and item sets 3 & 4 are but a mere 5-6 seconds away from each other. Personally I feel like the item sets could be moved around a bit or one could even be removed; 4 item sets for a course that's 25-30 seconds per lap on normal speed seems a bit much.
The shortcut near the end has been nerfed from previous iterations which is a real positive, but still feels a little awkward - I guess it needs 2 sneakers now? I wonder if it'd be worth just blocking it off and introducing a new cut on the raised turn in that same section that just requires one sneaker, maybe some offroad or a small ramp or something. Nothing too strong since it's nearing the end. Overall, this is a pretty good track.
- Frosted Flower -
Visuals: ★★★☆☆
Balance: ★☆☆☆☆
Definitely the weakest track in this pack, in my opinion. Visually the map is clear to read and looks good, if a bit plain. When compared to your other tracks, it does fall behind a bit, but it stands well enough on its own.
This map suffers from various gameplay balance issues, most notably the "split path" issue: the item sets are set on split paths, which means that even if 1st and 2nd have traversed about the same amount of distance on the track, if they are on separate paths the game will think there is actually a huge gap between the two. It then calculates item odds in this fashion, giving 2nd place sneakers or potentially even a power item such as invincibility. As a result, racing on Frosted Flower often feels like a crapshoot, where you're at the mercy of item odds.
Moving the item set to a location so that it finishes rolling where players are gauranteed to still be together would solve the biggest balance issue this track has. If you can also find a place to add a shortcut somewhere (but not near the end of course), that would also be a cool addition, though I can imagine that'd be hard if you want to keep the theme of the map being shaped like a flower (cool idea!).
- The Untitled Forest -
Visuals: ★★★★★
Balance: ★★★★★
BANGER MAP ALERT!!! I still remember when Untitled Forest had vanilla textures and a simpler layout back in the day. This map has gotten such a huge upgrade, it's honestly incredible, and this new iteration is one of my absolute favorite custom maps. Looks beautiful, easy to read, banger music, what more could you ask for? I just wish it lasted longer, since it's a little on the short side.
All I have for balance concerns is pretty much just nitpicks. There is a cut hidden near the end, but it feels unnecessary. I think it might be faster to just use a sneaker to cut the small bit of off-road near the ramp on the normal route. The fact that there is an item set right before said cut also means there aren't many scenarios where you'd realistically take it. I could see it being useful in a slipstream scenario because of the boost pads - but then it's just an end cut, and those are generally bad for a competitive gameplay experience. I don't think the existence of this cut hurts the map much because, again, it doesn't really save any time.
- Home Base -
Visuals: ★★★★★
Balance: ★★★★☆
A tight map with narrow roads that feels built for close-quarters combat. I love it! Visually, the map's a dream. Despite its tight turns it reads very well and it's easy to see where one is going, and even on turns where there might be a chance of misreading them you've put horizontal springs on the walls to correct people. Awesome work.
The usage of springs does come with an issue: it's pretty easy to go in between them. There's no harm in placing a few extra springs here and there to avoid this! The mandatory horizontal spring wall near the end has an especially high "well, I guess I missed it" count. Maybe marking this particular wall as a bouncy wall so people don't bonk off it might be worth trying out.
Speaking of the final stretch, people bonking each other in this area is pretty common, and people often end up on one of the ledges. Some of these are tagged as death planes, but landing on them wouldn't necessarily be a race ender. It would definitely be worth it just making these regular road instead.
Lastly, anyone reading this: play Snap the Sentinel, it's good.
- Azure Lake -
Visuals: ★★★★★
Balance: ★★★★★
This is it: the essence of high lap count tracks. A tricky, surprisingly varied layout with some room for improvisation and just the right length, too. And again, you're knocking it out of the park with these visuals. Honestly, I don't have much to say on this one - I really enjoy every race on it, it's always fun and chaotic. If there's one thing to mention it's that the one offroad cut near the start feels a bit awkward to take at times. Great map.
- Gigapolis -
Visuals: ★★★★☆
Balance: ★★★☆☆
Gigapolis is a relatively simple but fun and engaging 4-lapper. The visuals aren't too complex but look good and convey things well. In a sense it actually feels pretty similar to DOS Zone, in a good way.
The main thing that hurts this track is the lack of shortcuts or any meaningful way to catch up to those ahead of you. The track is really fun when players are close together and duking it out, but this doesn't often last long. With a lack of shortcuts, players naturally start spreading out with one person frontrunning way ahead of the rest, and it really shows. Other than that, it's a sweet technical track.
- A Lovelier Afternoon -
Visuals: ★★★☆☆
Balance: ★★★☆☆
Oh man, this map is SUCH a vibe. I believe it's a remake of another map, but I'm not too familiar with the original, so I'll rate this without faithfulness in mind.
I love the autumn theming, and the music picked is a real jam - this map is just a must-pick for me when it pops up simply because of the cozy vibes. However, I do think it's got some issues. The fact that the "offroad" is not actually offroad just feels a little awkward, especially because it really does read as offroad. If you want to keep that, maybe consider a section early on where driving over it is mandatory just to let players know they don't *have* to follow the road. You might also just want to make it offroad, as that would allow for a much easier time creating cuts. Speaking of...
There are no real cuts in here except the one at the very end, which - well, it's an end cut, so it mostly exists for people to steal well-deserved, fought-for wins with a lucky item. It's a small cut so this is a rare occurence, but I don't really think it needs to exist - not to mention that the texture used for the grass inside the cut is the same texture that is *not* offroad on the rest of the track, and it's easy to get stuck in. It would be nice if you could find some other spots on the map to introduce cuts to combat frontrunning, and remove that last one.
Lastly, on the upper path, there is a small pillar that's really hard to spot and easy to bump into. Not ideal. Still, I have a real weak for the map due to its theming, so despite its issues it's still one of my favorites.
- Overall -
Ωmega Tracks is a high quality map pack with a varied selection of maps ranging from decent to incredible. With some polish on the older stuff and some minor corrections here and there I'd have absolutely nothing to complain about. As it stands, I think this pack is an absolute no-brainer must-have for any server host. Grab it, it's really good!
