- Author Starman91
- Creation date
It's weird to think that at some point, the end would actually arrive.
Marking the end to all patches to this map pack (not counting possible emergency fixes), the Spark Cup reaches Version 3, and thus, the end of its maintenance, at least from me. Thanks to the input of multiple people, including Alug and Sunflower, as well as exhaustive testing, this final patch includes two main new changes.
First up, Ironbed River has now become Ironbed Descent.
When I first started creating this sprint map, I think it was my wish to make something that would go through as many different settings in a single track as possible, all bound by a single connecting thread, in this case, the river. I could not explain why I wanted this, but my doubts were dispelled when I saw Tyron playing OutRun 2 - a simple arcade racing game with more soul than entire AAA games simply because of how it chose to display its glamour. This doesn't come close to the wild swings of that game, but I hope first time players can get a similar feeling, as well as those who are first discovering this new section (assuming you haven't played a version of this earlier).
The second addition is Flower Coast Zone (MAPJ0), a map originally made in 2018 by TrustyGun and remade in 2020.
Yes, that wall over there is finally a wall. It was a cute, simple map that deserves to be packed in with this one. Apart from that, almost no other changes have been made in the hopes of keeping this cute relic of the very first ever custom tracks made for SRB2K V1.0 alive. Thank you again to TrustyGun for allowing me to remake the map, as well as Mr. Logan for the minimap.
As always, every other change, including some very much needed fixes and the addition of a better skybox to some maps, will appear in the (hopefully final) changelog. This patch was made with the intention of keeping this map pack alive and hopefully to see how it can still stand up on its own compared to the amazing new maps that have been made over the years. Obviously, nothing is guaranteed, but can you imagine?
With this, the Spark Cup, as it was first envisioned by me, comes to an end. Thank you everyone for supporting me in this journey, and let me know your thoughts and opinions on this!
Cheers, and have fun,
Starman91
Hello, everyone.
Kart (as we know it) just turned 5 years old a few days ago. For a period of time, this game was the best outlet for my creative efforts, and mapping became incredibly fun, if also frustrating at times. Eventually, it all went well and I released something I'm very proud of, even today!
However, I've since moved onto other places and communities, and while coming back to lurk every once in a while is incredibly fun, I don't find myself in the place to return to mapping, probably at all... Thus, this is the end of updating.
Left in the oven was a remake of Ironbed River, featuring a new, fourth section located in a desert, as well as grindrails and gliders, that would have taken place between section 1 and section 2. The last section of the map would have also been revamped to include a glider section in an area near the water in order to simulate the feeling of a "swimming" motion, almost like the hovercraft maps in Diddy Kong Racing, as well as splitting the path into 2 (or even 3) parts. The thing eventually fell apart because I am simply unable to decorate things well... But the technical parts of it should work!
Also left in an unfinished state was a map meant to occupy slot VG in the future: Radiation Zone. It was meant to be a map which changed layouts every lap, taking place in a nuclear factory about to explode, featuring a timed mechanic and a lua mechanic where a meter built up with time, messing over your UI the same way nuclear radiation messes over video footage, eventually reaching scary levels (by corrupting your item slot and giving you "fake" items that you couldn't use, such as 99x sneakers or a single ring.) You could get rid of this meter by dipping into water. The plan was scrapped, in the, end, simply because I was biting way more than what I could chew.
My maps have never been in a perfect state. There are a lot of points, especially in the older maps, where a lot of people would like to step in and maybe fix things in order for these maps to still be played in online servers today, even as the mapping level increases each year (seriously, I've seen some FANTASTIC STUFF out there!)
As such, I'm making this pack REUSABLE!
I put my trust in you to change and fix the tracks as much as you want! Simply contact me (@star6w5 on Discord) in order to get every backup that I have, including some textures, as well as Ironbed River's Remake and what's barely there of Radiation Zone.
If there is ever a version of the pack fixed by you all that you would like me to post here again, please let me know and I will do that! Until then... My road splits apart, but I can confidently say that it's been one of the most fun experiences of my life. With Ring Racers around the corner, I also give explicit permission to anyone who wishes to port my tracks there with any modifications necessary.
Even then, as Tyron said, Kart will never die. Instead, we're about to get a second cake, one that, just like this one, seems like you can never run out of.
Cheers, and have fun,
Starman91
Good evening! It's been a long while, hasn't it?
After beating this recent burnout, and in the span of just a few days, I've been able to throw another update! Not the huge new track (or remake of that other track) people were maybe expecting, but instead, it's the turn to give a facelift to my very first track: Magical Monolith!
Inspired by stuff like the Caverns of Time in World of Warcraft, this track now goes all out with the non-sensical geometry and weird "portals" towards the outside of the mountain, playing heavily with thok barriers and making this otherwise very technical, compact track feel expansive. A few new zones have been added, as well as a new intro music, inspired by the level starts in "Need for Madness", the game this track takes its music from.
Apart of that, a few more bug fixes concerning Cerulean Riviera, Touge, and also, the addition of Magical Monolith Classic! The very first version of the map, when it was released as a standalone, as a memento of older times. It also includes new music, which was the original track I had during music testing before changing it to what it is now.
For the next one... Maybe? Ironbed River and Submerged Shipwreck may get some touches. The very last "new" track will be the last of the whole pack. Until then, I hope everything goes okay! It's good to be here again!
Greetings!
This update is meant to be another transition update that brings the maps from the original Spark Cup into a new level by mostly giving them a needed coat of paint. Today's turn is Cerulean Riviera!
The Monaco-based track now boasts a slightly altered layout that's generally wider and friendlier towards players, and it features more flare and less gray railings and floors! In addition, the casino visuals have been updated and Lap 3 adds fireworks to the mix to make racing here a thrilling experience! Try it out and don't forget that any ads, banners or other creations you want to be seen always have a space here!
In other news, Touge Zone has been fixed! No more skipping sections by looping backwards, accidentally or not. Nothing I can promise about GBJs, but the map Hell version isn't meant to be serious anyway. Enjoy the jank!
By request of the original author, Unusual_Infuriation, the original version of Touge that they refined has been finished and given a bit of the MOBJSCALE treatment. It can be found if you download KR_TougeOriginal, and loading it after loading the Spark Cup will bring this slightly refined Touge out of Map Hell so you can play it more often in the way the original mapper intended. Thanks to them again for creating this gem!
As always, the full changelog can be seen in the overview post. Massive thanks to everyone who helped improve the pack! Next update, 2.7, will finally feature a reworked Ironbed and bring it to its final state. Cheers!
Surprise!
It's been a while. Today I release the Spark Cup V2.6, with some significant changes, including the separation between race and battle (See the battle map in a different file), no more dynmusic in favor of native Encore music, some minor changes to most tracks... And the addition of a certain legendary track, Touge Zone, by Unusual_Infuriation, into Map Hell (as MAPVJ). Remember that this track is meant to break all general mapping conventions, so take it as it is for how fun it is to drive there, rather than the map's objective quality.
This update also marks the start of the end. Depending on how soon is "soon", some maps will stop being updated for good. Sweet Wonderland, Sloppy Sludge, Submerged Shipwreck Mini, Sound Insanity and the newly added Touge are good to stay like this until the end, lest an egregious mishap has happened during the update process. My time as a mapper will soon end (since other things do pop up) but needless to say, this was fun!
As such, here's a story about Touge.
More than a year ago, a Discord user by the name of Unusual_Infuriation approached me with general questions about mapping. After finishing their first test track, a simple oval, they went on with their first true map, which, bravely enough, happened to be a sprint track, something very few people attempt to do on their first map due to how much longer it takes to make a sprint map compared to a traditional lap track, plus the added difficulty and a new mapper.
This track was based on traditional curved mountain roads in Japan, whose setting for drift-based racing has inspired media like Initial D and Ridge Racer. This kind of racing is known as "Tōge" ['toʊge], most commonly known as Touge. It's a racing discipline where the racer has to fight the track itself, with unending turns and drifts as they flow through the narrow and curvy mountain roads.
On July 31st, 2020, I received the first (unfinished) build of Touge Zone, by Unusual_Infuriation, for me to comment and review.
It was the absolute craziest track I've ever been in.
In a crazy fit of "what the fuck am I even doing", I decided to recommend Unusual_Infuriation to submit the map to Jartcast, Tyron and co.'s SRB2K mapping podcast / map review. Although some of the more egregious parts at the start were fixed compared to the first build, the map was still, by far, way too unfinished and unplayable by normal standards to be compared to the more traditional, objectively playable tracks that often made their appearance on the podcast.
This is what happened in Jartcast, Season 1, Episode 11, when Unusual_Infuriation's map was revealed. First looks start at 1:47:59, gameplay at 2:59:44.
The track quickly became the stream's highlight and spawned lots of fun talk, commentary and even an emote, still used in the Jartcast / :D? / hyuu.cc Discord server today.
Far from being discouraged by the laughs, Unusual_Infuriation finished the track (although it was still missing checkpoints and waypoints) and sent it to Jartcast for the next episode. It featured a proper ending, featuring buildings, and an improved layout, which thanks to MOBJSCALE, made it more playable as well by traditional standards.
Here's what happened in Jartcast, Season 1, Episode 12. First looks start at 2:31:47, gameplay at 4:08:30.
After this, the map was more or less finished, but was never published. The reasons as to why are unknown.
Touge Zone is part of a select group of maps that are considered so "bad" that they have become revered by the community as one of those special tracks where racing through it is fun in its own way. In this case, it's due to the extremely narrow roads, brutal drops, wild use of long ramps, topped off with a well known Touge-related music track turned into a crusty MIDI and the... Unusual way everything boiled together into a perfect storm of kart madness.
As Tyron and company state in the podcast, no one here intends to laugh at the creator. The act of submitting this track in this state TWICE is a sign of extreme bravery and a gesture that now transcends what was funny at the time and has become a staple of the SRB2K V1 Kart community.
"Tyron: People are losing their fucking minds because this breaks every single established rule of mapping that any of us are familiar with.
Chengi: And in spite of that, it can continue to slap.
Tyron: Because, t-the fucking soul of humor -the engine that makes shit funny- is subverting your expectations. And ho fucking boy does this do that."
[Jartcast, S1E11]
This version of Touge Zone is an amalgamation of the very first draft sent by Unusual_Infuriation, and the two versions seen in Jartcast, with some elements added by myself in an attempt to keep the map jank from start to end. IN NO WAY is this meant for normal play, and in fact, this is more to be taken as an obstacle course, which is the reason this is in Map Hell. All in all, this is a unique take on the track itself, one that Unusual_Infuration has all rights to take down, edit, or release for themselves, should they see this post.
I hope you enjoy the experience, and look forward to more updates!
