Track Creator in-Game?

[hunter328]

Hello everyone,

I love racing games. The one feature I've always hoped for the most in one of the racing game series I play is a track creator. I'm not a coder and I don't know 3-D modelling, so while I realize it is possible to create tracks as mods for some games, that's not something I have the prerequisite knowledge to do.

I'm wondering if anyone knows of any racing games, preferably sim or sim-lite style games like Assetto Corsa or Forza, that I might have missed that do actually have a track creator?

I've always wondered why racing games never have a track creator. I've always thought that it didn't seem like that difficult of a thing to include, but with me not being a coder, that's just a guess and I'm most likely incorrect as difficulty is the only reason I can think of as to why it wouldn't be included.

I know I've played games in the past that included track creators, but I can't remember what they were and it's been some time since I've played a newly released racing game with one.

All I it would need in my opinion, would be pre-made selections of track that the user could then adjust the parameters of, it's length, width, changes in elevation, banking, etc., and then connect the pieces together. Pre-made backgrounds/scenery could then be pasted it.
That sounds, to me, like something that wouldn't be difficult to include in a game, but like I said, knowing nothing of programming, I'm likely wrong.

In my opinion though, if a game like AC or Forza, games that are great experiences in all other areas, had such a tool, it would make the game infinitely repayable and constantly feel fresh and exciting, as there would always be new tracks to race on.
Maybe that's the reason games don't include them, needing customers to grow tired of each release in time for the next release.

Anyway, that's more than I intended to write, but if you've stuck around this far and know of any games that have what I'm looking for, or even just thoughts on the subject in general, id love to hear them.

Thank you and have a great day!

 

[jgf]

Only recall two. For N2k3 you can download the "Sandbox" which Sierra used for track creation ...no manual, prone to crash, and you'll haunt forums for assistance, but hundreds of tracks have been made with it. And the ancient (ca 1991) Grand Prix Unlimited had a built in track designer, fairly simple but I never got it to work.

But creating such a tool to include in a sim would greatly extend development time and costs for something which only a few players would use. If too simplistic the internet would be flooded with mediocre, or worse, tracks; if too complex the devs would be flooded with "how to" questions. As it is track creation is possible for every sim of which I'm aware; but it is difficult enough that only those willing to learn the intricacies and nuances are successful, yet easy enough that we have a steady supply of new tracks from those people (I am in awe of how prolific some of them are).

 

[BrunoDSL]

The only game with a comprehensive track editor I can recall is Trackmania, which is more of an arcade racer than anything. On the latest game of the series, you can even create custom pieces with the editor itself for places where the regular parts don't fit.