No customized supports, 3DS, terraformer=Low rates

From my recent discoveries around the site it seems that people dont rate the coaster, rather they rate the customized supports, 3DS, terraformer.....Why might i add?? This is a coasters designers exchange not who can make the best car texture. Now i can understand custom supports because they really make the coaster and in some cases they are needed but why would you take off for someone not having the for mention. If this was RCT then that would be different, but we are here rating someones ablilty to creat an awsome ride not a cool station.

I look around the site and i see some kinda bland coasters, but they have some good 3DS or terraforming. Needless to say they have higher ratings. But i see just a coaster by itself and people complain that it lacks atleast one of the three. So my question to you is are we being side tracked from the nature of the game a roller coaster simulator or does it infact make the coaster what it is...........

[Kev]

I've seen this argument before, and I must say that I completely disagree with it. Yes, it is a coaster simulator, but it is a coaster simulator with many capabilities. If we are provided the capabilities to improve the overall experience to the ride, then why not use them? I know many argue that everybody doesn't have the skills to make custom 3ds models and whatnot, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't at least try. I personally suck at making custom supports, and have VERY limited skills with 3d modelling, but it's still kind of fun trying to get better at it. I do understand your point about the extras hiding poor coaster building skills though. I personally have a few rides uploaded here that are themed and they have received very high scores. I sometimes wonder what actually was being rated; the coaster itself, the theming itself, or both.

Here's something to think about: What's your favorite real life coaster? When you go to the park to ride your favorite coaster, is it sitting in an empty green field with no trees, queue lines, nearby buildings, etc? My guess is that it is probably not.

My two cents. [:D]

Originally posted by Kev

If we are provided the capabilities to improve the overall experience to the ride, then why not use them?

Maybe because some people can't use these things!

I don't have any programs to create 3DS files and my terraformer doesn't work. If I use trees I can't always run the coaster at a decent FPS so I don't want to use them. Should this affect how people rate my coasters? IMO this would be a little unfair. And I don't think I'm the only one who can't use these things.[;)]

I persoanly only tend to look at the coaster and not all the extras. However i give extra marks for custom supports, gernal themeing (trees) etc and also terraforming. I tend not to rate on 3dsas mosr people cant build 3ds putting them at an unfair disadvantage, however lots of 3ds themeing does add to the ride and give it a kind of atmosphere i.e. Nemesis, so extra may be awarded then

Originally posted by Kev

Here's something to think about: What's your favorite real life coaster? When you go to the park to ride your favorite coaster, is it sitting in an empty green field with no trees, queue lines, nearby buildings, etc? My guess is that it is probably not.

My two cents. [:D]

Some of my favorite coaster are the ones that uses natural surroundings like BORG assimilator, Top gun-the jet coaster, and georgia cyclone. However it does have the que and stuff (what coaster doesnt??) But im here to show off my skills in the coaster designing department not how well i can customize a station or how well i can make a mountian. But what im saying is that alot of people have seem to gotten stuck in the world of 3DS and put more focus in them vs the actual coaster. I mean if you can do them then go for it but im not gonna learn something else that doesnt even pertain to coaster designing (in my opinion).

Heres something to think about: When contacting a coaster company do you tell them what themeing you want or do you tell them the type of coaster and contact someone who deals w/ themeing and tell them the themeing you want? My guess is the coaster company is just responsible for the coaster and someone else has to do the themeing........

ANd that my friends is what im here for: to make coasters.

[Kev]

Jarmor1, I certainly respect your opinions about this. I hope you didn't think that I didn't. I know a lot of people feel the same way as you about it too. Still, if I download a coaster from you or anybody else and I feel that it could be enhanced by some sort of simple themeing, or even just a few trees, I will say something about it in my rating comments. I probably wouldn't deduct for it though, and if I did, it would only be about .5 points in the adrenaline or originality category.

Something else to think about for those that don't know how to use 3d programs is that there are many free objects on the internet that can be used. You don't have to know how to use 3d modelling programs to put them into your coaster.

I mean i would like to "enhance" my coasters because right now w/o the 3DS i still get an average rating of 7.5 so i feel that dang good for just a coaster alone. where would i find the 3DS online??

[Kev]

I just looked at the rating comments for your last coaster, and I now understand why we are having this discussion. Keep in mind that most people are not that harsh about not having any themeing.

To answer your question, you can find free 3d objects at www.3dcafe.com , www.3dmodelz.com , and a whole bunch of other sites. Do a google search for what you are looking for and you may be able to find it. There's also some stuff at www.coastercandy.com made by other NL users. Most peeps don't mind if you use their objects so long as you credit them for it, but there are a few that want you to ask first.

Hope this helps!

[Kev]

Here's another good one to have: http://d1jlserver.dnsalias.net/CCDev2/p ... fm?fid=338 . Rtgenxr put together a package of textures and simple objects that can be used to build stuff in your track file. You don't have to ask him before using it, but don't forget to credit him. [:)]

Well I agree with Kev in his opinion about this topic

I would never rate down for the lack of terraforming or theming. If the coaster itself is good, it gets a good rate. If it is bad it get's a low rate. Downrating a ride because it doesn't come with those enhancements would be silly IMO as you can't rate down for something that's not there to begin with.
BUT if there is theming or terraforming it can have an impact on the overall score. Theming can both, raise the score or lower it.
For example... If there is a decent coaster but it uses extensive scenery with 100,000+polys and/or terrain with extra high detail that wasn't really needed and therefor gives me bad fps, it's likely that part of the score (the technical and to some extend the adrenaline part)is being lowered, because the ride would have been better without it.
If there is a good coaster on the other hand, which is enhanced tremendously by clever theming (not bogging down the CPU) then part of the rating is likely to get higher.

Conclusion: If you are about to theme or terraform your ride, take care about fps.

Buster.

I won't really count it down, but I think normal coasters are like sand at the sea, there are a lot of them...

@ FPS: Oh my god, how often should I hear that. Ok Poseidon has got a low FPS-Rate, but hey, the scenery is looking nearly the original.

Bino

Originally posted by jarmor1

I mean i would like to "enhance" my coasters because right now w/o the 3DS i still get an average rating of 7.5 so i feel that dang good for just a coaster alone. where would i find the 3DS online??

Here are some good links:

http://3dgraphics.about.com/library/wee ... toz3ds.htm
http://3dgraphics.about.com/gi/dynamic/ ... horror.asp
http://d1jlserver.dnsalias.net/CCDev2/p ... fm?cid=102
But you can use software to make them by yourself, I recommend Anim8or, cause it's easy, free, small size (like 0,8 mb or something) and advanced.

Roel

[coolbeans326]

I put "Well, they help but they dont reflect my rate" cuz, really wat I makes a coaster good is the adrenaline, and those things help, but yes we should be rating the coaster more than the extra work, I know I'm guilty of rating the 3DS on some rides like Megablast, but sometimes I feel that the work involved should help a little, but I'm now gonna set up a rating system for RCT2 and NL, kinda like what DJ-Javixxx has, but the ratings may fluctuate depending on what I think, in case if my guidlines aren't working for me. But yeah, rating should be depended more on the coaster, except when doing a recreation, 3DS should be looked at to help with the score, on account of, it makes it more accurate.