I am close to changing my mind about conversions...

I now understand how it does the community a disservice to create a sloppy conversion, especially if you don't communicate your intentions regarding whether you are continuing or no longer making improvements to your track. All you are doing is de-motivating someone else from doing a proper version because they don't know whether you are finished or not and don't want to waste their time duplicating work. So all you modders that have created crappy conversions at least let us know whether you are done or not. Not much to ask.

 

The way this have been said might offend some modders, but I'm no such person...

I have to agree here... I avoid conversions like plague too. They make rf2 looks like rf1... Plus most of these tracks are rough to ride on... They feels uneven and the ffb makes it looks like we are riding offroad.

It also gives a bad image about rf2.

What we need is tracks carefully done for rf2, like feels3 tracks. Those are pretty much the same level of quality as the isi stuff.

Quality over quantity any day!

 

I agree, lets restrict how people make stuff for rfactor2, we need a system where crap is being removed on forehand, a committee whom decides what is good and what is not. and most of all, lets hammer down people right away whom are trying to do something for the first time.

Lord knows we don't need people experimenting. Sure, they might create the most awesome stuff in 2 years for us and make rf2 even better but why wait for that? we aint even got the patience to wait for the professionals.

So lets restrict this open community right now!, and lets start with kknorpp001's threads

 

I can not agree more, may sound rude, but is the truth. I saw some people complaining about some bad quality conversions. I don't care about It, just I don't download... if someone want to race on It, nice! people is free to create what they want and race where they want. But sometimes I feel like some people (not all), make fast conversions with any care and dedication, and then they forgot their own work as if nothing.

And please, don't attack me saying that some "fast conversions" I'm seeing has some kind of work or effort. In my league there are two friends with any 3D knowledge that converted to test 3 different tracks with the same quality than a lot of "released" tracks that they done in few hours (the second track in only some clicks), trying to retexturize it and do something better. They left the work and didn't released fast converted tracks (Cartagena one of them) to let experts do better tracks because they weren't able to work deeply, they felt bad releasing uncompleted works.

I ask to be clear about goals creating those tracks, and if are only fast conversions indicate It to allow big modders work in great projects. I hope to see more movement in track modeling soon!

PS: I'm not searching all work must be done as feels3 or tuttle tracks, McNolo (mandeglor) is a good example of work/quality balance, doesn't matter if them were legal or illegal, i'm talking about quality. His tracks doesn't looks like Poznan or Croft, but are playable and close to rF2 standards, you don't feel as you were playing rF1 with his tracks...

 

Amazed that some modders look at there low quality conversion and think its worth sharing. Some look worst than rf1.

 

Denstjiro, some works are not "first experiment", are only people that do 4 click conversions (I repeat, not everyone), you can do It, I can do It, and almost everyone can do It following SPASKIS tutorial... and most of this guys doesn't show any interest to improve or do something with care and work.

This people should let us to know if their work is finished or they are going to improve It. But I think that kind of work is forgotten sooner or later. As I said before, I hope to see 3D masters do all they like and all they know as before, at least talking about tracks or I will spend my summer becoming a 3D master muahahaha (dreaming it's free!!)

 

You just answered your own question I guess.
The good stuff with rise to the surface anyways and prolly shine even more compared to silly conversions. heck, the good stuff might even encourage others to try better in their next project.

Restricting an open community (how btw?) is a killer by default, because it wont stop. whom is to judge what is good enough or not?
For example that Nordschleife conversion we have. you guys want to stop this guy from working his thing. others are just frigging happy they at least got 'a' Nordschleife this early in the game......

And whom is to say an easy choice by a starting modder today, doesn't give us something mindblowing next year? simply because we have been encouraging him?
You really want to start judging people on bad content and risk them shying away from further experimenting?
Don't like it, don't use it.

 

If you don't like it just leave it on the side of the plate, dear.

 

I have to agree with those that say that if you don't like a track conversion, then don't download it. Sure bad conversions might slow down the release of a quality conversion or scratch built track, but it isn't going to prevent it at all. Most likely the good modders will wait a little to see if there is any improvement and do their own once they see that the modder isn't doing anything further to improve it.

I say stay out of the way of modders and let them do their thing, the community will eventually show the good ones they are appreciated by downloading their tracks.

 

Tracks and cars conversion is the death of rfactor2! look how many track conversions we have already and most of them are garbage! The only decent conversions that we had are from Virtual_LM team( Med-Ohio Sebring)!

 

I also avoid conversions.

rF2 is a new game that deserves new content.

 

Couldn't agree more with you and the above comments. It's the reason I didn't bother converting my track as rF2 deserves every chance it can get with good quality mods.

I'm not knocking R1cho for converting my track (we have a much better relationship now than we did at the start) or anyone else for that matter, but personally I don't even bother looking at them unless they are of rF2 quality. So what if I only have a hand full of race tracks on my hard drive, at least the ones I do have are worth having.

 

People can achieve the same poor quality doing scratch work as they can doing a quick conversion.

There will always be lower quality stuff around, but some of the people who start with that stuff will learn and move onto better things. It seems to me the less committed ones will have more chance of actually producing something and continuing to learn if they start with conversions.

I don't quite get why a poor quality track being out there stops anyone else from producing the same track. If a sloppy conversion can be done with "a few clicks" and in a short time, I wouldn't have thought a skilled person would need that much more time to bring the standard up a bit. And if you want to go higher you would basically do it from scratch instead - something someone who's done a conversion probably isn't going to do, so there's little chance of duplication.

And if one person does a track from scratch, and another does, what damage is done? Lost time I suppose, but that's about it isn't it?

If there's a track out there and you think you can do better, do you say, "well they've already done it so I can't," like they have some sort of copyright on it? Doesn't make any sense to me.

 

Just like crappy conversions also Spaskis' tutorial needs improvement. It should also show how to refine track surface mesh for rF2's physics engine. Worst thing about conversions is they are usually ridiculously bumpy and therefore unrealistic/undrivable. Graphics quality isn't that important because this is RACING simulation. Of course graphics should be at good level too but first things first!

BTW haven't seen Spaskis' guide so I'm just assuming it doesn't tell how to fix road mesh.

 

Change your mind, don't change it, it's up to you, but everyone else is entitled to their opinion as well, and also entitled to learn by having a go. And because they have had a try, even if it may be lower quality, some of those people will go on to produce high quality mods and tracks that you and I will want to download and use. Poorer quality tracks can also encourage others to want to do better, rather than stop them.
I download, I have a look, if I don't like it I move on. In the long term, if rF2 is anything like rF1 has been, then it will easily outlive the bad tracks and we will slowly see more and more choice. Let's NOT try and obstruct this progress and choice before it even gets started. People are quite capable of deciding for themselves whether they are happy with the quality or not.
If I ever manage to complete my mod, (which may not happen as I am finding it very challenging and time consuming) I would not want to do you a 'disservice', so I must be sure to put a note on it warning you not to download it in case you don't approve.

 

Yeah, lets discourage the new modders who are learning.
Then, when the good ones are tired of working for free for a community like this, or are hired by ISI, Simbin, etc, we'll be left with the geniuses that think that conversions are the death of rF2, while it's the aforementioned geniuses that are the biggest threat to the community.

 

I dont mind conversions, I have the will power to not download something and to delete after install if I feel it's not very good. Conversions will ALWAYS happen and in every Sim (bar iRacing!) so there's no point getting all in a huff about it and ranting and raving, either chose to ignore them or accept they are there and deal with it.

Having said that I do HATE it when Track conversions or even scratch made tracks are forgotten about by the track converter/maker after a version or two when there are errors or blatant improvements to be made. "Oh i'm working on a new track so might go back to this track one day" (that means no) or "nope sorry wont touch this track again" even though the AIW is horrid or theres a glaring graphical error....pet hate that!

 

I hate the rubbish conversions,which is 95% of tracks released currently. But can't see how anything can be done apart from actively say so in release threads (or threads like these i suppose).

The only good tracks are tuttles, feels3 and virtuaLM, almost all others are rubbish so far. There may be one or two that are quite good, but because of the massive amount of rubbish out there i rarely try new tracks now unless i see people rating it highly.

 

Agreed +1

Too much unfinished stuff out there. Surely partially because of the state of the rf2 where modders are just waiting for updates.

I think there is also good conversions out there. Like Toban, Topeka and Orchard lake to name few.

I have also enjoyed some of the scracth made fantasy tracks (Euskotracks mainly).

 

Don't download those stuff!!!! Internet is full of viruses do you want to just put an end to Internet??? Makes no sense, if its bad quality don't download or uninstall that's all. At some point all those mods will get noted and for sure some will disapear, that's kind of a darwing law

I have never download non ISI stuff, I'm quite happy this way