Suggest a featured track!

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Okay, seeing as I need to get up in the morning and this thread seems to have some serious mixed thoughts on this subject, why not make a long post about my opinion yay

Let me first start off by saying that I can get where you guys are coming from to say that the bar for features should be lowered. It helps newer artists aspire to be better, makes people say 'I truthfully can get to that level' and everyone is supposed to try to get this feat of trackmaking. However, this also the idea's downfall.

Everyone is stating the obvious that the people that are already here have worked their absolute ass off to make tracks, whether or not it was for a feature. We're all here because we love the community, the creativity and challenge of making tracks in just two colors, and finding out tricks to get better and hone our craft. The Featured tracks (at least for me anyway) are a way of separating the absolute cream of the crop from the other tracks that aren't painstakingly made for weeks on end. So seeing that someone's track that they only spent a couple of days making on the same level as lolz's masterpieces just isn't fair to either side.

Now everyone has many different ideas about what should be featured and not, but having a smaller amount of tracks that are just astonishing to look at instead of a ton of tracks that are wildly good and not so good seems to be a better idea. I could tie this into the idea that 'everybody wins', which makes the people that really strive to be good feel really let down for trying so hard and getting nothing more out of the experience. This way is certainly not fair to the people that really really care about this game, that try to make the track that they are proud of and can really be considered great.

I remember when I was making my first track, Dive, and finishing it was one of the biggest things in my life at the time. Getting this 'colossal' track out and ranking in a contest was really big, and I thought I even had a shot at a feature. When it didn't come, I was obviously disappointed, but then I said 'I'll just try harder.' and was determined to get better. That's what we should have in this game, that determination to say that I want to be the best there ever was and try as hard as you can to realize that dream. If I had gotten the feature right then and there, my trackmaking now would be radically different. I would have said 'Well this is fine, I can keep this up all day' and pumped out crappy track after track. This is obviously not a good thing, and I would never have become the person or the author I am today.

If we make it so the mediocre tracks get recognition for being better than average, it will give the name of 'Featured Track', which has been so highly recognized until now a meaningless title. Putting all of that work and all of that time into something will become meaningless to the people that try to be the best, and then those people will quit. Keeping us determined, keeping the way of really trying as hard as we can to get better is the only way that this community can get better.

Here's a clip from an amazing movie called Whiplash, that honestly just sums up all of my points. There is a bit of profanity, so be warned. There's also a bit of talking about jazz figures, if you're interested look them up, they're amazing artists as well.


So to sum up, lowering the bar for Features is a really really bad idea. This whole community has grown from artists competing and collaborating with each other to get better, to further their prowess creatively and artistically. Making it so anyone can easily get the fabled feature kills motivation for everyone that could potentially be the best this game has ever seen, which would be a shame. If you peoples with the power could use this idea, it would be the better way in the long run for sure. And if you actually read this entire thing, thanks

 

No people left during CR due to low featuing standards. TM didn't even have a featured list, but was the birth ground of the majority of the best trackmakers back then (arguably, but IMO).
Hopefully (and most likely) people play this game because they enjoy it. If lowering the featured tracks' standards makes you demotivated, then you don't enjoy this game enough to even get a featured track in the first place (getting your track featured can't be your only reason for playing this game).
In my opinion, the featured tracks list, needs to be an encouragement to everyone, and not a place for a select forum-few to have their ego nurtured. The list has met little interest, except with the trackmaking elite that roams the community.
I personally wish for it to be a place where we promote people who put solid effort into their tracks, and motivate them to continuing to do so. IO I want more people to become encouraged to stay around and evolve, which in the end will lead to the breeding of alot more greater tracks and trackmakers than we have now (which is at an all time low).

In addition to that, the list was almost dead, due to a lack of tracks that met the standards. There could be months between a feature. I have been opposing the whole featured tracks system since day 1, and I consider this a personal victory (eventhough it was a decission made in plenum among the feature mods, of which not one person opposed, but rather agreed to the suggestion).

That being said, I believe char is open for a stricter new list in a hall of fame sort-of style, from what I remember. Something I too wish for.

 

I enjoy reading these, the cause behind the issue you touched on is that because of this new system our individual featuring will reflect more of our personal agendas in what we think feature page should be. Of course all us mods are gonna have different interpretations to feature page, but since we are all well aware of what it initially was meant to be standards won't be dropped drastically low, feat should still be an achievement for many. With this system tracks can just as be easily unfeatured as they are featured.

I share similar thoughts towards you in wanting a best of the best section that is apart from being subjected by any secondary, indirect motives such as using feach as encouragement or whatnot. But atm it is probably better to encourage others and promote future trackmakers, especially since older members are beginning to or have moved on, away from this game. I think the amazing aspect of FR is really from the great works people have made, w/o it FR certainly would not be anything special. So we should cultivate new talent and I think this is the way of doing so. Anyways Char did mention that he will likely look into a future alternative to representing what feat. page used to be.

 

I agree with both of these points and I think that is where Epic Author or some similar title should come in. It has to be a standard that everyone agrees is awesome and should come from consistent tracks of the highest quality. These authors should be held up as an example for others of great track making (maybe in a list consisting of only their tracks), they should be voted in by the entire community and get in with 90% yes votes. To me there are only 4 authors who are at this level, but many more are close, Maple Max007x Stig and lolz666

 

I just think it's ridiculous that if you're going to lower the standard but not feature all the tracks that are really good, and instead feature an incredibly cruddy, low-quality one. That's not being fair; infact it's actually quite the opposite. People won't try to grow to fit the standard (leading to more sh*tty tracks) and you'll piss off the people who make glorious artwork.

 

tl;dr @almost all of this page

 

well cuz it is easier to make a featured track, I am Officially trying to make one starting now,

 

CO3 me x mmi http://www.freeriderhd.com/t/239108-co

Last great track either of us will release. Very fun and interesting track design. Good detail. No shame in suggesting my own.

Voyager max and ness http://www.freeriderhd.com/t/239062-voyager-ft-ness

Fun and original track design. The alien makes the track seem alive. Detailed well.

 

CO3 I'm still looking over (I.e. I need to play it) but please don't suggest your own and don't tell me what it is about your own pls. e; I played as much as I can. Tbh it's easier and better than the 2nd one so I'm featuring it.

Voyager for me is too short and not large enough to be featured by me. Although the track is incredibly effective and fun and the alien art is very good and the detail is a very good ness ship detail. there's not enough of a track for me to do it. If it was bigger I would, happily hands down but with what's there I'm not satisfied enough to do it.

 

If you're only making tracks to try and get a feature then it's likely not going to have a lot of heart poured into it. Treat tracks like they're your babies

 

lol i don't make them just to be featured dude but i am really trying now, no matter if it is easier or not now

 

But you just said that's the reason you feel motivated to start something good?

 

i mean kinda but i won't be sad if i fail at getting one

 

CityShep, most people who dont have a feature yet see that as a goal.

 

He's right, you know.

 

Please no

 

this is just disgusting. what is your purpose in doing this? to discourage him from making more tracks? i actually cannot stand this type of ****.

 

I also like how you're trying to make sami and shep just look bad