Review Info
This page explains the new Track Review system (used from the 20th of August) and all its features. For information on old reviews and the old review system, see the Tracks I page.
- Review Structure and Criteria
- Ratings
- Special Information
- Tags
- Monthly Review Highlights
- Final Notes
1. Review Structure and Criteria
A reviewed track is rated on several points, and then a final rating is given based on the sub-ratings. Here’s a list of all topics talked about in a review, the criteria to rate each and how much impact each can have at max (some things are less important when looking at the big picture):
- First Impression - The reviewer plays the track through once (or uses a maximum of three tries) and then writes down any thoughts of the track so far. Topics to comment on should include if the track seems good or bad, if it’s tough or easy to complete and any special points of interest the reviewer may have thought of. No rating is included.
- Track Design - The reviewer plays the track through thoroughly, finishing it several times. How is the track put together and what is its overall feeling? Topics to comment on should include consistency, smoothness, jumps and stunts, and simply the overall impression on how the track is to drive. Additionally, more detailed information on what the driver will actually come across - and the order things happen in - can be included, but that’s up to the reviewer.
- Scenery - How does the scenery (parts of the track as a whole which does not necessarily affect the driving, and/or parts of the actual track which can be seen from a distance) affect the feeling of the track? Overall beauty and placement of scenery objects should be commented. A good scenery is one that doesn’t leave blank or boring areas seen while driving, a great scenery is one that makes you - at least in the first run - look on the scenery instead of the road ahead of you.
- MediaTracker - Here the reviewer comments on three things: intro, in-game MT and outro. The intro should show the track and give a good impression on what the driver can expect, while also having cool effects, to be given a good rating. The in-game MT doesn’t have to be more than camera changes in loops, but the lack of these camera changes at important points can have a great negative impact on the MediaTracker rating. The outro should properly show the race using cool effects without ruining the way the vehicle is shown. The MediaTracker rating does not have a major impact on the final rating (as it normally doesn’t affect the actual driving that much), but of course, the “perfect track” must also include really good MT work.
- Originality - Here possible original or innovative parts of the track are mentioned. This can include anything from new interesting loops, stunts and block connections to scenery setup and MediaTracker effects. A good rating is given to tracks featuring basic new elements or new ways to put old stuff together, while an excellent rating demands a track to introduce brand new aspects. The originality rating has a greater impact on the final rating if the originality rating is high than it has if it’s low. Lower ratings does not mean the track is actually bad - it’s a major plus to be very original, but it’s not that big a minus if a track simply re-uses old stuff.
- Fun Factor - Sometimes a track can be completely rubbish, look extremely bad and include little or no MT, but still be incredible fun. The fun factor rating is high when a track is really awesome and incredible fun to drive. It is needed for a high final rating, but can also hand out comfort points for tracks that otherwise look horrible but are a lot of fun to drive.
- Summary - A summary is written on all the above topics (except for First Impression) and a final rating is given.
2. Ratings
The old rating system included ratings from 1-10, with .5’s (for example 7.5) possible. The new system features the numbers 0-100%. Here’s how to “read” the final ratings:
- 0-19% - Extremely bad! Stay away from a track with this rating - it’s simply not worth it!
- 20-39% - Bad! While some things aren’t extremely bad, a track with this rating still isn’t worth your time.
- 40-49% - Poor! Not very good, but not extremely bad either.
- 50-59% - Mediocre! Tracks with this rating can be played if you like the type of track, but they still could need quite a bit of improvement.
- 60-69% - Decent! Tracks that are actually not that bad, but still would require some work.
- 70-79% - Good! A track with this rating is a good track, but usually with quite a few small or occasional major issues, or lacks something to make it special. Does still provide quite good entertainment though.
- 80-89% - Great! The rating given to really good tracks, but who still struggle with a few minor problems, or simple aren’t special enough to get to the higher ratings.
- 90-94% - Excellent! This rating indicates a track being of first-class material, basically flawless, but still lacking that little extra.
- 95-100% - Perfect! Tracks with this rating are as close to perfect as you can get. To get to this rating, a track must not only be perfect in the actual “stuff” (design, scenery, MT, etc.), it must also be very special and take racing and track creation to a new level.
Note that the final rating isn’t the average of the sub-ratings. Poor scenery or originality doesn’t equal a bad track, and neither does a very unsmooth track if the fun factor is still high.
Additionally, tracks can receive stars 
based on their rating. To get a star, a track must score 50% or above, and then one star is added for each rating level (as listed above) - to get five stars a track must score 90+ (it is not necessary to score 95-100%, even though that’s the last level).
3. Special Information
Besides the written information, each review contains additional “quick” information. Here’s a list:
- Basic Information - Includes track- and author name (and download link), mood, length, and other similar basic information on the track.
- Advanced Information - A new thing not seen in the old reviews is the advanced information, including the number of TMX awards
, the award level (whether the track is over- or underrated at TMX according to the reviewer - levels include 
”Suitable” 
”Slighly over/underrated” and 
”Heavily over/underrated”), difficulty (also according to the reviewer - levels include ”Easy” for tracks that are really easy to complete (can still be hard to fully master), ”Average” for tracks that provide a little challenge (but are still not that hard to complete) and ”Hard” for really tough tracks), etc. - Video - Reviews now also feature a simple video of the track being played. If a picture says more than a thousand words, a video says more than a million!
4. Tags
The concept of “tags”, also seen in the old review system, has been taken one step further. New tags have been added and tags are now also displayed in the actual reviews (not just on the Tracks page). Here’s a list of tags, their color code and the criteria for when they are handed out:
Beginner - Difficulty: Easy. Tracks that are very easy to complete (but they can still offer quite a challenge when it comes to achieving a good time).
Challenging - Difficulty: Hard. Tracks that are really hard to even reach the finish line in. Exception: Some tracks not rated as “Average” may still be given this tag if they are hard to complete in the way they were intended (may, for example, apply to some full-speed tracks).
Time - Difficulty: Easy or Average. Tracks that are not too hard to complete, but that still offer a great challange when it comes to achieving a great time.
Innovative - Originality Rating: 80+. Tracks with this tag are very special in the way they are put together and/or include new cool features. 
MediaTracker - MT Rating: 80+. Tracks that have very good looking MT work.
Underrated - Award Level: Underrated or Heavily Underrated. Tracks that have too few awards compared to what they are worth (according to the reviewer).
5. Monthly Review Highlights
To help reviewed tracks get more attention, every month a “summary post” is published, featuring all the tracks reviewed during the past month. This post serves the main purpose of getting the reviewed tracks to be seen by more people, but it’s also a way to help readers find the best tracks. Here’s what each monthly summary has in store for you:
- Written summary - The highlights of the past months’ reviews.
- Awards - Best of the Month (highest rated track), Excellent Track Award (to all tracks with a final rating of 80+) and Most Tags Award (tracks with the most tags).
- Complete list - A list of all the tracks reviewed the past month, with the ratings and tags that were given to them.
Stars - Additionally, based on the monthly awards given to tracks, these tracks can also receive stars which help them stand out from the full track list at the Tracks II page. These stars include:
Best of the Month Star - All tracks that have won the “Best of the Month” award and has a final rating of 80+ receive this star.
Excellent Track Star - All tracks receiving the “Excellent Track” award receive this star.
Rainbow Star - All tracks receiving the “Tags” award and have at least three tags receive this star.
6. Final Notes
- All the above information work for tracks of the type “racing”. However, some changes may be made for tracks like PF, Stunts, etc.
- You can see a list of all older tracks (tracks reviewed before the 20th of August), and get information on the old review system, on the Tracks I page.
