Tekk

[Because the old links for the resources are now broken and the installation guide is unavailable.]

I've decided to make a dedicated thread to answer some of the most popular questions about mapping, such as: "Where can I download the NFS arrow wall prop?", "How do I install it?", "What's the ID for it?", "How can I make a curve with it?"

The search is over now, and it's all gonna be in one place. Let's get to it.


Description:

NAC2
The tool/plugin that allows you to create an arrow wall curve/long arrow wall without having to spend hours on doing it by hand.

NFS Arrow
The arrow prop itself.

Offroad Assets
The offroad props that were made by Venom back in 2016 that's still used on most of the offroad maps up to this day. If you've never seen it before, here's a picture.


How to download & install:

1. Download the archive and unpack the files. There should be three folders inside.
2. Go to "MTA San Andreas 1.5\server\mods\deathmatch\resources" and drop these three folders there.
3. Go back to "MTA San Andreas 1.5\server\mods\deathmatch" and find the editor.conf file. Open it with a notepad or a similar text editor and scroll down to the bottom.
4. Add three new lines so it would look like this. Double-check if it's done right and save the file once you've finished.
5. Launch the game, start the map editor.
6. Open the console (F8) and type in "start nac2" (without quotes).
7. Enjoy the map creation process.


The ID's for the new objects are:

Arrow Wall Prop = 3919
Offroad Checkpoint Prop = 2852
Offroad High Tape = 2853
Offroad Low Tape = 2854
Offroad Tape Holder = 2855

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P.S. If for whatever reason NAC2 doesn't let you to create a curve, it is very likely that the object that you're trying to work with has its Z (rotation) coordinates set to either 90 or 270 degrees. To fix this issue, add a .0001 to the value and it's gonna start working. Good luck!

(06-05-2022, 07:30)Devilish Wrote: you can choose which one is better

Option 1 looks less cluttered to me, so I'd pick that one over 2nd. You can send the file, though, gotta say that I'm already working with some other stuff so this one will have to wait. If you have your doubts and want to change/add something else, there's still time to do it.

(04-05-2022, 21:41)Szumixx Wrote: let's wait what tekk will say

Alright, here's something from me, I guess.

1. NGL, I'm not the biggest fan of the starting area, and here's why: The idea of the roof jump leaves you out from having a reverse route (unless you want the finish line for it to be placed somewhere else), but what's even more of a problem is that the players could possibly turn to the left/right after the jump, instead of going forward. Because nothing is stopping them. That's the main flaw of this route and I'd first think of fixing it somehow before moving further.

2. Was the right turn at 0:20~0:21 left to be a potential shortcut? I can't remember if it's possible to slip through there, so if it's not intentional, I'd better just close it with something not to confuse players.

3. You should be aware that the arrows on the right (0:45) are telling people to go exactly forward instead of turning to the left, and that the haystacks there are always considered as breakable. If this isn't supposed to be an alternative way, you should probably change it, so they players wouldn't drive there accidentally. Consider extending the arrow wall to point to the bridge.

4. Put the bridge prop a bit higher to eliminate the nasty bump that happened at 0:46~0:47. That alone can cost players a race easily.

5. The bit on 1:08 could probably be decorated in a better way, to actually suit the surroundings. I know that it's rather nitpicking but I felt like saying it anyways. Same thing can be told about 1:12, the arrow curve could also be made differently to take less space there.

--

P.S. Also, there's a few places where I'd probably swap the arrow walls (straight bits) with the sub_roadbarriers instead but I guess I could do it myself later if you will agree. In those cases it's literally just a straight line of those.

--

Edit: We've discussed the issues with Szumixx on Discord, he fixed some of the stuff mentioned above and I've made some visual adjustments to the map to keep it similar quality with the rest of the server's pool. Also added a shortcut for [R] and fixed multiple spots/curbs with bad collision.

The map's gonna be added with the next update.

1. Such squared arrow walls (0:03, 0:21, 0:29) was often considered a bad design decision in the past (0:21, for example, doesn't tell the player where they should turn on the reverse route). You could possibly use the "Green Sabre" map as a reference point, to see how it was done by us with Evov. Because the start area is the same, though it was decorated in a different way.

2. Some of the arrows on this map are placed way too deep and the players wouldn't be able to see it up until they reach a certain point/turn - 0:43, 0:46 and 0:49~0:52 goes as example. The map isn't a huge one, so you could possibly invest some time into making it to look a bit better.

3. Opinions and all, but the name of the map is too generic.

That's a lot of sub_roadbarrier props. Can't say it's a bad thing unless these were placed badly, will see.

I'd suggest to close the huge gap on the right side @ 1:13, because that could confuse some players on the reverse route.

Also 1:36, that arrow wall on the right looks a bit bad to me. Pretty sure you can change the entire curve there to make it to look more appropriate. No real need to connect it to the sub_roadbarrier as it's done right now, IMO.

[Because the old links for the resources are now broken and the installation guide is unavailable.]

I've decided to make a dedicated thread to answer some of the most popular questions about mapping, such as: "Where can I download the NFS arrow wall prop?", "How do I install it?", "What's the ID for it?", "How can I make a curve with it?"

The search is over now, and it's all gonna be in one place. Let's get to it.


Description:

NAC2
The tool/plugin that allows you to create an arrow wall curve/long arrow wall without having to spend hours on doing it by hand.

NFS Arrow
The arrow prop itself.

Offroad Assets
The offroad props that were made by Venom back in 2016 that's still used on most of the offroad maps up to this day. If you've never seen it before, here's a picture.


How to download & install:

1. Download the archive and unpack the files. There should be three folders inside.
2. Go to "MTA San Andreas 1.5\server\mods\deathmatch\resources" and drop these three folders there.
3. Go back to "MTA San Andreas 1.5\server\mods\deathmatch" and find the editor.conf file. Open it with a notepad or a similar text editor and scroll down to the bottom.
4. Add three new lines so it would look like this. Double-check if it's done right and save the file once you've finished.
5. Launch the game, start the map editor.
6. Open the console (F8) and type in "start nac2" (without quotes).
7. Enjoy the map creation process.


The ID's for the new objects are:

Arrow Wall Prop = 3919
Offroad Checkpoint Prop = 2852
Offroad High Tape = 2853
Offroad Low Tape = 2854
Offroad Tape Holder = 2855

---

P.S. If for whatever reason NAC2 doesn't let you to create a curve, it is very likely that the object that you're trying to work with has its Z (rotation) coordinates set to either 90 or 270 degrees. To fix this issue, add a .0001 to the value and it's gonna start working. Good luck!

Hey! Since there wasn't anything big going on recently, me and the boys have decided to bring you something special. While we're all been waiting for the mystery update to come out, both Chec and Evov gladly offered their help with making some new activities. Today's the exact time we are going to present to you our first collaboration: the NFS:SA Classic Cup series! So what it's all about, you may ask? Long story short: The main idea of this event is to give you a fair racing competition and also to provide you the pre-dyno update experience. Ever wondered of how it was on the server years ago, before you joined? Or maybe you're an old experienced player who's tired of the same old long-living meta that lasts for years now? In any case possible, this is likely going to be your thing!

Ladies and Gentlemen! Blow the dust off your fancy rides! We are happy to announce you that the preparations for the NFS:SA Classic Cup have officially started. Enjoy your time!


Hosts:
Tekk, Orbacle, Evov, Chec, Bunny, Nhung, Klampy


Date:
Saturday, June 19th


Registration Deadline:
June 19th, 18:00 GMT+2


Schedule:
18:30 - Competitors presence checking. All participants must be online on Discord before this time.
19:30 - First competitors start to race.


Competitors Presence Checking:
Every participant must join the NFS:SA Event Hub. This step is done for the communication purpose, presence checking and providing you the rewards after the event is over.


General Rules:
Don't be a trouble.


Objective:
Similar to the Grip Sessions event, this one is going to have two stages: the qualification stage and the 1v1 competition stage respectively. During the first one you're aiming for your personal best time on each track. After the qualification stage is done, the Top-16 players (according to the sum of the best lap times) are going to be transferred to the 1v1 competition stage, where they'll be racing against each other. Here you'll have to win the race in order to advance further and get to the final round.


Important: Switching cars between tracks and stages is not allowed.


Livery Contest:
This is an optional thing that happens in the NFS:SA Event Hub before the racing part. If you wanna sign up for the livery contest, you gotta follow these simple steps:

1. Take pictures of your car from each side using the F12 key. Preferably in the paintshop or any other garage that has proper lighting and a working zoom feature.

2. Use Imgur to upload your pics and join the Event Hub to post the album link in the livery channel. Specify your in-game name right next to the link so the judges could know who you are if your Discord name is different.

Important: Graphical modifications usage is forbidden. To be able to win the premium code for the contest, you must participate in the racing part of the event too. The car that you're gonna be using for the livery contest must be the exact same one you're gonna be using for races.

Important#2: You can sign the pictures at any moment (e.g. 2 hours before the livery contest deadline). Be aware that you can only sign one car at a time and that the livery channel is going to have a cooldown mode enabled to prevent the unexpected flood.

Important#3: You are allowed to re-sign your pictures in case you'll want to do some changes to your livery or switch the car - just be sure to delete the old ones.

The deadline for the livery contest is Saturday, June 19th, 18:00 GMT+2. Nothing past that deadline will be accepted and the channel will be set to read-only mode.


Maps:
The maps are now available through both, Custom Race and the Challenge Series system.


Score Limitations:
Max = 330
"No dyno" feature will be used for this event.


Blacklisted Classes:
Vintage
SUV
Class B
Class A


Blacklisted Cars:
Manana, Primo, Moonbeam, Vincent, Kuruma, Phoenix, Deluxo


Rewards:
1st place - 30 days premium code and a special prize - Assetto Corsa (Special Bundle) game.*
2nd place - 20 days premium code.
3rd place - 15 days premium code.
Best Livery - 10 days premium code.**
Everyone - The rewards from the Challenge Set.

* Provided by Bunny.

** If that person also gets to the Top-3 by the end, then the livery premium is given to the next high-rated player who hasn't got there.

--

For the sign-up, leave your in-game name in this thread and join the NFS:SA Event Hub to stay in touch with the rest of the participants and the hosts. If you have any specific questions regarding the event, contact the hosts @ Discord.

Since because many people been struggling with getting a "stable 60" here, I felt like sharing some useful tips/information regarding the things that I've used to make my game to run smoothly. Not gonna promise you anything huge, as it's always different in case of everyone when it's MTA, but there's a much bigger chance of getting your performance improved if you'll try to follow these steps. Before we start, gotta warn you: your in-game visuals will turn into absolute dogshit if you'll apply every change mentioned. If you're not ready for such a trade-off, it's better to skip the shrinker part. For now, let's just follow these steps one by one and find the best possible solution for you.


1. The first step would be changing the in-game settings, and that means both, MTA settings and the server-specific ones (F11). To squeeze every possible frame out of your game, switch the effects quality level to the lowest possible one, disable the antialiasing and the rest of what's left there that improves the game's visuals. Select a smaller resolution and use the fullscreen mode instead of the borderless windowed one. I know that it makes the tabbing in and out to last a bit longer for some of you, but the good part about it is that it gives you a better framerate and reduces the input lag, since this way the game is controlled by the D3D API instead of the WDM (which enforces stuff like triple buffering etc).

As for the F11, you can copy my in-game settings from here:

A) Video Settings
B) Adv. Video Settings
C) Nametags & Crew Logos
D) Radar Options
E) Car Sounds

Important: Always disable the "Don't cache vinyls in memory" option before going to the paintshop. Otherwise the vinyl previews gonna get screwed and it's gonna be hard for you to manage the layers there. But don't worry, you don't need to restart your game - just disable and later re-enable it after you're done with the livery!

---

2. The second step is something that I believe the vast majority here is unaware about. There's a neat program called GTA SA Shrinker, that compress the texture files and with that lowers the texture quality of the world models (nfssa models/vinyls aren't affected by it). It works for the MTA as well as it does for SA-MP, and the program is pretty much a self-explanatory once you launch it. You can automatically revert the changes by just clicking one button if you won't like the end results.

Important: The gta3.img file shouldn't be modified with anything. Otherwise the program will fail to finish the procedure.

Tip: You can shrink the files multiple times. The suggested amount is 2. To do that, go to your "Grand Theft Auto San Andreas\models" folder and move the "gta3_ORIG_BAK" to some other place. (The file should be there if you shrinked the files once.) Then repeat the shrinking procedure.

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3. The third step is the High Performance power plan option that you can enable in your operational system. This one's very easy and will require just a few clicks from you to switch to it. The High Performance power plan is what I strongly suggest all the people to use, regardless of their PC's or Laptop's performance. It's a necessity for the CPU-intensive games, especially the older ones such as GTA San Andreas, which lacks the multicore/threading support. Since all the supported Windows systems (7, 8, 8.1 and 10) are very similar when it comes to power plan options, I'm gonna link you to a short video tutorial that will show you how to enable it.

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4. The fourth step is the Debug Mode options in MTA. Just as with the power plan options, this step is very easy and will only require a few clicks from you to make it work. One thing about it that I'd like to specify is that the debug mode options are not getting saved once you exit the game, so you'll have to re-enable it manually each time you launch the game. The particular options we're looking for now are called "Joystick" and "Graphics". First option, for whatever reason, disabled some of the unnecessary GUI elements from the main menu and kinda helps with improving the FPS. Second option affects the in-game vehicles visuals: Once it's enabled, you'll notice that it disables the body paint, rims paint and the vinyls on every car - they all will turn snow white. This may add some (up to 10) frames, and it's especially useful when you're going through the crowded areas. I'd first suggest you to apply the "Joystick" option and then switch to "Graphics". Following picture shows, where you can find these:

Debug Mode - Graphics

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TL;DR This is how the game looks like with all of the changes applied (except debug options). Not gonna pretend that the visuals are going to suit everyone's liking, but the simplistic look of it can be beneficial in some cases. The low res textures are less of a visual clutter and are matching the objects collisions quite nicely from my experience. You'll get used to it in a few days if you're really desperate for that last performance squeeze.

Preview

Either way, I hope that this information was any useful to you, and that these steps will improve your gaming experience. Peace!

Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen.

So, this is the final event of the Grip Sessions series. Looking back at it now, I'm happy to realize that a lot of you actually enjoyed these events and that you're still here with us. I remember myself worrying about hosting the original one, thinking that some people won't like the idea of trying something new. We'd like to thank you all for giving this series a try and offering you to join us once again on this little adventure. The final event should include most of the changes that you guys wanted us to bring and we hope that it's gonna be a good way for all of us to celebrate the end of 2020.

With that said, the preparations for the Grip Sessions Vol. 3 have officially started. Good luck and have fun!


Changes from Vol. 1 and Vol. 2:
1. The maps are gonna be available for everyone to play before the event starts.
2. Traffic-less routes. No trucks on the way or stuff like that.
3. No world-collision-related randomness. If you'll still manage to find something, you can be sure that it wasn't intended.
4. Tweaks to the tournament bracket system in order to seed players better.
5. Some changes to the rewards part.
6. No meeting place since we do the livery contest part outside of the server now. You can stay at pretty much any part of the map you want.


Hosts:
Tekk, Orbacle, Bunny, Klampy, Nhung.


Date:
Friday, December 25th.


Registration Deadline:
Friday, December 25th, 18:00 GMT+1


Schedule: (GMT+1)
18:30 - Competitor presence checking. All participants must be online on Discord before this time.
19:00 - First competitors starts to race.


Competitors Presense Checking:
Every participant must join the NFS:SA Event Hub and stay there up until the event is over. This is just for the communication purpose, presense checking and providing you the rewards later.


General Rules:
Keep it civil, we're all here to have fun. Rulebreakers will be violated by the angry staff members.


Objective:
Just as before, the event will consist of two stages: The first one is the qualification and the second one is the 1v1 competition.

During the qualification stage, each participant will have to drive through each new track, aiming for their personal best time. For this stage, coming to the finish line first is not a priority. The 4/4 player scheme (full lobby) will be used to speed things up. The spectators mode will be enabled, so grab some of your favorite food and enjoy the show!

For the competition stage, the Top-16 players (according to the sum of the best laps on each map) are going to be picked for the 1v1 races. The tournament bracket system will be used for this stage. In these races, you will have to beat your opponent to the finish line in order to advance further.

Important: Switching cars between tracks and stages is not allowed.


Livery Contest:
Suggested themes for the current event: WRC, WTCC, IROC.

Livery contest is an optional thing that now happens outside of the server before the event starts. If you want to sign up for the contest, you gotta follow these simple steps: Take pictures of your car from each side (front, rear, left, right, roof) using the F12 key. I'd suggest taking these in the paintshop or any other garage that has proper lighting and a working zoom feature. After that, upload them to the Imgur and join the NFS:SA Event Hub to post the album link in the specific channel. Specify your in-game name right next to the link so the judges could know who you are if your Discord name is different. You can sign the pictures at any moment (e.g. 2 hours before the livery contest deadline). Be aware that you can only sign one car at a time and that the livery channel is going to have a cooldown mode enabled to prevent the unexpected flood. You are allowed to re-sign your pictures in case you'll want to do some changes to your livery or switch the car - just be sure to delete the old ones. The deadline for the livery contest is Friday, December 25th, 18:00 GMT+1. Nothing past that deadline will be accepted and the channel will be set to read-only mode.

Important: Graphical modifications usage is forbidden. To be able to win the premium code for the contest, you'll have to participate in the racing part of the event too. The car that you're gonna be using for the livery contest must be the exact same one that you're gonna be using for races.


Maps:
UPD: New maps are now available through the Challenge Series system.


Class & Score Limitations:
Max Score = 325.
Classes allowed: E, D, C, Muscle.


Blacklisted Cars:
E Class: Manana, Moonbeam.
D Class: Kuruma, Vincent.
C Class: Deluxo.


Rewards:
1st place - 25 days premium code and a special prize - Wreckfest game.*
2nd place - 15 days premium code.
3rd place - 10 days premium code.
Best Livery - 7 days premium code.**
Everyone - $10.000 and 10 Vinyl Points for completing the Challenge Series set with the event maps.

* Provided by Bunny.

** If that person also gets to the Top-3 by the end, then the livery premium is given to the next high-rated player who hasn't got there.

Important: Winners of the Grip Sessions Vol. 2 event won't be able to participate for the rewards this time. They can, however, participate for fun if they wish.

--

For the sign-up, leave your in-game name in this thread and join the NFS:SA Event Hub to stay in touch with the rest of the participants and the hosts. If you have any specific questions regarding the event, contact the hosts @ Discord.

--

Shoutouts to: Orbacle, Nhung, Bunny, Klampy, Yokou, Quindo, Remolit and many other people who offered their help with preparing this event and shared their feedback.

Good day all. So the summer finally came. Well, maybe not the same summer we actually expected or wanted. After taking a long break from the internet, I thought of doing something positive for the community. In these trying times the depression is a very common state, and often there's really nothing funny or entertaining to crack a honest smile about. The pandemic situation is very frustrating and it's taking jobs and sometimes even lives from people. So I wish you all to stay healthy and offering you to take part in the sequel to the original Grip Sessions event. A lot of you enjoyed it back in December, and I thought of hosting another one. There's gonna be a couple of good changes made to it, that should help the hosts to organize the process better and also allow the participants to save some of their personal time. Surely, the new maps will come along too. I guess that's it for the introduction, I hope to see you all having fun there. Take care everybody.

Almost forgot: Welcome to the second edition of the Grip Sessions event! Enjoy!


Hosts:
Tekk, Orbacle, Bunny, Nhung.


Date:
Saturday, June 13th.

The event is over now. Click this link to see the results.

Schedule: (GMT+2)
19:00 - Start of the meet.
19:15 - Competitors presence checking. All participants must arrive before this time.
19:30 - First competitors starts to race.


Registration Deadline:
Saturday, June 13th, 18:00 GMT+2.


Competitors Presense Checking:
Every participant will have to join the NFS:SA Event Hub and stay there up until the event is over, just for the communication purpose and presence checking. Also this way we could provide you the rewards faster. If you want, you can stay up there for even longer, as likely this hub will be used for the future events too.


Rewards:
1st place - 25 days premium code and a special prize* - Assetto Corsa game + Dream Pack 1, 2, 3 DLCs.
2nd place - 15 days premium code.
3rd place - 10 days premium code.
Best Livery - 7 days premium code.**

* Provided by Bunny. Show this man some love!

** If that person also gets to the Top-3 by the end, then the livery premium is given to the next high-rated player who hasn't got there.


Objective:
The event will consist of two stages: The first one is the qualification. The second one is the 1v1 competition.

During the qualification stage, each participant will go through each new track, aiming for their personal best time. For this stage, coming to the finish line first is not a priority. The 4/4 player scheme (full lobby) will be used, in order to speed things up. Just so no one would get bored of waiting for their turn, the spectators mode will be enabled. Grab some of your favorite food and get comfy!

As for the competition stage, the Top-16 players (according to the sum of the best laps on each map) are going to be picked for the 1v1 races. The tournament bracket system will be used for this stage. In these races, you will have to beat your opponent to the finish line in order to advance further.

Important: Switching cars between tracks and stages is not allowed.

The screenshot of the document with the track times and positions will be posted later in this thread, after the event is over.


Livery Contest:
I decided to make the livery contest to be a complete optional thing. If you don't feel like participating, you can simply leave your car black or white colored and fully focus on your car's setup and dyno. Another big change to the contest is that we won't be doing it live anymore. Read below for the details.

If you want to sign up for the livery contest part, here's the steps you'll need to follow: Take pictures of your car from each side (front, rear, left, right, roof) using the F12 key. I'd suggest taking these in the paintshop or any other garage that has proper lighting and a working zoom feature. After that, upload them to the Imgur and join the NFS:SA Event Hub to post the album link in a specific channel. Specify your in-game name right next to the link, so the judges could know who you are if your Discord name is different. You can sign the pictures at any moment (e.g. 2 hours before the livery contest deadline). Be aware that you can only sign one car at a time and that the livery channel is going to have a 30 min cooldown mode, to prevent the unexpected flood. You are allowed to re-sign your pictures, in case you'll want to do some changes to your livery or switch a car - just be sure to delete the old ones. The deadline for the livery contest is Saturday, June 13th, 13:00 GMT+2. Nothing past that deadline will be accepted and the channel will be set to read-only mode.***

Important: *** Graphical modifications usage is forbidden. Also, to be able to win the premium code for the contest, you will have to participate in the racing part too. No slacking.

The spreadsheet with the results will be posted later in this thread, after the event is over.


Maps:
Three brand new maps. These won't be available before the event starts. Be patient, it's all for the sake of fun.


Class & Score Limitations:
Max score = 300.
Classes allowed: E, D, C, Muscle, Vintage.


Blacklisted Cars:
E Class: Manana, Moonbeam.
D Class: Kuruma, Vincent.
C Class: Deluxo.
Muscle: Dukes.

---

For the sign-up, leave your in-game name in this thread. Be sure you don't have it changed by the time the event is about to start.

If you have any questions regarding the event, contact me @ NFS:SA Event Hub.

Shoutouts to Orbacle (co-hosting, post-editing for the banner), Quindo (supporting the event with premium codes, resources, technical tips during the map creation process), Bunny (co-hosting, providing a cool extra prize for the 1st place), Nhung (co-hosting, assisting with taking pictures for the banner, making a livery for the second car, creating a nice logo for the event hub).