EDIT: I am collecting all requests for TC improvements/fixes here, above my original post. Please do contribute and I will update as necessary.
Track Central - SUGGEST IMPROVEMENTS/FIXES HERE for Devs
1. LOCAL management of tracks in a PLAY TRACKS section.
- This was the very cornerstone of what made Evo special. Lost internet connections/Ubi server errors/reported,removed tracks WONT get in the way of you playing customs you downloaded. You can delete at will, and organise/preserve collections of the fine creations we will get. imo essential to the longevity of TC. Also, how will local/online multiplayer work without having downloaded the tracks?
- I have discovered that you can only have 52 favourites, after adding more the oldest tracks get pushed off and there is no way to view them. In Evo we could download 1000 tracks and play offline, right now in Fusion we can only favourite and play 52 tracks online...PLEASE fix this asap.
- In the PLAY TRACKS section we had in Evo you could enable list view and sort by any number of categories (creator, created, difficulty etc), but in 'favourites' as they are now you just get a page of thumbnails sorted by creation date - a nightmare to browse with more than a few favourites and another reason for a play tracks section.
- Could we perhaps download and manage any tracks that we 'favourite'? That would be an awesome compromise.
- Issues with the current 'online only/Ubi server' model:
- Accidentally unfavouriting a track: it will get lost into TC unless you remember what it was you unselected;
- Removed tracks: tracks currently can be removed by being reported enough times, they are then moderated at some point and often re-instated if unfairly reported. You have no control over losing a track if people choose to unfairly report them and it relies on RL keeping track of these things and re-instating. Will you even notice, to be able to bring it to their attention? This lack of control over tracks is concerning;
- Server error/Internet loss: no internet or Ubi server error = NO CUSTOMS at all, old or new, a BIG problem since when servers did go down at least you could play customs you already had (if you didn't care about LBs being updated.
2. Seeing which tracks you downloaded/played.
- In Evo a clear arrow told you in the feeds/searches which tracks you had downloaded. Clear and precise. Can we have this back please?
- Download/play history: like on PSN/XBL, is it possible to have a download/play history where you can re-play/download tracks you played before?
3.Thumbnail Improvements.There is a massive blank space under track name in the searches on the thumbnail, PLEASE can
- the track creator be put there, so we don't have to look across to the right hand side of the screen;
- current rating would be good (75% positive etc.);
- number of downloads (to allow % to be put into context)
4. Search Options.Please can we have other options for searches, and their sorting. These could be added as columns on the right and the massive right hand side section of the screen minimised. This way searches like 'last 48hours', 'last week' could be done., helping you not see tracks you already had.
- Timeframes/dates is essential (i.e. last 48hrs, last week, all time, dates)
- Number of downloads.
- 'My tracks' (or maybe automatically include your own gamertag at the top of the 'creator' search option).
- Tags (as in Evo), very useful for refining the style of track you are looking for.
- Ratings (>75% for example).
- Thumbnail option: can we please have the option to swap back to thumbnail view from searches. Part of the decision to play a track is based on these pictrues, and they are only available in RL feeds not searches.
- Pages of results: Can we please have more than 15 pages? So few results per page, it would be great to have access to more customs per search.
- Sort by played/not played: would be very useful in customs feeds, to play the tracks you haven't played yet.
- Search improvements: 'part matches' not produced in the search, but ought to be. For example "pitch black" returns nothing as the track has a character infront "~ pitch black ~", but clearly this track should be returned from the search.
- Search improvements: when you play a track from a search, and come back out the search is cleared completely...not ideal, but doesn't happen when yuo select 'more by this creator'.
- Search improvements: search for builder is CASE SENSITIVE...please fix.
5. Custom Feeds Improvements.PLEASE can we add other options to custom feeds. Custom feeds are a great idea but so limited right now.
- more than one builder at a time (so we can create our very own 'top builders' feed. You could put in 50+ builders you love (who might not be on your friends list), and monitor their releases.
- Timeframes needed here so we can create our own 'top 48 hour feeds' like we had in Evo.
- Tags, rating percentages (i.e. >75% positive), number downloads, other suggestions?
- Ability to 'favourite' builders as well as tracks, then they get added to a 'favourite builders' feed automatically. Builders informed how many followers they had in some way?
- Sort by played/not played: would be very useful in customs feeds, to play the tracks you haven't played yet.
- 52 results only: all thumbnail feeds are limited to 52 entries, with no page options. PLEASE can this be changed. Friends tracks, Favourites, Highest rated...all have a 52 track limit.
- Playlists: ability to create various playlists for MP for example, by adding ability to section off favourites into playlists.
- Ignore builders: we need an option to ignore builders in TC, to help against spammers. Builders whose tracks we don't want to see in our own searches/feeds?
6. Other FeedsSome obvious omissions from feeds (even if it takes smaller icons/panels or another page to add in):
- 48 hour feed - a must have, the place we all start our TC browsing;
- Extreme track feed - IF RL want Easy, Medium, and Hard panels on the TC page, there really must be Extreme. OR do away with all as we can make our own from the add feeds part. Seems odd/incomplete to omit this. --- FIXED
- 'New Trials' all in one feed but with numerous pages...
- Feeds updated more regularly, or is it a continuous 'live' process like on Evo? It's very confusing/broken because there are tracks in the "highest rated of the week" that have been there for over 9 days... --- FIXED
- Highest rated "of all time" AND "published that week" is important. The "all time" feed is much less useful and largely self-perpetuating perhaps.
- Most downloaded: is there a case for adding this category to searches/feeds, it is as useful as highest rated isn't it?
- Recently played: please can we have this added as a feed. It is annoying when you play a track and lose track of what/where it was.
- Suggested Feed appraoch, See PIC2 below [thanks Core2TOM], however IF we have MUCH MORE flexibility in our custom feeds we should be able to create all of these and more, IF we have the space as well (a second page for CUSTOM FEEDS? I would like 10+ slots maybe...).
7. Upload Limitations.
- More controversial perhaps, but many (me included) have been crying out for an upload limit on TC. One track per 48 hours would do wonders for stopping people posting the same track 5 times in a row just to see their name in TC. 48 hours seems a sensible limit to me, but this could be debated. A possible issue has been voiced for ninja tracks uploaded obstacle by obstacle, although a beta version of the track with CP skips might suffice?
- Prevent the uploading of example tracks to TC - the plethora of ripped off example tracks is always annoying, any way to limit/prevent this?
8. Tell friends of creations.Doesn't seem to be an option to do this, like there was in Evo. Relies on people checking 'Friends Tracks'...should be easy to implement?
9. Cross-Platform.If technically possible, this would obviously be a fabulous feature. It would increase exposure for builders, help prevent fragmentation of the community, and clean up the confusion in the Track thread about which platform the releases are on.
10. Miscellaneous Issues/Requests
- Favourites limited to 52: after adding more older tracks are pushed off and you cannot view them. This is a BIG problem. PLEASE fix.
- Favourites: sorting of - can we have an option to change to list view in favourites AND be able to sort in different ways like in Evo (difficulty, creator, created, track name etc). Otherwise browsing favourites is a nightmare once you have more than 100 or so.
- ALL thumnbail feeds limited to 52: Friends tracks, Highest Rated etc. PLEASE can this be changed...?
- After performing a search and playing a track, it always takes you back to the first page. Very annoying, should take you back to the page you played the track on;
- After un-favouriting a track you need to back out and go back in again to have it removed. Can it not be removed immediately?
- Clicking on RL panels such as 'highest rated trials of the week' the 'sorting' is strange by default and not from highest to lowest.
- After performing a search, the tracks are presented in reverse alphabetical order. Odd. Either alphabetical, or (as I would prefer) from highest rated to lowest, makes much more sense.
- The extra data available by pressing X (Track Details) should be available on the search screen. Downloads should certainly be added as a minimum as it allows you to put the rating into context (i.e. what is 100% from, 1 person only or many more), as well as date.
- Favourites: automatically sorted in reverse chronological order, which is sensible, but no ability to sort by any other means? With a PLAY TRACKS section (such as on Evo), you could sort by creator, difficulty, date, rating etc. Imagine how messy favourites will be when there are hundreds?
- When you favourite a track from thumbnail view (say in the highest rated of the week), the cursor goes back to top left, however far you have scrolled down...very annoying! --- FIXED
- Leaderboards: as with the main game, the LBs in TC are not centered on your own performance, they show the top friends and miss you off if you are below 5th on your friends list. --- FIXED
- Votes: you have allowed the option NOT to vote after playing customs. Many asked for this to be dealt with on Evo, is there a good reason not to force a vote before being able to continue?
- Deleting released tracks: some creators would like the option to remove tracks they uploaded. Perhaps only in the first 24 hours to allow fixes, or perhaps whenever. Opposition to this is wiping leaderboards, and abusing the ability on TC - perhaps NOT a request worth pursuing?
- Notification for TC tracks: broken, says "Friend X beat your time in" but no track name. --- FIXED
- FMX customs: says 'Faults' in LB rather than points. --- FIXED
- Can we have a thumbnail when you press X for track details, it really helps in deciding whether to play a track? Alternatively it would be great to be able to switch to 'thumbnail view' after performing searches (mentioned above).
- Ratings: can a dev explain what system they are using to determine 'highest rated' - i.e. how does 100% from 1 rating compare to 100% from 10 ratings, and how does number of downloads play a part (and should it in 'highest rated'?)
- Bike selection: why do we get a bike selection screen when there is only one bike allowed on a track?
- Colour bug: in favourites, in the right hand LB panel, all track difficulties are green in colour, whatever difficulty.
- Slow-motion replays: where have they gone, can we have them back please? They are really very useful.
- Track description character limit increase: can we have one please, this is so limited right now?
- Friend Tracks sort order: what is it? because right now it is neither chronological nor alphabetical by creator or track name. Again, an option to sort by a variety of methods as requested above on other 'searches' would be welcome.
- Corrupt replays: "Replay data is incomplete and replay cannot be viewed further"...fix? explanation? [Try and watch a replay on HqK I WraaTh's X360 track "Chilled", this happens on most replays around the big jump.]
- Feedback expansion: possible to include a small number of feedback options for creators "great/poor DL","great/ppoor decor" etc.? Needs lots of thought but if used sensibly could be interesting/useful to beginners?
- Personal ghosts: when you hit retry in a track having beaten your ghost, the ghost you are racing is still the old one until you exit and re-enter the track.
- Date syntax mismatch: odd that on X360 date format is dd/mm/yyyy but on XB1/PS4 its is yyyy-mm-dd. Personally the latter format is clearer, the former interpreted differently depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on!
- Triggers for menu scrolling: PLEASE bring it back, we used to be able to skip to the bottom of LBs and track lists using triggers, very useful.
- Rating delay: might be a good idea to delay the rating until, say 10 downloads or more. A 'pending' message perhaps? This way unfair or unrepresentative ratings have more chance of evening out.
- Suggested rating appraoch: record in yellow 'non-rated'. See PIC1 below [thanks Core2TOM]
- Creator ratings: should NOT be allowed, obviously a creator will rate their own track up but this helps nobody.
- Ratings not remembered: often asked to re-rate tracks I have played many times and rated. Bug?
- Creator name bug in TC: when you de-select a favourite, the panel is not removed BUT the names of creators get shifted (and hence are all wrong) UNTIL you back out of favourites and re-enter.
____
Morrillo's main priorities from this list:
1-LOCAL TRACK MANAGEMENT in a PLAY TRACKS section;
2-Favourites: limited to 52 only;
3-Cross Platform TC;
4-massively flexible custom feed options;
5-Overhaul of feed pages (suggestions above & in pic below), including:
a-48 hour feed;
b-NEW TRACKS feed;
c-EXTREME feed;
6-ability to add more than one builder to a custom feed/search (>50 would be ideal!);
7-option to sort/search by RELEASE DATE;
8-Thumbnail improvements as above.
____
PIC1 - suggested rating approach (record in yellow 'non-rated') [thanks Core2TOM]

PIC2 - suggested feed approach [thanks Core2TOM]

PICS3,4,5 - more 'mockups' from Core2Tom, thanks! They look awesome, and tie in with what we have been asking for



[Updated as new requests/issues arise]
[Thanks to Shifty for the facelift, looks super!]
[Massive thanks to Core2TOM for the photoshop mockups of TC]
morrillo
____________________________________
ORIGINAL POST (moan, moan, moan!):
Track Central is a complete mess, and by design also...gutted.
1. You can't see what tracks you have downloaded, there is only GET TRACKS? Where is PLAY TRACKS?
Anyone help out? This seems ludicrous to me, I must have missed something
2. You can't even see in TC which tracks you have downloaded or not...!
What a mess
3. Also, why on earth isn't the track creator name in the thumbnail under track name...
4. How on earth do you manage tracks on your hard drive without being able to see which ones you have? How do I delete tracks?
5. No options to sort any searches you do either, rendering the searches MUCH less useful.
6. The create a feed (which looked VERY promising for subscribing to the top 100 or so builders), will only allow one at a time, and you only give us 4 spaces...massive opportunity missed. Why couldn't we create a custom feed with more than one builder? It also has no options for time/popularity/downloads, so no chance of creating a 48hr top rated feed for ourselves.
7. Obviously no upload limit on TC, one guy already has 4 tracks uploaded next to each other. Again, woeful decision on RL part, given the mess Evo TC got into with mass uploads.
It seems little thought for the hardcore collectors of tracks went into the design of this, only the aesthetics.
Some very strange decisions were made, imo to the detriment of what for many of us was the very best bit of Evo.
So many great ideas from the Fusion and Evo wishlist threads completely ignored.
VERY underwhelmed with TC. Didn't think it could get worse than Evo...