Stk-code: Shortcut in Oliver’s Math Class

[Wrzlprmft]

There is a shortcut in Oliver’s Math Class that:

• does not make you miss a checkline, so your round counts.
• is comparably easy to learn: I got sufficiently proficient to beat the platinum challenge in half an hour with a heavy kart. In particular, it contains as many chair legs and comparable nastiness as the regular track.
• yields a considerable advantage: Apart from being shorter, when racing bots on the highest level, you avoid most bowling balls, basket balls, and collisions with other cars.
• is probably not by design: Bots do not use it; basketballs fail to follow it, and you get a wrong direction when using it.

Unlike other shortcuts reported here, I do not consider this to have a reasonable balance between difficulty and benefit.

Steps to reproduce

Go here and drive the indicated way:

You should come out like this:

This will count as a valid round.

The shortcut is also featured in this video.

Configuration

STK release version: 1.1+build4~ubuntu19.10.1

[bluecat999]

I believe this shortcut is known and intentional, despite being unmarked.

[luffah]

All network players knows it and didn't complain about it.
The shortcut doesn't really not allows to use nitro or zipper, moreover if you crash, your state is restored out of the shortcut. Therefore, you can reduce the distance but you can't be faster out of the virage.

Excepted the AI case, IMO the balance is pretty good.

[luffah]

I have a question : does platinum challenge refer to supertux difficulty mode ?

What is your time. And the time for an IA npc ?

I never beat the supertux challenge : my best = 1 min 17s, ia best = 1 min 21s

What is your proposal : removing the shortcut or allowing more efficient path to IAs ?

[Wrzlprmft]

does platinum challenge refer to supertux difficulty mode ?

Yes.

What is your time. And the time for an IA npc ?

I don’t remember and it would take me quite some time to dig out this information right now. I can only say that it made it considerably easier to beat the Supertux challenge and I beat it by a good margin.

What is your proposal : removing the shortcut or allowing more efficient path to IAs ?

I have no strong preference and I don’t have the bigger picture of the developer, but I would guess removing the shortcut is by far easier as guiding AI through it may result in a mess given its narrowness etc.

[kimden]

1. Official tracks are enough tested (there are some unintended exploits appearing but they are impossible for 99% of players), and this cut is intended. Thus it has a checkline.
2. Challenges of the same level are not equal by difficulty. Now the most complained (and probably the most difficult) challenge is Cocoa Temple, and other challenges are not really near it. Also a regular track is not as narrow as this cut so probably the comparison is strange.
3. It doesn't have an advantage when everyone knows it as players tend to crash there pretty much, so sometimes it is better to choose the main path.

I agree that it can be marked. Though making is usable by bots will make it impossible to pass starting from lap 2, thus telling offline players "don't use it" while it is false. I agree that the paths are not equal in terms of time, but this is not always bad. Cocoa Temple has one fastest path and many slower ones, so what.

[luffah]

Considering this shortcut as a "secret" that require to read wikis or communicate/observe with people to get the info.

IMO it shall be kept as is. Indicating everything (no secret shorcut) on a map cripple the learning curve and remove some fun of discovering secrets things.

[deveee]

Shortcuts are evil for network multiplayer so why wontfix?

[Alayan-stk-2]

Everybody in network play either knows about it already or learns very quickly about it. You can't use a shortcut and keep it secret.

So it comes down to how it impacts the gameplay. I wouldn't call it perfect, as it make an already very short track a bit shorter, and it makes AI easier to beat, but it was intended in track design and makes online play there more interesting. And for offline players that don't know about the shortcut, removing it or not wouldn't change their playing experience at all.

If there was a good 3D artist that'd be ready to work on a revamp/upgrade of the track, sure I'd ask him to rework this part, but with the current track design, I think keeping the shortcut makes for a better track.