Checkpoint placement information

Checkpoint placement is one of the hardest things when creating Turbo Sliders Unlimited levels with the level editor. Your track may look and feel ok when you test it alone, but when you share it to others and it gets played by others, there are various checkpoint issues that may arise.

Please check the images below to understand common problems and and try to avoid them in your tracks!

For more information, check the bottom of this page or watch the related section in the tutorial video: Level Editor Tutorial Checkpoint Section.

Problem 1: Invalid start line

Here you can see two problems with the start line:

The right point is not far enough and it is possible to go between the finish posts but still miss the checkpoint.
The left point is not extended to pitlane, so if someone goes to pit, a lap is not counted

Fix 1: Move the checkpoints

Simply move both end points so that the issues are fixed.

Problem 2: Checkpoint is too narrow

Here, it is easily possible to be go out of track and miss a checkpoint because of that. It is very frustrating when that happens while racing, and you may not have any idea why a lap is not counted (or you get the next checkpoint direction guide).

Fix 2: Make the checkpoint much wider

In this kind of case where no shortcut is possible, there is really no reason to not make the checkpoint very wide. It is better people don't accidentally miss a checkpoint than to try to keep it narrow.

Problem 3: Curve issues

Here you can see a variation of the previous issue, this time on a curve. It is very easy to go wide and accidentally miss a checkpoint because of that. Also, because the inner curve has no visible obstacle marking how much can be cut, it is not clear what is considered a shortcut.

Fix 3: Add an inner curve obstacle and widen the checkpoint

It is often good to have some obstacle on the inner curve and put the checkpoint to start there. But usually, you don't want to put it too close to the curve since it can be frustrating if it is too easy to hit it. It is normally ok to put the outer curve points very far as there is no benefit from going very wide. Again, it is better to allow that than to make the checkpoint more narrow. Also, to make smoother race lines (green line), it is often good to have two checkpoints on a curve.

Problem 4: Checkpoint is not inside an obstacle

This is a variation of the previous issues but this can easily happen when not placing points carefully. A checkpoint is passed when vehicle's middle position crosses the line segment defined by the checkpoint end points. Sometimes, a vehicle can go through surprisingly narrow passages between an obstacle and a checkpoint so make sure that is not possible!

Fix 4: Simply move the checkpoint end point inside the obstacle

Problem 5: Shortcut is allowed

Sometimes, making a checkpoint too wide can allow a shortcut that is not intended. Here, for example, it may be faster to take a shortcut with some vehicles, at least if terrain speed is not reduced.

Fix 5: Add an inner curve obstacle and put checkpoint end point there

Problem 6: Green race line is not inside roads - spawn points are bad

If the green line is not following the road, it affects the default spawn points.

Here you can see how vehicles spawn on the curve checkpoint. It is good practice to test spawning on all checkpoints that have spawning enabled.

Fix 6: Add checkpoints and tune the curve shapes

Add new checkpoints between the existing ones and tune their middle positions and curve shape until the green line is inside the road. If you are making different tracks like parkouring, it may not be necessary to keep the green line always on the route but then you should tune Spawning settings of the checkpoint and test that all spawn points are working as intended. You can also disable spawning for a point if needed. That can also be done for spawn points that are so close to a jump that it cannot be made without going backwards first.

Result after fixes

Here you can see the result after all fixes before adding sectors.

Feel free to report other kinds of common issues!

General information

Checkpoints are used for several things:

To define where players should drive to complete a lap (or special stage)
To define spawn points (by default derived from the green route line)
For in-game stats (who is leading whom and by how much)

It is usually a good practice to place checkpoints fairly regularly, even when they would not necessarily be needed for defining a lap. This way, stats are up-to-date and spawn points are not unnecessarily far away.

Checkpoint has three elements: two end points defining the line segment that must be passed by the middle of a vehicle, and middle position which is used to define the green route line which is used to define the default spawn points. Curve can be further adjusted by changing the "Curve Shape" for a checkpoint.

By default, checkpoints are checked in 2D and players can pass them at any height. This is usually ok, but for multi-level tracks with height differences, it might sometimes be necessary to use the height parameter to not allow passing them too high or low.