Secret Santa 2025 – Entries

1 comment on “Secret Santa 2025 – Entries”

1. I’ve gotta say, these last couple of days absolutely turned the event over. I love the creativity on display this time round! Congratulations to everybody.

   To clarify matters, given I packed up the archive (and hence I know who submitted what, from backend) I will NOT cast any votes, but I will express my thoughts about all entries. (And no, before you ask – I didn’t submit a car myself :P)

   – Table: this is just perfect. You don’t get cars with ClothFX very often (that’s to say, if at all), and the spinner effect is fantastic. If we were to be really nitpicky I’d say the parameters aren’t exactly thrilling, but hey it’s a hunk of wood with cake on it. Gotta be careful, right? :P

   – Winter Scout: sadly the locomotive pivot spinner effect doesn’t pair well with the “fake 8 wheel support” you’re forced to do because of RV engine limitations, but you can’t notice it all that much while you’re actually driving. The parameters are on the right path for what it’s supposed to be, but probably require a bit more time in the oven when it comes to suspension and inertia. Small visual bug on the front of the steamer, there’s a tiny red spot that probably shouldn’t be there :)

   – NPPS: love me an oldie and this one is well executed too. I’ve gotta say it drives a lot differently than what I anticipated / how I would normally expect such a car to drive – but it reminds me of a little delivery van shaped chocolate box I got for Christmas this year :) it is very cute. Coincidentally mine is green with red details tho :P

   – Overstacked: here’s another one for the “creativity awards”. Cars fully made with stock assets are a jam (Bendor says hi) and the parameters are a delight, very reminiscent of Dust Devil (another car I really enjoy). The little details like the slightly squished Adeon shell and the festive lights are great too.

   – Voltide: I shouldn’t say this because it might give something away, but I am always happy when I see people trying new stuff. I like the way the wing connects to the wheel skirts, almost looks like it’s wearing a headset :) parameters are a bit on the generic side, and it really could use harder shading near the bottom.

   – Winter Ravager: the concept is there, but the execution is a bit lackluster: there are some misplaced decals that get cut by the mapping islands, as well as a handful of pureblack spots and a small bug on the left side. The custom engine sound is okay but could be a bit annoying, and the parameters are rather uninspiring. In my opinion the skin would’ve looked a lot better without the racing decals and just keeping the “winter-y” stripes.

   – CORE: H0L1D47: who let the Christmas wreath free and why is it Beyblading around a racetrack? Kinda creative but not exactly my jam, but at least it drives quite fun. I would’ve personally silenced the engine sound or made it electric at least.

   – Maxmas: among the “ordinary” looking cars this would probably have been my pick. Everything in it is just wonderfully crafted visually, and it drives really well especially for a FWD car. I somewhat associate it with Max Attack in my head for a variety of reasons…

   – XMAS XL: really nice woodgrain effect under the paint. Feels, looks and drives literally like festive Adeon but for Pro class. Definitely not creative, but really solid. Rally lights should’ve had ENV imo.

   – Currus Anni Novi: this gives me all sorts of mixed feelings. The design and implementation of the whole “drivetrain” (including the rear skis that do indeed work and bounce like suspension!) is phenomenal and honestly pretty crazy, but the overly crisp texture details kinda break the immersion on your average RV tracks. I really enjoy it regardless, it’s just not my cup of tea texture wise.

   – Eastern Star: Speed Racer reference! I could totally see myself asking this author for permission to build my own stocklike T-180 using these wheel hubs. This is really well proportioned and aptly crazy to drive, my only real pet peeve is the engine sound being probably a little too quiet for such an aggressive looking thing.

   – Gift Warp: the moment I saw this I got immediately reminded of the Starlight car from the CC2010 revamp (curiously also a Christmas event :P). Very simple but also very effective – I’d just spend a little more time refining the parameters, maybe also taking a look at what Shara has done on the Wipeout full conversions? I’d totally see a vehicle like this benefitting a lot from such a param set.

   – Ho-Ho-Hot Pops: first of all thanks for using my (and Ziggy’s) car as a base for your entry :) the paintjob is really nice, I don’t think we’ve had an “ugly sweater” themed vehicle in the history of RV before. The handling of this is a lot more like what I’d expect from a vintage car, so I tend to prefer it to NPPS handling wise.

   – Honse Wings: creativity wise the best was definitely saved for last. I don’t know if this originates from a meme or what, but the way it uses axles to “flap the wings” is genius. The underground CoM handling is kind of weird (especially on a four wheeled chassis and not a bike like it’s usually done) but you can get the hang of it, and it fits the type of vehicle in an oddly satisfying way. In-air control (it has FLYING TRUE!) is a little clunky though, probably also due to the underground CoM.

   All in all I would definitely consider running another event with this ruleset later down the line – stay tuned! But for now… off to prepare something to please track makers as well. See you around Easter time!

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