Tracks more flush with terrain?

[auandi]

So I'm sorry if this has been requested before, but to me one of the biggest challenges to making some of my rides look realistic is the large gap of terrain that always forms under the track when auto-tunnel is on. I can try to fill it in and rebuild the track, but in areas where I do a lot of something it's very difficult to replicate it just right. And a lot of rides build the track directly on the ground rather than elevated a meter or two above it. I'm thinking of rides like:

The Matterhorn:

Big Thunder Mountain Rrailroad:

If the bottom part of the track were connected to a strip of terrain, it would make the terraforming so much easier! Especially when you want the appearance that the track is flush with the ground. When I'm making a steam train transport ride for example, there are times I want it to "hug" the cliff like a real train might do, and it's very difficult to get the terrain just right so that the supports don't show up.

If there are technical limitations to that, could the "autotunnel" at least not require such a tremendously large gap below the track? Because it's difficult to terraform prior to building, and with the "smothing" tools the track can change slightly to leave some very large gaps.

If the gap left below the tracks were simply smaller, I think that could solve a lot of the problems I (and I'm assuming others) have had with stretches of track meant to be on the ground.

And one last thing related but different, it would also be great if the snap to terrain could allow the water tubes of log flume rides to have their sides covered so it looks more naturally like your in a river and not a fiberglass thing. It means we wouldn't need to crowd rocks around it, which always end up clipping through to the water itself. The river rapids ride tunnels into terrain very nicely, it would be great if the log flume could as well.

 

[Ramm]

This issue doesn't get enough attention in my opinion. I would also love to make the water rides more flush with the terrain or even make it at the same level as a water plane

 

[auandi]

The big thing to me is that the river rapids actually do conform to the terrain rather well. When they auto-tunnel they have such a small gap it's hardly noticeable.

But when the log flume does it there's suddenly this huge gap. So they clearly can change the settings they just haven't yet.

 

[Crowdpleaser]

This Bugs me as well, there really is no need for the Track to be that high above the Ground. In addition, I would love to see that we could sing our Water Rides Flush with the Water. Like Log Flames or the Rapids. Log Flume Thoughs in particular are often in a bigger Body of Water (at least in Parks that care) and not highabove the ground.

 

[NoxObscuras]

Try turning off the auto tunnel feature. It will stop that annoying gap it creates with the terrain and you can just turn auto tunnel back on the next time you need a tunnel. Turning it off/on doesn't affect the parts of the coaster already built (unless you go back and edit those parts anyway). I don't think it goes as far as letting the track merge with the ground, but you can at least get it close to the ground.

 

[auandi]

That only works if you're building track that already happens to conform to the terrain. And since slopes are hard to get even, that's a lot of difficult work to get it slopped just right prior to building. And if you want to build a piece you later want to smoothen? Forget it, those are nearly impossible to replicate . And if you try change the terrain around tracks that are already built you get stuff like this:

I just wish the gap under the track could be reduced. It just seems needlessly tall.

 

[NoxObscuras]

Ah I hadn't thought about situations where you would want a slope flush with the ground. I agree the workaround for that would be unnecessarily tedious. Here's hoping it's one of the things in the Spring update

 

[Phantom5231]

That only works if you're building track that already happens to conform to the terrain. And since slopes are hard to get even, that's a lot of difficult work to get it slopped just right prior to building. And if you want to build a piece you later want to smoothen? Forget it, those are nearly impossible to replicate . And if you try change the terrain around tracks that are already built you get stuff like this:

http://i.imgur.com/lNmQ651.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vmZSoWa.jpg

I just wish the gap under the track could be reduced. It just seems needlessly tall.

Look closely at the 2nd picture. A big part of the issue seems to be that the ground is conforming not to the track, but to the supports. I notice that while not perfect, the ground is a lot closer to the tracks in between the supports. I really wish that terrain or water could be raised up to the level of the track, depending on the ride/track type of coarse.

I also strongly agree that water rides (as well as paths) should be able to get closer, or more flush, with the water level. The Log FLume ride and River Rapids ride should both be able to dip low enough into the water that the water level of both the ride and the surrounding lake should match. The same goes for the (hopefully) upcoming water coaster and splach-boat rides, of course!