Here are tips for getting started making your own tracks!

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Tracks are created using Traxx 1.4 found at the Monster Truck Madness Guild. It is FREE, but you still need to register it as follows: Name = TRAXX, Key = ATOVBOGR.

The basic workings of Traxx are explained very clearly in Traxx School (also from the Monster Truck Madness Guild), so I won't go into anything here that is covered there.

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Track Making Suggestions

You can create a customized palette for your track by selecting Palette from the Special menu. But you are better off choosing the stock palette that makes your textures look the best. Custom palettes almost always make the trucks look bad.

Pay close attention to the details! Sounds and lighting can make the difference between a track that seems realistic and a track that reminds you of a carnival ride. Play with the settings to see what each one does.

256x256 pixel textures merge smoothly edge-to-edge and show better detail, but they take more computer resources.  Lots of these textures can cause game lag.  Stick to 64x64 textures wherever possible.  (They don't tile seamlessly... they overlap about 2 pixels on each side, so your "working" area is actually a 60x60 pixel square centered inside the 64x64 pixel square.)

Use PodZip (available at the Monster Truck Madness Guild) to reduce the file size of your finished product. It examines your creation and removes components that are already part of the stock tracks. (The only drawback is that you could run into problems if someone has unpodded a stock track that your track borrows it's textures from.)

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Race Suggestions

Sharp turns or lots of curves make the computer trucks less competitive.   If you are concerned about single-player fun, limit the number and severity of turns and curves.  Keep adjusting the computer truck paths until they are as efficient at you can get them.

You can't make a race loop "around the world".  The game setting is a big square.  If a player drives off of one edge, he pops up at the corresponding spot on the opposite side.  If you try to program the computer trucks to do this, it won't work.

Too many complex models, or too many boxes in any one area can cause a lag in the game while your computer fights to draw a whole bunch of things at once.  This is more apparent and interferes more with races than with rumbles.

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Rumble Suggestions

Thoroughly test your rumble with friends, and make sure they understand it is a beta version only!  They must promise not to spread copies around to others until you are satisfied that all scoring zones are fixed, and any other playability concerns are addressed.  Track example: Swimming Pool is out there in several different versions that are vastly different.  If you get the "player has a different version of this track" error, you may find that the scoring zones for different players are in different areas.  Even the terrain is different, so opponents may seem to be floating in midair or inside a solid obstacle.  So don't let strangers help you test, or they may spread unfinished copies.  Keep your test group small even amongst friends.

Don't make the scoring zone too big.  If nobody ever gets near an edge, it is tough to make them fall off.  (Not impossible, but you need a big group of players to make the rumble challenging.)  Track examples: Multi, Smee Rumble.

Don't make any "Sit 'n' Win" zones.  These are spots that are easy to guard (typically a small area accessed by a jump).  The first person to get there can sit and protect it from the other players with a minimum of effort.  Very little actual rumbling is done.  Track examples: SLO Headquarters, Water Tower Rumble.  With only two players, even the stock Arena rumble becomes a Sit 'n' Win track.

Don't make it too difficult or too far to reach the scoring zone.  The harder it is, the less rumbling is done.  Sure, a driving challenge can be fun sometimes.  But save it for races.  In a rumble, you are supposed to have a chance to fight each other.  This doesn't happen if people spend all their time just trying to get to the scoring zone.  Track examples: Swimming Pool, IAM - Season In Hell.  Jumping to the Top combines a long trip with lots of driving challenges, as well as a Sit 'n' Win scoring zone.  Needless to say, its not one of my favorites!