If Ven-Top were available every day and had the same engagement features as AdZ, I’d ride it a lot and consider it another benchmark. There’s no way to compare the popularity of these routes given how the game is designed.
For me the biggest problems with Makuri are (1) I don’t like riding in virtual cities, and (2) the routes are all too short. (Of course I’d love a long climb in Makuri as well.)
Yeah. In my video I talked about how Zwift would need to just do a Mt. Fuji like climb that is around 2-3k (feet) of climbing. I highly doubt Zwift will do a direct replica because Zwift hasn’t been doing replicas, instead, they’ve been creating their own thing
I rode the Makuri 40 route for the first time this morning, and encountered this.
Just before crossing the bridge from the biggest island in Urukazi to the Mech Isle, I was flying in the air, or the road surface was invisible or non-existent. See the floating pedestrian crossing in the first screenshot? The second looks like I’m riging on sand, but the beach is down below the road.
Has anybody seen anything like this?
The latest app on Windows 10.
That “very scenic” thing is maybe the root of the problem.
It also had been said earlier in the thread:
Zwift seems to focus more on stunning looking scenery than on fun to ride scenery. RGT does the opposite … look at their Cap Formentor route. It mimics the road perfectly. I’ve been there a few times IRL and in RGT I can tell exactly where I am. Compared to Zwift the scenery is sparse, a bit to sparse, but as a cyclist and for the reason I ride indoors they do a better job.
What holds me back is that Zwift has me pretty much locked in … I skip even my famous climbs in Fulgaz as I don’t get my zwift-level up 
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I think Urukazi is very scenic. This is an intentional choice of words - you can’t deny that this expansion is visually appealing! … But, and I’m sure i’ve said this before, I cant help but think that this was built primarily to be visual - with the roads/course features added after.
I wish this was the other way around aswell! Build routes and courses that have ‘features’ that appeal to cyclists - and then build the visuals around that.
Start with course design - i.e. lets have a ramp (as an attack point) just before the finish, lets have two punchy climbs close to each other, lets have a rolling section with a sprint immediately after.
The list can go on…
It may be unfair to think that Zwift are not approaching things this way, but if they are, it certainly does not feel like it. The visuals get far more ‘air time’ than the intentions of each loop.
Mech Isle looks fun for a crit style loop… why aren’t Zwift talking about it in this way…
When we get an expansion I don’t want Zwift’s social channels to be showing us ‘Easter Eggs’, I want it to be highlighting what each new route can be used for and highlight some course features. Is this just me?
Credit where credit is due, Urukazi is another great expansion, I just wish for more cycling orientated features, above the visuals. 
It might not just be you, but you do seem to highlight competitive options rather than social options. I guess that Zwift might be focussing on the latter because that’s more popular? They surely have the figures to show this if so.
Yes, I agree @Colin_Cadden … and yes, I acknowledge this is coming more from a racing / competitive perspective , which of course is only one ‘piece of the puzzle’.
I’d like to think well designed routes, with added visuals, can cater for both audiences.
And to counter my own point, even if the courses seem dull (to race) on first look… It is the racers that make the race anyway, even a ‘boring’ course can be exciting.
From a social perspective, I lead some of our club Sat endurance rides - and the longer routes included in this expansion will certainly be used for them.
Having more than one ( I think it’s three…) Sealevels must be part of the mysterical “Monster vs. Mech” setting.
Maybe we are going through some wormholes for different realities.
You know how the sea retreats just before a tsunami … ?
There looks to be 2 options for a crit style course, you have Mech island, but the mango’s loop around a tree(?) on the beach would also make a great little loop course - Short course, small punchy climb - a lollipop route with laps of that would be great, or combine that & with mech island for multiple figure 8 laps.
Missed opportunities all of the time…
I feel that there are no cyclists working at zwift anymore, just game and graphics designers.
But certainly no geo- or cartographers 
I’ll be surprised if Turf and Surf doesn’t become a popular racing route. Two climbs with just enough riding at 5%/6% to make it interesting. Especially the second one that finishes maybe 1km (ish) from the finish line.
Turf and Surf is 24.6km long and has an elevation 195.8 Meters.
I’ve never been good in hide and seek, but I’m quite sure you can’t hide climbs in that route. 
See, i know i was a weird one. It’s one of my favourite routes and when i don’t want it to feel brutal i stop almost half the way when the vegetation stops.
Absolutely love it and i’d like there were more like that, France has plenty of amazing mountains and pass they could replicate. Ventoux itself has several roads that climbs from different sides of the mountain i don’t see why they don’t just add them, compared to the new island it would be like 10% of the effort
i’ve tried them all and spent a lot of time on Rouvy but believe it or not i always come back to Zwift because it gives me more “reality” feelings and that is not for the visuals but for the way they implemented the bicycle physics and how they manage to reproduce the climbing realism with the trainers.
On top of that being able to start from point A and coming back to point A it makes me feel like i’m doing a real ride which rarely happens on other platforms.
This is also where i got pissed because they could implements more roads on Watopia which would allow for it.
Same here, maybe not all, but a lot. But I would not agree that Zwift is best in physics, sometimes it feels quite strange in Zwift but that’s ok for me, the impact is minor.
Only when it comes to the max gradient the trainer can replicate, then it gets really ugly … but I can’t decide if it’s only Zwifts fault or also on Wahoos side … might get an Tacx next year.
That’s exactly the point that makes Zwift stand out but I start getting the feeling that I’m get annoyed by either doing the same routes over and over again or find my self in worlds (Makuri, New York) which are so boring.
What also could help zwift a lot is a route planer … but as far as I know Zwift has no interest in that.
off topic here but just a quick one…i have the tacx neo and slopes feels realistic. Not much after 15% but that’s not everyday problem.
Feels perfect on the Alpe and Ventoux and on the rapid slope changes on the Titans grove
The expansion looks great but it is pitty that the running routes do not score any extra experience points. I did my first Zwift run on Wednesday and it was really surprising that no popup was shown when I crossed the finish as I am used to from cycling 
Yeah, there are no run designated routes with this new expansion, so you will only get the badges if you ride the routes.
Your perception of what is a climb probably depends on if you are a sprinter or not. 
