Track Mania: Difference between revisions

The first two titles, ''Trackmania'' and ''Trackmania [[Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo|Sunrise]]'', each with three environments to build in, were not particularly successful on the market. The game did not catch on among a wider audience until the free ''Trackmania Nations'' was released, a popular game that spawned a large community and many fansites. It had a single environment with many more freeform tiles, enabling a much larger variety of tracks compared to the older titles. To please fans of the original environments, ''Trackmania United'' was a paid version that also included the environments of the first games. A free ''"Forever"'' upgrade was available that enabled cross-server play between ''Nations'' and ''United'' players. The fifth title in the series, released in September 2011, is naturally called ''Trackmania 2'' and features a new graphics engine and a single "Canyon" environment with far more track tiles and options than any of the older environments. The "Valley" environment will be released later as DLC.

 

* [[Acrofatic]]: The Alpine and Bay cars are both surprisingly nimble - Alpine's 4x4 is a bit slow but has amazing grip on roads, and the Bay SUV has ridiculous acceleration and very bouncy suspension.

* [[Allegedly Free Game]]: Pretty much averted. Nations gives you the Level Editor, the reason to shell out the money is for the other environments and the ability to make your own cars.

* [[Brutal Bonus Level]]: The black flag tracks, which are unlocked by winning gold medals on every track in its environment.

* [[Camera Screw]]: Sometimes done intentionally by track builders to show off cool jumps.

** More recent cars tend to be "cooler" than old ones, and also easier to drive. The cars in the original environments all have some sort of hilarious flaw, like tipping over when you take a corner too fast or tilting backwards and crashing on long jumps. Latter games feature a much more serious driving model, especially after ''Nations'' became a popular e-sport.

* [[Copy Protection]]: uses the infamous StarForce system.

** Among advanced builders, "flow" is an important property of a track. It basically means no severe braking, no hard landings and an overall smooth driving experience. If you're going at the intended speed, that is. If you lose speed anywhere for any reason you are guaranteed to fail a jump and crash a few seconds later.

* [[Palmtree Panic]]: Island.

** Averted in ''Trackmania 2'' where you just disappear under the surface with a loud PLUMP sound.

* [[Rule of Fun]]: Pretty much the basis of the game. Cars that go unrealistic speeds? Rollercoaster-style loops? Thousand-foot high jumps? It's all here.

* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]: The gold medal cars in [[Track Mania DS]] are noticeably faster than the player's.

* [[Unexpected Genre Change]]: Thanks to user created content.

** Trial tracks are similar to RPG tracks but eschew the story and realistic scenery in favour of being even harder than RPG tracks, often gravitating into [[Platform Hell]] territory where you have to respawn 10 times to reach the first checkpoint (out of 30).

** Loltracks are very short "tracks" where the winner is often determined by luck or by mastering one particular aspect of the game's handling model. There is little actual driving involved and loltrack servers are usually aimed at casual players.

* [[Wacky Racing]]: In spades - at least, in the tracks. Loops, jumps, and physics-defying roads are the game's bread and butter, but there's zero car interaction. The developers say that the lack of interaction is so that races are determined by skill alone. It allows dozens of cars on the track at once while keeping the race drivable.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Pages needing more categories]]