Would you like a new Trackmania extension?

[AAssie]

I think Aassie means the one you sometimes get in a tunnel turn. There's like an invisible rock and you start flying when you get the bug. Was it this one?

Yes. The thing about this bug, which was more normal before TMU, is that it seems not to happen to everyone. It has never happened to me unless I drive the passage well trained at the limit. It also happens totally out of the blue and the chance of getting a heart attack from the shock if this happens in a competition must increase dramticly (especially when it happens in round 21 in FET)

I think the stone bugs on coast should be slightly easier to deal with. At least if it's the same type as were frequent in TMS. After training the track you pretty much knew where you could get it, and if you avoided driving too far on the outside of the turn you were safe; just like with the island hill turn bug.

[hylis]

For the first TrackMania, it was around 100, and 300 for Sunrise while United Forever is around 4000. Nations is more about 20000, including United.

I think we succeeded to bring the longest time of play to the highest number of player. If this is not our goal, what should be the strategy of Nadeo?

I don't think it is the Nadeo strategy that is questioned here, but your personal taste for new stuff. Most of people here have this taste, and surely that most of regular players would say "yes" to new content. But it is quite difficult to go against strategic moves.

And you are part of this strategy, because you are very important players. But so far, I say that I did well, even for you. And for future, I do say that I am going to do well. You surely want tomorrow to be today, but time is time, and that's a dimension that is difficult to manipulate!

Five years to cross 1000 players in 2003, 10K players in 2004, 100K players in 2005, 1M players in 2006, 10M players in 2007. And 2008 is the biggest TM year ever, by far.

On time, five years of TM were quite dense in evolution in my opinion: dedicated server, ladder, platform-stunt-laps-cup modes, maniachannels, official times, maniazones and around 10 releases or updates with new content every time. On the engine part, bigger work was done that rare other games make, like our own encryption and validate function, that also enabled nocd. Or more stuff that don't like too much here, like car import, painter, mediatracker, manialink, coppers, mods, video maker, peer-to-peer, locator, skins etc. took also some time to do and brought some diversity to the online experience.

I know Nadeo can do better in your eyes, that you can wait more content and innovation. But we were able to keep desert playable for years. We succeeded in making United with all TM inside one. We invested more effort, experience, time, number of people on Forever expansion than Sunrise itself. Do I need to recall that when Sunrise was released, some people from here complained that Sunrise killed Original. Now, with a news, like insomnia knows how to make, and a dedicated server, like slig know how to run, you can probably easily bring people on original environments.

So, people around here are part of this success, and will surely be part of our upcoming bigger ones ... as sure as my nickname is Hylis and that I will still have constant critics here ^_^

This is not a promises but our challenge. I dislike promises, it binds us to things that can become meaningless and could raise disappointment if abandoned. Classic gaming environment use it a lot and it seems to work every time. It is like with politics in fact. Maybe I should start to do like them and to promise what people ask in poll... that would be made among all TM players, including Stadium only ones. I just doubt they will ask for new environments.

Hylis

[mod]I uploaded your statistics image to the ET server, so it does not get lost on imageshack after a week.[/mod]

[Bramble]

You know how it is Florent, we all want more TM all the time. This thread is more about future speculation, not a demand for you to go and build us some new parts right away. But, if you feel like it, don't let me stop you

I (and i guess everyone else here) am pleased that TM still seems to be going from strength to strength, and lets hope the future will be bright too. Most of us guys here are addicts because of the fun of racing, so we'll probably never quit playing anyway

[Zooz]

Heh, I liked it more when Hylis was stubbornly sticking to the ideas of the first TM :P

Quite a few games have become less interesting for "hardcore" gamers to cater to casual players, just look at the development process of Spore, or the evolution of the Need for Speed series. I guess it's a good business decision, because there are more casual players and fans will buy it regardless, but that doesn't mean they don't have different preferences ^^

Nadeo is still doing a good job keeping us interested with some new blocks or some useful features though, but everyone always wants more eh? ^^

[MasterGary]

1) I know Nadeo can do better in your eyes, that you can wait more content and innovation.

2) Stadium only ones. I just doubt they will ask for new environments.

1) Everyone can always do better
But Nadeo made a very good job imo

2)

[hylis]

I don't want to answer public on this one, because it will cover my big post. If you read it carefully, I don't say that we are looking for wide audience. We are looking for people to "play" our games. High number of people, and that they play for long.

Expert players are part of the strategy.. and I think the proof is that we made United and United Forever. We have a so different strategy of NFS. They create and destroy content every year, they constantly change the gameplay and rules. They seek "new" for the sake of "new" as much as possible every time. I don't say they are bad, they are different. In fact, I never really played a NFS game (just three demos in 15 years) so I can't really talk about it.

for fun:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=trackmania
http://www.google.com/trends?q=need+for+speed

[hylis]

oups

[Boumsong]

Well all I can say is we will always want more tm and until we get it we just play with what we have.

Why is TM not so popular in the UK I wonder, very few super pros and a small player base considering our population is comparable to France. Shame really...

[Bramble]

Florent should come to England and go on a countrywide tour with a convoy of all 7 cars driving around, giving away free dvds of TMNF

[Zell]

Florent should come to England and go on a countrywide tour with a convoy of all 7 cars driving around, giving away free dvds of TMNF

Having my patented Pony-Horn (TM) will make that convoy all the more attractive, especially in the country areas!

[Bramble]

The RickRoll horn would also be a big hit

[Zooz]

http://www.google.com/trends?q=trackmania
http://www.google.com/trends?q=need+for+speed

http://www.google.com/trends?q=trackman ... +for+speed

huhu ^^

Yes, I suppose the NFS comparison isn't very accurate. I only mentioned it there because the more they tried to appeal to a wider audience, the less their game was liked by racing game fans. The analogy breaks down for other aspects of their strategy, of course.

[Bramble]

Ban Zooz! We don't want the truth!

[AAssie]

How did I end up in the main TM city?

[reDzQWare]

The RickRoll horn would also be a big hit

just ask hal.ko.Bowser for that