Two weeks since the release of the new race from studio Friv2Online, and the game is already packed with content from the community and bursting with the influx of players. What exactly pleases the new, conditionally free part of Trackmania - we tell you in the introductory article.
Trackmania is a kind of racing cult that has been pleasing its fans for almost seventeen years. It is younger than NFS franchise, but unlike it - it is not like most racing simulators, and throughout its existence it has been winning the competition with those few projects that tried to repeat the way of Nadeo.
Atmospheric races in picturesque corners of the world Trackmania preferred huge stadiums, and conservative friv games of F1 format - the space for creativity and endless challenges, in which again and again are involved gambling racers on their super strong cars.
The new part is positioned as a remake of one of the most successful versions of Trackmania, which paved the way to the world of big cybersport. Despite the fact that the friv game does not bring any fundamental innovations, the Nadeo project as always keeps up with the times, looks fresh and feels great.
The first thing to understand is that Trackmania is distributed in three access formats: initial, standard and club. The first one is free, the other two provide access to additional features of the friv game. The price for them is quite moderate, but it is still a subscription without the ability to purchase the game.
Thus, the user on a free basis will be able to participate in single and network seasonal competitions, try custom maps in arcade mode and even appear in the national league. The holder of standard access is included in the activities of clubs and is endowed with an advanced map editor, and the gold subscription allows players to create their own communities, play in the top league and customize car skins.
Despite the abundance of game activities, everything in the old fashioned way is reduced to short races for time on small, mottled with obstacles tracks. As in previous versions of Trackmania, there are several types of surfaces in the friv game, on each of which the car behaves differently, and on ice it is not controllable at all.
As before, one small race can include all types of tracks, gas pedals, jumps, ramps and many other modifiers, thanks to which the race becomes extremely intense, and the requirements to driving skill - very, very high. Players have at their disposal only brake, gas, reverse and the ability to replay the track, to achieve the best result, until the timer does not tell you to count the points.
I've already told you in the preview for Trackmania that solo mode is a series of season-long races in which the only opponent (aside from time averages) is your doppelganger. In the same format, racers can try out the track of the day and get in some practice, while season pass holders can probe the campaigns available in clubs.
Online mode is the heart of Trackmania. Seasonal maps are also available in it, but you'll have to participate in races together with a bunch of other racers. There will be a lot of bolides, all of them become ghosts when approaching, but the competitive excitement from this does not diminish at all. Other players in real time will prevail with you, fly off the tracks, roll over and hit the walls, while you triumphantly rush past under the screams of fans.
Arcade mode is more unpredictable. Participants are thrown to a random map at the end of the session. The element of surprise can play in hand in the fight against opponents that have perfected their skills only on certain routes.
Available in an online format is the track of the day - a specific track from the most talented designers among the players, and many of their works are truly impressive. Official event format competitions are also served up through the online mode.
If you have a subscription, you can visit clan rooms, create your own racing gang or become one of the members of an existing one. And here we should remember that for a long time Trackmania is based on players' creativity - their maps, which are very often not worse than those offered by Nadeo. Most of the user assets, as well as the improved map editor itself, are available only if you have an active subscription.
Another bonus is the garage, where you, operating with a convenient toolkit, can give your car a unique look and share it for the community, and if you don't want to mess around - you can pick up one of the many variants already offered by players.
New Trackmania is like seeds, like a compulsive melody in your head. It is worth to get behind the wheel of a car once - and it will be really hard to tear yourself away. It surprisingly combines the simplicity of an arcade, serious competitive moment and well-developed physical model that Nadeo has been polishing for years.
You can take part in races solo, challenge yourself, have fun in a crowd of other racers, play online or locally with friends, and even invite a few mates to try out your favorite map in split-screen or hot-seat mode.
If you're a veteran of the franchise, the new installment will hardly surprise you with anything other than improved visuals, but perhaps your experience will translate into great content for today's community or be useful at upcoming championships. If you are a newcomer, the friv game is definitely the best way to get into the series. All the more so because you can try it out for free.
