History VideoGame / TrackMania

* CoolCar: All eight of the default cars in the series could qualify. You can even import your own CoolCar into the game, and you can head to the [[http://www.trackmania-carpark.com/ CarPark]] if you want to find new ones.

* ShowsDamage: As of ''Trackmania 2,'' the vehicle models can finally get damaged when they crash into walls or obstacles, but still drive normally as if nothing happened.

[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-Trackmania_United_Screenshot_14.jpg]]

''[=TrackMania=]'' is a series of racing games developed for the PC, UsefulNotes/NintendoDS and the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii by French developers Nadeo.

The title that released after is ''Trackmania Turbo'', somewhat of a compilation of the Trackmania 2 game, considered as an arcade-styled spin-off. Turbo is a complete package of Trackmania 2's environments all rebranded and with different looking vehicle models, with a new environment added, named "Lagoon". Turbo fully transitioned into Ubisoft's Uplay platform (now Ubisoft Connect) and has an impressive aesthetic upgrade with lots of attractive style and HUD flair, as well as various changes to accommodate console play of the game and make it feel more accessible.

In 2017, Lagoon got added to Trackmania 2 as a playable title and an upgrade to the client, ManiaPlanet 4 was released, changing the UI and various other graphics element to continute upgrading from what Trackmania Turbo offered, while also adding numerous new blocks and features to previous environments.

* NintendoHard: While the official Nadeo made tracks can be very difficult it is more common for user-made content to qualify as this. It has been called "the world's most competitive racing game" for a reason. Generally competitive user-made tracks (such as those used in [=TM20202=]'s Cup of the Day) require being able to memorize the track in order to correctly execute difficult jumps and turns with a small margin of error.
** Some maps contain speed checks, jumps that are impossible to complete without high speed, which forces the player to not only succeed at previous challenges but do so without losing speed in the process. This can mean drifting through obstacles or finding a perfect line to avoid then rather than slowing down to dodge them.
** Kacky maps go past NintendoHard by requiring the player to exploit glitches or provide frame perfect inputs in order to complete them.
** ''Turbo''[='=]s hidden Super Trackmaster medals exist intentionally up the game's challenge to this level for those who want them. These bonus medals are unlocked upon getting a Trackmaster Medal on all 200 tracks (which is already no easy task), but the kicker is that the times for these medals are done by some of the fastest ''Trackmania'' players in the world, such as Spam. Good luck winning all 200 of them, you'll '''really''' need it.
** Trial maps are the most difficult kind of maps in the game, being constructed to tests the limits of what players are capable of. Checkpoints on these maps require extreme car control as well as extensive knowledge of the game's quirks. Even highly skilled players often weeks of practice to complete them without having to respawn dozens of times.
* PalmtreePanic: Island and Lagoon.

* WackyRacing: 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 -- they literally just clip through each other. 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.
** And prevents players from joining a server with 100 players on it, parking their car in front of a looping and going AFK, thereby preventing anyone else from finishing the race.

** Most point-to-point tracks take between 15-60 seconds, and most multi-lap tracks require only three laps and take about 1-2 minutes in total. Then ''Nations'' hits you with D-15 Endurance, which has 10 laps and take about 8 minutes to complete. The final track, E-05 Endurance, is a '''60-lap''' monster where getting the Author medal requires breaking the 60-minute barrier.

** "PX" tracks include PF (Press Forward) tracks, PB (Press Backwards) and various other combinations of driving controls, [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing including none at all]]. The idea is to press the correct key and keep it down throughout the track, causing the car to flip and jump and twirl through a complicated series of stunts and loops and [[RobinsonGoldbergContraption eventually arriving at the finish line]]. There is no player interaction, but these tracks represent dozens of hours of build time and look impressive.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Seen by most as the successor to ''4D Sports: Driving'', better known as ''Stunts''.
** Also, within the games, the Trackmania 2 environments 'Canyon' and 'Valley' could be seen as highly improved spiritual successors to the Desert and Rally environments from the Original era. 'Lagoon', the latest-introduced environment, can be seen instead as a spiritual successor to Island.

* LevelEditor: As stated above, a highly comprehensive track editor is included in the games. There are limits to what and where you can build, but they aren't terribly intrusive. You can make any track in the solo campaign with it, if you really want.[[note]]You can actually circumvent some of these limits, if you know how to manipulate the file the track is stored in. Alternatively, you can use a modified exe exists that removes any and all editor limits, including the size of the map, letting you build outside the [[SkyBox world bubble]].[[/note]]

* CameraScrew: Sometimes done intentionally by track builders to show off cool jumps.

** "PX" tracks include PF (Press Forward) tracks, PB (Press Backwards) and various other combinations of driving controls. The idea is to press the correct key and keep it down throughout the track, causing the car to flip and jump and twirl through a complicated series of stunts and loops and [[RobinsonGoldbergContraption eventually arriving at the finish line]]. There is no player interaction, but these tracks represent dozens of hours of build time and look impressive.

* LevelEditor: As stated above, a highly comprehensive track editor is included in the games. There are limits to what and where you can build, but they aren't terribly intrusive. You can make any track in the solo campaign with it, if you really want.
** You can actually circumvent some of these limits, if you know how to manipulate the file the track is stored in.
*** And nowadays you don't even need to do that: a modified exe exists that removes any and all editor limits, including the size of the map, letting you build outside the [[SkyBox world bubble]].

* NintendoHard: While the official Nadeo made tracks can be very difficult it is common for user-made content to qualify for this. It has been called "the world most competitive racing game" for a reason. Generally competitive user-made tracks (such as those used in TM20202's Cup of the Day) require being able to memorize the track in order to correctly execute difficult jumps and turns with a small margin of error.

* NintendoHard: The more advanced tracks (especially the user-made content) will have you restart the same race over and over again, because there is often very little margin for error if you want to have enough speed to make that one jump to the finish line.
** This usually involves "transitions", clever combinations of blocks that rely on trick jumps and very narrow margins of error. A lot of fun to build, not so much to drive, because a single mistake means game over.
** 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.
** Exaggerated to hell and back with ''Turbo''[='=]s hidden Super Trackmaster medals. These bonus medals are unlocked upon getting a Trackmaster Medal on all 200 tracks (which is already no easy task), but the kicker is that the times for these medals are done by some of the fastest ''Trackmania'' players in the world, such as Spam. Good luck winning all 200 of them, you'll '''really''' need it.

The title made after those is ''Trackmania Turbo'', somewhat of an upgraded successor to Trackmania 2, but different still. Turbo is a complete package of Trackmania 2's environments all rebranded and with different vehicles, plus one more, named "Lagoon". Turbo fully transitioned into Ubisoft's uPlay platform and has an impressive aesthetic upgrade with lots of attractive style and HUD flair, as well as various changes to accommodate console play of the game and make it feel more accessible.

On 2017, Lagoon got added to Trackmania 2 as a playable title and an upgrade to the client, ManiaPlanet, was made, changing the UI and various other graphics to match Trackmania Turbo more and adding numerous blocks to previous environments.

On 2017, Lagoon got added to Trackmania 2 as a playable title and an upgrade to the client, Mania Planet, was made, changing the UI and various other graphics to match Trackmania Turbo more and adding numerous blocks to previous environments.

* MohsScaleOfViolenceHardness: A comfortable 0.

** Exaggerated to hell and back with ''Turbo''[='=]s hidden Super Trackmaster medals. These bonus medals are unlocked upon getting a Trackmaster Medal on all 200 tracks (which is already no easy task), but the kicker is that the times for these medals are done by some of the fastest ''Trackmania'' players in the world, such as riolu! and Spam. Good luck winning all 200 of them, you'll '''really''' need it.

* CopyProtection: uses the infamous [=StarForce=] system.
** Use'''d''', mercifully.
** Nadeo released a press statement announcing that ''Trackmania 2'' would ''not'' use Ubisoft's copy protection system.

In 2020, the seventh title in the series, simply named ''[=TrackMania=]'' and which is a remake of [=TrackMania=] Nations, was released.

* ShowsDamage: As of ''TrackMania 2,'' the vehicle models can finally get damaged when they crash into walls or obstacles, but still drive normally as if nothing happened.

* In the 2020 remake, this is more or less played straight, as while the Free Access gives you access to the basic campaign and track editors, you need to buy the Standard or Club Access in order to unlock the advanced track editor, along with other features.

In 2020, the seventh title in the series, simply named ''[=TrackMania=]''and which is a remake of [=TrackMania=] Nations, was released.

* LevelEditor: As stated above, a highly comprehensive track editor is included in the games. There's limits to what and where you can build, but they aren't terribly intrusive. You can make any track in the solo campaign with it, if you really want.

* UnexpectedGenreChange: Thanks to user created content.
** There is a small community dedicated to "[[RolePlayingGame RPG]]" tracks, created by using the editor's camera features and the game's mod functionality that enables builders to reskin the textures of a track. RPG tracks are usually story driven and contain precise balancing acts, trick jumps and puzzle solving interspersed with cutscenes. Actually winning the race is secondary, if there is even a race to begin with.

But the real star of the show here is probably the LevelEditor provided in game. The editor is strikingly similar to playing with {{Lego}} bricks — the editor gives you a series of tiles with bits of road, and you can arrange them to your liking. The only real requirements are a start, a finish and a way to get from one to the other. As such, there are tons and tons of user-created tracks, most of them on the community Web site, [[http://www.tm-exchange.com/ TMX]].