TR Forums

http://www.trackmanianations.com/indexUk.php

Anyone check this out yet? Looks pretty good.

I was hoping for a more "Mad Max" type of racing MMO, but it looks promising otherwise.

Are you going to check it out?

I'm poking around the site now while it downloads. I'll give it a try.

I checked the license agreement, and apparently the game uses dynamic, in-game advertising utilizing a third party advertising company. In light of this, I am not going to install the game.

For a racing game, it makes perfect sense though. A la NASCAR, things would look bare if they weren't festooned with logos.

FireGryphon wrote:

I checked the license agreement, and apparently the game uses dynamic, in-game advertising utilizing a third party advertising company. In light of this, I am not going to install the game.

What's your objection to that business model in this sort of game? It's not like you're running through a dungeon killing monsters and suddenly an ad for pepsi pops up. I would think that properly done advertising would enhance a game of this type, and if that means the game is free, great!

The way advertising is, it has to stand out and be pretty obvious (even if it isn't in your face) to be effective, so I'm guessing the advertising in this game is going to be fairly prominent. I want a pure gaming experience, a fantasy world I can get into without having to worry about subliminal mind programming being done to me. No thanks!

I race on this almost nightly. I really like how creative custom tracks can get...especially the really challenging ones.

slavik6 wrote:

I race on this almost nightly. I really like how creative custom tracks can get...especially the really challenging ones.

Tell us more. How are the networks? Any appreciable lag?

On the advertising tip, I imagine "prominently placed adverts" would be right on the cars... just like NASCAR and most other sponsored racing events. Ads in this case would just add to the realism, IMO.

I don't like ads all around in real life, either, so "realism" isn't going to sell this one to me. Let's see some user screenshots of the game.

**** StarForce¹ copy protection in a FREE game? Nice going, Digital Jesters.

PS: using the StarForce Removal Tool to remove the StarForce drivers works until you start up Trackmania Nations, it then reinstalls the drivers.



¹ Introduction to StarForce: StarForce is a copy protection system that utilizes hidden system drivers which have ring 0 (down to the hardware-level) priveledges. Since system drivers are ALWAYS on, StarForce copy protection is always on as well.

Its methods are portrayed as being excessive since being always turned on and interfering at the hardware level will cause at best, system "hiccups" and increased load times, and at worst, CD/DVD drive failure and disconnection from the OS (sometimes with the rest of the IDE channel disconnecting as well) and inability to write even data CDs/DVDs.

This is probably touted as a feature: StarForce DOES NOT uninstall itself when you remove the game that has it. You need a special tool (linked above) to remove it and even then you have no guarantee as to its complete removal.

Because of the nature of StarForce and the attitudes pubs take to inconvenience² their own customers, several gamers have taken to boycott games (sometimes entire publishing houses) with StarForce.

If you want to see a nice, honest article about a legitimate customer and his experiences with StarForce protection, I recommend this article.


² This is funny, you see. If you have problems with StarForce and go to the pubs' forums to get technical assistance, you won't get any technical assistance because YOU'RE NOT A LEGITIMATE PAYING CUSTOMER. YOU'RE A **** CRACKER WHO WANTS TO CRACK OUR GAMES YOU PIRATE I'M DELETING YOUR POSTS AND BANNING YOU FROM OUR FORUMS. CRACKER. PS > WE'RE NOT LISTENING TO YOUR COMPLAINTS, SINCE WE KNOW THE ONLY REASON OUR GAMES SELL LESS IS BECAUSE OF YOU PIRATES AND CRACKERS. NOT BECAUSE THE DRACONIAN COPY PROTECTION WHICH DOES NOT UNINSTALL ITSELF IS DRIVING LEGITIMATE CUSTOMERS TO AVOID OUR GAMES.


PS: the FiringSquad article linked on the Wikipedia article as it boils down to "StarForce does not ever cause any problems whatsoever. EVER. If you have a problem with StarForce it's your own fault. Mmmm.... StarForce cock in my mouth"


Edit: in hindsight, I got a lot of nerd rage, don't I?