Shootmania and Maniaplanet Round-up

Our in-depth Trackmania²: Canyon preview can be viewed here.

Shootmania

We haven’t had the chance to pop over to Paris and see Shootmania in action for ourselves yet, but while in LA we get to did speak with Nadeo about what to expect. Shootmania, the first FPS game by Nadeo, and already well into development, uses the same game engine and features as Trackmania 2. So we can hopefully expect some nice graphics, a lot of customisation and a very well equipped map editor, with walls, paths, jump pads and weapon blocks instead of race track. The gameplay will of course now involve shooting instead of driving, and it will be critical for Nadeo to adapt to getting the basics right so that the community can use their imagination to build upon the basic gunplay.

Gameplay is dubbed as ‘pure and simple arcade based fun in the spirit of Trackmania’. So don’t expect any gore or military connotations, just a wide range of custom maps and experiences that is only limited by the creativity of the community. Game modes and rules for engagement should be customisable in maps with Maniascript, but Nadeo want to keep the focus on ‘automatic fun without thinking too much’. This balance will be difficult to manage, as seen with Team Fortress 2, where there are a lot of tactics, rules and maps to learn. Shootmania won’t feature different classes though, here the focus is on straight forward pure and simple shooting of friends (in a lateral sense at least, they will of course be enemies).

It was hinted that there could be a single-player mode with very basic AI to act as target practice, but Shootmania is primarily designed to be a multiplayer game, with upwards of 32 players currently spouted. The whole leader-board ranking system will be back which means the same possibilities to compete at a regional and worldwide level. The first Shootmania environment is called Storm, with Cryo revealed as another environment for the future. Just imagine a more advanced version of the Timesplitters map editor but on the PC with online multiplayer and scripting, and you can begin to see what the anticipation is about. Let’s just hope the shooting mechanics are spot-on, and although the proven track record is with racing games we do have good faith in Nadeo. More details should be made available after the summer with a release expected in early 2012.

Questmania

Unfortunately at the time of writing it is too early for Nadeo to reveal any real detail on Questmania, the final part of the mania trinity that focuses on role-playing. Other than it will use the same engine and editor of its two siblings, there is nothing else to say at this time. That is understandable considering that the small dedicated Nadeo team are currently working on getting Trackmania 2: Canyon finished and polished first, with Shootmania: Storm next on the agenda and Trackmania 2: Valley after that. The only snippet from Nadeo is the following:

“What is important to think of when you try to imagine how QuestMania work, is, "it is different from what I am thinking right at this moment" Then you can easily think how it works.”

Maniaplanet

Each of the Trackmania², Shootmania and Questmania episodes are currently priced at around 20 Euros (£18, $29) each. Over time this will cost more money for the user, as, excluding any possible future promotions, all three environments from one series would cost 60 Euros (£54, $87) instead of 30 Euros (£25, $40). This might seem like Ubisoft doing the accounts, but this ambitious project makes sense, and further explains why only one environment is being released at a time. Nadeo is a small team who have taken a lot of time to develop and perfect the new engine. To release all three Trackmania 2 environments at once would delay the game several years. Trackmania 2: Canyon and indeed the future episodes should prove decent value for money, as if the previous Trackmania games are anything to go by then there will be plenty of re-playability and continued support from Nadeo.

Nadeo said this to us regarding pricing:

“We realized with TrackMania that we were forced to recompile and sell a new version each time we implemented a major change in the engine. As a result, fans did pay TMO (45euros) + TMS (45euros) + TMU (30euros) for a total of 120euros (excluding sales etc.) for 6 environments. We want our games to be durable and lasting, and Maniaplanet will allow us to do just that: keep the games up-to-date and our updates efficient, and free. The existing games won't be too "high maintenance" (one centralized engine to update means less work), so we can focus on the development of new games and functionalities.

We believe that 20 euros means the same end price tag for a trackmaniac, with 6 environments bought for 120 euros. For a passerby, it is more attractive, with an entry price of 20 euros. It is the best business model we could think of, to be easy on players' purses and keep our work efficient. The bottom line for players remains the same: 20 euros for a game. We hope it will be seen as fair, regarding the work put in the game”.

Different currency conversion rates and inflation make cost comparisons of Trackmania games a little confusing, but we would not dispute that 20 Euros for each game  – provided they turn out as good as we expect – should be good value for money.

But how will these games be released? Well (initially at least) they will be released via digital download only, and they will all be connected via a system called Maniaplanet, which is still very much a work in progress. We think it is fair to draw comparisons to what Valve have created with Steam, but as Maniaplanet is dedicated to the three mania games there should be more dedicated accessibly and customisation for the Nadeo line-up. To us Nadeo called Steam a ‘platform’ while Maniaplanet is referred to as a ‘network gaming system’. But what exactly is meant by this? Well since the three mania games will share the same engine and features, Maniaplanet will be like a base from which to launch the content. Or as Nadeo said: “everyone together makes it what it is”.

Of course, on release initially Maniaplanet will only contain one game: Trackmania²: Canyon. But over time the user can decide what titles they wish to buy and add to their collection. It is a little concerning and certainly ambitious to see Nadeo try and develop three different genres at the same time, even if they do use the same engine. The fan base will be eager to try all three but to excel commercially the general market for each genre will need to be tempted, and with the map editor and scripting that is certainly possible. Maniaplanet should also evolve in areas which are seen as being needed in the future. For example, when asked on the forums about Maniaplanet and data management, which has previously been in a bit messy in separate folders on the hard drive, Nadeo responded: “I am not certain that it will (at) launch. Maniaplanet will then evolve to make it more comfortable using a certain system.”

When we asked if Maniaplanet will be a home for community custom content such as tracks, cars, tutorials and the library of scripts, Nadeo responded:

“In a sense, yes, it (Maniaplanet) will be home of "all creations". Your hard disk file is ManiaPlanet, and it is the system over the games, and also the engine under it. It is not a space per se, but it holds it all. As in TMUF, manialinks or website are the place to look at for players' content. We do not try to replace anything or implement some sort of giant centralised system. We prefer to let people do as they like: have their own small space, or unite around a big featured space (as it happened with tmX or carpark for example).

What we haven't look at together, and is still a WIP (work in progress), is the whole manialink system improvements. Hope we'll be able to check this next time around! “

Just don’t get confused about how the three mania games combine. They will all share the same engine and features, but each has a focus on a separate genre. It would be a phenomenal task for Nadeo to create a game where you could race somewhere, get out and start shooting each other while having role-playing elements. We also believe it is better to have a game dedicated to each genre, but a player can still quickly hop in and out of each game to satisfy the mood they may be in. Maniaplanet will not be backwards compatible with previous Trackmania games and it’s going to take a while, at least a year in fact, for the segments to be put together and the potential of Maniaplanet to be realised, but hopefully the end result will prove to be something special.

The current planned order of Maniaplanet releases is the following:

• Trackmania²: Canyon – September 2011 (Beta in July)
• Shootmania: Storm – Q1 2012
• Trackmania^2­­: Valley
• Questmania: the first environment