Trackmania 2 Stadium | Open Beta

[eie]

Fix just posted a cryptic message, and I don't know how to decipher it:
"please don't be paranoiac :thumbsup:"

[HawkGer]

dunno but maybe he was referring to this: "although it seems that most of the updates have been against RPG players"
Maybe he thinks you think there is some RPG conspiracy going on at Nadeo headquarters xD

[eie]

Ah you might be right, I kinda forgot to read it in the context it was put in, my bad :S
Although I think I will continue with this conspiracy theory, maybe it IS true

[HawkGer]

eie in a year from now, kidnapping Hylis to uncover the mysteries of the RPG conspiracy:
TM-Tube - Your TrackMania Video Portal - The N.o.H. (Episode 1)

[eie]

Actually I might just want to create a RPG map based on this conspiracy, it'd do for a great story ^^

[JumperJack]

that would be a great idea!

also, i cooled down a bit as well. i still think we should get our alpha channel back, but all the other changes might even turn out to be great features.

[HawkGer]

eie I searched a bit and could only find this old post about custom object transparency: Maniaplanet Forum

[HawkGer]

Stadium 2 certainly can be beautiful even without transparency:





And sometimes maybe not that beautiful....
Chamber of Darkness now extra dark:

[eie]

I think the only thing we can hope for is if NADEO will be releasing new blocks which can be transparent, because I seriously believe we need windows of some sort, because glass is essential in so many tracks. About all futuristic maps would need that.

The fact that we can have invisible objects is a plus though, because we can replace invisible waterfloor with that, which is good ^^ Although AFAIK object placement cannot happen everywhere by default, so it'll need some blockmixing mayhaps.

[Promaxer]

the only problem i see with tm2 stadium is the darkness, for example most of kryw's tracks are totally "wrecked" with the canyon lighting + the transparency, eie is right, even if they dont make us able to change the texture of the current blocks to make them invisible, then add some new ones for the rpg players
lets hope this isnt a conspiracy for real

[eie]

Dont look at S1 maps when thinking about this problem, because after all S2 is a new game, and we were never to automatically assume that everything would just magically be imported into TM2 without any changes. The lighting is currently bad for S1 maps which haven't been optimized for S2, but I think that it would easily be fixed with a few light sources, so none of kryw's maps are actually "wrecked". The only reason that some still might be "wrecked" is for maps where you need transparency to finish the map, and that still holds true for the transparency issue.

I'm also giving away free tin foil hats to everyone who thinks this is a conpiracy

[trunks_11]

Okay i accidently deleted the text that was written here, adding new text... So:
I downloaded the maniaplanet now and wanted to start, but since i never had tm2 before or shootmania this looks very foreign to me. Can i log in with my old account from tm1 stadium?

[HawkGer]

I can't remember exactly how this works...but I think you have to click on "create new account", then on "I already have an account" and then type in the old login and pw.
It's the same PW as here: Player page

Edit: hehe...sneaky Trunks...editing his post and making mine look completely irrelevant. I guess you figured out yourself how to connect your account

[trunks_11]

Nah.. when i saw that you answered 1min after i edited it, i just reedited my post... well and now you reedited your post. I guess now none of us should have an irrelevant post

I made a test track in the editor to test everything... You can now even drive on curved walls without having a wheel on it.. I hope they change that. Turbo bug etc. works like it should.

And unfortuanetelly sneaky trunks didnt find a way to log in with the old i acount. My name is now surprisingly user.

[occam]

[quote='HawkGer'][...]
Chamber of Darkness now extra dark:
[/quote]

Yeah, indeed, pitch black in there :- >

not really a solution but Skeleton made me aware of something that helps at least a little bit:

for old tracks like Camateraz' Chamber of darkness, or Ex Gehenna (it is also pitch black between CP17 and CP18, well and the PF-Finish is 'broken' which of course is not unexpected, with a new game engine...

here is the little "workaround", download a model with car lights from maniapark.com




in my example video the Rally Car costs 5Planets to install, dunno if the open beta accounts support planets, if not there are also cars on maniapark.com that will not cost planets.

Maniapark

[Mario]

Oh i love that idea! but it should be a stadium car

[trunks_11]

So, ManiaPlanet just can't find my old account. It says it doesn't exist. So i put my saved profil from the Trackmania/Profiles to the new ManiaPlanet/Config. I put it in and when i start ManiaPlanet it finds the account. When i enter my password, which should be the same like on the trackmania playerpage. When i want to connect comes: This player does not exist. ... I can play offline with it, but not online. So has anyone a solution? Or is it just not possible with the beta?

[occam]

...forgot in my previous post to mention that car lights are only lit in the Moods: Sunset and Night, so still good for CP17~CP18 in ExGehenna but of no help for Camateraz' Chamber of Darkness.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1F1Zv3Vq1Y[/video]
[color=#000066]EDIT: Camateraz in particular was not the best example to quote, since Camateraz is in DayMood, car lights are only lit in Sunset- and NightMood.

[/color]

Oh i love that idea! but it should be a stadium car

Indeed stadium car with light would be great, i tried adding illum.dds, but i already had expected that would not work and it obviously seems to be trickier than that :pinch: :- >

[eie]

Ok then we can start Soviet Russia-style jokes:
In Stadium 2, nights are brighter than day.

I think I'll have my Labyrinth Maps converted to night-time before re-releasing them in S2, and I think the same could be done for a lot of maps, unless this changes. Well even it it changes, the Labyrinth Series would be so much cooler with headlights

[HawkGer]

Level 2 lum (played on TKO RPG server)
Tron mod looking very sexy


I'm still wondering if the light cone of the car can be modified in a custom model. If we could have a 360

[eie]

MT-based light sources would also be nice, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Actually, objects are a bit weaker than regular blocks, because I don't think they can be assigned to the block grid, but wherever you want. That sounds good, but it'll be hard to place them smoothly beside other objects/blocks. At least that's how I've understood it(please correct me if I'm wrong) Also, if what I said is correct, stacked texture won't work? unless you use several objects with different textures(or just a big object).

But of course objects are going to have a great impact on future RPG maps, and ultimately objects will be the reason I'm going to build in S2 instead of S1. I will still need to find a way to create and import custom blocks though, if someone was to make a guide on the forums I'd be happy ^_^

[HawkGer]

look at the post here: Maniaplanet Forum

[maxi031]

"Warning: Wall of text follows"

@objects: As i figured out custom objects can be snapped just to x/y axis, but you cant change their z in editor. They can only be placed on already existing surface in editor. You can put them higher in the air if you change their z in 3d program before you export them, but thats still fixed z position that you cant control in track editor.

Looks like game doesnt care if objects are too big , out the building area, or overlapping, so you can place some custom object over the stadium to change atmosphere.

Hell you can even make your own track in 3d program and import it game haha.

Many potential in this new future, problem is that online they are only accessible via packs, not like before just zip it and put on some host.

With old zip/locator system and changeable z axis in editor they going to be heaven for rpg tracks.

@new lighting system: On tmnf tracks it wont look as it used to be, but with new tracks adopted to new lighting system atmosphere can be a lot better.
"Pictured himself driving some horror themed track in complete dark with only car lights revealing just the 5 m in front of him"

@Alpha: still havnt tried it so i cant comment on it.

All considered, i like stadium beta a lot with all new maniaplanet goodies, it has a lot potential to be utilized by creative individuals, ofc if nadeo mange to close the beta successfully in close future.

[HawkGer]

Okay I finally downloaded my first Title to see how these custom objects work.
And indeed...the z axis can't be changed with custom objects. How stupid is that?
It kinda ruins everything. And also the grid snapping is not as good as I thought it would be. Very annoying to try to build a straight wall...
Well, I hope Nadeo is working on that

eyebo filmed a run on Prey and Shadow and uploaded it on TmTube:
TM-Tube - Your TrackMania Video Portal - TM2S - [RPG] Prey and Shadow by Enai Siaion

[occam]

Thank you for all the insight Hawk:
(links to Sen-Sai Title Pack with custom objects,
Import 3ds Max models to TM