Friday, July 6, 2007

TrackMania Nations Electonic Sports World Cup


Developed by Nadeo
Released 2006
Genre Racing

Description :

Trackmania Nations ESWC is a free edition in the TrackMania series, specifically developed for tournament play. It was used in the 2006 edition of the Electronic Sports World Cup (2006), held from 27th June to 2nd July 2006 in Paris - Bercy, for a grand total of $40,000. The game is based on Track Mania Sunrise and introduces a new vehicle, and the stadium as a new environment, where all races are held.

TrackMania is a modern version of Stunts, using basic controls and offering racing courses with tricky sections including loops, corkscrews, turbo blocks and huge jumps that require technical skill. In the single player mode, you can practice on 90 tracks, divided over three skills levels. Each race is associated with three time standards to be met to win a bronze, silver or gold medal. There is also a hot-seat multiplayer option where up to eight players can race against the time or with only one try.

In the online mode, you have to register an online account and select your nation. Each car has a custom theme per country, but you can also create a unique look in the paint shop. There are three modes in online multiplayer games, with support for up to 20 players. In Round, you race against all other players with only one try, and you receive points based on the final standings. The same course is played until someone has 30 points. If you crash early, you can track other players in the spectator mode. Other vehicles are visible on the screen, but cannot be hit and they cannot slow you down. Time Attack is similar, but with an unlimited amount of tries. In Team, players race in teams and the points are calculated as the sum of the individual rankings. During online play, there are detailed rankings based on your efforts. There is a ladder with an overview of all players, but also a global ranking with all the nations.

The game comes with an in-game server browser, colored nicknames, a chat function, buddy lists, extensive admin options for server owners, and commands for launching gameplay votes. New tracks can be created in the included graphical editor, and shared with other players. The track editor also features a media tracker, to add text, intros, special effects, and sound and camera movement to your creations. You can design new challenges and exchange replays of your best times. Replays can be exported to avi if you want to share your time with someone who does not have the game. If you own Track Mania Original or TrackMania Sunrise (eXtreme) , you can attach your serial number to your online account. This enables P2P, allowing other registered players to view your custom-painted car, and vice versa.

Requirements :

Min.CPU PIII
Min.OS Win 98
Min.RAM 128MB
Min.DirectX 9.0b
Media Type Download
Keyboard/Steering Wheel
Mouse
Internet/LAN
Offline Players 1-8
Online Players 20
3D Accelerator
1GB HD Space

Trivia :
  • Over each update, the ads in the stadium are changed. For example, the logos for nVidia have now changed to TrackMania United.
  • This game can be downloaded for free, but oddly enough, you are required to install the StarForce copy protection drivers in order to play.
Hints :

Pro tracks:
Win a Bronze or better medal in all Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert tracks in single player mode.

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