There aren't a ton of details out there just yet, but French developer Nadeo announced TrackMania 2 over the weekend. The game was revealed by Nadeo's Florent Castelnerac at something that I'm going to go out on a limb and refer to as "Festival du Jeu Vidéo." Because that's what this public event in Paris was actually called.

The big details here are on the customization front. Track creators will now be able to create objects in 3D rendering software and import them into the game, instead of using the prefab parts that defined the track creation process in the previous releases. A new scripting language, called ManiaScript, is also being built to further help people make wild stuff. The game is said to be scheduled for a 2010 release exclusively on the PC.

Nadeo hasn't publicly released any assets, but some folks on-hand at the presentation captured a bit of a trailer. Here's that:
  

There aren't a ton of details out there just yet, but French developer Nadeo announced TrackMania 2 over the weekend. The game was revealed by Nadeo's Florent Castelnerac at something that I'm going to go out on a limb and refer to as "Festival du Jeu Vidéo." Because that's what this public event in Paris was actually called.

The big details here are on the customization front. Track creators will now be able to create objects in 3D rendering software and import them into the game, instead of using the prefab parts that defined the track creation process in the previous releases. A new scripting language, called ManiaScript, is also being built to further help people make wild stuff. The game is said to be scheduled for a 2010 release exclusively on the PC.

Nadeo hasn't publicly released any assets, but some folks on-hand at the presentation captured a bit of a trailer. Here's that:
  

I wonder if I'm still 14th in Massachusetts medals.

yay~ ibeen so many years and i'm still playing Trackmania United Forever to kill time and have fun~  
 
hope this game is good~  along with Shootmania and Questmania ^.^

After a bunch of iterations they're finally at decimal number 2.
 
edit: so I couldn't tell from the video... is there inter-vehicular collision this time?

"Festival du Jeu Video"  - Video Games Festival
 
Gettin' creative with the names over there.

Wooo, Trackmania is awesome!

:D

Do they still have Trackmania Nations (or whatever it was called) on Steam for free? I should redownload it.

Looks REALLY good! Loves me some Trackmania!

Love the trailer, @ first it's trying to fool you into thinking it's a conventional racer, then as it closes to the 1 minute mark it shows the first junp and the track continues skyward. Yup, it's Trackmania alright. Good stuff, a definite buy from me just to support Nadeo further, though I'm not sure what they can possibly add to make it a worthy brand-new experience. I mean, sure it looks lovely, but Trackmania United Forever also looks VERY pretty still, especially in certain settings. On the other hand they've already revealed one of the changes is that level designers can now import their own geometry, not merely confined in the track pieces offered by Nadeo alone, so it could lead to some pretty insane user created tracks that wouldn't be possible in past Trackmania games. It may be the one game changing feature even if everything else remains the same.

I wouldn't expect collisions between vehicles, maybe in some specific racing modes (which would probably go unplayed online), but it would really change the gameplay too much for its fans. It just doesn't make sense, when half the challenge is actually completing a lap at all in the toughest tracks and every player can restart his lap (from the beginning or in the last checkpoint) at will while the others are in a completely different part of the track, how would collisions work? On a restart alone you'd have to press it 100 times because as soon as your car popped there someone already racing would crash into you, which in turn would cause him to press restart as his lap would be ruined out of nowhere, etc. This type of jump in and out gameplay is what Trackmania's all about, hence no collisions as you only compete against each other's best lap time, not necessarily starting and ending the race together at all. Meh, redudant explanation is redudant, anyone who has played any of the Trackmania games online even once would know collisions wouldn't work, and adjusting the rules to make collisions work (no restarts, no mid-race joins, whatever else is required) would also change the gameplay style, the way the servers and communities are set up, etc.

This looks awesome!

Going to have to hop on steam and play some later.

Looks sweet. I wonder if it will be free like TMNF was - not that I would really care. I still play that game, and would gladly pay for it if I had to. But it's nice anyways. :)

It won't be free, just like TMUF wasn't and you should have bought if you loved TMNF so much >_>

The hours I spent making loops! Was the DS version any good? Might be fun making loops on the go. Can I get an Arwing model in it too?

My god their lighting has gotten good.  Spent countless hours with the old games, making tracks, discovering how poorly made they were and then making more.
Hope the release date isn't too far off, need a new 'fun' racing game so bad.

This is your brain on Trackmania:
 
 

Wow@Kajaah117 said:

" This is your brain on Trackmania:
 
 

"

" This is your brain on Trackmania:
 
 

"

Awesome!  I hope this game will be on Steam and have Steam achievements.  That would be awesome!

It's not the driver's skill displayed there, it's the level designer's. All the driver does is hold the gas. At least I think it's one of those.

Great, Trackmania is excellent.

I like those light effects.  
 
And yes, track creation with crazy stuff is exactly what racing games need.  I spent way too long with Race Drivin' era stuff, just making goofy-ass loop-the-loops.

A translation of the post on JeuxVideo:
 
 It's at the the video games festival in Paris where Florent Castelnac, president of Nadeo, has just announced Trackmania 2. One environment out of the 3 included in the final version has been revealed so far called "Valley". A lush landscape on which cars race around. A video was shown to the crowd present at the conference and we have to admit, the graphics have been vastly improved from past iterations of the series. It's certainly with the lighting where the changes are most noticeable: reflections on the cars are detailed, the lighting engine is much more capable than before and overall looks a lot more detailed. And all this without excluding the crowd with less powerful PCs. In fact, the goal for the developers is to make it so anyone with a low-end PC that can run Trackmania Nations Forever can run Trackmania 2. A notable goal, considering there's a fair amount of those players out there.

The reason Nadeo has decided to create a sequel to Trackmania was not to improve the graphics but to push the creation tools available to players. It will be impossible for players to use "blocks" (preset geometry that allows creators to build sections of track) where you create your course. Your only barrier will be your imagination as you will no longer be limited by the preset slices of tracks available to you before.
 
The most exciting announcement to those present seemingly was the added functionality of up to 4 players on the same screen. (Splitscreen) Deemed "Party Mode" (where people join in whenever they wish) will be where the splitscreen action will take place. Other modes include Cup Mode (the same one from previous games), Team Par Mode (A sort of Relay Race), and finally, a Co-Op mode (A completely separate campaign where players' trophies and points will be compiled). Better graphics, more modes of play, more possibilities to create amazing courses, Trackmania 2 is already looking to be a fantastic PC racer.
 
+++++
 
There you go, putting this terrifying knowledge of French to use. Oh, the unfortunate pleasure of living in Quebec...

Sounds awesome. I love the original trackmania's. Improved graphics and improved track creation tools is all you really want from a TM sequel.

Awesome trailer, at first I like everyone was thinking "WHAT THE HELL HAVE THEY DONE TO TRACKMANIA??" 

Awesome!

" This is your brain on Trackmania:
 
 

"

I am sold on custom track part, but I'm not sure about the exclusivity part. I guess I could use my ps2 pad but I'd rather just play it on my PS3.

It would have been smart of Microsoft to buy the Trackmania license and put the game and tool set up for free on XBLA.  Then they'd have something to compete with Mod Nation Racer.  I know they have their own avatar cart-racer coming, but I don't see that as a strong enough competitor.  Who knows, it might be a Natal app in the end, anyway.  I'm sure that Microsoft could have found a way to monetize elements of Trackmania on XBL that still allowed everyone to play the game even if they didn't buy every piece.  Anyway, this game looks nice.

Looks pretty awesome.  Can't wait to try it out!  ^__^

Trackmania was so much fun. I hope they bring it to PSN and XBL eventually

HAHA! I was dissapointed at first...this isn't trackmania... OH SHI- 0:50

I loved this game so much. The announcement of a new one is AWESOME. I remember taking hours just building tracks in Trackmania United. So much fun.

My thought were meh, another racing game that isn't burnout.
 
then i saw the fucking highway halfpipe transfer.
 
i creamed my pants.
 
EDIT: WHY CANT THIS COME TO CONSOLES?!...IM NOT BUYING A NEW PC FOR ONE GAME...

  EDIT: WHY CANT THIS COME TO CONSOLES?!...IM NOT BUYING A NEW PC FOR ONE GAME... "

" Wow@Kajaah117 said:

" This is your brain on Trackmania:
 
  --video--"

lol awesome. "

EDIT: WHY CANT THIS COME TO CONSOLES?!...IM NOT BUYING A NEW PC FOR ONE GAME... "

• Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/XP-x64/Vista
• Processor: Pentium IV 1.6GHz / AthlonXP 1600+
• Graphics: 3D accelerator 16 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics card
• DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c or better
• Memory: 256 MB (512 MB with Vista)
• Sound: 16 bit DirectX compatible sound card
• Hard Drive: 750 MB free disk space

Trackmania 2, Trackmania Wii, Shootmania, and Questmania, NADEO is becoming one of the best developers around!!!

Looks crazy! In a good way, of course.

Finally my love of car racing, track editor-ing, and 3D modeling have a place in videogames.

Eh, once you've played one racing game.  You've played them all.  
 
RC Pro-Am is still the best racing game ever.

" Eh, once you've played one racing game.  You've played them all.    RC Pro-Am is still the best racing game ever. "

" Eh, once you've played one racing game.  You've played them all.    RC Pro-Am is still the best racing game ever. "

google translate says:
 
 This is the video game festival in Paris Porte de Versailles, the president of Nadeo studio, Florent Castelnerac, announced Trackmania 2 exclusively on PC. Environment (set of 3 in the final version) was released: this is "Valley". A green background on which the cars move like cars series swollen with anabolic steroids. A video was shown during the conference and we must admit that the graphics have been severely improved compared to previous titles in the series. Especially in light of that progress is most obvious: the reflections on the body are bluffing, management of light sources is much deeper than before and the game is much more detailed. And all this without the small PCs are not excluded. Indeed, the goal for developers is to ensure that a PC that can run Trackmania Nations Forever Trackmania can run 2. A very commendable attention appreciate those who do not have a racing machine.

 

Why Nadeo decided to create a Trackmania 2 is not so much to make a game more beautiful, but rather to push the concept of creating circuits further. Thus, it is now possible to import the game from blocks (stretches of roads that are used to create the tracks) you can create from scratch (geometry, texture ...). And then, the only limit is your imagination because you no longer have to confine you to block "official" at your disposal.

 

But the announcement of the functionality that made the most noise in the audience was surely the presence of 4 modes in split screen! It is indeed possible to play more on the same PC in a Party mode (in which people join the party if they wish), a Cup mode (same as on Trackmania one knows) By the way Team (sort of relay races), and finally, the co-op mode (there is a campaign dedicated the medal to which each participant add up). The graphics are more beautiful, more game modes, creating opportunities for extended, Trackmania 2 already looks like a major racing game on PC.

Though I'm not interested in the new one, thanks for reminding about TMNF.

good to see they still have gravity defying loops :) i enjoy watching stunt videos for the original trackmania and I played it for a little bit myself, but got bored fairly quickly.