So just to clarify, you can't create your own custom dedicated server on TMT, modify it with plugins, add custom tracks to it etc etc?

Bad enough this was on Steam but at least Steam is a decent piece of software to run all your games from one place even if it's DRM but with it now using Uplay....

I'm still on the fence on whether to play it and reviews/opinions over the next week or so will help me make up my whether it's worth forking out my money for.

It seems dedicated servers are indeed 24/7 so you can shut down your console and it will keep running (I guess it's the same on pc). And if your server is empty it will shut down on the remote server but will stay in the server list (as greyed out) and when someone joins the server it will start up again on the remote server. And no, it doesn't have plugins whatsoever. Still it's fun to run a server with your own tracks and promote the server a bit and hope people will add it to their favourites list and keep coming back. That's still the basic of tm multiplayer to me, at least fun enough for console.

It's for sure a fun game imo, I'm enjoying it (even though Lagoon is a bit finnicky at some points). A lot of stuff possible in MP is also possible in TMT, together with the fact that it's all unioned.
Servers have been simplified significantly, though, but they do sort of work okayish.

Built-in track sharer system is pretty trash honestly, I'm hoping there's a way to load standalone GBX files into TMT to play instantly as it's using some weird subscription system now.

Campaign is really fun at least.

Yeah, this is what I was worried about. It seems like they're foregoing outside custom content and restricting you to using the in-game stuff -_- As far as I can tell, you can't even save replays atm -_- There's not even an in-game car painter, it's all pre-applied stickers. TM is all about custom content. Why would they suddenly forego the legacy? The game is fun so far, but it's not going to be as fun as it could be without the huge emphasis on custom content the game is known for -_-

EtherForce says:
Yeah, this is what I was worried about. It seems like they're foregoing outside custom content and restricting you to using the in-game stuff -_- As far as I can tell, you can't even save replays atm -_- There's not even an in-game car painter, it's all pre-applied stickers. TM is all about custom content. Why would they suddenly forego the legacy? The game is fun so far, but it's not going to be as fun as it could be without the huge emphasis on custom content the game is known for -_-

That's what a multiplatform release with crossplatform multiplayer pandering to console players would do to any game.

I watched LIRIK (the streamer) play this for about 20 minutes earlier, with about 21,000 people watching. Then he immediately refunded the game on stream. Can't say I didn't get a kick out of it.

haha IronDragons That must have been interesting.

EtherForce says:
Yeah, this is what I was worried about. It seems like they're foregoing outside custom content and restricting you to using the in-game stuff -_-

Yeah, that's mostly true.

EtherForce says:
As far as I can tell, you can't even save replays atm -_-

Actually you can, by using a hotkey "R" (online or in solo), or using hotkey "E" to save previous run while playing in solo.

EtherForce says:
There's not even an in-game car painter, it's all pre-applied stickers.

This is true, but it also means there won't be a million people driving around asking if you can see their car... to which the answer was usually no, followed by a long explanation of how locators worked... meanwhile you missed 5 tracks that just went by on the server. For those who like custom cars, we still have ManiaPlanet.

EtherForce says:
TM is all about custom content. Why would they suddenly forego the legacy?

To simplify and streamline the game. It's still about custom content, but it's not as broad in its scope. Even the choice to eliminate your ability to use custom signs means they're trying to tightly control the overall visual experience. You have to use one of the many default signs included.

EtherForce says:
The game is fun so far, but it's not going to be as fun as it could be without the huge emphasis on custom content the game is known for -_-

You're probably right. For sure it's not going to appeal to many of the creatives that have come to love the game. But perhaps it will have broader appeal among casual gamers. I guess time will tell. The thing I feel is that it probably won't have the longevity of the other games in the TM series, because of the lack of emphasis on custom content. I hope at the very least that it's successful financially for Nadeo so that they can continue development on ManiaPlanet.

TGYoshi says:
There's a built-in track sharing system in TMT, thus it is rather pointless for us to go compete with that.

There's a fair chance we'll however add onto that system after launch, as their system does not really seem sophisticated in any way. That simply implies the same data, but parsed in more detail and searchable. The goal of that is mostly to support things like featured tracks to showcase awesome tracks in the game, as the current system is to my knowledge a flat list of tracks sorted by upload date.

It'll for sure not be as sophisticated as MX in any way. TMT maps are very similar to MP technically, though, so it's not a lot of effort in the end.
But we will very likely see once the game releases. Chances are that their system suffices perfectly fine given that proper sorts exist . Otherwise we will likely launch a "small" site quickly .

Any news on that?
Their site is right now pretty much unusuable for me as its impossible to distinguish good from bad maps. I would love to play more user made tracks but all good ones I found until now I found through other sites.

Yea, the official site is trash at the moment. Honestly, the main issue is that the only way to properly play maps is by adding it to favorites, then go to multiplayer > arcade > load map through those menus, which is a huuuuge pain. You can attach gbx files to the game too, though, but that'll load the map in some bugged maniaplanet solo UI. Chances are that'll be patched out as well, even though it's most accessible.

I'm heavily doubting taking efforts to make it work a bit is worth it in any way.

Hm, I see.
I agree that its very overcomplicated right now to load a custommap but I think you can get used to it.
What Id need is more a site like this where players can presentate their maps a bit more, maybe also awards or something to get a bit more of an impression than right now at the official site but instead uploading a gbx builders just share a link to the track on the official site. But I dont know if its worth that either, how many people would use that site...

Edit: I read that Trackmania Turbo Center might be updated so better wait to see what happens and hope it changes for the better