Info about Trackmania:

Official game description:
  
RACE SOLO OR WITH FRIENDS  
• Unlock medals, trophies, and prestige skins.  
• Climb the leaderboards in the intense versus-style Ranked mode.  
• Race on wacky tracks in Royal mode, our 60-player showdown.  
• Cross-play and platform progression lets you play anywhere!  
EVER-EVOLVING CONTENT  
• Enjoy new campaigns every three months.  
• Compete on Track and Cup of the Day with tracks made by players, curated by Nadeo\*.  
• Join and manage community club activities, and access car skins, online rooms, competitions, and more\*.  
CREATIVITY UNLEASHED  
• Create endless possibilities with the track editor.  
• Design incredible car skins\*\*.  
• Show off your skills with the replay editor\*\*.  
\*Standard and Club access features  
\*\*Unavailable on consoles

Release date: 2 Feb, 2023

Categories: Racing, Competitive Multiplayer, Single-player Racing, Skill-Based Mastery, Map Editor, Vehicle Customization, Battle Royale, High Score Chasing


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Addictive & Rewarding Gameplay (weight 0.63): Players consistently praise the game's highly addictive nature, driven by its challenging time-trial format and the satisfaction of continuous self-improvement. The core gameplay loop is described as tight, responsive, and endlessly engaging, appealing to both casual players and competitive speedrunners.
- Thriving & Supportive Community (weight 0.43): The game boasts an exceptional community, frequently highlighted as one of its strongest assets. Players appreciate the friendly, welcoming, and collaborative atmosphere, which fosters shared experiences, competitive spirit, and a constant stream of creative, user-generated content.
- Excellent Value & Content (weight 0.33): Reviewers find the game offers substantial content, even in its free-to-play version, making it accessible to all. The optional yearly subscription is widely considered a great value, unlocking a vast and continuously updated library of official and community-made tracks and features.
- Unique & Polished Racing Experience (weight 0.31): Many consider this the best racing game they've played, praising its unique blend of arcade and precision driving. The game's responsive mechanics, diverse track styles, and focus on time attack differentiate it from other titles, delivering a pure and exhilarating racing experience.
- High Skill Ceiling & Mastery (weight 0.26): The game is lauded for being easy to learn but incredibly difficult to master, offering an infinite skill ceiling. This aspect encourages continuous improvement, precision driving, and strategic thinking, providing a deep and rewarding experience for players dedicated to honing their skills.
- Vast & Creative Track Variety (weight 0.21): The game offers an immense and ever-growing collection of tracks, both official and community-made. Players appreciate the creative, challenging, and diverse designs, which ensure endless replayability and new experiences, often described as 'puzzles of speed and control'.
- Visually Appealing & Optimized (weight 0.14): The game's graphics are described as clean, vibrant, and visually stunning, prioritizing clarity and style. It also runs smoothly, even on less powerful PCs, contributing to an overall polished and enjoyable aesthetic experience.

Common complaints:
- Limited Free-to-Play Content (weight 0.57): Players overwhelmingly report that the 'free-to-play' version of the game is severely limited, functioning more like a demo. Most content, including full campaigns, user-made maps, and essential features, is locked behind a paywall, leading to a frustrating and unfulfilling experience for non-paying users.
- Disliked Subscription Model (weight 0.32): The annual subscription model is a major point of contention. Players express strong preference for a one-time purchase, finding the yearly fee excessive, especially for casual play, and feel it detracts from the game's value and accessibility. Many feel forced into the subscription to access core gameplay.
- Steep Learning Curve & Poor Tutorials (weight 0.12): New players face a significant challenge due to the game's steep learning curve and lack of adequate in-game tutorials. Many mechanics are unintuitive, requiring external resources to learn, making the initial experience unwelcoming and difficult to get into.
- Ubisoft Connect & Practices Issues (weight 0.12): The mandatory integration with Ubisoft Connect is a source of annoyance, with players reporting buggy experiences, connectivity issues, and the inconvenience of an additional launcher. There's also general dissatisfaction with Ubisoft's perceived 'greedy' monetization and business practices.
- General Game Issues & Grind (weight 0.09): Beyond specific monetization and difficulty concerns, players report general issues such as game instability (stutters, freezes), a feeling of datedness, and a significant time commitment or 'grind' required to progress or master the game, which can lead to burnout.
- Challenging & Unfair Map Design (weight 0.07): Many maps, both official and community-made, are perceived as overly difficult and frustrating, especially for new players. Some maps feature gimmicky elements or require extreme precision, catering primarily to highly skilled players and alienating casual ones.
- Broken Ranked System (weight 0.07): The ranked mode is widely criticized for being broken and unfair. Players report complex and illogical point deductions, even after winning, and issues with matchmaking and team compositions, leading to a frustrating competitive experience.
- Inferior to Older Trackmania Titles (weight 0.06): Many long-time fans feel the current game is a step down from older Trackmania installments, particularly TrackMania Nations Forever. The subscription model and perceived changes for the worse are seen as destroying the franchise's legacy.
- Poor UI/UX Design (weight 0.05): The game's user interface and experience are frequently criticized as clunky, unintuitive, and barebones. Players find the menus difficult to navigate and the overall UI lacking, sometimes requiring third-party plugins for a better experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Accessible but challenging mastery (weight 0.23): The game is easy for new players to pick up and understand, often within minutes, due to simple controls. However, it presents a brutally difficult and never-ending learning curve to truly master, requiring significant practice, precision, and patience to achieve high skill levels and compete effectively.
- Core time-attack racing gameplay (weight 0.22): The primary gameplay revolves around time-attack racing, where players repeatedly drive tracks to minimize their finish times. It emphasizes precision, skill, and optimizing every turn and jump across diverse surfaces, with the main competition being against personal bests and leaderboards.
- Subscription model for full content (weight 0.19): The game operates on a 'free-to-play' model with a significant portion of content locked behind a yearly 'Club Access' subscription, typically costing $20. This subscription unlocks the vast majority of tracks, community features, and competitive modes, making the free version feel like a demo.
- Daily and seasonal track content (weight 0.11): The game offers a continuous stream of new content, including a 'Track of the Day' (TOTD) and weekly 'Shorts' tracks. While some seasonal campaign tracks are available for free, full access to the extensive archive of past and present daily/weekly tracks requires a paid subscription.
- Extensive community-created content (weight 0.1): The game boasts a massive library of player-made maps, custom skins, and clubs, significantly expanding its replayability. A robust in-game track editor allows players to create and share their own courses, ranging from beginner-friendly to extremely difficult.
- Varied multiplayer and competitive modes (weight 0.07): The game features a highly competitive online scene with various modes, including ranked play, daily knockout tournaments (Cup of the Day), and Royal mode. Players can compete against others globally on leaderboards or race with friends, though full access to these features often requires a subscription.
- Reliance on community plugins (weight 0.02): Many players highly recommend or even consider essential the use of community-made plugins, particularly Openplanet. These plugins enhance the game's quality of life, UI, and even introduce new multiplayer modes, suggesting a reliance on third-party tools for a complete experience.

Performance notes:
- Excellent Performance & Optimization (weight 0.04): Players consistently report that the game runs smoothly with no lag, even on older hardware and Linux systems. This indicates strong optimization, allowing for a broad range of PC configurations to enjoy the game.
- Stuttering Issues Reported (weight 0.02): Despite generally good performance, some players have experienced stuttering, which they believe is not hardware-related. This issue has been discussed in community forums, indicating a potential area for investigation.
- Clean & Stylish Graphics (weight 0.01): The game's visual presentation is praised for being clean, crisp, and stylish. Players appreciate the great lighting and minimal clutter, contributing to a smooth and enjoyable aesthetic experience.
- Physics Engine is Good (weight 0.01): Players have noted that the in-game physics are well-implemented and contribute positively to the overall experience. This suggests a solid foundation for interactive elements.
- Manageable Game Size (weight 0.01): The game's installation size is considered reasonable by players, which is a minor positive point for storage management.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Racing Game (weight 0.29): The game receives overwhelming positive recommendations, with many players rating it highly (8/10 to 10/10). It's particularly praised by those who enjoy challenging, competitive, and skill-based racing or movement games, often involving grinding for world records and mastering maps. Many consider it one of the best racing games available.
- Subscription Model Concerns (weight 0.25): While many recommend the game, there's significant discussion and mixed feelings about its subscription model. Some players find the yearly Club Access worth the price for the content and features, especially if they play frequently. However, others express strong dissatisfaction, viewing the free version as a demo and disliking the pay-to-play aspects, with some even advising against playing without a subscription or preferring a one-time purchase.
- Preference for Older Trackmania Titles (weight 0.11): A notable portion of the feedback suggests playing older Trackmania titles like Trackmania Nations Forever (TMNF) or Trackmania 2 Stadium instead. These older games are often recommended for being free, having a large player base, more game modes, or offering a 'real Trackmania' experience, sometimes implying they are superior to the current iteration.
- Manage Competitive Intensity (weight 0.03): The game is acknowledged for its highly competitive and potentially 'rage-inducing' nature. Players are advised to be aware of this, set boundaries, take breaks, and practice self-control to prevent negative outbursts and enhance enjoyment, especially when chasing high scores or world records.
- Utilize Community Plugins (weight 0.03): Players highly recommend installing the Openplanet plugin manager and other community-made plugins (like Split Speeds and Respawn Timer) to enhance the gameplay experience. These tools are seen as valuable additions, especially for those with the full version of the game.
- Watch Streams/Videos for Improvement (weight 0.01): Players are advised to watch streams (e.g., Scrapie, Wirtual) and videos of other players to learn, improve their skills, and get better at the game.
- Specific Map/Club Recommendations (weight 0.01): Some players offer specific recommendations for in-game content, such as trying 'Under 10 seconds maps by Everios96' or visiting the 'Original School club' for alternative cars, indicating a desire for curated content experiences.
- Controller Recommended (weight 0.01): One piece of feedback specifically recommends playing the game with a controller, suggesting it might offer a better or more comfortable experience for some players.
- Desire for Rally Car Seasons (weight 0): One player expressed a hope for future seasons to feature the rally car again, indicating a preference for specific vehicle types in seasonal content.
- Request for Solo Queue (weight 0): A player suggested the implementation of a solo queue option, separate from full teams of three, which points to a desire for more balanced matchmaking in multiplayer modes.

Other player notes:
- Subscription Model Concerns (weight 0.13): Many players express concerns about the game's annual subscription model, which costs around $20/year for full content access. While some find the price acceptable, others suggest a one-time purchase or cosmetic-based monetization instead, attributing the model to Ubisoft's practices and past sales performance.
- Strong Community & Content (weight 0.07): The game thrives on its dedicated and active community, which is a primary source of new maps and content. Players frequently interact on platforms like Twitch and Discord, and the game is popular for both competitive and casual viewing.
- Addictive & Challenging Gameplay (weight 0.04): The game is described as highly addictive and challenging, often leading to humorous 'anger issues' due to its difficulty. It respects player skill and encourages self-improvement.
- Influencer-Driven Player Growth (weight 0.03): Many new players discovered the game and started playing after watching content from streamers and YouTubers like Wirtual, highlighting the impact of content creators on the game's reach.
- Nadeo vs. Ubisoft Credit (weight 0.02): Players often credit Nadeo, the developer, for the game's quality, while expressing general criticism towards Ubisoft's overall practices, particularly regarding the subscription model.
- Broad Appeal (weight 0.01): The game is considered suitable for a wide range of ages, from kids and teens to adults, indicating its broad appeal.
- Regional Pricing Issues (weight 0.01): Players in certain regions, like Russia, face higher annual pass costs and resort to using VPNs to access lower prices, indicating regional pricing disparities.
- Need for More Players (weight 0.01): There's a sentiment that the game needs more players, with a call for new players not to be discouraged, based on limited feedback.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.32): Players feel satisfied by the game's high quality, extensive content (both free and paid), and rewarding gameplay loop of continuous improvement and mastery. The active and supportive community, competitive elements, and value for money (especially with the Club Pass) also contribute significantly to this positive emotion.
- Frustration (weight 0.15): Frustration primarily stems from the game's monetization model, particularly the yearly subscription and extensive paywalls that restrict access to core features, community content, and multiplayer. Difficult gameplay, technical issues (like Ubisoft Connect problems), and a lack of clear tutorials for new players also contribute to this feeling.
- Disappointment (weight 0.14): Disappointment is largely driven by the game's subscription model and the perception of false advertising regarding its 'free-to-play' status, as much content is locked behind a paywall. Players also express disappointment with limited free content, track design, and the game's quality compared to older titles in the franchise.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Players are excited by the game's addictive, fast-paced, and challenging gameplay, which offers a high skill ceiling and endless opportunities for improvement and competition. The value offered by the Club Access, fresh content, and a vibrant community further amplify this excitement, making the game a thrilling experience.
- Joy (weight 0.08): Joy in the game comes from its fun and addictive gameplay, especially when playing with friends or experiencing the rewarding loop of self-improvement and achieving personal bests. The creative community content, simple yet engaging mechanics, and the overall positive and stress-free gaming experience contribute to this happiness.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Players enjoy the game's addictive and challenging gameplay, particularly the pursuit of improving times and learning new tricks. The positive community experience, custom content, and the game's suitability for both casual and competitive play contribute to a generally fun and engaging experience.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is primarily directed at Ubisoft's monetization model, which is perceived as manipulative and predatory, locking essential features and content behind paywalls. Issues with the Ubisoft Connect launcher, unfair ranked modes, and the perceived decline in game quality also fuel this anger.
- Challenge (weight 0.02): The game presents a significant challenge due to its steep learning curve, high skill ceiling, and demanding precision. Players find the game difficult to master, requiring patience and practice to improve, especially in competitive high-level play.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): Players are highly engaged by the game's addictive self-improvement loop, where the pursuit of precision timing and continuous grinding keeps them playing for extended periods. The depth of the game and its long learning curve contribute to a 'just one more go' mentality, making it hard to disengage.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the game's perceived fair subscription model, the efforts of Nadeo developers, and the value of content. The game's accessibility for all skill levels, the active and wholesome community, and the creative track editor are also highly valued.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): The game's compelling gameplay loop, driven by the pursuit of incremental improvement and optimizing track times, leads to addiction. Players find it difficult to stop playing once invested, constantly striving to improve their results and engage with the highly addictive nature of the game.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Nostalgia is evoked by the game's resemblance to older Trackmania titles, particularly Trackmania Nations Forever. Players who grew up with or previously enjoyed these classic games feel a sense of longing and familiarity with the current iteration.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stems from the 'Ice' feature, the requirement for a Ubisoft Connect account, and the yearly subscription model. Players are also annoyed by in-game ads and the misleading marketing of the game as 'free-to-play' when much content is paywalled.
- Acceptance (weight 0.01): Players express acceptance of the game's subscription model, particularly the Club Access, viewing its annual price as reasonable for the content and features provided. This indicates a recognition of the value proposition despite the limitations.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement arises from dark humor in reviews, self-deprecating jokes about personal lack of skill, and the hilariously chaotic nature of certain gameplay moments. Humorous descriptions of intense play also contribute to this feeling.
- Love (weight 0): Players express strong affection for the game due to its addictive, creative, and challenging nature, often highlighting its unique aspects. This indicates a deep emotional connection and appreciation for the overall game experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0): Enthusiasm is generated by the game's extensive content, high quality, and vibrant community, which promise long-term engagement and development. Players are excited about the game's offerings and its potential to provide an unparalleled racing experience.
- Desire (weight 0): Players express a desire for more accessible content, such as a cheaper yearly pass, free access to the full campaign, and leaderboards. There is also a desire for fixes to bugs and more free content in general.
- Concern (weight 0): Concern is raised regarding the game's addiction potential, the possibility of new players quickly losing interest, and the long-term financial commitment of the subscription. There is also concern about the game needing more active players.
- Relaxation (weight 0): Players find relaxation in the game's suitability for casual play, allowing them to unwind and escape for short periods. The chill gameplay experience provides a way to pass the time without intense pressure.}