Disclaimer: I know the game isn't perfect and there are bugs that still exist. I know there are things that some people see as serious flaws, but I try to overlook the bad and focus on the good. I have faith that the bugs and bad things will be fixed. I submitted dozens of bug reports during the beta, not because I wanted to rant on the game, but because I wanted to voice what I saw was wrong in hopes that Nadeo could make the best game possible. I have faith they will continue to improve it throughout the next few years as they work on the subsequent ManiaPlanet titles. That having been said... now I'll tell you what I love most...
For me, its the driving. I have incredible fun every time I get behind the wheel (well, keyboard in my case). Drift this way, drift that way... find the best line... keep the speed. I absolutely love the physics. Finding what parts I can actually get by without sliding is also fun. The more I drive Canyon, the more I love it. I love every kind of road, from the ledge canyon roads to the wide GP ones, to driving on the quirky scenery pieces like the pipes.
Coming in a close second is the editor itself. I love all the new features like copy/paste and the ability to save macro blocks. There's so much in the editor that is like a dream come true. I can't count how many times I've run out of space in the TMF editor and needed to move the entire map, but it was this gargatuan task. But that's now been eliminated. I can also save as macroblocks some great transitions that I might discover while building. They may not work in the track I'm building now, but I can save them for later quite easily.
And what about ManiaScripts? The AutoGen script really demonstrates what is possible with ManiaScripts and its truly incredible. I can't wait to see what else people cook up in the months and years to come.
Calculated shadows (lightmaps) are saved inside map files now... making loading a lot faster and making all maps look really incredible. Stadium introduced us to lightmaps, and the system of how we use them has finally been perfected in Canyon. This does more than make loading faster, it also means lightmaps are now a serious part of track design... and there are some maps that I either love or hate because of how the author approached lighting. It's suddenly become a major part of how we design not only a map that is clear to drive... but also looks amazing.
This isn't specifically about Canyon, but about ManiaPlanet. Now that ManiaHome is now front and center when you open ManiaPlanet... I actually find myself using it regularly now. I used it some in TMF, but I definitely use it more now. It's awesome to see what your buddies are up to, when they've beaten one of your times, or just a conversation that someone has started on one of the notifications.
The variety of blocks is really amazing. Of course it's always nice to have more, but I find myself really enjoying building maps in the editor. There's more than enough blocks to keep me busy for a while... and I hear from Hylis' blog post that even more are on the way!? Wow!
In TMF, I found myself focusing more and more on how the tracks I made felt to drive... and I stopped worrying about doing unique or crazy things or focusing on map concepts... but just making fun maps. And Canyon seems to really be designed for that idea... to just build really fun maps for pure driving. I love it! And yet, I know crazy stuff is also possible. I've played some maps by Nimrod and others that really stretch the limits of what you think of as a "normal" track in Canyon.
Signs that really glow. I think that's partly due to bloom being on. But it really adds a nice atmosphere to tracks. Also the ability to use colored lights on the light blocks. I can't wait for KEV Fan to make another "Funky Night" map now that he can actually do colored lights and not just signs.
I love the fact that it's not sold in brick and mortar stores. It's online and it's always kept up to date. The new updater means Nadeo can push out an update to us anytime and continually improve the game in small increments without waiting months or years to do a major update. That's a major shift from previous games, and I welcome it!
These are some of the things I love about Canyon, what about you?