Hi everyone! RPG tracks were a popular subgenre in Trackmania Nations Forever to the point of spawning their own MTC edition and several other competitions, both for drivers and builders. I couldn't help but notice the total absence of an RPG thread on the TM2 forum though!

So what is an RPG?

Basically a long story-driven track in a more or less realistic setting (using mods, ghosts and blockmixing) based on challenging stunts rather than straight up racing. Think Indiana Jones-style tomb exploration, navigating across narrow ledges, traversing invisible bridges and using trick jumps to reach higher areas.

This is where the name "RPG" originally came from, but today we have everything from exploring the inside of a flying saucer to a foggy graveyard and even a track set in a giant rendition of a particular mapmaker's house.

Youtube video - part one of "Sobékite" (old and classic)
Youtube video - a RPG racing competition on "Puzzletime" (another classic)
Youtube video - "Teotihuacan"
Youtube video - "Ex Gehenna" (a more story driven example)

Seems interesting... where can I read more?

• Trackmania-RPG, the official RPG blog from ye olden TMNF days is here, complete with a list of (dozens of) TMNF RPGs.
  
• Here is the TMNF TMX thread, currently 151 pages long!
  

So... now what?

TM2 RPGs have a lot of potential: many freeform blocks, new car handling and due to the less artificial setting it will be much easier to create a certain mood.

It appears everyone in the RPG community is awkwardly waiting for everyone else to do something, so let's get things started! What are you guys working on? Any RPG servers up already? Centralise all information here!

______

I'll start:

I'm currently working on my first TM2 RPG, Nullifier. My TMNF RPGs were pretty much story tracks, but this one is more stunt oriented. Mod by Hawkger, sounds and MT to be implemented.

The story: due to the imminent impact of a "class E-1 baryonic object", the space colony you are on is being evacuated via emergency shuttle. Responsible for the evacuation is the Evolutionary Neural Artificial Intelligence, ENAI, with the ability to override the colony's systems in order to ensure an optimal evacuation. For instance, by avoiding overcrowding issues, which due to a programming error is its main directive. It achieves this by redirecting the escape route to the shuttle through the colony's waste disposal sector, the idea being that if nobody survives the trip, there will be no overcrowding at the shuttle...


BOO!


You're here. The exit is over there. There's a gap in between. Good luck.


The solution to this puzzle is obvious. It is also wrong.

I am working on an RPG with the BioHazard mod by HawkGer.
The story is that you are in a laboratory and an experiment failed and zombies are invading the facility.

You have to activate the self-destruct sequence and get out the facility as fast as you can.

I'll post screens soon

You should already know this but my Warhammer 40,000 themed Deserts of Taros was the first RPG track uploaded to maniaexchange back during Beta3. Today it's my most downloaded track and although there are better RPGs out there, Deserts of Taros is a pioneer of TM2 RPG tracks.

The idea of the track is simple. Just get to the finish line (the roof of the Governor's Palace) from the drop zone. There's not much of a story unless you've read "Imperial Armour 3: The Taros Campaign" by Forge World.

What the rules in this thread?

Are we allowed to post tracklinks?
Shouldn't we allow Trial-tracks also in this thread, as it is in TMNF-X? (RPG and Trial is also very similar in some ways, so why not =))
What are to be discussed in this thread?

I just things some of these things should be mentioned in the top post Enai ^_^ (also, that's a nice looking track you've got there )

Edit: why is this in the "Projects and competitions"-forum?

Rules are limited to what MX wants to impose. I have no problems with people posting track links.


It is in P²C because there is no other viable place for it.

Can this be considered an RPG track:

Click

I'd like to know because I'm new and I don't want to make a mistake.

Dominik says:
Can this be considered an RPG track:

Click

I'd like to know because I'm new and I don't want to make a mistake.

1. We have a track hosting service on this site. Please upload it to MX if it's your track or notify the author.

2. The link you gave us gave me a corrupted file. See note 1.

3. Knowing its name, It probably is but sometimes names are deceiving.

It's not finished, and we currently don't have the beta area, so I can't upload it here.

Dominik says:
It's not finished, and we currently don't have the beta area, so I can't upload it here.

Not having a beta area doesn't mean you can't upload it. Just put [WIP] in the track title on the site so that people know it's not finished.

Nullifier update:


If only everything was this easy.


How appropriate, you maze running rat.