Is TrackMania 2 Stadium dying?

[TheBigG.]

totally agree with frost.

+1

Things like the Shadows that you can't turn off and dynamic FOV, Lighting are important to fix before moving to TM2. So i hope Nadeo will listen to the community, or the community will move away.

Lighting became a part of the game instead of an optional shiny feature. It's not a bug, it's intentional. I'm personally quite happy with the fact that it's not optional. Mapbuilders have to take lighting into account while building the map. TM2 Stadium is not (well, it should not be) a complete copy of TMNF. It is completely pointless to complain about the fact that something is not exactly the same as in TMNF as this is not TMNF.
You can just play your holy TMNF if you don't want a new game.

The problem is not that TM2 is not like TMNF, the problem is that this are things that will make this game unattractive for esport.

The only reason to play TM2S is that there is no 40 player limit for Freezone servers and it doesn't have freezone for players. Maniascript is also nice for Controller plugins but sadly there are no more reasons atm.

Even it is in Beta i don't expect that there will be much change in Future.

Maybe they can add a esport mode so the game will not complete flop like canyon

[Omnixor]

what does TM²stad have to have to be better esport title than TMNF in your opinion? just curious.

[Tomei]

We can all have our own opinions and views, but at the end of the day the numbers speak for themselves. THIS is my concern. Whether it be lighting, block-mixing, cameras, whatever. I want Stadium to be the most popular game. For the record, yes I make maps, yes I belong to a well known clan, yes I play this game EVERYDAY, and spend countless hours practicing and map building. I would like to consider myself pretty dedicated when it comes to Stadium. In simple terms, I love this game.

But I ain't gonna dedicate myself to the above and the hours it takes if no one is playing, that's for sure. Its why I left Canyon and started playing TMNF again. It got boring really fast playing with 3 -8 players on a Canyon server everyday. Went back to TMFN and servers were full (of very good players) and the challenge to pit myself against them was fun. Just to be able to try and finish in the top four of those servers was very challenging and thus made the fun factor of playing TMNF again.

Now with Stadium 2 (at first) all the familiar faces joined up, really good players who are very hard to beat. The usual clan names and some newly formed clans and every day/night the challenge was on to get a good placing at the end of each race.

Over the last few weeks many of those players are disappearing. About the only server to keep high numbers is the COS server (God knows why too, the tracks on that server are mostly rubbish) but anyway, the COS server always seems to have a constant influx of players choosing to play there, albeit not the best players around, but the numbers are high.

The other servers ...

I have watched over the last few weeks the numbers drop. Our own clan servers (we have 4) have dropped significantly. We try to cater for everyone. From FS tracks, comp, practice, and always keeping an eye out for great new tracks on MX. Yet mostly our servers remain empty each day/night. The same happened with Canyon ...now none of our clan play it anymore, and our servers are toast.

THIS is my worry for Stadium. Yes its a BETA and that means what? Shouldn't the game (BETA or not) have thousands of people playing anyway? I know of other games released in BETA that did, and have gone on to become even bigger and better. Because Stadium is only in BETA then that explains everything and when the game is officially released, like magic, everyone will play it? They should be playing it NOW! If your BETA is a success, then you know your onto something special. What I see Nadeo doing is saying yeah we have Stadium in BETA, we are working on it - eventually ... until then, why don't you try ShootMania?

[Soprah]

We can all have our own opinions and views

That is totally okay! I would never deny that!

I want Stadium to be the most popular game

I personally think, that Stadium will never be such popular as in the past..
Every game has his heyday and in this case, Trackmania had this in the early TMNF times. I doubt that TM2S will ever reach his heyday back.
But, TMNF was a brilliant game and I do not think that Trackmania Stadium will ''die'' someday.

but at the end of the day the numbers speak for themselves

Absolutely right, but let me remember.. we are still in beta?
When EVERYTHING is fully released, the new blocks came out etc. and finally THEN the servers are empty.. you can be concerned. But not now

Shouldn't the game (BETA or not) have thousands of people playing anyway?

Not exactly.. one of 100 hundreds games may have ''thousands of people''. But such cases are exceptions.

They should be playing it NOW

It seems like an order ''You HAVE to play''. Why should people decide playing a game that isn't perfected already and might contain bugs?

Well, we can continue this discussion or start being patient and wait until the game is released
...

[bel1ab]

Hello
After reading all the post here , i only see one good comment
You have to play it now , there is no reason to stay away .....bugs will by always there , and extra option , this is all for later
But many seems to forget , that you still can play it for free ...... how many players have buy it from the players with a log in 20% ???
All other free drivers start the game , and do not like it after some time when the get around 50 a 60 k in multi player This ones returns to old tm1 where the also play for Free Full TMUF
I only play multi play dirt - race , where you have for the moment some 3 very good servers , and during EUROPE hours there is always action
But everybody get more and more upset , that after the latest update dirt race is screwed up much more bugs ,Lag problems , and many more
Its realy time for one update , and official release

[Soprah]

I only play multi play dirt - race , where you have for the moment some 3 very good servers [...]
But everybody get more and more upset , that after the latest update dirt race is screwed up much more bugs ,Lag problems , and many more
Its realy time for one update , and official release

While TMNF was new, I was playing intensively Dirt, did some ESL cups, active in a good dirt clan.. I spend countless hours to this wonderful game!
But now, after returning to Trackmania Stadium (Dirt), it feels boring to drive on all the same blocs as in the past...you feel like all the dirt maps are the same.
Hopefully, Nadeo will add some dirt blocs as well..

[Rasque]

Somehow I felt Canyon was a bit too long in a beta phase too.
Still having lots of updates just makes me feel it is still in beta, despite they say its released. Whats with the existing bugs, still?
I could tell you in another way: until maniaplanet basic client will be in beta, none of the sub games will be 100% ready.

Someone said the price thing too. I can just add my +1 to that. Most of the players you can see uses a free account. And as I always said, Tm2S and TMNF have one major difference: paid and free.
I understand that many of the guys here on forum, or on MX or on any other platforms are thinking, 9 euros are nothing, everyone must respect NADEOs work: it is okay. But you all simply forget some millions of people who aren't use forums, or build tracks or do anything but having fun while playing. This is always forgotten.

Personally happen to know bunch of guys like that in my circle of friends. No matter if its new or smth: TMNF is a free game, stadium2 not. We, forum posters and major racers out there are only a very little part of the 10 million, don't forget that.

Additionally: you might complain about no new things. Let me discuss about that. You want a totally new game based upon stadium envi? You should be happy they are on giving new blocks (okay, personally I didn't like the ones I have seen so far). It is a 9 euro game, not a 20 or 40 one. Why do you wish Stadium become a full title like Canyon? This argument is not valid.

Maybe I forgot some things, but it is pointless to talk about it: we will get what THEY want to give. It always was in that way

[roke]

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Points reduced from 90k each Monday since the beginning of the year in TMNF. This has a direct correlation with how many people reach 90k each week and should give an idea how the open beta has affected TMNF since March. It should be rather obvious that at least there has been no massive return to TMNF.

During the beta I have never been away from TMNF, but I have been away from the beta since the beginning of May. I got a new PC, bought the game and decided to install it when it's out of beta. I might do it earlier.

I will likely switch entirely over to TM2 Stadium only when my "home" server opens on it - I don't expect the same tracks, but the same track authors and/or people who pick tracks to run on it.

FWIW quite a few years ago when I hit 90k the first time the weekly reduction was ~2700. The previous noticeable drop (from ~2000 to ~1500) happened in August 2011 when Canyon multiplayer beta/preorder was released.

[NullWojtek]

Everything since Maniaplanet is kind of flop. Nadeo need to try harder.

I will wait until Hylis admits that Maniaplanet (and Shootmania) was mistake. Before Maniaplanet, Nadeo had one popular eSport game, but they wanted to have 3 instead. Result was lack of focus, perpetual delays, some bad decisions. In the end they may have 0. I believe Canyon could be much more successful if they gave it more attention, it's very good game. But 90% of attention went to Shootmania. I hope it will be different with Stadium and Valley. But it won't happen unless Questmania is cancelled.

[-Zenit-]

I think the problem is that Stadium² just has a bad editor. Iam a Mapper and i want to be free and do some creative stuff. But how?

No Blockmixxing
No 256³
Slow Editor and slow workflow

TMNF is better ...