Bah, Stadium no longer [in beta]

[Gaben1337]

Why is this happening?

[Omnixor]

because you write in caps.

[steeffeen]

because you write in caps.

it's not free because it was never meant to be free, since today there was only the beta and now it has been released http://forum.maniaplanet.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20503

the demo version isn't released yet and won't be finished in the near future

[zarexz]

Why is this happening?

Because Nadeo are people too so they need food etc. just like us.

[eyebo]

Technically, it was never free. Someone was always paying for it, even if it wasn't you.

As I understand it, Nvidia (and probably ESWC) sponsored Nadeo's 3rd major TrackMania game... the first Stadium (TrackMania Nations ESWC). Focus Interactive probably put up some of the money for it too. In any case, whoever was behind it... there was costs involved to bring it to players for free. It was a good investment though. It grew the community a lot.

TrackMania Nations Forever was sponsored by ads for several years (so people could play it "free"). When Microsoft bought the ad company and pulled the ads from the game... Nadeo scrambled to add "FreeZone" to encourage players to buy United Forever and unlock some important features of the game... and in so doing... continue to support the existence of the game they had grown to love.

TrackMania² Stadium was free during the beta (a testing period for the game). This is somewhat common for betas. It's a great way to get a lot of players in to test the game and find as many bugs as possible. And it's great for players to test out a new game and see if they want to purchase or pre-purchase the release version.

So now we have the release version. It costs 10 bucks. An incredibly low price compared to most big name titles. Instead of being supported by ads or restrictions to encourage you to buy it, it's a simple flat cost to get it. It's not a monthly or yearly subscription. It's a one time up front fee. Once you own it, you'll get all future updates (for TM²S) for free. And trust me, this ManiaPlanet adventure is just getting started! I'm sure Nadeo has some incredible stuff for the future... and Stadium will be a part of it now!

There's talk of a demo for TM²S at some point. That will be a nice way for new players to try out the game I'm sure.

I'd say TM²S is worth every penny though. TrackMania has always been one of the best bargains around.... when comparing hours of gameplay to game cost. When I bought United Forever in late 2007, I never dreamed I'd enjoy playing it for 5+ years.

[ramires]

there's nothing more to say,.. thumbs up,...

[fleo]

I just want to add, you can buy a 3 or 5-Player Pack to get it cheaper (on maniaplanet website or on steam)

[sabrisarioglu]

are there any games like this that i can play for free? i deleted this game now and need a new game.

[Cerovan]

TrackMania Nations Forever ?

[tesche]

are there any games like this that i can play for free? i deleted this game now and need a new game.

http://trackmaniaforever.com/