Questions and answers

[TMarc]

From the Turbo Q&A thread, some interesting news for Maniaplanet: we can expect more information in June (or let's assume: until Summer holidays ):

But meanwhile, we have just released Turbo, provide quick support for the PC version (including releasing it!) and went on holiday to deal with all the big work we did. We expect to move toward Maniaplanet 4 mood and this is why I started to be more demanding on the spirit of the forum.

When I was writing it, it was kind of clear that it was lacking. But it has been hard for us to manage both the required secret of Trackmania Turbo and long time to wait to work on Maniaplanet.

We will try to resume toward a positive spirit on the forum. I think it will take time, and most obviously because we still need time to resume the development phases where we can actively provide support and bring big features. I hope to be able to make a Hello Planet #6 in June so players know more about the current plan. But it takes time. At the moment everybody at the studio has a core subject to work on and will provide prototype/suggestions in June. I hope to be able to reveal/explain some part just after.

[Soprah]

Thanks a lot for picking this up

mhm, I can relate to hylis' statement that the community has to keep together and remain positive instead of creating a negative atmosphere... but that's a really tough task at the moment. Nadeo is usually releasing MP-stuff in spring/early summer. Then they got their endless vacation and after they came back from holidays, they have to re-organize everything (I doubt that anyone would immedietaly publish their work after they come back from a break/vacation; just in general). So if we get to know about a plan in june, then it indicates that we don't see any update in the next months. I doubt even this year. Because the only update that I've seen in Q3/Q4 was the beta 2 for Shootmania (Am I right?). And in the plans we just see bla-bla-bla (mostly).The prospects aren't really that good to be honest...

Sorry for being negative.

But what if nadeo surprises us in their HelloPlanet? The chances are there.. despite of being quite unlikely

[TMarc]

like always, we will see.
I only hope Turbo reached the goals they had intended, so they can concentrate full speed on MP4.
we can expect also Lagoon some time. Perhaps in parallel to the Powerup, since it should bring some updates that were also made for Turbo.

[kripkee]

It can't be even worse

I just hope they improve their current systen and don't add any new tools, Maniaplanet has already to much.
A new Shootmania enviroment wouldn't help too, because the variety of the gameplay itself is low (stamia, weapons, walljumps, "the feeling" etc.) - but I might be wrong^^.

[Soprah]

Indeed, we will see.

I totally agree that Maniaplanet already has too much. It would be much better if they support existing stuff (tutorials for the complicated tools, ingame tutorials for new players, giving the planets more value, re-structuring Maniaplanet's navigation etc. etc.). Addtionally, if Maniaplanet would've been simpler, it would be much easier to solve problems, at least that's my opinion

[TMarc]

good point actually: how could Shootmania be improved to make it more attractive?

Another environment with other physics would still be interesting. Perhaps the Moon, or even better, Mars, with adequate Gravity setting, and some kind of vehicles.
Or a Tron Legacy grid like environment, with blocks that can disappear below your feet, or blocks that can redirect weapon fire (not just bounce it like walls, but make their direction change by some degree).

Also the idea to add some more hundreds of blocks to one same environment could be nice.
Turbo makes extended use of macroblocks.

About documentation, Hylis wrote today that Cerovan was asked (or commanded ) to work on the documentation of the tools.
Source

Domino says that Cerovan should spend more time on forum but I ask him to spend more time on development of documentation and help plug in for Maniaplanet to have a better structured way to provide deeper technical suppport. And I wish him to be more helpful with this technical stuff instead to talking about missing features or wishlists or strategy that I would have to explain anyway, especially when you have negative players around. We don't need developper diaries, we need to support you and give you useful information.

[Soprah]

good point actually: how could Shootmania be improved to make it more attractive?

Another environment with other physics would still be interesting. Perhaps the Moon, or even better, Mars, with adequate Gravity setting, and some kind of vehicles.
Or a Tron Legacy grid like environment, with blocks that can disappear below your feet, or blocks that can redirect weapon fire (not just bounce it like walls, but make their direction change by some degree).

Also the idea to add some more hundreds of blocks to one same environment could be nice.
Turbo makes extended use of macroblocks.

About documentation, Hylis wrote today that Cerovan was asked (or commanded ) to work on the documentation of the tools.

TMarc, I love you. Tron legacy is one of my favourite movies. And those soundtracks... yummy "The Grid"-

You've stolen one of my ideas for a future SM environment though. I am going to make a list now and release it later on here in the forum

Edit: And the personal task for cerovan sounds lovely... Gogo cerovan

[TMarc]

not stolen. Only added to your idea

[Hylis]

We are just 1 month after releasing a nearly a game. Sorry, but it's hard to expect something soon even if I would so much like for it. Even for holiday to be taken, it takes time you know AND THEN we have things to develop.

I know it's long, and some will find the time even longer once we will communicate, and some should be happier of course, since our goal is to sort out priorities. The development time and priorities are still what they are, would I communicate earlier or later.

Soprah, it's not negative to be worry that the next update would be late. It's a worry. Starting to say that we are evil because of this would be negative. What I hope is that people will understand the priorities and the time it will take so they will believe in the future of Maniaplanet and be less angry about the time they have involved in it and which we respect a lot. However, it's not always easy to understand our priorities and therefor it's very common to see people pissed off by decisions that are really difficult to explain (while some even includes secrents that we can reveal about future and makes explanation only limited)

This is why I still think that providing the software/information and reading feedback is the most important. Communication is a plus, but if we lack of the way to communicate everything and if people sometimes seems to be closed to understanding, then it makes it look like a loss of time. Which I don't think it is, but it could be frustrating to see some people say that we don't care while we spent so much energy at caring.