Shootmania trailer

[Omnixor]

okay, now can agree with your on first two points. but why is it such a big problem not to have a gun model? print it on a paper and stick to your screen, and don't whine so much...

[Trackmaniack]

okay, now can agree with your on first two points. but why is it such a big problem not to have a gun model? print it on a paper and stick to your screen, and don't whine so much...

Because if I were to do that it doesn't provide the in-game frame of reference to where the -rest- of my player is in meatspace, and games that do not have this in the modern world are, as I've said in many posts previous, 20 years behind, technologically speaking. It wouldn't even have to wobble, like "realistic" shooters do. I'm just saying it makes it feel like you're controlling a -person-, as you are, and not simply an invisible--something, which could be anything, from a pixel to a pixie.

[Omnixor]

first try it, then rate it.

[eyebo]

I thought having no gun model would be weird too, but it really isn't.

Also, someone mentioned no team colors? That's not true. There are colors for each team. You can see that in the competition videos and the trailer.

There are also other game modes than those that have been seen so far in the competitions.

I'm sure more will be revealed on the 15th when the NDA is lifted. Until then, I wouldn't speculate too much on what is bad or lacking in the game.

I still recall when the first trailers of Canyon came out and even the showmatch at Dreamhack. Everyone I talked to was like "Oh no! Tech tracks won't be possible anymore! This is horrible!". But not only are Tech maps possible, they're really popular and fun.

So I think our initial impressions based on videos and limited information don't always match up to the reality of things. Even the initial impression I got about the car physics was much different from how it actually felt when I first drove it.

I'm sure there will be things that you don't like about ShootMania, but perhaps it's best to reserve judgement until you actually try the game and see how it actually feels to be behind the controls.

My two cents.

[Trackmaniack]

Well, okay. But i don't think anybody said team colors won't be possible, it's just that user-designs are restricted beyond what we can draw on the shields on our backs. Heck, I'd even like some sort of interface that would let me redesign the glow patterns, a la Tron. Not the colors, just the glow. That would be a nice middle ground, I think.
As for the gun model--like I said to Omnixor in another post, it feels like you're actually part of the game, rather than just some sort of detached--something. I don't really know how to describe it. But even if you can't see your own feet when you look down, seeing your arm attached to a gun (or in this case, a hand-cannon) makes it feel more real, more visceral. More draws-you-in type stuff.

[Omnixor]

well, I must say I like the idea

[eyebo]

it's just that user-designs are restricted beyond what we can draw on the shields on our backs.

I think this was mentioned in some news articles somewhere, and its probably why you assume customization of the character is limited to the shield. But it's simply not true. I'm fairly certain more will be possible. At the very least we'll be able to change the color of the light glowiness on the character for non-team based matches.

About the other stuff... we've always accepted that Nadeo does things differently. They decided to develop TrackMania without collisions (very different from almost any other racing game). They decided to build each environment with a single type of physics so that everyone was on an even playing field. This is contrary to most games where different kinds of cars with different advantages race on the same track. I'm glad TrackMania is different in those respects. It's part of what endears the game to me.

It's not so surprising that they are also taking their own approach to the shooter genre and that there are some things that are surprising and maybe downright head-scratching. I have no doubt that those fundamental things, like no gun-model, and the length of matches (which is heavily customizable anyway)... have all been developed very carefully with a lot of thought given to them. Before we dismiss their hard work over the past few years, simply because we have some strong biases from playing other shooters... perhaps it's best to try to see it from their side and get a feel for what they were going for first.