pointers for map editing and LAN multiplayer

[subtlefly]

Hi team,
I am using Trackmania Canyon and shootmania for Education. I have disengaged boys using this software and it is very successful, connected LAN at getting them engaged and interested in creating and modding the game.
We are having some trouble finding clear documentation for all the blocks in Canyon. Is there a list of what they all do and how they work together?
Also I have a student who has made a really cool trackmania canyon map, but when we create a local server this map does not show up. I tried to go in and help out by changing the map type in the editor
(because I know in shoot mania the map has to be exactly the right type otherwise it wont work, but when I changed the type now the map says it cannot validate)..
My student is ok to start again but I want to work out the right workflow to get the map to run in LAN local server multiplayer.
Thanks for any and all help and have a great day
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[TMarc]

Good thing you're doing there with the kids

Unfortunately there is no such kind of complete block guide for Maniaplanet.
But this is also part of the game: discovering all the blocks and how they can be used.
Of course sometimes it gets difficult or boring.

One little help is the "helper" tool in the editor: it displays colored borders on some block edges, where you can connect blocks of the same color, e.g. 4 lanes road. There are also adapters to make transitions between blocks of different types.

Regarding the validation, this is bad, but it is a known bug that validation sometimes fails, if another (and wrong) map type was used.
If it was not too much work, then the best would be to start from scratch with a new map in Canyon and don't modify the map type.
Possibly you can select lots of blocks together using the macroblock tool and save them as macroblock, then you don't need to recreate the whole map.

One thing that could also be nice for your kids to learn is how to setup a dedicated server, because this is much more flexible than the built-in "local server".

[subtlefly]

Hey thanks for the reply, we will keep trying and see if we can spot the issue. I think we will try making super basic tracks and make sure they work for multiplayer first, and then move on to making more complex structures.
Thanks again, I will come back and ask again when we are ready to try for a dedicated server, I have tried to download the server and follow the instructions on here, sorry to be such a noob!
But I think we are making progress
Thanks again and have a great day
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