Maniaplanet Forum

i don t know if this is a good idea or not but what if there was an option or setting for a gear box.
so when you go drving on a track you could chose if you want to drive with a gear box or with nothing.
gear box would be used with keys on a keyboard, or the wheel plus that gear stick that comes with it(i don t know how its called )
you could chose which key would be a gear (something like: numbers, letters or just use two keys to go up or down for one gear). the number of the gear would be shown on the side or anywhere on the screen.
this will probably be hard to use when going fast or driving a complicated track

I'm absolutely sure there wont be such an option because, well, it just doesnt fit TM-Style. Maybe there is a possibility for the map-builder to do that with ManiaScript (maybe not, we know nothing about it)

It could meet the needs of some pilots (don't know about the TM-style ^^).

On some environments, the best drivers care very much about the gear they use in the turns: it leads how they can accelerate at the exit of the turn. Nowadays, they have to manage it with the throttle/brakes/wheel (the gearbox being auomatic). I guess a manual gearbox could make it easier. I don't know if it's good for TM, but at least it makes sense. Such feature could also enable us to keep in low gear instead of braking, and that could make a huge difference on the slidy environments such as coast or island. Of course, we don't now if TM2 will contain such a slidy environment yet.

Giving the map-builder the control of the gear could generate some issues. What happens if the map-builder is a noob that highly underestimated the speed in the turns? What happens if he did it correctly, but if the player respawned in a fast part? The player is locked in 5th or 6th gear at 30 km/h: he can't accelerate...

Romain42 wrote:Giving the map-builder the control of the gear could generate some issues. What happens if the map-builder is a noob that highly underestimated the speed in the turns? What happens if he did it correctly, but if the player respawned in a fast part? The player is locked in 5th or 6th gear at 30 km/h: he can't accelerate...

Yes, I know this wouldn't work like that, but I dont know how much you can change the gameplay in TM2, so I just thought about a Script that doesnt let you drive faster until you shift. That would be the best solution in my opinion, so driving will be the same simple gameplay as in TM, but there is a way for the builder too make it more difficult. More maps like that, put them on a server and everyone who likes it can drive there.

Timmeh7 wrote:Yes, I know this wouldn't work like that, but I dont know how much you can change the gameplay in TM2, so I just thought about a Script that doesnt let you drive faster until you shift. That would be the best solution in my opinion, so driving will be the same simple gameplay as in TM, but there is a way for the builder too make it more difficult. More maps like that, put them on a server and everyone who likes it can drive there.

The heart of TM gameplay is that all players have exactly the same known gameplay, without car collisions, so the level is purely linked to the driving skill. Scripts must not have any possibility to change an environment gameplay !

I'm not against a (optional) gear box, but then its use or not would be a player choice, the scripts must not have any control on that.

You're right, but as I expect there not to be an option for a gear box, I just came up with the idea of a script, because with ManiaScript you can create a gamemode. I'm not sure whether you finished reading my post, but if this is possible, there could be a server only for "maps with gearbox" and it's up to you whether you go there or not.

A gear-box doesn't fit to the TM-style. Even without the Gear-box it is hard enough to drive very good times. Also it would be too hard to learn driving. So "Easy to learn, but hard to master" wouldn't fit any more.

The only good use I see, would be the option in scripting e.g. for a rpg map or to make trial maps even harder

Exactly my thoughts haenry. It's such a nice challenge to get the right gears, while most of the drivers not even listen to them but driving after feeling =)

So it would be a no for me to the gear box.

Edit: thx haenry, damn i shouldn't start writing without checking ^^

I think you mean "NO" instead of "now"

That's also a reason why I don't like special engine sounds for car models.
To control the gear, without buttons to switch between the gears, is a unique thing of the TM-engine.
For example many Stadium drivers think of a gear-bug, but no it's not. You can control it The same in Island

I don't want to lose this, especially at the official mode, where parts of a second count

Hold on, you are really talking about that it makes a difference in TM what gear you're in?
In almost 5 years that i play, i never heard of that one.....