TrackMania Nations is an arcade-style racing game, the third installment in Nadeo’s TrackMania series. Unlike the other installments in the series, Nations is a free-to-play game that featured in-game advertising as a form of monetization.
Gameplay
Like other TrackMania entries, Nations is a racing game with heavy emphasis on player-made content and simplified physics. There is only one car available in the game, which gives every player equal opportunities and accentuates the importance of skill over the right car choice or tuning.
The single-player component consists of 100 tracks that gradually get more and more difficult. There is no collision system in the game, so other players or AI opponents do not affect your car’s movement. Depending on the time it took to finish the race, the player gets bronze, silver, or gold medal. Different tracks require a certain amount of medal to unlock.
Each of the single-player tracks is available for multiplayer alongside the custom tracks that are made with in-game track-editor.
Forever version
In 2008, TrackMania Nations, alongside TrackMania United got free updates with Forever added to their name. The games became network compatible and allowed United owners to play together with Nations players on certain tracks. The Nations’ physics system was updated to match that of United.