Trackmania United and Warcraft

I’m a gamer in the purist sense, in that I need for the engine to be perfect in order to enjoy games anymore. I think this is a consequence of having worked with Direct3d for too long in a critical role (looking for bugs), which makes it so that I end up noticing the bugs not the game most of the time. To this end, I am down to World of Warcraft, which I need to play more of so that my long time friends and guildmates The Lost Marbles can proceed with raiding through the Lich King expansion, and to the game I want to note today.

I LOVE to drive. This isn’t news to people who know me well. For the last 5 years, I have managed to stay sane through what has become a 2 hour commute by trying to choose cars wisely (I think…Juli may disagree) which I enjoy. Most Racing simulators never get the feel of speed right. I remember a few years ago when the Wipeout series first came out, and what was remarkable about it, aside from the amazingly forward thinking soundtrack and futuristic graphic design, was the drifty feel of the controls, and the amazing sense of realistic speed the desgners were able to convey.

As a programmer, I have long meant to revisit Wipeout as a hobby project, but then a few years ago I stumbed across Trackmania… And Oh My God….

There are no other racing games. Period.

I will be posting interesting tidbits about my progress in Trackmania.. as a lowly American Sunrise Racer.

chitlenz 7/9/2009