The Trackmania Shortcut That Was Hidden in Plain Sight

Wirtual
25 May 202215:36

TLDRIn March 2022, a Trackmania player uncovered a hidden shortcut on the official track 'AO2 Race' after 14 years, challenging the community's belief that the game was fully explored. The shortcut, once thought impossible, now allows completing the track in under 15 seconds, sparking a race for the record. The video documents the evolution of this discovery, the community's attempts, and the final breakthrough, showcasing the game's ongoing potential for surprise.

Takeaways

  • 😲 In March 2022, a Trackmania player discovered a new shortcut on the official track AO2 Race after 14 years of the game's existence.
  • 🏎️ The track AO2 Race is one of the simplest courses in Trackmania, consisting of a left turn, a big jump, and a right turn into the finish.
  • 🔍 The shortcut was hidden in plain sight, and the community had been trying to find ways to beat the world record set by player Barry in 2010.
  • 🚀 William B. was one of the first to attempt a shortcut by performing a backflip and climbing over the wall to skip the final turn.
  • 🌟 Race Hans discovered the speed slides technique, which allowed for faster acceleration after reaching the fourth gear, leading to a new world record.
  • 📈 The community experimented with various shortcut ideas, but most were not as fast as the optimized normal route.
  • 🛤️ The shortcut that eventually worked involved a pixel-perfect approach angle on the jump, allowing the car to thread between the trees at full speed.
  • 🏆 Roland was the first to achieve a shortcut time on AO2 Race, with a time of 15.42 seconds, breaking the longstanding record.
  • 🤔 The story of AO2 Race shows that even in a game like Trackmania, which is considered 'solved,' new strategies and optimizations can still be discovered.
  • 👏 The continuous pursuit of the perfect run and the discovery of new shortcuts is a testament to the creativity and dedication of the Trackmania community.

Q & A

  • What was the significant discovery made by a Trackmania player in March 2022?

    -In March 2022, a Trackmania player discovered a brand new shortcut on the official track AO2, which had been hidden in plain sight for 14 years.

  • How long does it typically take to complete the track AO2 race?

    -The track AO2 race can be completed in 15 seconds, making it one of the simplest courses in Trackmania.

  • What was the first traces of a potential shortcut on AO2 race discovered in February 2010?

    -The first traces of a potential shortcut on AO2 race were found when player Barry achieved a world record of 15.61 seconds by minimizing air time on the bumps and carrying as much speed as possible towards the big jump.

  • What was the innovative shortcut idea proposed by player William B?

    -William B proposed a shortcut idea where he would jump out to the right after getting the checkpoint, turn his car sideways to perform a bug slide on the dirt mountain, and then climb over the wall to skip the final turn entirely.

  • What was the discovery made by player Race Hans in December 2011 that revolutionized the track?

    -Race Hans discovered that after the car shifts into the fourth gear, steering the car and making it gently slide towards one direction would accelerate faster than going straight, due to speed slides.

  • What was the world record time on AO2 race after Race Hans' discovery?

    -After Race Hans' discovery, the world record time on AO2 race was 15.57 seconds, which he achieved by utilizing the speed slides to build up a massive speed advantage.

  • What was the shortcut method that player Plus Rex developed using the Trackmania interface tool?

    -Player Plus Rex developed a shortcut method using the Trackmania interface tool where balancing the car on its nose would allow it to climb over the finish wall quicker, achieving a tool-assisted speedrun of 15.42 seconds.

  • What was the groundbreaking idea discovered by player Jav in March 2022?

    -Player Jav discovered that with a pixel-perfect approach angle on the jump, it was possible to thread the car in between the trees at full speed, setting up for a much faster wall climb into the finish.

  • What was the first ever shortcut time achieved on AO2 race?

    -The first ever shortcut time achieved on AO2 race was 15.42 seconds by player Roland, following the groundbreaking idea discovered by Jav.

  • What was the final record time on AO2 race after Roland's improvement?

    -The final record time on AO2 race after Roland's improvement was 15.28 seconds, which was an overall incredible run with a solid start, a great shortcut, and a near-perfect wall climb.

Outlines

00:00

🏁 Discovery of a Hidden Shortcut on AO2 Race

In March 2022, a Trackmania player discovered a new shortcut on the official track AO2 Race, a simple course that was believed to be fully optimized. Despite its simplicity, the shortcut had been overlooked for 14 years. The video challenges viewers to spot the shortcut and encourages subscribing for more Trackmania content. The story begins with the world record set by player Barry in 2010, and explores various attempts to find shortcuts, including one by William B who tried a daring maneuver to skip the final turn. The narrative also discusses the significance of 'speed slides' and how they changed the approach to the track, leading to a new world record by Raise Hans with a time of 15.57 seconds.

05:01

🏎️ The Evolution and Challenges of Shortcut Attempts

This section delves into the continuous efforts of players to improve upon the world record on AO2 Race. It details how the discovery of 'wiggle' speed runs allowed players to utilize additional speed, leading to William's improved shortcut time of 15.80 seconds in 2012. However, the idea of potentially wasting time on a slower shortcut led to a decline in interest. The narrative then shifts to 2017, where a new trick by player Rollin aimed to reduce air time and increase speed towards the finish. Despite the difficulty, Rollin achieved a time of 15.48 seconds. Alien's record of 15.44 seconds in 2018 further solidified the track's competitiveness, leaving the community in awe of the peak performance possible on Trackmania.

10:01

🛠️ Tool-Assisted Speedruns and the Quest for Perfection

The community's pursuit of the perfect speedrun led to the development of a tool that allowed for precise input manipulation and numerous attempts to create an optimal run. Player Plus Rex used this tool to experiment with William's shortcut, achieving a time of 15.42 seconds, proving the shortcut's potential. Collaborating with Sajrad, they discovered an even faster shortcut with a time of 15.17 seconds. These findings were groundbreaking, but the shortcuts were extremely challenging to execute in real speedruns, leaving the community to wonder if there were any undiscovered shortcuts left.

15:03

🌟 The Ultimate Shortcut and the Ongoing Pursuit of Records

In March 2022, player Jav had a groundbreaking idea and created a tool-assisted speedrun that suggested a new, more approachable shortcut. This shortcut involved threading the car between trees at full speed, which required incredible precision but offered a faster wall climb to the finish. The discovery reignited the community's interest, and Roland managed to achieve the first-ever shortcut time of 15.42 seconds on the track. The narrative concludes with the ongoing battle for the record, with Hafaz and Roland pushing the limits of the track, culminating in Roland's record of 15.28 seconds. The story of AO2 Race serves as a testament to the unending potential for discovery and optimization in Trackmania.

🎬 Closing Thoughts and Acknowledgments

The video concludes with a thank you to the patrons for their support and an anticipation for future videos. It reflects on the journey of discovering new shortcuts and the continuous surprises that the Trackmania community experiences as they push the boundaries of what is thought to be possible within the game.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Trackmania

Trackmania is a series of racing video games developed by Nadeo. The game is known for its track editor, which allows players to create their own tracks and share them with the community. In the context of the video, Trackmania is the central theme as it discusses a new shortcut discovered in one of the game's official tracks.

💡Shortcut

A shortcut in Trackmania refers to an unconventional path or trick used by players to complete a track faster than the standard route. The video focuses on a hidden shortcut on the track 'ao2 race' that was undiscovered for 14 years, showcasing the creativity and skill of players in finding these time-saving routes.

💡World Record

In Trackmania, a world record is the fastest time achieved by a player on a particular track. The video mentions several world records, including those set by players Barry and Racehorns, emphasizing the competitive nature of the game and the constant pursuit of faster times.

💡Speed Slides

Speed slides are a technique in Trackmania where a player gently slides the car after reaching the fourth gear to accelerate faster than normal. This concept is crucial to the video's narrative as it led to a significant improvement in the world record time on 'ao2 race'.

💡Bug Slide

A bug slide is an unintended game mechanic where a player turns the car sideways to perform a slide, often used to navigate through obstacles or gain speed. The video discusses how player William B. used a bug slide to attempt a shortcut, illustrating the innovative strategies players employ.

💡Tool-Assisted Speedrun

A tool-assisted speedrun involves using software tools to manipulate game inputs to achieve the fastest possible completion time. The video mentions the use of such tools to explore the potential of the 'ao2 race' shortcut, highlighting the blend of technology and skill in optimizing gameplay.

💡Precision

Precision is the accuracy and exactness required to execute certain moves or strategies in Trackmania. The video emphasizes the need for precision in performing the newly discovered shortcut, as it requires a pixel-perfect approach to navigate between trees at full speed.

💡Air Time

Air time refers to the duration a car spends in the air during jumps in Trackmania. The video explains that minimizing air time can lead to faster completion times, as it allows for more time spent accelerating on the ground.

💡Dirt Track

A dirt track in Trackmania is a type of track surface that affects the car's handling and speed. The video discusses how steering on dirt tracks can lose speed, which is a key consideration in optimizing runs and developing shortcuts.

💡Community

The Trackmania community consists of players who share tracks, strategies, and compete against each other. The video showcases the collaborative efforts of the community in discovering and refining the 'ao2 race' shortcut, emphasizing the social and cooperative aspects of gaming.

💡Optimization

Optimization in Trackmania refers to the process of fine-tuning a run to achieve the best possible time. The video chronicles the continuous optimization of the 'ao2 race' track, from the initial world record to the discovery of the hidden shortcut, showcasing the game's depth and complexity.

Highlights

In March 2022, a Trackmania player discovered a brand new shortcut on the official track AO2, which had been hiding in plain sight for 14 years.

AO2 Race, one of the simplest courses in Trackmania Nations Forever, can be completed in just 15 seconds.

The world record on AO2 was set by player Barry in 2010 with a time of 15.61 seconds.

Players attempted to beat Barry's record by finding shortcuts, including skipping the first turn or performing a bug slide after the checkpoint.

William B discovered a shortcut that involved jumping out to the right after getting the checkpoint and performing a bug slide to skip the final turn.

William B's shortcut resulted in a time of 16 seconds, still behind Barry's record.

In 2011, Race Hans discovered speed slides, which allowed for faster acceleration on dirt tracks after reaching a certain speed.

Race Hans used speed slides to set a new world record of 15.57 seconds on AO2.

In 2012, William managed to improve his shortcut time to 15.80 seconds, just 0.1 seconds behind the world record.

For several years, the shortcut fell into limbo as players gave up on it, believing it to be slower than the intended way.

In 2015, William B improved his shortcut time to 15.69 seconds, still not enough to beat the world record.

In 2017, Roland discovered a new trick to land earlier on the big jump, setting a new record of 15.48 seconds.

Alien, in 2018, managed to achieve an incredible time of 15.44 seconds on AO2, making the record seem unbeatable.

In 2021, Dona Di Gu developed a tool that allowed players to create tool-assisted speed runs, revealing that William's shortcut could theoretically be faster.

Plus Rex and Sajrad collaborated to find a new shortcut method that could potentially gain 2.7 seconds, making the record of 15.17 seconds.

On March 15, 2022, Jav discovered a groundbreaking shortcut that could be performed with a pixel-perfect approach angle on the jump.

Roland was the first to achieve a shortcut time of 15.42 seconds on AO2, marking the first ever shortcut time in the track's history.

The discovery of this shortcut after 14 years challenges the belief that Trackmania is a solved game, as new optimizations continue to surprise players.