The Trackmania Shortcut That Was Hidden in Plain Sight
TLDRIn March 2022, a Trackmania player discovered a previously hidden shortcut on the official track AO2, a course once thought too simple to hold any undiscovered shortcuts. This revelation came after 14 years and numerous attempts by the community to find a faster route. The video recounts the history of attempts to beat the world record on AO2, including various shortcuts and strategies. It details the journey from the initial world record by player Barry to the groundbreaking discovery by Jav, who found a humanly achievable shortcut that finally beat the record, showcasing the relentless pursuit of optimization in the game.
Takeaways
- 😲 In March 2022, a Trackmania player discovered a new shortcut on the official track AO2, which had been overlooked for 14 years.
- 🏎 The track AO2 is considered one of the simplest in Trackmania, consisting of a left turn, a big jump, and a right turn to the finish.
- 🔍 The first traces of a potential shortcut were found in 2010 by a player named Barry, who aimed to minimize air time and maximize speed.
- 🚀 The idea to skip the first turn directly to the checkpoint was not successful, as it lacked the necessary speed for the ending.
- 🌟 Player William B discovered a more promising shortcut by jumping out to the right after getting the checkpoint and performing a backflip to the finish.
- 🏁 Race Hans discovered 'speed slides' in 2011, which allowed for acceleration after the car shifted into fourth gear, leading to a new world record.
- 🔄 Despite the discovery of speed slides, the shortcut idea seemed too slow compared to the optimized normal way of completing the track.
- 🏞️ For years, the shortcut fell into limbo, with occasional attempts but no significant improvements.
- 🛠️ In 2017, a new trick was discovered to land earlier on the big jump, which reduced air time and could save time towards the finish.
- 🌈 In 2021, a tool-assisted speedrun showed that the shortcut could theoretically be faster than the normal way, reigniting interest in the shortcut.
- 🎉 Finally, in March 2022, a player named Jav discovered a groundbreaking shortcut that could be completed in 15.19 seconds, the first ever shortcut time in AO2's history.
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 Race, which was one of the most simple courses in Trackmania Nations and had been overlooked for 14 years.
What is the significance of the shortcut found on AO2 Race?
-The shortcut found on AO2 Race was significant because it was hidden in plain sight for 14 years on one of the most basic tracks, and its discovery challenged the belief that Trackmania was a 'solved game' with no more undiscovered shortcuts.
What was the world record time on AO2 Race before the shortcut was discovered?
-Before the shortcut was discovered, the world record time on AO2 Race was 15.57 seconds, set by the player Race Hans.
What was the first traces of a potential shortcut on AO2 Race?
-The first traces of a potential shortcut on AO2 Race were found in February 2010 by the player Barry, who minimized air time on the bumps after the turn to maximize speed.
Who discovered the idea of jumping out to the right after getting the checkpoint on AO2 Race?
-The idea of jumping out to the right after getting the checkpoint on AO2 Race was discovered by the player William B.
What was the result of William B's shortcut attempt on AO2 Race on February 24, 2010?
-William B's shortcut attempt on AO2 Race resulted in a time of 16 seconds, which was four tenths of a second behind Barry's world record at the time.
What was Race Hans' discovery that led to a new world record on AO2 Race?
-Race Hans discovered the concept of 'speed slides' on dirt tracks, where steering the car gently after reaching the fourth gear would accelerate faster than going straight, leading to a new world record of 15.53 seconds.
What tool did Dona Di Gu develop that allowed players to create their own tool-assisted speed runs?
-Dona Di Gu developed a tool that allowed players to replay any string of inputs manually, edit them frame by frame, and brute force attempt runs thousands of times over until they create a theoretically perfect speed run.
What was the outcome of Plus Rex's collaboration with Sajrad on the shortcut for AO2 Race?
-Plus Rex collaborated with Sajrad to create a shortcut that achieved a time of 15.17 seconds, which was a full 2.7 seconds faster than the previous best shortcut time.
What was the final shortcut discovered by Jav on AO2 Race, and what was the time?
-The final shortcut discovered by Jav on AO2 Race involved threading the car between the trees at full speed and setting up for a faster wall climb into the finish, resulting in a time of 15.19 seconds.
Who was the first player to achieve a shortcut time on AO2 Race, and what was their time?
-The first player to achieve a shortcut time on AO2 Race was Roland, with a time of 15.42 seconds.
Outlines
🏁 The Unbelievable Discovery on AO2 Race
In March 2022, a Trackmania player discovered a new shortcut on the official track AO2 Race, which had been overlooked for 14 years. This track, known for its simplicity, consists of a left turn, a big jump, and a right turn to the finish. The video challenges viewers to spot the shortcut themselves and encourages subscribing for more Trackmania content. The story begins with the first traces of a potential shortcut found in February 2010 by player Barry, who set a world record of 15.61 seconds. The community then explored various shortcut ideas, including skipping the first turn or performing a backflip over obstacles, but none could beat Barry's time. A significant breakthrough came in December 2011 when Race Hans discovered 'speed slides', allowing for faster acceleration on dirt tracks after reaching the fourth gear. This led to a new world record of 15.57 seconds.
🏎️ The Evolution of Shortcut Attempts
The discovery of speed slides led to a flurry of new records, with Racehorns eventually setting the record at 15.53 seconds. Despite this, shortcut players continued to experiment, with William achieving a time of 15.80 seconds in September 2012. His attempt, though close, was still behind the world record. The idea of shortcuts fell into limbo, with only William B improving his time to 15.69 seconds in 2015. In 2017, a new trick of landing earlier on the big jump was attempted by player Rollin, who managed to achieve a time of 15.48 seconds. However, most shortcut ideas seemed exhausted, and the record seemed unbeatable until December 2018 when French player Alien achieved a record of 15.44 seconds, showcasing peak performance on the track.
🛠️ Tool-Assisted Speedruns and the Shortcut Mystery
In 2021, the Trackmania community gained new insights into the shortcut mystery with the development of a tool-assisted speedrun tool by Dona Di Gu. This tool allowed for precise input manipulation and numerous attempts to create a perfect speedrun. Player Plus Rex used this tool to experiment with William's shortcut, achieving a time of 15.42 seconds, proving the shortcut could be faster in theory. Collaborating with Sajrad, they discovered a method to achieve a time of 15.17 seconds, a significant gain. However, these methods were challenging for human players, and the community wondered if there were more undiscovered shortcuts.
🌟 The Groundbreaking Shortcut and the Ongoing Battle for the Record
On March 15, 2022, player Jav had a groundbreaking idea and created a tool-assisted speedrun, achieving a time of 15.19 seconds, which seemed more achievable for human players. The discovery involved threading the car between trees at full speed for a faster wall climb finish. This shortcut, once thought impossible, became a reality. Since its discovery, players Hafest and Roland have battled for the record, with Roland achieving a time of 15.28 seconds. The story of AO2 Race inspires wonder about what other undiscovered optimizations might exist in Trackmania. The video concludes with thanks to patrons and a promise of more videos to come.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Trackmania
💡Shortcut
💡Ao2 Race
💡World Record
💡Speed Slides
💡Bug Slide
💡Tool-Assisted Speedrun
💡Pixel Perfect
💡Community
💡Optimization
💡Record
Highlights
In March 2022, a Trackmania player discovered a new shortcut on the official track AO2 Race after 14 years.
AO2 Race is one of the simplest courses in Trackmania, thought to be unbeatable.
The shortcut was hidden in plain sight, challenging players to spot it during the video.
The world record on the track was set by player Barry in 2010 with a time of 15.61 seconds.
The first shortcut idea involved skipping the first turn and going directly to the checkpoint.
William B discovered a more promising shortcut by jumping out to the right after getting the checkpoint.
In 2011, Race Hans discovered speed slides, which could make the car accelerate faster than going straight.
Race Hans set a new world record of 15.57 seconds using speed slides.
In 2012, William improved his shortcut time to 15.80 seconds, still behind the world record.
The shortcut idea fell into limbo for several years until 2015 when William B improved his time to 15.69 seconds.
In 2017, Roland discovered a new trick to land earlier on the big jump, setting a new record of 15.48 seconds.
In 2018, Alien set a new record of 15.44 seconds with an incredible low trajectory jump and air brake.
In 2021, a tool-assisted speedrun showed that William's shortcut could theoretically be faster than the normal way.
In March 2022, Jav discovered a groundbreaking shortcut that seemed more approachable for human players.
Roland was the first to achieve a shortcut time of 15.42 seconds on AO2 Race.
The discovery of the new shortcut after 14 years shows that Trackmania still has undiscovered optimizations.
The story of AO2 Race inspires players to continue exploring and optimizing tracks in Trackmania.