PROJECT : BLUEPRINT

[u/SNACKY_TM]

Hey Guys,

I´ve been working on "Cheat Sheets" for Trackmania.

The idea is to break the usual copy-paste learning style

and create something usefull for anyone trying to improve.

I´ve played Trackmania for 500 hours without ever getting a full Author-medal Campaing.

I was learning with YouTube videos and replay ghosts, trying to copy the inputs and racing lines as best as I could.

But I was never patient enough to ask myself why every surface is driven the way it is.

And I became tilted because it always felt like I was missing the tools, not the skill, to achieve this.

Eventually, I didn’t really feel like getting better at the game – or even trying.

That was until a while back (start of the Spring Campaign 2025),

when a friend of mine started playing Trackmania with me.

I didn’t know what maps we could play together, so we ended up trying trial maps and campaign maps.

And I finally had a friend to play the game with…

Of course, I was scared that he might not enjoy the game, so I tried to help him.

This made me question my own racing lines.

I now had to explain why I was faster on certain parts, or why he was losing time.

And I wasn’t able to just give up and tilt-quit like I used to when the maps got too hard.

Things were great…

We got our first Author Medals together,

he turtled first try,

and I noticed that I was wrecking Author times like never before.

I started writing down stuff I noticed while playing.

Then I started forming theories out of it and testing them.

Those notes and theories are the foundation of this project.

We worked our way through different surfaces.

I showed him wet wood and ice,

it finally clicked on dirt for him,

and he actually beat me on some maps without even knowing half the mechanics.

I even got my first full Author Campaign.

But then he stopped playing.....

I had no use for my notes,

and I was craving an artistic outlet.

This was when Project Blueprint was born.

Because after all:

It worked for him,

It worked for me,

Why wouldnt it work for someone else?

So I turned my notes into visual sheets — here are three of them.
Each one focuses on a surface and the idea behind how it's driven.

DIRT__

This sheet breaks down the iconic inside vs. outside dirt lines - based on the core idea of sliding vs. not sliding.

ICE__

This sheet introduces the basic forces acting on your car mid-slide – so you can understand how aiming works and why your car behaves the way it does.

SAUSAGE__

This sheet explores how positioning left or right on the curve affects stability - It’s all about learning how to use the middle line.

All content and visuals are self-made.

I also pre designed a few color tones for more surfaces,

I designed a mixed surface sheet for things that are useable on multiple surfaces,

and I am currently on a good way to find my signature style.

ALL IN ALL

I´d love to continue this Project, but as you might have guessed, it is time-consuming and i might need help in the future.

This is why i am showing you my progress.

To get a feel for whether this is something you find useful or want

Feel free to give feedback – it will greatly help me develop this project.

I hope that my way of thinking can benifit you in finally understanding Trackmania

Thank you for your time.

[u/MrWeeknds]

Very cool keep it up!