Dear Trackmania community,
Late November, Wirtual highlighted a grey area regarding the use of external tools to set a custom analog profile to have better controls of the SnowCar with his analog keyboard. This is a complex situation, and we would like to clarify what’s allowed or not.
As we said back in August 2022 in a long message about custom steering keys and possible game exploits, the Trackmania Code of Conduct prohibits players to use external tools to gain an unfair advantage. We do not consider peripheral software which can be used to calibrate or enhance your device, to be an external tool. We consider it an extension and therefore part of your peripheral of choice.
However, using an external tool to readjust a gaming device to set a custom range (limiting the steering range from 0% to less than 100%, for example) is not allowed in Trackmania. This is not considered as a classic peripheral calibration, but as an exploit to gain precision in a specific situation.
We know that some top of the range gaming devices offer the possibility to switch the joystick sensitivity curve at any time and this is currently not allowed. It's not part of the Trackmania philosophy to have to equip yourself with the latest cutting-edge tools to be able to perform well. Trackmania must remain an easy to pick up racing game.
We are currently working on an “action keys” update to allow players to have better control of their cars and avoid high-end gaming devices being a requirement to perform well in Trackmania. These changes will not go into effect for the Winter 2024 season as we need more time to work on this new feature.
In the meantime, limiting the custom range with an external device to something less than 100% at the maximum steering is not allowed. Players using these kinds of techniques will be sanctioned.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please remain respectful towards each other, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
The Ubisoft Nadeo team