I am very pleasantly surprised! I already have all ATs and have to say I enjoyed the grind. This is the first time since 2021 I actually liked the discovery :D
I really like this campaign compared to the last. Having a little milestone to grind for (20th gold) is a welcome addition. 21 made it clear that I know shit about tech again :D
Significantly better, and it's nice to see them bringing back the maps being locked off like the old games.
After spring I was a little worried, but there are some really fun maps in there.
I still feel like there's some way to go though. You can have maps that are accessible, or have a fun gimmick, o show off some mechanic AND have those maps be built with good flow and lines that make them enjoyable to both noobs (like me) and top players alike.
No shade on the mappers either. I find it hard to believe that a) they are paid enough to really put time into getting so detailed with the route and b) anyone at Nadeo understands their own game enough to give the kind of guidance/feedback to get there.
This isn't just a Trackmania issue either. Any game that has community content generally ends up with the official content sucking in comparison. Turns out that the people playing your game for thousands of hours have both the knowledge and passion to create things even the Devs couldn't get close to.
I really hate that they have locked the harder tracks as a casual player. I usually just like to go through all the maps and grind the ones I like, then eventually go back and try for gold on everything. There is already a progression system with the medals so I don’t see why it’s necessary to dictate how someone plays the campaign. I don’t want to grind 15 so I’m probably just going to quit. I can’t see this being good for the game long term, you need new players or the player base will stagnate.
Personally I'm fine with the concept of having stuff locked behind some training in a game, but I also think it's a bit too strict as is - I think there should be room to skip a map. Maybe instead of eg. requiring 20 gold medals, reduce it to 18 gold medals or something. In other words: I like the mechanic, but I also hope they'll adjust it a bit in the future.
I didn't really have issues with getting the medals, but for a newcomer it might be a bit too much of a wall. But then again, it's not as clear cut as "newcomers who can't instantly complete them will quit". Obviously some people will quit, but for some other players the unlocking mechanic can work as a clear goal to aim for, and works as a reason to become better at the game - without the unlocking mechanic (as it used to be), the content in the game can feel a bit "aimless" for a newcomer, and the lack of a clear goal can also make people quit.
As with everything in games, it's a balancing act. I guess (hope) they're just testing it for now, and check some statistics to see what works.