Tech Warrior - Coast Guidebook
First Edition by WailTale



Hello and welcome to the Coast addition of Tech Warrior driving guide. This a very resourceful driving assistance archive dedicated to the training, preperation, and alleviation of one's fears when faced with this truly amazing racing platform. Some of you may remember the older Coast Driving School that once resided in this very forum. Due to an accidental deletion, I have been assigned to replace the lost knowledge with an improved addition. Don't go freak out because it was deleted by me and now I've finally decided to put it back. But for everyone who is new to reading this, don't click anywhere else. So, let's cut the introductions and get to the point.

Overview

Some of you may think that Coast is the brainchild of a twisted programmer, but I must state otherwise. The Coast environment is much more than a lush island. An island that resides in the pearly mediterranean blue, set off by colourful ambience and the common quarrel of the sea birds above. No. Coast is a demon. It is a demon that cries out for those who seek the adrenaline of "think is second priority" action. Never underestimate the terrors that rest on the edge of a skilled mapper's fingertips. Over the next few pages I hope that you will understand the basic premise of conquering Coast and overcoming the beast.


2-Dimensional Driving

Just like it implies, two-dimensional driving is narrowed down to a flat surface. The only possible trajectories on a flat surface are curves and straight stretches. It is always best to identify your simplest challenges first, thus you set the building blocks for more challenging techniques down the road (no pun intended).

Let's begin.

When you approach a simple ninety-degree turn in the road, what do you do? Do you shout, "oh my god, oh my god, I'm gunna die!"? Well, I sure hope not. Mostly because death is not possible in Trackmania. Duh. But simply put, many people do not have the knowledge required to surmount even the simplest challenges in Coast conditions. "The tires are slippery", "I can't accellerate", "There's too much dirt", yadda yadda yadda.

Before you reach that turn, analyze it. Now I don't mean whip out a pad of paper and a fresh pen, but look at it. There's a breach in the straight road up ahead and somehow you have to get around it. Well, tip number one: Never apply brake and turn at the same time unless you want to bust out a drift. If you were capable of pulling one off, you certainly wouldn't be reading this right now, so no drifts. Brake before you turn, not while you're in it. The uncontrolled slide is a common mistake among amateurs. Unlike other environments, grip is a luxury you do not have, so don't shoot yourself in the foot by saying otherwise. If you can master this enormously difficult concept, it's all uphill from here.

Once your speed is manageable (it's a relative term, I know...so just keep it below a hundred for my sake) you are clear to adjust your heading. Do not continue to apply the brake. The least you could do is let go of the button while you're hyperventilating.

Fine tune the throttle, and keep the turning/acceleration ratio even for best results, depending entirely on the size and location of the kink in the road. This means more speed and less turn the bigger the bend is. If you have too much speed you'll overshoot and nail the big ugly wall across the road and say to yourself, "Dang...that sucked." But if you have too little speed, however, you won't hit anything except your clock. But let's leave time out of the equation for a little while longer. Too much turn: you're drifting. Too little turn: same effect as too much speed. It all rests on the balance and control that you have over your vehicle. Experience yields knowledge, and knowledge yields the above; so you'll just have to bear with me for a little while longer before you hit the road all pampered and excited.

To conclude 2-Dimensional driving: just know your speed, angle of approach, and turning requirement. Never favour one key over the other when you're driving with a board. Slow in and fast out, and with a little practice, you'll be able to handle those little turns with ease. Be sure to tap the turning key, and never hold it down. Too much pressure and you're technique will go the way of the dodo. Keep it optimized. It takes a considerable amount of skill to even control the vehicle on a regulatory bend in the road. I'm sure you've probably already figured this out.


3-Dimensional Driving

You got it; loops, jumps, ramps, and big bumps. They all come free with any evil Coast-mapper's tracks. You'll need to get used to them eventually, so why don't we cover them right here and now?

There are many ways a track-maker will attempt to deter you off course or even hinder your ability to obtain the speed necessary for another section of the track. So when you're faced with these obstacles, you need to know how to overcome them - and fast.

You probably have quite a bit of experience in three-dimensional track sections. But if logic serves, you've never really made it past them when luck wasn't doing it for you. Not a problem. We can still make a driver out of you yet.

Most mappers will design a track for awards, so if you're on a pro's challenge, you shouldn't have any trouble with 3-D segments because they've been designed with flow in mind. If you keep your speed where they want it to be, they'll reward you with a good race and possibly even a tolerable time. But time is also an enemy. We don't want to submit to the beast and his minions. The mapper want's you to get the time, not beat it. And to beat it, you need to work.

Usually, you will have run through the track at least half a dozen times before you reach the point where you feel that higher glory is necessary. I won't argue with a greedy spirit, so I've devised a way for you to overcome them on your own - in any environment. However, this is provided that you are able to maintain grip on the road with your unstable tires (As you will experience in Island, as well).

Loops

Loops aren't the toughest things on the block (haha laugh at my puns --.) but they can be tricky at times. This is especially directly after a turn, in which you have little speed and control; or after a drop, where you will have likely no visibility. If the mapper has any sense at all, they'll probably insert an auto-camera change to Camera 3, so you won't have to bend over backwards to see what the heck you're doing.

When tackling a loop, just pretend it's a straight piece of track. If a loop were two-dimensional, it would appear to be a slightly crooked S-Bend. Keep your speed above three-hundred (at least).

Jumps

Don't be a noob and honk every time you hit a ramp because it's "funny." They'll only be laughing when you fall off and hit the leading edge of the other ramp across the river. Nonetheless, most tracks have smooth flowing ramps, so you won't have to worry much about undershooting. However, when one acquires more speed than required for such a leap, one will find out the perils of an over-jump. It's a big concept, I know, so just hang on tight (I'm getting good at this, hehe). Lame jokes aside, it is necessary to evaluate the situation and the consequences of landing.

Thanks to the advanced control surfaces that Nadéo installed on all of their vehicles, you have access to physically impossible aerial manuevers that could not be performed under normal circumstances. By tapping the brake mid-air, you can lock the vehicle's pitch during its descent. This will prevent it from angling downwards due to its uneven centre of gravity. By holding the brake, you can greatly reduce the vehicle's airspeed and reduce its landing distance. This is imperative to prevent over-jump. On the other hand, by resuming your hold on the throttle, the vehicle will magically begin to accelerate and gain airspeed. But, unlike that of a fixed-wing aircraft, your spoiler will not generate lift (truly disappointing, I know). Use this slight increase in speed to counter the over-braking that you just did because you were too busy screaming to let go of the reverse key.

Once we've maintained a nice approach over the asphalt, we can drop the landing gear and jettison the drogue chute. Granted, we have no chute or landing gear, so you'll just have to grin and bear it because gravity will be slamming you into the road at about 9.81 metres per second squared. Just remember to align your pitch with the surface of the road you intend to land on. If exact landing coordinates appear to be incorrect, feel free to continue screaming because the impact could - and will quite likely - hinder your "clean" landing.

Ramps

Ramps are quite self-explanatory. As mentioned in Jumps, keep you vehicle aligned in the direct centre (unless instructed otherwise). Just know that a small mis-calculation on the ramp means a major mis-calculation upon landing - especially at high speeds.

The ramp can also be used to focus the inertia of the car. To spin your vehicle in the air, hit the ramp on the desired angle and slam the opposite direction key (or other side, as used with a wheel or joystick). This will send you spinning, but the speed and rpm depends entirely on ramp entry speed and turning power before airborne. Aerial rotation can be prevented by angling the other direction once in mid-air. Like pitch but with different controls, pressing the opposite directional key will counter the vehicle's spin. You cannot, however, change the rotation direction or speed; you can only end its current spin. Once stopped, the vehicle can no longer be controlled and will continue to fall unaffected by direction until landed.

Should you land perpendicular to the direction your vehicle was travelling before it landed, inertia will drag you sideways and will probably flip you over in the meantime. Use the above ramp directional effect only when entering a hard turn or technical road piece. One is not advised to angle their rotation at all unless they "get that itch and they really, really have to."

Big Bumps

When you're faced with large, uneven sections of roadway such as off-road segments and damaged driving surfaces, it is always best to maintain a linear trajectory until the conditions have been restored. Should you encounter a heavy off-road bend, I advise you not to over-endulge on the brake. You will soon find that the brake is obsolete on grass and that all that time you wasted sent you over into the drink. May I remind you to stop screaming so loudly or you'll be evicted.

Braking over LORC (Lack of Optimal Road Conditions) is an extremely common mistake among beginners. You will be wasting your time trying to diagnose the problem. Moreover, ignore the only lifeline you hold dear and continue on a manageable path. If you wish to slow down, let off the throttle or rotate your car. This rotation method will act against inertia and will slow your vehicle considerably (provided you are not travelling at too high of speed) and allow you to keep full control over the tires.

However, if you do not wish to reduce speed while executing a turn, simply tap the direction in which you wish to go. Although off-road driving actually requires little effort, it can often be overlooked as uncontrollable. This is primarily because most drivers believe that LORC maneuverability and physics differ little from on-road driving. It is best to take into account that dirt is far less forgivable than pavement. Feather the throttle in the direction you wish to travel so that neither speed nor maneuverability receives more of your attention. When surface conditions deteriorate further, you must employ optimal control.

Optimal control is achieved when the velocity of the vehicle is at the centre margin, and allows for the best possible maneuverability. Any more or less speed and you will tend to understeer. Optimal speed can only be determined through practice, and many people have different opinions on their most ideal technique of driving. You will have to discover for yourself your personal optimal speed and incorporate that into your technique.

As I said, when surface conditions weaken and become as rigid as you feared, the optimal speed is perfect for your control over the vehicle and your reaction time. If you blaze through a rough section too fast, neither you nor the car will have time to recover should panic strike.

Just keep everything you've learned in mind. Finally, this concludes three-dimensional driving. I hope that you have gotten a lot out of this. As much as I put into it, at least.


Recovery

When things don't go as planned, recovery is the only solution. There are many stages and forms of recovery, and some of which I am not about to get into. But put simply, vehicle recovery can be achieved primarily by the following. I will present three scenarios and describe - in detail - how I would recover from them.

Problem #1
Q:
I've got too much speed over a small asphalt bend coming up and I'm running out of driving space. What do I do, and fast?

A:
Keep the vehicle straight. Do not turn or change your angle until your speed is manageable. When your trajectory is linear, hit the brake with full force. As mentioned previously, braking within a turn is as useless as drowning a fish. So, if you keep your car straight on a collision course while braking, reducing your speed becomes surprisingly easy. Don't sacrifice race time, though, and if you feel that you can still make the turn, don't hesitate to attempt it. Risk is reward. But don't bother braking mid-turn if you happen to overshoot it, though, as you'll just dig yourself down deeper. Hit the wall at a good angle, and your vehicle's energy will bounce you off straight again.

Problem #2
Q:
I've tried a winding road segment that ends with a ramp a dozen times and I still haven't cleared the jump. What went wrong?

A:
In simple: momentum. As you race through those windy bends preceeding the ramp, you will probably shed rubber. This is extremely harmful to one's speed and can greatly reduce your chances of clearing a jump should you bleed treadmarks constantly. To prevent this, never juice the throttle completely. The Coast vehicle isn't a Formula, and it takes much more effort to move it around than the reputable Stadium circuit racer or Island supercar. Just feather the throttle and share it with the directional keys / wheel. Never favour one and always keep your vehicle as close to the inside edge as possible. If you weave to the outside, you'll find yourself reducing speed just to get back into the optimal angle of approach.

Problem #3
Q:
There are two consecutive jumps; one is right after other. I have the speed, but whenever I clear the first one I always slam into the ramp that begins the second jump. Is it possible to perfectly land the first one without altering my course prior to the first leap?

A:
The answer is yes. It is very easy, too. As mentioned before, air control is a key asset in desperate times of need. Hit the first ramp normally, keeping your vehicle in the centre. But as you reach the asimuth (highest point) of your flight, start applying the necessary forces that will align you for landing. Tap the brake when you have pitched down far enough so that your car is parallel in degrees to the landing surface. Once fixed, apply the required braking pressure to fully allign the vehicle for contact. Should you hit the end ramp directly, your inertia will be carried into the second jump allowing you to clear it with the speed that you already obtained. Use this technique for the second landing if necessary.

Conclusion

You're probably quite familiar with the functions of the Coast vehicle by now, and I hope that you apply the maneuvers I mentioned above to your everyday Coast driving. If you need any further assistance regarding Coast or would like more information about recovery, send me a message on TM Creative or via in-game to username, 'nitro_x'.

Enjoy the wonderful world of the mediterranean. Please leave feedback if this guide was of any help to you.