Great news today, ShootMania Beta 2 is available!

After several months of intense work, we’re proud to release this new patch, the biggest since the launch of the Beta, which brings lots of new features inside ManiaPlanet and also in ShootMania.

Here are the major changes:

• Partial revamp of the ManiaPlanet user interface (3D Menus, removal of the ManiaHome tablet)

• Integration of a real time messaging system for friends

• Addition of a team creation & official competitions system

• Addition of a tournament system

• TwitchTV integration (in Beta). To use it just open the ingame options -> “Broadcast” and fill in your TwitchTV credentials. Please note that this feature is in Beta, Your framerate may drop and you can experience a freeze at the disconnection.

There is also lots of changes on ShootMania Storm:

• 60 new blocks including Castle, Wood, Aerial Power Path and Grappling Hook blocks.

• New actions:

  • Grappling hook: it allows you to hook up on hook block and balance yourself in the air. To do it you must aim the hook block and right-click to activate it. You can’t use it from a Power Path but you can’t fire while hanging from the hook block.

  • Charge Shot: it’s an alternative fire mode of the Rocket Launcher which allows you to fire bouncing rockets (which bounce on any block type). To shot a bouncing rocket, you must stay still at least 6 seconds to load the Charge Shot. A Charge Shot bounces maximum twice.

  • Slide: only possible on the wooden blocks, it’s an action which allow you to gain more speed with right-click. If you release the button, you’ll jump.

• New moves (like the WallJump, the progressive jump and lasers denying rockets)

• Addition of a matchmaking system for 1vs1 (Joust mode only)

• The Royal game mode is available as a Title Pack.

• Addition of a Title Pack “Royal Exp” which will be used to test the next evolutions of the Royal game mode

• The Title Pack “Elite Exp” will use the former gameplay for the current competitions

Of course many more changes have been made as well as bug fixes.

As you may have noticed above, a tournament and competition system is now in ManiaPlanet (in Beta). Thanks to this system, you’ll be able to easily create a competition with several parameters (competition open or on invitations, maps used, the rules, the number of teams, the area of the competition, etc… For more information about the competition system, please read this link.

Finally, let’s take a sneak peak on what’s coming up on ManiaPlanet before the ShootMania Storm release:

• An Inter-ladder structure and simplified server level types (White / Green / Blue / Red and Black)

• Simplified transactions to convert & purchase with your economical points directly

• Improving the matchmaking system (the current one and open it for custom tools as well as doing X vs X)

• Lan mode for ShootMania Storm and Lan mode back for TrackMania² Canyon

• Several optimizations, polish and much more (new features for example)

ManiaPlanet & ShootMania are getting better and we hope you’ll like the new changes. If you want to read the full changelog, please go to the forums.

Have fun and see you soon!