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Mad Tracks
Mad Tracks, also known as Small Cars 3D in France, is a 2006 racing video game developed by Load Inc. and published by various publishers for several platforms. Inspired by Darda toys, players control spring-powered model cars and compete in racing competitions and minigames through various everyday environments.
Mad Tracks is the debut title for the Paris-based studio Load Inc. It was originally a licensed game based on the Darda toy cars but was reworked and retitled after the studio failed to secure the brand's intellectual rights. It was originally released for Windows computers on February 17, 2006. It was later ported to the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on May 30, 2007, and became backwards compatible with Xbox One in February 2017. It was also released on the Wii in Europe and Australia in 2009, followed by a mobile port on iOS in 2011 and Android a year later. In February 2019, it was announced that the game was delisted from Xbox Live Arcade because of a change in publishing rights from D3 Publisher to Plug In Digital. The latter released a reworked high-definition version of the game for Steam on March 10, 2020.
Mad Tracks was a commercial success, selling millions of units across multiple platforms despite a mixed critical reception.
In Mad Tracks, the player controls a toy car in races set in various everyday environments, such as a bistro, toy store, or mini golf course, each of which is rendered and presented in 3D. There are 46 courses in total, each divided into races and minigames; the former features races based on laps, point A to point B, time attack, weakest link, or bobsleigh, whereas the latter features minigames such as mini golf, billiards, bowling, or table football.
Each toy car features spring-powered batteries. The longer the player accelerates, the weaker the spring becomes. The battery eventually runs out, after which the player can no longer accelerate. The player can regenerate power by letting go of the acceleration button; the spring immediately recharges. It will also recharge while the car is airborne or reversing. The amount of usage of a spring will also depend on which type of car used. Other methods of recharging the spring include finding and using one of the power-ups, one of which drains opponents' batteries. The player can switch between camera angles, including first-person, at any time. As well, they can teleport to the last-reached checkpoint, automatically or manually by pressing a button, for instance, when they fall off the track.
Mad Tracks features two game modes: the single-player "Adventure" mode and the multiplayer "Arcade" mode. In Adventure, the player's objective is to achieve gold trophies by completing objectives, such as driving around a track or landing cars on a dartboard. The Arcade mode is similar to the single-player mode and includes the same objectives. Up to four players can play together locally in split-screen, and up to eight players can play together online. The PC version supports LAN connection. While both Wii and mobile versions only support four-player multiplayer.
Mad Tracks was developed by Load Inc., a Paris-based studio founded in 2003, by former employees of Ubisoft, Denis Bourdain and Thomas Leinekugel, to make video games independently. The studio consisted of a ten-member team, including Thomas and Denis, experienced in developing racing games such as POD (1997) and the F-1 Grand Prix series. After seeing the potential for the "mid price car game" following GDC and E3, the developers decided to make a licensed game based on the Darda toy cars—which they played with in childhood—as their first game for the studio. It was reworked and renamed Mad Tracks after the studio failed to secure the Darda brand's intellectual rights.
Two other racing games served as inspiration: Micro Machines (1991) inspired the visuals, split-screen and multiplayer, while TrackMania (2003) inspired the physics and the environment interactions. The studio used proprietary middleware to develop the car physics and racing-related aspects of the game. Some concepts for the game were cut or changed during development, including the representation of power-up pick-ups from gift boxes to boxes with question marks, 16 unlockable toy cars instead of the 12 already unlocked, as well as spare parts for them that the player could use to customize their toy car for benefits during minigames or racing. Thomas Leinekugel served as project manager; Hervé Nedelec was a creative director, and Florian Pernot was the lead programmer. Bertrand Carré served as technical director, Thibault Gicquel as level designer, and Nicolas Jeannot and Emmanuel Petit were the respective graphic and 3D animators. Music was provided by La Chimiz Prod, and Denis Bourdainin was a business developer.
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Mad Tracks AI simulator
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Mad Tracks
Mad Tracks, also known as Small Cars 3D in France, is a 2006 racing video game developed by Load Inc. and published by various publishers for several platforms. Inspired by Darda toys, players control spring-powered model cars and compete in racing competitions and minigames through various everyday environments.
Mad Tracks is the debut title for the Paris-based studio Load Inc. It was originally a licensed game based on the Darda toy cars but was reworked and retitled after the studio failed to secure the brand's intellectual rights. It was originally released for Windows computers on February 17, 2006. It was later ported to the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on May 30, 2007, and became backwards compatible with Xbox One in February 2017. It was also released on the Wii in Europe and Australia in 2009, followed by a mobile port on iOS in 2011 and Android a year later. In February 2019, it was announced that the game was delisted from Xbox Live Arcade because of a change in publishing rights from D3 Publisher to Plug In Digital. The latter released a reworked high-definition version of the game for Steam on March 10, 2020.
Mad Tracks was a commercial success, selling millions of units across multiple platforms despite a mixed critical reception.
In Mad Tracks, the player controls a toy car in races set in various everyday environments, such as a bistro, toy store, or mini golf course, each of which is rendered and presented in 3D. There are 46 courses in total, each divided into races and minigames; the former features races based on laps, point A to point B, time attack, weakest link, or bobsleigh, whereas the latter features minigames such as mini golf, billiards, bowling, or table football.
Each toy car features spring-powered batteries. The longer the player accelerates, the weaker the spring becomes. The battery eventually runs out, after which the player can no longer accelerate. The player can regenerate power by letting go of the acceleration button; the spring immediately recharges. It will also recharge while the car is airborne or reversing. The amount of usage of a spring will also depend on which type of car used. Other methods of recharging the spring include finding and using one of the power-ups, one of which drains opponents' batteries. The player can switch between camera angles, including first-person, at any time. As well, they can teleport to the last-reached checkpoint, automatically or manually by pressing a button, for instance, when they fall off the track.
Mad Tracks features two game modes: the single-player "Adventure" mode and the multiplayer "Arcade" mode. In Adventure, the player's objective is to achieve gold trophies by completing objectives, such as driving around a track or landing cars on a dartboard. The Arcade mode is similar to the single-player mode and includes the same objectives. Up to four players can play together locally in split-screen, and up to eight players can play together online. The PC version supports LAN connection. While both Wii and mobile versions only support four-player multiplayer.
Mad Tracks was developed by Load Inc., a Paris-based studio founded in 2003, by former employees of Ubisoft, Denis Bourdain and Thomas Leinekugel, to make video games independently. The studio consisted of a ten-member team, including Thomas and Denis, experienced in developing racing games such as POD (1997) and the F-1 Grand Prix series. After seeing the potential for the "mid price car game" following GDC and E3, the developers decided to make a licensed game based on the Darda toy cars—which they played with in childhood—as their first game for the studio. It was reworked and renamed Mad Tracks after the studio failed to secure the Darda brand's intellectual rights.
Two other racing games served as inspiration: Micro Machines (1991) inspired the visuals, split-screen and multiplayer, while TrackMania (2003) inspired the physics and the environment interactions. The studio used proprietary middleware to develop the car physics and racing-related aspects of the game. Some concepts for the game were cut or changed during development, including the representation of power-up pick-ups from gift boxes to boxes with question marks, 16 unlockable toy cars instead of the 12 already unlocked, as well as spare parts for them that the player could use to customize their toy car for benefits during minigames or racing. Thomas Leinekugel served as project manager; Hervé Nedelec was a creative director, and Florian Pernot was the lead programmer. Bertrand Carré served as technical director, Thibault Gicquel as level designer, and Nicolas Jeannot and Emmanuel Petit were the respective graphic and 3D animators. Music was provided by La Chimiz Prod, and Denis Bourdainin was a business developer.