These are the questions in this section...


How do I upload tracks?
How do I change my tracks details or screenshot?
I get '"Input string was not in a correct format", why?
How do I send replays?
My replay failed auto-validation. What can I do?
Where are my track files? I cant find them.

First you need to be a registered user. Having achieved this you can click on the 'Upload Tracks' link on the menu bar at the top of TMX.

From here you will be asked to locate your track file.

You can find it in your Trackmania game dir in My Documents/TrackMania United/tracks/challenges

Next you are asked for a picture, this is optional, but we recommend it as it makes people more likely to download the track. Pictures need to be 320x240 jpg's, not bigger than 64k. Any other format or size will be rejected, and pictures which do not relate to the track will be deleted.

Next you go to the track details screen, TMX automatically detects some track details and you will see these displayed in gremm. It also reads your author time and uses this to estimate the length for the average user.

You can over-ride this if you think your author time is particularly brilliant (or awful), but there is usually no need.

The other fields you fill in from drop down options. Please take a few moments to do this accurately as wrong details mean that people searching for tracks of one kind would get another kind when they download it. It’s better if people who are more likely to like your track find it and download it using the database search.

Finally where is asks for a few comments about your track, taking the time to put a little information is a good idea, as along with the picture, this is what will make people want to try it.

All the things which you set when you uploaded the track can be modified on the tracks details page.

You get to this by clicking on the track name and then using the buttons in the author options window



Here you can hide your track if you need to keep it from public view.
You can also update the track file itself (upoad a replacement version), edit the tracks description and drop down selections, or replace the screenshot witha new one.

Note: Pictures need to be 320x240 jpg's, not bigger than 64k. Any other format or size will be rejected, and pictures which do not relate to the track will be deleted.

In your track details are you trying to include some brackets that may interfere with the sites custom tags? ( This is what i mean )

Also - once or twice i have got the same message as you and when i inspected my details i had made use of curly brackets (even now when i try to show an example i get the error message) but when i removed the brackets the track uploaded properly.

EDIT BY MrD: The "curly" brackets in question are { and } and you can include them in your post by typing them twice in a row, eg {{.

Hope this helps- i have had the same error message and it pays to look thru your details to see if something similar may have occured.

The TMX World Record System is probabally the biggest competetion of its kind in the world. We let drivers complete offline on any of the tracks we host. In United we expect there will be thousands of tracks to choose from. The brilliant part is that every driver can pick which tracks he or she wishes to race on. So if you hate a track, dont play it.

The system uses replay files that you save in the game. You can even drive against the replay of other drivers, by downloading their replay off TMX to see where you lost valuble seconds. Once you are happy you know the track you go into solo mode and try setting your own replay.

To get going you need to be a registered user. Thats totally free and easy and once you are registered you can take part in the TMX world record system.

Once thats sorted can join in! - Below is the steps to follow which will get you up and running with your first submitted personal best.

1) Download the track you want to drive on from TMX to make sure you have the correct version of the track.
2) Load the game and play the track in solo mode.
3) At the end of a good run, select to view then save the replay.
4) When you are happy you have saved a good time, go back to TMX and to the track details page.
5) On that page there is an option to upload a personal best, click on that takes you to our upload wizard.
6) When it asks for the file, it's located it My Documents/TrackMania United/Tracks/Replays
7) The uploading wizard will advise you if your replay was accepted or not.

Note:
Replays made playing using another replay are also valid.
Autosaves are valid in TrackMania United.
To do this download the world record and race it in the replay editor.

It's as easy as that.

The author has updated the track, so your replay is not for the same version.
Please check it’s the exact same version as the one you played. You can even test this by downloaded the track and making a time that is only of high enough quality to get into the top10 on that track. If this works then your replay may have been the wrong track version. Be careful though, if you upload a crap time and that work, you will need to beat it with another good time or your score will be hurt.

You set the replay time in a different mode then in solo mode.
Replays set in online mode or multiplayer mode via a LAN can not be validated either by the game or by someone watching the replay. There is no snapshot of the time that was done recorded as the car crosses the line, even it appears so by the file name. We reject these replays without exception.

You set the replay with the wrong version of the game
Only the latest version of the game is permissable. This is becuase we need everyone to be using the same software if we want them to be able to compete for 100'ths of a second. We reject replays from the wrong game version without exception.

You used a keyboard shortcut to save the replay
If you use a keyboard shortcut to save the replay then this can make it invalid. You should only use that function of the game to save a replay for visual purposes, not world record purposes. For the replay to be valid, you need to click in to view the replay at the end of your race and then click on 'save replay'.

Validating your replay
There are times when the replay fails validation. Uploading the replay will report the replay is not recorded in Solo mode. You can use the 'Export to Validate' option of the in game Replay Editor to generate a valid replay file which can then be uploaded successfully to TMX.


Other instances of failed replay files do occur, such as on some league tracks the replays from slightly different versions (maybe the name had changed) do work together, and these we allow. But if the track itself has changed, even if its just one piece of scenary, then this we dont allow as the track is a different version as far as the replays are concerened.

There is an option for replay failures which fail auto-approval to be approved manually by the submitter, but these are then reviewed by a moderator of the site before they become formally approved.

Finally, sometimes people cheat, we rely on the vigilance of every honest player who participates in our system to let us know about any replay they find on the site which they think might not be real. If we think someone has been cheating we deal with their account and replays in the severerst way we can. And thats to remove both without warning.

Your track files are in My Documents.

Look in My Documents/TrackMania United/Tracks/Challenges for tracks
Look in My Documents/TrackMania United/Tracks/Replays for replays