Tool-Assisted Speedrun

This article is about the speedrunning category, to learn how to make one see, see Getting Started with TAS

A Tool-Assisted Speedrun (TAS) in Trackmania refers to the use of specialized software to create theoretical runs without necessiting the skill to drive those runs humanly. Unlike RTA where a player plays the game, TAS makes use of input injection and optimization algorithms to achieve results that are, unless otherwise desired, out of reach for humans.

What TAS allows in Trackmania

1. Precise Inputs: inputs changes can happen every tick after the countdown. In addition to that, the steering range goes from -65536 to 65536. In total, there are 2 acceleration values (on or off), 2 braking values (on or off), and 131073 steering values, allowing for up to 524292 input combinations per tick. This effectively renders it impossible to explore every input combination over multiple seconds, let alone minutes. This is why TAS in Trackmania will never be a solved problem.
2. Exploiting Game Mechanics: TAS makes frequent usage of unintended game mechanics, often luck-based and far more complex than humans intend to try in RTA.
3. Benchmarking: TAS runs, when simply an optimized version of the human way, serve as benchmarks for human players, showcasing what is theoretically possible on a given track with a given route. Competitive players often use these runs as inspiration to push their own limits.