Mod hosting guide
Once you're done in ModWork
and you're happy with your changes, it's time to save your texture files as a proper mod.
Package your mod
- Create a
.zip
file of yourModWork
directory and place it inTrackmania\Skins\Stadium\Mod
- create the folder if you don't have it yet. - Ensure the
.zip
contains this structure:\Image\imagetexturefiles.dds
.
Upload your mod
Because the player will need to download the mod on the fly, you need to upload it to a commonly accessible place.
Generally, you can host your mod anywhere you want as long as it's a direct link. Here are the most common choices:
- ManiaCDN: This is a free hosting service for the Trackmania community. All uploads are manually approved, so your mod might not be available immediately. But it's a cool service, especially since it's free and supported by the community.
- DashMap: DashMap is a public community-hosted CDN to be used exclusively for assets used in maps for Trackmania/Shootmania games. It is intended as a modern alternative to ManiaCDN.
- ManiaPark: This is a free mod hosting and sharing service run by the TMX crew. Automatically provides locator files and a public URL to use.
- Other cloud host/CDN services/your own web server - it's not recommended to use general-purpose file hosts or platforms like Discord as this CDN-like usage typically violates their terms of use.
Reference your mod in your map
There's two ways to go about this. If you don't know which one you need, the direct link approach is probably fine.
Before you get started, make sure your link is really pointing at the .zip
file.
Direct link method
- Copy the direct link to your mod you uploaded earlier.
- Hold
CTRL
when opening your map in Trackmania and paste the link in the URL input field. - Save your map.
Locator file method
- Create a new text file and paste the direct link to your mod into it.
- Save it as
YOURMODNAME.zip.loc
and place it inTrackmania\Skins\Stadium\Mod
. - Hold
CTRL
when opening your map in Trackmania and point to the mod you placed inTrackmania\Skins\Stadium\Mod
. It should already be in the little green day/sunset/night window in Trackmania as an easy pick. - Save your map.