SyncCrate
TrackMania Nations Forever guide · Updated
Same TMNF tracks for the whole LAN.
The LAN party classic, with the group's track pack, car skins and best replays on every PC. SyncCrate copies them from the host at LAN speed, and after the first time only what changed.
FreeOpen sourceNo cloudWin · macOS · Linux
Also for TrackMania United Forever.
// 01 Why
Why TMNF LAN nights need a little prep
TrackMania Nations Forever sends a server's current track to players who join, but car skins, the group's favorite track packs and the replays everyone wants to race against aren't part of that. Getting them onto every PC means passing a USB stick around.
Track collections also grow over the years, and it's easy for two PCs to have different versions of the same track.
With SyncCrate one PC hosts and the others match it. Files are compared by content, only the differences are copied, and everyone sees the list before anything changes.
// 02 What syncs
What SyncCrate syncs for TrackMania Nations Forever
| Folder | Path in the game folder | Files |
|---|---|---|
| Tracks | Tracks/Tracks (.Challenge.Gbx) and replays (.Replay.Gbx, in Tracks/Replays), your own and downloaded ones. | .gbx |
| Skins | Skins/Car and avatar skins (.zip) in Skins. | .zip |
// Where it looks
- Documents folder
TrackManiainside your Documents folder- Anywhere else
- Point SyncCrate at the folder yourself, once
Built in for TrackMania Nations Forever
- Turn mods on and off. Disabled mods move to a
_Disabledfolder the game doesn't load. - Game-running warning. SyncCrate warns you before syncing while TrackMania Nations Forever is still open.
- Undo and history. Undo the last sync in one click, and put back any single file a sync replaced or deleted.
// 03 How it works
Sync TrackMania Nations Forever in three steps
Install and add the game
Install SyncCrate on every PC and add TrackMania Nations Forever in the Game Browser. Its folder is found automatically.
One PC hosts
The PC with the setup everyone should have clicks Start Hosting. The others pick it under Scan for Hosts on the same network, or paste its join code from anywhere.
Compare and sync
Check the list of new, changed and conflicting files, then Sync Now. Only the files that differ are copied, PC to PC.
// 04 Common problems
When TrackMania Nations Forever mods don't match
Skins nobody else can see
Custom car skins only show on PCs that have the skin file.
The Skins folder syncs from the host, so everyone sees the same cars.
Track pack on one PC only
Running a local server or a hotseat round with the group's track pack needs the tracks on every PC.
Tracks sync from the host to the whole room at LAN speed.
Racing the group's best replays
Replays of the best runs are the fun part, and they live on whoever drove them.
Replays sync with the tracks, so everyone can load them as ghosts.
// 05 TrackMania Nations Forever
Good to know
- Files live in Documents:
Documents\TrackMania, with Tracks (replays inside) and Skins. SyncCrate finds it. - Only these folders sync. Your profile and settings stay yours.
- Works without internet, which is the point at a LAN party.
// FAQ
TrackMania Nations Forever questions
Where does TrackMania Nations Forever keep tracks?
In Documents\TrackMania\Tracks, with replays in Tracks\Replays and skins in Documents\TrackMania\Skins.
Does the server not send tracks already?
It sends the track being played. Skins, replays and track packs for local play aren't part of that, and SyncCrate covers them.
Does it work for TrackMania United Forever too?
Yes. TrackMania United Forever is its own game in SyncCrate and works the same way.
// Related game guides
All games · SyncCrate supports 100 games.
// Free · Open source · Windows, macOS, Linux
Same TrackMania Nations Forever setup on every PC.
Install SyncCrate on each PC, one of you hosts, everyone else joins. No accounts, no cloud, nothing uploaded anywhere.