Trackberry: Raspberry Pi TrackMania Server
I’ve seen people using Box64 to play x86_64 games on ARM devices, it got me thinking: why not apply this to game servers? While native Linux games were scarce over the past two decades, there was no shortage of closed-source Linux servers.
Originally, I wanted to use my HP EliteDesk 705 G4 Mini as a self-hosted Trackmania server. But that critter sucks down about 11 watts of power at idle. So, I looked around for the lowest-power device I had that could maybe run a Trackmania server. That turned out to be a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.
Up next, I needed to find a way to connect an ethernoodle because I have an irrational fear of running servers over Wi-Fi. I ended up using the Ethernet / USB HUB HAT from Waveshare. It connects using pogo pins and provides a 10/100 RJ45 Ethernet port and some bonus USB holes. It even comes with a nifty case.
I’m going to kick the software portion of this adventure off by downloading Raspberry Pi Imager and installing Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) onto a micro SD card.
