==================== colin mcrae rally 04 ==================== For XBox Game by Codemasters FAQ by sinfony (or Tom, if you like) Version 1.0 4 July 2004 Version History =============== 1.0 - 25 July 2004 (although I've actually had this version in the can for a couple of weeks now, and just never got around to posting it. Oops.) .6 - First version - 2 July 2004 I've decided to declare this version 1.0, now that every section contains at least some information. It is, of course, far from totally complete, as there are still a number of courses that I have to yet to post info and strategies for. Still, I feel that the info contained in the courses section is less important than what is already in here, since it is little beyond what you see on the stage info screen or what the codriver tells you. There is enough here to get you through the game, I think, so that makes this guide complete, in that sense, warranting calling it version 1.0 Updates for Version 1.0: ----------------------- -Made small update to unlockables -Added course info for Australia and Finland -Added information about roll bar setting -Fixed rampant spacing problems Expect the next version to include: ----------------------------------- -Information on car repair -New course info and strategies -Info on mini-games ("Testing") Disclaimer ========== If you're playing a rally game, then I like to think that you're pretty smart, and a good person, and already know all this, but just in case, here goes: This FAQ/Guide/whatever you'd like to call it is intended for personal use only. Posting, duplication, distribution, etc. are not kosher unless you have express written permission from me. You may not include any information from this guide in your own guide or anything else you might care to write about the game unless I tell you you can. That means you can't just take what I say and paraphrase it. I wrote a lot of papers that way in middle school, so I know what that looks like, so don't try it. If you want to make a guide, I would hope that you've played the game enough and are good enough to be able to do it on your own. Plagiarism isn't cool. If you want to post this guide on your site or something, just ask me and I'll probably be cool with it, so long as you don't want to change anything in here. I think I'm a pretty good writer, so there's really no need for you to bother, anyway. How To Use This Guide ===================== As is common practice, the table of contents will include some combination of letters and numbers for each item. To quickly jump to whatever it is you're looking for, hit Ctrl+F (that's Apple key+F for our Mac using friends, I believe) and type in the combination that correlates with the section you're looking for, and hit find next twice. This should get you right to the section of the guide that you're looking for. Contents ======== I. Introduction (go here first!) cmr_01 II. Controls cmr_02 III. Modes cmr_03 IV. The Codriver Deciphered cmr_04 V. How to Drive cmr_05 VI. Courses cmr_06 VII. Cars cmr_07 VIII. Unlockables cmr_08 IX. Contact Information cmr_09 X. Credits and Thanks cmr_10 =============== I. Introduction cmr_01 =============== So you've spent your $19.99 and picked up colin mcrae rally 04 (I don't use capitals because they didn't on the box, either). First off, well done! I've always had a strange affinity for rally games, and Top Gear Rally on N64 was getting pretty old, which led to me picking up this game. Seeking some guidance concerning the friendly codriver, I came here to CheatCC and was surprised to find not a single guide on the game available. Unhappy with this sorry state of affairs, I decided to write one myself. In section II, I'll introduce you to the controls, which you should know, but on the off chance that you don't, there you go. In section III, you'll learn about the various modes. This includes an in-depth examination of the structure of the Championship, which is where the bulk of yourtime with this game should be spent. Section IV concerns the crazy yammerings of your codriver, which at first made no sense to me, and which the manual, I think, does an inadequate job of explaining. Section V is the one where I teach you how to be good at this game, if you aren't already. This means tips on cornering and other basic aspects of driving, as well as how to handle different surfaces and different road obstacles. Section VI contains information about the various courses you'll be racing. This includes a breakdown of the surface of every section of every stage, tips for racing each stage, and my preferred car setups. I won't cover every turn of every course because there's a guy in the game who tells this to you as you go, and you really should listen to him. I will try to explain some of the trickier spots of the courses, however. Section VII is a simple listing of the cars in the game and their weight, horsepower,etc. Very basic and somewhat useless, but the guide would seem incomplete without such a thing. Section IX details what you can unlock and how in the game. This also includes information about the various mini-games played throughout the championships to unlock new parts. Before you move on, I would just like to stress that the most important thing to do in-game is to LISTEN TO THE CODRIVER! He may be speaking in code, but there are spots on every course where you'd be quite screwed if you ignored him. You should never be surprised by a turn or an obstacle. Onward! ============ II. Controls cmr_02 ============ Right trigger - Accelerate Left trigger - Brake/Reverse A button - Accelerate X button - Brake/Reverse B button - Handbrake Y button - change view Black button - Shift up (with manual or semi-auto transmission) White button - Shift down (with manual or semi-auto transmission) Left thumbstick - Steer Right thumbstick - Up for accelerate, down for brake D-pad - navigate menus I highly recommend you use the triggers for accelerating and braking. Because they are analog, you can accelerate or brake in various increments, rather than the all or nothing you get with the other buttons. I suppose it's the same with the thumbstick, but I can't imagine using that. Furthermore, if you are using the triggers, you won't have to take your finger off of the accelerator when you want to shift gears when using manual transmission. ========== III. Modes cmr_03 ========== All multiplayer modes can be played either split screen, or alternately, with players passing around controller and completing stages separately. Multiplayer can also be played cooperatively by having players choose the same car. They will then be part of a team and their scores combined for the manufacturer. For multiplayer, scoring is as follows: 1st Place - 8pts 2nd Place - 6pts 3rd Place - 4pts 4th Place - 2pts For Championship mode, individual scoring is as follows: 1st - 16pts 2nd - 14pts 3rd - 12pts 4th - 10pts 5th - 8pts 6th - 6pts 7th - 4pts 8th - 2pts Manufacturer Scoring: 1st - 10pts 2nd - 8pts 3rd - 6pts 4th - 4pts 5th - 2pts A. Quick Race Select this mode off the menu and you'll be dropped into a random stage in a random car. For 1-4 players, can switch damage between normal and heavy. B. Stages Race one stage at a time. 1-4 Players. Players select cars and stage to race. Scoring can be done by time or by points. Damage can be set to normal or heavy. Car setup can be toggled on or off. C. Rally Race one rally at a time. 1-4 Players. Includes all 8 national rallies as well as a rally of the Superspecial courses, three preexisting custom rallies (Jumptastic, Asphalt Attack, and Gravelfest) and two slots for creating custom rallies of six stages. Preexisting custom rallies can be edited. D. Championship The main mode, as far as I am concerned. This is where all unlocking is done. One player only. There are four championships, some with a normal and advanced difficulty setting, although Group B has only advanced. 4WD, 2WD, and Group B Championships are self-explanatory. Expert Championship, which is unlocked by winning 4WD Advanced, is trickier. From the game: "Compete in the most realistic and competitive Championship. Restrictions will apply - cockpit view only, reduced OSD and extreme damage settings. Win and enter your time on our Website." Difficult, eh? The different championships have different numbers of events, and those events have different numbers of stages. This is all in the manual, but in case you've forgotten or lost your manual or something, here you go: 2WD Normal - 5 Events, 4 Stages each 2WD Advanced - 6 Events, 5 Stages each 4WD Normal - 7 Events, 6 Stages each 4WD Advanced - 8 Events, 6 Stages each 4WD Expert - 8 Events, 6 Stages each Group B Advanced - 5 Events, 6 Stages each Coming soon: more in-depth treatment of championship mode, including car repair and whatnot. =========================== IV. The Codriver Deciphered cmr_04 =========================== Let me first say this: you MUST listen to this guy if you're going to have a chance at winning. Although the little turn icons that appear at the top of the screen are handy, they convey very little information about the length of the turn, the appropriate speed to take it at, the obstacles that may be found, or how far you are from the next obstacle. You could be the greatest driver in the world and still have to retire from the rally because if you don't pay attention, you WILL smash into something and wreck your car (unless you've memorized all the courses, in which case you shouldn't be reading a guide anyway.) The basic form of the codriver's tips is this: "Number Direction Number" If the codriver's statement follows this pattern, then it means this: The first number, which will be 2-6, indicates the difficulty of the turn. A 6 means that you can tear through the turn without having to worry about slowing down, while a 2 indicates a fairly sharp turn that must be taken at low speed. At first, I though this number referred to what gear you should be in going through the turn, and while this is not really the case, it is a useful guideline. He'll never say 1, but when he says "hairpin," that's what you should be thinking. Hairpin turns are extremely tight and you'll have to shed a lot of speed before taking them. The second number, unsurprisingly, indicates which direction you will be turning. The third number, always a two digit number, is the distance in meters until the next turn or obstacle. Quite often, one call will be followed quickly by another, so the second number gives you some idea of how far you have to go until the next part of his call. So, if he says "4 Right 50 into 2 Left 70," it means that you'll be facing a slightly tricky right turn, and fifty meters after that a tight left turn, with seventy more meters until the next obstacle. Usually, however, he says quite a lot more than that. There are several words and phrases that you will hear in conjunction with the simple difficulty and direction of a turn. The manual, sadly, doesn't do a very good job of explaining them, in my opinion. So here are the other things he says, along with my take on what exactly you should be doing or looking out for: Care: The turn is slightly trickier than normal, perhaps because of a crest or an obstacle lying around. Caution: Stronger version of care. Sometimes he'll say double caution, so be extra careful on those occasions. Crest: The track rises up enough to obscure view of what lies beyond. If he says "30 Crest into 4 Right" it means that you're coming up on a rise, after which you'll need to take a somewhat sharp turn, so you should be ready to turn as you reach the top. Jump: If you're going fast over this, you'll get airborne. Try not to do this, as it will wreck your suspension. Lay off the throttle a bit before the top of a jump to avoid flying off. Sometimes says big jump, just cut more speed to avoid flying off these. Long: Means that the corner will be longer than usual. Pretty basic. Very long: Yeah, you know what this one is. Turn: Means that you'll be turning onto a different section of road, often with a different surface. These are mostly rated 2, but I find that they are considerably sharper than a normal 2 turn, so you'll probably want to slow down more, and also be prepared for whatever surface you'll be getting onto. Different numbered "turns" don't seem to be any tougher, however. Opens: Corner becomes somewhat less tight on exit. Tightens: Corner will become tighter (sharper) as you go into it, often he will say something like "3 Right tightens to 2," which means that the corner has tightened enough to make it that much more difficult. If the number jump is more than one, for instance "5 Left tightens to 3", there is usually actually a short stretch of road that is basically straight separating the two levels of difficulty, which is where you should do your slowing down. Narrows: Road becomes somewhat narrower. Not really that important. Don't Cut: Indicates that there is something on the inside of the turn that you would hit and be slowed down or damaged by, such as a tree. Cut: Can cut across inside of turn without losing speed or control. Straight: The road will actually turn a bit, usually in an s-curve fashion, but not enough that you need to bother. Just go straight down the middle and you'll have no problems. Bumps: A few little bumps in the road that generally don't matter much, but during or just before a turn, you should slow down just a touch since they'll lessen your contact with the road and cut down on your ability to corner somewhat. Keep In: Something along the outside of the track will mess you up, or turn is followed by another turn in the other direction, so by staying in you'll be set up better for the next turn. Keep Out: Like Keep In, only stay on the outside. Finally, he'll often alert you to the presence of an object coming up. These fall into two categories. First are the objects that impede your progress, like rocks and trees. Usually he'll tell you "Rock outside" or something, so just keep that in mind and try to avoid it. The other category is momentary narrowings of the track, which are generally bridges and gates. You'll want to stay in the middle of the track if he's told you of this kind of thing, because they very suddenly narrow the track and can really slow you down and damage your car if you don't look out for them. So if all of a sudden he lets loose with a "6 Right and left 30 Big Jump into Caution Turn 2 Right Don't Cut Pole outside," you'll need to get ready for a shallow right turn, then a shallow left, followed shortly by a big jump, then a sharp right turn onto another road with a pole on the outside for you to smash into if you don't stay in. I've found two main problems with the codriver. First is that he'll tell you about the next series of turns and obstacles while you're in the middle of a different one. You need to learn to keep in mind what he says without instantly acting on it, since he's always a turn ahead of you. Second is that sometimes he'll mention turns that are essentially meaningless and can throw you off. This only happens with 6 turns. He'll say "6 right", but the reality is that, while the road does indeed jog slightly to the right, you would never really notice it if he hadn't told you and it does not in any way constitute a turn. If you were expecting a turn based on what he said and didn't really notice one, odds are that you shot right over it and need to be looking for the next one he's called out. With a little practice, neither of these problems will matter very much. =============== V. How to Drive cmr_05 =============== Before you drive ================ Just as important as knowing how to handle your car is setting it up properly before you even get it out on the track. There are a number of different parts of the car to set up, and the way you set them up depends on the stage's surface, the layout of the course, and personal preference. =Tires= There are many different tire types, depending on what road surface you'll be facing. Pay careful attention to how much of each stage has which kind of surface and which tires are appropriate for those surfaces. More detailed information on tire setups is located in the Courses section of this guide. =Brakes= Brake power can be adjusted between the front and back of the car. More power to the rear brakes will cause them to lock and induce oversteer, while more power to the front brakes will lock them and cause understeer. This is largely a matter of personal preference, but I recommend at least leaving the brakes balanced, if not powering the front brakes more, on snow and ice tracks, as it is already very easy to oversteer and spin out on the slippery surface. This is also a problem on wet surfaces, but not as bad. =Steering= Set either light or heavy. Light is far more responsive and the car will thus turn much more quickly, so it takes more touch on the stick. Heavy is less responsive and you'll have to push the stick farther to get the same turning, which is good if you lack finesse but can force you to take tight turns more slowly. =Gearing= Higher gearing will give you a higher top speed, but you will take a hit on acceleration. Conversely, low gearing will improve your acceleration to the detriment of your top speed. This, again, is mostly personal preference, but I tend to avoid low gearing, as the cars accelerate pretty quickly even with high gearing. But whatever floats your boat. On extremely twisty courses, however, a low gearing will come in handy. =Ride Height= Low ride height will increase your stability on a smooth surface, but the suspension is less effective, which creates problems on rougher surfaces. If you tend to run off the road a lot, low ride height will give you problems with the car grinding on small objects, and you may want to raise the ride height a bit. =Suspension= Soft suspension will improve traction on rough surfaces; hard suspension decreases it. On the other hand, hard suspension stabilizes the car and makes it less likely to roll, while the tendency to roll is increased by soft suspension. =Anti-Roll= A harder Anti-Roll setting will increase the car's tendency to oversteer, although so drastically as adding power to the rear brakes. (Thanks to Ross for the heads-up.) Starting ======== First thing's first: at the start of the stage, don't rev the engine up before going and don't mash down the accelerator as soon as the time starts. Doing so will spin the wheels and cause you to accelerate more slowly, which you don't want. Instead, push the accelerator fairly hard, but not extremely so, about as hard as you can without spinning the wheels. You'll figre out exactly how much before too long. In general, it's a bad idea to accelerate too quickly from a standstill, and especially so if you are also trying to steer back onto the correct line. Accelerating quickly will often spin the wheels, and trying to turn while they are not gripping the surface properly will often lead to a spin, or at the very least cause you to beging to fishtail, which costs you speed and time as you get the car back under control. Once the car has gotten going, feel free to push the acceleration to the max, so long as it's an appropriate section of the track to do so. Stopping ======== The important thing here is to be gentle with the brakes. If you've been paying attention to your codriver, there should never a need to slam on the brakes. Hitting the brakes too hard will cause them to wear down more quickly, which is a problem in championship mode. Also, doing so will lock the wheels, leaving you vulnerable to an unwanted slide or spin, especially if you've set up the brakes with more power to the back. Cornering ========= This is where races are won and lost. Skillful cornering is an absolute must if you want to win, and to that end, I again stress the importance of listening to the codriver, as he is your most important tool where cornering is concerned. While sliding around turns is certainly fun and cool looking, it is usually not the best way to take a turn. In fact, I only recommend it on tight turns and hairpins, and perhaps around long turns on a loose surface. Around shallower turns, it's a bad idea to let the wheels lock and lose their grip on the surface. Doing so decreases your ability to accelerate or brake and increases the likelihood of spinning out of control. For most turns, simply slowing down a bit and steering through the turn, with perhaps a very slight, controlled skid, is the best way to do it. When the car is sliding, it can be a bit tricky trying to control it. Generally, you'll want to get the car turned more or less in the direction you'll be going when you exit the corner, and then countersteer a bit to keep the car skidding. If you feel it starting to spin too much, lay off both the accelerator and brake completely and countersteer until you've got it back under control. Be very gentle with both the accelerator and the brake in any skid, as too much of either will cause the car to spin out. Don't accelerate hard out of a skid until you're sure you've got the car back under control and the wheels gripping the surface properly. When cornering normally, try to start towards the outer part of the track and turn in towards the apex of the turn. Do all of your braking before you start the turn; braking during the turn can lock the wheels and cause you to skid or spin. Once you are past the apex of the turn, accelerate out of the corner. This is generally the best line for any given corner. If you are facing many turns in succession, try to take a line through each one that sets you up well for the next one. For instance, if you take a corner right, followed immediately by a left, you'll want to stay inside as you come out of the right turn, instead of accelerating out towards the outside as usual, because you want to set yourself up on the outside of the next turn so you can take an optimal line through it. Also, obviously, sharp turns are far more important than shallow ones. Don't worry too much about taking a smooth line through a short 4 turn if there's a 2 coming up. Concentrate on setting up for the sharper corner and just get through the shallower one any way you can. Obstacles ========= Part of what makes rallying so great, and yet sometimes so frustrating, are the obstacles that litter the course, in the form of objects blocking your path or simple features of the road such as crests, gates, and bridges. We'll start with objects. By and large, objects will be well off the course. So long as you keep on the beaten path, you won't need to worry about them. However, every once in a while, there will be a rock or a post on the edge of the track or close to the track on the inside or outside of a turn. Usually, the codriver will alert you to these. If you hear the codriver mention a tree or a rock or something, take care that you keep well clear of it. If you have to go somewhat off the optimum line of a turn to be sure of avoiding an obstacle, do it. Slowing a bit more to take the turn has much less of an adverse affect on your time (and on your car) than slamming into a tree does. More insidious and more troublesome are simple road features. We'll start with crests. Crests in the road are annoying because they conceal exactly what lies beyond them. Although the codriver will tell you what to expect over them, you can't be totally sure of how to handle a given turn until you've seen it. You have to be ready to take a turn the moment you reach the top of the crest, and any necessary deceleration should have been done beforehand. Far worse, however, are gates and bridges. As soon as you hear that a gate or bridge is coming up, you need to be on the alert. For bridges, just stay right in the middle of the track, because it's going to get a lot narrower all of a sudden, and the middle is the safest place to be. The course always goes straight through a bridge. Gates, on the other hand, may block part of the middle section of the course. You have to keep a sharp eye out for them and see where the opening is. Sometimes it is absurdly small and if you miss it, you're going to damage the car and lose a lot of time. It's a good idea to slow down a bit when you know you're approaching a gate, and concentrate only on getting through it. Coming soon: More tips and tricks. =========== VI. Courses cmr_06 =========== In no particular order. I'll list the track name and description from the game, followed by the stage name, difficulty, and surface info, followed by the section surface info and difficulty, and finally with car setups and tips for each. ==Sweden== A truly unique event. Throughout these stages you will encounter ice, snow and even some gravel sections. It's all about tire choice, so choose wisely. -Rally strategies- The most important thing to keep in mind throughout this rally is the slickness of the surface. Do not set up your car to oversteer, as this will likely cause you to spin out frequently, and especially on the ice portions. If you have a tendency to oversteer, compensate by setting your brakes with more power to the front and/or going with a heavy steering setting. It's always a good idea to keep off the sides of the track, but it's especially important here because off track is generally deep, deep snow. Getting one or two wheels into this will at the least slow you down considerably, and will frequently cause you to spin if the front wheels go in. Be very careful sliding around corners. If you cut them too close, the front end will go into the snow and you'll spin. If you stay too loose, the back end will go in and kill your speed. I always lower the ride height, but if you usually keep it a bit higher to give you some leeway for running over small objects, consider lowering it here. There are very few, if any, rocks and bushes about to give you trouble, and once you go into the snow, high or low doesn't really matter all that much. Also consider going with a slightly higher gearbox here. There aren't too many stretches where you can really open it up, but accelerating too quickly on the loose surface can cause you to quickly lose control and spin out. As a general rule, if you've spun or stopped for some other reason, it's not a good idea to slam on the accelerator and steer the car to much, as the loose surfaces here will have you spinning out again in no time. Finally, turns and hairpins here will need to be taken much slower than usual, as the car will slide a good deal more going through sharp turns and likely have you sliding off the road fairly frequently if you take them at normal speeds. Stage 1 - Appelbo Length - 4.4 km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 50% Compact Snow 26% Heavy Snow 16% Ice 8% Snow on icy gravel Start Section Length - 1.0 km Difficulty - 1/5 Surfaces: 63% Compact Snow 36% Heavy Snow 1% Snow on icy gravel First Section Length - 1.1 km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 71% Compact Snow 21% Ice 5% Heavy Snow 3% Snow on Icy Gravel Second Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 38% Ice 37% Compact Snow 23% Snow on Icy Gravel 2% Heavy Snow Finish Section Length - 1.2 km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 60% Heavy Snow 30% Compact Snow 6% Ice 4% Snow on Icy Gravel -Stage Strategies- There's nothing especially difficult about this stage, apart from the ice. There's a part of the Second Section where he'll tell you to turn left at the trees, which is followed shortly by another turn back to the right. For whatever reason, I always cut the turn left too tight and spin out. Don't turn as soon as you see the trees. Wait until you see the turn and then take it from there. I'd go with the compact snow tires here, personally, but there is a fair amount of ice and if it gives you trouble, you might want to go with the ice and snow tires. If you're in Championship mode, however, take the ice and snow tires, as you'll probably want them for Stage 2 and you can't change them in between. Stage 2 - Oje Length - 4.2 km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 45% Compact Snow 27% Snow on Icy Gravel 25% Ice 3% Heavy Snow Start Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 75% Compact Snow 24% Ice 1% Heavy Snow First Section Length - 1.1 km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 62% Ice 36% Compact Snow 1% Heavy Snow 1% Snow on Icy Gravel Second Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 65% Compact Snow 18% Snow on Icy Gravel 9% Ice 8% Heavy Snow Finish Section Length - 0.9km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 100% Snow on Icy Gravel -Stage Strategies- Go with the ice and snow tires for this stage, as there's a good mix of both. There's a left turn early in the Start Section immediately preceding a sharp right turn that the codriver rates a 3, but that is really nothing, just a quick jog to the left. Don't overdo this one, concentrate instead on the sharp right immediately after it. The "Turn 4 Right" on the ice at the end of the Start Section is similarly tame, don't slow down too much for it. Take it a bit slow on the icy sections of the First Section, or you'll be bouncing into the snow all over the place. Stage 3 - Syssleback Length - 5.0km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 52% Compact Snow 46% Snow on Icy Gravel 2% Dusty Asphalt Start Section Length - 1.3km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 95% Compact Snow 5% Dusty Asphalt First Section Length - 1.3km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 80% Snow on Icy Gravel 19% Compact Snow 1% Dusty Asphalt Second Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 100% Snow on Icy Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 96% Compact Snow 4% Snow on Icy Gravel -Stage Strategies- For this one, go with the ice and snow tires. There's a significant amount of Snow on Icy gravel here, but the gravel and ice tires are terrible on snow, which is the majority of the stage. If you're in a Championship, go with the Snow tires, as a little more than half of this stage and almost all of the next one are on Compact Snow. Watch out at the gate and turn by the train. You'll need to start the turn right after going through the gate, but don't start too soon or you'll hit the gate and lose a lot of time. There's a turn left at the beginning of the Finish Section that's hard to see; when you spot the orange fence, take a sharp left. Stage 4 - Holjes Length - 4.6km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 84% Compact Snow 14% Snow on Icy Gravel 1% Heavy Snow 1% Ice Start Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 99% Compact Snow 1% Heavy Snow First Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 64% Compact Snow 34% Snow on Icy Gravel 2% Ice Second Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 79% Compact Snow 21% Snow on Icy Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.1km Difficutly - 3/5 Surfaces: 100% Compact Snow -Stage Strategies- Go with Snow tires and high gearing on this one. The Start Section is very fast, with the sharpest turn being a 4, and you can really open up the throttle right off the bat. The track gets twistier once you get on the gravel about midway through the first section, and you'll have to be even more cautious on the snow tires, as they don't grip well on the Snow on Icy Gravel. Fortunately, this section doesn't last long, and once you get back on the snow things straighten out a bit and you can let it rip once again, pretty much all the way to the finish. All in all, a pretty fast-paced stage. Stage 5 - Salen Length - 4.9km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 82% Compact Snow 17% Snow on Icy Gravel 1% Heavy Snow Start Section Length - 1.3km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 98% Compact Snow 2% Heavy Snow First Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 99% Compact Snow 1% Heavy Snow Second Section Length - 1.3km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 100% Compact Snow Finish Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 73% Snow on Icy Gravel 27% Compact Snow -Stage Strategies- Go with the snow tires again here, since it's almost all on snow. That goes for Championship as well, since Stage 6 si almost entirely snow as well. In the Second Section, the codriver warns you about a "Care 4 right over crest" that never really materializes. Don't get confused and look out for the 3 Left that follows it. Stage 6 - Ostby Length - 4.5km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 66% Compact Snow 32% Heavy Snow 1% Ice 1% Snow on Icy Gravel Start Section Length - 1.0km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 90% Compact Snow 5% Heavy Snow 5% Snow on Icy Gravel First Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 100% Heavy Snow Second Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 87% Compact Snow 12% Heavy Snow 1% Ice Finish Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 100% Compact Snow -Stage Strategies- Consider going with heavy snow tires here if you're having trouble controlling. There's almost no ice and gravel to worry about, so you shouldn't be shy about using them. Slow it down a bit coming around the turn out of the covered bridge, whipping around that turn at the high speed you build up going in there might cause you to roll. ==Australia== A very demanding rally. The fast forest stages and the slippery pea gravel surfaces require total concentration. -Rally Strategies- Coming soon! Stage 1 - Ellendale Length - 5.4km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 64% Light Pea Gravel 33% Medium Pea Gravel 3% Dusty Asphalt Start Section Length - 1.4km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 96% Light Pea Gravel 4% Medium Pea Gravel First Section Length - 1.5km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 91% Medium Pea Gravel 9% Light Pea Gravel Second Section Length - 1.4km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 88% Light Pea Gravel 9% Dusty Asphalt 3% Medium Pea Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 68% Light Pea Gravel 29% Medium Pea Gravel 3% Dusty Asphalt -Stage Strategies- Coming soon! Stage 2 - Bluff Knoll Length - 5.1km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 58% Medium Pea Gravel 42% Light Pea Gravel Start Section Length - 1.3km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 59% Light Pea Gravel 41% Medium Pea Gravel First Section Length - 1.3km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 85% Light Pea Gravel 15% Medium Pea Gravel Second Section Length - 1.3km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 78% Medium Pea Gravel 22% Light Pea Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 100% Medium Pea Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 3 - Katanning Length - 6.7km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 41% Light Pea Gravel 39% Medium Pea Gravel 11% Light Gravel 9% Heavy Pea Gravel Start Section Length - 1.6km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 85% Medium Pea Gravel 10% Heavy Pea Gravel 5% Light Pea Gravel First Section Length - 1.4km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 58% Medium Pea Gravel 20% Light Pea Gravel 7% Light Gravel Second Section Length - 1.9km Difficulty - 5/5 Surfaces: 100% Light Pea Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.8km Difficulty - 5/5 Surfaces: 40% Light Gravel 33% Light Pea Gravel 17% Medium Pea Gravel 10% Heavy Pea Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 4 - Miller's Crossing Length - 8.0km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 55% Medium Pea Gravel 20% Light Pea Gravel 11% Heavy Pea Gravel 5% Smooth Asphalt 5% Dusty Asphalt 4% Light Gravel Start Section Length - 2.0km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 70% Medium Pea Gravel 17% Smooth Asphalt 7% Heavy Pea Gravel 6% Dusty Asphalt First Section Length - 2.0km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 79% Medium Pea Gravel 14% Dusty Asphalt 4% Light Gravel 3% Heavy Pea Gravel Second Section Length - 2.0km Difficulty - 5/5 Surfaces: 47% Medium Pea Gravel 33% Light Pea Gravel 13% Light Gravel 7% Heavy Pea Gravel Finish Section Length - 2.0km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 49% Light Pea Gravel 28% Heavy Pea Gravel 23% Medium Pea Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 5 - Boxwood Hill Length - 6.6km Difficulty - 5/5 Surfaces: 61% Heavy Pea Gravel 39% Medium Pea Gravel Start Section Length - 1.7km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 100% Medium Pea Gravel First Section Length - 1.7km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 51% Medium Pea Gravel 49% Heavy Pea Gravel Second Section Length - 1.7km Difficulty - 5/5 Surfaces: 95% Heavy Pea Gravel 5% Medium Pea Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.6km Difficulty - 5/5 Surfaces: 100% Heavy Pea Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 6 - Manjimup Length - 4.7km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 57% Medium Pea Gravel 26% Light Gravel 15% Heavy Pea Gravel 2% Light Pea Gravel Start Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 67% Medium Pea Gravel 33% Heavy Pea Gravel First Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 5/5 Surfaces: 71% Medium Pea Gravel 24% Heavy Pea Gravel 5% Light Pea Gravel Second Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 92% Medium Pea Gravel 8% Light Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 100% Light Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Super Special Stage - York Length - 1.7km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 100% Light Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! ==Finland== Probably the fastest rally in the world. Blind crests, jumps and ditches by the roadside make this event a real challenge. -Rally Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 1 - Koikkala Length - 4.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 56% Light Gravel 29% Medium Gravel 15% Heavy Gravel Start Section Length - 1.0km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 68% Light Gravel 32% Medium Gravel First Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 34% Medium Gravel 33% Heavy Gravel 33% Light Gravel Second Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 50% Light Gravel 29% Medium Gravel 21% Heavy Gravel Finish Section Length - .9km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 78% Light Gravel 22% Medium Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 2 - Anttola Length - 3.7km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 59% Light Gravel 41% Medium Gravel Start Section Length - .9km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 68% Light Gravel 32% Medium Gravel First Section Length - 1.0km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 70% Medium Gravel 30% Light Gravel Second Section Length - .9km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 70% Light Gravel 30% Medium Gravel Finish Section Length - .9km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 72% Light Gravel 28% Medium Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 3 - Jappila Length - 7.7km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 51% Medium Gravel 49% Light Gravel Start Section Length - 1.8km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 81% Medium Gravel 19% Light Gravel First Section Length - 1.9km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 81% Medium Gravel 19% Light Gravel Second Section Length - 2.1km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 77% Light Gravel 23% Medium Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.9km Difficulty - 5/5 Surfaces: 81% Light Gravel 19% Medium Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 4 - Sorsakoski Length - 5.7km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 51% Light Gravel 49% Medium Gravel Start Section Length - 1.5km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 99% Medium Gravel 1% Light Gravel First Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 54% Medium Gravel 46% Light Gravel Second Section Length - 1.5km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 78% Light Gravel 22% Medium Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.5km Difficulty - 2/5 Surfaces: 87% Light Gravel 13% Medium Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 5 - Hakkila Length - 4.3km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 78% Light Gravel 22% Medium Gravel Start Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 98% Light Gravel 2% Medium Gravel First Section Length - 1.0km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 90% Light Gravel 10% Medium Gravel Second Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 69% Medium Gravel 31% Light Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.0km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 100% Light Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Stage 6 - Kangas Length - 4.8km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 56% Medium Gravel 25% Heavy Gravel 19% Light Gravel Start Section Length - 1.3km Difficulty - 3/5 Surfaces: 100% Medium Gravel First Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 100% Medium Gravel Second Section Length - 1.2km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 54% Light Gravel 24% Heavy Gravel 22% Medium Gravel Finish Section Length - 1.1km Difficulty - 4/5 Surfaces: 77% Heavy Gravel 18% Light Gravel 5% Medium Gravel -Stage Strategies- Coming Soon! Also coming soon: strategies for Australia and Finland, info and strategies for Spain, UK, Greece, USA, and Japan. ========= VII. Cars cmr_07 ========= 4WD [state of the art 4wd rally cars] === Four Wheel Drive transmission vehicles dominate the modern rally scene and remain the choice for anyone serious about competing at the highest levels of the sport. All cars in this class have 4 cylinder, 16 valve turbocharged engines. Citroen Xsara Rally Car ----------- Engine: 1997cc 314 BHP Weight: 1198kg Subaru Impreza WRX 44S Rally Car ----------- Engine: 1998cc 312 BHP Weight: 1205kg Ford Focus Rally Car ----------- Engine: 1998cc 310 BHP Weight: 1210kg Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII Rally Car ----------- Engine: 1999cc 310 BHP Weight: 1200kg Peugeot 206 Rally Car ----------- Engine: 1997cc 312 BHP Weight: 1150kg 2WD [two wheel drive rally cars] === Rally versions of popular road cars, offering more power and control than their steet counterparts. The 2 wheel transmission will be easier to handle. All cars in this class have 4 cylinder, 16 valve engines. MG ZR Super 1600 Rally Car ----------- Engine: 1588cc 212BHP Weight: 952kg Citroen Saxo Kit Car ----------- Engine: 1587cc 207 BHP Weight: 943kg Ford Puma Super 1600 Rally Car ----------- Engine: 1596cc 200 BHP Weight: 948kg Fiat Punto Super 1600 Rally Car ----------- Engine: 1597cc 215 BHP Weight: 950kg Volkswagen Rallye Golf ----------- Engine: 1990cc 230 BHP Weight: 970kg Group B [powerful and difficult to control] ======= The sheer power of the Group B cars brought excitement and danger to rallying in the early '80s. The cars were banned a few years later after a heavy number of deaths and injuries. Audi Sport quattro Rallye Version ----------- Engine: 2110cc 20 Valve Turbocharged 550 BHP Transmission: 4WD Weight: 1090kg Lancia 037 ----------- Engine: 2111cc 16 Valve Supercharged 325 BHP Transmission: 2WD (Rear) Weight: 963kg Peugeot 205 T16 Evo2 ----------- Engine: 1775cc 16 Valve Turbocharged 480 BHP Transmission: 4WD Weight: 910kg Ford RS 200 ----------- Engine: 1804cc 16 Valve Turbocharged 420 BHP Transmission: 4WD Weight: 1140kg Bonus [a diverse selection of cars] ===== A wide range of classic vehicles from different times can be unlocked and played in stages and rallies mode. MGC Sebring Special ----------- Engine: 2968cc 6 Cylinder 12 Valve 202 BHP Transmission: 2WD (Rear) Weight: 1250kg Lancia Delta Integrale ----------- Engine: 1995cc 4 Cylinder 16 Valve Turbocharged 325 BHP Transmission: 4WD Weight: 1132kg Citroen 2CV Sahara ----------- Engine: Twin engined 425cc 2 Cylinder 50 BHP (25 each engine) Transmission: 4WD Weight: 735kg Ford Escort RS 1600 ----------- Engine: 1798cc 4 Cylinder 16 Valve 200 BHP Transmission: 2WD (Rear) Weight: 1027kg Ford Transit Rally Van ----------- Engine: 2400cc 4 Cylinder Turbocharged 200 BHP Transmission: 2WD (rear) Weight: 2000kg Mitsubishi Pajero ----------- Engine: 3496cc 24 Valve V6 250 BHP Transmission: 4WD Weight: 1800kg Subaru Impreza 22B Sti ----------- Engine: 2212cc Fiat 4 Cylinder Turbocharged 285 BHP Transmission: 4WD Weight: 1270kg ================= VIII. Unlockables cmr_08 ================= Courses ======= New stages are unlocked by playing them in Championship mode. A run through both the 2WD and 4WD Normal Championships will unlock them all. New vehicles are unlocked by completing Championships: 2WD Normal ========== Citroen 2CV Sahara Volkswagen Rallye Golf More to come! ======================= IX. Contact Information cmr_09 ======================= If you want to contact me about using this guide on your site, have a question you want answered, find a grammar/spelling/factual mistake in the guide, have some neat info that would add to this guide (you'd get credit, of course), or something like that, you can email me with something about colin mcrae rally 04 in the subject line at: eidolon365 at yahoo dot com (use of full words to prevent freaky internet bots from putting me on spam lists). However, if you have a question about the game, I would ask that you make really, really sure that the answer isn't in the guide already, because then my time will have been wasted and you'll look kind of stupid. ===================== X. Credits and Thanks cmr_10 ===================== First off, thanks to Codemasters for making such a brilliant game, and then for charging a measly $20 for it. More companies need to follow this tradition of high quality for low prices.