TOKYO EXTREME RACER 3: GAME GUIDE by Wolf Feather/Jamie Stafford FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM Initial Version Completed: November 30, 2003 Version 1.0 Completed: November 30, 2003 ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== CONTENTS Spacing and Length Permissions Introduction Getting Started Initial Vehicle Selection Acquiring & Tuning Parts Rivals Strategy Drivetrains Braking Cornering Diagrams Contact ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== SPACING AND LENGTH For optimum readability, this driving guide should be viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier. Check for appropriate font setting by making sure the numbers and letters below line up: 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz This guide is approximately 35 pages long in the Macintosh version of Microsoft Word 98 using single-spaced Courier 12 font. ==================================== PERMISSIONS This driving guide may only be posted on: FeatherGuides, GameFAQs.com, f1gamers.com, Games Domain, PSXCodez.com, Cheatcc.com, gamesover.com, Absolute-PlayStation.com, GameReactors.com, RedCoupe, InsidePS2Games.com, CheatPlanet.com, The Cheat Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru, CheatHeaven, IGN, ComputerUnderground.com, cheatingplanet.com, RobsGaming.com, neoseeker.com, ps2fantasy.com, and vgstrategies.com. Please contact me for permission to post elsewhere on the Internet. Permission is granted to download and print one copy for personal use. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== INTRODUCTION Two years after the release of the popular illegal-highway- racing game Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero, Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 appears. The '3' in the title signifies several things: First, this is the third game in the series (the original Tokyo Xtreme Racer was a DreamCast game; TXR0 was the original appearance of the series on the PlayStation2), it is released in 2003, and - most importantly - there are now three cities involved in the game (Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka). However, one of the best improvements for this game is that the series now features licensed vehicles. Before, it was fairly evident that many of the vehicles were at least 'based upon' real-world cars; now, many vehicle manufacturers have granted license to 'truly' use their vehicles in the game. In terms of gameplay, this does not make a single shred of difference; however, it is certainly easier to find a particular vehicle a player wishes to buy, instead of pouring through a massive codelist of vehicle names as in TXR0. With the addition of weather (try speeding down a highway at nearly 200MPH in a heavy rainstorm!!!), Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 is definitely one of the best racing games in 2003. Its low cost (in the States) is also particularly enticing. The general principles of racing certainly apply in the highway setting. However, the addition of slow-moving non- participant traffic can throw major moving obstacles at just the wrong moment and location to truly be able to use the general principles of racing as intended. Nonetheless, the final section of this guide addresses general racing principles - namely proper braking and cornering - to assist the player. On-the-fly changes will often need to be made due to the slower non-participant traffic, which will often affect braking and cornering. Part of the information in this guide is taken - with modifications - from my Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero: Game Guide and Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero: Getting Started Guide. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== GETTING STARTED Once past the opening film, the player should go directly to System. Here, the game, sound, controller, and other settings can be adjusted to the player's liking. Then it is time to explore. Those already familiar with Tokyo Xtreme Racer (Zero) may want to go directly to Tokyo to begin exploring in Free Run Mode; this will allow for easy comparison between TXR3 and the previous games in the series. It is important to spend plenty of time exploring the highway system of all three cities, however. Once a game has begun in Quest Mode, the player must choose one of the three cities (Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka) as the initial 'base of operations,' and is NOT permitted to leave that city until all the initial bosses in the chosen city have been defeated. While exploring, the player may also want to test out various cars - primarily cars with different drivetrains. 4WD, FF, and FR cars all handle and perform somewhat differently, so experimentation with each type of vehicle in each of the cities can be of great benefit when truly beginning the game in Quest Mode. (4WD uses all four wheels as drive wheels; FF has the engine in the front of the vehicle, with the front wheels as the drive wheels; FR vehicles place the engine in the front of the vehicle but uses the rear wheels for the drive wheels.) One final point on exploring is the importance of learning the highway system in each city. The player should learn the intricacies of each city's highway system (the tightest corners, the locations of interchanges, etc.), and also use this information combined with personal driving skills to determine where would be the best place(s) to challenge rivals once the game truly begins in Quest Mode. This may also influence the choice of city as the initial 'base of operations' in Quest Mode. Next, the player may want to go into Time Attack Mode. Here, the player can race against the clock in the three cities on a variety of courses. This will help the player to both minimize time (which is obviously crucial in races in Quest Mode) and learn how various vehicles handle at full speed when 'the pressure is on.' Later, as the player gains access to better and faster cars, coming back to Time Attack Mode and rerunning the various courses will provide faster and faster times, which can be a nice confidence boost :-) Finally, it is time to advance to Quest Mode. This is where the core of Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 is located. This is where legends are made. ==================================== INITIAL VEHICLE SELECTION Quest Mode begins with a cutscene, then the purchase of a car. The player has 40,000CP (the currency used in the game) to spend initially from among the following sixteen vehicles: Isuzu Piazza XS 19,800CP Mazda RX-7 Infinity-Z 32,900CP Mazda MX-5 Miata RS 20,000CP Mazda MX-5 Miata S-Special Type II 14,800CP Mitsubishi Lancer EX GSR Turbo Intercooler 18,700CP Mitsubishi FTO GP Ver. R 30,000CP Nissan 300ZX 2by2 26,500CP Nissan 200SX 36,000CP Nissan 200SX 30,500CP Nissan 180SX Type-X 30,600CP Nissan Maxima 23,700CP Subaru Alcyone VR 14,200CP Toyota Corolla Levin 3door GT Apex 14,400CP Toyota Sprinter Trueno 3door GT Apex 14,400CP Toyota Mark II Grande iR-V 36,200CP Toyota Chaser Tourer V 37,200CP There are two schools of thought in terms of purchasing an initial car. On one hand, the player can buy a 'high-end' vehicle (the Toyota Chaser Tourer V is the most expensive), which will tend to have more horsepower ('PS' in this game) and will perform better in its stock configuration. On the other hand, buying a less-expensive vehicle (the Subaru Alcyone VR is the cheapest) at the beginning of the game will provide much more cash for purchasing upgrades initially, thus (theoretically) making a less-expensive car quite competitive with the initial rivals in the game. [To provide an idea of what one may expect, I began the game in Tokyo using the Mitsubishi FTO GP Ver. R. I was able to continue using this vehicle - adding parts as I could afford them and as they were unlocked (by defeating certain rivals, gangs, wanderers, and bosses) until almost the very end of my initial run in Tokyo. I then had enough money to acquire the Subaru Imprezza WRX STi VersionVI (which I had unlocked earlier), plus a few additional parts; two wins later, I took on the final two bosses in Tokyo and won both challenges relatively easily. That same car got me through Nagoya with NO losses, and then through Osaka with only TWO losses (the second loss fully due to my mismanagement of the turbo boost).] Once the player has purchased a starting vehicle, the license plate can be customized. There will always be a license plate at the lower center rear of a given vehicle. On the front of a car, however, the player will have several placement options, including the lack of a license plate at the front of the vehicle. Once a vehicle's license plate has been customized, it cannot be changed; only the placement of the license plate at the front of the vehicle can be modified (at whim). ==================================== ACQUIRING & TUNING PARTS Some upgraded parts are available immediately in the game; generally, these must be purchased in order to be used. To gain access to more parts in the game (as well as to more vehicles), certain rivals, gangs, wanderers, and bosses must first be defeated. Whenever the player leaves the highways to return to the garage, the nightly/total information screen will indicate whether any parts or vehicles have been unlocked. The following parts can be upgraded/customized in Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 by purchasing them (where applicable; asterisks means that no cost is associated with any changes/upgrades) in the Tuning Shop: Power Engine (6 levels) Muffler (5 levels) Cooling (5 levels) Powertrain Transmission (3 levels) Clutch (5 levels) Suspension (3 levels) Brakes (5 levels) Tire/Wheel Wheel Shop (9 manufacturers, 40 choices total) Wheel Change (choose from the Wheel Shop purchases) Tire (Normal plus 2 other tire compounds available) Body Reinforce (5 levels) Weight Down (5 levels) Aero (number of selections vary; three compound types each) Front Bumper Hood Grill Mirror Over Fender Side Skirt Rear Bumper Rear Spoiler Dress Up (number of selections vary) Front Light (changes shape/position/color) Tail Light (changes color) Blinker (changes color) Horn License Plate* (changes position/presence of front plate) Gauges* (change style/color) Color Change* Body (change colors and reflection) Window (change color and transparency) Sticker Set* (change or remove gang/wanderer stickers) Body Paint* (customize paintjob) For those parts which involve direct tuning (such as transmissions), their settings can be adjusted in Car Setting. Generally, if a vehicle has only the Normal type of a tunable part, it cannot be tuned at all, and thus is not available in Car Setting. Vehicle tuning is crucial for getting the best performance from a chosen vehicle. Even a finely-tuned 'junkyard' car can be competitive with and perhaps even defeat a racecar with atrocious tuning. Certainly, driver skill and strategy is important in overall performance, but when the player is challenging someone whose vehicle has very similar characteristics, proper tuning can give the player the edge. Tuning is primarily dependent upon the area(s) where the player prefers to compete. In closed-circuit, legal, sanctioned racing (such as F1, CART, NASCAR, World of Outlaws, etc.), tuning is made 'easier' by the lack of extraneous traffic. However, since TXR3 takes place on public highways with plenty of non-competitor vehicles in the way (often in or just beyond key corners), the general principles of legal-racing tuning do not necessarily apply. In essence, there are two extremes in tuning, based upon the area(s) where the player prefers to compete. Using the Tokyo highway system as an example, the northernmost part of the Tokyo system (with many tunnels) requires quick acceleration, strong braking, and rapid steering response. Steering response can be adjusted while on the highways by pressing Pause, selecting Response, and making the appropriate change; the others must be adjusted in Car Setting in the player's Garage. Brake balance can be adjusted by first upgrading the brakes, then determining how much braking power should be applied to the front and rear wheels (by axle). Stronger acceleration is a result of adjusting the transmission setting, tuning the desired gear(s) to a lower setting; moving Final Gear to a lower setting will affect ALL gears in conjunction with their individual settings. Lowering the vehicle's ride height (by upgrading the suspension) will also provide a slight acceleration/speed advantage by reducing the amount of aerodynamic friction underneath the vehicle; if lowered too much, however, the vehicle will bottom out. If the car has a rear spoiler, downforce should be raised, as this will assist in cornering (although top-end speed will be lowered). At the other extreme is the lengthy stretch of no-corner or minor-corner highway, used along the southern edge of much of the Tokyo highway system. Here, with the exception of ride height and braking, everything mentioned above needs to be reversed: longer gear ratios for higher top-end speed (but slower acceleration), and lowering or eliminating the downforce will produce faster speeds (in a section with no significant corners, this should not be a problem). Steering/handling can be left alone, but the player must remember that any sudden movement will both scrub off speed and greatly increase the chances of overcorrecting and being involved in an accident; using a slower steering response can minimize the chances of this occurring in the heat of battle. Typically, unless the player is involved in a VERY lengthy battle, there should not really be any 'middle ground' between these two extremes. If a vehicle is capable of using turbo boost, it can provide an edge in either situation. During battles only, the player can press the Select button to toggle the turbo boost on and off. Using the turbo boost for quick blasts can provide just enough extra acceleration and speed to gain an edge, especially in twisty sections of highway. On the other hand, using the turbo boost for a longer period of time will cause the oil and water temperature to rise; if they rise too much, vehicle performance will degrade, and can only be 'repaired' by heading back to the Garage to end the night and trying again the following night (i.e., returning to the highways). When first starting the game, one of the best parts a player can upgrade is the tires, to attain more pavement grip to assist in both acceleration and cornering. This is done per axle, and HG and S tires are available. HG tires provide more pavement grip than Normal tires. S tires provide even greater pavement grip, but their disadvantage is that they are extremely counterproductive when racing in the rain, resulting in a lot of sliding when cornering. Given that wet conditions automatically amplify every change of motion and speed, using S tires in the rain gives horsepower, strategy, and tactics much more prominence than usual. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== RIVALS The premise of Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 is rather simple: The player must locate, challenge, and defeat the illegal highway racers in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Of course, this is easier said than done. Obviously, this will be easier at the beginning of the game, and more difficult as the game progresses. Rivals fall into various categories. The largest category is that of gang member. Many illegal highway racers are part of a racing gang (think of the motorcycle gang rivalry in the Akira manga and anime). Gang members will ALWAYS accept a player's challenge (by flashing the high beam headlights when directly tailing the rival). Should the player defeat a gang member, the player will be rewarded with a meager amount of money, but certainly not much. However, defeating all the members of a given gang will collectively amount to a nice sum of money overall. Note that each gang member bears the emblem of the gang on the car; this emblem is also shown beside the rival name in a battle/race. Next above the gang members is the gang leader, who bears the emblem of the gang as well. Once all the regular gang members of a gang have been defeated, the gang leader will suddenly appear in front of the player, and the ensuing battle will shortly commence. Gang leaders award more money than gang members when defeated, and may also allow access to more parts and/or cars. The next category is that of the wanderers. These are essentially ronin, lone illegal highway racers with no gang affiliations or allegiances. Many wanderers have specific requirements that a player must first meet before they will accept a player's challenge to battle; this can range from a minimum number of miles on the player's car to racing on a particular day number (such as every eleven days) to a particular type of car. Each wanderer has her or his own emblem. When defeated, wanderers pay more than gang leaders and may also provide access to more parts and/or cars. Above the wanders are the boss gang members. These rivals may suddenly appear in front of the player (using the appropriate challenge signal) at pre-determined times throughout the game, or their entry onto the highway will be announced (via a cutscene) and the player must then go find them and challenge them; this generally coincides with the number of rivals the player has defeated overall to that point in the game. Boss gang members bear the emblem of their gangs, and also pay nicely when defeated. Finally, once all regular boss gang members have been defeated, the boss gang leader will suddenly appear. Boss gang leaders pay VERY handsomely when defeated (and may allow access to more parts and/or cars), but are also often tricky to defeat. It is possible for the player to be challenged by several rivals in a row. After defeating the last regular gang member of a gang, the gang leader may appear. If the gang leader is defeated on the first attempt, a boss gang member may appear. If that person is defeated on the first attempt, the boss gang leader may appear. Working swiftly through this barrage of rivals will result in the player receiving a MASSIVE amount of money in rather little time :-) Finally, a player can check which rivals have been defeated by selecting the Rival menu option in Quest Mode. From a rival's information screen, that rival can be challenged in a direct head-to-head competition. ==================================== STRATEGY As in all forms of racing, strategy is important, especially when competing against a vehicle with similar characteristics. The following ideas may help the player to create a personalized strategy for Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3. Most rivals have trouble cornering - some have EXTREME difficulty in cornering. Therefore, it is generally a good idea to tune a car for quick acceleration and to have the best possible tires. This also means that a car tuned in this manner will do fairly well on the initial course in each city, but ­ unless using a car with a MASSIVE horsepower output - very poorly on long, straight stretches of highway. To the extent possible, the player should strategically pick the starting point for each battle, even if it means tailing a rival for several kilometers to a section with many corners (such as the northern tunnels of the initial course in Tokyo). If necessary, the player should return to garage, then re-enter the competition in or just before an area with a lot of curves. Unfortunately, Yaesu has been removed in TXR3; in TXR0, this was a section in Tokyo filled with tight perpendicular corners where rivals had a VERY hard time keeping up with the player. In a battle, the car in the lead dictates the direction of the battle; if the player is trailing and takes a different route than the leader at a fork in the highway, the battle ends in an instant draw. Very rarely does a rival take a different route when the player is in the lead, so this can be used to a great advantage if leading. Rivals DO occasionally make mistakes: ramming other vehicles, overcorrecting, hitting toll booth barriers, etc. The player must be constantly aware, and always ready to take advantage of such situations if trailing the rival. Especially when approaching the toll booths, it is important to NOT tail the rival too closely ­ or at least try to give as wide a berth as possible ­ in case she/he suddenly rams a toll booth barrier and bounces backward; the same applies for the concrete lane barriers underneath the bridges in CI Inner/Outer in Tokyo. The player should not be afraid to use 'dirty tactics' (blocking, sideswiping an opponent into a barrier or the back of another vehicle, etc.) to win. In some cases, the rivals will use dirty tactics to stay in the lead. In many cases, as the player progresses through the game, dirty tactics will NEED to be used to gain and retain the lead. The distant lights along the highway are rather blurry and can easily trick the player's eyes while racing along at top speed, especially in the long, straight sections of highway. It does help a little to look as far ahead as possible and note the upcoming corners by the positioning of the streetlamps, but the red taillights are often too blurry until practically in another vehiclešs back bumper. Unfortunately, the rainy conditions shorten visibility to such an extent that the only sure way to safely 'navigate' the highways is purely by memory. Periodically (perhaps every 20-30 minutes), the player should save game progress (in the System menu), just in case the electricity goes out, little siblings squirt the console with a water gun, etc. Maintaining speed through corners can be made a little easier, although at a risk. Just before the beginning of a corner, the player should LIGHTLY brush the outside barrier (i.e., the left-side barrier of a right hand corner) and then turn in the direction of the corner just enough to keep the front corner of the vehicle off the barrier. The risk in using this tactic is that every contact with another vehicle or an immovable object will result in at least minor SP loss. This cornering tactic will also scrub off speed, but it will allow the player to enter the corner at full speed and (usually) exit the corner at a higher speed than when cornering normally. A quick blast of turbo boost (if available) while in the corner itself can help to minimize the speed loss, while using the turbo boost on corner exit will help to accelerate more quickly. Some of the sharper corners on the highways have painted lane 'extensions,' where the highway barrier gives way but the extra space is painted in a diagonal stripe pattern to try to keep vehicles in the main lanes. During a battle, this can be a prime place to make a pass of either a rival or a non- participant vehicle. Also, rivals generally do not make use of the painted lane 'extensions,' so knowing where these are located in each city can greatly help in setting up a pass or extending one's lead. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== DRIVETRAINS There are four common drivetrains for cars, plus the 'RR' drivetrain: 4WD: All four wheels are drive wheels. In many forms of auto racing, 4WD vehicles are banned due to the inherent advantage of using all four wheels as drive wheels (due to the added traction advantage). FF: The engine AND the drive wheels are at the front of the car. FF vehicles are fairly easy to drive, but do not generally handle high horsepower outputs very well. This type of vehicle tends to understeer. FR: The engine is in the front of the vehicle, but the rear wheels are the drive wheels. This type of car has a great tendency for oversteering, and throttle management is VERY important when exiting corners to try to prevent the oversteer condition. NASCAR uses FR vehicles. MR: The engine is located between the axles (usually just behind the driver), and the rear wheels are the drive wheels. This type of car can be a bit tricky to drive. Typical MR cars are those used in F1, CART, and IRL. In open-wheel cars (such as those in the aforementioned racing series), there is extremely little material to absorb the shock of a front-end collision in an accident, thus providing fairly little protection for the driver (especially the driver's legs); it is truly amazing that there are not more driver injuries in open-wheel cars with MR drivetrains due to this 'non-protection' issue. RR: Both the engine and the drive wheels are in the rear of the car. These cars are fairly rare ==================================== BRAKING The first step in driving fast is knowing when, where, and how much to slow down (braking). In some games, a brake controller can be acquired or purchased, allowing the player to customize the brake strength by axle or by adjusting the bias of the brakes toward the front or the rear of the car. The use of a brake controller will affect the braking zone, as will other factors. Specifically, the car's speed on approaching a corner, the drivetrain of the car, the weight of the car, and even the car's center of gravity can all affect the braking zone. Similarly, the driving conditions will affect the braking zone for each corner (as well as the car's ability to attain high speeds). The braking zone will differ somewhat for each car depending upon its strengths and weaknesses. It certainly helps for the player to try a Free Run to learn the highways - including the braking zones. When looking for braking zones, try to find a particular stationary object near the entry of each corner; it helps tremendously if this object is far enough away from the circuit that it will not be knocked over or a potential point of collision during a race, like a specific building alongside the highway, a bridge, or an overhead sign. To begin, try using the brakes when the front of the car is parallel with the chosen stationary object. If this does not slow the car enough before corner entry or if the car slows too much before reaching the corner, pick another stationary object on the following lap and try again. Whenever changes are made to the car - whether to the brake controller or to other aspects of tuning and/or parts - it would be a good idea to go back into Free Run mode and check that the braking zones still hold; if not, adjust as necessary using the method in the paragraph above. Cars with a higher horsepower output will inherently attain faster speeds, and will therefore require a longer braking zone than cars with a lower horsepower output. Try using different vehicles along the same area of a circuit and note how their braking zones differ. A final note on braking: To the extent possible, ALWAYS brake in a straight line. If braking only occurs when cornering, the car will likely be carrying too much speed for the corner, resulting in the car sliding, spinning, and/or flipping. If nothing else, players should strive to become of the best 'brakers' they possibly can. This will essentially force a player to become a better racer/driver in general once the player has overcome the urge to constantly run at top speed at all times with no regard for damages to self or others. Also, slowing the car appropriately will make other aspects of racing/driving easier across all racing games, especially in J-turns, hairpin corners, and chicanes. ==================================== CORNERING Ideally, the best way to approach a corner is from the outside of the turn, braking well before entering the corner. At the apex (the midpoint of the corner), the car should be right up against the inside edge of the corner. On corner exit, the car ideally drifts back to the outside of the pavement and speeds off down the straightaway. So, for a right-hand turn of about ninety degrees, enter the corner from the left, come to the right to hit the apex, and drift back to the left on corner exit. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for a sample standard corner. For corners that are less than ninety degrees, it may be possible to just barely tap the brakes - if at all - and be able to clear such corners successfully. However, the same principles of cornering apply: approach from the outside of the turn, hit the apex, and drift back outside on corner exit. For corners more than ninety degrees but well less than 180 degrees, braking will certainly be required. However, for these 'J-turns' (primarily some on-/off-ramps), the apex of the corner is not the midpoint, but a point approximately two-thirds of the way around the corner. J-turns require great familiarity to know when to begin diving toward the inside of the corner and when to power to the outside on corner exit. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for a sample J-turn. If there are two corners of approximately ninety degrees each AND both corners turn in the same direction AND there is only a VERY brief straightaway between the two corners, they may be able to be treated like an extended hairpin corner. Sometimes, however, these 'U-turns' have a straightaway between the corners that is long enough to prohibit a hairpin-like treatment; in this case, drifting to the outside on exiting the first of the two corners will automatically set up the approach to the next turn. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for a sample U-turn. However, in illegal street/highway racing, the positioning of traffic can 'create' the various corners and corner combinations mentioned here. For example, weaving in and out of traffic creates a virtual bus stop chicane (see the Diagrams section at the end of this guide). Slowing may be necessary - it often is - depending on the distance between the vehicles. See the Sample Circuit Using Some of the Above Corner Types Combines in the Diagrams section at the end of this guide; note that this is a diagram for a very technical circuit. One thing which can change the approach to cornering is the available vision. Blind and semi-blind corners require ABSOLUTE knowledge of such corners. Here is where gamers have an advantage over real-world drivers: Gamers can change their viewpoint (camera position), which can provide a wider, clearer view of the highway, which can be especially important when approaching semi-blind corners; real-world drivers are obviously inhibited by the design of their cars. Since most of the highway system in Tokyo in particular runs through tunnels or has tall sound-diffusing barriers on either side of the pavement, vision is often quite limited when cornering. Also important to cornering - especially with long, extended corners - is the corneršs radius. Most corners use an identical radius throughout their length. However, some are increasing-radius corners or decreasing-radius corners. These corners may require shifting the apex point of a corner, and almost always result in a change of speed. Decreasing-radius corners are perhaps the trickiest, because the angle of the corner becomes sharper, thus generally requiring more braking as well as more turning of the steering wheel. Increasing-radius corners are corners for which the angle becomes more and more gentle as the corner progresses; this means that drivers will generally accelerate more, harder, or faster, but such an extra burst of speed can backfire and require more braking. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for sample images of a decreasing- radius corner and an increasing-radius corner. One particularly interesting aspect of cornering is one which I honestly do not know if it works in reality (I am not a real-world racer, although I would certainly LOVE the chance to attend a racing school!!!), but which works in numerous racing/driving games I have played over the years. This aspect is to use the accelerator to help with quickly and safely navigating sharp corners. This works by first BRAKING AS USUAL IN ADVANCE OF THE CORNER, then - once in the corner itself - rapidly pumping the brakes for the duration of the corner (or at least until well past the apex of the corner). The action of rapidly pumping the accelerator appears to cause the drive wheels to catch the pavement just enough to help stop or slow a sliding car, causing the non-drive wheels to continue slipping and the entire car to turn just a little faster. Using this rapid-pumping technique with the accelerator does take a little practice initially, and seems to work best with FR cars; however, once perfected, this technique can pay dividends. ==================================== DIAGRAMS This section contains the diagrams referred to earlier in the guide. Bus Stop Chicane (Variant I - Wide Chicane): ******************* ******************* * * ********* Bus Stop Chicane (Variant II - Narrow Chicane): ******************* ******************* *********** Decreasing-radius Corner: ->******************* * * * * * * <-************************* Increasing-radius Corner: ->********************** * * * * * <-******************* J-turn ******************* * * * * Quick-flicks (Variant I - Wide Chicane): ************* * ************* Quick-flicks (Variant II - Narrow Chicane): ************* ************** Standard Corner: ******************* * * * * * * * * U-turn: ->***************** * * * <-***************** Virtual Bus Stop Chicane: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Car #1 ->->->->->-> Car #3 Player Path: ->->->->->->->->-> Car #2 ->->->->->->-> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== CONTACT For questions, rants, raves, comments of appreciation, etc., or to be added to my e-mail list for updates to this driving guide, please contact me at: FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM; also, if you have enjoyed this guide and feel that it has been helpful to you, I would certainly appreciate a small donation via PayPal (http://www.paypal.com/) using the above e-mail address. To find the latest version of this and all my other PSX/PS2/DC/Mac game guides, visit FeatherGuides at http://feathersites.angelcities.com/ ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== ======================================================================= Wolf Feather Jamie Stafford ======================================================================= Just as there are many parts needed to make a human a human, there's a remarkable number of things needed to make an individual what they are. - Major Kusanagi, _Ghost in the Shell_ ======================================================================= What isn't remembered never happened. - _Serial Experiments Lain_ =======================================================================