------- ------- ------ ------ ----- \ /
| / | | | | | \ /
|---- / | | ___| | | \/
| ---- / |------ | \ | | /\
| / | | \ | | / \
| / | | \ | | / \
| ------- ------- | \ ----- / \
Nintendo 64
*******************************************************************************
Version: 1.01
Author: Silas Verrinder (falcon_n64@yahoo.com)
This file is Copyright (c)2002-2004 Silas Verrinder. All rights
reserved.
*******************************************************************************
Table of Contents:
--------------------------
1. Version and Updates
2. Introduction
Just The Facts
3. General Controls
4. Drivers and Pods
5. Point System
6. GP/Tracks
7. Time Attack/Staff Ghost
8. Death Race/VS Mode
9. Practice
10. Difficulties
11. Staff Ghost Times
12. Codes
Techniques
13. Death Race Guide (Jordan Stopciati)
14. Time Attack Walkthroughs
15. Driving Techniques
Closing Stuff
15. Contact Information
16. Copyright Information
17. Thanks
---------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Version and Updates
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:59 PM 3/23/2003
Fixed some minor errors in the guide section.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Introduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for taking time to read this, I hope this will be of some help to you.
The purpose of this FAQ, should you choose to read, is simply to provide facts
and helpful techniques to improve your racing skills. This is aimed to help
beginners so this probably won't be any use to experienced Drivers, but then
agian, you never know. Everything in this FAQ was written from my own NTSC
experience with F-Zero X. These are the techniques I use and since everyone is
different these may not be what you would use, but I hope this will be of help.
I want to thank Beau West (zareba_n64@yahoo.com) for inspiring me to write this
FAQ. If you have any questions, complaints, etc. please E-mail me at:
falcon_n64@yahoo.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**********Just The Facts**********
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. General Controls
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The controls are very simple, Joystick steers the pod and tips the nose up
and down when you are in air, "A" accelerates, "B" Boosts, "R" banks right (tap
twice too nudge right) "Z" banks left (tap twice too nudge left) C left
Switches between Lap and Radar, C up and C right switch camera angles, C down
is the brake, Start brings up the Menu, Hold "Z" and tap "R" twice to do a spin
attack or hold "R" and tap "Z" twice to do the same thing.
A Accelerate
B Boost
C Left Lap/Map
C Right Change Camera Angle
C Down Brake
C Up Rear View
Start pause/Menu
Z Bank Left (tap twice to nudge Right)
R Bank Right (tap twice to nudge Right)
L This show the distance between you and first place.
Z-R-R Spin attack
R-Z-Z Spin attack
Stick Controls the Pod Right/Left. Up/down when in air.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Drivers and Pods
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAPTAIN FALCON
AGE: 36
He's a well known bounty hunter as well as a great F-Zero pilot. Many
mysteries surround Capt. Falcon--the only thing we know is that he's from Port
Town.
BLUE FALCON
Machine weight: 1260 kg
Machine number: 7
BODY BOOST GRIP
B C B
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. STEWART
AGE: 41
He's been living in the fast lane as a doctor. Dr. Stewart became interested in
the F-Zero X GP after the death of his father. The Golden Fox belonged to his
father.
GOLDEN FOX
Machine weight: 1420 kg
Machine number: 3
BODY BOOST GRIP
D A D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PICO
AGE: 123 (or so he says)
Pico used to work for a special unit of the Poripoto army. He's aggressive, but
calm. Rumor has it that he is also an infamous hit man.
WILD GOOSE
Machine weight: 1620 kg
Machine number: 6
BODY BOOST GRIP
B B C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAMURAI GOROH
AGE: 44
He's one of the best bounty hunters around and the leader of a group of space
thieves. Goroh's reason for joining F-Zero is because of his hatred for Capt.
Falcon, his rival.
FIRE STINGRAY
Machine weight: 1960 kg
Machine number: 5
BODY BOOST GRIP
A D B
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JODY SUMMER
AGE: 24
Jody is one of the top rookie pilots in the circuit. While Jody doesn't have
much experience, many see her as a dark horse.
WHITE CAT
Machine weight: 1150 kg
Machine number: 2
BODY BOOST GRIP
C C A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MIGHTY GAZELLE
AGE: 36
Three years ago, he was injured in a freak racing accident and miraculously
survived. Due to the damage his body sustained, he became a cyborg. Others have
tried to stop him from competing, but he is determined to win.
RED GAZELLE
Machine weight: 1330 kg
Machine number: 1
BODY BOOST GRIP
E A C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BABA
AGE: 18
This young rookie has incredible intuition and is very flexible. After
enduring a great deal of training, Baba will make his racing debut this
season.
IRON TIGER
Machine weight: 1780 kg
Machine number: 4
BODY BOOST GRIP
B D A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OCTOMAN
AGE: Unknown
He represents the planet Takora, an enemy of the Milky Way Federation.
Takorans are intent on showing their advanced intelligence to the universe.
DEEP CLAW
Machine weight: 990 kg
Machine number: 8
BODY BOOST GRIP
B B C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. CLASH
AGE: 54
A former F-Zero engineer, it has been Dr. Clash's dream to become a pilot. He
is participating in the race with a machine he designed and built himself.
CRAZY BEAR
Machine weight: 2220 kg
Machine number: 29
BODY BOOST GRIP
A B E
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. EAD
AGE: Unknown
This cyborg was developed by the mysterious development group EAD. His purpose
for racing is to test his IG and debug his man-made programming.
GREAT STAR
Machine weight: 1870 kg
Machine number: 9
BODY BOOST GRIP
E A D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIO REX
AGE: 8
This dinosaur is a product of bio-technology. Through this technology, his
brain has become very similar to a human's. If he wins the Grand Prix, he will
prove that he's superior to humans.
BIG FANG
Machine weight: 1520 kg
Machine number: 15
BODY BOOST GRIP
B D A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BILLY
AGE: 6
Billy is the first monkey to participate in F-Zero. He's out to prove that
monkeys are the superior species.
MAD WOLF
Machine weight: 1490 kg
Machine number: 11
BODY BOOST GRIP
B B C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SILVER NEELSEN
AGE: 97
Neelsen has participated in more Grand Prix races than anyone, but has yet to
win. His age has drawn criticism. Because he is resentful of the newer
machines, the other racers are avoiding him.
NIGHT THUNDER
Machine weight: 1530 kg
Machine number: 23
BODY BOOST GRIP
B A E
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOMAR & SHIOH
AGE: Unknown
These Furikake people always act as one person. They are a very strange race.
While the rules don't allow pilots to use machines for two riders, they were
approved by the committee. Their machine is the lightest in the circuit.
TWIN NORITA
Machine weight: 780 kg
Machine number: 22
BODY BOOST GRIP
E A C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOHN TANAKA
AGE: 30
Tanaka, an engineer, and member of the Milky Way Federation, is supposed to be
assisting Jody Summer. His concern for his colleague compelled him to join the
Grand Prix. He seems to be more interested in protecting Jody Summer than
winning the Grand Prix.
WONDER WASP
Machine weight: 900 kg
Machine number: 26
BODY BOOST GRIP
D A D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs. ARROW
AGE: 26
Mrs. Arrow races with her husband Super Arrow. She's a good wife and team
member. Actually, her racing experience makes her a better pilot than her
husband.
QUEEN METEOR
Machine weight: 1140 kg
Machine number: 21
BODY BOOST GRIP
E B B
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLOOD FALCON
AGE: 36
Created by Black Shadow, Blood Falcon is an exact duplicate of Captain Falcon.
Well, almost. Blood Falcon is evil--very evil.
BLOOD HAWK
Machine weight: 1170 kg
Machine number: 25
BODY BOOST GRIP
B A E
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JACK LEVIN
AGE: 18
Jack's a favorite of the female fans. Any merchandise with his face on it
nsells out immediately. While most people talk about his good looks and
popularity, not too many people mention his racing skill.
ASTRO ROBIN
Machine weight: 1050 kg
Machine number: 14
BODY BOOST GRIP
B D A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAMES McCLOUD
AGE: 31
James McCloud is a hired ranger, and the leader of Galaxy Dog. He remodeled his
space fighter into an F-Zero machine. McCloud is in this Grand Prix for one
reason--money.
LITTLE WYVERN
Machine weight: 1390 kg
Machine number: 10
BODY BOOST GRIP
E B B
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZODA
AGE: Unknown
Zoda is the incarnation of evil and intent on conquering Earth. Why he's racing
in the Grand Prix is still a mystery. His past disputes against the Arrows and
Captain Falcon are well known.
DEATH ANCHOR
Machine weight: 1620 kg
Machine number: 13
BODY BOOST GRIP
E A C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MICHAEL CHAIN
AGE: 38
He's the leader of the Bloody Chain gang. Michael participates in the Grand
Prix to show off his driving skills to members of his gang. Since he rarely
wins, members are slowly leaving the gang.
WILD BOAR
Machine weight: 2110 kg
Machine number: 24
BODY BOOST GRIP
A C C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPER ARROW
AGE: 34
Super Arrow's job is to protect the Earth. When Super Arrow discovered that
Zoda, his sworn enemy, had entered the Grand Prix, he entered as well.
KING METEOR
Machine weight: 860 kg
Machine number: 20
BODY BOOST GRIP
E B B
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KATE ALLEN
AGE: 29
This popular singer and dancer has decided to try her hand at racing. She will
debut this season.
SUPER PIRANHA
Machine weight: 1010 kg
Machine number: 12
BODY BOOST GRIP
B C B
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROGER BUSTER
AGE: 40
Roger, a transportation guru, was supposed to transport a machine to an
unknown participant. His partner persuaded him to abandon that idea and race
for himself.
MIGHTY HURRICANE
Machine weight: 1780 kg
Machine number: 28
BODY BOOST GRIP
E B B
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LEON
AGE: 15
Compared to humans, Leon is not very bright. He makes up for it with his sharp
reflexes and cornering ability.
SPACE ANGLER
Machine weight: 910 kg
Machine number: 19
BODY BOOST GRIP
C C A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DRAQ
AGE: 136
Draq works with Roger Buster, and is a big fan of F-ZERO. Driving in the Grand
Prix has been his life-long dream.
MIGHTY TYPHOON
Machine weight: 950 kg
Machine number: 27
BODY BOOST GRIP
C A D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEASTMAN
AGE: 29
When just a child, Beastman was nearly eaten by a giant alligator. Ever since
then, he's been a slayer of beasts. Now he hopes to advertise his services in
the Grand Prix.
HYPER SPEEDER
Machine weight: 1460 kg
Machine number: 18
BODY BOOST GRIP
C C A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANTONIO GUSTER
AGE: 35
Antonio was once Goroh's right-hand man, but Goroh betrayed him. Now Antonio
has joined the Grand Prix in hopes of exacting revenge on his former mentor.
GREEN PANTHER
Machine weight: 2060 kg
Machine number: 17
BODY BOOST GRIP
A B D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLACK SHADOW
AGE: Unknown
The King of Evil. Black Shadow strikes fear in the hearts of everyone. His goal
is to destroy Captain Falcon in front of millions of viewers.
BLACK BULL
Machine weight: 2340 kg
Machine number: 30
BODY BOOST GRIP
A E A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SKULL
AGE: 240
Skull was once a great legend among drivers. Using science and black magic,
Skull returned from the grave to compete one more time.
SONIC PHANTOM
Machine weight: 1010 kg
Machine number: 16
BODY BOOST GRIP
C A D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Point system
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the scoring system for GP and VS Battle. Obviously if you are
destroyed you don't get any.
1. 100 16. 35
2. 93 17. 33
3. 87 18. 32
4. 81 19. 29
5. 76 20. 27
6. 71 21. 25
7. 66 22. 23
8. 62 23. 22
9. 58 24. 21
10. 54 25. 20
11. 50 26. 19
12. 47 27. 18
13. 44 28. 17
14. 41 29. 16
15. 38 30. 15
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. GP/Tracks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each of the five cups in GP has six tracks. Each race has twenty nine
other contestants. Each cup is unique and different in difficulty. There are
five available cups but only three are available at the beginning of the game.
These are, Jack, Queen and King. To unlock Joker and X cup you must first
defeat the Jack, Quean and King Cup. Every time you win on a new difficulty you
will receive one X. For every three X's one row of racers will be unlocked.
--------- --------- --------- ---------
Jack Cup Queen Cup King Cup Joker Cup
--------- --------- --------- ---------
Mute City Sector a Fire Field Rainbow Road
Silence Red Canyon Silence 2 Devil's Forest 3
Sand Ocean Devil's Forest 2 Sector b Space Plant
Devil's Forest Mute City 2 Red Canyon 2 Sand Ocean 2
Big Blue Big Blue 2 White Land 2 Port Town 2
Port Town White Land Mute City 3 Big Hand
---------
X Cup
---------
The X cup has six tracks just like the others but unlike the others every
time you race the track is different. X cup generates six tracks with pieces
of track, like a puzzle, so every time you race there are six tracks you have
never raced before. X cup tracks range from very easy to nearly impossible.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Time Attack/Staff Ghost
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Time Attack you race against your own time. You select any track that is
unlocked and race. On the next race there will be a ghost racer. That ghost
racer is your previous time. If you get a fast enough time you will unlock the
Staff Ghost for that track. The Staff Ghost is a very difficult ghost, he is
created by the makers of the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Death Race/VS Mode
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Death Race
The point of this mode is to destroy all the other racers in the shortest
amount of time. There are twenty nine racers besides yourself. Every time you
destroy one of the other racers you will receive a star. At the top of the
Screen there will be a number, This is the number of racers left.
VS Mode
In VS mode you can race with your friends. VS Mode has only 4 racers max.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Practice
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In practice you compete with twenty nine other racers. But there are unlimited
laps and lives, so you can practice each track as long as you want.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Difficulties
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are four difficulties in all. Master is not available at the beginning.
Novice Very Easy
-------------------------
Standard Not so Easy
-------------------------
Expert Hard
-------------------------
Master Very Hard
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Staff Ghost Times
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unlock the staff ghosts you must defeat these times.
Jack Cup
Mute City 1:23:000
Silence 1:13:000
Sand Ocean 1:15:550
Devil's Forest 1:23:000
Big Blue 1:35:000
Port Town 1:36:000
Quean Cup
Sector A 1:22:000
Red Canyon 1:19:000
Devil's Forest 2 1:24:200
Mute City 2 1:19:000
Big Blue 2 1:07:000
White Land 1:40:000
King Cup
Fire Field 1:23:000
Silence 2 1:35:000
Sector B 1:45:000
Red Canyon 2 1:40:000
White Land 2 1:13:000
Mute City 3 1:46:000
Jack Cup
Rainbow Road 2:11:000
Devil's Forest 3 1:20:000
Space Plant 2:04:000
Sand Ocean 1:35:000
Port Town 2 1:52:700
Big Hand 2:27:000
These are the times of the staff ghosts.
I want to thank F-Zero Central (www.fzerocentral.com) for letting me use these
times and David Van Moer who is the original source.
Jack Cup NTSC PAL
Mute City 1'12"507 1'27"008
Silence 1'04"791 1'17"749
Sand Ocean 1'05"647 1'18"776
Devil's Forest 1'11"629 1'25"954
Big Blue 1'23"087 1'39"704
Port Town 1'23"270 1'39"924
Queen Cup
Sector Alpha 1'11"753 1'26"103
Red Canyon 1'08"264 1'21"916
Devil's Forest 2 1'13"091 1'27"709
Mute City 2 1'10"058 1'24"069
Big Blue 2 0'57"917 1'09"500
White Land 1'27"557 1'45"068
King Cup NTSC PAL
Fire Field 1'12"911 1'27"493
Silence 2 1'22"683 1'39"219
Sector Beta 1'31"200 1'49"440
Red Canyon 2 1'26"761 1'44"113
White Land 2 1'03"790 1'16"548
Mute City 3 1'32"005 1'50"406
Joker Cup
Rainbow Road 1'55"432 2'18"518
Devil's Forest 3 1'09"544 1'23"452
Space Plant 1'50"666 2'12"799
Sand Ocean 2 1'23"264 1'39"916
Port Town 2 1'38"091 1'57"709
Big Hand 2'07"988 2'33"585
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Codes and Cheats
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Courses and Cars
L Z R Top-c Bottom-C Left-C Right-c Start
-----------------------------------------------------
Larger Racers
Hold L + R + Z + C-Up + C-Down + C-Left + C-Right
-----------------------------------------------------
Small Cars
Hold down L+R and press C-left and C-down
-----------------------------------------------------
All Tracks Vehicles and Difficulties
L Z R Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C Start
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**********Techniques**********
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Death race guide
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SS64 (Jordan Stopciati) here, writing a Death Race guide for your purposes.
In this guide I'm not going to give general strategy, I will give you the exact
stuff you should do in order to get a good time in Death Race. Because my
strategy only uses side attacks, it's really not that difficult to pull off.
My personal record is 0:44.487, a time that is ranked #5 in the NTSC rankings
and #8 overall*. IMO, it's pretty decent, especially when you take into account
that I only used side attacks. It requires a great deal of luck to do well in
Death Race. Sure, you need some skill, but it all depends on how your rivals
race as well.
The world record - yes, the absolute world record - for Death Race is 31.972,
set by Jimmy Thai on an NTSC version. Even when you account for potential PAL
competition by multiplying PAL times by 5/6, he's still the overall Death Race
leader. Considering that very few people have come to close to even hitting
that
time, obviously that requires a lot of luck and skill.
* These rankings are according to time trial site fzerocentral.com.
~~~~~ the moves ~~~~~
Before you even begin this game you have to be familiar with the moves that you
need to be successful in Death Race.
If you tap Z or R twice successfully, your car is surrounded by a red barrier
for an instant and jumps in a certain direction - R makes the car jump to the
right, Z makes the car jump to the left. This move is helpful in making turns
in the racing modes, but it helps you destroy cars too.
If you double-tap (as this is called) in the direction of a rival car with
enough force, you can destroy the vehicle next to you. When accompanied by a
turn in the same direction, the double-tap is that much more powerful.
Tapping Z or R plus the opposite button twice (e.g. Z + R + R or R + Z + Z)
results in a spin attack. For a couple of seconds, the car will spin around on
the track. This has no use for turning - it's better for destroying cars. If
you hit them with enough force, the cars you hit are destroyed. If cars are
grouped together VERY tightly this method is great, but for the most part it
sucks.
Quite frankly, I prefer the double-tap, mostly because it allows you much more
control over your vehicle. When the time is right, however, the spin attack can
be used to your advantage to destroy a hell of a lot of machines. However, you
can kill machines a lot more rapidly and with much more control with the
double-tap. If they're positioned correctly, you can kill off two or three at a
time.
~~~~~ the car ~~~~~
This is easy...to win in Death Race you must pick a heavy vehicle with a decent
body rating - preferably an A-class body, but B-class can sometimes do the
trick. Good boost is also recommended, since you will need this in your strat.
However, make sure that the weight is high. If you pick the Twin Noritta it
will not be an easy task to set any decent times.
The Black Bull is an obvious choice, but the Fire Stingray is worth taking a
look at too. Both of them weigh in at around 2000 kilograms and have excellent
body ratings. My 44.487 was set with the Black Bull but I've gotten pretty
close with the Stingray as well. If the car has good boost, that's a bonus.
Once you select your car, I recommend leaving the setting where it is: right in
the middle of the acceleration/top speed bar. If you move the bar to the left
too much, basically you shoot ahead of the pack and end up losing time after
your acceleration levels out. If you favour top speed too much, you'll end up
losing time at the beginning of the race. It's just right as it is.
~~~~~ the track ~~~~~
The Death Race track is ridiculously simple. I mean, seriously, give me a
break. I personally would have loved to have seen more Death Race tracks,
perhaps about five or so, to increase the challenge.
Here's a basic map:
- start on bottom of the track
- 180-degree twist to top of the track
- another straight with a pit area on left, no barrier
- 180-degree twist to bottom of track
- quick jump onto starting straight
The straightaway with the pit area is probably your best opportunity to knock
cars off the track. Unfortunately, it's also easy to knock yourself here as
well too. Even though the game does not count laps on this track, keep an eye
out on how many times you go under the "bar" on the front straight, because
that's how I count laps. It should take about 12 seconds, so I'll use that as a
little reference guide and you should too.
~~~~~ the strategy ~~~~~
At the beginning of the race, the instant the "GO" light comes on, accelerate
off the straight and ignite a boost. Lucky for you, you can use boost on the
first lap, so immediately use it. Before you pass the starting gate, use the
double tap to kill off at least one car. Do that and you're en route to a
decent time.
As you head up to the back straight, try to kill off two cars at once at one
point in the lap, since they should be lining up in order at some point. Kill
off a couple more on the 180-degree loop. If you have killed about five cars by
the time you reach the back straight, you're doing well. On the back straight,
knock a couple of cars off the track if you can, making sure not to knock
yourself off.
On the loop back to the front straight, try to kill off two or three machines.
By now, the "LEFT" indicator should show 19. If so, you've completed a good
first lap. It might be difficult to catch cars in the first part of lap two, so
try to get two or three on the way up to the back straight, using boosts
between each kill that you make. You get a little bit of energy for each car
you kill, so use it right away!
Halfway through lap two, you'll see the cars start to group up into groups of
two or three, sometimes even four. This is the time in the run where you have
to make a LOT of kills. Get beside the groups of cars that you want to kill
off, then use a REALLY hard side attack and watch the sparks fly. You can
probably pull one or two of these off before the lap ends. By now you should
have about ten or eleven cars left. As you enter the third lap you may want to
use your rear view (C-up) to make sure you're not leaving anyone behind.
On lap three, the leading cars will probably be a long way ahead. By now we're
roughly 35 seconds into the run. Use a couple of boosts to catch up on the back
straight. These cars are probably not going to be as grouped up as they were on
the second lap, so kill them off in quick succession. Hopefully you can kill
off four or five, and by now there should be only only about six or seven cars
left.
Just boost up to them as you go, and kill off each car at the exact moment that
you catch up to them. Hopefully you can get them all, but there is very little
room for error. You should kill off all but one or two of the cars on the
fourth lap, then use that final lap to boost like a madman and defeat the
remainder of the cars. It's pretty easy for the most part.
A couple of seconds after you complete the run, the clock will stop, and if all
goes well, you should have a time of about fifty seconds to one minute on the
clock. Getting a run like this requires a lot of practice with side-attacking,
but don't worry, it really shouldn't be that hard to pull off after a bit of
work on it.
However, NEVER, EVER LEAVE CARS BEHIND ON THE TRACK. If you do, you have to
either boost like hell or slow down in order to get them, and this costs you a
lot of time. If you want to get anywhere close to my time, you can not make
that error. If you want to ensure that you do not leave any cars behind, try to
side-attack the back of the cars so that you know exactly where they are. Keep
an eye on the stars on the right side of the screen that show how many cars
you've killed. The stars appear right away after you kill a car but the
"left" indicator does not decrease until a couple of seconds afterwards.
~~~~~ other tips ~~~~~
Remember what I said earlier about trying to knock cars off on the road with no
barriers? Here's why.
The computer drones have a nasty habit of remaining on the track if you don't
knock them off. Why is this a problem? Mostly because these "dead" computer
cars can interfere with your strat. If you run into them, you lose a little bit
of energy (which is definitely bad if you have little to no energy) and also a
bit of speed as well. So, try to knock cars off the track completely as
frequently as possible. You can also do that on that jump back to the starting
point.
Even when these cars are self-destructing, they can slow you down while they
bounce from one edge of the track to the other. There have been multiple
instances where I have been slowed down, sped up, or distracted in some other
way by these vehicles. I especially hate it when they bounce from barrier to
barrier at the speed of light. Try to push them forward when you kill to avoid
this problem as indicated in this ASCII.
| |
| |
| /\ |
| /__\ |
| /\ | | CPU |
| /__\ |XX| car |
| | | |XX| |
| your | | |
| car |__| |
Anyway, assuming that you're heading towards the top of this page you have to
double tap to the right (R + R) to hit the X'ed part. The car will launch
forward, in comparison to if you just slam it from the side. It's all physics
for the most part - the energy from the hit is going to be transferred in the
same direction. Ugh. Just use common judgement to determine where the car will
fly off the track.
Try to make complete kills whenever possible. If you end up not destroying a
vehicle, that wastes time and you'll have to get to it again. Most of my runs
usually end when I kill cars that are flashing red, or the ones that are
extremely low on energy. If you see one of those it probably means you hit them
before and didn't succeed. It's not the same as leaving a vehicle behind you on
the track.
When you finish your run, if you have the opportunity just throw yourself off
the track! Once the other 29 cars are gone, drive off the track before the
clock stops. Why should you do this? If you do it properly, the clock stops as
the "scream" sound effect plays. However, before you hit the ground, the
"FINISH" title will appear and you will be credited with the time on the clock!
The game might add a hundredth of a second but don't worry about that.
Anyway, that's the end of my rambling. Good luck! =D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Driving Techniques
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
Turning Techniques
------------------
Taking the turns perfectly is hard to get the hang of, and there are many
approaches. If you have a Racer with a low Grip it will be very difficult, but
I will do my best to help you. Approach 1: As you approach the turn move slowly
to the outside of the turn and then curve back sharply when you reach the turn.
If your racer has a bad grip you will not be able to turn in as sharply.
Approach 2: Using "R" is very important for sharp turns but it slows you down
slightly, so only use it when you have to. Stay on the edge of the turn and
start holding "R" as you take the turn. Always remember to hug the rail as
close as possible, but do not touch the rail. This is very important in Time
Attack. Some turns are so wide you will not need to go into the turn on the
outside. You'll just have to practice to you know which turns you can take
easily. If your pod has a bad grip you will need to use "R" more. Be careful
not too tap "R" twice, this is VERY bad.
-----------------
Boosting
-----------------
Boosting is very simple. You can only boost on the second lap and it uses up
energy so be aware of your energy. In time attack you should boost all the way
until you have zero energy left. But this is not a very good idea in GP. It is
always good to leave at least a quarter incase you get bumped by one of the
other racers.
-----------------
Jumps
-----------------
Jumps are the hardest technique too master. If you adjust the angle of your
pod too high while in air it slows you down if you adjust too low you slow
down, and if you don't adjust at all you slow down. You have to point down very
slightly so you go as far as you can but don't slow down. Your pod goes faster
when airborne so you want to go as far as possible without pointing up
(pointing up will slow you down tremendously) Do not point straight down, this
will bring you to almost complete stop when you hit the track. Push forward on
the stick slightly and try not to put the nose of your pod straight into the
track. Whenever you can you want to become airborne. You can cut HUGE segments
of track off if you can become airborne.
--------------------
Nudging other Racers
--------------------
I try avoiding this whenever I can, but sometimes this can be very helpful,
(IE: Destroying your nearest rival) Don't bother bumping a racer who is not a
threat unless he is in your way or you are in the lead and he is trying to pass
you. Whenever you can destroy your rival do it, the best time is on narrow
track when a lot of cars are in a pack, or on a strip of track with no rail.
Avoid being bumped or even touched whenever you can even the slightest bump
will slow you down.
------------------
Selecting your Pod
------------------
Once you have had some practice it won't really matter which racer you use.
But if you are just beginning you should use only the best. The four components
that determine how good the racer is are: Body, Boost, Grip and Weight. Body is
how strong the pod is, the better the body the less damage you take when you
are nudged. Boost is how fast your speed will increase when you use boost (it
isn't very important to have a good boost) Grip is the most important, if your
pod has a good Grip you won't slip and slide as much. It is very important too
have a pod that won't slide when you turn. Weight is also very influential, if
you have a light pod you will go faster. Twin Noritta is the lightest pod in
the game and is also very fast, even though it has a bad Grip I find this too
be one of the best pods.
------------------
Machine Settings
------------------
This depends completely on the track and I don't know exactly what settings
are best. But I usually put it a little less then three quarters to the right.
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15. Time Attack Walkthroughs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I only have Time Attack Walkthroughs for Mute City and Silence.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mute City My time with this method: 01'20"284
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the start move to the right side and hug the rail as close as you can.
Before you get all the way around the turn move to the middle and hit the
boost. Keep moving left and hug the rail on the left side. Go through the
energy zone on the left side then when you get to the turn swerve right and hit
the boost. Swerve back to the left and hug the rail around the turn. Move out
to the middle of the track and hit the boost. After all the boosts move slowly
to the right side of the track. Do the next laps exactly the same way.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Silence My time with this method: 01'04"695
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A good idea on Silence is to configure your controller so that it's always
held up. The N64 allows you to control what point should be considered the
"center" of the joystick, and calibrates it appropriately.
If you pause the game before you do your run, hold L and R and push the control
stick down, then press Start while holding all of these, you'll configure
"down" on the stick as the center point, therefore the game assumes that you're
holding the stick up throughout the whole run. You can get up to the 1475 km/h
mark this way without flying off, and easily beat the staff without having to
manually hold up and potentially weave all over the track.
Thanks to Superstar64 for the above.
The best pod for this level is Twin Noritta, Night Thunder or Blood Hawk. Put
the engine setting on one bar from the right. On two begin accelerating. As you
start off move slowly to the left side of the track very smoothly. Hit all
three boosts and smoothly move to the right side of the track. Hit the first
boost and move to the middle and hit that one. Move back to the Right side and
hit that boost. Hug the rail as close as possible on the right side. Without
rubbing the edge stay like that until you reach the starting line. Now move to
the left and hit the first and third boost. Move right and hit all three
boosts. Now push down on the stick (so you don't come off the track) Hug the
rail as close as ever you can staying on the Right side of the track. Do the
next Laps exactly the same as the second lap.
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Closing Stuff
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Contact information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have any suggestions, comments, questions, complaints or anything of
that sort, Please E-mail to:
Silas Verrinder..........falcon_n64@yahoo.com
Jordan Stopciati......... js_sstar64@hotmail.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Copyright Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version: 1.01
Author: Silas Verrinder (falcon_n64@yahoo.com)
This file is Copyright (c)2002-2004 Silas Verrinder. All rights
reserved.
This file may not be distributed publicly, changed, or used on another website
in any way without written permission from the author, Silas Verrinder. If you
want too use this file on your website or link to it you must ask me first.
Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope this FAQ has been of some help to you.
A BIG thanks to Superstar64 for the Death Race Guide
I would like to thank superstar64 for giving me the Silence Controller
configuration and fzerocentral for permitting the use of the Staff Ghost times.
I also want to thank David Van Moer as the original source.
Lot's of thanks to Beau West (zareba_n64@yahoo.com) for inspiring me too write
this.
Thanks too Logan West (shadown64@yahoo.com)
Thanks also to CjayC for posting this.
And Thank You for reading this.
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************************************THE END************************************
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