Project Gotham Racing 3 guide soluce

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FAQ/Walkthrough For Project Gotham Racing 3 v0.85 For The Microsoft Xbox 360 ================================================== Author: TwistidSoul (TwistidSoul@hotmail.com) Game: Project Gotham Racing 3 Platform: Xbox 360 Version: 0.85 Last Update: March 20, 2006 ================================================== This Document is Copyright 2006 TwistidSoul _______________________________________________________________________________ To quickly jump to a section, use the Find feature! - Look to the right of the section you need to find its five digit "search code". - Highlight all five digits of the code. - Press CTRL + C - Press CTRL + F - Press CTRL + V - Press Enter and you'll be taken directly to the section. _______________________________________________________________________________ +---------------------------------------------+ | Table of Contents | +-------------------------------------+-------+ | I. Introduction | C010A | | +-------+ | II. The Basics | C020A | | - The Controls | C0201 | | - The Menus | C0202 | | - The Game Screen | C0203 | | - Kudos and Credits | C0204 | | - Cities and Cars | C0205 | | +-------+ | III. Driving Maneuvers | C030A | | - Manual or Automatic | C0301 | | - At the Starting Line | C0302 | | - The First Turn (of Doom) | C0303 | | - Perfecting the Turns | C0304 | | - The Straightaways | C0305 | | - Performing Drifts | C0306 | | +-------+ | IV. Solo Career | C040A | | - Race Types | C0401 | | - The Difficulties | C0402 | | - Tournament Locator Guide | C0403 | | - Tournament List | C0404 | | +-------+ | V. Online Career | C050A | | +-------+ | VI. Achievements | C060A | | - Achievement Basics | C0601 | | - Achievement List | C0602 | | +-------+ | VII. The Tracks | C070A | | - Track Locator Guide | C0701 | | - Tokyo Tracks | C0702 | | - Las Vegas Tracks | C0703 | | - New York Tracks | C0704 | | - London Tracks | C0705 | | - Nürburgring Tracks | C0706 | | +-------+ | VIII. Car List | C080A | | - Reading This List | C0801 | | - Car Locator Guide | C0802 | | - Class A | C0803 | | - Class B | C0804 | | - Class C | C0805 | | - Class D | C0806 | | - Class E | C0807 | | +-------+ | IX. Frequently Asked Questions | C090A | | +-------+ | X. Revision History | C100A | | +-------+ | XI. Legal Disclaimer | C110A | | +-------+ | XII. Author's Last Words | C120A | +-------------------------------------+-------+ =============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= I. Introduction =- (C010A) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== Life begins at 170. A fitting slogan for Project Gotham Racing 3, Bizzare's latest installment of the PGR series. This masterpiece offers just about anything one could ask of racing game. There are 80 cars from 35 different manufacturers, and every one can break 170 mph. You'll be racing through five different cities: Las Vegas, New York, Nürburgring, Tokyo, and London - and they all look insanely real. This is a game where you can't help but gaze out the window. The beautiful backgrounds make you forget about everything - even the wall that's coming toward you at 200 mph. I have never played the previous two PGRs. I actually wasn't much of a racing game fan until I picked up Project Gotham Racing 3. But, when I did, it sucked me in like it did you. Since this was one of the first racing games I've gotten in to, I've learned a whole lot just from writing this FAQ. Thinking out strategies and putting them into words has made me better at a game genre that, to be quite honest, I was pretty bad at. If you do find mistakes (and you probably will, unfortunately), please send me an e-mail at TwistidSoul@hotmail.com so I can fix it. I can't stand errors, so it would be much appreciated. Even spelling/grammar mistakes are grounds for an e-mail. You will be credited in the "Author's Last Words" section at the end of this document if you do point out a mistake. Alright, this introduction has gone on long enough! Enjoy the game, and the rest of this FAQ. =============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= II. The Basics =- (C020A) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== This section covers the very basic parts of the game. It could probably be skipped, but if you are completely lost you may want to read through. "The Basics" section covers what the manual covers and then some. =============================================================================== ----- The Controls -------------------- (C0201) =============================================================================== These are the default controls. You can change the controls by selecting the "More..." option in the main PGR3 menu. Then select "Options" and in the "Options" menu, select "Controllers" to choose a new control setting. There are seven different settings to choose from. The default is called "Analog Default". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Left Thumbstick .............. Steer the car ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Right Thumbstick ............. Rotates the camera around the car ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D-pad ........................ Up/Down to change music genre ........................ Left/Right to change tracks within a genre ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Button ..................... Handbrake ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B Button ..................... Shift Up ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X Button ..................... Shift Down ..................... Reverse (If stopped) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Y Button ..................... Look Back ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Left Trigger ................. Brake ................. Reverse (If stopped) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Right Trigger ................ Accelerate ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Left Button .................. Toggle the camera ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Right Button ................. Toggle driver names on and off ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Start Button ................. Pause ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== ----- The Main Menu -------------------- (C0202) =============================================================================== This section is here to familiarize you with the main menu in PGR3. When you first pop in your disk, the first menu will be the main menu. From there, the entire game lies before you. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but there really is nothing to it. ======================= -= Gotham Career =- ======================= This Gotham Career includes the bulk of the game. By choosing this option, you can enter the Solo Career and compete in championships; play online for Kudos, Credits, and Rankings; view a list of all the leaderboards for every track and tournament in the game; and view, buy, sell, or test drive cars. Gotham Career is where you'll spend most of your time. Solo Career - Compete in championships throughout the five cities of Tokyo, ----------- Las Vegas, New York, London, and Nürburgring. There are 22 tournaments. Complete all the events in a tournament to receive a trophy, credits, and kudos to climb the ranks. Online Career - Race against anyone in the world over Xbox Live. There are 8 ------------- different themed events. Your ranking will go up or down each race depending on your placing and how your rank compares to your opponents' ranks. Leaderboards - View the Solo Career, Online Career, Race Against the Clock, ------------ and Test Track leaderboards. If you have Xbox Live, nearly every time you race, your score/time is being recorded. View Your Cars - By selecting this option you can look at all of the cars -------------- you've purchased, buy or sell cars, arrange and move cars between garages, walk around in your garages, take photos of your cars, or test drive cars. ================== -= Playtime =- ================== Playtime is just straight up racing. You don't receive Credits, Kudos, or Rankings for any races here, but play strictly for fun and practice. You can play alone, with friends through system link, or with the world through Xbox Live. Playtime allows you to choose the track, race mode, time of day, and much more. The last option in the "Playtime" menu is "Route Creator". Here you can create a custom route in a city of your choosing and race on it whenever you like. Play on this Xbox 360 - Play by yourself against the AI. You can choose the --------------------- game mode, city, track, the difficulty of your opponents, and more. Play Using System Link - Create a game and customize it just like in the ---------------------- previous option. However, you can play against friends on your Xbox 360 or linked to your Xbox 360. Play on Xbox Live - Create or join a match on Xbox Live. The host can ----------------- customize the match any way he pleases. The games do not effect your rank in any way. Race Against the Clock - Race on any track with any car. You can choose to ---------------------- race against only the clock or against a ghost of the person with the best lap time for that track. Your best lap on each track will be recorded on the leaderboards. Route Creator - Choose from four of the cities and create a custom route. ------------- You can test drive on the track or save it and race against your friends or people on Xbox Live. There are more than 100 million different custom routes that can be made. =================== -= Gotham TV =- =================== A very unique feature to PGR3, Gotham TV is the place to watch the pros race on Xbox Live, find your friends on Xbox Live and watch them race, or watch your saved replays and photos. Heroes Channel - Select this option and a list of races will load. These are -------------- all races on Xbox live that are about to begin. The people in these races aren't always very good, but on occasion you can find a race with some very skilled drivers. A lot can be learned from watching the best. Friends Channel - Selecting this option will take you to your friends list. --------------- If any of your friends are playing PGR3, and there is a free slot in the event in which they are competing, you can spectate the race on Gotham TV. Your Saved Replays - After races in PGR3, you can choose to save the replay. ------------------ Select this option if you have a saved replay that you would like to watch. Your Saved Photos - Photos can be taken in your garage, while watching a ----------------- saved replay, or during a single player race. Select "Your Saved Photos" to view any photos that you have saved. ====================== -= Achievements =- ====================== For those who like stats, in the "Achievements" menu you can keep tabs on all of your statistics, trophies, badges, cars, and Xbox 360 achievements. Just about everything that can be recorded, has. Trophies - A list of all the trophies you've won in the Solo Career -------- tournaments. There are 22 trophies in all. It tells you the name of the tournament and the date and time you won the trophy. Badges - Badges are awarded to you for completing various tasks. The badges ------ are split into three groups: Race Craft, Career, and Online. There are 16 badges in each group which means there are 48 badges in all. Cars - View your complete car collection. You can see all of the cars you've ---- purchased; when you purchased them; how many races, wins, and losses you've had with each car; and the total distance you've driven in each car. General Statistics - This is a very cool list. Your Xbox 360 is doing so ------------------ many things while you race that you never knew about! This "General Statistics" page shows a ton of statistics from every race you've participated in. Leaderboards - View the Solo Career, Online Career, Race Against the Clock, ------------ and Test Track leaderboards. If you have Xbox Live, nearly every time you race, your score/time is being recorded. Xbox 360 Achievements - Every Xbox 360 game has achievements for you to --------------------- complete. Doing so will add points to your Gamerscore. Selecting this option will show you all of the PGR3 achievements and which you have already completed. ================== -= More... =- ================== In the "More..." menu you can change game options, visit the Xbox Live Marketplace, or sign into a different game profile. Options - Many different options can be changed in this menu. You can change ------- the graphics, the sound, the music, the controls, the HUD, the network options, and general options like the transmission and speedometer. You can also view the game's credits. Xbox Live Marketplace - Select this option to purchase addition game content --------------------- such as demos and trailers. Change Profile - Create a new profile or sign onto a different profile. -------------- =============================================================================== ----- The Game Screen -------------------- (C0203) =============================================================================== _______________________________________________ Current | CURRENT KUDOS | Position ------- 2nd 450 ----- Kudos Bank | TARGET Combo x2(+9) ----- Combo Bonus Goal ----------- 3rd Clean Section 50 ----- Kudos Stash | | | __ | | .` _ | Circuit Map ---- | .` ____ | | | | |GEAR| | | | | __|____| ----- Current gear | | MPH| | Lap Counter ---- LAP __________|_______| ----- Speed | 1/3 |__________________| ----- Rev line |_______________________________________________| =============================================================================== ----- Kudos and Credits -------------------- (C0204) =============================================================================== =============== -= Kudos =- =============== What are Kudos? --------------- Kudos are a type of point system and you are awarded Kudos during races for various things. In the Online Career, Kudos are used as a score to rank you on the leaderboards for a track. In the Solo Career, they are used to rank you on the leaderboards as well, but you also accumulate Kudos to unlock concept cars. Earning Kudos ------------- You earn Kudos for performing the following maneuvers in races: MANEUVER DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 360 ................... Quickly spin around in a complete circle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air ................... Get all four wheels off the ground. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clean Section ......... Drive cleanly through a designated section. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cone Gate ............. Drive cleanly between two cones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overtake .............. Pass an opponent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overtake (Draft) ...... Draft behind a car, and then slingshot past it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Race Line ............. Maintain optimal speed when cornering by starting wide and cutting the inside edge of your turn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Brake Slide ......... Brake as you enter the corner, and then use the handbrake at the apex to break traction on the rear tires. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Braking Power Over .... Come into a corner at very high speed, and then step off the gass and turn sharply while braking. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Feint Drift ........... Turn gently out of the corner as you approach, and then turn sharply into the corner using the cars inertia to push the tires sideways across the track. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Braking Drift ......... Come into the corner too fast, and then apply the brake to transfer weight off of the rear tires. Apply power and countersteer to maintain the slide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Braking Feint ......... Turn gently out of the corner as you approach, and then turn sharply and brake heavily to initiate a drift. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power Feint ........... Turn gently out of the corner as you approach, and then turn sharply and apply a lot of power. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two Wheels ............ Get two wheels off of the ground. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Combo Bonus ........... Link moves together before your Kudos Stash moves to your Kudos Bank. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top Speed ............. Be the fastest player in a Multiplayer event, and receive a Kudos bonus at the end of the race. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Concept Cars ---------------- NAME MANUFACTURER NEEDED TO UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mustang GT-R Concept ........... Ford ................ 10,000 Kudos GT-R Concept ................... Nissan .............. 50,000 Kudos Sixteen ........................ Cadillac ............ 90,000 Kudos Supercar Concept ............... Ford ................ 120,000 Kudos Shelby GR-1 Concept ............ Ford ................ 160,000 Kudos GT-One ......................... Toyota .............. 230,000 Kudos GT90 Concept ................... Ford ................ 300,000 Kudos Shelby Cobra Concept ........... Ford ................ 390,000 Kudos SuperCar Concept ............... RUF ................. 475,000 Kudos and Rank 1 ================= -= Credits =- ================= What are Credits? ----------------- Credits are the currency in Project Gotham Racing 3. You earn credits by participating in races. You receive more credits depending on how you place and the difficulty the event was set at. You can also earn a lot of credits by winning tournaments. Once you have credits, you spend them. You purchase cars with credits. =============================================================================== ----- Cities and Cars -------------------- (C0205) =============================================================================== ================ -= Cities =- ================ Catch the sights of the world's most cosmopolitan cities as you hurtle through the streets of Las Vegas, London, New York City, and Tokyo in PGR 3. Las Vegas --------- Fly by the fountains of Bellagio, and powerslide past the pirate ships at Treasure Island as you accelerate your way up and down one of the world's most famous stretches of blacktop--the Las Vegas Strip. London ------ Most of the PGR 3 London race routes send you zooming past famous landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Admiralty Arch, and the London Eye. New York City ------------- Cross the East River more quickly than any real-world commuter ever has as you race across the Brooklyn Bridge as though it's a long straightaway (and in this case, it is). Give your regards to Broadway as you high-tail it through Times Square. Tokyo ----- Feel the freedom as you fishtail and then fly by the front of the Shinjuku police station. Make the crowds gathered around the Nishiguchi Bus Stops wish they didn't have to use public transportation as they watch you accelerate past them. Nürburgring ----------- While you may ejoy your sightseeing in some cities, you'll need to turn all your attention to the track when you take on Germany's Nürburgring. Nicknamed the "Green Monster," Nürburgring is considered by many to be the toughest and most demanding race track in the world. ============== -= Cars =- ============== PGR 3 sets a new standard for speed. Every vehicle in the game was chosen for its ability to meet a minimum speed bar of at least 170 mph. If it's slower than 170, why bother? Where to Find the Cars ---------------------- When you start Gotham Career mode for the first time, you have a starting number of credits you can use to buy your first car. After you start buying more cars as you earn more credits, you can organize them into groups using the multiple available garages. You can view your entire car collection in one place by choosing "Achievements" on the "Main Menu", and then choosing "Cars". What Powers PGR 3 ----------------- The combined price and performance stats for all of the 75-plus cars featured in PGR 3 add up to some pretty impressive totals. For example, in the unlikely event you could track down and then purchase the real-world versions of each of the cars included in the game, you would need to write checks for a grand total of more than $22 million dollars (U.S.). And, what would you be getting for that kind of cash? - More than 400,000 cc's of total engine capacity - More than 41,000 horsepower - 710 cylinders - An average top speed of 196.7 mph =============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= III. Driving Maneuvers =- (C030A) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== This section will give you basic and advanced driving maneuvers and tips that will help you throughout the entire game. =============================================================================== ----- Manual or Automatic -------------------- (C0301) =============================================================================== This is a question many players ask and it's a very hard one to answer. It all depends what kind of player you are. Manual is very beneficial in that you have 100% control over the gear you're in which makes turns, accelerating, and beating everyone off the starting line much easier. With an automatic transmission, you still have a little control over the gear you're in, but it's very restricted. If you try to shift down to gear 4 while going 200+ mph, the car will automatically move back up to gear 6 almost instantaneously. Myself, I know very little about cars, but I'm sure their gears are somewhat similar to a bike's. I also did a bit of research (gotta love the internet). I'll explain to the best of my knowlege manual and automatic transmissions and hopefully help you decide what is best for you. First off, cars need transmissions thanks to the physics of the gasoline engine. Every engine has a maximum RPM (revolutions per minute) value that it can't go above with out exploding. Engines also have a certain RPM range where horsepower and torque are at their maximum. This is where you want to be for maximum performance--and this is where the gears come in. The only way to change the speed of your car while keeping your engine at its optimal RPM is with gears. The gears are used to increase or decrease the speed of rotation of your wheels, while your engine's RPM changes very little. Every car in Project Gotham Racing 3 has five or six gears. With a manual transmission you have to shift the gear manually every time. This gives you more control of your car. An automatic transmission will shift for you by monitoring how hard your engine is working and switching gears appropriately. Manual ------ I'll start off by saying that in PGR3, I prefer driving manual. If you think you're capable of shifting up and down all while braking, turning, and avoiding the lunatics that plague the online career, by all means do so. In my opinion, playing in manual makes the game more engaging, but I know that some people have trouble with it and may not be able to get good at it even with practice. If you can master shifting up and down manually, you _will_ be a better driver and achieve better times than if your car was automatic. This is because the automatic transmission doesn't always know the best time to shift. For example, some of the more powerful cars get a much better jump off of the starting line if you start in second gear rather than first. In these cars, the first gear should never be used. Your tires will spin way too fast and cause you to lose traction, therefore lose speed. Whenever you wreck your car, manual will allow you to make a much quicker recovery. When racing manual you can also shift down before a turn to control your speed and wheelspin while making the turn. A manual transmission also comes in handy in cone challenges. You can restrict your speed by staying in third or second gear during the whole race. This way you can hold the gas down and remain at the same speed. In cone challenges you do not want to drive fast because you risk hitting a cone or a wall. Manual takes a lot of practice to master, but does make a significant difference in your racing. Automatic --------- An automatic transmission is perfectly fine as well. You have to face the fact that a person of equal skill will outrace you every time if he's racing manual and you are automatic, but the difference is not huge at all. There are many great players who race perfectly fine with an automatic. If you don't like the thought of having to manually switch gears, then don't do it! If your car is set to automatic, you can manually shift, but only if the automatic transmission was about to shift for you anyways. For example, you can shift up just before you reach the redline on your speedometer and your transmission won't shift back down like it would if you tried to shift up to gear 3 while going 20 mph. Shifting down is really not doable. You can however, use the trick at the starting line. Shift up to second gear very early and your automatic transmission won't stop you, allowing you to get the jump on most people (if you're in the correct car). Choose whichever style suits you. The least you can do is try them both out and then make your decision. Neither transmission setting will make or break you, so just enjoy the game! =============================================================================== ----- At the Starting Line -------------------- (C0302) =============================================================================== The first few seconds of a race are very important ones. Starting a race off well is setting yourself up for a win. The same strategy at the starting line shouldn't be used in every race, however. Single Player ------------- The first few seconds at the starting line aren't as important in single player as they are in multiplayer. The AI is very predictable and in most cases, a mistake at the starting line in single player can be made up for later in the race. Alright, remember what I said in the "Manual or Automatic" section up above? There is a group of cars that will accelerate _much_ quicker off the starting line if you begin in 2nd gear instead of 1st. These cars are the powerful, top class cars. If you don't know if your car is one of these cars, then test it for yourself. Create a custom track that consists of a small straightaway. Race on that track and try once starting in 1st gear. Make sure you don't steer at all but just drive straight. Write down or remember your time. Then race again starting in 2nd gear. Whichever time was faster is the way you should go. If no one is in front of you at the starting line, you'll do fine and in most cases you'll pull away from the pack. If there are cars in front of you at the starting line, you have to be more careful. Depeding on the track, there may or not be room for you to squeeze through the cars up to the front. If there isn't room, it's likely that you will spin out trying because the AI cars are 5 ton monsters and don't budge. Wait few moments until the pack thins out and find a hole. Then prepare yourself for the first turn. Multiplayer ----------- This strategy is similar to the single player strategy, but there are a few difference since you're playing against real people. When playing multiplayer (online or not), things change quite a bit. There are people who can't drive and will knock you into the wall by accident. And there are those who know very well what they're doing and wipe you out on purpose. Use the same trick as you do in single player. If you have the correct type of car, start the race in gear 2. If you start out in the front of the group, you can do the same thing you do in multiplayer, burn rubber and leave everyone in the dust. But, chances are you started out smack dab in the middle of a group of nut house escapees. In this case, I suggest you lay off the throttle a little unless you're on a very wide track where you can go around easily. Even this is dangerous because there are those who like to see how many people they can take out and swerve from one side of the track to the other. If you think there is a chance you could get taken out, just be safe and stay a short distance behind everyone. Get ready for the first turn. It's going to be a nasty one. =============================================================================== ----- The First Turn (of Doom) -------------------- (C0303) =============================================================================== If you're in single player, you can omit the "of doom". Just make this turn like you would any other. The AI is predictable and follows a strict path. They also slow down a whole lot for turns. Multiplayer, like usual, is a different story. Keep the "of doom" and get ready for the worst moments of the race. The two best spots to be in as you approach the first turn are: first place and last place. Last place is generally more safe, but a good driver can make it through easily while in first (unless there is an enraged lunatic out for your blood behind you. In that case, just brace yourself). If you're in first place, whatever you do, don't make a wide turn. Let's say the first turn is a right turn. Drive along the right wall and slow down as you approach the turn. Make to turn as quick as possible as to get out of the way of the nut jobs who are about to come flying into the wall because they lost their brake button. You don't have to nail the turn beautifully, just make sure you get out of the way before anything else. It should look something like this: _.----------------------------------- _.-` ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ,` ^ ,` ^ / ^ | ^ | ^ _.-------------------------- | ^ ,` | ,` | ^ / | ^ | | ^ | | ^ | | ^ | | ^ | Hitting the left wall after you make the turn isn't desireable, but if you think you're about to get rammed from behind, don't brake as much and go ahead and hit the wall. It's much better than the alternative. Please note that you should only perform a turn like this if you're at risk of getting hit from behind. Turning like this isn't the quickest way to make a turn. You will learn more about regular turns in the next section. If you're in last place and approaching the turn, you'll probably end up making the turn just like above. The wrecks tend to happen on the back wall. If you're in last place what you really have to do is improvise. Just look for the open hole and squeeze through all the other cars. It's easier said than done. It just takes a lot of practice. If you're not in first place or last place, you're somewhere in the middle. And all I can say to you is good luck. You should still avoid wide turns at all costs. Follow the route shown above. The difficulty is getting out of the way of the people behind you while avoiding those in front of you. If you do happen to get caught in a mess at the first turn and come to a nearly dead stop. Remember that the powerful cars do best in 2nd gear when at low speeds. Shifting up manually will also help you recover quickly. =============================================================================== ----- Perfecting the Turns -------------------- (C0304) =============================================================================== Turns seem to be what people have trouble with the most (which is expected, because everything that is not a turn is a straightaway). The thing is, turns are quite simple. Most people have trouble because they're simply going too fast as they try to make a turn. What they don't realize is that you lose more speed hitting the wall or drifting than you would if you slowed down and made the turn nice and easy. Approaching the Turn -------------------- Most important is how you approach a turn. If it's a right turn you want to approach on the left side of the road and if it's a left turn you want to approach on the right. If you're driving manual, shift down before you make the turn. You want to be in the appropriate gear depending on the speed you'll be at upon completing the turn. You'll almost always be shifting down to gear 2, 3, or 4 depending on how sharp the turn is. You will shift to gear 2 for the sharpest turns and gear 4 for the small bends in the road. Once you've shifted, your car will immediately begin to slow down. If you are getting close to the turn and are coming in too fast, gently push on the brake. As you get better and more familiar with the tracks and its turns you will be waiting until the last moment to shift down and break so you can stay at higher speeds longer. You need to be careful doing that though because it could cause you to lose control of your car. If you are driving in automatic, instead of shifting down you will have to rely completely on your brakes to slow down. During the Turn --------------- Now you're prepared for the turn. To get through the turn as quick as possible you want to avoid hitting any walls or other cars even if it means slowing down more than usual. Also, _do not drift_. You may like to slide around a corner leaving 50 foot black marks across the track, but it's only slowing you down. If your tires are squealing, that means you've lost a lot of your traction. So holding onto the gas while sliding is doing very little because your tires aren't gripping the pavement. To keep from drifting around corners, do not use the brakes while turning (especially not the e-brake) unless you're going to hit the outside wall if you don't. Also, do not hold down the gas. Turning while flooring the gas pedal will most likely cause your tires to spin. When that happens, you've lost traction and a drift will follow shortly after. So you know what not to do. What do you want to do once you reach the turn is ease off of the throttle and turn toward the apex of the corner. Drive as close to it as possible without hitting it. The following is what a turn should look like (with the apex labeled): _.----------------------------------- _.-` ^ ^ ,` ^ ,` / ^ | ^ | ^ _.-------------------------- | ^ ,` | ^ ,` | ^ / | ^ | | | Apex | ^ | | | |^ | |^ | |^ | |^ | |^ | This is the quickest route around the corner. This path may look a little different depending on your car and how sharp it can turn. As you're making the turn, don't hold down on the gas or the brakes. Tap the gas if you think you can do so without getting too much speed and hitting the outside wall on your way out. Gently tapping the brakes is ok too, but only if you think you're going too fast and are going to hit the outside wall on your way out of the turn. Don't hold down the gas until you're completely out of the turn and your car is parallel with the track. If you hit the gas too early you will begin to drift. If you do start to drift on your way out of the turn, let go of the gas for just a moment. This will stop your wheels from spinning and cause them to regrip the road. Then you can floor it. Hairpin Turns ------------- Many people have trouble with hairpin turns. They may seem tricky at first, but you use the same strategy as you would any other turn. You need to approach the turn on the outside wall, cut in toward the apex, and then exit along the outside wall again. What hurts most people on hairpin turns is that they don't realize just how much you have to slow down to perform this turn smoothly and in the smallest amount of time. Take a look at the picture below. __...-`-...__ _.-` `-._ _.-` `-._ ,` `. ,` `. / | ^ | | ^ _._ ^ | | ^ ,` | `. ^ | | ,` | `. | | ^ / | ^ | | | | | | | ^ | Apex | ^ | | | | | |^ | | ^| |^ | | ^| |^ | | ^| |^ | | ^| |^ | | ^| |^ | | ^| Like every other turn, you don't want to drift. Most of the time, people don't slow down enough for hairpin turns and they end up drifting. Some people drift purposely and make the turn very wide. That's when I follow the route shown above and pass them easily. S-Turn ------ This turn looks just like the letter "S" (hence, the name "S-Turn"). Since these can sometimes be tricky, I figured it deserved a spot in here. Here is what they look like as well as the route you should take through them in the smallest amount of time. | ^| | | | ^ | Apex ^ ; ; _____________.` ^ / ,` / ,` ^ / / / | ^__________.` | ,` | ^,` | / | ^ | | | Apex | ^ | | | | ^ | | | |^ | This is the general shape of an S-Turn. There will be different variations, but you get the picture. As you can see, the route you take almost looks like a straight line. This is how you reduce your final time by tenths of a second. It all adds up in the end if you make every turn perfectly. Like every other turn you've learned about, slowing down in preparation is a must. If you're coming into an S-Turn and there is another car in front of you, be watching to see if they make a mistake. If they do, it's going to be difficult making it around them, so prepare yourself. There isn't much space in an S-Turn to move around. =============================================================================== ----- The Straightaways -------------------- (C0306) =============================================================================== Although a fairly simple part of a race, it still deserves its own section. There are many things you should be doing during a straightaway. First, if you know what comes after the straightaway, prepare for it by getting on the appropriate side of the road. For example, if a turn is coming up, get on the outside of the turn. Since you're not doing much on a straightaway, you should focus on shifting. If you're driving manual, keep your attention on the rev line. You can also shift up manually if you're driving automatic, so do that if you wish. You should be shifting up just a moment before your red bar crosses the black mark on your rev line. To shave fractions of a second off of your time, tap the e-brake the same time you shift up. Don't ask me how it works, but it causes you to not lose as much speed with each shift. This is called the "shift glitch". Straightaways are also the perfect time to pass people. If you nail the turn that comes just before the straightaway, it will give you the chance to gain on someone in front of you who didn't pull the turn off so well. If you do find yourself behind someone on a straightaway, try to draft behind them for more speed, then slingshot past them. Be careful if you are trying to pass someone and then the turn comes up. Trying to make a turn while alongside someone could get messy. I would let up on the throttle just a bit and let them go ahead of you to avoid a collision. See how they make the turn and you may be about to squeeze ahead of them if they don't know what they're doing. Finally, when on a straightaway, turns usually catch people off guard and they end up smashing into the back wall of the turn. Study the maps and get to know all of the corners. Until then, keep a close eye on your mini map on the left side of your screen. =============================================================================== ----- Performing Drifts -------------------- (C0305) =============================================================================== Ah yes, drifts. They are always fun, but aren't very practical when you're looking to get through a track as fast as possible. You will use drifts in the following events: Time vs. Kudos, Cone Challenge, and Drift Challenge. All of these events require earning Kudos to succeed. Until I began writing this section, all I knew about drifting was that you hit the brake or floor the gas pedal to break traction and slide. I knew there were different types of drifts, but I never paid much attention to what they were, so I'm learning a bit from writing this. I will try to describe how to perform all of the types of drifts. E-Brake Slide ------------- This is one of the easier drifts to perform. The difficulty with the E-Brake Slide is that it is also easy to lose control while performing it. The e-brake is a very dangerous thing. To perform the E-Brake Slide, get some speed and then let go of the gas. Hold the e-brake down just for a split second while turning the wheel. This should get you sliding. You can keep doing this back and forth down the track; just keep turning left and right and alternating the gas and the e-brake. Don't hit the gas and the e-brake at the same time though. Also, don't hold the e-brake down for too long. If you do, chances are you'll lose control. The E-Brake Slide is key during Cone Challenges because it's a very easy drift to do in between cone gates. If you can master it, it can be controlled very well. Braking Power Over ------------------ This one is a little tricky. After at least an hour of messing around on the Half F1 Circuit, I have finally figured this drift out. Every time I tried to perform it, the game always said I was doing a Braking Drift. Now I know why. To perform the Braking Power Over you have to let go of the gas while driving. Then hit the brakes while driving straight. Right _after_ you hit the brakes, turn the wheels left or right while holding the brakes down. This should register correctly only if you turn after holding the brakes for a moment. Do not begin to brake at the same moment you turn or it will show up as Braking Drift. Braking Drift ------------- The Braking Drift is achieved by getting some speed and then hitting the brakes while turning sharply. The difference between this and the Braking Power Over is that with the Braking Drift, you have to begin braking and turn at the same time. You will also perform a Braking Drift if you begin to turn first and then hit the brakes. Power Over ---------- To perform a Power Over, you have to abuse the gas pedal. Make sharp turns while holding the gas or the gas and the brake at the same time. Basically, any drift that is caused while holding the gas is a Power Over. Feint Drift ----------- To perform a Feint Drift you get some speed and then let go of the gas. Do not touch the brakes at all. Turn the car from side to side which will cause the car to drift if you're moving fast enough. This is because when you turn sharply to one side, the car's inertia begins moving that way. If you turn sharply in the other direction shortly after, the car will face that direction, but its inertia will still want to move in the previous direction. Therefore the car moves in one direction, but is facing another direction. Braking Feint ------------- This is difficult to do when you actually want to do it. This is a mix between the Braking Drift and the Feint Drift. Basically, you want to swerve the car to get its inertia moving in one direction, then swerve in the opposite direction and slam on the brakes as you turn. If you don't do it right, it will just read as a Braking Drift. Making it a feint can be difficult, but it all has to do with your car's inertia. Power Feint ----------- This is very similar to the Braking Feint. It's a mix between the Power Over and the Feint Drift. You let go of the gas and then swerve the car to get its inertia moving in that direction. Then quickly swerve the car in the opposite direction and floor the gas pedal to spin the wheels and hopefully begin sliding. Like the Braking Feint, this is difficult to do. It may help if you're moving slowly so your tires will actually begin to spin when you hit the gas. Being in a low gear will also help. =============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= IV. Solo Career =- (C040A) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== =============================================================================== ----- Race Types -------------------- (C0401) =============================================================================== ====================== -= Timed Events =- ====================== Hot Lap ------- You race a single lap alone. Complete the lap within the specified time to complete the event. The chart will show the amount of time you have to complete the lap depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you choose. Timed Run --------- The clock will begin at a certain number and tick down. Complete the race before the time runs out to complete the event. The chart will show you the amount of time you have to complete the race depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you chose. Breakthrough ------------ When you start the race, you are given a certain amount of time to cross through a set number of checkpoints. Cross through them all before the time runs out to complete the event. The number of checkpoints you have to pass through is the same for all car classes and difficulties. The chart will show you the amount of time you start the race with depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you choose. Time vs. Kudos -------------- You start off with a certain amount of time to reach the finish line. Earn kudos to stop the clock. Reach the finish line before the time runs out to complete the event. The chart will show you the amount of time you start the with depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you choose. ======================= -= Racing Events =- ======================= Street Race ----------- Race against multiple opponents while trying to cross the finish line while in the target position. The chart will show you the target position depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you choose. One-on-One ---------- Race against a single opponent. Whoever makes it to the finish line first is the winner. Depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you chose, your opponent will be more or less difficult. Eliminator ---------- Race against multiple opponents through multiple laps on a circuit. The last car to complete each lap is eliminated from the race. Be the last car on the track to complete the event. ====================== -= Style Events =- ====================== Cone Challenge -------------- Navigate through a series of cone gates and make it to the finish line within the specified time limit. Earn a certain amount of Kudos by the time you reach the finish line to complete the event. The chart will show you the amount of Kudos you have to earn depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you choose. Drift Challenge --------------- Earn a target number of Kudos by performing drifts on a short section of track within a target time limit. The chart will show you how many Kudos you the amount of Kudos you have to earn depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you choose. Overtake Challenge ------------------ Pass a target number of cars within the specified time limit. The chart will show you how many cars you have to pass and how much time you have to pass them depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you choose. Speed Challenge --------------- Drive past the speed camera while traveling at or above a target speed. The chart will show you the speed you have to be traveling as you pass the camera depending on the class of the car you're driving and the difficulty you choose. =============================================================================== ----- The Difficulties -------------------- (C0402) =============================================================================== Novice ------ Easy ---- Medium ------ Hard ---- Hardcore -------- =============================================================================== ----- Tournament Locator Guide -------------------- (C0403) =============================================================================== _______________________________________________________________________________ To jump directly to a tournament: - Find the tournament you need in the list below. - Highlight the search code that corresponds with the tournament. - Press Control + C. - Press Control + F. - Press Control + V. _______________________________________________________________________________ TOURNAMENT CITY SEARCH CODE ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regent St. Speed Festival .................. London ............... (T01) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whitehall Walk Style Cup ................... London ............... (T02) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vegas Strip Race Series ................... Las Vegas ............ (T03) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vegas Cones & Cameras Cup .................. Las Vegas ............ (T04) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manhattan Time Trial ....................... New York ............. (T05) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Downtown Showdown Cup ...................... New York ............. (T06) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stopwatch Timed Tournament ................. World ................ (T07) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horseguards Championship ................... London ............... (T08) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Midnight Racing Series ..................... New York ............. (T09) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- NY Open Bridge Series ...................... New York ............. (T10) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Breakneck World Tour ....................... World ................ (T11) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shinjuku Street Cup ........................ Tokyo ................ (T12) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nightfall World Tour ....................... World ................ (T13) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tokyo Drivers Trophy ....................... Tokyo ................ (T14) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eliminator World Cup ....................... World ................ (T15) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steamroller Tour Championship .............. World ................ (T16) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oedo Style Series .......................... Tokyo ................ (T17) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Tyreburn Tournament .................. World ................ (T18) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nürburgring Time Trial Tournament .......... Nürburgring .......... (T19) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Elite Speed Championship ............. World ................ (T20) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nürburgring Super-Series ................... Nürburgring .......... (T21) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Endurance Eliminator ................. World ................ (T22) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nürburgring Endurance Cup .................. Nürburgring .......... (T23) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== ----- Tournament List -------------------- (C0404) =============================================================================== =================================== -= Regent St. Speed Festival =- (T01) =================================== +--------------+ | City: London | +--------------+ "The creme de la creme of cars in the glorious city of London." _______________________________________________________________________________ | City: London 1. Street Race | Track: Her Majesty's Pleasure __________________| Laps: 3 Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- All Classes | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- All Classes | 7,500CR | 9,000CR | 10,500CR | 12,750CR | 15,000CR ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ | City: London 2. Street Race | Track: Embankment Rush __________________| Laps: 3 Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- All Classes | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- All Classes | 7,500CR | 9,000CR | 10,500CR | 12,750CR | 15,000CR ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- _______________________________________________________________________________ ================================== -= Whitehall Walk Style Cup =- (T02) ================================== +--------------+ | City: London | +--------------+ "A minor tournament on easy tracks through the heart of London." _______________________________________________________________________________ | City: London 1. Speed Challenge | Track: Down the Mall ______________________| Laps: N/A Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Class A | 90.1 MPH | 101.6 MPH | 124.4 MPH | 127.0 MPH | 129.5 MPH ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Class B | 86.6 MPH | 97.6 MPH | 119.5 MPH | 122.0 MPH | 125.5 MPH ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Class C | 79.5 MPH | 89.6 MPH | 109.7 MPH | 112.0 MPH | 113.8 MPH ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Class D | 75.9 MPH | 85.6 MPH | 104.8 MPH | 107.0 MPH | 119.5 MPH ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Class E | 73.5 MPH | 82.8 MPH | 101.5 MPH | 103.6 MPH | 108.5 MPH ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- All Classes | 4,000CR | 4,800CR | 5,600CR | 6,800CR | 8,000CR ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ | City: London 2. Overtake | Track: Embankment Rush _______________| Laps: N/A Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- All Classes | 3 Cars in | 4 Cars in | 5 Cars in | 6 Cars in | 7 Cars in | 3:00.00 | 3:00.00 | 3:00.00 | 3:00.00 | 3:00.00 ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- All Classes | 6,250CR | 7,500CR | 8,750CR | 10,625CR | 12,500CR ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ | City: London 3. Cone Challenge | Track: Her Majesty's Pleasure _____________________| Laps: 1 Novice Easy Medium Hard Hardcore ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- All Classes | 375K | 750K | 1500K | 7500K | 16000K ------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------- Novice Easy