Super GT/Scud Race FAQ and
Driver's Manual
For the Sega AM2 Arcade Game released in 1997
Compiled by Mark Kim (Vesther Fauransy)
Revision A.2.5b
Date of Completion: November 16, 1999, 3:20 PM, CST
Date of Public Release: November 16, 1999, 3:20 PM, CST
Copyright Information
---------------------
Unpublished work trademarked and copyrighted 1997-1999 by Mark Kim.
All Rights Reserved.
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Currently, this document is being maintained and is the sole property
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ALL APPLICABLE copyright and trademark laws, patent laws, and
international treaties. YOU MUST TREAT THIS DOCUMENT LIKE YOU WOULD
WITH ANY OTHER COPYRIGHT MATERIAL SUCH AS ADOBE INDESIGN BY ADOBE
SYSTEMS, INC. Remember any breach of copyright, trademark, and/or
patents (which includes but not limited to plagiarism, stealing, laming,
pirating, or otherwise) and failure to adhere to ALL PARTS of this
disclaimer may violate all applicable laws resulting in severe civil
and criminal penalties, which is punishable through prosecution under
the maximum possible under the law.
Mark Kim acknowledges and respects all copyrights, patents (pending
or not), and trademarks whether if it's mentioned or not somewhere
in either the FAQ Text File and/or site as no copyright infringement
was intended. If for any reason I MUST USE any copyrighted resource,
then credit will be given at the Acknowledgements Section for the
common part.
Proper credit MUST be given if for any reason you MUST use any or all
of this text document for your own purposes. If for any reason I MUST
use any material from any other source than mine, then I will credit
the originator commonly at the Acknowledgements section.
If for any reason you do not agree and/or adhere to all of this legal
disclaimer, then you should not use the Text Document.
Super GT, Scud Race, Dolphin Tunnel, Mystery Ruins, Twilight Airport,
Classic Castle, the scenery depicted in the tracks, and all-other Scud
Race and Super GT-related properties are registered trademarks and
copyrights of Sega and AM2. All Rights Reserved. AM2 is a registered
trademark and copyright of Sega, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. The VR
Buttons, Virtua Reality, and all other Virtua-related events are
registered trademarks and copyrights of Sega and AM2. All Rights
Reserved. The Dodge Viper GTS-R is a trademark and a copyright of
the Chrysler Motor Corporation. All Rights Reserved. McLaren F1,
McLaren F1 GTR, and all other McLaren related properties are registered
trademarks and copyrights of McLaren Cars, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Porsche 911, Porsche 911 GT2, and all other Porsche-related material
depicted in this game are registered trademarks and copyrights of
Porsche Cars, LTD and Porsche of North America. All Rights Reserved.
Ferrari F40, Ferrari F50, and all other Ferrari-related material
depicted in this game are registered trademarks and copyrights of
Ferrari, Inc and Ferrari of North America. All Rights Reserved. The
racing nature is a registered trademark and copyright of the BPR
Organisation. All Rights Reserved. This document was created by Mark
Kim in solemn respect to all Sega, AM2, Ferrari, McLaren, BPR, Porsche,
and Chrysler Properties as no copyright infringement was intended.
I'll make this clear: This document is MINE and there is NO UNAUTHROIZED
USE of this document at any cost!!! I didn't create this document so
that some lamer will come around and steal this work and/or have a Gaming
Mag Company (namely EGM, who's been making blood money from some Tekken 3
FAQs back in 1997) print this document into a magazine. NO MONETARY
COMPENSATION CAN BE MADE FROM THIS DOCUMENT AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
In addition, some prick from the Ziff-Davis/Sendai Publishing Group (that's
the same company that has been making blood money through plagiarism)
requested that I write down a Resident Evil 3 Walkthrough for their EGM,
Expert Gamer, and Official PlayStation Magazines!!! I NEVER, EVER, EVER
CREATE CRAP MONEY OUT OF MY WORKS and I WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER do it, so
why should you create money out of your works when you can show your
potential for free?
A FINAL WARNING TO ZIFF-DAVIS: DON'T EVEN ASK ME TO WRITE FOR ANY OF YOUR
MAGAZINES BECAUSE I HAVE NO WILL TO DO SO!!! YOU'VE CAUSED ENOUGH DAMAGE
DURING THE TEKKEN 3 ERA. NOW NO MORE!!! Leave the FAQ Writers alone.
========================================================================
HISTORY OF THIS FAQ
As much as I try, I will try to recap what the hell has been going on
throughout the FAQ's history.
Late Summer 1997
----------------
I had insufficient data regarding about Super GT/Scud Race as of this
time because that time I TOTALLY SUCKED in the game. I had to visit
Christopher Tan's Planet Scud Race (http://www.cybertroopers.com) site
as well as habitually read the July 1997 Issue of Tips and Tricks which
indeed has coverage regarding about Super GT, the magazine that I took
my knowledge and reference from. Overtime, I began to develop new and
more personalized strategies as I played the game more and more at
Dave and Buster's at Addison, IL (though I shouldn't be spending too
much on Video Games, though).
Fall 1997
---------
I was shocked when Michael P. Wolff (lancer1963@juno.com) accused me
of driving like Helen Keller as he tried to tell me what the right way
to win in the Twilight Airport Course was (Beginner=Night). Right there
I had to commence a fix on the Twilight Airport section of the game.
Late Fall 1997
--------------
I began to receive lots of e-mail with regards of having to add even
more advanced strategies regarding about Super GT/Scud Race. Some of
the e-mailers told me that they were proud to mirror my Super GT FAQ
while others told me that Yu Suzuki had little or nothing to do with
Super GT at all (Kevin Williams). At first, I thought that Yu Suzuki
was the head honcho of all of AM2's arcade releases. Later, I found
out that it was Toshihiro Nagoshi (who also was in charge of Daytona
USA, Daytona USA 2, and Virtua Racing) who supervised this game under
the guidance of the BPR Organisation.
From January to June 1998
-------------------------
I was told by a lot of people to show KMH figures instead of MPH figures
but in order to make this document user-friendly, I decided to place
MPH and KMH figures at the same time. Also, there was one person who
wanted me to "cut and paste" the section regarding about the Scud Race
Plus Upgrade that failed because of the outrageous cost and the poor
creation of the background on this high-speed track called Test Course.
Final Update (but I lied)
-------------------------
I have managed to become a better Super GT/Scud Race player than I was
yesterday, though I have halted playing Super GT because now I'm more
into Daytona USA and Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge. Although I am
still behind of these players: Christopher Tan, Tirah Dragonfire, One-
Shot, Wendy Tobagus, and other crazed players who can take on the sharp
turns with ludicrous techniques, I have went a long way to become a
respectively good Super GT/Scud Race Player. The Scud Race Plus Section
has been removed because IT HAS NEVER been released at the Chicagoland
Area, which where I am located at. I'm still gonna be crediting Tips
and Tricks, July 1997 Issue for being the basis of my expertise in the
game.
Reason for Version 5.5 (July 23, 1999)
--------------------------------------
Many things have changed ever since I have to rely on Christopher Tan
and Tips and Tricks Magazine for the best Scud Race/SGT tips on the
planet.
Tips and Tricks have a good set of guidelines imprinted from their
July 1997 issue of their magazine. However, I don't find their
strategies that useful mainly because it isn't targeted to a specific
car.
Also, I thought that Cybertroopers.com and some hardcore SGT players
were being ridiculous because it's nearly impossible to complete the
technical tracks using the McLaren F1. However, I was wrong. Even
hellish-hard times found at Cybertroopers.com and at the Japanese
Gamest Magazine CAN BE ACHIEVED. The only way you can do that is by
using the McLaren F1. Japan somewhat has a good feel of the wheel and
the gas as well as the brake. That's why games are a way of life at
Japan.
Well, more about Version 5.5 later.
November 16, 1999
-----------------
Legal Mumbo-Jumbo fixed a bit. In the tradition of all Daytona USA 2
FAQs that I have created, I have created a Miniature version of this
work. Basically, the miniature version of this work excludes all the
basics and only includes the track-specific strategies from this file.
========================================================================
CONTENTS
- Newsflash
- Reasons for Update
- What is SGT/Scud Race
- Model 3 Step 1.5
- The Controls
* The Gas Pedal
* The Steering Wheel
* The Brakes
* The Four-Gear Shifter
* The Virtua Reality Viewpoint Adjust Buttons
- The Basics
* Wheelbase
* "Slipping and Sliding"
* Manual Transmission
* The barriers and the grass
* The Drones
* Slowing Down
* Rocket Start
* Real Players Only
- Virtua Reality Viewpoints
* VR1
* VR2
* VR3
* VR4
* Hidden Viewpoints
- The Cars
* Porsche 911 (For Beginner)
* Ferrari F40 (For Intermediate)
* Dodge Viper (For Advanced)
* McLaren F1 (For Expert)
- Types of Racing and Tips for better racing
- Maintenance Instructions
- The Tracks
* General Comments
* Dolphin Tunnel (Beginner=Day)
* Twilight Airport (Beginner=Night)
* Mystery Ruins (Medium)
* Classic Castle (Expert)
- The Do's and Dont's
- How to suggest fixes
- Linking to GameFAQs and Verasnaship.Net
- References of this FAQ
- Acknowledgements
========================================================================
NEWSFLASH
As always, newer versions of this FAQ can be found first at my own web
site located at http://www.verasnaship.net. If you have any fixes or
any other tralala you want to share with me, then use the convenient
e-mail form at http://www.verasnaship.net/emailme.html.
WARNING: http://www.cybertroopers.com is not on the Internet and if
you have any questions why it's out, then please e-mail me. I'm not
sure why this site no longer exists.
This document, like all Video Game FAQs on the Internet, must be
viewed in a monotype font or the alignment will not be correct. If
the alignment isn't correct for any reason, then please follow these
procedures:
1. On Netscape Communicator, click on Edit, then Preferences.
2. Click on Fonts at the Appearance Section
3. At the Fixed Width Font, select Courier New, and select size 10
point font.
4. If you see this sample bulk of writing aligned correctly, please
proceed:
1234567890
**********
It is strongly advisable that you *do* view this document through
the DOS Application Edit.COM or through the Apple Text Viewer SimpleText
for alignment purposes. If you are planning to view this through
the Windows Interface, then you are highly advised to open up WordPad
and then open up the Text File. Set the font face to Courier New and
set the font size to 10.
========================================================================
REASONS FOR UPDATE IN A LONG TIME
Many things have changed ever since I have first created my own Scud
Race/Super GT FAQ for the Sega AM2 Arcade Game. That time I was a
beginner loving things "Turn hard and go full speed ahead style". But
with the help of Jarno Kokko, Cybertroopers.com, Eugene Moon, and Tips
and Tricks Magazine, I've changed myself ever since.
Some of the information I've been looking at Tips and Tricks had a lot
of bugs and therefore I tried to rectify about everything so that this
free-of-charge document would be free from bugs. Also, since Chris
Tan insisted using the McLaren with Manual, I realized that reading
Tips and Tricks Magazine, that the key in Super GT/Scud Race is to
maintain control of the worst turns without any unneeded slowing down.
There was a guy named Michael P. Wolff who told me that I drove like
Helen Keller mainly because of the information I had from the document
that time. Although McLaren that time claimed that you can reach 231
mph (372 km/h) with the road-legal F1, he told me that the best he
ever reached at Twilight Airport is 215 mph (350 km/h).
Also, One-Shot told me that using the McLaren was an important skill.
That time I favored the Porsche 911 mainly because of its high
downforce and high stability. When I got a 2'34"85 on the Classic
Castle Track (49"85 is my best lap on that track) using the McLaren MT,
I felt like I've graduated from the Porsche at last.
IMHO Version 5.0 has AN AWFUL AMOUNT OF BUGS and lots of inaccurate
information as YOU CAN complete the track with Manual Transmission
(though it's a lot harder to master than in Daytona or Daytona 2). Also,
the McLaren (though it feels like ice on the technical tracks) CAN BE
USED TO BLOW THE COMPETITION AWAY WITH ITS SMOOTH TORQUE CURVE!!!!!
All it takes to tame the McLaren is to know when's the best time to slow
down and what you are doing.
While Cybertroopers.com had some good guidelines about the cars, there
was no tips about the tracks mainly because of the 25MB Web Space Limit
handicap. I feel sorry for this because this unique domain deserves
more web space than that! Also, they may need at least 1GB of Bandwidth
a day so that their site is guaranteed to be functional all of the time.
For the tips and the Car Descriptions, I recommend that you read them
all over and over again because there may or may not be changes ever
since Version 5.0.
Also to note from http://www.mclarencars.com: The Real-World McLaren
F1 has reached a robust top speed of 240.14 mph (385 km/h)!!! This
car definitely beats even the fastest Italian Cars, namely the Bugatti.
See McLaren Cars Online at http://www.mclarencars.com.
Enough rambling. Enjoy the updates.
========================================================================
WHAT IS SUPER GT/SCUD RACE?
Scud Race (which is the original title for this game) is a Model 3,
linkable-for-multiplayer play, multitextured racing game created by AM2
under the direction of Toshihiro Nagoshi in association with the BPR
Organisation in an effort to bring awareness of BPR Racing everywhere
in the world. Although SCUD was supposed to mean Sports Car Ultimate
Driving, Sega released the game as Super GT in the United States in
March 1997 to avoid any negative connotation with the game (This was
because to many Americans Scud refers to the Scud Missiles during the
Gulf War). Like Virtua Racing and Daytona USA, the game features the
Virtua Reality Buttons for four distinctive viewpoints to variate the
playing enjoyment of one's self.
Like Daytona USA, the game is available in both 50-inch and 27-inch twin
cabinets. There's also a Seat Adjuster located at the bottom of the
seat to reduce any leg straining and back aching during game play. The
game shares the same seating stance as with Daytona USA, thus avoiding
any possible Back Pain, a disorder which the majority of Americans have
suffered.
Although Scud Race was created under the direct supervision of the BPR
Organisation, Toshihiro Nagoshi neither the BPR created this game by
themselves. An Engineer Contractor (Daytona USA was created with the
help of Martin Marietta Corporation, Super GT uses a different Engineer
Contractor) helped stached-in the realism part of the game using air
bladders, potentiometers to control the Gas Feed and Brake, and advanced
programming to help bring BPR Racing to life. Also, unlike Daytona USA
which strictly used American Stock Cars, Scud Race used four outrageously
expensive cars (Porsche 911, McLaren F1, Ferrari F40, Dodge Viper) to
variate the skill of driving. An advanced Stereo Surround helped Japanese
Music Superstar Hiroko Hamano supplement the background music for the
game.
Like all AM2 Driving games, Scud Race features a clutchless Manual Gear
Shift for hassle-free shifting. Although Scud Race/Super GT didn't earn
as much fire as Daytona USA did (Americans were more into Stock Car Racing
as forseen at Dave and Buster's at Addison, IL), Super GT is one helluva
worthwhile game to look at.
Yu Suzuki had little or nothing with the AM2 Racing Games which leaves
Toshihiro Nagoshi as the key player of ALL Racing Games. The only thing
Suzuki-san had in mind was the Powersliding thingy.
Scud Race/SGT is in other words, SLIDE CITY mainly because your tested
on being a competent driver throughout rather than on speed and handling.
========================================================================
MODEL 3 STEP 1.5
The Model 3 (Original) Board was created by Sega under the efforts of
AM2's Yu Suzuki as a followup to the Model 2 Type B Board, which sported
real-life texture mapping on the polygons of all Sega games for the first
time. This board boasted more RAM than both the Model 1 and 2 boards
combined, thus resulting in even faster gameplay, increased frame rate
per second, smoothened polygons, additional colors, a more powerful
processor for reduced slowdown and flickering in gameplay, and for the
first time in the Sega Model Series Boards: a Dolby Surround Sound
System. The Model 3 (Original) was capable of 60 frames accompanied by
1 million polygons per second, 640x480 Screen Resolution, 16-Bit High
Color, and 16-Bit Stereo Surround. A Strong Bass System furtherly
enhances the sound of the game.
Super GT used the Model 3 Step 1.5 board which was fixed to make the
Polygons invisible to the human eye. This helps preserve the detail
and respects the copyright of the many cars that are seen in the game.
Model 3 (any steps) are really expensive to produce, forcing a limited
display at Sega's Gameworks locations as well as high-end arcades. The
Naomi Board provides more muscle than the Model 3 Step 2 Board, but with
HIGHER AFFORDABILITY.
Boards used to power the AM2 Driving Games:
* Virtua Racing--Model 1
* Daytona USA--Model 2 Step 1
* Super GT--Model 3 Step 1.5
* Daytona USA 2--Model 3 Step 2
The Polygons are smoothened out surpassing the graphical richness of
even Virtua Fighter 3, which ran on Model 3 Step 1.
I heard all about the Model 3.1.5 at http://www.seganet.com.
========================================================================
THE CONTROLS
Steering Wheel
--------------
Control the steering of your car like you would in real life. Please
keep in mind that yanking the steering wheel too hard won't allow you
to turn quickly as opposed to Namco's Ace Driver or Ridge Racer so you
MUST PERSEVERE IN ORDER TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF THIS WHEEL. The wheel
is filled with a Reactionary Motor-Powered Recirculating Ball and Yank
Speed Sensors that enables the car to move realistically.
The key to effective steering is respect. The same goes with all other
Sega Racing Games (excluding Manx TT Superbike, Sega Rally 1 and 2,
and Harley Davidson and the LA Riders).
Gas Pedal
---------
Control the flow of the gas you will feed to your car. The more gas
you feed, the faster your car will go. The less gas you feed, the
slower your car will go. Sounds simple? Well, instead of having the
pedal go ON or OFF like Namco's Ridge Racer and Ace Driver did, Sega
has added potentiometers that simulate gas feed depending on how far
you press the pedal. You need to learn when it is the best time to
pedal to the metal and when it is not.
Brakes
------
The brakes allow you to cut down your speed in an attempt to force the
car into a complete stop. At nearly all situations, it's impossible to
slow down to a reasonable speed without hitting the brakes. As with the
gas pedal, the brakes are given potentiometers which reads on how far
the brake is pressed. The harder you press the brake, the more speed
you will cut. To get the most out of your playing strategy, place your
right foot on the gas, and the left foot on the brake.
Don't brake too hard or you will lose control. Braking with the gas
pressed is OK as long as it's done at a straight line. In order to
keep control with your car, you may need to release the gas and tap
the brake lightly.
Gearshift
---------
This is a clutchless gearshift you use to shift up and down depending on
the speed range you're at. Unlike Ridge Racer by Namco, you're allowed
to upshift and downshift without the use of the clutch. The only rule
I have when playing the game is not to touch this control unless you
are playing the game with the Manual Transmission. I'm saying this
because I'm getting sick and tired of seeing many ladies holding the
gearshift while they are playing in Automatic. Keep both hands on the
steering wheel at all times (THIS IS NOT RIDGE RACER OR ACE DRIVER!!!!).
Don't use this gearshift like you would with Daytona. This is a great
mistake made by many players. Before shifting down, release the gas
pedal, lightly tap brakes, shift down to decrease speed, softly turn
the steering wheel, and then shift back to 4th to straighten up the
car. If you shift down while the gas pedal is stepped on, you will
get a one-way ticket to a spectacular crash.
Virtua Reality Buttons
----------------------
You use these buttons to switch to a different viewpoint during gameplay.
These buttons are shared with Virtua Racing, Daytona USA 1 and 2, and
the Daytona 2 Power Edition. Since there are four different VR buttons,
each button has a different view.
Inside the Car: Hardest view to drive at because you don't know where
your rear-end is at. You only look at the area the nose of the car
is facing and you don't even know if you are spinning out or not. It
is also hard to see how much damage you have taken so use this view
at your own risk.
Inside the Driver's Wheel: Hard view to drive but you can see how much
damage is done to your front bumper. You don't know how much damage
you have taken at the other sides of the car so this view is pretty
much out.
Both VR1 and VR2 are unsuitable because you can't see the turns ahead
of time since at times the turns are blocked by high and low grades.
Just behind the Rear Bumper: Easy view to drive though you can't see
the turns as far as with VR4. You can see how much damage is being
done to your car as well as see how bad your slide is.
Behind the Rear Bumper Wide: Easiest view to get used to, you can see
the turns ahead of time and even make easier preparations to slow
down ahead of time. Just with VR3, driving experience is rather
poor but allows you to time your turns properly.
========================================================================
THE BASICS
Accelerating
------------
If you have been playing Virtua Racing or Daytona USA for quite a while,
then there is no need for further explanation (just skip this paragraph)
but if you are new to the Sega AM2 Racing industry, then let me tell you
what this means in my own words (OK so I may be repetitive already): You
accelerate faster if you hold the gas all the way down. The Gas Pedal's
Potentiometers depends on how much gas you will be feeding to the engine.
Try to get a feel of the Potentiometers as their will be times when you
should not be feeding in too much gas at sharp turns like the Bull's
Horn. The key to effective cornering is to determine how much gas you
can give without spinning out, or running off the course. Rapid-tapping
the gas will also save your car from hitting the wall so you will need
to know what's right and what's a no-no at certain points of the track.
The Potentiometers have been slightly adjusted so that it isn't as
sensitive as with Daytona USA.
Braking
-------
Braking occurs when you press the brake pedal at a given rate as per
the Brake Pedal's Potentiometers, resulting in quicker slowdowns than
by just either downshifting or releasing the gas pedal. You must know
how to use the brake in order to corner through hairpins without too
much drama. For the best of your driving, I suggest that you place
your left foot on the brake and the right foot on the gas. As with the
Gas Pedal, the further you press the brake, the more speed you will
cut down. There are two types of braking: Gased braking and free
braking. Gased braking occurs when you brake while the gas is pressed
all the way down. This isn't the best way to slow down because the
more gas you feed while you brake, the more control you will lose and
you will not corner well as opposed to braking while the foot is off
the gas. What I said just now is free braking. Free Braking results
in a greater loss of speed but sacrifices this for better cornering
towards hairpins, but you will have to be aware that you will be sliding
if you turn hard while free-braking. In order to corner effectively,
you must know how much gas and brake you can feed before you course-out.
Powersliding
------------
To many people, this is just called Sliding. Sliding occurs when you
release the gas, apply some brake, turn the wheel to the direction that
you want to slide hard, and corner. Powersliding is as important as cake
to master if you want to keep up with the competition (the majority of
them do *controlled* sliding). However, you must learn how to counter
bank the car while cornering or you may be spinning out and possibly
course-out. To powerslide without any blatant loss of speed and without
losing control. How to powerslide without coursing-out and without any
blatant loss of speed: Try to slow down AS YOU SEE THE CAUTION SIGNS
at the side of the track. Release the Gas Pedal and apply just the
right amount of brake. Yank the car at the desired direction you want
to slide hard, and almost immediately feed in the gas. Be sure that you
gradually counterbank the car to avoid spinning out. While sliding on
a bad corner, it's obvious that you don't feed in too much gas during
this time as overfeeding the gas while sliding may result in a course-
out. As the corner ends, finish up straightening up the car and don't
pedal to the metal until after the wheels stop burning. Please be warned
that the cars selectable in this game react differently when forced into
a powerslide. Powersliding is determined by these factors:
* Wheelbase
* Weight
* Downforce
* Chassis
* Weight Bias
If you compare all these cars in terms of sliding, you'll see that the
Porsche tends to correct any drifting tendencies very quickly while the
McLaren requires you to control the feed of the gas and the steering
during the slide at all times. Master all the cars preferrably in the
Beginner Courses in order to get used to the acceleration and handling
capabilities. BTW Engine Placement also determines the chances of a
car powersliding and powerslide recovery.
However, there are many ways to powerslide:
* Release the gas, lightly tap brakes, yank wheel, step on gas.
* Tap the brake, yank wheel, tap on gas.
* Release the gas, downshift to 3 or 2 (WARNING: If you downshift while
your foot is on the gas, then you will lose control), softly steer,
tap on the gas.
The Barrier and the Grass
-------------------------
Although Beginners tend to consider the clock as their worst enemy,
overtime, the Barriers and the Grass tend to pose the greatest threat
in the game. Basic stuff: Stay off them. The barriers will violently
cut your speed by a determined fraction and will wear out your tires,
thus making traction lousier than before. The grass, if you happen to
touch it (I call this touching of the ladies), will cut your speed
rapidly but gradually, costing a problematic time delay. Sadly, the
grass can also make your car much harder to control by burning up your
tires and shaking up your shock absorbers all of a sudden. The good
news is that with lots of skill, you can avoid them. Try to finish up
a race without any contact with the grass. This will mean that you
are able to finish up a track without any mistakes at all.
Also, to state about the grass, you will lose control if you happen to
step on it. These exotic cars can't take that much punishment as
opposed to the American Stock Cars.
The Drones
----------
Drones may pose a threat but are not as problematic as with Daytona
USA and Daytona USA 2. Fronting up a drone will cut your speed by a
determined fraction and will give the drone a speed boost. Touching
the drones will cut down your accleration, thus overheating the
engine. Don't try to touch the drones (although they are rather
lenient as I can think about). Sometimes they tend to be reluctant
for you to pass. If this occurs at a corner, try to find a way where
you can do out-and-in without any contact with the drones. And it's
possible if you overrear the drones, some drones may be forced to
retire, but drive a clean race. Tailgating (Lining up your car at
the same line as your opponent is at to milk up speed) and overtaking
(Moving out of the way as you pass the drone after Tailgating) may not
be effective as with Daytona USA/Daytona USA 2, so keep that in mind.
Manual Transmission
-------------------
Automatic Transmission is easier to use than Manual but lacks the
strategy, acceleration, and high speed of the Manual. All it takes
is a little more effort to learn with the Manual Transmission. The
worst way to use the Manual is to just aim the stick at one gear and
continually pedal to the metal. This is not good because if you
upshift before the needle hits the redline, you will bog down. If
you wait too long, then you will lose precious speed. Try to balance
between temperature and power all at once. In order to set aside for
effective acceleration, here's the recommended range: 0-68 mph (0 to
109kmh) is the range for first gear, 69 mph to 118 mph (110 kmh to
190 kmh) is the range for first gear, 119 mph to 168 mph (191 kmh to
270 kmh) is the range for third gear. Anything above 168 mph/270 kmh
should be flashed "Fourth".
Believe it or not, ALL cars have the same recommended speed ranges to
upshift or downshift or vice versa. However, Horsepower and Torque
will force you to shift up the sooner (which is good) depending on the
car you use. For example, the McLaren may be at Fourth Gear by the time
you reach the Scorpio Bridge at Classic Castle, but the Porsche may only
be at Third Gear at the same point.
With regards to the "Slipping and Sliding", here are the gears which
do this and that (Remember to release the pedal while downshifting):
Gear 1: Loosens up the Yaw and slows down while the gas is released.
Gear 2: Loosens up the Yaw and slows down while the gas is released.
Gear 3: While doing a slide recovery, the Torque is milked up to get
the car back to speed.
Gear 4: Smoothens up the car and tries to re-tighten the Yaw back to
its normal state.
It's best to do all of your slowing down at a straight line so that you
can reduce chances of spinning out.
Jump Starts
-----------
A jump start occurs whenever you don't commit excessive wheelspin and
you find out that your car is accelerating faster than you think. You
may notice that you may climb up a few positions so quickly as well.
Sadly, this only works on the Mystery Ruins and Classic Castle courses
and it is much harder to do than in Daytona USA and Daytona USA 2. In
order to start out good from the beginning of the race, timing is
everything. Hold the brake all the way down during the countdown while
simultaneously revving the engine into the middle low portion of the
yellow region of the tachometer (Each car has a different tach so adjust
the "push" according to the car you drive). Then right as the race
starts, release the brake and floor it. Excellent timing will result
in minimum tire slip and enhanced acceleration off the line. While doing
this, it's obvious that the needle does not touch the red region of the
tachometer ("Look out!!! Your temperature is rising!!!!"). This is much
harder to do than in the Daytona Games where you just hold the needle at
7 while gripping the brake and when the race starts, release the brake
and floor it. It takes time to take advantage of the Gas Pedal's
Potentiometers so don't get mad if you can't do this the first time
around.
NOTE: If the Potentiometers do not feel responsive, please contact your
operator immediately.
How to convert US into Metric
-----------------------------
Although I strictly used the US System when determining safe speeds, ever
since Wendy Tobagus pushed me to use the Metric System as well (because
the Metric System's widely used) I began to offer safe speeds using both
the US and Metric System. To convert KMH to MPH, divide KMH by 1.609.
To convert MPH to KMH, multiply MPH by 1.609.
Upright and Deluxe
------------------
Super GT/Scud Race is available in two different flavors. The Upright
version is a twin-cabinet which allows up to 8 players to play at once
with the link cable and four cabinets. The Deluxe Edition is a 50"
cabinet that allows up to 8 players to play at once using link cables and
8 50" cabinets. All operators have the right to set the Time Limit to
whatever would produce the best revenue. The shorter the time limit, the
more formidable the Computer AI will be IMHO.
========================================================================
VIRTUA REALITY VIEWPOINTS
Like Daytona USA and Virtua Racing, you can use the four VR buttons to
change your views during gameplay. You can either view the action inside
the car, inside the car with the hood, above the car, or above the car
wide. To be more self-explanatory, here are the VR Facts:
VR1: This viewpoint button allows you to see the screen like you would
turn on your headlights. This is good if you want to have a good
feel of the car, but I don't recommend this view because you are
not able to see what direction you are going when you are sliding
through a terrible hairpin.
VR2: This is pretty much like you would see in real life racing.
Not only you are able to see the hood (to assess damage at the
front), but you are able to see what direction you are sliding.
Going inside the car is rather tedious because you can't see
who's sneaking up on you at your left or right.
VR3: You'll get a good portion of view (at least a little) from the
left and right. Unfortunately, the car is too close to see who
is close in front of you, and it makes it hard to airsling when
you need to make the most out of it.
VR4: This is the preferred view of playing (although reality is
greatly hurt from this view). Not only you get to see who's
sneaking within your sides, but you can also see who's coming
in front of you, and you can time your cornering attempts more
efficiently.
Hidden Views
------------
As with Daytona 2, there should be plenty of views besides the four
views. Try holding 4, holding 3 while holding 4, and press 2 while
holding 3 and 4. Also, try pressing start many times while holding 2,
3, or 4. See what you can get.
========================================================================
THE CARS
Super GT features four very expensive cars which gives the game more
variety than Daytona USA. You should select the car which will suit you
well on each track. Keep in mind that the displacement measures for each
of the car's engines are approximate.
========================================================================
PORSCHE 911
Engine: SOHC 12V Turbocharged Flat 6
Displacement(ci/cc): 222/3554
Horsepower: 400@5750rpm
Torque: 400@4500rpm
Drivetrain: 6-speed Manual with AWD
Ratio: 8.0:1
Curb Weight: 3307lbs
Top Speed, Real Life: 180mph/290kmh
Top Speeds, Super GT: 210mph/338kmh AT, 215mph/346kmh MT
Source: http://www.porsche-usa.com
Model Year: 1998
Mark's Estimated Cost (Base Model): $70,000 USD
Mark's Estimated Cost (Turbo Model): $150,000 USD
High Points: Lowest wheelbase and high downforce provides high-speed
cornering with minimum sliding, slides through bad turns at high speeds,
doesn't spin out that easy.
Low Points: Poor Torque Curve, Low Horsepower, Turbo Lag.
========================================================================
Although the Porsche 911 is the easiest car to drive in the game, its
small wheelbase, high curb weight, turbo lag curse with the Flat-6 Turbo
Engine, and its not-so-aerodynamic design really hurts this car's potential.
Its 0-60 time will take off only in 5 seconds in real life and you may
realize that in the Classic Castle Course, you reached 167mph as you enter
the Scorpio Bridge, making the Porsche the slowest car in the game. Also,
the Porsche has the lowest top speed: 210mph for the AT, 215mph for the
Manual. The only good part of this car is that you won't slide too much
or lose control thanks to its low wheelbase and high curb weight.
Since the Porsche's horsepower, torque, and speed is poor (not to mention
that it's hard to slide with this car), you will need to go Manual All
The Way with this one. Though the Porsche can only achieve 215 mph
(346 km/h) with the MT, it's a lot easier to slide since the MT Car's
yaw isn't as tight as with the AT. To corner through bad turns, stay
outside, and then release the pedal. While the gas isn't fed, downshift
and when your speed reaches a certain point, upshift to 4 and slide.
Correct the sliding and when the Porsche is back on a straight line,
shift back to 3. The Porsche has poor speed recovery from bad turns
since when you shift to 3 while making a slide recovery, you don't gain
too much speed. This is a beginner's car but once you get the feel of
this car, maybe you'd better use the faster cars like the Ferrari and
the McLaren.
========================================================================
Ferrari F40
Engine: DOHC 32V 90Degree V8 Turbo
Displacement(ci/cc): 245/3994
Horsepower: 478@7000rpm
Torque (Approximate): 340@6000rpm
Drivetrain: 5-speed ZF Manual
Ratio: 7.8:1
Curb Weight: 2794lbs
Top Speed, Real Life: 201mph/323kmh
Top Speeds, Super GT: 217mph/349kmh AT, 224mph/360kmh MT
Source: http://www.ferrari.com
Model Year: 1990
Mark's Estimated Cost for the F40: $400,000 USD
Mark's Estimated Cost for the F50: $500,000 USD
High Points: Good balance of Speed and Handling. Speedy in the Beginner
Tracks, exceptional cornering at the Technical Tracks.
Low Points: Turbo Lag prevents Ferrari from accelerating fast, Poor
Torque Curve makes Ferrari prone to speed recovery.
========================================================================
No longer in production after 1990 (succeeded by the hotter-looking F50),
the F40 is still a fast car. Although the BPR Organisation permits the
use of the F50 now (it's just a rumor), the F40 is still permitted
provided that the racers meet the criteria imposed by the BPR.
The F40's 100-inch wheelbase makes the car easier to slide than the
Porsche but be warned that the Ferrari is prone to speed recovery due
to the Turbo Lag Plague and the lack of torque. Despite the Torque
problem and the Turbo Lag Curse, it's a pretty fast car capable of
speeds of 224 mph with the Manual Transmission (363 km/h) and the high
curb weight makes this car easier to control than the McLaren (though
not as easy as with the Porsche).
You may want to test the Ferrari's balance of speed and handling through
ALL of the four tracks: The Ferrari can rival the McLaren on the Beginner
Tracks, but can rival the Porsche on the Technical Tracks. Since the
Ferrari's Yaw Tolerance is tighter than the McLaren's (it's a lot loose
than the Porsche's), you may still want to use Manual Transmission. The
heft of the car requires you to do all of your slowing down at a straight
line. Release the pedal and shift to Second to slow down, then shift to
Fourth and start sliding. Now recovering from a slide, shift to Third
and get the car nice and smooth. Brake only when necessary with this car
because this car is definitely fast and forgiving.
Really, I would recommend this car to a Beginner (though I may be driving
like Helen Keller this way) because of the speed and stability of this
Italian Masterpiece (though plagued by Turbo Lag and Poor Torque Curve).
========================================================================
Dodge Viper RT-10
Engine: OHV 20V V-10 with SMPI
Displacement(ci/cc): 496/7930
Horsepower: 415@5200rpm(Pre-98)
Torque: 455@3700rpm(Pre-98)
Drivetrain: 6-speed Manual
Ratio: Unknown
Curb Weight: 2700lbs
Top Speed, Real Life: 170mph/273kmh
Top Speeds, Super GT: 211mph/339kmh AT, 218mph/351kmh MT
Source: http://www.4adodge.com
Model Year: 1997
Engine Fix: Eternal Entertainment
Mark's Estimated Cost (Viper RT-10): $66,000 USD
Mark's Estimated Cost (Limited Production GTS-R): $100,000 USD
High Points: Low-End Torque is MASSIVE for speed recovery from a bad
turn, Acceleration is crisp.
Low Points: Front-side weight bias is too high (due to front-engine
Platforming), which is grounds for spin-outs, Unimpressive Top Speed
for a high-torque car.
========================================================================
An American Masterpiece, the limited-production Dodge Viper provides
a strong value for those with big bank accounts. However, in a BPR
Race, this is the only American Car accepted in their series of Formulas.
It's also used on several races such as the Touring Car Championships.
In the real-world, we only see Viper GTS Coupes and Viper RT-10 roadsters
as the GTS-R is reserved for races only.
Powered by a Normal-Aspirated OHV V-10, the Viper has massive low-end
torque for excellent acceleration and speed recovery from bad turns.
The Handling is supplemented from the fat tires, low downforce, and
the 94-inch Wheelbase. Remember Gear 3 is the gear to speed recover
from powerslides. Top speed is less than perfect since the Horsepower
can't reach speeds as high as the Ferrari and the McLaren.
Unfortunately, the front-engine platform is what really makes the Viper
a hard car to control. Because the Viper channels all the power from
the front side of the car, it's really hard to keep the Viper nice and
smooth after bad turns. The Viper has a tendency to oversteer about
95% of the time with Manual Transmission so use of Automatic Transmission
is recommended to keep the Viper under control. Either way, the Viper
isn't an ideal machine to use (alonside with the Porsche) due to the
Front-Engine Platform and that the car's weight is channeled mainly
at the front.
With the high weight at the front comes a chance to spin out of control.
The Viper is harder to tame than the McLaren so you're better off with
the McLaren if you decide that you need some torque on your diet.
========================================================================
MCLAREN F1
Engine: DOHC 48V V-12
Displacement(ci/cc): 370/6064
Horsepower: 627@7500rpm
Torque: 500@5600rpm
Drivetrain: 6-Speed Getrag Manual
Ratio: 2.37:1
Curb Weight: 2579lbs
Top Speed, Real Life: 231mph/372kmh
Top Speeds, Super GT: 221mph/356kmh AT, 230mph/370kmh MT
Source: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/9739
Model Year: 1997-98
Mark's Estimated Cost (Without Options): $1,500,000
Mark's Estimated Cost (With Options): $1,800,000
** NOTE: The cost may be lower or higher than what you see here **
High Points: Smoothest Torque Curve, Strongest Ventilated Disc Brakes,
Highest Top Speed in the game.
Low Points: Lowest Curb Weight and longest wheelbase in the game (which
is grounds for frequent spin-outs).
NOTE: According to http://www.mclarencars.com, an F1 Driver says that
the real-world F1 has achieved a record top speed of 240.14 mph! That's
385 km/h if you're using Metric Speed!!!
========================================================================
The McLaren (Everybody should know this by now) is the world's most
expensive (debuted back in 1995 at $950,000) and the fastest car (The
McLaren can accelerate in the 3-second range and according to the
McLaren Cars Website, located at http://www.mclarencars.com, an F1 Driver
has managed to do 240.14 mph/385 km/h with a real-world F1!) in production.
It's better used as a Racing Car (though you will need plenty of sponsors
to keep up with the cost of maintenance with this car) for the BPR
Organisation, but McLaren has became a respective Racing Car Manufacturer
even though they've only been here for about 11 years now. Just think
about it: You've got Mika Hakkinen winning the 1998 FIA Championships,
and we see McLaren F1s on the BPR Races.
The naturally-aspirated 627 Horses provide the best acceleration and
top speed in the game. It's smooth torque curve provides speed recovery
which can rival even the Viper's Torque in the game.
Although the McLaren is crippled by it's really low curb weight and
really long curb weight (The McLaren will spin out often), the rewards
are quite significant once you take some time to tame this car. It's
easier to tame than even the Viper because the F1 GTR doesn't channel
all its weight at the front (instead, the weight is balanced for easier
taming). It also has the strongest brakes for confident slow-downs
to enter through turns.
All it takes is the will to counter the McLaren as you are exiting out
of the turn and to ease up ahead of time so that you can take each turn
with style. Do all of your slowing down at a straight line as the
McLaren doesn't like being slowed down while turning. Be sure to take
advantage of the steering wheel as well because the McLaren's
Recirculating Ball (with Power Assisted Steering) has a tendency to
oversteer and it's really sensitive. Positioning the steering wheel
at the proper position is the key to avoid spinning-out during turns
with this car.
As a general rule, never, ever go into the grass as you will lose more
control than you ever imagined. There's not that much room for error
with this car so try to avoid spinning out or going inside the grass at
all costs.
You will have to experiment the McLaren on Mystery Ruins and Classic
Castle: These two tracks are really technical, a good feel of the wheel
is required to tame this uncaged beast. Also, a lot of shifting is
required and you need to slow down with respect if you want to make
through a turn perfectly. Though the McLaren isn't suitable for real-
world driving (Only 3 miles a gallon!), it's definitely the car of
choice once you mastered the art of taming mainly because of its high
speed capacity and smoothest torque curve in the game.
========================================================================
TYPES OF RACING AND TIPS FOR BETTER DRIVING
** Types of Racing **
Grand Prix
----------
Race the game in this mode like you would when the game is set on "Normal
Lap" mode. As the races get longer, the car's performance dissipates and
the tires loses traction due to tire wear. Also, whenever you slide, the
tires wear out faster. This means that higher tire wear will make the car
harder to slide. I recommend that you pit when you get messages from your
pit crew that your car needs a pit work. This is just the first time I
wrote this. If you have any fixes with this term, e-mail me. Special
thanks goes to Bruce Arnott for providing this term. BTW, there are 15
laps on the Dolphin Tunnel and Twilight Airport Tracks, 10 laps on Mystery
Ruins, and 8 laps on Classic Castle on this setting. If you are able to
avoid any drones, grass, or walls, then you shouldn't have to pit more
than once.
Endurance Race
--------------
Race the game in this mode like you would when the game is set on "Grand
Prix" mode but the similarities ends here. The Dolphin Tunnel and the
Twilight Airport tracks are 60 laps in length (!). Although I have no
clue regarding about Mystery Ruins and Classic Castle, all I can only say
is that the Mystery Ruins Race is 40 laps, and Classic Castle is about 32
laps long! I suggest that you pit every four laps on the beginner tracks
and every 2 or 3 laps (You can wait longer if you feel adventurous enough)
because the longer your car is on the track, the weaker your tires become.
Special thanks goes to Russ Juckes at http://raiden.demon.co.uk for
providing this section.
Game Tips
---------
1. Learn all the tracks and learn all the cars. You will drive better
if you can master all the tracks and cars.
2. Avoid the barriers and stay off the grass. The barriers will cut down
your speed violently and will shorten up your Tire Life. The grass
will bog you down and alter your control, so try to avoid them.
3. You start at the tail of the pack so the problem while taking the
turns with style is avoiding the Computer Cars. While "fasting-out",
make sure that you are not posed to rear the cars since you will lose
speed this way. You will have to slow down even more if you are
taking the turn from the inside so don't let the cars force you to
start the turn from the inside of the track.
4. While cornering through turns, use the OUT-AND-IN by cutting through
the apex. The key to creating records is to "Slow-in, Fast-Out"
through a turn.
5. To play Real Players Only Mode, select your Transmission while holding
the Start Button. In a Linked Play Mode, Real Players ONLY Mode will
only be activated if all players elect to do so. In a one-player mode,
you will go up against blocks of records.
6. Again, learn how to use the McLaren in Manual Transmission. Although
it may take mucho effort to tame the car (and to use Manual Transmission
efficiently), the rewards are significant. All it takes is a good feel
of the steering wheel during powerslides and strict attention during
powerslides.
7. Much of the reason why I recommend Manual Transmission is because
in real life, most racers prefer the use of Manual Transmission.
While preparing to slow down on a turn, keep the car at a straight
line and release the gas pedal. Downshift to Second Gear (to slow
down) and shift back to Fourth when you start sliding to maintain
better control through the corners. The only time you will need to
use the brake is during Jump Starts and through Hairpins.
========================================================================
MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS
1. If for any reason the driving wheel turns too loose, then that means
that the air bladders are broken. This means that you can't feel
that you need to jerk the wheel to counterbank your car all of a
sudden. There must be a Drive Board Error if this occurs. Call
your operator or attendant immediately when you experience this
defect.
2. Overtime the Manual Shifter gets the most abuse, and it's important
that you don't touch it if you are not driving the Manual Car. I'm
getting sick and tired of ladies holding onto the Shifter while they
are driving the Automatic Car. To get Optimum performance of your
game, keep both hands on the Steering Wheel with the exception of
upshifting or downshifting. If for any reason you are unable to
shift to ANY gear (i.e. you tried to shift to 4, but the gear won't
allow you to do this) for any reason, you MUST talk this out with
your operator IMMEDIATELY.
3. Try to take advantage of the Potentiometers of the Gas Pedal. If
for any reason the Tach skips some sections of the Analog Display,
or if you are not going as fast as 200 mph on a Straightaway, or if
you are experiencing problems with the Gas Pedal, then call your
Operator.
4. Brakes are very good to slow down at tight corners. However, if
you cannot slow down when you tap the brake, it's also time to
contact your operator.
5. The VR Buttons and the start button should work. If they don't
work, then contact your operator.
6. Keep Scud Race/Super GT and all other Deluxe Arcade Machines out of
the reach of children at all costs. Do not touch the controls of
this game with the exception of game play.
========================================================================
THE TRACKS
Scud Race/Super GT features 4 state-of-the-art tracks (2 Beginner tracks,
and a Medium and Expert Track) with eye-candy backgrounds, and Dolby
Surround Soundtracks that can distract the hell out of you (in most cases)
so don't let any of the graphics distract you from executing a good race.
Note: All Records were made on the McLaren F1 with Manual 4. Also, I
WILL assume that you will be using the Manual Transmission. :)
Porsche Drivers: You definitely will need to strive for pefection on the
Beginner Tracks but you should fare well on the Technical Tracks. Your
lap times won't be that excellent, but you should AT LEAST learn
something from the tracks.
Ferrari Drivers: Make sure that you keep your speed up-to-par and avoid
any goof-ups on the Beginner Tracks (since you don't accelerate as fast
as the McLaren), especially the drones. In the Technical Tracks, you
should take advantage of the car's balanced abilities so that you will
know how to do this and that with the McLaren. Moreover, use the
Ferrari as a bridge to success with the McLaren.
Viper Drivers: Same thing as Porsche but you need to be a little more
careful with the turns because the Viper channels all the weight mainly
at the front, which is not a good thing (as you tend to spin out more
easily if you steer too hard). If you are careful, then you should
milk up as much torque as you can.
McLaren Drivers: I give you my all-out, reckless driving techniques.
If you can have a good feel of the wheel and stay in control of the
McLaren all the time, you should be able to impress your friends around
the region you live at. If you safe tactics are much eye-popping than
mine, then that's excellent (though my experimentation is limited). :)
========================================================================
DOLPHIN TUNNEL (4 Laps)
Difficulty: Beginner
Number of Entries: 40
Course Focus: High Speed
Ideal Lap Time: Under 33 Seconds
Ideal Overall Time: Under 2'10"00
Mark's Best Record: 2'09"75
Mark's Top Speed (McLaren): 226mph/364kmh with MT4
Number of Turns: 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX OF TURNS
1. Whale Back
2. Dolphin Tunnel Curve
3. Sea Wall
4. Submarine Curve
5. Surfing Turn
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although Dolphin Tunnel should be easy, you will have to master the
Submarine Curve and the Surfing Turn if you want to have the best lap.
I suggest you to use the Ferrari F40 your first couple of times, then as
your skill builds up, switch to the McLaren.
Your most important task in this track would be to avoid hitting the
drones as much as possible so that your speed will peak-up. Watch out
for the grass at the Surfing Turn and the walls throughout the track.
Automatic is easier for scrubs, but you may want to use Manual
Transmission since the goal is to reach speeds as high as 220 mph (357
km/h). Unless you learn how to tame the Submarine Turn and the Surfing
Hairpin with style, the first lap is pretty well your best lap.
The Porsche and the Viper are just scrubs on this track since you can't
reach 210 mph (338 km/h) in any point of the track.
The Sega Saturn Twin CPU Tower and the Dream Big Bridge
-------------------------------------------------------
As a general rule, the Beginner Tracks starts out with a Rolling Start.
If you are using Manual, pull the stick to Fourth Gear and step on the
gas pedal. When the race starts, keep the car on a straight possible
line and avoid hitting the drones from behind at all costs. You should
be able to milk up lots of speed if you can avoid contact with the
barriers and the drones.
Whale Back
----------
This is one of the easiest turns in the game. Go out-and-in of the track
just barely missing the wood on the left. Gotta be careful when trying
to stay low on the turn because you will be noticing quick that your
lovely drones love to cut the apex as much as you do (and that's why I
get pissed whenever I have to play this track all over again!).
Enter the Dolphin Tunnel
------------------------
It's important that you keep the car floored in a straight line for
greater control. When you jump, then you can turn right immediately
after you land but please steer clear of the wall at your left. You may
be begging for a spin-out by the time you take on the Sea Wall, so take
the Dolphin Tunnel Turn and Sea Wall carefully. Always try to keep the
car running straight on kinks or you may find yourself spinning out.
Sea Wall
--------
During the DT Right, gradually turn right to avoid losing control. If you
were sloppy on the DT right, then prepare to enter screw-up city. If you
are on Automatic, just keep on full throttle and just gently undertake the
turn. Gotta be careful when taking this turn because if you steer too hard,
then you can lose control of the car. If you are on Manual, then as you
take the left, I would shift to third gear, then shift back to fourth
immediately after I start sliding. Timing is crucial whenever you do this
because at times you won't slide if your timing is too sloppy. Be careful
not to hit the drones while sliding in this point as you will lose any
precious speed. You should restore the car's normal stance when you enter
the second tunnel. On a recent visit to Dave and Buster's, I average about
210mph just before the Submarine Curve on the McLaren with the MT. BTW
watch out for the grass at the left, since you will get bogged down if you
mow some lawn.
Submarine Curve
---------------
First test of skill in the game. Drones will be sliding using the Out-
and-In technique in order to take out the trash. This is where Beginners
tend to hit the dust as a result of their inexperience. Although One-Shot
found this turn to be more dangerous than he thought, I think that the
Surfing Turn is even more dangerous than this turn because of one reason:
GRASS!
Porsche Drivers: You should be at the left side of the track before the
Submarine Turn. Keep the car floored at a straight line and release the
pedal. Shift to Second Gear until your car slows down to 180/290, then
shift back to Third. The Yaw should be loose enough to slide. When you
slide, shift back to fourth and start countersteering. Don't brake while
your sliding or you may either spin-out or slam right into the wall pretty
hard. If you feel like slamming on the wall, then use rapid taps of the
gas to buffer the slide. The car should be nice and smooth before the
Surfing Turn.
Ferrari Drivers: Here you want to do the same thing as with the Porsche
Drivers except that you should try to give some room for error here. From
the left side of the track, keep the car floored at a straight line and
release the Gas Pedal. Downshift to First or Second and shift back to
Third when your speed drops to 180/290. Shift to Fourth when you start
sliding. You should be able to cut the apex. When you exit the turn
and begin to countersteer, shift to Third to mesh up the Torque and when
your speed no longer increases, shift back to Fourth. Have the car nice
and smooth by the time you start the Surfing Turn. If you think you will
kiss the wall, use short taps of the Gas Pedal to buffer the slide.
Viper Drivers: Stay at the left side of the track at all times. Keep
the car running straight and release the gas pedal. Downshift to Second
(Shifting to First will overloosen the yaw and the car channels all the
weight from the front) and shift to Third when your car is stationed at
180/290. Start sliding and shift to Fourth. Tap the gas rapidly as you
may be at risk of slamming into the wall. Exiting the turn, you should
shift to Third to mesh up the Torque and when the speed no longer increases,
shift back to Fourth. The Surfing Turn is coming up, so have the car
nice and smooth the sooner the better.
McLaren Drivers: You will be at 210/338 by the time you enter the Sub
Turn. Go to the left side of the track and release the pedal at a
straight line. Downshift to Second and when your speed drops to 180/290,
shift to Third. Start sliding (Try cutting the apex) and shift back to
fourth. Rapid-Tap the Gas if you have a bad suspiction that you will
be slamming into the wall. Exiting the turn, you should shift back to
Third to mesh up the torque while smoothening up the car. With the car
smoothened, you should have the car back up to Fourth Gear. Be at the
right side when you are about to enter the Surfing Turn.
Surfing Turn
------------
I found this turn to be even more dangerous than the Submarine Curve,
because as you cut the apex of the turn, you will eventually see some
grass at the left. Lawnmown here and you will spin out of control.
With the Automatic, I found this turn to be the most burdensome of all
the turns.
Porsche Drivers: Be at the right side of the track when you see the
Warning Signs. Use the Warning Signs as a cue to slow down. At a
straight line, release the gas pedal and shift down to First. When
your speed drops down to 160/257, shift to 3rd and start sliding to
cut the apex. Shift to Fourth (to prevent excessive Yaw Loosening) as
you slide and when you exit the turn, shift to Third to yank up the
Torque to get your speed kicking. When your speed no longer rises,
shift back to Fourth. Get the car nice and smooth and cross the Next
Lap Line. You will need to use taps of the gas because this turn is
rather narrow to my tastes.
Ferrari Drivers: You should always try to be at the right side when you
see the first warning sign. Use the warning signs as a cue to slowing
down. Do the same thing as with the Porsche but when your speed drops
down to 170 mph (273 km/h), shift to Second, then back to Third to prevent
overloosening of the Yaw. You should be stationed at 160 mph (257 km/h)
by the time you hit Third Gear. Start sliding. You will need to use
rapid taps of the gas since the track is pretty narrow here. It is
important that you shift back to Fourth immediately after you start
sliding so that the Yaw gets smoothened up a bit. Exiting from the
turn, shift to Third to yank up the Torque and countersteer. When you
can't increase speed from the slide anymore, shift back to Fourth.
Viper Drivers: This is a bothersome turn as the frontside weight
channelling has a tendency for high-risks. Same thing except that you
shift to Second instead of First while the foot is off the gas. When
your speed lowers to 160/257, shift to Third and start sliding. Shift
to Fourth to smoothen up the Yaw after starting sliding. Use rapid
taps of the gas to buffer the slide. Exiting the turn, you should
have no problem meshing up the torque. Be sure to have the car smoothened
up as you cross the Next Lap Line.
McLaren Drivers: You will be at speeds of up to 210 mph (338 km/h) so
make sure that you are at the right side of the track before the Warning
Signs. Release the pedal immediately and do a quick 4-1-2 and wait until
your speed lowers to 160 mph (257 km/h). Shift to Third and start sliding.
Rapid-Tap the gas like crazy to avoid wall contact and definitely leave
the gearbox at Third. Exiting out of the turn, shift to Fourth ONLY if
the Torque won't permit you to yank up speed anymore. Countersteer and
have the car nice and smooth as you cross the Next Lap Line.
Note: You may need to go a little bit slower than 160 mph (257 km/h) if
you feel that 160/257 is a bit too fast. Don't go below 155/250, though.
After the Surfing Turn
----------------------
After the turn, you should start speed recovery here to catch up with the
competition. If you are sloppy with the Surfing Turn slide, then you are
not doing too hot. If you are a careful powerslider, then you can gain
some good speed here. Just be careful not to hit the drones as you
increase your speed, and by the time you return to the Whale Back, if you
are a careful driver, you should reach a respectable speed of around
210/340 mph with the McLaren.
Without any major accidents or any drone contact you should have four
healthy laps, which should put you into the top three, and eventually
you should beat the Ferrari Car, which is the leader car of this track.
========================================================================
TWILIGHT AIRPORT (4 Laps)
Difficulty Level: Beginner
Number of Entries: 40
Course Focus: High Speed
Ideal Lap Time: Under 30 seconds
Ideal Course Time: Under 2'00"00
Mark's Best Record: 1'57"11
Mark's Top Speed (McLaren): 221mph/356kmh MT
Number of Turns: 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX OF TURNS
1. Venus Bent
2. Sunset Tower Turn
3. New Crescent
4. Midnight Curve
5. Sun's Edge
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twilight Airport is more intense than Dolphin Tunnel since there are two
straightaways long enough for any super car to reach its great speed.
It's always a good idea to keep the car running as straight as possible
on the two straightaways in order to maximize your speed. Although the
Ferrari and the McLaren can't reach the top possible speed, you can reach
a reasonable speed of 210+mph/338+kmh if you can take caution on the
Sunset Tower and the Sun's Edge and if you are a careful powerslider. The
music should keep you in the racing mood. Since the straights require
you to max out your speed as much as you can, it's best to use the Manual
Transmission this time around.
Unless you learn how to take the Sunset Area and the Sun's Edge with
style, the first lap will be your best lap. Also, if you can't take any
of these two major points with style, you won't be able to reach a robust
speed of 200+mph/322+kmh. That is why learning how to take the turn with
style is really important in an AM2 Racing Game.
To Venus Straight
-----------------
Since Scud Race/SGT has two beginner tracks (with this one qualifying as
a Beginner Track), you will also start the race at full speed. Keep the
gearbox at Fourth Gear and step on the gas. From the start, it's a matter
of avoiding the drones just before you get into the Sunset Tower Turn.
Venus Bent
----------
Keep a straight line here as much as possible to maximize your speed.
Cut the apex of this turn and be at the left side as you exit the turn.
Drones and the players love to discourage you from doing your best so
be careful on this Bent.
Sunset Tower Turn and the New Crescent
--------------------------------------
Although the Sunset Tower Turn and New Crescent are their own turns, I
would treat them as one turn since you won't have time to smoothen up
the car immediately after the Sunset Tower Turn.
Just be careful with the grass at the right. At the left of you,
there is concrete. If you take the turn full speed ahead, you will
hit the concrete really hard. Slop up on the timing and you will mow
the lawn.
Note: Since this isn't a hairpin, you may want to shift down to ONLY
Third so that your speed doesn't go below 170/273. You don't really
need the brakes for this track since these bad turns are banked for
your convenience.
Porsche Drivers: You should be at the left side of the track. Use the
warning signs as your cue to slow down. At a straight line, shift down
to Second Gear and when your speed lowers to 180/290, shift to Third and
start sliding. Shift to Fourth while sliding to smoothen up the Yaw.
Be careful of the drones. If you hit the drones, shift to Third Gear
as your speed lowers even if you are sliding. Tap the gas if you have
a bad feeling that you are going to be hitting the wall. The car
should be smoothened up and back to normal as you exit the New Crescent.
Never go above 185 mph (298 km/h) on this area or be prepared to kiss
the wall at your left.
Ferrari Drivers: You should be at the left side of the track by the
time you finish up with the Venus Bent. Stay at the left side of the
track and (since you may be at 210 mph/338 km/h) do a quick 4-1-2 while
the foot is OFF the gas, of course. When your speed lowers to 180 mph
(290 km/h), shift to Third and start sliding. Shift back to Fourth
after you slide. You should cut the apex. If your timing is right,
then you should be able to avoid the grass at the right. If you think
you may be hitting the wall, use rapid taps of the gas. Don't go over
185/298 or you may kiss the wall at your left. Have the car nice and
smooth by the time you exit the New Crescent. Be careful if you hit
the drones while sliding because your speed will go down even more. If
this is the case, shift to Third to milk up the torque to get revenge
against those darn drones.
Viper Drivers: Be at the left side of the track and prepare to slow
down within the Warning Signs. At a straight line, release the pedal
and shift down to Third. When your speed drops to 180/290, start
sliding. Shift back to Fourth right after you slide. Don't go above
185/298 or you may touch the wall. Start the turn too early and you
will eat the grass. If you touch the drones while sliding, shift to
Third to yank up the torque. The twisting force of the Torque should
kick up the speed while you are sliding. Smoothen up the car as you
exit the New Crescent.
McLaren Drivers: You may be at a dangerous speed range at or close to
220 mph (354 km/h) so be sure that you are at the left side of the track
as you see the Warning Signs. Slow down as early as the first turn sign
by releasing the pedal at a straight line and by doing a quick 4-1-2.
When your speed drops to 180/290, shift to Third at a straight line and
start sliding. You will need to use rapid-taps of the gas to avoid the
wall at the left. Start the turn too early and you may eat the grass.
You may need to brake depending on how you want to take the turn BUT
brake ONLY when necessary. Don't go above 185/298 until you can exit
the turn without any further problems. After the start of the slide,
shift to Fourth to smoothen up the Yaw. If you hit the drones, shift
to Third Gear to milk up the Torque. Smoothen up the Car as you exit
the New Crescent.
Midnight Curve
--------------
Scrapping the Wall right after this easy left is a sign that you are
not driving carefully. Like I said, you should be finished sliding
as early as the end of the New Crescent. Be at the right side of the
track and keep a straight line as much as you can here. Cut the apex
to reduce chances of hitting the wall at the right. The straighter
your line is, the faster you will go, and the more efficient you will
drive. A good sign that you have got out of the first major area with
style is by going at speeds of 205 mph/330 km/h after exiting this
turn.
Hermes Straight
---------------
You should be keeping a straight line here to maximize speed. Be
careful not to hit the drones. If your speed is at or about to hit
215 mph/346 km/h just before the dip that occurs before the Sun's
Edge, then you are doing good so far.
Sun's Edge
----------
This turn is as deadly as the Surfing Turn at the end of Dolphin Tunnel
but there's plenty of room for sliding and torque-yanking so that you
can reach 205+mph/330+km/h for the next lap. Still you need to be
careful with this turn since it's sharp.
Note: Depending on the stability of the car, you may need to downshift
to Third Gear with the Brakes. Still you need to keep the foot off the
gas while downshifting or you may lose control.
At your left there's that damn wall and at the right is the grass
waiting to be touched. Start the turn too late and you will hit the
wall and possibly enter the pits by accident. Start the turn too early
and you will be eating the lawn.
Porsche Drivers: Just before the dip, you should be at the left side
of the track. Use the warning signs as your cue and release the gas at
a straight line. Shift to Second Gear and when your speed lowers to
160/257, shift to Third and start sliding. You should try to tap the
gas rapidly to avoid the wall at the left or entering the pits by
accident. Don't go above 165/265 from the start until the middle of
the turn. At the middle of the turn, go full gas ahead and when your
speed will no longer rise up, shift back to Fourth. Have the car
smoothened up as you reach the Next Lap Line. You should be at a
respective 200 mph (322 km/h) just before you reach the Sunset Tower
at the next lap.
Ferrari Drivers: Hope that you reach speeds of at least 210/338 because
this turn requires that you do some serious slow-in, fast-out. Be at
the left side of the track before the dip that occurs before the Sun's
Edge. Use the warning signs as your cue and do a quick 4-1-2 almost
immediately after releasing the gas on a straight line. When your speed
drops to 160/257, shift to Third and start sliding. Leave the gearbox
at Third Gear and cut the apex. Don't go above 165/265 on the first
half of the Sun's Edge or you may accidentially hit the left wall or
enter the pits by accident. You may need to use rapid gas taps for the
first part of the Sun's Edge to make things less hairy. When you enter
the next lap, you should be at a robust 215 mph/346 km/h by the time you
enter the Sunset Towers on the Next Lap.
Viper Drivers: Be smart here. Stay at the left before the dip. Now
at the Warning Signs, release the gas pedal at a straight line. While
the gas is released, shift down to Third Gear (and leave it at Third)
and when your speed lowers to 160/257, start sliding. You may need to
do some gas-tapping to avoid the wall at your left. Don't go above 165
mph (265 km/h) during the first half of the Sun's Edge or you may hit the
left wall and enter the pits by accident. Near the end of Sun's Edge,
you should be yanking out the torque and have the car smoothened up at
the next lap. On the next lap, a good sign that you have carefully taken
Sun's Edge is reaching speeds of 205 mph/330 km/h before you reach the
Sunset Towers.
McLaren Drivers: Here, you should try to be at the Left Side of the
Track even before the Tunnel for stability purposes. When you "touch"
the first Warning Sign, release the gas at a straight line and do a quick
4-1-2. When your speed lowers to 160/257, shift to Third and start sliding
but don't yank the wheel too hard--the yaw is probably overloosened by
now. Stay at Third and use rapid-taps of the pedal to avoid entering the
pits by accident or hitting the wall at the left. Don't go over 165/265
at the first half of Sun's Edge, though. Close to the finish of Sun's
Edge, go full gas ahead and yank up the torque. Have the car nice and
smooth and be at Fourth as you cross the next lap line. A good sign that
you have taken the Sun's Edge with style is reaching robust speeds at or
close to 220 mph (354 km/h) when you reach the Sunset Tower at the next
lap.
Important: Always shift back to Fourth when you finish taking the turn
as speed is the focus for this track.
Consensus: Without any major accidents, you should be able to execute
four healthy laps (if you have not touched the drones), and if you've
ran four laps carefully, then you should be able to beat the McLaren,
which is the lead car for this track.
WARNING!: A GOOD RACE IN TWILIGHT AIRPORT CAN BE RUINED BY HITTING THE
DRONES FROM THE BACK, SO USE CAUTION WHEN THROWING YOUR FAVORITE CAR IN
THIS TRACK. ALSO, THE CARS TEND TO CUT THE APEX AS MUCH AS YOU DO, SO
YOU MUST TAKE THE SUNSET TOWER TURN, NEW CRESCENT CURVE, AND THE SUN'S
EDGE WITH EXTREME CAUTION.
========================================================================
MYSTERY RUINS (3 Laps)
Difficulty: Intermediate
Number of Entries: 30
Course Focus: Semi-Technical
Ideal First Lap Time: Under 56 seconds
Ideal Subsequent Lap Time: Under 51 seconds
Ideal Track Time: Under 2'40"00
Mark's Best Record: 2'35"54
Mark's Best Lap: 49"21
Mark's Top Speed (McLaren): 219mph/352kmh AT
Number of Turns: 15
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX OF TURNS
1. Giant Step, Gentle Right
2. Giant Step, Gentle Left
3. Dragon Claw, Intermediate Right
4. Dragon Claw, Advanced Right just before the Checkpoint
5. Dragon Fang, Easy Left
6. Dragon Fang, Easy Right
7. Dwarf Tunnel Curve
8. Griffon Curve, Advanced Right
9. Griffon Curve, Intermediate Right
10. Overpass, Easy Left
11. Overpass, Easy Left
12. Pearl Tear Curve
13. Unicorn Corridor Turn
14. Pegasus Curve, Expert Left
15. Pegasus Curve, Advanced Left
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mystery Ruins is a lot harder to master than the High-Speed tracks because
there are a variety of evil turns, a major hairpin, and grass all over
the edges of the track (and that's why some people would say this track
is harder than Classic Castle)!
Since the bad turns are not banked at all (with the exception of the
really-tight Pearl Tear Curve), Beginners will need extreme assistance
by reading this document over and over again to complete this track
without much damage. Also, for just a first couple of tries, you may
need to use the Porsche so that you can get used to the evil turns that
Mystery Ruins offer.
Later on, when you become more skillful on this track, you can use the
Ferrari F40 and see how much improvement you have made when you first
drove the track with the Porsche. But remember, ONLY the McLaren MT can
create robust records at your local arcade.
Entering this track, I WILL ASSUME that you have learned the basics of
slowing down at a straight line, that you have learned how to use Manual
Transmission to the max, and that you learned defensive sliding. Learn
them all at the Submarine Turn and the Surfing Turn at Dolphin Tunnel and
through the Sun's Edge and the Sunset Tower/New Crescent Area at Twilight
Airport.
As a general rule, when going through bad corners, approach from the
outside of the turn and slow down ahead of time so that you can cut the
apex with style. Release the gas at a straight line and shift down to
Second or Third. If you are at Second Gear, shift to Third and start
sliding, and then while sliding, shift to Fourth to smoothen up the Yaw.
Use rapid-taps of the gas to prevent yourself from touching the outside
barriers and/or grass, and brake ONLY when it's necessary.
The Salamander Temple
---------------------
You've just graduated from Rolling Starts. It's now time to start with
a Standing Start. Hold the tach needle at the middle-to-low portion of
the Tach while holding the brake hard. As the race starts, release the
brake quickly and floor it. If you time it right, then you should be
able to pass more cars before the Dragon Area as opposed to having to
start with plenty of wheelspin.
The Giant Steps
---------------
On the lap beyond the first, it's important to keep a straight line to
avoid losing control since you're bound to take a dip. Try to stay low
on these turns to maximize speed and definitely avoid the drones.
The Dragon Fangs
----------------
NEVER, EVER, EVER take the turns starting from the inside as these two
turns are rather sharp. Instead, be defensive and use general "cut the
apex" techniques. In general, you should never be going any faster than
200 mph/322 km/h on the first turn and no faster than 175/281 on the
second turn. It's OK to take on the first turn on the first lap at full
speed (provided that you have done out-and-in) but on the subsequent laps
you may need to slow down depending on how fast you are going. The tips
assume that you are on a subsequent lap.
Porsche Drivers: After the Giant Steps, you should be lining at the
outside of the track and cutting the apex of the first turn. It's banked
so try to stay in between 195-200 mph (314-322 km/h) on the first turn.
Have the car back at the outside of the track exiting through the turn
because you are going to be doing some serious cornering for the first
time. At the warning signs, you should have the car running straight
and smooth. Release the gas pedal and downshift to Second. When your
speed lowers to 170/273, shift to Fourth and start sliding. Use gas taps
to avoid hitting the left wall. At the checkpoint, you need to have the
car nice and smooth once again if you want to maintain good control from
the Dragon Waterfall until after the Centaur Farm. Don't go over 175
mph (281 km/h) at the medium right before the First Time Extension or
you will masturbate the barriers. =)
Ferrari Drivers: You may be at over 200 mph (322 km/h) by the time you
reach the banked medium right. Be at the left side after the Giant Steps.
Cut the apex with style. Before taking the turn, do a controlled speed
cut to 195 mph/314 km/h so that you can cut the apex and be at the outside
of the track before the medium right before the First Time Extension.
Although the first Medium Right doesn't look that bad, you cannot be
going any faster than 200 mph/322 km/h to avoid a possible barrier hit.
Now for the Medium Right before the Time Extension. Make sure the car
is running smooth and a straight line just a little before the warning
signs. Release the pedal somewhere at the warning signs and downshift
to Second. When your speed drops to 170/273, shift back to Fourth, start
sliding, and recover from the slide just a little before you cross the
first Time Extension to stay in control from the Dragon Waterfall to the
Second Time Extension. Use rapid-taps of the gas pedal if you think you
are going to be kissing the wall. Don't go over 175 mph/281 km/h or you
may hit the wall.
Viper Drivers: Be at the left side of the track by the time you finish
crossing the Giant Steps. To cut the apex with style at the banked
medium left, do a controlled slowing-down at a straight line and don't
drop below 195 mph/314 km/h. Gently cut the apex and be at the left
side of the track when you exit the banked medium left. At the medium
left before the First Time Extension, have the car nice and smooth and
running at a straight line before the Warning Signs. Release the gas
pedal and shift down to Second or Third Gear (or whatever depending on
your experience) and when your speed drops to 170/273, shift to Fourth
and start sliding. Be sure to recover AS YOU SLIDE and definitely use
gas taps to avoid the left wall. If you can finish smoothening up the
car as you cross the first Time Extension, then the Viper should be
on your control from the Dragon Waterfall Area until the point you
reach the Centaur Stock Farm. You may need to be extremely cautious
about sliding at any turn since the Viper channels its weight mainly
at the front, which isn't a good thing.
McLaren Drivers: You may be at a robust 205 mph (330 km/h) by the time
you finish crossing the Giant Steps. Be at the left side and do a
controlled slow-down to 195 mph/314 km/h before you apex-clip the first
fang. Don't get into a slide here because the second turn is where
you should do all the sliding at. Have the car back at a straight line
and running smooth before the warning signs that denotes the coming of
the second fang. You should be at the left side of the track. At a
straight line, do a controlled pedal release and shift down to Second or
Third Gear (or whatever depending on experience) and when your speed
drops to 170/273, shift back to Fourth and start sliding. Use rapid-taps
of the gas pedal to avoid the wall at the left. If you can smoothen up
the car before the First Time Extension, then you should be able to stay
in control just before the dip and until you can get into the Centaur
Stock Farm. Don't slide too blatantly or you may lose control from the
dip after the Time Extension.
Beginners may be under the ideal speed the first couple times around but
once you get a hang of it, then it's a breeze. But with the second fang,
it take a lot more work, so don't get pissed if you goof up your first
couple of times. Since the second fang requires you to do a quick slide
recover before the dip, I consider Fang 2 a demanding turn.
Dragon Fang
-----------
As you cross the first Time Extension, the car should be back nice and
smooth from the demanding slide before the Time Extension. If the car
isn't smooth by the time you take the dip, you will be losing lots of
control and you will be wasting time. Keep a straight line as much as
you can with the S-Curve to maintain control of the car. Hopefully, by
the time you reach the Dwarf Turn, you should be at the right side of
the track for Apex-Cutting. If not, then I don't know how you will be
able to take on the Griffon Turn.
Dwarf Turn
----------
Crossing the Dragon S-Curve, cut the apex of this turn and remain at
the left side of the track because the Griffon Turn follows up almost
immediately. You won't be able to go above 190 mph/306 km/h from the
second Waterfall Fang until the Centaur Stock Farm Area since these
turns leave little room for high speed gains.
Griffon Curve
-------------
One bizarre turn. Be at the left side of the track upon exiting the
Dwarf Tunnel. Never go at the right side of the track as you will
have to slow down even more and that wastes time. There's grass at
both sides of the curve, so take caution when taking on the Griffon
Curve. Although you may need to use the brakes while taking on the
Griffon Curve, it's possible to pass this turn without use of the
brakes.
In general, YOU MUST have the car back up smooth and neat as you cross
Time Extension 2. You can countersteer from the dip and still have the
car running in smooth condition, but avoiding the grass and the barriers
at the sides of the overcross may be harder.
Very hard turn because of the negative banking and the dip that follows
Time Extension 2. Again, don't get pissed if you can't master this turn
on your first couple of times since this turn requires that you need to
be competent as far as skill and wit is concerned.
Porsche Drivers: From the Dragon S-Curve, be at the right side of the
track so that you can gently cut the apex of the Dwarf Turn. Stay at
the left side of the track because the Griffon Turn happens sooner than
you think After the Dwarf Turn, have the car running straight and
smooth. Controllably after you have the car nice and straight, release
the pedal and downshift to Second and when your speed drops to 155 mph
(250 km/h), shift to Third and start sliding. Almost immediately after
you start sliding, shift back to Fourth (to smoothen up the Yaw) and use
rapid gas taps to buffer the slide. Sloppy timing may result in grass
contact in either the left or right side of the track (depending on how
early or late you started the turn). Don't fall below 150/241 or go
above 160/257 or you may be rewarded with some lawn-mowing experience.
Have the car smoothened up as you cross the Second Time Extension (since
there's a dip following the Second Time Extension, why do I have to
contend with Dips at a Time Extension?) so that you will have ample
control over the Overcross. After the dip, if your speed isn't over
170/273 for any reason, shift to Third to get some speed going and
then shift back to Fourth once you hit 170/273.
Ferrari Drivers: From the Dragon S-Curve, be at the right side before
the Dwarf Turn. Gently cut the apex of the Dwarf Turn and stay at the
left side of the track since the Griffon Turn happens almost suddenly.
Have the car running straight and smooth before releasing the pedal and
shifting down to Second Gear. When your speed drops to 155/250, shift
to Third, start sliding, and then almost immediately, shift to Fourth
Gear. Use gas taps to buffer the slide and smoothen up the car as you
exit the turn because another dip follows the Second Time Extension
(ARGH!). After the dip, you should be running at a straight line as
you take the overcross. You can recover sliding as late as after the
dip but getting back in control during the overcross is a lot harder
since this is high-risk. Slide-Recovering from the end of the Griffon
Turn is the safest bet. If for any reason your speed doesn't rise up
to 170/273 after the Second Time Extension and the Dip, shift to Third
and then shift to Fourth once you hit 170/273.
Viper Drivers: This could be quite a problem since the Viper channels
most of its weight at the front (and that's why the McLaren beats the
Viper even in Weight Distribution Ratio!). From the Dragon S-Curve,
be at the right side of the track and cut the apex of the Dwarf Turn.
Stay at the left side of the track even after the Dwarf Turn. Don't
turn too hard on the Dwarf Turn or you may end up at the right side of
the track before the Griffon Turn, which is grounds for wasting time.
Ease up on the steering wheel (I know this sucks, but since the Viper
channels its weight at the front, you need to be easy on the wheel at
all times) and stay at the left even after the Dwarf Turn. Run in a
straight line AFTER you exit the Dwarf Turn because the Griffon Turn
happens almost suddenly. At a straight line, release the gas and shift
down to Second Gear. When your speed drops to 155 mph/250 km/h, you
will have to shift up to Fourth Right away since the Viper's yaw is
a lot clumsier than the McLaren's (thanks to the high Weight Distribution
at the Front!). Start sliding after shifting back to Fourth and use
rapid-taps of the gas pedal to avoid the grass at the left. Exiting
out of the turn, smoothen up the car before you cross the Time Extension
and the Dip. Part of the reason why it's important to smoothen up the
car before the dip is because the Viper's front weight bias hurts its
ability to corner and countersteer very well. If your car is running
straight just before the dip, then great. If your speed does not hit
170/273 by the time you land, shift to Third to yank up the Torque and
then shift back to Fourth when you hit 170/273. Since you have to deal
with the high front weight bias with this car, this might be pretty much
a chore.
McLaren Drivers: From the Dragon S-Curve, stay at the right and cut the
apex (gently) of the Dwarf Turn. Be at the left side of the track as
you exit the Dwarf Turn because the Griffon Turn happens almost suddenly.
You should have the car running straight and smooth by the time you exit
the Dwarf Turn because you are going to be doing some serious cornering
here. Don't expect perfection for your first couple times through this
turn since the McLaren is a demanding car to master. From the left side
and at a straight line, release the pedal and shift down to Second Gear.
When your speed drops to 155/250, the yaw should be overloosened and you
should shift back to Fourth (to tighten the yaw a little while sliding)
and start sliding almost immediately. Use gas taps to avoid the leftmost
grass and as you exit the turn, recover sliding. You should have the
car straightened up by the time you cross Time Extension 2 and the Dip
that follows the Time Extension (ARGH!). Now use the Overcross to get
back the speed you want. You can recover sliding as you take the Dip, but
that's pretty risky. Smoothening the car as early as the near-end of the
Griffon Turn is the safe bet.
The Overcross
-------------
Be prepared to hit the wall pretty hard if you didn't recover sliding
as early as nearing the end of the Griffon Turn. The car MUST be nice
and smooth by the time you cross the Second Time Extension and the Dip.
This is the case because you should be in control of the car at all
times. These cars aren't as stable as the Stock Cars in Daytona or
Daytona 2 so it takes some time to persevere. Stay easy on the car and
try to keep a straight line as much as you can in the Overcross to max
out your speed as much as you can. You should be hitting at least 200
mph (322 km/h) before the Pearl Tear Curve.
Pearl Tear Curve
----------------
A really sharp, banked hairpin. You need to do your slowing down ahead
of time in order to avoid crashing hard and it's a good thing that there
are Turn Signs at the right because you need to do some serious slowing
down as early as the first turn sign. This could be the only time you
may need to slam the brakes, but lightly tap the brakes because releasing
the gas pedal and downshifting should slow down the car for you.
Porsche Drivers: From the Second Time Extension and the dip, keep a
straight line as much as you can to maximize your speed. Be at the
right side of the track as you are entering the bizarre Mermaid Springs
Shrine. Release the gas pedal at a straight line and almost at the same
time do a controlled braking and shift down to Second Gear. When your
speed drops down to 120-130 mph (193-210 km/h), shift back to Fourth and
start sliding. Use gas taps to avoid the wall at the right and try to
countersteer a little bit after halfway through the Pearl Tear Curve.
While taking on the Pearl Tear Curve, you should be at the lower bank.
Although the turn is banked for driver's convenience, you cannot be
going any faster than 135 mph (217 km/h) because a medium right follows
the evil hairpin. You will be at the right side of the track once you
exit the Pearl Tear Curve so try to be from the left-to-center just
before the medium right as you exit the Mermaid Temple. Taking the
Medium Right, do a quick 4-2-4 at a straight line and slide the Medium
Right. While sliding, shift to Third to yank up the Torque and begin
to smoothen up the car in preparation for the Pegasus Curve. Be at
Fourth Gear by the time you exit the Mermaid Temple, though.
Ferrari Drivers: Keep a straight line possible throughout the Overcross
and definitely be at the right side of the track as you enter the Mermaid
Temple. From the first Turn Sign, you should have the car running at a
straight line. Release the gas pedal and controllably brake while shifting
down to Second Gear. When your speed drops to 135 mph/217 km/h, shift to
Fourth and start sliding. Use rapid-taps of the Gas Pedal to stay below
135 mph/217 km/h and to stay inside of the bank. Start smoothening up
the car as early as a little bit after halfway through Pearl Tear Curve
so that you can advance to the left-to-center area by the time you meet
the Medium Right. You may need to go faster or slower on the Pearl Tear
Curve depending on skill. At the Medium Right (exiting out of the Mermaid
Temple), you should be at the left side of the track. Do a quick 4-2-4
at a straight line and when you start sliding, shift to Third Gear to
yank up the Torque. Straighten up the car by countersteering and by
shifting back to Fourth. You should be at the right side of the track
and running straight before the Pegasus Curve. I cannot stress how
important it is to stay inside the track from Pearl Tear to Pegasus but
if you can manage your timing, then your speed should be at a robust
200 mph/322 km/h before Pegasus.
Viper Drivers: From the Time Extension and the Dip, keep a straight line
as much as you can for the Overcross. Be at the right side of the track
as you enter inside the Mermaid Temple. From the first turn sign (and
at a straight line), release the brake and controllably brake while
shifting down to Second Gear. When your speed drops to 130 mph/217 km/h,
shift to Fourth and start sliding. I can't stress how important it is
to time the turn right but you should be apex-cutting the turn and using
rapid-taps of the gas to avoid the wall at the right. Recover sliding
as early as a little bit after halfway through Pearl Tear so that you
can position yourself to the left side for the Medium Right exit from
the Mermaid Temple. From the Medium Right, 4-2-4 at a straight line and
start sliding. Shift to Third Gear to yank up the Torque and when you
get into the Straightaway, smoothen up the car and shift back to Fourth
Gear. Position yourself at the right side of the track before Pegasus.
The strategies for the Mermaid Temple Area will vary from driver to
driver since people has a different style of taking this area so consider
this one as a rough draft of your strategy.
McLaren Drivers: From the Time Extension and the dip, keep a straight
possible line for the Overcross and then as you enter the Mermaid Temple,
position yourself to the right side of the track. From the first Turn
Sign, release the pedal and controllably brake and shift down to Second
Gear. When your speed drops to 130/217, shift up to Fourth and start
sliding. You should be able to cut the apex of the turn. Use gas taps
to prevent yourself from entering the right wall and recover sliding
as early as a little bit after midway through Pearl Tear so that you
can position yourself left-to-center before the Medium Right Exit from
the Mermaid Temple. From the Medium Right, 4-3-4-3 (I can't stress this
one for either car since it varies) and start sliding the Medium Right.
Recover sliding and shift back to Fourth Gear before Pegasus and after
the Medium Right Exit.
Overall: I can't stress the exact strategy for this area since you may
still be sliding even after the Pearl Tear Curve, so be prepared to
slide and use rapid-gas taps even at the medium right. Don't brake
while sliding as that has a tendency to throw you closer off the track.
Pegasus Curve
-------------
This is probably the most difficult turn in the track. At the left side
of you is (Uh-oh) GRASS!!! Start the turn too early and you will be
rewarded with a full-pledged lawnmowing experience that will waste
precious time off the clock. At the right side of the track is a
variation of barriers and if you start the turn too late, you will be
in for some harsh crashing through the walls.
It's really hard to cut the apex effectively since you must also learn
how to time it right. The turn consists of a 90 degree left and a
roughly 70 degree left, meaning that this turn is truly bizarre.
Porsche Drivers: When you are finished with the Medium Right Turn exiting
from the Mermaid Temple, you should be lined up at the right side of the
track. There are three Hairpin signs. You may need to start slowing
down in between the first and the second. I can't stress how many turn
signs you need to start your slowing down at but it's important that you
try to cut the apex and barely miss the grass at the left. It's a lot
harder than the Fossil Tear Curve at the end of the Dinosaur Canyon Track
in Daytona USA and many times trickier than the GameWorks Hairpin at
the end of the Fantasy Amusement Park track in Daytona USA 2. In between
the first and second hairpin signs, release the gas pedal and shift to
second gear at a straight line. Depending on skill, you may need to
tap the brake a bit before downshifting to Second Gear. When your speed
drops to 155/250, shift to Fourth and start sliding. Again, use rapid
taps of the gas to avoid the barriers at the right. If your timing is
right, then you should be able to miss the barriers at the right and
you should be able to cross the Next Lap Line and barely miss the Pit
Stop Entrance. A good sign of being able to tame the Pegasus beast is
by reaching speeds of a robust 200 mph (322 km/h) just a little before
entering the Dragon Fang Medium Rights on the next lap.
Ferrari Drivers: Exiting out of the Medium Right and the Mermaid Temple,
YOU SHOULD be running at the right side of the track and running at a
straight line. This is possibly the worst turn in the track. The three
Turn Signs are close to each other which makes accurate timing difficult.
From a straight line, try releasing the gas pedal at a straight line and
downshifting to Second Gear at the same time (no earlier than the First
Turn Sign, no later than the second turn sign). You may need to brake
depending on skill but don't use the brake unless it's necessary to do
so. When your speed lowers to 155/250, start sliding. You may need to
go a bit slower than 155/250 if you feel that the Pegasus Turn is too
hairy. Don't go above 160/257 or you may slam into a barrier and/or
enter the Pit Roads by accident. Before you start sliding, shift to
Fourth Gear and burn up the tires. Use short taps of the gas to buffer
the slide. If the timing is correct, you should be able to miss the
right side barriers, and you should barely miss the left side of the
grass and prevent yourself from entering the pits by accident. A good
sign of your timing on the Pegasus is hitting speeds of 205 mph/330 km/h
just before the Dragon Waterfall Medium Rights on the next lap.
Viper Drivers: This is probably the most difficult turn in the track.
Exiting out of the Mermaid Tunnel, YOU SHOULD be at the right side of
the track and running straight and smooth. By the time you reach the
first warning sign, release the pedal and almost immediately shift down
to Second Gear. When your speed drops below 160/257, shift to Fourth
and start slipping and sliding. If your timing is right, you should
barely miss the grass at the left. You will definitely have to use
short taps of the pedal to avoid the wall at the right side of the track.
If you slide with style in this turn, you should barely miss the Pit
Entrance. A good sign of your timing is by reaching robust speeds of
200 mph (322 km/h) or better just before the Dragon Waterfall Medium
Right Turns on the next lap. Don't expect to get past through the
Pegasus Curve your first couple of times as this turn really tests your
ability to be a competent driver rather than on speed.
McLaren Drivers: This turn will take some time to get used to so don't
get pissed if you can't make through the turn without damage your first
couple of tries. Exiting out of the Mermaid Temple, you should be at
the right side of the track. If you need to brake, then tap it lightly
as the yaw of the car can't take that much punishment. It's best to
start slowing down upon reaching the first warning sign so that you can
allow some time for error (but this turn gives virtually no room for
error). Upon touching the first turn sign, release the gas pedal at
a straight line and downshift to Second Gear. If necessary, tap the
brakes a little bit so that you don't go below 150 mph (241 km/h).
When your speed drops below 160 mph/257 km/h, shift to Fourth Gear and
start sliding. You will need to use rapid taps of the gas pedal to
avoid masturbating the right barriers and an accidential entrance into
the Pit Stops. If you time it right, you should barely miss the grass
at the left. Again, this turn takes practice so get used to the turn's
obscenity. You should be hitting 190 mph/306 km/h when you cross the
next lap line and possibly at least 208 mph/335 km/h just before you
reach the Dragon Waterfalls on the next lap.
Back into Salamander Temple
---------------------------
Hopefully, your timing of the Pegasus Curve is correct to avoid the
series of rightside barriers. Don't get mad if you scrape the right
walls your first couple times through this turn. You have to know your
car first before you can allow slightly more room for error as an expert
player. You should be finished countersteering (and you should be back
at Fourth Gear) as you cross the Next Lap Line.
Three laps on most machines to complete the race.
========================================================================
CLASSIC CASTLE (3 Laps)
Difficulty: Advanced
Number of Entries: 20
Course Focus: Technical
Ideal First Lap Time: Under 56 Seconds
Ideal Subsequent Lap Time: Under 52 Seconds
Ideal Track Time: Under 2'38"00
Mark's Course Time: 2'34"85 (WOW!)
Mark's Best Lap: 49"55
Number of Turns: 15
Mark's Top Speed: 212mph/341kmh AT (McLaren)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX OF TURNS
1. Capricorn Bent
2. Scorpio Bent onto the Scorpio Bridge
3. Scorpion Trail
4. Pisces Curve, Moderate Left
5. Pisces Curve, Moderate Right
6. Harp Hall
7. Cancer Bubble Ring, Sharp Right
8. Cancer Bubble Ring, Expert Left
9. Cancer Bubble Ring, Sharp Right
10. Lake Aquarius Turn
11. Twin S-Curves, Right Hairpin
12. Twin S-Curves, Left Hairpin
13. Leo's Tunnel Turn
14. Parkway
15. Bull's Horn
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Naturally, this is the hardest track in the game with lots of tricky
sharp turns, bizarre corridors, endless sharp turns, slippery surfaces,
and no banking within the turns at all. You will be racing through a
city within the castle and you will enter the castle by entering a
bridge and work your way inside the castle, and cross the Castle's
Towers and exit the Castle through a secret Tunnel and return to the
city by making a ROUGH entrance inside a colliseum. Set in an exotic
place that looks like Germany IMHO, this track will take you about 20
games for the least to master the many sharp turns before you can finish
the track.
Aries Street
------------
Start this race with a usual Turbo Start. Hold the tach needle at the
middle-to-low portion of the Tach while holding the brake hard. As the
race starts, release the brake quickly and floor it. If you time it
right, then you should be able to pass more cars before your wheels
touch the Scorpio Bridge as opposed to having to start with plenty of
wheelspin.
Since this track is demanding, you will need to plan on starting the race
with a Rocket Start because you will be finding yourself running out of
time even after you cross a Time Extension. This track is demanding
because you are tested on your abilities on Driving Competency rather
than on speed all the way.
Capricorn Bent and Scorpio Curve
--------------------------------
For the easy right and left, this is the only place you will face the
grass. It's crucial that you stay away from the grass as every second
counts in this demanding track. Try to keep a straight possible line
to maximize your speed as much as you can. You should be at the left
side of the track before you reach the Scorpio Bridge.
Scorpio Bridge
--------------
The strategy here at Scorpio Bridge assumes that you are running the
car on a subsequent lap. On the first lap, you won't be able to reach
speeds of over 170 mph (273 km/h), so on the first lap, midway through
the bridge, release the gas pedal and do a quick 4-2-4 at a straight
line. Start sliding after you shift back to Fourth Gear. If your
speed is below 170 mph (273 km/h) while sliding, shift to Third and
when you are getting close to 170/273, shift back to Fourth. Use short
taps of the gas to avoid the wall at your left at Scorpion Trail. You
should be finished countersteering before the First Time Extension.
Enough ranting, here's how to deal with the Medium Right Turn on the
subsequent laps:
Porsche Drivers: You should be at the left side of the track after the
Capricorn Area. Just a little bit before your wheels touch the bridge,
release the gas pedal at a straight line and downshift to second gear.
You may need to start your slowing down when both wheels or just the
front wheels touch the bridge. As you leave the bridge, shift to Third
Gear and start sliding. Use short gas taps to avoid hitting the left
wall at the Scorpion Trail. Shift to Fourth when your speed rises up
to 170/273. The car MUST be running nice and smooth just before you
cross Time Extension 1.
Ferrari Drivers: Be at the left side of the track when you exit from
the Capricorn Bends. The Bridge is pretty narrow so there's not that
much room for error. When the front wheels touch the bridge, release
the gas pedal at a straight line and shift to Second Gear. When your
front wheels are just at the edge of the bridge, shift to Third Gear
and start sliding. Use rapid gas taps to avoid the wall at the left
side of Scorpion Trail and shift back to fourth when you hit 170/273.
Be sure to recover sliding just a little before you cross Time Extension
1 or you may be crashing really hard at the Pisces S-Curve.
Viper Drivers: You should be at the left side of the track when you
exit the Capricorn Turns. When the Rear Wheels start touching the
bridge, release the pedal and downshift to Second Gear at the same
time. As you are about to exit the bridge, shift to Third Gear and
start sliding. Countersteer and shift back to fourth when you hit
170/273. Use short taps of the gas to avoid the wall at the left side
of the Scorpion Trail. If timed right, you should be able to avoid the
wall at the right side of the Scorpio Bridge. You need to be done with
car smoothening before you cross Time Extension 1.
McLaren Drivers: Land at the left side of the track after the Capricorn
Turns. You may be at 200/322 if you made through the Bull's Horn clean.
Depending on your experience, start your slowing down when your front
wheels start touching the bridge, or start slowing down when your rear
wheels begin to touch the bridge. At a straight line and while your
wheels are touching the bridge, release the pedal and shift down to
Second Gear to slow down the car. Just before the front wheels touch
the Scorpion Trail, shift to Third Gear and start sliding. If your
timing is right, you should be able to miss the left side wall at the
Scorpion Trail. Be sure to use rapid-taps of the gas pedal to avoid the
left wall, and shift to Fourth Gear when your speed hits 170/273. If you
are careful with the Bridge-to-Trail Entrance, you won't need the brakes
here at all. The only time you may need the brakes is possibly just a
little before the first turn of the Twin S-Curves.
Scorpion Trail
--------------
In order to allow some time for error, you need to exit the Scorpio
Bridge at no faster than 175 mph (281 km/h) to avoid a possible wall
hit at the left side of the Trail. You also need to be sliding so that
your speed will kick in. Be sure to have the car nice and smooth before
you cross the first time extension. Braking while sliding has a tendency
to throw you into the wall so soon, so use gas-taps if you feel like
slamming into the left wall. If you are still sliding at the Libra
Courtyard and the Pisces Pond S-Curve, then you will be losing control
by the time you enter the Virgo Arcades after Time Extension 1.
Libra Courtyard and Pisces Pond Curves
--------------------------------------
Hopefully, you should be able to finish smoothening up the car by the
time you cross the first time extension. Try to keep a straight line
as much as you can and don't turn too hard or you may lose control by
the time you reach the Virgo Arcades. I reached a robust 190 mph (306
km/h) just before crossing Pisces Pond. At the Virgo Arcades, be sure
to position yourself to the left side of the track before the dip and
beware if your car wheelies because that's when your head should flash
"STRAIGHT LINE". If your car wheelies, leave the car alone running at
a straight line until the front wheels are back on the floor. The track
gets slippery right over here so don't do too any unnecessary steering
other than putting the car at the left side of the track before the dip.
The Harp and the Bubble
-----------------------
The Harp Hall is a blind sharp right followed by the painful Cancer
Bubble Ring, which is a sharp right, medium left, and a sharp right.
This part is something to worry about because the twists leave you
no time for error, and the Cancer Bubble Ring happens almost immediately
after the Harp Hall.
Porsche Drivers: You should be at the left side of the track just
before the dip. When you take the dip, shift down to Second Gear. You
should be posed at in between 140-150 mph (225-241 km/h) by the time you
land from the dip. Shift back to Third just a little bit before you land
from the dip. Cut the apex of the Harp Hall. Don't parrallel slide in
Harp's Hall because the Cancer Bubble Ring follows immediately. If you
slide, immediately smoothen up the car.
While on the Cancer Bubble Ring, you should be done sliding by now. Stay
at Third Gear and use taps of the gas pedal until the moment you exit
the Cancer Bubble Ring. Try to keep a straight possible line throughout
the CBR even when you rapid-tap the pedal throughout the CBR. Cut the
Semi-Circle and straighten up the car as you exit the Cancer Bubble Ring.
The easy left before the Second Time Extension can be taken at full speed.
You should be posed at in between 170-180 mph (273-290 km/h) before
crossing Time Extension 2. The Cancer Bubble Ring is difficult to manuver
the car so it will take plenty of practice before you even become capable
of cutting the Semi-circle with style.
Ferrari Drivers: Be at the left side of the track before you take the
dip. During the dip, release the gas pedal and downshift to Second Gear.
Just a little bit before you land from the dip, upshift to Third Gear and
cut the apex of the Harp Hall Sharp Right. Don't parrallel-slide or you
will be goofing up at the Cancer Bubble Ring which happens almost suddenly
after the Harp Hall. If you slide during the Harp Hall, straighten up
the car. You will have to start using rapid-taps of the gas even after
the Harp's Hall because of the Cancer Bubble Ring is coming up next.
You should be able to cut the first part of the Cancer Bubble Ring as you
make your entrance throughout the Cancer Bubble Ring. Rapid-tap the gas
and keep the car nice and smooth at all times. Cut the Medium Left and
cut the Sharp Right portions of the Cancer Bubble Ring. The speed range
for the Cancer Bubble Ring is in between 145-155 mph (225-250 km/h).
Exiting out of the Cancer Bubble Ring, the car should be nice and smooth
(hopefully, or you'll face serious problems) and you should take the easy
left before the Second Time Extension at full throttle and your speed
should hit 170-180 mph (273-290 km/h) as you cross Time Extension 2.
Viper Drivers: Approach the Dip at the left side of the track. When you
start dipping, release the gas pedal and shift down to second and when
your wheels are about to land, shift to Third and floor the gas in. Now
cut the apex of the Harp's Hall. Use rapid-taps of the gas from this
point until the moment you exit the Cancer Bubble Ring because it's an
obscene corridor. If you are sliding, have the car nice and smooth before
entering the Cancer Bubble Ring. Entering the Cancer Bubble Ring, you
should already have cut one part of the Semi-Circle already.
Keep the car nice and straight and in third gear and use rapid-taps of
the gas all the way through the Cancer Bubble Ring. Keep the travel at
a straight possible line to maintain a good speed. Cut the apex of the
medium left and the final sharp right. Stay in between 145-155 mph
(225-250 km/h) during the Cancer Bubble Ring, and pedal to the metal when
you feel confident that you will exit the Cancer Bubble Ring without any
wall masturbation. Take the easy left at full speed, and you should be
hitting in between 170-180 mph (273-290 km/h) by the time you reach Time
Extension 2.
McLaren Drivers: Forget the brakes in this section because the dip (if
you bother slowing down for prep of the Harp's Hall) should do the
slowing down for you. Stay at the left side of the track before the dip.
When you start dipping, release the gas pedal and downshift to second
gear. Before the wheels land, shift to Third and floor it. Your speed
should be low enough to cut the apex of the Harp Hall Turn and the first
part of the Cancer Bubble Ring. You will definitely need to be using
rapid gas taps from this point until you exit the Cancer Bubble Ring
because this is one obscene area to maneuver the car through. If you
are sliding, then have the car straightened up before you enter CBR. I
know it sucks but the car must be running straight and smooth while you
are travelling through the Semi-Circle.
By the time you finish with the Harp's Hall, you have already have cut
the apex of the first sharp right of the Cancer Bubble Ring. Keep the
car running nice and smooth and use rapid-taps of the gas througout the
semi-circle. Cut the apex of the Medium Left and the sharp right and
stay in between 145-155 mph (225-250 km/h). Exiting out of the Cancer
Bubble Ring, you should be pedaling to the metal and taking the easy
left at full speed. Before crossing Time Extension 2, you should be
hitting speeds at or almost to 175 mph (281 km/h). Don't let the
straight after Time Extension 2 fool you because you've got the Twin
S-Curves coming up so stay alert.
The Twin S-Curves
-----------------
One of the two major concerns in the track thanks to the very first
turn that is tighter and harder than the Pearl Tear Curve. The Cancer
Bubble Ring happens to be one of them because of the blatant twisting
of the Semicircle. The first hairpin is much harder than the Pearl
Tear Curve and the second hairpin isn't that sharp, but taking on two
hairpins back-to-back is a real pain. Don't let the straight fool you
as these two turns are surprisingly sharp.
As a general rule, be at the left side of the track immediately after
crossing the second Time Extension. There are about three to four Turn
Signs that tell you that you are about to approach the Twin S-Curves.
The best time to slow down depends on what car you drive, but I personally
prefer that you slow down from the first or second turn sign.
Porsche Drivers: You basically don't need to use the brake for this turn
even though you may find the first hairpin of the Twin S-Curves rather
dangerous. From either the first or the second turn signs, release the
pedal at a straight line and shift down to First or Second Gear depending
on skill. When your speed lowers to 140 mph (225 km/h), shift to Third
or Fourth Gear (to smoothen up the yaw a bit) and start sliding. You may
need to go slower than 140/225 because the turn is rather dangerous. To
avoid the wall at the left side, use short taps of the gas pedal and about
mid-way through the first hairpin, begin countersteering.
You should be finished countersteering by the time you exit the first of
the Twin S-Curves and running at a robust 140-something mph (220-something
or 230-something km/h) and the car should be running nice and smooth and
at a straight line. You should be at Third Gear by now. There are only
two to three turn signs this time around. From a straight line, release
the pedal and do a quick 3-1-3 and start sliding using short taps of the
pedal and cut the apex of the second hairpin. This hairpin is shorter
than the first half of the Twin S-Curves so you will have to countersteer
as early as quarterway through the turn. This is important to know because
you will be entering Leo's Tunnel right after the Twin S-Curves and if
you want some control over Leo's, then you need to be finished smoothening
up the car since Leo's Tunnel has a rather slippery floor.
Overall, if you are careful throughout the Gemini Towers Area, then you
may not need the brakes for this track at all (with the exception of the
Rocket Start, that is).
Ferrari Drivers: The high curb weight prevents the Ferrari from being as
fast as the McLaren, but for the least, the Ferrari can rival Porsche as
far as stability is concerned. Feel free to use the brake if you want but
brake ONLY if it's an emergency because you should let the gas release and
the downshifting do the slowdown for you. You should be positioned at the
left side of the track by the time you see the Turn Signs. From either
the First or Second Turn Signs, release the pedal at a straight line and
shift down to First or Second Gear. When your speed lowers to 135 mph
(217 km/h), shift to Third Gear (and STAY at Third) and start sliding.
Use rapid-gas taps to prevent yourself from hitting the wall at the left
side of the track. You should be sliding and going no faster than 140
mph (225 km/h) to avoid spinning out and/or hitting the wall at the left.
You may need to go slower than 130 mph (210 km/h) if you feel that the
turn is rather hairy. Midway through the turn, be sure to get the car
nice and smooth so that you have some room for error in the next turn.
The straight isn't that long for you to prepare for the second half of
the Twin S-Curves so recovering from the slide as early as just a little
after halfway through the first hairpin is your safe bet.
Exiting the first hairpin at 140-something mph (220-something or possibly
230-something mph), you should have the car smoothened up by now and you
should still be at Third Gear. There are only two to three turn signs
and the hairpin leads to Leo's Tunnel so there isn't that much room for
error as with Hairpin 1. From the first Turn Sign, release the pedal and
do a quick 3-1-3 (or 3-2-3) and start sliding. Don't do a blatant slide
as Leo's Tunnel is coming up, and the floor is pretty slippery at Leo's
Tunnel. Use short taps of the pedal while sliding, and quarterway through
the turn, you should start countersteering so that you will not be able
to hit the walls at Leo's Tunnel. You should have the car in fourth gear
and back nice and smooth before you take on Bull's Horn.
For an advanced player, the Twin S-Curves can be taken without the brakes,
but for an intermediate player you may need to do controlled braking
while you release the gas and downshift in order to get past through the
Twin S-Curves without that much damage.
Viper Drivers: This turn is definitely bad news as the Viper channels
all the weight at the front. You should be at the left side of the track
before the Turn Signs. From either the first or second turn sign, release
the pedal at a straight line and downshift to First or Second. When your
speed lowers in between 135-140 mph (217-225 km/h), shift to Third and
STEER THE WHEEL SOFTLY. Steer too hard and the Viper will spin-out. Use
short taps of the pedal and midway through the turn, countersteer. You
should be at a straight line as you exit the turn. Stay in Third Gear
even though you are sliding. The second hairpin happens quicker than
you imagine and there are only three Turn Signs as opposed to many for
the First Hairpin.
Arriving to a second set of Turn Signs at a straight line, in Third Gear,
and at 140-something mph (230-something km/h), release the pedal and do
a quick 3-1-3 to loosen up the Viper's Yaw. Start sliding and use short
taps of the gas pedal and cut the apex. Begin to countersteer at least
quarterway-to-thirdway through the second half of the Twin S-Curves since
Leo's Tunnel is coming up next and the floor is rather slippery there.
A good sign that you are still in control of the Viper is that you are
able to get the car in smooth condition before Leo's.
It's possible to take the Twin S-Curves without using the brakes at all
for the Viper, despite the high weight bias for the front.
McLaren Drivers: This one's bad news. The first hairpin of the Twin
S-Curves could be the only time you need the brake outside of a rocket
start. From either the first or second turn signs, release the pedal
and *lightly* tap the brake *a little bit*. Shift down to Second Gear
and when your speed drops in between 135-140 mph (217-225 km/h), shift
back to Third Gear (and just STAY at Third Gear) and SOFTLY yank the
wheel rightwards. If you yank the wheel too hard, you may spin out.
You should now be sliding and cutting the apex. Use short taps of the
gas pedal to avoid the left wall and the right wall as well. Try to
countersteer a bit during the turn so that you don't spin out. Begin
to do a full countersteer about mid-way through the turn. The McLaren
should be about done smoothening up as you exit the first half of the
Twin S-Curves. There are only three hairpin signs as opposed to many
for the first half and Leo's Tunnel is coming up after the second half
of the Twin S-Curves, so there isn't that much room for error as you
can see here.
Exiting the first turn nice and smooth again and running at a robust
140+mph/225+km/h (possibly 150+mph/241+km/h since the McLaren had lots
of horses within its BMW-derived engine), be at a straight line when
you release the pedal for a brief 3-2-3 (instead of a 3-1-3 since the
McLaren's yaw is really loose) and right after the gearbox is back to
Third Gear, start sliding and cut the apex of the second hairpin. The
yaw should be loose enough for a slide, but you need to be using rapid
gas taps to avoid the wall at the right side of the track. Do a slight
countersteer while you slide and try to smoothen up the car just about
a quarterway-to-one-thirdway through the second hairpin so that you
don't have to spin-out or lose control at Leo's Tunnel since the floor
is pretty slippery there. The car should be smooth and nice once again
when you enter Leo's Tunnel or you may be wasting time.
It's possible to make through this turn without the brakes, though my
experimentation has been limited with this car.
Leo's Tunnel
------------
You should be done smoothening up the car as you exit the Twin S-Curves.
This is important to know because the floor of this narrow tunnel is
rather slippery by nature. This should be flashed, "Straight Line" in
your head. Exiting out of the tunnel, there should be a fairly easy
left so cut the apex of the left turn (following the Leo's Tunnel Bend)
and use the left turn so that you can prepare for the worst area in
all of Classic Castle: Bull's Horn.
You may want to be a little bit outside of the track even after the
exit from the Tunnel. This is so because you don't have to worry
about speed loss (Don't be chicken, there's no grass at the left!) if
you go off the track and this lessens the severity of the Bull's Horn.
Bull's Horn
-----------
I don't know what others may say about this turn but this could be
something to worry about for beginner players. There is nothing you
can do but to take this turn really slow your first couple of times
but there is a way to take the Bull's Horn with less severity. See the
Turn Signs? You should bump some of them so that you can use them as
a cue to find a comfy spot to start all of your slipping and sliding
through the Bull's Horn.
Don't worry if you can't perfect the Bull's Horn your first couple of
times: This turn requires that you bump as many Turn Signs as you can
and just slip and slide at the perfect time. If you can master the art
of controlled sliding here, then you will find out that your drones will
only be able to slide at less than 130/209 here. You can blast them
out with a controlled 150-160 mph (241-257 km/h).
Also, if you slide, you need to make sure that you aim the car at a
straight line so that you will be able to exit the Colloseum without
wandering around, which wastes time. Spin-out during the undertake of
the Bull and you will be guaranteed a trip to wander around the Taurus
Colloseum.
Even though you may be compelled to use the brakes here, just forget
it. It's sharp and sudden so just let the gas-inhibit and the gearbox
downshifting do the yaw loosening and the speed reduction for you.
Note: The Turn Signs are lightweight, so it's OK to bump into them
(Don't be chicken!).
Porsche Drivers: You should try to aim to hit the Turn Signs a little
bit after the easy left after Leo's Tunnel. There are about 4-5 turn
signs that can be knocked down as a cue to take the turn with style.
When you knock the very first sign, release the pedal at a straight
line. The second sign being knocked should flash "Second Gear". The
no-gas flow and downshift should slow the car down for you. I can't
stress how many signs you need to knock down before you should start
the slowing down at, but since the signs won't be there on subsequent
laps, try to memorize the position of the knockable turn signs so that
you can make through the Bull's Horn perfect every time. A little bit
after shifting to Second Gear, shift to Third Gear and start sliding.
Use rapid-gas taps to buffer the slide and avoid the left barriers.
If your timing is right, then you should barely miss the right curb
as you cut the apex of the full-of-bull sharp right.
Now straighten up the car immediately after sliding and aim the car
so that you will enter Aries Street and not through the walls. At
times you will hit a bull at the left side of the track but it's kind
of rare so don't worry about the bulls for 98% of the time.
Ferrari Drivers: Aim to hit the Turn Signs a little bit after the easy
left after Leo's Tunnel. There should be at least four signs, so try
to memorize the amount of signs that are at the left for the subsequent
laps, and memorize the best time to begin slowing down and to start
sliding. Don't bother with the brakes as you should let the gearbox
and the no-gas-feed do the work for you. At the first turn sign, be
at a straight line when you release the gas and immediately shift
either to first or second gear depending on skill. To make it less
hairy, lightly tap the brake but I wouldn't use the brake if I was you
because the gearbox and the gas-inhibit does it all. From the second
or Third Turn Signs, shift to Third Gear and start sliding. You may
need to use a little rapid-tapping to avoid the left wall. Be sure
that you countersteer a bit during the turn so that you don't spin out
of control. If your timing is right through this turn, you should be
able to barely miss the right curb. Don't get pissed if you don't get
it right your first couple of times as this is the most demanding turn
in the game.
After the turn, begin to countersteer and aim the nose so that you will
be travelling through Aries Street and not through the walls of the
Colloseum. Don't worry about the bulls since they don't hit you hard
for about 98% of the time.
Viper Drivers: From Leo's Tunnel, cut the apex of the easy left and
try to aim at the bumpable turn signs. There should be about four or
five Turn Signs at the left. Your head should flash, "Straight line
and release the gas, Gearbox at Second or First" when you bump the
first Turn Sign and when you bump either Turn Sign 2 or 3, shift back
to Third Gear and start sliding. You may need to countersteer a bit
so that you avoid spinning out. Use some rapid-gas tapping to avoid
the left wall during the turn. If your timing is right, you should
barely miss the right curb as you enter the Taurus Colloseum.
Be sure to countersteer after Bull's Horn and aim the nose to Aries
Street and not into the walls of Taurus Colloseum. You should rarely
hit the bull while sliding since you don't come in contact with them
for about 98% of the time.
McLaren Drivers: You hardly need the brakes for this one. Cut the
apex of the left that follows Leo's Tunnel and make sure that you are
posed to hit the knockable signs (Don't worry, they're lightweight and
you don't get into a spectacular crash). Memorize the signs to start
slowing down, and when to start sliding. When you knock the first
sign, be at a straight line and release the gas pedal and immediately
shift down to Second Gear. Shift back to Third Gear right after you
knock down the second or third signs and start sliding. Countersteer
a bit so that you don't spin out and use rapid gas taps to prevent
wall masturbation at the left. If your timing is correct, then you
should be barely miss the right curb when cutting the apex. If not,
make any necessary adjustments until you can slide through this turn
with lots of zest.
Immediately countersteer after the turn so that the nose of the car
will be aiming towards Aries Street and not within the walls of the
Colloseum. If you span out, you will wander around the Colloseum and
waste valuable time. Don't worry about the bulls since you don't hit
them for about 98% of the time.
Taurus Colosseum
----------------
If you were sliding during Bull's Horn, be sure that you start getting
the car back nice and smooth so that you don't hit the walls of the
Colloseum. You should be back at Fourth Gear and running straight line
by the time you return to Aries Street. If you hit any side of the curb
during Bull's Horn, you are guaranteed to spin out of control and wander
around the area, wasting precious time.
Hopefully, exiting out of the Colloseum, you know how to take the turns
in Classic Castle. If not, make any necessary adjustments to your
strategy until you get the feel of it. And I'm going to assume that you
will be using Manual Transmission from now on since it's more rewarding
to use on the long run.
Three laps on most machines to complete this race. Usual lead car is
the Dodge Viper.
========================================================================
THE DO'S AND DONT'S
From now on, I am going to be like marshmallow since there tends to be
Webmasters who doesn't have the up-to-date versions of my files. Starting
today, this file (and all Resident Evil Files that I have created thus
far) can only be stocked in the following websites:
* Verasnaship Interactive, http://www.verasnaship.net
* GameFAQs, http://www.gamefaqs.com
* Secrets of the Game Sages, http://www.gamesages.com
* Cheat Code Central, http://www.cheatcc.com
* Game Shark Code Creators Club, http://www.cmgsccc.com
* SegaWeb, http://www.segaweb.com
* Imagine Games Network, http://www.ign.com
You can always get the latest version at Verasnaship first since I run
the website for myself. GameFAQs does a good job keeping the files
up-to-date at all times and is the most visited site for FAQ-related
walkthroughs. Secrets of the Game Sages is a "Code-related" partner
to GameFAQs since both GameFAQs and Secrets of the Game Sages share the
same information. Cheat Code Central not only has codes, but up-to-date
FAQs and Text-based Walkthroughs based upon marshmallow's knowledge.
Finally, Game Shark Code Creators Club is a Game Shark site run under
the Code Master to provide up-to-date Game Shark Codes and is a highly
visited Game Shark Site.
You should also visit SegaWeb for any up-to-date general information
regarding about Sega, Dreamcast, and more.
And why did I mention Imagine Games Network? Well, Imagine IMO has the
most reliable gaming information up-to-date, and the Imagine Games
Network would be the best gaming resource to start if you are new to
gaming information on the Internet.
DONT'S: Never, ever, ever place this file directly onto your Internet
Account as I'm now getting sick and tired of people trying to store the
outdated version of my files.
DO'S: You are permitted to create a link to any of these websites.
Linking to GameFAQs is goverened by the Legal Disclaimer as foretold
under the statement, "Linking Rights". I highly recommend that you make
a link to my website so that people will always have the latest version
of this work viewed right through their screen. The only permissible
link that you can use to link to this file is as outlined as in the
following:
* http://www.verasnaship.net/text/arcade.html (This page features ALL
the FAQs for the Arcade Platform that I have created up-to-date!)
Part of the reason why I'm doing this is because if you don't view an
HTML Site, then you may not be able to run the ads that appear on top
of the HTML Document, which IS NO FAIR TO THE WEBMASTER. For details
about linking rules, visit http://www.templetons.com/brad/linkright.html
which is Brad Templeton's Linking Rights Essay.
========================================================================
HOW TO SUGGEST ANY FIXES, BUGS, OR ANY OTHER TRALALA
One time when I was forced to update another FAQ for Super GT by Sega,
I was surprised to see that I was driving from Helen Keller. That is
why you MUST follow the protocol as described in the aforementioned
Form Mail Page URL.
========================================================================
REFERENCES OF THIS FAQ
* Tips and Tricks Magazine, July 1997, Pages 27-34
* http://www.cybertroopers.com
========================================================================
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Sega, AM2, the BPR Organisation, Toshihiro Nagoshi for taking some
time to build the first Model 3 Racer in the market.
- Jarno Kokko and Eugene Moon for being the first ones to write an
FAQ for a Sega Deluxe Machine.
- Christopher Tan, Tirah Dragonfire, Tan Hwee Ping, and
Cybertroopers.COM for pointing out the car's strong points and weak
points, and for telling me that I must master the McLaren in order
to keep up with the competition.
- Christopher Tan, One-Shot, and Japanese Gamest for setting up the
record times that compelled me to improve, improve, and improve.
- Christopher Tan for telling me what I need to do at Classic Castle.
- Tips and Tricks, and Glenn Broderick for pointing out the trouble
spots of all tracks in the game.
- Dave and Buster's at Addison, IL for stocking up one 50" cabinet and
6 Twin Upright cabinets.
- Michael P. Wolff (lancer1963@juno.com) for the right way to drive
through Twilight Airport.
- Glen Mackie for telling me that Yu Suzuki had little or nothing to
do with Super GT/Scud Race and the two additional viewpoints.
- Bruce Arnott for the Grand Prix Mode Addy.
- Kevin Williams for telling me that Toshihiro Nagoshi was in charge
of Super GT/Scud Race.
- Eternal Entertainment for the partial Dodge Viper Specification Fix
- Jeff "OneShot" Wong for pushing me to add some more advanced moves
in the tracks that kept me playing and playing just to find a safe
way to fast-out on all bad turns in the game.
- Wendy Tobagus for the suggestion of the Metric Speed System
Measurement and an Advanced Tactic using the Ferrari with the Manual
Transmission.
- Cyberpal and Kirk Patten for the Jump Starts Theory.
- Russ Juckes for the Endurance Theory. Visit his website at
http://raiden.demon.co.uk.
- Yu Suzuki (last but not least) for being a part of Sega's AM2.
Without Yu Suzuki, AM2 would never exist.
- Kao Megura for being the most prolific man of Original Work
- GameFAQs for being the "house" of more than 5,000 original works
- Imagine Games Network for being the best gaming community over the
Internet
This document is dedicated to the loving memory of Princess Diana of Wales
and Fashion Designer Gianni Versace. We need to stop destroying people
for a stupid reason right now.
** END OF DOCUMENT AND ONE LAST WARNING **
This Electronically Published Document is copyrighted (c) 1999 Mark Kim.
All Rights Reserved. This document is protected by applicable copyright
laws and international treaties. Unauthroized reproduction, retransmission,
and/or a breach of copyright, partial or full, may result in civil and
criminal penalties and is subject to maximum punishment and prosecution
to the highest extent possible by law. Please credit Mark Kim as Vesther
Fauransy where credit is due. This document is the sole property of Mark
Kim.
Super GT and Scud Race: Licensed to Sega by the BPR Organisation.
Trademarked and copyrighted by BPR. All Rights Reserved. Licensed to
Sega Enterprises LTD for recreational and entertainment purposes.