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XCar Mini Manual V1.2
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The Cars
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XCar simulates the next generation, closed wheeled, closed cockpit race
car. These cars, often referred to as sports-prototypes, have a rich
history. They are typically manufactured to showcase new technology and
design techniques. Few are ever sold to the public but are manufactured
in limited quantities and raced in various classes.

Each car featured in XCar has a unique sponsor, design and default
setup. Even though each car is different, their default setups make
them essentially equal. The default setup is adequate to begin racing
but to be really competitive you will have to modify your car to suit
a particular track as well as your own preferences.

To select a car, choose Select Car from the Main Menu. Using the up/down
cursor keys, mouse, or joystick, select a car from the list of cars. This
list is revolving and will continuously loop through all the available
cars. When additional cars are added (through expansion disks or other
means) their names and images will automatically appear in the list.
Once you have chosen a car, you will be prompted to type a new name for
the driver. This name will be saved along with any changes made to the
car in the Car Modify section of the program.  During multi-player
network play, the other players will see this name displayed above
your car.


Calibrating the Joystick
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Before the joystick can be used it must be calibrated. When XCar is
started for the first time and a joystick is detected, you will
automatically be asked to calibrate your joystick. After the first time, 
there is no need to re-calibrate (the calibration is saved for you)
unless your joystick goes out of calibration or you switch joysticks.
To calibrate a joystick, select Options from the Main menu and select
Calibrate Joysticks. Move all joysticks to their limits then release
them to their default, center position and press a button. The calibration
is automatically saved and will be loaded next time you play. If you
change joysticks or experience problems with a joystick, press the R key
at the calibrate screen to reset the calibration. You must then
re-calibrate your joystick. During game play it is not uncommon for a
joystick to "drift" off center. Most joysticks have an adjustment wheel 
or slider to correct this or you can press the F2 key when the joystick
is centered to reset the joystick center location.


Controls
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When selecting menu items the following controls are active:

Action                     Keyboard       Joystick       Mouse
----------------------     --------       --------       ------
Change highlighted item.   Up/Down arrow  Joy A- Y axis  Position cursor
                                                         and press
                                                         Left button.
Toggle/execute option      ENTER Key      Button         Left button press
Previous screen            ESC key        ESC key        Right button press

The controls used during the racing portion of game play are customizable.
If a joystick is detected, the default controls will be joystick-based,
otherwise keyboard controls will be selected, even though a mouse may
be present. The default controls are as follows:

Action                  Keyboard                Joystick
-----------------       --------                --------
Steer left/right        Cursor left/right       Joystick left/right
Accelerate              Cursor Up               Joystick forward
Brake                   Cursor Down             Joystick backward
Shift up                A key                   Button A
Shift down              A key                   Button B
HUD toggle              Space Bar               Space Bar
Previous view           < key                   < key
Next view               > key                   > key
Reverse                 R key                   R key

Customizing Controls
--------------------
Before racing you should customize the controls to suit your personal
preferences. You need only do this once. XCar will automatically save
and reload the control settings each time you run the game.

To customize the controls, select Options from the Main Menu and then
Select Controls. Move to the control you wish to change and press
ENTER. Press or move the control (key, joystick, or mouse) you wish to
assign. The display will change showing the new selected control.
Pressing ESC while assigning a control will cancel the operation.

The following controls can NOT be customized and are always assigned
to the following keys:

Action				Key
--------------------            --------
Map on/off			TAB key
Spin Help			F1 key
Re-center Joystick		F2 key
Metric/US units			F3 key
HUD on/off			F4 key
Pause Game			F5 key
Side view mirrors on/off	F6 key
Spin help on/off                F7 key
Steering help on/off            F8 key
Auto-braking on/off            	F9 key
Race line on/off                F10 key
Zoom map in			+ key
Zoom map out			- key
Begin/Reset telemetry		0 key
Front roll arm softer		1 key
Front roll arm stiffer		2 key
Rear roll arm softer		3 key
Rear roll arm stiffer		4 key
Move HUD left			Q key
Move HUD Right                  W key
Take a screen shot		INS key

NOTE: The above fixed keys can not be assigned to other functions and are disallowed while 
customizing controls.


Improving The Frame Rate
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Normal video plays back at 30 frames every second. The lower the frame
rate, the jerkier the display seems and quick maneuvers will seem
sluggish. Even though the Xngine technology is inherently faster than
typical 3D systems, the processing power of your computer may not be
enough to produce acceptable frame rates. XCar was designed so that you
can customize the frame rate while sacrificing graphic realism. The
following is a quick list of options that can improve your frame rate.

1)  Horizon- Turn off the fully textured horizon. The textured horizon
    will be replaced by a solid blue horizon. Turn the horizon off on
    the Graphics options screen under Horizon.
2)  Resolution- Use low (320x200) resolution while racing. To select
    low resolution, select 320x200 from the Resolution section of the
    Graphics options screen.
3)  Number of Opponents- Racing against fewer cars will increase frame
    rate. To reduce the number opponents, reduce the value in the
    Opponents slider on the Realism menu. 
4)  Textures- Turn textures off. The least noticeable textures are the
    walls and grass. When textures are turned off they are replaced with
    a comparable solid color. To turn textures off, toggle the
    corresponding option on the Graphics options screen.
5)  Trees and Buildings- Lower the level of trees and buildings
    rendered. Do this by selecting Trees or Buildings from the Graphics
    options and reducing the level.
6)  Render Distance- Shorten the render distance. The render distance
    can be adjusted from the Graphics options screen.
7)  Race line- Disable the Race Line option. Turn off the race line
    from the Realism options menu.


Setup Tips
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The following section is a quick reference guide to the effects of
modifying various car components.

Springs and Dampers
-------------------
Adjust springs/dampers to affect grip in corners and suspension travel.

Adjustment		Effects
--------------------    -------
Stiffen front springs	Adds understeer.
			Car is more stable.
			Less front grip on bumpy surfaces.
			Greater traction on corner exit.
			Greater front tire wear.
			Less “dive” under braking.

Stiffen rear springs	More oversteer.
			Car is less stable.
			Less rear grip over bumps.
			Less traction on corner exit.
			Greater rear tire wear.
			Less “squat” under acceleration.

Stiffen front dampers	Increased understeer in bumpy turns.
			Increased steer responsiveness.
			Less front grip on bumpy surfaces.
			More front tire wear.

Stiffen rear dampers	Increased oversteer in bumpy turns.
			Increased steer responsiveness.
			Less rear grip over bumps.
			More front tire wear.


Anti-roll bars
--------------
Adjust roll bars to affect grip in corners.

Adjustment		Effects
--------------------    -------
Stiffen front		Adds understeer.
			Less front grip on bumpy surfaces.
			Greater front tire wear.

Stiffen rear		More oversteer.
			Less rear grip over bumps.
			Less traction on corner exit.
			Greater rear tire wear.

Wings
-----
Adjust wings to affect grip and top speed.

Adjustment		Effects
--------------------    -------
Increase front		Increased oversteer.
			Increased aerodynamic drag.
			Increased cornering speeds.
			Reduced top speed.
			Can affect rear wing effectiveness.

Increase rear		More understeer.
			Increased aerodynamic drag.
			Increased corning speeds.
			Reduced top speed.

Gear Ratios
-----------
Adjust gear ratios for maximum acceleration out of corners and down straits.

Adjustment		Effects
--------------------    -------
Increase gear		Increased top speed.
			Less acceleration.

Decrease gear		Lower top speed.
			greater acceleration.

Brake Balance
-------------
Adjust brake bias to optimize braking performance.

Adjustment		Effects
--------------------    -------
Increase front bias	Understeer under braking.
			Front tires can lock.
			Braking distance can increase.

Decrease front bias	Oversteer under braking.
			Rear tires can lock.
			Braking distance can increase.

Steering
--------
Adjust steering parameters to fit the track.

Adjustment		Effects
--------------------    -------
Decrease Steer Ratio	Wheels turn faster.
			Allow for taking tighter corners.
			Less Steer Ratio is good when racing on twisty tracks.
			Less stable.

Increase Steer Lock	Increases the amount of steering available.
			Allows sharper, tighter turns.
			Less stable at high speed.

Increase Steer Scale	Make steering have less influence the faster you go.
			Higher values are good for high-speed tracks.


Troubleshooting
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General
-------
Problem:	The program hangs when I try to run it.
Solution:	Try selecting NO SOUND in the setup program. If the wrong
sound card was chosen it is possible that XCar can hang when trying to play
a sound. Another problem may be memory. XCar requires 12 meg  to be free
for XCar to run. If you do not have 16 meg or more of memory installed,
chances are XCar will not run. Check the amount of memory free by running
the dos program mem. If you don’t have 12 total meg free you will have to
free some memory up by removing programs from your CONFIG.SYS and/or
AUTOEXEC.BAT files. See your DOS manual for help. If you are running under
Windows you may have to shut down Windows and run under DOS.

Problem:	X-Car won't recognize that I have a joystick plugged in.	
Solution:	X-Car will only detect joysticks using the standard joystick
port. If a joystick requires a special card or a connector which plugs into
multiple places, chances are X-Car won't detect it. Some computers have
multiple joystick ports (i.e. one on a sound card and one on a multi I/O
card). Only one of the ports will function at a time and the other must
be disabled. Make sure the joystick is plugged into the active port. Look
in the hardware's manual for how to do this.

Problem:	I switched to a different joystick and now my controls are
		messed up and joystick calibration doesn't help.
Solution:	Different joysticks return different ranges of values. The
calibration settings must be reset in order for X-Car to detect its real
range. To do this, select OPTIONS from the main selection screen and then
CALIBRATE JOYSTICKS. Press "R" to reset the values and then, once again,
move the joysticks to their extents. The new calibration will be saved.

Video
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Problem:	I get a video error when I run XCar.
Solution:	This is probably due to not having a VESA driver installed.
XCar requires a VESA driver and uses mode 101 by default. If you have a
VESA driver but XCar still gives this error it may be because your VESA
driver doesn’t support this mode. Check that your VESA driver is loading
and working properly. If you don’t have a VESA driver and don't know where
to get one, you can use the universal VESA driver found on the CD. It is a
trial version but should get you up and running.

Sound and Music
---------------
Problem:	The SETUP program won't recognize my sound card or no sound
		is heard.
Solution:	It is sometimes possible for the auto detect routines in the
setup program to mistake the type or configuration of your sound card. Verify
that the settings are correct using a setup program provided by the sound
card manufacturer. If all else fails, the basic Sound Blaster configuration
seems to be the "universal" standard (assuming the card is supposed to
be compatible).

Problem:	The music is too loud and I can’t find a volume control
		in XCar.
Solution:	XCar only uses Redbook-type audio for music and can not
control the output volume. If the music is too loud, the volume of the CD
music will need to be adjusted outside of XCar, usually in a mixer program
supplied with your sound card or CD manufacturer.

Problem:	I don't get any digital sound.
Solution:	First try running the setup program. Select the sound card
you have installed (or let setup autodetect it). Be sure to try the test sound.
If you get a test sound, XCar sound have sound. If this doesn't fix the
problem, make sure the volumes of the sound effects are turned up. Do this
in the Sound Options accessed from the Options Screen.
