GameFAQs_ Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero (PS2) Getting Started Guide by Wolf Feather

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06/02/2015 GameFAQs: Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero (PS2) Getting Started Guide by Wolf Feather

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TOKYO EXTREME RACER ZERO: GETTING STARTED GUIDE

by

Wolf Feather/Jamie [email protected]

Initial Version Completed: December 15, 2002FINAL VERSION Completed: January 19, 2003

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CONTENTSSpacing and LengthPermissionsIntroductionThe Initial CarRivalsCoursesBOLOGeneral TipsInput from OthersDrivetrainsBrakingCorneringTuningDiagramsContact

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SPACING AND LENGTHFor optimum readability, this driving guide should beviewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier.Check for appropriate font setting by making sure the numbersand letters below line up:

1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

This guide is approximately 35 pages long in the Macintosh

version of Microsoft Word 98 using single‐spaced Courier 12font.

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PERMISSIONSThis guide may ONLY be posted on FeatherGuides, GameFAQs.com,PSXCodez.com, Cheatcc.com, Absolute‐PlayStation.com,gamesover.com, InsidePS2Games.com, RedCoupe, CheatPlanet.com,The Cheat Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru, Games Domain,GameReactors.com, cheatingplanet.com, vgstrategies.com,CheatHeaven, IGN, ps2fantasy.com, and RobsGaming.com,neoseeker.com.

Permission is granted to download and print one copy forpersonal use.

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Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero: Getting Started Guide by Wolf Feather

Would you recommend this FAQ? Yes No

http://www.gamefaqs.com/users/WFEATHER/contributionshttp://www.gamefaqs.com/users/WFEATHER/contributions


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INTRODUCTIONTokyo Extreme Racer Zero is an intriguing game ‐ similar tothe PlayStation game Tokyo Highway Battle, but far moredeveloped and with much more highway to explore. Also, theCPU‐controlled Rivals are far more challenging and varied,employing a wider array of tactics in their own attempts towin each battle.

One of the most interesting aspects of the game (to me) isthat it shows the complexity of the highway system of a majorurban area. The initial course is especially intriguing in

this respect, and it is rather interesting to compare thegame version of the highway to a map of Tokyo.

Something that may take many players by surprise is that theJapanese road and highway system is designed to drive on theleft‐hand side of the roadway/highway. In Tokyo ExtremeRacer Zero, this never comes directly into play. And, onlyin rather rare cases can the player even SEE the oppositedirection of the highways (which amazingly NEVER has anytraffic).

This guide is intended to help those just beginning withTokyo Extreme Racer Zero. Granted, I wrote a guide on thegame in Fall 2001 (Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero: Game Guide), but

this guide will also include information related to thequestions I have received most often in e‐mails from readersof my Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero: Game Guide. Some informationin this guide comes from my Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero: GameGuide and from my General Racing/Driving Guide, bothavailable in full at GameFAQs (http://www.GameFAQs.com/) andFeatherGuides (http://feathersites.angelcities.com/).

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THE INITIAL CARAfter enjoying the opening movie of the game, players areforced to purchase a car. The initial car choice isimportant, as it should be a vehicle with which a player willfeel very comfortable immediately. Specifically, the playershould choose a car type with which she or he is alreadyfamiliar from other driving games. In my case, I am ratheradept with 4WD vehicles in the Gran Turismo series, so myfirst cars were 4WD vehicles (TYPE‐CE9A and TYPE‐CP9A6M).

The initial car choice in a game like this flows into twoschools of thought. Since the player begins the game with agiven amount of cash ($15,000 in the North American versionof the game), the player can either: A.) buy the mostexpensive car the player can afford, or B.) buy a lessexpensive car and start making upgrades to the carimmediately. This choice is really based upon personal

preference. Fortunately, most Class A cars available at thestart of the game can easily defeat the first 5‐10 Rivals theplayer encounters without requiring any immediate partsupgrades, so since initial income flow is practically'guaranteed,' it really does make sense to start with themost expensive Class A car that a player can afford (theTYPE‐CE9A, costing $14,750 and meaning that the player willnot be able to buy any upgraded parts); this will be apowerful car initially, and the player will still attainmoney to make some nice upgrades to the vehicle.

If a player follows the second school of thought concerninginitial car selection, the first parts the player should buyare tires. The player should ALWAYS buy the best possible

tires affordable at a given time. Better tires mean moretraction, which means both less wheel spin (resulting inbetter acceleration) and better cornering at high speeds.Even if racing a higher‐power car, if a player' car hasbetter tires, the player can take advantage of corners tocatch up and pass the Rival. As the player progressesthrough the game, if new sets of tires are made available (by


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beating certain Rivals), it is important to buy themimmediately!!!

Once the player has bought a car and made any initialupgrades in the Parts Shop, the player should go to theSettings screen and make any adjustments necessary, thenleave Quest mode (saving game progress) and go to Free Run.Here, the player should learn the initial course in bothdirections, so that there will not be any surprises uponreturn to Quest mode to begin challenging other drivers.Using Free Run, the player will also be able to discern if

the Settings need to be adjusted, and the player may alsobegin to notice which new parts to buy next once enough moneyhas been acquired to do so. However, Free Run does notinclude ANY traffic on the highway, so if the player needs tomake adjustments to the car, it is important to consider howthe changes will affect car handling when weaving in and outof traffic.

When ready, the player should then go to Time Attack andcomplete a few rounds there on each course. While the playermay not necessarily be driving at top speed in Free Run, thisWILL occur in Time Attack ‐ after all, that IS the point ofTime Attack. This will allow the player to set a few recordsto start with, and will also give an idea of how the car

handles at top speed. it is especially important to note howto best use the car in cornering. If the player wants totune the car (especially gear ratios, if applicable), this isperhaps the best place to do it.

Now the player is ready to go back to Quest mode and take ona few Rivals!!! In Quest mode, the player can return to theGarage when necessary to add parts and change settings.Also, periodically (perhaps every 20‐30 minutes), the playershould save game progress (System menu), just in case theelectricity goes out, little siblings squirt the console witha water gun, etc.

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RIVALSThe premise of Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero is rather simple: Theplayer must locate, challenge, and defeat all illegal highwayracers in Tokyo. Of course, this is easier said than done.Obviously, this will be easier at the beginning of the game,and more difficult as the game progresses.

Rivals fall into various categories. The largest category isthat of Gang Member. Many illegal highway racers are part ofa racing gang (think of the motorcycle gang Rivalry in theAkira manga and anime). Gang Members will ALWAYS accept aplayer's challenge (by flashing the high beam headlights whendirectly tailing the Rival). Should the player defeat a GangMember, the player will be rewarded with a meager amount of

money, but certainly not much. However, defeating all themembers of a given gang will collectively amount to a nicesum of money overall. Note that each Gang Member bears theemblem of the gang on the car; this emblem is also shownunderneath the Rival name in a battle/race.

Next above the Gang Members is the Gang Leader, who bears theemblem of the gang as well. Once all the regular GangMembers of a gang have been defeated, the Gang Leader willsuddenly appear behind the player (flashing the high beamheadlights in the traditional challenge signal) and thebattle will shortly commence. Gang Leaders award more moneythan Gang Members when defeated.

The next category is that of the Wanderers. These areessentially ronin, lone illegal highway racers with no gangaffiliations or allegiances. Most Wanderers have specificrequirements that a player must first meet before they willaccept a player's challenge to battle; this can range from aminimum number of miles on the player's car to racing on aparticular day number (such as every eleven days) to a


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particular type of car. Each Wanderer has her or his ownemblem. When defeated, Wanderers pay more than Gang Leaders.

Above the Wanders are the Boss Gang Members. These Rivalssuddenly appear behind the player (using the appropriatechallenge signal) at pre‐determined times throughout thegame; this generally coincides with the number of Rivals theplayer has defeated overall to that point in the game. BossGang Members bear the emblem of their gangs, also pay nicelywhen defeated.

Finally, once all regular Boss Gang Members have beendefeated, the Boss Gang Leader will suddenly appear behindthe player to make a challenge. Boss Gang Leaders pay VERYhandsomely when defeated, but are also often extremely trickyto defeat.

Note that defeating certain Rivals in the game will unlocknew levels of parts in the Parts Shop. Also, defeatingcertain Rivals will unlock those vehicles in the Car Shop.

It is possible for the player to be challenged by severalRivals in a row. After defeating the last regular GangMember of a gang, the Gang Leader may appear. If the GangLeader is defeated on the first attempt, a Boss Gang Member

may appear. If that Rival is defeated on the first attempt,the Boss Gang Leader may appear. Working swiftly throughthis barrage of Rivals will result in the player receiving aMASSIVE amount of money in little time :‐)

Finally, a player can check which Rivals have been defeatedby selecting the Rival menu option in Quest Mode. From aRival's information screen, that Rival can be challenged in adirect head‐to‐head competition.

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COURSESThere are three 'courses' in Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero. Theseare not three separate courses; rather, the second course isadded onto the first, and the third course is added onto thesecond.

The initial course is essentially a circle, with a trickyalternate route along its southern edge. This initial courseis comprised primarily of twists and turns, and is almostexclusively in the tunnels along its northern edge. The mainpart of the course along the southern edge contains twoplaces in each direction where bridge pillars bisect the two‐lane highway, so the player must memorize the location ofthese two pillars and be ready to take evasive actions toavoid them ‐ however, forcing a Rival into one of these twobridge support pillars is an excellent tactic to practicallyguarantee winning a battle :‐)

The initial course's southern alternate route runs through anarea known as Yaesu. This has two sections: the lowereastern section through the tunnels, and the higher westernsection in the open air twisting between the skyscrapers.The tunnel section is relatively high‐speed, whereas theopen‐air section is VERY twisty and difficult for passing,which makes it a great place to maintain a lead but aTERRIBLE place to try playing catch‐up. When runningclockwise on the initial course, it is possible to bypass thetunnel section and gain access to the open‐air section; whenrunning counterclockwise, it is possible to again bypass thetunnel section and drop from the open‐air section back to themain course.

After the player has defeated three members of the ThirteenDevils Gang, the second course will be made available.However, this is not done 'directly' in the game itself.Defeating the third of the Thirteen Devils will force theplayer to return to the garage; the next time the playerreturns to the highways, the second course will then be made


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available.

The second course is essentially a southern addition to theinitial course. Much of the second course is also twisty,but its southernmost section is primarily a high‐speedstraight run.

After the player has defeated nine members of the ThirteenDevils Gang, the third course will be made available. Again,this is not done 'directly' in the game itself. Defeatingthe ninth of the Thirteen Devils will force the player to

return to the garage; the next time the player returns to thehighways, the third and final course will then be madeavailable.

The third and final course is essentially an eastern additionto the other courses, connecting the southwestern point ofthe initial course with the southwestern point of the secondcourse. The third course, is LONG, running out towardYokohama. The northern and western lines of the third courseis primarily composed of curves, whereas the southern line ofthe third course is mostly straight and high‐speed; thenorthern and southern lines alternate between tunnel sectionsand open‐air sections, and each contains one area of tollbooths which can be difficult to navigate and avoid at high

speeds (especially along the southern line).

Because most of the highway sections in Tokyo Extreme RacerZero feature many corners connected by rather briefstraightaways, the player should probably use medium‐high orhigh downforce, strong acceleration and braking, the highestlevel of tires the player can afford, and low gear ratios(which provides faster acceleration). However, for thestraight, high‐speed sections, longer gear ratios (providinghigher top‐end speed), the lowest‐possible downforce, strongacceleration, and the highest level of tires the player canafford.

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BOLOBe On the LookOut for the following:

Bridge support barriers: Along the southernmost run of the initial course are two sets of bridge support barriers in each direction of the highway. Obviously, slamming into one of these bridge support barriers will cause the player's car to bounce backward ‐ and to lose if currently involved in a battle with a Rival. Similarly, if the player is trailing a Rival, it is important to give the Rival some room when approaching the bridge support barriers, just in case the Rival slams into a bridge support barrier, to avoid any potential Rival bounce‐back.

Directional changes: On the initial course, the only means of changing directions on the highways is to return to the garage, then return to the highways in the OPPOSITE direction. Once the second course opens, however, there will always be at least one means of changing directions on the highways without the need to return to the garage. Since the second course is a southern addition to the initial course, the southernmost run of the initial course can be used for directional changes. The third course is a western addition onto the previous two courses; there are two places where the northernmost run of the third course is connected to the southernmost run of the third course.

Flares: One the second course opens, there will be times when flares appear on the highway. These indicate that there could be a stationary vehicle ahead in the lane where the flares are located. Note that often, there IS a stationary vehicle ahead, but if the vehicle has already been removed, the flares may still be active for a short period of time. There are no consequences for driving


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over the flares, but the player should be ready to take quick evasive actions in case there IS a stationary vehicle ahead in that lane.

Highway lighting: The distant lights along the highway are rather blurry and can easily trick the player when racing along at top speed, especially in the long, straight sections of highway out west. It does help a little to look as far ahead as possible and note the upcoming corners by the positioning of the streetlamps, but the red taillights are often too blurry until the player is

practically IN another vehicle's back bumper.

Painted lane 'extensions:' Some of the sharper corners on the highways have painted lane 'extensions,' where the highway barrier gives way but the extra space is painted in a diagonal stripe pattern to try to keep vehicles in the main lanes. During a battle, this can be a prime place to make a pass of either a Rival or a non participant vehicle. Also, Rivals generally do not make use of the painted lane 'extensions,' so knowing where these are located on the three courses can greatly help in setting up a pass.

Police: Unfortunately, the police never truly appear and

chase speeders. However, once the second course opens, there are several locations where police are most likely to 'appear' (by blaring the siren and flashing the lights; the monetary speed penalties are then subtracted from that night's earnings the next time the player returns to the garage). Interestingly, if a player is 'caught' by the police in a battle, replaying the battle immediately afterward reveals a red‐tinted snapshot of the player's vehicle at the moment in which the player was caught for speeding; therefore, the 'police' in this game are actually just cameras linked with speed guns and placed at various points on the three courses.

Rival locations: Once the second course opens, there will occasionally be a Rival sitting stationary at a highway on‐ramp near the beginning of Yaesu pointing in a counter‐ clockwise position. The player should continually check the map for the stationary blue dot at this location once the second course has been unlocked.

Toll booth barriers: Along the northernmost and southernmost runs of the third course are toll booths. These appear in areas where the highway suddenly widens; as the player approaches, the lights on the toll booth barriers flash faster and faster to 'remind' the player to stop and pay the toll. Obviously, slamming into one of these toll booth barriers will cause the player's car to bounce backward ‐ and to lose if currently involved in a battle with a Rival. Similarly, if the player is trailing

a Rival, it is important to give the Rival some room when approaching the toll booths, just in case the Rival slams into a toll booth barrier, to avoid any potential Rival bounce‐back.

Transparent yellow arrows: At various points along the highways, there are transparent yellow arrows pointing the player either toward or away from a given highway exit ramp or connection. While other non‐player/non‐Rival vehicles can easily pass through these transparent yellow arrows, the player will suddenly be forced to the garage upon passing through these transparent yellow arrows. The exception is that if the player passes through these transparent yellow arrows during a battle, the battle will

automatically end in a Draw and the player's vehicle will be automatically placed back upon the highway near the point at which the player had originally exited the highway. Should a player be able to force a Rival through these transparent yellow arrows, the battle will also end in a Draw.


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Vehicles switching lanes: In most cases, a non‐participant vehicle will switch lanes in order to pass a slower vehicle in front of it. Make note of these lane switches and be prepared to make a high‐speed maneuver between the lane‐switching vehicle and the slower vehicle.

Vehicles with yellow flashing lights: These vehicles generally indicate that a larger vehicle ahead (generally a semi truck) is moving slowly and/or is oversized. These vehicles trail the slower/oversized vehicles by a good distance, so the player should have plenty of time and

room to switch to another lane and stay there until the slow/oversized vehicle has been safely passed.

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GENERAL TIPSFirst, most CPU‐controlled Rivals have trouble cornering.Therefore, it is generally a good idea to tune a car forquick acceleration and to have the best possible tires. Thisalso means that a car tuned in this manner will do fairlywell on the initial course, but ‐ unless the player has a carwith a MASSIVE horsepower output ‐ very poorly on long,straight stretches of highway. To the extent possible,strategically pick the starting point for each battle, even

if it means tailing a Rival for several kilometers until theplayer reaches a section with many corners (such as thenorthern tunnels of the initial course). If necessary, theplayer can return to garage, then re‐enter the competition inor just before an area with a lot of curves.

In a battle, the car in the lead dictates the direction ofthe battle; if the player is trailing and takes a differentroute than the leader at a fork in the highway, the battleends in an instant draw. Very rarely has a CPU‐controlledRival taken a different route than I took when I was in thelead, so this can be used to the player's advantage when inthe lead. Best of all, if one of the forks leads to an areaof the course which the player personally prefers due tobetter performance AND the player is in the lead, he or sheshould definitely take it!!! However, if the player istrailing the Rival by such a distance that the player cannotsee the Rival, the player should NOT go into Yaesu; only onextremely RARE occasions will Rivals go into Yaesu if theyare in the lead in a battle.

Rivals DO occasionally make mistakes: ramming other vehicles,overcorrecting, hitting toll booth barriers, etc. the playermust be constantly aware, and be ready to take advantage ofsuch situations if trailing the Rival. Especially if theplayer is approaching the toll booths, the player should NOTtail the Rival too closely ‐ or try to give as wide a berthas possible ‐ in case the Rival suddenly rams a toll boothbarrier and bounces backward; the same applies for the

concrete lane barriers underneath the bridges in the initialcourse.

The player should not be afraid to use 'dirty tactics'(blocking, sideswiping an opponent into a barrier or the backof another vehicle) to win. In many cases, the Rivals willuse dirty tactics to stay ahead of the player. Inprogressing through the game, the player will NEED to usedirty tactics to gain and/or retain the lead.

Tokyo Extreme Racer Zero is very richly done in terms of thevisuals. It is quite easy to get lost in the realism of thegame, from the traffic to the airplanes taking off andlanding overhead. However, THE PLAYER MUST NOT TAKE THE EYES

OFF THE ROAD, ESPECIALLY IN A BATTLE!!!!!

The western highways are generally conducive to high‐speedruns, due to long straightaways, multiple and wider lanes(especially in the tunnels), and generally thinner traffic.However, at the extremely high top‐end speeds which areusually achieved in this area, even a light brushing with a


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barrier or another vehicle can reduce the player's speed justenough for to lose the lead and/or lose all chance ofcatching the opponent.

There ARE cops in this game, located in eight different areasof the highway circuit (once all highways are opened). Neverdid I actually see the police car; I only heard the sirens asI sped by a highway on‐ramp (where the police were probablyhiding). A player will not actually get pulled over;instead, when the player returns to garage to end the night,she or he is presented with the 'Over Speed Penalty!!'

screen, which lists the infractions and fines incurred in thesession, and the appropriate amount is then deducted from thetotal remaining money. What really happens (which isrevealed should the player replay a battle in which she orher was 'caught' by the police) is that there are cameraslinked with speed guns and placed at various locations alongthe three courses. (This is so impersonal, and I was REALLYhoping to be arrested by Miyuki and Natsumi!!!!!)

When buying (upgraded levels of) parts, it is a good idea toalways immediately go back to the Settings section of theQuest Mode menu, as new tuning options may be available. Forexample, most vehicles cannot handle Turbo in theirstock/non‐tuned configurations, but Turbo may become

available for tuning once the player acquires a high‐levelengine.

Periodically (perhaps every 20‐30 minutes), the player shouldsave game progress (System menu), just in case theelectricity goes out, little siblings squirt the console witha water gun, etc. Also, in returning to the garage, theplayer should look to the top of the report screen to see ifnew parts or new levels of parts have been unlocked (bybeating specific Rivals) and, if so, seriously consideracquiring some upgrades before returning to the highways.

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MY CARSThese are the cars and settings I have used in the game.

My first car: TYPE‐CE9A (Class A, 4WD, 2714lbs, 490HP, 1997cc)* Initial Cost: $14,750 Steer: +11 Acceleration: +12 Braking: +11 Brake Balance: +7 (biased to the rear) Ride Height: ‐15 front AND rear (lowest possible setting) Gear Ratio: Default, except Final set to 2.78 Spring Rate: ‐8 front and rear Damper: +4 front AND rear Turbo Boost: 1.40 (fairly high)

My second car (Class A, acquired after opening the long western sections of highway): TYPE‐CP9A6M (4WD, 2797lbs, 561HP, 1997cc)* Initial Cost: $28,480 Steer: +11 Acceleration: +12 Braking: +12 Brake Balance: +8 (biased to the rear) Ride Height: ‐15 front AND rear (lowest possible setting) Gear Ratio: Default Spring Rate: +5 front, +6 rear Damper: ‐7 front AND rear Turbo Boost: 1.39 (fairly high)

My third car (Class A, acquired specifically to beat Speed King): TYPE‐RPT7 (MR, 2764lbs, 446HP, 3560cc)** Initial Cost: $ Steer: +7 Acceleration: +12 Braking: +14


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Brake Balance: +8 (biased to the rear) Ride Height: N/A Gear Ratio: 1st : 3.71 2nd : 2.61 3rd : 1.93 4th : 1.58 5th : 1.28 6th : 0.96 Final: 3.03 Spring Rate: N/A

Damper: N/A Turbo Boost: N/A

My current car (Class A, the Speed King car): TYPE‐R34RKK (4WD, 3230lbs, 788HP, 2876cc)* Initial Cost: $525,500 Steer: +7 Acceleration: +12 Braking: +13 Brake Balance: +7 (biased to the rear) Ride Height: ‐15 front AND rear (lowest possible setting) Gear Ratio: 1st : 4.96 2nd : 3.29

3rd : 2.28 4th : 1.87 5th : 1.45 6th : 1.06 Final: 2.71 Spring Rate: +10 front, +11 rear Damper: ‐12 front AND rear Turbo Boost: 1.31 (fairly high)

* Weight, horsepower, and cc based on highest possible levels of available parts (except mufflers, where highest possible horsepower muffler was selected).

** Weight, horsepower, and cc based on the following parts: Engine Level 5; Muffler and Air Cleaner Level 6; Transmission Level 3; Clutch and Differential Level 4; and Tires, Brakes, and Wheels Level 8. Also, after several days of frustration trying to beat Speed King with a number of other cars, I was successful beating Speed King the first time I tried with this car.

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INPUT FROM OTHERSConcerning Wanderers, I have received A LOT of e‐mails frommany players. The following comes from J.D.([email protected]), and is edited only for formatting purposes

and minor language:

From: [email protected] Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 06:31:04 EDT Subject: ABOUT the WANDeRERS To: [email protected]

Yeah I've been having a BIG PROB with that. I've been trying a lot of things but sometimes it'll work and sometimes it wont. Here are my suggestions:

1) Race a WANDERER with a STOCK CAR. Sometimes, they'll race you and keep on your pace.

2) Go in front of the WANDERER to see if they HIGHBEAM. If they don't sometimes it means that they don't wanna race you if you highbeam them.

3) Trial and Error. This is what me and probably anyone else who has been playing TOKYO RACER 2 (DC) or TOKYO


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RACER 0 (PS2). I raced a couple of KANJO‐INNER WANDERERS with my PORSCHE 930 TURBO A CLASS CAR 2 951HP seeing that they dont wanna race my C CLASS 164 HP car. Its weird.

I can definitely confirm J.D.'s second point, and his thirdpoint is what most players probably try by default... whichmakes them frustrated, and then they e‐mail me!!! As for thefirst point concerning a stock car, how fast can the playeraccumulate A LOT of money for stock car and parts???

For specific information on the Wanderers, see 'Wanderer's

Requirement(s) FAQ' ‐ translated and written by HIKARU2001,Wataru, and Reiko ‐ on GameFAQs (and probably also postedelsewhere).

Also, some advice concerning the pressure‐sensitive PS2DualShock2 controller:

From: 'Scott Edwards' To: [email protected] Subject: Your tokyo extreme racer FAQ Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2001 23:49:29

Because the X button on the PS2 controller is pressure sensitive, you can find yourself losing a lot of your

acceleration and speed because you can't hold the button down that hard constantly. One option to fix this is to go into the settings in the garage and change the sensitivity of the accerlation. Alternatively, if you just use a PS1 controller without analog functions, you can effectively hold it down ALL THE WAY all the time.

With appropriate modifications, Scott's tip may also beapplicable to other games. Of course, the player may alsowish to make use of the services of Chet (the slightly‐insanegaming coach) from the 2001 Blockbuster Video advertisingcampaign, and specifically work on increasing thumb strengthand endurance.

Here is some information on a 'child‐safety feature:'

From: 'Kyle Morse' To: [email protected] Subject: TXRZ Child Safety Feature Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 00:59:34 ‐0400

Tokyo Extreme Racer: Zero has a child safety feature. You know that little sibling, the one that watches you play. Well I'm sure you don't want him/her to play while you're temporarily gone. You know their going to play any way so i have found that if you pause the game in Quest mode, then press SELECT,SQUARE,TRIAGLE,AND CIRCLE at the same time. This causes the game to lock and the game is unable to to be messed with thru the controller. When you come

back to unlock the game press and hold SELECT, THEN PRESS SQUARE, TRIANGLE, AND CIRCLE. Remember don't let the rugrats mess up the gig man!

Also, concerning how muffler choice affects horsepower andtorque, Jeremy Jones has made a rather interestingobservation:

Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 21:41:11 ‐0700 (PDT) From: Jeremy Jones Subject: About your FAQ To: [email protected]

When I first upgraded the car, I thought it was odd

how the horsepower goes down with certain higher mufflers. But I then noticed another thing, the number of engine upgrade corresponds to the number of the muffler. For example: Say I have a level 4 engine, well, the best bet would be to go with the level 4 muffler, not only is the horsepower the highest there, but so is the torque. And if I had a


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level 2 engine, I'd get a level 2 muffler. If you go over the number of your engine upgrade, you will (in most cases) lose horsepower and torque. Understand? I thought that was interesting that they chose to go that way.

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DRIVETRAINS

There are four common drivetrains for cars, plus the 'RR'drivetrain:

4WD: All four wheels are drive wheels. In many forms of auto racing, 4WD vehicles are banned due to the inherent advantage of using all four wheels as drive wheels (due to the added traction advantage).FF: The engine AND the drive wheels are at the front of the car. FF vehicles are fairly easy to drive, but do not generally handle high horsepower outputs very well. This type of vehicle tends to understeer.FR: The engine is in the front of the vehicle, but the rear wheels are the drive wheels. This type of car has a great tendency for oversteering, and throttle

management is VERY important when exiting corners to try to prevent the oversteer condition. NASCAR uses FR vehicles.MR: The engine is located between the axles (usually just behind the driver), and the rear wheels are the drive wheels. This type of car can be a bit tricky to drive. Typical MR cars are those used in F1, CART, and IRL. In open‐wheel cars (such as those in the aforementioned racing series), there is extremely little material to absorb the shock of a front‐end collision in an accident, thus providing fairly little protection for the driver (especially the driver's legs); it is truly amazing that there are not more driver injuries in open‐wheel cars with MR drivetrains due to this 'non‐protection' issue.RR: Both the engine and the drive wheels are in the rear of the car. These cars are fairly rare.

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BRAKINGThe first step in driving fast is knowing when, where, andhow much to slow down (braking). In some games, a brakecontroller can be acquired or purchased, allowing the playerto customize the brake strength by axle or by adjusting thebias of the brakes toward the front or the rear of the car.

The use of a brake controller will affect the braking zone,as will other factors. Specifically, the car's speed on

approaching a corner, the amount of fuel in the car at agiven moment, the drivetrain of the car, the weight of thecar, and even the car's center of gravity can all affect thebraking zone. Similarly, the driving conditions ‐ sunny,overcast, damp, wet, icy, snowy etc. ‐ will affect thebraking zone for each corner (as well as the car's ability toattain high speeds).

Except for purely arcade‐style games, the braking zone willdiffer somewhat for each car depending upon its strengths andweaknesses. It certainly helps for the player to try a FreeRun or a Time Trial (if these modes exist in a given game) tolearn the circuit(s) ‐ including the braking zones.

When looking for braking zones, try to find a particularstationary object near the entry of each corner; it helpstremendously if this object is far enough away from thecircuit that it will not be knocked over during a race. Tobegin, try using the brakes when the front of the car isparallel with the chosen stationary object. If this does notslow the car enough before corner entry or if the car slows


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too much before reaching the corner, pick another stationaryobject on the following lap and try again.

Whenever changes are made to the car ‐ whether to the brakecontroller or to other aspects of tuning and/or parts ‐ itwould be a good idea to go back into Free Run mode and checkthat the braking zones still hold; if not, adjust asnecessary using the method in the paragraph above.

For those races which include fuel loads, the car will becomeprogressively lighter during a race. The lesser weight can

often mean a slightly shorter braking zone; however, if tirewear is excessive (especially if there have been numerousoff‐course excursions), that might dictate a longer brakingzone.

Cars with a higher horsepower output will inherently attainfaster speeds, and will therefore require a longer brakingzone than cars with a lower horsepower output. Try aVolkswagon New Beetle, a Mini Cooper, a Dodge Viper, a PanozEsperante GT‐1, a Corvette C5R, and an F‐2002 (all instock/base configuration) along the same area of a circuitand note how their braking zones differ.

A final note on braking: To the extent possible, ALWAYS brake

in a straight line. If braking only occurs when cornering,the car will likely be carrying too much speed for thecorner, resulting in the car sliding, spinning, and/orflipping. (Some games purposely do not permit the car toflip, but a slide or spin can still mean the differencebetween winning and ending up in last position at the end ofa race.)

If nothing else, players should strive to become of the'breakers' they possibly can. This will essentially force aplayer to become a better racer/driver in general once theplayer has overcome the urge to constantly run at top speedat all times with no regard for damages to self or others.Also, slowing the car appropriately will make other aspectsof racing/driving easier, especially in J‐turns, hairpincorners, and chicanes.

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CORNERINGIdeally, the best way to approach a corner is from theoutside of the turn, braking well before entering the corner.At the apex (the midpoint of the corner), the car should beright up against the edge of the pavement. On corner exit,the car drifts back to the outside of the pavement and speedsoff down the straightaway. So, for a right‐hand turn ofabout ninety degrees, enter the corner from the left, come tothe right to hit the apex, and drift back to the left oncorner exit. See the Diagrams section at the end of this

guide for a sample standard corner.

For corners that are less than ninety degrees, it may bepossible to just barely tap the brakes ‐ if at all ‐ and beable to clear such corners successfully. However, the sameprinciples of cornering apply: approach from the outside ofthe turn, hit the apex, and drift back outside on cornerexit.

For corners more than ninety degrees but well less than 180degrees, braking will certainly be required. However, forthese 'J‐turns,' the apex of the corner is not the midpoint,but a point approximately two‐thirds of the way around thecorner. J‐turns require great familiarity to know when to

begin diving toward the inside of the corner and when topower to the outside on corner exit. See the Diagramssection at the end of this guide for a sample J‐turn.

Hairpin corners are turns of approximately 180 degrees.Braking is certainly required before corner entry, and thecornering process is the same as for standard corners:


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Approach from the outside, drift inside to hit the apex(located at halfway around the corner, or after turningninety degrees), and drifting back to the outside on cornerexit. See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide fora sample hairpin corner.

If there are two corners of approximately ninety degrees eachAND both corners turn in the same direction AND there is onlya VERY brief straightaway between the two corners, they maybe able to be treated like an extended hairpin corner.Sometimes, however, these 'U‐turns' have a straightaway

between the corners that is long enough to prohibit ahairpin‐like treatment; in this case, drifting to the outsideon exiting the first of the two corners will automaticallyset up the approach to the next turn. See the Diagramssection at the end of this guide for a sample U‐turn.

FIA (the governing body of F1 racing, World RallyChampionship, and other forms of international motorsport)seems to love chicanes. One common type of chicane isessentially a 'quick‐flick,' where the circuit quickly edgesoff in one direction then realigns itself in a path parallelto the original stretch of pavement, as in the examples inthe Diagrams section at the end of this guide. Here, theobject is to approach the first corner from the outside, hit

BOTH apexes, and drift to the outside of the second turn.

FIA also seems to like the 'Bus Stop' chicane, which isessentially just a pair of quick‐flicks, with the secondforming the mirror image of the first, as shown in theDiagrams section at the end of this guide. Perhaps the mostfamous Bus Stop chicane is the chicane (which is actuallycalled the 'Bus Stop Chicane') at Pit Entry at Spa‐Francorchamps, the home of the annual Grand Prix of Belgium(F1 racing) and the host of The 24 Hours of Spa (forendurance racing).

Virtually every other type of corner or corner combinationencountered in racing (primarily in road racing) combineselements of the corners presented above. These complexcorners and chicanes can be challenging, such as the Ascarichicane at Monza. See the Diagrams section for an idea ofthe formation of Ascari.

However, in illegal street/highway racing, the positioning oftraffic can 'create' the various corners and cornercombinations mentioned here. For example, weaving in and outof traffic creates a virtual bus stop chicane (see theDiagrams section at the end of this guide). Slowing may benecessary ‐ it often is ‐ depending on the distance betweenthe vehicles. See the Sample Circuit Using Some of the AboveCorner Types Combines in the Diagrams section at the end ofthis guide; note that this is a diagram for a very technicalcircuit.

At some race venues, 'artificial chicanes' may be created byplacing cones and/or (concrete) barriers in the middle of astraightaway. One such game which used this type of chicaneis the original Formula1 by Psygnosis, an F1‐basedPlayStation game from 1995, which used this at CircuitGilles‐Villeneuve along Casino Straight (shortly afterpassing the final grandstands at the exit of Casino Hairpin).

One thing which can change the approach to cornering is theavailable vision. Blind and semi‐blind corners requireABSOLUTE knowledge of such corners. Here is where gamershave an advantage over real‐world drivers: Gamers can(usually) change their viewpoint (camera position), which can

sometimes provide a wider, clearer view of the circuit, whichcan be especially important when approaching semi‐blindcorners; real‐world drivers are obviously inhibited by thedesign of their cars and racing helmets. Great examples ofreal‐world blind and semi‐blind corners would be MulsanneHump at Le Mans, Turns 14 and 15 at Albert Park, and each ofthe first three corners at A1‐Ring.


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Also important to cornering ‐ especially with long, extendedcorners ‐ is the corner's radius. Most corners use anidentical radius throughout their length. However, some areincreasing‐radius corners or decreasing‐radius corners.These corners may require shifting the apex point of acorner, and almost always result in a change of speed.Decreasing‐radius corners are perhaps the trickiest, becausethe angle of the corner becomes sharper, thus generallyrequiring more braking as well as more turning of thesteering wheel. Increasing‐radius corners are corners for

which the angle becomes more and more gentle as the cornerprogresses; this means that drivers will generally acceleratemore, harder, or faster, but such an extra burst of speed canbackfire and require more braking. See the Diagrams sectionat the end of this guide for sample images of a decreasing‐radius corner and an increasing‐radius corner.

For traditional road racing circuits, increasing‐radius anddecreasing‐radius corners may not be too much of a problem;after several laps around one of these circuits, a driverwill know where the braking and acceleration points are aswell as the shifted apex point (should a shift be required).However, for stage‐based rally racing, where the roads arevirtually unknown and the driver knows what is ahead only

because of the navigator's instructions (which ‐ based uponnotes ‐ may or may not be absolutely correct), the unknowncan cause drivers to brake more often and/or more heavily.For rally‐based games, such as the Need for Speed: V‐Rallyseries (PlayStation/PSOne) or for World Rally Championship(PlayStation2), there is often specialized vocabulary used:'tightens' generally designates that a corner has adecreasing radius, whereas 'widens' or 'opens' indicates thata corner has an increasing radius. This need for 'extra'braking is also tempered by the fact that in much of rallyracing, corners are either blind or semi‐blind, due to trees,buildings, cliffs, embankments, and other obstacles to clearvision all the way around a corner.

One particularly interesting aspect of cornering is one whichI honestly do not know if it works in reality (I am not areal‐world racer, although I would certainly LOVE the chanceto attend a racing school!!!), but which works in numerousracing/driving games I have played over the years. Thisaspect is to use the accelerator to help with quickly andsafely navigating sharp corners. This works by first BRAKINGAS USUAL IN ADVANCE OF THE CORNER, then ‐ once in the corneritself ‐ rapidly pumping the brakes for the duration of thecorner (or at least until well past the apex of the corner).The action of rapidly pumping the accelerator appears tocause the drive wheels to catch the pavement just enough tohelp stop or slow a sliding car, causing the non‐drive wheelsto continue slipping and the entire car to turn just a littlefaster. Using this rapid‐pumping technique with the

accelerator does take a little practice initially, and seemsto work best with FR cars; however, once perfected, thistechnique can pay dividends, especially with REALLY sharphairpin corners, such as at Sebring International Raceway.

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TUNINGMany racing games (primarily arcade‐heavy games such as CARTFury, or arcade favorites such as Pole Position and PolePosition II, and Outrun and Turbo Outrun) can be played withabsolutely no concerns about car set‐ups; other racing games(such as Le Mans 24 Hours or Sports Car GT) have so few set‐up options that changing anything really does not have much

effect, especially at lower levels of difficulty. However,games such as F1 2002 and Gran Turismo 3 present a number ofset‐up options, and the novice can easily become lost intrying to discern how to change the set‐up options to induceor correct certain handling characteristics of a given car.While I am certainly NOT a car expert (in a real car, I canjust barely find the accelerator and the radio buttons), I


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can present some of the basics of various parts to helptuning novices.

Note that often, when one part's setting has been changed, atleast one other part's setting will also need to be changedto maintain some semblance of handling. For example, if thegearbox is changed to use long gear ratios, the aerodynamicssettings will likely need to be lowered to make use of thelong gear ratios (otherwise, the car will have difficultyclimbing into its highest gear at the appropriate speed).For another example, if the tire pressure is increased, the

car will likely require soft tires to help to keep the car onthe pavement when cornering (especially at high speeds).

Aerodynamics (Wings) The wings are important for downforce, the use of airflow over the front and rear of the car to keep cars from taking off like an airplane and doing a backflip like the Mazda at Le Mans. A low downforce/wing setting can produce faster speeds but decreases cornering ability, while a high setting will help tremendously with cornering at the sacrifice of straight‐line speed.

Brakes Brake Bias Brake bias controls the percentage of braking power going toward the front and rear of the car. A setting of 50 will provide equal braking power to the front and rear of the vehicle. A setting lower than 50 will progressively favor the front of the car in braking ability; a setting higher than 50 will progressively favor the rear of the car in braking ability. In general, brake bias should be kept within the range of 40‐60. Brake Controller Unlike brake bias, the brake controller will allow for the customization of brake strength by axle. If a brake controller is available, then brake bias and brake strength are not needed. Brake Strength Independent of brake bias, brake strength controls the response of the brakes relative to the amount of pressure applied to the brake button. A low setting produces little (slow) response, while a high setting produces great (fast) response. Therefore, assuming that equal

pressure is always applied to the brake button, a low setting requires that braking begin earlier than the same car and corner using a high setting in the exact same racing conditions.

Gearbox Some games allow players to customize gear settings, or they provide three preset gear ratios: short, medium, and long. A short gear ratio provides impressive acceleration while sacrificing top‐end speed. A long gear ratio provides excellent top‐end

speed (especially in a straight line), but far slower acceleration. A medium gear ratio provides the best of both extremes. Note that for racing games with a standing start, a short gear ratio will allow a car to get off the line


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very quickly, allowing for the player to immediately gain one or more race positions. Conversely, a high gear ratio will almost certainly cause the player to lose one or more positions at the start of a race due to the slow acceleration inherent to long gear ratios.

Suspension Ride Height Like aerodynamics, ride height can

help or hinder a car's performance through airflow. A low ride height setting allows less air underneath the vehicle, resulting in less aerodynamic friction to slow the car. Conversely, a high ride height setting allows more air to pass underneath the car, thus increasing air friction and slowing the car (which assists in cornering). However, car performance is NOT the only consideration when setting ride height. If ride height is set too low, the car may bottom out, especially at the top or bottom of

hills or when rolling over rumble strips. For short races (4‐8 laps), bottoming out may not be a significant concern. However, in longer races (especially at 32+ laps), bottoming out the car could cause mechanical problems. Bump Stop The bump stop indicates the point at which the suspension will stop its vertical travel as the car speeds around the circuit. Rumble strips, debris, and generally bumpy sections of pavement will inherently cause the car's suspension to move as the vehicle passes across non‐even surfaces and obstructions. If bump stop settings are identical, the car will have no vertical movement of the suspension, meaning that any required vertical movement for different surfaces will cause the entire car to rise as the tires pass over the obstruction(s). Spring Rate A high spring rate setting will make the springs stiffer, assisting in cornering; however, if set too high, the car is likely to jump when running over rumble strips. A lower setting

will keep the car from jumping, but the vehicle will have trouble when cornering. Anti‐roll Bar The anti‐roll bar can be stiffened to keep the car from flipping, but this will make cornering more difficult. The setting can be lowered to accommodate cornering ability, but the car will then be easier to flip in an accident.

Tires Type See the Tires section above for specific information on the types and

compounds of tires often seen in racing/driving games. Pressure High tire pressures result in more‐ rounded tires, meaning that less tire surface will actually be touching the pavement, thus inherently reducing the amount of available pavement grip


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(regardless of the type or compound of tire used) and producing a slightly faster car due to less friction. Low tire pressures create 'flattened' tires, putting more rubber on the pavement and creating far more friction to slow the car and assist in cornering.

========================================================================

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DIAGRAMSThis section contains the diagrams referred to earlier in theguide.

Ascari Chicane (at Monza): * * * * * *** *

*****************

Bus Stop Chicane (Variant I ‐ Wide Chicane): ******************* ******************* * * *********

Bus Stop Chicane (Variant II ‐ Narrow Chicane): ******************* ******************* ***********

Decreasing‐radius Corner: ‐>******************* * * * * * * ***************** * ********************** *

* * * *


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Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero: Getting Started Guide by Wolf Feather

Version: Final | Updated: 2003-01-19 | Original File

Sample Circuit Using Some of the Above Corner Types Combined: ******|****** ***** * |‐> * * * * ** *** * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * ******** * ** * * * * * ************ ******* *

*******

Standard Corner: ******************* * * * * * * * *

U‐turn:

‐>***************** * * * ‐>‐>‐>‐>‐> Car #3 Player Path: ‐>‐>‐>‐>‐>‐>‐> Car #2 ‐>‐>‐>‐>‐>‐>‐> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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CONTACTFor rants, raves, etc., contact me at [email protected];also, if you have enjoyed this guide and feel that it hasbeen helpful to you, I would certainly appreciate a smalldonation via PayPal (http://www.paypal.com/) using the abovee‐mail address.

To find the latest version of this and all my otherPSX/PS2/DC/Mac game guides, visit FeatherGuides athttp://feathersites.angelcities.com/

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GameFAQs_ Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero (PS2) Getting Started Guide by Wolf Feather