NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing Version 1.0 Readme File 12/18/98 *********************************************************************** About This Document: Thank you for purchasing NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing. This document contains last-minute information about NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing as well as information that pertains to general problems and questions you may have concerning the game or your computer. Should you experience any problems with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing, please refer to this file for additional help on answering questions about the game and solving technical difficulties. *********************************************************************** TABLE OF CONTENTS I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES Minimum Install Issues Performance Issues Environmental Variables 3Dfx Issues Controller Issues III. GENERAL GAME ISSUES Changing Driver Name Loading Your Picture in to Driver Info Paintshop Filename Issues Max Number of Truck Files Craftsman Truck Halftime Feature Chassis Selection Towing Rules Turning Off Spotter Speech Viewing a Replay Quick Qualifying Fuel Limit Green Flag Issues IV. CONTACTING SIERRA I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS ----------------------- Minimum: Recommended: Pentium Pentium-100+ 24MB RAM 32MB RAM Windows Compatable Soundcard SVGA 2X CD-ROM Drive 4X CD-ROM DRIVE VGA 320x200 3Dfx 3D Accelerator Card DirectX 5.0 or later II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES ---------------------------- MIMINUM INSTALL ISSUES The Minimum install of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing requires that the CD-ROM be present when the game is launched. If the CD-ROM is not present, the system will display a dialog box prompting you to insert the CD-ROM. When this occurs it is possible that the mouse cursor may become hidden, but after the CD-ROM has been inserted the dialog box may be cleared by pressing ENTER, at which point the game should continue to run normally. PERFORMANCE ISSUES It is recommended that you reduce the number of additional applications running in the background while playing NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing to a bare minimum. If you experience any problems while running the game, you should obtain and install the latest drivers and firmware for all of your hardware devices. ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES Certain features of the game can be controlled by altering variables in a configuration file. The game looks for "NCTR.INI" which should be in the directory in which NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing is installed. Either version: SPOTTER_LAPTIMES Use to turn on lap time reporting by default DOUBLEFILE 0 Use to disable Doublefile restarts MIRRL Sets default Left mirror value for all tracks MIRRL Sets default Center mirror value for all tracks MIRRR Sets default Right mirror value for all tracks REPLAYLEN Sets memory allocated for replay in Windows versions 3Dfx Specific: N2FXAA 2 Use to enable AntiAlias The following line can be added to your system's "AUTOEXEC.BAT" to disable the 3Dfx splash logo that appears when the 3Dfx versions of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing are launched: SET FX_GLIDE_NO_SPLASH = 1 3DFX ISSUES The 3Dfx version of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing allows you to return to your Windows desktop by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard or by pressing ALT-TAB to switch to another active application. Some users may experience problems with the mouse cursor being confined to a small portion of the screen upon returning to the game. This usually can be resolved by repeating the process of switching back to the desktop and then back into the game. Additionally the text/numeric stamp tool in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing's Paint Shop does not work properly in the 3Dfx version. CONTROLLER ISSUES NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing uses 2 different joystick drivers, DirectInput and Generic. Users running under Win98 will only have the selection of DirectInput, while users running under Win95 will have the choice of either driver. Before running the game using the DirectX joystick driver, you should ensure that your controller is properly setup and calibrated in the Win95/98 Game Controllers Control Panel. NOTE: Those running NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing on non-Intel machines should NOT use the Generic driver as it may cause the program to fail to load. If this does occur, delete the options.cfg file from your NCTR install directory (by default this will be C:\Sierra\NCTR) to reset the game to the default DirectX joystick driver. III. GENERAL GAME ISSUES ------------------------ CHANGING DRIVER NAME When you select "New Driver" on the entry list screen you create a new truck file. Click "Info" to get to the info screen for the new driver. Select the "Name" field in the lower left and enter a name. This will allow you to change the large driver name displayed at the top of the screen. LOADING YOUR PICTURE INTO DRIVER INFO In the driver info screen there is a button labeled "PCX". This button will allow you to load a picture of yourself, or whatever you want, into the driver info screen. To do so, follow the instructions below. There is a file in the TRUCKS directory called "blank.pcx". This file has a particular palette and region of the screen for the picture. You will have to use a commercial paint program with palette remapping capabilities, (Deluxe Paint or Adobe Photoshop will work) to get the picture you want in the game. Load the picture you wish to use into the paint program. Then, load in "blank.pcx" file. Remap your picture to the palette of "blank.pcx" (Consult the paint program documentation for instructions on how to remap pictures). You must make sure that your picture is only as large as "blank.pcx" (241 wide by 402 high). If the picture is larger, the game screen will turn black when you load the .pcx into Driver Info. It would be preferable to cut out the picture you want to use and place it on the blue background in "blank.pcx" to give the image a consistent look in the game. Then, save the file using the name of the truck file you want to match the picture with (e.g. t_player.pcx for using the photo with t_player.trk). Place that new file in the TRUCKS directory. Start NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing and go to the entry list screen under Driver Info. Select the driver you wish to change/add the photo to and click on Info. Once at the driver info screen, press the "PCX" button at the bottom of the screen. If you have done the above steps correctly, the picture should appear in the correct area of the screen. If the picture comes in, but with all the colors messed up, it wasn't remapped correctly. If the screen goes black when you press "PCX", then the picture size was too large. PAINTSHOP FILENAME ISSUES NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing's Paintshop allows you to import and export paintjobs as PCX files. This can be useful if you want to edit the image in an external paint program. The filename used will be an 8 character name based on the first 7 characters of the truck name with a leading X, so for t_player.trk the filename would be Xt_playe.pcx. Note that the name has a limit of 8 characters, so the 9th character (an r in this case) is removed. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF TRUCK FILES The maximum number of truck files that will be available to you in the Driver Info screen is 128. You can work around this by moving your less used truck files into a subdirectory of TRUCKS and restoring them when you want to use them. CHASSIS SELECTION NASCAR Craftsman Truck Racing allows you to choose from three different chassis types: Truck Chassis 1: Balanced for slightly less rear downforce Truck Chassis 2: Neutral Truck Chassis 3: Balanced for slightly more rear downforce CRAFTSMAN TRUCK HALFTIME FEATURE When using the Craftsman trucks you have the option of turning on halftimes in the race setup screen. When running with halftimes enabled there are several differences in pitting behavior. You will not be allowed to change tires, except for flats. Also you will only receive enough fuel to make it until halftime. When you reach the halfway mark of the race you will receive a yellow flag and the message COMPETITION YELLOW will be displayed. After completing the lap and taking the waving yellow flag, you will be returned to the weekend screen where you will be allowed to make setup changes. When you are ready to resume the race click on the Halftime Resume button, and you will be returned to your truck ready to start the second half of the race with a fresh set of tires and a full tank of gas. TOWING RULES Once you call for a tow, it will take a little time for the towing to actually start. The spotter will let you know the tow truck is coming. This was done to simulate the time it might take to actually recover a truck from an incident. If you move the truck at all, then the tow truck is waved off. You'll have to hit ALT-I again if you want a tow. TURNING OFF SPOTTER SPEECH If you turn off the spotter speech, make sure you turn on the spotter text. It will give you much needed info about yellow flag and pace lap procedures. These settings may be made in the Options menu. VIEWING A REPLAY In order to view the replay you must load the same entry list and be at the same track at which the replay was recorded. QUICK QUALIFYING There is a Quick Qualify checkbox on the qualifying screen. Checking this will instantly fill in the qualify times for all the computer opponents. When it reaches your position in the list, Qualify will appear on the menu at the bottom. Click that to begin your qualifying run. Once you come back from qualifying, the remaining qualify times will be automatically filled in. FUEL LIMIT Unless you select "Testing" as the Weekend Type on the Quick Race screen, you will be unable to change the amount of fuel in the truck. It will always be at 22 gallons. In real NASCAR racing, the fuel is part of the total truck weight calculation and is a mandated 22 gallons. If you select "Testing", you will be able to change the fuel level so you can test the truck setup under different fuel loads. GREEN FLAG ISSUES The green flag comes out a little early at some tracks, usually in turns 3 and 4 but even on the backstraight, well before the start/finish line. This was done to solve the problem of the AI trucks bunching up in the first turn and creating a dangerous and unfair racing condition. We felt that this trade-off improves the raceability and playability of the tracks. IV.CONTACTING SIERRA ======================= A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales B) Technical Support C) Legal Information A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales ---------------------------------- United States U.S.A. Sales Phone: (800) 757-7707 International Sales: (425) 746-5771 Hours: Monday-Saturday 7AM to 11 PM CST, Sundays 8 AM to 9PM CST FAX: (402) 393-3224 Sierra Direct 7100 W. Center Rd STE 301 Omaha, NE 68106 United Kingdom Cendant Software International Limited Main: (0118) 920-9111 Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Fax: (0118) 987-5603 Disk/CD replacements in the U.K. are £6.00, or £7.00 outside the UK. Add "ATTN.: Returns." 2 Beacontree Plaza, Gillette Way, Reading, Berkshire RG2 0BS United Kingdom France Cendant Software International Limited Téléphone: 01-46-01-46-50 Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h Vendredi de 10h à 18h Fax: 01-46-30-00-65 Parc Tertiaire de Meudon Immeuble "Le Newton" 25 rue Jeanne Braconnier 92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex France Germany Cendant Software International Limited Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40 Montag bis Freitag von 9h - 19Uhr Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35 Robert-Bosh-Str. 32 D-63303 Dreieich Germany On-Line Sales CompuServe United Kingdom:GO UKSIERRA CompuServe France: GO FRSIERRA CompuServe Germany: GO DESIERRA Internet USA: http://www.sierra.com Internet United Kingdom: http://www.sierra-online.co.uk Internet France: http://www.sierra.fr Internet Germany: http://www.sierra.de Disk and or Manual Replacement: Product Returns: Sierra On-Line Returns 4100 West 190th Street Torrance, CA 90504 Sierra On-Line Fulfillment 4100 West 190th Street Torrance, CA 90504 NOTE: To replace your disk(s) please send only Disk #1 (or the CD) and copy of your dated Receipt, if less then 90 days. After 90 days please include a $10 handling fee along with Disk / CD #1. For Documentation, please include a $ 5.00 handling fee and a photocopy ONLY of disk #1. Payment should be made at the time of your request. Sorry, no credit cards. * Returns to this address valid in North America only. B) TECHNICAL SUPPORT ------------------------- North America Sierra On-Line offers a 24-hour automated technical support line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access this service, call (425) 644-4343, and follow the recorded instructions to find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you may still write, or fax us with your questions, or contact us via our Web site. Sierra On-Line Technical Support P.O. Box 85006 Bellevue, WA 98015-8506 Main: (425) 644-4343 Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:45 p.m. PST Fax: (425) 644-7697 http://www.sierra.com support@sierra.com United Kingdom Cendant Software International Limited offers a 24-hour Automated Technical Support line with recorded answers to the most frequently asked technical questions. To access this service, call (0118) 920-9111, and follow the recorded instructions to find your specific topic and resolve the issue. If this fails to solve your problem, you may still write, or fax us with your questions, or contact us via our Internet or CompuServe sites. Cendant Software International Limited 2 Beacontree Plaza, Gillette Way, Reading, Berkshire RG2 0BS United Kingdom Main: (0118) 920-9111 Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Fax: (0118) 987-5603 http://www.sierra-online.co.uk France Cendant Software International Limited Parc Tertiaire de Meudon Immeuble "Le Newton" 25 rue Jeanne Braconnier 92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex France Téléphone: 01-46-01-46-50 Lundi au Jeudi de 10h à 19h Vendredi de 10h à 18h Fax: 01-46-30-00-65 http://www.sierra.fr Germany Cendant Software International Limited Robert-Bosh-Str. 32 D-63303 Dreieich Deutschland Tel: (0) 6103-99-40-40 Montag bis Freitag von 9 - 19Uhr Fax: (0) 6103-99-40-35 Mailbox: (0) 6103-99-40-35 http://www.sierra.de Spain Cendant Software International Limited Avenida de Burgos 9 1º-OF2 28036 Madrid Spain Teléfono: (01) 383-2623 Lunes a Viernes de 9h30 a 14h y de 15h a 18h30 Fax: (01) 381-2437 Italy Contattare il vostro distribotore. C) Sierra Warranty & Legal Information ----------------------------------- Sierra's end user license agreement, limited warranty and return policy is set forth in the EULA.txt, found on the CD, and is also available during the install of the product. Copyright (1998 Sierra On-Line, Inc.)