---------------------------------------------------------------------- Xcar Mini Manual V1.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cars ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Xcar was designed to simulate the next generation of closed wheeled, closed cockpit race car. These cars, often referred to as sports-prototypes, have a rich history and 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. Xcar comes with from. Each car has a unique sponsor, design and default setup. Even though each car is different, their default setup makes them essentially equal. The default setup should be enough to get you out and racing, but you will have to modify your car to suit a particular track (and your own tastes) to be really competitive. To select a car, choose Select Car from the Main Menu. The menu 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 car. 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 recalibrate (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 Select 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 CTRL-R at the calibrate screen to reset the saved file. Controls -------- When selecting menu items the following controls are active: Action Keyboard Joystick Mouse ------ -------- -------- ----- Change highlighted item. Up/Down arrow 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 gameplay are customizable. If a joystick is detected, the default controls will be joystick based, otherwise keyboard controls will be selected, even though mouse controls can be selected. The default controls are as follows: Action Keyboard Joystick ------ -------- -------- Steer left/right Cursor left/right Joystick left/right Accelerate A key Joystick forward Brake Z key Joystick backward Shift up Cursor up Button A Shift down Cursor down Button B HUD toggle H key H key Previous view < key < key Next view > key > 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. Select the control you wish to change and press enter. Press or move the control you wish to assign, press ESC to cancel the assignment. The new control will be displayed. 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 Sideview 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 Map zoom in + key Map zoom out - key 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 display left Q key Move HUD display Right W key Save screen shot (racing only) INS key NOTE: The 3D window on the Main Menu screen can be turned off by pressing the DEL key.