"Floor It, and Turn Left"

Overview

Redline Thunder: American Stock Car Racing is all about one thing: high speed multiplayer fun! Hop in the driver's seat of a highly detailed cockpit. Punch the throttle and bang through the gears, with your solid American iron V8 race motor singing 9000 hi-octane revs in your ears, and clouds of tire smoke streaming behind you. Drift around the turns as you practice against computer-controlled opponents, or race online against friends--for bragging rights or real prizes! You can even blow donuts in the infield, or challenge your friends to a game of chicken! But be careful how you use that front end--you might notice your temperature gauge climbing, and before you know it, you're headed for the pits to fix that steaming radiator.

Features:

• Four types of car, each with four paint jobs.
  
  
• Three racetracks.
  
  
• Compatible with most game controllers, steering wheels and joysticks, or use keyboard/mouse.
  
  
• Detailed physics modeling of tires, drivetrain and motor.
  
  
• Online multiplayer racing (requires internet connection).
  
  
• Single-player offline practice mode against computer-controlled cars.
  
  

Demo Mode

Even if you haven't yet activated your copy of Redline Thunder, you can enjoy the Demo Mode for free! In Demo Mode you can practice racing against computer-controlled opponents on the Ozark Motor Raceway, and observe online multiplayer races as a guest spectator. However you will not be able to drive your car in online races, and two tracks available in the full game (Great Lakes International and Pennsylvania) will not be available for demo practice. Voice chat is disabled in Demo Mode as well.

When you've seen enough of the Demo and wish to unlock the full game, simply follow these instructions...

Activating your copy of Redline Thunder

It's very quick and simple to unlock Redline Thunder's full game mode. When you run an unactivated copy of Redline Thunder, you will see a dialog box with two choices: 'Demo' and 'Unlock'. Press 'Unlock' to begin the activation process. Just follow these four quick and easy steps!

1. Find your Username and Password When you downloaded Redline Thunder, you chose a username and password. Please find this information for the next step.
   
   
2. Click the 'Activate' button, then click the 'Unlock' button on the dialog box that appears. Click 'Yes' if you know your username and password, otherwise click 'No' and go on to Step 6.
   
   
3. Fill in the required information on the Registration screen. Click the 'Submit' button.
   
   
4. Complete the Purchase. Your web browser will now take you to the secure Redline Thunder website, where you will complete the purchase.
   
   
5. Run the game again, and you're done! Redline Thunder will automatically recognize that you have activated your game by connecting to the server over the internet. Don't forget your username and password!
   
   
6. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: IF YOU LOST YOUR USERNAME. If you clicked 'No' in Step 2, you will see a dialog box asking whether you want to create a new account. To activate the game, press 'Yes' and follow the directions on the website, then proceed with Step 5.
   
   

If at any point you choose to exit the activation process, you can always complete it later by clicking the 'Activate' button and following the steps above.

Your Account

Once you have activated your game, you can review your stats and available race entry credits by clicking on the 'Racer Bio' button from the Main Menu.

Controls

Redline Thunder supports using the keyboard, mouse, gamepad, joysticks,steering wheels, and most other user input devices for controlling the car, cameras, etc. After you become familiar with Redline Thunder you will probably want to map the controls to suit your playing style. This will be described below, under 'Configuring Controls'. If you are just getting started, you may find this list of default controls handy:

Default Controls

1. Drive Forward, or Accelerator: 'Up' arrow key.
   
   
2. Brake: 'Down' arrow key.
   
   
3. Turn left: 'left' arrow key.
   
   
4. Turn right: 'right' arrow key.
   
   
5. Upshift: 'a' key.
   
   
6. Downshift: 'z' key.
   
   
7. Recover: 'Backspace' key.
   
   
8. Change camera view: 'Tab' key.
   
   

Configuring Controls

To configure a control, follow this procedure:

1. From the Main Menu, click the 'Options' button. The 'Options' screen will appear.
   
   
2. Click the tab labeled 'HUD/Controls' in the top-center of the 'Options' screen.
   
   
3. On the right side of the HUD/Controls panel, you will see a list of control function names and their assigned keys, buttons, or joystick axes. For example, "Throttle keyboard up". Double-click on the name of a control (e.g. 'Throttle'), or select a control name and click the 'Change Key' button. A message will then appear above the 'Change Key' button. Now click a key, gamepad button, or move an analog axis on your gamepad, joystick, steering wheel, keyboard or other DirectInput device, to associate that control with the selected command.
   
   
4. Click the 'Accept' button to save your settings and close the 'Options' screen.
   
   

Choosing Manual or Automatic Transmission

By default, the 'Automatic' transmission is selected. To choose 'Manual' transmission, click the 'Manual' checkbox on the 'Controls' panel of the 'HUD/Controls' tab of the 'Options' screen.

Adjusting Steering Sensitivity

If you have configured the steering to use a steering wheel, joystick or other analog device (that is, NOT a keyboard key or gamepad button), you may wish to adjust the sensitivity of the steering. Simply move the slider labeled 'Steering Sensitivity' on the 'Controls' panel of the 'HUD/Controls' tab of the 'Options' screen, and click the 'Accept' button when done to save your settings.

Driving a Practice Race

A Practice Race is an offline race where you play by yourself against computer-controlled opponents. Practice Racing is fun! Also, driving a Practice Race will help you become familiar with your car, the control settings, and the race tracks, to prepare you for the all-out competition of online racing.

To drive a Practice Race, follow these instructions:

1. From the Main Menu, click the button labeled 'Practice'.
   
   
2. On the screen that appears, select the track, the number of laps, and the number of computer-controlled Opponents. Note: selecting a higher number of computer Opponents may cause a low framerate and poor game performance on some computers. If this occurs, you can reduce the number of opponents, choose a lower level of graphics detail, or choose a lower screen resolution (see Audio Visual and Graphics paragraphs).
   
   
3. Leave the 'Damage Modeling' checkbox checked if you wish to experience simulated radiator and engine failure, brought on by hard front-end collisions.
   
   
4. Click the 'Practice' button. Before the race begins, you will experience a pause while data is loaded into the program. A progress bar will appear on the screen.
   
   
5. When loading has finished you will see a countdown on the screen, followed by the words 'Punch It'.
   
   
6. Shift your car into forward gear and accelerate.
   
   
7. Be sure to turn left at the end of the straightaway.
   Important Note: You may hear the sound of squealing tires and screaming engines through your PC speakers or headset. This is perfectly normal.
   WARNING! Always wear a helmet and safety harness! Racing is an inherently dangerous activity! Pass with extreme caution!
   
   
   
8. If through some unfortunate accident your car is turned upside down, apply the 'Recover' command, which by default is activated by depressing the 'backspace' key on your keyboard. Your position in the race (e.g. 2/7 means 2nd out of 7 cars) and fastest lap time appear in the upper-right corner of the screen, along with an indication of the current lap and the total number of laps in the race. In the lower-left corner of the screen a map of the track indicates the positions of all cars in the race. In the upper-left corner you will see your current lap time and your last lap time. You will notice that the position of each car in the race also hovers above the cars as they race around the track.
   
   
9. At the end of the race, a dialog box will appear to inform you of your finishing position. If you wish to race again, click the 'Yes' button. If you need time to recover your nerves, click the 'No' button.
   
   

Notes on Driving the Car

Your American Stock Car is equipped with a transmission having four forward gears and one reverse gear. Both 'Automatic' and 'Manual' shifting options are available. See the 'Manual Transmission' explanation in the the 'Configuring Controls' section above for details on how to configure this option.

Automatic Transmission

If you have chosen an Automatic transmission, you must shift into forward or reverse from neutral before the car will move, using the 'Upshift' or 'Downshift' controls. The default control for 'Upshift' is the 'a' key on your keyboard; for 'Downshift', the default is the 'z' key. To map the 'Upshift' or 'Downshift' actions to other keys or to buttons on your gamepad or joystick, see the section above labeled 'Configuring Controls'. Accelerate your car using the 'up arrow' key on your keyboard, or using whichever control you have mapped to the 'Throttle'. Brakes are applied using the 'down arrow' key by default, and the default steering controls are the 'left arrow' and 'right arrow' keys. The Tachometer is located directly in front of the driver on the dashboard, and the Speedometer appears on the lower-right corner of the display. Gear selection is indicated on the digital display at the bottom of the speedometer, and on an indicator located on the dashboard of the interior car view.

Manual Transmission

If you have chosen a Manual transmission, from neutral you must shift upwards into first, second, third and fourth gears manually in order to drive in the forward direction. To drive in reverse direction, you must start from neutral and downshift into reverse gear.

Driving an Online Race

NOTE: If your game has not been activated, you can participate in online racing only as an observer. See 'Activating your copy...' above for instructions to unlock the full online racing mode.

Follow these steps to choose and join an Online Race:

1. Click the 'Race' button on the Main Menu. If you are prompted to log in, enter your username and password, then press the button labeled 'Login'.
   
   
2. The 'Race Lobby' screen will appear. The Race Lobby contains the following:
   
   1. Race List window, where you can select races to join. Note: you can sort the races by Name, Status, Track name, number of Player, etc., by clicking on the words above the Race List Window.
      
      
   2. Chat Room window, so that you can talk with friends and other players while you select a race and wait for it to start.
      
      
   3. Players window, which displays the online players currently in the lobby.
      
      
   4. Game Info window, which describes the race you selected in the Race List window.
      
      
   
   
   
3. Choose a Race from the Race List in the upper window of the Race Lobby screen by clicking on the name of the race. To drive in a race, you must select a race whose status is 'Waiting', not 'Playing'. See 'Notes on Choosing a Race' below for further information about the race options available.
   
   
4. Click the 'Join' button, located under the Race List window.
   
   
5. You will see a message box telling you whether your attempt to join has succeeded. Read the message and click 'OK'.
   
   
6. The word 'Joined!' will appear in the left column of the Race List, next to the race that you have joined.
   
   
7. Wait for the race to start. The race won't start until all players have joined. For example, if you have chosen a five-player race, the race won't start until all five player positions are filled.
   
   

'Unjoining' a Race

If you have joined a race and are waiting for it to start, but change your mind and decide to join a different race, you can 'Unjoin' a race by selecting the race that you joined, and clicking the button labeled 'Unjoin'.

Joining multiple races at once

Because a race won't start until all the other players have joined, you might wish to join several races at once. Whichever race fills up first will begin playing. To join several races, select them one at a time and click the 'Join' button. To join all races at once, just hit the 'Join All' button.

Notes on Choosing an Online Race

1. Choose a race by selecting a track. The three available tracks differ in length, top speed and banking, so each track offers a unique racing experience. For example the Ozark Motor Raceway is a short oval, and although the speeds at the end of the straightaway are not as high as those achieved at Great Lakes or Pennsylvania, the short track offers great bumper-to-bumper action.
   
   
2. Choose a race by the desired number of competitors. As described above, the race won't start until all players have joined. For example, if you choose a five-player race, the race won't start until all five player positions are filled. If you wish to play a race against specific people, for example you and two of your friends, choose a race made for three people. The number of players appears in the column labeled 'Players', e.g. 0/3 means that zero people have already joined a race designed for three people, and 1/3 means that one person has already joined a race meant for three people. NOTE: because each additional car increases the amount of graphics computation that your computer must perform, you MAY find that your game plays smoother and at higher framerates when you choose a race with fewer cars.
   
   
3. Strict or Relaxed Rules? A 'Strict Rules' race will disqualify you for driving backwards on the track, skipping checkpoints by cutting through the infield, or excessively interfering with other players. A 'Relaxed Rules' race allows you more freedom; for example, you will be allowed to re-enter the track and finish the race after driving on the infield. Also, at the end of a Strict Rules race, you will become an observer if you decide to stay in the game while others are racing. In a Relaxed Rules race, you may continue to drive after you have completed the race.
   
   
4. Damage Model: On or Off? In a race where Damage Modeling is 'On', your radiator may become damaged in a heavy front-end collision. If this occurs, then after some time you will see your temperature gauge rise, and an indicator light will appear on your dashboard (in-car view) or HUD (rear-of-car view). At this point your motor will fail, and your driving speed will be very limited. You must either drive to the pit lane, or hit the Recover key to move to the pitlane. As you drive through the pitlane, your radiator will be repaired. In a race where damage modeling is 'Off', front-end collisions will not affect the radiator or engine.
   Why choose a race where damage modeling is enabled? Our players have found that in races without damage modeling, some competitors might deliberately collide with other cars to change the outcome of a race. When damage modeling is enabled, drivers tend to be a bit more cautious, because there is a time penalty for fixing a radiator. If you're looking for a straight racing experience, choose Strict Rules with Damage Modeling. If you want all-out crazy freedom, choose Relaxed Rules with no Damage Modeling.
   
   
5. Choose a race by the number of laps. Races vary in length, as do the tracks. Therefore a twenty-lap race on Pennsylvania will take much longer than a ten-lap race on Ozark.
   
   
6. Prizes.
   Most races offer the 'Standard Prize':
   
   1. Finishing the race in 1st place wins race entry credits.
      
      
   2. Setting the fastest lap in the race wins race entry credits.
      
      
   3. Setting a lap record for the track wins race entry credits.
      
      
   
   
   

Some sponsored races offer 'Special Prizes'. Refer to the 'Game Info' panel for descriptions of the prizes.

Observing an Online Race

To observe an online race, follow this procedure:

1. Click the 'Race' button on the Main Menu to bring up the Race Lobby screen.
   
   
2. On the Race Lobby screen, select a race in the Race List whose status is 'Playing', not 'Waiting'.
   
   
3. Click the button labeled 'Watch'. As the program loads, you will experience a pause. A progress bar will appear on the screen.
   
   
4. Cycle through the Observer Camera views using the Tab key, or other button that you have configured to the camera views control. See 'Observer Cameras' below for additional details on configuring the camera views.
   
   

Configuring other Options

From the Main Menu, click 'Options' to activate the Options Dialog Box. When finished, click the 'Accept' button to close the Options Dialog Box.

Audio Visual Settings Click the tab labeled 'AV Configuration' to access the following options.

Video The Video panel is on the left-hand side of the AV Configuration screen.

Fullscreen checkbox: When checked, the game will run in full-screen mode. When unchecked, the game will run in a window. NOTE: when running in full-screen mode, you may have difficulty switching to other running applications (alt-tab), and switching back to the game.

Color Depth: When the 'Fullscreen' box is not checked, the Color Depth is automatically set from your Windows desktop configuration. When the 'Fullscreen' checkbox is checked, choose a Color Depth of 16 or 32 (bits per pixel) using the Color Depth selector control.

Simulation Resolution Using the selector control, choose the desired pixel resolution, ranging from (800x600) to (1280x1024). NOTE: choosing higher resolutions may cause the game to run at lower framerate than at lesser resolutions.

Graphics

Details: Using the selector control, choose the desired level of graphics details. These settings affect the in-car mirror, shadows, environment mapping and other details. NOTE: choosing higher graphics details settings may cause the game to run at lower framerate than lesser detail settings.

'Show my car in mirrors' checkbox: If checked, you will see the interior or exterior surfaces of your OWN car in the in-car mirrors. NOTE: checking this box may cause the game to run at lower framerate. because of the increased rendering load.

Audio

Sounds slider: Use this slider to set the volume of the engine sounds, tire noises and crash impact sounds.

Voice Chat checkbox: Check this box to enable streaming voice-over-internet chat with other drivers. NOTE: a headset and microphone are required to use this feature.

Heads-Up Display and Controls

The 'Heads-Up Display' is the information displayed on the screen when you are driving a race, e.g. the lap time indicator and other features. They can be turned on or off by using checkboxes on the 'HUD Configuration' tab of the Options screen.

Minimap checkbox: When checked, a miniature map of the track appears in the lower-left corner of the screen, and indicates positions of all cars with numbers that move around the track.

Positions checkbox: When checked, each car's position in the race will hover above the car.

Stats checkbox: When checked, your race position, current lap time, best lap time and last lap time will appear on the screen.

Mirror checkbox: When checked, the rearview mirror will appear on the screen when driving in behind-the-car camera view.

Gauges checkbox: When checked, the tachometer, digital speedometer, oil pressure and temperature gauge will appear on the screen when driving in behind-the-car camera view.

Player Names checkbox: When checked, player names hover above the cars.

Racing Tips checkbox: When checked, a helpful dialog box will appear at the start of the race.

Observer Cameras

NOTE: Observer Cameras are only available when observing a race.

From the Observer Cameras tab of the Game Options screen, you can choose which cameras will be available when cycling through the views using the Camera Cycle key (e.g. Tab key by default).

To add cameras to the camera cycle, select a camera group from the left list box and press the ">>" button.

To remove cameras from the cycle, select a camera type from the right list box and press the "<<" button.

To map keys to the various cameras available in Observer Mode, double click the camera type in either list box and then press a key or button.

System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements

This game will run on a system equipped with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, Intel Pentium 4 1.8 GHz or equivalent,512MB system RAM, Integrated graphics with 64MB video memory, or equivalent, stereo sound.

But You'll Have More Fun With a System Like This:

Dual core Intel Pentium 3+ GHz or AMD Athlon, 2+GHz, or better, NVIDIA 7800 or ATI X1650, with 256MB video memory (or better), and a steering wheel.