IHRA DRAG RACING 2: GETTING STARTED GUIDE by Wolf Feather/Jamie Stafford FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM Initial Version Completed: July 26, 2003 Version 1.0 Completed: July 26, 2003 ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== JOIN THE FEATHERGUIDES E-MAIL LIST: To be the first to know when my new and updated guides are released, join the FeatherGuides E-mail List. Go to http://www.coollist.com/group.cgi?l=featherguides for information about the list and to subscribe for free. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== CONTENTS Spacing and Length Permissions Introduction IHRA Drag Racing Vs. IHRA Drag Racing 2 Tuning Racing Contact ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== SPACING AND LENGTH For optimum readability, this driving guide should be viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier. Check for appropriate font setting by making sure the numbers and letters below line up: 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz This guide is now nearly 40 pages in length using single- spaced Courier 12 font in the Macintosh version of Microsoft Word 98. Therefore, it may not be a good idea to print this guide in its entirety. ==================================== PERMISSIONS This guide may ONLY be posted on FeatherGuides and GameFAQs.com. Permission is granted to download and print one copy for personal use. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== INTRODUCTION IHRA Drag Racing 2 is the first appearance of this game series on the PlayStation2, and it certainly makes use of the PS2's power... but only in terms of the physics engine. The graphics barely look better than they did on the original PlayStation with the original IHRA Drag Racing. However, for those players who are diehard simulation racing fans in general, and diehard drag racing fans in particular, the physics engine is definitely reason enough to buy IHRA Drag Racing 2. The importance of the physics engine is noted in the insane number of tunable parts of each vehicle. There are SEVENTY tuning options available, although not all vehicles can support all options (for example, some vehicles are not designed to accommodate a front wing). Because of the enhanced physics engine and the massive number of tuning options available, simply getting off the line at the beginning of a race is much trickier than in the original IHRA Drag Racing. In the original, even a casual player of racing games could have a moderate success rate simply by pressing the accelerator button as quickly as possible when the lights on the Christmas Tree went out. With IHRA Drag Racing 2, however, the multitude of tuning options must be 'calibrated' or 'aligned' in such a way as to achieve a strong vehicle balance. This may sound rather 'New Age,' but without proper vehicle balance, the player is predestined to almost ALWAYS lose. ==================================== IHRA DRAG RACING VS. IHRA DRAG RACING 2 Other than the massive upgrade to the physics engine and the number of tuning options, there are some other significant changes between IHRA Drag Racing and IHRA Drag Racing 2. Most notable is that in this newer game, there is NO money involved. In IHRA Drag Racing, the player started the game with $10,000, and was required to buy a vehicle and use what little money remained to acquire the parts which would hopefully lead to a progressively-higher winning rate as the game progressed. On the other hand, IHRA Drag Racing 2 does not use money in any way, so the player can quickly jump into a favorite vehicle class, spend time tuning the vehicle, and take it to the track to practice or race. The other major change between the two games concerns controller layout. IHRA Drag Racing 2 uses EVERY button of the standard PlayStation2 (DualShock2) controller. It is extremely rare that a racing game requires the use of so many buttons, so the player should expect a significant adjustment period to become intimately familiar with this massive button layout. Fortunately, the controller's button settings are highly adjustable, but this can still lead to confusion on the part of the player once on the track. Therefore, before participating in an actual race, it is best to go to Practice and simply make one test run after another until the controller layout is as instinctual as breathing. During this time, the player may as well also work on properly tuning the chosen vehicle. Gameplay customization is also much better implemented in IHRA Drag Racing 2 than in its predecessor. Rules, tracks, weather, on-screen displays, vehicle tuning, damage, number of competitors, audio, and much more are all highly configurable to the player's whims and desires. Within an event or season, the weather can even be set to change as the event or season progresses; elements such as air temperature can have a tremendous effect upon vehicle performance should the weather be permitted to change. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== TUNING IHRA Drag Racing 2 is a VERY tuning-heavy game. This is what makes this game so heavily simulation-based. Many consider Gran Turismo 3 to be extremely simulation-based with its many tuning options, but IHRA Drag Racing 2 FAR exceeds Gran Turismo 3 in the tuning area. All tuning is done (appropriately) in the Shop. Again, unlike IHRA Drag Racing, there is no money involved here, so the player has full access to all parts and tunable items which can mean the difference between winning and losing, especially when measured in thousandths of a second. Chassis The player can select a vehicle. From here, the wheels can be customized, with any changes immediately noted in the image of the vehicle at the top of the screen. (This does not affect the tires themselves; only the rims are affected for aesthetic purposes.) The vertical center of gravity is also adjustable. As changes are made, the vehicle's statistics are noted at the bottom of the screen. If desired, the player can add a wheelie bar. This is designed to prevent the vehicle from flipping over backward during the weight shift as power is applied, especially in vehicles with a massive horsepower output. The wheelie bar can come in single or double formation, with the double formation (having two contact points to the ground) being the stronger of the two configurations. The wheelie bar is adjustable by inches; a shorter wheelie bar will allow the vehicle to tip backward more at the beginning of a race, while a longer wheelie bar will permit less vehicle rearing. The wheelie bar's height is also measured in inches, as in how high off the pavement the end of the wheelie bar is when the vehicle is not in motion (as when properly staged and ready to race). The wheelie bar's stiffness acts essentially as a spring, with a softer wheelie bar causing the vehicle to essentially 'bounce' back forward when the wheelie bar makes contact with the ground. If a vehicle can accommodate wings, these are used to help keep the vehicle on the ground, to lessen the chance that the vehicle will go airborne. Depending on the vehicle, combinations of front and rear wings are available. A wing can have several elements; more elements provide more downforce, which is what keeps the vehicle on the ground. A wing with no elements means that there is no wing in place. Endplates help to funnel the flow of air over the wing, thus providing maximum airflow benefit to the vehicle. The wing's angle can be adjusted, to regulate the amount of downforce generated by the wing when the vehicle is in motion. The Weights section is where the latitudinal and longitudinal center of gravity is adjusted. Moving the center of gravity toward the front of the vehicle will reduce the amount of vehicle rearing, whereas moving the center of gravity toward the rear of the vehicle will almost certainly ensure that the vehicle will tip backward as power is applied at the beginning of a race. Corner weight can also be applied, so that one corner of the vehicle (i.e., the tire/wheel area) is heavier than the rest of the vehicle; this can have extreme handling implications, however, and should not really be used unless absolutely necessary. Transmission Whether using manual transmission or automatic transmission, this is a very important aspect of tuning. Using the top drop-down box, the vehicle's gear ratios can be changed in one fell swoop; the gear ratios can then be more finely adjusted in the boxes below. The vehicle can have a maximum of six gears; '0.00' means that a gear is not currently used in that vehicle. In general, raising gear ratios provides better top-end speed but slower acceleration, while lowering gear ratios provides stronger and faster acceleration at the sacrifice of top-end speed. This principle applies to individual gears, as well as to Final Gear (which affects all other gears in conjunction with their individual settings). Engine The player can select the engine block, the induction method (how the engine receives air and fuel), the choice of fuel and (if applicable) fuel additives, the cam shaft, and the boost. Most notable in terms of choices is the boost (turbochargers and superchargers), for which there are an amazing SEVENTY total choices available... plus the choice to not use any boost. Suspension The rollbar is sometimes called the 'anti-roll bar' in other games. As its alternate name suggests, its function is to (ideally) prevent the vehicle from rolling over when cornering at high speeds. Since drag racing is a truly linear sport, there should (in theory) never be a need for cornering. Steering is also adjustable. In IHRA Drag Racing 2, the player can adjust both the steering input (how fast the game reacts to the player's turning commands) and the maximum turning angle of the front wheels. Since cornering in drag racing is theoretically useless, a high steering radius may be counterproductive. The springs are adjustable for each wheel of the vehicle. Spring rate indicates how fast weight transfer occurs to each wheel. The damper (also called the 'shock absorber' in other games) dictates how much weight transfer can be contained within the spring. For ride height, a lower ride height slightly raises top-end speed via reduced airflow underneath the vehicle, but increases the change of the vehicle bottoming out should the vehicle rear under acceleration at the start of a race; raising ride height will slightly slow the vehicle due to increased aerodynamic friction underneath the vehicle. Tires Other than perhaps the wheelie bar, the tires are the only parts of the vehicle which actually touch the pavement, so they are extremely important. This game contains forty pre-set tires, but the player can also 'create' tires by adjusting the specific parameters as desired. Tire choice is done PER WHEEL, meaning that the player could potentially have a completely different type of tire on each wheel of the vehicle... but that would likely lead to very disastrous consequences in terms of vehicle handling. Usually, tire choice is the same on both wheels of an axle. Devices Shift lights are really only useful if using manual transmission. The shift points can be preset so that a light will indicate when the player should upshift. The rev limiter will prevent the engine from overrevving, thus preventing engine overheating and - if the player does not immediately back off the accelerator - explosion. When watching IndyCar Series races on television, for example, it is easy to tell when an engine hits the rev limiter (generally at the end of a straightaway, just before the braking zone for a corner), as the engine note generally fluctuates greatly within a specific range. In Gran Turismo 3, however, the rev limiter acts by suddenly dropping the engine revs so much that if using automatic transmission, the vehicle inherently downshifts. A throttle stop permits the vehicle to truly LURCH off the Start Line. The throttle then backs off for a period of time, then gradually returns to full usage. Part of the reason for this is to prevent undue stress to the vehicle itself, and especially to the driver inside. If the player elects to use a delay box, it will hold the vehicle in place for a desired amount of time before the throttle is actually engaged. Theoretically, this is to prevent overrevving the engine - which can result in the overheating and (ultimately) explosion of the engine. Finally, most vehicles will have at least one parachute. In addition to actually braking, the parachute(s) can be deployed to help slow the vehicle more quickly. A great non-racing example of this is the Space Shuttle, which deploys parachutes once it is on a runway on its return from space, to slow the Space Shuttle more quickly; even with the parachute, a runway must still be well more than one mile in length due to the speed of the spacecraft when it returns to the ground. Inspection Before being permitted to participate in a particular race class, the player's chosen vehicle needs to pass the inspection process. If the vehicle is in violation, the player will be notified here. Once again, IHRA Drag Racing 2 is a VERY tuning-heavy game. In fact, the majority of the player's time will definitely be spent in the Shop, adjusting and fine-tuning virtually every aspect of the chosen vehicle. If a vehicle is properly tuned, all this time in the Shop will pay off with race/event wins and season championships. If a vehicle is not properly tuned, the player is 'rewarded' with plenty of frustration. ==================================== RACING Once the tuning is done, it is time to head to the track. Whether practicing or racing, the process is the same. Racing begins with prestaging. Each vehicle begins in a box well back from the Start Line. The vehicle's tires are cold, so this is the chance to generate heat in the tires and warm them up to their optimal racing temperature (which will then provide maximum pavement grip). By engaging the Line Lock, the front brakes are applied, but the rear wheels are free to spin, thus generating heat in the tires. This can be a very impressive sight; if the wheels spin fast enough, the tires produce A LOT of smoke. Next, the vehicle must approach the Start Line and be properly positioned to begin the race. The distance from the prestaging box to the Start Line is shorter than it appears, so it is definitely best to creep forward slowly. On the top of the Christmas Tree, there are two small yellow lights for each lane; when the two small yellow lights for the player's lane are both illuminated, then the vehicle is properly staged, and the player must stand on the brakes and get ready to race. Once both vehicles have been properly staged, the race is ready to begin. Note that prestaging can be handled by the CPU, or by the player. If the CPU generally handles prestaging duties but the player wants to try it, the player must press the brake button, and the CPU will instantly relinquish prestaging control to the player. The player may also make changes in the Rules section so that the CPU will never handle prestaging duties. Once both vehicles are properly staged, it is simply a waiting game. The delay and the style of lighting used for the Christmas Tree will depend upon the rules in use for a race/event/season. During the delay, the player must stand on the brakes and start to rev the engine; this is when the rev limiter can be very handy, to prevent overrevving the engine and potentially causing the engine to overheat and explode even before the race begins. When the green lights near the base of the Christmas Tree are illuminated, the vehicles should be in motion heading down the drag strip. There is definitely reaction time involved, and a large part of success on the track (independent of vehicle tuning) is based upon the player's reaction time. Numerous runs in Practice Mode can help the player to refine the reaction time and to reduce it as much as is humanly possible. Of course, reacting TOO fast or TOO soon results in a disqualification, signaled by the big red light illuminating at the base of the player's side of the Christmas Tree. One must always remember, however, that a stationary vehicle requires a given amount of time to truly launch into motion. This amount of time varies by vehicle class, horsepower, etc. This is where, again, numerous runs in Practice Mode can be very handy to refine and reduce this time as much as humanly possible. Once the vehicle crosses the Finish Line, the player needs to brake. If the vehicle has one or more parachutes and the CPU is not handling parachute release, the player must release the parachute(s) immediately to slow the vehicle even faster. Most drag strips have a box of 'kitty litter' well beyond the Finish Line to help to slow runaway vehicles (i.e., in case the brakes fail), but even a simply moderate racer/gamer should never need to use the kitty litter. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== CONTACT INFORMATION For questions, rants, raves, comments of appreciation, etc., or to be added to my e-mail list for updates to this driving guide, please contact me at: FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM; also, if you have enjoyed this guide and feel that it has been helpful to you, I would certainly appreciate a small donation via PayPal (http://www.paypal.com/) using the above e-mail address. To find the latest version of this and all my other PSX/PS2/DC/Mac game guides, visit FeatherGuides at http://feathersites.angelcities.com/ ==================================== ==================================== ====================================