LE MANS 24 HOURS: STRATEGY GUIDE by Wolf Feather/Jamie Stafford FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM Initial Version Completed: October 2, 2002 FINAL VERSION Completed: October 15, 2002 ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== CONTENTS Spacing Permissions Introduction The Strategy Other Guides for Le Mans 24 Hours Contact ==================================== SPACING 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 ==================================== PERMISSIONS This guide may ONLY be posted on FeatherGuides, GameFAQs.com, PSXCodez.com, F1Gamers, Cheatcc.com, Absolute- PlayStation.com, InsidePS2Games.com, RedCoupe, gamesover.com, GameReactors.com, CheatPlanet.com, The Cheat Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru, cheatingplanet.com, vgstrategies.com, hellzgate, Games Domain, RobsGaming.com, CheatHeaven, IGN, ps2fantasy.com, and neoseeker.com. Permission is granted to download and print one copy of this game guide for personal use. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== INTRODUCTION Having set aside this game for several months, I decided to restart from the beginning and wiped all files from my memory card. In considering all that there is to unlock in the game (circuits and cars), this can be quite a daunting task for those who wish to unlock everything, especially those attempting to unlock all circuits and cars in the least amount of time possible. Therefore, this guide provides a strategy for unlocking everything in the game. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== THE STRATEGY First, circuits and cars are unlocked by simply winning races; the CPU does not care whether this is done on Easy, Intermediate, or Hard difficulty. Therefore, those wishing to unlock the many elements as quickly as possible will likely wish to use Easy difficulty; after all, it would be a real shame to spend twenty-four hours in the full Le Mans 2000 race and end up losing by less than a lap on Hard difficulty :-( As with all other games, the first thing a player should do is to go to the Options menu and make sure controls and game settings are to the player's liking. Note here that of the race-related settings, only Quick Race settings cannot be changed before entering a race in Quick Race Mode, so it is important to make sure these settings are to the player's liking (note that the default race length is three laps). While in Options, take note of Progress. This section gives a quick visual reference as to which races/events have been completed, and - except for Quick Race Mode, which only unlocks circuits - also shows which cars have been unlocked. Once ready to begin racing, the player needs to first sweep through Quick Race Mode - again, the settings for Quick Race Mode can ONLY be adjusted in the Options menu. Only four circuits (Le Mans, Suzuka East, Donington National, and Road Atlanta National) are initially available; winning at each of these circuits will unlock another circuit, winning at the unlocked circuits will unlock more circuits, etc. Finally, once the player has won at least one race at all twelve circuits in Quick Race Mode, the three reverse circuits will open; this is essentially optional, as there are no bonus cars to be unlocked at the reverse circuits in Time Trial Mode. Note that players will be racing against nineteen competitors in Quick Race Mode. While Quick Race Mode only unlocks circuits, it is important in he overall scheme of the game, as Time Trial Mode only allows players to race at the four initially-available circuits plus those unlocked in Quick Race Mode. However, the few initially-available cars simply CANNOT be used to best the posted goal times in Time Trial Mode (thus unlocking new cars), so once Quick Race Mode has been completed, players need to progress to Championship Mode. Championship Mode consists of several points-based series (Rookie GT, Pro GT, GT Enduro, Open Prototype, Closed Prototype, Prototype Enduro, Super Enduro, and Winter Challenge). Winning each championship depends upon having the most points at the end of each championship. Unfortunately, should a player wish to skip a race in a championship, the only way to do this is to actually enter the race, then cancel out (and confirm) just as the race begins. The championships themselves begin with fairly few races with just a few laps each, but then add more and more races of longer and longer length, with the final championship (Winter Challenge) adding the nuisance of constant rain; however, those who can drive well and still maintain a fast speed in wet conditions will note just how much the CPU-controlled cars slow down in wet conditions. Note that the medium- and long-length championship races will each require at least one trip to Pit Lane to refuel and (likely) to change tires, although double-stinting the tires (i.e., changing the tires after every other Pit Stop) may be possible for really good drivers. Winning each championship unlocks another car. These unlocked cars are all better than the initially-available cars in some respect, but GT cars are still slower than Open Prototype and Closed Prototype vehicles. Once a player has unlocked several prototype cars, they should be viable enough to unlock more cars in Time Trial Mode (which, again, depends upon the initially-available circuits and those circuits previously unlocked in Quick Race Mode). The trick is finding the right car with the right set-up and the right racing line for an entire hot lap around the chosen circuit. While Time Trial Mode does not show the tire indicators (which theoretically means that tire wear is not an issue), this mode DOES include tire wear - which is quite noticeable for those using Soft Tires and running for more than about six laps. As more and more cars are unlocked in Time Trial Mode, the player will gain greater familiarity with the various circuits. If there are any championships to be completed, the time spent in Time Trial Mode will be greatly beneficial; also, the player will have access to more and better cars to use in completing Championship Mode. The final set of races to complete is in Le Mans Mode. Here, the player can participate in Le Mans 2000 or Petit Le Mans. There are four time intervals for races at each circuit (remember the Petit Le Mans is held at the full Road Atlanta circuit). With the many cars unlocked previously in the game, players should be able to either blow away the competition (especially if using Easy difficulty) or at least be very competitive for race wins. Winning each event at each time interval unlocks one more car; winning Le Mans 2000 at the full 24-hour time interval unlocks TWO cars. Note that those cars unlocked by winning at the four time intervals in Le Mans 2000 can ONLY be used in Le Mans Mode. If the player still has Challenges to win or cars to unlock in Time Trial Mode, the cars won at the 10-hour and 24-hour time intervals in Le Mans Mode should help nicely :-) Total minimum game completion time estimate: SIXTY HOURS. ==================================== OTHER GUIDES FOR LE MANS 24 HOURS To my knowledge, I am the only person on the planet who has written game guides for Le Mans 24 Hours. This may or may not actually be true, but on the gaming Web sites I frequent, only my guides are available for this game. Some of these guides may be of great use to players: Car Acquisition This guide lists ALL the cars in Le Checklist: Mans 24 Hours, but does not list how these vehicles can be acquired. This is great for those who want to be surprised by the cars they unlock in the game, yet have a list handy to visually see how they are progressing in terms of car acquisition. Challenge Mode Guide: This guide provides tips for Challenge Mode, and suggests cars and set-ups for each circuit in each Championship. Circuit Histories Those interested in the history of each Guide: race venue in Le Mans 24 Hours will find this guide rather interesting. Circuit Instructions For visually-oriented persons such as Guide: myself, this guide in Adobe Acrobat format presents the detailed driving instructions of the Driving Guide with maps of each circuit in the game. This allows players to scrutinize the maps to better spot potential trouble areas at each race venue. This guide is ONLY available at FeatherSites and at GameFAQs. Driving Guide: This is essentially a general guide to Le Mans 24 Hours, with detailed driving instructions for each circuit as well as a full listing of the cars and circuits in the game and how to unlock them. Le Mans 2000 Guide: This is an in-depth guide covering the Le Mans 2000 race, primarily the longer time intervals (240 minutes, and 24 hours). Suggested car set-ups are provided, along with general tips and detailed driving instructions for the Le Mans venue. Petit Le Mans Guide: This is similar to the Le Mans 2000 Guide, instead covering the Petit Le Mans held annually at the full Road Atlanta circuit. The Petit Le Mans Guide focuses upon the 100-minute and the 10-hour time intervals of the Petit Le Mans race. Time Trials Guide: This guide presents general Time Trial Mode tips, lists the goal time for each circuit (for reference purposes), then presents circuit-specific tips to achieving the lowest possible lap times. Also included are the game's circuits and cars and how to unlock them all, as much of this is directly related to Time Trial Mode. ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== CONTACT For rants, raves, etc., 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 game guides, visit FeatherGuides at http://www.angelcities.com/members/feathersites/ ==================================== ==================================== ==================================== ======================================================================= Wolf Feather Jamie Stafford ======================================================================= Just as there are many parts needed to make a human a human, there's a remarkable number of things needed to make an individual what they are. - Major Kusanagi, _Ghost in the Shell_ ======================================================================= What isn't remembered never happened. - _Serial Experiments Lain_ =======================================================================