SEGA TOURING CAR FAQ FOR SEGA SATURN AND PC-CD V0.20 By Michael Tham a.k.a. AkiraYuki mike_tham@hotmail.com 0.20 12/5/98 Added general strategies section. More spelling corrections. 0.15 08/5/98 Minor update. Lyrics, some additions. Codes. Can now be found at www.gamefaqs.com 0.1 28/4/98 First initial draft and release. Index 1) Introduction 2) Car statistics 3) Race circuit info 4) Track strategies 5) General Strategies 6) Codes 7) Music 8) Posting times on the internet 9) Final word This FAQ and future updates can be found at www.gamefaqs.com Introduction Hello and welcome to my Sega Touring Car FAQ. This is my first FAQ so please bear with me. I must say that I'm far from being a good STC player. You can check out my lame times for Saturn and PC. My nick is MIKTHAM. So why the hell am I writing this FAQ when there are so many players better than me? Because there are no FAQS out there. Actually, there is only one beginner's guide by Wes Pringle but nothing on the tracks. I hope all the good players will start to share their skills and strategies with the whole internet gaming community. I own both the Saturn and PC versions but unfortunately I don't have my Saturn with me as I am studying in Australia :(. At least I still have the PC version to keep me company. I love fighting games, RPGs and racing games. My favourite games are VF3, Street Fighter 3, SFZ2Gold, Grandia, DragonForce, Riglord Saga 2, Samurai Spirits RPG, Sega Rally and of course Sega Touring Car. If you play VF3 and live in Melbourne, do mail me at mike_tham@hotmail.com Enough about me. Well, what is Sega Touring Car Championship all about? Well, it's a racer by Amusement Machines Annex based on world touring car championships. The game first came out in the arcades. I don't think it did pretty well. Perhaps because there are too many racers out there and its graphics were not exceptional so people hardly gave it a second glance. However, its release on the Saturn was greeted with much enthusiasm as it would probably be Saturn's last racer and because you could post your times on the internet and compare it against other racers over the world. When the game came out, it was given negative response from the video gaming community on the net. ( I don't give s*** about the magazines cause they're always biased and did not say s*** about the STC world ranking ). Many complained about the low frame rate, boring graphics and hard gameplay. Regardless, I got myself the game and was I for a big shock. The frame rate really hurt my eye. It really hurt. After every track I had to turn my eyes away cause it hurt too much. I was really disappointed. Sega Rally had such good graphics. Probably the best racer in terms of graphics and Sega could come out with such poor graphics. Another thing was the difficulty. I had problems handling the car, probably because I was too used to Sega Rally's loose control. Finally, I gave out on the game. But my brother did not. If he knocked the wall or something during the Qualifying Heat or first track, he would reset and try again. He would play for one whole day until I got so fed up with the music. ( it later began to grow on me) Seeing how determined he was, I thought what the hell and began playing again. Soon, my eyes did not hurt and I started getting better at the game. Though I've still to improve much, I've begun to appreciate the challenge in the game and wonder how the japanese manage to get such good times. So, if you have not gotten the game yet, what are you waiting for? Besides, if you have a good PC, the graphics are actually pretty good! I've not seen nor played the arcade version so I'm not sure whether everything in this FAQ will work. I try to keep my FAQ as accurate as possible but I will not be responsible for anything that happens because I typed something wrong. So, without further ado, here are the official statistics of the 4 cars from Sega : ALFA ROMEO 155V6TI Features a longitudinally mounted engine. The shift lever is near the steering wheel, to enable rapid gear changes with just a snap of the hand. ENGINE TYPE V6 24VALVES CAPACITY 2499cc MAX POWER 450bhp/11700rpm MAX TORQUE 30.6kgm/9500rpm TRANS. 6-SPEED SEMI-AT 4WD LENGTH 4620mm WIDTH 1798mm HEIGHT 1355mm WHEELBASE 2540mm WEIGHT 1040kg+ BRAKES 4-CHANNEL ABS VENTILATED DISCS TOYOTA SUPRA GT Toyota's flagship sports car which made its mark at the Japanese Grand Touring Car (JGTC) Drivers Championship. The car's turbo engine is the pride of Toyota's engineers, delivering 450 bhp. ENGINE TYPE STRAIGHT4 DOHC TURBO CAPACITY 1998cc MAX POWER 450bhp/6000rpm MAX TORQUE 65.0kgm/4500rpm TRANSMISSION 6-SPEED MT FR LENGTH 4520mm WIDTH 1910mm HEIGHT 1200mm WHEELBASE 2550mm WEIGHT 1100kg+ BRAKES VENTILATED DISCS AMG MERCEDES C-CLASS As always, Mercedes places importance on easy maintenance & safety. The driver's seat is positioned in the centre of the car. The car features semiautomatic 6- speed transmission, which can be controlled by buttons on the steering wheel. The car in the game is the D2 Privat Team silver model. ENGINE TYPE V6 24 VALVE CAPACITY 2499cc MAX TORQUE 0.6kgm/9000rpm TRANSMISSION 6-SPEED SEMI-AT RWD LENGTH 4666mm WIDTH 1789mm HEIGHT 1280mm WHEELBASE 2690mm WEIGHT 1040kg+ BRAKES 4-CHANNEL ABS VENTILATED DISCS OPEL CALIBRA V6 The engine of OPEL CALIBRA V6 is based on the 3165cc V6 of the OPEL Monterey. With the adoption of a semiautomatic, 6-speed transmission, it becomes possible to change gears in 1/5 of the time it took before. In addition, this car can manipulate the lock and stabilizer control automatically, detecting the amount of slip and the road traction of the tires via computer sensors. ENGINE TYPE V6 24VALVES CAPACITY 2498cc MAX POWER 500bhp/11650rpm MAX TORQUE 31.6kgm/9000rpm TRANSMISSION 6-SPEED SEMI-AT 4WD LENGTH 4673mm WIDTH 1766mm HEIGHT 1285mm WHEELBASE 2605mm WEIGHT 1040kg+ BRAKES 4-CHANNEL ABS VENTILATED DISCS Race Circuit Info from Sega and some additions from myself! Country Circuit: Beginner Level Easy to drive because of the width of the road. But if you want to win the race, you have to be precise - even the smallest mistake could cost you the race. Grunwald Circuit: Intermediate Level This circuit is located in the mountains, so you get to see a fair share of nature. However, this is no time for bird watching - you've got plenty of treacherous curves to concentrate on. Brickwall Town: Advanced Level You may be a smoothy on purpose built circuits, but have you got street smarts? Precision handling and speed control are essential if you want to get to the finishing line. Urban Circuit This circuit is located in the city. You can see tall building all around. The road is paved very well and there all walls on both sides. The roads are narrower but not as narrow as Sega Rally's 4 lakeside course. There are also a tunnel, something which is absent from the other 3 tracks. It's a very simple stage, the backgrounds are basically repetitive. However it is better than having just 3 stages. Still, AM Annex should have put more effort into making the stage much more interesting and at the same time thrown in some more extra tracks as well. Ok. Now to business. Which car is better? I recommend you check out Wes Pringle's beginner's guide. He gives quite a few thoughts one each car's performance as well as some driving tips. But for me, I believe Alpha Romeo is the best, especially the handling. But still, its better to experiment and find the car that suites you the most. All my tips will be based on AUTOMATIC. I don't use manual because : 1) There are people who use auto with much better times than mine. I think there's a japanese in the top 20 Saturn world ranking who uses auto 2) Playing with the keyboard is hard enough as it is. I don't want to complicate things further. If you have something to say in regards to using manual in the game, please mail me and I'll put it up. THE TRACKS ROUND 1 COUNTRY CURCUIT 1 LAP = 2.045km 2 LAPS = 4.090km Ok. This is of course the easiest course in the whole game. You don't even have to use the brake. However, its pretty difficult to get a really good time. Positioning and how you take a turn can cost you seconds. For starting the Qualifying Heat, I recommend pressing the accelerate button after the countdown to 1 and before go. There may be a better way to start so if anyone knows of any, please mail me. After starting, you'll drive along a straight road for awhile. Its better to drive around the center of the road. The first turn is a pretty long right turn. As the road slowly starts bending right, hold right until the road straightens. If you are moving too close to the wall at the right, let go of right but DO NOT TAP or PRESS LEFT. When you are sure you won't hit the wall continue turning. Time your turn properly so it will be one smooth motion. After negotiating the first turn, you're car will jump a bit and here comes the 2nd turn. Its best to meet this turn driving a bit to the left side of the road but turn early at the right turn. Turn by tapping right lightly to prevent the tires from screeching. Be sure not to hit the walls or run into the grass. If you meet another car here, stay on its right side when you turn. Its best to stay on the left side of the road but don't get too close to the wall. For the next turn which is to the left, just stay in the middle of the road. As the bend comes, hold right and release right when you are in the middle of the road. Another way of taking this turn is to hold left for awhile, release while waiting for the road ahead to come into view and press left again to align yourself. This prevents over steering. The road will be a bit bent but if you are in the middle, you will be able to move straight at high speed until the next turn. If you over steer and are on the grass just continue forward unless you are in danger of hitting a wall. It is important to do this turn well as it the stretch is pretty long and. Treat the next turn like the 2nd turn, tapping to turn. If you are going to move out of the road, by all means hold in the correct direction to bring yourself back. It's a very short turn. Try to stay to the left side of the road. Ahhh, finally, the last turn of the game. Stay at the left . As the turn is coming out, hold right. Your car should move closer to the wall at the right as it turns but not touch it. As the road straightens, left go of right and move straight to the finish line. If your car is not moving parallel to the road, straighten its course by tapping in the correct direction. As a general rule for track one, do not stay too close to the edge when you take a corner to keep your speed up. Try to follow the black marks on the road for maximum speed but be sure to keep your eyes on the road! ROUND 2 GRUNWALD CIRCUIT 1 LAP = 2.605km 2 LAPS = 5.210km For this circuit also I do not use the brakes. However my time seems pretty bad so I guess that there may be some places where it better to brake. Maybe. Of course you start with a rolling start. From the beginning, stay in the middle. Wait for the turning in front. You will see a blue sign way up ahead. I'm not really sure about the timing but you'll get it after a couple of tries. Hold right and you will negotiate the bend pretty close to the wall at the right. This turn's pretty hard and depends on the timing of your turn. What pisses me off is when there's a bloody car on my right when I turn. Can anyone tell me how to turn this without sliding to the right? The 2nd turn is a right turn. Just hold right at the turn. After another stretch of straight road hold another right. The important thing about these two turns is the correct moment to hold right. Do it too early and you'll meet the wall on the right. Turn too late and you'll kiss the right wall. If you turn too much to one side, don't hold at the other direction. Rather, don't press any directions until you hit the wall or else you will experience the 'yo-yo' effect where your car 'bounces' from the left wall to the right or vice versa. The next turn is pretty steep so approach it a bit to the right side of the road cause the road's pretty narrow. Hold left even after clearing the turn to avoid the wall at the left. The best way to take this turn is to keep to the left side of the road before the turn. This will give you more space to negotiate the turn. Did I mention that you don't need to use your brakes for this track? After that tap right a bit cause this road is a bit crooked. The 2nd last turn is more than 90 degrees but there is more room for you to turn. Approach the turn by staying in the middle or a bit to the left. At the turn, hold right and hear your tires screech. Your car's speed will drop dramatically. When you have nearly cleared the turn, let go of right and move ahead! I'm pretty sure there must be a faster way of taking this turn. Make sure that when you are taking this turn there are no cars near you or else you will be bounced around like beach ball! The next turn is an easy left turn to the finish. BRICKTOWN WALL 1 LAP = 2.277km 2 LAPS = 4.554km All right. The last track. The beginning is very, very crucial. Because the road is very small, DO NOT KNOCK ANY CAR AT THE BACK. This will slow you down a lot and you might as well reset the race. Its best to stay in the middle of the road in the beginning. You will meet to consecutive left turns. At the first turn just hold left for a while and for the next, held left again until you get to the wide straight road. Time it right and you'll breeze through the two turns easily. If there is a car directly in front of you, its better to knock the wall than ram into its back. Now this turn is the first time I use my brakes. As you meet this turn, its best to be on the very left side of the road. You don't have much time to prepare for this turn so move to the left side after the 2nd turn. When you are about one and a half cars away from the sharp bend, hold right and brake hard. Your car will turn sharply to the right and miss the wall. Be sure to stabilise your car straight after the turn and swerve pretty early. The next turn is pretty much the same. Stay to the left side of the road and turn right and brake hard to the right. Most of the time, when I turn, I'm very close to the wall on the right so that I can move in a straight line as soon as possible. IF possible stay very much to the left as you meet the turn. That way, you only need to press your brakes for a while as you have more room to manoeuvre. I don't really know how to negotiate this pretty long right turn, so someone please mail me. The next is a left turn. I don't brake for this one but its pretty hard cause the position and timing must be right. Stay in the middle of the road. As the bend approaches, hold left. You'll slide left as you turn, almost meeting the grass to the left. Now, get ready for the next turn. This turn is a very long right turn and I've done it a few times without braking. I guess it has to do with positioning and when to hold right. I'll get more info on this when I can. Can anyone help me with this? The next turn is very easy. Just stay to the right side of the road and hold left a small fraction of a second before the turn appears. You will 'go with the flow'. Its sort of like floating with the turn. Here comes the last turn. Unfortunately, you have a pretty narrow road to get this 90 degrees turn. I'm not pretty sure of this turn and I hope someone will mail me about it. After that turn, its straight all the way! Remember to keep your car parallel to the road to minimise time. Tap at the correct direction to keep it straight. Since I can't do this turn, what I basically do is to hit wall as early as possible by braking a bit so I can get back on the road immediately. If you hit the wall further down the turn, it will take you longer to get back on the road and longer to accelerate. BONUS TRACK URBAN CIRCUIT 1 LAP = 2.105km 2 LAPS = 4.210km You can only get this race after you have placed first in the overall category. The roads in this stage are pretty narrow with walls on both sides and no 90 degree turns. No matter what position you get here has nothing to do with your ending, I think. GENERAL STRATEGIES Forget about all the racing games you have played before this. STC is very much different from all the other racers out there. The best way to play the saturn game is using the anolog pad. The analog pad is so sensitive that whether you pressed a button hard or soft makes a difference. With a normal joypad, in order to brake lightly, you have to tap quickly or hold the button for a short time. With the analog pad, all you have to do is to press the button with minimal pressure. When driving, you have more control over your movements and the degree you turn the 'wheel'. First timers may find the sensitive control frustrating but after some practice, you will find that you will never want to go back to the basic controller for racers. For PC, the best controller is of course a joypad or joystick, depending on your preference. I do not know whether there are analog joypads for PC. Unfortunately, I am force to play with my keyboard. And man, is it hard. At least Sega added two buttons for light braking and light acceleration. Light braking is self explanatory but light acceleration? What the hell is it good for? First thing, the car really controls like a car unlike some other games out there ( A certain game with the initials RR comes to mind ) and driving these type of cars on these tracks is not easy. If it were, everybody would be into it. First basic thing is when you press accelerate, press it all the way, unless you wanted to slow down. This is racing, not driving your car in a city. If you are using manual, you do not have to worry about the clutch. You just change gears using the up and down buttons. When taking corners, the rule of the thumb is to stay at the side of the road opposite to where you are turning. If the turn is to the right, stay at the left side of the road before making the turn. This makes the turn more rounded. Though the distance is longer than taking the right or inner lane, you do not have to slow down much and thus can reach top speed quicker at the straightway. Another way is by following the black tyre marks on the road. Use it as a guideline of the best way to take a turn. If you find that following the black tyre marks causes you to crash, etc, don't. A wise man once said the path travelled by the most is not always the best. If you find that the CPU controlled cars are passing you by, especially at turns, that means that you are doing something wrong. Do not be afraid to experiment with different ways to take a turn even if you are sure that the way you are doing is correct. Any slight improvement in time can go a long way in the STC world ranking! Who is your worst enemy in the game? Nope, its not the challenging courses. It is not definitely your mom who always disturbs you every time you are about to break your record. Its those damn CPU cars! Yes, you heard me right. Have you ever experienced this before? You are approaching a long right turn and there's a car on your right side in front of you. If you don't turn now, you'll kiss the wall and eat grass. You swerve and the car in front of you seems to be rushing toward your windscreen. You knock its back and your speed slows down. You are determined to continue the race but the car in front of you still has not moved. You are frustrated and inevitably ram into it again. Yep, those frustrating and unavoidable knocks and bumps. Sometimes they knock you from the back and give you a bit of boost which can be a bad/good thing. If you are going down a straight lane, it is good. If you taking a turn, be prepared to kiss the wall. Sometimes while turning, a CPU car will come out of nowhere and knock you to the side. So, how do you solve this problem? Simple. Get a very good time in the qualifying heat so you stay at the top of the pack. That way there is less chance of interference from CPU cars. If you are coming to a corner and forgot to brake in time, don't. Just hit the wall on go on. Braking will only delay the inevitable. CODES SEGA SATURN Codes taken from videogame strategies at http://vgstrategies.tqn.com/msubsat.htm Bonus tracks: Change the Saturn's system date to December 25, 1997. A "Global Net Event" option and the bonus "Winter Holiday" track will now be available. Change the Saturn's system date to February 13, 1998. A "Global Net Event" option and the bonus "Hit And Run" tracks will now be available. In this race variation, all cones must be hit. Change the Saturn's system date to April 1, 1998. A "Global Net Event" option and the bonus "April Foul" track will now be available. In this race variation, you must avoid hitting other cars while racing in the opposite direction. Note: These "Global Net Events" may also be enabled by using an Arcade Racer controller in port two. Select "Saturn" or "Arcade" modes, then select the "Key Config" option. Press L + X, L + Y or L + Z on the Arcade Racer controller to enable each event. A sound will confirm correct code entry. Alternate car colours: Press Up or Down at the car selection screen. Cheat mode: Note: This code requires an Arcade Racer controller in port two. Select "Arcade" or "Saturn" mode. Enter the key configuration selection on the options screen. Press X + Y + Z + Start on the Arcade Racer controller. A sound will confirm correct code entry. Press X on the car selection screen to access the Sega racing prototype. Highlight the Alfa Romeo and press Z to access the Lancia Delta Sega Rally car. Highlight the Toyota Supra and press Y to access the Toyota Celica Sega Rally car. Additionally, the Boom Town track will be accessible under Saturn mode. Finally, expert, exhibition, and grand prix modes may now be selected. Gran Prix mode: Select the "Arcade" option and start a championship series. Complete all tracks with any final standing. PC-CD Gran Prix mode: Select the "Arcade" option and start a championship series. Complete all tracks with any final standing. Alternate car colours: Press Up or Down at the car selection screen. MUSIC The music in STC is basically techno but has lyrics. If you hate the songs you can choose turn the singing off or even no music at all! A lot of people hate the music (as well as SONIC R's) but I find it very addictive and 'pleasurable' once it grows on you. Sure the lyrics are garbage but hey, its better than plain old boring music. Here are the lyrics for the three tracks so you can sing or speak as in the case of 'Are you wake up' when you are driving. As you can see, the lyrics are far from complete and accurate so I would very much appreciate some help on them. SO HIGH / CHANNEL X Words and Music by Praga Adams Prod BVBA @ 1995 Anther Subway Records (c) Be Songs Come on girl! Open up your eyes and realise that what we have is meant to be We shared our dreams, our fantasies And lost touch with reality It's better than never Instant power dream It's better than never This one's meant to be! ( FREE ! FREE !) I'm feeling high, so high Like the sun up in the sky I've never felt like this before So high, so high When I look into your eyes I've never felt like this before so high Come on Come on girl Count me to the light And hold me tight Let's travel through the galaxy A different time a different space We fly on liquid energy It's better than never A trip for you and me It's better than never This one's meant to be! ( FREE ! FREE !) ARE U WAKE UP? / STAR GAZER Music by Star Gazer (P) 1992 avex D.D. Inc By Prime Direction Inc Are you stuck ... (?) Hey Hey Are you stuck I prefer to do God's will And he has allowed me to go up his mountain The mountain of (?) I see the promise land I may not get there with you But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promise land Are you ... DON'T DROP ME / ANN SINCLAIR Words and music Caria-gelnetti Gulenelli P 1994 Time SRL (c) Jocomo music Got this feeling my heart can't tell me Can't believe that it hurts my darling SO But be yourself and But be yourself Please don't drop me baby I'm dancing around I'm singing the passion (?) Please don't drop me baby I'm dancing around I'm thinking about you Please don't drop me baby Tell me tell me my heart please tell me How do I turn this place apart Never needed another man But be yourself Gotta be yourself Yaaa, please enjoy yourself POSTING YOUR TIMES ON THE INTERNET I've met many people on IRC and I find it surprising that many people do not know that you can post your times on the internet, even those who own the game! Some even claim that they do not know how or even they don't care! Here are three easy steps to engrave your name in the STC world rankings! 1) Finish all three courses within the allotted time in Arcade mode. 2) Write down your name ( don't screw up !) and copy down the password given on the right hand corner of the screen. ( I've talked to ppl who claimed they didn't see any passwords !) 3) Mail the password to stc@sega.co.jp if you are playing the sega saturn version or stc-pc@sega.co.jp if you are playing the PC-CD version. Final Word Who knows. If you are pretty good at STC and have something to share with the world ( come on, don't be so selfish about your world ranking ), please e-mail me. I'll give you full and deserved credit and you'll be helping the internet gaming community. You'll probably get better rewards in heaven for being so unselfish ! :) Of course they'll be updates in the future ( don't all FAQ writers say that ). Also, if you are ever on the US undernet, do drop by #Segazone Credits William Tham a.k.a. NiGHTS : for being the better Sega Touring Car player and for playing the game like crazy when I gave up hope trying to learn the game. Also for taping the DragonForce 2 song for me in the expense of the SS RPG ending song! Aaron Tham a.k.a. Gouki : For being my X-MEN vs STREET FIGHTER sparring partner and all around nice guy who is now enjoying my Saturn. :( Wes Pringle : For writing the STC beginner's guide and being an inspiration Kenneth Teoh : For teaching me some 'tricks' hehe Kho Tak Seng a.k.a. Kobe : For the being one of 4 Malaysians on the STC Saturn world ranking, good friend and fellow Saturn owner. Dad and Mom : For getting me my Saturn and PC as well as the money to buy games GOD : For EVERYTHING SEGA and AM Annex : For an absolutely kick-ass game! STC 2 anybody? GameFAQS : For putting it up on their awesome site All right, this FAQ is written by me, Michael Tham so no copying pasting blah blah blah. If you do, you are going to be shunned by the entire internet gaming community for the rest of your life blah blah. If you want to put this up on your page, sure go ahead but tell me about it . The automobiles that appear in SEGA Touring Car Championship are actual cars that participate in the world Touring Car Championships. Alpha Romeo 155v6Ti, Mercedes Benz C-Class, Opel Calibra and Toyota Supra are trademarks of their respective companies and are mentioned in this FAQ for information purposes only. SEGA and SEGA TOURING CAR are trademarks of Sega Enterprises Ltd blah blah so don't sue me. Don't use this for commercial use ie for money. This FAQ is merely for fun and to help other gamers. No animals were harmed in the making of this FAQ and it poses no threat to the environment.