Manual

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Table of Contents

  1. Installing Tux Racer
  2. Starting Tux Racer
  3. The Main Menu
  4. Controls
  5. Racing Screen
  6. Select Player
  7. Cup Racing
  8. Practice Racing
  9. High Scores Screen
  10. Configure Screen
  11. Credits


1. Installing Tux Racer

1.1 Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000

  1. Make sure you have installed DirectX 8.0a or later.
  2. Insert the Tux Racer CD into your CD-ROM drive.
  3. The Tux Racer installation program should start automatically. If it does not, double-click on the Setup.exe file found on the Tux Racer CD-ROM.
  4. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.


2. Starting Tux Racer

2.1 Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000

To run Tux Racer, click on the Windows Start button, and select "Program Files", then "Sunspire Studios", and then "Tux Racer."


3. The Main Menu

3.1 Main Menu Options

Main Menu

This is the Main Menu in Tux Racer.

- Clicking on this will take you to the Player Selection Menu followed by the Cup Selection Menu.
- Clicking on this will take you to the Player Selection Menu followed by the Practice Selection Menu.
- Clicking on this will show you High Scores.
- Clicking on this will allow you to configure Tux Racer.
- Clicking on this will show you the Credits.
- Clicking on this will exit Tux Racer.


4. Controls

The Tux Racer menus can be navigated with mouse and keyboard, and racers are controlled using the keyboard or joystick.

Please note that all keyboard controls can be changed via the Configure menu.

4.1 Turning

To turn use the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys, or move the joystick left and right.

4.2 Paddling/Flapping

Use the Up Arrow key (or push the joystick up) to paddle when on the ground and "flap" when in the air. This will help you gain speed, especially at the start of the race. Once your speed is in the yellow or red area of the Speedometer, paddling will no longer increase your speed, but will instead slow you down!

When you become airborne, flapping will help you stay in the air longer. Turn while flapping to adjust your direction while in the air.

4.3 Braking

To brake, push the Down Arrow Key or pull back on the joystick. To do a hard turn, turn and brake at the same time. This will make you turn more sharply, but will also slow you down.

4.4 Jumping

Use the Space Bar or joystick button #4 to jump. To jump, you must first press and hold the jump button to charge energy. This will cause the Energy Meter level to increase. The fuller the Energy Meter, the bigger the jump. Releasing the E key will use the charged energy to make your racer jump.

4.5 Reset

The Backspace key is used to reset Tux's position. If you get stuck on a course, press this key.

4.6 Esc

Pressing the Esc key while racing will bring up a configuration menu from which you may change settings or end the race by pressing Esc again.

4.7 Power ups

Some courses contain special power ups that can help you during a race.

4.7.1 Speed Pad

The speed pad gives the racer a sudden increase in speed.

4.7.2 Jump Pad

The jump pad will launch the racer into the air.

4.7.3 Turning

When a racer runs over the turning power up they will be able to make sharper turns for a short period of time.


4.8 Quit

Pressing the Q key while racing will end the current board.


5. Racing Screen

Once you are racing, you will have a number of displays. This section describes what each of these are.

- Speedometer shows how fast you are going.

- Energy Meter shows how much energy you have charged.

- Elapsed Time shows how long you have been racing in the race.

- Herring Collected shows how many herring you have collected so far in the race.

5.1 Speedometer

The Speedometer shows your current speed.

5.2 Energy Meter

The Energy Meter shows your current energy level, which affects how high you can jump.

5.3 Elapsed Time

The number in the top left of the screen shows the elapsed time for the current race.

5.4 Herring Collected

The number in the top right of the screen shows how many herring your racer has collected in the current race.


6.Select Player

Both Cup and Practice racing require you to select a player to play. Below is a description of this screen.

6.1 Player Selection Menu

- Select from a list of previously created profiles. If this is the first time running Tux Racer or you wish to create a new profile click on the "Create New Player". Players may also be deleted by clicking Delete Player
- You may choose between 3 difficulty levels, easy, normal and difficult.
- Select from a list of four characters:

Tux
Boris
Samuel
Neva

- A preview window of the selected character.
- To go back to the previous screen.
- Enter either the cup or practice race selection screens.

7.Cup Racing

7.1 Cup Selection Menu

The races in each event are grouped into cups. Each cup consists of a series of races that you must complete, in sequence, before you may advance to the next cup. You are given four lives to complete each cup and lose one for each time you fail to win a race. Once you run out of lives, you must restart the cup from the beginning.

In the Cup Racing Menu you can select the event and cup in which you will compete.

Cup Selection Menu

- The name of the currently selected event. In "Solo Challenge," you must race within a certain time and collect a certain amount of herring to continue. In "Race vs Opponents," you must finish the race faster than the computer opponents in order to advance.
- The name of the cup in the currently selected event.
- Display message informing you whether or not you are eligible to play this cup
- Back to the previous menu
- Go to the Cup Race Selection Menu.

7.2 Cup Race Selection Menu

When competing in a cup that you have not yet completed, this menu guides you through the races in the cup. You must complete the races in order. For example, you must win the first race in a cup before you can enter the second race. You are given four lives in which to complete all of the races in a cup. If you run out of lives, you will have to reenter the cup and start over from the first race.

This section describes the menus that are used on the Cup Race Selection Menu.

Cup Race Menu

- The name of the currently selected race.
- The required criteria for completing the race in the Solo Challenge event. You must beat each of the 3 possible criteria in order to move onto the next course in the cup. (In the Race vs Opponents event, you must come first in the race.)
- A description of the course
- Number of lives remaining.
- A preview of the course.
- Back to the Cup Selection Menu .
- Start the race.

Once you have completed a cup, this menu can be used to replay any of the races in a cup so that you can improve your score.


8. Practice Racing

Tux Racer has a Practice mode in which you can hone your racing skills. In Practice mode there is no lives counter, so you can play any course as often as you like. You can also customize the race options for a different challenge.

8.1 Practice Menu

The Practice Menu lets you choose a course on which to race, and allows you to customize the race options.

Practice Menu

- The name of the currently selected course.
- The best score achieved on this course. If this area is blank it means you have not tried the course yet.
- A description of the course.
- Options of the race. See Race Options below.
- A preview of the course.
- Back to the Main Menu.
- Start the race.

8.2 Race Options

A number of options can be set for the current race on the Practice Menu.

8.2.1 Lighting Conditions

Clicking on the Lighting Conditions button will change the time/weather on the course. The options are Sunny, Foggy, and Night.

8.2.2 Wind

Clicking on the Wind button will toggle wind on or off. Wind gusts across the course and makes things more challenging for your racer when he is in the air.

8.2.3 Snow

Adds falling snow to the course making things more difficult to see.

8.3 Scoring

Points can be obtained in two ways, by beating the Par Time for the course, and by collecting herring. Each herring collected will give you the same number of points as beating the par time by two seconds.


9. High Scores

9.1 High Scores

At any point you can go and find out the best scores for a particular course and which player owns those records.

 

- The name of the course.
- The best scores achieved on this course and which player achieved them.
- Go back to the Main menu.


10. Configuration Screen

10.1 Configuration menu

- To change graphical elements like reflections and shadows.
- To change the resolution.
-To change audio settings
- To change which keys control your racer.
- Exit the configuration screen.

10.1.1 Graphics

- Turn on/off fog.
- Turn on/off background snow in the menus.
- Turn on/off reflections.
- Turn on/off shadows.
- Turn on/off terrain transition textures.
- Turn on/off bump mapping.
- Apply the changes.

10.1.2 Video

- Choose from preset screen sizes. 640x480 is the default
- Choose the bits per pixel.
- When enabled, Tux Racer will fill your monitor screen.
- Apply changes.

10.1.3 Audio

- Turn on/off sound effects.
- Turn on/off in game music.
- When sound is enabled you can adjust the volume. Moving the icon left decrease sound volume while moving the icon to the right increases sound volume.
- When music is enabled you can adjust the volume. Moving the icon left decrease music volume while moving the icon to the right increases music volume.
- Apply changes.

10.1.4 Controls

- -Lets you assign up to two keys per control function.
- Apply changes.


 

11. Credits

Director/Lead Programmer

Jasmin Patry

Programming Team

Patrick Gilhuly

Eric Hall

Vincent Ma

Art Team

Richard Knowles

Mark Riddell