Colin McRae Rally 3 - Strategy Guide (Page 02)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Colin McRae Rally 3 - Strategy Guide (Page 02).

For those races which include fuel loads, the car will become
progressively lighter during a race.  The lesser weight can
often mean a slightly shorter braking zone; however, if tire
wear is excessive (especially if there have been numerous
off-course excursions), that might dictate a longer braking
zone.  

Cars with a higher horsepower output will inherently attain
faster speeds, and will therefore require a longer braking
zone than cars with a lower horsepower output.  Try a
Volkswagon New Beetle, a Mini Cooper, a Dodge Viper, a Panoz
Esperante GT-1, a Corvette C5R, and an F-2002 (all in
stock/base configuration) along the same area of a circuit
and note how their braking zones differ.

A final note on braking: To the extent possible, ALWAYS brake
in a straight line.  If braking only occurs when cornering,
the car will likely be carrying too much speed for the
corner, resulting in the car sliding, spinning, and/or
flipping.  (Some games purposely do not permit the car to
flip, but a slide or spin can still mean the difference
between winning and ending up in last position at the end of
a race.)  

If nothing else, players should strive to become of the
'breakers' they possibly can.  This will essentially force a
player to become a better racer/driver in general once the
player has overcome the urge to constantly run at top speed
at all times with no regard for damages to self or others.
Also, slowing the car appropriately will make other aspects
of racing/driving easier, especially in J-turns, hairpin
corners, and chicanes.

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RACING TIPS: CORNERING
Ideally, the best way to approach a corner is from the
outside of the turn, braking well before entering the corner.
At the apex (the midpoint of the corner), the car should be
right up against the edge of the roadway.  On corner exit,
the car drifts back to the outside of the roadway and speeds
off down the straightaway.  So, for a right-hand turn of
about ninety degrees, enter the corner from the left, come to
the right to hit the apex, and drift back to the left on
corner exit.  See the Diagrams section at the end of this
guide for a sample standard corner.

For corners that are less than ninety degrees, it may be
possible to just barely tap the brakes - if at all - and be
able to clear such corners successfully.  However, the same
principles of cornering apply: approach from the outside of
the turn, hit the apex, and drift back outside on corner
exit.  

For corners more than ninety degrees but well less than 180
degrees, braking will certainly be required.  However, for
these 'J-turns,' the apex of the corner is not the midpoint,
but a point approximately two-thirds of the way around the
corner.  J-turns require great familiarity to know when to
begin diving toward the inside of the corner and when to
power to the outside on corner exit.  See the Diagrams
section at the end of this guide for a sample J-turn.

Hairpin corners are turns of approximately 180 degrees.
Braking is certainly required before corner entry, and the
cornering process is the same as for standard corners:
Approach from the outside, drift inside to hit the apex
(located at halfway around the corner, or after turning
ninety degrees), and drifting back to the outside on corner
exit.  See the Diagrams section at the end of this guide for
a sample hairpin corner.

If there are two corners of approximately ninety degrees each
AND both corners turn in the same direction AND there is only
a VERY brief straightaway between the two corners, they may
be able to be treated like an extended hairpin corner.
Sometimes, however, these 'U-turns' have a straightaway
between the corners that is just long enough to prohibit a
hairpin-like treatment; in this case, drifting to the outside
on exiting the first of the two corners will automatically
set up the approach to the next turn.  See the Diagrams
section at the end of this guide for a sample U-turn.

FIA (the governing body of F1 racing, World Rally
Championship, and other forms of international motorsport)
seems to love chicanes.  One common type of chicane is
essentially a 'quick-flick,' where the circuit quickly edges
off in one direction then realigns itself in a path parallel
to the original stretch of pavement, as in the examples in
the Diagrams section at the end of this guide.  Here, the
object is to approach the first corner from the outside, hit
BOTH apexes, and drift to the outside of the second turn.
There are chicanes of various types in rally racing, but they
are not necessarily considered as such because the
competitors tend to think corner-by-corner, and not complex-
by-complex like circuit-based competitors.

FIA also seems to like the 'Bus Stop' chicane, which is
essentially just a pair of quick-flicks, with the second
forming the mirror image of the first, as shown in the
Diagrams section at the end of this guide.  Perhaps the most
famous Bus Stop chicane is the chicane (which is actually
called the ŒBus Stop Chicane¹) at Pit Entry at Spa-
Francorchamps, the home of the annual Grand Prix of Belgium
(F1 racing) and the host of The 24 Hours of Spa (for
endurance racing). 

Virtually every other type of corner or corner combination
encountered in racing (primarily in road racing) combines
elements of the corners presented above.  These complex
corners and chicanes can be challenging, such as the Ascari
chicane at Monza.  See the Diagrams section for an idea of
the formation of Ascari.

However, in illegal street/highway racing, the positioning of
traffic can 'create' the various corners and corner
combinations mentioned here.  For example, weaving in and out
of traffic creates a virtual bus stop chicane (see the
Diagrams section at the end of this guide).  Slowing may be
necessary - it often is - depending on the distance between
the vehicles.  See the Sample Circuit Using Some of the Above
Corner Types Combines in the Diagrams section at the end of
this guide; note that this is a diagram for a very technical
circuit.  

At some race venues, 'artificial chicanes' may be created by
placing cones and/or (concrete) barriers in the middle of a
straightaway.  One such game which used this type of chicane
is the original Formula1 by Psygnosis, an F1-based
PlayStation game from 1995, which used this at Circuit
Gilles-Villeneuve along Casino Straight (shortly after
passing the final grandstands at the exit of Casino Hairpin).
There are a few 'artificial chicanes' in Colin McRae Rally 3.

One thing which can change the approach to cornering is the
available vision.  Blind and semi-blind corners require
ABSOLUTE knowledge of such corners.  Here is where gamers
have an advantage over real-world drivers:  Gamers can
(usually) change their viewpoint (camera position), which can
sometimes provide a wider, clearer view of the stage, which
can be especially important when approaching semi-blind
corners; real-world drivers are obviously inhibited by the
designs of their cars and racing helmets.  Great examples of
real-world blind and semi-blind corners would be Mulsanne
Hump at Le Mans, Turns 14 and 15 at Albert Park, each of the
first three corners at A1-Ring, and many forest-based stages
in rally racing.  

Also important to cornering - especially with long, extended
corners - is the corner¹s radius.  Most corners use an
identical radius throughout their length.  However, some are
increasing-radius corners or decreasing-radius corners.
These corners may require shifting the apex point of a
corner, and almost always result in a change of speed.
Decreasing-radius corners are perhaps the trickiest, because
the angle of the corner becomes sharper, thus generally
requiring more braking as well as more turning of the
steering wheel.  Increasing-radius corners are corners for
which the angle becomes more and more gentle as the corner
progresses; this means that drivers will generally accelerate
more, harder, or faster, but such an extra burst of speed can
backfire and require more braking.  See the Diagrams section
at the end of this guide for sample images of a decreasing-
radius corner and an increasing-radius corner.

For traditional road racing circuits, increasing-radius and
decreasing-radius corners may not be too much of a problem;
after several laps around one of these circuits, a driver
will know where the braking and acceleration points are as
well as the shifted apex point (should a shift be required).
However, for stage-based rally racing, where the roads are
virtually unknown and the driver knows what is ahead only
because of the navigator¹s instructions (which - based upon
notes - may or may not be absolutely correct), the unknown
can cause drivers to brake more often and/or more heavily.
For rally-based games, such as the Need for Speed: V-Rally
series (PlayStation/PSOne/PlayStation2) or for World Rally
Championship (PlayStation2), there is often specialized
vocabulary used: Œtightens¹ generally designates that a
corner has a decreasing radius, whereas Œwidens¹ or Œopens¹
indicates that a corner has an increasing radius.  This need
for Œextra¹ braking is also tempered by the fact that in much
of rally racing, corners are either blind or semi-blind, due
to trees, buildings, cliffs, embankments, and other obstacles
to clear vision all the way around a corner.

One particularly interesting aspect of cornering is one which
I honestly do not know if it works in reality (I am not a
real-world racer, although I would certainly LOVE the chance
to attend a racing school!!!), but which works in numerous
racing/driving games I have played over the years.  This
aspect is to use the accelerator to help with quickly and
safely navigating sharp corners.  This works by first BRAKING
AS USUAL IN ADVANCE OF THE CORNER, then - once in the corner
itself - rapidly pumping the brakes for the duration of the
corner (or at least until well past the apex of the corner).
The action of rapidly pumping the accelerator appears to
cause the drive wheels to catch the pavement just enough to
help stop or slow a sliding car, causing the non-drive wheels
to continue slipping and the entire car to turn just a little
faster.  Using this rapid-pumping technique with the
accelerator does take a little practice initially, and seems
to work best with FR cars; however, once perfected, this
technique can pay dividends, especially with REALLY sharp
hairpin corners, such as at Sebring International Raceway or
those often found in rally racing.

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RACING TIPS: COASTING
Some players may believe that a good racer is ALWAYS either
accelerating or braking.  However, this is not always the
best way to approach a given section of a circuit or rally
stage.  Coasting can sometimes be beneficial.

First, consider standard street or highway driving.  Street-
legal cars are designed for the same foot to be used for both
acceleration and braking (with the other foot used for
operating the clutch if the vehicle uses a manual
transmission).  There is always a slight delay between
acceleration and braking as the driver moves the foot from
one pedal to the other; during this time, the vehicle is
essentially coasting - that is, the vehicle's current
momentum is the only thing moving the vehicle.

In real-world racing, there are a number of drivers who use
'left-foot braking.'  In other words, one foot is used for
the accelerator, while the other foot is used for the brake
pedal.  Yet even in left-foot braking, a driver must take
care to NOT be pressing both the accelerator pedal AND the
brake pedal simultaneously, as this could cause the engine
revs to spike and/or cause undue tire wear.  Therefore, even
though for a much shorter duration (perhaps best measured in
hundredths of a second) than in standard 'right-foot
braking,' there is always a short period of coasting.

In many racing games, I find that coasting through tight
corners (including tight chicanes) can sometimes be the best
method to safely navigate these difficult sections - and this
is true in both pavement-based games and in rally-based
games.  Certainly, braking properly (i.e., in a straight line
BEFORE reaching the corner or chicane) is key to successfully
coasting.  However, using NEITHER the accelerator button NOR
the brake button will cause the vehicle to coast, thus using
the natural momentum of the vehicle to perhaps swing the
vehicle around the corner or through the chicane.

This is actually somewhat tricky to explain in words, and is
really something that each player should try several times
(especially on tight, technical circuits, such as Monaco and
Bathurst, or virtually any stage of a rally-based game) to
truly understand this technique.  Once learned, however,
players may easily find themselves adding this technique to
their gaming repertoire :-)

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RACING TIPS: WEIGHT SHIFTS
Modern racing games are especially adept at simulating a
vehicle's weight shift in a variety of situations.  This
section assumes that a vehicle is moving in a forward
direction.  

When cornering, a vehicle's weight shift is to the opposite
direction; in other words, if a vehicle is turning to the
left, its weight will be shifted to the right (and vice
versa).  If the player attempts to corner too quickly, the
resultant weight shift risks to slide the vehicle toward the
outside of the turn; in extreme cases, the vehicle could lift
and have only TWO wheels actually touching the ground, or
potentially the vehicle could even flip onto its side or its
roof!!!  While it is certainly fun to see a vehicle on two
wheels or on its side or roof, this is obviously counter-
productive, especially in a close race or in a time trial
mode.  Tires and downforce play a role in helping to keep the
vehicle on the ground during cornering, but once a given
speed is surpassed for the type, radius, and angle of the
corner in question, the player will have limited - if any -
control of the vehicle.

During acceleration, the vehicle's weight will naturally
shift toward the rear.  In most situations, this is not a
particularly crucial phenomenon.  However, if the vehicle is
moving fairly slowly and the player suddenly slams on the
accelerator, or especially if a race has a standing start
(such as F1, TOCA, and rally races), this weight shift should
be crucial.  As the vehicle weight shifts to the rear of the
vehicle, the rear suspension and tires could potentially take
a lot of punishment.  This is especially important for the
tires, as the extra weight will require an appropriate amount
of 'extra' acceleration (especially if the vehicle uses rear-
wheel drive, which is true of many racing vehicles) to
compensate and get the wheels to turn enough for the tires to
adequately grip the racing surface to help to propel the
vehicle forward.  However, overcompensation could result in
excessive wheelspin, which is quite likely to create undue
tire wear.  

While braking, a vehicle's weight will shift toward the front
of the vehicle.  If the player brakes too late to corner
safely yet still attempts to take the corner even semi-
normally, the weight will load to the front outside wheel (in
relation to the corner; i.e., to the front-left wheel if
taking a right-hand corner) and risk causing the vehicle to
slide off the course in the direction of the front-outside
wheel.  Even if not attempting to corner, the weight shift to
the front during braking requires a little extra care to
ensure that the front wheels do not lock (in those games
which support wheel-lock, such as Pro Race Driver).

In rally racing especially, the trick to successfully
navigating many of the tight corners on the various stages is
to use the vehicle's natural weight shifts to help
successfully clear each section of the stage.  This requires
excellent knowledge of each rally car's capabilities and
limitations, as well as superb anticipation and planning for
each corner.  Obviously, since most rallies are held on
point-to-point stages, there is only one chance to
successfully navigate each twist in the raceway, and using a
vehicle's natural weight shift is crucial to 'getting it
right' the first (and only) time!!!

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RACING TIPS: WET-WEATHER RACING/DRIVING
Almost everything written to this point in the guide focuses
solely upon dry-weather racing/driving conditions.  In fact,
most racing/driving games deal ONLY with dry-weather
conditions.  However, simulation-based games (such as rally
games) will include at least a few wet-conditions situations.
This can range from Gran Turismo 3 - which uses two circuits
(hosting a total of eight races between Simulation Mode and
Arcade Mode) where the roadway has A LOT of standing water,
as if the races take place just following a major prolonged
downpour - to F1 2002 - where in most situations, players can
purposely select the desired weather conditions for a given
race.  

In wet-weather racing/driving conditions, it is IMPERATIVE to
use tires designed for wet-conditions usage.  For example, in
F1 2002, in a full 53-lap race at Monza, I purposely tried
running as long as I could with Dry Tires, then switched to
Rain Tires when I could no longer handle the car's inherent
sliding about... and my lap times instantly dropped by more
than five seconds. 

In games which offer Intermediate Tires, such as Le Mans 24
Hours, the period when the racing circuit is simply damp (at
the start of a period of rain, or when the circuit is drying
after a period of rain) can be tricky in terms of tires.
Intermediate Tires are certainly best for these racing
conditions, but the time in Pit Lane spent changing to
Intermediate Tires can mean losing numerous race positions,
especially if the weather conditions change again a short
time later and require another trip to Pit Lane to change
tires yet again.  

Tires aside, simulation-style games simply will not allow a
player to drive a circuit the same way in wet-weather
conditions as in dry-weather conditions.  The braking zone
for all but the gentlest of corners will need to be extended,
or else the car risks to hydroplane itself off the pavement.

Throttle management is also key in wet-conditions racing.
Due to the water (and perhaps even puddles) on the circuit or
stage, there is inherently less tire grip, so strong
acceleration is more likely to cause undue wheelspin - which
could in turn spin the car and create a collision.  If a car
has gone off the raceway, then the sand and/or grass which
collect on the tires provide absolutely NO traction at all,
so just the act of getting back to the pavement will likely
result in numerous spins.

In general, cornering is more difficult in wet conditions
than in dry conditions.  To help ease this difficulty in
cornering, simulation-style games will sometimes allow the
player to change the car's tuning during a race (if not, the
player will be forced to try to survive using the tuning set-
up chosen before the beginning of the race).  Tuning is
covered in more detail in another section above, but the main
aspect to change for wet-weather conditions is to raise the
downforce at the front and/or rear of the car; this will help
improve cornering ability, but will result in slower top-end
speed and slower acceleration.  If the car's brake strength
can be adjusted, it should be lowered, as strong braking will
raise the likelihood of hydroplaning off the pavement;
lowering brake strength will also mean an additional
lengthening of the braking zone for all but the gentlest
corners of a given circuit.

Registering Colin McRae Rally 3 grants access (for North
American players) to Nicky Grist's pace notes for a stage in
the Rally of Australia.  While not particularly useful for
gameplay purposes, it does add another sense of realism to
the atmosphere of the game.

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ONLINE RESOURCES
Here are a few Internet resources for World Rally
Championship, the actual FIA rally racing series which
provides the basis for V-Rally 2.

Codemasters
   This is the American Web site for Codemasters, the
   publisher of Colin McRae Rally 3.  A CMR3 sub-site is
   also available. 
FIA World Rally Championship - Mailing List
   Touted as "the world's biggest rally mailing list,"
   results will be sent via e-mail for each competition.
Rally-Live.com
   This site - available in English, French, and Spanish -
   includes rally news and images, information on drivers and
   teams, regulations, information on each racing venue, an
   online store, forums and chat capabilities, wallpapers,
   screensavers, and more.
RallyForum
   This is primarily an online discussion area for everything
   related to World Rally Championship.
RallyRallyRally
   This site covers World Rally Championship, British Rally,
   European Rally, American Rally, and Asia/Pacific Rally
   news.  
World Rallying
   This site is an independent source for information on
   World Rally Championship, including results for every
   season since 1994 and an online discussion area.

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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
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to you, I would certainly appreciate a small donation via
PayPal using the above e-mail
address.  

To find the latest version of this and all my other
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