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Frequently Asked Questions
And Driver's Guide
version 0.91
12/13/94

--- By Jarno 'Jarnis' Kokko (jarnis@mits.mdata.fi) ---
--- Revised by Eugene 'Jack Ryan' Moon (jackr@engin.umich.edu) ---

This FAQ is copyrighted (c)1994. All rights reserved.
It may not be published in any non-electronic media without permission
from Eugene Moon (jackr@engin.umich.edu). Electronic distribution in
non-altered form is permitted. Also, please do not make money out of
this work by selling printouts. Thank you.

SEGA, Daytona USA, and Virtua Reality are trademarks of SEGA
Enterprises, Ltd. Daytona USA is a registered trademark of
International Speedway Corporation and licensed to Sega Enterprises,
Ltd., by NASCAR Properties. All copyrights and trademarks are owned
by their respective owners, and no infringement is intended.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Version history
------------------------------------------------------------------------

v. 0.2 - First public version. No expert track guide yet due to
lack of expertise on that track. Some bugs in numeric
data, as all was written from memory.

v. 0.6 - Expert track guide's preliminary version added. Some Easter
eggs added. Some numeric data added and/or tuned. Records
section added

v. 0.81 - Speeds given in both English and Metric system. Course
guides expanded. Easter egg section updated. Tips section
expanded.

v. 0.85 - Info on additional uses of the VR and Start buttons added.
Course guide expanded with info for Advanced drivers.
Replacement initials added (used during Name Entry after a
record run). Easter eggs added and updated.

v. 0.91 - More replacement intials added. Track guide updated. Info on
Time Lap mode updated.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The writers of this FAQ would like to give thanks to:
------------------------------------------------------------------------

- SEGA, AM2, and Martin Marietta Corp.
For a near-perfect driving experience.

- Ronald T. Griffith (srcec@westminister.ac.uk)
For information on the slot machine and pit lane pass Easter eggs.

- Kalle 'Blitzer' Kataja (blitzer@prime.mdata.fi)
For some major typo-busting.

- Marvin Yagoda (owner of Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum)
For running the best place to play Daytona USA in Michigan and for
supplying information on the slot machine time extension.

- Joseph Harpe
For editing newer versions of this FAQ sheet.

- ROB at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
For some really intense (and fun) competition over the summer.

- CLS, OJ, PS., and especially JOE at Pinball Pete's in Ann Arbor
For setting the record times that kept me playing, practicing, and
improving.

- Andy Eddy (vidgames@netcom.com)
For running the best place to get FAQs for all the latest games.

- Galen Komatsu (gkomatsu@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu)
For supplying a large amount of info.

- Matthew Willson of London, Ontario and
Michael Armstrong (michael.armstrong@homebase.com)
For pointing out the Lap Time checkpoint timer.

- Eric Ching
For helping me to keep my facts straight. :)

- Karl Thoroddsen (karlth@strengur.is),
Miles Hardison (drdaytona@aol.com), and
various players at Marvelous Marvin's the last time I stopped by
For showing/telling me faster ways of driving the Advanced track.

- Justin Perron, Greg Wickham, Jon@camins.camosun.bc.ca, Ting-Yu Hsu,
and everyone else who wrote me e-mail about the FAQ
For showing interest in one of the best games available in arcades
today.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) What is Daytona USA?
(2) General guidelines for getting started with Daytona USA
(3) General driving tips
(4) Detailed course guides
(4.1) Beginner track
(4.2) Advanced track
(4.3) Expert track
(5) Easter Eggs
(5.1) Slot machine time extension - Beginner track
(5.2) Loss of sponsor sign - Advanced track
(5.3) Upside-down statue of Jeffry - Expert track
(5.4) 'Breakdancing statue of Jeffry' - Expert track
(5.5) Giant seagull - Expert track
(5.6) Off-road abort
(5.7) Going in reverse
(5.8) Passing through pit lane
(5.9) Replacement initials
(6) Game specifications
(7) Upcoming features
(8) Feedback
(9) FAQ updates (where can I get them?)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) What is Daytona USA?
------------------------------------------------------------------------

What's it like powering a 750+HP NASCAR stocker around Daytona's
high-bank turns? Or drafting inches off the car ahead of you at 200+
MPH? Daytona USA(tm), Sega's newest Virtua Reality racing game,
provides all the adrenaline pumping thrills of world class stock car
racing. With its industry leading 32-bit three-dimensional polygon
graphics and some nifty audio/mechanical systems, Daytona USA(tm)
supplies everything but the smell of the pits.
(excerpt from an ad for Daytona USA)

Daytona USA is a stock car racing game made by Sega using a brand new,
state-of-the-art Model 2 polygon engine board. It represents the
culmination of their efforts to create a simulation game with ultra-
realistic graphics. It was created by the same people who did Virtua
Racing, Virtua Fighter and a bunch of older Sega games, collectively
known as AM2, or Amusement Machine division #2. Daytona USA's texture-
mapping technology (300,000 polygons per second) was developed in close
cooperation with Martin Marietta Corp. (a U.S. defense contractor), one
of the world's leaders in military simulation know-how and experience.
Daytona USA also features realistic car handling and a V.R.-system that
allows the player to select his viewpoint from among four available. The
game comes in two forms: a deluxe edition with a 50-inch screen and a
twin version with two 26-inch screens. Up to four of the twin-screen
versions can be linked for simultaneous 8-player action. To get the most
out of this excellent amusement machine, read on...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) General guidelines for getting started with Daytona USA
------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Familiarize yourself with the cockpit. Good driving position is very
helpful in this game, so be sure to set the seat comfortably. You want
to be able to reach the gas pedal, brake pedal, and the shifter (if
you're using the manual transmission) easily. If you're unsure of
where to set the seat, one method is to sit back in the seat with your
shoulders against the seatback. If you then fully extend your arm, you
should be able to lay your wrist on top of the steering wheel. Unlike
Ridge Racer by Namco, Daytona features a 'low to the ground seating'
design that places your feet at almost the same level as the seat.
This allows you to operate the pedals easily without straining your
legs. Also, unlike Ridge Racer, the manual transmission in Daytona is
clutchless. Shifting is done simply by moving the shifter from gear to
gear. Finally, the pedals on Daytona are *not* 'on/off'. They use
potentiometers to determine how far down the pedal's been pushed (this
was also the case with Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' by Atari Games),
and just slamming the pedals to the floor is not the way to get good
times.
NOTE: If the pedals feel unresponsive or far too sensitive, talk to your
operator. The potentiometers can be maladjusted or broken. If you
can't accelerate at all even with the pedal to the floor or your gas
pedal acts like it's been slammed to the floor when you press it
extremely lightly, it's time to see your operator's tech people.
Expensive games should be maintained well. You are PAYING for it.

* During your first few games, try out the V.R.-buttons and choose your
favorite viewpoint (the V.R.-buttons are found, along with the Start
button, to the right of the steering wheel on the large-screen version
and to the left of the wheel on the twin-screen machine). Playing with
different viewpoints all the time makes learning much harder so play
around with them for a few games and choose the one that you like
best. In the following descriptions:
* describes the location of the 'camera' used for the viewpoint.
+ describes plusses to each viewpoint.
- describes minuses.
The following notes are just IMHO, so no flames or jihad type
reactions to them, please!

1 - Inside the car.
* Camera is located on the front edge of the hood of the car.
The camera is on the same level as the driver's eyes, so this is
what the driver would see if he were sitting on the bumper of
the car. :)
+ Sensation of speed is greatest with this view to due to
viewpoint's closeness to the roadway. This view also gives a
panoramic view of the road and passing scenery which adds to the
sensation of speed.
- Car is not visible in this viewpoint, so there are no reference
points for judging how close you are to other cars. Also, it is
impossible to determine how much damage the car has taken. The
scenery can be somewhat distracting if a driver's concentration
is broken. Also, spinouts in this view can be troublesome for the
novice driver.

2 - Above car's roof.
* Camera is located in the roof of the car directly above the
driver (roof itself is erased for visibility).
+ Hood of the car is visible in this view giving you some
indication of how much damage you've done to the car. Also, the
presence of both the hood and a portion of the dashboard make
this viewpoint more natural-looking. The hood gives you a visual
reference point when you're sliding the car around corners and
when you're trying to pass other cars without coming into
contact with them.
- Spins can be somewhat disorienting in this view also. It isn't
possible to determine how much damage you've done to the wheels
and suspension since the wheels are not visible from this
viewpoint (though damage to the body often occurs at the same
time as damage to the wheels, such as during a crash, it is
possible to damage the wheels and the car's handling without
touching the body work).

3 - Above the car narrow.
* Camera hangs in the air a few feet above and behind the rear
bumper. It always faces in the direction the car is MOVING. This
is not necessarily the same direction the car is FACING.
+ Easier to dodge other cars using this view as all nearby cars
(including those very close behind) can be seen. Also, the wheels
are visible during turns letting you see how much damage they
have taken from crashes into the wall. Damage to body panels at
the rear of the car is also easily seen. Smoke from the tires (an
indication that you're spinning your wheels) is visible only from
this view and Viewpoint 4. Since the camera always faces in the
direction of movement, spins aren't as troublesome in this view
and Viewpoint 4.
- Because camera doesn't face in the same direction as the car, you
can't just 'feel' how the car is sliding. It is also somewhat
frustrating to be able to see that you're heading for a wall when
you don't have enough time to do anything about it. :) Also, you
can't easily judge how close you are to a car directly in front
of you.
4 - Above the car wide.
* Camera is located further behind and MUCH higher than 3rd
viewpoint. Like Viewpoint 3, it also faces only in the direction
the car is moving.
+ Good for scenery watching. :) Also good for keeping track of
nearby traffic without looking away to the 'TRAFFIC' display. The
wider view from this viewpoint gives you more warning if
someone's coming up behind you. This view gives you a better look
at what line you're following around a turn, making the tracks
somewhat easier to learn. Also see plusses for Viewpoint 3
regarding damage to the car and tire smoke.
- Makes car very distant. This detracts from the feeling of 'you
are there' that you get using Viewpoints 1 and 2. Passing scenery
takes up a LARGE portion of the screen (scenery doesn't take up
as much screen space in Viewpoint 1 because of oncoming road).
Also see minuses for Viewpoint 3.

So go ahead and experiment. Everyone will have their preferred
viewpoint; and, unlike Virtua Racing, Daytona doesn't keep track of
what viewpoint you used to set your times. :)

* Learn to use the information that Sega provides for you on-screen.
Just as a good 'scan' is important in real driving, it is also
important here that you be able to take in what you need to know at a
glance. The things to keep checking, in order of decreasing
importance, are:
(1) your view of things ahead of you
(2) your speed displayed on the top center of the screen
(3) the location of nearby cars on a 'TRAFFIC' display off to the
right side of the screen
(4) the gear that you're in displayed directly beneath the speed
(only shown when using manual transmission)
(5) your location on the track displayed on the map in the lower
right corner of the screen
(6) the lap that you're on displayed in the top left corner of the
screen
Everything else is pretty much extra information that you may want to
take in from time to time.

* You should also use the sound to your advantage. The sound of tires
squealing should be your main sign that your tires are fighting for
traction. Tire smoke also indicates this, but it isn't as reliable an
indicator.

* Learn to use the manual transmission. It's rather easy to use
(especially since there is no clutch), and there are some key
advantages to using the manual transmission (higher top speed and
better control of the car while sliding). Beware, however, for broken
shifters. The shifter seems to get the most abuse, and therefore
breaks down more often than any other part on the game.

* There are several options built into the game. You can select what
background music is played during the race, the range of the TRAFFIC
radar display, and the size of the map. These are controlled using the
VR buttons:

Background music selection:
This is done during the 'GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES' intro
screen. Holding down one of the VR buttons will override the
computer's choice of BGM. The songs are:

VR1 King of Speed (Beginner track)
VR2 Let's Go Away (Advanced track)
VR3 Sky High (Expert track)
VR4 Pounding Pavement (bonus music)

TRAFFIC display range adjustment:
At any time during the race, you can adjust the range of the
TRAFFIC display by holding down the Start button as you hit the VR
buttons:

VR2 Short range
VR3 Normal range
VR4 Long range

Map display size adjustment:
At any time during the race, you can change the size of the map
displayed on the right side of the screen by holding down the Start
and VR1 buttons as you hit the other VR buttons:

VR2 Large map
VR3 Normal map
VR4 Small map

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) General driving tips
------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Learn to start properly.
Beginner track: This track is the easiest to start on because you
start at full speed. All you have to do is make sure you have the gas
pedal floored and that the shifter is in 4th gear if you're using the
manual transmission (with the automatic transmission the shifter
doesn't do anything, so you can leave it in whatever position you
like). You also should remember that you don't have control of the car
until the announcer yells "GO!!!" as you're crossing the starting
line, so turning the steering wheel all the way to the left before the
start is not a good thing to do.
Advanced and Expert tracks: These races begin with a standing start
that determines by how much you fall behind the other cars. Try to
balance between wheelspin and slow acceleration. Just slamming the gas
to the floor results only in burnt rubber and no real acceleration
until you get to 35-40 mph (55-65 km/h), but the worst mistake you can
make is to watch only the tachometer (gauge across the top of the
screen with gray, yellow, and red zones that goes from 0 to 10) when
accelerating. If you slam the gas pedal to the floor, because of
wheelspin, the tachometer will peak at around 20 mph (30 km/h); and if
you start switching up gears from there you end up with 4th gear with
a speed of about 50 mph (80 km/h). Not good. Watch the speedometer
instead. 70 mph (110 km/h) is the point to use 2nd gear, and around
110 mph (180 km/h) is the place to go to 3rd gear. 4th gear comes into
play around 155-160 mph (250-260 km/h).

* You start from the tail of the starting grid, so the main thing is
overtaking and avoiding computer cars. In general, when you get to the
point where you can drive around any given track near perfectly
(perfection is impossible), computer cars become the main problem.
If you drive like a robot, it is possible to make the computer cars
react the same way for every race; but since no one drives like a
robot, the computer cars end up driving pretty randomly. A perfect
race can be ruined by a few bumps to the back of a computer car, and a
major accident right in front of you at 200+ mph (320+ km/h) can
REALLY ruin your day.
A note from 'Eug': A crash does not disqualify you from finishing the
race. So, don't give up on a race just because you've crashed (unless
you crashed VERY late in the race or were going for a record time).
I've managed to drive a race where I crashed once, spun twice (all
during the first lap of the Expert track), and still managed to finish
in 1st place.

* Use computer cars to your advantage by 'drafting' whenever possible,
and learn to pass them cleanly when you start to get close to them.
Drafting consists of driving directly behind the car in front of you
so that air turbulence coming from their car allows yours to go
faster. This is also called slipstreaming. This contradicts the
previous tip a bit, but it is necessary for getting the best possible
times. So when hanging close to a computer car, ALWAYS stay alert. 3-4
computer cars bumping each other in front of you or one computer car
pushing another towards Wall Contact(tm) should flash 'accident' alert
in your head pretty quickly, and GENERALLY if you see computer cars
pushing each other, don't get close. The advantage from drafting does
not cover the losses from hitting a flipping computer car.

* Avoid hitting walls, and stay off the grass. Braking a little more and
keeping your foot off the gas is usually better than even slight
contact to a wall, and it is MUCH better than mowing some lawn.
Driving on the grass GREATLY reduces your speed, costing you a lot of
time. It can also make it difficult to control your car. Wall contact
only drops your speed by 10-50 mph (15-80 km/h), unless you slide into
the wall tail-first or crash, but it affects your car's handling by
wearing down your tires. So be sure to avoid both as much as possible.

* Again, learn to use the manual transmission. Using the shifter isn't
very hard to do (it only requires a little more effort to learn), and
the rewards are significant. The only good use for automatic gears is
while you are learning a course. Using the automatic lets you
concentrate on finding out how fast you can go through certain curves,
but you will need to adjust those speeds upon switching to the manual
transmission. This game is hard even if you use the automatic, but
it's VERY HARD to finish in better than 8th place without the manual
transmission.
A note from 'Jarnis': When our shifter was broken with 1st and 2nd
gear unavailable, I still got better times on the Advanced track with
manual shifting even if I had to lose time at the starting line by
using 3rd gear. I couldn't finish the race with the automatic
transmission at all (I always got game over on the last turn before
the goal). With the manual transmission, I couldn't get to the top
three that easily, but getting into the top six was no problem. And
all this without 1st or 2nd gear at all!

* Learn the proper 'line' to use going around turns. The line through a
turn is the path taken by the car as it goes around a corner.
Generally, racing requires that you start the turn wide, brake late,
and place the 'apex' of the turn a bit past midway through the turn.
If this is done properly, you will be able go faster through the turn
and accelerate sooner, leading to better times.
The normal method for taking a 'late apex' around a corner is to start
turning into a corner, and then slow to a certain speed and turn the
steering wheel some more. Sometimes you must also downshift to slide
out the rear end. You then push the gas pedal to the floor. If this is
done right, the car should swing its tail out a little bit and then
start to slide slowly towards the outside of the turn. This technique
will vary depending on the curve as you sometimes have to brake first
(when you have to lose a lot of speed to make the turn) before turning
the wheel, but for other turns you may end up turning the wheel and
beginning to brake at the same time.
There will be times when you will mess up slightly while taking a turn.
You must learn what to do in these instances. It is possible to
control a skid to some degree with the steering wheel. If you've
turned too hard and the car's nose is pointed at the inside of the
turn, opposite lock on the steering wheel will keep the car on the
track, but it is important that you regain control of the car. In this
situation you should take your foot off the gas pedal and wait for the
car to straighten out before you put your foot on the gas again. On
the other hand, if you feel you're going to 'kiss the wall' on the
outside of the turn, let go of the gas pedal and tap the brakes if
necessary (sometimes you might want to tap them several times) to drop
to a 'safer' speed. A small speed loss is nothing compared to the
results if you wrap your car around the trackside fence.
NOTE: Reckless braking also has a tendency to put you into walls so try
to avoid having to use the brakes in the middle of a turn. Do all of
your braking before the turn. If you DO have to brake while in the
middle of a turn, use short taps to the pedal. This will slow you down
and yet keep you from skidding too much.

* Memorize the tracks. You will drive much better once you've learned
lines through the turns and how to control your car through them.
Learning the Beginner track should be easy, but the other tracks
should also be memorized so that you can go smoothly from one part of
the track to the next. You will want to memorize what lane you want to
be in at certain points on the track, what speed you want to be at
when you reach that point, and the driving techniques you will use to
get the car around hairpins and other curves on the tracks.
A note from 'Jarnis': Fine-tuning your routine to the point where you
can finish the track requires some practice, but I learned the quirks
of the Advanced track in just 3 days.
If you're having too much trouble learning a track, try the Time-Lap
mode by holding the Start button when you push the gas pedal to choose
the transmission. This eliminates all the computer cars and places you
in Time-Lap mode. You can then drive each track without worrying about
traffic (you only need to worry about getting time extensions so you
can finish the race). This mode is easier to drive because it leaves
out all those annoying computer-driven cars, but it also takes away
the 'draft effect' that allows you to go REALLY fast. :)
A note from 'Eug': As you're driving in Time Lap mode, you'll notice
that when you pass checkpoints, two numbers will flash superimposed on
the map display. These times represent the record time for that
section of track, and your time for that section. You do not need to
do anything special to activate this Checkpoint Timer display
(contrary to what was posted on Usenet by myself and other people). :/
Taking note of these times is a good way to find out what parts of the
track you might need to improve on. This timer is not available on the
Beginner track. It is also inactive during backwards racing.

* Pit stops are useless unless the machine you play on is set to 'Grand
Prix' or 'Endurance' mode. During the course of a race, the handling
of the car will change due to contact with a wall and from accidents.
But the races are so short in 'Normal' mode, a pit stop is totally
unnecessary. A pit stop uses more time (you must do a standing start
that uses up a lot of time) than you gain from fixing up the car.
Basically you can use the pit stop to show off the machine's graphics
capability, but that's pretty much it. On the other hand, races in
'Grand Prix' and 'Endurance' modes are long enough that tire wear
plays an important part and pit stops become an important part of your
racing strategy.
There's an Easter egg in the game involving the pit lane. You can pass
through the pits without stopping if you do it on your last lap. This
is pretty much useful only for trying to avoid traffic. Going through
pit area will not allow you to improve your times (unless you haven't
learned the 'crossover' on the Expert track).

* As explained above, your car's handling is affected by contact with
the wall and by accidents that send your car flipping through the air.
This is represented by wheels that bounce up and down (easily visible
during turns at low speeds from Modes 3 and 4). Also, damage to body
panels is also a good indication that your car is handling differently
than it did at the start of the race (use Modes 2, 3, and/or 4 to spot
damage to the body). Your goal should be to finish the race with a car
that has wheels spinning without wobble and a perfect body.
Things start looking good when, at the end of the game, your car
doesn't resemble an abstract piece of modern art with bent body panels
and misaligned wheels. Getting to the finish line on the Beginner
course (one of the 'dirtier' tracks because of all the car-to-car
contact) without too much damage to your car is a good sign that you
are learning something. :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4) Detailed course guides
------------------------------------------------------------------------
by 'Eug'

This part of the FAQ will attempt to describe how the races may be
driven. Important portions of the tracks and landmarks will be in ALL
CAPS. The techniques described generally apply to both single player and
multi-player racing, though multi-player racing does include several
different techniques and strategies not required for single player
gaming. The listed lap times are those to beat in order to finish the
race. The finishing times are ones that usually result from a good drive
and should end up on the top five list, unless you happen to drive on a
machine with good players. It is assumed that the machine is set to
Normal difficulty. Also, the descriptions assume that you will be using
the manual transmission (more incentive to learn to use the shifter). :)

* For the 'novice' descriptions, I have attempted to strike a balance
between making these instructions simple and easy-to-follow and making
them useful for finishing a race. These are NOT descriptions of the
fastest way to drive each track (the speeds recommended here are sort of
'conservative' and should allow some room for error), but following
these instructions should allow you to consistently get some pretty good
times.
* For the 'advanced' descriptions, I give you my ALL-OUT, RECKLESS,
EDGE-OF-THE-ENVELOPE driving technique. If your driving is faster than
this, then I am truly impressed. ;)

Finishing in the top three allows you to see a congratulations sequence
(victory lap) which looks way cool!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.1) Course guide --- Beginner track (Daytona Oval Circuit)
40 cars, 8 laps Lap time: under 18.75
Finishing time: under 2:25.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a simple oval track with a pit road through the infield. This
track appears to be a version of the Daytona track in Florida, U.S.A.
with a lot of scenery put in by Sega. It is a good place to get used to
the controls and to practice skidding at the MT.SONIC TURN. The FOREST
STRAIGHT is also a good place to learn to draft. Due to the number of
cars, accidents happen, and this is the place to learn how to avoid
surprises. :)

The rolling start makes every lap pretty much identical. Unless you know
how to handle the MT. SONIC TURN, the first lap is usually the best
because you're at around 200 mph (320 km/h) at the starting line.

You'll start in a short straight with grass to your left and stands full
of people to your right. Try to pass as many computer cars as you can,
but drive gently and beware of skidding (you will know when you're
skidding from the squealing sound coming from your tires) which may
result in zig-zagging from one side of the track to the other. Try to
follow the lanes, and try to draft if possible. Do not jerk the wheel to
pass cars. This will result in unwanted sliding which may lead to a
crash. Instead, change lanes with small corrections to the steering
wheel. Generally, avoid the rightmost lane as it's usually full of
computer cars and that's where most accidents happen due to the right-
side concrete wall. For the gentle left turn next to the SPINNING
ROULETTE WHEEL, however, it is important that you start the turn wide to
the right. If you find yourself in the leftmost lane here, you will have
to slow down more to go around this curve than if you're even one or two
lanes over. Unless you're at around 180 mph (290 km/h) or less, do not
jerk the wheel to the left here to go around the turn as you will skid
and end up hitting the wall. Instead gently turn the wheel as far to the
left as is necessary to keep you from hitting the right side wall. You
will also want to try to steer around any other cars that may be turning
at the same time (you'll usually need to ease right to pass them
cleanly). If you're near top speed (over 205 mph or 330 km/h), you will
have to start the turn on the high side of the track and swing low
'arching the turn'. If there's a lot of traffic, take your foot off the
gas and slow to around 200 mph (320 km/h) or slower to go around the
curve cleanly. If you find yourself stuck in the leftmost lane, slow
down to around 190 mph (305 km/h) in order to go around this turn
without hitting anything. This will help you to avoid contact with both
the wall and any cars.

After the turn, the FOREST STRAIGHT opens up. This is the place to milk
computer cars for speed by drafting. Again, avoid sliding and try to
keep the speed above 200 mph (320 km/h) at all times. There is a time
extension involved with the JACKPOT ARCH that is explained later in this
FAQ. At the end of the straight, try to be in the 2nd lane from the
right, with no computer cars right in front of you to do the MT. SONIC
TURN. If there are computer cars in your way, *always* line up inside of
them (they can act as a buffer between you and the wall if you mess up
and end up heading for the wall). Never end up in the rightmost lane
with computer cars to your left, and try to avoid the leftmost lane, or
you will surely feel the hug of concrete in the next turn.

MT. SONIC TURN is next, and it's the place where beginners meet the
immovable object called concrete wall most often. Never ever try to
drive this corner 'full speed ahead, turn hard left' style, it will
result in either a spectacular crash, or at best case, a rough touch
which will violently drop your speed to around 170-180 mph (270-290
km/h) and wear your tires down. Towards the end of the race, if you've
been kissing the wall on every lap, you may end up slowing down to
around 140-150 mph (225-240 km/h).

* For novice drivers: 'How to slide through MT. SONIC TURN without
hitting the wall.' At the end of the straight (there will be grass to
your left and the wall on your right), brake to 170 mph (270 km/h) and
turn the steering wheel to the left a little. If you're not near the
right side of the track entering the turn (because of traffic), slow
down more to around 160 mph (260 km/h). Then push the gas pedal back to
the floor. The car should end up sliding around the curve, and you
should find yourself on the front straight already accelerating to top
speed. You shouldn't need to turn the steering wheel very much to get
the car to turn in. You may, however, need to counter-steer to stay on
the track (take your foot off the gas and only turn the wheel to the
right as much as you have to to stay off the grass). Again, if you must
enter the turn with computer cars at your side, keep them to your right.
This does not guarantee that you won't crash. Coming into this turn with
too much speed (even with a computer car between you and the wall) can
result in a spectacular crash for both of you. Basically, finding the
right time to start braking, braking for the right amount of time, and
controlling your steering are the keys to this turn.
* For advanced drivers: Generally, you follow the same procedure as
novice drivers except for a few changes. First, you don't move towards
the inside of the turn to stay inside of other cars; you should stay in
the second lane from the right. Second, instead of slowing down to 170
mph (270 km/h), you slow down only to about 180 mph (290 km/h). You may
end up bumping cars, but you shouldn't change your line through the turn
unless they're going much slower than you are (if you do steer around
them, be sure to stay off the wall - brake if necessary).

And then you are back at the starting line. A good sign of a well-
executed MT. SONIC TURN is over 180 mph (290 km/h) on the speedometer at
the starting line. Without any major accidents, your lap time should be
17.50 - 18.50. Anything below 17.50 should be considered extremely
good.

Repeat 7 times to get to the finish line. A very good 8 laps should
place you in the top 3 and let you see the victory lap.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.2) Course guide --- Advanced track (Canyon Course)
30 cars, 4 laps Lap time: under 49.50 (under 55.50 1st lap)
Finishing time: under 3:16.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a hilly canyon course with some tricky twists and a tight
hairpin, and newbie drivers do require some assistance to complete a
single lap without too much damage. With this guide, I assume you *do*
know how to skid. Learn it at the MT. SONIC TURN on the Beginner track.

>From the STARTING LINE you have a pretty long section of track in which
to accelerate to top speed. Practice your start to get the most out of
it. A good start can cut 2-3 seconds off your time. After the first
straight and a very short S-curve, you find yourself in an extremely
easy uphill right turn. You can stay *very* low, balancing right outside
the grass line, and pass all the cars from the right side (this is kind
of tough to do). Here's the prime place for drafting the computer, but
*beware*! When the turn ends, right after the 1st TIME EXTENSION, you
might be in trouble. The gentle right curve becomes a gentle left curve
and, if you don't drive carefully, you could crash into the right side
of the TUNNEL ENTRANCE (or at least hit the fence before the tunnel
entrance and lose a lot of speed). The short and gentle left turn can be
driven at full speed if you do not slide here (be sure you don't jerk
the wheel or you will pay). You can avoid crashing by moving left of any
cars before this curve, or by taking your foot off the gas through here
(slowing down will make your car easier to handle and make this part of
the track less hairy).

* For novice drivers: The TUNNEL can also be driven at full speed, and
drafting is rather easy. The end of the tunnel turns right, and with
proper technique it can be driven at full speed too. After you exit the
tunnel, there is a small left turn and then another right turn. This is
a bit tricky. Make sure when you drive through here that you 'thread the
needle' just right. You must come close to the grass on the left side of
the track *very near* the middle of the left curve. (If you don't, you
will be in a bad position to start the uphill right turn) *Do not* drop
to 3rd gear, instead drive full speed up to the start of the turn and
then brake. Slow to about 175-180 mph (280-290 km/h). You will skid a
bit to the left but never drop below 170 mph (270 km/h) in speed. Feed
in some gas and then continue uphill past the 2nd TIME EXTENSION until
you get to the WINDMILL RIGHT TURN, which is the worst place on the
track. Drop to 3rd gear when the turn starts, brake and turn firmly
right. Slow down to 145 mph (235 km/h). Then *gently* push the gas to
the floor. Too strong of a push will cause wheelspin and *bad* oversteer
to the right (concrete wall time!). You can use higher speeds, around
160-165 mph (257-265 km/h), but you need to skid perfectly with such
speeds. Slowing to 145 mph (235 km/h) is the safe method.
* For advanced drivers: For the turn just before the 2nd TIME EXTENSION,
slow only to about 193 mph (310 km/h). You should not have to drop below
190 mph (306 km/h). Then, for the WINDMILL RIGHT TURN, downshift
straight to 1st gear as you brake to 175-180 mph (280-290 km/h). Then
shift straight back to 4th gear and put the pedal to the metal. This
should loosen the rear end enough to get you through the corner. You
will need to counter-steer to stay off the grass on the inside of the
turn.

* For novice drivers: Switch back to 4th gear and move towards the right
side of the track as you start going downhill. Switch back to 3rd gear
and sharply hit the brakes so that you enter the HAIRPIN at 140 mph (225
km/h). It will take some practice to figure out when to start slowing
down. Crank the wheel over and bring the gas pedal back down. When the
downhill straight opens up, it's time for pedal to the metal (and 4th
gear). :)
* For advanced drivers: Stay on the right side of the track as you go
downhill. Look for the tire marks on the pavement that go straight and
then cut to the inside of the HAIRPIN. Just before you hit the point
where the skid marks cut, downshift to first as you brake to 157-160
mph (253-257 km/h). Shift immediately back up to 4th and continue around
the corner.

* For novice drivers: On the way down the hill, move to the left side of
the track. Swing to the right side of the track as you enter the last
right turn, drop to 3rd gear, and brake to ~160 mph (~255 km/h). Never
ever above 165 mph (265 km/h), or you find yourself on the grass again,
with a good chance of Concrete Contact(tm). Curve around with the gas
pedal brought back to the floor, and you should get *slight* skidding.
If you seem to be heading for the grass on the left side of the track,
drop your speed in the middle of the turn slightly with a tap to the
brakes. When the straight opens up and you are clear, shift up to 4th
gear and full speed ahead.
* For advanced drivers: Approach the curve from the left side of the
track. *As soon as* you get to the end of the hill (you're on the flat
part of the track), downshift to 1st, brake to ~175 mph (~280 km/h), and
turn in. As you're sliding, shift back into 4th before *slowly* feeding
in gas. Too much will cause the rear end to slide loose, whereas too
little will cause you to lose more speed than you have to. I've been
able to take this curve at 173 mph (278 km/h) as my minimum speed and
(because I was drafting off of the 1st place car) I passed through the
STARTING LINE checkpoint at almost 200 mph (320 km/h).

Repeat 3 times to get to the finish line. Drive 4 good laps and you are
easily in the top 3 for a look at the victory lap.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4.3) Course guide --- Expert track (Seaside Course)
20 cars, 2 laps Lap time: under 1:50.50 (under 1:57.50 1st lap)
Finishing time: under 3:37.50
------------------------------------------------------------------------

This road course is a difficult track with many twists, blind corners,
and sharp turns. You race across both spans of a large suspension bridge
and encounter a number of very tricky turns. It will take all of a
driver's skill and a lot of practice to finish this race.

>From the STARTING LINE, you have a long straight across the SUSPENSION
BRIDGE to accelerate in, and you should just about max your speed and
pass several computer cars here. After two pretty gentle left turns you
curve right, going slightly downhill, to the first underpass with the
entrance to PIT LANE. After entering the underpass and just past the 1st
TIME EXTENSION, you get to a S-CURVE followed by a hard right turn (the
TV-SCREEN TUNNEL).

* For novice drivers: Drive at full speed as you enter the S-CURVE.
Cross over the median to the other side of the track in between the
columns at the S-CURVE. Brake *hard* as you cross over, but be sure you
don't turn the wheel at all (turning the wheel while braking will cause
the car to go sideways). Slow to ~150-160 mph (~240-255 km/h). Then, let
go of the brakes and cross over the median to the other side of the
track before entering the TV-SCREEN TUNNEL. Tap the brake once as you go
through the tunnel and slow to ~140-150 mph (~225-240 km/h) to avoid
hitting any walls.
* For advanced drivers: Don't brake until you've crossed over once and
are getting ready to cross over again. As you approach the median (the
second time), brake to ~170 mph (273 km/h). After you've crossed over
and as you enter the TV-SCREEN TUNNEL, hit the gas and jerk the wheel
left. Rub your front left fender on the left wall of the tunnel. This
should only slow you down to between 150-160 mph (241-257 km/h).

* For novice drivers: After the 2nd TIME EXTENSION there is a slight
hill and a turn right (STATUE OF JEFFRY TURN). Don't be fooled, this
turn can be deadly if you accelerate to full speed. It's similar to the
last turn of advanced track, and you need to skid here lightly and
possibly use 3rd gear. I pass this turn at 145-150 mph (235-240 km/h)
skidding lightly, but greater speeds may be possible. Driving at full
speed will cause contact with the wall around the 'Virtua Inn' sign.
* For advanced drivers: Stay to the left here as you approach the STATUE
OF JEFFRY. Downshift to 2nd as you slow to ~160 mph (257 km/h).
Immediately shift back to 4th gear.

After the JEFFRY TURN, you get a downhill with buildings around you. Let
go with full gas. Let go of the gas as you curve right around the turn
so that you're at about 185+ mph (295+ km/h) as you come up to the left
turn. Drop to 3rd gear and again do a *controlled* braking to 150-160
mph (240-255 km/h). This left turn before the 3rd TIME EXTENSION doesn't
seem too bad, but you need to be going absolutely no more than 165 mph
(265 km/h) and skid around the corner to avoid grass and a possible wall
hit.

Then you get to the 3rd TIME EXTENSION. A straight allows you to
accelerate to good speed, but at the end, you get an UPHILL HAIRPIN TURN
to the right (similar to the downhill turn in advanced track, but even
harder).

* For novice drivers: Here you must drop to the 120-130 mph (195-210
km/h) range and skid hard while turning right. Failure to do so will be
awarded with a lawnmowing experience. Not good.
* For advanced drivers: As you approach the hairpin, downshift into 1st
and brake to ~145 mph (235 km/h). As the car's sliding, shift back up
into 4th and floor it. When you're rear end stops squirming (you'll
probably be below 150 mph/240 km/h), shift back down to 3rd to get
better acceleration in the following sections of track. It'll take some
experimentation to figure out exactly when to brake. Also, it might be
possible to take this curve at slightly higher speeds (my
experimentation has been limited).

Now you should be at the grasslands area, with horses and a bird or two.
There are two gentle left turns and two right turns followed by a left
turn before the 4th TIME EXTENSION. You should go through these curves
after first slowing to between 155-160 mph (250-255 km/h). Then you are
at the underpass with a tight left turn. Drop the speed some more. My
estimate is to around 145-150 mph (235-240 km/h) with some skidding.
It's somewhat hard to do the turn as you have solid concrete on both
sides of the track.

After the underpass turn with slight uphill you get back to the
SUSPENSION BRIDGE. Here's a long straight that's a good place to milk
other cars for speed. At the end of the straight there's a very slight
turn to the right.

* For novice drivers: Here, brake to 180-185 mph (290-300 km/h) a bit
before the turn begins. Then, as you go through the underpass and start
turning right, try to keep the car under control and avoid skidding.
Going more than 190 mph (305 km/h) or a wide skid will result in a hit
to the left wall.
* For advanced drivers: As with the novice drivers, brake before the
turn begins. Try to time your braking so that you finish braking at ~190
mph (305 km/h) a *little bit* before the turn so that you can turn in
towards the apex of the curve without skidding.

If you cleared the previous turn OK, now there's a pretty long, very
easy, left turn with the text 'YOU CAN'T BE SATISFIED WITHOUT IT - SEGA
MODEL 2' at the left side of the road on the wall. Pass the 5th TIME
EXTENSION near the beginning of the curve and stay at full throttle
until the SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCHPAD comes into view. The easy left turn
quickly becomes a *hard* left turn. An easy way to get a solid hit to
the concrete wall is to keep on going at full speed here.

* For novice drivers: As you approach the LAUNCHPAD, stay on the lane
divider between the rightmost lane and the next one in. When you can see
about 4 sections of fence at the LAUNCHPAD, brake down to ~165 mph
(265 km/h), shift down to 3rd, and nudge the steering wheel left. This
should cause the car to skid. Stay off the gas until the tires stop
squealing and then start accelerating through the easy turns that
follow. It is important that you don't bring on the gas too soon or too
quickly as you will skid into the grass and possibly hit the wall.
* For advanced drivers: Wait till you see about 4 or 5 sections of fence
before braking to ~170 mph (273 km/h). Push the gas pedal back down just
enough to stay at 170 mph (273 km/h). Then slowly push the pedal down
the rest of the way. This requires that you have a very good feel for
the accelerator and that the accelerator be in good working condition
(one of the machines here on campus has an accelerator that skips from
idle to 6200 rpm - during a standing start, you can't hold the engine
revs anywhere between those numbers - which messes me up here). You
should be able to keep your speed above 170 mph (273 km/h) and
accelerate as you turn. :)

After the LAUNCHPAD TURN, there's another S-CURVE and then a very GENTLE
S-CURVE. (GENTLE S-CURVE goes left, then right) As you curve right
through the last half of the GENTLE S-CURVE, stay in the rightmost lane.
As soon as the GENTLE S-CURVE ends and you straighten out the wheel,
start braking and downshift to 3rd.

* For novice drivers: As the LOADING DOCK CURVE (a 90 degree left)
starts and while you're still braking, turn the steering wheel sharply
to the left and finish braking at ~120 mph (~295 km/h). There's room for
some skidding on the right side of the track, but if you are not on the
track at the end of the turn, a nice wall awaits you. Start accelerating
slowly, so as not to spin the rear tires.
* For advanced drivers: You will probably be near 200 mph as you
approach this curve. In order to slow down quickly without spinning, I
pause for a fraction of a second after downshifting to 3rd and then
downshift again to second. Finish your braking at ~130 mph (209 km/h),
possibly even a *little* slower than that. Get back on the gas, and
straighten out the wheel before shifting back up into 3rd.

Then it's a nice easy uphill right turn to the STARTING LINE time
extension without further problems. Shift up to 4th gear and then repeat
the previous lap to get to the finish line. Two good laps should put you
in the top 3 for a look at the victory lap.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5) Easter eggs
------------------------------------------------------------------------

(5.1) Slot machine time extension - Beginner track

You can play with the slot machine in the forest straight by pressing
the Start button. Each press stops one wheel. On the top of the machine
it says:

777 = 1.000.000.000
Casino in Paradise

If you don't have an assistant to do the slot machine for you, stopping
one spinning wheel per lap usually works pretty well. By getting one of
the following combinations (it must be centered perfectly), you can get
more time:

Three 7s = 7 seconds
Three BARs = 5 seconds
Three cherries = ? seconds

(5.2) Loss of sponsor sign - Advanced track

You will notice on the map that there is a road near the starting line
that leads down and to the left. You can drive down this road (it's in
line with the entrance to the pit road) to a short tunnel dug into the
cliff face. At the end of this VERY SHORT tunnel is a sign that says:

CONGRATULATIONS
You Just Lost
Your Sponsors!

NOTE: You do not get a Time Extension for going to see this sign, so we
recommend that you go 'sight-seeing' only if you have time left over at
the end of a race or if you've totally given up on finishing.

(5.3) Upside-down statue of Jeffry - Expert track

To do this trick, you must drive around the track backwards (it's
easiest to do this in Time Lap Mode). During your second (and final)
lap, the statue will be upside-down. The best way to get a good look at
the statue is to drive past it (during your 2nd lap) to the nearby time
extension, and then turn around to observe at your leisure.

(5.4) 'Breakdancing statue of Jeffry' - Expert track

To see this, you must come to a complete stop in front of the statue of
Jeffry. When you're stopped, hit the Start button several times. Jeffry
will jump through several different frames (he should spin around once,
spin around upside down, and then return to normal).

(5.5) Giant seagull - Expert track

To do this trick, you must get past the hairpin leading to the area with the horses and seagulls. Hit the Start button as you're driving up the straight *right after* the hairpin. When you reach the top of the hill (you should be approaching the horses),

the seagull that flies over the
track should be much larger than normal. Be sure you don't go off-road
here as pressing the Start button while on the grass will invoke the
'Off-road abort' explained below.

(5.6) Off-road abort

This is a feature similar to the Off-road abort from Atari's Race
Drivin'. Hitting the Start button while you're on the grass returns you
to the road, but it reduces your speed to 0.

(5.7) Going in reverse

If you feel you've mastered the tracks to the point where they're no
challenge to you, here's something to make the game somewhat interesting
again. You can turn around and go around the track backwards and STILL
EARN time extensions. But be sure you start running backwards right
after you've passed the Starting Line Time Extension (meaning you can
turn around on any lap during the race - but be sure you turn around
right after you pass the Starting Line time extension). All the Time
Extensions on the track are reset at the beginning of each lap allowing
you to gain time running forwards or backwards.
NOTE: It is easier to finish a 'backwards' race if you've set the
machine to Time Lap Mode and if you turn around at the start of the race
(there is no need to cross the starting line at the start of a race to
run a backwards race).

(5.8) Passing through pit lane

You can pass through the pits without stopping if you do it during your
LAST lap. This trick works on the Beginner and Expert tracks only. It
isn't very useful except to avoid driving through heavy traffic. It
will, however, help you improve your time on the Expert track if you
haven't learned to do the 'crossover' maneuver yet.

(5.9) Replacement initials

You can enter the following initials to play snippets of music during
the Name Entry screen (after a record run):

NAG Virtua Racing MAS ???
GOS ??? MIT ??? ARI ???
YAS Virtua Racing DEK ??? OSA ???
GOM ??? D.K ??? MAC ???
KAG ??? MIY ??? KEN ???

The initials below play bits of music from the following games:

H.O Hang On S.H Space Harrier O.R Outrun
A.B Afterburner P.D Power Drift V.R Virtua Racing
V.F Virtua Fighter SHO Super Hang On SMG Super Monaco GP
G.F Galaxy Force R.M Rad Mobile S.C Stadium Cross
EXN Exhaust Note S.F Strike Fighter GLC G-LOC
TOR Turbo Outrun ORS Outrunners GPR GP Rider
F.Z Fantasy Zone E.R Enduro Racer SDI SDI
QTT Quartet VMO Vermillion T.B Thunderblade

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6) Game specifications
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deluxe edition:
Width: 113.2 cm, 44.57 in
Depth: 282.8 cm, 111.35 in
Height: 186.3 cm, 73.34 in
Weight: 375kg, 826.72 lbs.
Power consumption: AC 110~240V, 725~740W
Monitor: 50 inch Rear Projection TV.

Twin-screen edition:
Width: 163.2 cm, 64.25 in
Depth: 161.7 cm, 63.66 in
Height: 181.4 cm, 71.41 in
Weight: Approx. 475kg, 1047.19 lbs.
Power consumption: AC 110~240V, 1030~1152W
Monitor: two 26 inch TVs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7) Upcoming features
------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are working on adding the following to future versions of the FAQ:
(1) a guide to multi-player racing (based on info provided by Ting-Yu
Hsu)
(2) JPEG files containing a cover page & a track map/guide
(3) an information section explaining racing techniques and terminology

Plans for an 'Ask the Crew Chief' section diagnosing driving problems
have been dropped (if someone would like to write one up, you're more
than welcome to). ;)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(8) Feedback
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments? Corrections? Suggestions? Additional hints? Easter Eggs?
Better descriptions for the track guides? Send e-mail to either:

jackr@engin.umich.edu
or
jarnis@mits.mdata.fi

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(9) FAQ updates (where can I get them?)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The latest version of this FAQ can be found in Andy Eddy's video game
FAQ server via FTP.

(1) FTP to 'ftp.netcom.com'
(2) login as 'anonymous'
(3) use your e-mail address as your password
i.e. jackr@engin.umich.edu
(4) change to the '/pub/vi/vidgames/faqs' directory
(5) get the file called 'daytona.faq'

You may also obtain a copy of this FAQ by sending an e-mail request to
either:

jackr@engin.umich.edu
or
jarnis@mits.mdata.fi

This FAQ will now be available on the web at:

http://mits.mdata.fi/~jarnis/

New versions will also be posted to rec.games.video.arcade
when released.






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