*****************************************************************************
Rally Chase/Thrash Rally FAQ
For the Neo Geo/CD
Version 1.0 (Created 7/16/2010)
By Devin Morgan
This file is Copyright (c)2010 Devin Morgan. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************************
Table of Contents
1. What's New
2. Introduction
3. Controls
4. Overview
5. Copyright Notice
*****************************************************************************
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-= 1. What's New -=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Version 1.0 (7/16/10): The first version.
*****************************************************************************
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-= 2. Introduction -=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Rally Chase (or Thrash Rally) is one of your standard arcade-style racing
games for the Neo Geo. The game is very short yet fast-paced, and it offers
two game modes. You can either recreate the 1992 Paris-Le Cap race across
Africa straight through, or play five individual stages on a point-scoring
system based on how well you do. A huge plus is that while the view is
overhead, the game tells you the exact nature of the turns before you reach
them. It certainly makes planning a bit easier, though you will want to play
the courses a few times to fully memorize how to tackle each of them. It is
short and sweet, and I enjoyed it, so I think you will too!
*****************************************************************************
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-= 3. Controls -=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Start: Start game
Select: Pause/resume game
Joystick: Steer vehicle, move cursor on menu screens
A (hold): Accelerate (automatic), low gear (manual)
B (hold): Brake (automatic), high gear (manual)
A + B (hold): Third gear (manual)
*****************************************************************************
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-= 4. Overview -=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
==========
Game Modes
==========
After the title screen, you will be prompted to choose the difficulty setting
(Easy, Normal, Hard, MVS). The next screen will be your mode selection. There
are two that you can choose from:
World Championship: Race on five different courses against other vehicles,
gaining points depending on your position at the end of
each course. The top-ranked racer at the end of the last
course wins.
1992 Paris-Le Cap: Embark on a straight race across the African continent.
There are six different "stages" where you are racing
against time to see how fast you can reach the end. The
other vehicles are just there to be in the way.
After you choose your game mode, you will be able to enter your initials.
Then, you get to choose your vehicle. In World Championship mode, you only
get six cars to choose from, whereas in the 1992 Paris-Le Cap mode, you have
the original six cars plus a motorcycle, truck, and buggy. Automatic and
Manual transmission vehicles will be noted as you move the cursor. Manual
vehicles have a higher top speed, but you need to be comfortable with
switching gears quickly. However, you likely will not rank very highly unless
you stick with manual vehicles (due to the higher top speeds they offer), so
keep that in mind. Each vehicle has a few statistics attached to each. There
are NO in-betweens; either you get a decent vehicle or a crappy one, so the
choices are VERY limited.
Once you pick a vehicle, you will be given a quick tutorial on the game's
controls. After that, the race begins.
================
General Gameplay
================
As you can see, this game is an overhead-view racing game. You use Left/Right
to control your vehicle's movements as you travel along the course. A huge
plus is that the game will tell you when any sort of turn is coming up,
complete with a surprisingly accurate icon showing the nature of the turn.
At the top of the screen is a timer showing how much time you have remaining
(time is replenished at each checkpoint/lap). At the top-middle area is a
meter that shows how far into the current lap/stage you are. Your current
speed is in the upper-right corner.
Along the bottom of the screen is your current rank (against time or against
other racers, depending on the chosen game mode), your current gear if using
a vehicle with a manual transmission, and the current stage/lap. If you are
driving a manual vehicle, it will also prompt you when to switch gears, even
with a diagram showing the buttons to press!
As for the race itself, the controls are a bit sensitive so you do not need
to turn hard to make even the tightest of turns. Most turns can be taken
while fully accelerating, so there is not much to worry about. If you hit the
sides or an obstacle, you will slow down, which is even more annoying in a
manual vehicle.
At the end of a race, everyone's times will be listed and depending on the
game mode, you either win (1992 Paris-Le Cap, if you are in first place) or
you gain points and continue to the next stage. When you complete all of the
races in either game mode, nothing happens. When the big race across Africa
is complete, watch the credits and the game is over.
=======
Scoring
=======
In World Championship mode, you are racing across five stages against the
other five drivers. Your rank at the end of the race determines the number of
points you will receive. The more points you have, the higher your rank will
be. A breakdown of the points is as follows:
Rank Points
---- ------
1 20
2 15
3 12
4 10
5 8
6 6
======
Stages
======
Monte Carlo (Monaco)
--------------------
The course begins with a slight turn to the northeast onto a long stretch of
somewhat narrow road. The first turn is a slight turn directly eastward,
followed by a tighter turn to the northwest. Heading northwest, there will be
a slight turn to the north and the first lap will end.
The next part takes you through a desert/mountainous setting. The first turn
is a simple right turn to the east, followed by a slight northeast turn. Go
over the jump onto the paved road surrounded by the familiar snowy region,
and the lap completes its loop.
Safari (Kenya)
--------------
This course starts off going directly northward onto a long straightaway. It
then has two quick turns to the right (east) and left (north), onto a dirt
road. The path then turns to the northeast and again slightly to lead you
northward. Stay towards the middle of this part since there are slow-moving
trucks acting as obstacles. After a short while, the path curves slightly to
the right before straightening out once more.
The road will narrow as you cross a small bridge. At the other side, the road
turns to the northeast before turning directly eastward. The final part will
be very tricky with a series of tight turns. The path will make a 180-degree
curve to the west, followed by a sharp turn to the east. It will be followed
by another sharp turn directly northward onto a narrow stretch of dirt road.
Be very careful on that last turn since there are animals along the sides
which will cause you to spin out upon impact.
From here, go forward to complete the lap. Make the jump, then follow the
northeast curve across a shallow plane of water. The course will turn to the
north and back onto dry land, where you will pass some vehicles parked along
the east side. Continue going straight and then make the two simple turns to
the right and left. Go over the next jump and you will be on the next truck-
filled straightaway. There are three trucks, so make sure you get around the
second (middle) one.
After that part, go over another jump, followed by two more simple turns onto
a section of paved road. As soon as you cross the line for the final lap, the
road turns slightly to the northwest. It will quickly lead directly northward
again before the road narrows and you go over a jump. There will be two short
turns to the east and north, then the road will lead to the northeast
diagonally. Once the road turns to the north again, stay towards the middle
to avoid the trucks.
There will be another slight turn to the northeast before you continue
directly northward. The road will narrow as you cross the bridge from before,
and you will head northeast and east before the same series of tight turns as
before. Avoid the cattle along the sides of the last turn directly northward,
and continue straight ahead to end the race.
Acropolis (Greece)
------------------
The race begins on a cobblestone road before turning northwest onto a wide
dirt path. Follow the path as it turns northward, then stay towards the
middle as you go over a couple of jumps (the road narrows briefly). Go along
the two quick turns to the east and north, and continue on this long stretch
of straight road. The path will narrow as you cross a cobblestone bridge, but
be ready for a sharp left turn at the other side.
Continue west to end the first lap, then head northwest. There will be a
series of 90-degree corners to navigate around, so do that. Go through a
total of four such turns, then the road will turn northward again. Stay in
the middle to avoid the trucks, and move slightly to the right as the road
curves along its northbound path.
Once the third lap begins, turn to the northwest. Follow the straightaway
until it turns northward, then stay in the middle and go across the two
jumps. Continue northward and follow the two quick turns to the east and
north. Further along, the road will narrow before crossing the cobblestone
bridge again. Be prepared for the tight westbound turn at the other side as
well.
Go west to reach the final lap, which is the same as before. Go around the
four corner turns, avoid the trucks (stay towards the middle of the road),
and handle the sharp twist in the northbound road to reach the end.
1000 Lakes (Finland)
--------------------
Starting off, you go north before turning northwest onto a wide dirt road.
Follow the wide and simple curves, avoiding the trucks after the second
curve, and you will continue to the northwest across a bridge. At the other
end, turn directly northward and go straight across the next couple of
bridges, complete with three jumps, to complete the first lap.
Continue north across one more jump, and then you will see a looping turn.
You turn to the east, then quickly to the north and west in something like a
circle. After heading west, you will turn to the northwest for a somewhat
straight stretch. You will then go through three tight corner turns before
heading northward across the line for the third lap.
For the next part, you will turn to the west shortly after the line. You will
then go to the northwest before turning northward again. Avoid the truck as
you then have to sharply turn to the northwest and cross a bridge. After
crossing the second bridge, turn directly northward and go over the next few
jumps to enter the final lap. It is just like the second lap, starting with
the 270-degree counter-clockwise turn and ending with the three tight corner
turns.
RAC (England)
-------------
For this final race, start by turning to the northwest when you reach the
main road. Turn northward again and the path will transition to an unpaved
road. Navigate the winding road ahead and slight turns to the northwest.
There will be a second curve in the road to the northwest. When it goes
straight to the north, stay towards the middle to avoid the trucks.
For the second lap, go straight and you will face another counter-clockwise
turn, starting by turning east, then going around and heading west. Shortly
afterward, there will be a sharp turn to the north. Go across the jumps and
onto the regular paved road. Go around the truck from the right side and turn
to the northwest (this may be tricky, but after a couple of tries you will
know it is coming).
Head to the northwest, then quickly turn west and directly northward in a
strange curve of the road. Follow the path directly north to the third lap,
and prepare to turn left slightly. This is where you started the race, so be
prepared for the zig-zag paths when you reach the dirt road segment. Towards
the end, stay in the middle to avoid the first two trucks, then move slightly
to the side to avoid the third one in the middle.
Next in the fourth lap, it will be a loop of the second lap, starting with a
counter-clockwise 270-degree turn immediately after you cross the first
bridge. After you go northwest, turn to the north and go straight across the
jumps and go around the truck to continue onto the northwest road. Remember
that tricky curve from before and turn slightly west and all the way north
when prompted.
For the final lap which is just up ahead, turn to the northwest for the first
long stretch reminiscent of the opening lap. Follow the zig-zag curves yet
again along the dirt road, remembering to go around the trucks at the end.
Since this is your third time through this simple part, it should be easy by
now. After the trucks, you will be at the end of the race!
Cross Country Raid (Paris-Le Cap)
---------------------------------
After you beat the World Championship, you will automatically begin the race
across Africa in the Paris-Le Cap. You can also access this mode from the
start by selecting it on the menu.
Anyway, the race starts off with a good straightaway for you to gain speed.
The first turn is to the west, followed by a turn northward. After the jump,
there are two quick turns to the east and north, then another couple of
simple turns before the first checkpoint. Turn to the east ahead onto a dirt
road, and then follow an awkward turn to the northeast. Continue north ahead
and you will be led to the northwest for a slightly long time before turning
to the north again.
The next several turns are pretty simple to follow, with enough width on the
road to make it around the turns safely and easily. There is a tight turn
ahead while you are headed to the northeast. You will need to quickly turn to
the west, then sharply around a tight corner and to the east. Further ahead
is another turn to the north, and the third lap will begin in the desert.
For this next part, stay along the middle of the path as you cross over the
jumps, so as to avoid the trees along the sides. After a long and straight
stretch, you will have to face a series of wide clockwise turns to the west,
north, and east. Go east a short bit, then you will have to turn north, west,
and north again for the final tricky turn of the lap.
Here in the fourth part, go straight and stay towards the middle to avoid the
animals and car wreckages along the sides. Turn to the east slightly and
continue to the north when prompted. Stay to the middle as you head north,
avoiding the obstacles once again. Follow the curves to the northwest and
then over to the northeast.
The next several turns are easy with nothing really to them. There will be a
long northbound stretch, followed by two wide zig-zag curves. After the fifth
lap starts, continue going directly north and over a jump. Follow the turns
to the east and north, then go northwest and north across some shallow water.
Repeat this ahead for the next curve to the northeast, and a third time to
the northwest again.
After that, cross a long bridge as you head northward. You will come upon the
tricky part once again. The course will turn to the west, then sharply back
to the west and northeast before straightening out again to the north. Stay
towards the middle and you can evade the animals on the sides. Up ahead is
the line for the final stage of this journey.
As soon as you cross the line, head to the northeast and northward when the
path curves again. Go through a zig-zag part ahead and make the jump straight
ahead. Go through another zig-zag curve before another long straightaway,
taking you across another jump and then over a narrow bridge. Up ahead, make
two turns to the east and north, followed by jumps and slight zig-zag turns.
If you know they are coming, you should be able to get around them with
minimal effort.
Up ahead, there will be a tight turn as you head eastward. Be ready for the
turn as it is somewhat of a wide one, where you go north for a brief moment
before turning to the northwest. Try to stay along the water line as the
final turn will be another odd one. You will need to turn west slightly
before turning sharply northward onto the final stretch of paved road. Beyond
that is the finish line, and the race ends here in Cape Town!
*****************************************************************************
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-= 5. Copyright Notice -=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This file is Copyright (c)2010 Devin Morgan. All rights reserved. Please view
the following URL to see the list of sites that are allowed to post my work:
http://www.freewebs.com/dbmfaqs/allowlist.html
This list is comprised of sites I know and trust well. If your site is not on
the aforementioned list, you are currently not allowed to post any of my
files on your site. Please respect my work and do not steal it or post it
without my permission. I only want my most recent work to be available and I
do not feel that can be achieved if others take from me without my knowledge
or permission.
If you are writing a FAQ for this game as well, and would like to use some
information, credit me for what you use. Please do not rip me off, as that is
blatant plagiarism and such will not be tolerated.
If you wish to contact me, do so at dbmfaqs(at)gmail(dot)com. Please only
contact me if there are corrections to be made to information that's
currently included. Thanks!
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/3579.html
=- End of File -=
