====================
colin mcrae rally 04
====================
For XBox
Game by Codemasters
FAQ by sinfony (or Tom, if you like)
Version 1.0
4 July 2004
Version History
===============
1.0 - 25 July 2004 (although I've actually had this version in
the can for a couple of weeks now, and just never got around to
posting it. Oops.)
6 - First version - 2 July 2004
I've decided to declare this version 1.0, now that every section
contains at least some information. It is, of course, far from
totally complete, as there are still a number of courses that I
have to yet to post info and strategies for. Still, I feel that
the info contained in the courses section is less important than
what is already in here, since it is little beyond what you see
on the stage info screen or what the codriver tells you. There
is enough here to get you through the game, I think, so that
makes this guide complete, in that sense, warranting calling it
version 1.0
Updates for Version 1.0:
-----------------------
-Made small update to unlockables
-Added course info for Australia and Finland
-Added information about roll bar setting
-Fixed rampant spacing problems
Expect the next version to include:
-----------------------------------
-Information on car repair
-New course info and strategies
-Info on mini-games ("Testing")
Disclaimer
==========
If you're playing a rally game, then I like to think that you're
pretty smart, and a good person, and already know all this, but
just in case, here goes:
This FAQ/Guide/whatever you'd like to call it is intended for
personal use only. Posting, duplication, distribution, etc.
are not kosher unless you have express written permission from
me. You may not include any information from this guide in your
own guide or anything else you might care to write about the
game unless I tell you you can. That means you can't just take
what I say and paraphrase it. I wrote a lot of papers that way
in middle school, so I know what that looks like, so don't try
it. If you want to make a guide, I would hope that you've
played the game enough and are good enough to be able to do it
on your own. Plagiarism isn't cool. If you want to post this
guide on your site or something, just ask me and I'll probably
be cool with it, so long as you don't want to change anything
in here. I think I'm a pretty good writer, so there's really
no need for you to bother, anyway.
How To Use This Guide
=====================
As is common practice, the table of contents will include some
combination of letters and numbers for each item. To quickly
jump to whatever it is you're looking for, hit Ctrl+F (that's
Apple key+F for our Mac using friends, I believe) and type in
the combination that correlates with the section you're looking
for, and hit find next twice. This should get you right to the
section of the guide that you're looking for.
Contents
========
I. Introduction (go here first!) cmr_01
II. Controls cmr_02
III. Modes cmr_03
IV. The Codriver Deciphered cmr_04
V. How to Drive cmr_05
VI. Courses cmr_06
VII. Cars cmr_07
VIII. Unlockables cmr_08
IX. Contact Information cmr_09
X. Credits and Thanks cmr_10
===============
I. Introduction cmr_01
===============
So you've spent your $19.99 and picked up colin mcrae rally 04 (I
don't use capitals because they didn't on the box, either). First
off, well done! I've always had a strange affinity for rally games,
and Top Gear Rally on N64 was getting pretty old, which led to me
picking up this game. Seeking some guidance concerning the
friendly codriver, I came here to GameFAQs and was surprised to
find not a single guide on the game available. Unhappy with this
sorry state of affairs, I decided to write one myself.
In section II, I'll introduce you to the controls, which you should
know, but on the off chance that you don't, there you go.
In section III, you'll learn about the various modes. This includes
an in-depth examination of the structure of the Championship, which
is where the bulk of yourtime with this game should be spent.
Section IV concerns the crazy yammerings of your codriver, which at
first made no sense to me, and which the manual, I think, does an
inadequate job of explaining.
Section V is the one where I teach you how to be good at this game,
if you aren't already. This means tips on cornering and other basic
aspects of driving, as well as how to handle different surfaces and
different road obstacles.
Section VI contains information about the various courses you'll
be racing. This includes a breakdown of the surface of every
section of every stage, tips for racing each stage, and my
preferred car setups. I won't cover every turn of every course
because there's a guy in the game who tells this to you as you go,
and you really should listen to him. I will try to explain some
of the trickier spots of the courses, however.
Section VII is a simple listing of the cars in the game and
their weight, horsepower,etc. Very basic and somewhat useless,
but the guide would seem incomplete without such a thing.
Section IX details what you can unlock and how in the game.
This also includes information about the various mini-games played
throughout the championships to unlock new parts.
Before you move on, I would just like to stress that the most
important thing to do in-game is to LISTEN TO THE CODRIVER! He
may be speaking in code, but there are spots on every course where
you'd be quite screwed if you ignored him. You should never be
surprised by a turn or an obstacle.
Onward!
============
II. Controls cmr_02
============
Right trigger - Accelerate
Left trigger - Brake/Reverse
A button - Accelerate
X button - Brake/Reverse
B button - Handbrake
Y button - change view
Black button - Shift up (with manual or semi-auto transmission)
White button - Shift down (with manual or semi-auto transmission)
Left thumbstick - Steer
Right thumbstick - Up for accelerate, down for brake
D-pad - navigate menus
I highly recommend you use the triggers for accelerating and
braking. Because they are analog, you can accelerate or brake
in various increments, rather than the all or nothing you get
with the other buttons. I suppose it's the same with the
thumbstick, but I can't imagine using that. Furthermore, if
you are using the triggers, you won't have to take your finger
off of the accelerator when you want to shift gears when
using manual transmission.
==========
III. Modes cmr_03
==========
All multiplayer modes can be played either split screen, or
alternately, with players passing around controller and
completing stages separately. Multiplayer can also be played
cooperatively by having players choose the same car. They
will then be part of a team and their scores combined for
the manufacturer.
For multiplayer, scoring is as follows:
1st Place - 8pts
2nd Place - 6pts
3rd Place - 4pts
4th Place - 2pts
A. Quick Race
Select this mode off the menu and you'll be dropped into
a random stage in a random car. For 1-4 players, can
switch damage between normal and heavy.
B. Stages
Race one stage at a time. 1-4 Players. Players select
cars and stage to race. Scoring can be done by time or
by points. Damage can be set to normal or heavy. Car
setup can be toggled on or off.
C. Rally
Race one rally at a time. 1-4 Players. Includes all 8
national rallies as well as a rally of the Superspecial
courses, three preexisting custom rallies (Jumptastic,
Asphalt Attack, and Gravelfest) and two slots for creating
custom rallies of six stages. Preexisting custom rallies
can be edited.
D. Championship
The main mode, as far as I am concerned. This is where
all unlocking is done. One player only. There are four
championships, some with a normal and advanced difficulty
setting, although Group B has only advanced. 4WD, 2WD,
and Group B Championships are self-explanatory. Expert
Championship, which is unlocked by winning 4WD Advanced,
is trickier. From the game:
"Compete in the most realistic and competitive Championship.
Restrictions will apply - cockpit view only, reduced OSD
and extreme damage settings. Win and enter your time on our
Website."
Difficult, eh?
The different championships have different numbers of events,
and those events have different numbers of stages. This
is all in the manual, but in case you've forgotten or lost
your manual or something, here you go:
2WD Normal - 5 Events, 4 Stages each
2WD Advanced - 6 Events, 5 Stages each
4WD Normal - 7 Events, 6 Stages each
4WD Advanced - 8 Events, 6 Stages each
4WD Expert - 8 Events, 6 Stages each
Group B Advanced - 5 Events, 6 Stages each
Coming soon: more in-depth treatment of championship mode,
including car repair
and whatnot.
===========================
IV. The Codriver Deciphered cmr_04
===========================
Let me first say this: you MUST listen to this guy if
you're going to have a chance at winning. Although the
little turn icons that appear at the top of the screen
are handy, they convey very little information about the
length of the turn, the appropriate speed to take it at,
the obstacles that may be found, or how far you are from
the next obstacle. You could be the greatest driver in
the world and still have to retire from the rally because
if you don't pay attention, you WILL smash into something
and wreck your car (unless you've memorized all the courses,
in which case you shouldn't be reading a guide anyway.)
The basic form of the codriver's tips is this: "Number
Direction Number" If the codriver's statement follows
this pattern, then it means this:
The first number, which will be 2-6, indicates the difficulty
of the turn. A 6 means that you can tear through the turn
without having to worry about slowing down, while a 2 indicates
a fairly sharp turn that must be taken at low speed. At first,
I though this number referred to what gear you should be in
going through the turn, and while this is not really the case,
it is a useful guideline. He'll never say 1, but when he says
"hairpin," that's what you should be thinking. Hairpin turns
are extremely tight and you'll have to shed a lot of speed
before taking them.
The second number, unsurprisingly, indicates which direction
you will be turning.
The third number, always a two digit number, is the distance
in meters until the next turn or obstacle. Quite often, one
call will be followed quickly by another, so the second number
gives you some idea of how far you have to go until the next
part of his call.
So, if he says "4 Right 50 into 2 Left 70," it means that
you'll be facing a slightly tricky right turn, and fifty meters
after that a tight left turn, with seventy more meters until
the next obstacle.
Usually, however, he says quite a lot more than that. There
are several words and phrases that you will hear in conjunction
with the simple difficulty and direction of a turn. The manual,
sadly, doesn't do a very good job of explaining them, in my
opinion. So here are the other things he says, along with my
take on what exactly you should be doing or looking out for:
Care: The turn is slightly trickier than normal, perhaps
because of a crest or an obstacle lying around.
Caution: Stronger version of care. Sometimes he'll say
double caution, so be extra careful on those occasions.
Crest: The track rises up enough to obscure view of what
lies beyond. If he says "30 Crest into 4 Right" it means
that you're coming up on a rise, after which you'll need
to take a somewhat sharp turn, so you should be ready to
turn as you reach the top.
Jump: If you're going fast over this, you'll get airborne.
Try not to do this, as it will wreck your suspension. Lay
off the throttle a bit before the top of a jump to avoid flying
off. Sometimes says big jump, just cut more speed to avoid
flying off these.
Long: Means that the corner will be longer than usual.
Pretty basic.
Very long: Yeah, you know what this one is.
Turn: Means that you'll be turning onto a different section
of road, often with a different surface. These are mostly
rated 2, but I find that they are considerably sharper than
a normal 2 turn, so you'll probably want to slow down more,
and also be prepared for whatever surface you'll be getting
onto. Different numbered "turns" don't seem to be any tougher,
however.
Opens: Corner becomes somewhat less tight on exit.
Tightens: Corner will become tighter (sharper) as you go
into it, often he will say something like "3 Right tightens
to 2," which means that the corner has tightened enough to
make it that much more difficult. If the number jump is more
than one, for instance "5 Left tightens to 3", there is
usually actually a short stretch of road that is basically
straight separating the two levels of difficulty, which is
where you should do your slowing down.
Narrows: Road becomes somewhat narrower. Not really that
important.
Don't Cut: Indicates that there is something on the inside
of the turn that you would hit and be slowed down or damaged
by, such as a tree.
Cut: Can cut across inside of turn without losing speed or
control.
Straight: The road will actually turn a bit, usually in
an s-curve fashion, but not enough that you need to bother.
Just go straight down the middle and you'll have no problems.
Bumps: A few little bumps in the road that generally don't
matter much, but during or just before a turn, you should
slow down just a touch since they'll lessen your contact
with the road and cut down on your ability to corner somewhat.
Keep In: Something along the outside of the track will mess
you up, or turn is followed by another turn in the other
direction, so by staying in you'll be set up better for the
next turn.
Keep Out: Like Keep In, only stay on the outside.
Finally, he'll often alert you to the presence of an object
coming up. These fall into two categories. First are the
objects that impede your progress, like rocks and trees.
Usually he'll tell you "Rock outside" or something, so just
keep that in mind and try to avoid it. The other category
is momentary narrowings of the track, which are generally
bridges and gates. You'll want to stay in the middle of
the track if he's told you of this kind of thing, because
they very suddenly narrow the track and can really slow you
down and damage your car if you don't look out for them.
So if all of a sudden he lets loose with a "6 Right and left
30 Big Jump into Caution Turn 2 Right Don't Cut Pole outside,"
you'll need to get ready for a shallow right turn, then a
shallow left, followed shortly by a big jump, then a sharp
right turn onto another road with a pole on the outside for
you to smash into if you don't stay in.
I've found two main problems with the codriver. First is that
he'll tell you about the next series of turns and obstacles
while you're in the middle of a different one. You need to
learn to keep in mind what he says without instantly acting
on it, since he's always a turn ahead of you. Second is that
sometimes he'll mention turns that are essentially meaningless
and can throw you off. This only happens with 6 turns. He'll
say "6 right", but the reality is that, while the road does
indeed jog slightly to the right, you would never really notice
it if he hadn't told you and it does not in any way constitute
a turn. If you were expecting a turn based on what he said and
didn't really notice one, odds are that you shot right over it
and need to be looking for the next one he's called out. With
a little practice, neither of these problems will matter very
much.
===============
V. How to Drive cmr_05
===============
Before you drive
================
Just as important as knowing how to handle your car is setting
it up properly before you even get it out on the track. There
are a number of different parts of the car to set up, and the
way you set them up depends on the stage's surface, the layout of
the course, and personal preference.
=Tires=
There are many different tire types, depending on what road
surface you'll be facing. Pay careful attention to how much
of each stage has which kind of surface and which tires are
appropriate for those surfaces. More detailed information
on tire setups is located in the Courses section of this guide.
=Brakes=
Brake power can be adjusted between the front and back of the
car. More power to the rear brakes will cause them to lock
and induce oversteer, while more power to the front brakes will
lock them and cause understeer. This is largely a matter of
personal preference, but I recommend at least leaving the brakes
balanced, if not powering the front brakes more, on snow and ice
tracks, as it is already very easy to oversteer and spin out on
the slippery surface. This is also a problem on wet surfaces,
but not as bad.
=Steering=
Set either light or heavy. Light is far more responsive and
the car will thus turn much more quickly, so it takes more touch
on the stick. Heavy is less responsive and you'll have to push
the stick farther to get the same turning, which is good if you
lack finesse but can force you to take tight turns more slowly.
=Gearing=
Higher gearing will give you a higher top speed, but you will
take a hit on acceleration. Conversely, low gearing will improve
your acceleration to the detriment of your top speed. This,
again, is mostly personal preference, but I tend to avoid low
gearing, as the cars accelerate pretty quickly even with high
gearing. But whatever floats your boat. On extremely twisty
courses, however, a low gearing will come in handy.
=Ride Height=
Low ride height will increase your stability on a smooth surface,
but the suspension is less effective, which creates problems on
rougher surfaces. If you tend to run off the road a lot, low ride
height will give you problems with the car grinding on small
objects, and you may want to raise the ride height a bit.
=Suspension=
Soft suspension will improve traction on rough surfaces; hard
suspension decreases it. On the other hand, hard suspension
stabilizes the car and makes it less likely to roll, while the
tendency to roll is increased by soft suspension.
=Anti-Roll=
A harder Anti-Roll setting will increase the car's tendency to
oversteer, although so drastically as adding power to the rear
brakes. (Thanks to Ross for the heads-up.)
Starting
========
First thing's first: at the start of the stage, don't rev the
engine up before going and don't mash down the accelerator as
soon as the time starts. Doing so will spin the wheels and
cause you to accelerate more slowly, which you don't want.
Instead, push the accelerator fairly hard, but not extremely
so, about as hard as you can without spinning the wheels.
You'll figre out exactly how much before too long.
In general, it's a bad idea to accelerate too quickly from a
standstill, and especially so if you are also trying to steer
back onto the correct line. Accelerating quickly will often
spin the wheels, and trying to turn while they are not gripping
the surface properly will often lead to a spin, or at the very
least cause you to beging to fishtail, which costs you speed
and time as you get the car back under control.
Once the car has gotten going, feel free to push the acceleration
to the max, so long as it's an appropriate section of the track
to do so.
Stopping
========
The important thing here is to be gentle with the brakes. If
you've been paying attention to your codriver, there should
never a need to slam on the brakes. Hitting the brakes too hard
will cause them to wear down more quickly, which is a problem
in championship mode. Also, doing so will lock the wheels,
leaving you vulnerable to an unwanted slide or spin, especially
if you've set up the brakes with more power to the back.
Cornering
=========
This is where races are won and lost. Skillful cornering is an
absolute must if you want to win, and to that end, I again stress
the importance of listening to the codriver, as he is your most
important tool where cornering is concerned.
While sliding around turns is certainly fun and cool looking, it
is usually not the best way to take a turn. In fact, I only recommend
it on tight turns and hairpins, and perhaps around long turns on a
loose surface. Around shallower turns, it's a bad idea to let the
wheels lock and lose their grip on the surface. Doing so decreases
your ability to accelerate or brake and increases the likelihood of
spinning out of control. For most turns, simply slowing down a bit and
steering through the turn, with perhaps a very slight, controlled skid,
is the best way to do it.
When the car is sliding, it can be a bit tricky trying to control it.
Generally, you'll want to get the car turned more or less in the direction
you'll be going when you exit the corner, and then countersteer a bit to
keep the car skidding. If you feel it starting to spin too much, lay off
both the accelerator and brake completely and countersteer until you've got
it back under control. Be very gentle with both the accelerator and the brake
in any skid, as too much of either will cause the car to spin out. Don't
accelerate hard out of a skid until you're sure you've got the car back
under control and the wheels gripping the surface properly.
When cornering normally, try to start towards the outer part of the track
and turn in towards the apex of the turn. Do all of your braking before
you start the turn; braking during the turn can lock the wheels and cause
you to skid or spin. Once you are past the apex of the turn, accelerate
out of the corner. This is generally the best line for any given corner.
If you are facing many turns in succession, try to take a line through
each one that sets you up well for the next one. For instance, if you
take a corner right, followed immediately by a left, you'll want to stay
inside as you come out of the right turn, instead of accelerating out
towards the outside as usual, because you want to set yourself up on the
outside of the next turn so you can take an optimal line through it. Also,
obviously, sharp turns are far more important than shallow ones. Don't
worry too much about taking a smooth line through a short 4 turn if there's
a 2 coming up. Concentrate on setting up for the sharper corner and just
get through the shallower one any way you can.
Obstacles
=========
Part of what makes rallying so great, and yet sometimes so frustrating,
are the obstacles that litter the course, in the form of objects blocking
your path or simple features of the road such as crests, gates, and
bridges. We'll start with objects.
By and large, objects will be well off the course. So long as you keep
on the beaten path, you won't need to worry about them. However, every
once in a while, there will be a rock or a post on the edge of the track
or close to the track on the inside or outside of a turn. Usually, the
codriver will alert you to these. If you hear the codriver mention a
tree or a rock or something, take care that you keep well clear of it.
If you have to go somewhat off the optimum line of a turn to be sure of
avoiding an obstacle, do it. Slowing a bit more to take the turn has
much less of an adverse affect on your time (and on your car) than
slamming into a tree does.
More insidious and more troublesome are simple road features. We'll
start with crests. Crests in the road are annoying because they conceal
exactly what lies beyond them. Although the codriver will tell you what
to expect over them, you can't be totally sure of how to handle a given
turn until you've seen it. You have to be ready to take a turn the moment
you reach the top of the crest, and any necessary deceleration should have
been done beforehand. Far worse, however, are gates and bridges. As soon
as you hear that a gate or bridge is coming up, you need to be on the alert.
For bridges, just stay right in the middle of the track, because it's going
to get a lot narrower all of a sudden, and the middle is the safest place to
be. The course always goes straight through a bridge. Gates, on the other
hand, may block part of the middle section of the course. You have to keep a
sharp eye out for them and see where the opening is. Sometimes it is absurdly
small and if you miss it, you're going to damage the car and lose a lot of
time. It's a good idea to slow down a bit when you know you're approaching
a gate, and concentrate only on getting through it.
Coming soon: More tips and tricks.
===========
VI. Courses cmr_06
===========
In no particular order. I'll list the track name and description from the
game, followed by the stage name, difficulty, and surface info, followed by
the section surface info and difficulty, and finally with car setups and tips
for each.
==Sweden== A truly unique event. Throughout these stages you will encounter
ice, snow and even some gravel sections. It's all about tire choice, so
choose wisely.
-Rally strategies-
The most important thing to keep in mind throughout this rally is the
slickness of the surface. Do not set up your car to oversteer, as this
will likely cause you to spin out frequently, and especially on the ice
portions. If you have a tendency to oversteer, compensate by setting your
brakes with more power to the front and/or going with a heavy steering
setting.
It's always a good idea to keep off the sides of the track, but it's
especially important here because off track is generally deep, deep snow.
Getting one or two wheels into this will at the least slow you down
considerably, and will frequently cause you to spin if the front wheels go
in. Be very careful sliding around corners. If you cut them too close, the
front end will go into the snow and you'll spin. If you stay too loose, the
back end will go in and kill your speed.
I always lower the ride height, but if you usually keep it a bit higher to
give you some leeway for running over small objects, consider lowering it
here. There are very few, if any, rocks and bushes about to give you trouble,
and once you go into the snow, high or low doesn't really matter all that
much.
Also consider going with a slightly higher gearbox here. There aren't too many
stretches where you can really open it up, but accelerating too quickly on the
loose surface can cause you to quickly lose control and spin out. As a general
rule, if you've spun or stopped for some other reason, it's not a good idea to
slam on the accelerator and steer the car to much, as the loose surfaces here
will have you spinning out again in no time.
Finally, turns and hairpins here will need to be taken much slower than usual,
as the car will slide a good deal more going through sharp turns and likely
have you sliding off the road fairly frequently if you take them at normal
speeds.
Stage 1 - Appelbo
Length - 4.4 km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
50% Compact Snow
26% Heavy Snow
16% Ice
8% Snow on icy gravel
Start Section
Length - 1.0 km
Difficulty - 1/5
Surfaces:
63% Compact Snow
36% Heavy Snow
1% Snow on icy gravel
First Section
Length - 1.1 km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
71% Compact Snow
21% Ice
5% Heavy Snow
3% Snow on Icy Gravel
Second Section
Length - 1.1km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
38% Ice
37% Compact Snow
23% Snow on Icy Gravel
2% Heavy Snow
Finish Section
Length - 1.2 km
Difficulty - 2/5
Surfaces:
60% Heavy Snow
30% Compact Snow
6% Ice
4% Snow on Icy Gravel
-Stage Strategies-
There's nothing especially difficult about this stage, apart from the ice.
There's a part of the Second Section where he'll tell you to turn left at the
trees, which is followed shortly by another turn back to the right. For
whatever reason, I always cut the turn left too tight and spin out. Don't
turn as soon as you see the trees. Wait until you see the turn and then take
it from there. I'd go with the compact snow tires here, personally, but there
is a fair amount of ice and if it gives you trouble, you might want to go with
the ice and snow tires. If you're in Championship mode, however, take the ice
and snow tires, as you'll probably want them for Stage 2 and you can't change
them in between.
Stage 2 - Oje
Length - 4.2 km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
45% Compact Snow
27% Snow on Icy Gravel
25% Ice
3% Heavy Snow
Go with the ice and snow tires for this stage, as there's a good mix of both.
There's a left turn early in the Start Section immediately preceding a sharp
right turn that the codriver rates a 3, but that is really nothing, just a
quick jog to the left. Don't overdo this one, concentrate instead on the
sharp right immediately after it.
The "Turn 4 Right" on the ice at the end of the Start Section is similarly
tame, don't slow down too much for it.
Take it a bit slow on the icy sections of the First Section, or you'll be
bouncing into the snow all over the place.
For this one, go with the ice and snow tires. There's a significant amount
of Snow on Icy gravel here, but the gravel and ice tires are terrible on snow,
which is the majority of the stage. If you're in a Championship, go with the
Snow tires, as a little more than half of this stage and almost all of the
next one are on Compact Snow.
Watch out at the gate and turn by the train. You'll need to start the turn
right after going through the gate, but don't start too soon or you'll hit the
gate and lose a lot of time.
There's a turn left at the beginning of the Finish Section that's hard to see;
when you spot the orange fence, take a sharp left.
Go with Snow tires and high gearing on this one. The Start Section is very
fast, with the sharpest turn being a 4, and you can really open up the
throttle right off the bat.
The track gets twistier once you get on the gravel about midway through the
first section, and you'll have to be even more cautious on the snow tires,
as they don't grip well on the Snow on Icy Gravel. Fortunately, this section
doesn't last long, and once you get back on the snow things straighten out a
bit and you can let it rip once again, pretty much all the way to the finish.
All in all, a pretty fast-paced stage.
Go with the snow tires again here, since it's almost all on snow. That goes
for Championship as well, since Stage 6 si almost entirely snow as well. In
the Second Section, the codriver warns you about a "Care 4 right over crest"
that never really materializes. Don't get confused and look out for the 3
Left that follows it.
Consider going with heavy snow tires here if you're having trouble controlling.
There's almost no ice and gravel to worry about, so you shouldn't be shy about
using them.
Slow it down a bit coming around the turn out of the covered bridge, whipping
around that turn at the high speed you build up going in there might cause you
to roll.
==Australia== A very demanding rally. The fast forest stages and the slippery
pea gravel surfaces require total concentration.
-Rally Strategies-
Coming soon!
Stage 1 - Ellendale
Length - 5.4km
Difficulty - 2/5
Surfaces:
64% Light Pea Gravel
33% Medium Pea Gravel
3% Dusty Asphalt
Start Section
Length - 1.4km
Difficulty - 2/5
Surfaces:
96% Light Pea Gravel
4% Medium Pea Gravel
First Section
Length - 1.5km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
91% Medium Pea Gravel
9% Light Pea Gravel
Second Section
Length - 1.4km
Difficulty - 2/5
Surfaces:
88% Light Pea Gravel
9% Dusty Asphalt
3% Medium Pea Gravel
Finish Section
Length - 1.1km
Difficulty - 2/5
Surfaces:
68% Light Pea Gravel
29% Medium Pea Gravel
3% Dusty Asphalt
-Stage Strategies-
Coming soon!
Stage 2 - Bluff Knoll
Length - 5.1km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
58% Medium Pea Gravel
42% Light Pea Gravel
Start Section
Length - 1.3km
Difficulty - 2/5
Surfaces:
59% Light Pea Gravel
41% Medium Pea Gravel
First Section
Length - 1.3km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
85% Light Pea Gravel
15% Medium Pea Gravel
Second Section
Length - 1.3km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
78% Medium Pea Gravel
22% Light Pea Gravel
Finish Section
Length - 1.2km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
100% Medium Pea Gravel
-Stage Strategies-
Coming Soon!
Stage 3 - Katanning
Length - 6.7km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
41% Light Pea Gravel
39% Medium Pea Gravel
11% Light Gravel
9% Heavy Pea Gravel
Start Section
Length - 1.6km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
85% Medium Pea Gravel
10% Heavy Pea Gravel
5% Light Pea Gravel
First Section
Length - 1.4km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
58% Medium Pea Gravel
20% Light Pea Gravel
7% Light Gravel
Second Section
Length - 1.9km
Difficulty - 5/5
Surfaces:
100% Light Pea Gravel
Finish Section
Length - 1.8km
Difficulty - 5/5
Surfaces:
40% Light Gravel
33% Light Pea Gravel
17% Medium Pea Gravel
10% Heavy Pea Gravel
-Stage Strategies-
Coming Soon!
Stage 4 - Miller's Crossing
Length - 8.0km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
55% Medium Pea Gravel
20% Light Pea Gravel
11% Heavy Pea Gravel
5% Smooth Asphalt
5% Dusty Asphalt
4% Light Gravel
Start Section
Length - 2.0km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
70% Medium Pea Gravel
17% Smooth Asphalt
7% Heavy Pea Gravel
6% Dusty Asphalt
First Section
Length - 2.0km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
79% Medium Pea Gravel
14% Dusty Asphalt
4% Light Gravel
3% Heavy Pea Gravel
Second Section
Length - 2.0km
Difficulty - 5/5
Surfaces:
47% Medium Pea Gravel
33% Light Pea Gravel
13% Light Gravel
7% Heavy Pea Gravel
Finish Section
Length - 2.0km
Difficulty - 3/5
Surfaces:
49% Light Pea Gravel
28% Heavy Pea Gravel
23% Medium Pea Gravel
-Stage Strategies-
Coming Soon!
Stage 5 - Boxwood Hill
Length - 6.6km
Difficulty - 5/5
Surfaces:
61% Heavy Pea Gravel
39% Medium Pea Gravel
Start Section
Length - 1.7km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
100% Medium Pea Gravel
First Section
Length - 1.7km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
51% Medium Pea Gravel
49% Heavy Pea Gravel
Second Section
Length - 1.7km
Difficulty - 5/5
Surfaces:
95% Heavy Pea Gravel
5% Medium Pea Gravel
Finish Section
Length - 1.6km
Difficulty - 5/5
Surfaces:
100% Heavy Pea Gravel
-Stage Strategies-
Coming Soon!
Stage 6 - Manjimup
Length - 4.7km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
57% Medium Pea Gravel
26% Light Gravel
15% Heavy Pea Gravel
2% Light Pea Gravel
Start Section
Length - 1.2km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
67% Medium Pea Gravel
33% Heavy Pea Gravel
First Section
Length - 1.2km
Difficulty - 5/5
Surfaces:
71% Medium Pea Gravel
24% Heavy Pea Gravel
5% Light Pea Gravel
Second Section
Length - 1.1km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
92% Medium Pea Gravel
8% Light Gravel
First Section
Length - 1.2km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
100% Medium Gravel
Second Section
Length - 1.2km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
54% Light Gravel
24% Heavy Gravel
22% Medium Gravel
Finish Section
Length - 1.1km
Difficulty - 4/5
Surfaces:
77% Heavy Gravel
18% Light Gravel
5% Medium Gravel
-Stage Strategies-
Coming Soon!
Also coming soon: strategies for Australia and Finland, info and strategies
for Spain, UK, Greece, USA, and Japan.
=========
VII. Cars cmr_07
=========
4WD [state of the art 4wd rally cars]
===
Four Wheel Drive transmission vehicles dominate the modern rally scene and
remain the choice for anyone serious about competing at the highest levels
of the sport.
All cars in this class have 4 cylinder, 16 valve turbocharged engines.
2WD [two wheel drive rally cars]
===
Rally versions of popular road cars, offering more power and control than their
steet counterparts. The 2 wheel transmission will be easier to handle.
All cars in this class have 4 cylinder, 16 valve engines.
MG ZR Super 1600 Rally Car
-----------
Engine:
1588cc
212BHP
Weight:
952kg
Group B [powerful and difficult to control]
=======
The sheer power of the Group B cars brought excitement and danger to rallying
in the early '80s. The cars were banned a few years later after a heavy number
of deaths and injuries.
Audi Sport quattro Rallye Version
-----------
Engine:
2110cc
20 Valve
Turbocharged
550 BHP
Transmission:
4WD
Weight:
1090kg
Subaru Impreza 22B Sti
-----------
Engine:
2212cc
Fiat 4 Cylinder
Turbocharged
285 BHP
Transmission:
4WD
Weight:
1270kg
=================
VIII. Unlockables cmr_08
=================
Courses
=======
New stages are unlocked by playing them in Championship mode. A run through
both the 2WD and 4WD Normal Championships will unlock them all.
New vehicles are unlocked by completing Championships:
2WD Normal
==========
Citroen 2CV Sahara
Volkswagen Rallye Golf
More to come!
=======================
IX. Contact Information cmr_09
=======================
If you want to contact me about using this guide on your site, have a
question you want answered, find a grammar/spelling/factual mistake in
the guide, have some neat info that would add to this guide (you'd get
credit, of course), or something like that, you can email me with something
about colin mcrae rally 04 in the subject line at:
eidolon365 at yahoo dot com (use of full words to prevent freaky internet
bots from putting me on spam lists).
However, if you have a question about the game, I would ask that you make
really, really sure that the answer isn't in the guide already, because then
my time will have been wasted and you'll look kind of stupid.
=====================
X. Credits and Thanks cmr_10
=====================
First off, thanks to Codemasters for making such a brilliant game, and then
for charging a measly $20 for it. More companies need to follow this tradition
of high quality for low prices.
Also, thanks to GameFAQs for hosting so many brilliant FAQs that have allowed
me to beat games that I would not otherwise have had the patience to figure
out.
