Beetle Adventure Racing

Beetle Adventure Racing
Also known as: HSV Adventure Racing (AU) Developer: Paradigm Entertainment Publishers: Electronic Arts, EA Square (JP) Platform: Nintendo 64 Released in JP: November 26, 1999 Released in US: February 28, 1999 Released in EU: September 4, 1999 Released in AU: 1999 This game has unused areas. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences.

Beetle Adventure Racing is a race between grossly oversized beetles that look almost like cars. And they act like cars, too!

Debug Mode

Using the code will enable a rather comprehensive debugging system. Pressing Down on the D-Pad anywhere outside of actual gameplay (i.e. a race or demo mode) will bring up a title bar near the top of the screen, as well as a mouse cursor that's controlled using the analog stick. The title bar caption interestingly enough reads "NEED FOR SPEED", implying that the game started life as a Nintendo 64 entry in the Need for Speed series.

Hovering said mouse cursor over the title bar brings up a selection of seven different menus.

Version	GameShark code
US/European PAL	80025E7F 0001
Australia	80025A8F 0001
Japanese	8002591F 0001

RACE Menu

• NUM PLAYERS: Number of player-controlled cars.
• AI: Number of AI-controlled cars.
• AI RECORD:
• STEER ASSIST:
• * PLAY *: Start a race with the current configuration.
• * BATTLE *: Start a battle with the current configuration.

DBG Menu

• OPEN CARS: Temporarily unlock cars.
• OPEN TRACKS: Temporarily unlock tracks.
• OPEN MTRACKS: Temporarily unlock multiplayer tracks.
• OPEN TOURNS: Temporarily unlock championships.
• PLAY SFX: Play one of 250 sound effects.
• PLAY MIDI: Play one of 16 music tracks.
• TXTCOUNT:
• DEBUG: Toggle different debugging modes (ZBUFFER only works on real hardware).
• FRATE DISPLAY: Toggle display of frame rate and related data.
• DEFAULTMATER:
• ABORT MODE:
• PLYR LEAD:
• DBG MX SPEED:
• HUD: Toggle certain in-game debug displays (position in level, surface under wheels, etc.).
• AI DBG:
• PROFILING:

OPTS Menu

• MINDT: (Some sort of frameskip option?)
• INF LAPS:
• MAX TXTS:
• MUSIC: Set music volume, same as in regular Options screen.
• SFX: Set sound effect volume, same as in regular Options screen.
• SUSPENSION:
• TILE SORT:
• REPLAY: Shows a replay of the latest track you raced on.
• RECORDINTRO: Allows you to record your own intro (won't be saved).
• CAR:
• SHADOW: Enable or disable the shadow.
• LOSCHECKOFF:
• VEL CAM: When accelerating and reversing, the camera will show a different angle.
• DRAWINGOFF: Disable the drawing of most parts of the game.
• GLARE:
• FRAMERATE:

DISP Menu

• MASKS:
• VI GAMMA:
• VI GAMDITH:
• VI DIVOT:
• VI DITHER:
• ANTIALIAS:
• TXTFILTER:
• TXTPERSP:
• TXTDETAIL:
• MIPMAP:
• X SCALE:
• Y SCALE:
• BRIGHTNESS:

DSBL Menu

• GOOD FRAMERA: Disables the environment, shadow and fog.
• NO MIDI: Disable music.
• NO SFX: Disable sound effects.
• NO SND: Disable the sound.
• NO PARTICLES: Disable the dust that appears when you accelerate from a certain spot.
• NO DOBJS: Disable objects.
• NO FOG: Disable the fog.
• NO ENVDRAW: Stop the drawing of the environment and music.
• NO SOBJS: Disable objects like trees.
• NO TOBJS: Disable the track model.
• NO TRANSP:
• NO SKID: Disable the skid marks left behind by the player's Beetle.
• NO BRDR: Disable the border.

TOOLS Menu

• MODELS: Open model viewer for the selected track.
• CARS: Open model viewer for the selected car.
• UFO: Starts a race with all cars as AI cars, allows the player to move the camera freely.
• INTRO: Play the intro.
• DEMO: Start the demo mode.
• CREDITS: Play the staff roll.
• VICTORY: Show the victory screen.
• TASKEDIT: Opens the track object editor.
• AIEDIT: Opens the track car AI editor.
• TEXTURE VIEW: Crashes the game.
• COLOR BARS: Shows, well, a test pattern similar to the SMPTE color bars.
• SELECTION: Go to main menu.
• PROF CAR: Open car viewer.

SCENE Menu

• TRACK: Select a track.
• WEATHER: Select weather conditions.
• EDIT ENV: Doesn't do anything.
• PRINT ENV: Doesn't do anything.
• FOGTYPE: Select type of fog.
• FOGSTART: Set fog start.
• FOGMAX: Set fog density.
• FARPLANE: Set draw distance.
• FOG RED: Set red component of fog color.
• FOG GREEN: Set green component of fog color.
• FOG BLUE: Set blue component of fog color.

SCENE EDITOR

GEN:

• BRAKEON: Turns the brakes on/off.
• MOTION PART:
• DOBJS: Control how many objects you want to be visible.
• MODEL ID: Look through models (some are used, some are unused).
• TEXTURE ID:
• ENVIRONMENT: Change the environment.
• TERRA: Change the track model.
• TEXANIM: Doesn't do anything.
• TIRE STEER:
• TIRE MPH:
• RSCALE MPH:
• CSCALE MPH:
• CAM MODE: Select between UFO and the car viewer camera.

COLOR:

• MODE:
• LDIR X:
• LDIR Y:
• LDIR Z:
• DIF SCALE:
• RED:
• GREEN:
• BLUE:
• ALPHA:
• FOG HACK ON/OFF: Switches between both if pressed.
• FOG START:
• RECOLOR:
• PRINT OUT: Doesn't do anything.
• FARPLANE:
• TEXTURE XREF:

COMB 1:

• COLOR A1:
• COLOR B1:
• COLOR C1:
• COLOR D1:
• ALPHA A1:
• ALPHA B1.
• ALPHA C1:
• ALPHA D1:

COMB 2:

• COLOR A2:
• COLOR B2:
• COLOR C2:
• COLOR D2:
• ALPHA A2:
• ALPHA B2:
• ALPHA C2:
• ALPHA D2:

COMB2:

• K4:
• K5:
• PRIM R:
• PRIM G:
• PRIM B:
• PRIM A:
• ENV R:
• ENV G:
• ENV B:
• ENV A:
• ACLAMP:

TANIM:

• T1 POSX:
• T1 POSY:
• T1 VELX:
• T1 VELY:
• T2 POSX:
• T2 POSY:
• T2 VELX:
• T2 VELY:
• TSEQ: An animation will be shown on the screen.
• TSEQ RATE: Change the frame-rate of the animation.

The Rest of the Debug Menus

These are the rest of the debug menus in the Debug Menu.

PROF CAR:

PROFILE:

• NUM CARS: Set how many cars you want to be visible.

ANIM:

• WHEEL POS:
• WHEEL ROLL:
• JUMPOFF:
• ZSMOOTH:
• S C SCALE:
• S E SCALE:
• COLOR: Select between the default car colors.
• RED: Change the red color.
• GREEN: Change the green color.
• BLUE: Change the blue color.
• MAX NO BLUR:
• CAR: Change car model.
• MTRLID: Scrolling through this option will show the names for all the surface types.
• LONFRIC:
• ROLLFRIC:

Camera Controls

The camera controls for the different model viewers, etc. are as follows:

• Analog stick: Change direction.
• C-buttons: Move camera up/down/left/right.
• A button: Move camera forward.
• B button: Move camera backwards.

Hold down the L Trigger to speed up camera movement.

Other Debug Data

Alternatively, some of the data display options can be toggled using the following codes, which will make a bunch of miscellaneous data show up on the right side of the screen:

80025DAF 0002
8001F783 0002

More debug information can be made to trigger with the code 80025CF3 000?, where ? is a value between 1 and E.

Unused Tracks

Use the track modifier 80025D37 00??.

TEST ROAD

Value: 01

A large test track. The collision doesn't match up with the level at all, making it impossible to fully explore it in-game.

TEST GRID

Value: 02

An empty square test map.

CHECKER BOARD

Value: 03

A test map containing some basic shapes. Since the spawn point is out of bounds, you'll just fall into the water endlessly.

ROUND TRACK

Value: 04

A test level consisting of a square island with a road going around it. The elevation drops immediately to the left but only smoothly to the right of the road, so this may have been intended to test jumping physics and such.

Stunt O Rama

Value: 0B

An untextured track with multiple sections.

DRAGSTRIP

Value: 0F

A long straight track. The game's culling makes the track invisible most of the time though.

DERBY

Value: 10

A large test map with a grid of roads and three slope testing areas.

MULT 10

Value: 19

An untextured multiplayer arena.

Model Viewer

A short road used in the model viewer. Cannot be loaded with GameShark codes.

Unfinished Track

A small unfinished track consisting of nothing more than a couple of turns and a bridge. It currently cannot be accessed via the debug menu or with GameShark codes.

Unused Music

Some of the sequenced music tracks from the game contain unused audio files. Unfortunately, there is no MIDI data that corresponds with these samples, so it is unknown how they were used exactly. That being said, there are some redundant sounds that are leftover isolated instruments. In several instances, multiple instruments were mixed down into one audio file. It is presumed that this was done for optimization thus reducing the amount of audio samples and MIDI events needed for each track.

Percussion Bank Samples

Each track in the game uses a MIDI Percussion track for drum loops and various percussion sounds.

Mount Mayhem Isolated Drum Loop

This sample is very interesting as it is the isolated drum loop for Mount Mayhem. The drum loop that is heard in-game is actually from two downmixed samples (one with the bassline and the other with the guitar). Also interesting to note, this sped up drum loop was taken from the 1982 song "Outstanding" by The Gap Band.

The remaining other samples in the percussion bank are miscellaneous cymbals and snares.

Main Menu

Funky Guitar

(Source: SynaMax & Mount Mayhem Drum Loop on WhoSampled.com)

Regional Differences

HSV Adventure Racing

Instead of the Volkswagen Beetles that the rest of the world got, Australia got Holden HSVs.

Vehicle Model

The most obvious difference between Beetle Adventure Racing and HSV Adventure Racing are the vehicle models. In HSV Adventure Racing the car modelled is the Holden HSV Commodore.

International	Australian

Speed Difference

The differences extend further than a re-skin; the speed of the cars has been increased to be more appropriate for HSVs. For example, an HSV in the same class as a Beetle with a top speed of 168 km/h will have a top speed of 230 km/h.

Narrator Voice

The Australian version had all the Blu Mankuma narration re-recorded by David Kaye. It also changes the greeting on the main menu from 'Welcome' to 'G'day'.

Options

The speed unit and language selectors were removed, allowing only km/h and English. Also, the options were re-aligned in the Australian version.

International	Australian

Vehicle Brand Logo

Each game shows a logo with trademark information about the licensed brand.

International	Australian

Title Screen

The title screen of the Australian version changes the Beetle to a Mobil1 branded HSV Commodore. It also changes some minor details, such as increased shine under the vehicles, and additional width of the 'film's' sprocket holes being drawn.

International	Australian

Unused Text

To do: Check if this can be triggered by a GameShark code or a game copier.

There is also some text stored at 0x217E8 not present in the North American or European versions that does not appear under normal circumstances, as the game can run in any PAL N64 and won't boot at all in an NTSC N64.

THIS GAME IS NOT DESIGNED
FOR USE ON THIS SYSTEM