I'm playing Kotor1, and I'm finishing up quests on Tatooine. This is not a rant on swoop racing. I really would like to do this but I don't understand what I am supposed to do. I'm one of those obsessive people who likes to do ALL quests and I am stumped! I felt the same way with the turrets but after reading some great tutorials and practicing I got that down.
However, I tried asking my husband about swoop racing (who played the game 4 years ago), and he said "well just shift when you need to". We are not currently in the same place so he cannot show me what I'm supposed to do. The problem is, I've never driven a car with a manual gear shift so this is something I am struggling to understand the basic concept of :lol: The swoop racing on Taris was obviously created to be super simple, but I cannot figure out the necessary controls on Tatooine.
I would greatly appreciate if someone could go over what is specifically required for the swoop racing from the beginning to the end. Such as "to switch gears, look at this and hit this button at this time". Or if anyone has a link to this sort of thing that would be great! I do know to hit the booster pads, avoid obstacles and stay in a straight line if you are going really fast and would have to swerve a lot to hit a booster. But not having the rest of the knowledge on this sort of thing is keeping my best time at 33.
I would have asked this at the Bioware forum but since the cd's are four years old, the manual is nowhere to be found hehe. Which means I'm nicely registered for NWN, but no Kotor posting *sigh*
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this and/or help me :)
The controls are the same as on Taris only that was a bit easier.
But still
press ENTER or MOUSE BUTTON 1 once to start when the light is green. Down on the screen there is speed thingie once that is all the way full press ENTER or MOUSE BUTTON 1 again to go faster, and offcourse hit the speed ramps and avoid the debris on the track.
You'll want to left-click to start off at the green light (of course) and every time the rpm bar at the bottom reaches the *red* you'll left-click again to "shift gears" -- you can't really watch it as you're riding, just keep it in your peripheral vision. As for hitting all of the accelerator pads on the track -- it's essential to hit most of them to win the higher rounds (I do skip some of the ones that are awkwardly placed) -- it takes some finesse on moving left and right with the keyboard keys. The swoop bike "feels" a bit heavy so you'll usually have to start moving early in the lower gears to get from one side to the other -- once you're in high gear it will only take a couple keyboard taps to get into place.
The racing in TSL is even trickier with jumps, mines, hills, more obstacles, and fans blowing you about, and the bikes are more responsive. After playing between the two games for a while, you could practically do the K1 tracks in your sleep. =)
As a last resort, there are mods that change the layout of the K1 swoop tracks so that you can just go straight ahead with all the accelerator pads in a row and finish with a win -- but yea, I'm like you in that I have to master the task... Have fun!
Strangely I actually found swoop racing easier in TSL than in KotOR. No idea why, but I remember long frustrations at many, many, many, many, many attempts before I could claim the position of Manaan champion, whereas I could beat the records after only a few attempts in TSL, and usually after five or six for the most challenging times. Go figure... So, yes, I'd agree it's more difficult in KotOR.
Anyway, the most important thing is to remain calm during the race. It's all to easy to become impatient early on when it's still a cakewalk and then go into a frenzy toward the end, when things skip by at an alarming rate.
Now, I only play the pc version, so I can only refer to that. In KotOR I used to stay exclusively on the keyboard, because I didn't find the mouse reliable, and you cannot afford to have it mess up stuff for you at a critical moment. I guess I just had a bad mouse. Now, however, I have a trackball (Logitech Trackman), and I never touch the keyboard during a race - the ball gives me a far better feel for the swoop. If you have a decent mouse, that might work for you too.
Be prepared to left-click the INSTANT the lights switch to green. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough, since this is usually where you can lose those precious nanoseconds. Keep an eye on the speedbar at the botton - while keeping the other on the direction you're going, mind you. The "shifting gear" bit really is just a matter of left-clicking exactly at the point when speedbar goes from green to yellow (at least I think it's yellow... isn't it?). If done right, it'll make your swoop continually gain velocity as you progress through the course. If you find the timing difficult, make it a habit to spam the left-mouse button with several clicks every time, just to be sure :D
Other than that, it's pretty much just a question of avoiding the obstacles and hitting the speed-boosters. Of course, toward the end of each race, this is easier said than done. Again, stay calm and don't panic. I'm fairly certain Manaan is the only race, where you can't afford to hit a single obstacle, and that's only in the final race for the championship title.
If you find that you still have trouble, try "mapping" the course mentally. It comes easily after a few attempts, as you begin to learn where you can move when during what part of the course. You can even take notes on paper to help you, though you'll still have to memorize them - you have no time to check them during the race (yes, you can pause, but you really don't have time to do that either...).
Let us know how you fare... and drive carefully ;)
Looks like it's time to pimp my mods!
If you don't really care about how you complete the races as long as you win, you can also try my Easy swoop racing mods:
Kotor 1:
http://lucasfiles.com/?s=&action=file&id=1316)
TSL:
http://www.pcgamemods.com/mod/10703.html)
Looks like it's time to pimp my mods!
If you don't really care about how you complete the races as long as you win, you can also try my Easy swoop racing mods:
Kotor 1:
http://lucasfiles.com/?s=&action=file&id=1316)
TSL:
http://www.pcgamemods.com/mod/10703.html)
Part of my permant override folder for each game. :lol:
Looks like Jae may soon have competition for the "kotor mum" title :xp:
Well, If i were, I'd have to ask two questions. These being "how the hell do i have a womb? and "who the hell..." (in the interests of the less crude forumites, this is up to your imagination as to what i was about to say...)
I'm sure you can think what I was about to say, you dirty little man.
well, the answer to your first question would be that youre a woman and were unaware of it till now :xp:
id rather not tackle the second one :D
@Anastese: if i were you, id just use D333's mods. they save a hell-load of trouble and you can get the quests over with.
However, I tried asking my husband about swoop racing (who played the game 4 years ago)
Wow, your husband must be impressive. He played the game before it even released! :xp:
I suck at swoop racing, too. Eventually I just gave it up. Whats been bugging me, however, is a bug I'm getting in KotOR II:
KOTOR II BUG
I'm on Telos, before Atris and all. I tried swoop racing and went for a practice run (for free). The thing went fine, but when i tried a second practice run, my Swoop is just hovering in the air, like when its jumping. It doesn't come down, and while it keeps me out of obstacles, I can't hit the speed pads and I end up coming in at horrible times. Its been happening ever since, and I really feel so deprived. :(
Looks like it's time to pimp my mods!
Kotor 1:
http://lucasfiles.com/?s=&action=file&id=1316)
TSL:
http://www.pcgamemods.com/mod/10703.html)
Heh, I love these mods....I spent many a frustrated swoop race til I installed these. :)
Looks like Jae may soon have competition for the "kotor mum" title
Now who went and had a baby when I wasn't looking? :D