Xtreme Racer 

=Strategy Guide=

Created by Luke Schneider and Matt Legowski (also thanks goes
to his brother for testing).

*Basics*

Do It Alone
-If you have trouble figuring out which switches to shoot in the
heat of battle, you'll need to practice alone.  This is essential
to your survival and the key to your success.  It is recommended 
that you complete all 5 levels by yourself.  Once you've done 
this you'll be ready for battle.  

Thief Bot Part II
-Steal the other person's weapons.  There's nothing wrong with
stealing in Xtreme Racer.  Not essential as much in the two 
earliest levels due to the low power of the weapons.  Expect 
your opponent to return the favor.

Pig Face
-Use the vulcan cannon for the final switch behind the door. 
If you spray the switch you're bound to hit it.  Do not use
the gauss cannon unless you have really good aim or you are the
sort of person who likes to hurt himself.

Speed Racer
-If you're aiming for speed (who isn't?) always fly in the same
direction around the track.  It's always faster because you don't
have to slow down if you can hit the switch on the move. 

*Stuff Everyone Should Know* 

Dazed and Confused
-Figure out where you are if you die.  The reactor and pit stop
sides are easy to recognize so fly towards those when you come 
out.  Those two have the triple bar lights near the entry doors.

Psycho Slide
-Fly diagonal!  Flying in two directions gives you a speed of 
1.41 times the normal speed.  Flying in three (not easy) gets
you all the way up to 1.73, but it's difficult to shoot the 
switches at the angles required for such flight.

Death and Destruction
-In general, if you desire a high-flying action game, the 
opponents should fly in a crossing pattern (in opposition).  
Yet some will desire a flat out (boring) race.  In that case 
it's best to fly in the same direction.

Robin Hood
-Use the vulcan, gauss, or omega to shoot the switches if you're
going for the smooth aiming, fast flying approach.  Quad Lasers
work well too.  Never use Helix, Fusion, or Pheonix though.  All
three of those waste too much energy (and you need energy to 
survive on the later levels).

Recharge, Reburn, Refuel
-Afterburn on a full tank, but don't empty it.  The afterburner
isn't efficient all the way to 0%, so let off it around 20% and
let it recharge all the way again before reburning.  But watch
your energy levels and remember to refuel.

*Defense (Early Levels)*

Float like a Butterfly
-Run and dodge all attacks if your opponent is going psycho with 
the trigger, but at the same time make sure to hit your switch.
Even if you die, your enemy is probably behind in laps because 
they were so occupied with you they forgot to shoot their switches.

Sting like a Bee
-Use the Fusion cannon ASAP.  Especially useful when players are
going in opposing directions.  The blast is wide and damaging so 
try to nail your opponent as you fly past each other, and in a 
few laps they'll be dead and disorientated.  Also works well with 
bursts of Omega.

Chicken
-If you're about to die, try to fly the same direction (clockwise 
or counterclockwise) that your opponent does.  That way the 
encounters will be far and few between.

*Offense (Later Levels)*

Death Stop
-Whenever you hear the energy center refuel noise, just aim your 
largest missile for the corner of it (from a good angle) and 
follow it up with a blast of your favorite plasma or helix cannon.
You're almost guaranteed a kill if you do it right even if the
missile doesn't hit directly.

Sniper
-If you find yourself behind your opponent and flying in the same
direction, use the gauss, vulcan and mercury to rip them apart 
from a good distance (about a quarter lap is perfect).

Hit or Run?
-Balance a good attack and a good race.  Always try to lay it on
heavy during moments of passing, and if you happen to connect 
finish them off before resuming your laps.  But be sure that you
finish them quickly before they get too many switches destroyed.

Is that Gasoline I Smell?
-Just when you're about to pass your opponent start farting a 
bunch of mines (smart preferably) and slide up or down towards 
them.  Heavy damage is sure to result if performed correctly, 
but beware of them doing the same and watch for fire as well.

Homer
-Homing weapons!  Although it seems like it should be easier to
dodge a homing weapon in a crossing pattern, it is actually
much harder if you're not in the middle of the hallway.  It's 
hard to capture the essence of how to properly fire and dodge
in these situations, so I'll leave the details unfinished.

*Cheapos/Advanced Tactics (depends on your point of view)*

Ambush
-Lay tons of smart mines in front of your opponents current 
switch.  Not only does this cause them to have to stop and 
shoot the mines to get to the switch, you also have a good 
chance of killing them.  The downside is having to stop to 
do it in the first place.

Prick
-In relation to the above, try to afterburn right by your
opponent's mines to detonate them while remaining unscathed.
Requires a little practice but well worth it.

Ultimate Loser
-If you lose alot, try to steal the win from your opponent 
once in a while by shooting their final switch for them and
taking their exit.  Requires good timing and good hiding 
techniques (along with no pride).  You won't get any kills 
for it but neither will they.  

Cut it Off
-A good defense against the above tactic is to fly by the 
reactor room as you go to the last switch so you can 
intercept any such attempts.  An opponent may counter this
by going the long way around, but then you still have a 
good chance of reducing them to metal fragments.

Photo Finish
-If you're close to finishing your race when your opponent
destroys the reactor, you've still got a good chance of 
getting your flag so try to complete the level.  

Super Cheapo
-There's a way to stop the above from working, but it's 
too cheap to mention here :)

*That's All Folks*

Thanks go to Matthew Legowski and brother for their invaluabe
support and playtesting (and Jeff Mendoza too).  

=Legal Jargon=
I don't care what you do with this text file, but just give
credit to Matthew Legowski and Luke Schneider if you reproduce
it somewhere somehow.  


