CHORO Q RACING The Original Choro Q FAQ
FAQ 1.01, 04 Sep 96 by Matthew Sephton
=============================================================================
CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction
1.1 The Game
1.2 The Menus
1.3 Gameplay
2.0 Playing Concepts
2.1 The Joypad
2.2 Driving
2.3 Cars
2.4 Tracks
2.5 Parts
3.0 Cheats
3.1 Hidden Options
3.2 Shortcuts
4.0 What Do You Know?
4.1 Contacting The Author
4.2 Release
4.3 E&OE
4.4 Thanks
5.0 Version history
---
1.0 INTRODUCTION
This FAQ aims to be the definitive source of information for the PlayStation
game Choro Q Racing, henceforth CQR. It serves no other purpose. At this time
no manual in any language has been seen by the author.
1.1 THE GAME
CQR is a driving game with a difference. It is based around super deformed
versions of all your favourite cars. It features Championships, limited Time
Trials, Free Runs, Two Player Slpit Screen and multitudes of options. The
most novel feature is the ability to upgrade your car in any way you care to.
It was developed by TamSoft for Takara Co., Japan using the HyperSolid
graphics engine previously seen in such games as Toshinden 2.
This month a magazine in the UK showed screen shots of CQR, but it was billed
as 'Penny Racers' and is to be released in the UK. More news when it comes.
1.3 THE MENUS
See section 2.1 for joypad button funtions. Items are listed in the left to
right and then top to bottom order.
START MENU
COMPETITION
QUICK RACE
TWO PLAYER
SOUND
COMPETITION SCREEN
TIME TRIAL
Select a course from those available and do a practice race of three laps.
QUALIFY
This is the same as the above only now there are nine other drivers on the
track with you. If you finish in the top three then you will receive a cup
for that track and get some money in return. Once you have done this on
all your tracks you will get more. They appear on both this screen and the
Time Trial one.
CHAMPIONSHIP
This option is only available when you have come gained qualification cups
on the first ten or so tracks. You can then race a tournament for bigger
money stakes, 1500 per race, and gain extra options.
BUY PARTS
This is the place you go to buy new parts for your car. There are numerous
choices for each type of part. The lower down the list you get the better,
and the more expensive, the parts are. There are exceptions with the likes
of tyres where there are different tyres for different road surfaces.
TYRES ACCELERATION
ENGINES STEERING
GEARBOXES AEROFOIL
HORNS SPEEDOMETER
CAR BODIES
Car bodies are 500G each, with a total of 24 to choose from. They range
from classic cars such as the Fiat 500 to modern dar sports cars such as
the Ferrari 308 GTS.
SPECIAL PARTS
This is only available after you have completed two or more championships.
It contains special high performance versions of parts, as well as some
really great extra parts.
TYRES ACCELERATION
ENGINES ?
GEARBOXES ?
HORNS BODIES
SELL PARTS
You can sell unwanted or previously used car parts here. You get half price
on whatever you are selling. Beware not to sell parts you have just bought,
but not yet put on your car.
PAINT SHOP
For 50G you can paint your car in virtually any style of your choice. There
are three paint designs per car, mostly just stripe variations, and to sets
of colours for you to pick from.
SAVE or EXIT
You can save your game to your memory card here. The game takes up one
block giving three save game slots.
SAVE GAME SLOT 1
SAVE GAME SLOT 2
SAVE GAME SLOT 3
QUIT TO MAIN MENU
CANCEL
NOTE: When quitting back to the main menu, if you have visited any other
menu screen since your last save the game will prompt you to see if you are
sure. OK is at the top, CANCEL (default) at the bottom.
QUICK RACE
This is the sort of time trial option of the game. You can have a quick race
against the other computer drivers.
START RACE
CHOOSE CAR
RECORDS
QUIT TO MAIN MENU
TWO PLAYER
You can have a two-player split screen race from this option. Pick a car with
each controller or load your profile from your save game. The other cars have
predefined statistics and sets of parts available. When quitting you are
given the option to cancel (default) or go ahead.
START RACE
CHANGE CAR SETUP
QUIT TO MAIN MENU
SOUND
You can have stereo (default) or mono sound.
STEREO
MONO
1.3 GAMEPLAY
The game can take a lot of getting used to when comparing it with other
driving games such as MTGP2, RR(R) or WipeOut. To start with you have only a
basic car which needs upgrading before it will handle even remotely well.
Experimentation with driving lines is the only way to improve lap times.
Learning how to control the car and prevent or take action when you start to
skid is the key to ploughing through the field in a race. Along with buying
the best parts for your car.
---
2.0 PLAYING CONCEPTS
As with any other game playing skills will improve over time. Perseverence is
the key. Select a course and stick with it to learn its layout. When you
upgrade a part (see 3.1) you will have to get used to it over a race or two.
2.1 THE JOYPAD
Here is a list of the default joypad buttons and their functions.
BUTTON RACING MENUS
Up Move cursor up
Down Move cursor down
Left Turn left Move cursor left
Right Turn right Move cursor right
Square Brake Previous screen
Triangle Horn Car setup screen
Circle Toggle view Accept
Cross Accelerate Accept
L1 Down a gear Rotate car *
R1 Up a gear Rotate car *
L2 Display map Rotate car *
R2 Down a gear Rotate car *
Start Pause menu
Select Display map
NOTE: * = Depending which screen you are on the direction of rotation varies.
2.2 DRIVING
It is essential that a good driving line is taken. Try to enter corners wide
and get as close to the apex as you can without hitting it. Take time to
learn the layout of each course.
To turn tight corners more easily simply lay off the acceleration when
turning. More severe corners will need you to press the brake whilst still
accelerating, causing your machine to skid or slide. Remember to let go of
the brake when you start to skid or you won't stop. It is quite often more
beneficial to slow down around a corner than to go full speed around it.
In some really good car setups you can, whilst accelerating, hold the brake
down to maintain a constant speed in the lower gears.
2.3 CARS
When you start competition mode, you can pick one of eight cars. It seems to
me that they start off with all the same internals, it is only the exterior -
the "shell" that differs. So pick what car you like and biuld it up to suit.
Eventually you may end up with the 'Devil' parts for your car.
There are 41 different car shells in total in the whole game.
2.4 TRACKS
You start with three tracks and when you qualify in the top three positions
in them you get some more, up to a maximum of ten. More are added when you
win championships. The courses have different surfaces varying from the usual
racing tarmac, through to soil and snow. Driving off the course will change
your car's handling.
There are a total of 15 different tracks in the whole game.
2.5 PARTS
The part aquisition process is a twopart process, in that you have to first
buy the part and then actually put it on your car. See scetion (2.1).
You can buy the parts in whatever order you like if you can afford them.
However, it is best to buy them in the following order: Tyres, Acceleration,
Gearbox, Engine and lastly any extras. This goes on the premise that you need
tyres to handle the extra power given by the other three main additions. You
also need good acceleration if you crash often. Top speed is given by gearbox
and not engine as you might expect. Engines magnify the other properties of
your car slightly. The best of some parts are 'Devil' parts, being priced at
a figure starting with 666.
Rear spoilers (aerofoils) are a puzzle to me. Whether it is my imagination I
don't know but cars seem to handle differently with the different spoilers
on. However, the car statistics bars on the screen where you put parts on
your car do not alter when you put spoilers on! Hmm.
Extras such as speedometers and horns are purely cosmetic, they make no
difference whatsoever to your car's performance. I prefer the second speedo
and horn+3. Some horns are funny/weird.
---
3.0 CHEATS
I am not aware of any cheats for CQR, but there are quite a few hidden
options or secrets. Those that I know of are outlined below.
3.1 HIDDEN OPTIONS
The game starts out fairly basic then as you progress, making more money and
completing races the game expands. You get more tracks and better parts are
made available. This seems to be as you complete up to a maximum of three
championships, not according to distance travelled.
TRACK 4 - "Waterfalls"
After going through the waterfall, stop after the chicane which follows. You
will see a road doubling back on your left. Going down this will lead to a
plateau with a sword in a stone. It's a beauty spot but is it of any use in
the actual game?
3.2 SHORTCUTS
Here are a few legal shortcuts which can speed up your lap times.
TRACK 3 - "Tunnel" Shortest Route
About half way around the course there is a barrier telling you to go left.
Ignore it and continue through the wall into an underground passage.
TRACK 4 - "Waterfalls"
About a quarter of the way around the track there is a waterfall that you
jump *off*. This has a rock on top of it, if you line yourself up just to
the right of the rock, aiming slightly towards the right, you will jump just
to the right of the opposite waterfall - into a storm drain.
TRACK 7 - "Canyon"
Right at the start there is an old train track. If you go along this fast
enough you can jump from section to section and cut off part of the track.
---
4.0 WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
If you have any additions which you think should be included in this FAQ then
please send them to me as below. Already there are a number of questions
that need answering.
1 All the text in the game is in Japanese. Can anybody translate it word for
word? This would be quite a big job.
2 Are there actually any cheats for the game?
3 Is there any way to improve the artificial intelligence of the computer
players? The game becomes way to easy when you have good parts.
4.1 CONTACTING THE AUTHOR
The author of this FAQ, Matthew Sephton, can be contacted by e-mail or
through his web page (which contains information about Björk, other music,
Monkey (Magic), the Sony PlayStation and is the place to download some of my
Windows 95 shareware).
e-mail: matt@ewtoo.org
www: http://www.ewtoo.org/~matt/
4.2 RELEASE
This FAQ is obtainable from various places on the Internet, but the latest
version can always be downloaded from this URL:
http://www.ewtoo.org/~matt/PS/
I have written FAQs for Hermie Hopperhead, Micro Machines V3, Motor Toon GP 2
and WipeOut 2097/XL which are also available.
4.3 E&OE
All errors and omissions excluded. As far as I know the information in this
document is accurate. Correct me if I'm wrong. Use at your own risk.
4.4 THANKS
Original FAQ by Matthew Sephton. Thanks to my brother Chris Sephton for all
his help. Keith Comer for his Katakana translator program. Prof. Jim Breen
for his Japanese dictionary and related programs.
--
5.0 VERSION HISTORY
1.00, 28 Aug 1996 Original release.
1.01, 04 Sep 1996 Sword in the stone added, slight modifications.
