Midnight Outlaw: Illegal Street Drag Nitro Edition
15.10.2013 09:13:31
Midnight Outlaw: Illegal Street Drag Nitro Edition
Unofficial Strategy Guide and FAQ
by Kasey Chang
released September 18, 2004
0 Introduction
This section is for "what the FAQ is about" and things like that.
Feel free to skip this section.
If you like the FAQ, please send me a dollar. :-) See [0.3]
This FAQ is about "Midnight Outlaw: Illegal Street Drag, Nitro
Edition", the drag racer from Canopy Games, published by
Valusoft. The information should also be good for the regular
edition for the most part.
0.1 A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR
There doesn't seem to be any FAQ for this budget game, so here it
comes.
This is a FAQ, NOT a manual, not that you really need a manual to
play this game.
This USG only covers the PC Version, which is the only one that
exists.
This USG should also cover the original "non-nitro" edition.
Some of you may recognize my name as the editor for the XCOM and
XCOM2: TFTD FAQ's, among others.
0.2 TERMS OF DISTRIBUTION
This document is copyrighted by Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang (c) 2004,
all rights reserved excepted as noted above in the disclaimer
section.
This document is available FREE of charge subjected to the
following conditions:
1)This notice and author's name must accompany all copies of
this document: " Midnight Outlaw: Illegal Street Drag Nitro
Edition Unofficial Strategy Guide and FAQ" is copyrighted (c)
2004 by Kasey K.S. Chang, all rights reserved except as noted
in the disclaimer."
2)This document must NOT be modified in any form or manner
without prior permission of the author with the following
exception: if you wish to convert this document to a different
file format or archive format, with no change to the content,
then no permission is needed.
2a) In case you can't read, that means TXT only. No banners,
no HTML borders, no cutting up into multiple pages to get you
more banner hits, and esp. no adding your site name to the
site list. [Small exception: a "small" toolbar with no banners
embedded is okay. See IGN or Neoseeker for examples.]
3)No charge other than "reasonable" compensation should charged
for its distribution. Free is preferred, of course. Sale of
this information is expressly prohibited. If you see any one
selling this guide, contact me (see below).
4)If you used material from this, PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE the source,
else it is plagiarism.
5)The author hereby grants all games-related websites the right
to archive and link to this document to share among the game
fandom, provided that all above restrictions are followed.
Sidenote: The above conditions are known as a statutory
contract. If you meet them, then you are entitled to the
rights I give you in 5), i.e. archive and display this
document on your website. If you don't follow them, then you
did not meet the statutory contract conditions, and therefore
you have no right to display this document. If you do so, then
you are infringing upon my copyright. This section was added
for any websites that don't seem to understand this.
For the gamers: You are under NO obligation to send me ANY
compensation. However, I do ask for a VOLUNTARY contribution
of one (1) US Dollar if you live in the United States, and if
you believe this guide helped your game. If you choose to do
so, please make your US$1.00 check or $1.00 worth of US stamps
to "Kuo-Sheng Chang", and send it to "2220 Turk Blvd. #6, San
Francisco, CA 94118 USA".
If you don't live in the US, please send me some local stamps.
I collect stamps too.
0.3 VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION
Gamers who read this guide are under NO obligation to send me ANY
compensation.
However, a VOLUNTARY contribution of one (1) US Dollar would be
very appreciated.
If you choose to do so, please make your US$1.00 check or $1.00
worth of stamps to "Kuo-Sheng Chang", and send it to "2220 Turk
Blvd. #6, San Francisco, CA 94118 USA".
If you don't live in the US, please send me some local stamps. I
collect stamps too.
For the record, out of ALL the FAQs I wrote (57 at last count)
over the past nine years or so, I've received exactly 27 dollars
and 6 sets of stamps, as of release of this guide. So I'm NOT
making any money off these guides, folks.
0.4 HOW AND WHEN TO CONTACT ME
PLEASE let me know if there's a confusing or missing remark,
mistakes, and thereof... If you find a question about this game
that is not covered in the USG, e-mail it to me at the address
specified below. I'll try to answer it and include it in the next
update.
Please do NOT write me for technical support. That is
Activision's job.
Please do NOT ask me to answer questions that have already
answered in this FAQ/guide. It makes you look REALLY idiotic.
I will NOT answer stupid questions like the ones above unless I'm
in a really good mood. If you send questions like that, do NOT
expect a reply.
The address below is spelled out phonetically so spammers can't
use spambots on it:
Kilo-Sierra-Charlie-Hotel-Alpha-November-Golf-Seven-Seven AT
Yankee-Alpha-Hotel-Oscar-Oscar DOT Charlie-Oscar-Mike
To decipher this, simply read the first letter off each word
except for the numbers and the punctuation. This is "military
phonetics" or "aeronautical phonetics" in case you're wondering.
This document was produced on Microsoft Word 97. Some editing was
done with Editpad (editpadclassic.com).
0.5 THE AUTHOR
I am just a game player who decided to write my own FAQs when the
ones I find don't cover what I want to see. Lots of people like
what I did, so I kept doing it.
Previously, I've written Unofficial Strategy Guides (USGs) for
XCOM, XCOM2:TFTD, Wing Commander, Wing Commander 2, Wing
Commander 3, Wing Commander 4, Privateer, Spycraft, 688(I)
Hunter/Killer. Mechwarrior 3, MW3 Expansion Pack, Mechwarrior 4,
Mechwarrior 4: Black Knight, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed,
The Sting!, Terranova, Fallout Tactics, Starfleet Command Volume
II, DS9: The Fallen, DS9: Dominion War, Driver, Warlords:
Battlecry, Monopoly Tycoon, Dungeon Siege, and a few others. At
least count, that's 55 FAQs (this makes it 56).
To contact me, see 0.4 above.
0.6 DISCLAIMER / COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Canopy Games created Midnight Outlaw: Illegal Street Drag Nitro
Edition.
Valusoft published Midnight Outlaw: Illegal Street Drag Nitro
Edition.
This USG is not endorsed or authorized by either company.
The information compiled in this USG has been gathered
independently through the author's efforts except where noted
otherwise.
0.7 HISTORY
18-Sep-04 Initial release
1 MOISDNE General Info
1.1 THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Can you send me the game (or portions thereof)?
A: No. I found it for a mere $2.00 in OfficeMax, I'm sure you can
dig up $2 somewhere.
Q: Can you send me the manual? (or portions thereof)
A: You don't need it. The controls are all listed in the game and
configurable Not that there are that many controls any way. The
manual is also on the CD!
Q: Can you tell me how to play the game?
A: Read the manual please.
Q: How big is the install?
A: About 97 MB.
Q: Is there a patch?
A: No.
Q: Where is the pause button?
A: P, or hit ESC to pop up the in-game menu.
Q: What about some cheat codes?
A: see the end of this FAQ
Q: What game modes are there?
A: Quick race (race against AI in equivalent car), career mode,
multiplayer (race other player in equivalent car), Outlaw
challenge (race other player with any car you got)
Q: What determines which class I am in?
A: Your respect does. Class D is 0 to 29 respect. Class C is 30
to 59 respect. Class B is 60 to 89 respect. Class A is 90 or
higher respect.
Q: I raced and won X dollars. However, in my "greens" I gained
LESS than X dollars. Why?
A: Every race also incurs a "maintenance" charge, depending on
the parts you have. A fully-decked out class A car can cost $72
or more per race, no matter you win or lose. It's the cost of
nitro, gas, and other wear-and-tear items plus labor.
1.2 MOISDNE HISTORY
Midnight Outlaw: Illegal Street Drag started as an attempt to
cash in on the "Fast and Furious" phenomenon, where you got fast
mod cars with serious music and some dandy racing. When combined
with a bit of a career mode, you get a game that is more than
your typical budget title.
Nitro Edition added four new cars.
1.3 MOISDNE HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
Minimum:
Windowsr 98/ME/XP CD
Pentiumr II 400MHz. or
100% compatible processor
128MB RAM
8MB 3D Accelerator with
DirectXr 8.1 compliant
video drivers
DirectX 8.1 compatible
sound card
200MB HD space
4X CD-ROM Drive
Internet connection for
multiplayer play.
Recommended:
Pentium III 500MHz. or
100% compatible processor
16MB 3D Accelerator with
DirectX 8.1 compliant
video drivers
Broadband Internet connection
for multiplayer play.
1.4 HOW DOES MOISDNE PLAY?
You start with $400 and a lousy car that had zero upgrades. You
start in "class D" street drag. Add a few upgrades based on your
limited budget, and start racing other people for money. Leave
enough money in your wallet in case you lose!
The drag racing section is in full 3D with all camera rotations
and movements you would expect. You can even choose between
multiple viewpoints (and if you buy the camera options, even more
viewpoints are available).
Occasionally the police may interrupt your race at the end and
give both of you a ticket. In that case, you both "lose".
Put the winnings into better performance parts, and race some
more. Win respect by beating drivers you haven't raced before.
Some parts you add gives you respect as well (like Nitrous Oxide
injection systems, nice rims, custom paintjobs, nice stereos, and
so on). With enough respect, you can race in the higher classes.
Your ultimate objective is to beat the top guy in class A, and
thus be the fastest guy in the city.
You can also do quick race or race online against buddies over
Gamespy Arcade.
1.5 BUGS AND FIXES
There is no patch for this game.
There is a wee bit of a bug... When you crash into someone during
a race, and the race is stopped short, that time is somehow
recorded as your fastest ever time.
There are a couple surprises, but those aren't bugs.
1.6 EXPANSION PACKS? SEQUELS? RELATED TITLES?
The Nitro Edition is the last of this line.
A related title is "Hot Rod", endorsed by the official Hot Rod
magazine, where you buy old hot rods and restore them to race in
sanctioned events.
There are a few other street racing titles, such as Midnight Club
and Midnight Club II, Juiced, Need for Speed Underground (and II,
coming soon), and Street Legal, that involves street racing. Some
of them even have a drag racing component.
2 Illegal Street Drag Rules
There are not that many rules, actually.
You can race in any class that you qualify for (or lower). For
example, if you have a class B car, you can still race in class C
and class D.
You can challenge anyone in the class you choose to race in.
You do NOT need money to challenge. HOWEVER, if you don't have
the money AND you lost, you lose your car, which end the game.
(However, the game will simply let you reload your last saved
profile)
If you don't have the money AND you won, you get 2x the winnings.
For example, say you have only $850, and you challenged Rocco in
class A to a duel and won. The bet was $1000, so you will end up
with 2850 (minus maintenance). Yes, it's weird, but that's how it
works.
If you hit the other car during the race, (even if he drifts into
your lane, which would be very rare) you will be charged penalty
equal to the police fine of that "class". (On the other hand, if
you know you're going to lose a close race, this may save you
some money.)
Police can and will stop the race if they find you. Having police
scanners (esp. the good ones) will reduce that chance.
If the police stop your car, they will issue a citation to the
cost of $40, $75, $135, or $200 respectively. The race still
counts, but you don't get any of your winnings.
Racing at dusk or dawn is permitted. The bet is SLIGHTLY higher
(by like $10 or $20. Consider the risks vs. the payoff before
deciding to race then.
3 Drag Racing Techniques and Tips
Keep in mind that in this "simulated" drag racing, you cannot
burn out or destroy any of your car's parts. So you can use all
sorts of tricks that do NOT apply in real-life.
3.1 THE LAUNCH
The EASIEST way to launch a car here is to do the obvious: rev
the engine to redline (almost 7000 RPM), then switch into first
when you get the go signal.
You can anticipate slightly the go signal and get a 0.1 sec
advantage. However, if you got it wrong you may lose 0.1 sec.
Having a better clutch would let you switch gears more
consistently, and is recommended.
NOTE: In real-life, you have to hit first-gear, THEN hit the
throttle, since clutch cannot handle over 1000 RPM except
specially built race gear boxes, and even then only certain
makers, like Porsche or Ferrari or Lambourghini makes gearboxes
that tough, and they don't last THAT long either.
3.2 THE GEAR CHANGES
Switch to next gear when the RPM hit redline for 0.5 seconds. By
that time you've gotten all the acceleration out of the engine in
that gear range.
Better clutches shift faster, giving you that extra edge.
3.3 THE NITRO
Nitro is used to get extra acceleration out of the car when you
can't wait for the RPM to build up normally. In general, that
means 3rd or 4th gear, and right after you had switched into that
gear.
If you are fast and have a good clutch, you can shift gears while
the nitro boost is still in effect.
Experiment with it a bit, see which gear takes the longest to
accelerate on, and try hitting nitro when you switch to that
gear. In general, this would be usually third-gear or if you got
enough turbo, fourth-gear.
On some class-A cars, you will be driving in 5th gear for a while
as you hit the rev limiter. In those cars, use the nitro early to
gain the slight bit of advantage early on, perhaps during the 2-3-
4 shifts if you are fast enough.
3.4 THE TURNS
As this is drag racing, you DO NOT need to turn. HOWEVER, some
race spots, esp. class B industrial park, has the tendency to
make your car do WEIRD things near the end, like fly up and so
on, and thus missing the finish line altogether. You may need to
make some final course corrections near the end.
Also, touching the other racer is an automatic "stop-race" where
you must pay the other guy for damaging his car. So if your car
is leaning closer to the other guy, turn away.
3.5 TEST DRIVE
Experiment with different launch techniques and different shift /
boost timings to see which one will get you the fastest ride.
Learn how fast your car can go so you don't challenge the wrong
guy.
3.6 DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED
A racer on the street has a "rumored" time that is always less
than the "real" time they actually pull. Usually they are off by
a second or two. So if you can come within 1 second of their
reputed "best", go ahead and challenge them. You have a decent
chance of beating them.
3.7 RACE SAME PERSON MULTIPLE TIMES FOR MORE MONEY
You can beat each racer about 10 times before s/he gets wise and
switches to the "low" bet amount. You WILL need to race everybody
multiple times just to earn enough money for upgrades. There's
nothing wrong with rubbing their noses in, so go ahead and beat
that racer again, and again, and again... until you don't think
it's worth the effort any more or they switch to the "low" bet,
then try the next guy.
3.8 UPGRADE ALL THE PARTS EXCEPT RESPECT-ONLY ONES
You need performance, and you need them ASAP, which means beat
the other racers, and use the winnings to upgrade your car with
performance parts, in order to beat more racers.
Only when you have plenty of money should you consider the
respect-only items, unless you need to unlock other items, like
Wing 1 or Paint 1 (which unlocks Body 1, Wing 2, etc.).
4 The Parts
The parts upgrade tree is listed below by section. P means
performance, R means Respect, and P/R means both.
4.1 PAINT, AERO KIT, WING (P/R)
While paint alone does not affect performance, body and wing
gives you better aerodynamics and improves down force, thus
giving you more grip and better acceleration.
==Paint 1 : $600 -- high gloss stock paint, +2 R
====Paint 2 : $1000 -- custom paint job, requires Paint 1 and
Wing 1, +3 R
Wheel upgrades give you race slicks which improves traction as
well as alloy wheels that are lighter, and every bit of weight
savings is helpful with acceleration.
==Wheels 1 : $150 -- custom hub caps and tires, +1 R
======Intake 3: $900, cold air intake condenses the air, requires
Intake 2
========Intake 4: $1600, liquid nitrogen air cooler, requires
Intake 3
4.5 TURBO (R/P)
Turbocharger works by using the exhaust gas to power a compressor
which increases the air density going into the engine, which
means more oxygen and thus more horsepower. Higher stage gives
better compression with introduction of bigger intercoolers and
higher compression turbos.
Nitrous-Oxide injector units give you a burst of speed as it
dumps concentrated oxygen compound into the cylinder, adding a
LOT of horsepower for short periods. The bigger injectors give
bigger bursts.
The performance clutches gives more reliable shifts, less chance
of a shift fumble which can prevent you from shifting at the
wrong time and affecting your win. They also make shifting
faster, decreasing the time your car is NOT accelerating.
Lessens the chance of police interrupting your race
== Scanner 1, $100, basic police scanner, +1 R
==== Scanner 2, $200, advanced police scanner, +1 R
====== Scanner 3, $300, upgraded advanced police scanner, +2 R
4.12 HORN ()
Something to personalize your vehicle with, no practical use, no
effect on respect
== Horn 1, $50
==== Horn 2, $100, requires horn 1
====== Horn 3, $150, requires horn 2
4.13 UPGRADE STRATEGY
You want the engine, turbo, and nitro kits ASAP. The wheels and
suspension can give you the edge when you are in a close race,
but the engine/turbo/nitro kits give the biggest boost.
Save the respect parts for later, MUCH later.
5 The Cars
Please note that there are NO differences amongst the cars
performance-wise. Despite their different beginnings, they all
have the exact same level of performance if they have the same
parts. So a plain "Car 9" would perform the same as a plain "Car
3", even though they started as very different cars.
Car 0 = Toyota Celica-like
Car 1 = Honda CRX-like
Car 2 = Toyota Supra-like
Car 3 = Honda Civic-like
Car 4 = Ford Focus-like
Car 5 = Subaru Impreza-like
NOTE: these following cars are exclusive to the Nitro Edition
Car 6 = Acura/Honda Integra-like
Car 7 = Mitsubishi Eclipse-like
Car 8 = Pontiac Firebird-like, but with a Dodge-like nose
Car 9 = Ford Mustang-like
6 Your opponents
Here is a full list of your opponents in every class, along with
the cars they drive and their paint jobs.
Cla Name Time Bet Low Respec Car Pain Tire Neon NOTE
ss t t s
D Goober 17.0 30 15 0 7 1 0 0
D Speedy 16.9 40 20 2 8 1 0 0
D Tach 16.8 50 25 4 9 1 0 0
D Buffy 16.7 56 26 6 2 1 0 0 X
D Shino 16.6 64 30 8 7 2 1 0 X
D H.P. 16.5 69 32 10 6 3 1 0 X
D Shimmy 16.2 73 34 12 8 2 2 0
D Sweetlip 15.8 74 35 14 9 5 1 1
s
D Burn Out 15.7 78 37 16 5 1 0 0 X
D Carlos 15.0 80 40 18 4 2 1 0 X
C Burn Out 15.0 90 40 20 5 3 1 0 X
C Carlos 14.9 102 41 22 4 4 1 0 X
C Gloop 14.8 156 43 24 2 4 3 0
C Sparky 14.7 165 46 26 1 3 1 0 X
C Chan 14.6 172 48 28 6 5 1 1 X
C Warp 14.3 200 50 30 7 4 3 0
C Elandra 13.9 240 52 32 8 6 1 1
C Zap 13.7 280 54 34 9 3 1 0
C Leadfoot 13.5 290 58 36 3 4 1 0 X
C Octane 13.0 300 64 38 0 5 2 0 X
B Burn Out 13.0 305 69 40 5 6 1 1 X
B Carlos 12.9 310 74 42 4 6 2 1 X
B Leadfoot 12.8 320 76 44 3 7 1 1
B Octane 12.5 330 78 46 0 6 2 0
B Veldrane 12.1 345 79 48 8 9 3 1 X
B Dragonfl 11.8 400 80 50 1 9 3 0
y
B Electra 11.6 458 81 52 7 6 2 0
B Gonzo 10.9 502 82 54 6 7 3 0 X
B Zephyr 10.3 520 83 56 1 7 3 0 X
B Turbo 10.0 535 84 58 2 8 3 1 X
A Burn Out 10.0 560 85 60 5 7 3 0 X
A Carlos 9.9 580 87 62 4 8 2 1 X
A Leadfoot 9.8 600 89 64 3 9 2 0
A Octane 9.7 640 90 66 0 8 3 1
A Zephyr 8.9 665 91 68 1 9 3 1
A Turbo 8.8 670 93 70 2 9 3 1 X
A Diesel 8.3 680 95 72 9 9 3 1 X
A Rocket 7.7 700 97 74 6 9 3 1
A Krispy 7.4 800 98 76 3 9 3 1
A Rocco 7.0 100 100 78 0 9 3 1 X
0
Class -- which class is the racer / car. Yes, some of them have
different cars for different classes.
Name -- streetname of the racer
Time -- reputed time of the racer, usually a personal best.
His/her actual time will be somewhat slower, usually.
Bet -- his/her normal bet amount. If you beat him/her too many
times s/he switches to the "low" bet amount.
Low -- "low" bet amount, used when you have beaten him/her too
many times.
Respect -- how much respect s/he has. If you beat him/her, you
will have at least that much (plus any bonuses from your ride)
Car -- car type s/he's driving, see [2] for full list
Paint -- actually an indication of paint, wing type, and body kit
combination. Here's a little chart:
Note -- the racers marked with X may be difficult to beat without
as much upgrades as you can afford.
7 Miscellaneous
7.1 CHEAT CODES
Technically this is not a cheat code, but here goes.
Start a game with your name as 'HenryJarl' (without the quotes,
of course). You should have $100,000 to spend as you please.
7.2 FUNNY THINGS TO DO
Hitting the other car is a stop-race event... but try it a couple
more times... You'll get a surprise occasionally. I can't tell
you what it is, as it will ruin the surprise.
