Introduction Mindscape brings you true "Days of Thunder" excitement straight from the incredible Paramount Pictures film. All the fast-paced movie action come right into your living room and onto your Commodore Amiga! Take the wheel in your very own 200mph+ stock car! As you shift into high gear you'll watch every other driver slip into your rear view mirror... or will you? Test your driving skill and see if you have a chance to bring home Daytona. Give everything you've got and go for the Championship! THE TRACKS Daytona The most famous track of the Stock Car circuit - the center of the racing world. Lake Lloyd sits in the middle of this track - the fast banked curves were built using the soil dug out of the lake. The best racers visit this track twice a year. Atlanta Set in the deep south of America in the state of Georgia - watch out for the temperature gauge in the blistering heat. Phoenix The desert circuit in Arizona is a great crowd puller - being the fastest one mile oval in the world. Speeds of over 200mph are not uncommon during races. Talladega This track was built right next to an airport with a massive 20 million people living near-by. It cost $4 million to build this circuit and was obviously well spent! Charlotte Situated in the attractive North Carolina countryside, this track can seat an impressive 118,000 people. The track is considered the Grandad of Stock Car racing - it has been in exsistence for 31 years. Controlling the game: You can use a joystick or the following keyboard commands. Left , Right . Up A Down Z Change gear Spacebar Other key controls: ESCAPE - Quit current game RETURN - Overlays a race summary Q - Terminates qualifying F1 - Overlays lap information I - Instant replay F7 - Pause Game Once the game has loaded you will see the option screen. This allows you to change various in-game options: 1) Number of cars: You can change the amount of cars in any one race. This has an effect of making races easier or harder because of the different traffic levels. 2) Number of laps: You can change the length of each race to suit your own driving abilities. 3) Detail level: Changing between HIGH and LOW detail level changes the amount of intricate detail contained within the graphics on screen. By reducing the amount of detail, the program can run even faster - adding to the effect of the speed and acceleration. 4) Go to trials: Select this option to enter the cup series and start qualifying for the first race. 5) Player vs Player: Days of Thunder has a unique system that allows two machines to be linked together and a head to head race be contested. All that is required for this system is a "null modem" cable. Both machines must have the game running. When the option is selected, the program checks to see if the other machine is receiving and then the game starts. Pitstop At any time during the race the player may enter the pits to make changes to the car in order to increases performance or repair damage. To enter the pits, the player must drive into the pit lane and drive up to the flag with the car's number on it. This takes you to the pit stop control screen. You select the icon relating to the task you want to carry out on the car by moving the pointer with the mouse, keys or joystick. Hit fire to select the icon. The icons that can be selected are: 1) Adjust Tyre stagger - alters the thickness of the tyres on the car. This affects the cornering and handling. 2) Steering response - described as making the car "tighter" or "looser". 3) Fix and adjust the braking system. 4) Repair panel damage. 5) Refuel 6) Exit pit stop - once selected you see the pit stop being carried out by your crew. Remember that the pitstop is in real time, that is, the longer you take here, the longer you will be out of the race. Stock Car Rules Throughout the game the offical Stock Car rules of racing have been adhered to: The yellow flag condition warns of an accident ahead and is used during the rolling start. You will be disqualified for changing position under the yellow flag condition. Drivers are disqualified for wasting time. You must not reverse in the pit lane. You must not go the wrong way down the pitlane. How to Drive the Car You start each circuit in the qualifying stage - in order to progress to the main race, you must achieve a good qualifying time. Your Stock Car racing car has five forward gears and one reverse gear. You will need to know how to drive the car as fast as possible in order to succeed in Days of Thunder. Here are a few tips: To go faster push forward on the joystick or "UP" on the keyboard. To slow down, pull back on the joystick or "DOWN" on the keyboard. To change gear up or down, press the firebutton (or SPACEBAR) and move up or down depending on whether you want to change up or down a gear. Release the firebutton to release the clutch and engage the gear. Hints on Playing the Game To qualify for the race, you must get the best possible time on an empty track. You may take a few laps to get the best time, which will be updated on the screen. Once you are happy with your grid position, press Q to finish your qualifying session. Learn to use the pitstop to your advantage - especially when it comes to the handling of your car and repairing damage received in collisions. Watch out for the red flashing light on the dashboard - that means damage is getting critical and your pitcrew strongly recommend you come in for repairs. Experiment with tyre settings to get the best traction on the different tracks Keep revs down to prevent excessive engine wear. During the parade lap, make sure you keep your position in the pack - else you will be disqualified. If you don't touch the controls, then the computer will drive the car around the circuit for you.