README: BMW M3 Challenge

Introducing BMW M3 Challenge

============================
BMW M3 Challenge takes the thrill of driving to new heights. BMW M3 Challenge, w
hich is the official game to BMW´s all-new M3 Coupé, features the original high
detailed BMW M3 in all its available exterior colours and the original Nurburgri
ng GP-track in a hyper realistic racing world. BMW M3 Challenge will allow you t
o experience the new BMW M3 Coupé right there where it was born and developed -
on the race track.

Safety Advice
=============
PHOTOSENSITIVE SEIZURES WARNING
A very small percentage of the population suffers from epileptic-like photosensi
tive seizures, possibly triggered by certain imagery, including flashing lights
or patterns that might be contained within computer games/console games. Even pe
ople who have not been diagnosed with epilepsy and have not suffered from seizur
es, which are a result of the disease, may become victims of an undiagnosed diso
rder, which could trigger such seizures while watching a computer game/console g
ame. These seizures can show different symptoms, including dizziness, visual dis
tortion, twitching in the eyes or face, spastic movements or shakiness in the ar
ms and legs, confusion, blurriness of sight, or temporary loss of consciousness.
The seizures could also cause unconsciousness or cramps leading to injuries fro
m falling or colliding with nearby objects. Immediately stop playing computer ga
mes/console games and consult a physician if you experience any of the symptoms
above. Parents should monitor their children, or ask them if they have experienc
ed any of the symptoms above children and teenagers are more at risk of becoming
victims of such seizures than adults. The risk of having epileptic seizures ca
used by sensitivity to light can be reduced by increasing the distance to the mo
nitor/TV screen, using a smaller monitor/TV screen, playing in a well lit room a
nd never playing while feeling drowsy or tired. Please consult a physician befor
e beginning to play if you or a member of your family has ever experienced seizu
res or suffer from epilepsy.

System Requirements
===================
Minimum Specifications
----------------------
Operating Systems Microsoft Windows XP (32/64bit), Vista (32/64bit)
Processor 1.8 GHz Intel Pentium IV or 100% compatible
Memory 512 MB RAM
Hard Drive 500 MB free HD space
3D Accelerator DirectX 8.1 compatible graphics card with 64 MB memory
Sound Card DirectX 8.1 compatible
Input Keyboard and Mouse
DirectX Version 9.0c
Recommended Specifications
--------------------------
Operating Systems Microsoft XP (32/64bit), Vista (32/64bit)
Processor 3 GHz Intel Pentium IV or 100% compatible
Memory 1 GB RAM
Hard Drive 500 MB free HD space
3D Accelerator DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics card with 256 MB memory
Sound Card DirectX 9.0c compatible
Input DirectX 9.0c compatible force feedback steering wheel
DirectX Version 9.0c

Online-Multiplayer
------------------
Internet Connection Broadband required. 512kbps + Recommended TCP/IP Network

Installing BMW M3 Challenge

===========================
If Autorun is enabled on your system you will be presented with a language selec
tion screen. Choose a language and choose "Install" in the next window. Alternat
ively, run SETUP.EXE to install the game directly.
You need to have administrator rights to install BMW M3 Challenge on Microsoft W
indows XP Professional/XP Home Edition and Vista. You need to login using an adm
inistrator account for the installation.

Quick Start Guide

=================
After installing the game, you will be prompted to set up basic graphic options
using the BMWConfig program. The game can then be launched and your player profi
le can be created. Enter your name and configure your game controller and other
game play options. Pay special attention to the settings which affect performanc
e - see the "Maximizing Game Performance" section below. From there you can sele
ct the several driving options, pick your favorite colour of the car, track vari
ation and number of opponents, and start racing!

Options
=======
Game
General game options governing views, units, mirrors and other misc. features.
Video
Alter the video settings which affect the game s performance and visual quality.
Audio
Tune the detailed audio parameters to customize BMW M3 Challenge to your sonic t
astes.

Controls
========
The following are the default controls in the game. The default keys can be chan
ged using the in-game Controller tab.
Driving
-------
Accelerate A
Brake Z
Steer Left ,
Steer Right .
Shift Up L Alt
Shift Down R Alt
Clutch In Q
LCD Mode Spacebar
Accessories
-----------
Menu Select Enter
Menu Up Up Arrow
Menu Down Down Arrow
Menu Value Increase R
Menu Value Decrease L
Headlights H
Game
----
Vehicle Labels TAB
Reset Car E
Instant Replay R
Pause P
Time Accelerator K
Driving View L Shift
Look Left V
Look Right N
Look Behind B
Extra
-----
Toggle Mirror 1
Toggle HUD 2
Toggle Gauges 3
Real Time Chat C
Select your own keyboard commands for other extras by clicking on them in the me
nu.
F Keys Driving Assists
------------------------
F1 Traction Control Settings (Level 1, Level 2, Off)
F2 Anti-Lock Brake System (On / Off)
F3 Dynamic Stability Control (On / Off)
F4 Automatic Gearbox (On / Off)
F5 Damage (On / Off)
F6 Visible Raceline (On / Off)
Wheel Controls
--------------
Wheel control defaults vary by wheel manufacturer. Refer to the Controller tab f
or individual wheel settings.
Mouse Control Options
---------------------
Toggle the following mouse settings off/on on the controller tab:
Mouse Steering
Left Button Accelerate
Right Button Brake
Shift with Wheel up/down
Advanced Control Settings
-------------------------
Use the Advanced screen to verify that your controls are set to your preferences
. Simply use the device button you have mapped to Steering, Accelerator, Brake
or Clutch and you should see the corresponding bar increase. It can also be used
as a guide for sensitivity and deadzone settings. Once you are satisfied with
these settings, you can either return to the main screen by clicking on Main Men
u, or you can view or change your Force Feedback settings by clicking on the For
ce tab.
BMW M3 Challenge includes optimized Force Feedback effects for a number of devic
es. Select specific settings from the basic and specialized effects lists. Basic
effects are recommended if your controller isn t listed in the specialized list.
Force Feedback Effects
----------------------
Determines how much information the car will try to convey to you through your c
ontroller s Force Feedback mechanism. Full is recommended.

Realism
=======
Customize your personal car settings by configuring the driving assists in the re
alism section in the main menu. If you have problems controlling the car or are n
ot using a steering wheel, use driving assists.
Traction Control - Stops Wheel-spin. Helpful for keyboard controlled cars. There
are two levels of traction control. Use F1 to toggle between them.
Anti-Lock Brakes - Stops the wheels from locking when the car is braking. Helpfu
l for keyboard users. F2
Dynamic Stability Control - Helps prevents the car from spinning out. F3
Automatic Gearbox - Works the gearshift automatically.€F4
Damage - Makes your car invulnerable to accident damage. F5
The available driving assists for your chosen game are shown in the HUD, with th
e disabled assists greyed out.

Profiles
========
You may have multiple player profiles in BMW M3 Challenge. Select the Profiles t
ab to create a new player or to view or select an alternate profile.
Replays
=======
Adjust race replay variables on the Replays tab on the main menu and view, renam
e or delete saved replays.
Instant replay Adjust the slider to the number of seconds you would like to have
replayed when you are watching an instant replay.

Singleplayer
============
Open Practice
-------------
Practice driving at both track variations with the BMW M3. Open Practice allows
you to learn the track outside of a race competition.
Selecting Open Practice from the main menu. From here, adjust the circuit varia
tion, time of day and daylight acceleration. Additionally, the player can adjust
the colour of the M3 and the rim variation.
Race weekend
------------
Compete in a stand-alone race against the game's AI. Race Weekend takes a car th
rough a practice session, a qualifying session and a race. Deselect the practice
and qualifying on the Summary screen to go directly to the race.
Selecting Race Weekend brings up the Summary screen. From this screen, the playe
r can adjust all race variables and exterior colours. To begin the race weekend,
click on the DRIVE button on the lower right corner.
Time Trials
-----------
Race against yourself in Time Trials. Improve your lap times by competing agains
t your own best lap. In this mode, the car that you race against appears in semi
-translucent form and is non-collidable. Options you can toggle on/off in this m
ode include:
Skip out lap: Start your time trial lap from a rolling start, rather than from y
our pit garage.
Visible Race Line: Have the ideal race line for your selected track visible. Us
e this to learn the best approach for the apex of each corner, and analyze the e
xact braking and acceleration spots used during the recorded lap.
Each time you complete a faster lap it becomes the new best lap to compete again
st.

Multiplayer
===========
BMW M3 Challenge features the ability to race against your friends and other liv
e opponents over a Local Network (LAN), over the Internet via direct TCP/IP, or
over the Internet using the BMW M3 Challenge Internet system.
To access these features, select either Local Network or Internet from the main
menu.
Hosting a new game
------------------
To start a new game that others can join, click Host. You can set the track vari
ation and adjust all race variables. If you would prefer any restrictions, make
your choice at the restrictions screen, i.e. set your race to be invitation-only
, enter a password.
Once you have set the race conditions, click the Host button again and you will
be prompted for a game name. This will be the description other users see when s
earching for your game.
Next the selected track variation will load and you will be alone in your game,
waiting for other players to join. These can be either other gamers on your LAN
or (if you have an active Internet connection) other people on the Internet. To
personally invite someone to join your race, give them your IP Address. Note: Y
ou, as the host of the game, must load the race first before any participants ma
y join. If you have not started the game yet, other players will not be able to
see and join the race.

Joining an existing game

------------------------
To join an existing game hosted by someone else, first determine whether you wil
l join a game on your Local Network or on the Internet. Once you click on either
Local Network or Internet from the main menu, BMW M3 Challenge will start searc
hing for an open game. Any active games will appear in the list after a few seco
nds.
If the game is privately hosted on the Internet, the person hosting the game mus
t give you their direct IP address. This is the unique address of the hosting c
omputer on the Internet and it is the host s responsibility to supply you with thi
s address before you can join the game. (IP addresses are in the form of 4 numbe
rs separated by . . E.g. 233.101.23.80). Once you have the host s IP address, select
the Add IP Address option from the main lobby. Enter this address into the text f
ield and click the Proceed button. BMW M3 Challenge will then search for a game
at the specified address. If an active game is found, it will appear in the list
after a few seconds.
If you entered an IP Address and did not find your game, verify the address and
select the Add IP Address option again. If you still do not see the race, contact
the host to make sure the game has started and that the IP Address is correct.
If you are still experiencing problems connecting, your traffic may be blocked b
y an active
firewall. Please check if any of the computers is running a firewall and refer t
o the firewalls
manual to find out how to either allow the game data to pass through or temporar
ily disable the
firewall.

Internet Racing BMW M3 Challenge Internet Service

---------------------------------------------------
BMW M3 Challenge also offers a more open method of racing over the Internet, whe
re you can chat to and race against other drivers who are interested in online r
acing. To access the BMW M3 Challenge Internet service, select Internet from the
main menu.
You will be taken to the main login screen. First time users will need to regist
er a username and password.
Registration
------------
Select the Register option to enter the basic information required to create an
account with the BMW M3 Challenge Internet service. This includes a lobby userna
me, a password (+verification), and your e-mail address. Once you have confirmat
ion that your username was successfully registered, you may login.
The unique username you register with the BMW M3 Challenge Internet service is i
ndependent from your player settings. It is a lobby system identifier only! Yo
u can choose any username for the BMW M3 Challenge Internet service and still pa
rticipate as your preferred driver profile. When you are in the Online Lobby it
self, either hosting or joining a game, the username is how you will be identifi
ed by other users. Once you exit the lobby and enter the online race itself, how
ever, your player (or profile) name is what will be visible to other race partic
ipants.
IMPORTANT: It is important that you remember your unique username and password.
So please choose your username and password carefully.

Games List
----------
This list displays a basic summary of all the active games that are currently in
progress. These are: the game name specified by the creator of the game; the tr
ack variation; current number of players in the game; and the ping to the game.

You may also view the detailed settings of any game in the lobby. Select the ga
me in the lists and click the Rules button.
If you want to create a game that others can join, click on Host, and set the ga
me options to your preferences. Once you have created the game, it will be visi
ble in the Online Lobby Games List for all other drivers to see and join.

Players List
------------
This displays the lobby username of every driver currently active in the BMW M3
Challenge Internet service. Players will be either in the Online Lobby or will h
ave joined a game. Their current status is also indicated in the list. If they a
re racing on a server their status column will display the game in which they ar
e currently racing.

Chat
----
The BMW M3 Challenge Internet service provides a central chat system for all use
rs in the Online Lobby. Here you may talk to anyone else in the lobby (but not t
hose who have joined a game), make friends, arrange races, and so on.

Race Rules and Regulations

==========================
Flag Meanings
-------------
Blue: Displayed when a driver does not yield to a car that is lapping
him.
Yellow: Slow down and do not pass. There is a dangerous condition on the
circuit.
Penalties
---------
The driver has been penalized for cutting corners or other race infractions.
Jump Start: Immediate disqualification.
Cut Track: Disqualification after 3 times cutting the track.

Troubleshooting
===============
If BMW M3 Challenge fails to start, try changing the "Shader Level" setting in B
MWConfig. Some graphics cards report incorrect information for the level they ca
n support, and so the default "Auto" option can cause problems; this is especial
ly common in integrated graphics chipsets such as those found in notebooks. If y
ou experience very bad performance on the lowest settings, try setting the Shade
r Level on DirectX 8 or lower. Some older DirectX9 cards do not fully support BM
W M3 Challenge's advanced shaders.
If you are still having problems, try updating your graphics card, sound card an
d motherboard drivers from the relevant web sites, for example:
ATI Technologies
http://www.ati.com/
Creative Labs
http://www.creative.com/
Matrox
http://www.matrox.com/
NVIDIA
http://www.nvidia.com/
VIA
http://www.viaarena.com/
After changing/updating your video card drivers, or changing your monitor, you m
ust run BMWConfig again. Please also note that alt-tab operation in full screen
mode can be unreliable using certain graphics card and/or driver combinations.

Maximizing Game Performance

===========================
Here are some suggestions to maximize your racing experience with the computer y
ou are using:
Adjust in-game settings.
01. Reduce the number of AI opponents.
02. Lower the "opponent detail" setting on the graphics menu.
03. Set "Shadow Quality" to medium on the graphics menu.
04. Turn off the "trackside characters" option on the graphics menu.
05. Beware using 60X daylight acceleration with large grids of cars. Night raci
ng is very machine intensive.
06. Turn down the "Shadows" option on the graphics menu.
07. To improve night racing performance, turn down the "Headlight Detail" optio
n on the graphics menu.

Adjust settings on your PC.

01. Turn off anisotropic filtering and/or full screen anti-aliasing in your Win
dows Graphics control panel.
02. Turn off full screen anti-aliasing in BMWConfig.
03. Lower the resolution set in BMWConfig.
04. Lower the shader level set in BMWConfig.

Copyright and Trademark

=======================
BMW M3 Challenge (c)2007 10TACLE STUDIOS AG. Produced by 10TACLE STUDIOS AG and
developed by Blimey! Games Ltd. All rights reserved.
Software, graphics, music and text are all protected by copyright law. No part o
f the software may be reproduced, used, mailed or translated in any way without
previous written consent of 10TACLE STUDIOS AG.
The BMW logo, the BMW name and the BMW model designations are trademarks of BMW
AG and are used under license.
The Nürburgring circuit, name and logos are used under the license of the Nürbur
gring GmbH.
RAD Software. Uses BINK Video. ©1997-2007 by RAD Game Tools, Inc.
Uses Miles Sound System. ©1991-2007 by RAD Game Tools, Inc.
Utilizes gMotor2 from Image Space Incorporated ©2007. All rights reserved.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Credits
=======
Developer
Blimey! Games Ltd.
-----------------
Publisher / Production Company
10TACLE STUDIOS AG
Senior Producer: Christian Braun
Marketing: Frank Holz, Stephan Pietsch, Marcel Jung
Sales: Niels Mankel
Senior QA & Localisation Manager: Nick Porsche
Lead Tester & Build Manager: Oliver Landrock
QA Tester: Arshia "Fahri" Nasserzadeh, Christian Freithofer, Christopher Bock, D
aniel Zimmermann, David Huggele, Ferdi Cam, Frederik Poth, Hans Joachim Koch, Ha
rry Engelhardt, Ingo Höschler, Jana Seeliger, Janette Lipinski, Jasmin Keskin, J
oannis Thomas, Kai Kratz, Kay Knecht, Marco Neumann, Michael Itzel, Nicolai Föll
er, Seong-Jin Kim, Stefan Hoelzel, Stephan Pilats, Tai von Keitz, Tillmann Witzl
er, Tobias Bönning

------------------
BMW AG
Project Manager BMW M3 Challenge Game: Andreas Schwarzmeier
Product Manager BMW M3: Rolf Scheibner
Brand Management: Steffen Maucher, Christian Cartsburg
Technical and Sound Recording Manager: Miro Pokupec, Manuel Hierl, Marc Müller
Sound Recording Assistant: Johann Bachner

------------------
Media Agency
Jogo Media
Project Management: Hendrik Volp
Sales Manager: Thomas Mader

Special Thanks
==============
BMW M GmbH
Nürburgring GmbH