Crazy Taxi Cabbie's FAQ and Manual Compiled by Mark Kim Version 0.0.2e Text Build 206 For the Sega AM3 Arcade Game Location of Final Assembly: Downers Grove, IL USA Date of Completion: August 20, 2000 (No Time Given) Date of Public Release: August 20, 2000 (No Time Given) Copyright Information --------------------- Unpublished work trademarked (tm) and copyrighted (c) by Mark Kim. All Rights Reserved. This document is basically based upon my Crazy Taxi FAQ HQ (http://www.verasnaship.net/crazytaxi). This document also shares the same ideas as with Kenshin's World of Crazy Taxi (http://come.to/crazytaxi) as much of my hardcore playing came from Kenshin's site. This file is SHAREWARE and is strictly for entertainment use. In addition, this file can only be HTMLized by the sole owner of the file (Mark Kim), regardless whether the content is good or bad. To top it all off, this file can only be shown at the following websites: * Verasnaship Interactive (http://www.verasnaship.net) * GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) * Secrets of the Game Sages (http://www.gamesages.com) * Kenshin's World of Crazy Taxi (http://come.to/crazytaxi) It is a criminal act to reproduce and/or retransmit this file in any way, shape, or form (regardless of the medium) and it shall be a criminal act to to use this file at a password-protected site where either user accounts are utilized and/or money is made through these accounts. It is a direct felony to use this file for any profitable (even if you fail to make any money out of it), promotional, and/or commercial transactional purposes (including but not limited to giving this file as some sort of bonus, gift, or any other means to generate any money out of this document). It shall be a severe criminal act to incorporate any or all of this file into any gaming guides, game sites, magazines, or any other profitable and/or commercial transactional means that exists (including reprinting, OCR-ing, and the like). To conclude about this, it shall be a direct criminal act to make any money out of this document. Currently, this document is being maintained and is the sole property of Mark Kim, and this file is protected by all applicable copyright, trademark, and patent laws in addition to all International Treaties. Any breach of copyright, trademark, and/or patents (which includes but not limited to plagiarism, stealing, laming, pirating, or otherwise) and/or using this document for any other purposes other than personal and private purposes, and/or illegal mirroring of this file (other than the five aforementioned URLs as described in the beginning of this disclaimer) is a direct violation of all applicable copyright laws, International Treaties, Patent Laws, US Title 107, and the Berne Copyright Bill of 1976. Violators and Transgressors shall face severe civil and criminal penalties through the maximum extent possible by law. Mark Kim acknowledges and respects all copyrights, patents (pending or not), and trademarks whether if it's mentioned or not somewhere in either the FAQ Text File and/or site as no copyright infringement was intended. If for any reason I MUST USE any copyrighted resource, then credit will be given at the Acknowledgements Section for the common part. Note that whenever I give credit, I WILL NOT REVEAL ANY E-MAIL ADDRESSES AND/OR OTHERWISE in order to protect the privacy of the people for whom I give credit to. This file has been carefully written by Mark Kim in respect to all copyrights, patents, and trademarks. THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY. MARK KIM ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR ANY INCIDENTIAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH, OR ARISING OUT OF, THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENT. Crazy Taxi, Axel McDermott, Joseph "B.D. Joe" Blackson, Gena Turner, Gus Mancini, the cab vehicles, the landscape, and all other related material pertinent to this game are respective copyrights, trademarks, and patents of Sega Enterprises Ltd. All I Want, and Right Down the Line were performed through the rock band Offspring and these songs are registered trademarks and copyrights of the Offspring Band. All Rights Reserved. Ten in 2010, Them and Us, and Inner Logic have been performed by Bad Religion, and all the lyrics from Ten in 2010, Them and Us, and Inner Logic are registered intellectual copyrights and trademarks of Bad Religion. All Rights Reserved. The Tower Records Shop that appear in the actual gameplay is a registered trademark and copyright of Tower Records. All Rights Reserved. The Kentucky Fried Chicken location that shows up during gameplay is a registered trademark and copyright of Kentucky Fried Chicken. All Rights Reserved. The Pizza Hut location that appears during actual gameplay is a registered trademark and copyright of Pizza Hut. All Rights Reserved. The FILA Shop which shows up during gameplay is a registered trademark and a copyright of FILA. All Rights Reserved. The Original Levi's Store destination that appears during gameplay is a registered trademark and copyright of the Levi Strauss and Company. All Rights Reserved. This file was created by Mark Kim under respect to all properties as no copyright infringement was intended. I'LL MAKE THIS SIMPLE: THIS FILE IS MINE AND THERE IS NO UNAUTHORIZED USE OF IT!!!! I DIDN'T MAKE THIS FAQ SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE A LIVING OUT OF THIS WORK!!! I DIDN'T MAKE THIS FAQ SO THAT SOME CRAP FREELANCE WRITER OF ANY INFAMOUS COMMERCIAL PUBLICATION CAN INCORPORATE SOME OR ALL OF THIS WORK, SLACK OFF, AND GET PAID FOR IT!!! AND I SURELY DIDN'T CREATE THIS FAQ SO THAT SOME COPYCATTER CAN STEAL/PLAGIARIZE THIS WORK AND CLAIM CREDIT FOR IT!!! Only seven websites can mirror this FAQ and that's the bottom line. It is to remain free of charge, in its original state, and in one whole piece at all costs. ======================================================================== IMPORTANT GAME DATA Make: Crazy Taxi Developer: Sega's AM3 Publisher: Sega Platform: Arcade Genre: Occupational Driving Number of Players: 1 Available Cabinets: Stand-up and Sit-Down 27" Cost: $1.00 US for sit-downs, $0.75 cents for stand-ups AAMA Parental Advisory Warning: Suitable for All Ages ======================================================================== HISTORY OF THIS FILE August 5, 1999 -------------- After playing the game several times at Great Odyssey at Naperville, maybe I better give out some guidelines to those who love to generate a record amount of sales in one game. August 10, 1999 -------------- Richard Uyeyama caught a copyright error on my work. Accident. =) There should be a ton of Crazy Taxi links at the following website as outlined like these: * http://www.tcp.com/~prisoner/taxi/ * http://www.tcp.com/~prisoner/taxi/game.html I _WILL_ ONLY PLACE LINKS THAT ARE OUTLINED IN ENGLISH AND NOTHING ELSE! I highly recommend one of the two links if you want some great links to Crazy Taxi. Still http://www.sega.co.jp, and http://sages.ign.com are the best links for Crazy Taxi, though (even though it's only in Japanese). Richard Uyeyama is the one to be thanked since he made me browse through the following two links. Please BE WARNED that I WILL ONLY POST LINKS if I find the information at the website useful. REMEMBER I DETEST PLAGIARIZING and I WILL ONLY post strategies that I have tested and/or find useful. Credit will be given ONLY IF I FIND THE INFORMATION USEFUL and if the chunk of info is posted in this text. Lately, I've seen several "Negative Million Point Winners" at GameFAQs for plagiarizing reviews. Face it. Plagiarism is against the law. You could get into trouble, get boycotted, or even worse, get fined and/or get placed into jail. When will the plagiarizers learn that Original Work is the ONLY WAY AROUND?! Enough of that. Let's get going. September 12, 1999 ------------------ By way of update, there is YET ANOTHER English Crazy Taxi Site on the Internet!!! Visit http://members.aol.com/crazytaxi7/index.html right after you read this today. In order to help people become crazy drivers in this game, I have included some new sections that *should* help you get through some of the roughest fares in the game. If this was your first update in quite a while, then I recommend that you read this document over and over again as there has been several changes since the last update. Notice that this document assumes that you are playing the game on a 4/4 machine or easier. I have announced a good-sized update of resources that you can use for the real-life web. It should be somewhere at the end of the file! Enough of that. Let's get going. At the time of writing, the Kenshin World of Crazy Taxi is now in English at long last!!! http://come.to/crazytaxi to visit Kenshin's Crazy Taxi Page. October 31, 1999 ---------------- Non-update. Please feel free to check out http://talk.to/hellziarth, which is a mirror to this FAQ. Notice that I WILL NOT open up any Message Boards, which has a tendency for bandwidth abusage. Mainly all the legalese have been updated. January 2, 2000 --------------- To uphold the integration between the HTML and Text Pages, I have updated this FAQ in order to make sure that integration is tightly made. However, I will still be ORIGINAL as much as I can. Most of these ideas were taken from Kenshin's World of Crazy Taxi. You can now find the latest version of this FAQ at Kenshin's World of Crazy Taxi, since I'm now sharing the same ideas as some of the "hardcore" CT Drivers (Kenshin, Exodus, Rex, et. al.) from this point on. According to Sega, the Dreamcast Version of Crazy Taxi will contain the Arcade Cityscape and a Dreamcast-exclusive Cityscape which may or may not be more difficult than the original Arcade Cityscape. Also on the Dreamcast Menu (for a possible February/1st Quarter Release for the US Dreamcast) are some training grounds that will help you improve on those crazy driving skills. Please don't ask me too much about the Dreamcast version of CT yet--I don't have a Dreamcast. I'm dying to get a Dreamcast, though. If you don't want me to get a Dreamcast, then please use this E-Mail Form and rant why I shouldn't get it. REMEMBER THAT THE E-MAIL MUST BE POSITIVE AND YOU MUST HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WITH THE DREAMCAST BEFORE DOING THIS. If it's a silly chit-chat, then I will assume that you are spamming me. Here's the Form Mail URL (You are granted permission to e-mail me on this FORM ONLY, NOT DIRECTLY TO MY MAILBOX): * http://www.verasnaship.net/emailme.html A note about Sega AM3's "Occupational Series": There are now 3 of these kind of games available: Crazy Taxi, Brave Firefighters (Real Life Heroes), and Emergency Call Ambulance. Crazy Taxi is the most enjoyable of the three because of the humor during gameplay. Brave Firefighters is just LA Machineguns replaced by a Firehose (You use water to fight a series of arson during gameplay but you have to watch how much water you use because innocents need to be rescued in this game). Finally, Emergency Call Ambulance plays like Sega Rally Championships 1 and 2, doubling as a race to the hospital to get your patient to a Chicago Hospital safely and quickly. January 29, 2000 ---------------- A new website, Al Amaloo (http://vgstrategies.about.com) gets my Seal of Approval to mirror this FAQ. Now there are seven ways to get the latest version of my FAQ. Either way, I still recommend coming down to my own website (http://www.verasnaship.net) since you always get the latest versions of my FAQ from this location first. Al Amaloo's website is a promising one: It's much like Cheat Code Central as far as its FAQ Mirroring policies is concerned. This website keeps it's FAQ Mirrors fresh, checks all its "contractors" for its updates, and keeps all its FAQs free of charge, in its original state, and in one piece. Keep up the good work, Al. January 30, 2000 ---------------- Just to let you know that Al Amaloo has two websites. Added his domain site for your convenience. April 21, 2000 -------------- After having to decide whether I will permit 5-6 sites to mirror this work or not, I have made the toughest decision in the history of this file: I have narrowed the number of sites that are permitted to mirror this work to 4. That means from this update on, this FAQ can only be shown at the following addresses: * Verasnaship Interactive (http://www.verasnaship.net) * GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) * Secrets of the Game Sages (http://www.gamesages.com) * Kenshin's World of Crazy Taxi (http://come.to/crazytaxi) The reason why I had to narrow down the amount of sites that can mirror my FAQs to 4 is because you'll know why in the Newsflash section. I had to change my cyberhandle once again, thanks to an overdose of a respective Konami Light Gun game series. From now on, these FAQs will be carrying the Agent Falcon brand instead. Although I use a different cyberhandle when visiting certain Crazy Taxi sites, you are to be advised that from this point on, I will be using Agent Falcon as my universal Video Game Cyberhandle from now on. To warn you, I have not played Crazy Taxi for a long time. If you want to see me play Crazy Taxi at Brunswick Zone Naperville, and if you live at the Chicagoland Area, please contact me by using this address: * http://www.verasnaship.net/emailme.html August 20, 2000 --------------- Added the DIP Switches for the game as far as Game Options are concerned. Updated the Frequently Asked Questions in order to reflect that Crazy Taxi is now out for the Dreamcast. An important rant from the author: CRAZY TAXI WILL NOT BE COMING OUT FOR THE PC OR THE MACINTOSH. Crazy Taxi is a 100% Dreamcast Exclusive since it is released by Sega and it's a Naomi Product. Any Sega-made Arcade Products and/or Naomi and Hikaru powered products will be Dreamcast Exclusives GUARANTEED. No if's, and's, or but's. ======================================================================== CONTENTS OF THIS FILE * Newsflash * What is Crazy Taxi * My Crazy Taxi Review (Shared with Jeff Veasey's GameFAQs and Fernando Mosquera's Seganet) * How to Play This Game * The Drivers * Some important things to know * Places that you will be prompt to drop people at * Can't break the record, try this! * How to get the CRAZY TAXI rating * Know thy fares * Tips, courtesy of GameSages (http://sages.ign.com) * The Crazy Ranking System * Frequently Asked Questions * Afterthoughts (Under Construction and not shown, will be here in the future) * Do's and Dont's * Suggesting Fixes and other Tralala * Resources and stuff * Acknowledgements * One Final Warning ======================================================================== NEWSFLASH I will have to repeat this once again. This FAQ can only be displayed and/or stocked at the following locations: * Verasnaship Interactive (http://www.verasnaship.net) * GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) * Secrets of the Game Sages (http://www.gamesages.com) * Kenshin's World of Crazy Taxi (http://come.to/crazytaxi) If you find this FAQ on another site other than the ones listed above, then please notify me ASAP. Thank you. I can no longer give OKs to any webmaster who attempts to mirror any of my FAQs. As always, newer versions of this FAQ can be found first at my own web site located at http://www.verasnaship.net. If you have any fixes or any other tralala you want to share with me, then use the convenient e-mail form at http://www.verasnaship.net/emailme.html. I grant you permission to e-mail me at the aforementioned URL as described herein. E-Mailing me directly to my mailbox using an E-Mail Client is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. This document, like all Video Game FAQs on the Internet, must be viewed in a monotype font or the alignment will not be correct. If the alignment isn't correct for any reason, then please follow these procedures: 1. On Netscape Communicator, click on Edit, then Preferences. 2. Click on Fonts at the Appearance Section 3. At the Fixed Width Font, select Courier New, and select size 10 point font. 4. If you see this sample bulk of writing aligned correctly, please proceed: 1234567890 ********** It is strongly advisable that you *do* view this document through the DOS Application Edit.COM or through the Apple Text Viewer SimpleText for alignment purposes. If you are planning to view this through the Windows Interface, then you are highly advised to open up WordPad and then open up the Text File. Set the font face to Courier New and set the font size to 10. ======================================================================== WHAT IS CRAZY TAXI? Crazy Taxi is a Generation X-oriented, Alternative Music-encompassing amalgamation of real-life Taxi Cab Driving and a popular PC Game called Carmageddon created by the rivals of Toshihiro Nagoshi's acclaimed racing games, AM3. Special thanks goes to Fernando Mosquera for pointing this out at his SegaNet Site. As the name suggests, Crazy Taxi is supposed to be a Taxi Business Simulator. The objective of the game is to complete as many fares you can within a short amount of time. Unlike real-life Taxi Businesses, this game demands that you try to attain a record-breaking amount of both sales and fares within a short amount of time. One of the many features that made Crazy Taxi a successful game is that the gameplay itself booted out the blood and guts found on most fighting and shooting games and placed all the major laughs IN during gameplay. This could mean driving over a park, trespassing through a Kentucky Fried Chicken Drive-Thru :), jumping from the Parking Lot, going through the wrong side of traffic, slamming over a Pizza Hut billboard sign, and other stunts that I don't want to explain in full until later on in my explanation. Each customer have their own time limit, and they have their own reactions whether you go too slow or if you are driving too dangerous or not. With Naomi's Stereo capabilities comes an opportunity to fit in as many well-known Offspring and Bad Religion songs during attract, demonstration, and gameplay. You will be able to listen through the sounds of All I Want (from Ixnay on the Hombre) during attract, Ten in 2010 during demonstration, and some gameplay-exclusive songs by the Offspring and Bad Religion during gameplay. To be more specific, here are the following songs that you may be able to listen: * All I Want (Offspring) * Ten in 2010 (Bad Religion) * Them and Us (Bad Religion) * Way Down the Line (Offspring) * Change the World (Offspring) * Inner Logic (Bad Religion) Crazy Taxi features controls that are simple to get used to. A clutchless Reverse/Forward enables you to move the cab forward and backward. The gas and brake pedals have their own potentiometers dependant on how far you press the pedals down. The vehicles are a lot more nimble than much of AM2's racers, though the cabbies have different cars that react differently to the player's driver attitude. Crazy Taxi features an affordable standup cabinet with stereo speakers near the coin slots and a sit-down cabinet with an adjustable seat. Since the game runs under the "affordable but just as powerful as Yu Suzuki's Model 3 Step 2 board" Naomi System, it isn't restricted to high-end arcades such as Dave and Buster's, Jillian's, or GameWorks just to name a few. Not a stranger to Advertising, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Tower Records, FILA, and Levi Strauss and Company provided Sega's AM3 the financial tools needed to tune this game to perfection. In return for their financial support, AM3 agrees to show the likelinesses of these five well-known chain stores in its originality in the form of the actual destination you may need to take a customer to during gameplay. The promotional destinations you may need to take a customer to could be either Kentucky Fried Chicken, Tower Records, a FILA Shop, an Original Levi's Store, or a Pizza Hut, all of these promotional destinations are mirrored in their glory and in their originalty. The only other game that had financial support from well-known companies was Top Skater, a skateboard simulator also created by AM3 (Although only Ads showed up and not the actual likelinesses of the locations). ======================================================================== MY CRAZY TAXI REVIEW This is my review that is shared with GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) and with Fernando Mosquera's SegaNET (http://www.seganet.com). For those of you who are going to Seganet, go to Reader Reviews, and click on one of the Crazy Taxi RR's. For those of you who are in GameFAQs.com, go to features, contributor recognition, click on "VFauransy", and then click on the Crazy Taxi Review that I have submitted On-line. AM2 has always been the king of Sega Racing Games. You name 'em. Daytona USA, Virtua Racing, and Super GT. They created some acceptable racing games throughout the years mainly because of the gameplay and the multiple View Change Buttons. However, it becomes apparent that two of Sega's AM Departments have been competing for the "finest Sega Racing Game Creator there is". Such case would be Crazy Taxi. The task fell to the Taxi Cab concept, where you try to complete as many Taxi Cab Fares within a short amount of time. Crazy Taxi is different from other racing games as far as gameplay and controls are concerned. You drive the Taxi like you would in Real Life: You either reverse the direction of the car or just drive forward. The movements of the Taxi is responsive, and turning hard won't cause an understeer in the car, much of the reason why people have been dreading most of Sega's Racing Games. Even you go full speed, the controls are excellent. As with much of Toshihiro Nagoshi's racing products, the gas pedal and brakes have potentiometers which monitor how far you press them. Remember the higher the pressure, the more gas/brakes you will apply. But what sets Crazy Taxi apart from the common Sega Racing Game is that you need to pick up a customer and drop a customer up (to complete a Cab Fare) to places such as a Harbor, a Fila Department Shop, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, a Baseball Stadium, and Tower Records just to name a few of the many destinations you will be required to stop at throughout the game. Your key enemy in the game is the clock, which will pressure you continuously to complete a record amount of Cabbie Fares within a short amount of time. Also, to make things worse, the customers have their own time limit depending on the distance from the pick-up point to the Destination Point. Crazy Taxi is a demanding game because the Time Limit won't give you much time for error and you do have to find ways to get the customer to the destination area within the shortest possible time. You have to figure out the best driving pattern to get from start to destination. Even that means driving through sidewalks, using a Parking Lot to avoid a time-costly chicane, jumping from one grade to another, or the like. You obey road rules in real life, do you? This is not the case in Crazy Taxi as the clock requires you to perform driving stunts that you should never try in a real Taxi Cab for the best possible peformance and the shortest possible route from Pick-Up to Destination (and for a record-breaking amount of successful Customers in one game). The Sound Effects are fluid from the Cab's tire squeal to the Customer's remarks such as "HEY, WATCH IT!!!". The Alternative Music BGM may be the recipe to much of Crazy Taxi's impressive sound. Several American Bands have dedicated their voices and their albums to create a Generation X, Alternative Music Environment. The Animation is fluid and smooth, with only minimal slowdown in between the graphics. The Polygons are minimal, and the special effects are highly detailed in their full grace. Crazy Taxi is a fun game because the time limit forces you to perform stunts that you would never do in other racing games or in real life. Even though the game can be highly-challenging (mainly because you're pushed to complete as many fares within the time limit, which is the roots to the challenge and replay value of the game), it's well worth the $1.00 or so at your local arcade. Since Crazy Taxi runs under the affordable but as powerful as the Model 3 Step 2 Naomi System, it isn't restricted to high-end arcades like GameWorks, Jillian's, and Dave & Buster's. Crazy Taxi is definitely an event of Comic Relief for many players who have been dreading Sega Racing Games in the past. And BTW don't try any stunts that you will try in Crazy Taxi in a real Cab or you could get fired instantly. Graphics: 9/10 (Some slowdown in some cases, but the animation is still fluid) Sound: 9/10 (Enjoy the Alternative Music during Gameplay) Challenge: 10/10 (You're pushed to complete a record-breaking amount of fares in a short amount of time and you need to perform stunts that you shouldn't do in a real taxi cab to cut the amount of time required to drop Passengers from one place to another) Fun Factor: 10/10 (This could be the Sega Racing Game that could spell relief for many who has been dreading Sega's Understeer Roots and favor plenty of accidents in Racing Games) Replay Value: 9/10 (You choose your own outcome and you have to figure a lot of things out to shave off time from one fare to another) ======================================================================== HOW TO PLAY THIS GAME This section basically runs through the Instructions on the Cabinet and through GameSages (http://sages.ign.com). The objective of this game: To complete as many fares by picking up customers and dropping them off at their desired destination within a given amount of time, and to achieve a kick-ass amount of fares and sales at the end of the game. The Controls: Steering Wheel (used to steer your vehicle from left to right), Gas Pedal (gives the gas to Taxi so the vehicle can move), shifter (Forward and Reverse, shift depend on the direction you are going), and Brakes (used to cut your speed in a jiffy). When you see a customer who's ready for his/her ride, be sure to stop within the mark. The color of the Customer Mark depends on how far it will take from pick-up to drop-off. When you see a destination, stop within the mark. You will be graded on how long the fare took to complete, and depending on how fast or slow the fare was, you may be given a time bonus for the ever-ticking clock. When you pick up a customer, time will be extended. Here's how you will be graded during your "business game": * Speedy: 5 second time bonus. The customer will either pat you in your back, give you a high-five, or give you a remark that they have never reached their destination so fast in their life before. * Normal: 2 second bonus. Not as plentiful as a Speedy Fare but it's better than nothing. You can do better than this. The customers just thank you for dropping them off on time. * Slow: No time bonus, but you still get cash from the fare. The customer will kick your car, throw dust at you, and/or yell at you for being a "lousy driver". You need improvement. Next time, do better. * Bad (HORRIBLE): No time bonus, plus the customer will jump out of the car (even while you are moving). You get no time bonus and no money for this kind of performance. Next time, be fast and valorous. The initial amount of the fare depends on the distance from pick-up to drop-off. You can have your customers tip you by performing a stunt and/or action which is called a "Crazy Hit". Here's a description of the Crazy Actions you can perform during gameplay (note that the combo will reset if you touch a car): * Crazy Through: Pass through a car. * Crazy Drift: There are many ways to do a crazy drift, but the most common way to do a Crazy Drift is to shift to R, then hold D while turning. More on this as we go along. * Crazy Jump: Perform a daring jump from a ramp or whatever. Here are some techniques to learn in order to boost up your sales during your "Business Game": * Crazy Dash: Both pedals must be released. Now all you have to do is to do a quick D~Accel On. It takes time to master the timing but it's an easy technique to learn. * Crazy Drift: There are many ways to do a crazy drift, but the most common way to do a Crazy Drift is to shift to R, then hold D while turning. More on this during the Hints Page. * Limit Cut: At a straight line, release both pedals and then do a quick R~D~Accel On. This only works if your car is at max speed. More on this as we progress. * Crazy Backdash: Release both pedals, and then do a quick Crazy Dash~R. * Stop At A Dime: Do a Crazy Drift and then release the pedal. Do a quick R~Brake. Possibly the most difficult technique to master. Note: Don't do the Crazy Dash and the Limit Cut too quick otherwise you may jump high and you may be wasting a bit time, so try to give a second transition in between Crazy Dashes and Limit Cuts. Limit Cutting also redlines your engine and/or meshes up your torque so that your car can go faster. Enough said, let's get radical! ======================================================================== DRIVERS From a recent trip to Great Odyssey at Naperville, IL USA, proof is the drivers use different cabs. At first, I thought that the cabbies are identical. Later on, I found out that the cabbies have their strengths and weaknesses. Special thanks to PRISONER for stating that out. For a better description of the cabbies, please look up at the following pages: * http://www.tcp.com/~prisoner/taxi/game.html Axel ---- While Axel McDermott has not built his car to focus on a specific property, whether it's handling, speed, competency, quick stops, or the like, he has built his car for one purpose: balanced cabbie abilities. His car is quite fast, but it doesn't accelerate as well as Joe's or Gena's cab. Please keep in mind that Axel's cab is quite prone to unsurfaced areas and speed cuts even though Axel has built his cab for balanced abilities. Despite the speed cut and the tire reliability problem, Axel can rival Gena's hopes of creating record-breaking sales through the hands of the expert player. At first, I thought that Axel was to be an expert's player because his car doesn't focus on a single attribute but later on, finding out from Prisoner's and Kenshin's CT sites (http://www.tcp.com/~prisoner/taxi/ and http://come.to/crazytaxi respectively), beginners should make Axel their first choice since he's faster than Gus but more forgiving than either Joe or Gena. BD Joe ------ Joseph Blackson has built his car so that his car achieves speeds of at least 120 mph through normal driving. He can achieve speeds as high as 150 mph (approximately) through the use of limiter cuts. Joe has placed such a low downforce level on his car so that his car can achieve blatantly high top speeds but please be warned that this car tends to be slippery when sliding or driving through unpaved areas since Joe placed slippery whitewalls and about 30% downforce on the front and rear. Despite the downforce and tire problem, Joe can use the advantage of added speed he configured his cab to pick up green customers. You may want to try out B.D. Joe one time and try to pick up any sidewalk customers in between the Cable Car Stops: These people usually want a ride to either Pizza Hut, FILA, Popcorn Mania, The Original Levi's Store, Tower Records, or Kentucky Fried Chicken. A lot of Limit Cutting is required while driving on the pavement to make up for the slippery performance on the non-paved surfaces, and a lot of technical driving is required on certain curves. However, with the 30% downforce on his car, Joe can mesh up his cab's engine to a jiffy to go really fast. Gena ---- Gena Turner's car is probably the most nimble in the game. Deriving her cab from a 1964 Ford Mustang, Gena's car also has the most low-end torque, providing great acceleration. Crazy Dash after picking up someone and after dropping off to complete a fare to really get a kick out of her car's engine. Gena also placed four 32-bit Carbon Brakes on each wheel, providing confident braking so that she can pick up and drop off as fast as she can. Lighter weight also means impressive handling, though her top speed is less-than-perfect. However, Gena needs to be careful not to hit other vehicles and/or obstacles as her car's weight can't withstand a lot of abuse. Despite the lack of withstandment problem, as long as you learn how to do Crazy Recovers (combination of Crazy Dashes and Limit Cuts), then the low weight handicap shoudn't be a problem. Gus --- Gus Mancini's car is derived from an antique Cadillac, the smallest and heaviest form of Cadillacs in the history of General Motor Corporation's Cadillac Motor Division history. Granted, Gus has the heaviest and smallest car in the game so his car won't accelerate too well unless the player can do Crazy Dashes and Limit Cuts like crazy. What Gus really focuses on is hardcore handling. The front and rear downforce of his car is set at a robust 100% so that means you may need to be easy on the steering wheel at times. Even with the Caddy's weight problem, Gus has fitted 18-inch tires on the car so that the cab isn't slippery while handling or riding through unpaved surfaces. An old-fashioned Caddy like Gus's was tailored for driving competency rather than speed. With a curb weight of 4500 pounds, Gus's car does not stop too easily, so you may need to prepare to shift to R, Brake, and Gas-On in order to stop as quickly as you can. Even with the braking problem, the weight of Gus's car allows it to withstand a lot of abuse, even in crappy traffic conditions, and in arcades with traffic congestion levels set up so high. ======================================================================== THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW * Your starting point is at the University and you will see at least three customers waiting for their ride. Pick a customer up right away and try to drop them off the quicker the better. * Sometimes the green arrow does not point to the fastest route from starting point to destination, so the best way to become faster is to find ways to reduce travel times by a high margin. For example, if you are starting from the Kentucky Fried Chicken area and working your way towards the Police Station, then the best way to go faster is to travel right in the grass at the S-Curve, and when you get to the Railroad Hairpin, take a huge jump by descending down through the low road. * There is no need to obey road rules here in this game: The objective here is to get as many fares within the alloted Game Time. You can reduce time at the S-Curve by driving right through the grass if you are travelling from the Heliport Area to the Kentucky Fried Chicken Area. * The destination distance are graded by colored Money Signs from Green (Farthest) to Red (Nearest). Try to pick up as many Red Money Sign Customers as you can because even though you won't earn a high score for a short fare, you can build a steady amount of fares in one game by grabbing as many Red Money Sign Customers as you can. When you become better in the game, you can pick more Green Customers. * If you are planning to pick up a Green Money Sign Customer, then make sure you know the terrain that you are going before taking that risk. Although Green Money Sign Customers net the highest possible money for fare success, it can do more harm than help if you don't know what to do in a certain area. This is true when you are trying to travel from the Baseball Stadium Area to Downtown since you will need to use the Freeway for travel. If you get lost, chances are that you won't be able to complete the long fare. * Try to memorize the way you travelled from one place to another (i.e. from Pizza Hut to Kentucky Fried Chicken). Also, try to memorize how you got from one place to another the quickest possible way (i.e. From The Church to the Baseball Stadium). Not only will you play longer, but you will play better every game you play. * To make a "Crazy Stop", brake hard and shift the stick to Reverse. If you want to make a complete stop, then make sure that your foot is off the gas as you get the car to a complete stop. * Every time you do a crazy trick (through, jump, drift), you begin or continue a combo. Depending on how daring it is, you get more money. Specifically, the customer will tip a colored coin: * Bronze = $0.25 * Silver = $0.50 * Gold = $0.75 Dween thinks that there is no Dollar Coin but I have seen a $1.00 coin being tossed up. If you got a "50-Crazy Hit", then the Dollar Coin would be worth $50.00!!! Depending on how daring your travel becomes, sometimes the Gold Coin will be worth $1.00! * This coin is then multiplied by the combo number. So, a "Crazy Through (combo 10)" that nets a gold coin tip is worth $7.50. A Crazy Through scores basically like this: * Going with traffic, or passing a stopped car: .25 or .50 * Going against traffic: .50 or .75 The faster you're going, or the faster an opposing car is going vs. you, the more the tip is worth. * There are two good places to rack up on tips: #1: Going down the trolley hill, opposite side of the road. If you stay on opposing traffic side, between the trolley lane and the normal lane, you will get bigger tips. #2: Going on the expressway from the Stadium to Downtown, going against traffic. You will most likely pass large gas tankers. They score two tips! Passing the front end is worth whatever it is worth, and passing the back end is worth a bronze tip (.25). You can score 30 or 40 combos, with the passenger tossing $20 and $30 dollar tips. I have scored a $1,000+ fare this way. * Hint for the expressway: To ensure no collisions, stay between the lanes on that dark strip of road. * About combos: They start at 1 at the beginning of every passenger. They reset ONLY if you have a FRONT END collision. If you are hit from the side, it's ok! So when going down the large S-curve hill, or down the trolley hill, avoid cross traffic, but keep in mind they can hit you on the side with no combo-reset! * When the passenger is dropped off, they tip you based on your remaining time. Each one-second time measurement in thie Sega game has 60 parts - time is measured by one-sixtieth of a second (The technical term for 1/60 of 1 second is a "Jiffy"). When a customer is dropped off, you get $0.10 per Jiffy, or $6.00 for every FULL second of time left on their individual clock. So when you see "10" left on their clock, you will get $60.00, plus random change up to $5.90 for each jiffy left (that of course you don't see displayed). This roughly translates to $100.00 for every 16 seconds. * Dumb trick: Of course, pressing the start button while driving will display where you need to go, plus the distance left. But if you shift into Drive and hold the stick shift in the up position when picking up a passenger, the location and distance display remains on the screen until the stickshift is released. * If you fail to make a successful fare, then the fare will start out for free. You have to make some crazy hits in order to make the Fare worth something. If you can get the customer somewhere fast enough, then the Fare will be worth something, though the Fare Amount won't be that high. Remember the sooner you get the customer at their destination, the more money you will get for one fare. ======================================================================== THE DIP SWITCHES This section mainly explains the Game Options that will effect your playing habits throughout the game. In Crazy Taxi, the key DIP Switches are as follows: Starting Time Limit, Customer Time Limit, and Traffic Congestion. Staring Time Limit ------------------ This switch determines how much time you will start at the beginning of the game. The more seconds you are issued at the start of the game, the more room for error you will have as a beginner. Please keep in mind that higher staring times doesn't equate to better scores as your score depends on the style of your driving. The options are 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70. The factory setting (also known as the Default Setting) is 50 seconds. Note that it's adjustable to multiples of 5. Customer Time Limit ------------------- This switch determines how much of a time extension you will get after "picking someone up" and how much time you will be given to transport a customer from pick-up to destination point. There are 8 levels of Customer Time Limits. Level 1 is the easiest because you're given a lot of error while Level 8 is the hardest because you need to hussle if you want to go very far on this game. The factory setting for this is Level 4. Traffic Congestion ------------------ This switch determines how much traffic congestion there will be during the game. There are 8 levels of Traffic Congestion and the higher the level of congestion, the heavier the traffic will be. In Level 8, the traffic can become EXTREMELY CONGESTED so you really need to drive really carefully if the Traffic Congestion is set up rather high. The factory setting for this one is Level 4. Having the Traffic Congestion set to Level 6 is OK, but if I were the operator, I *personally* wouldn't set this one any higher than Levle 4. Author's desired settings ------------------------- Sit Down: Starting Time Limit at 65 seconds, Traffic Congestion at Level 4, Customer Time Limit at Level 4. Stand-Up: Starting Time Limit at 70 seconds, Traffic Congestion at Level 3, Customer Time Limit at Level 3. Default (Factory) Settings: Starting Time Limit at 50, Traffic Congestion at Level 4, Customer Time Limit at Level 4. ======================================================================== PLACES THAT YOU WILL BE DROPPING OFF AT Not a stranger to advertising, Sega has been given financial support from many famous organizations. Throughout the game you will be running through several familiar name brands and franchise corporations, in its usual entirety in a fantasy setting. Additional points were confirmed by Rex (rex_wai@yahoo.com). * Kentucky Fried Chicken * Pizza Hut * A Church * Heliport * Baseball Stadium * Tower Records Shop * Boarders Paradise * Police Station * Fire Station * FILA Department Store * Cable Car Stop Top and Bottom * Sail Street * Freshtree Street * A University * Tennis Court * Seaside Market * A Beach * A Hospital * Bus Terminal * Mall-N-Gate (Two Points) * Hotel * A Bank * Look-Out Tower If there are anymore destinations and/or destination fixes, please drop me a line with the subject of Crazy Taxi. ======================================================================== CAN'T MAKE A RECORD AMOUNT OF FARES? TRY THIS!! * Try to park near the customer. This is the case when you are going to pick up Yellow, Orange, or Red Customers since they have a large pick-up area. The farther you park, the longer it will take to have the ride start, and the more time you will be wasting (HEY!!! Can't you park a little closer?!). * Try not to scare off the customer. They will sway either left or right (HEY, HEY, HEY!!!) and once you stop, you will suffer heavy time loss since they have to dodge your car for their safety (WATCH IT!!!! YOU NEARLY KILLED ME!!!!!). So in this case, always try to avoid scaring a customer off when trying to pick them up. * When you are making your transition in between the Business District to the Bus Terminal, choose the High Speed Narrow Strips. These strips leave out ALMOST NO ROOM FOR ERROR. There's heavy traffic and if you crash, then you may lose a lot of time so drive really careful when you try to drive there. You can drive through the Technical Strip during the Transition, but you need to slow down in order to avoid hitting the wall at the Technical Strip. If you tilt a bus, then the fallen bus may block your way, wasting lots of time. You will need to back up and then try again just to get the bus out of your sight. * Green Customers have the most priority amongest all the customers. The order to pick someone up is outlined as Green -> Lime -> Yellow -> Orange -> Red. Reds travel the shortest while Greens travel the farthest. Remember, the farther you need to travel, the higher the fare value. To make a Green Trip become a quickie, all you need to do is to do Crazy Dashes and Limit Cuts with 95% accuracy. * Try to pick up the nearest customer. This way you won't have to worry about losing so much time on the clock. You will always have time extended on your clock and having some peace of mind when picking them up. * It's best to pick up customers who are willing to go to the direction TOWARDS the University since you can extend your gameplay this way. Remember abusing customers on two areas (overtaking greens at both the RB Station/Baseball Stadium/Downtown) may mean less customers and a longer time loss. Always take customers who will travel the farthest and their willingness to travel to the direction to the University. * Most customers will change colors. Be sure to take them ONLY if they are willing to travel the farthest possible. Some customers will be static. Save the static customers for later use--You'll need them if you run short on customers! * You can slam into crushable objects like Telephone booths to cut your speed down even more when commencing to drop customers off. Trying to Crazy Stop may take time and the best way to stop at the mark is to ease up as you are approaching the destination. This helps you avoid any occurrences of passing the stop mark by accident. * If you get stuck by the wall, then steer the car to the opposite farthest direction of the wall. Now change gears and slam into the brakes. This takes practice since higher speeds may take longer to get you out of a wall cling. * You should always be speedy in your fares, whether it's short or long. You will get lots of time for speedy fares. Also, your time will be extended every time you pick up a customer, so keep that in mind. * Find various shortcuts from one point of the city to another. For example, if you are going from the Popcorn Mania to the Kentucky Fried Chicken, you'll want to drive right into the Parking Lot to avoid a time-costly chicane and drive right through a walkway to shave off time. I know you can't do that in real-life but since Sega has given us their answer to Carmageddon (in a time-pressing manner), anything goes. * Always know the shortcuts if you have to make return trips. For example, if you are going to Kentucky Fried Chicken to the Heliport and back, then you would have to travel through the grass to save time as opposed to driving right through the S-Curve. Remember crazy speed involves cutting through corners like you have never did in a Sega Racing Game. * If you need to turn around, use either crazy slides (D-R-D, then turn the wheel hard) or watch the amount of gas you are feeding while turning the wheel. If you press the gas too hard while trying to launch the Cab after a stop, then you will only see Burnt Rubber and no real acceleration until you travel at a straight line. * After stopping, always do a Crazy Rocket. Not only this will result in faster fares, but this will make you a better player overall. Wheelspin will only waste time so avoid spinning the rear wheels at all costs. * Avoid contact with cars and stay away from Commercial Vehicles at all times. Contact with other cars will violently cut your speed down and Commercial Vehicles can force you into a violent stop. The cars can be knocked down (but they will lower your speed). However, they tend to get in your way so be sure to avoid them at all costs. * The best way to turn long trips into crazily fast fares is to abuse the Limiter Cut. Be careful that you do not do the Limiter Cut while on a rather *sharp* turn or you may lose control. * The advanced version of the Limiter Cut is to do a Crazy Dash, and then do a R~D~Gas-On, and then do another Crazy Dash. It's pretty much tap-tap-tap-tap, etc. The only way to see that you have done the Limit Cut correctly is to hear the engine roar REAL LOUD. * If you are in some turn in the middle of the Freeway, then try to stay at the extreme outside of the turn. Avoid Limit Cutting while scrapping the wall or you may lose control and possibly hit commercial vehicles by accident. * Really be careful if you are going too fast in areas with heavy traffic. The speed will more likely do more harm than help. If you are going in an area with sharp turns and heavy traffic, then don't go bonkers on Limit Cuts (THAT WAS TOO DANGEROUS!!!!!!!! DRIVE CAREFULLY!!!!!!). If you need to do limit cuts, the do them only on a straightaway and make sure that you cut the apex as much as you can. * Stay in total control of the car at all times. At higher level machines, you will need to watch your speed since the time limit and traffic shortage might compel you to drive technically and carefully. Remember being careful and cautious in heavy traffic situations is always good. ========================================================================