BRAVO AIR RACE: GAME GUIDE by Jamie Stafford/Wolf Feather FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM Initial Version Completed: January 26, 2003 FINAL VERSION Completed: February 16, 2003 ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== JOIN THE FEATHERGUIDES E-MAIL LIST: To be the first to know when my new and updated guides are released, join the FeatherGuides E-mail List. Go to http://www.coollist.com/group.cgi?l=featherguides for information about the list and to subscribe for free. ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== CONTENTS Spacing and Length Permissions Introduction Rules Circuits General Tips Contact Information ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== SPACING AND LENGTH For optimum readability, this driving guide should be viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier. Check for font setting by making sure the numbers and letters below line up: 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ============================================== PERMISSIONS This guide may ONLY be posted on FeatherGuides, GameFAQs.com, PSXCodez.com, F1Gamers, Cheatcc.com, Absolute- PlayStation.com, InsidePS2Games.com, RedCoupe, gamesover.com, CheatPlanet.com, The Cheat Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru, GameReactors.com, cheatingplanet.com, vgstrategies.com, CheatHeaven, IGN, hellzgate, Games Domain, RobsGaming.com, ps2fantasy.com, and neoseeker.com. Permission is granted to download and print one copy of this game guide for personal use. Remember: Plagiarism in ANY form is NOT tolerated!!!!! ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== INTRODUCTION Bravo Air Race is a VERY short airplane-racing game: twelve airplanes and only four circuits means that players will likely not be spending a lot of time with Bravo Air Race. However, this game is definite a fun occasional diversion from other games, so it is definitely well worth keeping in the game collection to play from time to time, especially when one wants a 'fast, quick, simple' game to play or one does not have a lot of time to get into a long race, a role- playing game, etc. Unfortunately, however, Bravo Air Race suffers somewhat significantly from a 'lack' of circuits. With only four circuits presented in Bravo Air Race, there is really not a lot available to 'explore' - especially since the game's circuits are VERY 'linear,' with NO room for diverging off the flight line to better explore an area. Some of the circuits do have one or two (very) minor shortcuts, and all four of the game's circuits also have a few power-ups available, but that is the extent of the circuits' features. However, the environments of the four circuits are quite compelling - perhaps not entirely realistic, but definitely quite compelling nonetheless. The graphics in Bravo Air Race are highly reminiscent of the early Tomb Raider games - especially the beginning of Tomb Raider II (in China) when flying through the caves at the Mountain circuit - in terms of how the textures are rendered and presented. However, the sounds are even better than the early Tomb Raider games, although it is rather intriguing that when participating in a race, all eleven competitors have the EXACT same voice when they make comments over the radio!!!!! Overall, Bravo Air Race is an interesting game... for a very, very, VERY short period of time; for most players, the novelty of the game will wear away in about an hour, or perhaps even less. Except perhaps for the youngest of gamers, there is virtually no replay value. This game is fun, however, and thus can be very nice to return to on occasion (perhaps every two or three weeks) for a quick run through the game. As such, Bravo Air Race is definitely a nice game to keep in one's gaming collection despite the lack of routine gameplay; in other words, this will definitely not see nearly as much use as, say, Gran Turismo 2 or Final Fantasy X. ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== RULES There are a few rules to keep in mind while racing in Bravo Air Race: 1.) Hitting anything just slightly will slow the airplane's progress. Hitting anything head-on will destroy the airplane. Hitting other airplanes (except in Time Attack Mode, as the player is alone on the circuit) could potentially slow both airplanes. 2.) In ALL gameplay modes, the player must complete three laps of each circuit before the countdown timer expires. The countdown timer will be raised by a preset value each time the player flies through a Checkpoint. The timer can also be raised by two seconds for successfully completing a barrel roll maneuver (using any of the shoulder buttons on the controller). 3.) Obviously, once the race or Time Attack Mode has begun, the ground is no longer a 'safe' place, as the airplane cannot land during gameplay. Similarly, there is a 'ceiling' to the game. While going above this 'ceiling' will not damage the airplane, the CPU will momentarily seize control, slow the aircraft, and bring it back within the available flying lane. Note that on some circuits, there APPEARS to be plenty of room to swing wide of the actual flying lane, but this area is treated as a 'ceiling' as well. These 'ceilings' are considered as Course Outs by the CPU. 4.) The flying lane is indicated by a continuous series of semi-transparent blue 'bubbles' floating in the air. There are also various signs indicating corners, as well as where the circuit changes significantly in elevation, and where the circuit narrows. 5.) Bravo Air Race includes three power-up icons. Each is a semi-transparent 'bubble' with a letter on it: a.) D: Attaining this icon is not advised, as the player's airplane will experience a sudden, momentary loss of speed. This is the equivalent of severe braking in an auto racing game. b.) S: Flying through this 'bubble' will give the player's aircraft a momentary boost in speed. This is similar to engaging the turbo on a car. c.) T: Grabbing this power-up will add five seconds to the countdown timer. 6.) As mentioned above, successfully executing a barrel roll (using any of the shoulder buttons on the controller) will add two seconds to the countdown timer. However, there are a few issues to remember here: a.) At the beginning of a race, the player will have ample time to execute a barrel roll before crossing the Start/Finish Line to officially begin the first lap. However, any barrel rolls completed or begun during this time will not award any time on the countdown timer, as it does not officially start until the first lap officially begins. b.) Hitting anything - even the highly-forgiving branches of trees - while executing the barrel roll will invalidate that attempt to add time to the countdown timer. c.) For the purposes of attaining the extra two seconds on the countdown timer, any Course Outs (i.e., 'ceilings') while performing a barrel roll are treated as collisions. If a barrel roll is in progress during a Course Out, the CPU will seize control and first attempt to right the aircraft before bringing it back into the flying lane. ============================================== CIRCUITS There are four circuits in Bravo Air Race, each using a different type of environment. Interestingly, all feature a highly enthusiastic crowd of spectators, whether participating in a race or taking on Time Attack Mode. Mountain This circuit is designated 'easy,' but that will still greatly depend upon the chosen airplane's maneuvering capabilities. The circuit takes place primarily between mountain peaks, but there are rocky tunnels and a mountaintop city to challenge competitors. The corners are not very tight, and the horizontal flight path is somewhat wide compared to the other circuits. South City Despite the name of this circuit, it is not a 100% urban venue. It is also best to NOT use the roadway below as a guide, as there are times when the roadway diverges from the flying lane; any attempts to follow the roadway in these cases will result in a Course Out. South City has plenty of bridges as well as 'cut-outs' in some buildings to keep players challenged. It is VERY easy to inadvertently perform a Course Out at the first major drop in elevation, shortly after leaving South City itself. While the waterway section is rather straightforward and somewhat wide, there is not too much of a vertical flying area here, so it is quite easy to create a Course Out or to hit the river below. After passing through a tunnel, the flight lane emerges over a beach, and eventually rejoins the roadway and returns to South City itself. However, once in the city, there are still many challenges before completing a lap of this circuit. Snow Land Just beyond the Start/Finish Line, the player must fly up over a mountain cliff, between two mountain peaks, and then descend. After this, the flight path is relatively easy to follow and not very tricky, although there is a snow bridge near the ground. Once through the short ice tunnel, the circuit descends quickly through a snow tunnel; this descent is very difficult to spot due to the vast amount of whiteness in the area, so the player can expect to destroy the aircraft on the side or roof of the snow tunnel at the entry until this section of the circuit is committed to memory. Shortly beyond the snow tunnel is the Checkpoint. Shortly beyond that is a long ice tunnel which continually curves from side to side. Once out of this ice tunnel, the flight path follows a river and widens significantly; there are a few snow bridges and signs here to provide obstacles. Eventually, the player must fly over a cliff and make a quick descent through another snow tunnel and rejoin the river. Once the raceway leaves the river, the ceiling is VERY low, even as the player must fly over obstacles and toward another ice cave. This ice cave is a bit shorter than the previous ice cave, but does contain several semi-tight corners. This ice cave opens onto the initial runway and the Start/Finish Line. Canyon This is listed as the most difficult circuit in Bravo Air Race. While there are many more twists and turns in this circuit and many narrower sections overall compared to the other circuits in the game, it is not really 'difficult' so long as the player is using a fairly maneuverable airplane and has some fast reflexes. The opening segment of the circuit has many corners, all of which are easy to see and are not really very difficult; what may be difficult is that each corner quickly flows into the next corner. The circuit then briefly follows a green-colored river, flies through a narrow rock tunnel, then comes back out over the river into an area which looks like ancient ruins; it is imperative to avoid the standing columns and the arches over the river in this section. The final arch is the Checkpoint. Beyond the Checkpoint, the flight line descends into an area deep within the canyon, so almost everything is dark due to the shadows here; clear visibility is rare in this section, so an excellent memory of the layout of this section of the circuit is key to success overall. This is fortunately a relatively brief section, as the flight line then ascends and follows the green-colored river once again. After a few easy-to-spot corners, the flight path heads directly toward a waterfall. In a most unrealistic section of the circuit, the flight path goes THROUGH the waterfall, through a water-filled tunnel in the canyon wall, and through a waterfall on the other side to follow yet another green-colored river briefly before rejoining the ground below. After several more twists and turns in the flight line, the circuit returns to the Start/Finish Line. ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== GENERAL TIPS For those unaccustomed to flying games, it is important to remember that the Up and Down buttons on the D-pad have the inverse effect upon the movement of the aircraft. In other words, pressing the Up button will cause the aircraft to descend, while pressing the Down button will cause the airplane to climb in elevation. It may help to think of the D-pad's Up and Down buttons as directly affecting the nose of the plane. In other words, pressing the Up button is like placing one's hand on the top of the nose to force it downward, and vice versa. The player should never try to fly too high or stray to either side of the immediate flight line. Doing such will result in a Course Out, slowing the player's progress as the CPU seizes control and returns to player to the flight line. As a general rule, the player should never attempt to fly higher than the tallest mountain, building, etc., on either side of the flight line. To fly higher than these side markers risks incurring a Course Out. The player should look for the word 'Caution' on the screen when participating in a race (i.e., when not in Time Attack Mode). If the word 'Caution' appears, this means that there is at least one airplane ahead in close proximity to the player. This is important to note, as the other aircraft can often be tricky to see - either due to its coloring compared to the surroundings, and/or due to shadows or dark tunnels and caves. ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== CONTACT INFORMATION For questions, rants, raves, comments of appreciation, etc., or to be added to my e-mail list for updates to this driving guide, please contact me at: FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM; also, if you have enjoyed this guide and feel that it has been helpful to you, I would certainly appreciate a small donation via PayPal (http://www.paypal.com/) using the above e-mail address. To find the latest version of this and all my other PSX/PS2/DC/Mac game guides, visit FeatherGuides at http://feathersites.angelcities.com/ ============================================== ============================================== ============================================== ======================================================================= Wolf Feather Jamie Stafford ======================================================================= Just as there are many parts needed to make a human a human, there's a remarkable number of things needed to make an individual what they are. - Major Kusanagi, _Ghost in the Shell_ ======================================================================= What isn't remembered never happened. - _Serial Experiments Lain_ =======================================================================