Zacabeb come.to/zacabeb

Stonetown
Type: NFS:HS track
Version: V2.01 (final)
Release date: December 3, 2000
Author: Zacabeb
Age rating: Suitable for all ages
Notes: This track was originally released through the website Mustang Motors.
Virus testing: Checked December 3, 2000 using
Norton AntiVirus, V6.10.20, with virus definition files dated November 27, 2000.
Please read the disclaimer before installation.


Table of Contents

Disclaimer
Description & contents of this ZIP file
Installation instructions & recommended settings
Authors notes & FAQ
Credits & Contacts
Troubleshooting


Disclaimer

While we have taken every precaution to ensure the quality of this ZIP file, we can not however guarantee that it or its contents are completely free from viruses, trojan horses or similar content. You are using this ZIP file and its contents at your own risk and we (the authors as listed at the end of this document) can not be held responsible if this ZIP file or any of its contents directly, or indirectly, causes the spreading of viruses, trojan horses or similar content, or causes any other kinds of problems such as loss or corruption of data, system or software crashes, hardware damage, or any consequential losses.

The contents of this ZIP file have been provided 'as is' and should not be perceived to be free from faults, errors, omissions, or flaws which might keep it from working properly. The contents are limited to the file(s) necessary and require a full version of the game for which the files are intended. It is assumed that the user has a legal issue of the game. The type of install made of the game, version, localization, and the presence of other files or patches which affect the appearence or functioning of the game may affect the functioning of the file(s) included.

This ZIP file may be freely copied and distributed, provided that

  1. Its entire contents, as listed in this readme file, including the readme file itself in its original form are included
  2. No modifications have been made to the files included without permission from the author
  3. The user of the contents of this file is the owner of a legal issue of the game for which these files are intended

The structure and implementation of the file(s) remain the property of the original copyright owner. The modifications have been made with the intention to enhance the game experience and should not be seen as an attempt at interfering with the intellectual rights and interests of the original copyright owner. All trademarks remain the property of their original owner(s).

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Description & contents of this ZIP file

Stonetown is a modification of Hometown, resembling a small stone-built town and its surroundings. The track retains the basic shape of the original, but has been edited some and contains a set of new textures and weather schemes.

This track is suitable for all ages. Please contact the author for more information on the ratings.

Tr.frd Track model
Tr0.qfs Track textures
Sky.qfs Horizon and chrome textures
Tr.ini
TrW.ini
TrN.ini
TrNW.ini
Weather and fog data
T10.qfs Video wall (optional)
T10_00.qfs Loading screen (optional)
text.eng Modified frontend text (optional, works only with English language versions of the game)
readme.htm
readme.txt
this readme file in HTML and text versions

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Installation instructions & recommended settings

This track replaces Hometown. In case you already have an edited track installed, copy the original 'Need for Speed High Stakes / Data / Tracks / Hometown folder' from the game CD-ROM into the 'Need for Speed / Data / Tracks /' folder on your hard drive before you proceed. Make a backup of the old Hometown folder if you wish to keep the old track.

In order to install the track, copy or move the files inside to the associated folders (note that the game folder might be named differently in local versions of the game):

File Destination Status
Tr.frd
Tr0.qfs
Sky.qfs
Tr.ini
TrW.ini
TrN.ini
TrNW.ini
Need for Speed High Stakes / Data / Tracks / Hometown /    Required
T10.qfs Need for Speed High Stakes / Data / FeArt / VidWall /    Optional
T10_00.qfs Need for Speed High Stakes / Data / FeArt / Slides /    Optional
text.eng Need for Speed High Stakes / Data / Text /    Optional, works only with English language versions of the game

Then start the game as usual. Although this track should work with any game settings, the following settings are recommended for the best visual quality:

Fog On (or) Track Only
Horizon On
Z-buffer On

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Authors notes & FAQ

Do I have to replace Hometown?
You must replace one of the original tracks when installing an edited track, there is no way of adding tracks to the list. Normally this track should replace Hometown since that's the track from which Stonetown was made. There are several files from the original Hometown on which Stonetown depends which need to be in the same folder. You can replace any track so long as you first copy all of the files from the Hometown folder on your Need for Speed: High Stakes CD-ROM into the desired track folder on your hard disk, and then install the Stonetown files in the same folder. Another way is to make a copy of the orignal Hometown folder to another place on your hard disk, and swap places with the one containing Stonetown whenever you want to race the original Hometown.

Is Stonetown based on an actual place?
Stonetown was not based on any actual locale but there is indeed a Stonetown in real life; St. Marys in Ontario, Canada. While it may bear little resemblence to this track it is a beautiful town, and like this track, full of stonebuilt buildings. For more info on St. Marys you can visit the Stonetown web portal at www.stonetown.com or stonetown.on.ca

What's new since the first version of Stonetown?
Several bug fixes to such things as texture orientation and modeling in the lower detail track models have been made, plus some more of the original textures have been replaced with new ones. There are also some enhancements made to the textures found in the first version of Stonetown. Finally, new chrome has been made for the track with a more subtle reflection map.

Why has it taken so long to make this track edit?
Since this is my first edited track for NFS:HS it meant plenty of experimentation and tweaking as I learnt what is and what is not possible to accomplish. Making the textures also took alot of time since I wanted the visuals to appear as realistic as possible. This meant many of the textures had to be tweaked and redesigned to look their best.

Are all the new textures original work?
Yes, all of the new textures were made especially for Stonetown using Paint Shop Pro 5.0 and 6.0. Some of the work on the roadsigns was made in Adobe Photoshop before the Stonetown project began. All of the new textures are synthetic; no photographs were used. The picture in the loading screen and VidWall is from the game but has been touched up in Paint Shop Pro to look better.

What's wrong with the sun? It moves across the horizon as I turn...
Well, this is a limitation to the game engine. To save processing power, the horizon is rendered as a plane rather than part of a sphere. Hence, it does not relate properly to the rest of the track which unfortunately shows as the sun moves in the view. If you find this distracting, you can minimize the effect by setting the View Angle option to Narrow.

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Credits & Contacts

John Arnstrom (Zacabeb) Conceptual design, modeling and artwork
James Smith Additional conceptual design
EA Studios Original Hometown (Oakville) modeling and artwork


If you have any comments or questions regarding these files, please contact one of the following people:

Name Matter e-mail ICQ
John Arnstrom (Zacabeb) all queries johnarn@hem.passagen.se 44125918

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Troubleshooting

There is no trobleshooting guide for this file.

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