Game available at https://archive.org/details/STUNTS_VGA

Documentation available at https://archive.org/details/stunts-manual

Full text of "Stunts Manual" and 2 interviews with Kevin Pickell are below.


STUNTS BY DISTINCTIVE SOFTWARE, THE DEVELOPERS OF TEST DRIVE(TM) & THE DUEL:
TEST DRIVE II(TM)


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
----------------

Designed by Brad Gour, Kevin Pickell, Don Mattrick & Rob Martyn
Programmed by Kevin Pickell
Package and Documentation Design by Nancy Morris
Marketing by Sophie Kim
Documentation Written by Rob Martyn
Additional Programming by Rick Friesen & Brad Gour
Graphics by Mike Smith, David Adams, Nicola Swain & Kevin Pickell
Sound by Kris Hatlelid, Michael Sokyrka
Project Managed by Brad Gour
Produced by Rob Martyn

Special Thanks to Judy Barnett & Kathleen Jones, Ann Kronen, David Kessler,
Oliver Fellguth and the Broderbund QA Department, DSI QA Department, Ed
Badasov, Maia Stangeland, and Broderbund Technical Support.

Stunts is a trademark of Broderbund Software, Inc.

All company and vehicle names contained herein are registered trademarks of
their respective companies.

"Test Drive" and "The Duel: Test Drive II" are trademarks of Accolade, Inc.

(C) Copyright 1990 Broderbund Software, Inc. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ILLEGAL COPIES OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The software you are using was produced through the efforts of many people:
designers, artists, programmers, distributors, retailers, and other dedicated
professionals. The costs of developing this and other software programs are
recovered through software sales. The unauthorized duplication of personal
computer software raises the cost to all legitimate users.

This software is protected by federal copyright laws. Copying software for any
reason other than to make a backup is a violation of law. Individuals who make
unauthorized copies of software may be subject to civil and criminal penalties.

Broderbund Software, Inc., as a member of the Software Publisher's Association
(SPA), supports the industry's effort to fight the illegal copying of personal
computer software.

Report copyright violation to:

SPA
1101 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 901
Washington, DC 20036


TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------

INTRODUCTION ............................. 1 (line 85)

BEGINNING PLAY ........................... 2 (line 103)

DRIVING THE COURSE ....................... 3 (line 127)

THE STUNTS ............................... 5 (line 203)

CHOOSE YOUR CAR .......................... 7 (line 282)

USE THE REPLAY CAMERA .................... 9 (line 375)

THE OPPONENTS ........................... 12 (line 513)

BUILDING YOUR TRACK ..................... 13 (line 558)

WARRANTY ................................ 17 (line 745)


INTRODUCTION
------------

Welcome to the proving ground. This is the place where you can really feel the
difference between good cars and the world's finest cars; where 55 isn't the
limit, it's just getting started; where every driver wants a "cherry," and
"lemons" don't even get to play. And it's no place for a driver who's too timid
to get it up to 100 MPH on the loop, afraid to take the pipe upside down, or
scared of a little "friendly" competition.

The "Stunts" proving ground has two features that make it like no other in the
world. It can be built almost any way you want it. And each track can be
filled with fun, exciting and destructive stunts that can smash your car to
pieces in a matter of seconds. So if you want to take a car around the track,
you have to have the guts to get up to speed and the restraint to keep from
going over the edge. Don't forget to buckle up.


BEGINNING PLAY
--------------

See the included Reference Card to find out about how to load the game onto
your hard disk, or how to play from floppy disks.

Your Reference Card will also include information on how to control your car,
as well as the conventions of using the keyboard, mouse or joystick throughout
the game.

Once you are on the main screen, you can begin driving immediately on the
standard track by clicking on the car in the center of the screen. To select a
new track, or create your own, select the sign labeled "Track," then see page
13 for instructions on how to use the Track Editor. If you'd like to change the
car you're driving, select the sign labeled "Auto," then see page 7 for
descriptions of your possible car selections. If you'd like to race against an
opponent, rather than race against the clock, select the sign labeled
"Opponents," then see page 12 for descriptions of your competition. Choose
"Option" to return to DOS desktop or to see a list of options available
throughout the game. See the Reference Card for more information about these
options, which include setting the graphic level/animation rate, changing
background scenery and loading replays, along with sound and input settings.


DRIVING THE COURSE
------------------

DRIVING TIME

Each track has its own "Best Times" listing, found on the track selection
screen. Your goal is to be on it. Your real goal is to be on the top of it. Of
course, you'll have to finish the course to even have a time.

The "Best Times" list will show your name, the car you drove to achieve your
time, the opponent you raced (if any), and the time it took you to complete the
course (including penalty time, if any).

Some tracks will have forks in the road, giving you choices of how to complete
the track. Be forewarned that not all fork paths lead to the end of the race;
you might do well to preview a track before racing it (see page 13 under "Track
Editor"). In addition, previewing might give you a better idea of what kind of
car is best suited to the track.

You'll find that some paths of the track might be shorter than others, but the
difficulty of stunts along those paths may make them more time consuming than
they look, as well as more dangerous.

Ways to improve your best time include trying different cars on each path, as
well as different paths through each track.

PENALTY TIME

Those drivers inclined to improve their times by skipping stunts should take
note - the track knows who cheats. After each race, you'll be assessed "Penalty
Time" for those portions of track (including stunts) which you missed. You're
allowed to swerve off the track now and then, but missing wholesale lengths of
tracks or entire stunts will cost you dearly.

The amount of penalty time you accrue will depend on several factors. Missing a
jump or corkscrew will cost you more penalty time than missing three pieces of
regular track.

If you stray off the track, you'll see arrows directing you back onto the track
in the proper direction. If you get on the track going in the wrong direction,
you'll be told that you're driving the wrong way.

You'll only be assigned penalty time when you begin driving on the track again.
You may stray off the track and inadvertently cross other pieces without
penalty.

QUALIFYING FOR A "BEST TIME"

In order to qualify for a best time, the track you drive on must meet some
qualifications. The track must be one of the tracks saved on your disk or hard
drive (in other words, you must be able to select it in the Track Editor under
"More Tracks"), and the course you drive must exactly match the course saved
under the same name. This means you cannot jump into a race from the replay, or
drive a course only available in the replay and appear on the "Best Times" list
unless that course is also available in your Track Editor.

DISABLING THE SECURITY SYSTEM

If, when you begin driving, you crash for no apparent reason and receive a
message alluding to the security system, you have failed the copy protection.
Please check the manual for the appropriate answers.

TIPS FOR A FASTER TIME

Become familiar with the handling of your car. Each vehicle has a different
ability to grip the road, and a different point in turning at which it will
spin out. Know that line.

Don't be seduced by the faster cars. Speed counts, but some courses make you
pay for your speed in off-road time and crashes.

Don't be afraid to try different cars. While all the vehicles behave
differently, they can all be mastered. Some track designs will call for
different kinds of cars, so go ahead and try them out.


THE STUNTS
----------

THE PIPE

Avoid the cement blocks by running up the sides of the pipe. Just make sure
you're back on the ground by the time you come out. Your initial inclination
will probably be to steer hard to one side or the other, but that path is
likely to put you into a spin. Slow, steady progress up the side is the best
plan. In the off-road vehicles, don't climb too high on the wall. Just see if
you can stay out of the way of the cement.

THE JUMP

You'll need to gather speed for this, but don't overrun the down ramp, or your
bumpy landing may cost you time. Best speed is between 90 and 130 MPH. Yes, you
can hit the cables and crash.

THE CORKSCREW

You can go as fast as your traction holds, but you must be going at least 60
MPH in order to get through this stunt. If you keep flying out the end, try
slowing down.

THE SLALOM

Although the LM-002 may (or may not) be able to run through these cement blocks
(we wouldn't recommend it), you will likely have better luck with a tight
cornering car. Each vehicle will have a different optimum speed for this, and
your stunt driving ability will have a lot to do with it as well.

THE LOOP

No, speeding up to 140 MPH for this won't help you get through it. The key is
control while you are driving through the loop. Less than 60 MPH may cause you
to fall out at the peak, while more than 110 MPH will probably shoot you out
the side at escape velocity. You'll probably want to steer right very gently as
you go through this.

THE ELEVATED ROADS

Standard suspended bridges come in two flavors: translucent for those who wish
to see what they're driving over, and opaque for those who are afraid of
heights.

While a straight bridge is no trouble at all, watch out for suspended curves;
they come up quickly and have a maximum speed of about 50 MPH.

THE SPIRAL

Reminiscent of the spiral parking garage ramp. 50 MPH should be acceptable if
you've practiced. They really are only one 360 degree turn, although they seem
like forever when you go through them.

THE TUNNEL

When this stunt is isolated, any car can negotiate it. However, it can be
particularly dangerous after an icy curve. The best car for this stunt depends
on what cruelty was in the mind of the track creator,

THE BOULEVARD

One side or the other should work; avoid driving straight.

THE BANKS

The straightaways are relatively simple; just stay on them. The curves are a
little more dangerous. Depending on your vehicle, you'll want to keep at a
maximum of 90 MPH or so. Again, be careful not to oversteer; it's easy to miss
large chunks of road on banked curves and incur high time penalties.

THE OTHER SURFACES

Indy and Formula One tracks are not made of dirt. Take one of these cars out on
a dirt track to find out why. Dirt and ice tracks are the home of the off-road
vehicles, but some of the road cars will work fairly well on this type of track
too. We leave it to you to find out which.


CHOOSE YOUR CAR
---------------

When you choose to select a car, you'll see a screen displaying the current
car, an acceleration curve (showing how quickly the displayed vehicle
accelerates), some statistics on the car (including top speed and suggested
retail price), and a set of buttons.

Select DONE if you wish to drive the displayed car exactly as shown. Select
NEXT or LAST to cycle through the eleven available cars. You will be shown one
car at a time; continue using these buttons until the desired car is displayed.
Select COLOR if you wish to change the color of the car. Select the AUTO/MANUAL
button to toggle between automatic transmission and manual transmission;
whichever mode is displayed when you select DONE is what you'll be driving.

Once you select DONE, we'll truck your selected vehicle out to the track, then
leave the driving to you. You'll be returned to the Main Menu. You then can get
to the track by selecting "Let's Drive".

RACING CARS

You'll find these cars in Indianapolis and Daytona, at Le Mans and Detroit
driving in the Prototype and Indy-type races. Burn it up on the straightaways
and get great ground effects in the tunnels, but watch for slippery road and be
ready to decelerate quickly.

PORSCHE MARCH INDY

Rear-mounted engine; Rear-wheel drive; Dual overhead cam V-8, 2649 cc, 720 HP
turbo engine; 0-60 2.3 seconds; Top speed: 230 MPH; Price $420,000.

JAGUAR XJR9 IMSA

Rear-mounted engine; Rear-wheel drive; Dual overhead cam Flat 6, 3500 cc, 520
HP turbo engine; 0-60 2.9 seconds; Top speed: 215 MPH; Price $325,000.

PORSCHE 962 IMSA

Rear-mounted engine; Rear-wheel drive; dual overhead cam Flat 6, 3500 cc 525 HP
turbo engine; 0-60 2.8 seconds; Top speed: 215 MPH; Price $275,000.

ROAD CARS

Just your everyday type of vehicle. You might see one of these on the road.
Perhaps you even drive one yourself.

LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH

Mid-mounted engine; Rear-wheel drive; Dual overhead cam V-12, 5162 cc, 420 HP
engine; 0-60 4.7 seconds; Top speed: 183 MPH; Price $150,000.

ACURA NSX

Mid-mounted engine; Rear-wheel drive; Dual overhead cam V-6, 3000 cc, 270 HP
engine; 0-60 5.2 seconds; Top speed: 165 MPH; Price $60,000.

FERRARI GTO

Mid-mounted engine; Rearwheel drive; Dual overhead cam V-8, 2855 cc, 394 HP
turbo engine; 0-60 4.7 seconds; Top speed: 190 MPH; Price $74,000.

PORSCHE CARRERA 4

Rear-mounted engine; 4-wheel drive; Single overhead cam Flat 6, 3600 cc, 250 HP
engine; 0-60 5.8 seconds; Top speed: 161 MPH; Price $69,500.

CORVETTE ZR-1

Front-mounted engine; Rear wheel drive; Dual overhead cam V-8, 5727 cc, 375 HP
engine; 0-60 4.9 seconds; Top speed: 172 MPH; Price $50,000.

OFF-ROAD VEHICLES

The Lancia and Audi are well-known in Europe for their many successful
appearances in off-road rallies. The Lamborghini was designed for military use.
While this model doesn't launch rockets, it may drive like one.

LANCIA DELTA INTEGRALE

Front-mounted engine; 4-wheel drive; Dual overhead cam 16v, 1995 cc, 200 HP
engine; 0-60 6.1 seconds; Top speed: 137 MPH; Price $40,700

AUDI QUATTRO

Front-mounted engine; 4-wheel drive; Dual overhead cam INLINE-5, 2133 cc, 220
HP engine; 0-60 6.1 seconds; Top speed: 145 MPH; Price $60,000.

LAMBORGHINI LM-002

Front-mounted engine; 4-wheel drive; Dual overhead cam V-12, 5167 cc, 444 HP
engine; 0-60 7.7 seconds; Top speed: 126 MPH; Price $120,000.


USE THE REPLAY CAMERA
---------------------

You can record up to 10 minutes of driving in the video replay. If you take
longer than 10 minutes to complete a course, you'll be interrupted while
driving with a query whether you want to review your race so far or continue
driving. If you review, you'll be allowed to return to your race with no
penalty (if you continue from the point at which you stopped). If you choose
not to review your race, every 20 seconds that you continue driving beyond the
prompt will erase 20 seconds of saved replay from the beginning of your race.

THE REPLAY PANEL

REWIND/FAST FORWARD

Use the "Rewind" button to set the Replay Camera to any point in the race. As
you rewind, you'll notice the counter moving backwards in time. Once you
release the "Rewind" button, there will be a slight delay while the computer
locates that exact point in the race. Once you have brought up the desired
point in the race, you can either watch your performance ("Play") or assume
control of the car from that point, driving to the end of the race (See
"Continue Driving" on page 11).

Once you have rewound, you can use the "Fast Forward" button to move to a point
later in the replay in much the same way.

PLAY

"Play" lets you view the race you just finished. While in play mode (or while
paused), you can change the camera view, as well as the manual camera angle.
Press "R" to show or hide the Replay Panel; press "D" to show or hide the
dashboard.

FAST PLAY

"Fast Play" allows you to move through the replay at a faster speed, while
still seeing your driving performance. This button is useful for cueing up a
particular spot in your race. You can also change the camera mode while in this
viewing mode.

CAMERA SELECTION

Press "C" to move between the different camera views. You can do this either
while in "Play" or "Stop" mode.

Inside the Car: This option gives you the same perspective you had while
driving the race. Press "R" to remove the Replay panel, and relive the moment
completely.

Overhead Camera: This option allows you to view your race from a position
directly above your vehicle. This view is particularly useful if you crashed
and burned and have no clue why it happened.

Track Cams: Get the feeling of the raceway from the Track Cams, automatically
placed by the computer at strategic points throughout every track. Watch
yourself race as if you were one of the crowd.

Manual Settings: Using this option, you can set the camera at any angle. Click
on the buttons to pan or zoom if you are using a mouse or joystick. See the
reference card for keyboard controls.

THE MENU

RETURN TO REPLAY

Use this choice to erase the menu and move the cursor back to the main Replay
panel.

RETURN TO EVALUATION

Choose this to review your evaluation (time, penalty, speed, opponent's
judgment of your performance, etc.). Once you leave the replay, this
information disappears, so if you have any questions, better check NOW.

RE-START DRIVING

This selection allows you to immediately begin the race again, using the same
track, same car and same opponent (if any). Your replay and evaluation will be
erased.

CONTINUE DRIVING

This option will only be highlighted if you have previously set the replay to a
point in the race (using the "Rewind" button). You may then assume control of
the car and complete the race; the replay of your initial race from this point
forward will be erased and replaced with this completion of the race. Once you
have completed the race a second time, you can view your driving performance
from start to finish as if it were one continuous race. You will not, however,
be able to enter an "edited" race on the "Best Times" list.

LOAD REPLAY

View any saved replay using this option. When you choose this selection, you'll
be given a list of replays in the current directory. Highlight the desired
replay using the cursor keys and press "Enter" to load. You can then use the
regular Replay Panel to view the replay as you normally would.

SAVE REPLAY

When your crash and burn is awe-inspiring, you can save it to show your friends
(or yourself) later. When you choose this option, you'll be prompted to insert
a name for the file. It will be saved in the same directory as "Stunts" as a
".rpl" file. WARNING: Selecting any option but this (or "Return to Replay")
will erase your replay unless it has been saved.

DISPLAY OPTIONS

Hide/Show Dashboard: At any point in the replay, you can remove the dashboard
from the screen or make it reappear by selecting this item. This feature is
also available by pressing "D" on the keyboard during the replay (or while you
drive).

Hide/Show Replay Panel: Like the command above, this menu item toggles the
display of the replay panel on and off. Press "R" to access this feature from
the keyboard.

Change Camera Angle: This option operates from the menu to change the camera
angle as described on page 10 under camera selection.

Change Graphic Level: This option changes the trade-off of how quickly your
screen refreshes versus how far away you can see. If this is confusing, just
choose this option (or press "CTRL-G" while driving) until you're comfortable
with how the game is displayed.

TOGGLE CAR VIEW

This item will only be available when you are racing against an opponent
(rather than just against the clock). It will allow you to toggle between
watching yourself run the race and watching your opponent. You can watch one
car run the entire race, or you can toggle at a specific point in time within
the race to view comparative positions on the course.

MAIN MENU

This option brings you back to the main menu, where you can select any area of
the game - tracks, opponents or cars.


THE OPPONENTS
-------------

If you'd like to see if you're up to the caliber of other drivers around, you
can choose to race any one at a time. Each has different abilities and areas of
expertise; a driver's best time will vary with the type of course and car
chosen.

When you're racing against an opponent, you'll need to know where they are on
the track. Whenever an opponent is within 50 feet of you, you'll see an
indicator appear on your screen. This will show his or her position relative to
you. Of course, if they blow by you, you'll be able to see their tail lights
and smell their exhaust.

"SQUEALIN" BERNIE RUBBER

The worst driver at the proving ground (except maybe you). Once you've beaten
him...well...you're just getting started.

HERR OTTO PARTZ

This European driver has trouble with aerial stunts or elevated road, but could
blow your doors off on flat track.

"SMOKIN'" JOE STALLIN

Be sure to make up ground on the straightaways, because the way Joe handles
curves is a thing of beauty.

CHERRI CHASSIS

She's just in it for the speed. She lives for straightaways, but thinks corners
are annoying.

HELEN WHEELS

She makes a trip around the course seem like a demolition derby. The big
challenge is in staying out of her way.

SKID VICIOUS

The best driver on the course (except maybe you). When you've outperformed this
driver, your name truly deserves to be on the "Best Times" list.


BUILDING YOUR TRACK
-------------------

SELECTING/PREVIEWING A TRACK

When you select "Track" from the Main Menu, you'll have the option to select a
new track from those already built, edit or create a track, or exit to the main
menu. While on this screen, you'll see a bird's-eye view of the currently
selected track.

If you'd like to drive a different track, select the button labeled "More
Tracks." Choose one of the tracks shown (or type in the subdirectory name after
"Path:" if you have tracks stored in a subdirectory). You'll see that the track
shown in the background has now changed to the one just chosen. Now is an
excellent time to look for difficult spots, before they come upon you at 120
MPH.

USING THE TRACK EDITOR

When you select the Track Editor, you'll see two major components on the
screen: the track window on the left, and the palette on the right. Use the
space bar or "0" on the numeric keypad to move the cursor between these two
areas of the screen.

You'll also see the piece currently under the cursor described directly below
the track window.

Select a piece of track in the palette by clicking on it with the mouse or
joystick, or using the cursor keys to move the highlight to it and pressing the
ENTER or RETURN key.

Press the space bar or "0" on the numeric keypad to jump the cursor over to the
track window, then move the cursor to the square where you'd like the selected
piece place. Notice that the cursor is now flashing the selected piece over the
current track window square. Press ENTER or RETURN, or click the mouse or
joystick button to place the selected piece on that track window square.

You will notice that some pieces are more than one square in size. Look closely
when placing these pieces to see how the cursor flashes the selected piece. The
area over which the cursor flashes the selected piece is the area upon which it
will be placed.

If the piece you wish to select is currently placed somewhere in the track
window, you can move the cursor over it and double-click the mouse, joystick or
ENTER key to select it, rather than jumping to the palette.

THE TRACK WINDOW

Each track is on a 30x30 grid of squares which covers a virtual area of
approximately 1 square mile, You can see an 11x12 window of that area in the
Track window at any time. To scroll that window around the track, use the mouse
or joystick to move the scroll bars located below and to the right of the
window, or use the cursor keys to move the cursor beyond the edge of the
window. You can use any square in the grid to place track or scenery except
corners of plateau (edges of plateau also have some restrictions) and water.

You can cycle through the palettes by pressing the "+" and "-" keys on the
keypad, using the scroll bar directly under the palette window (see "Buttons"
below), or pressing the F1 through F10 keys (on an IBM/Tandy or Amiga).

Your palettes provide you with the tools to load, edit, and save a track, as
well as the option to quit back to the main menu or create a brand new track.

BUTTONS

The buttons to Load, Save, (create) New, Exit and Change Palette are always
available, regardless of which palette you are using (Change Palette is the
scroll bar positioned just below the construction tiles and above the other
buttons).

SAVE allows you to save the current track on which you are working. If, when
saving a track, you choose a name currently used for another track, you will be
asked if you wish to choose another name.

LOAD allows you to work or race on a currently existing track. When you choose
this option, you will be shown a list of existing tracks in the current
directory. Highlight the desired track using the up and down cursor keys, then
press ENTER or RETURN to select.

NEW is the first step in building a new track. When selecting this button, you
will first be given a set of backgrounds upon which to build your track. Each
track requires and is allowed one (and only one) start/finish line, though the
paths to get from and to that line may be many. You may not build track on
water other than bridges, and you may not build track on the side of hills
other than pieces going directly up the hill. Other than that, you're pretty
free. Road can abruptly end, fork or rejoin. There are some restrictions placed
on the building of stunts; for more information on these, see each individual
stunt listed below.

EXIT brings you back to the main screen, BUT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY SAVE ANY
CHANGES YOU MAY HAVE MADE TO A NEW TRACK. If you have not saved changes to the
track, it will prompt you to do so.

To use the Change Palette button, position the cursor over the scroll bar in
the middle of the palette window. You may then use the left and right cursor
keys to change the palette (as well as the function keys or the "+" and "-"
keys).

BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS

Palette 1 contains the basic building blocks of tracks, including straight
East/West track, straight North/South track, crossroads, and four orientations
each of 90DEG turns, broad sweeping turns, 90DEG fork right and 90DEG fork
left. These pieces have no restrictions. It also contains the all-important
start/finish lines. You may only use one of these, but you must use one (from
either this palette or palette 2 or 3).

DIRT TRACK

Palette 2 contains the same pieces as Palette 1, except that the road surface
is dirt rather than asphalt. These pieces also have no restrictions.

ICY TRACK

Palette 3, like Palette 2, contains the same pieces as Palette 1, except that
these pieces have ice-surfaced roads. These pieces also have no restrictions.

SLALOM, LOOP, PIPE, JUMP, TUNNEL & CORKSCREW

Palette 4 contains six stunts: the slalom, the loop, the pipe, the jump, the
tunnel and the corkscrew. Each stunt comes in two orientations: East/West and
North/South.

The slalom, loop, tunnel, jump, and corkscrew may be placed at any point on the
track; there are no restrictions associated with them. The slalom and tunnel
make for more interesting driving when several pieces are placed together in
sequence. While it is possible to do this with the loop and horizontal
corkscrew, it is highly unlikely that a course so designed could be
successfully completed. So go ahead and try it.

Unlike the other stunts on this palette, the pipe is made up of four distinct
pieces: In, Through, Barrier and Out. You can place as many Throughs together
as you like, but each string of Throughs needs to be capped at each end by an
In and an Out. It's not just good sense, it's the law. The Barrier piece is
what makes it fun; like a Through piece, it goes between the end pieces, but it
has a cement barrier on the ground side of the pipe. These are the pieces that
force the driver to go up the sides of the pipe.

BANKED TRACK

Palette 6 contains the banked pieces, both curves and straightaways. There are
two orientations each of banked right straightaways and banked left
straightaways, and four orientations of banked curves.

Like pipes, banks have an In and Out, and any stretch of banked road must be
capped at either end.

BROAD FORKS

Palette 6 contains four orientations of broad right forks and broad left forks.
These are pieces that fork more gradually than 90DEG and provide more variety
in steering on the open road. There are no restrictions on these pieces.

BOULEVARDS AND "S" CURVES

Palette 7 contains boulevards (two orientations) and "S" curves (two
orientations left and two orientations right). "S" curves have no restrictions.
Boulevards require end pieces capping any lenght of middle pieces.

RAMPS & ELEVATED ROAD

Palette 8 contains ramps and most pieces of elevated roadway.

There are two types of elevated ramps - regular and solid. Both perform
essentially the same function; selection is simply a matter of visual
preference. Each of these comes in four orientations (N,S,E,W), and should be
used to cap any stretch of elevated road.

Elevated road comes in four varieties: regular, span, solid, and over road.
Again, the function of the first three types is essentially the same;
differences are in visual preferences. Elevated span over road allows you to
build tracks that cross without meeting.

Elevated corners come in four orientations and allow you to build prolonged
stretches of elevated track.

Palette 9 contains Spirals, which act as another form of up- and down-ramp.
These come in four orientations each of "spiral right" and "spiral left."

SCENERY

Palette 10 contains a variety of scenery pieces, including windmills, barns,
gas stations, restaurants, several types of trees, office buildings, factories
and tennis courts. Several of these scenery pieces come in four orientations,
one in each direction, so that they can face the road properly.


BRODERBUND'S LIMITED 90-DAY WARRANTY
------------------------------------

Broderbund warrants for a period of ninety (90) days following the original
retail purchase of this copy of Stunts that the program is free from
substantial errors or defects that will materially interfere with the operation
of the program as described in the enclosed user documentation. This policy
applies to the initial purchaser only.

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INTERVIEWS WITH KEVIN PICKELL
-----------------------------

https://zak.stunts.hu/articles/interview-with-kevin-pickell-lead-programmer-of-stunts

The pages are also available at web.archive.org.

Interview with Kevin Pickell - Lead Programmer of Stunts

Well, we wrote together 25 questions, and posted to Kevin Pickell, the Lead
Programmer of Stunts back in 1990. He was very kind, and answered fast.

You can read his answers here, we plan to make such interviews with some of the
artists and/or musician[s] / testers of the game, it's really great to know
such things like 6th gear is a bug :)

1. Whose idea was the game concept?

   I don't really remember but it started out as a demolition derby game but
   changed early on. I think it was a combination of Don Mattrick, Rob Martin,
   myself and a few others.

2. Was creating Stunts a big challenge for you?

   It was very challenging as at that time my math skills were very weak. I was
   just learning 3d graphics and it was my first time using matrix math.

3. How did Stunts's success change your life?

   It actually was not very financially successful. Test Drive the game done
   before it was much more successful and that is why it was sequeled and
   Stunts was not.

4. What games did you create after Stunts, which is your favourite?

   Fifa International Soccer was my favorite after that, it was created by Jan
   Tian, Brian Plank and myself and has gone on to be one of the all time best
   selling games ever. Technically speaking the code I am most proud of is in a
   game called Skitchin on the Sega Genesis. Up until Skitchin, the music on
   the Genesis was very plain and boring, I figured out a way to make music
   with multiple digital samples play at the same time. Sound like that is very
   common today but when Skitchin came out the music blew people away. The game
   itself was not very good but the sound rocked!

5. How did you imagine that the game would be played? (alone, torunaments,
   hunting records, with friends, etc?)

   I never really thought about it. I thought that the best part of Stunts as
   not driving around but creating your own custom tracks.

6. Did you expect Stunts to be played after 13 years of the creation?

   Never.

7. Any funny stories about the creation of Stunts?

   Not that I can think of, it was a very long time ago.

8. Why are there so many versions? (Broderbund 1.0 and 1.1, Mindscape 1.1)

   Is there a version above Stunts 1.1? Broderbund only had distribution in the
   USA so DSI was free to find other publishers in other countries. The change
   to version 1.1 was probably just a bug fix but frankly I don't remember what
   the change was. Did you know it was Also released in Japan called 4D
   Driving, published by EA for the PC-9801, some sort of it was ported to
   Japanese by Ray Nakazato.

9. What can you tell us about the Amiga port of Stunts? I have it, but have
   never played, but heard it's not as good as on PC.

   The graphics are not as good as on the PC but it should play exactly the
   same as the PC version.

10. What do you think of the fan-made sequel projects and utilities? (like
    Track Blaster where you can build track on water, Car Blaster, where you
    can change any performance of the cars, Stunt Mania and Ultimate Stunts)

    I am not familiar with any of them.

11. When did you last played Stunts? Which is your favourite car & track in the
    game?

    I last played it back in about 1995. My favorite car is the Porsche 962, I
    don't remember much about the different tracks that came with it.

12. Why is there no Otto's track? All the other opponents have one.

    I don't know, we probably ran out of time.

13. We already know about who the opponents are in real life. Why are them so
    weak and dumb in the game?

    They wanted them to be vastly different, originally they were only slightly
    dumber and slower but the company wanted to make them more different and
    the only way was to make them even slower and dumber.

14. Was multiplayer feature planned? Why isn't hotseat or serial cable game
    implemented? There were games in 1990 which supported it.

    It was not planned as at the time we figured that such a feature would not
    give us any more sales and therefore it was not worth our time to implement.

15. Why are so many things prohibited in the terrain editor?

    Probably because it would make the opponents crash every time, I think that
    was the reason.

16. Are there any possible hidden parts or command-line switchs beside the
    terrain editor accessible with Shift+F1?

    Not that I remember.

17. Why these cars are in the game, who choose them?

    I remember us having trouble finding stats for cars and finding good front
    and side pictures that we could use to make the 3d models. I think that was
    one of the deciding factors on the final list of cars.

18. Is the 6th gear a feature or a bug? For example with the Porsche March
    Indy, when jumping in the 5th gear, your speed is maximalized, and you can
    keep it on grass too. We are very curious about this one, it makes the game
    a lot more interesting :)

    A bug.

19. Why is it that sometimes when hitting a jump you fly way up in the sky?

    That is a bug in the car/ground collision code.

20. Was it hard to program that you can skid in the air with your car? It's
    just awesome, no other games from this era can do this. Also it's
    incredible how fast the 3d engine is. Was it done in assembly, C, or some
    other language?

    The skidding code was actually easy, the hard part was making it so the
    skid happened gradually and the user could try and stop it from happening.
    The polygon rendering is done in assembly, all code above that layer is
    done in C.

21. Did you know when releasing the game that you can pass through obstacles
    like block house and slalom block when hitting them perpendicular? Is it a
    bug with the collision checking routine?

    It is a bug.

22. How does the program calculate the length of the track (for average speed)
    and car speed?

    I think it is the centerline for the track pieces, it doesn't assume that
    you apex the corners.

23. Is it possible to add any new carshapes or dashboards to the game?

    I don't know, they were probably compressed using in-house tools and I
    don't remember what formats we used.

24. The racing community biggest problem is that you can continue a replay when
    rewinding back (it warns you its not valid, but you can make it valid when
    saving before the finish line and continueing from its end, and finish.) is
    there any possible method to prevent this? Like the program wouldn't allow
    saving replay until you've finsihed, or it could store the continued status
    in a separate byte.

    It could be fixed but I don't have the source code anymore and regardless
    even if a not valid flag was added I'm sure someone could load the replay
    into and edit and change it back.

25. Do you still have the sources of stunts? Have you planned making it GPL for
    the community? So we could add more cars, maybe track elements, and
    possibly solve replay continuing problem.

    I don't have the source and frankly in what I have learned over the years I
    would rewrite it from scratch anyway. It was pretty inefficient looking
    back on it.

26. +1. What do you think, when will be the last date when people play Stunts?

    When someone finally does a better one on current hardware.

Thank you really so much, and wish you and your family a long and happy life,
in the name of all the Stunts fans. And there are still lots :)

Peter

Submitted by The Community on 2003-02-17.


https://stunts.hu/stuntsrus/sensationkevin.htm

                                February 2003

   What a Sensation! Kevin Pickell is around us... 17.02.03

                    Kevin Pickell, stunts lead programmer

   Hi people of the stunts!

   Yesterday, Zak had an incredible flash idea! He hit the toilets with
   his head and said: Lets send an email to the programmers of stunts,
   then we could interview them. Howdy. In the same step Y started a quick
   search on google, typing, randomly, 'Kevin Pickell' just for fun,
   imaginating y would spot some cool sites with the stunts programmers
   listing, etc. But first line in the search appeared HIS sales site:
   http://www.scale18.com that I recommend for its wonderful car models
   (especially the porsches' ;) ) and second HIS homepage...

   Kevin Pickell is around us! http://www.scale18.com/kpickell.html

   WORLD EXCLUSIVITY for stuntsrus, interview of our creator, Kevin
   Pickell. Kevin bless u.

   Al: Let's talk about stunts... How did stunts development happen? Was
   it long, how many people gathered around the project.

   Kevin: I was the only programmer on Stunts. My previous game was Test
   Drive so I was familiar with programming a car simulation but I had no
   3d experience at all. I had written a very simple editor for making 3d
   models and in it I made many of the track pieces for stunts. The game
   was very far along with the track editor and most pieces before we got
   an artist. The Artist we had mainly worked on the 3d car models as they
   were way beyond my capabilities.

   Al: Please, tell us more about the naughty driver characters we can
   fight in stunts... can anybody tell us their real names, or how to
   contact them ( and I must say especially 'Helen Wheels' )

   Kevin: Stunts was very far along before the idea for having the 6
   opponents was brought up, this was a last minute addition.

   All of the opponents were employees of the company except for one (the
   blond) who was a hired model.

   Bernie Rubber - David Adams (artist)

   Herr Otto Parts - Erik Kiss (programmer)

   Smokin Joe Stalin - Dave Davis (producer)

   Cherry Chassis - Athena Baxevenakis (artist, not sure of spelling on
   last name)

   Helen Wheels - She is a model we hired, I don't know her name.

   Skid Vicious - Chris Taylor (programmer)

   Al: How did the stunts programming influenced your future creations?
   and was it originally planned a 'stunts II' project or whatever?

   Kevin: A few years later when we were making games for the Sega Genesis
   I had ported Stunts to run on it and we were seriously looking at
   releasing it but the Genesis was not very fast and the game only ran at
   about 10 frames per second. Not enough to make the game playable so it
   was shelved. Over the years I have asked many times to do a sequel but
   nobody was interested.

   Alain... thanks to you Kevin Pickell!
