textfiles/apple/DOCUMENTATION/top.fuel

                         The Digital Gang Presents:

                             Top Fuel Eliminator

                           Cracked By: Tom E. Hawk

                        Documentation By: The Triton




                    Q U A T E R - M I L E      M A D N E S S



You're at the wheel of a 2500-horsepower vehicle specially built to
propel you from a dead stop down a quater-mile track in the shortest
possible time. Your reflexes have to be lighting fast because it's like
trying to control a rocket skidding along the ground. 

Top Fuel Eliminator is a simulation of a complete season of drag racing.
The season is composed of nine events on a points system. 

You'll be competing against eight of the world's best drivers. To win a
race, or even make it down the track in one piece, you'll also have to
pay close attention to track and weather conditions and adjust your
dragster accordingly. Top Fuel Eliminator gives you lots of options that
will affect your chances of winning. 


                        G E T T I N G    S T A R T E D


APPLE ][ COMPUTERS

You can play Top Fuel Eliminator with a joystick or the keyboard - see
"Joystick or Keyboard". If you want to use a joystick, plug it into your
computer. 

1. Insert the game disk in your disk drive 2. Turn on your computer and
monitor

After the program has loaded and the title screen appears, press any key
to continue - see "Joystick or Keyboard". 

JOYSTICK or KEYBOARD

On Apple Computers, Top Fuel Eliminator can be played with a Joystick or
with your computer keyboard. A screen appears that asks you to choose
one or the other. You may then use only that method of play until you
reload the game.  The following is a list of joystick-keyboard
equivalents and their functions: 


   Function            Joystick          Keyboard
   --------            --------          --------
   Move Left             Left               J   
   Move Right           Right               K
   Launch Dragster      Button           Spacebar
   Shift Dragster       Button           Spacebar
   Select Option        Button           Spacebar

NOTE:
Sometimes you will also have to use the joystick button or the spacebar
to go on to the next screen in the game.


REGISTERING TO RACE

After you choose PLAY GAME, you'll see the Registration screen. Here you enter
your name and then press RETURN after doing so; enter up to eight characters,
then press RETURN.

The Pit Area screen appears, and you're ready to begin with racing season.




                   T H E     R A C I N G     S E A S O N



Nine events make up the racing season. They're scheduled in the
following order: 

1. Winter Nationals
2. North Nationals
3. Spring Nationals
4. East Nationals
5. Summer Nationals
6. South Nationals
7. Fall Nationals
8. West Nationals
9. World Event

Each event is composed of several races: a qualifying session, the first
round of eliminations, the semi-final round eliminations, and the final
round eliminations which determines the Top Fuel champion for that
event. If you don't qualify for a race, or if you lose a race, you're
eliminated from that event and Top Fuel Eliminator goes on to the next
event. 

QUALIFYING

You're given two attempts to qualify for an event during the qualifying
session. To qualify, you need not beat your opponent, but you must
commit any fouls (see "Race Rules"), and you must beat the posted
"bubble" time. 

The bubble time is the maximum time allowed for the quailifying attempt
and is determined by the slowest qualifying speed. There are nine
drivers trying to race in each event but only eight are allowed.
Therefore, the qualifying time of the eight fastest driver will be the
bubble. If you beat that time, then he is eliminated from the field. 

FIRST ROUND

If you qualify, you'll automatically be placed in the first round. Your
opponent will be the one with the closest qualifying time to yours. If
you win the race, you advance to the semi-final round. Losers will be
eliminated. 

SEMI-FINAL ROUND

Two races involving four drivers are held in this round. The winner of
each race will advance to the final round. Losers will be eliminated. 

FINAL ROUND

Two drivers will race for the event title. The winner is the champion
for that event. The loser is the runner-up. If you've made it this far,
Top Fuel Eliminator will then begin the next event. 



                            R A C E    R U L E S



A vehicle may be disqualified from a race for the following reasons: 

o triggering a red light by leaving the starting line too early o
experiencing engine failue o crossing the center line o crashing

If one car "red-lights" and the other crosses the center line, the car
that rad-lights will be declared the winner since center line crossing
is more a serious offense. By the same reasoning, a crash is more
serious than line crossing and will disqualify you first. If two cars
commit the same foul, the one who gets to the finish line first wins. If
both cars crash, the one that travels the greatest distance wins. 



                        T H E     P I T     A R E A


Each race is preceded by the appearance of the Pit Area screen. It's
here, in the pit, that you're presented with playing options for
entering the race and for fine-tuning your dragster. The options are
designated by icons across the bottom of the screen. Moving the joystick
left or right cycles you through the icons, highlighting them as you go.
When an icon is highlighted you may select it by pressing the button. 


ENTERING THE RACE -THE XMAS TREE ICON

This is the race icon. Selecting this option puts you at the starting
line of the race, so be prepared to put the pedal to the metal before
you select it.  Once you're at the starting line, there's no backing
out. "Xmas Tree" is drag racing parlance for a set of vertically aligned
colored lights used to start the race. It appears to the left of your
dragster and should be observed carefully. A tachometer appears to the
right of your vehicle and should be given equal attention. 

The tachometer will first show a rev to an idle of 2000 rpms as the Xmas
Tree begins with a staging light. Your dragster will then rev to 5000
rpms, and the Xmas Tree will begin counting down the seconds to the
race. Your response time is crucial now, so start alert. The Xmas Tree
will quickly run through a succession of yellow light and then hit
green. This is your signal to go by pressing the button. A race is often
won by launching at the precise moment the green light is given. After
that, you tear for the finish line with as much speed and driving skill
as you can muster. 

You must shift gears only once during the quater-mile race, and you'll
need real skill to pick the precise moment to do so. Shifting is
accomplished by pressing the button. Your Dragster's engine "red-lines"
at 9500 rpms, and your engine will blow up, costing you the race, if you
don't shift before the tachometer reaches the mark. However, you must
also be careful not to shift too early or you'll never generate enough
horsepower to win. 

Steering a 2500-horsepower monster in a straight line for just a quater
of a mile is going to be more difficult than you might think. It will
probally take some practice before you gain enough skill to compete
against some of the better drivers in this game. 


FINE-TUNING YOUR DRAGSTER

You can increase your chances of winning by fine-tuning various
components of your dragster. These adjustments are made by selecting
other options available on the Pit Area screen. Each of these options
has several settings along with a corresponding calibration. Push the
joystick left and right to cycle through the available settings. Press
the button to select a setting. 


QUESTION MARK ICON

This option provides you with track information that's essential in
determinin what adjustments to make on your vehicle. The track
information is of such importance that this option is highlighted
automatically whenever the Pit Area screen is accessed. The information
changes continually, so it's best to check it before each race and
adjust your vehicle accordingly. Logic and experience will dictate what
adjustments to make in response to the information. 

CLOCK ICON

Selecting this option allows you to adjust your ignition timing, which
is a critical factor in producing horsepower. The higher the number of
degrees of advance, the more horsepower will be produced. This
introduces a greater possibility of engine failure, though, so set your
timing cautiously. 

FUEL CAN ICON

Selecting this option allows you to adjust the nitro-methane mixture
used for fuel in your dragster. This very explosive fuel can be made
even more volatile by increasing the percentage of nitro in the mix.
This will produce more power but also increase your chances of engine
failue. If your racing opponent is slow, a low nitro mix may be the
safer way to go. 


Selecting this option allows you to adjust the clutch on your dragter.
Clutch adjustments allows you to transmit engine power to the rear
wheels in a manner most suitable for the track conditions. If the track
conditions are good, setting the clutch for high grab will cause the car
to accelerate faster. Under slippery track conditions, low grab may be
preferable: power will be transmitted to the rear wheels more smoothly,
decreasing your changes of spinning your wheels. 

TIRE ICON

Selecting this option allows you to adjust your time pressure to suit
track conditions. Under slippery conditions, a low tire pressure may
provide more traction. Traction is a product of friction and resistance,
however, so a low tire pressure may also slow you down a bit, especially
on dry pavement.  Carefully consider the track conditions before
choosing your tire pressure. 

AIRPLANE (WING) ICON

Selecting this option allows you to make a wing adjustment. The "wing"
is a wing-shaped device located over the rear wheels of the vehicle. It
controls the air's angle of deflection as it passes over the rear
wheels. As the angle of the wing increases, the downward force of air on
the rear wheels increases, resulting in better traction. However, the
amount of drag also increases, which slows the vehicle down a bit. There
is no free launch in physics. You must decide where the advantage lies,
based on the conditions described in the track information. For
instance, under slippery conditions, you would probally benefit from a
high wing angle as it would keep the wheels from spinning excessively. 

ENGINE ICON

This options allows you to adjust the supercharger speed. A supercharger
is basically a big air pump that forces the air and fuel mixture into
the engine under pressure, greatly increasing engine performance.
Increasing the supercharger speed, and thus the pressure, increases the
amount of horsepower the engine is capable of producing. However, there
is a greater danger of engine failure when too much pressure is forced
into the engine. As with the other vehicle adjustments, use this one
with discretion. 

The major factors for determining horsepower are fuel mixtures, ignition
timing, and supercharger speed. You'll learn from experience how to deal
with these variables for optimum performance. Besides losing a race,
there are other indications for a badly set-up vehicle. For example, if
you see smoke coming from your wheels in the overhead view of the race,
you may want to set up your dragster differently to get better
traction. 



                  A N D    T H E    W I N N E R     I S


After each race is completed the following information is displayed: 

o A Performance Analysis of your driving in that race.  o A Ladder Chart
showing the standing of each driver in the event up to that
  point. 

After each event is completed the following information is also
displayed: 

o An Event Points Chart showing the points awarded to you in that event
o An Accumulated Points Chart showing the points each driver has
accumulated
  up to and including that event. 


PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

<Elapsed Time>: Your time from starting line to finish line. 

<Top Speed>: The speed you were travling at the finish line. 

<Reaction>: 
Based on how well you shifted gears. Shifting gears too early does not
allow the engine to develope its full potential of horsepower, which
results in a slow Elasped Time and poor rating. Waiting too long to
shift will cause the engine to over-rev and result in an engine failure.
Remember, your engine "red-lines" at 9500 rpms. 

<Power>: 
An indication of how well you set up your engine in the Pit Area

<Traction>: 
An indication of how well you set up the vehicle in the Pit Area. 

<Engine Fail>: 
Caused by an improper pit set-up or a bad shift. 

<Crash>: 
Either you hit the wall or the engine exploded during a crash. 

<Red Light>: 
If you leave the starting line before the light turns green, you may be
disqualified from the race. 

<Line Cross>: 
If you cross the center line, you may be disqualified from the race. 

At the bottom of your statistics chart a message displayed indicated
whether you're: Qualified, Not Qualified, Disqualified, Eliminated, or a
Winner. 


LADDER CHART

At the end of each race a ladder chart appears to illustrate each
driver's standing in that race. If you qualified for the race, your name
will appear among the eight names listed to the left of the ladder chart
that appears after the qualifying session. Play close attention to which
driver you're going to race in the first round and each subsequent
round. As you'll learn through experience, some drivers are faster than
others, so you'll wan to set up your vehicle in the Pit Area
accordingly. 

If you win the subsequent elimination rounds of a race your name will
advance to the right, toward the final round that determines Top Fuel
honors. 


                            P O I N T S S Y S T E M



Events Points Chart

After each national event is completed an events points chart is
displayed.  Points are awarded in four categories as follows: 

Qualifying Category:

Fastest         8 Points
2nd             7 Points
3rd             5 Points
4th             5 Points
5th             4 Points
6th             3 Points
7th             2 Points
8th             1 Point
Not Qualified   No Points

CONTESTANT CATEGORY:

Each contestant gets 100 points for entering the event.

AWARD CATEGORY:

Winner         - 800 Points
Runner Up      - 600 Points
Semi-Finalist  - 400 Points
First Rounder  - 200 Points
Not In Race     - No Points


SEASON POINTS CHART

The season Points chart is displayed immediately after the Event Points
Chart. It shows the total points each driver has accumulated up to and
including that event. 

THE END OF THE SEASON

At the completion of the nine national Top Fuel Eliminator displays your
standing for the season all nine drivers. You may then begin a new
season. 

 -End-