Polarbit

Raging Thunder - Users guide (iPhone)

START

Start game lets you start a new Single- or Multiplayer game. If there are no active player profiles stored on the device (if it is your first game or all profiles have been erased) you will be asked to create a new one before starting game (note that quick races can be run without active user profiles).

PROFILE

There are slots for three different player profiles in Raging Thunder to allow multiple players the ability to store their results on the same device.

CREATE PROFILE

Tap on an empty profile slot and input a new name by tapping letters. Confirm by tapping the checkmark icon. If you make a mistake, you can remove letters by pressing the "CLR" button.

SELECT EXISTING PROFILE

To swap between existing profiles, tap the profile that you wish to select and then tap “Select” in the submenu.

CLEAR PROFILE

To clear a profile, tap it and select “Clear” in the submenu.

OPTIONS

MUSIC VOLUME

Allows you to alter the volume of menu- and in-game music or disable it altogether. Push the Music Volume option and drag left or right to change.

SFX VOLUME

Allows you to alter the volume of in-game sound effects or disable them altogether. Push the SFX Volume option and drag left or right to change.

AUTO ACCELERATION

With auto acceleration switched off, you will need to manually control the gas pedal during races, with it switched on your car will accelerate as long as you do not brake. Tap the option to change it. Note that auto acceleration can only be switched off if touch-screen steering is enabled - if accelerometer steering is enabled, this option will always be set to active.

STEERING SENSITIVITY

Allows you to adjust the degree of response of the car when steering left or right. Push the Steering sensitivity option and drag left or right to change

STEERING

Allows you to cycle between touchscreen or accelerometer steering. Tap the option to change it.

LANGUAGES

Cycles between the available languages: English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. Tap the option to change it.

HELP

Displays a brief help text, detailing controls and important game mechanics.

LEADERBOARD

This is the best times / high-score section of Raging Thunder. To cycle between tracks, drag the scrollbar down or up.

CLEAR

"Clear" erases all results stored on your device from the currently displayed track. Tap the trashcan icon in the left corner, and select “Clear” from the submenu.

CLEAR ALL

"Clear all" erases all results from all tracks stored on your device. Tap the trashcan icon in the left corner, and select “Clear all” from the submenu.

ABOUT

About displays a brief information text about Raging Thunder and Polarbit.

TRACK AND CAR SELECTION (back to top)

At certain points in the game, you will be prompted or given the option to select car and/or track for the upcoming race. The basic functionality is the same for both selection dialogs. Switch between available cars / tracks be either touching and dragging them or by tapping the arrows to the right or left. Dragging a car or track to the left has the same result as tapping the arrow pointing to the right - you drag items away to reveal the next one. Confirm your selection by tapping the track or car icon.

CARS (back to top)

Raging Thunder features four different cars, each with their specific feature set and strengths.

STORM FX

The Storm FX handles exceptionally well, but is somewhat lacking in speed and acceleration. It is a perfect car for newbies, or for winding tracks with lots of sharp curves.
In Championship mode, Storm FX is the first car available to you, and the car with the least potential for upgrades.

WASPER

The Wasper is a real powerhouse when it comes to acceleration, but has a slower top-speed than the Iron Claw and does not handle as well as the Storm FX. It is the car of choice for drivers with an itchy pedal-foot and a taste for burning rubber.
The Wasper is the second car available in Championship mode and has somewhat more potential for upgrades than the Storm FX.

IRON CLAW

The Iron Claw is the wet dream of speed freaks everywhere; raw engine power. It is the fastest car of the four, but beware: it takes it a while to reach maximum velocity and it does not offer you the smooth ride of the Storm FX.
The Iron Claw is the third car available in Championship mode and has superior potential for upgrades.

TANGO-R

The Tango-R has a good balance of acceleration and control, but is slighly lacking in top speed.
Tango-R is not available in Championship mode.

UPGRADES (back to top)

There are three different areas of your car to upgrade during Championship mode.

SPEED

What it all comes down to in the end is speed. The faster you go, the more races you will win and the more money you will earn. Aerodynamic upgrades affect the top-speed of your car and may very well be what allows you to slip ahead of the competition and win tight, close races.

ACCELERATION

They say that fifty percent of the race is won with an excellent start. The engine upgrade option is all about tuning your car for the fastest possible acceleration, and that little extra edge when the green light hits.

GRIP

Pushing your car to the limit of speed and acceleration puts a tremendous amount of strain on your ability to handle all that brutal power. New, upgraded tires are a must if you do not want to spend the entire races bouncing from side to side of the track.

COLLECTIBLES (back to top)

There are three different types of items scattered around the tracks in Raging Thunder; two that are crucial for your success and one that may ruin the otherwise best run races.

LIGHTNING

Like a gift from the Gods of speed; blue lightning bolts fill a portion of your boost meter. You need to keep your eyes peeled for these or you can kiss any chance of winning races goodbye right away.

DOLLAR SIGNS

Dollar signs give you a bit of extra cash when collected. Only appearing in Championship mode; they are an absolute must if you hope to upgrade your cars to their limits. One dollar sign represents fifty dollars.

LAUGHING SKULLS

Beware the laughing skulls! If you should be so unfortunate as to collect one, a portion of your collected boost will be removed. If you have no stored boost, your car will slow to a crawl for five seconds. Tackling your opponents into them in multiplayer mode can provide both priceless entertainment and that edge that wins you the race.

SINGLE PLAYER GAME MODES (back to top)

QUICK RACE

Quick race lets you race instantly, without choosing car or creating a profile.

ARCADE

In arcade mode you race through all levels in turn with the car of your choice. If the timer ever hits zero, the game is up and it is back to the beginning. Luckily for you, there are time extension points spread throughout each level. If the game should be unexpectedly interrupted during an arcade race,

TIME ATTACK

Time attack lets you race for the fastest time with the car of your choice on any track unlocked in championship mode. There are no opponents, but the current best time for this track stored on the device will be represented by a semi-transparent ghost car.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Championship mode takes you through all the levels in turn; allowing you to purchase upgrades for your car or even buy an entirely new one between tracks. Once a level has been reached in championship mode it will be unlocked and available in time attack and multiplayer races.

GARAGE

Between races in championship mode, you are given the opportunity to purchase upgraded parts or even entirely new cars.
Parts are bought by tapping their respective icons in the garage screen. If the icon is gold coloured, the part is available and the you can afford it. If it is grey / silver, you cannot afford it. If it is faded into the background, there are no further upgrades to purchase for that part of that specific car.
To buy a new car, tap the car icon - you will be taken to the championship car selection screen.

You can cycle between cars by dragging them or tapping the arrows - as in the regular car selection screen. Tap the car or the icon above it to purchase it or to select it if you already own it. Please note that each car has their own specific upgrades which do not transfer between them.
When you are ready for the next race, tap the arrow icon placed next to the upgrade icons.

MULTIPLAYER (back to top)

Raging Thunder supports multiplayer racing for up to four players via the WLAN connection. Notice that all player need to be connected to the same wireless hub. Multiplayer games require one host player who initiates a game room, selects the track to use and starts the race, and at least one guest player that joins the game room in question.

CREATING A GAME ROOM¨

From the main menu, tap “Start”, “Multiplayer” then “Create”. The Game room setup screen will appear.

PLAYER LIST

The player list shows which players are currently joined to your game room. An icon next to the respective player names shows which car this player is currently using. When first joining a game room players are randomly assigned a car, but are free to switch if they so desire.
A red "X" next to the name indicates that this player is not ready to start the game (most likely in the process of switching car), a green checkmark indicates that the player is ready to start. A game cannot be started until all players are ready.

HOST IP

This is the IP number of the host, and the port used for the application. This information is only used if guest players are unable to find or connect to a game room automatically and need to use the Direct IP connection.

START

Starts the race. The host player can only start a race that contains at least one player besides him- or herself, and only if all guest players are marked ready to start race.

SELECT TRACK

Activates the track selection screen and allows the host to select which track will be used in the race.

CHANGE CAR

Activates the car selection screen and allows the host to select which car he/she will use in the race.

JOINING A GAME ROOM

From the main menu, tap “Start”, “Multiplayer” then “Join”. The Game room selection screen will be displayed. To join an existing game room, tap on it in the game room list; you will then be taken to the game room setup screen. The only actions available to the guest players in the game room setup screen is Change car and Exit, which will take them back to the game room list.

REFRESH LIST

The game room list is automatically refreshed. The Refresh list button is only needed if a game room for some reason fails to appear in the game room list.

IP CONNECTION

If a guest player is unable to connect automatically, there is a possibility to connect by directly inputting the host players IP and port number. This information can be found directly above the player list in the game room setup screen.
Tap the "IP connection" button in the game room selection screen, then input the correct IP and port numbers using the virtual keypad. When input is finished, tap the checkmark in the lower left corner.

CONTROLS (back to top)

Raging Thunder offers two separate car control options: accelerometer or touchscreen.

ACCELEROMETER STEERING

With accelerometer control activated, the car will always automatically accelerate. Simply tilt the device left or right to steer in the corresponding direction. The harder you tilt the device, the harder the car willl turn. To brake, push the screen anywhere and move the finger down, towards the bottom of the screen.

To activate boost, press and hold anywhere on the blue bar at the left edge of the screen; boost will be active for as long as the bar is held. To perform a tackle, first build up your tackle bar by following close behind and opponent. When the bar is full it will flash and you can just press anywhere on the orange bar at the right edge of the screen and crash into the back of your unlucky opponent to send them spinning.

TOUCH-SCREEN CONTROLS

With touch-screen controls, the car can be either automatically accelerating, or acceleration can be handled manually
. To steer the car, push down anywhere on the screen and drag left or right. Notice the graphical indicator. The further you drag away from the point you initially pushed, the harder the car will turn. If you release, the car will stop turning until you push down and drag again.

To accelerate, push down anywhere on the screen and move your finger up towards the top of the screen. The farther you drag, the more the car will accelerate. To brake, push down anywhere on the screen and move your finger down towards the bottom of the screen. The farther you drag, the harder the car will brake.

Accelerating or braking can of course be combined with steering left and right. For example: push down on the screen and drag up, then left to accelerate and steer left. Boost and tackles are performed by pressing the respective bars, as with accelerometer steering.

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