| When you have all of the above, to race Nascar 2 over the internet using Kali, follow these steps: |
| 1) | Log on to the internet. |
| 2) | Make sure you understand the concept of "ping." Ping is the amount of time it takes for a
message to be sent from your computer to another and returned. When playing
multiplayer Nascar, you may see the term, latency. It measures the same thing. Latency = ½
Ping. A Ping of 400 ms (milliseconds) equates to a latency of .20 seconds, meaning that a
signal sent from your computer takes .20 seconds to reach the other and another .20
seconds to be returned. Why do you care? Keep reading. |
| 3) | Meet your fellow racer in Kali chat on the Where To Race Kali server. The ping to your
fellow racer must be less than 600 ms or .60 seconds to have a playable game. The
lower the ping, the greater the chance of having a good session. In a game with an opponent
to which you have a high ping, the opponent's car will bounce wildly around the track. You
will find the game very playable with a latency down near .20 (a ping of 400 ms). If you are
fortunate enough to find an opponent to which your ping is less than 350 ms, you probably
will not notice any delay. A stable ping at high-end of the range will likely be better than
a lower one that fluctuates. |
| 4) | Determine which racer will "Answer." The single answerer will control the menus in the
game. The rest of the racers all "Dial." It is highly recommended that the racer with the
faster computer and internet connection answer. |
| 5) | It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you and your opponents conduct your race from
private "server mode" in Kali. This will prevent conflicts with other races starting at the
same time. |
| 6) | While still connected to Kali, both racers run N2.bat (not Nascar2.exe or any of the .pif
files) at the same time. No switches are additional switches or arguments are required |
| 7) | It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you configure one of your game buttons within
Kali to run Nascar 2. To set one up select "Games" then "Configure Menu." Standard
video card users should enter "n2.bat" (begins with "n", ends with "t") as the program.
Rendition 3D card users should enter "n2rend.bat". Enter the path of your Nascar 2
directory (example: C:\Sierra\Nascar2) as the directory. You can run Nascar 2 from the
Windows95 "Start" button, selecting "Run." However, some racers have had Nascar 1
"lock up" when running the game from the Windows95 Start button. |
| 8) | Select "Multiplayer" from the main Nascar 2 menu. From the Multiplayer menu, select the
"Network Play" box and the appropriate "dial" or "answer" box. Select "Connect" to
start the multiplayer session. |
| 9) | The answerer will be taken immediately to the Multiplayer Race launch screen where
he/she will wait for other opponents. This screen includes a chat area and all of the race rule
and parameter options. Wait here for the dialers. |
| 10) | The dialer will be taken to the IPX Network Connect screen. Available races will be
listed in the upper left of the screen. This information includes the name of the players
hosting (answering) races, the selected track (which can be changed after connecting) and
the number of players currently connected. Click once on the listed race that you wish to
join. |
| 11) | The "Howdy to...." message indicates a successful connection. If you do not get this
message with five seconds, the connection did not complete and will "hang." In this case,
the dialer should press "Abort". You may also get th message "Connection Failed." In
either case, return to the connection screen and keep trying. It often takes a few attempts.
The answerer should be patient and wait at least a minute for the dialer to connect. |
| 12) | The answerer and the dialer(s) will then meet in the Multiplayer Race launch screen.
All racers can chat by clicking on and then typing in the chat line. This one-line window
is below the "Chat Area" and above "Event and Length." It has an L-shaped cursor indicator
at the left edge of the box. The indicator will change from white to yellow after clicking
in the box, indicating that you may type. Hit the enter key to send the messages which will
appear in your and all of you opponents' chat windows. |
| 13) | The answerer is the server and controls everything, the track, the race length, the number
of opponents, their strength, when to practice, when to qualify and when to race. Until the
dialer is on the track, he/she is basically a passenger. But, unlike Nascar 1, the race options
can be discussed and changed on the Multiplayer Race launch screen after connecting.
The answerer starts a race session by selecting "Race" at the bottom-right of this
screen. |
| 14) | Unlike Nascar 1, you cannot activate chat while driving. You may re-enter chat while not
on the track by selecting "Chat" from the bottom of the race weekend menu. |
| 15) | Go racin'! But, Talladega racers take note, the distance traveled per second is the key to the
latency issue. Nascar on Kali works best on shorter tracks where the cars cover less
distance per second. If the best ping you can get to your opponent is at the high end of the
playable range, stick to the short tracks with few or no computer opponents. |
| 16) | When finished, exit Nascar 2 from the main menu. You will be reconnected to Kali chat. |
| 17) | If you lose the connection while racing and wish to continue, do not exit Nascar 2.
Simply return to the Multiplayer menu and re-dial/re-answer. |