NFSU2 - Frequently Asked Questions

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GT3x24x7
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NFSU2 - Frequently Asked Questions

Post by GT3x24x7 »

NFSU2 - Frequently Asked Questions

This replaces the older FAQ thread, which had unnecessarily grown to 22 pages. It will remain locked and added to by staff as required.


Q: I'm stuck in a certain area and there are no more races around. What to do?

A: There are a few things to check:
  • * Make sure you've upgraded your car to the max - that means everything in all four shops. Some magazines/DVD covers will only be available when your car has a certain reputation.
    * Check your current sponsor's requirements. Each sponsor in every stage requires you to win a certain amount of races.
    * Look for hidden races that don't appear on the map. These are the ones those guys are talking about on the SMS. There are 3-5 hidden races in each stage.

Q: How do I rotate the car in the showroom?

A: For the PC, Hold down the middle mouse button and move the mouse left or right. Consoles use the right joystick by default.

Q: Which is the best car to start with?

A: There's a lot of disagreement on this. My advice: work it out yourself. They're all pretty much the same, and you can always change later if you don't like the car your chose.

Q: How do I unlock Car X?

A: Complete URLs to unlock cars. They become available at any Car Lot.
  • URL# / Car(s)
    1 - Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator
    2 - Hummer H2, Hyundai Tiburon
    3 - Nissan Sentra, Toyota Celiica
    4 - Lexus IS300, Toyota Supra
    5 - Volkswagon Golf GTI
    6 - Acura RSX, Audi A3
    7 - Audi TT, Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
    8 - Mazda RX-8
    9 - Inifiniti G35 Coupe
    10 - Mitsubishi 3000GT
    11 - Pontiac GTO
    12 - Mazda RX-7
    13 - Ford Mustang, Nissan 350Z
    14 - Mitsubishi Lancer
    15 - Nissan Skyline
    16 - Subaru Impreza

Q: What's the deal with magazine covers? When do they come?

A: Magazine photoshoots are earned by winning races. Rachel will tell you to hightail it to a location for the shoot. Check the map for a Special Event star, set your GPS and floor it. Here's the list:
  • Stage 2, 4 wins - Turbo
    Stage 2, 8 wins - Sports Compact Car
    Stage 3, 2 wins - Street Car Magazine
    Stage 3, 6 wins - Car Audio and Electronics
    Stage 3. 11 wins - GTI Magazine
    Stage 3, 18 wins - Hot 4's
    Stage 4, 3 wins - Elaborare
    Stage 4, 7 wins - Maxi Tuning
    Stage 4, 11 wins - Spoiler
    Stage 4, 16 wins - AutoMaxx Magazine
    Stage 4, 20 wins - Stuff Magazine
    Stage 4, 27 wins - Chrome und Flamen
    Stage 5, 4 wins - Import Tuner
    Stage 5, 9 wins - Street Car Magazine
    Stage 5, 16 wins - GTI Magazine
    Stage 5, 20 wins - Auto Motor
    Stage 5, 25 wins - Swiss Tuner Magazine
    Stage 5, 28 wins - Super Street
    Stage 5, 32 wins - Power Magazine
    Stage 5, 34 wins - Street Tuner

Q: Okay, so what's the deal with DVD covers?

A: DVD covers are earned as your pass each of the 10 major visual star ratings. So there are ten to collect. Rachel will SMS you about it, head to the Special Event location on the map. Once there, you will have to make it to another Sepcial Event star within a time limit to get your DVD cover.

Q: What are the unique parts and how do I unlock them?

A: Unlock uniques by winning Outrun races in the various stages:
  • Stage 2, 4 wins - Hoods
    Stage 3, 3 wins - Engine, Transmission or Tyres
    Stage 3, 6 wins - Rims
    Stage 4, 4 wins - Spoiler
    Stage 4, 6 wins - Vinyl
    Stage 4, 9 wins - ECU, Turbo or Brakes
    Stage 5, 6 wins - Weight Reduction or Suspension
    Stage 5, 11 wins - Widebody Kit (Not available for SUVs).

Q: Where are the shops located?

A: Click!Click!
  • Image
Q: Do I keep all my upgrades on a car when I trade it in like in NFSU1?

A: No all upgrades are gone just like they would be in real life.

Q: When I get a unique upgrade does it go on all cars I have or only the car I was using when I got the upgrade?

A: You only get the upgrade on the car you were using at the time.

Q: Can I post pictures of my garage here in the forum?

A: No. Create a garage in the NFSU2 Showroom and post them there.

Q: I want mah cheats! Where do I find cheats?

A: Here.

Q: Rachel is asking for her car, but I don't have it. Why?

A: This is a happens when you use the World Map (available from the Garage) to go back and do the races that were around at the time you actually had Rachel's car. Ignore her.

Q: What are stylepoints and what do stylepoints do?

A: Stylepoints come for pulling off stunts and rare feats. Your nitrous is boosted too. The tricks are:
  • Powerslide - Slide the car sideways and keep control
    Drafting - Hang in the slipstream of the car ahead to reduce drag and build speed
    Nitrous Sprayshot - Purge the nitrous lines by tapping the nitrous key.
    Avoid Accident - This is a near miss with a traffic car.
    Clear Section - Run a section of a race without hitting anything major.
    Hydraulics - Using your hydros. Try it while in the aire after a jump.
    Reverse - Run in reverse for a while without smacking into stuff.
    Leap Lap - Be in first place as you cross the start/finish line in circuit and URL races.
    360 Spin - Doin' a bit of circle work is good for a few points.
    J-Turn - FnF style reverse-to-forward turn.
    Headstart - Get the jump on the Ai at the start of a race.
    Burnout - The opposite of Headstart - burnout for points and a place at the back.
    Shortcut - Run through a shortcut section.
    Hangtime - Get air. The more the better.
    Cleared Accident - Rare. Jump over traffic without death or permanent disfigurement.

Q: What are reputation points and what do they do?

A: They show you how COOL your ride is. Build your rep by adding the the visual appearance of your car. They range on a scale from zero to 10. As you pass each rep milestone (1, 2, 3 ... 10), you'll get a DVD opportunity.

Q: Can I post spoilers? (Info that can spoil the fun for others, like the ending of the game).

A: No

Q: Aaaah please..?

A: NO! Leave some fun in it for the ones who haven't completed the game yet.

Q: Got any good tips and strategies?

A: Well yes, but EA have already done a great job. Clicky here. There are also some great tips from gofra posted below.

Q: Will I unlock everything at the end?

A: Yes. Once you complete the game, all performance and visual upgrades are available in Quick Race mode. Unlike NFSU1, you can then return to your garage and re-race any event from career mode. Outrunners are still buzzing around at that stage as well.


Technical Stuff

Q: Where is the savegame folder located?

A: On a winXP/win2000 you will find the Need for Speed Underground 2 savegame in C:\Documents and Settings\[your username]\Local Settings\Application Data\NFS Underground 2 dir. You can also do a search for "NFS Underground 2". Just make sure you check the "search hidden files and dirs" option.

Q: The screen in game is all black. What should I do?

A: First download and install the latest drivers for your graphics card and if you still have problems, turn off certain options (light trails) in the graphics settings.

Still no luck? Check with EA to make sure your video card is actually supported and capable of running the game. You may need a hardware upgrade.


Q: I still gots problems! Help?

A: Try EA Support, or make a post in our Help & Support forum.




Also check the site NFSU2 FAQ at http://www.nfsunlimited.net/underground2/faq/ for answers to the most common questions about NFSU2.

Many thanks to TheStig and Bojan for their help on this. -GT
Last edited by GT3x24x7 on 08 May 2005, 08:58, edited 1 time in total.
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GT3x24x7
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Post by GT3x24x7 »

A few NFSU2 hints & tips
Thanks to gofra for these...

O.k., I finished the game and momentarily I'm quite deep into the second attempt. Here are few answers that I hope will help:

Play as many outruns as possible!

It's the only way to get the unique upgrades. I do not know if it's neccessary to win as many as you can in a row - try it. When starting an outrun, keep as close to the opponent as possible, have the same speed (you cannot go faster, he wont react) and have your engine roaring in the best revs possible (that's where the best tourque moment is - check dyno and see it yourselves, cars differ alot). When he "calls" press enter and start accelerating immediatley. Pay good attention to the map cuz it's the only way to be prepared! A good trick is a 180 spin but keep in mind that you have to be quite far from him in order to make this trick work. This way you will gain some speed fasat and he will still be driving in the opposite way (160 km/h VS -160 km/h = do the math). Another good trick is to let him crawl right behind you, start turning into a street on your left (or right) and then turn fast into opposite direction, to the right (or left, depends on how you started). If you are too slow, he will just fly by you going straight, so watch it! DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN HIM ON THE STRAIGHTS!!! (highway) > he will only get close, you can't loose him this way. Dense traffic area is where outruns work best. Pushing him off the road or into another car, making him spin is also a way but it takes a little more skills to do it properly.

Hidden races

These races bring much more money than the usual ones. The same goes for reputation so keep a good eye when entering the area where they are suposed to be. You have plenty of time to find them - I think the guy informs you three times before they move to another place. Make sure you check all the hidden places - some arent on the map!!

Picking up cash on the streets

Do it if you see it. Don't bother searching for it though. These are only small amounts and eventually, they disappear later in the game (not completly though). My advice? Outruns are better.

Which car to pick?

Well, this one is trickier. I started with a Corolla and it was great. No superb sound but great handling . It is almost unbeatable on street X and URL races so I guess this is a good car to max out. It will not do good on drag races though - my pick here would be a RX7, Mitsu Lancer or Imprezza...havent tried the 350Z or the GTO - could be good too. I'm curently driving a Miata and I must say I'm disapointed. It tends to oversteer alot but on the other hand, it's really underpowered which makes drifting a little harder but still "doable". I would only go for two cars cuz otherwise you will run out of money and only have them half moded. Pick your starter car and tune it nicely (with all you can :)), then, when a possibilty to pick another occurs, take whichever you want, but do not tune it! Wait for better cars that come later in the game. Usually, cars come right after you finish the URL race. Try having a 4 and a 6 (or a wankel) cylinder car cuz otherwise you will be bored since the sound of the lvl.3 mods on is the same for the 4cyl. cars (maybe there are differences, but I didn't notice)

upgrades

Dont play with them too often, you'll run out of money! Do a few changes but if you keep changing (say) carbon hoods, rims and bumpers often, it won't end good. Better mess around with the colour and vinyls since it's much cheaper. Do change all performance parts together if possible. There really is no use of having a lvl. 3 engine and ECU with level 3 Turbo and stock tires. All the parts are equaly important. The same goes for uniques. I think there are 6 parts you can get alltogether. It starts with the hood, engine, rims and later on you have a choice to choose yourself. Make a nice combo, don't put all in power!

No oponents?

Well, that's because you have to finish other things first. There will allways be something on the map left unfinished even if it's a regular race. Pay attention to the guy that SMSs you constantly - remember where the hidden race is suposed to be and go searching for it.

Upgrading the body

Carbon? Cool, but you cannot put any vinyls or decals on - keep that in mind. You will get opportunity to change your bumpers, sideskirts and sideskirts into a carbon body kit. This is not widebody though! LAter on you will get (finally huh?) widebody kit, most probably as a unique part first. But If you don't revert your carbon kited car (if you use it of course) into regular, your widebody kit will be made from carbon and that looks pretty darn ugly if you ask me! And I'm affraid you cannot convert carbon widebody into a regular widebody so be carefull

Nitrous

Use it at best RPMs - if your car maxes at (say) 7000RPM, use it at 6000. It's much better to boost with short presses than with one long. This way you will never run out of it (you get more if you slide, avoid accident, draft, jump high, lead lap, clean section...) If you run out of it and then make a mistake so others can catch up or pass, the race is over. Don't bother using it on startS! I know that opponents do it all the time, but you can catch them quickly without it. Save your drops for when it's neccesary, don't just use it cuz it's cool.

Drift

Initially, drift as much as you can, don't mind that hurry thing on your monitor, you have plenty of time. This way you will learn to do it properly. When having a good score (say 25K +) better break it than continue and let things get out of the control. You will lose precious points! Later in the game DO MIND THE TIME! Drift scores will not be as high but the race pace sure will quicken!

Drag

Use a proper car, MX5 Miata will not do (well, it doesn't for me). I often use all the nitro right after the start cuz this way, I fall into some sort of a rythm and know exactly when to change gears. It really depends though - on your skills and your way of driving. Draft if possible! It saves a lot of time and Ns.

Cirq, sprint

Well, no rules here. Avoid crashing, make turns from far out to center and then far out again. Take shortcuts. And mind the map! Also mind that shortcuts are full of traps < cars in the opposite dirrection are the worse. If you face a car coming ahead, move away and then take the lane he was coming to you from. Another one will usualy follow driving right or left from you.

Street X

Good car does all the job here. No worries for the guys driving truenos (Corollas). Others, same tip: nice and exact cornering will do. And must I really say again, pay attention to the map? :)


Ok, that's it...try to get to know with the city first, it sure helps alot! Have fun.

-gofra
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