NFS HS MIXER

Description:

The NFS HS Mixer is a track and car manager for Neeed for Speed 4 (High Stakes, Road Challenge, Brennender Asphalt). It allows to add tracks and car to the game. Since to track(19) and car (50) limits are not yet broken, the Mixer allows to exchange tracks & cars. You can create your own track and car lists or use those that come with the expansion pack.

Requirements :

* Need For Speed 4 (full installation)

* Microsoft DCOM V1.3 (Win95)

* Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.5 (Win95 & Win98)

How it begun:

Since it was too boring to drive the same knockouts, we have tried out simply to exchange two tracks. And so we had another track-sequence for the knockout ! In order to do this automatically, I have begun to write the NFS HS Mixer. Now it is possibly to place each track at (almost) every position. Later, the possibility came to insert new tracks without replacing the originals.

How changing tracks works:

The NFS Folders are exchanged among each other (... \Data\Tracks\XXX). The pictures of the tracks are adjusted too (... \Data\FeArt\Slides &... \Data\FeArt\Vidwall). And the audio-files in... \Data\Showcase\Audio are altered. To have right names in the menu, the file text.??? under... \Data\Text will be manipulated (according to language of the installation)

When "Apply to files" is started, the records.dat is copied into the Mixer's folder. The current file is replaced by a new installation file. If the original-list is produced again, you get back your records.

Extra tracks:

Additional tracks can only be imported, if an original-list is current.("Original List" & "Apply to files"). This is also necessary to erase extra-tracks and other functions.

New Tracks can be imported from a Zip-File or out of a folder. All files of the route must lie there without more subdirectories. The program sorts the files by itself into the right folders. On the basis of the loading-screens, the mixer decides on which route the new Track is based on. If it exists none it must be declared in the menu.

The first extra track will be placed in the folder ... \Data\Tracks\Extra19 the next in Extra20... Also the other files are positioned with the same number in their folders. If you want to drive the route, simply place it by dragging on a position under 19. Because few tracks cannot work at some positions this must be indicated in " doesn't use as ". Some original tracks doesn't work at position 03. The mixer prevents to put down these tracks at an invalid position then. The parameters can be altered with right mouse-click on the track later (Original List!).

Every extra Track contains a Mixer.ini that holds all its data. If it exists in the zip-file all values will be imported by the Mixer.

Car Manager :

The latest addiction was the car manager. It allows the enable / disable cars by renaming the car.viv file. You can import single cars from zip/rar archives or import all cars from one folder (subfolders will be ignored). Imported cars will be labled as Mixercars, and can have each own comment. Cars can be exported to zip files, too. The "Open car.viv file" function will only work if .viv files are associated with an application.

Command Line Options :

nfs3:on|off = NFS3 Tracks prefered on or off

nfs4:on|off = NFS4 Tracks prefered on or off

rw:on|off = Raceway Tracks prefered on or off

extra:on|off = Extra Tracks prefered on or off

newmix = Mix the tracklist

orglist = Make a original list

start = Start NFS

quit = Ends the Mixer after executing commands.

load:"C:\file.hsm" = Loads a tracklist from "C:\file.hsm".

addtracks:"c:\trackfolder" = Adds all tracks, stored in archives (Rar/Zip), from folder "c:\trackfolder".

deltracks:"...\List.hsm" = Deletes all tracks listed in 'List.hsm'. The hsm file can contain more than 19 tracks. Original tracks can't be deleted.

addcars:"C:\carfolder" = Adds all cars, stored in archives(Rar/Zip), from folder "c:\carfolder".

delcars:"...\List.hsc" = Deletes all cars listed in 'List.hsc'.

cars:original = Changes the cars, that only cars from the original CD are available.

cars:ea = Changes the cars, that only cars from EA are available (including downloaded).

cars:ep = All EA cars and the cars from EP2 are available (see HS forum of needforbetterspeed.net).

cars:"C:\...carlist.hsc" = Enables cars listed in "C:\...carlist.hsc".

carmanager = Start only the Car Manager of the Mixer.

example "mixer.exe nfs3:off nfs4:off rw:on extra:on newmix start" generates a random tracklist where raceways and extra track are preferred & starts NFS

Much fun

Jim Diabolo, 21.07.2008

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Updates in 1.4.0.463
- Unrar.dll Version 7.11.0
- New function "Random Carlist" in Carmanager.