Fatal Racing

Also known as Whiplash, Fatal Racing is a classic PC racing game released by British game devs Gremlin Interactive in 1995. It features 8 cars and 24 tracks.

Fatal Racing is notable for its punishing physics, insane tracks, and murderous AI. Races are anywhere from 3 to 20+ laps depending on the difficulty level selected, and track obstacles include jumps, loops, corkscrews, giant pits, and various combinations thereof, sometimes all on one track. The AI drivers run the gamut from professionals to psychopaths, and both drivers on each team are capable of working together to kick your ass. You too have a teammate, who will radio in and update you on their current objective and status. You can also issue your teammate race orders, which they will follow if possible. Each vehicle has different stats and handling. Try them all.

How to Play

Drive like hell. A good racing line helps, but not as much as a fast car, a lead foot, and a quick hand.

Your car can take damage both from your opponents and the track itself, and you must drive carefully and pit strategically to avoid being killed by the bloodthirsty AI. The game supports analog controls as well as the keyboard, so if you've got a wheel or gamepad, give them a shot.

The objective is to win, preferably without getting your car blown up, and while causing as many fatalities as possible.

Installation Instructions

Because of its age, Dosbox is required to run Fatal Racing on a modern PC. While you can run the game well on an older Pentium 1 system or better, Dosbox allows you to use modern USB controllers and graphics filters, as well as easily make .webms of crazy racing action.

Copies of the game can be found here (lite version with MIDI music) and here (.bin/.cue image with CD Audio).

The manual and soundtrack can be found here.

All-In-One /ovg/ Edition

Don't care to screw around with Dosbox configuration?

Download this!

This package includes: Dosbox 0.74 + DosBox Portable wrapper and a Whiplash CD image, preconfigured and tested. Simply run Whiplash.exe.

All-In-One /ovg/ Edition with LAUNCHER!

Download this!

This package includes: Everything in the All-In-One edition plus a launcher application that edits the config file for easy multiplayer setup.

screenshot

Configuration Tips

Be sure to configure the visual settings for best appearance (especially CONFIGURATION -> GFX DETAIL -> SVGA DISPLAY).

Using Controllers

• Open the DOSBox config file (C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\DOSBox\dosbox-0.74.conf, or select DOSBox 0.74 Options in the Start Menu).
• Scroll down to [JOYSTICK] and replace timed=true with timed=false. This prevents the ingame calibration bars from jittering around.
• While you're there, set joysticktype to 4axis.
• Note: This is unnecessary if you have downloaded the /ovg/ Edition.

If you are using a wheel/pedals:

• Set steering lock to something like 270 degrees (not 900!).
• Set it to report combined pedals.

In the game:

• Select CONFIGURATION, then CALIBRATE.
• Move all the axes you want to use. Uncalibrated axes will be unavailable for control setting.
• Press enter to save the calibration.
• Configure your controls.

If the game can't detect a button on your wheel/controller:

• Press Ctrl+F1 to open the DOSBox keymapper.
• Assign the button to an appropriate keyboard key.
• Configure as above.

Network Play

• Open the DOSBox config file (C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\DOSBox\dosbox-0.74.conf, or select DOSBox 0.74 Options in the Start Menu).
• Scroll down to [ipx] and replace ipx=false with ipx=true.
• Start DOSBox.
• On the first computer type "ipxnet startserver".
• On the other computers type "ipxnet connect [IP address of first computer]".
• Important: mount the CD on at least one of the computers (see above for CD mounting instructions), even if you are running the "lite" version.
• Start the game.
• Under PLAYERS select NETWORK and choose an empty game slot.
• Customise the messages (CONFIGURATION -> MESSAGES) for extra lulz.
  • Quickchat keys are F5-F8 and you can select which player to send messages to (or the whole room) with F1 and F2.

Online Play

• Download the /ovg/ Edition with Launcher
• Run WhiplashLauncher.exe
• In the Network tab, enter IP: 66.55.157.92 Port: 13954
• Launch Whiplash
• At the main menu, select PLAYERS -> NETWORK and choose a game room, preferably one with people in it already.
• Convince at least one other person that you won't just set the track to Bonus 3 and camp the pitlane.

Notes

Whiplash's multiplayer implementation was designed for business-class networks of the mid-'90s, not global online play. The following bugs may occur during gameplay:

• Input lag
• Engine/tire squeal sounds get stuck
• Screen freezes
• NETWORK ERROR
• Game crashes

To reduce the likelihood of these glitches, it is recommended that the player with the most bandwidth join the game room first, making them the host. Best results are obtained if all players are in the same geographic region. Though it is a 16-player game, network errors occur more often after more than 10 players have joined the game.

Gameplay Tips

• Global and Pulse are /ovg/'s recommended teams. Try Zizin if Pulse isn't quite Takumi enough for you.

• Watch out for Bob.

• By default, the AI drivers are all named after famous fictional robots and artificial intelligences. However, you can rename them to whatever you like.

• If you find the HUD too huge and distracting, you can either turn it off completely, or select RESTRICTED from the graphics options menu for simple text gauges. Entering the CINEMA cheatcode might also help.

• Disabling the track and car textures gives a cool Virtua Racing look.

• To keep the car from stalling when you stop to pit, use a manual transmission and drop it into neutral as you roll in.

• Watch out for Bob.

• There are various cheat codes that can alter gameplay, unlock extra tracks and cars, or produce visual effects. Enter in the NAMES menu as your name. The name will change to the name of one of the developers if entered correctly. You may then re-enter your driver name of choice.
  • Alternate Announcer: TOPTUNES
  • Widescreen mode: CINEMA
  • Faster gameplay: MR ZOOM
  • Fastest gameplay: TACHYONS
  • Icy roads: MRFROSTY
  • Invert colors: FREAKY
  • Invincibility: SUPERMAN
  • Large tracks: YOTARACE
  • Thin cars: TINYTOTS
  • Warp cars size: WARPGATE
  • View credits: ROLL EM
  • View race win sequence: I WON
  • Championship sequence: CUP WON
  • Disable all cheats: REMOVE

• Unlockables
  • Unlock Advanced carset: FORMULA1
  • Unlock PREMIER CUP: GOLDBOY
  • Unlock BONUS CUP: MREPRISE
  • Unlock Death difficulty and damage level: DR DEATH
  • Unlock Duel race mode: DUEL

• Secret Cars
  • Car that can destroy opponents at the press of a button: SUICYCO
  • Car that can flip opponents upside-down: 2X4B523P
  • Nitrous-equipped car: MAYTE
  • Car that can launch opponents into the air: TINKLE
  • Car that turns the road ahead of it to ice: LOVEBUN

AI Names

Has an online encounter left you with a bunch of memes for opponents? You can delete whip.ini in the FATDATA folder or use this guide:

Ariel 1: SAL
Ariel 2: HAL
DeSilva 3: SLAVE
DeSilva 4: ZEN
Pulse 5: ASH
Pulse 6: BISHOP
Global 7: VOYAGER
Global 8: NOMAD
Million 9: BOB
Million 10: VINCENT
Mission 11: EDDIE
Mission 12: MARVIN
Zizin 13: KRYTEN
Zizin 14: HOLLY
Reise 15: ROBBY
Reise 16:GORT

Cracking the Whip

Custom tracks? Custom sounds? Custom cars with fucked stats? Soon.

When Whiplash was released, compression or encryption was applied to the game data (/FATDATA) as a method of copy protection, making it unreasonably difficult to view or modify this data outside of the game. The executable unpacks the data in real time, but doesn't actually NEED the files to be obfuscated in any way. Coincidentally, while the retail versions of Whiplash are compressed, the beta versions of the game are not, and one can take the early, beta versions of tracks from the various Fatal Racing demos, pop them into a working copy of Whiplash, and go for a slightly more insane ride.

What all this really means though, is that you get you experience Death Drop the way it was meant to be. Mind that gap!

Fatal Racing Beta

Fatal Racing Interplay Beta Enter GOLDBOY as your name to unlock some more insane, half-finished tracks that unfortunately cannot be raced on without modification.

Beta Gremlin Cup Drop this trackpack into the FATDATA folder of your retail Whiplash install's root directory. Warning: this will replace the first 8 tracks with their beta versions. Make a backup of FATDATA before installing.

The tracks are largely unchanged, but some have more difficult obstacles and the Gateway's deadly corkscrew is now magnetic. One thing you might note is that the tracks all have a little more grip than the final game.