(WIP) Forcing windowed mode using Special K

**NOTE: This guide is old and I no longer have the means to test or update the method described. Not all steps may work the same as they did when originally written (~March 2021).**


*TODO: Add screenshots clarifying individual steps, improve formatting*

[Special K](https://discourse.differentk.fyi/) is a framework allowing extensive tweaks to the functionality of various games, particularly with regards to graphics. One of these tweaks is the ability to force games to run in windowed mode that otherwise do not have the option, such as Cars. Having Cars run in a window is incredibly useful for speedrunning, as it prevents the game from "taking over" a monitor and will allow other programs to display alongside the game during gameplay (e.g. OBS, timer, etc.). This is particularly useful for those who only have one monitor for their computer.

For more general information about Special K, see [PCGamingWiki](https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Special_K). This guide will focus on setting up a standalone version of Special K exclusively for Cars, leaving any other games on your computer untouched. The use of the global Special K injector is untested.

## Getting started
You will need a few things to get Special K up and running:
1. [The latest release of Special K](https://sk-data.special-k.info/SpecialK.7z)
2. [7-Zip](https://7-zip.org) (or other software capable of opening .7z files)
You will also need Cars installed. This guide was tested using the Steam version, but in theory retail versions should also be compatible.

Start by downloading Special K either from the link in the above table or from the official website, linked at the top of the guide. Using your archive software of choice (such as 7-Zip), extract the contents of SpecialK.7z to a new folder somewhere on your computer. There is only one file in this folder that you need: **SpecialK32.dll**. Copy it to your clipboard.

Navigate to the directory where Cars is installed. (By default, on Windows, this will be "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cars".) Paste SpecialK32.dll into this folder, so that it appears alongside Cars.exe and the other files in the folder. Rename SpecialK32.dll to d3d9.dll.

Launch Cars via Steam. If you followed the above steps correctly, you should see a pop up within the game window indicating that Special K has loaded. Great! Now all that needs to be done is configure it.

**Important note:** Before configuring Special K, set your in game resolution to something suitable for your display, as we will later force the window to be that exact size. Resolutions with a 4:3 aspect ratio are preferable, as other aspect ratios (especially widescreen) zoom the camera in in a way that makes it difficult to see. You may need to add a custom resolution via your graphics card driver to get the resolution you want; see the [Making Cars Compatible with Modern Systems](https://www.speedrun.com/cars/guide/xiexd) guide for instructions on how to do that.

## Configuring Special K
With Cars open and Special K loaded, press Ctrl+Shift+Backspace on your keyboard to open the Special K menu. There are a few configuration changes you need to make:
1. Open the "Display" menu at the top. There are two dropdown boxes; set the top one to "Windowed Mode", check the "Force Override" box next to it, and set the dropdown below it (labeled "Window Style") to "Borderless".
2. Close the "Display" menu and scroll down to the "Window Management" tab. Click on it to expand the options.
* If the "Borderless" checkbox is unchecked here, check it.
* **Set the "Override Resolution" option to match the resolution you set in game.**
* Check the "Center" checkbox. Without it the game will sometimes not window correctly. If you want to reposition the window, use the "X Offset" and "Y Offset" sliders. (The window will not go past the edge of your screen.) The position you set here will be retained every time you launch the game.
3. Close the Special K menu, close Cars, and reopen it.

If everything worked correctly, the game will launch, Special K will load, and the game will be forced to the position you previously set it to in a borderless window! You now have the game running in a window, with full freedom to reposition other windows, have them on top of the game window, and Alt-Tab as you please. Congratulations!

(ПРЕЖНИЙ) Гайд Для Новичков Для Any% Compact Glitchless На Русском

[OLD] Any% Cheat Codes

What is different from the Any%?

The user must use the cheat code IMSPEED before he starts. He can use more if he wishes. 
 
Laps glitches aren't allowed


How I enter a cheat code?

1- Go to Settings
2- Click on Cheat Code (triangle logo)
3- Enter the cheats codes

Have a good run and don't forget to use the hand brake!

Visit the guide Any% Route of RazorMan97 to know the order of the stages.
Visit my second guide to refer you to the cheat codes of any consoles.

[OLD] Any% Route

Route (Note: this route is the best when lap glitches are done, meaning there is a better route for glitchless runs.)

Requires winning all provided races; otherwise, the trophy requirements for Piston Cups (particularly Los Angeles International Speedway) may/will not be met.

Chapter 1:
Radiator Springs Grand Prix¤ (the first race)
(If doing glitchless, Start Lizzie's Postcard Hunt)
Radiator Cap Circuit¤
Sally's Sunshine Circuit¤
Doc's Lesson: Powerslide
Doc's Challenge¤
(If on PC, you can teleport using the map to Radiator Cap. Otherwise, the load time is slower than driving)
(If doing glitchless, Collect Letters on Ramone's Paint Shop roof and by Mac/Piston Cup Entrance)
Palm Mile Speedway¤

Chapter 2:
Boostin With Fillmore¤
North Desert Dash¤
Sarge's Boot Camp¤ (If doing glitchless, do levels 1 and 2; otherwise, only do level 1)
Sarge's Off-Road Challenge¤
Motor Speedway of the South¤

Chapter 3:
Sheriff's Chase¤
Rustbucket Race-O-Rama¤¤
Ornament Valley Circuit¤
TP - Radiator Cap Circuit
Sun Valley International Raceway¤

Chapter 4: 
Doc's Check-Up¤ (do not do in glitchless)
Sally's Wheel Well Sprint¤
Tailfin Pass Circuit
Delinquent Road Hazards¤
TP - Ornament Valley Circuit
Chick's Challenge¤
TP - Radiator Cap Circuit
High Speed Heist
TP - Ornament Valley Circuit or Chick's Challenge
Lightning Strikes Back
TP - Radiator Cap Circuit
Smasherville International Speedway¤

Chapter 5:
Radiator Springs GP¤
TP - Tailfin Pass Circuit
Tailfin Pass GP¤
TP - Ornament Valley Circuit
Ornament Valley GP¤
TP - Radiator Springs GP
Los Angeles International Speedway¤

¤ - has a lap glitch, see "Lap Glitches" Guide for details
¤¤ - Rustbucket Race-O-Rama has some off-track respawn manipulation to make the race faster and/or easier/more consistent to win. These will be described in a separate section of the "Lap Glitches" Guide

[OLD] Beginner Guide for Any% Compact Glitchless

https://youtu.be/QzCeq6wgzH8

Pretty much covers all the easiest fast strata for beginners :)

[OLD] E-Brake Lap Glitches

To perform a lap glitch: Reverse (with the brake button) then come to a stop (using the e-brake button). Repeat until the points specified for the particular race in this guide.

A "Wrong Way", as I shall refer to it, is to Reverse, then Stop.

A safe visual cue for when to hit the e-brake is when smoke/dust begins coming off of Lighting's tires.

Lap Glitches: 
These are the points you must pass for the lap glitch to work, unless otherwise written

- Radiator Springs Grand Prix:
	1st and 2nd Laps: Last set of cones outside the Cozy Cone Motel
	Final Lap: Flo's/Lizzie's

- Radiator Cap Circuit:
	1st Lap: reverse from the finish line
	2nd and Final Laps: Finish Line

- Sally's Sunshine Circuit:
	Same as Radiator Cap Circuit

- Doc's Challenge:
	All Laps: one full reverse on the road from second tumbleweed

- Boostin with Fillmore:
	Same as Radiator Cap Circuit

- North Desert Dash:
	All Laps: Lizzie's Billboard

- Sarge's Boot Camp (All Levels)
	1st and 2nd Lap: the turn before the final obstacle (the horizontal board in the road is the obstacle.)
	Final Lap: reverse off track to the left between the two walls (do not manually respawn)

- Sarge's Off-Road Challenge:
	All Laps: the turn with the chevron (arrow) signs

- Sheriff's Chase:
	Reverse. only reverse, otherwise the lap glitch may/will fail

- Ornament Valley Circuit
	All Laps: toward the left (when reversing) of the large tire in the ground. do not go off-track or the lap glitch will not work

- Doc's Check-Up:
	All Laps: the turn. going onto this turn will put you off-track, so manually respawn. On GCN, and possibly other versions, the game will lag when you go off-track here.

- Delinquent Road Hazards:
	All Laps: the garbage in the road (failing this lap glitch will cause a glitch where it seems to respawn you under the track. If this happens, it may be better to restart the race)

- Monster Truck Mayhem
	All Laps, Both Paths: the third tire in the barrier. Note that skipping laps here is the slowest and most difficult method of completing this race, so stick to off-tracking or normal driving instead.

- Chick's Challenge:
 	Same as Ornament Valley Circuit

- Radiator Springs GP:
	Same as Radiator Springs Grand Prix

- Ornament Valley GP:
	Same as Ornament Valley Circuit

Piston Cup Lap Glitches:
	On Piston Cup Races, there is the possibility of getting hit when performing a lap glitch because of the large amount of cars on the track and the narrow area before and after the finish line. Therefore, use caution when performing lap glitches and try to avoid the other cars as much as possible. If it is near impossible to dodge the cars, or you get hit, it may be better to complete a lap normally, then perform a lap glitch afterwards, instead of trying to continue the lap glitch attempt. On some tracks, in particular Sun Valley International Raceway, there is a higher likelihood of getting hit.

	Also, on Smasherville and Los Angeles International Speedways, there are specific points you must get to for the lap glitch to work:

	- Smasherville: The first L in the "Smasherville" painted on the side of the track. On this track in particular, it may be better to do the lap glitch every other, rather than every, lap, as the track is quite short

	- Los Angeles: Get to the part of the track where the turn begins before the finish line. Then reverse along the straightaway

Rustbucket Race-O-Rama:
	This track has a two places within it where manually respawning from off-track saves small amounts of time and/or makes certain the you can win the race, as the CPUs here tend to rubberband a bit.
- Point 1: After the finish line, there are three consecutive bumps on the road. Go off-track to the right of the first of these bumps, then immediately manually respawn
- Point 2: When you go off the ramp about halfway through the track, go off to the left instead of forward. This will put you off-track, so manually respawn when it does.

[OLD] Every road race with every known off-tracks

[OLD] Full Any% Video Guide With Commentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUY0siitVc4

[OLD] Lap Glitch

This is just a little guide about lap glitch. With this glitch you do last way faster that you would suppose to, and I even do I don't really know how it works I guess it has something to do with the way the game registers when you've done a lap. You basically start the glicth by going backwards with "D" if you're using a keyboard shortly a "Wrong Way" text will appear on screen now this the tricky, not even that difficult part, if you go backwards for too long the game will send you forward, and that's not what you want obviously, you want to get to a certain visual cue almost all of them are in RazorMan's guide of Lap Glitch but I will add a couple things at the end of this guide. So to stop from going backwards you press "C" , you have to do it when Lighting change his face expression I think that is a good visual cue, sometimes he will do it as soon as you start goind backwards, if that's the case you can keep going a little bit more, else you keep going till you see the visual cue , if you don't feel like it cause you think you'll fail just stop earlier, that's one of the keys of the glitch in my opinion, just be careful if you feel like you could fail cause you're going to far just do it in a little bit more of time cause if you don't succeed you will probably lose more time than if you did it carefully.

One lap glitch that is not metioned in Razor's guide is in Tailfin Pass Circuit, the visual cue here is the very first curve, view my PB run if the spot is not clear, in that run I only do lap glitch first lap cause I failed it at the second one.
One modification is in Sarge's Off-Road Challenge is that in the last lap you don't have to go to the signs it's actually enough if you reach the middle of the fence that you see on your right when you go backwards, see my PB too if it's not clear, another modification is in North Desert Dash, first lap you just have to go backwards when you start, it strange to me that Razor didn't check it but let me know if you try and it doesn't work.

One last thing is that in the first run of the stream when I got sub 1 on the second Piston Cup race I managed somehow to like void out or something and do laps in like 3 seconds till the last one when the game put me in bounce again, so if I figured this out and actually works in all races this will speed up the category by quite a bit im guessing 15 to 20 min even more since you would laps so fast.

100% Route

This is the route for the 100% category for the game, where all 250 trophies are required - all races, minigames, and postcards.

**CHAPTER 1**
1. Radiator Springs Grand Prix
2. Lizzie's Postcard Hunt
3. Radiator Cap Circuit
4. Tractor Tipping Levels 1-8
5. Postcard x1: Abandoned Building (1/20)
6. Doc's Lesson: Powerslide
7. Doc's Challenge
8. Postcards x2: Ravine & Bridge (3/20)
9. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
10. Postcard x1: Mack (4/20)
11. Palm Mile Speedway

**CHAPTER 2**
12. Postcard x1: Ramone's (5/20)
13. Luigi to the Rescue Levels 1-8
14. Boostin' with Fillmore
15. Sarge's Boot Camp Levels 1-3
16. Sarge's Off-Road Challenge
17. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
18. Motor Speedway of the South

**CHAPTER 3**
19. Warp to Tractor Tipping
20. Mater's Backwards Lesson
21. Sheriff's Chase
22. Rustbucket Race-O-Rama
23. Ornament Valley Circuit
24. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
25. Sun Valley International

**CHAPTER 4**
31. Doc's Checkup
32. Sally's Sunshine Circuit
33. Sally's Wheel Well Sprint
34. Tailfin Pass Circuit
35. Postcard x1: Wheel Well Motel (6/20)
36. Delinquent Road Hazards
37. Postcard x1: Off-road Before Bridge (7/20)
38. Warp to Delinquent Road Hazards
39. Postcards x4:  Waterfall, Cliff past waterfall, Mines path, & Upper mine bridge (11/20)
40. Warp to Rustbucket Race-O-Rama
41. Monster Truck Mayhem
42. Chick's Challenge
43. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
44. High Speed Heist
45. Postcards x2: Behind Luigi's & Fillmore skip area (13/20)
46. Warp to Chick's Challenge/Ornament Valley Circuit
47. Lightning Strikes Back
48. Postcards x2: Under Bridge & Grass area (15/20)
49. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
50. Smasherville International

**CHAPTER 5**
51. Warp to Sheriff's Chase
52. Sheriff's Hot Pursuit Levels 1-5
53. Postcards x5: Theater, 4 in the Cliffs
54. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
55. North Desert Dash
56. Radiator Springs GP
57. Warp to Tailfin Pass Circuit
58. Tailfin Pass GP
59. Warp to Chick's Challenge/Ornament Valley Circuit
60. Ornament Valley GP
61. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
62. Los Angeles International

Any% Full Size Route

This route is for the Any% category, which uses Lap Skips. Any% Glitchless, Any% No RTT, and Any% No Lap Skips all use a different route.

Any% Route Differences:
Mater's Backwards Lesson, Sheriff's Hot Pursuit and North Desert Dash are completed.
Rustbucket Race-O-Rama & Doc's Check up are only the two events that Isn't completed.
*Only 3 Postcards are collected instead of 10 Postcards from the Glitchless route

**CHAPTER 1**
1. Radiator Springs Grand Prix
2. Lizzie's Postcard Hunt
3. Postcards x2: Ramone's & Mack
4. Radiator Cap Circuit
5. Sally's Sunshine Circuit
6. Doc's Lesson: Powerslide
7. Doc's Challenge
8. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
9. Palm Mile Speedway

**CHAPTER 2**
10. After completing PMS, bring up the pause menu & quit to the main menu, and then reenter back to Story Mode. 
11. Boostin' with Fillmore
12. Sarge's Boot Camp
13. Sarge's Off-Road Challenge
14. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
15. Motor Speedway of the South

**CHAPTER 3**
16. Mater's Backwards Lesson
17. Sheriff's Chase
18. Sheriff's Hot Pursuit
19. Ornament Valley Circuit
20. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
21. Sun Valley International Raceway

**CHAPTER 4**
22. Sally's Wheel Well Sprint
23. Tailfin Pass Circuit
24. Delinquent Road Hazards
25. Warp to Ornament Valley Circuit
26. Chick's Challenge
27. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
28. North Desert Dash
29. High Speed Heist
30. Warp to Chick's Challenge/Ornament Valley Circuit
31. Lightning Strikes Back
32. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
33. Smasherville International Speedway

**CHAPTER 5**
34. Radiator Springs GP
35. Warp to Tailfin Pass Circuit
36. Tailfin Pass GP
37. Postcard x1: Wheel Well Motel
38. Warp to Chick's Challenge/Ornament Valley Circuit
39. Ornament Valley GP
40. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
41. Los Angeles International Speedway

*For a more beginner friendly route, you could complete Rustbucket Race-O-Rama instead of Sheriff's Hot Pursuit, as well as not collect 3 Postcards.

Any% No Major Exploits/No Lap Skip Full Size Routes

This route is for the Any% subcategories No Major Exploits and No Lap Skip, which all use the same route. Unrestricted, which uses lap skips, follows a different route.

Any% NME/NLS Route Differences:
Rustbucket Race-O-Rama and Tailfin Pass Circuit are completed
Mater's Backwards Lesson, Sheriff's Hot Pursuit, Doc's Checkup, and North Desert Dash are not completed
*10 Postcards are required to collect, compared to 3 Postcards from the Unrestricted route

**CHAPTER 1**

1. Radiator Springs Grand Prix
2. Lizzie's Postcard Hunt
3. Radiator Cap Circuit
4. Sally's Sunshine Circuit
5. Postcard x1: Abandoned Building
6. Doc's Lesson: Powerslide
7. Doc's Challenge
8. Postcards x2: Ravine & Bridge
9. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
10. Postcards x2: Ramone's & Mack
11. Palm Mile Speedway

**CHAPTER 2**

12. Boostin' with Fillmore
13. Sarge's Boot Camp
14. Sarge's Off-Road Challenge
15. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
16. Motor Speedway of the South

**CHAPTER 3**

17. Sheriff's Chase
18. Postcards x2: Theater & Mountains behind theater
19. Warp to Sheriff's Chase
20. Rustbucket Race-O-Rama
21. Ornament Valley Circuit
22. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
23. Sun Valley International

**CHAPTER 4**

24. Sally's Wheel Well Sprint
25. Tailfin Pass Circuit
26. Postcard x1: Wheel Well Motel
27. Delinquent Road Hazards
28. Warp to Ornament Valley Circuit
29. Chick's Challenge
30. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
31. Postcards x2: Boxes behind Luigi's & Fillmore skip area
32. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
33. High Speed Heist
34. Warp to Chick's Challenge/Ornament Valley Circuit
35. Lightning Strikes Back
36. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
37. Smasherville

**CHAPTER 5**

38. Radiator Springs GP
39. Warp to Tailfin Pass Circuit
40. Tailfin Pass GP
41. Warp to Chick's Challenge/Ornament Valley Circuit
42. Ornament Valley GP
43. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
44. Los Angeles International

*For a more beginner friendly route, instead of collecting Postcards, you could complete Mater's Backwards Lesson after starting Chapter 3, and Doc's Checkup after starting Chapter 4.

Any% Route Details/Explanation

***Why do we choose these races, minigames, and postcards for the route?***
• Most races are required - any not listed below are required to beat the main story.
• There are three opportunities where one of two races/minigames must be chosen to advance the story, but the one that is chosen is optional.
	• *Sally's Sunshine Circuit* or *Tractor Tipping* (Level 1)
	• *Boostin' With Fillmore* or *Luigi to the Rescue* (Level 1)
	• *Rustbucket Race-O-Rama* or *Sheriff's Hot Pursuit* (Level 1)
• The following races/minigames are entirely optional: *Lizzie's Postcard Hunt, North Desert Dash, Mater's Backwards Lesson, Doc's Checkup, Tailfin Pass Circuit*, and *Monster Truck Mayhem*. Additionally, all levels of minigames past the first level are optional, if the first level is necessary to advance the story.

• Each task unlocks trophies. Trophies are mandatory to unlock the Piston Cup races at the end of each chapter in order to advance the story.
• In the Full version of the game, you do not get enough trophies to beat the game just by beating all of the required tasks. Therefore, some optional tasks are mandatory. 26 additional trophies are required to unlock the final Piston Cup race.
• Postcards from *Lizzie's Postcard Hunt* are 1 trophy each. Optional races are 5 trophies each for first place. Optional minigames vary in trophies - see the Story Progression spreadsheet in Resources for more information.

**Both Routes**:
• *Sally's Sunshine Circuit* is worth doing in both categories, because it unlocks 4 more trophies than *Tractor Tipping's* first level, and the time saved from *Tractor Tipping* isn't worth the time used to collect other trophies elsewhere. **(4/26 trophies)**
• *Boostin' With Fillmore* is worth doing in both categories, because it unlocks 4 more trophies than *Luigi to the Rescue's* first level, as well as a boost upgrade, and the time saved from *Luigi to the Rescue* isn't worth the time used to collect trophies elsewhere **(8/26 trophies)**
• This leaves you with 18 more optional trophies needed to beat the game.

**Any%:**
• *Sheriff's Hot Pursuit* is worth doing over *Rustbucket Race-O-Rama* because it is faster to complete, and more trophies can be obtained in other tasks. **(8/26 trophies)**
• *Mater's Backwards Lesson* is worth doing because it has a lap skip, so the trophies can be unlocked quickly. **(13/26 trophies)**
• *Doc's Challenge* is worth doing because it has a lap skip, so the trophies can be unlocked quickly. **(18/26 trophies)**
• *North Desert Dash* is worth doing because it has a lap skip, so the trophies can be unlocked quickly. **(23/26 trophies)**
• Collecting 3 Postcards from *Lizzie's Postcard Hunt* will quickly obtain the last 3 trophies needed. **(26/26 trophies)**

**Any% Glitchless (and other categories):**
• *Rustbucket Race-O-Rama* is worth doing over *Sheriff's Hot Pursuit* because, although it is slower to complete, it unlocks a boost upgrade, and isn't worth skipping to collect other trophies in this category. **(11/26 trophies)**
• *Tailfin Pass Circuit* is worth doing because the race has a very fast completion time. **(16/26 trophies)**
-Collecting 10 Postcards from *Lizzie's Postcard Hunt* is faster than doing any other optional races in this category. **(26/26 trophies)**

Avoiding Game Crashes, Softlocks and Hardlocks

This guide will cover any issues (and their solutions) you may experience during normal gameplay of the PC version of Cars.

**IMPORTANT**: This guide **does NOT** cover the game crash when starting Story Mode. For that fix, and other external fixes, read this guide at https://www.speedrun.com/cars/guide/xiexd.

# Issues with Known Fixes

## Map Warp Hardlock

A **hardlock** can occur when warping to a race using the map button, wherein you are not able to pause and being forcibly warped by off-track reset or going the wrong way will remove all input.

- **DO NOT** mash the pause button on the loading screen. Wait 0.5-1 seconds before pressing the pause button to exit the race. Pressing pause too soon will cause the hardlock.

## Map Screen Crash

After Delinquent Road Hazards, the game may crash when attempting to warp with the map. The arrows disappearing from the menu are a sign this will occur.

- Do not press up after opening the map. Close and reopen the map, or change the chapter and press down, then navigate to the event you want to warp to.

## Smasherville Crash on Completion

On Smasherville International Speedway, the game may crash after completing the race.

- Avoid colliding with any AI driver when you cross the finish line.

## Mater's Backwards Lesson Arcade Crash

Starting Mater's Backwards Lesson in Arcade Mode may crash the game.

- Do not switch to Mater's Backwards Lesson from the Event Select screen in the pause menu or results screen.
- Start Mater's Backwards Lesson on any difficulty except Practice.

## Pit Stop Crash

Starting the Pit Stop Minigame during a Piston Cup may crash the game.

- Avoid colliding with any AI driver when you start the pit stop.

# Issues with No Known Fixes

This section serves as documentation of known detrimental glitches without known fixes. If your issue is in this section, we're sorry we couldn't help.

## No Trophies Softlock

Completing an event will not progress you or award you with trophies.

- This is known to occur with Sheriff's Hot Pursuit (level 1) on Full Size.

Cars Movement Tutorial

Cars on Linux/Steam Deck

These steps should be applicable to all modern Linux distributions, as well as the Steam Deck. In cases where you need to install additional software, consult your specific distribution's documentation for how to do so.

# Playing in windowed mode

[Gamescope](https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope) is the simplest way to force Cars to run in a window on Linux, only requiring it to be installed and your Steam launch options modified.
* Ubuntu >=22.10: Make sure the *universe* repository is enabled, then *apt install gamescope*
* Ubuntu 22.04: Enable [this repository](https://launchpad.net/~ar-lex/+archive/ubuntu/gamescope), then *apt install gamescope*
* SteamOS 3 (Steam Deck): Preinstalled, no extra steps needed

To enable gamescope, simply add it to your Steam launch options, tweaking the options appropriately to match your preferred resolution. Some example configurations for common resolutions and 4:3 aspect ratios are as follows:
768p: *gamescope -W 1024 -H 768 %command%*
1080p: *gamescope -W 1440 -H 1080 %command%*
1440p: *gamescope -W 1920 -H 1440 %command%*

On future launches of the game, it will now open in a window at the size you specified. If you want to choose your own resolution, simply replace the numbers in the launch options; the number after *-W* is the width in pixels, and the number after *-H* is the height in pixels. Gamescope has many more options that can be added as well, which you can get a list of by running *gamescope --help* in a terminal.

# Run timer

LiveSplit does not have a native Linux version, and getting it working in Wine can be fairly tricky. One simple alternative is the [obs-livesplit-one](https://github.com/CryZe/obs-livesplit-one) plugin for OBS, which adds [LiveSplit One](https://one.livesplit.org) as a source you can add to any OBS scene. It can use split files and layout files from the Windows version of LiveSplit, and hotkeys can be configured in OBS settings. Additionally, if you add multiple instances of LiveSplit One, each can be assigned separate hotkeys. 
To install the plugin, make sure you have a recent version of OBS Studio installed and follow the instructions on the linked GitHub page.

Cars PC Setup Guide 2023

The digital and physical PC versions of Cars have a number of issues when run on modern operating systems, including the infamous crash when starting Story Mode. This guide will explain how to deal with a number of these issues in ways that are friendly to the leaderboard rules.

Although we may not be able to solve it, please leave any unlisted issues you have with running the game on the forum, or in the **#help-and-support** channel in the Cars speedrunning Discord.

This guide covers issues that require external fixes. For problems that you may experience and will need to fix or avoid during gameplay, please check out the sibling guide at https://www.speedrun.com/cars/guide/6h1z5.

# General Setup

- For speedrunning, it is highly advised that you use the **Steam version** over a retail/DVD version. Buy it *[here](https://store.steampowered.com/app/331160/DisneyPixar_Cars/)*.
- It is crucial that you download and install your GPU manufacturer's driver control software if you haven't already.

**NVIDIA:** https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

**AMD:** https://www.amd.com/en/support

- The game has no windowed mode. You will need window hooking software, such as DxWnd https://sourceforge.net/projects/dxwnd/ or Special K https://discourse.differentk.fyi/ to run the game in windowed mode.

## **Fullscreen Resolution**

It is generally advised to play the game in a fullscreen (4:3) aspect ratio. Cars does not have proper widescreen support, and thus will squish the camera in-game to accommodate widescreen resolutions. These instructions will show you how to set up a custom 4:3 resolution to match your monitor's height.

### NVIDIA

1. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel, and go to Change Resolution.
2. Select Customize, then select Create Custom Resolution in the pop-up window.
3. Fill in the pixel values with your preferred resolution (i.e 1440 horizontal, 1080 vertical, for 4:3 1080p).
4. Test the resolution, then click Yes. The resolution should appear in-game under Game Options.

### AMD

- Use this guide provided by AMD: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/dh-032
Once you have your resolution preset created, it should appear in-game under Game Options.
Note that the game will not launch with resolutions below 640x480.

# Solved Problems

## **Story/Arcade Mode Crash**

On all versions of Windows, loading Story Mode or a race in Arcade Mode **will crash** if the game tries to run with Intel integrated graphics. This can happen frequently on laptops. However, there are numerous ways to force Cars to only use an alternative GPU.
For some, simply enabling 4X anti-aliasing in Game Options allows it to work, but if that doesn't work for you, here are some single-GPU methods.

### Windows Settings Method

1. Open **Settings** > **System** > **Display** in Windows.
2. Select the Graphics settings option at the bottom of the menu.
3. In the Graphics Performance Preference section, select Desktop app.
4. Locate **Cars.exe** in the Browse menu. (Steam directory is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cars)
5. Open Options, and select the High Performance card option.

### NVIDIA Control Panel Method

This method is only usable on NVIDIA cards.

1. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel.
2. Go to Manage 3D Settings and go to Program Settings.
3. Add **Cars.exe** as a customized program.
4. Use the High-performance NVIDIA Processor in the Preferred Graphics Processor dropdown menu
5. Click Apply at the bottom of the window.

### Replace Scenes.pak

If none of the above solutions work, a mod exists that may provide a fix. This may help if you only have an Intel GPU. Please note that the download is 200MB, so please use the above fixes first if you are low on disk space or you have a slow connection.

1. Download the replacement Scenes.pak *[here](https://mega.nz/file/SppWyTqL#vnldUazkNbLF-uoC6PJ9bj_fK5z3NozmKEDjGbn2xeA)*.
2. Open the Data folder in the Cars directory. (Steam directory is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cars)
3. Place the **Scenes.pak** file you just downloaded into the Data folder. When prompted, select "Replace the file in the destination".

## **Crash on Launch**

### NVIDIA Systems

On some systems, Cars may simply fail to launch. This is a problem with NVIDIA's Supersampling (DSR) options, which can cause issues on older games due to forcing them to run in unsupported resolutions.

1. Open the NVIDIA Control Panel
2. Go to Manage 3D Settings and go to Global Settings.
3. Scroll down to **DSR - Factors**, and in the dropdown menu, uncheck all boxes.
4. Click Apply at the bottom of the window.
5. Go to Display > Change resolution in the sidebar.
6. Select Customize and check the **Enable resolutions not exposed by the display** box, as well as any of the resolution boxes in the space above.
7. Click OK in the popup window.

### Windows 11

This can also happen on Windows 11. Cause unknown, but a fix is known.

- Run the game through DxWnd.

## **Save File Corruption**

Upon saving the game, the save file will become immediately unrecognizable by the game as soon as you attempt to load, even in the same game session.

- Right-click on Cars.exe, select Properties, then go to the Compatibility tab and set the compatibility mode to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Then make sure to run the game as administrator.
- Alternatively, run the game in compatibility mode for Windows 98/Windows Me, and **don't** run the game as administrator.

## **Windows 11 Lag**

On Windows 11, the game will have immense lag in menus and in game, even on high-end computers.

- Right-click on Cars.exe, select Properties, then go to the Compatibility tab and set the compatibility mode to Windows XP Service Pack 2.

# Notes for Other Operating Systems

## Mac

- **This version of Cars has the least support and testing, thus this section may be void of solutions.**

- The game **will not run on macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer, as these operating systems no longer support 32-bit programs.**
It is **highly advised** to play the Steam version through Wine if you use macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer.

- The retail version's installer **does not work** macOS 10.7 Lion or newer, as the installer is PowerPC only. An already-completed installation with the official Intel patch from macOS 10.6 Snow Leopard or prior will need to be transferred to the new computer in order to run the disc.
The official patch can be found here: https://macintoshgarden.org/sites/macintoshgarden.org/files/games/cars_intel_updater.zip
Once you have the installation, however, the installer will accept both the play disc or a mounted disc image of the play disc to run the game.

- Visual glitches not seen anywhere else have been reported on macOS 10.14 Mojave (red filters over textures), though there is no known fix.

## Linux

- There is no official Linux port of Cars, however, it is possible to officially play the Windows version through Steam's Proton tool, though vanilla Wine should work fine as well. Proton 4.2 should also be capable of running a virtual desktop.

- Physical copies of Cars played through Wine do not pass SecuROM checks.

Cheat Codes and Useful Secrets

This is a list of all cheat codes available in Cars.

**CONC3PT** - Unlocks all concept art
**IF900HP** - Unlocks all events, cars, and paint jobs
**IMSPEED** - Dramatic acceleration increase
**MATTL66** - Unlocks all tracks
**R4MONE** - Unlocks all cars and paint jobs
**TRGTEXC** - Unlocks Master’s Speedy Circuit and Mater's Countdown Cleanup
**VROOOOM** - Makes boost infinite
**WATCHIT** - Unlocks all in-game movie clips
**YAYCARS** - Unlocks all cars

**CHMPION**, while it is possible to type into the cheat code menu, only has an effect as the profile name. It increases the AI difficulty in every Story Mode race from "Rookie" to "Professional".

Compact Route (Any%, NLS, NME)

This is a route for all Any% variants in the Compact game size. As there are no optional events required, and only 1 race in the route that deviates, all categories have been pooled here.

**__CHAPTER 1__**
1. Radiator Springs Grand Prix
2. Radiator Cap Circuit (Flo's V8 Cafe, Radiator Springs)
3. (NLS, RTT) Tractor Tipping (Mater's House, Radiator Springs)
3. (Any%) Sally's Sunshine Circuit (Cone Crazy Motel, Radiator Springs)
4. Doc's Challenge (Willy's Butte, Radiator Springs)
5. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
6. Palm Mile Speedway (Mack, Radiator Springs)

**__CHAPTER 2__**
7. Boostin' with Fillmore (Fillmore's shack, Radiator Springs)
8. Luigi to the Rescue - Level 1 (Casa Della Tires, Radiator Springs)
9. Sarge's Off-Road Challenge (Sarge's Boot Camp, Radiator Springs)
10. Warp to Boostin' with Fillmore
11. Rustbucket Race-o-Rama (Rustbucket Stadium, Ornament Valley)
12. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
13. Sun Valley International Speedway (Mack, Radiator Springs)

**__CHAPTER 3__**
14. Sally's Wheel Well Sprint (Cone Crazy Motel, Radiator Springs)
15. Delinquent Road Hazards (Bridge, Tailfin Pass)
16. Warp to Rustbucket Race-o-Rama
17. Chick's Challenge (Gas Station, Ornament Valley)
18. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
19. High Speed Heist (Flo's V8 Cafe, Radiator Springs)
20. Warp to Chick's Challenge
21. Lightning Strikes Back (Gas Station, Ornament Valley)
22. Warp to Radiator Cap Circuit
23. Los Angeles International Raceway (Mack, Radiator Springs) (FINAL)

New Any% Full Size Route

I've been thinking about the re-route for quite a while, but here it is. Probably should save around 20 seconds if done correctly.


The route: 
--Chapter 1--
1. Radiator Springs Grand Prix 
2. Radiator Cup Circuit
3. Sally's Sunshine Circuit
4. Doc's Lesson: Powerslide
5. Doc's Challenge
6. Map warp -> Radiator Cup Circuit
7. Palm Mile Speedway
--Chapter 2--
1. Menu warp
2. Boostin' With Filmore
3. Sarge's Bootcamp 1
4. Sarge's Off-Road Challenge
5. Map warp -> Radiator Cup Circuit
6. Motor Speedway Of The South
--Chapter 3--
1. Menu warp
2. Mater's Backward Lesson (we have it in the route so we have enough trophies for the last race)
3. Sheriff's Chase
4. Drive to Ornament Valley
5. Rustbucket Race-O-Rama
6. Ornament Valley Circuit
7. Map Warp -> Radiator Cup Circuit
8. Sun valley international
--Chapter 4--
1. Sally's Wheel Well Sprint
2. Tailfin Pass Circuit
3. Delinquent Road Hazards
4. Map Warp -> Ornament Valley Circuit
5. Chick's Challenge
6. Map Warp -> Radiator Cup Circuit
7. North Desert Dash / High Speed Heist
8. High Speed Heist / North Desert Dash 
9. Map Warp -> Ornament Valley Circuit
10. Lightning Strikes Back
11. Map Warp -> Radiator Cup Circuit
12. Smasherville Speedway
--Chapter 5--
1. Radiator Springs Grand Prix
2. Map Warp -> Tailfin Pass Circuit (that's why it is played instead of Doc's Check Up)
3. Tailfin Pass Grand Prix
4. Map Warp -> Ornament Valley Circuit/Chick's Challenge
5. Ornament Valley Grand Prix
6. Map Warp -> Radiator Cup Circuit
7. Los Angeles International
--end--



This is not the final route, I hope

PC Controller Setup Guide

This guide will help you set up and circumvent controller issues that may come up in this game.

- Cars uses __DirectInput__ for its controller support. As a result, you can **not** use controllers that require XInput to function (i.e Nintendo Switch Pro Controller). The controller will make the game go berserk with input detection, and will be rendered unplayable while the controller is plugged in.
- Steam's built-in controller support is advised for Steam and non-Steam versions that launch through it.
- The game labels every button as "Button #". Additionally, menu controls are derived from buttons 1, 2, 3 and 4 (2/3 are Accept/Back, and 4/1 are Edit controls/Show more controls in the Controls menu).
A guide for every button layout (currently for DS4 and XB1) is below.
Using DualShock 4 as a baseline.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/389345868706480130/664034199165992960/CarsControllerGuide.png

Region Version Notes (PC Only)

A compilation of observations and notes about each of the different versions of the game.
This list is incomplete and will be updated to accommodate more differences should they be found.

NTSC
- Contextual event splash screens
- Resetting off-track places vehicle on the track
- Available on Steam, including most PAL languages

PAL/JP
- Randomized splash screens (there are 5, which are variants of the normal splash screens of Rustbucket Race-o-Rama, Motor Speedway of the South, Smasherville International Speedway, Ornament Valley GP, and Tailfin Pass GP with English text removed)
- Resetting off-track places vehicle in midair rather than on the track
- Not available on Steam

Since the game is locked at 30FPS, there are no differences in regards to NTSC vs PAL TV refresh rate.

RazorMan97

BnH247

Uial

DrSeek

TapW

Gibstack

NotTheJohn

VisualGCN

XleboMatb

Cars

Palm Mile Speedway

Rustbucket Race-O-Rama

Sun Valley International Raceway

Kapur

Dunhaibee

Mikkigame

USA / NTSC

EUR / PAL

Full Size

Compact

Generic

CHMPION

Tractor Tipping

Luigi to the Rescue

Sheriff's Hot Pursuit

Full Race

Best Lap

No Lap Skip

Unrestricted

No Major Exploits

Game Size

License

Minigame

Type

Ruleset (Any%)

Ruleset (100%)

Ruleset (All Races)

Effective February 1st, No RTT categories for Cars will be fully renamed to No Major Exploits (NME). This includes extension categories, as well as anything in Guides and Resources.

This decision came after concerns were brought up that No RTT was a misnomer, as the term in the title, "RTT" (reset 

Name	Autor
(WIP) Forcing windowed mode using Special K	NotTheJohn 1 year ago
(ПРЕЖНИЙ) Гайд Для Новичков Для Any% Compact Glitchless На Русском	XleboMatb 1 year ago
[OLD] Any% Cheat Codes	DrSeek 4 years ago
[OLD] Any% Route	RazorMan97 4 years ago
[OLD] Beginner Guide for Any% Compact Glitchless	XleboMatb 1 year ago
[OLD] E-Brake Lap Glitches	RazorMan97 3 years ago
[OLD] Every road race with every known off-tracks	XleboMatb 1 year ago
[OLD] Full Any% Video Guide With Commentary	BnH247 4 years ago
[OLD] Lap Glitch	Uial 4 years ago
100% Route	Gibstack 4 years ago
Any% Full Size Route	Gibstack 3 years ago
Any% No Major Exploits/No Lap Skip Full Size Routes	Gibstack 1 year ago
Any% Route Details/Explanation	Gibstack 4 years ago
Avoiding Game Crashes, Softlocks and Hardlocks	TapW 1 year ago
Cars Movement Tutorial	XleboMatb 4 years ago
Cars on Linux/Steam Deck	NotTheJohn 1 year ago
Cars PC Setup Guide 2023	TapW 1 year ago
Cheat Codes and Useful Secrets	DrSeek 3 years ago
Compact Route (Any%, NLS, NME)	VisualGCN 1 year ago
New Any% Full Size Route	XleboMatb 1 year ago
PC Controller Setup Guide	TapW 4 years ago
Region Version Notes (PC Only)	TapW 3 years ago