Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures

last updated: May 20, 2021


This document is intended to be a "master document" encompassing steps for setup and gameplay of Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures ("RSA"), with a focus on speedrunning.

This work is marked with CC0 1.0 .

Other useful links:


Table of Contents


Setup

Purchasing the game

The easiest way to purchase the game currently is to buy it on Steam. The regular price is USD$19.99, but it regularly is discounted to USD$5.99 whenever there is a major Steam sale (e.g. Summer Sale, Winter Sale, Spring Cleaning, etc.). Alternatively, the retail CD version can be purchased used from sites like eBay. The retail CD is the only way to get the Mac version, as Steam only distributes the Windows version. Both the Windows and Mac versions are on the same CD.

System requirements

This information is mostly sourced from PCGamingWiki.

----- Windows Mac OS X
CPU 800 MHz Intel Pentium III or better 1.2 GHz PowerPC G4 or better
RAM 256 MB or more 256 MB or more
Disk space At least 500 MB free At least 1.2 GB free
GPU Nvidia GeForce 2 / ATI Radeon 7500 with at least 32MB of VRAM (DirectX 9.0c compatible) Nvidia GeForce 2 / ATI Radeon 7500 with at least 32MB of VRAM
OS Windows 98, 2000, Me, XP or newer Mac OS X 10.3 or newer (see disclaimer below)

Disclaimer for Mac users

RSA is a Universal binary, meaning it will run on both PowerPC and Intel based Macs. However, it is 32-bit only, meaning the game will not run at all on versions of Mac OS newer than Mojave (10.14). As with all Mac software of this age, your mileage may vary when using it on a newer Mac. If you have a more recent Intel Mac, you may have better luck installing Windows using Boot Camp Assistant and using the Windows version. This guide will not go into detail on how to do that.

Installing the game

If you bought the game on Steam, simply install it as you would any other Steam game.
If you have a retail CD, insert the CD and run the installer. Note that the retail game has DRM in the form of a CD check, meaning you will need to have the CD inserted into your computer in order to launch the game after installing.

Running the game in a window

TODO: Document how to set up DxWnd more thoroughly.
By default, RSA runs in fullscreen 800x600, making it difficult to use other applications (such as a timer or screen recording software) alongside it. There are no resolution options of any sort in the game itself, so the only way to get the game to run in a window is to use software that hooks into DirectX, such as DxWnd. By adding RSA into DxWnd and making sure it is running before you launch the game, it will allow RSA to be opened in an 800x600 window on your desktop, making it trivial to position alongside other useful applications.
There is currently no known solution to window the game on a Mac.

Useful cheat codes

This list is also available as a guide on speedrun.com.
These cheat codes can be used to quickly unlock everything so that you don't need to play through the game to access any content. The cheat code menu can be opened by pressing F12 in game.

Cheat code What it does
ladder Unlocks all of the Legends Race events.
shift Unlocks all of the Legends Race Secrets (allowing you to see the meter while playing a Legends Race).
TRGTEXC Unlocks "Chopper-Hopper", the hidden 11th activity. You'll need to enter this in order to run the "11 Activities" category, but it is unneeded for all other categories.

Speedrun categories

This section is merely a brief rundown of the basic objectives of each category on the leaderboards. The most current version of the rules can be viewed on RSA's speedrun.com page (linked at the top of this document).

  • Any%: Complete the 10 main activities (i.e. all activities except for Chopper-Hopper), followed by the 10 Legend Races.
  • All Main Activities: Complete the 10 main activities.
  • All Legend Races: Complete the 10 Legend Races.
  • 11 Activities: Complete every activity in the game, including Chopper-Hopper.

Additionally, there is a variable for all categories (except All Legend Races) corresponding to whether the "Story Mode" checkbox in the game settings is checked or not. When this checkbox is enabled, cutscenes will play before every activity.


Gameplay

This section is still incomplete.

Activities

Hip-Hop it Up

Fill 'Er Up

Doc's Tune Up

Sarge's Boot Camp

Drive-in And Out

Luigi's Fantastico Fun!

Radiator Springs Curios

Tow The Line

Tractor Roundup

Speed Trap

Chopper-Hopper

Legend Races

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Pub: 20 May 2021 20:57 UTC
Edit: 20 May 2021 20:59 UTC
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