Star Wars Episode 1 Racer - Speedrun FAQ

If you're looking for the leaderboards, go here: http://www.speedrun.com/swe1r


1: Categories
----------
- All categories are divided into "new file" and "newgame+".

- New file categories start from the "ok?" after entering the name, and end after completing the final race.

- New game speedruns are separated into runs that use upgrades and runs that don't.

- Newgame+ categories start from selecting "start race" before the first race, and end when completing the final race.

- Some tracks (Bumpys Breakers, Abyss, The Gauntlet, Inferno) have glitches that allow to skip parts of the track. Using such a shortcut makes the run a separate category.

- Cheats (ingame or with external devices) are banned.
----------
any%

- This category just goes to the credits as fast as possible, which is done by completing the Boonta Classic in tournament mode.

Win all races

- This category wins every race in tournament mode.

All tracks, newgame+

- This category races through all the tracks in any order, while using the perfect podracer build from a newgame+ file.

- This category is done in time trial.

----------

2: Getting a perfect podracer

There are different ways of creating an optimal build with only level 6 parts. Basically, you need to complete the entire tournament mode and having at least 73900 Truguts left at the end. This number is the combined cost for all the level 6 parts. The reason why you should buy the best parts after the last race, is because they won't be able to get damaged anymore at this point (although you could technically time the buying of level 6 parts, so they will be repaired after the final race).

The simple way that requires no planning is to just win all races without buying any upgrades. But this is very hard to do. An alternative is to just buy a few upgrades. The max amount of Truguts you can win is 91300, so this means you have 17400 to use for upgrades, before you buy a full level 6 set. But as I mentioned above, be VERY careful with buying level 6 parts before you completed every race, because they need to be in mint condition at the end.

Another method is to abuse the junkyard. The junkyard randomly sells ANY part at any condition (but never in mint condition). You can even find parts there, that aren't unlocked yet in Wattos shop. You can reset the junkyards inventory by going to the vehicle select menu. So the idea is to buy a very good part (level 5 or higher) at a bad condition, completing a race to get it repaired, and then sell it for the full price. This way you can gain a lot of money, so you can (with proper planning) have decent stats while completing the races. There are different approaches to this, so try to find one that suits your playing style the most!

Also, the most important thing: ALWAYS SELECT "WINNER TAKES ALL"!

You need all the money you can get, so just restart if you can't win a race. Obviously, this makes close finishes very dangerous. You don't need every single race, but missing some makes things more complicated than they need to be.
----------

3: FAQ
----------

Q: What pocracer is the fastest?

A: It depends on the level and your skill. Technically, Ben Quadinaros is the fastest character because of his extremely long  boost, although you should only use him if you can handle his controls. On very curvy tracks like Grabvine Gateway, Bens bad turning makes him suboptimal. "Bullseye" Navior is the best choice there. Also, some shortcuts are optimally done with Mars Guo.

For any% speedruns, unlocking Bullseye takes too long, so the next best choice is Ebe Endocott. The reason for this are his good controls and his excellent cooling, which makes up for his lack of speed.
----------
Q: What are the best upgrades?

A: The optimal build looks like this:

Traction: R-600 Repulsorgrip
Turning: Control Stabilizer
Acceleration: Mag-6 Injector
Top Speed: Block6 Thrust Coil
Air Brake: Quadrijet Air Brake
Cooling: Turbo Coolant Pump
Repair: Cluster2 Power Plug
----------

Q: When do parts get damaged?

A: After advancing a level in tournament mode. Any other type of race, including tournament tracks you've already completed, will not do damage. The worst parts (the ones you're starting with) never get damaged.

----------

Q: How do droids work?

A: Droids repair damaged parts after races. The way this works is: Part is in perfect condition, you race and damage it. After the race, each droid will repair one of them.

This means that with the maximum of 4 droids, you will never have to worry about damaged parts if you only bought upgrades for 4 of the stats. You have one droid per default. If you have more than four parts that can be damaged, it is (at least to my knowledge) random what parts will be repaired. --needs more testing--
----------

Q: Watto doesn't sell [add part here]!

A: New parts are unlocked by beating levels in tournament mode. After 16, everything is available (for some reason, tracks of the Invitational Circuit do NOT count towards that number)
----------

Q: How should I upgrade in an any% speedrun?

A: The only thing you want to upgrade is top speed. Since it takes forever to unlock the best upgrades for this stat in the shop, you want to use the junkyard. With the money from the first two races of Galactic Circuit (on "winner takes all"), it is barely possible to buy a damaged Block6 Thrust Coil, the best top speed upgrade. It is completely random if that specific part is available and if it is damaged enough to be affordable. Good luck with that!
----------