Test Drive Unlimited FAQ (Includes HUGE Map)

[Who]

I would like to point out that this was originally compiled by a long-gone member of the official forums, by the name of 'The_woozle' i have however added to and modified relevant parts of the FAQ to bring it up to date. i will not take all credit for myself, and i hope that if the_woozle is watching, he will aprove of my modifications :)

 

so without further Adoo, i present to you the Test Drive Unlimited F.A.Q.! (drumroll please)

 

_______________________________________________________________

 

This FAQ is an ongoing effort. It will be updated as often as possible and as often as necessary. All of the information below has been collected from elsewhere in this forum and is accurate to the best of our abilities. If you notice an error please contact me directly via pm and we’ll work to have it corrected as quickly as possible.

 

Many thanks go to all contributors of this forum as without the questions we wouldn’t have the answers. Particular note should be made of the contribution of a previous F.A.Q. made by myself and KoenigViper found here upon which the_woozle drew heavily upon in his creaton of the new one. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, goes a tremendous thanks to a certain forum legend who writes for X360 magazine by Imagine Publishing whose Exclusive review of TDU thread has provided much of the content below.

 

Last updated 7th March 2007 by Lwsbrck Photomode section edited

 

********************//**********************

Click for: Prima Guides Huge Complete Map - Shows everything!

********************//**********************

 

Important dates

 

When is the release?

Xbox 360 version was launched in America and Europe over the week of 4th september - 11th september

5th september for the USA

8th september for the UK

 

Pc, PSP, and PS2 versions will follow,

the official dates are in february 2007

 

Vehicle Details

updated

Is (whatever brand/model) in the game?

An official car list has been released for those vehicles shipped with the game. View the complete list herethus far there has been 4 Download packages, and 4 exclusive downloads used as promotional material for those who pre-ordered at their respective stores. The DLC list is below:

 

Starter Pack (free)

Nissan Skyline R34

Audi RS4 Quattro

and the details for the exclusive pre-orders

 

November Pack:(350 MS points)

Chevrolet Corvette C1 Convertible(free)

Ferrari 250 GTO

Lamborghini 25th Anniversary Edition

Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

Koenigsegg CCR

RUF RGT

Noble M400

 

Lexus Pack: (Free)

Lexus IS350

 

X-Mas pack:(350 MS points)

1971 Dodge Challenger RT(free)

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

McLaren F1 GT

Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe

RUF RT 12

Alfa Romeo Brera

Edonis

 

February/March Pack [not yet released] (350 MS points)

Cadillac CTS-V 2005 (free)

Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Roadster 2005

Audi S6 2006

Ferrari F40 1987

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible 1971

Mercedes CLK GTR

RUF Rturbo

 

The 4 promotional cars were:

Lamborghini Gallardo

Mclaren F1 LM

Pagani Zonda Roadster

Spyker C8 Lavoilette convertible

 

Thanks to ADJ92 for the list

 

[glow=red]new[/glow]Why are there no porsches in Test Drive Unlimited?

Because EA games has an exclusive lisence with porsche, allowing Porsches to only appear in games made by EA (need for speed). as an alternative Test Drive features Rufs (availible at 'german independants). Rufs look very similar to porsches, being as they share chassis with their porsche equivilents. because ruf are a seperate company to porsche, their models are not covered by EAs exclusitivity deal, and provide a good compromise to the real deal. PGR3 also has ruf for the same reason

 

How much does the (whatever car) cost?

The cost of each car in the game is supposedly corresponds with its real-life counterpart when bought in one of the in-game dealerships. The cost of vehicles sold by player in the game will vary.

 

What are the cheapest and slowest cars in the game?

Cheapest are the motorbikes. Slowest are the smaller cars like the Alfa GT, Audi A3. (Hot hatches). Audi A4 convertible is pretty slow, and the SSR. also some of the classics are also particularly slow, the mercedes 300SL gullwing and the Chevrolet C1 1957 are particularly sluggish

 

specifically the cheapest veihicle is the Triumph speed triple (i think) and the slowest is the chevrolet c1 hardtop

 

Are all the number plates the same?

There is no facility to change the number plates. The plate on all cars is 'TDU 505' comming from the initials of Test Drive Unlimited, and the date, 'may 2005' whaen the game became public knowledge

 

Is there damage modeling for the cars? Are there obvious signs of damage to your car when involved in an accident?

There is no damage except to AI traffic cars

 

How is the power delivery from the cars? Is there turbo-lag and can you drive around at relatively slow speeds?

The throttle response can be full-on accelerate, roaring, and your head (in cockpit view), ie your view forwards, actually rocks back to simulate the effect of the g on your neck. Very cool.

And if you just tickle the throttle, you can just cruise around town at low revs.

 

Does the radio work?

The radio works, you have a choice of several channels. Also my creating a custom playlist on your 360's hardrive which includes the word 'testdrive' in the name, you can make your own radio station, the default stations are...

 

Sweet radio - soul/funk music

h. metal - general rock

D-jay - pop and house style stuff.

radio classik - classical

 

Do the windows work?

Yes, they are either up or down and all seem to act like electric ones.

 

If you drive with the windows down does it affect the performance of the car?

No, but there is more wind and engine noise.

 

Can you turn off the engine?

When you get in a car, the engine is off, and you have to start it. The engine is turned off when you press the back button to reset your car, or use D-pad right to go to GPS.

 

Do the headlights work?

Yes they function but they won't stay on. Holding down the 'A' button on the xbox360 controller turns them on, however removing your thumb from the button will turn them back off. This makes it technically possible to have your lights on, but there is no setting to keep them that way. Incidentally, if you flash your lights (a tap on the 'A' button) when behind another licensed car you will initiate an 'instant challenge'. The lights do not affect lighting conditions (i.e. they do not light up the floor)

 

Do the reverse lights work?

Yes

 

Does the horn work?

Yes

 

Do the wipers work?

No.

 

Can you raise/lower to the top on convertibles?

In general, No, top is always down on all convertibles. there are exeptions like the koenigseggs (targa style)

 

 

BIKES

 

Can you buy a bike right from the start of the game?

No. You can't buy any bikes from the off I'm afraid. You need to discover every car dealer before the bikes become available.

 

You have to visit each dealership by driving to them manually first, so that's about 2-3 hours if you're really pushing it and you know where they are.

 

The Cadillac, Dodge and both McLaren (one up north, one down south) garages are miles from anywhere, so it takes a good while.

 

How much does (whatever bike) cost?

As with the cars, each bike in the game should roughly correspond with its real-life counterpart when bought in one of the in-game dealerships. This should range from $10k to $33k

 

 

Modification/Customization/Personalization

 

Can the cars be tuned?

Yes, there are three stages of tuning which have various effects on the cars performance, handling and engine noise. some modifications infact change the car completely, for example, a normal Ford Mustang can be taken to 'todays american muscle parts' and turned into 3 different variants of the Saleen s218e

 

Which cars have body modifications?

The Mustang coupe has 3 'saleen' modification to turn it into different forms of the Saleen S218e

The Mustang convertible has 3 modifications to make it into different forms of the Saleen S218e Speedster

The Mercedes-Benz CLS 55 has a modification which changes its rims and sideskirts

 

Is it possible to performance tune all the cars?

Every production car I have tried to tune has been tune-able, regardless of whether you can in real life or not. the only un-tunable cars are concepts

 

“Tuning cars is just about visiting the tuning centres (when you've won enough to open them) and then choosing what stage to tune to – 1, 2 or 3.”

 

Can the cars be customized/personalized?

Aftermarket changes are limited to changing the rims, interior colour and the exterior colour of your car. At the time of purchase, from a dealership, you have a multitude of colour options for the interior trim of your car.

 

You can repaint any of the cars any hue you want, so although the GTR and LM are those colours to begin with, you can always change it.

 

You can easily revert to the factory colours using the normal paint shop instead of the deluxe one.

 

(n.b. deluxe paint is not availible for any car made by Fiat S.P.A.)

 

Do I still have my choice of colour when buying a classic car in the dealership?

No. Unlike the dealerships for new cars, the classic cars are sold “as is” on the showroom floor. However, you do still have the option to change the colour at one of the custom paint shops around the island.

 

Is it possible to have pearlescent paint?

Yes. Some of the standard colours for cars like the TVR are pre-set as pearlescent. The deluxe paint shop can easily create pearlescent effect paints on any car using metallic highlights.

 

 

BIKES

 

Are the bikes in the game going to have performance kits like the cars?

 

Yes

 

In-car experience

 

Can you turn off the onscreen displays; gps, mph, city/area etc.?

Yes you can turn on or off the displays, including GPS, speedo, racer names, and you can even set the amount of blur on the camera.

 

Can I listen to my own music while driving?

Yes you can. music is played through the game's radio system, and the music is selected with the xbox guide, as in all games, also, if you create a custom playlist on the hard-drive including the word 'testdrive' you can play the custom playlist through the radio as you would with a default station

 

Is there nighttime driving?

There is no night

 

Is there any change in the time of day?

The time and conditions change gradually as you play. as mentioned before, the cycle does not include a night time.

 

Does it ever rain/snow/hail/sleet/etc.?

there are no weather effects/precipitation

 

Will it be possible to turn the driving aids off?

Yes.

 

What are the different driving aids?

Hypersport = A little bit of help from, ESP, LSD, traction control etc...

Sport = Medium help from all of the above

Driving Aids = full help from above

Driving Aids off = No help at all

 

What driving views (camera) will be available?

Distant chase cam: Far back outside

Near chase cam :Close back outside

Inside / Cockpit

Bonnet

bumper cam: No car, just road with tachometer and speedometer

Helmet view for bikes

 

What is 'Hardcore mode'?

Hardcore mode is going to make Test Drive Unlimited a simulator (or as near as possible) it is a complete overhaul of the game's physics. set to come out in the third patch for TDU

 

BIKES

 

How difficult are the motorbikes to ride? Are they more like GTA SA or MotoGP?

“Very. Especially as I only ever play the game in cockpit view, not from above. In third person mode the bikes are not too bad, a bit more tricky than GTA, but similar to MotoGP. In cockpit view it is hellishly difficult, but oh so rewarding when you weave in and out of traffic, and pulling wheelies – that's cool. You can also come to a complete stop balancing on the front wheel, which is also great.”

 

Can you crash your motorcycle? Does your character fly into the air, or at least fall off?

Yes you can fall off. If you hit a car, for example, then you see 1 seconds worth of flying avatar and sliding bike, then the screen flashes and you end up on the side of the road again with the engine off.

 

 

 

Vehicle Sound

 

Do the cars sound lifelike?

It varies between cars, some cars have fantastic, individual sounds, like the Pagani Zonda and the Ford GT, some sounds are very poor, such as the Mclaren SLR, which has none of the grunt of the real thing, in other cases, cars seem to have the same sounds reproduced, such as where the caterham and the lotuses sound the same

 

On turbocharged cars can you hear the boost pressure?

Yes, on turbo cars you can hear the whistle and the whoosh.

 

 

Character/Avatar details

 

Are there any other brands of clothes apart from Ben Sherman and Ecko?

Red rabbit motorcycle clothes, Foxx, semporio, ellson, G.gazzara, Hcick

 

Can I change the appearance of my character?

Yes, you can adjust many aspects of your characters physical appearance as well as their clothing. This includes things like facial features, build, and skin tone.

 

 

Island/Setting details

 

What is the setting/environment for the game?

The game is set on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Racing will take place within a detailed recreation of the whole of the island providing “roughly 600 square miles worth of island…” and “…roughly 1063 miles of open road…” Lwsbrck (please read here for a more detailed description by the member quoted)

 

How long will it take to drive around the perimeter of the island?

It can easily take over an hour to drive around the whole island on the coast roads. there is a challenge (millionares challenge) which requires the said act to be done in one hour or less, (well not all the coast roads) and the challenge is devilishly difficult

 

How long will it take to drive everywhere?

To drive every piece of road on the island, you got to be talking at least 16 hours straight, finding every peice of road however, is much harder, and covering every onramp, offramp and intersection can take weeks

 

 

Are there more than one of each type of garage on the island?

there are many duplicate dealerships around the island, such as Lamborghini (x2) Ferrari/maserati (x2) and british independants (x3) and many classic car dealers. Though there are some dealers who have multiple car brands under one roof.

 

there are other dealerships dotted around the island that are un-enterable, these are placeholders for downloadable cars, the lexus dealer at the north of the island was one such placeholder before the first DLC

 

Is the island populated by many civilian non-interactive cars?

Yes there are computer controlled players as well as human controlled players when playing online.

 

Are there any proper race facilities available?

Yes, once you've reached rank 'pro' you unlock 'ford island racetrack' which is more like a road than a track, then when you rank up to 'champion' you unlock 'oahu raceway' a fully fledged racetrack.

 

 

Police

 

Are there police?

Yes

 

Are they clever? Do they get aggressive?

There is a three “badge” escalation system for the intensity of the police pursuit. “Police on three badges do get very aggressive. They start putting up roadblocks and ramming you off the road. unfortunately Police AI is not fantastic and with enough skill they are easily avoidible.

 

Do you go to jail?

Generally you just get an on-the-spot fine – which increases depending on the severity of the crime. However, you can go to jail, but only when you don't have enough funds to cover your fines. this strips you of all your cash in hand and puts you in a scene where you are looking at the police station in bird's eye view for 30 seconds before you can return to mayhem

 

"Jail consists of a time penalty where you basically just have to sit and wait whilst viewing a picture of the court / jail. once you've spent your hard time there you can carry on as normal. my experience was about 30 seconds worth of jail time!!" Gaskellorama

 

Do the police follow you off road?

No, they always stay on the roads.

 

A note from a dev on police not chasing you when cruising at 150mph (edits for grammar)

“at the start, everything you did wrong (driving on the wrong lane, above speed limit, not stopping at traffic light or stop etc.) made the cops chase you.

But with that we had a few licensing issues (again...) and we had to change it to: the cops chase you only when destroying cars or panels.

It's kinda weird I know… we are not pleased either. But it's the only solution found to those legals”

 

 

Gameplay details

 

Is there a storyline?

“The game begins with people queuing up for a flight to O'ahu from LA. You are beginning a new life.

You choose 1 of 6 people.

It shows you boarding the plane until you arrive. You have $200,000.

You then rent a car (Audi s4 convertible, Chevrolet SSR, Pontiac GTO, Lotus Elise, Audi A3)

buy a house from the realtors (urban apartment or country shack, both costing $150,000)

and then buy your first car (either an Audi A3, Saturn Sky, Chevrolet SSR, Audi TT, or an Alfa Romeo GT.)

You then race with AI.

you return to your house

You are then free” - Lwsbrck

 

Is there a “single player” mode?

It will be possible to play the game offline which would essentially render it a single player game. In this case you would still buy your houses and cars while continuing to earn money. However, since the primary focus of the game does incorporate being online, playing offline excludes such parts of the game as: car clubs, car auctions, and user challenges.

 

Can you get out and walk?

No, You only see your character in cutscenes, and you cannot control him/her. you see them when complete a mission, are in a house or when choosing a car to rent.

 

Are there missions?

Yes. The missions range from taking a person to a certain location, vehicle delivery, speed runs, and timed events.

 

How many houses are there?

“There are 64 homes in the game ranging from $150,000 to $3,5 million. The homes’ prices are not directly proportionate to capacity, but larger garages generally cost more than smaller ones. The garages appear to be set at 4 cars minimum per home.” KoenigViper (modified)

 

How much money do I have to begin with?

“You start off with $200,000. Portions of this will go to renting” a car “and buying a home before you spend money on your first car.” Koenigviper

 

How long are test drives?

Test drives on vehicles are 2 minutes long.

 

How many online players can play together?

Eight players can take part in the same race together.

 

there is a maximum of 8 players in a cruising session (yourself + seven others)

 

Car clubs allow a maximum of 16 people.

 

What is an 'instant challenge'?

This is a quick, no nonsense, race initiated by the flashing of your headlights. If the challenge is accepted, the challenger is then taken to a GPS screen where they plot a finishing point for the race. Once the destination has been set the race countdown begins. The GPS will automatically set its 'best' route and will guide you accordingly, though you do not have to use this route if you want to use a different one.

 

Once the race is finished the wager (if you chose to have one) changes hands. Additionally, there is a re-challenge option, even if you won the race the first time around.

 

What downloadable content is planned?

Music and cars have been mentioned so far. generally you have 8 cars, and a pack is released each month. there has been recent contreversy as there wasnt a pack during january.

 

there is a launch pack on xbox live marketplace, this is free, and allows the user to download the nissan skyline and audi RS4

 

(2 other packs are also availible - information about content of packs when i can be bothered :p)

 

Do environment elements like traffic lights, that are common to all online players, behave the same for everyone who can see them? Will the light turn green for everyone at the same time?

this is a mixed answer, yes everyone sees the same traffic, however, things like planes in the sky are not the same between users

 

Do the speeds the cars go relate well to the distance?

Yes. It takes one minute to drive one mile going 60 mph.

 

What is the Chronopack?

The Chronopack is one of the early game rewards, and it appears for all cars. You hit the left pad direction (from memory) and it brings up the Chrono features. This is basically your own 0-60mph timer, top speed and braking distance indicator. It's great fun because you can try to beat the manufacturer's times, and you can see the improvement when you start tuning them up.

 

How hard is it to buy the more classic cars like the gullwing or miura and are they always available?

“Some of the classics are available straight away, but others you have to reserve, and then you are told at a later date that they have arrived.

 

for example, you may want a ferrari 288GTO, however it is not in stock, therefore you reserve it and sometime a popup will come to tell you it is now in stock, for example.

 

Makes sense, because of course classic cars are not in constant supply, and it makes it even more special when you finally get the one you want.”

 

Will the mileage make a difference on your car?

no

 

Can you set a race up that calls for 7 (for example) checkpoints to be crossed before the finish line, then lay out many more to allow multiple routes to the finish line?

“You can have locked roads (with barriers) or free roads.

Free roads means you are free to use whatever path you want between checkpoints (finish line being the last checkpoint). You can't mix both modes.” Vibroboy

 

 

Photomode

 

Can you transfer the pictures taken in photomode to your pc?

there is meant to be a way for this to work, basically when you are in your house you view your photo gallery, and you have the option to upload one photo every day. this part works, and you can upload an image every 24 hours. you are then told you can view your uploaded collection on www.testdriveunlimited.com, this does not work, and never has.

 

At one point atari said the page was redy or microsoft certification, no official news has been heard since. in short, there is no way to view the photos you have uploaded

 

 

What controls do you have in photomode?

There are a few such as: Focal length, Radial blur, Saturation, Weather, Time of day, Contrast, Filters, Avatar on/off

 

 

Locations

 

What is a club house?

The club houses are big houses you buy to create a club for you and your club member friends. These range in price and luxury furnishing depending how much is spent on it. It’s a place where the club can meet, chat, check their rankings, and decide on events etc.

 

Developer comment on club house functionality: “There is already a multiplayer race set on it.

Let say you are in your club house with your friends around the swimming pool drinking some cocktail (without alcohol), you are chatting etc. and you decide you want to all race together.

Someone create an "intra club" challenge from the club house and select the race and folks just join (from their seat around the swimming pool) it and voilà !

One second before you were chatting about how cool Zidane's head butt was and the next second you are at 200+ mph with your friends !” Vibroboy

 

What is a diner?

Diners are where custom challenges (player made) or official competitions are available. You can arrive at a diner, post your newly created challenge for a fixed duration with an entry fee, and at the end the creator gets 10% of the entrance fee and the winner walks of with 90% of the earning and the reward.

 

PC Specific Details

 

i could answer many questions, as i have the beta, however i may not share details, as the beta is subject to an N.D.A. (non-disclosure agreement)

 

Is there a pc demo?

No.

 

Will there be a pc demo?

No one here is able to answer that for certain at this time. There has been no official mention of a pc demo at all. We can hope there will be, but need to wait and see.

 

there is an open beta, and if you can get a key then you can get a better experience than any demo culd give. however, all allocated 'keys' have probably gone

 

Will the online part of the pc version be free of charge?

yes

 

Will the PC version support Force feedback steering wheels and H-shifters?

Yes. (developer) sources have said that force feedback wheels and H style gear shifters will be supported in TDU. the PC version of the game has been optimised for the logitech G25.

 

Will the PC version support custom content?

Unknown

[Who]

Re: Test Drive Unlimited - frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)

 

looking for a sticky-fication...

[Street Ryder]

Re: Test Drive Unlimited - frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)

 

You done alot of work there lwsbrck, i think this should be a sticky so we can all find it if we have any questions

[Who]

Re: Test Drive Unlimited - frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)

 

thanks diablo for sticky, and for making the word limit big enough for it to fit :)

 

updated

[Street Ryder]

Re: Test Drive Unlimited - frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)

 

I have a question and am wondering if you could help me out Lwsbrck.

I took a photo there a while back of my lambo murci, saved the photo and when i done this it said that i can access my photo on the TDU Official Site.

 

So went to TDU and tried everything to get it and havn't a clue how to.

Is there something that you need to do to get it, or do you get it buy going to your console and saved pictures.

 

Need some help to get it, CHEERS

[Who]

Re: Test Drive Unlimited - frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)

 

oops, sorry for late reply, never noticed the question.

 

basically, the photo upload is the longest running delay running. we know photos upload, where to, we dont know yet. it was said a long time ago that the site was awaiting MS verification. that was november IIRC. since then we heard nothing. in short, there is no way to access these photos (yet)

[Street Ryder]

Re: Test Drive Unlimited - frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)

 

thanks, dont worry about the late reply its cool

[MattyDienhoff]

Questions

 

Thanks for this Lwsbrck, it answered all my questions. :)

[Eudemon]

Re: Test Drive Unlimited - Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

 

I added the link to the Huge Prima Guides Complete Map near the top.

[CarboyZR1]

Where's Ford Island?

[Enos]

Good thread, Sticky!

[tofastforu]

wat does this mean im kinda a noob at computer games srry

Will the PC version support custom content?

Unknown

[TDURLZ]

Is this for XBox 360 or all of them..?

[TDURLZ]

Fod Island

 

Where's Ford Island?

 

Go west of the Stadium. Only go about an inch or 2 on the map. You have to drive a certain amount of miles to go there

[Vergil]

Hi!

 

Could you tell me where the Lexus Showroom is?

[Steeevy]

There's no lexus showroom

Sorry

Mabye in the patch there comes a lexus

[TDURLZ]

THe Lexus showroom is west of the MV Agusta and Ducati dealer. Just a short ride away

[TDURLZ]

If you have the P.C Version, you can't go in...

[TDURLZ]

That's the BAD part

[Johny]

What kind of map there comes with xbox 360 version? Does anyone have a picture?

[General Speed]

can anyone find all of the hidden shops before the DLC finds it for us??

[jjgigs90]

sorry but i think diablo made this post (even tho u did all the work) becouse i have been looking 4 a map of all the top model events thanks diablo:). and this post got me some questions i needed becouse some guy said driving with windows down makes u go slower heh thanks guys!

[Flo]

wow, the map really helped me with the missions, and there was some stuff writen down i didn't know about! thanks