I think this will help the new and future Expansion Kit owners !

F-Zero X Expansion Disk FAQ/Translation
                   by CrowTRobo ([email protected]hotmail.com)
                             Version 0.1
                         November, 13th 2001




Table of Contents
-----------------

1. Introduction
2. Controls
3. Basic Editing
4. Menus
  4.1 First Menu
  4.2 Second Menu
    4.2.1 Course Mode
    4.2.2 Point Mode
    4.2.3 Design Mode
    4.2.4 Parts Mode
    4.2.5 Setting Mode
    4.2.6 BGM Mode
  4.3 File Menu
  4.4 Entry Menu
5. Buttons
6. Options
7. Credits
8. Copyright
9. Contact Info


1. Introduction
---------------

Not many people own a 64DD and probably even fewer own one and don't know
Japanese. Well, I'm one of those. So I'm writing this little
FAQ to document what all the menu items in the track editor do for
those who can't read Japanese. I can read some katakana, which most of the
menu items were written in. I also figured out some of them just by
trial and error.


2. Controls
-----------

Analog Stick    - move cursor
A               - confirm / set points
B               - cancel / undo last change
Z               - select points or track segment
Double click Z  - center view on point
D-Pad L & R     - Rotate grid along Z axis
D-Pad U & D     - Rotate grid along X axis
C-buttons L & R - Move grid left/right
C-buttons U & D - Move grid up/down
L               - Zoom out
R               - Zoom in


3. Basic Editing
----------------

Tracks are made up of 'points' which track segments are connected to.
To start designing a track, you just set down points with the A button.
As soon as you make 4, the game will automatically connect them with
track segments. Then you can just keep adding points and the editor
will update the track as you do so. The editor allows a maximum of
64 points per track.

When setting points after the initial four, the new point will split
the track segment that's currently highlighted.

When a message pops up and the B button is shown at the bottom of
the screen (along with text) that means there is an error in the
track that you must fix. Usually this happens when track segments
intersect each other, which obviously isn't allowed. Pressing B undo's
the changes you made that caused the error. Or you can try to fix it
without undoing.


4. Menus
--------

The whole point of this FAQ, here is a list of all the menu items and
what they do.


4.1 First Menu
--------------

This menu is always the same, it lets you pick the editing mode. The
second and third menu's will change depending on what you select here.

-Course  = Lay down points and options that effect the whole track.
-Point   = Modify points
-Design  = Set type of track segment (road, loop, tunnel) and textures.
-Parts   = Add various "parts" like turbo symbols, jump ramps, etc.
-Setting = Set track theme and sky type.
-BGM     = Set background music for track.


4.2 Second Menu
---------------

The second menu changes depending on which of the above modes is currently
selected. The following is a list of each one.


4.2.1 Course Mode
-----------------

-Set        = Set down points with the A button.
-Move Start = Moves the starting point to the end of the selected track
              segment. Select the segment with Z then apply with A.
-Center     = Center track on the grid.
-Reverse    = Reverse the direction the track.
-Clear      = Deletes the whole track.


4.2.2 Point Mode
----------------

-2 Arrows  = Move the selected point along the X and Z axis.
-1 Arrow   = Move the selected point along the Y axis.
-Width     = Adjust the width of the track at the selected point.
-Bank      = Adjust the bank of the track at the selected point. You
             can use this function to create corkscrews.
-Center    = Adjust the center of the point. Initially the point is
             set in the middle of the track segment. You can use this
             function to change that. If you move it left, the track
             segment will shift right and if you move it right, the
             track segment will shift left.
-Clear     = Delete selected point.
-Straight  = Straightens out the track segments along the selected points.
             First, select 3 or more points by holding Z, then moving
             the analog stick to make the outlined region encompass
             the points you want to change, then let go of Z. After the
             points are selected, hit this menu item and the editor will
             straighten out the track along the points as best it can.


4.2.3 Design Mode
-----------------

In this mode, you need to first select the track segment you want to
change, then press A in order to apply the change. The different textures,
etc. you can select with each option will appear in the third menu. The
choices in the third menu will change depending on the type of theme
you have selected for the track (see 4.2.5 Setting Mode).

-Road        = Regular road type with the energy barriers.
-Walled Road = Road type that has walls on both sides.
-Open Road   = Road type with no barriers on the sides, which cars can fall
               off of.
-Tunnel      = Self explanatory.
-Pipe        = Self explanatory.
-Half Pipe   = Self explanatory.
-Cylinder    = This is the cylinder shaped road which cars can move all
               around.
-No Road     = This makes the track segment have no road at all, cars will
               have to jump it.
-Loop        = Makes a loop.


4.2.4 Parts Mode
----------------

Again, in this mode, you need to select a track piece with the Z button
and apply the part with the A button. The options for each part will
appear in the 3rd menu. Also, the last choice in the 3rd menu is always
"Clear" which allows you to delete a part you placed.

-Pit Stop   = The pink energy pads that refill your energy.
-Turbo      = The yellow turbo symbols. You can place up to 32 of these on
              one track.
-Dirt       = Add an area of dirt.
-Ice        = Add an area of ice.
-Jump       = Jump ramps. You can add up to 8 of these on one track.
-Bumpers    = Not exactly sure what these are called, but it's those things
              that "bump" your car straight into the air. You can add up to 8
              of these on one track.
-Gate       = Add a gate.
-Objects    = Add a track side object (buildings, etc).
-Billboards = Add a billboard.

You are allowed a total of 18 of the last three parts (Gates, Objects and
Billboards). So if you add 1 gate and 1 billboard, that will count as 2 out
of the 18 allowed.


4.2.5 Setting Mode
------------------

This mode allows you to modify the setting the track is in. The second
menu has 10 themes you can select from (city, lava, desert, etc). The
theme you choose effects the type of textures and styles of the roads,
tunnels, etc. you can select from in Design Mode (4.2.3).

The third menu allows you to pick what type of sky you want.


4.2.6 BGM Mode
--------------

This mode obviously allows you to select which background music plays
when racing on the track. The second menu gives you 14 songs to choose
from.


4.3 File Menu
-------------

The file menu is the fourth menu across the top of the screen. It has
the following options:

-Load   = Load a track from the disk.
-Save   = Save a track to the disk.
-Rename = Rename a track file.
-Delete = Delete a track file.
-Copy   = Copy a track file from one F-Zero X Expansion Disk to another.


4.4 Entry Menu
--------------

The fifth and last menu in the editor, it lets you add tracks into the
"Edit Cup". Like the other F-Zero X Cups, you have 6 track entries. The
options for this menu are:

-Add    = Add a track.
-Remove = Remove a track.
-Clear  = Clears the entire entry list.


5. Buttons
----------

The four buttons at the bottom right of the screen are from left to right:

-Test   = Test out your track. When you exit the test, the track segment
          your car was currently in will now be highlighted in the editor.
-Detail = Turns on/off the track detail. If it's on, the editor will
          display the track in full detail with textures, etc. If off, the
          track will be displayed with lines.
-???    = I have no idea what this button does. If anyone knows the purpose
          of this button, please let me know.
-Help   = Turn on/off help messages. If on, help text will appear at the
          bottom of the screen when the cursor is on a menu item. If you
          don't know Japanese though, it's pointless, so you might as well
          leave it off.


6. Options
----------

The items in the options screen from top to bottom are:

-Point Info Window = If this is on, the point info window will show up
                     if the cursor is over a point. If it's off, the window
                     will only appear if a point is selected.
-???               = I have no idea. If you know what this option is, please
                     contact me.
-BGM               = Turns on/off the background music in the editor.
-Sound Effects     = Turns on/off the sound effects in the editor.
-Cursor Speed      = Adjust cursor speed. Move to the left to slow it down,
                     move to the right to speed it up.
-Controller Help   = Shows a controller help screen.


7. Credits
----------

Special thanks to the following people:

Acey (for answering all my questions about the 64DD)
animesakura (for being an excellent seller)
SkankinMonkey (for double checking the FAQ for spelling/grammatical errors)


8. Copyright
------------

This FAQ is copyright (c)2001 by CrowTRobo. It's purpose is for personal
use only. You may not print in a publication or distribute this FAQ. The
FAQ can always be found on the following websites, no other sites have
permission to put up this FAQ.

GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com)
NintendoXtreme (http://www.litespeedcomputers.com/nx/)

If you find this FAQ on any other website, please contact me. If you use
any information from this FAQ, please give me credit and do not alter
what I wrote in any way.


9. Contact Info
---------------

If you have any info about the editor that I haven't mentioned or see
an error that needs correcting, please contact me at [email protected]

You will get full credit for whatever help you may provide.
 

Thank to CrowTRobo for this ! It helps me a lot back then.

- The ??? button makes points coordinates to be at 50 or 100, once selected this mode allow you to do that on new created points or on the previous by selecting them and just push A, it works on the Y, X and Z axis. It's usefull to build the tracks faster, it helps when you want to create long straight lines with a point every 50m among others things.