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Who are you?
Which Need for Speed game do I need to have to use your cars?
How do I install your cars into my game?
I have installed one of your cars and now the game doesn't work. How can I fix it?
What do I do if I cannot download one of your cars from this site?
When are you going to release your next car?
What cars are you working on now?
Do you take requests for future NFS projects?
How can I be notified of new car releases or other NFS news from gearFX.com?
How do I make my own cars for Need for Speed: High Stakes?
What software and tools do I need to make my own cars?
Where can I download the tools for making my own car?
Can I modify one of your cars and release it to the public?
Can I base a totally different car on one of your cars and release it to the public?
Can I convert one of your cars to use in a different game and release it to the public?
Can I post your cars on my NFS website?
What can I do if I see someone else posting one of your cars as their own?
Why have you not replied to my emails yet?
Who are you?
My name is Benjamin Trapp, but I'm also known as "BMWBig6" in the NFS community. I do not work for Electronic Arts, but I'm a fan of the Need for Speed game series and like to design and share my own cars. If you would like to learn more about me as a person, please visit the about section of this site. Back to top
Which Need for Speed game do I need to have to use your cars?
My cars will only work in the PC version of Electronic Arts' Need for Speed: High Stakes.. You cannot install my add-on cars to the Playstation or console gaming versions of Need for Speed: High Stakes. My cars will also work in NFS3: Hot Pursuit *if* they have been properly converted. Before going through the trouble of converting them yourself, you should search the web for existing NFS3 conversions of my cars. Check my nfslinks page for a few sites that have already converted some of my cars. As far as I know, my cars cannot be converted to work in Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed., as no one has cracked the code to allow for add-on cars (yet). Back to top
How do I install your cars into my game?
First download the car you want from my website by saving the appropriate zip file to your hard drive. The zip file contains several important files, including one named README.html. Please consult this file for detailed installation instructions. If that file is missing, follow these instructions (and substitute the 4-character name of the car whenever you see "????" below):
| Step 1: |
Unzip or extract all files into a temporary directory of your choice. |
| Step 2: |
Create a folder named "????" within the 'data\cars\' directory (located in your NFS4 root directory). |
| Step 3: |
Copy car.viv to the "????" folder you just created. |
| Step 4: |
Copy ????.qfs to the 'data\feart\vidwall\' directory (located in your main NFS4 root directory). |
| Step 5: |
Create a folder named "????" within the '\savedata\cars\' directory (located in your NFS4 root directory). |
| Step 6: |
Copy car.fec to the "????" folder you just created. |
| Step 7: |
Launch the game and enjoy my creation! |
If you have any problems with the game after installing my car, go here to troubleshoot the issue. Back to top
I have installed one of your cars and now the game doesn't work. How can I fix it?
If you have any problems with the game after installing my car, it is probably due to a serial number conflict. (Every NFS car must have a unique serial number, and you cannot have more than 50 cars installed at any one time. In practice, you should not have more than 45 cars in your 'data\cars\' directory to ensure safe game operation.) To resolve a serial number conflict, open the car.viv file with the latest NFS Wizard program and change the serial numbers in the fedata and carp.txt files to a unique number under 50 that is not being used by another car in that directory. Back to top
What do I do if I cannot download one of your cars from this site?
Please report any site errors to me via email. I promise to try and fix the problem promptly. As a last resort, you may want to check partner websites for copies of my cars, or email me and I will send you my car as a attachment. Back to top
When are you going to release your next car?
If you subscribe to my mailinglist, you will receive immediate notification whenever I release a car for NFS. Since I design cars as a hobby and have other personal and professional obligations, I cannot dedicate all of my time to NFS car creation. I hope to release a new car every month or so, but please be patient if I fall behind - my cars are worth the long wait! Back to top
What cars are you working on now?
Please check out the latestprojects section of this site for more information on current and future projects. Back to top
Do you take requests for future NFS projects?
Yes I do. Please email any requests for car designs to me via email. Your suggestions are very important to me and I will try and reply to your email message in a timely manner. Messages in languages other than English are welcome. I promise to consider each and every suggestion, but I cannot guarantee that I will build the car you request. I enjoy challenging projects, but I cannot perform the impossible. I am human and can only build cars that I know well. This ensures that every car I release has the highest level of detail and quality that you have come to appreciate. Back to top
How can I be notified of new car releases or other NFS news from gearFX.com?
If you subscribe to my mailinglist, you will receive immediate notification whenever I release a car for NFS or announce other news and updates. Subscribing is easy and takes just a few seconds. You can always unsubsribe whenever you want, and I will never share your email address or personal information with other parties. Back to top
How do I make my own cars for Need for Speed: High Stakes?
Interested in designing your own custom cars for Need For Speed: High Stakes? It's a time consuming endeavor, and requires a lot of concentration and patience. Troubleshooting and testing your models in the game can be very tedious, but the whole effort is worth it when you end up with a finished product. Unfortunately I haven't finished my own tutorial for building your own cars, but I plan on posting that on my site soon. In the meantime, I suggest you consult other online resources to help guide you. I highly recommend visiting Patwo Design because it has several tutorials for beginner and advanced users. I also suggest checking out the tutorials at The Need for Speed Pit Stop too. Back to top
What software and tools do I need to make my own cars?
There are several software applications that are essential to the NFS car creation process. I rely on the following when making my own cars:
CarCad (© Chris Barnard) - Excellent application for editing car wireframe models.
FCE Converter/FCE Tweaker (© Addict, Rocket, & Chris Barnard) - Useful for adjusting surface reflections and applying final touches.
Viv/NFS Wizard (© Jesper Juul-Mortensen) - Great tool for editing car performance data and extracting and importing car files.
Photoshop 6 (© Adobe) - My personal choice for creating texture maps to skin your wireframe models.
These are not the only programs available, nor are they necessarily the best. I suggest you learn more about what utilities are out there, and figure out what works for you the best. You will discover that some tools are good for new car designers, and others are intended for more advanced users. Each are good in their own right, and I recommend you stick with something you like. Back to top
Where can I download the tools for making my own car?
Adobe Photoshop is available from several online vendors but it is very expensive. Jasc Paint Shop Pro is a good alternative to Photoshop, but there are shareware titles and other free graphics programs that can get the job done too. All of the other tools are free to download and are readily accessible online if you do a quick search. Many NFS sites host copies of these utilities and you can get everything you need at one time. Some of these sites include:
Heyne Multimedia
Can I modify one of your cars and release it to the public?
This car is copyrighted. Please inform me via email if you desire to edit or modify it in any way. I usually let other NFS car designers manipulate my cars as long as they ask me for permission first. If I grant you permission to modify one of my cars, you must credit me as co-author of your vehicle. Do NOT release a car based on my work unless I have authorized it. If you like my work, then please honor my wishes and respect my rights. I spent a lot of time making each of my cars, and I want to continue making cars as long as this remains a fun activity. Do not pirate or rip-off my work or I will be forced to pursue appropriate legal action. All that I ask is that you enjoy using my cars without abusing or infringing on my rights. Back to top
Can I base a totally different car on one of your cars and release it to the public?
This car is copyrighted. Please inform me via email if you desire to use my car as a basis for a new and different car. I usually let other NFS car designers manipulate my cars as long as they ask me for permission first. If I grant you permission to modify one of my cars, you must credit me as co-author of your vehicle. Do NOT release a car based on my work unless I have authorized it. If you like my work, then please honor my wishes and respect my rights. I spent a lot of time making each of my cars, and I want to continue making cars as long as this remains a fun activity. Do not pirate or rip-off my work or I will be forced to pursue appropriate legal action. All that I ask is that you enjoy using my cars without abusing or infringing on my rights. Back to top
Can I convert one of your cars to use in a different game and release it to the public?
Yes, as long as you ask for my permission first. Please email to request such permission. If I grant you permission to convert one of my cars, you must credit me as the original author of the car. Back to top
Can I host your cars on my own NFS website?
If you would like to host my car on your own NFS website, you are free to do so as long as you credit me as the author and provide a link to my website (http://www.gearfx.com). Please email me a link to your NFS website so I can verify your compliance and add your site to my nfslinks page too. I also ask that you occasionally check this site for updates, so that everyone can enjoy the latest versions of my cars. In addition, you may NOT edit or modify any part of the original zip file that I release. All files, especially the README.html, must be included intact for any of my car files that you choose to host yourself. These are simple requests that protect the integrity of my work, and I enjoy sharing my cars as long as my rights are respected. Back to top
What can I do if I see someone else posting one of your cars as their own?
The internet is too large for me to police myself, so I must rely on my friends and fans to help maintain the integrity of my NFS work. If you happen to find a car that is based on one of my cars (and it doesn't reference me as co-author), please email the website address or link to that car for me to investigate. If you have modified one of my cars and released it as your own without my permission, I will kindly ask that you remove your car from the web unless you include a reference to me as co-author. I am not an unreasonable person, and am willing to work with other NFS car designers as long as we can accommodate everyone's interests. Back to top
Why have you not replied to my emails yet?
Please do not be upset if I have not replied to your email yet - I am not ignoring you. I try and answer each and every email I receive so please be patient if you have not heard back from me in a long time. I know many of you probably think I have fallen off the face of the planet, but I am still very much alive in the NFS scene. I promise to be more responsive in the future as I catch up with all the emails in my inbox. I appreciate your interest in my work, and your feedback and comments are very important to me. Back to top
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