:: 4.1 - Controls & Game Customizations  

 
  :: 4.1.1 - Vehicle Controls  

Action Keyboard Mouse
Accelerate Up Arrow Right Mouse Button
Brake Down Arrow Left Mouse Button
Steering Left/Right Arrows Mouse Horizontal Axis
Reverse
(Auto Gearbox)
Down Arrow when car is stopped
Left Mouse Button
Reverse
(Manual Gearbox)
Downshift to "R" (Reverse gear) then Accelerate  
Gear Shift Up A or X Mouse Wheel Up
Gear Shift Down Z Mouse Wheel Down
Hand Brake (E-Brake)Space 
Headlamps L  
Horn H  
Kill / Respawn K  


  :: 4.1.2 - Camera Controls  

Action Keyboard
Change Camera
C
  Note: Cycles thru the following modes:
  Chase, Bonnet, Right Rear, TV Camera, In-car Camera
Camera Zoom (Chase cam) I (hold I and move the mouse)
Camera Pan (Chase cam) O (hold O and move the mouse)


  :: 4.1.3 - Visual Options  

Option Values Notes Default
rally_chrome
0/1
Toggles shiny/reflective appearance
1
rally_dust
0/1
Toggles Dust trails kicked up behind vehicles
1
rally_fog
0/1
Toggles fog throughout maps
0
rally_shadows
0-Infinity
Shadow beneath your vehicle. Each number higher increases quality.
No more than 4 is recommended.
4
rally_opponentshadows
0-Infinity
Shadows beneath other vehicles. Each number higher increases quality.
No more than 4 is recommended.
1
rally_skid
0/1
Toggles skid marks created by vehicles
1
rally_skidmarktime
0-Infinity
Time (seconds) skid marks will last until fading
45
rally_sparks
0/1
Collision sparks created from vehicle-environment interaction
1
rally_radar
0/1
Toggles the radar which shows where everyone is on the map
1
rally_rearview
0/1
Toggles the rear view mirror in the in-car view
1
rally_partslist
0/1
Toggles the display of the parts list on the main menu. Some people have reported crashes on hitting 'Select Car' with this enabled
0

  :: 4.1.4 - Misc. Options  

Option Values Notes Default
rally_manual
0/1
Off - Automatic Sequential Transmission
(Only allows manual shift when wise)
On - Manual Transmission
0
rally_sound_hw3d
0/1
Hardware accelerated sound
(Disable this and RESTART HL if sound is crackly)
1
rally_sound_3dchannels
0-31
Controls the number of other cars you can hear
Change this number to suit the performance of your computer
4


  :: 4.1.5 - Basic Server Options  

Option Values Notes Default
mp_joinmidrace
0/1
Allow new players to join during already occurring race
1
mp_numlaps
1-99
Total number of laps per round (Rally Circuit Only)
3
mp_prerace
3-10
Time (seconds) allowed before each race/round begins
3
mp_racemode
1/2
1=No Time Limit, 2=Time-Extension mode (Time counts down)
2
mp_direction
-1/0-1
-1=Reverse, 0/1=Forward
2


  :: 4.1.5 - Bot Commands  

Option Values Notes Default
addbot
N/A
Adds a bot to the server
N/A
rally_bot_skill
0-100
Sets the skill of the bots.
100 is the best, 1 is the worst
100


  :: 4.2 MP3 Player  
 
To use the MP3 player, place a playlist in .pls format (which can be generated by Winamp or most other MP3 players) into the 'hlrally\' directory. The default file used is 'playlist.pls'.

  :: 4.2.1 VGUI Mode  

The VGUI MP3 player can be activated with the command 'mp3player' (default binding: q).
It is compatible with Winamp 2 skins which are read from 'hlrally\gfx\skins'. Simply unzip the Winamp 2 skin to that directory and type 'rally_mp3skin <dir>' before opening the player for the first time.

The player itself is very easy to operate. It should be noted that, by design, some parts will not work:
  • The Equaliser button does not work.
  • None of the buttons on the playlist work.
  • The windowshade / minimize buttons do not work.
  • The system menu does not work.

  :: 4.2.2 Console Mode  

The console mode works similarly to the 'cd' command in normal Half-Life.
All commands begin with the command 'mp3cmd'
The commands are as follows:

Command Arguments
mp3cmd play None: Plays the next song
0-999: Plays the song that corresponds to that number in the playlist
Filename: Plays that file
mp3cmd pause None: Pauses the current song
mp3cmd stop None: Stops the current song
mp3cmd next None: Plays the next song
mp3cmd prev None: Plays the previous song
mp3cmd repeat None: Toggles repeat mode
mp3cmd shuffle None: Toggles shuffle mode

  :: 4.3 - Modifying Carinfo.txt  
 
Half-Life Rally has a more involved form of customizing allowed then most Half-Life modifications. Rather than replacing the original vehicle models, the server may add new vehicles to your selection. Changes will only take effect if they are made on the game server, not the client. If the server has models which a client does not, they will be downloaded upon connection to the server.

Make sure to back-up your carinfo.txt before modifying!
Editing this file may cause strange problems, and/or make HL-Rally crash!


  :: 4.3.1 - Adding Manufacturers  

Before a new vehicle is added to the list, the Car-Manufacturer (such as Nissan, Mazda etc) must be established. Start off by placing the manufacturers name within brackets. This name is used to link to the menu tab and logo VGUI images to this manufacturer. To the right you can see examples of what is required for each entry.

For the VGUI menu the manufacturer image has two forms, 'up' and 'dwn'. The up form is displayed when the button is unselected while the dwn form is displayed when selected. The image requirements for menu tabs are as follows:

In your Half-Life\hlrally\gfx\vgui folder:

-640_MANUFACTUER_up.tga
-640_MANUFACTUER_dwn.tga
-100x20 pixels
-24bit TGA

Note: Replace MANUFACTURER with the name you previously placed in carinfo.txt.

The manufacturer logo is displayed alongside a vehicle when a manufacturer has been chosen by the place. The requirements for logos are as follows:

In your Half-Life\hlrally\gfx\vgui folder:

-1600_MANUFACTURER.tga
-148x148 pixels
-24bit TGA

Note: Replace MANUFACTURER with the name you previously placed in carinfo.txt.

Final Notes:
-Be sure to place a clear line before and after each manufacturer group.
-Images will be scaled down to each player's resolution automatically.

Example:

[Mazda]
{RX-7}
DisplayName=RX-7
Weight=1230 kilos
Acceleration=80
Handling=80
TopSpeed=80
Transmission=4WD
HorsePower=300(bhp)
Torque=48(kg/m)
GearBox=6-Speed
BrakeLightDst=21.165
BrakeLightWidth=5.373
BrakeLightHeight=9.62
HeadLightDst=19.5
HeadLightWidth=6.2
HeadLightHeight=6.8
  :: 4.3.2 - Adding Vehicles  

First, the model itself must be placed in the correct directory.

..\Half-Life\hlrally\models\player\VEHICLE\VEHICLE.mdl


Replace VEHICLE with the name of the model you are adding. Both the folder name and the model name must be identical.

Replace DisplayName with the real name of the model. This does not have to match the folder directory of the model and will be displayed in the scoreboard next to the player's name.

In carinfo.txt, add the VEHICLE name between braces, directly under the manufacturer. If the vehicle being added is part of a pre-existing manufacturer, place the new vehicle directly under the last vehicle of this manufacturer.

Notes:
-Be sure to place a clear line before and after each manufacturer group.
-Having too many active vehicles may cause problems.

Example:

[Mazda]
{RX-7}
DisplayName=RX-7
Weight=1230 kilos
Acceleration=80
Handling=80
TopSpeed=80
Transmission=4WD
HorsePower=300(bhp)
Torque=48(kg/m)
GearBox=6-Speed
BrakeLightDst=21.165
BrakeLightWidth=5.373
BrakeLightHeight=9.62
HeadLightDst=19.5
HeadLightWidth=6.2
HeadLightHeight=6.8
  :: 4.3.3 - Positioning Head/Tail Lights  

This is the third, and currently final, step to customizing your vehicle selection. Three values are used to determine the placement of the lights.

LightDst: Distance from the center between the front and rear bumpers of the model.
LightWidth: Distance between the left and right lights.
LightHeight: Distance from the ground to the lights.

Note: Headlight sprites are currently non-functioning, although headlights are functioning. This will be addressed shortly.

Example:

[Mazda]
{RX-7}
DisplayName=RX-7
Weight=1230 kilos
Acceleration=80
Handling=80
TopSpeed=80
Transmission=4WD
HorsePower=300(bhp)
Torque=48(kg/m)
GearBox=6-Speed
BrakeLightDst=21.165
BrakeLightWidth=5.373
BrakeLightHeight=9.62
HeadLightDst=19.5
HeadLightWidth=6.2
HeadLightHeight=6.8
Make sure to place a blank line at the end of carinfo.txt!
Not having this line will cause problems!