I though I'd update the Kayak post to include images. I may post images for the other games later. not sure yet whether to get a subscription to photobucket so that there wont be as many problems with bandwidth when i upload images; that is if picdepict has to close down due to possible changes in the American legislation.
Although Kayak Extreme is now 10 years old it’s still the only kayak game I know of and it still gives me a buzz when I play it. Unfortunately the game has problems running in Windows XP, Win 98, win 2000 and ME are fine. I also have had the game working in Vista and before I allowed any updates to XP it also worked.
[quote]Race against the clock in this fantastic simulation of the ultimate white-knuckle watersport.
Test your abilities in a range of environments - Alpine mountain streams, African rivers and the thunderous flows of Alaska. There's also a training course to get you started.
Complete stages to unlock new Kayaks and paddles. You'll need to master the water to complete all three difficulty levels.[quote]
[quote]Whitewater kayaking action, without the cold or risk of injury! This is an incredible kayaking simulation that has to be seen to be believed. Incredible white water effects and realistic kayaking physics are just the start. Pilot your choice of kayaks through four different environments as you race the clock to unlock the next track. Execute special tricks and turbo strokes to paddle. [quote]
Reference accesed HERE Nov 2011
Features:
• 4 different environment - Training, Alpine, Africa and Alaska
• A really great water effects
• 3 difficulty levels
• 3 different rafting boat
• When people open the new maps
There's only one aim in "Kayak Extreme": beat the required time on a course in order to proceed to the next course. There are four different environments to race on; a training run, an Alpine mountain stream, African rivers and the thunderous flows of Alaska.
In order to access the main part of the game, you have to complete the training course in 1 minute, or less.
Initially you have one Kayak type and one choice of paddle. The challenge begins with a countdown, after which it's just you and your kayak against the flow of water! The water looks amazing in game, with underwater currents and hidden rocks. Take the correct path to beat the training time limit of 60 seconds. I can tell you now, unless you’ve played this game before I doubt you’ll unlock the next level until you’ve tried several times. From what I can remember you have to enter two of the gates in reverse (distinguished by a diagonal line through the gate number), which until you’ve got the technique isn’t easy. You can of course skip a gate, but that will cost a time penalty which is mentioned later. Those lost seconds (if you miss a gate can mean the difference between scraping through or failing miserably.
You can return to the training route as often as you wish, even after completing the training successfully . After completing it once, your progress is recorded so that the next time you take the challenge you can race against your previous best time, visually, as a "ghost" of your former run will be retained for you to compete against.)
Every course consists of a set number of "gates" (Starting at #1), through which the kayak must pass in order to avoid a penalty. The number varies for each challenge, but the rules are the same - gates must be navigated in numerical, ascending order, #1, then #2, etc. There are two types of gate: Green & Red (identified by the horizontal coloured bars that run down their length). See the images below for more information.
To pass a Green gate successfully, the kayak should go through the gate facing forward. To pass a Red Gate, the kayak must first pass the gate, on either side, and then turn to re-enter the gate, so that the craft is facing back up towards the start.
If a gate is missed, then a five second penalty will be incurred when the Kayak reaches the subsequent gate. Hence if you miss gate #1, you'll get a penalty when you negotiate gate #2. If a reverse gate is missed, this penalty is increased to 15 seconds. There's nothing to prevent the player returning to a missed gate and negotiating it correctly, provided that they have passed no later gate before doing so. Time is of the essence, however, and often it's better just to take the penalty if it's going to cost you more than five seconds to return to the gate you missed.
The course is complete when the player crosses the finish line. Any penalties incurred will be added to your overall time for the route. If your time (with penalties) exceeds the target set for the challenge, then you fail the level and cannot proceed to the next course.
To begin with, the times required are quite easy, but become harder as you progress. There are three levels of difficulty, and therefore three decreasing amounts of time in which you must navigate the route. The positions of the gates also vary, to provide more of a challenge as your skill increases.
In addition to opening new courses, your successful completion of some levels will open up new Kayaks and paddles. The performance of each craft differs, and it's up to you to choose the kayak and paddle combination that suits you best. What works for you once, may not necessarily suit you again.
Edited Reference accessed HERE
Controls:
Kayak Extreme can be played with a keyboard or game pad. The nature of the game doesn't really suit Joysticks, so we've deliberately not included these devices as an option.
There are TWO sets of controls available - Control set A and Control set B
Control Set "A"
• Hold down both left (1) and right (2) cursor buttons to move the Kayak forward - alternate oar strokes will occur provided both keys are held down.
• Holding the right cursor (2) only, will stroke the left oar, thus turning the Kayak gradually right.
• Holding down the left cursor (1) only will stroke the right oar, thus turning the Kayak gradually Left.
• Using left Ctrl (3) with the left cursor key will turn the Kayak sharply left
• Using right Ctrl (4) with the right cursor key will turn the Kayak sharply right
Control Set "B"
• Hold down both left and right shift to move the Kayak forward - alternate oar strokes will occur provided both Shift keys are held down
• Holding the right shift only, will stroke the left oar, thus turning the Kayak gradually right
• Holding down the left shift only, will stroke the right oar, thus turning the Kayak gradually left.
• Using left Ctrl will turn the Kayak sharp left
• Using right Ctrl will turn the Kayak sharp right
Turbo mode and Special Tricks:
• In either control mode, pressing the Space bar (7) activates Turbo Mode.
• Using either control set, you can execute special tricks
• Eskimo Roll - executed by pressing the 'A' or ';' keys (5). This move can help you through the back flowing rapids, and can be used to roll under obstacles blocking your path.
• Pirouette - executed by pressing the 'Z' or '/' keys (6). Executing a pirouette speeds you through water flowing against you.
• When engaging the "turbo", a power bar appears on the right of the screen as an indicator to the player of the remaining time for the stroke.
• When this bar is exhausted, the effect of the turbo disappears. The power meter will then recharge itself, during which time it cannot be activated.
• F8 = Invert paddle keys
• ESC = Pause menu
• With the game paused, the user has the choice of:
• CONTINUE - Carry on with the current level
• RESTART - Start the current level again
• EXIT TO MAIN MENU - Quit the current level and return to Main Game menu.
NB: Users with Microsoft Natural Keyboards - Using control setup 2 you may find that the shift key fails to function as normal. We advise users with these devices to use control setup 1.
Gamepad
Please ensure your gamepad is correctly configured under Windows before starting the game:
• Click on "START" on the Windows Desktop
• Select "SETTINGS" from the menu that appears
• Double-click on CONTROL PANEL
• Double-click on GAME CONTROLLERS
• There are two "tabs" to the panel that now appears: General & Advanced.
• On the "General" tab, ensure that your device is reported and identified as working "ok".
• To add your device, click on ADD and select the controller from the list that appears.
If your controller does not appear in the drop-down list then you need to install the drivers that came with your device in order for Windows to recognize it.
On the "Advanced" tab, ensure that your device occupies the first available slot (ID 1). To change the order of any device in this list, simply click on the "change" button and type a new ID number at the flashing cursor position.
Click on "OK" to finish and return to the Windows Desktop.
Once in the game, go to the controls section and change your default control setting (usually KEYBOARD) to Gamepad.
Download:
You can download the demo from the developers site. Initially it looks like you have to pay for the game, but if you follow the links it takes you to a the download page where a message has been posted saying that the developer has converted the game to freeware. You still need a licence code to register the game. To get a free licence you need to create a Small rockets account (free), then you can get a free code for the game (as well as several other games that include a speed boat racing game and a motor racing game. Of all the freebies the Kayak game is the best with the speed boat coming second. If you like retro racing games the others are also okay. You need to request licences for each game.
You can find the game page HERE and the download page HERE
