ArcadeEssentials

A Pentane plugin for Cars 2: Arcade (v1.42) that restores a significant amount of critical base game functionality. Made with love by itsmeft24!

Features

ArcadeEssentials comes with a whole host of features and bug fixes, including (but not limited to!):

• Support for Windows 11-style Dark Mode
• Restored FrontEnd Menus
• Functional Audio Settings Menu
• Brand-New Graphics Settings Menu
• Restored Per-MissionMode + In-Game Console UI
• Fixed UI SRGB/Linear Color-Space Mismatch
• Proper UI Scaling for Resolutions > 720p
• Basic Save File Functionality
• Removed Security Dongle Checks + "Maintenance Reboots" (lol, lmao even)
• Replaced Input Driver with its XInput/DirectInput Equivalent
• Removed AutoPilot
• Removed CarsCameraInfo.lua Distance Clamping
• Removed Global FOV Multiplier
• Implemented SpinOut and SideBash Handling
• Restored Manual Backwards Driving
• Removed Global Timers (3m Race Timer/ 15s FrontEnd Timer)
• and many, many more!

Downloads

Head to the Releases page to get the latest build!

Installation and Usage

Note that you will need Pentane installed and properly configured to install ArcadeEssentials. Full installation and setup tutorials for both Pentane and ArcadeEssentials can be found on the high-octane-dev organization website.

Requisite Asset Changes

Each release of ArcadeEssentials will include several asset changes to ensure the most functional game experience. It is highly recommended that you either install the bundled assets inside ArcadeEssentials' release.zip, or install an overhaul mod that includes these changes to obtain the most functional game experience.

To effectively recreate the changes bundled with ArcadeEssentials, this list should prove helpful:

• assets/startup.zip
  • Replace Arcade's all.values.aurora file with one from either the official PC, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 3 releases, to restore the majority of the original game's physics and speed.
• assets/startup3.zip
  • Replace Arcade's xml/GameStructure.xml file with one from either the official PC, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 3 releases, to allow for base game missions, maps, free play options, achievements, and AI changes to appear in FrontEnd.
• assets/xml/xml.zip
  • Replace Arcade's entire xml.zip package with one from either the official PC, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 3 releases, to restore PC/Console controller button mappings.
• assets/ui/qrframe3.png
  • Replace this PNG file with one that is completely transparent, to remove the QR code frame.
• assets/ui/ui.zip
  • Modify the frontendicons.oct tupperware file to include both textures and TexturePool entries for the Win32Wii_Scn_ExitToWindows_IA and Win32Wii_Scn_ExitToWindows_AC icons.
  • Modify the ingameicons.oct tupperware file to include both textures and TexturePool entries for the FE_EX_Graphics_IA and FE_EX_Graphics_AC icons.
• assets/lang/lang.zip
  • Modify english_ntsc_xbox360.dct and strings_xbox360.dct to include the following labels, removing empty entries as needed:
    • win32wii_scn_exittowindows - Used for the Exit to Windows option in the Pause menu. (ex. "Exit to Windows")
    • fe_ex_graphics - Used for the Graphics Settings menu label in the Options/Extras menu. (ex. "Graphics")
    • win32wii_scn_graphiclow - Used for the Graphics Settings menu title. (ex. "Graphics Settings")
    • win32wii_scn_graphicquality - Used for the Vertical Sync option label. (ex. "Vertical Sync")
    • win32wii_scn_item_resolution - Used for the Fullscreen Resolution option label. (ex. "Fullscreen Resolution")
    • win32wii_scn_level_low - Used to represent the Disabled state of the Vertical Sync option. (ex. "Disabled")
    • win32wii_scn_level_medium - Used to represent the Enabled state of the Vertical Sync option. (ex. "Enabled")
    • win32wii_msg_title - Used for the title of the popup message displayed when Graphics settings are modified. (ex. "Settings Changed!")
    • win32wii_msg_applysettings - Used for the body of the popup message displayed when Graphics settings are modified. (ex. "Graphics settings have been saved. Please restart the game to apply your changes.")
    • win32wii_msg_applysettings_windowed - Used for the body of the popup message displayed when Graphics settings are modified while the game is running in windowed mode. (ex. "Graphics settings have been saved. Please disable windowed mode, and restart the game to apply your changes.")
• assets/flash/flash.zip
  • Replace Arcade's entire flash.zip package with one from either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 releases, to fix free play localization, missing Auto-Drift UI, and other minor issues.
  • Add PC's pc_ related flash files into the main game's flash.zip package. Do not overwrite any existing Console files.
  • Modify the SetGraphicSetting ActionScript function in the pc_graphic_setting.swf file to remove the third else-if-block else if (id == 2). This is required for the Graphics Settings menu to work correctly.

Disclaimer

ArcadeEssentials does not aim to faithfully recreate or attempt to effectively replace the original Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 versions of Cars 2: The Video Game. Many core gameplay aspects, such as physics, UI speed, gamemode scores, story progression, etc., may significantly differ from the base game, or may not function at all. Additionally, ArcadeEssentials makes absolutely no guarantees that its featureset will not change over time, so please keep this in mind if you seek to speedrun Arcade with ArcadeEssentials over the official releases.

Credits

• Me (wrote it lol)
• RiskiVR (Testing/QA)
• MythicalBry (Testing/QA)
• maximilian (Testing/QA)