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Difference between revisions of "The Need for Speed"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
(Added MobyGames)
(→‎Availability: redundancy)
 
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−
{{stub}}
 
 
{{disambig|the original 1995 game|the 2016 reboot|[[Need for Speed (2016)]]}}
 
{{disambig|the original 1995 game|the 2016 reboot|[[Need for Speed (2016)]]}}
 
{{Infobox game
 
{{Infobox game
Line 5: Line 4:
 
|developers  =  
 
|developers  =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Pioneer Productions}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Pioneer Productions}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/developer|EA Canada}}
 
|publishers  =  
 
|publishers  =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Electronic Arts}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Electronic Arts}}
 
|engines      =  
 
|engines      =  
 
|release dates=  
 
|release dates=  
−
{{Infobox game/row/date|DOS|August 31, 1995}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/date|DOS|September 1995}}
−
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|1996}}
+
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|June 1996}}
−
|steam appid  =  
+
|reception    =
−
|gogcom id    =  
+
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Metacritic|https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/road-track-presents-the-need-for-speed-se|}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Opencritic||}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/reception|IGDB|road-and-track-presents-the-need-for-speed|}}
 +
|taxonomy    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | No microtransactions}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer, Multiplayer}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | First-person, Third-person}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Direct control}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | Racing}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/sports            | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | Automobile, Street racing}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Contemporary}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | Need for Speed}}
 +
|steam appid  =
 +
|steam appid side =
 +
|gogcom id    =
 +
|gogcom id side =
 +
|official site=
 +
|hltb        = 13096
 +
|lutris      = the-need-for-speed
 +
|mobygames   = 2177
 
|strategywiki = The Need for Speed
 
|strategywiki = The Need for Speed
−
|mobygames    = need-for-speed
 
 
|wikipedia    = The Need for Speed
 
|wikipedia    = The Need for Speed
 
|winehq      = 6438
 
|winehq      = 6438
 
|license      = commercial
 
|license      = commercial
 
}}
 
}}
−
{{Series|Need for Speed}}
 
  
−
'''Key points'''
+
{{Introduction
−
{{ii}} Re-released as '''The Need for Speed: Special Edition''', featuring extra content and improvements.
+
|introduction      = '''''{{PAGENAME}}'''''{{Note|While it is known in Japan as '''''Over Drivin'''''' (Japanese:{{lang|JP|オーバードライビン}}) and '''''Over Drivin' DX''''' (Japanese:{{lang|JP|オーバードライビンDX}}) for the 3DO and PlayStation versions respectively, the Windows version of the ''Special Edition'' re-release was released in Japan under its original name.}} is a {{Glossary:singleplayer}} and {{Glossary:multiplayer}} {{Glossary:racing}} game co-developed by [[Company:Pioneer Productions|Pioneer Productions]] and [[Company:EA Canada|EA Canada]] and published by [[Company:Electronic Arts|Electronic Arts]]. It is the first game in the ''[[Series:Need for Speed|Need for Speed]]'' series.
−
{{--}} (Special Edition) Windows version will not run on Windows NT versions. Run MS-DOS version in [[DOSBox]] instead.
 
  
−
'''General information'''
+
|release history  = The game was first released on 3DO in North America and Europe on December 2, 1994 and later ported to MS-DOS in September 1995. The game was later ported to and released for Windows in June 1996 as '''''The Need for Speed: Special Edition''''', which added an additional car and two tracks.
−
{{mm}} [http://nfs.wikia.com/wiki/Need_for_Speed_Wiki Need for Speed Wiki]
+
 
 +
|current state    = Although the Special Edition has added support for Windows, the game has poor compatibility on NT-based Windows OS from Windows XP onward. It is recommended to run the MS-DOS version in [[DOSBox]] instead.
 +
}}
  
 
==Availability==
 
==Availability==
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability|
−
{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc | {{DRM|Disc check}} for Windows version. [[Digital rights management (DRM)#DRM-free|DRM-free]] for MS-DOS. | | DOS, Windows }}
+
{{Availability/row| Retail | | DRM-free | | | DOS }}
 +
{{Availability/row| Retail | | disc | {{DRM|Disc check}}. | | Windows }}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Version differences===
 +
{{ii}} The '''Special Edition''' added one new playable car and two tracks compared to the original edition, as well as mirrored version of each track and time of day setting.
 +
 
 +
==Monetization==
 +
{{Monetization
 +
|ad-supported          =
 +
|dlc                    =
 +
|expansion pack        =
 +
|freeware              =
 +
|free-to-play          =
 +
|one-time game purchase = The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
 +
|sponsored              = The game was sponsored by Road & Track magazine and various licensed cars.
 +
|subscription          =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Microtransactions===
 +
{{Microtransactions
 +
|boost              =
 +
|cosmetic            =
 +
|currency            =
 +
|finite spend        =
 +
|infinite spend      =
 +
|free-to-grind      =
 +
|loot box            =
 +
|none                = No microtransactions are available in this game.
 +
|player trading      =
 +
|time-limited        =
 +
|unlock              =
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 36: Line 89:
 
===Patches===
 
===Patches===
 
{{ii}} All patches are available from [https://web.archive.org/web/20091208110147/http://eanfs.tripod.com/nfssepatches.html The Need For Speed SE Patches] (Archived from [http://eanfs.tripod.com/nfssepatches.html original]).
 
{{ii}} All patches are available from [https://web.archive.org/web/20091208110147/http://eanfs.tripod.com/nfssepatches.html The Need For Speed SE Patches] (Archived from [http://eanfs.tripod.com/nfssepatches.html original]).
 +
 +
===Video corruption in Special Edition===
 +
Videos in Need for Speed Special Edition (1996) may be corrupted, unless they run on a period correct video card.
 +
 +
The bug is explained, together with a way to fix it in the game code at the [http://www.os2museum.com/wp/need-for-speed-se-video-glitch/ os2musem].
 +
 +
{{Fixbox|description=DOSBox-X|fix=
 +
 +
When using DOSBox-X, this bug can be prevented by disallowing low-res VESA modes with the following setting in your DOSBox-X config file in the <code>[video]</code> section:
 +
 +
<code>
 +
allow low resolution vesa modes = false
 +
</code>
 +
}}
 +
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Use UniVBE|fix=
 +
 +
When using the original DOSBox, use the [http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=346 UniVBE].
 +
}}
  
 
==Game data==
 
==Game data==
Line 50: Line 122:
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Video settings==
+
==Video==
−
{{Video settings
+
{{Image|The Need for Speed video.png|Video settings}}
 +
{{Video
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
Line 82: Line 155:
 
|120 fps notes              =  
 
|120 fps notes              =  
 
|hdr                        = false
 
|hdr                        = false
−
|hdr notes                  =  
+
|hdr notes                  =
 +
|ray tracing                = false
 +
|ray tracing notes          =  
 
|color blind                = false
 
|color blind                = false
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
|color blind notes          =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Input settings==
+
==Input==
−
{{Input settings
+
{{Image|The Need for Speed control.png|Key bindings}}
 +
{{Input
 
|key remap                = true
 
|key remap                = true
−
|key remap notes          =  
+
|key remap notes          =
 
|acceleration option      = false
 
|acceleration option      = false
−
|acceleration option notes =  
+
|acceleration option notes =
 
|mouse sensitivity        = false
 
|mouse sensitivity        = false
 
|mouse sensitivity notes  = X-axis can be used for steering.
 
|mouse sensitivity notes  = X-axis can be used for steering.
Line 99: Line 175:
 
|invert mouse y-axis      = false
 
|invert mouse y-axis      = false
 
|invert mouse y-axis notes = Y-axis can not be used to accelerate/brake.
 
|invert mouse y-axis notes = Y-axis can not be used to accelerate/brake.
 +
|touchscreen              = false
 +
|touchscreen notes        =
 
|controller support        = true
 
|controller support        = true
−
|controller support notes  = <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120217051113/http://eanfs.tripod.com/nfssesysreq.html The Need For Speed SE System Requirements]</ref>
+
|controller support notes  = [[Controller:Gravis PC GamePad|Gravis GamePad]], Extreme Competition Controls and any analog joystick are compatible.<ref name="sysreqse">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120217051113/http://eanfs.tripod.com/nfssesysreq.html The Need For Speed SE System Requirements]</ref>
 
|full controller          = false
 
|full controller          = false
 
|full controller notes    =  
 
|full controller notes    =  
Line 108: Line 186:
 
|controller sensitivity notes=  
 
|controller sensitivity notes=  
 
|invert controller y-axis  = true
 
|invert controller y-axis  = true
−
|invert controller y-axis notes= through JCU.exe
+
|invert controller y-axis notes= Through JCU.exe
−
|touchscreen              = false
 
−
|touchscreen notes        =
 
 
|xinput controllers        = unknown
 
|xinput controllers        = unknown
 
|xinput controllers notes  =  
 
|xinput controllers notes  =  
Line 151: Line 227:
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Audio settings==
+
==Audio==
−
{{Audio settings
+
{{Audio
−
|separate volume         = true
+
|separate volume           = true
−
|separate volume notes   = race music, menu music, sound effects
+
|separate volume notes     = Race music, menu music, sound effects
−
|surround sound           = false
+
|surround sound           = false
−
|surround sound notes     = 8-bit mono, 8-bit stereo, 16-bit stereo
+
|surround sound notes     = 8-bit mono, 8-bit stereo, 16-bit stereo
−
|subtitles               = false
+
|subtitles                 = false
−
|subtitles notes         =  
+
|subtitles notes           =  
−
|closed captions         = false
+
|closed captions           = false
−
|closed captions notes   =  
+
|closed captions notes     =  
−
|mute on focus lost       = false
+
|mute on focus lost       = false
−
|mute on focus lost notes =  
+
|mute on focus lost notes =  
−
|eax support             =  
+
|eax support               =  
−
|eax support notes        =  
+
|eax support notes         =
 +
|red book cd audio        = false
 +
|red book cd audio notes  =
 +
|general midi audio       = false
 +
|general midi audio notes  =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{L10n|content=
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = English
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    =
 +
|ref      =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = French
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = true
 +
|subtitles = false
 +
|notes    =
 +
|ref      =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 177: Line 278:
 
|lan play modes      =  
 
|lan play modes      =  
 
|lan play notes      = Via modem or IPX (use [[DOSBox]] for TCP/IP or UDP/IP).
 
|lan play notes      = Via modem or IPX (use [[DOSBox]] for TCP/IP or UDP/IP).
−
|online play          = hackable
+
|online play          = false
 
|online play players  =  
 
|online play players  =  
 
|online play modes    =  
 
|online play modes    =  
−
|online play notes    = Use [[DOSBox]] modem/IPX emulation.
+
|online play notes    =  
−
|asynchronous        =  
+
|asynchronous        = false
 
|asynchronous notes  =  
 
|asynchronous notes  =  
−
}}{{Network/Connections
+
}}
−
|matchmaking        =  
+
 
 +
{{Network/Connections
 +
|matchmaking        = false
 
|matchmaking notes  =  
 
|matchmaking notes  =  
−
|p2p                =  
+
|p2p                = false
 
|p2p notes          =  
 
|p2p notes          =  
−
|dedicated          =  
+
|dedicated          = false
 
|dedicated notes    =  
 
|dedicated notes    =  
−
|self-hosting      =  
+
|self-hosting      = true
 
|self-hosting notes =  
 
|self-hosting notes =  
−
|direct ip          =  
+
|direct ip          = true
 
|direct ip notes    =  
 
|direct ip notes    =  
−
}}{{Network/Ports
+
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Network/Ports
 
|tcp  =  
 
|tcp  =  
 
|udp  =  
 
|udp  =  
−
|upnp =  
+
|upnp = unknown
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
==Issues fixed==
 +
===Running the game on Windows 7, 8.1 or 10===
 +
The game doesn't install with the setup program but can be installed manually. But the game never runs by opening the executable, you have to hook it through DxWnd to get it working. However, it has been found that the game doesn't even hook well with this program, it crashes before it gets hooked, it also doesn't run when it finds an unsupported driver on the machine (maybe delaying the hook), for example, a USB audio driver. If the driver gets uninstalled, the game mostly works fine. Still the game can have hooking problems and may not run in some instances.
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Manually installing the game and running it using DxWnd|ref=<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://sourceforge.net/p/dxwnd/discussion/general/thread/c16c0fca/?page=4#9c16/1714/c95b|title=Running Need For Speed 1: Special Edition|date=May 2023}}</ref>{{cn|date=September 2021}}|fix=
 +
# Copy 'FRONTEND', 'GAMEDATA', 'SIMDATA', 'IFORCE.DLL', 'NFS_WIN.EXE' from the CD to a folder. Rename 'NFS_WIN.EXE' to 'nfs.exe'.
 +
# Copy 'BESTLAST.EAS', 'BESTTIME.EAS', 'EIGTH.EAS', 'FIFTH.EAS', 'FINALLAP.EAS', 'FIRST.EAS', 'FOURTH.EAS', 'SECOND.EAS', 'SEVENTH.EAS', 'SIXTH.EAS', 'THIRD.EAS' from 'FRONTEND/SPEECH' to the same folder.
 +
# Copy 'dplay.dll' from 'REDIST\DIRECTX' folder of the CD to the same folder, or copy 'dplayx.dll' from 'Windows\SysWOW64' (64-bit OS) or 'Windows\System32'(32-bit OS) and then rename it to 'dplay.dll'. The first one is guaranteed to work while the later two may not work on some versions of Windows 10. But it is recommended to use either of the latter two.
 +
# Copy 'NFS.CFG' to the game folder which can be downloaded from [https://www.mediafire.com/file/gv5quxk89o9tnal/NFS.CFG/file here].
 +
# Copy 'PATHS.DAT' to 'GAMEDATA\CONFIG' in the installation folder, which can be downloaded from [https://www.mediafire.com/file/lcg9s2hkxlcujcm/PATHS.DAT/file here].
 +
# Open 'PATHS.DAT' with a hex editor like [https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/ HxD] and replace all text-strings "D:\" with the current CD drive letter, say "I:\". The replace function of the program can be used to replace all instances of "D:\" with the desired CD drive letter. This is a vital step, since the whole process will go wrong if this is not done properly. Please note that there are three instances of "D:\"
 +
# Open DxWnd, and import [https://www.mediafire.com/file/t8wu2gxoeoln1cn/Need_For_Speed_SE.dxw/file this] .dxw profile; right-click on the 'Need for Speed SE' entry that appears in DxWnd window and click on modify, change the path to the location of the game folder for "Path" and "Launch" pointing to 'nfs.exe'. Click OK.
 +
# Double-click on 'Need for Speed SE' in DxWnd, the game should run. The game will display a black screen and freeze if the 'DPLAY.DLL' from the CD was used, just go to the Taskbar and click OK for the two errors that appear behind the game window. If it crashes try a few more times; if it doesn't work then it is likely because of the problem mentioned at the start.}}
  
 
==Other information==
 
==Other information==
Line 207: Line 325:
 
|directdraw versions    =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
 
|directdraw notes      =  
 
|directdraw notes      =  
 +
|wing                  =
 +
|wing notes            =
 
|opengl versions        =  
 
|opengl versions        =  
 
|opengl notes          =  
 
|opengl notes          =  
Line 225: Line 345:
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 +
|windows arm app        = false
 
|windows exe notes      =  
 
|windows exe notes      =  
−
|macos 32-bit app       =  
+
|mac os x powerpc app  =
−
|macos 64-bit app       =  
+
|macos intel 32-bit app = false
 +
|macos intel 64-bit app = false
 +
|macos arm app          = false
 
|macos app notes        =  
 
|macos app notes        =  
−
|linux 32-bit executable=  
+
|linux powerpc app      =
−
|linux 64-bit executable=  
+
|linux 32-bit executable= false
 +
|linux 64-bit executable= false
 +
|linux arm app          = false
 
|linux executable notes =  
 
|linux executable notes =  
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
==System requirements==
 
==System requirements==
 +
===Original Edition===
 
{{System requirements
 
{{System requirements
 
|OSfamily = DOS
 
|OSfamily = DOS
  
−
|minOS    = 4.0 (5.0 for Special Edition) or later<ref>[http://eanfs.tripod.com/nfssesysreq.html Need for Speed SE Speed Requirements]</ref>
+
|minOS    = 4.0
−
|minCPU  = 75 MHz Intel Pentium
+
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium 75 MHz
 
|minRAM  = 8 MB
 
|minRAM  = 8 MB
−
|minVRAM  = 512K
+
|minHD    = 4 MB
 
|minGPU  = 256 color VESA-compatible SVGA-compatible
 
|minGPU  = 256 color VESA-compatible SVGA-compatible
 +
|minVRAM  = 512 KB
 +
|minaudio = Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster AWE32, Sound Blaster Pro and 100% compatibles, Gravis Ultrasound/ACE and 100% Compatibles, Ensoniq Soundscape, Microsoft Sound System<ref name="mobygames">[http://www.mobygames.com/game/need-for-speed-special-edition/techinfo The Need For Speed: Special Edition Tech Info - MobyGames]</ref>
 +
|minother = Modem (For Two-Player Online Play), Null-Modem Cable (For Two-Player Local Area Play)
 +
}}
 +
 +
===Special Edition===
 +
{{System requirements
 +
|OSfamily = DOS
 +
|ref      = <ref name="sysreqse" />
 +
 +
|minOS    = 5.0
 +
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium 75 MHz
 +
|minRAM  = 8 MB
 
|minHD    = 4 MB
 
|minHD    = 4 MB
−
|minaudio = Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster AWE32, Sound Blaster Pro and 100% compatibles, Gravis Ultrasound/ACE and 100% Compatibles, Ensoniq Soundscape, Microsoft Sound System<ref>[http://www.mobygames.com/game/need-for-speed-special-edition/techinfo The Need For Speed: Special Edition Tech Info - MobyGames]</ref>
+
|minGPU  = 256 color VESA-compatible SVGA-compatible
−
|minother = Modem (For Two-Player Online Play), Null-Modem Cable (For Two-Player Local Area Play)
+
|minVRAM  = 512 KB
 +
|minaudio = Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster AWE32, Sound Blaster Pro and 100% compatibles, Gravis Ultrasound/ACE and 100% Compatibles, Ensoniq Soundscape, Microsoft Sound System<ref name="mobygames" />
 +
|minother = 2X (MPC2 compliant) CD-ROM drive, 100% Hayes compatible 9600 bps or faster modem (For Two-Player Online Play) or null-modem (For Two-Player Local Area Play) with high speed (16550 UART) serial port
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
===Special Edition Windows Version===
 
 
{{System requirements
 
{{System requirements
 
|OSfamily = Windows
 
|OSfamily = Windows
 +
|ref      = <ref name="sysreqse" />
 +
 
|minOS    = 95
 
|minOS    = 95
−
|minCPU  = 75 MHz Intel Pentium
+
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium 75 MHz
 
|minRAM  = 12 MB
 
|minRAM  = 12 MB
 
|minHD    = 30 MB
 
|minHD    = 30 MB
 +
|minGPU  = 256 color VESA-compatible SVGA-compatible
 
|minVRAM  = 512 K
 
|minVRAM  = 512 K
−
|minDX    = 2.0
+
|minaudio = Windows 95 compatible sound card
−
|minaudio = DirectX 2.0 compatible
+
|minother = 2X (MPC2 compliant) CD-ROM drive, 100% Hayes compatible 9600 bps or faster modem (For Two-Player Online Play) or null-modem (For Two-Player Local Area Play) with high speed (16550 UART) serial port
−
|minother = IPX-Compatible Network Card (For 2-6 Player LAN Play), Modem (For Two-Player Online Play), Null-Modem Cable (For Two-Player Local Area Play)
 
  
−
|recOS    = 95, 98, ME (NT versions of Windows not supported)
+
|recOS    =
−
|recCPU  = 100 MHz Intel Pentium<ref>[http://eanfs.tripod.com/nfssesysreq.html Need for Speed SE Speed Requirements]</ref>
+
|recCPU  = Intel Pentium 100 MHz
 
|recRAM  = 16 MB
 
|recRAM  = 16 MB
 
|recHD    = 50 MB
 
|recHD    = 50 MB
−
|recVRAM  = 1M
+
|recVRAM  = 1 MB
−
|recGPU  =
+
|recaudio = 16-bit compatible sound card
−
|recDX    = 2.0
+
|recother = Joystick and Microsoft mouse (ver. 7.04 and higher or 100% compatible)
−
|recaudio = DirectX 2.0 compatible
 
−
|recother = IPX-Compatible Network Card (For 2-6 Player LAN Play), Modem (For Two-Player Online Play), Null-Modem Cable (For Two-Player Local Area Play)
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
{{References}}
 
{{References}}

Latest revision as of 11:34, 9 February 2024

This page is for the original 1995 game. For the 2016 reboot, see Need for Speed (2016).

The Need for Speed
The Need for Speed cover
Developers
Pioneer Productions
EA Canada
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Release dates
DOS September 1995
Windows June 1996
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person, Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Racing
Vehicles Automobile, Street racing
Themes Contemporary
Series Need for Speed
The Need for Speed on HowLongToBeat
The Need for Speed on IGDB
Icon overlay.png
The Need for Speed guide on StrategyWiki
The Need for Speed on MobyGames
The Need for Speed on Wikipedia
Icon overlay.png
⤏ Go to series page
The Need for Speed 1994
Need for Speed II 1997
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (series)
Need for Speed: High Stakes 1999
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed 2000
Need for Speed: Underground (series)
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (series)
Need for Speed: Carbon 2006
Need for Speed: ProStreet 2007
Need for Speed: Undercover 2008
Need for Speed: Shift (series)
Need for Speed: World 2010
Need for Speed: The Run 2011
Need for Speed Rivals 2013
Need for Speed (2016) 2016
Need for Speed Payback 2017
Need for Speed: Edge 2017
Need for Speed Heat 2019
Need for Speed Unbound 2022

The Need for Speed[Note 1] is a singleplayer and multiplayer racing game co-developed by Pioneer Productions and EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Need for Speed series.

The game was first released on 3DO in North America and Europe on December 2, 1994 and later ported to MS-DOS in September 1995. The game was later ported to and released for Windows in June 1996 as The Need for Speed: Special Edition, which added an additional car and two tracks.

Although the Special Edition has added support for Windows, the game has poor compatibility on NT-based Windows OS from Windows XP onward. It is recommended to run the MS-DOS version in DOSBox instead.

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
DRM-free
DOS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
 Disc check DRM.
Windows

Version differences

The Special Edition added one new playable car and two tracks compared to the original edition, as well as mirrored version of each track and time of day setting.

Monetization

Type Notes
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
Sponsored The game was sponsored by Road & Track magazine and various licensed cars.

Microtransactions

Type Notes
No microtransactions No microtransactions are available in this game.

Essential improvements

Patches

All patches are available from The Need For Speed SE Patches (Archived from original).

Video corruption in Special Edition

Videos in Need for Speed Special Edition (1996) may be corrupted, unless they run on a period correct video card.

The bug is explained, together with a way to fix it in the game code at the os2musem.

DOSBox-X

When using DOSBox-X, this bug can be prevented by disallowing low-res VESA modes with the following setting in your DOSBox-X config file in the [video] section:

allow low resolution vesa modes = false

Use UniVBE

When using the original DOSBox, use the UniVBE.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\GAMEDATA\CONFIG\
Windows <path-to-game>\GAMEDATA\CONFIG\[Note 2]

Save game data location

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\GAMEDATA\SAVEGAME\
Windows <path-to-game>\GAMEDATA\SAVEGAME\[Note 2]

Video

Video settings
Video settings

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
For DOSBox toggle with Alt+↵ Enter (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
For DOSBox use an unofficial build (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
60 FPS
120+ FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)
Ray tracing (RT)

Input

Key bindings
Key bindings

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
X-axis can be used for steering.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Y-axis can not be used to accelerate/brake.
Controller
Controller support
Gravis GamePad, Extreme Competition Controls and any analog joystick are compatible.[1]
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion
Through JCU.exe
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
PlayStation controllers
Generic/other controllers
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
FFB implementation doesn't work on modern systems.
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Race music, menu music, sound effects
Surround sound
8-bit mono, 8-bit stereo, 16-bit stereo
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
For DOSBox change the priority background value in the DOSBox configuration file.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Notes
Local play
LAN play
Via modem or IPX (use DOSBox for TCP/IP or UDP/IP).
Online play
For DOSBox use DOSBox IPX/modem emulation.
Asynchronous multiplayer

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Ports

No port information; you can edit this page to add it.
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

Issues fixed

Running the game on Windows 7, 8.1 or 10

The game doesn't install with the setup program but can be installed manually. But the game never runs by opening the executable, you have to hook it through DxWnd to get it working. However, it has been found that the game doesn't even hook well with this program, it crashes before it gets hooked, it also doesn't run when it finds an unsupported driver on the machine (maybe delaying the hook), for example, a USB audio driver. If the driver gets uninstalled, the game mostly works fine. Still the game can have hooking problems and may not run in some instances.

Manually installing the game and running it using DxWnd[2][citation needed]
  1. Copy 'FRONTEND', 'GAMEDATA', 'SIMDATA', 'IFORCE.DLL', 'NFS_WIN.EXE' from the CD to a folder. Rename 'NFS_WIN.EXE' to 'nfs.exe'.
  2. Copy 'BESTLAST.EAS', 'BESTTIME.EAS', 'EIGTH.EAS', 'FIFTH.EAS', 'FINALLAP.EAS', 'FIRST.EAS', 'FOURTH.EAS', 'SECOND.EAS', 'SEVENTH.EAS', 'SIXTH.EAS', 'THIRD.EAS' from 'FRONTEND/SPEECH' to the same folder.
  3. Copy 'dplay.dll' from 'REDIST\DIRECTX' folder of the CD to the same folder, or copy 'dplayx.dll' from 'Windows\SysWOW64' (64-bit OS) or 'Windows\System32'(32-bit OS) and then rename it to 'dplay.dll'. The first one is guaranteed to work while the later two may not work on some versions of Windows 10. But it is recommended to use either of the latter two.
  4. Copy 'NFS.CFG' to the game folder which can be downloaded from here.
  5. Copy 'PATHS.DAT' to 'GAMEDATA\CONFIG' in the installation folder, which can be downloaded from here.
  6. Open 'PATHS.DAT' with a hex editor like HxD and replace all text-strings "D:\" with the current CD drive letter, say "I:\". The replace function of the program can be used to replace all instances of "D:\" with the desired CD drive letter. This is a vital step, since the whole process will go wrong if this is not done properly. Please note that there are three instances of "D:\"
  7. Open DxWnd, and import this .dxw profile; right-click on the 'Need for Speed SE' entry that appears in DxWnd window and click on modify, change the path to the location of the game folder for "Path" and "Launch" pointing to 'nfs.exe'. Click OK.
  8. Double-click on 'Need for Speed SE' in DxWnd, the game should run. The game will display a black screen and freeze if the 'DPLAY.DLL' from the CD was used, just go to the Taskbar and click OK for the two errors that appear behind the game window. If it crashes try a few more times; if it doesn't work then it is likely because of the problem mentioned at the start.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Software renderer
DOS video modes VGA, SVGA
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

System requirements

Original Edition

DOS
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 4.0
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 75 MHz
System memory (RAM) 8 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4 MB
Video card (GPU) 256 color VESA-compatible SVGA-compatible
512 KB of VRAM
Sound (audio device) Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster AWE32, Sound Blaster Pro and 100% compatibles, Gravis Ultrasound/ACE and 100% Compatibles, Ensoniq Soundscape, Microsoft Sound System[3]
Other Modem (For Two-Player Online Play), Null-Modem Cable (For Two-Player Local Area Play)

Special Edition

DOS
Minimum[1]
Operating system (OS) 5.0
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 75 MHz
System memory (RAM) 8 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4 MB
Video card (GPU) 256 color VESA-compatible SVGA-compatible
512 KB of VRAM
Sound (audio device) Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster AWE32, Sound Blaster Pro and 100% compatibles, Gravis Ultrasound/ACE and 100% Compatibles, Ensoniq Soundscape, Microsoft Sound System[3]
Other 2X (MPC2 compliant) CD-ROM drive, 100% Hayes compatible 9600 bps or faster modem (For Two-Player Online Play) or null-modem (For Two-Player Local Area Play) with high speed (16550 UART) serial port
Windows
Minimum[1] Recommended
Operating system (OS) 95
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 75 MHz Intel Pentium 100 MHz
System memory (RAM) 12 MB 16 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 30 MB 50 MB
Video card (GPU) 256 color VESA-compatible SVGA-compatible
512 K of VRAM 		1 MB of VRAM
Sound (audio device) Windows 95 compatible sound card 16-bit compatible sound card
Other 2X (MPC2 compliant) CD-ROM drive, 100% Hayes compatible 9600 bps or faster modem (For Two-Player Online Play) or null-modem (For Two-Player Local Area Play) with high speed (16550 UART) serial port Joystick and Microsoft mouse (ver. 7.04 and higher or 100% compatible)


Notes

  1. ↑ While it is known in Japan as Over Drivin' (Japanese:オーバードライビン) and Over Drivin' DX (Japanese:オーバードライビンDX) for the 3DO and PlayStation versions respectively, the Windows version of the Special Edition re-release was released in Japan under its original name.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References