Manual
The manual is also available as a downloadable PDF (German).
1. Download, installation & launch
- Grab the version for your operating system from the download page.
- Unpack the archive into any folder — no installation required.
- Launch the game via the executable (SkidTrace.exe on Windows, ./skidtrace on Linux/macOS).
2. What is it about?
SKID TRACE is a C64-style lightcycle game for 2 to 6 players — locally on one keyboard or online via a game server. All players ride a grid at the same time, each leaving a glowing trail behind. Touch a trail, a wall or another player and you explode. The last rider standing — or whoever escapes through a blast hole in the border — wins the round.
3. The rules
- Your bike moves constantly — you can only turn left or right (relative to your direction of travel).
- Every cell you ride over becomes part of your trail. Trails, the border and other players are deadly.
- Every death triggers an explosion: it tears holes into the border and into trails. If another player's head is inside the blast radius, they die too — chain reactions are possible!
- Blast holes in the border are escape routes: ride through one and you escape, instantly winning the round.
- If two heads collide head-on, both die. If everyone is dead, the round ends in a DRAW.
4. Scoring
PR = number of players in the round (just like the C64 original):
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Kill — another player rides into your trail | PR |
| Escape through a hole in the border | PR × 3 |
| Win as the last survivor | PR × 2 |
Border crashes, head-on collisions and deaths from explosion chain reactions earn nobody kill points. Points are accumulated across all rounds in the lobby.
5. Controls
In local play, each player picks one of these key sets in the player setup (each set can only be assigned once):
| Turn left | Turn right |
|---|---|
| B | N |
| K | L |
| A | S |
| 1 | 2 |
| Arrow down | Arrow right |
| Page down (PgDn) | Page up (PgUp) |
General keys:
| Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| any key | Skip the loading screen |
| SPACE | After a round ends: back to the lobby / next round |
| ESC | Leave the round or menu (online: leave the session) |
6. Local play
- Choose NEW GAME → LOCAL and set the number of players (2–6).
- In the player setup, every player gets a name, a color and a key set.
- The lobby shows all players with their scores; START begins the round.
- Under OPTIONS you can adjust the arena size (up to 320 × 240) and the speed.
7. Online play
- Host a session: NEW GAME → ONLINE — choose a session name, player name and color, then press HOST.
- Join: JOIN GAME — choose a name and color, select a session from the list (name, player count, ping) and press JOIN; REFRESH updates the list.
- In the online lobby everyone signals READY — only then can the host start. Only the host can change options.
- Connection lost? No problem: your seat is reserved until the round ends, your bike keeps going straight and the game reconnects automatically ("CONNECTION LOST — RECONNECTING...").
8. Tactics
- Force opponents into your trail — only that earns kill points.
- Remember where explosions tore holes: an escape earns the most points (PR × 3).
- Keep your distance from dying opponents — the explosion kills you too if your head is inside the radius.
- Tight spirals secure space but make you vulnerable as soon as a hole is blasted into your wall.