FRD Limit v2.0.0

FRD Limit is an n4patch module that removes several limitations in Need for Speed: High Stakes related to track blocks, dynamic objects, and collision states.

The original game uses fixed-size arrays for these structures, limiting the size and complexity of custom tracks.

Video: https://youtu.be/_GLWEdypOPU

Features

• Track blocks: Removes the fixed limit of 300 blocks. Storage for track blocks and the visible-section lookup table is allocated dynamically.
• Dynamic objects: Removes the fixed limit of 128 objects, including cones and other objects involved in physics simulation.
• Collision processing: The per-step body collision list is sized automatically according to the number of dynamic objects.
• Impact states: Removes the fixed limit of 512 impact states. Sparse state IDs referenced by track blocks are also supported.

As a result, the previous limits of 300 track blocks, 128 dynamic objects, and 512 impact states no longer determine memory allocation sizes.

Installation

1. Install one N4Patch proxy loader alongside nfs4.exe.
2. Copy frd_limit.n4p into the game's n4patch/ directory, replacing the previous version.
3. Launch the game. Information about the module can be found in n4patch.log under [frd_limit] entries.

Memory Management

At startup, the module reserves approximately 65 MiB of virtual address space.

This reservation does not immediately allocate physical memory. Memory pages are committed as needed when a track is loaded and decommitted after scene cleanup.

Remaining Limitations

Although the fixed limits have been removed, some restrictions of the FRD format and game engine still apply:

• A maximum of 300 visibility neighbors per block.
• The use of 16-bit indices.
• Some secondary references are limited to 8-bit values.
• The address space limitations of a 32-bit process.

Important: Extending these limits does not guarantee that every large or complex track will work correctly. Successful loading and gameplay still depend on other limitations of the original game engine.