Snaking
Snaking, sometimes known as Dakou, is a physics exploit present in F-Zero GX that can allow for vehicles to travel much faster than expected in standard gameplay. Contrary to popular belief, snaking is not a glitch; it is more accurately a corner case that occurs due to quirks in F-Zero GX's physics engine. Specifically, it relies on how the player's vehicle receives a slight speed boost upon coming out of a turn after slide turns, which is what snaking takes advantage of. Nintendo reportedly noticed the technique while developing F-Zero GX, but chose not to remove it from the game; that said, none of the ghosts featured in the game use the technique.
In order to use snaking, the player needs to increase their vehicle's acceleration in the engine settings before the race, ideally to the maximum. From there, the player needs to perform alternating slide turns from left to right, while also steering with the control stick in the corresponding direction. After rapid and successive uses of slide turns alongside regular steering, the player's vehicle should be travelling considerably faster than expected; applied usage can cause the player's speed to exceed 1500 km / h, though constant usage with boosting can cause speeds to even exceed 4000 km / h.
Snaking generally works best with heavier vehicles with good grip, such as Black Bull and Fire Stingray. While all machines can take advantage of snaking to some extent, these vehicles generally derive more use out of the technique, as they gain the highest speed boosts from regular slide turns; furthermore, their high weight can help prevent the player from losing control of their vehicle if they hit obstacles or other racers while performing the technique.
Snaking does not render the player infallible while they perform it; while it does allow players to travel extremely fast, the constant use of slide turns while steering can put the player at significant risk of crashing into walls, obstacles, or other racers, which can potentially undo any of technique's benefits. Furthermore, running into walls at an extremely high speed will wear down the player's energy much faster than usual, putting players who snake at a high risk of retiring. Outside of the game, a number of players have reported that snaking can make their hands hurt, as it involves rapidly moving their fingers in a variety of unnatural positions.
| v Techniques | |
|---|---|
| Basic techniques | Blast Turn • Boost • Drift • Drift Turn • Long Jump • Rocket Start • Side Attack • Slide Turn • Spin Attack |
| Advanced techniques | Momentum Throttle • Momentum Turbo Slide • Shift Boost • Side Attack Dive • Snaking • Space Flying |
