Polar Kart

1 Overview and package contents

Race computer opponents in championships, quick races and balloon battles, or race against your local ghost in time trial. This edition is single-player and has no online leaderboard.

2 Quick installation by FTP

Installing takes a few minutes if you have FTP access or a file manager in your hosting panel.

Upload only the contents of the game/ folder, so that index.html sits directly inside the target folder.

Do not upload the source/ folder, the documentation/ folder or the ZIP itself. Players need no Node.js, PHP, database or account.

3 Requirements and subfolder hosting

• A current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari on a computer, tablet or phone. WebGL 2 must be available and enabled.
• Any static hosting over HTTP or HTTPS. HTTPS is recommended for audio and browser features.
• Any subfolder of any domain. The game uses relative paths, so the same files work wherever you upload them.
• Nothing else on the server: no database, PHP or Node.js service is needed to play.

The game must be opened through a web address. Opening its index.html directly from your computer (file://) is not supported. This guide is the exception: it opens by double-clicking, with no internet connection.

4 Controls and how the game works

Steer with left/right arrows or A/D; accelerate with Up or W and brake/reverse with Down or S. Space or Shift hops and drifts, X or E uses an item, Enter confirms, and Esc pauses. Touch steering uses automatic acceleration; gamepad controls are also supported.

5 Screens and controls explained

6 Map of the files

Edit the JavaScript modules and assets in source/, then rebuild. Keep the save key and translation placeholders unless you intend to change compatibility.

game/
source/src/main.js
source/src/app-core.js
source/src/app-menus.js
source/src/tracks.js
source/src/i18n*.js
source/src/assets/
source/voice/
source/music/
source/template.html
documentation/index.html

7 Languages and audio

The interface and guide include 14 languages. The game uses one shared set of recorded narration; changing the interface language does not replace those recordings. The recorded narration is in English.

8 Saves and taking care of progress

• Saves belong to one browser on one device. They do not synchronise between devices or browsers.
• Private browsing or blocked storage may prevent saving. The game keeps running for the current session.
• Clearing site data for the game's address deletes the save. Clearing cached images and files does not (see Updating and clearing the cache).

polar-kart.template.save.v1

9 Optional development

This section is only for changing the code. The game/ folder already contains the built game, so installing it needs no Node.js.

1. Install Node.js. Open https://nodejs.org/en/download and choose the latest Node.js 26 LTS installer for your system (minimum 26.13). npm is included. Internet is needed to download tools and dependencies, not to run a Node.js server for this game.

2. Verify installation. Run the commands below separately. Both must print version numbers; Node.js must be 26.13 or newer. If a command is not found, reopen the terminal and check the installation/PATH.

3. Extract the complete buyer ZIP first. Open its source folder, where package.json and package-lock.json are located. Windows: type cmd in that folder's File Explorer address bar. macOS/Linux: open Terminal and use cd with the actual folder path in quotes. Do not run commands inside the ZIP or game folder.

node --version
npm --version
npm ci
npm test
npm run build

Preview: serve source/game/ with an HTTP server, then open its local address. For example, if Python 3 is installed, run the command below in source/ and open http://localhost:8000/. Stop the server with Ctrl+C.

python -m http.server 8000 --directory game

Troubleshooting: ENOENT/package.json means the terminal is in the wrong folder. EBADENGINE means Node.js is too old. If PowerShell blocks npm.ps1, use npm.cmd or Command Prompt; do not change security policy. For network/proxy errors, restore access to registry.npmjs.org and retry npm ci. If package files disagree, restore the shipped pair; npm install is for deliberate dependency changes, followed by tests/build and retaining the updated lockfile. Do not run npm audit fix --force blindly. The ready-built game/ remains usable without these developer tools.

10 Updating the game

Clearing the cache without losing progress

Progress is stored in this browser, not on the server. Clearing cached images and files, or doing a hard reload, keeps your progress.

Computer: press Ctrl+F5 on Windows and Linux, or Cmd+Shift+R on macOS. Phone: in the browser settings, choose the option to clear cached images and files.

Do not choose cookies and site data, or clear site data, for the game's address. That deletes the local save.

11 Dependencies and licenses

The game makes no analytics, ranking, payment or advertising calls. It contains no ad SDK and no billing code.

The original artwork and audio supplied with this item remain under the license terms of the purchased item.

The game bundles unmodified Noto Sans + Noto Sans CJK fonts. Their SIL Open Font License 1.1 is included with the font files.

Font files and their license are in source/src/assets/fonts/ and game/modules/assets/fonts/.

12 Common problems

• Blank page: make sure you uploaded the contents of game/ (not source/, and not the folder itself), and that you opened the web address rather than a file on your computer.
• Missing images or sounds: check the complete upload, the spelling and letter case of file names, and any 404 errors in the browser's console.
• The files download or do not run: your host must serve .js, .webp, .woff2 and .mp3 files with normal types. Ask the host to check its MIME rules.
• No sound at first: tap the game once, turn on Sound effects and Music in Settings, and check the device's mute switch and volume.

13 Support and version history

Support and customization: willian@polargames.com.br. Include your purchase reference when you have it. This guide does not promise response times or a schedule of future updates.