Navigating through the game world | Basic information NfS Rivals Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
The main area of a gameplay in Need for Speed Rivals is huge county of Redview and very important information is that it is completely available for you from the very beginning. So you do not have to worry that suddenly you hit some invisible wall or other type if fake blockade, however new races won't appear immediately in all corners of the map, so premature visiting some of locations won't offer the expected number of attractions.
The game world can be explored freely on your own but the better idea is to use some kind of gateway spots. In case of Racer career these are Hideouts and in the case of Cop, these are Mobile Command Posts and both places work pretty the same. Also at this point it is worth mentioning that all hideouts and command posts are available from the game beginning. You do not have to do anything extra to find them.
What's interesting, when choosing the area where you have to go, you do not have to be limited to select another hideout or mobile command post. You might as well move directly to the race start. This is especially advisable when you play as Racer and you do not want to unnecessarily make trouble on your way there.
Important notice - a quick travel option works only from within hideouts/mobile command post. When you open the world map during exploring Redview county, you won't be able to quickly move to another place - instead you'll be able to use a standard GPS, marking the shortest route to your destination. So if you plan to reach a distant place, it is better to get to the nearest gateway spot. I recommend using EasyDrive at this point to program to point you to the closest gateway spot (of course it is not its only functionality).
As I mentioned using GPS, it is worth to say more about it. As I said, the built-in satellite navigation tries always to indicate the shortest route to the chosen destination, but it doesn't mean that you have to fully rely on it. During exploration of the Redview county you can find many different shortcuts, allowing both cutting the turns as well as making more complex maneuvers, like leaving the paved road and passing through the forest or construction site. Shortcuts can help you to get ahead of other competitors (actually you have to use them in more difficult races) or losing a police chase.
It is also worth to know that GPS can get lost when racing against the stream, especially on two-lane sections, so always check if it is absolutely needed to make all turns suggested by GPS just to get to the area located nearby.