Even More GoldenEye Homework...
Examining the path of a particular guard in the Archives Mission.
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| Bond hits the books to better his odds in the Military Intelligence Archives |
This patrolling sentry is a deciding variable that will make or break a successful speedrun.
The goal is to finish within the Target Time of 1:20 as a 00 Agent (hardest difficulty).
Have previously commented that Super Mario Bros 3 is like a Pinball machine...
GoldenEye 007 is more like a game of Poker.
Even if you play your cards right - The unpredictability of other characters will make the whole run a total bust.
It's possible to finish the mission without even seeing this problem guard...
At the same time, he could be in the worst possible place - And there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.
The patrolling guards in the Facility are predictable (can almost set Bond's watch by it).
Most of the Facility patrollers don't travel through doors...
Computer-controlled characters often get stuck behind doors in the Archives, turning in circles until the door closes... At which point, they try again.
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| If the guard in the Archives navigates his course properly, he should
arrive at a particular spot at a certain point in time - This seldom
happens. If things go well, you might not even see him. |
Interestingly enough, he's the same guard who patrols during one of the opening Intro Cameras.
(The angle that shows an outdoor area with other guards stationed around)
This area is just down the hall from where Bond stops to meet Mishkin (to complete OBJECTIVE C)
Exploring with Bond Invisible (the very same Cheat that's unlocked in this level with a successful run).
Not quite background ambience or random character animation, exactly...
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| The Russian Soldier guard can even get stuck in the corner with Mishkin before Bond even arrives in the room. |
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| Get there quick enough, and the guard might just be leaving the room with his back to you. |
Sometimes Bond gets to the meeting room, and the far door is wide open - Indicating the guard has just left.
After hundreds of playthroughs of this mission, and I saw something I'd never seen before...
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| It's Ajar. (Normally there's a door here) |
After exiting the meeting room with Mishkin (obtaining the bloody safe key & flight recorder), I raced down the hall to find the last door wide open...
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| There really should be "Push" and "Pull" signs on these Archives doors... |
The only logical explanation is that the patrolling guard must have just finished passing through it.
He must have been stuck turning in circles behind the door while the meeting was in progress.
On another playthrough, the guard happened to catch sight of me just as I was sneaking by the basement bookcases... He technically passes through there for just a brief moment, as he travels from a hallway to enter the "big room".
Being harassed by other guards: Just as the patroller can cause problems, Bond might have a couple other guards that follow downstairs while the important meeting with Mishkin is underway.
Very few of them will manage to track you that far... But a couple of them might (occasionally even one of the black-coated guards who was holding Natalya).
On a separate but related note, all the GoldenEye speedrunning experts will use the additional strategy of looking down at the ground as they run and strafe...
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| Bond's always curious if the curtains match the carpet... |
Apparently this speeds up the framerate, as the game is required to load fewer textures.
The Archives is an excellent mission to practice this technique.
Fewer guards to deal with, and straight, easy tiles and lines on the floors to follow.
While I definitely need more practice to be effective with this method, it's undeniably a time-saver that can shed a few additional seconds.
