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Showing posts with label custom mod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label custom mod. Show all posts

5/14/24

Water Caverns Keycard Map...

Got Your Bearings, Jimbo!


One of the most disliked GoldenEye 007 levels is the 17th stage, the Water Caverns.

"Open the blast doors!"


Not only is the Caverns a relatively long & dark mission, but the guards are heavily armed (and armored).


Navigating through a set of locked security blast doors is something that usually snags me on every playthrough.

The collectable keycards are rather counter-intuitive.
Whenever you locate a guard with a key, his particular smart card doesn't seem to open the door that's nearby.

A quick reference map for the final portion of the Water Caverns, illustrating the locked doors, and where to find the corresponding keycards.

WATER CAVERNS
Color-coded Keycard Map
(final portion of the level)


The guards with cards have blue hats on their heads.

It's also possible that when a guard is killed, his keycard might fly well away from where his weapon lands. Especially in a big open room, sometimes this can prevent players from locating the card and exiting the level.


Guard in the Radio Room has no idea we're spying on him...



The guard carrying Keycard B is in the big open room with the Radio.




Guard with the blue hat has Keycard C.

Just outside the big Radio Room, is another guard who carries the crucial Keycard C.
Incidentally, that guard is easiest to pick off as you can snipe him from a distance.

The guard inside the room that has Keycard B can also be lured out of the room by shooting at the glass from outside.



 

Unlike the Scientists in the Facility or Silo, these labcoats aren't very keen on leaving their workstations.


Three objectives focus on blowing shit up.
Bottom line: Several computers to be destroyed - WITHOUT allowing the death of more than TWO Scientists in the explosions.




Janus has stockpiled for the Apocalypse, with fuel drums stacked on top of fuel drums...



On 00 Agent (highest difficulty), the player is required to use the radio to contact Jack Wade, which completes an Objective.

Guards in this area will tend to cause an explosion that destroys the radio, so proceed with caution.






"Close the blast doors!"


The AR33 Assault Rifle can actually shoot right through the blast doors.
Use this knowledge to put a few extra bullets into guards, as they won't open fire on you until the door is fully open.



The final stretch...



Save enough ammo with the Assault Rifle to help pick off the two drone guns in the final corridor.
Several Janus Special Forces are waiting for you there.

It's best to work quickly, because if you stick around the blast door area, you'll soon have to deal with infinitely spawning troops with RC-P90s and Shotguns.








5/10/24

Time Well Wasted...

A Slice of Satirical Analysis

Q is very much looking forward to his retirement - Far away from 007.

 


Altered this classic Cracked Comic featuring Q and 007.
(The original can be found in Blog Post: Some Light Bondage)

Taking absolutely no credit for the artwork - Simply changed the words pertaining to the pie chart.



GoldenEye 007 "Beta" Stuff
Definitely the motivation to acquire a Gameshark.





It's highly possible that I've spent more time messing with the GoldenEye 007 game than I have actually playing it. While the size of the slice might be exaggerated, it's not that far off...


Destructive Prowess
With twenty tanks to be destroyed in the Bottling Room, one rises to the challenge.






5/7/24

Making The Rounds...

Sneaking around with the "Bond Invisible" Cheat in the Facility.
There's often a Scientist that gets caught in the crossfire on the first floor.



Decided to follow this Scientist while Invisible, just to see what he's up to...

This guy walks around, looking busy - without doing any actual work.
He must be the Supervisor.



Just for fun, I decided to give the walking Scientist a more prominent role.

The Scientist patrolling the level intro in place of the guard.


A Russian Soldier guard normally appears on one of the level intro cameras...
Instead, the Scientist takes his place. Basically switched the two characters around.









5/2/24

You Must Learn Control...

More GoldenEye Homework


Protecting Natalya in the Janus Control Center is a hectic battle.
Enemies will run to designated spots, so it helps to know where they open fire.

(For a refresher on the entire Control level, see MISSION WALKTHRU: Janus Control Center)

Modified the ROM to station a guard at each one of these preset locations.
It's a lot easier to study the battlefield without the chaos.

OBJECTIVE A: Protect Natalya
Guards stand around and swat flies while Natalya stares blankly at the screen.




Each guard will randomly be programmed to attack James Bond, or to go after Natalya.
Because Natalya is basically a sitting duck, it's much worse if they choose her as their target.

Overlooking the Control Room
To hell with motivational posters in the workplace. Bring in the armed guards!



Guards early in the level are relatively predictable, so take aim and save your ammunition for this fight...
That way you can go absolutely hog wild and shoot anything that moves.

Once the alarm goes off, Jungle Commandos will spawn and run towards the Control Room.
The guards will generally stand in one of six basic spots and begin firing.

After running down the stairs, the game will send a guard to one of three spots on that side of the room.

All six guards lined up and ready to take Natalya out...
Fortunately we don't have to deal with all of them at once.






Once the alarm sounds during actual gameplay, guards can be spotted as they run in either direction as they come off the middle stairs...

Can even take some of these guards before they even make it downstairs...




Guards are eliminated on the "spiral stairs".
Getting preoccupied with one side of the room, another guard is bound to sneak up and attack Natalya.




Of course, these are just the guards that you see coming...


Light this guy up with all you've got.
He's wearing body armor, so aim high and don't stop shooting until he drops.


With the sound of broken glass, snipers will appear on either side, immediately opening fire on Natalya.
If she's already taken damage, they might finish her off before Bond can take aim and drop the guy.



Keep Natalya alive long enough, and she'll complete the crucial computer objective.

OBJECTIVE B: COMPLETED




The battle might be over - But Natalya can still get shot in those final seconds, so take no chances and keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for guards that didn't get the memo.


Once she makes it safely back to the lift, OBJECTIVE A: COMPLETED flashes on the screen.

Bond Gets Ghosted...




If for some reason you feel like exploring and decide to follow her, she actually does return to the lift. The character will fade away and disappear, just like Ourumov in the Facility or Valentin in the Streets.



(For a refresher on the entire Control level, see MISSION WALKTHRU: Janus Control Center)








4/17/24

Bunker 2 Mission - KEYCARD A

MARKED MAN
Altered the intro camera to take a look at our guard.


GoldenEye Homework...

Studying the Bunker 2 mission to learn exactly what's going on.

Wanted to figure out the timing of the guard carrying KEYCARD A, to find the optimal point to intercept him and get his access key.

Also altered the intro text to clearly mark this guy...
Obtaining his card is the quickest way out of the building.



Various playthrus, therefore the guard's face is different.
When the mission starts, the guard begins in the dark "maze" near the drone guns. He begins his patrol, soon walking into the brightly-lit hallway...

Looking down the hall... At the very end are the stairs leading to the "big Control Room".
Ideally, Bond will ambush this guy somewhere in this short stretch, just second later...




More exploration with the Bond Invisible Cheat turned ON.
Can see exactly where the guard with Keycard A makes his turn away from the main hallway - And why it's so important to get him running at just the right moment.

Bond Invisible.
Playing "Super-Spy": Doing some reconnaissance before playing the mission...

During the speedrun, Bond will be exiting the door (visible in the left of the frame). Get the guard to abandon his route and come looking for you, instead of the other way around...

Once he gets past the next set of doors, it can be difficult to make enough noise (without rousing too many other guards).

Alert him too soon and he'll run back towards the start of the mission, which is even worse.

For more on the guard who carries Keycard A (including an overhead map with his route), see Blog Post: Bunker 2: Speedrun



Luring this guard to the proper spot is pretty much essential to setting a fast time...

The GoldenEye World Record for the Bunker 2 mission on Agent currently stands at 20 seconds!
Less than twenty players in the world have accomplished this feat.

World Records often stand for a few years before they are broken...
In April of 2021, Speedrunner Carl-Magnus Wall managed to set a few new benchmarks in a short timreframe.

With three new records in the span of a week, Wall bested his own time by a single second each time.
(Going from 23 seconds, 22 seconds, 21 seconds, and ultimately hitting 20 seconds on April 27, 2021)

Evolution of the Bunker 2 World Records:
https://wrs.the-elite.net/goldeneye/recordlevel.php?level=9








4/16/24

Let There Be Guards...

Whenever Bond finishes a mission, the game automatically "removes all guards from level" before the cutscene kicks in. (So the guards won't still be randomly attacking our hero as he exits in style)



Was curious to see what it looked like if all guards were NOT removed from the level.
Here in Bunker 1, deleted that one small instruction (ROM Modification).





In the Facility, Ourumov's troops keep firing away as Bond calmly makes his exit.

Calm and collected, Bond doesn't even flinch as he get shot...
(Fortunately, the bullet missed all vital organs)





In the Water Caverns, Bond reaches the end of the level and the elevator music quietly plays.

In this modified setup, the half dozen or so guards in the room continue to relentlessly fire at 007.



Guard opens fire at close range with his AR33 Assault Rifle.


On another playthrough, a guard pulls a grenade and wipes everybody out as Bond calmly puts his gun away.


The Water Caverns is definitely a favorite so far...






4/6/24

Citadel - The Obsession, The Fascination...

A plain white pillar stretches to the sky, in a big room full of obstacles.
A testing facility named Citadel was briefly used by the GoldenEye 007 team in 1997,
just months before the game's release.



Tucked inside every GoldenEye 007 game cartridge is an unfinished Multiplayer level called "Citadel".
Twenty five years ago, it seemed unfathomable to ever be playing around inside this fabled, "lost world".


A reference to 'CITADEL' was found in the game's memory, alongside the existing level names.
Remarkable at what's since happened, based off that one little clue.


"Early exploration" began with Gameshark codes, soon progressing to actually modifications of the ROM itself.

In 2004, Gameshark hacker Krijy provided the first known working codes for The Citadel.
(A wonderful explanation was written by SubDrag, with codes by Para and Wreck)

For those who may never actually get to experience the level, a quick explore of "Zoinkity's Citadel" within the GoldenEye Setup Editor. http://n64vault.com/ge-multi-levels:citadel


This isn't a playthrough of the Citadel level itself, merely drifting around it to take a look.
Outside the level, looking in...
Inaccessible via normal game play, a remnant of this rough, test map still remains inside the ROM.



Basically four large rooms, connected via hallways.
Even has an upper and lower level.



The Citadel itself has come a long way since it was unearthed.
A look back at the original level itself, with textures that don't line up.



Visible ammo boxes that have since been added to the level.



That crazy, angled stair/ramp in one of the rooms.



Each room has various obstacles for testing purposes.



Like finding the plans of an unfinished prototype (without all the working parts), GoldenEye enthusiasts have basically taken the blueprint and turned it into a playable level.

(Even one of Stephen King's works was rescued from the rubbish bin)




A few snapshots of the Citadel as depicted in GoldenEye X.
(ROM Modification with GoldenEye levels and characters playable in Perfect Dark)

Room full of obstacles.
The Citadel level has been given an Aztec theme.



Bond and Natalya, taking aim in the room full of "mini bunkers".
It's always fun to experiment (she can even climb on top).




Very big room with four pillars stretching to the sky.




Still so much to say about The Citadel that one page is barely a start...

A more complete "walkthru" for this Multiplayer Level exists at GoldenEyeForever.com:
http://www.goldeneyeforever.com/level files/citadel_multiplayer_temp.htm



3/19/24

Smile! You're on Caverns Camera...

Messing around with some custom intro camera angles in the Water Caverns mission via the GoldenEye Setup Editor.

The guards (and drone guns) are waiting for James Bond...
X PositionY PositionZ Position
-1210.199219165.945770-387.820190
Lateral RotationVertical Rotation
700.210022-55.000000

Comment:
WATER CAVERNS near drone gun, blast door area





X PositionY PositionZ Position
-1005.132874130.937393-444.068024
Lateral RotationVertical Rotation
3906.51001025.000000

Comment:
WATER CAVERNS low angle shot, looking up at drone gun with hallway, open blast doors, guards visiable in distance







X PositionY PositionZ Position
-986.806519191.938492-646.065613
Lateral RotationVertical Rotation
2680.000000-75.000000

Comment:
WATER CAVERNS higher camera slightly behind drone gun, appears hanging above center frame






X PositionY PositionZ Position
-1114.256714175.943176-385.186005
Lateral RotationVertical Rotation
4000.159912-60.000000

Comment: 
WATER CAVERNS, guard relatively close to camera, looking down hallway with open blast doors, five guards visible in shot






X PositionY PositionZ Position
-1051.858032125.940025-502.488647
Lateral RotationVertical Rotation
4000.51001040.000000

Comment:
WATER CAVERNS looking down the long hallway with blast doors, guards on either side, overhead drone gun out of frame






X PositionY PositionZ Position
-1044.891846196.938553-602.081848
Lateral RotationVertical Rotation
2376.090088-40.000000

Comment:
WATER CAVERNS muzzle of drone gun visible in scene






X PositionY PositionZ Position
162.780502-660.027710236.169067
Lateral RotationVertical Rotation
800.429993-25.000000

Comment:
snap748 WATER CAVERNS looking downward, big open spiral area, first patrolling guard walks towards camera.






Much newer versions of the GoldenEye Setup Editor exist...
http://n64vault.com/wiki:setup-editor-global

Still content to play with one of the original programs (at least for now).



(Edit Setup > Edit Intro Block > 06 Intro Camera)


The game displays one intro camera at random when the level loads.

By default, the Water Caverns level intro has four opening camera angles available - Interestingly enough, the very first camera (at preset E0) is used twice (for entries 00 and 01).

Water Caverns
Default Intro Camera 00

This same camera is simply angled in two opposite directions, accomplishing two different shots. Threw me for a small loop until I realized what was happening.

Water Caverns
Default Intro Camera 01

It's the only instance I know of where the camera is set up like this, although there must be others...

Unsure if this is a "leftover" or something new they were experimenting with. Theoretically, should be able to set up "dual" (possibly even triple?) angle cameras elsewhere.

The Water Caverns is also a fairly large area, for something that wasn't really seen in the GoldenEye movie. One fan suggested the brief scene where Bond places the Remote Mines in the film was the basic inspiration for the Caverns.

(The board also fills itself out nicely with an even 20 missions).





Guard Characters in Multiplayer...

Russian Soldier, Russian Infantry, Russian Commandant, Janus Marine Naval Officer, Civilian (1), Civilian (2), Civilian (3) Civilian (4), Si...