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TimeSplitters
Future Perfect: Arcade Scenarios
Written by Briton
In TimeSplitters Future Perfect there are
13 different game scenarios (Assault, Capture the Bag etc), which is one
less then TimeSplitters 2. Here is a list of the different scenarios,
what you have to do, which is the best level for them and some other information.
(Scenarios Listed in Alphabetic
Order)
| Assault |
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These
are a bit like team based missions. They can only be played
on four different levels; Vietnam, Mars Prison, VR and Training
Ground. There are two teams, an attacking team (reds) and
a defending team (blues). Unlike in TimeSplitters 2, you can
play as attackers or defenders. The attacking team has to
complete several simple objectives (radio in for a helicopter,
download security codes) and they mainly involve standing
in front of something and holding down the A button for a
certain period of time, or reaching a certain location. The
defending team just has to stop the other team from completing
their objectives, with the help of a few autoguns. This may
sound boring, but it is incredibly good fun. The best level
for it has to be Mars Prison, as the layout is fairly simple
and there are plenty of sniping positions and lots of objectives.
The Vietnam assault is incredibly easy for the attacking team,
where as defending is easy on VR. Training Ground is probably
the second best level. For the best games, pit the odds in
favour of the other team, unless you are in Vietnam, in which
case put the odds heavily in favor of the blues. Why? Vietnam
is hard to defend, so hard that any idiot could easily make
it in without any trouble.
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| Bagtag
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In
this you just have to grab the bag and run away from everyone
else. If someone else has the bag, you have to kill them and
grab the bag off their dead body. In all honesty, the AI really
is not up to the job of beating you on this, since in most
levels if you keep running around in circles the enemy will
follow you stupidly. It is best on the open levels, where
you can usually be shot at from a distance. The worst level
to do this on is Harry Tipper's nightclub, but it is fairly
good on Hotel. Training Ground also works ok, as people cannot
run around the level without meeting someone else. Also most
levels will work with humans, as they can ambush you and try
and anticipate where you are going. You might want to consider
making the bag carrier not be able to shoot, although this
may not make a difference.
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| Capture the Bag |
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This
is probably the best team based scenario. It can be played
on almost every level, but is best on the ones that only have
1 or 2 pathways to the enemy bag. The idea is that there are
two teams, each with a bag base, and you must run to the other
team's base, steal the bag, then run back to your own base
to score. Sounds easy, but on a level like Siberia it is a
nightmare. I found that this works best on Training Ground,
as it is not too easy but not evilly hard like in Siberia.
A good tactic is to "raid" the enemy base, all attacking at
once in one swift movement, and then run away from their base
when you have the bag. The AI has been improved a lot from
TimeSplitters 2, where the enemies would just spawn and run
mindlessly towards the bag. They will now sometimes stay near
you and follow you around, so when you attack, they attack.
Even better, when an enemy is within a certain range, they
will stop following you and attack the enemy. There is only
one problem with the new AI and that is they will sometimes
stay so close to you that you will get stuck in the doorway,
so turn friendly fire on in case you have to kill your team-mates.
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| Deathmatch |
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The
oldest and simplest of all the scenarios, all you have to
do is just kill the enemy. It is basically a huge free-for-all
just kill everyone that you can. The best tip I can give you
is know where the best guns are and know the level well, so
you can ambush enemies when you need to. There is no real
best level for this, but avoid Training Ground as it is too
linear, something like Vietnam is good, and Zeppelin works
well.
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| Elimination |
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This
is like a standard Deathmatch, but you have a set number of
lives. This changes the way people play, they won't go around
randomly so much and they will be less inclined to take risks.
When you start to have a low supply of people playing (i.e
all the others are dead), then people might start playing
cheaply. Turn off the mines, especially proximity mines, and
also the Mag-Charger. I had 1 life and managed to beat a person
with 5 lives because of that cheesy gun. So, in short, don't
turn it on. I think that levels with lots of places that provide
cover are excellent for this game, as people tend to use them
more then in a Deathmatch. Again, non-linear ones are the
best. Lastly, don't turn the radar on, as it makes the game
much more exciting.
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| Gladiator |
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Only
the Gladiator can score. To become the Gladiator, you have
to kill the current Gladiator, who you can see because they
have a light around their body, and also because they appear
as a blue cursor on your radar. A few rockets go down well
on this type of game, mainly because the Gladiator can score
multi-kills easily. The open maps work well on this, so Siberia
is the best one for it. Others such as Zeppelin are also ok,
as they offer a mix of open areas and smaller corridors to
escape into.
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| Monkey Assistant |
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In
this game, the player who is last place has a team of monkeys
to help him out. Although the player who is last gets points
for the monkeys killing you, you don't get points for killing
the monkeys. Set the score system to Kills-Losses and the
monkeys can do some serious damage. Each monkey will have
a different weapon from the weapon set, but make sure that
you have rockets and explosives switched off, as a well placed
rocket can easily dispose of five monkeys. Lastly, the best
map for this is undoubtedly Mexican Mission; because it is
so small the Monkeys can easily go around fast and gun you
down.
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| Shrink |
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Like
a handicapped Deathmatch, the lower placed you are in the
score tables the smaller you are, therefore the harder to
hit. It works well on most levels, but make sure that there
are no explosives on, as this partly eliminates the handicap.
One shot kills is probably best for Shrink, as it really makes
the handicap much more effective. This game mode also means
that people who are rubbish at the game have a bit more of
a chance. Not bad. As for the level to pick, I'd say Vietnam,
but with the flare guns turned off.
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| Team
Deathmatch |
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This
is a pretty good game, mainly because of the team aspect.
As you can probably guess from the name, it's a Deathmatch,
with teams. Ganging up on people works brilliantly in this
mode, and the ideal way to score kills is to make sure that
you are with your team-mates. I have to say that the Subway
is the best level for this, as since it is a small level it
keeps the action going.
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| Thief |
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Unlike
Gladiator, this doesn't work so well on huge levels. Medium
sized levels with easy to remember layouts are great for this,
and it is also good for beginners who can essentially steal
kills. The idea behind it is that you don't score points for
a kill unless you pick up the monkey token that they drop
when they are killed. It is a simple idea, but it is great
fun, and if there are Speed power-ups around the level then
it becomes even better. The best level for this would have
to be Mars Prison, as the ramps offer a good vantage point
for sniping and you can also jump down to collect the kill
token.
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| Vampire |
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I
would have to say that this is the worst game. The main problem
is it tries to be two types of games. On the one hand, you
have a set number of lives, but on the other if you do not
kill someone within a certain amount of time then you die
anyway. This means instead of the slow, strategic and tense
game that you experience if you play Elimination, you get
a more Deathmatch style of game. The clash of style means
that the game is not a Deathmatch, but not Elimination. Still,
it an interesting enough game, and pretty frantic at the same
time. The best level for this is Venice, as the walkways mean
you can snipe at various people. The dead ends in the level
also make for a few frantic charges in order to win the game.
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| Virus |
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This
is just like the playground game "it", but once you are on
you stay on for the rest of the game and have to catch other
people. Like Bagtag, if you find a good route you can run
circles around the enemy, but in some levels like Hotel it
is impossible to do that. The best level is Hotel, because
the music and scenery mean that it is incredibly frightening
when you see some chasing after you. Turning guns means that
cheesy humans cant shoot you down and then tag you before
you re-spawn, and turning power-ups off also makes things
more interesting. Definitely one of the best games, although
for some reason you cannot play this on Siberia.
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| Zones |
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The
last team based game calls for you to capture several Zones
that are placed around the level. Linear levels are terrible
for this game, as one team can simply move forward, capturing
bases as they go, then stand at the edge of one of the bases
shooting you down and you will not have a chance. Big levels
like Siberia are excellent, but Spaceport, Training Ground
and Venice are bad for it.
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