- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: mr47isback
use a ghost. its faster.
Well, yes, a ghost is faster than the warthog or scorpian---but if your main concern is how _fast_ you can get through the level--the fastest way is to get the banshee just around the corner from the scorpian and use it to bypass more than half the obstacles in the level.
I've never understood the hurry-up-and-finish approach to the game, but hey, I've never understood the attraction of golf either. Everybody to his own game.
Me, I like to hang around and explore all the different ways you can do this game. And since I'm enjoying myself, I'm not in any hurry to get it over with.
I used the banshee once just to go straight through to the end, just to do it: I killed off everything up to the central bridge in the big tunnel (The Grand Cavern) and worked it so the banshee's health was maxed, then I just flew through the Rolling Thunder checkpoint/Zone Crossover and just kept flying past everything else.
On the steep slope up to the tunnle exit, I did a lazy zig-zag---the trick to avoiding Covie fire in a banshee is not to fly directly at or away from anyone---they don't track side-to-side well. By zig-zagging up the slope I take a minimum of hits before I exit.
The Covie dropship is just decending when I exit the tunnel and I immediately fly high toward the platform high on the right cliff wall. The checkpoint triggers just before I get to the platform.
At this point I have the option to stay and play, or go straight to the end. By not going anywhere near ground level near the Tower, I don't trigger a Tower checkpoint or spawn any Covies---not at the tower and not farther on in the level until I do trigger a Tower checkpoint.
So the one time I did it, I just flew straight to the last door on the Twin Bridges, ran straight thru the corridors and roundabouts, without enemies, into the Third Canyon where there was a nice unattended banshee waiting for me on the Ice Bridge (a.k.a. land bridge), and flew straight to the Control Room, unopposed.
I didn't bother to time it--I never do--but it had to have cut my time by at least half, probably to more like a third or forth of the time I've have spent hugging the ground. But like I said, I only did that once, just to do it.
It wasn't as much _fun_ as playing with all the nice little Covie playmates---especially when I can fly ahead and fix up the "furniture" (vehicles and shades and such) the way I like it so that when I do trigger the Covies to spawn, I've rigged the terrain in my favor. The Covies don't get to have vehicles anymore. And I've fixed myself barricades and hiding places and such that they have no idea how to handle. I basically take the time to put them at my mercy and play with them.
My favorite tactic is to get the Covies to shoot each other while they're gunning for me. Have you ever noticed that they just don't give a **** if one of their buddies is in the way when they shoot at you?
But of course, I understand that most of you are in too much of a hurry to take the time for this kind of sillyness.
For those of you traveling on a tight schedule, more power to you: Hope you can use the banshee bypass tip and hurry on to 343GS.
[Edited on 1/1/2007]