PD Weapons FAQ
by Hu Man Bing
Version 3.00 24/i/02
Version 2.01 28/i/01
Version 2.00 21/xi/00
Version 1.02 21/x/00
Version 1.01 26/ix/00
This document will be divided into the following sections:
P. Updates history
1. Weapon Statistics - damage, accuracy, rates of fire, and ammunition types.
2. Methodology - how I arrived at these findings, exceptions 1, 2, 3, 4.
3. Authorial Notes - quirks, Shotgun tutorial, SSPChallenge, thanks,
copyright, improvements, about me, quotes, other.
For the most part, this FAQ will be straight faced and sensible.
There will be occasional lapses, though.
=========================
Preface - Version Updates
=========================
Version 3.00 24/i/02: Another year, another update. Added weapon
information for medium range correction.
Version 2.01 28/i/01: Added URL for design of clip-loading, fully-automatic,
double-barrelled Shotgun under "links" section.
Version 2.00 21/xi/00: Eagle-eyed PD player AstroBlue (who has written an
FAQ on the character healths, etc) has pointed out to me the exaggerated
health levels of the guards on Pelagic II. Therefore, I have gone back to
readjust every single weapon's damage stats - they now register as absolutes,
not merely relatives. Many thanks to AstroBlue for his correction. I have
also added a Shotgun Tutorial, a Shotgun Single Player Challenge, and a few
other miscellaneous bits of my Shotgun inclinations.
Version 1.02 21/x/00: GameFAQs posted my FAQ. I am happy - the webmaster
does, indeed, "rule". Also made a few typographical corrections.
Version 1.01 26/ix/00: Sorted out a few grammatical errors. Also added
slight rant at end of Farsight description. Clarified terms of usage and
copyright permissions. Entire document HTMLized on my personal webpage
(
http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk/PDFAQ.html).
Version 1.00 19/ix/00: Wrote document in .txt format and submitted it to
GameFAQs.com. As yet unposted.
============================
Part One - Weapon Statistics
============================
Weapon |Mag | Ammo | Dmg | Acc | Scope | Rate|Notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Falcon | 8 | Std | 49.9 | 89.2| 2.00 | man | x2
Magsec (single)| 9 | Std | 55.5 | 59.4| 2.40 | man | x2
(3-shot) | 9 | Std | 55.5 | 50.5| 2.40 | semi| x2
Mauler (single)| 20 | Std | 60.4 | 78.5| none | man | x2
(charged) | 20 | Std | 1000? | 100 | none | slow| x2, See (2)
Phoenix (shot) | 8 | Std | 54.8 | 87.9| none | man | x2
(explosive) | 8 | Std | 250? | 61.1| none | slow| x2, See (3)
DY357 Magnum | 6 | Mag | 97.3p | 100 | none | slow| x2,
DY357-LX Magnum| 6 | Mag | 9975?p| 100 | none | slow| x2, See (2)
CMP150 | 32 | Med | 50.8 | 53.0| none | 15 | x2
Cyclone (shot) | 50 | Med | 42.7 | 70.3| none | 15 | x2
(empty clip) | 50 | Med | 42.7 | 26.8| none | 33.3| x2
Callisto (norm)| 32 | Med | 59.3 | 46.7| none | 15 |
(hi velocity) | 32 | Med | 116.7p| 100 | none | 5.0 |
RC-P120 | 120| Med | 59.3 | 64.4| none | 18.6|
Laptop Gun | 50 | Med | 57.4 | 68.3| 2.00 | 16.6|
Dragon | 30 | Hvy | 53.9 | 67.6| 2.00 | 11.6|
K7 Avenger | 25 | Hvy | 74.6 | 63.5| 3.00 | 15.8|
AR34 | 30 | Hvy | 68.6 | 50.4| 3.00 | 12.5|
S-Dragon (shot)| 30 | Hvy | 59.3 | 70.3| 2.00 | 11.6|
(grenade) | 6 | Grn | 3500? | n/a | 2.00 | man | See (3)
Sniper Rifle | 8 | Hvy | 59.3 | 90.4| 30.00 | man |
Reaper | 200| Rpr | 59.3 | 17.6| none | 30 |
Farsight | 8 | Orbs | 9975+p| 100 | yes | slow| See (4)
Shotgun | 9 | Shells| 184.3?| 87 | none | slow| See (1)
Devastator | 8 | Grn | 3500? | n/a | none | man | See (3)
Rocket Launcher| 1 | Rckt | 9625? | n/a | none | sngl| See (3)
Crossbow (Kill)| 5 | Bolts| 4988? | 27.3| none | man | See (2)
Notes Explained:
x2 - Player can carry two of said weapon.
See (#) - Unusual weapons are listed in Methodology.
-------
Damage:
-------
A difficult term to define - originally it equated the percentage of life
taken away from the first guard on Pelagic II (Perfect Dark 100% health) with
each body shot landed by the weapon. At present, however, I have been made
aware that the Pelagic II guard's health is roughly 175% that of the normal
guards on earlier levels.
The amended table shows approximate damage ratings, scaled up to incorporate
this finding.
A rating of "p" here indicates that it pierces soft objects and certain doors
at least - some weapons can shoot through much more.
---------
Accuracy:
---------
This number expresses the approximate lethality of a weapon when used at medium
range. The percentage is calculated by totalling all the hits scored against a
target when aiming for a headshot, and then applying a scaling ratio for hit
location. This does not include rate of fire, merely inherent accuracy and
relative damage. See Methodology below for more detail on the calculations
involved.
--------------
Rates of Fire:
--------------
These are given in rounds per second, which are scaled down from their rounds
per minute values ingame.
I am unable to adequately measure the rate of fire of the weapons, since they
fire so much quicker than the Goldeneye weapons ever did. I know that it can
be done, and done very accurately, with VHS frame-by-frame playback at slow
speeds (see credits for further details) but such facilities are beyond me.
However, the manual stopwatch and timer method that worked for Goldeneye loses
much more accuracy for Perfect Dark since all the weapons empty their magazines
so quickly.
Thus, the available Rates of Fire above are pulled from the game statistics,
although I am doubtful about the authenticity of some of their stats. The
description for the Cyclone, for example, states that the secondary fire can
empty the magazine in under a second. It then states that the secondary fire
rate is "about" 2000 rounds per minute.
That figures out at 33.3 rounds per second, which is very considerably less
than the magazine capacity. The actual unloading would take just under two
seconds to achieve - a fair margin in the world of ballistics. For the Cyclone
to actually unload in exactly a second, the gun would have to fire 50 rounds
per second (since that is the magazine size) and therefore 50 x 60 rounds per
minute, ie 3000 rounds per minute. The quoted value is 50% inaccurate!
If there is some subtle nuance of gunnery which I am missing (such as reload
times, which may factor in) then I am happy to accept explanations from more
experienced gunmen than myself.
A rating of "manual" means that the weapon will fire more or less as quickly
as the trigger is pulled. "Semi" implies a fast recovery rate, somewhere
between an automatic and a manual in speed. The rest should be self
explanatory.
---------------------
Ammunition Groupings:
---------------------
Standard: The player can carry up to 800 of these rounds. They comprise the
basic ammunition for handguns, including (strangely enough) both the Maian and
Skedar models of light hand weaponry. Perhaps this universality of light
weapons ammunition can mean the beginning of a new era of intergalactic
cooperation, as Maians, Humans, and Skedar all come to a peaceful agreement on
the ammunition with which we kill each other. Sort of thing.
Medium: The player can carry up to 800 of these rounds. They comprise the
basic ammunition for automatic weapons, including (strangely enough) the Maian
Callisto. Human-Maian relations are no doubt undergoing considerable improvement
as we amicably work together to ruthlessly eradicate the Skedar for good.
Heavy: The player can carry up to 400 of these rounds. They comprise the
basic ammunition for rifles and assault rifles. They generally do a bit more
damage per shot than the Medium class rounds.
Grenades: The player can carry up to 40 of these grenades. They are common
design to both the SuperDragon's grenade launcher, and the Devastator.
Rockets: The player can carry up to 3 of these rockets. They are common
design to both the man-made rocket launcher and the Skedar Slayer, despite the
high tech nature of the camera needed for the Skedar missile. The Skedar Kings
appear to be able to produce these at will without even needing to use a
Slayer.
Reaper: The player can carry up to 800 of these rounds. These seem to do
damage rather akin to the Medium rounds. The Reaper is the only weapon to use
this type of ammunition.
Magnum: The player can carry up to 200 of these rounds. These are common to
both the Gold Magnum and the normal DY357 Magnum. This is somewhat suspect,
given that the Golden Magnum allegedly fires "a fragmenting round" which gives
it its lethal nature, but equally probable is the possibility that the author
has missed something vital in the storyline.
Shells: The player can carry up to 100 shells. These are used only by the
Shotgun. They appear to be six-bore, which is roughly twice as powerful as the
most powerful Shotgun shell in existence today (which is ten-bore, and
requires special training to use). The Shotgun can fire in single or double
blasts, despite not actually having more than one barrel, and the inaccuracy
increases proportional to distance. The reload is one of the longest in the
game.
Orbs: The player can carry up to 100 orbs. These are used only by the
Farsight, contrary to logical expectations. (The Phoenix has a very similar
"eating" reload sequence, but fires Standard rounds.) They are perhaps the most
damaging type of ammunition in the game. See Exception #4 below for further
details.
Bolts: The player can carry up to 69 of these. These are used only by the
Crossbow, and oddly enough can be set either to deliver a tranquilizing shot,
or a lethal injection without needing to change ammunition types. The
carrying capacity seems arbitrary at first sight, although the author has not
ruled out the possibility of its having some sort of congressional bonding
significance. Involving reciprocal oratory and rousing effects. With literal
stimulation. And olfactory amines.
Right. That's quite enough of that.
======================
Part Two - Methodology
=======================
-------------------------
Accuracy Data Collection:
-------------------------
In order to calculate a weapon's inherent accuracy, a target is needed in the
solo game that possesses normal body parts (eg head, body, limbs) and most
importantly, is stationary, invincible, and unshielded - quite a tall order by
anybody's standards. Anybody with any sense would write this endeavor off as a
no-hoper, but I believe it stands as a testament to my tenacity, resourcefulness,
and sheer New Year's boredom that I actually went forth and found such a target
in the solo game.
These are the character dummy models of Mr Blonde and the two unevenly-sized
DataDyne female guards stored in the corner comms hub room. They cannot be
killed, do not move or attack, and best of all - hits scored on them are
registered by the game engine upon leaving a level. These provide the ideal
target for my experiments, as well as providing great cutscene hilarity when
the player shoots large numbers of crossbow darts into their crotches and
then completes the level normally.
But I digress. First, I set the game to Perfect Agent and turned on the
following cheats: Invincibility, Cloaking Device, All Weapons, Unlimited Ammo,
and Classic Sight. I then loaded up the third solo level (DataDyne: Extraction)
and followed this checklist of actions:
1. Equip night vision, cloak, and wrist laser.
2. Kill all guards on first floor using the wrist laser, ensuring as far as
possible that none have a chance to retaliate. If too many are able to
retaliate, then step 3. below becomes impossible.
3. Take the first elevator up to the lowest upstairs floor. Follow the
corridor around the lift shaft and kill the kneeling guard, still using the
wrist laser.
4. Take the kneeling guard's dropped keycard and return to the ground floor.
5. Using the keycard, enter the locked corner room where the communications
hub is located.
6. Switch from wrist laser to the weapon to be tested. Take up consistent
position in the corner furthest from the doorway.
7. From the corner, face Mr Blonde's back and aim for headshots.
8. Fire weapon repeatedly until enough shots have been scored.
9. Exit game and note hit location results.
The actual percentage that appears in the table above is the result of the
following calculation:
(Head hits x1) + (Body hits x0.5) + (Limb hits x0.25)
100% x -----------------------------------------------------
Number of shots fired
The number above indicates roughly the amount of headshot damage the weapon
would inflict per shot if used at the precise distance between the corner
and Mr Blonde. Should a real life equivalent be required for whatever
reason, I estimate that this translates to roundabout five meters' distance.
Possible flaws: Upon shooting Mr Blonde in the head, the character dummy
responded with a slight jerk of the skull to one side, before returning to
its original upright position. Whilst this did not significantly affect
the findings for slow-firing weapons, it did affect the findings for
weapons of high rates of fire. During the brief time that Mr Blonde's head
was displaced, several rounds that would otherwise have hit home flew past and
registered as complete misses. I know of no way to correct this error (and
indeed it may be useful to incorporate, since all enemies will evince this sort
of limb-jerk reaction when shot). The shotgun's accuracy is extremely
questionable, probably lying somewhere between a calculation of all the pellets
fired and a calculation of number of trigger pulls (see damage calculation
below for a more detailed explanation). The wrist laser does not register
accuracy hit information at all.
-----------------------
Damage Data Collection:
-----------------------
First, in order to get these results, a stationary target is needed within the
solo game. Multiplayer does not offer a comprehensive breakdown of hit
locations, which is vital in calculating the damage caused. I eventually
decided that Pelagic II provided the best candidate for this, this being the
mechanic standing outside the door to Joanna Dark's starting location on the
level. I then enabled the following cheats: Slow-Motion, Invincibility,
Cloaking Device, All Weapons, Unlimited Ammo, and Classic Sight. Then I played
the level on Perfect Dark difficulty, with enemy life set to 1000%.
Just to be sure, I tested out the number of limb hits needed on Perfect Dark
enemy health 100%, and compared it to Perfect Dark enemy health 1000%. Happily,
I found that exactly ten times the number of limb hits were needed to kill the
guard in the latter case than the former. This proves that 1000% does indeed
mean "10x normal". You never know with Rare.
I also tested out the relationship between limb shots and body shots, and
empirically proved this to be 2:1. In other words, if you shoot a person in the
limb, you will do half the amount of damage (and need double the number of
shots to kill) than if you shoot a person in the chest or body.
Head shots, however, were tricky - throughout the single-player mission mode,
it appears that the vast majority of all people die with one shot to the head,
regardless of life settings. I quickly discovered that this unfortunate door
guard was one of them. Even on 1000% health, one shot to the head would
incapacitate him and put an end to my experiments. Other guards within the
same level also took only one head shot to kill, even on 1000% (the only
exception to this rule being the omni-impotent Klobb).
In the end, I decided against recording any head shots data, as these do not
appear to be consistent as they were in Goldeneye. It would appear that Rare
have decided to make headshots lethal for the mission-based AI, regardless of
health level.
The "Damage Rating" value for the guns essentially indicates the percentage
of life that is taken away from the very first guard in the game, on Perfect
Dark 100%, per shot from the weapon. This value was calculated using the
following formula:
1. Limb shots damage count as 0.5 of body shots [proven]
2. Body shots damage count as 2 of limb shots [proven]
3. Enemy life at PD1000% = Limb shots damage plus Body shots damage, therefore
4. Enemy life at PD100% = (Total damage) divided by 10 [proven]
5. Damage quotient of weapon = 100% divided by scaled damage caused
The simplified formula I used was:
1 ÷ (# body hits x 1) + (#limb hits x 0.5)
--------------------------------------
1000%, or "10"
This method was fine for determining the damage caused by most weapons, but
certain weapons were more problematic. Here I list the weapons that defied
normal procedures and required special attention.
------------------------
Exception 1: The Shotgun
------------------------
The problem here is one of accuracy problems, not damage. The guard on 1000%
still took multiple rounds to kill, so my above method still applied to this
weapon.
My personal favorite, this weapon fires six pellets per pull of the trigger.
In Goldeneye, the end of level statistics would take each pellet into account,
so if you fired even once, your statistics might still register each individual
hit: a limb hit, a body hit, a head hit, and two misses, each of which would
be indicated separately on the mission debriefing. (For those of you astutely
wondering where the sixth shot went, the Goldeneye Shotgun only fired five
pellets.) However, in Perfect Dark, the end of level statistics only
calculates hits per pull of the trigger. Why they changed this is beyond me,
but in the long run it means that I could have missed with five pellets each
pull of the trigger, while hitting with the final remaining one, and the game
would calculate it as a hit. This would make my results very inaccurate.
My solution for this was simply to make sure that every single shot I made
against the guard was on target. I aimed for limb shots, and so would crouch
side-on around his legs and line up a shot that was simply impossible to miss
with. Using this method I ensured, as far as possible, that every pellet fired
would land with limb damage.
When the testing was over and the guard expired, I would carefully inspect the
walls for any pellet marks (I found five) and then use the Wrist Laser (which
does not count on the end of level statistics) to shoot the body, an action
which clears up the blood on the walls by making more on the ground beneath
the guard. (I found another one.) In this particular test, I had only missed
with six pellets, but it made the difference of one entire trigger pull's shot.
Of course, to minimize inaccuracy, the Shotgun was on single fire mode.
The damage caused by a full body shot by the Shotgun is an enormous 184.3% per
trigger pull (assuming all six hit on body). This is just under twice the
damage of a magnum shot, and makes the Shotgun the most damaging manmade
conventional roundfiring weapon in the game. (Only the Golden Magnum and
explosives do more damage amongst the human weapons.) However, if only one
pellet hits on the body, this damage is divided by a factor of six, resulting
in a damage value of a mere 30.8.
Paradoxically, this makes the Shotgun simultaneously the most and the least
damaging manmade conventional roundfiring weapon in the game per shot.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Exception 2: Mauler (Charged), Golden Magnum, Crossbow (Instant Kill)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This problem was more difficult to solve. These weapons all killed the guard
in either one shot (Crossbow, Magnum), or in too few shots to be accurate
(Mauler). I needed to find a target that could take more than one shot from
them in order to calculate a definitive result.
Fortunately, I found one. On Perfect Dark difficulty level, on the WAR! solo
mission, each Skedar King is actually able to take a Golden Magnum round to
the limb without dying. In fact, they don't even flinch. Thus, it can be safely
said that they are The Bees' Knees.
(Here can be seen another reason against testing weapons in Multiplayer,
wherein the Golden Magnum still kills with one shot even at life 1000%.)
To test the weapons' damage as accurately as possible, I only fired one limb
shot at the first Skedar King with the weapon. Then I switched to Falcon
pistols and fired limb shots until the king died. From this, comparing data
against how many Falcon shots are needed to kill him straight off, I could
calculate a value for how much damage the weapon did, in terms of Falcon shots.
It took 340 Falcon limb shots to kill the Skedar King on PD1000%. I deduced
that the Charged Mauler shot did damage equal to 20 Falcon hits, placing its
damage value at roundabout 1000%. The Crossbow bolt set to Instant Kill did
damage equal to about 100 Falcon hits, placing its damage value at roundabout
5000%. The Golden Magnum did damage equal to 200 Falcon hits, placing its
damage value at roundabout 10000%. Thus, just as in Goldeneye before it,
Perfect Dark's Golden Gun is not infinitely damaging, although it does destroy
things such as the Skedar dropship and the Maian saucer in one shot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Exception 3: Rocket Launcher, Devastator, Phoenix (Explosive), Mines
--------------------------------------------------------------------
These also killed the guard in one detonation, so I decided to try them out
against the 1st Skedar King, who survived them easily. These results are more
likely to be inaccurate than any others in my findings, since the damage
suffered in an explosion is directly proportional to the amount of time spent
in it, and there was little I could do to force the King to stay in an
explosion if it wasn't so inclined.
However, in an effort to minimize inaccuracy, I always detonated the explosive
in dead center of the King's body object, or slightly below. Additionally, I
always stood directly next to the King so it would not have to move in order
to attack me. As long as the King tried to shoot me or claw me, this method would work (it
would remain where it was, ie in the center of the explosion). However, one
attack it might do is the Skedar charging attack, which would go straight
through the player and therefore remove the King from the blast center.
I believe that in all of these findings, the King did NOT leave the center of
the blast area, but in truth it is not easy to tell. It was rather smoky and
visibility conditions were minimal, believe me.
Mines did roughly 70 times the damage of a Falcon shot, placing their damage
value at about 3500%. Grenades did identical damage.
Rockets did roughly 194 times the damage of a Falcon shot, making them only
slightly less lethal than a Golden Magnum (although in real life this would
translate into a greater effectiveness against structures, etc). Their damage
value was roughly 9500%. It is entirely possible that the King shifted position
slightly and took slightly less damage. Certainly it seems that an argument
placing the Rocket and Golden Magnum round at the same power, might have much
to back it up.
I was unable to test the power of the Slayer Rocket, since this is only
available on certain stages (even with All Guns cheat on). Perhaps a future
revision by GameShark owning players can determine once and for all its
destructive power. For the moment, it is probably best to assume equal power
to the man-made Rocket Launcher.
Finally, the Phoenix explosive shells are different in that they actually
deal damage location-specifically. Then, extra damage is inflicted depending
on time spent in the blast radius. Firing one shot at the body of the Skedar
king, I then finished him off with Falcon shots. The end results suggest that
a full-on Phoenix blast is roughly equivalent to 5 Falcon shots, with a damage
value roundabout 250%.
-------------------------
Exception 4: The Farsight
-------------------------
This weapon killed the guard, the Maian flying saucer, the Skedar dropship,
AND the Skedar Kings in one hit. It didn't matter how high the enemy life was
set, one limb hit would kill even the mighty Skedar King. It seems to kill all
mortal targets instantly, although it does not seem to go through shields AND
flesh in one shot... as with other weapons (even the Golden Magnum), separate
shots are required to bring down the shield and then to damage the body behind
it. Trent Easton,for example, is immune to this weapon because you cannot shoot
through his shield with it.
There are no vincible targets to my knowledge that stand up to a Farsight
round, except in the empirically meaningless case of shielded enemies.
Therefore, the minimum damage that a Farsight round can possibly cause must
lie just over 340 times the damage of a Falcon round (or > 9975%). Maximum
damage is anybody's guess, and indeed might not even exist - if so, the
Farsight truly is an infinitely damaging weapon.
Scope wise, too, the Farsight is unusual. It does not possess a scope meter,
but it does have a definite limit to its zoom, past which only blank darkness
is shown. This may be set at a value, or it may be determined by level
construction (for example, you may zoom into the bottom floor of DataDyne HQ
even though you actually warp into there). Either way this is inconclusive.
Finally - the exact physics of this gun eludes me. If a firearm can kill a
person, the primary way in which this is achieved is by causing structural
damage to his body (which functions much as a topological bag of water). The
Farsight appears to fire through dense wall materials without leaving a mark
or otherwise altering its structure, so presumably it should do the same when
passing through a human body. How does this alien weapon work? Bear in mind
that it also puts out lights and disrupts electrical systems (eg the Skedar
Dropship).
Diplomatically speaking, how could the humans morally justify joining up with
the creators of this infinite-ranged, omni-destructive weapon in the name of
"intergalactic peacekeeping"? Would it be more accurate to attribute our
allegiances to pure self-preservation?
============================
Part Three - Authorial Notes
============================
--------------------------
Weapon/Aiming Curiosities:
--------------------------
1. If you fire a Falcon so that the magazine is partially empty, then change
to another weapon, the Falcon's magazine will be completely replenished when
you come back to it.
1a) If you fire a Shotgun so that the magazine is partially empty, then change
to another weapon, the Shotgun's magazine will not be completely replenished
when you come back to it.
1b) If, however, you fire a Shotgun so that the magazine is partially empty,
then change to another weapon, and fire that weapon until it is nearly empty,
the Shotgun will have reloaded two shells when you come back to it.
2. If you possess a fixed-scoped weapon such as a SuperDragon or an Avenger
in multiplayer, try kneeling down. Then try crouching down. Finally, try lying
down. Weird, isn't it? What does Player Two see in her screen when she's
watching you? Do you feel silly?
3. Put on Slow-Motion cheat. Then use a scoped weapon to shoot somebody. Can
you see your bullet flying in on the target? Looks neat, right? Sadly, it's
fake. The shot always hits instantly, regardless of distance or slowdown. Watch
the target body part closely and you'll see it recoil even before the visible
shot hits. Nice of Rare to put this little fake effect in, though.
4. Try disarming somebody. Then as they are drawing their auxiliary weapon,
try disarming them again. Can you do it? Wait until their arms are fully
extended. How about now?
5. Play Combat Simulator with DarkSims. Use Magnums, Falcons, Shotguns, or
other discretely-firing guns which you're familiar with. Can you shoot as fast
as they can? How much slower do you shoot? Go down a step to PerfectSims. Try
again. Go down one by one, until you get to MeatSims. Can you shoot a Magnum
or a Shotgun as fast as a MeatSim can? Be honest. Can you really?
-----------------------------------------
Personal Note: Proper Use of the Shotgun
-----------------------------------------
Many people hold the Shotgun to be of inferior utility to the vast array of
other firearms on offer. At first glance, this impression is easily supported
- it does more than respectable damage, but this only applies to close-range
encounters. The spread of the pellets and the lack of a scope makes the
Shotgun difficult for use at medium or long ranges. Plus, the Shotgun requires
a manual cocking per shot. This means that the rate of fire is very poor
compared to automatic weapons such as the rifles and submachine guns. Finally,
the Shotgun's reloading animation is quite lengthy, requiring the user to slot
each individual cartridge into the breach, and then cock the Shotgun one last
time before a shot can be fired off.
Whilst all of the above observations are true, they also do not take into
account the few but very important game mechanics that make it very powerful.
Firstly, the Shotgun is unique amongst the family of conventional roundfiring
weapons in that it fires multiple pellets per shot. This has been seen as a
great drawback, since it delocalizes the total kinetic energy and reduces the
chances of scoring a hit for full damage.
However, in single player, it was recently discovered by this author that a
single headshot would more or less instantly kill any AI controlled humanoid
character. Thus, with the Shotgun, the fact that each pellet does small damage
is almost irrelevant -- in effect, your chances of inflicting a headshot are
essentially increased sixfold, and just one single headshot is necessary to
eliminate a single player AI foe.
Hence, when using the Shotgun in single player, it is important to deactivate
auto-aim (since that will favor chest shots, which use the "normal" damage
system) and moreover, to aim for the head or upper chest per shot. Even one
stray pellet will be sufficient to clear the enemy with a headshot, regardless
of however many chest shots would normally be required.
Using an automatic weapon may require many attempts at adjusting one's aim,
and considerable magazine expenditure before a headshot is successfully
achieved. The Shotgun eliminates the need for pinpoint accuracy by filling a
trajectory with hot lead, hopefully killing whatever stands at the other end
of it.
This quirk is not effective against the Skedar, since their "instant kill"
body locations are not their heads per se. Even so, a double headshot from a
Shotgun at close range is usually much more efficient at dispatching a Skedar
than equivalent headshots from a pistol or even Callisto. Given that the
Skedar's most powerful attack is with their unarmed claws, opportunities for
close-quarters combat will crop up much more frequently against Skedar than
against humans.
Importantly, this particular quirk is not effective against Multiplayer
Deathmatch opponents. It appears that the body hit locations of Multiplayer
Deathmatch revert back to Goldeneye rules, ie Limb:Body:Head are at
0.5:1.0:2.0 damage respectively. Even so, the AI controlled bots appear to
be seriously incapable of using Shotguns properly, with even the vaunted
DarkSims frequently missing a target completely at close range, and remaining
carelessly in the vicinity of their enemy whilst reloading. Evidently, the
programming of the Sims does not take the Shotgun to be a serious weapon,
resulting in comfortable Shotgun-only victories by gamers of even moderate
skill against DarkSims.
If the Deathmatch damage settings are set to one-hit-kills, the Shotgun
becomes very dangerous indeed, even at long range, for its ability to cover a
large spread with lethal pellets. This has the advantage over explosives in
that the pellets travel more or less instantaneously to their target, and can
fire through existing explosions without detonating.
In the futuristic setting of the game, the Shotgun is a sturdy weapon that
has (strangely) undergone few changes since the 1990s. Without the
developments that other models of weapon have enjoyed between modern times
and future times - such as cartridges in clip-magazines, zoom scopes, or
fully automatic firing action - the Shotgun is somewhat cumbersome to use
and may be overlooked by many. This may well lead to regrettable
circumstances... as evidenced by the feeble performance of the DarkSims.
The author is at present working on a preliminary design for a clip-loading,
pump-action double barrelled Shotgun. Time permitting, he may also attempt
the design specifications of a fully automatic Shotgun, but that will probably
require his relocation to an area where Shotgun ownership is legal. Check out
the URL of the website that deals with this below, under "Other Info".
------------------------------------
The Shotgun Single Player Challenge:
------------------------------------
The SSP is a very rewarding challenge to play in Goldeneye. The constraints
are that the Shotgun must be the only conventional roundfiring weapon used.
Explosives, special devices, etc, may be used where necessary, but generally,
the Shotgun is the single weapon of choice to be used against standard foes.
The author has succeeded in completing every standard Goldeneye mission (thus
excluding Aztec and Egypt) firing only the Shotgun and no other standard
roundfiring weapon, even on 00 Agent difficulty. The author is also
attempting to accomplish the same on Perfect Dark, so far to approximately 60%
completion.
If nothing else, this proves false the belief that the Shotgun is a weapon
incompatible with stealth. Using the Shotgun, the reload times are so long
that progressing with extreme caution and tact is the only way to survive. If
the player chooses to equip an automatic, clip-loading weapon, gameplay suffers
greatly, as nonchalant mid-skirmish reloads are a possibility. However, when
playing using the Shotgun, a whole new dimension of stealth, strategy, and
careful thinking is required, since its firing rate and reload times are so
impractical.
This also explains why I am busily working on the design for a clip-loading,
pump-action/fully-automatic, double-barrelled Shotgun.
Update: I have completed my design for a clip-loading, fully-automatic,
double-barrelled Shotgun. See my links section below for the results.
------------------
Thanks and Credits
------------------
This is my first game FAQ and will probably be my only one for a while. I
wrote this FAQ because I was very impressed by Amalcon's Goldeneye Weapons FAQ,
and wanted to fill the absence of a Perfect Dark FAQ. Credit must go to
Amalcon, who was the first person I know to correctly determine the body hit
location damage ratios (head 2 body 1 limb 0.5). That method of working out
the damage caused is largely unchanged in my FAQ. If such a thing as
intellectual property exists, this belongs to him and not me. His weapons FAQ
can be found at
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/n64/game/22453.html and his
given email is at
[email protected] - my thanks to him. Also my apologies to him
if he was going to post this up himself...but then again I did give him three
months' grace to do it in.
Credit must also go to Brandon Craig Rhodes for his high quality and
exhaustive online catalogue of Goldeneye weapons. His webpage can be located at
http://www.rhodesmill.org/goldeneye and his method for determining rates of
fire is almost 100% accurate (but sadly requires a tape counter capable of
displaying the NTSC/PAL frame number). If there was one webpage which could
have frightened me with its sheer thoroughness, this is it.
I must point out the high quality compilation of AI health information
collated by AstroBlue (found on the GameFAQs site), which helped me acquire
accurate readings for the damage ratings.
Thanks be to Nintendo, for they have let there be Console.
Thanks be to Rare also, for they have filled the void of Console with the
substance of Game.
And I looked upon their Game and I saw that it was good. So I bought it.
All the information contained here is copyright of Enixine
(
http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk/), with duplication permission granted for
GameFAQs.com and RubberChickeN64 (
http://www.alfred.atfreeweb.com/). If you
find this guide anywhere else, it is probably an outdated version, and it's
possible that GameFAQs or I might take action against the poster.
You may link to the page that this FAQ is found on, but not to the .txt or
html file itself. Again, there's a convoluted legal reason for this which you
don't need to know (partially because I don't). You may not reproduce this FAQ
file on webspaces outside of Enixine, RubberChickeN64, or Gamefaqs.com.
I can be contacted at
[email protected]. Please do not send me spam or
abuse. Spam will be blocked, abuse will be ignored. Letters of appreciation
would be nice, though unlikely, and even better would be suggestions for
improvement. Members of the public and especially RubberChickeN64 are welcome
to add to this, provided that I know about each alteration and approve, in
advance.
© Enixine 2000.
====================
Room For Improvement
====================
-------------
Rates of Fire
-------------
Anybody with a video player that shows frame numbers should be able to easily
work out the firing rate of guns, to the nearest fraction of a second. I don't
have this equipment, so anybody who does is encouraged to take advantage of my
deficiency and publish.
-----------------
Disabling weapons
-----------------
Fists, tranquilizers, nonlethal crossbow bolts - all these run by different
rules from the normal guns, and I'm not sure what they might be. If anybody
can get their lateral thinking onto these weapons, they'll fill a very
substantial gap in this particular FAQ.
-------------
Health levels
-------------
Update 21xi00: AstroBlue has informed me that he has
published a FAQ outlining the relative health levels of the three species, and
the different levels of human health in between certain Earth based levels.
Great work, AstroBlue!
==================
Author Recognition
==================
This isn't the legal bit, since that's covered above. This is how to tell if
you're multiplaying against me. I'm usually using the character with a TIE
fighter pilot's headgear, with DataDyne shock suit. If there's a Shotgun
around, I might be using it. I usually refuse to play any game with an RC-P120
in it, and I occasionally change guises to that of Velvet Dark's head on a
DataDyne female bodyguard's body to keep my foesies on their toesies.
In real life, I'm an oriental ninja type person with a scar under my left
eye. My hair can be cropped short or very long. I might be seen with a very
young looking oriental girl who likes skipping around making Pikachu noises -
that'll be my girlfriend. Or I might be seen with a dozy looking oriental boy
who likes sleeping and eating a lot - that'll be my brother.
I play with either Autoaim on or Classic Sight on (can't see the PD sight at
all). My favored control style is 1.2 and I always have Lookspring off.
And I don't like Perfect Dark as much as I liked Goldeneye. Sorry, Rare...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Multiplayer quotes from the mouth of Bing: (sources in parentheses)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"I bet that cleared out the old sinuses"
- whenever fatal headshot achieved (Bad Taste)
"Horrorshow, baby, horrorshow - yeah!"
- whenever things get ultraviolent (Clockwork Orange/Austin Powers)
"If you run, you're only going to die tired"
- trailing a cowardly foe (Blood2)
"I hope you weren't a procrastinator. You just ran out of tomorrows."
- showdown (Blood2)
"Ooh, suit you sir! Suit you in particular!"
- whenever hit by an enemy for nonfatal damage (Fast Show)
"Buckwheats. All of you. Misfits. Buckwheats."
- buttock shot achieved (Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead)
"Hieronymous strikes!"
- whenever good shot achieved with Shotgun (from Hieronymous Bosche = Bosh)
"Smoke my shells and crap hot lead"
- whenever headshot achieved with Shotgun (unrealistic biology: digestion of
a Shotgun shell)
"Ave Regina"
- whenever killed by a female player (lit. "Hail Queen", though people have
been known to mishear and complain)
"Gentlemen, you can't fight here - this is the War Room!"
- whenever caught in a crossfire (Dr Strangelove)
"And from the nave to the chops unseamed him thus"
- when knife-slash kill achieved (Macbeth, misquoted)
-----------
Other Info:
-----------
The author maintains a webpage at
http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk/starwarshaha.html
He also contributes to the Enixine (
http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk) and to
RubberChickeN64 (
http://www.alfred.atfreeweb.com). Both sites are good fun even
for those who don't play Nintendo primarily.
Rare's website is
http://www.rareware.com. A burgeoning messageboard about
Rare can be found at
http://www.rarenet.com/ubb-cgi/Ultimate.cgi.
I would post links to Shotgun and gunnery sites, but that would probably upset
some parents so I won't. They can be found through search engines.
I would like to dedicate this FAQ to Ishmael Passionnight for being a fellow
smartarse, and to Dirt-man for being a fellow verbal deviant. Also I hope for
World Peace, Brotherhood of Nations, and the ownership of a large and powerful
Shotgun.
I have completed the preliminary designs for a clip-loading, fully-automatic,
double-barrelled Shotgun, which can be found at the Enixine's "Reinventing
the Wheel" section at
http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk/Reinvents.html.
The use of the integer numeral "69" within this document has been approved
by the International Board of GameFAQ
Humor. Any innuendo at real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No
animals or children were shot at during the compilation of this GameFAQ - only
the Skedar King and the door guard.
But they were shot more than 7000 times, if that makes you any happier.
---------------
Related Topics:
---------------
If you liked Perfect Dark, you might find Goldeneye tolerable. Certainly,
even though PD aims to supercede Goldeneye's gameplay, I find that the earlier
game is still worthwhile and in some places superior to its sister game. The
weapons found in Goldeneye are even more satisfying to the firearms
enthusiastic, since the game is set in the modern day and the weapons are
drawn largely from real-world, modern day weapons. (As opposed to Perfect
Dark's at times outlandish selection.)
The Geneva Convention has banned Shotguns from use in warfare, though.
Perfect Dark has nothing to do with Perfect Blue.
