Mailbag Edition Three 31 August 1999 Tweek: Well after another long wait, we have a new edition of the mailbag for you. There’s some great questions in here which are definitely worth a read. Just remember that if you’re going to ask a question, take into account that we are just PD fans and not the makers of the game. There’s a lot of questions we can’t answer, because we just don’t have access to that sort of info. So, please don’t ask us questions like, what will happen I the third mission or something, because we just don’t know. PD isn’t due to be released for another three months! Anyway, here’s the third edition of the mailbag.

Mailbag Archive 31 August 1999 29 July 1999 28 June 1999 Related Links Mailbag Contact Forums

Does the transfer pak come with Perfect Dark or do you have to by it seperately? -- E-Dogg

Tweek: There’s a chance it will come out with PD but I’m not sure. It was meant to be released with Pokemon Stadium but that’s been delayed until March 2000. So, I’m guessing they’ll still release I with Pokemon but they’ll sell it by itself for PD. But I’m not really sure at all… just a guess. I’ll try and find out for you soon.

Do you need to have the Game Boy Printer in order to put your face in Perfect Dark or do you just need the Game Boy Camera? -- E-Dogg

Doak: Finally, an intelligent question. No, you don't need the Gameboy Printer to put your face in the game, just the camera and the 64GB.

Do you know of or have heard of any speculation that the cheat system in Perfect Dark will include more then just trying to achieve the best time,maybe with other stuff such as XX amount of kills, or only using a certain gun through a whole level.
Basically, do you think there will be a greater variety for achieving the cheats? -- Mike Schneider

Doak: I haven't heard any facts about the cheat system in Perfect Dark, except that it will be there, and will probably better Goldeneye's menu. I have heard some rumors that a cheat could be activated by rescuing a certain doctor, but this is just a rumor, and I don't believe it. But I do believe that there will be a greater variety for achieving the cheats, so cross your fingers.

Is Rare going to have game shark cheats for PD because that would really suck. All the crappy players will just use it. -- PD

Doak: Though I've never used a gameshark, and know very little about it, I do know programmers don't program the cheats in, the gameshark finds them. Though Rare could maybe put in some protective code in the game, to stop people from sharking, they probably won't, even if it is possible.

One thing that bothered me in GE was that in Jungle I was always getting lost or turned around. Do you think PD will have some sort of mapping system like Zelda (like rooms you've been in be different colors than ones you haven't) or will it have a different feature or the same as GE's. Thanks. -- Stephen

Doak: If you got dropped in the middle of the Cuban jungle, do you think you could find your way around easily? That was part of the level design, to make it as realistic as possible.

In Perfect Dark, I've heard speculations that on one particularly intricate level, you could obtain a map, and it could be viewed while paused. Though I doubt this, and any map system whatsoever, there is always a chance that Rare will try something, but nothing near as complex as Zelda's mapping can be expected.

I have a question about Perfect Dark. Remember sneaking up on guys in GE? They would always be doing something like "shooing" a fly, scratching they're leg, sneezing, or farting (among other things). Well, will we see stuff like this in PD? Will we be able to sneak up on guys and see them doing new stuff since the death animations also changed in PD? Please reply, o yeah great site. -- William

Doak: Programmers always like to include subtle animations, such as fly shooing and sneezing, and you can be assured that they'll be there in PD. Some new ones will probably be designed for Perfect Dark, just like there are new death animations for the game.

Hi my Q is about the price of Perfect Dark. About how much are you expecting it to be? And about how much is the expansion pak? Andy

Doak: Prices differ all around the world, and at different stores. You can preorder Perfect Dark online for around $50 US (at the very cheapest if you shop around), and the expansion pack can be bought for $30 US.

Hey I have a question about the lifespan in pd. Will it be the same as Goldeneye? And also I got a little frustrated about when you hit start it takes 2-3 seconds before the start screen comes up and in that amount of time you could get shot and have nothing to do about it. Will the same thing happen in Perfect Dark? -- Andy

Tweek: I think that the way the pause screen came up in GoldenEye was actually quite good. It was realistic. It meant that you couldn’t just press pause at any moment. This was a very good move by Rare in my opinion, because it prevents players from cheating. Imagine if soldiers were gunning you down and you needed to cycle to a different weapon as fast as possible. If you could just press pause and take as long as you want to change the weapon, it wouldn’t seem very realistic would it? So by making you vulnerable by pressing pause, you’re reluctant to press pause in a difficult situation. The only annoying thing about it was when you were on the last mission you had to complete on OO Agent, and you were at the very end and the phone rang. You press pause, jump out of your seat and run to get the phone. When you come back you find yourself dead. Anyway,from looking at the PD movies, the pause screens seems to come up very quickly and is very easy to use during gameplay. However, it is way too early for me to say anymore than that.

1)I was wondering will the enemies in PD be so smart that they hear when you fire a shot and come in pairs to investigate
2)you mentioned that they scream at you and talk. If you sneak up behind them will you be able to hear them talk to each other?
3)What kinds of thing will they scream at you?
4)Also how long are the game cinemas all added up together? Ign64 said more than an hour and a half/ is this really true and possible?
5)How does the enemy AI compare to that of MGS?
6)Is stealth a big factor if so how will you use it? -- John Kulprits

Doak:
1) The AI in Perfect Dark will be pretty impressive, but I don't know yet whether the enemies will investigate in pairs.
2)Enemies will have a limited amount of speech. Even less than those apes they teach to speak using computers.
3)Classic things like "Halt! Who goes there?", and "Drop your weapons!", but better.
4)The cinema scenes really do add up to more than an hour and a half, and this is made possible with help from the expansion pack, and the fact they are not superb quality.
5)It is tough to compare the AI between PD and MGS because of the difference between the types of gameplay, some say PD will be better, some say otherwise. But most say Perfect Dark will blow Metal Gear Solid out of the water.
6)Stealth will be a big factor in Perfect Dark, as much, if not more so, than Goldeneye. Gadgets like Night Vision goggles and the Far-sight weapon are some examples of how stealth is used in Perfect Dark.

Tweek: Firstly, didn’t enemies investigate gunshots in GE? I remember that on levels like facility you’d have to use a silenced weapon or they’d come for you. I understand though, they didn’t investigate very well or consistently. In response to question 4, if IGN64 said 1 hr and a half, then they’re most probably right. I’m just wondering though, because that may mean a guess, the amount of cinema scenes that have been completed at the moment, or in total. I'm sure if it wasn't possible IGN64 wouldn't have said it. You know, an hour and a half is a very long time when you think about it… don’t expect too much more. That’s as long as some movies are. That’s pretty damn long!
To the rest of your questions, PD isn’t even out yet. It’s too hard for us to answer them when you think about it. In the end, we’re just PD fans like you. The only reason we know more is because we do a lot of research. For example, how can you compare PD’s AI to Metal Gear Solid’s AI when PD isn’t due for at least 3 months? Thanks for your questions though, some were great! And by the way, some people were lucky enough to play PD at E3, so they would be able to answer your questions. But unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky, so these answers are the best I can do. :)

Will rare make Perfect Dark 2 on the Dolphin? It would be a really good idea. -- john

Doak: The first Perfect Dark game hasn't even been released, and your concerned about Perfect Dark 2? It is a good idea though, and quite likely, depending on Rare's and the Dolphins future.

Tweek: Perfect Dark 2? Let’s just wait and see if PD number one is all it’s cracked up to be.

I loved Goldeneye, and have peed myself numerous times looking at the PD movies. This game will kick a$$! Anyway, will the replay of your death option still be available in PD, like in goldeneye? In goldeneye, when bond died, sometimes he'd fly through the wall and it got me mad. Also, if he was killed by a rocket, eventually the flames die away. Any info? Love you site! -- Christian Dark bigmamazm@yahoo.com

Tweek: That’s a tough question! Sorry, I really don’t know about the death scenes, except I do know that they’ll be different, better, and hopefully bug-free!

I am worried about PD. I know I should not be but I've noticed some problems with many of N64's first person shooter games that could possibly screw with up PD. Many reviews have read have said that the levels are going to be bigger. Saving points may become the problem for PD. Turok2, a very cool game, got screwed because of the lack of saving points. Another example would be Quake2, second best vs mode on 64 presently, but this game also got screwed for lack of saving points in some of the levels. -- Jeff

Doak: The levels in Perfect Dark will be bigger than those in Goldeneye, but whether they will be big enough to include saving points, I don't know. The levels in Turok 2 were pretty big, but there weren't 20+ of them, so, due to memory constraints, I don't think PD's will be that big.
Saving points take away the realism, and affect gameplay and design. For example, time cheats would have to be changed if you could just start from a saving point. I don't see saving points in PD, unless the levels are considerably bigger than I am expecting.

Tweek: I don’t want saving points either. Firstly, I hated Turok. I didn’t like the huge levels with saving points much either. I also hated the weapons, and I hope PD’s weapons aren’t too psycho either. In my opinion, GE was an excellent game. The gameplay was perfect, and now PD brings an opportunity to improve it. But, if saving points are added, a new way of playing the game is created, and this could affect the whole game.

In Perfect Dark will you lose the weapons that you have in a level once you have completed the level like you do in Goldeneye 007? Jake Pisco Soccer24J@aol.com

Doak: I don't think so. In Goldeneye, I heard the programmers gave you chosen weapons, because if you'd done the previous level and gotten a large arsenal, it would give you an unfair advantage on the next level. However, Rare might decide to make it more realistic, keeping the weapons until the mission is complete, (remembering that in Goldeneye some missions were a few levels long).

Tweek: I agree with Doak. I heard that you could choose your weapons before the mission, and they’ll last you the whole mission (even if the mission is like 3 levels long). Well, I don’t know if this will happen, but it is what I want to happen.

Tweek: Well, that brings us to an end of this edition of the mailbag. Start sending in some more letters! Go to the mailbag page.

By the way, next edition should be a lot sooner, hopefully in a week. But I don't want to make any promises. Sorry if we didn't answer your question this edition. We get a lot of submissions, and a lot of them say pretty much the same thing. Anyway, seeya next time.