Tombraider 3 Group Play

[CaityFM]

Level 2: Temple ruins pt1

I can tell It's gonna be a great level is Stella mentions a shortcut at the very beginning XD I don't care about secrets or kills, I'm a bit of a speedrunner. Once I know how to get past a level, I go back and see how fast I can get through it.

That cobra scared the heck out of me.

Is it just me, or is Lara skinnier in this game? O.o She's a toothpick!

THE MONKEY ATTACKED ME! WHY!? I think one of them saw me shoot his friend for the Indra key and told the rest of the clan. So....everything's trying to kill me again. Lara has no problem shooting everything that moves..she makes fun of me for being a sissy.

When I saw the first Shiva-thingy I was like "OHHH MAAA GOOSSHHH am I gonna have to fight that?!" so I go to the next room, confident they weren't coming to life right away. My face in the next room: O_______O "RUNNNNNNN!! GTFO LARA!!!" and she was like "PSH." So she pulled out her shotgun and made swiss cheese out of it.

After being unsucessful at avoiding the spikes and getting that key numerous times, I'm frusterated. So I'll do the last part of the level later and post my findings

[Marluxia15]

I've begun Level 2: Temple Ruins. After an afternoon playing Gears of War with my friends, I feel like massacring all of those pesky little monkeys. Yes, Caity, one of them is a snitch (golden...lol) and told the rest of the monkey clan. The India environment is really cool, and I love all the waterfalls (and threat of the piranhas beneath them). A cobra hid out inside one of the waterfalls. He must've been like the Guardian Cobra, because he guarded a pack of flares. Why he was in the waterfall...I have no idea. But it's even stranger now that he's guarding flares.

I haven't found any secrets yet, which probably means I missed one somewhere along the line. Hmmmmm...alright...Tombraiders.net it is!

I died trying to use the corner bug. Lara was probably wondering why I'm using a glitch to find some items when she could probably reach them with her acrobatic prowess. Here's the conversation:

"Marluxia...why on Earth are you trying to cheat the system?"

"Maybe because there's a medipack up on the ledge. You're not helping one bit."

"You nincompoop. I'm doing whatever you tell me to. Now look at the area again, I'm sure the developers didn't make it impossible."

Time to progress more through the level...

[didaktylos]

Thought I'd join in on this - hi everybody !!!

Just completed Jungle and these are my thoughts. If you're an experienced Raider, this level is basically a training level with live ammo. There's only one "perisher" puzzle and that is really quite easy unless your fingers slip on the keys. The boulder traps aren't really a problem - 2 of them you can actually keep Lara out of the boulders' killing range completely. You should be able to do it without any saves/reloads.

These are my stats:

Time: 00:26:25

Secrets: 6/6

Kills: 7

Ammo used: 220

Hits: 205

Health Packs Used: 0.0 (If you need to use any medipacks in Jungle playing on PC, you're not doing it right)

Distance Travelled: 2.19 km

Inventory:

Pistols

Shotgun + 16 rounds

4 x Desert Eagle Clips

8 x UZI Clips

4 x MP5 Clips (I think I missed one pickup)

1 x Rocket

1 x Grenade

6 x Harpoons

47 x Flares (You always need to use a few flares)

2 x Large Medipacks

6 x Small Medipacks

Will probably be doing Temple Ruins later on today - will let you know how I get on.

[Dr John Oakland]

Thoughts on Lara's Home: So long since I'd played it it felt unfamiliar going back. I think that'll be a feeling I get on every level (except possibly crash site and maybe the Nevada levels) Getting into Lara's aquarium didn't seem as hard as it used to. Knowing to slow down before taking corners helped on the quadbike course.

Thoughts on Jungle: Again, certain parts were unfamiliar, like the raising water area and the bit near the log. No medipacks used (I'm playing the PC version) 4 of 6 secrets won first time. Going to have a look at Stella's walkthrough and see if I can get them by using a "shortcut" and slogging back through the mud.

EDIT: What, I missed a secret THERE?!! Looks like I'm going to have to restart!

Edited July 13, 2011 by Dr John Oakland

[didaktylos]

OK - Temple Ruins now complete..

This is real raiding. The Shiva statues are pretty nasty - use the shotgun for preference. The monkeys aren't too bad, but they can shave points off the health meter if you let them get too close. The cobras didn't give me too much trouble - luckily they stay just on the one square and you can almost always blaze away at them from just outside striking range so you don't get bitten. There's only one that's a little bit tricky - the one on the high platform above the flooded chamber; the diffiuclty is positioning yourself so that you can make the jump, but not land on top of Nagina - I didn't manage it the first time and ended up back in the water (no harm done but it costs you a bit of time).

I recommend 5 save points:

1) Just before the side trip into the treetops near the beginning: if you fall back to ground level it's tedious to go right back to the start of the level

2) Just before attempting the "perisher puzzle" that nets you the first Key of Ganesha (assuming you do the level in the order most walkthroughs recommend). I actually managed to beat the puzzle first time on this - only to lose Lara at the at the first subsequent boulder trap. It then took me 3 failed attempts before I got past it again.

3) Back in the Shiva Chamber just before heading off in search of the second Key of Ganesha - if you lose Lara before getting it you don't want to have to replay too much of the level.

4) Once you've opened the double gate with the Keys of Ganesha, just before climbing to the upper level.

5) Just before attempting the second "perisher puzzle" - that nets you one of the 3 Keys of Ganesha you need to open the exit gate - I reckon even an experienced raider will have difficulty getting it right first time.

Confession time: I managed to get Lara killed 8 times - Firstly by the boulder trap at Secret #1, then by the boulder trap I mentioned above, then the 3 failed attempts to get the key again, then by the flaming trap just before the double Shiva battle and then 3 failed attempts at the second "perisher puzzle". I did manage, by judicious use of the crystals (because I'm playing on PC), to avoid expending any medipacks (even on the dead-end runs, honest). Doing it without medipacks on Playstation would be a bit more difficult because there are a few places where it's pretty much impossible to avoid injury.

Level Stats:

Time: 00:56:23

Secrets: 4/4

Kills: 30

Ammo Used: 596

Hits: 453

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 3.46 km

Cumulative stats:

Time: 01:22:58

Secrets: 10/10

Kills: 37

Ammo Used: 816

Hits: 658

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 5.65 km

Inventory:

Pistols

Shotgun + 6 rounds (those Shivas take a lot of killing)

8 x Desert Eagle Clips

16 x UZI Clips

10 x MP5 Clips

1 x Rocket

2 x Grenades

9 x Harpoons

94 x Flares

3 x Large Medipacks

18 x Small Medipacks

Good luck everybody and happy raiding !!

[Mute2Conversations]

WARNING: Anybody that says that Level 2: Temple Ruins is easy is going to get buckshot in the butt. I'll tell the police I thought you were a deer. It worked for my great-grandfather when he ran over his wife, so I feel confident it will work for me.

Okay. This is the level that made me hate TR3. In fact, I never finished it. Maybe it is better on the PC...but in Playstation it is a real pain! Not enough save crystals. I can't see well with the graphics (I don't know if it is because they are bad, or I need my eyes checked). And I hate how complicated things are--and if you miss a jump, you often have to remake up a lot!

I didn't see the opening in the tree. The vegetation graphics really do suck--but I have to admit...aortic blood gushing of killed enemies is a nice touch...though I don't think cobras have red blood. Speaking of cobras, the way they move...bad whiplash.

Now personally I think it is best to let sleeping cobras lie. Lara agreed with me to a point, only she thinks that lying cobras should be dead ones. She can't tolerate laziness. I said to her, "Aren't cobras sacred here?" She said, "Everything is sacred here."

Has anyone seen the new Piranha movie. I remember the one that came out when I was a kid scared me of the water forever. Forget Jaws! You have a fighting chance against a shark. But piranhas....Anyway, the new movie is the first one I have ever seen where I could tell you that you would sin less by watching a triple X movie (if you were concerned about that). Naughty movies last 30 minutes. This movie was longer and very...revealing. Of course, I guess it was sort of biblical. Thou shalt not be a drunken hoozy, or God will smote thee by having you devoured by prehistoric piranha.

I am doing better. I managed to outswim the piranha when I jumped into the underwater opening. They can follow you to a point and get a few morsels, but I managed to get away then.

I love the sound monkeys make when you kill them. One had his hands up in surrender, but Lara showed no mercy. I was confused about where the Uzi clips were in the mud slide area, but then I found them by accident.

I think I brought this up in TR2. Why, when there is a pause button, won't I get up to pee? Does my performance really suffer when I take a break? And even if it does, does it do any better when I'm bursting?

I managed to get the other Uzi clips in mud slide area--the one where you had the difficult jump. I got them the second time, but I chose to go the long way back because I didn't think I could jump back.

TREETOPS. This is where I started getting really p***ed. I fell jumping to the second tree trunk and had to make my way from the beginning. It didn't take as long as I thought it would, and I should have remembered that I had saved near the piranha pool.

@Stella--Stella, I actually take a standing jump from the first tree trunk to the tree trunk with the turned up tip at the right. Of course, I walk up until I no longer can, turn slightly, and do a standing jump.

Then I fell again trying to do the other treetop jumps. When I went to go through the piranha tunnel, there seemed to be a forcefield blocking it. The piranhas got a few bites out of Lara. I got out of the water, and then jumped back in again. This time I could get through.

Lara decided she wasn't going to do anymore pick-ups that weren't on the path she had to take anyway. She used two health packs trying to get the pick-ups in that dang tree. The only problem is when you don't do the pick-ups, it is easier to get confused in the walkthrough (I'm not criticizing, Stella--it may just be me).

So I wound up running into a cobra and having to use another health pack to cure myself. Knowing another one was in the passage, I hugged the wall...which is how I prevent from being stung.

I really wanted to save in the next area, but then I read that I might cause a bug to be activated. So I played into the next room, but then I had to fight that statue. I don't like starting a game with a boss fight, so I decided to destroy it.

I like the statues. They remind me of the first Tombraider movie. I sometimes got caught by the statue, but I didn't sustain any damage. The shotgun does make quick work of it. I wasn't willing to use it initially because I can't run well and shoot with the shotgun...but pistols take forever.

After the statue was dead, that is where I stopped.

[Dr John Oakland]

I've just remembered what I don't like about the later levels. I don't want to spoil it if you don't know, but this page describes it quite well: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoddamnedBats

[didaktylos]

WARNING: Anybody that says that Level 2: Temple Ruins is easy is going to get buckshot in the butt. I'll tell the police I thought you were a deer. It worked for my great-grandfather when he ran over his wife, so I feel confident it will work for me.

Okay. This is the level that made me hate TR3. In fact, I never finished it. Maybe it is better on the PC...but in Playstation it is a real pain! Not enough save crystals. I can't see well with the graphics (I don't know if it is because they are bad, or I need my eyes checked). And I hate how complicated things are--and if you miss a jump, you often have to remake up a lot!

I didn't see the opening in the tree. The vegetation graphics really do suck--but I have to admit...aortic blood gushing of killed enemies is a nice touch...though I don't think cobras have red blood. Speaking of cobras, the way they move...bad whiplash.

Now personally I think it is best to let sleeping cobras lie. Lara agreed with me to a point, only she thinks that lying cobras should be dead ones. She can't tolerate laziness. I said to her, "Aren't cobras sacred here?" She said, "Everything is sacred here."

Has anyone seen the new Piranha movie. I remember the one that came out when I was a kid scared me of the water forever. Forget Jaws! You have a fighting chance against a shark. But piranhas....Anyway, the new movie is the first one I have ever seen where I could tell you that you would sin less by watching a triple X movie (if you were concerned about that). Naughty movies last 30 minutes. This movie was longer and very...revealing. Of course, I guess it was sort of biblical. Thou shalt not be a drunken hoozy, or God will smote thee by having you devoured by prehistoric piranha.

I am doing better. I managed to outswim the piranha when I jumped into the underwater opening. They can follow you to a point and get a few morsels, but I managed to get away then.

I love the sound monkeys make when you kill them. One had his hands up in surrender, but Lara showed no mercy. I was confused about where the Uzi clips were in the mud slide area, but then I found them by accident.

I think I brought this up in TR2. Why, when there is a pause button, won't I get up to pee? Does my performance really suffer when I take a break? And even if it does, does it do any better when I'm bursting?

I managed to get the other Uzi clips in mud slide area--the one where you had the difficult jump. I got them the second time, but I chose to go the long way back because I didn't think I could jump back.

TREETOPS. This is where I started getting really p***ed. I fell jumping to the second tree trunk and had to make my way from the beginning. It didn't take as long as I thought it would, and I should have remembered that I had saved near the piranha pool.

@Stella--Stella, I actually take a standing jump from the first tree trunk to the tree trunk with the turned up tip at the right. Of course, I walk up until I no longer can, turn slightly, and do a standing jump.

Then I fell again trying to do the other treetop jumps. When I went to go through the piranha tunnel, there seemed to be a forcefield blocking it. The piranhas got a few bites out of Lara. I got out of the water, and then jumped back in again. This time I could get through.

Lara decided she wasn't going to do anymore pick-ups that weren't on the path she had to take anyway. She used two health packs trying to get the pick-ups in that dang tree. The only problem is when you don't do the pick-ups, it is easier to get confused in the walkthrough (I'm not criticizing, Stella--it may just be me).

So I wound up running into a cobra and having to use another health pack to cure myself. Knowing another one was in the passage, I hugged the wall...which is how I prevent from being stung.

I really wanted to save in the next area, but then I read that I might cause a bug to be activated. So I played into the next room, but then I had to fight that statue. I don't like starting a game with a boss fight, so I decided to destroy it.

I like the statues. They remind me of the first Tombraider movie. I sometimes got caught by the statue, but I didn't sustain any damage. The shotgun does make quick work of it. I wasn't willing to use it initially because I can't run well and shoot with the shotgun...but pistols take forever.

After the statue was dead, that is where I stopped.

Yeah - I found Temple Ruins far from easy the first time I tried it. The "perisher puzzle" for the first Key of Ganesha was a major frustration point for me - I came pretty close to abandoning the game altogether at that point.

[CaityFM]

Exactly. I stopped trying to get the first key. I'm trying to make myself get down there and try it again but I may end up shooting the tv.

[didaktylos]

River Ganges now done.

After Temple Ruins, this is actually a comparatively easy level. Quite frankly, I wonder why it and the next one weren't bundled together into one. The only thing that a novice raider is likely have difficulty with is controlling the quad bike. The enemies aren't too difficult to deal with - pistols work for them all and you can usually expect to get some sight of a snake before you get in striking range (at least on the high route, which I took): basically if you a think that there might be a cobra round the corner, there probably is, so proceed at the walk with guns drawn. The vultures are more an irritation than anything else. You should be able to manage the level without using any medipacks - even on Playstation.

There's a choice of routes - but if you take one of them, you'll be a Secret short, which means you'll either have to plan on foregoing the bonus level or else (spoiler alert !!) make sure that you overachieve when you come to do Coastal Village and not miss any of the others.

I recommend 5 save points if you do the high (all Secrets) route:

1) After completing the side trip to Secret #1

2) After collecting Secret #2

3) After completing the penultimate jump with Quad Bike, just before doing the little side trip to get the Desert Eagle clips.

4) Just after collecting Secret #4 - the jump sequenc to get back to the main route requires some rather careful lining up and you might not manage it first time.

5) Just before going for Secret #5 after killing the 3 vultures - if you mess up, you don't get a second chance and you don't really want to backtrak too far on a reload.

Confession time: I managed to kill Lara twice, once when I messed up my landing on the penultimate Quad jump and the second when I messed up the return from Secret #4. Twice I abandoned the level and reloaded; first time was because I needed to take an urgent break and the second was because I messed up going for Secret #5.

Level Stats:

Time: 00:26:53

Secrets: 5/5

Kills: 12

Ammo Used: 254

Hits: 209

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 1.48 km

Cumulative stats:

Time: 01:49:51

Secrets: 15/15

Kills: 59

Ammo Used: 1070

Hits: 867

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 7.13 km

Inventory:

Pistols

Shotgun + 12 rounds

14 x Desert Eagle Clips

20 x UZI Clips

14 x MP5 Clips

1 x Rocket

2 x Grenades

24 x Harpoons

110 x Flares

5 x Large Medipacks

21 x Small Medipacks

Edited July 14, 2011 by Didaktylos

[didaktylos]

(I really am a sad person without a life, aren't I )

Caves of Kaliya now complete - so India is now done and dusted.

As I said in my previous post, I think that this level would have worked better if it was included with the previous. With no Secrets to gain, there isn't really much point in taking the (right-hand) longer route - two shotgun shells and a small medipack aren't worth the grief of beating the two boulder traps. So short (left-hand) route it was, then.

If you take the short route, this isn't really a difficult level until you get to the boss fight. The one boulder trap you face isn't that difficult to beat and the 10 cobras are really just target practice (if you want to set yourself a challenge on a replay, see if you can get past the cobras without either killing any or getting bitten). The only problem a novice raider is likely to face taking this route is getting lost in the maze - and Stella's walkthrough is a very good guide if you get stuck. Once again, you should be able to manage the level without medipacks, even on Playstation.

The only challenging bit in this level is the boss fight - and even then I rate this one as the easiest in the game. Here are my tips for the boss fight. Tony is all offense and no defense - one hit from him and Lara's toast, but while he can dish it out, he can't take it; furthermore, once you get Lara into a good jumping rhythm, he can't shift his aim quickly enough to get that hit he needs, while all Lara needs to do is to "fire 'til he is done in" (as Steely Dan might have put it). My tactics: draw pistols before sliding down the slope and open fire as soon as Lara draws a bead so you get a few free hits in. Then turn half left and jump to the long platform and run to the far end of the rear section. Then turn right and get yourself into a rhythm of two cartwheels right/two cartwheels left, firing all the while until victory is yours - in the words of Aleksandr the Meerkat: "Simples". Your main points of vulnerability are not getting into your jump rhythm quickly enough or jumping into the deadly sludge by either messing up the jump to the platform or not getting your heading right when setting up for the shooting jumps.

Doing the short route, I recommend just one save point: just before sliding down the slope to start the confrontation.

Confession time: I killed Lara twice, both times from ending up in the sludge.

All in all, India in general is not too difficult. Temple Ruins has its nasty moments where even veteran raiders will want a saved position to fall back on if necessary and you do need to have a good touch on the controls to win the boss fight, but once you've got India complete you should have the skill and experience set you need to tackle the rest of the game with confidence.

After India, I usually do the intermediate zones in the order Nevada, South Pacific, London; that's how I (like just about all the walkthrough authors) rank them in terms of increasing difficulty, plus (spoiler alert !!) you'll probably want to bite the bullet on losing your equipment and supplies sooner rather than later.

Depending on how I feel once I've completed the game, I may go back and explore some of the paths not taken initially or even try the intermediate section in a different order. But for now - on to Nevada: watch this space.

Level Stats:

Time: 00:08:09

Secrets: N/A

Kills: 11 (10 Snakes + 1 Boss, that'll learn you to diss Lara, Tony)

Ammo Used: 366

Hits: 297

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 462 m

Cumulative stats:

Time: 01:58:00

Secrets: 15/15

Kills: 70

Ammo Used: 1436

Hits: 1164

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 7.59 km

Inventory:

Pistols

Shotgun + 12 rounds

14 x Desert Eagle Clips

22 x UZI Clips

14 x MP5 Clips

1 x Rocket

Grenade Launcher + 8 rounds

24 x Harpoons

122 x Flares

5 x Large Medipacks

23 x Small Medipacks

[CaityFM]

Temple Ruins Part 2!

I'm BAAAAACK! With good news. I made it past the spike wall on my first try. I lost a boatload of health, but I made it.

I was like HAHA SPIKE WALL, U MAD?! http://media.photobucket.com/image/u%20mad%20gif/rinoa01/8edee2e6_a08c_c444.gif?o=4

So then I went about my business and got pancaked by the boulder trap. I had to do the spikes again, but luckily, got past them easily the second try. Then I made sure I saved.

Now for the rest of the level!

Heehee! The door hit lara on the way out xD I thought that was more funny than it actually was

I really hate the lack of save crystals.

The temple ruins design reminds me of the first few levels of TR1. Felt like home, because I'm an accomplished speedrunner through those levels. Especially Caves.

ooooooooof course I would fall to my death. Of course. I shoulda filmed that. Lara: "CAITY. AUTO GRAB DOES NOT WORK. BE SMART PLEASE." Me: "OKAY! *runs her off the cliff a couple more times*"

FALLING ROCKS, Y U NO AVOID MEH?

Medipacks are getting harder to recognize, and the monkeys are getting more malicious.

SO guys, I have an idea. I'm one of the vice-presidents of another fanclub, and we have a tinychat room. You don't have to have a webcam, though you CAN video chat, and it's free and safe. I thought if any of you guys were interested I would make one and we could talk WHILE playing. I think it sounds pretty fun, I really enjoy doing it. So yeah.

Anyway:

You guys have no idea how many times I fell off those ledges just to have the cobra knock me off of it. SO FRUST.

DIE COBRA.

It's safe to say the spiked ceiling scared the crap out of me. I was like "GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOOGO" ahahha!

hmmm... @Stella how many times do you die trying to find all the secrets, shortcuts, and ways to do everything? I think I may have only accidently found like 2 secrets in my entire 6 years of raiding so far. haha!

I'm so stupid. It took me like 5 minutes to figure out what a scimitar was when there was CLEARLY a shiny golden sword on the ground. hahaha!!!

I felt pretty bad about Randy and Rory. Still, they must have been pretty bada__ to have made it THAT far. Not sure how they got past the other 3 statues, though.

Um. I just noticed the giant hole in the floating dude. .___. ew.

yeowch. Lara got spiked like a volleyball.

After having completed this level, I'm SO GLAD IM DONE WITH IT.

Edited July 16, 2011 by CaityFM

[saxplayer1216]

I am working on the first level, and failing miserably. I'm not used to not using the mouse.

[didaktylos]

And on we go - ever upwards, ever onwards. Nevada Desert is now done.

This I consider to be one of the easier levels in the game: I'd rate it as second easiest overall. A veteran raider should be able to do it should be able to do it without getting Lara killed once and, certainly on the PC anyway, without using medipacks. Save points are only included because if you end up back in the flooded canyon because you mess up a jump, it's easier to abandon and re-load than lose time backtracking. One piece of advice for the novices: if you see a bush ahead of you and there's no safe way around, walk up to it slowly with pistols drawn - there's probably a rattlesnake lurking.

I recommend 3 save points:

1) When you arrive at the top of the flooded canyon.

2) In the waterwheel cavern, just after collecting Secret #3

3) When making your way back to the waterwheel cavern, just before making the jump to the alcove with the rocket.

As I said, I managed to do the level on all one life - wa-hey !!!

Level Stats:

Time: 00:51:17

Secrets: 3/3

Kills: 24

Ammo Used: 497

Hits: 439

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 3.76 km

Cumulative stats (Game): (I'll also be putting up cumulative stats for the zone in subsequent levels)

Time: 02:49:17

Secrets: 18/18

Kills: 94

Ammo Used: 1933

Hits: 1603

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 11.35 km

Inventory:

Pistols

Shotgun + 20 rounds

18 x Desert Eagle Clips

UZI + 324 Rounds

16 x MP5 Clips

3 x Rockets

Grenade Launcher + 12 rounds

24 x Harpoons

146 x Flares

7 x Large Medipacks

28 x Small Medipacks

Edited July 16, 2011 by Didaktylos

[Mute2Conversations]

TEMPLE RUINS--CONT.

So, I had just killed the first statue when I left off. Okay, pull the switches. Go into trapdoor. Switch? What switch? Oh, a flare would help...yes. While getting the secret, failed to notice dart trap and got hit. I am not taking any unnecessary risks with the lack of save crystals, therefore I ignored the medipack in the boulder trap.

I took Stella's advice, since I'm on Playstation, and went for the second Ganesha key first. Monkeys got a taste of me because they saw me before I saw them. I couldn't find the medipack. I'm beginning to rethink having a dark level in my custom level. Of course, I think I have a harder time seeing with the jungle textures, because the secrets blend in so well with them. OHHHH...that is why I didn't find a medipack. I was reading the wrong part of the walkthrough.

I luckily escaped the falling rocks, because I didn't read that far. That first jump, when you are facing the ladder and jumping to the left ledge--I was cursing the designer. It was difficult to angle Lara when the camera focused only on her. I feel two times, got it on the third.

Lara didn't think I had properly angled her on the next jump either. She was right. I disagreed with her the next time when she said this was the proper angle. She pointed out that I made her fell last time--so why should she listen to me? So she took the jump--and made it. She said, "I told you so." And I said, "Nobody likes I-told-you-soers."

This is why you don't have any friends. Lara informs me indignantly she does have friends. I say, "If you give them a paycheck or they are trying to kill you, they really aren't your friends." Lara muttered something I couldn't quite make out but could guess the gist of.

Is it possible to jump on that ledge and not get stung by the cobra? I hope this game is generous with health packs--and they can be gotten in areas that won't result in my death. It is perverse that I risk my life to get a pick-up that will save it.

When I jumped into the doorway, the boulder didn't kill me--but I couldn't grap the edge of the doorway fast enough and fell. Well, one good thing about redoing everything is that I do seem to get better at it. Got into doorway. Got distracted by the pink writing in the walkthrough about the ALTERNATE PATH. Went too far right and got killed by the blade. My last save was after I had killed the first six armed statue.

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Did I mention how much I hate this @#%@#%& game?!

[Mute2Conversations]

@Caity--my computer is in the living room, and my Playstation is in the bedroom, so I'm afraid I can't do livechat.

SECOND TIME

I did better with the things I hadn't done well before. I made the jumps the first time. Yes, it is possible to land on the ledge with the snake and not get stung. The snake doesn't start leaping right away, and during that time you are supposed to jump back. My mistake the first time was thinking that maybe the snake was a nice snake since he wasn't doing anything at first. Yes, that was stupid of me. Managed to grab doorway. Didn't get cut.

Then I scrambled to my computer because I never printed the alternate path Stella advises Playstation users to take. Why didn't Stella just write it in her walkthrough?! OH...wait. Heh, heh. She did. It is further down (@Stella--maybe move this further up, like near the message about the alternate path?). Well, since computer is on, I decided to check Facebook. *sigh* My friends have better things to do than be on Facebook. Nobody is writing to me or replying to my posts. My News feed is reporting the same stuff. God, it is so boring! I guess everyone is actually going outside and enjoying the sunshine.

I got confused about when to do the alternate path, and so I wound up doing the very thing I shouldn't have done. Therefore, I had to reload and start over...but I didn't have much to make up since I had saved when I got the blue crystal in this area.

I liked the moving block puzzle--I'll have to do something like that if the level editor gives you moveable blocks. Hagix, I love you! I don't know who you are, but thanks for finding a way to get all the secrets and not have to contend with the boulder trap!

When I went back into the water, I worried that I had encountered an invisible door. I couldn't get through to the tunnel--then realized Lara was caught on one of the rocks.

Then it was time to get the first Ganesha key. (@Stella--I found it a good idea to take a running jump into quicksand, otherwise my Lara drowned). Do you guys get that horrible sound when Lara is treading through quicksand? It seems to be quicksand music, for it comes on in another section later. But it doesn't shut off when she comes out. I was able to silence it by going to my menu. Relief.

@Stella--with gauntlet of traps with timed door--maybe mention that you pull switch, jump to the left, then sprint. Also, in area with the central structure that has gold grills, mention that you go right and then turn left before you come across moveable block.

I fell to my death trying to go back down on the ladder.

TIP: When getting the secret in the pool with the levers and timed door...if you are low on air when you enter the area where the secret is, swim back to the door. It closes behind you, but it will open when you go towards it. What is nice is that it will stay open afterwards, so you can get breaths of air.

@Stella--I had to take a running jump to get to the first invisible platform--but I jumped from save crystal side. The advantage there is that you can jump to the ledge from first block.

I could see the platforms without a flare or fire once I knew what to look for. The flare didn't help as much because it didn't illuminate until you jumped. I chose to run off the ledge with the switch, though I got some damage, because I didn't make it to the timed door otherwise.

I started enjoying this game around the time with the timed run to get the Ganesha key in the spiked wall area. Normally, I hate timed runs. The hardest part really of this one, for me, was trying to see the key--which blended in very well. Or maybe I need my eyes checked.

Dang, that quicksand music is really annoying! It is even more annoying than Rebecca Black or Justin Bieber to someone who is over thirty years of age.

@Stella--the passage you climb up to after the quicksand part in this area...maybe mention it is the second set of stairs that have the boulder trap. You see three steps before that set.

Hmmm...should I go left (which is more dangerous), or right? Oh, these difficult decisions!

The save crystal was so pretty in the right room--the blue glow against the rocks. I didn't see the spikes you had to jump over. I got grazed by the ceiling coming down because I misread and thought you dealt with monkeys first.

@Stella--am I being too nitpicky in pointing out that the shotgun ammo was on the left set of steps?

@Caity--don't feel bad. The scimitars thing confused me at first too.

By then, I was tired, so I got the save crystal in the right room. I'll have to keep an eye out for Randy and Rory. I didn't notice them.

[didaktylos]

...

Is it possible to jump on that ledge and not get stung by the cobra?

...

It can be done. First - make sure you don't land right on top it. Second - back up against the wall before you start shooting.

[Dr John Oakland]

Now that my working week is over, I've decided to spend a couple of hours with Miss Croft. Have tried the jumping over slopes shortcut in the first level, and gone back through the mud to where the secret is/was, but due to a bit of suffocation on Lara's part, her health meter is flashing at me. So now I'm on the lookout for save crystals in the area with the tiger.

Think I'll go the traditional way - India, Nevada, South Pacific, etc. Would it be spoiling it if I said what came after?

[Marluxia15]

I am agreeing with everyone who doesn't like Temple Ruins. It is actually, very annoying. I think the level should have ended after the the room with Randy and Rory, in my opinion. If anything, though, these levels are very representative of India. I'm doing research for my next fanfiction adventure, Unraveling Harappa, and it brings Lara back to India, so I did a TON of research on the place, and observed different ruins and buildings online. Some rooms in the level seemed FILLED with textures of statues, and in real life, temples actually look very similar, filled from top to bottom with, literally, hundreds of statures. So my bad review for this level is that the layout was poor, and puzzles were lacking. My good review is that the level actually felt like the inside of an ancient, Indian temple.

@Caity - I think talking while playing would be fun! Set it up and I'll join in.

The level took me somewhere around 1:48 (hours and minutes) and I only found 2 secrets. I've decided that I'm not even going to bother trying too hard to find secrets in this game. But I will admit that secrets were much easier in TR1 and TR2.

Poor Randy and Rory. I'll make a notice here. Awhile back a friend got me Tomb Raider: The Lost Artifact which are the bonus levels for this game. During the last level, you stick the secret 5th meteorite shard inside a floating body with a hole in it. I think that these guys are becoming mutated because the artifacts try to bond with the body...or something like that. Anyways, during Lara's and Tony's first meeting, Tony hadn't found the artifact yet. So it appears that Tony met up with Randy and Rory inside and found the Infada Stone in the same chamber where we saw Randy and Rory. He may have even fought them for it, because notice that during the cutscene, when Tony is on the raft, he has the artifact stuck in his chest. That brings up another question. Why did Lara become so hostile with him? Did she know that he had been mutated like Randy and Rory, which she witnessed the effects of inside? Or was she just trying to get the artifact from him. What are you guys' thoughts on all that?

More to come!

[didaktylos]

... and another level is under my belt - High Security Compound has been achieved.

This is a challenging level, though not overall an excessively difficult one. The challenge is contained in that for most of the level, Lara has no weapons - so you can't rely on Lara's basic tactical ploy of shoot first, shoot fast and keep shooting . You're forced to use stealth and guile here - and rely on your friends. Yes, friends - because when Lara recovers consciouness to to discover she's been tossed in the slammer with only a single medipack in her backpack ( - all those supplies and equipment you spent 4 whole levels building up: gone), realise that she's not alone - and her fellow inmates have very serious anger-management issues concerning their guards. And don't worry - Lara does get her chance for some personal payback before the level is complete.

Since I was playing the PC version, I decided to take the shortcut of dropping down to the bottom of the satellite dish tower rather than mess around with the moving the satellite dish, dealing with the pool when the turbine was still exposed and then sneaking past the armed guard.

I recommend 2 save points:

1) Just before jumoing over the deadly laser beams on the way to the satellite dish tower - it's difficult to set up correctly for the jump, and if you mess up, Lara's toast.

2) Just before heading up the conveyor belt tunnel for the big gun battle with the guards and dogs.

Confession time: I got Lara killed twice - first was the first time I tried to leap over the deadly lasers and second was coming back for Secret #2, I got Lara caught by the current back in the pig pool, so missed the tunnel on the way to confront the armed guard and couldn't get to the surface before Lara drowned.

Once again - no medipacks used, though Lara's health was critical by the end of the level: to preserve the Desert Eagel ammo, I used the Pistols for dealing with the last two armed guard, relying on the miraculous inter-level full health restore feature; only just paid off.

Level Stats:

Time: 00:44:13

Secrets: 2/2

Kills: 12

Ammo Used: 173

Hits: 154

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 3.47 km

Cumulative stats (Zone):

Time: 01:35:30

Secrets: 5/5

Kills: 36

Ammo Used: 670

Hits: 593

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 7.23 km

Cumulative stats (Game):

Time: 03:33:30

Secrets: 20/20

Kills: 106

Ammo Used: 2106

Hits: 1757

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 14.82 km

Inventory:

Pistols

Shotgun shells x 2

Desert Eagle + 26 rounds

2 x UZI Clips

Grenade Launcher + 8 rounds

16 x Flares

2 x Large Medipacks

9 x Small Medipacks

Edited July 16, 2011 by Didaktylos

[Mute2Conversations]

TEMPLE RUINS--STILL BEING CONTINUED

@Stella--running into room with two high openings did not make the statue disappear for me either...and I have a Playstation. I suppose it is possible there are different versions of TR3, and maybe it works for some people. Not me, though.

Randy and Rory I saw when I explored the room more carefully. The body over the third Ganesha key didn't actually look that bad until I saw the hole in his chest. Lara was making some joke about how she could see right through this gentleman.

The fourth Ganesha key--UGH! That was so hard! I thought I was never going to get it. Though I hate wasting save crystals, I realized I had better save before getting the fourth key. I saved before I got the third key, so I had to remember to go back for it. I finally got past the spikes with a hair of health.

I used another save crystal before getting the fifth key--my last one. However, these traps were hard, so I figured I needed it. I didn't want to have to redo the fourth Ganesha key after barely scraping by. I'm glad I did, because the fifth trap was even more difficult than the fourth one.

First, I thought I was supposed to go behind the spikes. I am really having a hard time seeing in this game. I remember my mom complaining about it in other games, but it has never been an issue for me until now.

Another time, while trying to look for the lever, I forgot that Lara needs to go up for breath. Finally, with the help of a flare, I find the levers. VICTORY!

Well, not quite. I forgot to get the fifth Ganesha key after pulling the levers and had to go back in. However, it wasn't that difficult now that the current was off. And then I realized that Stella had a map for this, and I didn't need to spend all that time looking for levers! I was going to write and tell her we needed a map. But what I need to do is look at the entire walkthrough before doing the level.

BUT I FINISHED IT! HOORAY FOR ME! THIS IS THE FARTHEST I HAVE EVER GOTTEN WITH THIS GAME!

Time: 2:17:18

Secrets: 4/4

Kills: 29

Ammo Used: 775

Hits: 444

Health Packs used: 2.5

Distance traveled: 6.43 km

Now I have to go and print out the walkthrough for the next level.

[didaktylos]

Another level done (Area 51) and second zone (Nevada) complete.

Area 51 is my favourite level - but (oh dear, oh dear) this was not my favourite time playing it. I'm not even sure if I've kept an accurate count of the times I got Lara killed.

As I said, I rate Area 51 as my favourite level. It's pretty challenging (especially to the novice) and even a veteran raider needs to keep their wits about them (as I didn't manage to this time ). There's a nice lot of pickups and Lara's arsenal is looking pretty healthy once again by the end. You've even got the luxury of having several weapons to choose from. Playing on the PC, a veteran raider should be able to manage the level without using medipacks (by judicious use of the crystals).

A few tips for those who might run into trouble:

In order to get Secret #1, you have to kill the armed guard quickly, before he releases the dogs. My (nearly foolproof) method for doing it is this: on the platform where the floor is mase of metal panel sections with a circular rivet pattern, position Lara in the centre of the second section from the left. Draw the Desert Eagle, then cartwheel right. Lara will draw a bead as she alights, so fire 3 times - sorted. I call this method only nearly foolproof because sometime the guard will be waiting - and Lara gets riddled, so save your game before doing this move.

In order to get past the triple laser trap series by the UFO hangar this is what you should do. The floor here is made up of the circular rivet pattern plates again. When you reach the middle of the third section, halt and make a forward standing jump. Upon landing, advance to the middle of the next panel (the rivet pattern makes a good guide) and standing jump forward again. Repeat the process for the third trap and you have safely negotiated the trap. Returning, don't advance on to the rivet patterned floor, but make your first jump from the floor section before.

The first time you press the each of switches for the double switch sprint puzzle in the room on the far side of the UFO hangar, an armed guard is summoned, so don't attempt to do the puzzle first time round; instead kill the guards - I recommend the MP5 (if you managed to get it).

Be very careful about going around with weapons drawn in the vicinity of automatic machine guns - Lara treats them as hostile and will draw a bead. But do not open fire - they are indestructible and shooting at them will only wake them up and Lara will not survive the experience, unless she manages to get right out of the line of fire very quicky.

If you're playing the PC game and don't want to expend medipacks unnecessarily, I would recommend not collecting the crystal from the Alien Autopsy room until after you've got Secret #3. Coming back from getting the Secret (spoiler alert !!) will cost about half Lara's health so save it 'til then.

I recommend 5 save points:

1) Just before emerging from the crawlspace with the detention cell to the left and the laser traps to the right. It can be tricky to kill the guard before he activates the lasers and you might not manage it first time.

2) Just before killing the armed guard who protects Secret #1, as detailed above.

3) Just before descending to floor level in the room where you use the first Code Clearance Disk.

4) Just before launching the ICBM - this is a "perisher puzzle" and you might not succeed first time.

5) Just after completing the double switch sprint puzzle - if you get Lara killed between here and the end of the level, you do not want to have to do it again (even if you do get it right first time, as I actually managed to do this time for the first time ever)

Confession time: I'm not entirely sure how many times I got Lara killed. I distinctly remember that it took four goes to do the rocket launch sucessfully; at least three times I messed up the monkey swing over the monorail, at least twice I managed to trigger the automatic machine guns in the first Code Clearance Disk room. I even made the foolish mistake of shooting at the autoguns in the sprint puzzle room (only once, honest, I'm sure of it).

On the bright side - still haven't used a single medipack, though the health meter was flashing critical when going into the Orca tank and again when I dropped back to the hangar floor (had to keep my fingers crossed when coming back through the double rolling lasers).

All in all, Nevada in general is actually not a difficult zone. There are only three levels, and there's no boss fight. The only fly in the ointment is losing all the supplies and equipment when Lara gets tossed in the slammer, which is why it is recommended to do it first of the intermediate zones.

Level Stats:

Time: 00:51:14

Secrets: 3/3

Kills: 19

Ammo Used: 435

Hits: 397

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 3.94 km

Cumulative stats (Zone):

Time: 02:26:44

Secrets: 8/8

Kills: 55

Ammo Used: 1105

Hits: 990

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 11.17 km

Cumulative stats (Game):

Time: 04:24:44

Secrets: 23/23

Kills: 125

Ammo Used: 2541

Hits: 2154

Health Packs Used 0.0

Distance Travelled: 18.76 km

Inventory:

Pistols

Shotgun + 14 rounds

Desert Eagle + 33 rounds

2 x UZI Clips

MP5 + 260 rounds

1 x Rocket

Grenade Launcher + 14 rounds

6 x Harpoons

31 x Flares

8 x Large Medipacks

15 x Small Medipacks

Artifacts collected (Should really have included this in my Caves of Kaliya report as well)

Infada Stone

Element 115

Edited July 17, 2011 by Didaktylos

[CaityFM]

THE RIVER GANGES!

I'm actually pretty excited about this level for some reason. It feels like it'll be fun. Let's see how it goes!

You'd think Lara would get cold in the wind and the rain. Maybe she has no pain, temperature, or emotion receptors. Likely.

So if there's a medipack nearby, I don't even try to find it anymore. I just walk around repeatedly pressing X until Lara finds it. These textures are killing me.

So the firt time I chose a path, I chose the left one because I like the river. But I fell down the chasm and 'sploded.

Of course I hadn't saved, so the next time I chose the right path and liked it more. I'm interested to read which paths you all took, or if you chose to take both of them.

THIS GAME IS SO BORING AND FRUSTERATING. ASDFGHJKL.

I can't do this anymore for now. Oh my gosh. I seriously am about to shoot this TV.

HAHAHA! Bye.

[Marluxia15]

What happened to our crew from TR2? This game must not have been well received. I think it gets better after India though. I played through the level with the ruins and and the quad. I did that level twice, once just speeding through and once for secrets (which I found all 5 of 5). It was a cool level, and I liked running over the monkeys.

Then I did Caves of Kaliya. Know that Kaliya was, if I remember right, a Hindu snake god that lived the the River Ganges. Think of it as the Midgard Serpent for the Hindus. Anyways, at one point in time it poisoned the River Ganges, which is why the water becomes toxic at the end - because Tony is infused with the power of Kaliya. Or, in other words, the ancient Hindus based that myth off of somebody who, thousands of years ago, poisoned the River Ganges with the Infada Stone. It's all up to interpretation, I suppose.

If anything, I'm again going to state the best part about India is how representative of the country it is. That's one of the only comments I have for that. o_o

@Caity - I love your little "emoticons" (like the one just above). I hope you don't mind me copying you. Also, I would love to do the talk-while-play thingy. I'm free all summer! LOL ALso, if TR3 is frustrating you, just use level skip. Or follow a walkthrough like I think Mute2Conversations is doing.

I think I'm nearing the end of Nevada Desert. Yes, I'm going in the order everyone else does. I just arrived in the area with the electrical fences and guards inside their perimeter. I think this level should be over by now, honestly. Traversing the dam, the gulch, the rapids, etc., was a big job! And now I have to find a quad bike, I think. IDK. I haven't played yet today, so maybe I'll do that.

Keep postin' guys! I love reading yours, and Lara's thoughts!

[CaityFM]

@Hunter lol I'm glued to Stella's walkthrough 24/7 xD Nope I don't mind your use of , O_O, and soforth. I tried both versions of levelskip, it worked for TR2, but not this. bleh. lol!