SILENT SCOPE 18 July 2002
ver 1.2
Guide by ilphay. author: ilphay
(between emails)
Silent Scope is an arcade shooting game. Shooting range, STORY, and
timed attack modes are offered. You control a mockup for a rifle. 5
shots per magazine, reloading is automatic. Magazines are unlimited.
This is a text document composed using MS Word w/ a 12pt fixed-width font
and .5" margins. 9 pages w/ 1 line to spare, Widows&Orphans off.
GAMEPLAY (Basic stuff):
Shooting Range:
Shoot targets. At my local arcade, this game took 4 tokens to play
(it was cheaper for me to make the drive to a farther arcade that's fewer
tokens to play), so no way was I gonna waste it on Shooting Range.
Y'might as well go to a real shooting range. It might cost $50 for range
time, ammo and rifle rental, but it beats the pants off a $0.50 game.
Timed attack mode:
Timed attack mode offers three scenarios of differing levels of
difficulty for you to shoot your way out of. These scenarios are similar
to situations in Story mode and won't be discussed here.
The REAL game is Story mode.
Story mode:
You start with 3 lives and 50.00 seconds. When you're out of either
the game ends. Continuing starts you off anew with 3 lives and 50 sec.
You lose 1 life (actually 2 half lives) by shooting innocents and
half a life by getting shot. Depending on the type of hit, other hits
will take away 1/2 or 1 life. You play continuously through loss of life.
The clock counts down from the given 50 sec while you're in action.
Shooting innocents doesn't take them out, you can shoot the same bystander
and lose life as many times as you have bullets.
You gain 1 life by pointing the scope at a beautiful woman and the
game says "Bonus Life." You'll hear music as the scope passes over any
part of a bonus woman. You gain varying amounts of time by shooting
targets or finishing the scene. Blue, yellow or red target markers point
out enemies. If you shoot at an enemy and miss, or hit a nearby target,
the enemy may take cover or crouch down thinking "It's better to get shot
in THIS position." A near miss may send an enemy that was about to shoot
ducking for cover. While this puts you out of their sights, an enemy
taking cover takes time if you have no shot while they're covered.
If you're hit as you shoot, your shot does not count.
If you're lookin' for a high score, this isn't the Cheat Chit for
you. Get another one. There's aplenty. (Although some of those other
authors need a laxative.) But I'll go a little into scoring. Each extra
you shoot gives you points that increase directly as your hit streak
increases. You get double points for a head shot (plus a gratifying
"bleep") OR a Double hit--one shot, more than one kill. Boss kills are
worth fixed points.
For me, winning (on a single credit) is most important. Then game
experience. Then, of course, looking cool. THEN score. Throughout this
file, I describe Double hit opportunities. That's strictly for the
coolness aspect. It's also worth a chuckle to have a 110% hit rate.
GAMEPLAY RECOMMENDATIONS:
IMO, the single most important play tip is to remain relaxed.
Tensing affects your aim, vision, and shot selection. Experience helps
you stay relaxed plus you'll be more familiar with the game's challenges.
Another important, obvious to someone who's played the game, play tip
is against extras, a hit anywhere takes 'em down. Foot, hand, hair,
anywhere. This is a substantial timesaver when you need a quick shot
(especially when outnumbered on average 3-to-1) or the enemy is behind a
bullet proof obstacle such as a door, wallboard or box with only a hand or
foot in view.
Earlier, it was described that if you shoot near an enemy, they'll
duck. But, if you fire right before they "decide" to shoot, the enemy
will proceed with the shot. This puts you in the unfortunate position of
having a refire delay just as the enemy is preparing to fire.
Keeping a full magazine minimizes the danger. When you're at the end
of a scene and you don't have very many bullets left (namely 1), consider
firing into the ground to empty the clip so you'll be reloaded by the time
you're on scene. I do a variation of this, which is fire at the enemies
while still moving into position. If you hit, you've accomplished several
things. You've eliminated an enemy, saved time, improved your odds and
looked cool. Even if you miss, you still get a full clip and made the
enemy duck. Naturally, missing ends your hit streak. If I recall
correctly, another guide suggests shooting a fallen body doesn't count
against your hit streak. That's not my experience. If you shoot a fallen
body, that's a miss, you just don't hear the 'crack' of hitting the floor.
At one of my nearby arcades, the game shows the scope view in the
corner of the screen at all times, not just after a hit, allowing a
shooter to play the whole game while looking at the screen instead of
using the scope. IMO, this successfully defeats the most unique aspect of
the game. Not to mention takes MY time waiting for the game to free up
while some kid not only wins ugly, but thinks he's cool when all he did
was basically use the rifle like a pointer. (I know that the rifle
basically IS just a pointing device, but noone puts credits in the machine
just to point to stuff. Except those kids, of course.) When I first saw
it, I thought it was an earlier version of the game (that particular game
also had a habit of "jumping" to the left). But, according to another
FAQ, it's in the DIP switch settings.
If you're not using what I respectfully refer to as "that lame-ass
scope (window)," an essential aiming technique is to keep the left eye
(for right-handed) on the monitor and right eye looking in the scope
(heretofore referred to as "breath view"--remember to breathe). Focusing
with the left, center the cursor on the target, then "scope up" with the
right eye and finalize. This has the advantages of almost no delay from
switching from monitor view to scope. This is arguably how the game was
meant to be played. The disadvantages of this technique are the rifle can
obstruct a large part of the screen, also, the stance is awkward. This is
not only uncomfortable, but also affects mobility.
Many people stand up and shoot "from-the-hip" (actually, from the
chest). When they need the scope, they bend down. This offers great
mobility, comfort and a complete view of the screen. Drawbacks of this
are the long delay between acquiring a target and being ready to fire when
using the scope. The long delay affects your aim with dynamic targets.
You're also highly prone to move the gun as you bend down.
Other techniques are basically varying levels of compromise between
these two techniques which may or may not include positioning the rifle so
as not to obstruct the screen. Knock yourself out.
About using the scope, a lot of beginners fall victim to what I call
the black eye syndrome. When they scope up, they tend to put their eye
right up to the scope, sometimes touching it. This can't be good for the
eye. Not to mention who knows who else has been doing that and where
their facial oils/eye boogers have been. If you use breath-view, you'll
block out most of the screen 'cuz your other eye is too close to the gun.
Most importantly, it looks amateurish. And, of course, if it were a real
gun you'd give yourself a black eye with your first shot. It works better
to keep your head back 2-3 inches from the scope.
Centering (firing on the move) and Flexion (firing at a moving
target) shooting: With few exceptions, all the targets in the game will
be moving one way or another. I'll be discussing targets that move in a
predictable pattern. Rather than chase a moving target in the scope,
position the cursor ahead of the target and let the target enter the
scope. As the target enters, make adjustments--staying ahead of the
target. When all is in readiness, put a little lead in their step. This
can also be applied to centering, except you should position the cursor
"behind" the target. Shooting 101: Lead fast moving targets and trail
fast pulling shots.
And lastly SQUEEZE the trigger. Don't pull.
Story line:
"The President" and his family have been captured by "Terrorists."
YOU AND ONLY YOU can save them.
Your first taste of action is when you rush on scene to assist police
in a fire fight. The enemies are the ones dressed in black with blue
markers pointing them out. The police may take out one or two enemies
(leaving the other 20 to you). From your vantage point on the roof it
will be up to you to eliminate remaining enemies.
While picking off enemies, you may see some enemies that are at
relatively close range. You'll know what I mean if you see them in the
monitor. Don't use the scope. Just center the cursor on them and fire.
BONUS WOMAN: At some point you'll see a rooftop pool. In the lower right
is a bonus woman. Put the cursor on her. You don't have to focus on her
or even see her in the scope. Just hold the cursor on her until you hear
music and a voice says "Bonus Life." Shooting a bonus woman is just like
shooting an innocent, don't.
Typically the last enemy in the roof scene is in a distant shot.
Going for a head shot here is good practice for the final boss.
After the roof, you're given a choice of three scenes to chopper to:
Tower Building, Air Battle, or Stadium.
Tower Building:
Scorpion is holding the First Lady on the roof of the Tower Building.
He has 5 life points and falls right away if hit in the head. He has 4
gunmen also positioned on the roof. He also fires missiles every few
seconds that hit your helo about half the time, taking 1 life.
At the start of this battle, Scorpion will be in the lower left
pumping his fist. Use the gameplay recommendation for centering on
Scorpion's head. You can shoot Scorpion's missiles, but you'll probably
need to stand up and shoot from-the-hip. I wouldn't bother going after
the henchmen. If you're having trouble hitting Scorpion, you'll have just
as much trouble getting them. If the fight goes on long enough, you'll
fly behind antennae, very disruptive, y'been warned. At the end of the
battle, Scorpion will see a bug buzzing around his face. His entomophobia
turns out to be his downfall.
Air Battle:
Scorpion('s brother) is trying to make like Ah-nold in True Lies.
Put'im where he can't come back to rescue the First Lady. Scorpion in the
Harrier has 30 life points. Shooting any part of the jet takes away 1
point. Shooting Scorpion in the trunk takes away several points. Score a
head shot and it's "Hasta la vista, baby." Scorpion fires the jet's
cannon and rockets, each taking away 1/2 life. More importantly, he
maneuvers around buildings, taking time.
It's a tough shot and could ruin your hit streak if you go for it,
but you can hit Scorpion in the head right when the scene begins. VERY
gratifying. Otherwise, Scorpion will go into a dive and dash behind a
building, then turn around and start firing. You can disrupt his firing
by getting a shot in. You'll fly over the pool where the bonus woman was,
but she probably got startled hearing the gunfire and saxophone music
playing out of nowhere and went inside. When you defeat Scorpion, he
moans loud enough to hear over his plane crash (looks cool in Night mode).
Stadium:
Cobra is holding the Prez daughter and decides to check on his bet on
the football game. Since it's not ladies free night, he decides to crash
the game rather than buy an extra ticket. Cobra has 5 life points and
does not fire at you. However, he has henchman--4 on most screens.
Cobra's putting some major moves on two football teams while carrying
his hostage. The thing is, terrorism doesn't have a salary cap. You get
four screens worth of action, the first screen does not have any henchmen.
Then your chopper will fly to another angle where henchmen start shooting.
'Nother angle. Lastly, Cobra nears the end of the stadium. If you don't
stop Cobra here, you fight him on the highway (see Highway scene).
BONUS WOMAN: Several of the cheerleaders on the sidelines will give a
bonus life. You can get 3 bonus lives total.
If you rescued the First Lady (in Tower Building or Air Battle), your
next objective is to rescue the Prez daughter being held by Cobra who is
escaping by the Highway. If you rescued the Prez daughter (from the
Stadium/Highway), your next objective is to rescue the First Lady being
held by Hornet at the Hotel Imperial.
Highway:
The chopper drops you off in a police jeep and you need to pick off
enemies. There will usually either be two enemies in the back of a pickup
or two-or-three in the back of a van. Against pickups, shooting the
driver will cause the pickup to spin out, taking out any enemies on it.
If you're behind the pickup, this also gives you the benefit of fewer
bodies to drive over (you'll experience a bump when you drive over a body,
disrupting targeting, better than than being the other guy I guess). From
behind a pickup, you won't see the driver through an extra. Shooting the
extra in the middle trunk typically gets you a Double hit including the
driver. Against people in vans, usually, the enemies are crouching next
to each other. Part of their legs will be lined up for a Double hit.
When in the vans, some guys toss grenades. The grenades hit about 1/2 the
time and take 1/2 life. They bounce high and make big targets if you
decide to shoot them. The first few enemies will be far away and you can
rely on the scope. But as you gain on Cobra, the enemies will be closer
and you'll have to use your judgement whether or not to use the scope.
You'll also encounter an enemy helicopter that has 5 life points and
shoots machine guns and rockets taking 1/2 life. Hitting the helo in the
rotor destroys it. Landing a shot on the helo disrupts its shooting.
You'll most likely pass under a bridge which will block your shot, y'been
warned. I advise against going for the rotor unless the helo is close
enough for you to get a fix on it without the scope.
BONUS WOMAN: After downing the helicopter, there'll be a few more pickups
to beat and a van. Near the van is a pink Cadillac with a bonus woman.
After beating the van by the pink Caddy, Cobra's car w/ the Prez
daughter appears. Cobra has 5 life points and his driver spins out if you
hit Cobra in the head. Cobra fires a submachine gun and tosses grenades
each taking 1/2 life.
Two things that reek about this battle are if you don't get an early
hit, the chase hits some long curves. You'll have to lead by a
significant margin to score a hit. All too often, people have aimed the
crosshairs on Cobra only to hit the Prez daughter. Add to that the fact
that the Prez daughter waves her hand out, sometimes disrupting your shot.
Cobra's stands up when firing/tossing grenade. This gives you nice
clearance from the Prez daughter to get your shots in. Shooting near
Cobra will usually sit 'im down.
Now that Cobra's brains have been blown away, he becomes an
aggressive driver. He borrows a big rig and tries to ram you with it,
each hit taking 1 life. Cobra the aggressive driver has 30 life points.
A shot anywhere on the truck (including tires) takes away 1 point. A
torso shot takes away several points. Score a head shot and insert a John
Bunnell-ish closing pun.
Cobra starts out barrelling towards you. It's an intermediate-to-
advanced shot. Another benefit of a trunk shot is, if timed properly, it
will cause Cobra to miss you. A head or trunk shot goes through the
windshield (a saving grace when you only have one shot at the beginning).
Otherwise, hitting the windshield shatters it. After he drives through/by
you, he puts some distance between you, turns around and tries for another
pass. This is an extremely time consuming affair and even an expert
probably can't finish the game (without continuing) if this takes more
than three passes.
HOTEL:
The police have IDed two enemies that like to hang out near open
windows. Their likenesses appear in the bottom center, but it's easier to
scope out someone and see if they have a gun. Gun=Enemy. The enemies
don't shoot until you've given yourself away. You're your own spotter and
have to acquire targets yourself. The challenge of this stage is to
acquire enemies quickly. The game doesn't give you the markers for some
time. In general, the enemies are moving around more than innocents, so
if you see a figure moving on the monitor, scope 'em out. Also keep in
mind, the enemies could be on the hotel walkway on the ground.
BONUS WOMAN: There are a few bonus women in the hotel, both sides, but you
can only get 1 bonus life from the lot of 'em.
You'll move to where you can see another side of the hotel. Three
more enemies will be IDed. Remove.
In the fight for the First Lady, you'll be pitted against Hornet,
another sniper. He almost never misses with his sniper rifle, taking 1/2
life. He has 4 henchmen. Hornet has 5 life points and you can bury him
right away in that black and white-wash suit with a head shot.
To start off, you will be moving, making for a pretty tough shot.
Hornet is almost always moving. He only stops for a short time to aim and
fire. Then he moves to another fire position. His common fire positions
include left of the statue, several steps behind the left of the statue, a
gap in the center of the statue, behind the right of the statue, and right
of the statue. If you fire at him and miss, he runs to another fire
position. If you hit him, he reels, giving you a chance to hit him again
or line up on his head.
TERRORIST HIDEOUT/BASE:
Rather than rescue the President like you did his family, the police
thought it'd be better to let the Prez get taken to a secret fortified
base. "You can get there either by going through the woods or by
parachuting in." (Kewl graphics!) The two options offer different
advantages. This is night action. You'll be equipped with a suppressor
and night vision scope. On the uncool side, target markers won't point
out enemies for a long time or until they've already fired. Also, several
enemies duck-and-cover for a (seemingly) long time. To compound that,
enemies dash out from cover farther than in other scenes.
THROUGH THE WOODS:
With this option, you're less likely to get shot. An intermediate-
advanced player can do this stage without even being acquired by the
enemy. In this scene, you're on the ground and need to make your way
through the patrols to the base. The enemies carry flashlights that stand
out like flashlights in the dark. When they're about to fire, some
enemies use their laser sights. You can see the beams. Watch out for
enemies up on a hill in the first and fourth screens. They're hard to see
and the one in the 4th screen presents the toughest shot in this scene.
Another thing is when you approach the outer wall (after crossing a road),
the enemies will use flares to light up the area. Not only does this make
you more visible, but blinds some of your night vision.
PARACHUTING IN:
With this option, you have more chances to boost your time. The
stage itself takes a fixed amount of time. All the targets are in a
relatively small area and you gain time with each one you hit. The
downside is the enemies can all fire at you at once. You can also do this
stage without being acquired by the enemy. If you succeed, consider
yourself an advanced player. The scene begins with your chute opening.
Shoot the searchlights for a time boost and to prevent being spotted--VERY
helpful as you get closer to the ground. A few more enemies are beyond
the airfield. In the far upper right, you'll see an open shed attached to
the building. In the shed is the main power supply box for the base.
Shoot it before you land to knock out the power. Kewl!
THE BASE:
Whether you went through the woods or parachuted, by now you've
reached the outer wall. You'll be instructed to take out the power supply
box--unless you already did so from the air.
BONUS WOMAN: When you're in range of the power box, on the edge of the
pool, to the left, will be a bonus woman. After you shoot the box, you'll
see two more bonus women running into the building from the left. Between
these three women, you can get 1 bonus life.
Enemies emerge from the building to see what's going on. The enemy
on the lower balcony on the left will use flares. Lastly, there'll be two
enemies to the right checking the blown power box. After offing them,
consider refilling your clip to engage Tom&Jerry.
TOM&JERRY:
"These guys are professional assassins who are used to close combat."
Wait-a-minute. Wrong game. Like the cartoon Tom&Jerry, these guys are
used to inflicting savage violence. They each have 5 life points. Unlike
the cartoon Tom&Jerry, a shot to the head kills them. Tom's crossbow
bolts and Jerry's knives each take away 1/2 life, but can be shot away.
When the fight begins both Tom&Jerry will dash for nearby cover on
your left. If you put your scope ahead of them, their heads will run
right into your sights. If you shoot Jer while Tom is still behind him,
Tom will run the other way. But if you cap Jer after they split up, Tom's
head will follow right behind. If you didn't get the quick double cap,
Tom or Jer will dash back and forth getting closer while the other shoots
at you. You can shoot them in their cover positions, some shots are more
difficult than others. Most people get 'em when they're dashing between
cover. If you shoot them anywhere besides the head, they reel.
Eventually, if they get too close, they'll back off and run to a random
cover position. BTW, the crates in the back explode if shot.
Once inside, you'll hear that the police were beaten back and you're
on your own. Surprised? On this particular screen, there's three
enemies, one's behind the bar on the left and is hard to see. Then three
more enemies line up to receive bullets. Then there's two behind the bar.
These two move around quite a bit and they duck and cover for a long time,
all the while, you have no shot, so you shouldn't fire until you have a
definite shot.
Fast forward to the first stairway. When going up, there'll be two
enemies behind the rail across from the stairs. When they duck, you'll
notice the top of their heads still visible. Many enemies will duck like
this leaving you with a slight, but possible head shot.
Keep going up the stairs and room to room eliminating enemies. After
the third clear room, you'll turn to the exit to find two enemies near
each other, then a third walks into view. This gives you a chance at a
Triple hit. It'll only show "Double Hit." Then there's three enemies in
the last room. I suggest shooting the guy by the chair on the left first.
When he ducks, you have no shot, but when the others duck you have a shot.
If you're patient, you can get a Double hit with chair-guy and a nearby
enemy who will run in front of the chair.
BONUS WOMAN: The last room has a bonus woman.
Out of this room, there'll be two enemies near you and it's tempting
to shoot them at close range, but there's two enemies coming up the stairs
that offer a chance at a Double hit. If you shoot at them first, the two
nearby enemies will also line up for a Double. Besides, Combat 101, in an
ambush you're first target should be distant.
Blah blah. Jump down a floor. Blah blah. Proceed down stairs.
Blah blah. Run down a hallway. At this point, you're probably shooting
from-the-hip. In the hallway, there're distant enemies you would want to
use the scope for if you're a beginner or you care about hit streak.
Remember from what you read above, when you fire at an extra, he'll
duck, but if you fire just as they stand up, they won't duck and may fire
during your refire delay. This is important now that enemies are closer
together. Some to the point where you can Double hit their legs.
When you reach the end of the hallway, you'll take cover behind an
open door. Target one of the extras to the right. An enemy will come out
from the doorway right into your sights. Fire for a Double hit.
After that scene, you'll near the banquet hall entrance. On the left
are two nearly lined up enemies. Wait for the near one to see you then
he'll turn and run a few steps, lining him up for a Double. You'll need
to be quick, 'cuz he stops running and turns back to you and won't be
lined up. Enter a banquet hall. At this point, the scope is no longer
night vision and your shots aren't suppressed. This might strike some of
you as weird, I know. But at least you get the target markers back. You
can be shot on the move, but you can shoot them as well. Take out the
ones at the end of the hall, then as you move down, there'll be two
opposite another table. You have no shot while these guys duck-and-cover
and they stay down for a long time. Don't miss. Dust three more extras
at the hall entrance and you'll be near the server doors. Two enemies
rush out, an innocent may be behind one, you CAN shoot an innocent through
an enemy. A third enemy is behind the door. His leg is sticking out the
bottom, an extra's body may be in the way, but it's there. Shooting this
will save a little time as you can't shoot through the door.
Now, you've reached the elevator. The three cars have enemies, a
bonus woman, or the way to the basement. I was going to include the
pattern I noticed for how to tell which car had what, but that was 2 years
ago and I haven't found a SS machine to verify it.
The basement has the two most difficult screens of the game. It's
not enough to be outnumbered 4-to-1, some of the enemies are nearby behind
cover and some are distant. If an enemy is under cover, you've got a
choice to make. Usually, a hand or foot will be sticking out, but other
enemies are probably lining up for their shot. Then you're ready for the
final boss(es).
The last fight you have is against Monica. Monica has 10 life points
and is brandishing body armor. She attacks swinging two sets of claws,
each swing taking 1/2 life. A hit in an unarmored area takes 1 point.
Two hits in the armored face mask knocks the mask off and puts you in the
final battle. You'll also go into the final battle if you haven't beaten
Monica after 4 exchanges.
In the final battle, Monica, who gets a new 10 life points, is hiding
behind the President being hung by his wrists on the other side of the
docks. She fires a submachine gun and rarely misses. If you didn't shoot
her mask off, she'll still be wearing it. Large crates are moving from
her side to yours about a crane intermittently obstructing your shot. I
tried, you can't free the President by shooting his bindings. (But I once
landed a nice head shot on Monica while trying.) Monica moves out from
behind the President to fire her machine gun. Some common firing
positions are to the wide left, left next to the Prez by his shoulder,
right of the Prez crouching next to his leg, and very wide to the right.
She stays in her firing position a long time, firing all the while, but
giving you a good chance at a capper. If you hit her anywhere unarmored,
she'll run behind the Prez for a sec and go to another fire position.
When you beat Monica, she spirals to the ground giving you a chance
to throw in an action-hero catch line like, "Wash THAT out, Monica."
The last boss doesn't attack (unless you count setting off a kill-all
bomb). You'll need to break through the bullet-resistant glass to get to
him. To break the glass, you need at least 3 shots hitting the same place
and exactly 1 bullet in your rifle.
The last boss hops on a boat (nicely animated btw, ugh), motors away
and stops long enough for you to shoot at him. He has no life points, but
you have only one shot to hit him in the head or else he'll set off the
kill-all. You can't hit the live switch, the groin, and you can't even
see the boat's fuel tanks, only a head shot will do.
He starts out yammering something like, "You have a single bullet
left. Shoot it at me, then I'll set off the bomb." Then, he'll stand
there. Two things that mess w/ your shot are he puts his arm up. Also,
the boat is drifting and moving slightly. I recommend keeping your
movement to a minimum and waiting for his head to enter the crosshairs.
Either y'got him or y'didn't. (NOW the police show up--if y'got him)
CODES or "Challenge Modes" are available at www.konami.com/arcade.
Formalities:
Unpublished work. Copyright 2002.
June 2000 - written by ilphay!
July 18, 2002 - Whoa! I sat on this thing for 2 years! Removed procedure
for Challenge Modes. Removed Dark Silhouette: Silent Scope II stuff.
There was a lot, too; along w/ some one-liners ("Shoot him in the head and
he'll `Pull a Cobra.'" 8) ) Posted it.
