Updates
2/16/08 -
Updates to all TR2 detail files, except China. In
plum-colored text.
- Dive bug discovered.
9/5/07 - The Deck gets a shortcut to the Storage Room Key. Tibet
and China get shortcuts. In blue text.
- Turning corner bug discovered.
5/21/07 - Updates to TR2, the six levels of
the Offshore region have swim corner bugs added, in
blue text. No shortcuts found.
5/14/07 - Additions to TR2, the six levels
of the Offshore region (Offshore Rig through The Deck). Many shortcuts. A couple of air-borne scuba
divers
3/7/07 - Updates to TR2, The Great Wall,
Bartoli’s Hideout and Opera House. Added more about crack bugs and the
four movable blocks.
3/1/07 - Updates to TR2, The Great Wall through
Opera House. New text in blue. New corner bug
variations (see update below). New minor shortcuts.
12/15/06 - Extensive additions to the
TR4 sections through
11/5/06 - Additions to TR4’s
8/28/06 - Easier flicker motion! Roll into
the corner bug.
7/11/06 - During flicker motion, Lara can
turn corners and back up.
- Probably
don’t need to “sneak up” on flicker motion.
6/15/06 - Added TR4.
- Flicker motion
occurs even if Lara falls before aligning.
- More Photos.
4/19/06 - Added info about flicker motion in TR2 Gold, Nightmare in Vegas level.
What’s on this site:
There are four types of information:
- Variations of the corner bug.
- Starting points and a few
highlights.
- Detailed findings, including
“I found nothing at corner XYZ”, for example.
- Screenshots for fun, at the
“Photos” link. – Sorry, broken
at the moment.
I’ve
done this partly so each of you can decide for yourself how much help you want,
and also so you can find the best items without wading through all the detail.
To those of you who feel I’ve given too much or too little information at
some level, I apologize.
Because I
want to avoid the effort of giving precise directions to locations, I’m
relying on Stella’s walkthroughs (at http://www.tombraiders.net/stella/
). The bold-face lettering at the beginnings of paragraphs or between them is
copied from her descriptions. If you go beyond the “Variations of the
corner bug”, I suggest you have my site in one window and the appropriate
walkthrough from Stella open in another window. Download her walkthroughs to
save bandwidth. Also see Stella’s wonderful site for a description of the
corner bug and other bugs.
You’ll
find several references in the text to Theresa’s site. While this is no
longer on the web, Stella was kind enough to let me know that the site has been
archived at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://tombraiders.com.
Some dates do not have all of the pages.
Variations of the corner bug.
The arch bug -
The doors in walls of the
Bartoli’s Hideout level of TR2 are typical examples. Treat the edge of
the opening as a corner, even though several feet of solid wall separates the
top of the corner from the top of the wall. Some such corners may allow Lara to
bug up to the top if you jump repeatedly, but often Lara will appear at the top
of the wall with her feet not quite on the horizontal surface, and she will
fall. To get around this, note when Lara begins to enter the wall during her
jump, and then RUN FORWARD instead of jumping. You will see her suddenly
running ON TOP of the wall!
Some of you may have considered this an obvious use of the
corner bug, but it surprised me, so I’m including it. But I find
I’m not its discoverer; Beaver’s Lara Croft Pics (at http://www.angelfire.com/games2/Lara/#
) and at least one other site discuss it.
The flicker-at-top bug and flicker
motion –
This section
is true, but see the easier method in the Update of 8/28/06 below. Some corners go all the way to the
“ceiling”, which in some cases may be blue sky. If you use the
corner bug at such places, you will see that Lara is stuck at the top of the
corner, in a perpetual state of flickering. The game must think she’s
falling; note that her braid sticks straight up.
Lara can do a few things from this position – draw and
fire weapons, light flares, turn – but for a long time, I thought she could
only move by pressing Action, in which case she would fall to the base of the
corner.
Finally I found that in Tomb Raider
3, if you turn Lara 135 degrees to look straight back along the wall, in some
cases she would MOVE along the top of the wall! She’s still flickering,
and also makes the footstep sound over and over – it sounds a bit like a
machine gun. It
doesn’t work in TR2* or TR4.
Whether flicker motion works depends on Lara’s precise
positioning at the corner. Begin by facing her straight at the wall, with one
foot near the corner. Usually you can see a line on the ground which is in line
with the other face of the corner. When I refer to “aligning” in
the text, it’s this line I mean. Lara’s foot can be offset either
left or right from this line by quite a bit and still allow the corner bug to
work. It’s common to see a space of several “inches” (about
the width of her foot) between the line and the nearest edge of her foot and
still have the corner bug work. Then turn 45 degrees toward the corner and
begin jumping straight up.
While the corner bug usually works anywhere within this
rather wide range, unfortunately flicker motion does not. And though it may
work at several points within the range, they are widely separated! No wonder I
haven’t heard of this discovery before. Also, Lara turns slowly when
you’re rotating her to look along the wall, which can be pretty tedious.
Press the Forward key at the same time to turn her faster.
Flicker motion can be quite finicky. You may have to
“sneak up” on the correct angle, by tapping the Left or Right key
lightly; otherwise Lara will turn a bit too far and she’ll fall. This can
be hard if the camera position doesn’t allow a view straight along the
wall. But in some cases, flicker motion is robust, and it works even if Lara is
turning at full speed.
In most cases you will hear a single footstep about 5
degrees before Lara turns too far. This is a handy warning to start turning in
tiny increments.
I sometimes have to try five or six positions before flicker
motion works. Also remember that you may not be able to see the difference
between a working and non-working offset from the line.
The Action key drops her at any point, and you can pause the
motion by turning her slightly. If the wall ends at an opening, Lara drops to
the ground, but if it ends at a perpendicular wall, she stops. I’ve never
been able to restart motion by turning 90 degrees to look along the next wall (see update 7/11/06 below), though in one case,
turning 180 degrees started her back along the original wall.
If you set Lara’s foot beyond the line as a starting
alignment, the corner bug is trickier. Turn only 25 or 30 degrees before making
the first couple of jumps, to “set” Lara into the corner; otherwise
she may slip off of it. And as you approach the correct 45-degree angle, it may
appear that Lara’s midline will miss the corner; keep going, she will
suddenly shift sideways into the corner when the bug is close to working.
The text for TR3 contains a number of statements like
“Lara falls before turning far enough for flicker motion.” Usually
I gave up testing the corner after that. But I later found that flicker motion
sometimes works anyway! Also, I usually gave up after 7 or 8 tries. So if the
text says it works, believe it; otherwise, be skeptical.
UPDATE
2/16/08: A poster called Aurimas on
tombraiderforums has described something I call the dive bug. Take a dive (standing or running) to the base of a wall,
and if it’s precisely aimed, Lara goes from head down (and a certain
death landing) to standing, with no damage! Here’s his YouTube video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oqJmKmuOn1E
UPDATE
9/5/07: I’ve discovered (or
rediscovered) something I call the turning
corner bug. If Lara is imbedded at least partially in a corner, she can
turn and remain imbedded until she passes a certain angle. But the game only
checks the angle and (perhaps) ejects her from the wall when she stops turning.
So if you imbed in the wall and then turn continuously until Lara is aimed into the
wall, adding Forward often causes a corner bug to work. Be sure that you
don’t stop turning until after the bug works. If there is a roof above
the corner, Lara will run onto it, as sort of an arch bug with a twist. If
there is a ceiling overhead, Lara may fall at once, start a wall slide, or
remain at the ceiling. Use Action to drop down and turn again if you wish;
press Forward to bug up again.
I found this corner bug variation at the beginning of Tibet,
so I haven’t checked the first half of the game yet. This generally works
at three of the four directions, although two of those directions often have
other kinds of corner bugs. It’s less useful in TR3 and TRLR than in TR2
because they often allow the crawl corner bug, but it’s useful in those
games when the ground is at different levels by the two faces of the corner,
which prevents a crawl bug from working. I haven’t tested TR or TR5 yet.
Continuous turning to remain imbedded can sometimes be
useful even if you don’t want to actuate a bug.
In The Deck I’ve added the description of a great shortcut to the Storage Room Key.
ZephyryhpeZ (it’s a palindrome) has discovered a way to use a movable
block to corner bug to the cave that lets you drop onto the Key; see his
YouTube video.
UPDATE
3/7/07: I discovered that movable blocks can
create corner bugs where none existed, and alter or remove working ones. Also,
crack bugs exist even without movable blocks. See the details in the Great
Wall, Second Guardhouse; Bartoli’s Hideout, The Villa; and Opera House,
Dressing Room and Backstage. There’s a new shortcut Backstage. I’ll continue checking subsequent levels
for these new (to me) variations.
UPDATE
3/1/07: I’ve added testing to every
corner in TR2 through the Opera House, including for TR2’s one-square flicker motion and another bug variation, the
“turn-in” corner bug. I heard of it on the tombbugok site.
Since it's translated from Hungarian, I had a little trouble figuring out what
they meant. Look under Corner-bug, TR2, Corner-bug Advanced (sender Lacek) and
Corner-bug bug: (sender Lacek).
To paraphrase: At some corners, you can make the corner bug
work by turning into the wall while holding Forward, and then pressing Roll
starts flicker motion back across the square. Another Roll makes her fall from
the stopping point.
More precisely, I found that it works at those few faces of
corners where Lara doesn't run off the corner if you turn past 45 degrees, as
she normally does. Instead, Forward cause her to move slightly forward and
sideways into the wall. It's as if she's hooked on the corner. When you release
Forward she moves back to her starting position, like she's spring-loaded. This
all happens even if you turn her well past 45 degrees, to look almost straight
along the wall.
There's a "useful" example near the top of the zip
line in the Great Wall. It might provide a path to the ladder that’s a
few seconds faster than the normal way. See the Great Wall – Venice TR2
detail page.
Jump up and down in the corner a couple of times to set Lara
into the corner a bit. Then hold Forward and turn until Lara imbeds in the
wall. If you turn too far, Lara will run through the corner. Her right leg
should almost completely disappear.
Then turn right slowly until she is about 45 degrees to the
wall. If you turn too far or she isn't deep enough in, she will pop out of the
wall entirely, but it's easy to just turn the other way and start imbedding
again. If it works, you will see a quivering closeup of wall texture. I found
only one case in the whole game where this puts her on a roof; usually she
stays at a ceiling.
Press the Roll key. Now you can release Forward. Hold Look
and use the arrow keys to see Lara moving along the top of the wall. She'll
stop when she reaches the other corner of the square. Press Roll again. Lara is
ejected forward and sideways.
I should add that a normal corner bug does not work at this
type of corner.
Crack or block bug
variant: I
discovered this backstage at the Opera House, in the two stacks of crates in
the rear corners. Enter the opening in either stack and jump out of the right
corner. If you attempt a jump in the reverse direction, Lara ends up on top of
the crate which is above the crack – it works like a corner bug. At the
stack in the left rear, if you jump near a 45-degree angle, Lara may become imbedded
in the block, about 8 inches from the corner. Run forward to end up on the
crate, like an arch bug; or just hold Forward to make Lara glide along the block
edge. Perhaps these variants are useful somewhere.
UPDATE
8/28/06: I recently discovered a
much easier way to perform flicker
motion, which I call angled flicker motion. It works in both TR3 and TR
Lost Artifact. Simply imbed slightly in the wall near the corner and press
Roll. Lara completes the 180 degree roll, pops to the top of the wall or sky,
and begins flickering along the wall, in a 45-degree turned out position!
Here are some shots
after she has rolled into the corner near her bathroom door.
It seems to work better if her foot is
completely inside the limit line. If she’s too close to the corner, she
may be “stuck”. Try turning her toward the wall to free her.
Lara moves more slowly than the earlier version
of flicker motion in which she faces straight ahead, but you get to skip the
boring 135-degree turn.
All of the shortcuts I mention in the highlights
and details work with this new method, except the 19-square trip near the
thatched hut in Madubu Gorge does not.
Turning at a perpendicular wall is a little more
complicated than before. Turn Lara about 45 degrees to look along the next
wall, until she starts being noisy again. Press Roll. If she makes a single
footstep sound, roll back. She should be silent now; turn a little more from
the wall, until all the noise starts again. Press Roll once or twice to free
her from the corner.
If you didn’t hear the footstep sound
after you first pressed Roll, roll back and turn a little farther from the
wall. Roll toward the first wall and listen for the footstep. Keep up this
cycle until you hear the footstep or Lara falls from the wall.
UPDATE 7/11/06: I have discovered how
to make Lara back up during flicker
motion. This could help if one starts at the edge of a doorway, then one
could back up OVER the door, and beyond.
Also, I have found that sometimes
when Lara is stopped by a wall, you can turn her 90 degrees and keep going
on the next wall! But not always.
1. When Lara is stopped by a wall, turn her to
look along the next wall, so that she starts making the "machine-gun"
type noise again. Press the Roll key to start her moving.
2. Again, when Lara is stopped by a wall,
press Roll to make her look back the way she came. Turn her away from the wall
until she starts making the "machine-gun" type noise again. Press the
Roll key to start her moving.
3. When she is moving along a wall, turn toward the wall by
tapping the correct key 3 or 4 times. She will stop moving and become quiet.
Hold down Roll, and she will smoothly move backwards. To start her moving
forward again, tap the opposite direction key 3 or 4 times.
*UPDATE
4/19/06: A limited form of flicker motion works in TR2! Use a
corner or arch bug where Lara becomes stuck at the top. You will usually see a
shaking close-up of the wall texture. Press and release the Roll key (End on
the PC); you’ll hear the usual sound. When you press and hold Look, you
can see Lara moving away from the corner where the bug worked. But she stops at
the other edge of the same square. Pressing Roll again will propel her
diagonally forward and away from the wall; if a shelf or balcony is there, Lara
will land on it.
I’ve done some spot searching (in about 25 or 30
areas), and found only one “useful” example: in LEVEL 13: CATACOMBS OF THE
TALION, at the BUILDINGS WITH RAMP AND WOODEN BRIDGE. Implement an arch bug one square
to the left of the end of the bridge at the building with red columns. Press
Roll, hold Look until Lara is next the bridge, then press Roll again. Lara will
land on the bridge. But the corner bug works from below the bridge, putting you
on it anyway.
Tomb Raider Philosophy.
Some game players feel that the use of bugs is cheating,
appears unreal, or spoils idealized game play. One web master goes so far as to
say that he will not discuss bugs, since they detract from a fine game.
I would argue that everyone can decide for him/herself how
to enjoy the games. For me, the moment of a discovery is one of the best things
in life. The designers have done a great job of creating interesting surprises.
They even put in the additional feature of the Secrets. Well, I think the bugs
are the real secrets – they’re so hidden,
they lead to actions that not even the designers know about.
Dealing with useful bugs reminds me of scientific research.
We don’t know what we’ll find when we start. Also, we’re
never done. When I started recording what I found, I was tempted to make
sweeping statements such as “There are two ways enter this
room…”, but I’ve had several experiences of needing to retest
an area after I discovered new abilities. But at some time you have to share
what you’ve found so far, or you’d never say anything.
I like to allow anything that can be done with normal key
commands. But I’m a purist in my own way – I don’t want to
alter saved games to put Lara in unreachable places, as some people have
learned to do. Well, maybe just for the view (Visit Stella if you’d like
to do it).
In my opinion, you’ll get more enjoyment if you play a
game through a time or two before going beyond this page, but you might want to
see a few examples, and in the end you’re the best judge of how you want
to enjoy the games. I liked to play a level twice (unless I found all the
secrets) and then read Stella’s walkthrough for that level, while it was
still fresh in my mind.
Coming Attractions.
9/5/07 - Test first half of TR2 for the
turning corner bug. Then finally check TR3 & TR Lost Artifact for newer
types of bugs.
3/1/07 –
Continue rechecking TR2.
11/5/06 – I’ll be adding crawl corner bug and
other information to the remaining TR4 pages during the next few weeks.
8/28/06 – I finished all but the last level of Lost
Artifact, but now I’m going back to check for angled flicker motion and
crawl-corner bugs.
6/15/06 – I want to see if flicker motion works (and
does anything useful) in TR Lost Artifact, and check TR2 for useful examples of
flicker motion.
Other Credits and Copyrights.
This site is copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008 Richard Carroll. The screenshots are copyright ©
Eidos Interactive Ltd. They were captured with IrfanView and edited with MS
Office Picture Manager. If you want to copy something, give my site a credit.
This site
is a hobby. So while I’d enjoy hearing about corrections or similar
tricks that aren’t on the well-known sites, I don’t promise to read
e-mails right away. E-mail me at tr_tourist@comcast.net .
Home: http://tr_tourist.home.comcast.net/