Metal Gear Solid 3 HELP!
 

Okay, maybe its just because I'm stupid, but for me, spotting the enemy in MGS3 is dang near impossible. I basically run into them every single frigging time. I've read the FAQs, but I can't find the solution to my problem. I've tried equiping the Sonar, but it doesn't seem to work all that well, or at least I'm not reading it right.

The thing is, for all the Metal Gear Solid games, I've always taken an impossibly long time to get into them. Take MGS1 for example, I kept playing the intro over & over again until I could successfully sneak by the guards.

At any rate, I really want to know if there are any good hints for spotting the enemy without actually running into them. The normal view doesn't provide nearly enough visual cover & contantly switching to intrusion view just doesn't work.

SWK

My god! I'm not alone!

I don't know what it is, I've had plenty of fun with MGS and MGS:SoL, finished them both atleast once, but this game beats me like some sorta of hate filled beating machine. I've started the damn thing like four seperate times, all resulting in my immediate death at the hands of the first few guards I spot.

Maybe I just need to get into the stealth groove...

theres really know secret to the impossibility of sneaking by garuds in mgs3... cept maby use the dpad to sneak up on them and the directonalmic/thermal goggels to spot them, useusally i just gun them all down, and in the eary stages i just ran all the way, no sneaking just running, they usually said " i just saw something ofer there, o whell it must of just been my imagination, but now that i have several automatic weapons i just rambo thru the gaurds.

Well, while I've yet to try it, I did find something out that might be helpful. Although, I don't know how much.

Anyway, you know how you can move the camera angle slightly in any one direction. Well I found out you can lock this into place by pushing the R3 button (pushing down on the joystick, like it was a button).

And Catmando, just because you haven't accomplished sneaking by the guards, doesn't mean it can't be done. And somebody out there has to have at least one or two useful suggestions regarding moving around.

Edited to Add: Hey, I was just wondering, what is the effect of just crouching in the grass? I mean, you have to push the X twice to fully stand up.

SWK

Sneaking is much more advanced than the previous games. The keys are if you have a hard time seeing them (I dont) use the tools available. find a shady spot in grass or what not and make use of your directional mics and radars. As the game progresses use your gun clips to lure the troops out.

CAMO CAMO CAMO.

What I typically end up having to do is die many times and memorize where the enemies are, then come up with a strategy based on this ill gotten knowledge. I find it damn near impossible to move at any rate of speed through the game by simply sneaking first and hoping noone sees me, it takes too much time.

Of course this is on hard and extreme (or whatever its called in this game) difficulties, if you play it on normal you can pretty much run through the game with guns blazing. I did that the first time and found it to be very satisfying and stress relieving.

*CQC grabs random soldier #167*

"Come here you little commy sonofabitch"

*guns down commy#168 while using human shield. Slits #167's throat*

"Alert status, I don't care 'bout no alert status!"

yeah, good times. Of course, this approach makes the battle with Sorrow drag out forever!

edit: I almost forgot! here is some quasi useful knowledge!

crouching: you don't have to double tap to lay down or stand up from laying down, you can simply press down hard on the X button, it takes some time to get the feeling right, bu tif done properly you can move immediately from standing to prone and back again without having to crouch.

Tip toeing: by tapping the R2 and L2 buttons, you can tip toe, which is the quitest method of movement I have found, damn slow though!

By using the dpad instead of the analog stick, you move very slowly, this will maintain maximum camo index even while moving, it will be the same as if you were stationary.

master the switching between first person and third, always use fist person to shoot and always aim for the head, The only way to get better at this is practice.

tactical reloading: by double tapping the weapon equip button (R1) you can cancel lengthy reload animations. This tactic is most useful for the shotgun, rocket launcher and single shot weapons like the tranq pistol. With enough practive you can fire the tranq pistol as fast as the 1911, and bust off like three rockets a second (why would you want to do that? why wouldn't you!)

and CQC! CQC CQC CQC! If you can sneak up behind an enemy the best way to elliminate them is a silent knife to the throat, why waste your time aiming when you can just snatch them up like the boogie man?

I hope some of this helps you out, as basic as it is it took me many long hours of death and destruction to figure some of this stuff out.

Camo is your friend. Stay low, watch the environment, know where the guards are.

The Choke Slam (CQC grab and IMMEDIATELY press in a random direction on the left analog stick) is the fastest way to take out an enemy in the game, and you MUST master this if you want to clear the game with no kills and alerts. If you accidentally grab him instead, mash the CQC button until he KOs (if you don;t want to kill him). This takes a bit longer than holding CQC down hard and stabbing him in the throat, but it's your own fault for not slamming him in the first place. Choke slams have a deceptively long range (you can grab them from about 2 paces away), and once you grab a guard, he can't sound an Alert, or even a Caution.

Also, if you destroy the local ration store, a single flip-roll into them KOs them instantly!

Do not prone in an urban environment. (Don't prone much, that is). Remember that the best camouflage is not being seen, so staying out of their cone of vision is best. But don't stay too close, because guards can hear you walking up to them from about 1-2 meters away. Bear in mind that guards on higher elevations can see what you're doing if they happen to be looking your way.

Use the noise-making function (CQC when leaning against a wall) to good effect. Guards will always go towards the source of the sound, so lure him from his patrol route, hide behind a corner, and chokeslam him when he passes you.

You know, I really *MISS* the VR. I mean, the animations are all well & good, but the best way I learn is by doing it. I mean, I'd really like to be able to work with a dummy who wouldn't suddenly pull his gun on me if he saw me, and just basically stood there while I tried out various CQC techniques out.

I mean, with a live target I find it almost impossible to learn on the fly. Of course, I wouldn't be too shocked if the Game Cube or X-Box got a slighty upgraded version, just along those lines.

Damn them.

SWK

have you tried the "Snake vs. Monkey" portion of the game? That is like the funnest part, seriously! It really helps develop your sneaking skills, and there is no violence involved! I like to play that when I'm getting tired of waisting communists. That monkey can be pretty sneaky.

Good point about Snake Vs. Monkey. I just wish you could try out close combat moves on the monkeys. Especially the one that involves breaking somebody's neck.

Just an aside, but does getting items in the Virtous Mission portion of the game have any effect on the Snake Eater mission? I mean, there's a nearly impossible to get weapon located under the bridge, but I lose it before Snake Eater, so I ask myself what's the point.

SWK