Game:

Commandos 2: Men of Courage (2001)

Duration: 8:32

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3

Game: Commandos 2: Men of Courage

Version: 1.20 (GOG/original release)
Difficulty: Normal

Note: Quick loads were edited out of this video so that it's easier to watch. I left quick saves in.

Restrictions:
- No enemy detection (blue/red lines)
- No attacking enemies
- No shots fired
- Minimal guard interaction (item lures and other distractions)

I was bored last night, so I decided to route another one of these. While recording this, I also decided to turn it into a pseudo-speedrun for an extra challenge. This particular attempt finished in 8:07 by the in-game timer, which doesn't seem so bad. It could definitely go below eight minutes though.

The route for this one was a little messy near the end, unfortunately. The only way to enter the tower is to grab a key from an officer, but for some strange reason, you can't pick his pockets to get it. This left me with a few options, and I think I chose the least aggressive one. I'd rather enemies wake up a sleeping guy than knock anybody out directly.

I didn't test this, but in theory, you might be able to lure him into a secluded area with multiple items, and then bonk him with a bottle. From there, you'd need to rush to finish the level before he wakes up. That still seems less in the spirit of this challenge than what I did here though. I'm not sure you'd make it in time anyway.

This route uses three other distractions: Spike, Sapper, and Whiskey (in that order). I already went over the last one, but the other two seem to be unavoidable. I didn't see any way to escape the train station without a distraction, because there are at least two enemies watching the only way out. The same thing goes for the Sapper on the hotel's top floor. There's a guard staring at the path you need to take, and you can't climb in a window instead.

My favorite part of this route is the room with the explosive that you need to disarm. It's by far the best example of line-of-sight blocking in this game that I've ever seen. The officer standing behind the desk can't see the Sapper standing in the open because the CHAIR obstructs his view. The desk blocks the sitting enemy's view if you crawl, which makes sense (and is just a bonus).

Speaking of line-of-sight blockers, entering the hotel's first floor is a nasty experience. The lieutenant patrolling outside moves back and forth constantly, so you don't have the time to look in the door before going in. You just need to time it so that you enter when the guard inside is facing away from you. There's a very conveniently placed pile of luggage right at the entrance that's just tall enough to hide behind while crawling, so you're reasonably safe once you enter the building. Getting to the elevator is a little tricky though.

There's an enemy sitting behind the front desk that glances at the elevator regularly. The trick is that his vision cone swings wide every so often. If you anticipate this, you have just enough time to walk into the elevator before he spots you. Sadly, the front desk doesn't seem to work as a line-of-sight blocker.

Once on the top floor, you need a small noise to distract the guard in the corner. Using Whiskey would've made this slightly easier, but just running a couple steps with the Sapper accomplishes the same purpose. The only concern is timing it with the lieutenant's patrol route, which can be annoying with the pathfinding. Sometimes you just want your guy to open a door, and he has to spin in place for no good reason.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that the only enemy that could threaten Natasha on her trip up the tower is too busy admiring the view to care. He has ONE job, and he manages to screw it up miserably. :)

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