================= BIG MOUNTAIN 2000 ================= Nintendo 64 Table of Contents: 01 - Introduction 02 - Basic Gameplay & controls 03 - Race Types 04 - Tips/Strategies 05 - Other junk ============================================================================== Version History: ============================================================================== 1.0 - October 2018 - First whack. ============================================================================== 01 - Introduction ============================================================================== Big Mountain 2000 is a skiing/snowboarding game for the Nintendo 64. It may not be the best in the genre, but it's fun to play, and it has those charming "N64-style" blocky 3D graphics. ============================================================================== 02 - Basic Gameplay & controls ============================================================================== There's a Championship mode, Time Trial mode, and 2-player mode. Time Trial mode and 2-player mode let you compete against the clock or another person, using the characters you've leveled up in Championship mode. The rest of this FAQ will focus on Championship mode. There are 4 "stages" to progress through, each with 3 events, each of which can be done on skis or on a snowboard. Thus, there are 24 rounds total that you have to place 1st in, to complete Championship mode and unlock the mirror tracks. You must complete all events in the first 3 stages, both skiing and snowboarding, before you can access stage 4. The good news is that it's very forgiving for a "championship." If you don't get first place in a specific event, just try it again and again until you do. You'll even level up after every few tries, and unlock new gear that will increase your stats. So just try again and again until you get a lucky run, and move on to the next. You never have to repeat an event that you already got 1st in. Steer using the control stick, and dig into the snow with the A button to make sharper turns. These controls apply to both skiing and snowboarding, though the turning feels a little different between the two. The B button is used to jump, and then to do tricks in the air with the control stick. Apparently, doing tricks will increase your "coolness" stat, which means your speed and cornering stats will upgrade more frequently. Or at least that's what the manual says. So if I understand correctly, once your speed and cornering stats are maxed, there's no benefit to having any more points on your coolness. Personally, I don't risk any tricks when I'm trying to place 1st, and my coolness stat still goes up sometimes. You can change your equipment to affect your performance, both your clothing and your board/skis. But if your personal stats are not high enough to match the stat boosts of your equipment, it will be useless to you. If your gear lets you go really fast, but your personal stats aren't high enough to match, then you'll find yourself going faster than you can control. (your speed gauge will turn red and you'll lose a lot of responsiveness until you slow down with the A button.) Sometimes this is ok, like on earlier stages where you can stumble out of control at high speeds, all the way to 1st place. But on later stages, where you have to be more precise, you'll want to match your equipment to your personal stats until you level up enough for the faster gear. There's a Stamina bar in the bottom left corner that decreases every time you hit someone, hit a wall, or even sometimes when you land a jump. The manual says that when this bar is empty, you can "no longer accelerate." I'm not 100% sure what exactly that means, but I assume your acceleration is better when you have some stamina left. I always completely ignore the stamina bar, and I've finished lots and lots of races in 1st place with an empty bar. Shrug. ============================================================================== 03 - Race Types ============================================================================== FREE RIDE In Free Ride, you simply race to the bottom of the hill against the other skiers/boarders. There's a clock that ticks down, and each checkpoint gives you more time, but you likely never have to worry about running out of time. The course may have forks/splits that let you choose what path you want to take down the hill. I find there's not usually an obviously-best way through each course, but you're welcome to look at where the CPU players go if you want to take their advice. I find it's best to just pick one or the other and go that way every time, until you know your path well enough to get 1st place. SLALOM In Slalom, there are gates you have to pass through as you descend the hill. Each gate you miss deducts 5 seconds from your clock, and passing through the gates has a cumulative effect: the first gate adds 1 second, the second gate adds 2, etc., until you hit 5 seconds. Then every gate adds 5 seconds until you miss a gate. This means that missing a gate effectively costs you more than just 5 seconds. Whether you have 1 second or 99 seconds to spare when you cross the finish line, whoever is in 1st place is the winner. So don't worry about getting every gate, especially on the final stretch, if you have time to spare. Since everyone has to pass through the same gates, any areas where the course split apart in Free Ride are blocked off to force everyone down the same path. GIANT SLALOM Giant Slalom is the same as Slalom, except that there are much fewer gates. That means each gate is more important to your clock; missing a gate is more costly. But I find it's generally easier than Slalom, and I can usually clear it in fewer tries than Slalom. ============================================================================== 04 - Tips/Strategies ============================================================================== ALWAYS FINISH - If you're close to the end of a race, and you know you're not going to get first place, it's tempting to pause the game and restart the race. But don't! Finish the race, even placing below 1st. You might get a small stat boost in speed or cornering, which will help in future races. If you restart a race from the pause menu, then you definitely won't get a stat boost. Also, if you "time out" of a slalom race, you also definitely won't get a stat boost, so if you're repeatedly timing out, you might consider adjusting your gear to allow you to at least reach the finish line enough times to level up by a few points. In the same vein, the "rubberbanding" in this game can be strange; I had a race where I hit a wall so hard that I clipped into it, and couldn't get out until everyone else had long passed me. Yet I was able to come back and place 1st. And that was in stage 4. Never give up! STAT POINT MATCHING - Your character's speed and cornering stats indicate how well your character can manage high speeds and sharp corners, not their actual ability to reach those speeds or make those turns. Your gear's speed and cornering stats indicate you fast you'll actually go, and how sharply you'll actually turn. If you're going faster or turning sharper than your character's stats have reached, you'll lose control and fall down. Sure, you can put up with it and still win races, but I find it's better to actually downgrade my gear if I'm falling down too much and timing out of slalom races. Then, as I upgrade my character stats, I can move into the better gear. At the same time, if your gear's stats are BELOW your character's stats, then you'll be moving slower or making gentler turns than your character can do, which is limiting your character unnecessarily. I usually like to "set it and forget it" when dealing with gear (like in a Tony Hawk game) but in this game, there are advantages to frequently changing your gear to match your character's stats. BRAKING - When you have an increased "cornering" stat, your character can make tighter turns without having to dig into the snow. (press the A button while turning) If you try to make a sharper turn than your character can do, you'll start seeing curved brackets around your character, and if they turn red, you'll fall down. The idea is that you use this non-braking turn as much as possible, and only dig into the snow when you need to, because it slows you down. In the first couple of stages, sure, brake all you want. Brake on every turn. But as you reach higher stages and harder races, you'll need to start trying to make as many non-A-button turns as you can, to keep your speed up. Again, make sure you match your gear to your character's personal cornering stat, or else you might be wasting your gear stat points. NEW GEAR - As you finish races and receive incremental stat boosts, you'll slowly rank up through a small handful of ranks (amateur, semi-pro, pro, and uh, "snow speeder") which will unlock new gear each time. It will be tempting to upgrade everything as much as you can, but AGAIN, make sure to match it with your personal stats. Soon enough, you'll be able to just use the best gear and you won't have to think about it any more. DAMAGE AND ACCELERATION - Your clothing can give you stats for Damage and Acceleration. My understanding is that your Stamina bar will decrease slower with each hit if you have a higher Damage stat, and that your Acceleration affects how fast you get up to speed after falling/braking. The manual says you don't accelerate anymore after your stamina bar drops to zero, but I honestly haven't noticed an appreciable difference. So I go ahead and use higher-level clothing when it's available, just in case, but I otherwise ignore these stats. STAY ON THE PATH - There are a few different terrains on the hill, you'll see what looks like a "path" for the most part, with fluffy snow on either side. You do go faster if you stay off the fluffy snow, so it's worth the effort to stay on the path. It's just like any other racing game. JUST KEEP TRYING - My general strategy for every event is to just try it over and over until I get 1st place, then never come back. You'll learn the layout of the hill, where all the gates are, etc. and you'll receive stat upgrades the more you try. So don't get discouraged if the CPU stupidly crashes into you ten times in a run, just try it again until you win. The runs are short enough that it's no big deal. Sure, if you notice that you are getting smoked by the CPUs in the first stretch, and you can never catch up, then maybe it's time to take a look at your gear and play style. Otherwise, just try again. SLALOM GATES - Going through a good streak of gates early in a race will give you a good cushion of time for missing later gates. Especially on the final stretch leading up to the finish line, if you've got a few dozen seconds to spare, then ignore the gates and make a beeline for the finish. Also, make sure you pass between the inner posts of each gate. If you pass straight through a gate marker, even if you're on the INSIDE of the OUTER edge of the marker, it won't count as clearing the gate and you'll lose 5 seconds. 99 SECONDS - The timer maxes out at 99 seconds, though your actual time is still being tracked, and will display correctly if it dips below 99 again. ============================================================================== 05 - Other Junk ============================================================================== This FAQ was written by me; my name is Splain. Copy it if you want, but credit me. Comments, questions, or corrections can be sent to peoppozo.msn@com. But, you know, switch the . and @ around. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------