Changes

[[Image:TS2AstroHard.jpg|thumb|Astrolander]]

[[Image:TS2AstroHard.jpg|thumb|Astrolander]]

Astrolander is a hidden minigame in [[TimeSplitters 2]].  It features three difficulties: Easy, Medium, and Hard.

Astrolander is a hidden minigame in [[TimeSplitters 2]].  It features three difficulties: Easy, Medium, and Hard.

===Things you do NOT get points for===

===Things you do NOT get points for===

#FINISHING A LEVEL QUICKLY. You have all the time in the world. Allow gravity to take its course! This is not a high-speed, frantic game. This is a game of calculated coolness under pressure.

#FINISHING A LEVEL QUICKLY. You have all the time in the world. Allow gravity to take its course! This is not a high-speed, frantic game. This is a game of calculated coolness under pressure.

#SHIPS LEFT OVER AT THE END. If you finish the game with all five ships remaining, having not crashed once, you get no bonus at all! What does this mean? If you're reasonably confident that you can finish the rest of the game, then on a particularly bad run (i.e. burned a lot of unnecessary fuel, overshot the landing pad), you can consider deliberately crashing. You lose a ship, but you lose no points at all, and you have another shot at a peaceful, fuel-efficient landing. At the end of the day, the man who lost four out of his five ships may get more points than the man who made eleven painful landings first time. Note: Going kamikaze is not recommended on Hard mode unless you are really confident. The last three levels are exceptionally difficult on Hard mode and you can expect to lose many ships before you even complete it successfully for the first time.<br><br>

#SHIPS LEFT OVER AT THE END. If you finish the game with all five ships remaining, having not crashed once, you get no bonus at all! What does this mean? If you're reasonably confident that you can finish the rest of the game, then on a particularly bad run (i.e. burned a lot of unnecessary fuel, overshot the landing pad), you can consider deliberately crashing. You lose a ship, but you lose no points at all, and you have another shot at a peaceful, fuel-efficient landing. At the end of the day, the man who lost four out of his five ships may get more points than the man who made eleven painful landings first time. Note: Going kamikaze is not recommended on Hard mode unless you are really confident. The last three levels are exceptionally difficult on Hard mode and you can expect to lose many ships before you even complete it successfully for the first time.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

==Landing==

==Landing==

Gently allow the ship to descend vertically, tapping on the thruster to keep it as close to zero speed as possible. Aim to let the ship reach the pad JUST as you reduce the speed to zero, or maybe a pixel before or later.

Gently allow the ship to descend vertically, tapping on the thruster to keep it as close to zero speed as possible. Aim to let the ship reach the pad JUST as you reduce the speed to zero, or maybe a pixel before or later.

Since you're trying to go slow here this bit might take a long while, meaning that even with a very slight lateral velocity you will drift away from the exact centre before you get to land. If this happens you can either elect to land anyway and take the low LAB, or you can turn diagonally, thrust briefly and try the landing over again. This wastes fuel and therefore reduces your Fuel Bonus. Either way, it's better to get it right first time.<br><br>

Since you're trying to go slow here this bit might take a long while, meaning that even with a very slight lateral velocity you will drift away from the exact centre before you get to land. If this happens you can either elect to land anyway and take the low LAB, or you can turn diagonally, thrust briefly and try the landing over again. This wastes fuel and therefore reduces your Fuel Bonus. Either way, it's better to get it right first time.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

==Level Information==

==Level Information==

*Relative difficulty: 1/4

*Relative difficulty: 1/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 16000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 16000

*Gently thrust very slightly > and allow the Lander to descend softly. As you reach just over halfway down counteract your > motion and your descent by thrusting < and ^, then descend vertically and slowly, aiming to bring the ship to a rough stop about one ship's length above the pad. See "Landing".<br><br>

*Gently thrust very slightly &gt; and allow the Lander to descend softly. As you reach just over halfway down counteract your &gt; motion and your descent by thrusting &lt; and ^, then descend vertically and slowly, aiming to bring the ship to a rough stop about one ship's length above the pad. See &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Capped Volcano===

===Capped Volcano===

*Relative difficulty: 1/4

*Relative difficulty: 1/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 18000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 18000

*Do one long diagonal thrust ^ and < so you trace a parabola up and over, making slight corrections so you pass directly over the pad. When you start to get close, turn to face ^ and > and thrust briefly so you come to a stop above the pad. See "Landing".<br><br>

*Do one long diagonal thrust ^ and &lt; so you trace a parabola up and over, making slight corrections so you pass directly over the pad. When you start to get close, turn to face ^ and &gt; and thrust briefly so you come to a stop above the pad. See &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Hill Valley===

===Hill Valley===

*Relative difficulty: 1/4

*Relative difficulty: 1/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 14000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 14000

*Gaining excess altitude is a waste of energy. Thrust almost horizontally < so you pass the top of the hill with minimal spare altitude, and get a reasonable amount of horizontal speed to trace a wide path down to the pad, which you should aim to pass over fairly high. When you start to get close, but haven't passed over yet, turn and thrust ^ and > so you counteract your horizontal motion and descend softly at the same time. Once you've stopped moving horizontally and you're over the pad, just descend carefully. See "Landing".<br><br>

*Gaining excess altitude is a waste of energy. Thrust almost horizontally &lt; so you pass the top of the hill with minimal spare altitude, and get a reasonable amount of horizontal speed to trace a wide path down to the pad, which you should aim to pass over fairly high. When you start to get close, but haven't passed over yet, turn and thrust ^ and &gt; so you counteract your horizontal motion and descend softly at the same time. Once you've stopped moving horizontally and you're over the pad, just descend carefully. See &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Chunky===

===Chunky===

*Relative difficulty: 2/4

*Relative difficulty: 2/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 16000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 16000

*Your first cave level will look unpleasant initially but is actually very friendly. Gently thrust ^ and >, aiming to pass over the square outcropping with minimal spare altitude. As you get to the corner turn and thrust < to stop moving horizontally and descend < into the hole, cutting the corner halfway down as closely as possible. At this corner, a long thrust ^ and > will slow your descent and steer you > towards the pad. Turn and decelerate ^ and < as you get to the pad, then see "Landing".<br><br>

*Your first cave level will look unpleasant initially but is actually very friendly. Gently thrust ^ and &gt;, aiming to pass over the square outcropping with minimal spare altitude. As you get to the corner turn and thrust &lt; to stop moving horizontally and descend &lt; into the hole, cutting the corner halfway down as closely as possible. At this corner, a long thrust ^ and &gt; will slow your descent and steer you &gt; towards the pad. Turn and decelerate ^ and &lt; as you get to the pad, then see &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Crevasse===

===Crevasse===

*Relative difficulty: 1/4

*Relative difficulty: 1/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 18000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 18000

*An entertainingly simple and easy level, but an easy one to mess up too if you are overconfident. Thrust ^ and > from the start, aiming to perfectly judge your flight over the spike next to the crevasse as closely as you can. Before you get there thrust < slightly to cancel out your horizontal motion and fall as vertically as possible down the chasm. Descend slowly using gentle ^ thrusts to keep the craft under control, and steering very slightly < or > if necessary to minimise your horizontal motion. See "Landing".<br><br>

*An entertainingly simple and easy level, but an easy one to mess up too if you are overconfident. Thrust ^ and &gt; from the start, aiming to perfectly judge your flight over the spike next to the crevasse as closely as you can. Before you get there thrust &lt; slightly to cancel out your horizontal motion and fall as vertically as possible down the chasm. Descend slowly using gentle ^ thrusts to keep the craft under control, and steering very slightly &lt; or &gt; if necessary to minimise your horizontal motion. See &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Sidewinder pit===

===Sidewinder pit===

*Relative difficulty: 2/4

*Relative difficulty: 2/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 16000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 16000

*Thrust > and slightly ^ towards the inner lip of the crater, cutting it as closely as possible. Use a long < thrust or a few short ones to reverse your horizontal motion near the lip and fall < into the pit. Decelerate ^ and > as you fall so you are moving vertically downwards as you reach the pad, then see "Landing".<br><br>

*Thrust &gt; and slightly ^ towards the inner lip of the crater, cutting it as closely as possible. Use a long &lt; thrust or a few short ones to reverse your horizontal motion near the lip and fall &lt; into the pit. Decelerate ^ and &gt; as you fall so you are moving vertically downwards as you reach the pad, then see &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Shortcut===

===Shortcut===

*Relative difficulty: 3/4

*Relative difficulty: 3/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 20000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 20000

*Never, ever, take the long route. It's just not worth it: it's actually harder, and it wastes fuel. Descending slowly down the narrow passage is a piece of cake, even on Hard. Gently manoeuvre into the hole and use gentle thrusts ^ and > to keep the ship moving slowly down through the passage. At the corner, turn and gently thrust ^ and < instead. After you emerge, carefully navigate ^ and < to end up over the pad, then see "Landing".<br><br>

*Never, ever, take the long route. It's just not worth it: it's actually harder, and it wastes fuel. Descending slowly down the narrow passage is a piece of cake, even on Hard. Gently manoeuvre into the hole and use gentle thrusts ^ and &gt; to keep the ship moving slowly down through the passage. At the corner, turn and gently thrust ^ and &lt; instead. After you emerge, carefully navigate ^ and &lt; to end up over the pad, then see &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Crashed flying saucer===

===Crashed flying saucer===

*Relative difficulty: 2/4

*Relative difficulty: 2/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 20000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 20000

*No harder than level 4, almost the same technique. Thrust ^ and > to get over the ledge as narrowly as possible. At the corner, thrust horizontally < to more than counteract your horizontal motion, then descend < into the pit, keeping a line with the underside of the "saucer" by thrusting gently ^ and slightly > at the same time. Descend slowly towards the pad. See "Landing".<br><br>

*No harder than level 4, almost the same technique. Thrust ^ and &gt; to get over the ledge as narrowly as possible. At the corner, thrust horizontally &lt; to more than counteract your horizontal motion, then descend &lt; into the pit, keeping a line with the underside of the &quot;saucer&quot; by thrusting gently ^ and slightly &gt; at the same time. Descend slowly towards the pad. See &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===The "2"===

===The &quot;2&quot;===

*Relative difficulty: 4/4

*Relative difficulty: 4/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 21000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 21000

*A nightmare level on Hard mode, even for very skilled players, mainly due to the shortage of fuel. Thrust directly > (not up at all) and descend carefully, thrusting ^ and < at the corner to move into the hole and start moving < along the passage. Stay at constant height through the corridor and thrust > and slightly ^ at the end to descend further, then thrust harder to pass along the next corridor. As you glide towards the end you'll be rapidly running out of fuel. Thrust < and ^ to counteract your horizontal motion and move carefully through the narrow area, then descend carefully. You now have 10% or less fuel remaining, so with all your skills you'll need a quick, efficient landing here. See "Landing".<br><br>

*A nightmare level on Hard mode, even for very skilled players, mainly due to the shortage of fuel. Thrust directly &gt; (not up at all) and descend carefully, thrusting ^ and &lt; at the corner to move into the hole and start moving &lt; along the passage. Stay at constant height through the corridor and thrust &gt; and slightly ^ at the end to descend further, then thrust harder to pass along the next corridor. As you glide towards the end you'll be rapidly running out of fuel. Thrust &lt; and ^ to counteract your horizontal motion and move carefully through the narrow area, then descend carefully. You now have 10% or less fuel remaining, so with all your skills you'll need a quick, efficient landing here. See &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Large Intestine===

===Large Intestine===

*Relative difficulty: 3/4

*Relative difficulty: 3/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 20000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 20000

*Dead easy, though fuel may become a factor on Hard if you're not conservative. Thrust > and descend along as straight a line as possible towards the underside of the curve. Thrust ^ and > to navigate carefully along keeping as close to the ceiling as possible, then a long-ish thrust ^ and > should send you flying diagonally up and in a nice parabolic arc over the top of the next bend. You should need minimal course correction i.e. a single thrust < at the end to steer yourself into a descent down the final area. Descend carefully thrusting ^ and slightly < or > to stay as close to the rock as possible. See "Landing".<br><br>

*Dead easy, though fuel may become a factor on Hard if you're not conservative. Thrust &gt; and descend along as straight a line as possible towards the underside of the curve. Thrust ^ and &gt; to navigate carefully along keeping as close to the ceiling as possible, then a long-ish thrust ^ and &gt; should send you flying diagonally up and in a nice parabolic arc over the top of the next bend. You should need minimal course correction i.e. a single thrust &lt; at the end to steer yourself into a descent down the final area. Descend carefully thrusting ^ and slightly &lt; or &gt; to stay as close to the rock as possible. See &quot;Landing&quot;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;

===Small Intestine===

===Small Intestine===

*Relative difficulty: 4/4

*Relative difficulty: 4/4

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 32000

*Fuel Bonus awarded out of: 32000

*Very, very unpleasant to look at, but only one bit is really tricky. Gently descend > and use minimal thrusts < and > to steer through the chicane bit. You can actually descend in a straight line from the last corner to the underside of the bend at the bottom of the first hole. Thrust ^ to decelerate and bob gently along the underside, then thrust vertically ^ along the inside of the wall, trying to take a short route towards the "thorn". Slow down almost to a crawl and navigate > and ^ over the thorn, then thrust gently ^ and > through the next bit. Thrust < to slow down at the corner and ^ to descend softly and vertically. At the bottom, thrust ^ and slightly < into the last bit. You need to take this bit slowly and with precision. Although the sawtoothed area is the narrowest part in all of AstroLander, you are advised to take it while pointing upwards, using the method you always use to navigate horizontally. Build up a small > motion, then bob gently > using gentle ^ thrusts through the chicane. Navigate with care towards the pad keeping an eye on your fuel gauge, although you should manage a stress-free landing. See "Landing".

*Very, very unpleasant to look at, but only one bit is really tricky. Gently descend &gt; and use minimal thrusts &lt; and &gt; to steer through the chicane bit. You can actually descend in a straight line from the last corner to the underside of the bend at the bottom of the first hole. Thrust ^ to decelerate and bob gently along the underside, then thrust vertically ^ along the inside of the wall, trying to take a short route towards the &quot;thorn&quot;. Slow down almost to a crawl and navigate &gt; and ^ over the thorn, then thrust gently ^ and &gt; through the next bit. Thrust &lt; to slow down at the corner and ^ to descend softly and vertically. At the bottom, thrust ^ and slightly &lt; into the last bit. You need to take this bit slowly and with precision. Although the sawtoothed area is the narrowest part in all of AstroLander, you are advised to take it while pointing upwards, using the method you always use to navigate horizontally. Build up a small &gt; motion, then bob gently &gt; using gentle ^ thrusts through the chicane. Navigate with care towards the pad keeping an eye on your fuel gauge, although you should manage a stress-free landing. See &quot;Landing&quot;.

==Videos==

==Videos==