- "Sam Fisher... I can't believe you beat me here."
- ― Irving Lambert upon seeing Fisher.
Training is the first solo campaign level of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and the first level of the Splinter Cell series. Third Echelon, a brand new initiative of the National Security Agency, recruits agent Sam Fisher to lead the operational arm of Third Echelon as a Splinter Cell. But first, Fisher must prove himself by completing a basic assault course and completing covert ops training at the CIA Training Farm. To the player, this level serves as a tutorial to help them learn the basic and advanced techniques within the game.
Briefing[]
06:01 – Prove that you are the right man for the job.
06:01 / 06:44 – Prove that you are the right man for the job.
Data & Transcript[]
Information[]
Goals | |
---|---|
Open the door to the next training area. | |
Pick the lock on the door. [3-pins: ↑ ↓ →] [PS2: ←↑ ↓→ ↑→] | |
Interrogate your opponent for the keypad code. | |
Force your opponent to use the retinal scanner. | |
Shoot the lights to sneak past the camera to the exit. | Shoot the lights to pass the camera. |
Shoot the camera to disable it. | |
Pass by the camera without shooting anything. | Sneak past the camera. |
Knock out and hide your opponent's body from the guard. | |
Remain undetected until the guard completes his patrol. | Remain hidden from the guard. |
Make your way to the exit without making noise. | Cross the room silently. |
Notes | |
🔑 [Lambert] The code to the conference room is 7393. [Xbox/PC/PS3 only] | |
💻 [Computer] The code for the observation platform over the assault course is 5656. [Xbox/PC/PS3 only] 🔑 Hacking: 4-pins: ↑ ↓ → ← [Xbox/PC/PS3 only] | |
🗣 [Interrogate] The code to the keypad door is 28469. |
Overview[]
Following a walk down a hallway, Third Echelon Operations Coordinator Irving Lambert inputs a code into a keypad locked door, causing the door to unlock and open for him. Upon entering the room, Lambert is surprised to find Sam Fisher already waiting inside wearing his field equipment. Lambert asks Fisher how NSA orientation is going, to which Fisher replies that it's been going "well enough" and that they've been secretive about what he is allowed to know. Lambert explains that it's the nature of the agency, clarifying that to promote cooperation and teamwork, they don't let any one person know everything. Moving on to the task at hand, Lambert apologizes to Fisher about making him run the basic assault course and covert ops training. Since Third Echelon is a brand new initiative, all eyes are currently on Fisher's performance and how well he does in the training exercises.
For the first training assignment, Fisher is tasked with running the basic assault course: a series of obstacles set up in a rather large warehouse facility designed to test physical maneuverability. After a brief optic calibration, he begins the assault course and demonstrates basic physical actions: climbing ladders and pipes, using a zip line, crouching to move beneath tight quarters, performing the split jump and back-to-wall, and utilizing the wall jump to reach elevated ledges.
After completing the assault course, Fisher makes it into the next area: covert ops training, where Lambert meets him as he observes through a monitoring room. He notifies Fisher that there are "live bodies in there", explaining that some CIA instructors "kindly volunteered" to be his "victims". Fisher's first challenge is to get past a locked door by picking the lock using his lock picks. The next challenge involves getting information from personnel in the immediate area by using interrogation. Fisher grabs a nearby guard and interrogates him for the code to a keypad locked door, enabling him to move on to the next challenge.
Lambert explains through Fisher's earpiece that the next door is protected by a retinal scanner, and that Fisher must grab the nearby guard and force his eyes on the scanner to unlock the door. He does so, allowing him to continue on. The next area involves producing the shadows needed to sneak past an armored security camera. Fisher uses his SC Pistol to shoot out the unprotected lights and create shadows for him to sneak through. In the following section, the camera watching the room is not armored, so Fisher shoots it to disable it and continues to the next room.
In this room, Fisher is tasked with making it past the armored camera by timing his movements and sticking to existing shadows. After waiting for the opportune moment, he slips by and continues on to the next area. Here, Fisher must knock out the stationary guard and hide his body. He knocks out the guard and carries him into the shadows as another guard makes a sweep, finding nothing.
The next section takes place in a room dedicated to picking up sound; Fisher has to sneak through the room making as little noise as possible. After he completes the challenge, Lambert chimes in over his earpiece and asks if he's even started - to his surprise, he has. Lambert is completely surprised by the results and meets Sam at the end of the course, introducing him to Vernon Wilkes, Jr. After the brief talk, Lambert and Wilkes welcome Fisher into the NSA, specifically the brand new Third Echelon initiative.
Debriefing[]
Congratulations, Fisher, you have demonstrated that you are the right man to spearhead the NSA's Third Echelon initiative. The onus will be on you to prove the worth of deploying solo covert operatives by gathering intelligence in the field and taking deliberate action based on that intelligence... welcome to the NSA.
Differences[]
- Lambert uses the code 7393 to enter the conference room he talks with Fisher in.
- On the upper ledge to the right as soon as the player starts the level, there is a ledge that Fisher can climb up on. Doing so reveals a room with a Lock Pick available to grab. Picking this up will allow Fisher to unlock a small room at the end of the basic assault course with a data stick inside. This data stick contains a message from Anna Grímsdóttir to Lambert with the code to unlock the upper observation platform room.
- Also in the data stick, Grímsdóttir references Audie Murphy, one of the most decorated American combat officers during World War II.
- Ironically, Grímsdóttir states in the data stick that Lambert told her there is "no such thing as a secret when Fisher is looking for something", though she tells Lambert she will believe it when she sees it.
- With the code, Sam can reach the upper observation room behind his starting position and talk to Anna Grímsdóttir. If he knocks her out, the mission fails.
- Sam meets Grímsdóttir and is introduced to Wilkes for the first time while at the CIA Training Farm, August 7, 2004.
- There are four lights in the first room with an armored camera.
- After the section where Fisher has to knock out a guard and hide his body, another guard will come and check the area for evidence of the body. After he checks the area, and heads back into the room across the hall, the lights in the room will turn off. Fisher can enter the room and knock him out without failing the mission.
- In the last Covert Ops section, Lambert states that he will be monitoring some "hidden mics". The mics are not very well hidden - in fact, they are plainly visible, as they hang rather low from the ceiling.
Trivia[]
- Lambert gives a similar lecture on stealth in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow's Dili, Timor mission as he does in this mission.
- During the assault course, the player can hear people doing what sounds like training exercises and workouts; these are likely other CIA recruits in training.
- Additionally, when Fisher is running the assault course, single boot impressions (made by one person) can be seen in the dirt showing the correct path to the next obstacle.
- This is one of two missions that take place at a CIA-related location in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, the other being CIA HQ.
- VHS tapes can be found in different areas around the facility; they are marked with the word "confidential". Interestingly, these tapes can be found in other levels as well; this is a reused model prop for the environment.
- During the training exercises, Fisher can re-display tutorial messages by activating the electronic boxes located near the respective obstacle challenge.
- Despite being one of the actions Fisher can do, the rappel action is never introduced in this level. It is introduced in the Defense Ministry level.
- When picking up the lock pick in the secret area at the start of the basic assault course, you can notice that the item Fisher picks up is actually a Disposable Pick.
- The CIA instructors can be shot (non-fatally) with no repercussions. However, killing them will result in mission failure.
- An early image showed Sam climbing a rope net on the basic assault course, but only a metal fence is seen in the final version.
- Information gathered from in-game files gives insight to a few features that were cut from the final release.
- A GPS was going to be tested on Sam by Grim before the basic training, so that the player could learn the basic movement controls. She would also go over the PDA functions.
- Sticky Cameras and Sticky Shockers were planned to be used in the mission.