Max Payne 1
Max Payne is a classic action game for PC where the player
controls Max Payne, a fugitive undercover cop who is going on a rampage
to avenge
his wife and baby girl.
The action takes place in New York, mostly at night, during 3 days and while the city is
hit by a severe snowstorm.
The areas visited are quited varied (Ex: Some poor neighboroods in the
Bronx, crappy hotels run by mafiosos, metro stations, sewers,
restaurants, a theater, NY streets, rooftops, skyscrapers and even an
historical building).
The original version of Max Payne 1 was published in 2001 but
in April
2022 Remedy and Rockstar Games have officially announced that a remake
for the game was planned.
Why is Max Payne 1 a classic PC Game
The game was revolutionary when it cames out in 2001 as it
included the
capacity for the player to slow down time to allow him more time to aim
for ennemies and avoid bullets.
In the game, this feature is called the "Bullet Time" but as other
games included it over the time, it is more commonly known as
"slowmotion".
At the time, Max Payne 1 was also famous for the way the game manages
decals as eliminated ennemies but also, blood, cartridges and bullets
impacts on walls don't disappear. They stay forever. And even by today'
standards, it is a very immersive and rare feature in games.
The game has also a very nice OST and the english voice acting is
fantastic.
Last but not least, the game has a good story and the way it is told
(in a graphic novel style) makes the game kinda unique in its genre.
When it comes to flaws (as no games is perfect), Max Payne 1
is a bit too short but the different difficulty modes, like for example
"New York Minute", makes its replayability worthwile.
Another thing which comes to mind is that some enemies are bullet
sponges, meaning : A lot of shots are needed to take them down which
isn't very realistic (but thanksfully, on PC, the mod "Realistic
IA" fixes this and also, for thoses who want to wait before playing the
game, the remake may fix theses :).
Max Payne 1 was first published on CD-rom with an editor so
players can create customs missions for the game but it is now
available on Steam.
The game has a few notable mods like the one which gives kung fu moves
to Max Payne as well as other mods which improve the IA, the
graphics and even some which fix issues if you play the game on the
last Windows systems.
The main characters of Max Payne 1
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Tips and tricks for Max Payne 1
In Max Payne 1, headshots do more damage than body shots, and shots to the arms and legs cause less damage than shots to the torso.
Also, when the player jumps in slow motion, he can take damage but he can't die (He is invincible until the slowmotion jump ends).
Escape enemies instead of fighting them
Sometimes, it is possible to just avoid fighting but only in a
few areas.
For example at the start of the level where the player just has Franky
Niagara's bat as a weapon, it is possible to access the elevator
without engaging any combat with the mafia members patrolling the area
: After you have freed yourself, just open the room and wait here until
you have seen 3 mafia members (1 alone, then 2 walking together) walk
by the corridor. Then, save the game, let the 3 of them take a little
advance and follow them at distance. Wait until they turn to the left
and then, go to the room located to the right and you will find several
weapons, including a shotgun. Equip yourself and then you can clean the
whole place of enemies... or you can just run to the elevator and leave
the place, thus avoiding fighting completly.
Secret areas in Max Payne 1
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There is a secret room in Max Payne 1's tutorial. |
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In the mission, Rooftops and Alleys, there is a secret room near the end of the level in which the player can finds several grenades and molotov cocktails. And in one of the walls of this room, there is a Dopefish poster. |
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At the top of the Choir Communication's garage where Max Payne confronts B.B. and his henchmen, there is a secret room which contains a sniper rifle, several ammo types and a radio which plays a message from the game's developpers. |
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If you finish the game on the mode "Dead On Arrival", after the ending scene, you will then access 2 secret rooms located at the top of the Aesir tower. If you manage to beat the Aesir security personels in the first room, you will then be allowed to explore the second room where trophies are stored. |
Max Payne 1 Cheat Codes
Theses cheat codes are for the PC version of Max Payne 1.
Note : To play with cheat codes, the player has to create a
shortcut for the game (on its deskop or even on the Max Payne's
installation folder), make a right click on it, select "properties" and
in the "target" blank space, add the words: -developper and
-developperkeys AFTER "C:\Program Files (x86)\Max Payne\MaxPayne.exe"
(NB: this 'target' is if you have, like me, the CD-Rom version of the
game and if you installed the game in the Program Files folder).
This video tutorial explains how to use cheat codes in Max Payne 1.
Characters Swaps
With the "developpers" cheat codes, the player can play the game as another character. And this can be more challenging as they have their have their own stats, which often are lower than Max's.
Get weapons and items
getallweapons gives all weapons to the player.
giveinfiniteammo makes all weapons have infinite ammos.
God Mode
The cheat code "God" makes the player unkillable (he will take
damage but won't die).
"coder" makes the player unkillable AND gives him all weapons AND
infinite ammos.
"Mortal" cancels the god and coder cheat codes (So the Max Payne
becomes killable again).
Max Payne 1 Mods
There are many mods for the original Max Payne 1 game.
Some adds alternate
stories, others ones fix the gameplay and there are even mods which improve how the game looks.
Noir York City
The Mod Noir York for Max Payne makes the exteriors
areas look better and also makes the gameplay a bit more realistic.
More info about the mod Noir
York City.
Max Payne 1 Remastered
The mod Max Payne 1 Remastered increases the resolutions of
the original textures.
The mod doesn't fix everything, thought. Especially the exteriors areas
which have aged quite terribly.
Still, it is a good mod.
Kung Fu Mod
The Kung Fu mod for Max Payne 1 allows the player to use
punches and kicks against enemies.
First Person Payne (FPS)
The First Person Payne mod will turn the game Max Payne 1 into a FPS.
Patches and fixes for Max Payne 1
The original version of Max Payne 1 was released 20 years ago, so a few users may have problems to make the game run perfectly on modern systems like Windows 7, 8 or 10.Thanksfully, the developpers and the community have created patches to solve theses problems.
Max Payne 1 fixes and troobleshootings
Installation problems
For thoses who have the PC-CD version of the game, here is how to install the game in Windows 7 and later versions of Windows :
Insert Max Payne's CD-Rom in the CD-DVD player of your
computer, then go to "Computer", right click on the CD-Rom and choose
"Open".
With Max Payne's CD-Rom opened in the windows explorer, open the folder
"Disk1" and inside it, make a double click on "Setup.exe".
Then, ignore the message which says that the game doesn't have enough
system memory and complete the installation.
After the installation, you will need to install the latest patch for
the game (Patch 1.05 or a mod which has it included).
How to make Max Payne run correctly in Windows 7 and later versions
With some combinations of graphics and hardware, the game may not work, but there is a patch to fix this : MaxPayneStartupHangPatchv1.01 .
Sound problems
The game is 20 years old so the sound may not work correctly
if you play the game on Windows 7 and later versions of Windows.
But thanksfully, the patch "Ultimate
Max Payne 1 Sound Fix for Windows Vista/7/8/10 solves this problem.
Widescreen fix
The Max Payne Widescreen Fix Patch adapts the graphics so they are displayed correctly in wide screens. This is a must have patch and it is compatible with many existing mods.
Tools for modding Max Payne 1
Unlike the Steam version of the game, The PC CD-Rom version of
Max Payne 1 contains many modding tools which were provided by the
game's developpers so players can make their own missions.
Theses useful modding tools can be found on the net by searching their
name.
The most known tools for modding Max Payne 1 are listed below :
Max Payne Packer
Just like the RasMaker tool, Max Payne Packer tool will pack and unpack the ras archives which contains the game's files (like the levels files for example). This tool is a must have if you want to mod the base game.
LDBrip for Max Payne 1
LDBRIP for Max Payne 1 is a tool which allows to unpack Max Payne's level files (so People can see the textures used in each level and their name). It is a must have tool if you want to mod the base game.
Max FX Tools
The CD-Rom version of Max Payne 1 which was released in 2001
contains a level editor and instructions so players can extract the
game's files and create mods for the game.
Online converting tools (To convert textures)
It is possible to replace the pictures and the textures used in the Max Payne 1 levels by other ones.
For example, if you want to replace the skybox textures or the building
textures like I did in my Noir York City mod, it is possible.
But for this, you will have to convert the pictures and textures you
want to install in Max Payne 1 to the right format, otherwise the game
will crash.
Thanksfully, on internet there are free online converters which allow to do just that.
Just to name a few of them, there are : online-convert , convertio , onlineconvertfree , anyconv , etc...
Tutorials for modding Max Payne 1
How to create skyboxes for Max Payne 1 (Only when creating new levels).
How to replace the skyboxes in the game Max Payne 1 (Only for the skyboxes used in the main campaign).