Thoughts on GTA:SA

[+Random Terrain]

I went to a hospital to pick up a guy, then had to find the right ambulance, got him all the way to where I was supposed to take him and then the whole thing froze up. Couldn't bring up the menu or anything.

[kisrael]

Used the Hunter "Heli Hell" Hijack hijinks hack (namely, going on Heli Hell then stuffing the copter in the big hangar at the airstrip) and managed to get up to get past level 12 on Vigilante...tougher to do that than it was in Vice City I think, Angel Pine was a good place to do it though, fewer cops to accidentally blow up and crank up the wanted level (3 is ok, 4 starts means they start sending missile-beearing planes at you) It took me like 10-15 tries, and I was frustrated during some of that (just like firefighter, sometimes it's just to easy to hit mission cancel by mistake) but in the end I was very satisfied that I had struggled through...

[+Random Terrain]

Finally got the gang wars back in the old neighborhood. Does anyone know how far I can go with missions before I lose the gang wars again? I want to keep them alive.

 

Thanks.

[kisrael]

Finally got the gang wars back in the old neighborhood. Does anyone know how far I can go with missions before I lose the gang wars again? I want to keep them alive.

You have them forever now...you can finish the game, and then keep doing gang warfare.

 

GameFAQ has a secrets FAQ that claims there's a weird glitch, say you have 100% of the territories, you take a plane and fly far away, and suddenly all these new gang areas open up, and your 100% drops to like 75%. I can't verify or deny this.

 

To answer the "replay" question, I think I'd come back to this game for some of the sidequests, especially territory take over. And that's after I went ahead after finishing the story and got stuff like paramedic and vigilante...For some reason though I think I'd be less likely to come back to this game for random stunts and mayhem relative to GTA:VC... (heh, I wrote GTA: VD at first) -- I don't why that is. Maybe the GTA novelty has worn off? (VC was my first GTA game) Maybe it's so big, that it's harder to know where the interesting jumps are, besides some things like Mt. Chilliad and the BASE jumping off of that building. Also I think because they paint CJ as more sympathetic than Tommy Vercetti, I'm a little less happy running him around as a homocidal maniac. (Or maybe that's just my liberal guilt talking )

 

Oh, also in terms of secrets, they say that if you save right before starting the final mission (I forget what the name is, or the one before it, but I think it has "final" in the title) it's aunique time in the game...something like you can't get a wanted level, so if you like going for mayhem with all the cops, that's the savegame for you.

 

Hey, does that one guy still need a transferred save on his memory card?

[+Random Terrain]

Finally got the gang wars back in the old neighborhood. Does anyone know how far I can go with missions before I lose the gang wars again? I want to keep them alive.

You have them forever now...you can finish the game, and then keep doing gang warfare.

That's cool. Thanks. It's nice to have a large play area like this to goof around in. I'm sure I'll be playing this off and on for years. I rented Vice City and GTA 3 for the Xbox, and I got sick of both of them after a while, but it seems like they put enough stuff in this new one to keep you interested for a long time. I hope the GTA series keeps improving like this, especially with more advanced consoles coming out. I hope the GTA world will seem even more alive and they'll make it so we can see details farther away. I'd like to get on a building and see tiny people running around below or have trees not totally disappear as I fly a short distance away from them. I know I've crashed at least a few times because what looked like an open area was actually full of trees that didn't pop up until it was too late.

[kisrael]

I hope the GTA series keeps improving like this, especially with more advanced consoles coming out. I hope the GTA world will seem even more alive and they'll make it so we can see details farther away. I'd like to get on a building and see tiny people running around below or have trees not totally disappear as I fly a short distance away from them. I know I've crashed at least a few times because what looked like an open area was actually full of trees that didn't pop up until it was too late.

Yeah...I think they improved a lot of things in terms of no loading between sections and draw distance and especially cars disappearing but I think the next gen systems should really make this something special.

 

Worst late-tree-popup I noticed: there's a golf course in the northwest of Las Venturas, a few times when I'd try to start helicopter vigilante in the eastern desert the guy would end up there, and it would go from an incredibly bare looking land for like a full 10 seconds to boom, suddenly it's all trees.

 

You wonder how far they're going to go on the minigames...I could totally see putting a little golf sim in there (heh maybe regular golf and putt putt), a dozen other sports...I wonder if any other series will ever start capturing the "real world" feel of this series. Most of the other games focus on just the mayhem, or make it a cop game.

[Cobra Commander]

Put that bitch online, imagine 20 or 30 CJ's running around messing shit up. You could start a new gang, compete against each other, race cars, pimp your friends, or my favorite general mahem and chaos.

[+Random Terrain]

I finished the game tonight. I thought I'd never finish a couple of missions back when Sweet wanted to go out and have a gang war. He kept getting killed and I couldn't find a place to get him stuck good enough so he'd be safe, so I finally figured out that I could lure him into my garage, run out as fast as I could, then watch as the door closed him in. I went and had my little gang war by myself and then had no trouble after that. The last really long mission was easier than I thought it would be. Got it in one try. Glad I did because I wouldn't want to do that all over again.

 

I'm now going to have fun exploring and doing things I haven't yet. No more frustrating missions mixed with a few fun ones, just total freedom to do what I want (except for being able to destroy buildings and burn the cities to the ground).

[kisrael]

Congratulations!

 

I had fun doing some of the sidequest missions, like fire engine (actually I did that one before I tackled the ending) and Vigilante in a hunter helicopter. I don't think I'll ever get around to trying for 100% though.

[Artlover]

Ok...

 

"Wrong side of the tracks".

 

How the bloody hell do you manage to kill everyone ontop of the engine before the train gets away across the bridge that I can't cross yet?

 

Side note reflection: Yes, despite playing it for over a month, I've not finished the first section of the game yet. However, I did get all 100 grafitti tags, and I think all the oysters in this part of the map (21 out of 50).

[rsiddall]

How the bloody hell do you manage to kill everyone ontop of the engine before the train gets away across the bridge that I can't cross yet?

 

For whatever reason it seems that you have to stay on the other set of tracks running parallel to the train. I guess it's so that you have to avoid the oncoming trains as well as steering the bike. I noticed that I didn't seem to kill but one or two shooters if I stayed off the tracks (out of harm's way) but got better aim/hits when riding on them.

[+Random Terrain]

How the bloody hell do you manage to kill everyone on top of the engine before the train gets away across the bridge that I can't cross yet?

For whatever reason it seems that you have to stay on the other set of tracks running parallel to the train. I guess it's so that you have to avoid the oncoming trains as well as steering the bike. I noticed that I didn't seem to kill but one or two shooters if I stayed off the tracks (out of harm's way) but got better aim/hits when riding on them.

If you want to cheat and you know the jet pack code by heart and you already have a ton of machine gun ammunition from using the weapons cheat, instead of getting on the motorcycle, quickly slap on the jet pack, fly over the train (not too high) and target a guy and kill him, target the next guy and kill him, and keep doing that until they are all dead. As soon as you can see they are all dead, fly back to the fat guy and get on the motorcycle and take him home. I can't remember if the cops are alerted. If they are and you just want to get it over with, use the cheat to get the cops off your back and take the guy home with no troubles.

[kemsted]

Cheater.

 

-kemsted

[Cobra Commander]

I had to do that mission a few times, Get an MP5/SMG it packs the best punch with a good rate of fire.

[Artlover]

I've tried driving along the tracks, no luck. Big Smoke only gets a couple of guys, then I run out of time/track and the mission fails.

 

I've tried the jetpack cheat, no luck there either. Mostly because it takes a crap load of ammo to kill the guys, and because I hate the way the jetpack flys.

 

 

Another mission I know for the fact that I'll never finish is "high stakes, low rider". If there is one single vehicular that I hate the most, it's the stupid low rider because you loose camera control.

 

I should just give up now before I waste anymore time.

[+Random Terrain]

Another mission I know for the fact that I'll never finish is "high stakes, low rider". If there is one single vehicular that I hate the most, it's the stupid low rider because you loose camera control.

I hate losing camera control too. Except for when you have to use a low rider, I avoid them. The normal camera angles suck, so I'm always adjusting. If you left it the way it is, sometimes the camera is almost under the car looking up. Really nice when stuck in some small area and you can't see what you are doing.

 

Strange about the jet pack. It's the easiest thing for me to fly in the game. Some of those little airplanes are too sensitive and jiggly. The big helicopter is also a slight pain to fly, especially with a car dangling on a cable below.

[Artlover]

Strange about the jet pack. It's the easiest thing for me to fly in the game.

 

For me, it's a camera issue. Unless you have forward movement taking place, camera view has absolutly no bearing on where you are pointing. So in a blink of an eye, you're doing 360's and end up going in some totaly different direction then you had intended. It's also slow, poor acceleration. Plus there's an altitude cap, so I cant get to the tops of the tallest buildings. Damn it.

 

Atleast I can get ahold of the rocket launcher. It was fun blowing up the police helicopter, 'cept I was to close, and got wasted in the blast.

 

Anywho... After a couple of hours of trying over and over and over and over, finally was able to finish "wrong side of the tracks" using the jetpack cheat. I had like 2 rounds left in my machine gun. I found part of my problem as first (besides getting too high), was you apperently can't do any damage to the guys till the train gets past a certain point. So I had been wasting several clips of ammo each go around.

[+Random Terrain]

Anywho... After a couple of hours of trying over and over and over and over, finally was able to finish "wrong side of the tracks" using the jetpack cheat. I had like 2 rounds left in my machine gun. I found part of my problem as first (besides getting too high), was you apparently can't do any damage to the guys till the train gets past a certain point. So I had been wasting several clips of ammo each go around.

That's good that you got it done. I usually do the weapons cheat over and over ahead of time (about 10 to 20 times) so I have a ton of ammo. Easier and quicker than buying it. Each time you do you cheat, you get a nice pile of ammo for each weapon.

 

When flying with the jet pack, all you have to remember is that up with the stick is forward, meaning whichever way he is facing. Camera angle has nothing to do with it. Just point your pecker and push up, the camera will adjust. Also remember that you can hover in place if you need to by pressing those two buttons at the back at the same time. As you probably know, those buttons can move you left or right individually, but together, you'll be as still as standing on the ground. That can help you get straightened around if you get confused.

 

I don't know if you have done the OG Loc mission yet where you are chasing his old boyfriend on a motorcycle, but if you haven't, don't try to kill him while he is driving. I found out the hard way that you can't. He is invincible. It's like he is riding a bullet-proof roller coaster or something. Follow him along his predetermined path and when you get to the end of the 'ride' where he has a bunch of friends waiting to kill you and OG Loc, get off your motorcycle and kill all of them with your machine gun which should have a ton of ammo from doing the weapons cheat multiple times before you started the mission.

[Brad2600]

How do you shoot a weapon while you have the jetpack?

 

I also hate the way the jetpack controls. Ughh.

[+Random Terrain]

How do you shoot a weapon while you have the jetpack?

 

I also hate the way the jetpack controls. Ughh.

You have to have a weapon that will work such as the machine gun you get with the first weapons cheat:

 

R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up

 

You then shoot the way you do without the jet pack. Hold down R1 to target someone and hit the circle button to shoot.

[Artlover]

Camera angle has nothing to do with it.

Exactly my problem. I have an expectation that the camera should always be pointing roughly in the direction I'm facing, with any other views being strictly by my control only. Bad camera handling has killed many a game for me. It's one of the reasons I stopped playing and never finished Mario Sunshine.

 

I don't know if you have done the OG Loc mission yet

Here is what I've completed;

 

Big Smoke

Sweet+Kendl

Ryder

Tagging UpTurf

Cleaning the Hood

Drive-Thru

Nines and AK's

Drive-By

Sweets Girl

Ceser Vialpando

OG Loc

Running Dog

Wrong Side of the Tracks (cheated)

Home Invasion

Catalyst

Robbing Uncle Sam

Life's a Beach

 

Out of what I've completed, OC Loc was the second hardest pain in the ass mission. Oddly, some of the seemingly harder missions like Robbing Uncle Sam I found to be very easy. Took me 2 tries. First time I got killed at the gate before getting in because I didn't grasp the concept of "target & shoot" the gate controlls (doh!), second time I completed the mission.

 

I just don't have the patience to keep playing the missions over most of the time. After I fail like the 3rd time in a row, I spend a few hours going on a murder spree. Trying to see how high I can get my wanted level up, or how far I can get on the other areas of the map. And yes, if you swim across to the other areas and trigger a 4star wanted, you can get away and overtime have it drop to 0stars. Need the speed boat to do it however. Just speed around the ocean for about 30 minutes.

[Artlover]

You then shoot the way you do without the jet pack. Hold down R1 to target someone and hit the circle button to shoot.

 

Actually, anytime you're in a vehicular, you can also use L1 to shoot. Which is easier then trying to use the (O) button when your figners are busy pressing (X).

[+Random Terrain]

You then shoot the way you do without the jet pack. Hold down R1 to target someone and hit the circle button to shoot.

 

Actually, anytime you're in a vehicular, you can also use L1 to shoot. Which is easier then trying to use the (O) button when your figners are busy pressing (X).

I hate to use L1 when I'm using the Jet pack. My thumb is big enough to hold down the X button and press the circle button with the side of it. No need for me to let go of the X button to use the circle button, so it's easier than using L1, but I keep forgetting that others have smaller hands.

[+Random Terrain]

For anyone stuck who just wants to have some fun, here are some of my favorite cheat codes I got off the Internet:

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

Most Used Codes

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Bribe the Cops (make them forget about you)

R1, R1, Circle, R2, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down

 

Full Health, Full Armor, $250,000

R1, R2, L1, X, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up

 

Weapons Set #1 (do more than once to build up your ammo)

[bat, Pistol, Shotgun, Mini SMG, AK 47, Rocket Launcher, Molotov Cocktail, Spray Can, Brass Knuckles]

R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up.

 

Weapons Set #2 (do more than once to build up your ammo)

[Knife, Pistol, Sawed off Shotgun, Tec 9 Machine Pistol, Sniper Rifle, Flamethrower, Grenades]

R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Down, Left

 

Weapons Set #3 (do more than once to build up your ammo)

[Chainsaw, Silenced Pistol, Combat Shotgun, M4, Bazooka, Plastic Explosive]

R1, R2, L1, R2, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Down, Down

 

Wear Jet Pack

Left, Right, L1, L2, R1, R2, Up, Down, Left, Right  

 

Wear Parachute  

Left, Right, L1, L2, R1, R2, R2, Up, Down, Right, L1

 

Jump 10 Times Higher

Up, Up, Triangle, Triangle, Up, Up, Left, Right, Square, R2, R2  

 

 

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Stats

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

Maximum Muscle

Triangle, Up, Up, Left, Right, Square, Circle, Left

 

Maximum Fat

Triangle, Up, Up, Left, Right, Square, Circle, Down

 

No Fat or Muscle

Triangle, Up, Up, Left, Right, Square, Circle, Right

 

 

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Vehicle Related

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Vehicle of Death (makes any vehicle CJ uses invincible, and gives it the ability to blow up any vehicle it bangs into. Works on all vehicles. Enter code again to turn it off, as usual.)

L1, L2, L2, Up, Down, Down, Up, R1, R2, R2

 

Bionic Bicycle Bunny Hop (press and release L1 while on bike to use)

Triangle, Square, Circle, Circle, Square, Circle,Circle, L1, L2, L2, R1, R2

 

Perfect Handling (great for airplanes, not so hot with cars)

Triangle, R1, R1, Left, R1, L1, R2, L1  

 

Spawn Hotring Racer #1 (really fast car)

R1 , Circle , R2 , Right , L1 , L2 , X (2), Square , R1

 

Spawn Hydra Military Jet

Triangle, Triangle, Square, Circle, X, L1, L1, Down, Up

 

Spawn Vortex Land/Water Hovercraft

Triangle, Triangle, Square, Circle, X, L1, L2, Down, Down

 

Spawn Rhino Tank

Circle, Circle, L1, Circle, Circle, Circle, L1, L2, R1, Triangle, Circle, Triangle  

 

Spawn Stunt Plane

Circle, Up, L1, L2, Down, R1, L1, L1, Left, Left, X, Triangle

 

Spawn ATV Quadbike

Left, Left, Down, Down, Up, Up, Square, Circle, Triangle, R1, R2

 

 

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Misc.

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Beach People and Beach Vehicles Everywhere and CJ in Shorts  

Up, Up, Down, Down, Square, Circle, L1, R1, Triangle, Down

 

All Traffic Lights Stay Green

Right, R1, Up, L2, L2, Left, R1, L1, R1, R1  

 

Suicide  

Right, L2, Down, R1, Left, Left, R1, L1, L2, L1

That Vehicle of Death code seems to work during races too. I just tried it with the low rider race. Instead of getting the original low rider or the one a few houses away from where the mission starts, about a house or two up from that car, a guy pulled in with a pimp mobile low rider. Now that is a sturdy, stable car. I used that since it is easier to control. I already entered the Vehicle of Death code before starting the mission and when you get to the race and it starts, it seems that if you are going to blow up the other cars in the race, you must destroy them all. One time I was first and I hit every spot you are supposed to, but I didn't win. A car that came in way behind me won. The next time I destroyed all of the cars and I won. A nice thing to remember when I play the game again on the Xbox (if it also has the Vehicle of Death code). I should win that race out in hillbilly land without a problem too.

 

For anyone who doesn't know where it is, the tall circular building you can enter is not too far behind the ammunition store that has the huge red, white, and blue stuff all over the front of it. The entrance is near the ramp (or bridge or whatever it is called). When you get to the top of the building, it's fun to spawn the Vortex Hovercraft and drive it off the edge because if you can keep it level, you can kind of 'fly' it down to the ground. If you already have the Vehicle of Death code activated, you can ride all vehicles to the ground and nothing bad will happen to you. I've been up on that building a lot lately spawning different vehicles.

 

Since I have finished the game, there is almost always a small helicopter on top of that rap star's house near the Vinewood sign. I flew it to the top of that tall building yesterday instead of using the door. That's a cool little helicopter. Much easier to fly than the big ones.

 

If you haven't flown a plane yet and it looks like you may never get a chance to, remember to spawn that Hydra Military Jet if you want to have some fun. It goes straight up like a helicopter. After you get in the air, click the right stick to bring up the landing gear, hold the right stick forward for a couple of seconds to kick it into forward and then have fun flying. Hold the right stick down for a couple of seconds when you want to go back to being like a helicopter again, click the stick again to lower your wheels and you're ready to land.

[Artlover]

A nice thing to remember when I play the game again on the Xbox (if it also has the Vehicle of Death code).

 

I wouldn't doubt it.

 

Generaly speaking, regarding games codes, the codes are the same and work on both. I've more then once used PS2 codes listed in the GamePro Codevault on Xbox games.

 

Here's the Key...

 

PS2 button = Xbox button

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

R1 = R

L1 = L

R2 = Black

L2 = White

X = A

O = B

{square} = X

{triangle] = Y

Left = Left

Right = Right

Up = Up

Down = Down

 

Try it, it works.