GTA: San Andreas - 4 Star Survival Guide (construction)

  • Thread starter Orion_SR
  • 140 comments
  • 33,982 views
GTA San Andreas - 4 Star Survival Guide

This topic is under construction.

@Admins - sorry about the mess. I have some rough content I can add soon, but I have a few videos almost ready and I need the topic link for the plug at the end.

The purpose of this topic is to document methods for exploring and completing missions in restricted areas of San Andreas. For example, collections in San Fierro or Las Venturas areas before any missions are completed.
 
1.[SIZE=-1][/SIZE] 2.[SIZE=-1][/SIZE] 3.[SIZE=-1] [/SIZE]
4.
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE][SIZE=-1] 5.[/SIZE][SIZE=-1][/SIZE] 6.[SIZE=-1][/SIZE][SIZE=-1]
7.
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]
ThumbnailServer2
8.
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1][/SIZE]

1. Panopticon Playground
Documents methods of accessing San Fierro while it is restricted by a 4 star wanted level. This video is part of the 4 Star Survival Guide and the link above. CJ jumps across the water from the Panopticon to Fallen Tree, returns to safe territory using the bridge without triggering a wanted level, enters the San Fierro Airport using the unique jump, and clears the wanted while flying the Maverick through the Badlands.
2. Sandking of San Andreas
CJ swims to LV south of the Quarry to collect a bike, and then documents locations of several vehicles useful for survival in Las Venturas. The Sandking is used to clear the wanted level using bribes in the Badlands.
1) Dune - heavy ramming, great off-road (rail climber).
2) PCJ at the Airstrip - best fixed bike spawn in LV (rail climber).
3) North Sea Sparrow - tends to get shot out of the sky.
4) Skimmer - more manuvuerable than a helicopter.
5) Sherman Sea Skimmer - protected from Hydra by cliffs.
6) Sandking - very fast on streets and off-road (rail climber)​
3. In Like Flint
This is a survival vehicle run in San Fierro.[SIZE=-1] CJ jumps a bike across the water to Flint Intersection to access the San Fierro territories while they are still restricted by a 4 star wanted level. Vehicles include; Cropduster, NRG-500, Firetruck, Bandio, Bloodring Banger, and Squalo. Along the way CJ meets Katie and sto[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]res an extra bike in the Doherty garage.[/SIZE]
4. Mini-Gun Run
This is a weapon collection video - get in, and get out safely. [SIZE=-1] CJ collects a couple of Mini-guns and a Combat Shotgun from Las Venturas while it is still restricted by a 4 star wanted level. CJ also uses a jump to access the LV airport and takes a peek at the AT-400. CJ returns to safe territory by riding a PCJ over the rail of the freeway bridge between LV and LS.[/SIZE]
5. Burgershock - Universal cut
The Burgershot Asset in Las Venturas is completed while the area is still restricted by a 4 Star Wanted Level. CJ starts the mission with very low health but finds enough snacks and armor to finish at full strength. This video is part of the 4 Star Survival Guide for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas at GTPlanet.net.
6. Hippy Shocker
The Hippy Shopper courier asset in San Fierro is completed while the area is still restricted by a 4 Star Wanted Level. CJ starts the ... all » mission with very low health but finds enough snacks and armor to finish at full strength.
7. Full Zoom
All 50 snapshots are collected in only 11:03 while San Fierro is still restricted with a 4 star wanted level. This video takes advantage of the generosity of photos taken with full zoom.
[SIZE=-1]8. Los Santos Ammo Run
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1] Basic ammo collection route for Los Santos. Focuses mostly on ammo for shotguns, Uzis, and assault weapons. The route circles the city in about 6 minutes - enough time for the weapons to respawn.
[/SIZE]​
[SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE]​
 
Rare Vehicle collection notes:

Sea Sparrow (Sherman Dam, north of Airstrip): Use a tow truck to park and pull it out of the garage at the Verdant Bluffs safehouse.

Dune (LV stadium after completing Kickstart): LV to Palomino bridge; the freeway, not the train bridge. Park the nose against rail, then push it on over. Use east rail to avoild sliding down the slope into the water.

Sandking (Big Ear, need one with hydraulics): Lift hydralics to climb the rail on the LV to Palomino bridge.

Turismo (random LV spawn): Use the center divider to launch and tumble the vehicle over the rail of the LV to Palomino bridge.

Bullet (next to bribe near SF docks): Jump across the channel of Flint Intersection.

Bloodring Banger (SF stadium after completing Bloodbowl): Jump across the channel of Flint Intersection.

Bandito (west beach of SF): Jump across the channel of Flint Intersection.

Flint Monster (trailer park at Flint Intersection): Still haven't figure out how to get it back to LS.

Hotknife, Phoenix, Euros (who cares): Spawned during 1st two levels of the vigilante mission.

Patriot: Common vigilante or firefighter spawn at all levels.

Most vehicles have no trouble making the jump across Flint Intersection from LS to SF. It took a Hotring Racer and a Sandking to the SF garage.

Vehicles can be stored in the Johnson house garage without trigging the Grove Street audio message by starting a vigilante mission and using the 60 second timer to get in, park the vehicle, and get out of the neighborhood.

If you have already completed missions like vigilante or firefighter, then replaying the mission will not increase the mission attempts stat. This doesn't work for Burglary missions, which alway increment the attempt stat.
 
Padding Respect and Weapons Skill

I was working with bamspeedy1298 at GameFAQs (author of the Stats FAQ) to discover various methods of increasing the Respect stat. He had worked out a method of using cocktails near the bribe in the gully by CJ's house in LS (a little northwest of the Stadium) to torch the cops that respond with a wanted level. But I found the method to be frustrating because the cops have a nasty habit of busting CJ through the fence. Besides, the method increased respect fairly quickly, but didn't improve any weapons stats. So I went looking for a better method. Bamspeedy later discovered that drug dealers were worth the same amount of respect as cops. But drug dealers don't spawn fast enough to be useful for anything other than collecting a little money.

I was looking for an indoor area where CJ had access to armor or food and was safe from helicopters or cops with uzis. The police stations worked fairly well, but the complex geometry of the stations made it difficult to control the spawn rate, or escape to safety when needed. I finally ended up inside of the bunkered docks at the Naval Station in San Fierro.

Since SF is still restricted, the wanted level can't go above 4 stars, so the bunker at the navy base isn't any more dangerous than anywhere else. Vehicles don't spawn there, so I don't need to worry about swat cops or cops with shotguns. It's covered, so the helicopters aren't a threat. There isn't any armor or food available, but it's outdoors, so CJ can ride in and out when needed and choose where to get health or armor as needed.

I show up on bike and park it in one of the a alcoves deep inside the bunker, then try to get away from it quickly so the tires don't get shot. The cops don't usually spawn until CJ gets off the bike. If the bike does get a flat, then grab the boat parked inside one of the bays, and drive to the dry dock with the NRG-500 Challenge to get another bike.

The foot cops spawn at a reasonable rate, and usually out of sight in the next room. Running between the bays allows some control of the spawn rate, and offers a little protection. But otherwise the bay is fairly open, and the cops can often be picked off long before they are in range to shoot back.

My goal was to work on Respect while maxing CJ's weapon skills, but I ended up maxing Respect before I completed all of the weapons. The SMG skill was previously maxed during the vigilante mission, so I brought a Desert Eagle, Micro-SMG, Sawn-Off Shotgun, and an M4 - all with plenty of ammo. A regular shotgun spawns just south of the navy base, but I had to make an extra trip to Los Venturas to get the Combat shotgun. I should have brought an AK-47 to SF, since an M4 spawns in the north part of town, but I was able to get hold of an AK-47 anyway by running over members of Woozie's gang (Least Favorite Gang - Cloud Mountain Triad). I made it about half way through the 9mm pistol skill before Respect maxed out at 100%. I never touched the silenced pistol.

Ending Stats: (starting at or near 0)

Total Respect: 100%

SMG (during Vigilante): 0 to Hitman - ~2000 rounds
Desert Eagle: 0 to Hitman - 350 rounds
Shotgun, Sawn-off, Combat Shotgun: 0 to Hitman - 675 rounds (~225 each)
Machine Pistol: 0 to Hitman - 4000 rounds
AK-47, M4: Hitman - 1500 rounds (~750 each)
Pistol: Gangster (58%) - can't tell; cops keep dropping more ammo

Bullets fired: ~7500
Bullets that Hit: ~7400

Note: Finish up with a shotgun instead of a pistol so pellet hits out number shots fired. Also, drive-by shots can count as hits but not shots fired. These methods can be used to maintain accuracy at 100%.

Total Legitimate Kills: 83 (78 in vigilante) to 1748

Playing time: ~3:25 - Includes travel to SF, LV, and back to save in LS.
 
Sorry, I had hoped to have more in place by now, but we are having a lot of rain and I've got a spring threatening to flood my computer room. But I'll get back on task after I'm done playing in the mud.
 
Have these got sound? I look forward to watching them at TAFE tomorrow, when I have high speed internet.
 
Yep, they should have sound. I've got a little game audio under a soundtrack from a band I know.


I don't have plans for 5 or 6 star wanted levels. The 4 star designation is related to explorations in restricted areas. That will probably be the main focus of this guide, but the strategies will probably apply to more difficult challenges, and I wouldn't consider these discussions as off-topic. I might even provide links to specific messages contributed by other users if it seems appropriate. I'm considering including some notes on Vigilante on a cop bike. It's the only significant challenge to making a save that is ready for 4 star survival, and I haven't found good reference in other guides.

Okay, my brother is here to help me dig. Gotta go.
 
Since it seems like it will be a while before I can update my old notes, I'll just post them here for reference. This should give you a rough idea of where I'm headed. I've learned a lot since I wrote these notes - last modification was 8/20/2005). To catch up on what's been going on recently, check these topics on the PC Board and PS2 Board on GameFAQs. These notes were taken from a topic in response to the Ultimate Beginning Saves I posted for download for the PC version of San Andreas. These saves are included in my Critical Saves Package for GTASA-PC v1.x in slot 1 and slot 2.

These saves are from my second attempt to complete these missions and collections without triggering any of the story. I had the experience gained from several 100% games (ps2 and pc) and know the map and missions quite well. I was looking for a challenge and decided to try to complete these missions because I heard somewhere it could be done, and that gamesaves were available. I didn’t know at the time that cheats were used, and tried to do the mission legitimately.

Tags: Check the maps for specific locations of items, weapons and spawns. I collected the can near the Tec9+Armor and SMG in north LS to avoid getting too close to CJ's house while collecting the can on top of the store. (I have avoiding triggering CJ’s audio when entering Grove Street for the first time.)

Oysters: Much of the bay around the boat school is safe from stars. Far more oysters can be collected safely than expected. I have not found a way to travel by boat through the entire bay, but both ends can be accessed safely. CJ does not earn stars while swimming. The oysters in the rivers of SF and the coast of LV can be accessed by swimming from a boat floating off the coast. Unfortunately, the boats will un-spawn if CJ swims too far away, so it ends up being easier to rampage several of the inland oysters anyway. The 3 oysters near the navy base will only earn 4 stars instead of the usual 5. Also, I couldn't get the oyster near the second ship (dark52 #32) without triggering a wanted level. Be careful when swimming in shallow water. If CJ stands on a rock (or jumps up out of the water) the wanted level will be triggered. Collecting Oysters took two saves. I drowned on my first attempt while collecting the deep Oyster under the ship, my 47th - so close.

Snapshots: There are cameras all over SF. When I made my recent Ultimate Save, I arrived without a camera and collected all 50 Snapshots as a single mission.

Horseshoes are really tricky without a jetpack and with a Hydra hunting anything that flies; they took 3 saves.

I’ll include more details on surviving missions and collections with 4 stars in a later message. However, the most valuable experience is learned from the Hippy Shopper and Burger Shot Assets. Once I learned the trick to passing these missions, surviving with a wanted level became a lot easier. Slow down, never fall off the bike, paint frequently, turn at every intersection, look for and avoid roadblocks, and don’t stay in the same neighborhood for very long.

The safest ways I found to enter locked territory are;
Parachute to a known vehicle spawn.
The Jetmax in LV territory (north of Palomino Creek, next to armor) is in safe territory. Jump a vehicle into the water from the grass west of the creek to spawn the Jetmax (usually). Dock at the NRG-Challenge for the bike or Roadtrain (also near Bullet spawn).
The Unique Jump into the SF airport (dark52 #35) can be landed with an NRG-500. This is a dramatic way to begin the SF Jump challenge (+39 thru 52).

The safest ways I found to exit locked territory are;
LV: Jetmax north of Palomino to Blueberry bribes.
SF: Squalo under the Kincaid train bridge to Blueberry Bribes.
SF Alternate: Dinghy with armor to Squalo to Blueberry.
Boat Note: Out run the police boats; try to stay out of range and near a safe shore without turning.
Either: Enter a passenger train with full health and armor, run when exiting the train with stars. Or jack a train and ram it though the barrier at high speed. The train will get stuck, but CJ won't have to swim to LS.

Surviving with a 4 Star Wanted Level

There are several things to keep track of all at once, it takes a lot of practice, and I’m having difficulty prioritizing my thoughts on the matter; please forgive me if I tend to jump around during the explanation. To start with, it really helps to have full bike skill, stamina, max health and 150 armor. High skill is recommended with the Desert Eagle for one shot bike grabs, SMG or Machine Pistol (a matter of preference, both have advantages) for the main running weapon, and the M4 for acquiring undamaged Enforcers. However, very little shooting should occur if you are managing things properly. Shooting is helpful when CJ falls from the bike, needs to jack a new vehicle, or is running through the cops to the armor just ahead, and, is usually an indication that something has gone wrong.

The AI-Police are not very cleaver and easy to manage if you pay attention to their behavior and react in a way they are not program to handle. You can rub them off on the same tree, wall, sign, or river over and over; they’ll never learn. Most of the cars are programmed to either PIT or ram CJ’s vehicle as it races away at full speed. Driving a slow vehicle such as the one used in the Burger Shot asset, or a Pizzaboy, will reveal how to easily manage the cops. Slow down, and never fall off the bike. The cops will race pass at full speed, hit the brakes as they go by, and spin out into a barrier. Trap Cops (cars that spawn when triggered by driving through a section of street – timed impacts) will spawn ahead and safely in view when traveling at a slow or moderate speed. If CJ does get hit, he isn’t as likely to spin or fall off the bike at slow speeds. Cops approaching for an impact from ahead can be deceived into making a false turn with a well timed weave across lanes.

It is possible to have some control over how the cops are spawned. As long as CJ remains in a vehicle (or a no ped zone), very few foot cops will spawn. Take advantage of the shoulders, grass, dirt paths, and shortcuts without any cops whenever possible. Roadblocks seem more likely if CJ is traveling straight along the same city street, or hanging out in the same neighborhood too long. When trying to collect a difficult snapshot, horseshoe, or jump, it is often better to leave the area and return after completing another collection, than to keep trying different things in the same area.

I prefer to use a bike when rampaging with 4 stars. The bikes are less likely to roll on uneven terrain, can fit through much narrower openings and shortcuts, and can make very fast changes in direction. I also found that the bikes can be navigated safely through the cities by turning frequently and taking the inside path for the turn. For example; from the left sidewalk, make a sharp left turn to left sidewalk, cross with caution near the center of the block to right sidewalk, and E-brake right to the right sidewalk. CJ is much less likely to have an accident if he avoids the center of intersections. However, it is also a good idea to look for roadblocks before turning, especially in San Fierro.

Several heavy vehicles are excellent choices for managing the cops. Check the locations for the Firetruck, Barracks, Roadtrain and Packer, they are especially durable. The Sandking, Dune, and Monster are also good choices for off road escapes. Still, I’d trade any of them for a bike if I thought it was safe to exit the vehicle.




The other major trick for keeping CJ alive with a 4 star wanted level is managing his health and armor. CJ’s health is especially difficult to replenish, so the priority is on keeping the armor full to protect the health. Use a map if necessary to locate as much armor as possible and keep track of which have been used and when they are likely to re-spawn. Also, because of the fixed 4 star wanted level, the swat cops are constantly bringing CJ new armor. Learn to coax a single enforcer to a no ped/no car zone off the side of the road and capture it cleanly.

Replenishing health usually requires at least two armors and must be done at vending machines since the restaurants opened during a mission. The 24/7s usually have vending machines which are safer to snack at until the health is full than machines out in the open. If the armor was full when entering the store and CJ has planned an escape from the foot cops spawned while exiting the store, then he is still likely to have a little armor protecting his health. Find a second armor before continuing the rampage.

Aircraft are risky to use due to the Hydras which seem to be able to spawn in anywhere in the sky, usually from behind, with a missile lock the perfect first shot. When flying into locked areas from LS, I like to fly around the coast and enter the area at the point with the shortest distance to the destination. High altitudes will allow for severe evasive maneuvers and safe parachuting to most locations. At fist I thought is would be impossible to fly anywhere with the Hydras attacking, but I finally found a method to evade the missiles long enough to collect several of the difficult Horseshoes and the Oyster of the upper dam.

The trick to flying helicopters is to hug the ground, water, cliffs, hills, mountains, trees and building as closely as possible. Besides making the helicopter more difficult to target and blocking most of the missiles, the AI-pilots are not very good at recognizing obstacles and will frequently slam into something and blow themselves up. However, this does tend to spawn another Hydra with another perfect shot. For practice, try flying the Maverick from the SF airport along a route similar to the Barn Storming air race – except skip Angle Pine and head toward Palomino Creek instead. I found 15 bridges to hide under along that route (a few of them are land bridges). At first the goal was to see if I could fly under the bridges safely, but soon I learned it was risky to leave the shelter they provide.

Now that I’ve covered survival techniques, I can be a little more specific on the missions. Stadium Events are the same as normal once inside the stadium. This is also true for the Chiliad Challenges until arriving at the finish line. The Courier Assets are difficult, but a little easier than Vigilante in LS with a cop bike. The NRG-500 is definitely more difficult with a couple of cop cars, or even an Enforcer in the bowl.

Snapshots (Horseshoes and Oysters) are difficult to collect in the order shown by many maps. The need to avoid spending too much time in any neighborhood make is easier to take the pictures by crisscrossing the map until the area for a photo-op is relatively free of police, hop off the bike and quickly take the picture, and quickly leave to a different area for the next snapshot. However, several snapshots can be taken from no-ped/no-car zones (like on the train bridge, or under the freeway), the no-star safety of an off-shore boat, or the hill overlooking the airport.

Oysters: There are only a few that require rampage strategies; none of them are particularly difficult. I like to use the Sea Sparrow by the dam to access the upper reservoir. (The AI-pilots don’t seem to know the water level is higher on the north side of the dam. Sometimes they spawn in underwater and don’t die until they reach the surface.)

Horseshoes collection is the most difficult mission to complete because so many of them are in locations that are difficult to reach without a jetpack. I made some preliminary tests to determine which horseshoes could not be collected from the ground, and which would be difficult to access - even with a helicopter. Then I parachuted into an isolated horseshoe, collected many of the others with a Sea Sparrow, and grabbed some low-level horseshoes on the way back to the Jetmax to make an escape and save.

It is possible to get Katie, Barbara and Michelle as girlfriends, but after all oysters are collected, they are anxious to go on dates and will occasionally call, even if CJ is out of town. CJ has had no luck dating the girlfriends with 4 stars; they always want to go home immediately after getting in the car. I suspect the dates are automatically failed if the wanted level is too high.

There! Did I answer your question? I think I covered the all the basics anyway. I could offer more details, but I suspect this topic will die quickly if I don’t bump it occasionally.

The gym at the beach is available for workouts. To avoid possibly triggering a gym glitch, I made regular trips to the Roboi Food Mart for a few snacks. By entering and exiting the 24/7, I could reset the exercise timer of the outdoor gym and allow CJ to put on a new skin if needed.

It is possible to gain fat by snacking at vending machines, but it takes several snacks to gain just a slight tick. I found it useful to program a button on my gamepad to press and not release the "eat" button. The snacks from vending machines don't seem to be subject to puking restrictions. BTW, the Chili Dog, Mr. Whoopie, and Noodle stands are a good way to top off a little heath lost by falls or crashes because the animation is short and CJ can keep moving while eating.

It is possible to meet the girlfriends without the added incentive provided by collecting all 50 oysters. If CJ satisfies the physical requirements specified in the GF FAQ, and can arrive in a high sex appeal car with very little damage, they will give out their numbers and the associated GF benefits are gained.

Oh yeah, programming buttons might count as a trick as well. I also found it useful to temporarily assign a button to press and not release the left rudder button so CJ would fly in circles over LS while building enough experience for a pilot's license, and avoid triggering the territory glitch of adding new turfs by flying far out to sea.

I also programmed a turbo button for super-sprint so CJ wouldn't drown again while collecting that one really deep oyster under the ship. I just can't seem to manually press the button fast enough to get the extra speed underwater.



A little extra sex appeal can be gained by loading up on expensive tattoos at the shop in Los Venturas (on the north end of the Strip; near Millie’s favorite novelty store). I was surprised to find it opened. I checked the Unmarked Barber; it was closed, so I never could find any place open for haircuts.

The garage is San Fierro opens and saves vehicles. I kept a few extra bikes available for quick changes by making sure the garage wasn’t full.

None of the aircraft have parachutes inside them this early in the game, so be sure to pick up a new one if you plan to do any flying. I frequently bailed over water to save the parachute until it was needed. This is especially a concern when collecting the high level horseshoes.

The problem with parachuting onto a horseshoe is that CJ will be on foot, so he will be under fire from foot cops and in need of a vehicle that can be used for armor and transportation to a preferred vehicle spawn without it being destroyed. I found the freeways around Los Venturas to be a great place to look for good vehicle. Foot cops don’t spawn on the freeways, and cops arriving by car have a very difficult time surviving in the traffic jam caused by dancing in the road (there is some danger of being crushed to death).

Satchel bombs can be placed on CJs vehicle in no-ped/no-car zones with a little over head cover (Rhino hanger, LV airport, many multi-story garages, Pay’n’Sprays, etc). When it becomes necessary for CJ to abandon the vehicle, the bombs can be detonated, providing some distraction while he tries to jack a new vehicle. Swapping vehicles is risky. It is usually worth the trouble to paint a good bike or heavy vehicle to keep it alive as long as possible.

If you want to fly the Maverick out of the SF airport, it’s a good idea to approach it by taking a trip around the back of the hangers. This will dump any chasers into the water, causing more cops to spawn on the hill behind CJ - on the road above the airport. These cops frequently fall in the water giving CJ enough time to get airborne before any more cops can spawn on the tarmac. (Note the inconsistent NRG-500 spawn behind the hangars.)

The 4 Star Wanted Level stays the same for restricted territories as the game progresses and new areas of the map are unlocked. Returning from LV is pretty easy once CJ can buy the house in Palomino Creek; just Jetmax across the canal and dash into the wardrobe to clear the stars.

In order to raise the $120,000 needed to buy the house in Mulholland, I did the Taxi, Paramedic, Firetruck, and Pimping missions as a single save. CJ is at some risk of starving during the taxi mission. But when I tried the order of Paramedic, Firetruck, Taxi, and Pimping, I ran into the Taxi Glitch.
 
You can’t be killed from starving. You will remain on 1% health, but CJ cannot die.

The Taxi Glitch?
 
Had a few odd questions. Btw, i know nothing about gta sa, only played the first city some, got the tags done on my own, thats it so far. So im the perfect place to visit San Fierro.

Did you beat the first mission, so you have a save house first? (before collecting stuff)

Also, don't you have to do the tag mission before you can collect all the tags?

For the Panopticon Playground vid, it allowes you to enter and once you clear the stars, hang around there long as you want?

Also isn't such a vid possible for the Las Venturas, or is it not possible to get rid of the stars like the Panopticon Playground vid?
 
Can't starve to death in the taxi huh. Then this might be a good chance to rack up tons of cash. It's difficult to build fat when the stores are closed, but it only takes a minute to repair health.

The Taxi glitch seems to be related to the Basketball Glitch or Gym Glitch. I don't think it's a problem on PS2, but turns up occasionally for PC. Fortunately there is now a fix application for repairing the file. I think the Xbox version might also have a problem with the Taxi Glitch, I'm not sure. I don't believe any of the explanations I've heard that cause the glitch. I think it's just a rumor that can't be disproven and now it's in the FAQs so it must be true.

Nope, I didn't beat the 1st mission. Instead I did side missions and bought the big house on the hill for $120,000 - that's it. However, I would recommend Verdant Bluffs near the airport for the 1st house at only $10,000. And the Beach House at $30,000 is very handy for the Flint Jump. I completely avoided Grove Street so I wouldn't even trigger the audio cut-scene when CJ first gets home. To get the tag on the bridge I first started a Burglary mission so the cut-scene wouldn't be triggered.

There is a spraycan in north LS that can be used to spray the tags. If you get all 100 and then trigger the spray mission the game will erase the 6 required tags and you can spray them again.

The Panopticon and Badlands are not restricted. I jacked the helicopter an headed straight back to safe territory. The dock north of Palomino Creek is in LV, but not restricted. The first jump across the water in Panopticon Playground is into restricted territory, but since I hang out on the geometry of the channel I'm able to scoot around without triggering the stars.

Anytime CJ is in restricted territory he will have a wanted level of 4 stars. Spraying won't help, bribes don't work, tattoos are just for decoration, and completing missions will not erase the wanted level. Actually, you get credit in the stats for the stars earned and cleared. If you play around in the Pay'n'Spray, you can rack up the stats fairly quickly. I like to collect the bribes anyway, even when they don't make a difference.
 
... To get the tag on the bridge I first started a Burglary mission so the cut-scene wouldn't be triggered.
Ohh, - so that's how you did that. I remember trying to do that and failing miserably.

Btw. if you want to do a "clean" collection save with no submissions/missions done, - then start with the snapshots. The reward for getting them all (200.000$?) is more than enough for buying safe houses when you return.
There's no reward for doing the tags and horseshoes is rather difficult to do in one go.
 
*Gets confused even more*

I fooled around with a new game so i undestand some of what your saying now, so when you buy house, you can save asap with that house?

I completely avoided Grove Street so I wouldn't even trigger the audio cut-scene when CJ first gets home.

You mean going up to the house and on the red marker or something else?
Why all the trouble of avoiding the first simple mission?

Anytime CJ is in restricted territory he will have a wanted level of 4 stars. Spraying won't help, bribes don't work

The bribes looked like that helped on your vid, they went away. So???

You can't explore San Fierro without stars, before your allowed, even when you got rid of them in your vid?
 
Btw. if you want to do a "clean" collection save with no submissions/missions done, - then start with the snapshots.
Okay, wait a second... don't tell me you've done that. No vigilante, paramedic, bike skill, burglary or stamina, and you just trotted CJ's skinny butt over there and snapped all 50 snapshots? Maybe I should be quiet and let you write this guide.

And for the record, if Phreak says he's done it, then I believe him. GTA_Phreak is one of the most skilled GTA players I know, and he's got the records (and videos) to prove it (GTASA-PC, and GTALCS-PS2). And I may as well finish the introductions. Blake is host of the GTASA-PS2 record book, and bcks is another record holder from Liberty City Stories. I'm the local B-spec guru for Gran Turismo 4, but nobody cares much about B-spec anymore so it's a fairly useless specialty.

There are a handful of missions that will let you get that tag without triggering the cut-scene. Burglary worked well since I was low-balling the scores and collecting 23 packages was only a minor challenge - all I had to do was count properly. Pimping would have worked, there is lots of time to drive around between girls. The courier mission has the same short timer. BMX will work if you trigger the timer glitch. And if you have plenty of time at the end of a vigilante mission then much more time is available for messing around.

BTW, how is the gambling in restricted territory? Gambling wasn't a concern of mine, and I never tried to develop the skill. Or how about - capping 5 drug dealers will buy Verdant Bluffs. What other easy money options are available that will bring in between $10,000 and $120,000 without completing anything at all?
 
Killing drug dealers and gambling (including the horse races) is probably the easiest ways I can think of to get money. There isn’t a save house right near the Off Track Betting in Los Santos, so it might take a while to save, go to Off Track Betting, place a bet on the horse with the worst odds. If you win, just go save, if you lose, just reload and try again.
 
Yep, you can save as soon as you can buy a house. The save will be named "In the Beginning". There are 4 named side-missions that will change the name of this save - BMX, 8-Track, NRG-500, and Dirt Track.

If you want to get a quick starter save, I would recommend starting with Burglary. Run around with a bike to start building skill and collect a little ammo. But watch the clock and collect the Black Boxville from the apartments across from the Ganton Gym in time to start the mission at 20:00. Collect at least 23 packages and you'll have enough to buy Verdant Bluffs by the airport.

Or, go for Firefighter right away - it doesn't take long and pays enough to buy the Beach House and Verdant Bluffs. The Beach House can be used to glitch the Vigilante mission on PS2 systems - it's a cheap trick, but saves on ammo. I think the low elevation helps the glitch, but you might need to run the targets off the peer or chase down a car circling in Rodeo - so have some Uzi ammo ready, and an AK or M4 with some ammo on hand.

Before entering the red marker at the house for the first mission there will be a short audio "cut-scene" (maybe overdub would be more descriptive). Just as CJ enters the neighborhood around Grove Street you will hear CJ say something like, "Grove Street. Home! At least it used to be before...". And yes this seems to be a lot of work for something pointless. However, you must remember the context of the choices I made for this gamesave. I intended to upload this save for other people to use - the goal was to provide a save with all the extra stuff completed for people who only wanted to do the story missions. This is one reason I didn't like the name Ultimate Beginning Save - there are too many options or choices for there to be an "ultimate" save. So anyway, I was reporting everything completed but none of the story, and I considered the audio overdub as part of the story, so it was avoided. (Besides, I managed to baffle Phreak - not an easy trick.)

The bribes in Panopticon Playground worked because CJ was only in restricted territory for a short time. You'll see the stars appear during the unique jump - that's the border. Once the helicopter has crossed back over that line the bribes will start working again. In Sandking of San Andreas I collect a bribe with the Dune just before switching to the PCJ. You'll notice that it blinks quickly and is right back at 4 stars. I'll be sure to show a Pay'n'spray in a future video. At the end of Sandking and Mini-gun Run you will notice that the wanted level drops off on it's own once CJ has crossed over the bridge. The wanted level won't drop over time when flying, or driving a police vehicle.

Basically, whenever CJ is over a restricted part of the geometry he will have a 4 star wanted level. The exception is when he is swimming. As long as he doesn't touch bottom or jump above the surface, CJ can swim as far as he wants into restricted zones.
 
Okay, wait a second... don't tell me you've done that. No vigilante, paramedic, bike skill, burglary or stamina, and you just trotted CJ's skinny butt over there and snapped all 50 snapshots?
Errr no, I did the tags first and had to cap drug dealers for the money, - then I put CJ's skinny butt in a Dodo and did the 50 snapshots. :D
Just wish I had started with the snapshots, - I had a hard time finding enough drug dealers that early in the game.

For the oysters you'll need to boost your stamina a bit beforehand and for some of the horseshoes CJ doesn't have enough health to survive the fall so you need to use and keep the helicopter (for instance the one on the double tower). CJ can survive the fall from the advertising board on the Thruway though.
And no, - I never managed all of the horseshoes in one go.
 
Orion_SR – on this save, are you completely avoiding getting Busted or Wasted?
 
Orion_SR – on this save, are you completely avoiding getting Busted or Wasted?
Not this first time I tried it. I died plenty of times because I didn't have a good plan or the skills necessary to survive. PS2 players have the Girlfriend Glitch and get to keep the weapon bonuses from Katie and Barbara - this doesn't work on PC. When I finally started to care about losing the weapons I had collected I went to meet the girls to get the bonus. I did what I could and left the more challenging missions until later.

When I eventually gave the courier missions a try I finally discovered a method that would allow me to keep CJ alive long enough to complete the collections without dying or getting busted. For me, Burgershot was the eye opener. The scooter cannot drive fast, so I was forced to find another method to handle the cops. Now that I know the system it's fairly easy to putter around restricted cities and pretty much ignore the cops. I know I need to explain the process in a little more detail - give me some more time, and keep asking questions.

I pushed the stats pretty hard in my second game. No deaths, arrests, cheats or mods. Only 23 saves. 18 mission attempts and 15 completed. The extra 3 attempts are from Burglary and the 1st two Chiliad Races. Unique jumps were completely avoided. I like to have the jumps available when I'm messing around and land them for the bonus, so I never save them. However, I frequently include the jumps as challenges.

BTW, in the videos I'm trying very hard to avoid killing cops, swat, and firemen (I won't target and shoot, it's hard to avoid squishing the foot cops). There is a lot of controvery targeted at this game and I'd prefer not to add fuel to their fire. This adds an extra dimension to the struggle.
 
Back