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

  • Thread starter Orion_SR
  • 140 comments
  • 34,139 views
No. I have no plans for new videos. However, sometimes new ideas just pop in my head and the next thing I know I'm recording a video. The only ideas I have at the moment are trying to complete as many of the SF unique jumps as possible with a 4 star wanted level and Katie as a passenger. She only stays on the bike for 6 minutes since the date fails when it is started. Or maybe recording the Wu Zi Mu race (Badlands A) with a Journey. But the San Andreas videos don't get many view any more, especially now the google video has integrated with YouTube. I added a tag to get the attention of Japanese players, but it doesn't seem to be helping.
 
Is it because not much people view your videos anymore that's why you stopped at making them?

Man, I really loved watching your fantastic materials. I even thought that you might consider doing videos of practically ALL difficult tasks/missions and other interesting discoveries or stuffs in EVERY GTA game that are necessary to document for posterity and for future refrences probably. It might be even a good idea to make a cd collection of them incase you haven't considered that yet.

Wish you can still have a change of heart Orion_SR ;)
 
Agreed. Your videos are always really impressive and entertaining. It’s not the usual Oh look at me do a back flip off a mountain type of video. It’s great. :)
 
Wow, Orion - nearly 100 replys. Brillant topic, congratulations.


Second me it's corrected that you do SF Ammo Run and LV Ammo Run, but if you can't or if you don't do.
 
Ok, thanks. But there is a problem. I try every time to record a video with a videocamera, but the screen of my TV is cover by some black stripes. Therefore nothing is understood. How to record a video without black stripes ?
That's what happens when you point a video camera at a TV. It's got something to do with the camera grabbing frames as the TV is refreshing I think - CRT displays were designed to be viewed by the human eye/brain, not to be filmed by video cameras. It can also happen when trying to capture a photograph of a TV (I've taken enough shots for the various record books here). Sometimes there's blackbars across the screen.

Apparently movies have to use special hardware so that TVs onscreen look normal.

I think the solution is to use the right hardware so you can grab the PS2 output as a video signal right onto your PC. Something like a TV capture card with the right video inputs.


KM.
 
Agreed. Your videos are always really impressive and entertaining. It’s not the usual Oh look at me do a back flip off a mountain type of video. It’s great. :)
True. This is great stuff. 👍

I'm working on a Master Save myself and the Minigun Run-video e.g. is a big help. Never thought of getting to 4-star restricted SF for some ammo but it's fun doing!!

I'll definitely try the snapshots the Orion_SR-way. :)

I' ve got some questions:

1. I wanted to try the Vigilante in SF with the Rhino while SF is still restricted. Been over to SF area 69 several times but it does not spawn. Does it ever spawn there? Can you get it anywhere while SF is still restricted?

2. Does the Vigilante glitch work with the PC-version? I just read about it but can't get it to work.

3. In your Vigilante notes you talk about doing levels 8-9 in the Badlands. I suppose you mean the Northern regions (panopticon, red county, blueberry,...)?

4. Has anyone got alternative strategies for Vigilante while SF is still restricted? I don't seem to manage this on a bike - but will continue trying! :)

5. Another thing - off-topic here: will Liberty City Stories be released for pc? And if so, when?
 
1. I wanted to try the Vigilante in SF with the Rhino while SF is still restricted. Been over to SF area 69 several times but it does not spawn. Does it ever spawn there? Can you get it anywhere while SF is still restricted?

The Rhino's doesn't spawn before the Desert/LV becomes available.

You can't do vigilante in restricted teritory, - no targets will spawn there.
But you can toggle vigilante on/off to make your police vehicle puncture proof (which is very useful, especially on the HPV).

You can't do paramedic and firefighter in restricted teritory either, - but you can do Taxi (very challenging) and Pimping (haven't tried it out, but targets appear).
Toggling pimping on/off resets the health of the Broadway to 200%, making it virtually indestructible (toggle whenever it starts smoking).
 
The vigilante glitch does work on PC, but not very well. I know of 1 person that managed level 12 using the glitch on PC, but level 8 was the best I could manage at the time. But if you are working on a master save file, you really don't want to use the easy way out for vigilante. You'll need the skills that vigilante develops in order to survive the challenges ahead.

Yes. When I refer to the Badlands I intend to describe the area that is not restricted when the game begins, and is not part of Los Santos: Panopticon, Blueberry, Montgomery, Palomino Creek, etc. I refer to the western rural area associated with San Fierro as the Country, and the open area associated with Las Venturas as the desert.

Did I post my vigilante notes here? I can't find them. If you download my critical saves package for PC v1.x you'll find some text notes on vigilante that I wrote a long time ago - they could probably use some updating.

But anyway, yeah... Keep at the vigilante mission with the cop bike. Find all the bribes, armors, and snack/pop machines in the area you choose and get in the habit of maintaining CJ's health under constant pressure. Try to hold the wanted level at 2 stars, and get used to getting things done and working the cop bots at the same time. You should be able to keep the same bike for the whole mission. Maintaining vehicle and CJ's health, navigating without error, almost never falling from the bike, and getting back on and escaping cleanly, are all very valulable skills.
 
You ever going to make a video of doing the Taxi missions in a restricted area? :P
 
I once thought of doing that.
I'd wait for the mod shops to open and then fit rear spoiler and nitro (and white "taxi Marseillese" paintjob), - then go looking for a fare heading for the airport and take it from there. :D
But I never did find the correct soundtrack for it.
 
I see I switched names in an earlier post: area 69 is in Las Venturas, not San Fierro.

I finished the Vigilante on the bike using the Orion_SR suggestions.
Tip: on the zigzag road in the Panopticon you can get off the bike and use the minigun and M4 to target the cars from above. Due to a lot of this long distance shooting, CJ still had full life and 60% armour at level 12.
Using the bribes in that area kept me from a higher than two stars wanted level.
 

SF Vendor Booth Map

Give this link a try. I can't remember how accurate the map is, we gave up on the project a long time ago. You might want to check out BamSpeed's Stat FAQ over at GameFAQs.com. He's got a pretty good list of vendor booths, snack machines, and pop machines. I find that the vending machines are often a more reliable snack, but the vendor booths provide more health.
 
I'm busy collecting Oysters. LS and SF done, a couple in Las Venturas left. Nearly there, also with help from your LV VendorBooths map!

I'm sure this map too will come in handy later on! Thanks for sharing it! 👍

Edit: all oysters collected.
 
We started a mapping project for the vendor booths (man with food) like Cherry Poppers, Noodles stands, and Chili Dogs. Check the Hippy Shocker and Burger Shock videos for some of the locations. Also included on the maps are locations of Hotdog trucks. We never found a reliable method to map the many snack, Sprunk, and soda machines where CJ can also refill his health. However, Bamspeedy1298 at GameFAQs.com has recently published a new Stats FAQ that lists a great deal of the vending machines discovered with a manual search. There's a lot of good information in his FAQ, I recommend it to anyone needing more information on the underlying numbers of San Andreas.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/914983/47686


LV Vendor Booth Map


SF Vendor Booth Map


Restricted Access Map

Yeah, I know. The maps need updating. These were posted as example contributions. If anyone wants to continue the mapping project there's a hi-res blank map available in my gallery.
 
It's been a while since I've done the horseshoes, so I looked up dark52 horseshoe #8 on the map linked below (#14). It looks like that horseshoe is on the very top of that multi-story parking garage. You'll probably need to access it by using a jetpack, helicopter, or parachuting from a plane.

http://hem.bredband.net/708145/
 
Orion_SR

Thanks for your help. I'm successful to find the eighth horseshoe.

But I've another question on the dark52's maps. When you succeed to find all the horseshoe, oysters, unique jumps, what happens? Thanks for the answer, goodbye.
 
All 50 Horseshoes - weapons spawn at 4 Dragons Casino, $100,000, 1000 Luck Stat (don't know what it does).

All 50 Oysters - Max Lung Capacity, Girlfriends always like CJ (sex appeal and body type no longer matter). I can't remember if there is prize money or not.

All 70 Unique Jumps - Nothing. Not needed for 100%. I never save my jumps. I leave them on the map for messing around.
 
Orion_SR

Why don't you record some videos in which you take all Horseshoes, all the Oysters and all the Unique Jumps with 4 star police?

Moreover I would want to help to make you to grow this topic also with mine videos on 4 Star Survival Guide, for my happiness, aboveall in order to help you. You're agreement? (I'm a GTA expert, don't worry).

P.s. For errors, remember. I'm Italian.



SfI
 
Collecting Oysters and Horseshoes takes forever, especially with a 4 star wanted level. I don't think many people would want to watch a video that long. Besides, I don't really have enough hard disk space to handle videos that large. My policy has been to limit video recording to daylight hours. Also, the horseshoe collection is the most difficult restricted challenge. I'm not sure that I want to spoil the challenge by providing a method. All of the skills required have been demonstrated in other videos, a skilled player should be able to figure the rest out on their own.

My best horseshoe collection took 3 saves to complete. This challenge is complicated by the fact that many horseshoes can only be collected by air, and the hydra shoots almost anything that flies. Also, I've learned not to trust the parachutes. They tend to open, but not be controllable, and this leads to CJ smashing into the ground.

Only 69 of 70 Unique Jumps can be landed before Ya Ka-Boom Boom. CJ is fairly safe as long as he stays on a bike, so the jumps aren't really that much of a challenge with a wanted level. However, I am still considering recording my Katie Jumps challenge. You can meet several of the girlfriends, and get the bonus, but dating is impossible as the mission always fails just after it starts due to the high wanted level. However, Katie will remain on/in the vehicle for 6 minutes before she jumps off and runs away. So, the challenge is to land as many SF jumps as possible with Katie as a passenger. So far, my record is 11.

My other video ideas include recording Taxi or Pimping missions in restricted territory, and maybe submitting another Fun with N.O.E. video that can hopefully compete with the skill shown GTA_Phreak's N.O.E. Mercy. But this would require an awful lot of practice, and I'm really busy with classes. However, I am interesting in seeing your videos. Please post the links when they are ready.
 
Orion_SR

When my first video is available, eventually I'll insert it in this topic but I could also create of one appropriate for mine videos. In case of the new one topic, you'll be invited to visualize and to comment mine videos. In the event I'll insert them in this topic we'll comment directly here. Creed the possibilities that are greater I'll insert mine videos in this topic, because I want to realize them with 4 star police.

I've already some idea for new recordings: San Fierro Ammo Run by SfI - Las Venturas Ammo Run by SfI, with the help of the dark52's maps. Another idea is to record the collection of all 50 horseshoes, oysters and Unique Jumps.

P.s. For errors, remember. I'm Italian.



SfI
 
Creed? There's that word again... Oh wait. StefanofromIta is different than StefanofromRome. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was confused; StefanofromRome's English has improved a lot since his first days working with software translators. Anyway, creed does not translate well. I still have no clue what it means.

Padding Respect and Weapons Skill

Here's another idea for a video that I won't be making because it requires shooting lots of cops. I was working with bamspeedy1298 at GameFAQs (check out his 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%

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
SMG durinv Vigilante: 0 to Hitman - ~2000 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 count as hits but not shots fired.

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

Playing time: ~3:25 - Includes travel to SF, LV, and back to save in LS.
 
Orion_SR

You've reason, I'm myself shrewed to've written one mistaken what. The word that I meant wasn't “Creed”, but the verb “To think” conjugated the first singular person. Excuse me for the error.

Returning to the argument of mine videos, now the realization of San Fierro Ammo Run by SfI is sure. Subsequently, Las Venturas Ammo Run by SfI available on video.google.com/.it. will be realized. From yesterday evening I'm already studying the path to introduce in the videos. In San Fierro Ammo Run by SfI, the paths are for the greater part available. Las Venturas Ammo Run by SfI has still need of studies takes care of you for the collection Ammo. The San Fierro Ammo Run by SfI will be realized with 4 star police. CJ will illegally cross the bridge that connects to south LS to SF (excuse me, but I don't remember the name). Exceeded bridge, CJ will begin its race beginning with the collection of the Cane. It'll follow the collection of the Flame Thrower. Then… I don't want to ruin the surprise. After these two videos, it'll follow a path in order to take Ammo of every single arm. For example:GTA San Andreas - Mini-Gun Run. Other plans are not still in sight.

P.s. For errors, remember. I'm Italian.



SfI
 
Looking forward to your video, Stefano.

I'm still working on the Master Save. Horseshoe collection done - now up to the Snapshots.

Edit:
Finished.
That eastbound pyramid jump (69 on the dark52 map) was hard; I had to take an NRG-500 on a Reefer to Las Venturas to make it count.
 
Where are my videos? Where is your video? I've been scanning for new San Andreas videos, but can't find one that looks like it might be made by you.

My videos are still online, but some of them are currently restricted from viewing in Italy. I found another impostor (Orion57) at GTA-Series.com/it/forums and decided to mess with his credibility. See this thread, and another topic by the same author. Anyway, it's hard to tell, because the translators do a poor job of translating gamer jargon, but it looks like I made my point. The readers at GTA-Series are starting to be more aggressive in their claims that the videos are not his.

If there are some particular videos that you would like available, just let me know and I'll change them right away. Otherwise, I think I'll let Orion57 explain why he has no control over his video content, and put them all back this weekend.

StefanofromRome. Are you the same user as StefanofromIta?
 
Back