Grand Theft Auto IV - Measuring My Geekness

[old-fart]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Well, in one word, I would say it looks:

AMAZING

on an HDTV.

But that's just me.

Agreed. Xbox360 on HD looks great. GTA IV rocks in HD.

I get where you are coming from too. With two small kids, I was coming home from work, having dinner.... rushing them to bed... then turning on GTA and trying to knock off a couple or three missions before I went to bed each night.

I also found myself driving to work thinking "man, if this was GTA I'd just deke over there, ram through that crowd, up on the sidewalk, down the wrong side of the street, quick left over the train tracks and boom... right to work".

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

Thanks, very thorough too! This game is absolutely destroying my social life haha, I actually turned it on the second I got home from work, pathetic...

On a side note, I still am yet to splurge on an HDTV. How much of an injustice am I causing myself by not playing GTA IV on hi-def? It still looks pretty good to me, I can't imagine how much better it could look.

HD gaming is just one of those things. It isn't 100% necessary, but after you go 5 minutes on an hdtv you'd have a hard time going back. Not necessary but incredibly awesome.

Also, if you're using a ps3, bluray's look absolutely incredible!

[LChoy]

I'm doing all the random people missions, except for some reason, I can't find some of them where they are suppose to be. Ex. I met "brian" twice already, but for his third encounter, he has yet to show up North of the gun shop in the East island. I've done the whole story already, so it's not that. Does he only come at a specific time?

[old-fart]

Spoiler warning... don't click the link if you don't want to know....

Sorry... this is in response to the side missions question above from Ichoy...

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by Russic

HD gaming is just one of those things. It isn't 100% necessary, but after you go 5 minutes on an hdtv you'd have a hard time going back. Not necessary but incredibly awesome.

Also, if you're using a ps3, bluray's look absolutely incredible!

Ya I could see that. I notice that things directly in front of you, like the ground or water, or even Niko, look really great, it almost seems HD'ish. But further away things, like the Manhattan skyline, don't seem as crisp as I'm sure they would be on HD. Especially the lights. When I drive over that one bridge kinda by Manhattan(I'm not far enough into the game to actually get over there yet), the lights look kinda dim and foggy. It seems they were almost made for HD, and thus don't come out great looking on standard TV - though I know nothing about that sort of thing. Just a guess.

[LChoy]

Thanks for the link old-fart!
After the friends missions, all that is left is the pigeons and jumps. Then sweet 100% =)

[Sainters7]

So once you've officially "befriended" people(ie you've hung out with them enough that you've unlocked their benefits, like cheap guns off LJ for instance), what happens if you don't hang out with them for awhile? Or turn down their invitations to go out? I'm at a part of the game where I'm focused on Manhattan, or whatever they call that main island, yet I keep getting calls from random people to hang out(LJ, Michelle, Roman).

It's such a pain in the ass to have to keep driving ALL the way to the East Island to pick them up, then take them out, then drop them off, and then come back, all just for gigs. But at the same time, I dont wanna lose their benefits. Is it really necessary to keep in constant contact with them, and not turn down their offers to chill once you've unlocked their benefits?

[LChoy]

When they call, accept their invitation and wait 10 sec. Call them back again using the "cancel plans" option. They'll be ok with it, no harm no foul or decrease in likeness.
Also, in your phone, go under options, and turn phone to sleep mode. It blocks all calls until you activate a mission. Useful when you want to cause some mayhem or collect stuff. I hated it before when I was in a shootout with SWAT, and Roman calls asking if I wanted to go drinking....

Oh, and if you are on a mission and your friends call, you'll automatically reject them, but with no decrease in likeness

[Sainters7]

Awesome, thanks buddy. I'm all over sleep mode

[getbak]

If you cancel plans with someone too many times in a row, they won't pick up their phone the next time you try to cancel, and their "like" level will drop for you. As long as you keep the like level about 70 or 75% percent, you won't lose their special ability. Also, the best way to avoid wasting too much time going to pick up and drop off your friends is to take taxis everywhere, and skipping the drive. It'll cost extra money, but there really isn't much to spend money on anyway, so it isn't a big deal.

[Gravitykillr]

Originally Posted by getbak

If you cancel plans with someone too many times in a row, they won't pick up their phone the next time you try to cancel, and their "like" level will drop for you. As long as you keep the like level about 70 or 75% percent, you won't lose their special ability. Also, the best way to avoid wasting too much time going to pick up and drop off your friends is to take taxis everywhere, and skipping the drive. It'll cost extra money, but there really isn't much to spend money on anyway, so it isn't a big deal.

how do you figure out what their like level is at?

[metallicat]

It's in your stats somewhere, when you hit the start button. You can scroll through all sorts of crap about missions, percentages, likeness ratings...etc.

[Sainters7]

I'm ready to punch someone in the face over the Snow Storm mission. I can get to the coke without getting even touched once, but the cops always slaughter me on the way out. My first time I made a stupid decision to swim instead of hit up the parking lot, and ever since I haven't been able to get out of the compound.

God bless the internet and its countless self-help tips...

[jar_e]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I'm ready to punch someone in the face over the Snow Storm mission. I can get to the coke without getting even touched once, but the cops always slaughter me on the way out. My first time I made a stupid decision to swim instead of hit up the parking lot, and ever since I haven't been able to get out of the compound.

God bless the internet and its countless self-help tips...

Is that in the old hospital? Use the boat on the water....just grab the coke and run like hell to the boat.

[LChoy]

Hmm..I must have fluked out and got to the parking lot, stole a car, and got away without losing half of my body armour. I think I took my time when I did it, and took out the inital swarm of NOOSE officers coming into the building. Shotgun at close range is the best bet against those cops, at least at your level

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by jar_e

Is that in the old hospital? Use the boat on the water....just grab the coke and run like hell to the boat.

Ya thats basically what I did, I beat the mission after my little frustrated rant on here last night haha. My prob was I was taking my time once I got the coke, but the cops were way more aggressive than the crack dealers. They'd just swarm you and take me out. This time I left a car right in front of the building, so I just booked it out the door, jumped in the car, and eventually lost my stars.

This game is killing my social life...

[JD]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I'm ready to punch someone in the face over the Snow Storm mission. I can get to the coke without getting even touched once, but the cops always slaughter me on the way out. My first time I made a stupid decision to swim instead of hit up the parking lot, and ever since I haven't been able to get out of the compound.

God bless the internet and its countless self-help tips...

That was the worst mission in the game for me. I must have tried it 25 times before I passed it.

Anyway, I developed a highly detailed technique... like you say, getting in is no problem, so...

once you're in, go to the back left room and you can jump on the objects, jump up to the rafters, swing over, climb them, and jump across to the platform in the back of the building, where you can simply leave the building out the back way. If you park a car back there, getting away from the cops is a jiffy.

So park your car in the back, come in through the back on the ladder and take out all the bad guys. Then make sure you get your armour and health pack if needed. Practise escaping before you get the coke. Get it down PAT. Then go get the coke and escape... use your practised technique. Get in the car parked in the back, but make sure you take out any cops that were smart enough to go back there first.

Like I say, I did it so many times, but I could probably use this technique and finish the mission every time without fail!

[FlamesKickAss]

Thanks for all this talk about this game guys, now I have to go home and play it after work.

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by JD

That was the worst mission in the game for me. I must have tried it 25 times before I passed it.

Anyway, I developed a highly detailed technique... like you say, getting in is no problem, so...

once you're in, go to the back left room and you can jump on the objects, jump up to the rafters, swing over, climb them, and jump across to the platform in the back of the building, where you can simply leave the building out the back way. If you park a car back there, getting away from the cops is a jiffy.

So park your car in the back, come in through the back on the ladder and take out all the bad guys. Then make sure you get your armour and health pack if needed. Practise escaping before you get the coke. Get it down PAT. Then go get the coke and escape... use your practised technique. Get in the car parked in the back, but make sure you take out any cops that were smart enough to go back there first.

Like I say, I did it so many times, but I could probably use this technique and finish the mission every time without fail!

I just snuck in the back via that ladder, took out only 1/5 of the bikers, then once I got the package the remaining 4/5 bikers fought the SWAT team. I was able to run out the front door pretty easily to the parking lot while they were all tied up fighting.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

I just snuck in the back via that ladder, took out only 1/5 of the bikers, then once I got the package the remaining 4/5 bikers fought the SWAT team. I was able to run out the front door pretty easily to the parking lot while they were all tied up fighting.

That's what I like about this game; "take the ladder through the back"..."climb over the railings and go through the back, & let the cops fight the gangs"..."take the boat to get away"..."take the car in the parking lot to get away"..."take your time and take out all the cops"..."run like hell through all the cops"

...theres a hundred different ways to do a level, and they all work. Of all the people giving advice about that level, I don't think I heard the same formula twice.