Grand Theft Auto 3: Exploring and gaining 100%
 

The old GTA3 Exploring thread became bogged down with comments about how cool the game is, and conversation. SO let's establish the guidelines:

1. No conversation on how cool the game is, we all know.
2. Keep the thread limited to Things related to gaining 100% in the game.. And things beyond the basic missions.

Right now, my big goals are:

A. Steal an FBI car, seems once i shoot the four FBI agents that get out, a tank comes and rolls over the car. I've been using the casino as the staging point.

B. I want to fly the dodo over the stadium and perhaps even into the stadium. I saw on a webpage last week that its possible to fly OVER the stadium, however i can't get the thing to stay up over 8 seconds. Let alone gain the altitude.

I just got the FBI car and tank this afternoon. To get both I started out on a roof in Trenton. It's the roof that you get on by jumping from the train tracks. There's a hidden package, body armor, assault rifle, heart, and something else up there. Once up there I would shoot some people until the cops came then I would toss some grendaes down on them. This gets your Wanted Level up to 3 and attracts the helicopters. Then I shot down a few of those with my rocket launcher, which I had to buy for $25,000 unfortunately. Anyways, once I got my Wanted Level up to 5 I waited for the FBI cars to pull up. Just relax or you'll increase your Wanted Level to 6 and then the tanks start rolling in. After awhile the feds pulled up and got out of their car. I shot a few from the roof and then jumped down, hopped into the car, and sped off. Then it was just a short drive over to the Docks where I dropped off the car to that guy who wants to collect all the emergency vehicles. To get the tank you do pretty much the same thing except raise a little more hell so your Wanted Level reaches 6. It takes awhile for the tank to roll up, and a bit longer for the guys to jump out of it. Once they do though, just toss a grenade on them, jump down, get in, and take off in the tank.

I'm trying to complete the game too (I'm at 93%). Here's my suggestion for the FBI car: you'll need to complete the vigilante missions to get to 100%, so you might as well start them now. When you kill 10 criminals in each area, you get a police bribe at your hideout. So get all 6 bribes and then start to raise hell at your hideout (I use the Shoreside one because there is just a single entrance). Chuck some grenades at traffic passing by, let the cops come into your area, and then shoot them with your uzi. Soon enough you'll hit 5 stars and the FBI will show. Shoot them and then run over 5 bribes quickly. If the FBI car is mangled, simply put it in your garage and save and the car will be fixed when you start again.

My problem is finishing the 3 missions where you run over 20 targets in 2 minutes (i.e. Patriot Playground). I hate those things!

Do those count as actual missions? Because I just "finished" the game but according to my stats there are ~6 missions that I didn't do. I'm not sure what those might be.

Yes they do count as missions I have 72 right now the only mission I have left is the one in shoreside Vale, also they toy rc car ones are missions also. I am currently at 88% I need to find a Yankee and a Bus, and everything I need to steal will be stolen. I also need 18 packages 10 rampages, and 6 jumps. Also has anyone been able to do the damn ambulence mission were you need like level 16 and you get infinite running.

I've found that getting the FBI car and tank is pretty simple from your hideout in Staunton Island. Run up to the top of the incline from your hideout and start to raise hell on the street--shoot pedestrians, lob grenades and launch rockets at vehicles, etc. Once I'm at around wanted level 3, I go back down the incline, where I can safely take out police helicopters and any cop cars that dare enter the hideout. This should get you up or near FBI-level pretty quick. If you've got a lot of police bribes in your hideout, you can grab them to turn off all the aggression against you, making it easier to get the FBI car and tank, if it's in the area. Otherwise, just pull out a nice weapon like the M-16 and spray a nice line of gunfire when the FBI shows up and exits the vehicle.

As a bonus, sometimes you get some really outstanding action by doing this at this particular hideout--I've stood at the bottom of the incline and launched rockets at police and FBI cars coming down the ramp at me, literally blowing them up and over me, like something out of a crazed John Woo flick. :D

Great, I'll probably never finish those then. I once spent an entire night trying to do the checkpoint mission in the park on the second island. Any tips for those?

I also spent an entire night one time trying to do the ambulance missions. I think I got to level 4. The problem with those is you can't switch ambulances and it's somewhat difficult to keep your ambulance in one piece for too long.

I unfortunately learned that to do the fire, and ambulence missions successfully you should do them right at the beginning of the game when every gang in town is not trying to kill you. As far as the checkpoints they are just hard and practice I sucked at them (still do ). Also there is one more checkpoint you have to get into a stallion in front of the car park in Staunton park and it will start another check point mission this is the easiest.

Everything is easier before that happens. The fact that St. Marks becomes practically impassable is a huge flaw IMO. I don't even think you should be shot at if you're in a car. I mean, who's gonna be able to recognize you in a stolen car going 70 mph?

Drive on the sidewalk in St. Marks. You'll end up running over one of the mafiosos with the shot gun and will usually survive the other if your car is in good shape.

There's a Yankee parked right in the Portland docks area, it should be the easiest one to fulfill the import/export mission! The bus is a little tricky, but try near the stadium in Stauton early in the morning, around 6-8AM or so. I'm only need the securicar, and I'm pretty screwed because those things NEVER come out and you have to save the one from the Donald Love missions.

That ambulance thing is a major pain. I got to level 10 and then flipped over making a turn too fast. I'm still too pissed to go back and start that mess all over again. I found that Staunton Island is the best for this, since the Columbians are the only ones that shoot at you and they don't cause much damage. You can get in and out of the place pretty fast by going straight out of the entrance and over the grass hill to get to the "expressway" around the island, or you can make an immediate right after dropping people off and climb the grass there to save a few seconds. You just have to be ultra-careful to not turn while going over hills or you'll flip it and you're done.

I just unlocked the borgnine taxi.. That was my goal for the day. It's a little bit of a disappointment.. I don't see what's so special about it.

Oh well, Off to the next goal :)

It handles nicely.

The taxi is faster maybe even fast enough to do some of the unique jumps with, and I think it looks cooler. I have been playing the emergency vehicles mostly, but I found the bus and the Yankee at the docks that was annoying that it was sitting there, so I am at 90% right now.

I have a question about the rampages: does anyone have any tips on how to get past the shotgun one in Shoreside Vale? As soon as I blast 1 guy then all hell breaks loose and I'm dead before I can do anything. I'm also having trouble with the 2 sniper missions (hitting them in the head only is mega-hard!) Any tips? Thanks...

I don't remember the shotgun mission being difficult but I was having a hell of a time with the sniper rifle mission. I just finished it this morning after getting horribly frustrated by last night's repeated attempts. Anyway for the sniper rifle...make sure you have full health and armor, when you pick up the rampage, run up the ramp and off the wall to the street below. Run directly across the street and jump the low wall into the enclosed area. Run to the middle of the wall where it is fairly low and start popin' the columbians in the head and clear both sides of the street. As time runs out you should have about 3 or 4 more to go. Run up the ramp behind you and over the wall to your left. There will be a bunch of Columbians waiting or they will run at you from across the street. Pop the heads again and hope you have enough life to survive. I couldn't do it from the top of the wall and if you just fall to the street and try it the cops and the Columbians come after you. So it is best to get the majority of the kills from behind the low wall.

The M-16 mission was tough too. I had to run around the streets, getting close to the hoods and blow them away. Keep moving though cause the cops will be after you as well.