*****************************************************************************
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Guide [PlayStation 2, PC, and Xbox Versions]
Version 4.1 [Revision 16] (April 2006)
By Robert Allen Rusk
Copyright 2002-2006 Robert Allen Rusk.
Email: rarusk[gnat]netzero[snot]com
(Note: the [gnat] replaces the "@" symbol in this guide. It is to
thwart spambots looking for email addresses to send spam to.
Simply replace [gnat] with "@" when responding. I chose [gnat]
because it rhymes with "at" and is easy to remember. Same goes
for "." - [snot].)
This guide may only be distributed and/or posted in its original format. If
you wish to post or use excerpts from this guide, PLEASE ask for my
permission before doing so (especially if you work for a magazine or
website). A lot of time and effort was spent putting this thing together and
that should be taken into consideration. And remember.....
"Respect is everything."
Besides, contacting me will also give me an opportunity to hook up and talk
shop with fellow Vice City "thuggers".....
I truly want to thank those who have written to me about this guide even if
you haven't received a response. I tend to read my e-mail late at night and
sometimes I'm too tired to respond right away. Mainly because I'm either a)
updating my other GTA (plus Riddick) related documents, b) hacking up a
console or doing more RGB experiments, or c) I've had a rough night at work
(I work retail you know....).
I've received a lot of nice e-mail about this guide from people around the
world saying how good the guide is and offering suggestions (many of which
made it into the previous revisions). I intend to continue updating and
polishing this document for as long as possible.
*****************************************************************************
"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" is copyright 2002-2003 by Rockstar Games, a
subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
All other trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders.
*****************************************************************************
I did a few tweaks this time around. Haven't got as much mail on Vice City as
I have on San Andreas. Still, there are always something new to try even
though the game is nearly four years old.
One of the biggest things for me lately is that I have upgraded my computer.
I now am the proud owner of a 1.5Ghz Single Core Intel Mac Mini. I also
acquired Textwrangler 2.1.2 from BareBones (the same company that made BBEdit
Lite). The nice thing about Textwrangler is that it has a really nice
spellcheck feature which was something that BBEdit Lite didn't have. Really
helpful in cleaning out the document of spelling errors. This is the first
revision done on the new setup.
0---------------------------------------------------------------------------0
0====================0
| Additional Sources |
0====================0
--Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Tourist Guide (Game Manual)
--PSM magazine (issue #67, pages 86-87).
--Official U.S. Playstation Magazine (Issue #65 (February 2003) - Pages 118,
119)
--Official U.S. Playstation Magazine (Issue #66 (March 2003) - Page 123) -
Brian Steinlage
--GameWinners.com GTA: Vice City Forum
--GameFAQs GTA: Vice City Forum
--Shnangyboos (Spike Strip Trick)
--robbman (Little Havana Glitch Info)
0==========================0
| Additional Contributions |
0==========================0
--spaceeinstein (http://www.freewebs.com/spaceeinstein/grandtheftauto.htm)
--Ripperspirite --Dexterx5
--J. Straughan --slash1
--Pete Zsolnay --imaginaetion
--Bragon (from Thailand) --Glen T. Winstein
--A1210 --Alex T. Roth
--Matthew Dean --Leandro Nantes
--Benjamin Kirk --Jari H S Kauppila
--Rich Kelly --Restick ww
--Brian Prest --WizO Randal
--David Hawkins --peter parker
--Slycer Starblade --mgssnakes
--A.M. van de Water --Monkey Man
--jason corns --Ronn
--Sexybeast 22 --Richard Qin
--Cic the Poet --thirdi
--Andre Delarue --Luke Edwins
--Abhisheik Dahiya --Rondo
--Haenlomal --David Sears
--Daniel Bryan-Curnow --Jake Stutts
--Gary Paydon --Adam Lilley
--Sri c --Andrew Morgan
--Tim Williams --HandsomeRockus
--Jamie Allen --Joey Schmidt
--Michael Jankowski --Mihir Mehta
--Red Falcon --Kenneth Lowery
--Chris Humm --Jecson Eslabra
--Michael Furman --Dragonfire
--Walter Marshaleck --Rich Williams
--Martin W. Anderson --TownRanger
--Tom Jackson
0================================0
| Other Documents I Have Written |
0================================0
X=======================================================================X
| "Grand Theft Auto 3" Walkthrough (Strategy Guide) |
|=======================================================================|
| Differences Between The Three Versions Of "Grand Theft Auto: Vice |
| City" for PlayStation 2 (FAQ) |
|=======================================================================|
| "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" Hidden Text FAQ |
|=======================================================================|
| "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" Suggested Music List FAQ (Xbox and PC) |
| (currently hosted by IGN.com) |
|=======================================================================|
| "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" Walkthrough (Strategy Guide) |
|=======================================================================|
| "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" Hidden Text FAQ |
|=======================================================================|
| "Stubbs the Zombie" Walkthrough (Strategy Guide) |
|=======================================================================|
| "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay" Walkthrough |
| (Strategy Guide) |
| |
| One of the earlier versions of my TCoR: EFBB guide can be found in |
| the book "GameFAQs Presents.....The Ultimate Xbox Strategy Guide" |
| published by Future Network USA. |
X=======================================================================X
*****************************************************************************
/==XX====XX====XX====XX====XX====X##***##X====XX====XX====XX====XX====XX==\
0===XX====XX====XX====XX====XX====X##***##X====XX====XX====XX====XX====XX===0
| Table of Contents |
0===XX====XX====XX====XX====XX====0##***##0====XX====XX====XX====XX====XX===0
\==XX====XX====XX====XX====XX====X##***##X====XX====XX====XX====XX====XX==/
0=========================================0
| I. Introduction And General Information |
0=========================================0
1. Who Am I?
2. My Setup
3. From the Author
4. About The Guide
5. Submissions
6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
7. Differences Between the Three PlayStation 2 (American) Versions
8. Differences Between the Two Xbox Versions
9. PS2 and Xbox Differences
10. Controls
11. Weapons
12. Health, Body Armor, Police Bribe, and Adrenaline Icons
13. Motorcycles
14. Helicopters And The Skimmer
15. Other Useful Vehicles
16. The (Almost) Everything-Proof Admiral
17. Law Enforcement
18. Police Vehicles
19. "Brown Thunder"
20. Rhino Rampaging
21. Asset Properties
22. Outfits
23. Advanced Tips And Information
24. Bugs
25. 100% Completion List
0=====================================0
| II. Before Doing The Story Missions |
0=====================================0
1. In The Beginning.....
2. Your Room
3. Welcome to Vice City!
4. Know Your Music
5. Package Hunting (Part One)
6. Pizza Delivery Mission
7. Ambulance Mission
8. Firetruck Mission
9. Rampages (Part One)
10. Unique Stunt Jumping (Part One)
11. Taxi Mission
12. Robbing Stores (East Side)
13. Top Fun (East Side)
14. "PCJ Playground"
15. "Cone Crazy"
16. "The Jump" (PS2 Version)
17. "The Bus" (Xbox and PS2 Versions)
18. "The Ambulance" (PS2 Version)
19. "The Bridge" (PS2 Version)
20. Package Hunting (Part Two)
21. Looking For Cars
22. Rampages (Part Two)
23. Unique Stunt Jumping (Part Two)
24. The Hyman Memorial Arena
25. The North Dirt Track
26. Top Fun (West Side)
27. Robbing Stores (West Side)
28. Rampages (Part Three)
29. Package Hunting (Part Three)
30. Taking Stock
0=========================0
| III. The Story Missions |
0=========================0
1. Ken Rosenberg
L1. "The Party" (Ken Rosenberg)
L2. "Back Alley Brawl" (Ken Rosenberg)
L3. "Jury Fury" (Ken Rosenberg)
2. Assassination Missions
AM1. "Road Kill" (Assassination Mission)
L4. "Riot" (Ken Rosenberg)
3. Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez
C1. "Treacherous Swine" (Colonel Cortez)
C2. "Mall Shootout" (Colonel Cortez)
C3. "Guardian Angels" (Colonel Cortez)
4. Ricardo Diaz
5. Unique Stunt Jumping (Part Three)
D1. "The Chase" (Ricardo Diaz)
D2. "Phnom Penh '86" (Ricardo Diaz)
6. Unique Stunt Jumping (Part Four)
AM2. "Waste The Wife" (Assassination Mission)
C4. "Sir, Yes, Sir!" (Colonel Cortez)
D3. "The Fastest Boat" (Ricardo Diaz)
AM3. "Autocide" (Assassination Mission)
D4. "Supply & Demand" (Ricardo Diaz)
D5. "Death Row" (Ricardo Diaz)
D6. "Rub Out" (Ricardo Diaz)
7. Reversal of Fortune.....
8. Chopper Checkpoint Missions
9. Tommy Vercetti
$$$1. Protection Ring Asset
V1. "Shakedown" (Tommy Vercetti)
10. Asset Property Missions
AM4. "Check In At The Check Out" (Assassination Mission)
V2. "Bar Brawl" (Tommy Vercetti)
V3. "Copland" (Tommy Vercetti)
11. Using Military Vehicles for Rampages
$$$2. Sunshine Autos Asset
SAA1. Vice Street Races
SAA2. Car Collection
$$$3. The Cherry Popper Ice Cream Factory Asset
CPA1. "Distribution" (Cherry Poppers Asset)
$$$4. Malibu Club Asset
MCA1. "No Escape?" (Malibu Club Asset)
MCA2. "The Shootist" (Malibu Club Asset)
12. "Rifle Range"
AM5. "Loose Ends" (Assassination Mission)
MCA3. "The Driver" (Malibu Club Asset)
MCA4. "The Job" (Malibu Club Asset)
$$$5. Phil Cassidy's Asset
PCA1. "Gun Runner" (Phil Cassidy's Asset)
PCA2. "Boomshine Saigon" (Phil Cassidy's Asset)
C5. "All Hands On Deck!" (Colonel Cortez)
$$$6. Interglobal Films Asset
IFA1. "Recruitment Drive" (Interglobal Films Asset)
IFA2. "Dildo Dodo" (Interglobal Films Asset)
IFA3. "Martha's Mug Shot" (Interglobal Films Asset)
IFA4. "G-Spotlight" (Interglobal Films Asset)
$$$7. Kaufman Cabs Asset
KCA1. "V.I.P." (Kaufman Cabs Asset)
KCA2. "Friendly Rivalry" (Kaufman Cabs Asset)
KCA3. "Cabmageddon" (Kaufman Cabs Asset)
$$$8. Boatyard Asset
BA1. "Checkpoint Charlie" (Boatyard Asset)
$$$9. The Pole Position Club Asset
$$$10. Print Works Asset
PWA1. "Spilling The Beans" (Print Works Asset)
PWA2. "Hit The Courier" (Print Works Asset)
V4. "Cap The Collector" (Tommy Vercetti)
13. And Now For Everybody Else.....
14. Avery Carrington
A1. "Four Iron" (Avery Carrington)
A2. "Demolition Man" (Avery Carrington)
A3. "Two Bit Hit" (Avery Carrington)
15. Love Fist
LF1. "Love Juice" (Love Fist)
16. Big Mitch Baker
BMB1. "Alloy Wheels Of Steel" (Big Mitch Baker)
BMB2. "Messing With The Man" (Big Mitch Baker)
BMB3. "Hogtied" (Big Mitch Baker)
LF2. "Psycho Killer" (Love Fist)
LF3. "Publicity Tour" (Love Fist)
17. Umberto Robina
UR1. "Stunt Boat Challenge" (Umberto Robina)
UR2. "Cannon Fodder" (Umberto Robina)
UR3. "Naval Engagement" (Umberto Robina)
18. Auntie Poulet
AP1. "Juju Scramble" (Auntie Poulet)
AP2. "Bombs Away!" (Auntie Poulet)
AP3. "Dirty Lickin's" (Auntie Poulet)
UR4. "Trojan Voodoo" (Umberto Robina)
V5. "Keep Your Friends Close....." (Tommy Vercetti)
0===========================0
| IV. 100% Completion Score |
0===========================0
0=============================0
| V. The 6-Star Lap Challenge |
0=============================0
0=============0
| VI. Credits |
0=============0
0=================0
| VII. Conclusion |
0=================0
/==XX====XX====XX====XX====XX====X##***##X====XX====XX====XX====XX====XX==\
0===XX====XX====XX====XX====XX====0##***##0====XX====XX====XX====XX====XX===0
| I. Introduction And General Information |
0===XX====XX====XX====XX====XX====0##***##0====XX====XX====XX====XX====XX===0
\==XX====XX====XX====XX====XX====X##***##X====XX====XX====XX====XX====XX==/
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.1. Who Am I? |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
My name is Robert Allen Rusk and I am a 39-year old hardcore gamer with about
30 years of gaming experience. I am an ex-gametester (Broderbund Software,
LucasArts Games, Point Of View Computing) and an ex-arcade attendant (Namco
Cyberstation - Pier 39, San Francisco, CA).
I also own multiple systems such as the Sega Dreamcast, Super Nintendo,
Nintendo 64, Atari Jaguar, PlayStation 1, Xbox, and, of course, the
PlayStation 2.
I currently work at JCPenneys at one of the malls here in San Antonio, TX.
Retail isn't the best job in the world but JCPenneys is a very stable company
unlike some of the other places I have worked for in the past like internet
service providers or web programming companies.
I started writing guides in 2003 because I felt it was something I could do
utilizing my writing skills gained in college and gametesting along with my
passion for vidgames. Over time I have honed my overall writing and
organization skills plus my creative thinking skills. I have extended the
play value of the games I have written guides and FAQs for many times over
plus I have received many letters from all over the world.
I am also what one may call and RGB enthusiast. I hack my game consoles to
try to get the best possible video from them and that usually involves
tapping into the RGB Analog video signals and using them on the right
monitors to achieve my desires. To this end I became a member of the
GamesX.com mod forum and I post regularly on their "RGB + Video Discussions"
forum area.
In addition, I am a member of the X-Otic Computer Systems of San Antonio
(www.xcssa.org), a group who specializes in Linux, Mac, and other systems.
I am also a regular forum poster at GameFAQs, an occasional poster at
www.Atariage.com, and I am also a member of the MOFAT (a members only message
board set up by GTA: Vice City players who met on the Vice City message
boards at GameFAQs).
Outside of gaming, my interests include Godzilla (I have been a G-Fan since
the age of ten) and Red Dwarf (I am currently awaiting the release of Series
VII and Series VIII on DVD here in the States).
As far as favorite sports teams go my teams are the San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
[the local team], the Denver Broncos (NFL) [although I live in Texas I am
originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado], and the Air Force Falcons (NCAA
Football).
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.2. My Setup |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
This guide was constructed using BBEdit Lite 6.1 and a Power Mac Workgroup
Server 8550/200 (with a G3 card running at 330 MHz). It is now being
maintained using TextWrangler 2.1.2 on a 1.5Ghz Single Core Intel Mac Mini. I
view my work in Safari to help in seeing how it would look on the web and
correct format errors.
I also play Vice City on my NEC MultiSync 3D RGB monitor using a homebrew RGB
box that contains a EL1883 (MacroVision compatible) sync separation chip to
acquire video sync, for RGB use, from Composite Video.
When I do my writing and guide revisions I run my Mac (on a Compaq monitor)
alongside the Xbox or PS2 (on my MultiSync 3D monitor). This way I can
simultaneously play and make changes to the guide at the same time.
The sound is hooked up to an old stereo box I got from Radio Shack when I
acquired my first Amiga 500 in 1990 and it has served me well considering its
age.
For my guide work I have 21 memory cards for my PlayStation 2. I have
reorganized the game saves on my memory cards and I now have eight cards
specifically dedicated to "Grand Theft Auto 3", "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City"
(Original Version (1.40)), and "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" (which uses up
15 cards).
These memory cards allow me to quickly go and try out new ideas (and modify
old ones) when they occur to me or suggested by others.
I had gotten 100% Completion twice prior to making this document and did it
four more times (two on the Original, one on the Double Pack version, and one
on the Haitian-Friendly Version) on the PS2 versions. I have also done 100%
Completion on both the Original and Haitian-Friendly versions for the Xbox.
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.3. From The Author |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
Welcome to my Grand Theft Auto: Vice City guide! If this is the first time
you have visited, you will find a lot of useful information in a highly
organized format that you can use to beat all of the missions of the game.
Quotes taken from readers' e-mail are presented "as is" and may include
spelling and grammatical errors.
When I first posted my initial version, I did not know how well it would go
over and how many people would respond. I wasn't exactly swamped with e-mail
but I do get letters from time to time.
Sometimes people would ask for advice and others would say how cool the guide
is. All it takes is for one person to say how good and useful your guide is
to make it all worthwhile. And others have made suggestions that have been
incorporated into my guides.
I want to thank GameFAQs for creating a place where such documents can be
hosted for the benefit of all gamers. I also want to thank IGN.com,
NeoSeeker.com, TheVGNation.com, GameHelper.com, and many other sites for
their generosity in hosting this guide along with my other work on their
sites.
I also want to thank everybody who has taken the time to download and
read this guide. I love this game and I wanted to share my creative ideas
with fellow Vice City "thuggers".
And, of course, I want to give a special thanks to all those who have taken
the time to write to me and tell me what you thought, make suggestions, and
ask questions.
With that said, let's get down to business shall we?.....
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.4. About The Guide |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
The main emphasis of this guide is to provide creative and simple solutions
to many of the missions of "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City". Many hours were
spent going over each mission and finding unique ways to solve them. I think
you will be surprised by many of the solutions found here.
I have worked hard to make sure that this guide is as complete as possible
but at the same time leave room for exploration. I even included interesting
and humorous anecdotes, observations, and lines from Vice City (plus made-up
quotes). I hope that you enjoy this guide as much as learn from it.
While this guide was written initially for the PS2 version of the game, this
guide will also benefit those with the PC and Xbox versions of Vice City. If
any of the strategies in this guide won't work in either the PC or Xbox
versions, feel free to write me and let me know so I can make additional
adjustments in future revisions.
This guide is designed so that you can do the missions without any cheat
codes. However, I have included one code, the Health Code (in I.23 - Advanced
Tips And Information), to give you a little flexibility.
In addition, this guide also reveals four ways (three reliable and one
semi-reliable) to get around the roadblocks at the start of the game. They
are "The Jump", "The Bus", "The Ambulance", and "The Bridge".
Another emphasis of this guide is ORDER. If you do the missions and tasks in
a certain order, the game will be easier and more fun for you. Everything in
Part II and Part III were written in the order I did them in the game. You
don't absolutely have to do them in the EXACT order I have them listed but as
you read the guide you will see how it benefitted me.
Each Hidden Package, Unique Stunt Jump, and Rampage has a letter designation
to make them easier to identify in this guide. In addition there is a three
letter Neighborhood Prefix (listings below) indicating a particular
neighborhood or area where the item can be found (in these examples I use
"XXX"):
Hidden Packages will be identified with an "H".
Examples: Hidden Package XXX-H21.
Package XXX-H32.
XXX-H65.
Rampages will be identified with an "R".
Examples: Rampage XXX-R34.
XXX-R16.
Unique Stunt Jumps will be identified with a "J".
Examples: Unique Stunt Jump XXX-J24.
Unique Jump XXX-J12.
Jump XXX-J8.
XXX-J31.
0=======================0
| Neighborhood Prefixes |
0=======================0
PRI - Prawn Island SFI - Starfish Island
NPM - North Point Mall DTN - Downtown
VCP - Vice Point LHI - Little Haiti
LGC - Leaf Links Golf Club LTV - Little Havana
WSB - Washington Beach EIA - Escobar International Airport
OCB - Ocean Beach VPR - Viceport
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.5. Submissions |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
If you have any comments, suggestions, and critiques, you can e-mail me at
the following address.....
rarusk[gnat]netzero[snot]com
Things to submit.....
X===========================================================================X
| Better ideas. If you have some better way to do certain missions, I would |
| be glad to hear it. Once I confirm it, I will include your idea in future |
| revisions and will credit you for it. |
|===========================================================================|
| Anecdotes and observations (especially if they're funny). |
|===========================================================================|
| Major bugs (for I.24 - Bugs). |
|===========================================================================|
| Differences between the PC and Xbox versions that may make my some of my |
| strategies ineffective. |
|===========================================================================|
| Additional control information for the Xbox and PC versions. |
|===========================================================================|
| Constructive critiques. While I have strived to make this as good a guide |
| as possible, I know it is not perfect. Whatever criticisms you make of |
| this guide please make them constructive so I can learn from it since I |
| may consider doing guides for other games in the future. |
|===========================================================================|
| Grammatical and formatting errors. |
X===========================================================================X
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" is the follow-up to the smash hit "Grand Theft
Auto 3". Like it's predecessor, Vice City is a freeform
do-anything-you-want-and-in-any-order-gangster-wannabe adventure game. Vice
City is set in the 1980's (1986 specifically), about the time when most adult
gamers (when they were children or teens) were into the Commodore 64's, Sega
Master Systems, and Nintendo Entertainment Systems.
Initially, I was expecting "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" to be just like GTA3
but with a little more polish. But what Rockstar did was nothing short of
incredible. They overhauled everything, compiled a massive soundtrack the
likes of which the gaming world hadn't seen at that point (a lot of good 80's
music), and got some major Hollywood talent to lend their voices (like Ray
Liotta and Dennis Hopper). Plus a more refined story, motorcycles,
helicopters, better weapons, the ability to change outfits, and purchase
property.
There are more missions in Vice City than there were in GTA3 (88 in Vice
City, 73 in GTA3). Plus, the missions are more involving, but still not too
complex. I guess that the designers didn't want to let too many things get in
the way of experiencing the full scope of Vice City. And such a large scope
it is too.
This was a major leap forward and Rockstar Games should be highly commended
for not taking the easy way out. And it was worth every penny I paid for it
(and I pre-paid two months in advance at the local GameStop).
The only major downside to Vice City is that since Vice City is such a major
leap from GTA3, how was Rockstar going to top themselves for the next chapter
in the Grand Theft Auto series?
"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" provided the answer to that question. Larger
and more expansive than I thought possible. This makes Vice City puny and old
by comparison. And that's saying a lot.
With all that said, let's get down to the business of the guide itself and I
will start with the differences between the three PlayStation 2 versions.....
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.7. Differences Between the Three PlayStation 2 (American) Versions |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
When GTA: Vice City came out for the PS2, there were several issues that came
up like the Detonator Bug, getting hurt running off sidewalks, and other
glitches.
When Rockstar announced that they were doing a Double Pack version containing
both GTA3 and Vice City, there was talk that Rockstar might go into the PS2
version of both games and do some clean-up work.
Based on responses from other posters at the GameFAQs message boards when I
posted my initial findings, what Rockstar did was to put in some new ideas
that were implemented in the PC version to make the PS2 version equal to the
other versions (although another reader said that these were done to the
foreign versions of Vice City prior to the PC version).
Later, Rockstar did another version of Vice City that removed references to
killing Haitians in response to protests by the Haitian community. This was
known as the "Haitian-Friendly" version.
By placing the game disc inside my Mac and opening the file "system.cnf"
within BBEdit Lite I can tell what version disc it is. Also you can tell what
version you have by looking at the barcode on the lower left of the back
cover (American versions):
>>Original Version: 1.40
Bar Code: 10425 27145
>>Double Pack Version (Early Run - Haitian-Unfriendly): 2.01
Bar Code: 10425 24300
>>Double Pack Version (Later Run - Haitian-Friendly): 3.00
Bar Code: 10425 21383
>>Haitian-Friendly Version (Single Copy): 3.00, 3.01
Bar Code: 10425 27388
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
X| VERY IMPORTANT: The game saves from one version WILL NOT work with any |X
X| other version! Version 1.40 game saves are not cross-compatible with |X
X| version 2.01 and 3.00 discs. And version 3.00 game saves are not |X
X| cross-compatible with version 2.01 discs either. |X
X| |X
X| The reason for the incompatibility is due to the fact that when you |X
X| make any significant changes to the main program the game saves from |X
X| the previous version will no longer be recognized by the new version. |X
X| This is an issue that is unfixable. |X
X| |X
X| If you need to replace a copy of Vice City you have to make sure to |X
X| get the same version otherwise you won't be able to use your game |X
X| saves. The latest version of my Differences FAQ will show you what to |X
X| look out for in helping you determine what version you have and what |X
X| to look for in the other versions. |X
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
Here is the list of major and minor changes I have found so far.....
0==============0
| Version 2.01 |
0==============0
>>The Cherry Popper Save Glitch, which corrupts game saves when saved at
Cherry Poppers, has been fixed.
>>The Detonator Bug is fixed for the DP version. More details in the Bugs
section.
>>The "Trial By Dirt" mini-game has been altered. The rain, Haitians on
motorcycles, and barrels won't show up when you do it the first time. The
second time around, the barrels will appear. If you beat your best time,
rain will appear the next time. If you beat your best time again, the
Haitians will appear an your next attempt. In addition, the stat glitch (in
where the stat would not show up until you did "Test Drive" and only as the
same time as that mini-game) has been fixed.
>>The Lionel Ritchie song "Running With The Night" (Flash-FM) has been
removed from the Double Pack version.
>>The blurry vision in "Boomshine Saigon" is far less in the DP version
although the screen will still swerve around.
>>Many weapons have been renamed. More details in the Weapons section.
>>In the opening cutscene for "Recruitment Drive" (Interglobal Films Asset),
the big breasted woman with the pasties is now wearing a halter top
instead.
0==============0
| Version 3.00 |
0==============0
>>References to Haitians and Cubans have been either altered or removed (the
main reason for Version 3.00).
>>The Tear Gas that sits behind the Washington Beach Police Station has been
replaced by Grenades.
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.8. Differences Between the Two Xbox Versions |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
Just like on the PlayStation side there are also two versions of Vice City
for the Xbox: Original and Haitian-Friendly.
I am unable to look at the Xbox disc within my Mac but another reader,
Kenneth Lowery, managed to look at the bar codes on the back of the
packaging:
>>Original Version
Bar Code: 10425 29284
>>Haitian-Friendly Version
Bar Code: 10425 29387
And, just like on the PS2 versions, the game saves from one version will NOT
work with the other. But you can end up with two Vice City game save folders
on the Xbox hard drive so you are not forced to overwrite any game saves.
Outside of the changes to the scripts (which altered or removed references to
Haitians and Cubans) there are no other changes save for one:
>>Although Rockstar managed to fix the Pedestrians Go Silent glitch (which
cause all pedestrians to go silent for long stretches of time) the
Haitian-Friendly version has more sound glitches (especially when you are
in a car).
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.9. PS2 and Xbox Differences |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
What are some of the differences between the Xbox and PS2 versions? Which one
is better (from a technical standpoint)? Here's the breakdown:
0==========0
| Graphics |
0==========0
The graphics on the Xbox version are better than it's PS2 counterpart but
the animation tends to be a little bit choppy thus negating some of its
advantage. In addition, the Xbox version has Progressive Scan and that's a
nice plus.
Advantage: Xbox
0=======0
| Sound |
0=======0
The sound on the Xbox version tends to be quite glitchy. Inappropriate jet
noises plus the Pedestrians Go Silent glitch (on the Xbox Original version)
gives the PS2 the edge even though you can make customizable soundtracks on
the Xbox version. On the Xbox Haitian-Friendly version, even though they
fixed the Pedestrians Go Silent glitch, there's more sound glitches.
Advantage: PlayStation 2
0==========0
| Controls |
0==========0
The controls on the Xbox version are OK even though doing drive-bys was
made a bit awkward because you had to use the Right Analog Stick. The PS2
version gets the edge here although the Xbox controls aren't as awful as I
made them out to be before. After playing around with San Andreas (Xbox),
the controls for Vice City (Xbox) seem so much better.
Advantage: PlayStation 2
0=======================0
| Console Hardware Data |
0=======================0
PlayStation 2
*************
The PS2 version runs pretty well but you can encounter sudden pop-ins if
you are driving very fast and outrun the object loading (but it doesn't
happen too often). Texture loading is pretty smooth but there will be some
occasions when you see slow loading textures but it is not too bad.
Xbox
****
Although the Xbox version has better graphics the animations tend to be a
bit choppy. The object and texture loading is much better than the PS2
version which reduces sudden pop-ins. There are occasional hiccups when
streaming from the disc which makes you wonder if your machine has crashed.
There are also massive slowdowns at the end of a lot of missions. This is
because the Xbox is reading the data off of the disc in such a way that it
interferes with the game. Vice City also glitches out very bad if you
happen to have an Xbox with a Thompson drive (I had to trade in my initial
Xbox because of this problem).
The best way to tell if you have the bad drive is when you load up the
game. If you can hear the title music but the screen remains black, you
have the bad drive. Microsoft used two other drives in addition to the
Thompson drive and only a drive replacement will solve this particular
problem.
As a result of these technical problems I have to say that the PS2 versions
are better than the Xbox versions. This is not to dis the Xbox in any way. I
also have "Dead Or Alive 3", "DOA: Extreme Volleyball", "Godzilla: Destroy
All Monsters Melee", "Return to Castle Wolfenstein", "Halo", "Kung Fu Chaos",
and "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay" and they all look
and play great. It is just that they did not do a great job of porting Vice
City to the Xbox.
It is unclear at this time if the Xbox version of Vice City will run any
better on the recently released Xbox 360. It is also unknown if the PS2
version of Vice City will run better on the soon to be released PlayStation 3
(although I hope it will run in Progressive Scan mode).
0==========================0
| Xbox Version Differences |
0==========================0
As I said at the start, there are also some tweaks that don't appear in the
PS2 version.....
>>"The Jump" method of getting to the other side before "Phnom Pehn '86"
(Ricardo Diaz) will NOT work on the Xbox version. However, you can still
use "The Bus" method of getting across. More details in Section II.
>>The posters in the window of Rock City (Downtown) have been replaced by a
poster of a Cousin Ed (from Iron Maiden) look-alike with the words "Jock
Star" on the bottom. This appears to be a dig at "True Crime: Streets of
L.A.". In that game there are billboards of a male torso wearing a pink
jockstrap with a large "J" (which is of the same font as the Rockstar "R")
nearby with the name "Jock-Straps".
>>An SWAT Enforcer can often be found at the Vice Point Police Station.
>>A Secuicar can often be found in front of El Banco Corrupto Grande near
Little Havana.
>>A Police Cheetah can sometimes be found in the back area of the Little
Havana Police Station.
>>A Bus can often be found by the building where VPR-H93 is located (the
hangar east of the Escobar International Airport Freight and Cargo Terminal
(Seaplanes Tours - near the Airport).
>>The Love Fist limo will spawn in front of VROCK after completion of the
Love Fist missions.
>>The Tear Gas Grenades that were in the back of the Washington Beach Police
Station in the PS2 versions have been replaced by standard Grenades in the
Xbox version.
>>Any Washington you see on the street will always be white. You can't even
change the color by running it through a Pay 'N Spray. It will always come
out white. A glitch maybe?
>>An Admiral will sometimes replace the Stretch at the Mansion. The only
place to get the Stretch for the Sunshine Autos car list is at the Mansion.
You will have to move the Admiral far away, or take it to complete one of
the car lists at Sunshine Autos, to make the Stretch appear again.
>>You CANNOT use the FBI Rancher in a Pay N' Spray in the Xbox version.
>>And finally, there are NO sidewalk injuries in the Xbox version. In the PS2
versions you can get hurt running off the sidewalk. It is an irritating bug
and a running gag amongst PS2 users.
With that done, let's move on to the most basic of functions......
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.10. Controls |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
Although the manual covers the setup pretty good, I felt that I should
include a section on controls for those who have gotten used copies of Vice
City that have no manuals.
Special thanks to spaceeinstein for his help with the PC controls and A1210
for his help with the Xbox controls.
It should be noted that on the PC version you have the option of using the
Mouse for targeting and driving instead of the Keypad.
Listed are the default settings for all three versions.....
0=========0
| On Foot |
0=========0
PlayStation 2 Version
*********************
Move Around...............................................Left Analog Stick
[5] Look Around (First Person Mode)......................Right Analog Stick
Move Around.................................................Directional Pad
[1] Run............................................................X Button
Jump..........................................................Square Button
[3] Attack....................................................Circle Button
[2] Enter Vehicle...........................................Triangle Button
*Multipurpose.....................................................L1 Button
Previous Weapon...................................................L2 Button
Crouch............................................................L3 Button
[4] Target........................................................R1 Button
Next Weapon.......................................................R2 Button
Look Behind.......................................................R3 Button
Pause..........................................................Start Button
Change Camera Mode............................................Select Button
Zoom In With Sniper Rifle.....................................Square Button
Zoom Out With Sniper Rifle.........................................X Button
* - This button serves to either Change Camera Modes, Get New Weapon,
Purchase Property, or Answer Cell Phone.
Xbox Version
************
Move Around...............................................Left Analog Stick
[5] Look Around (First Person Mode)......................Right Analog Stick
[1] Run............................................................A Button
Jump...............................................................X Button
[3] Attack....................................................Right Trigger
[2] Enter Vehicle..................................................Y Button
Get New Weapon or Purchase New Property..................Directional Pad Up
Previous Weapon........................................Directional Pad Left
Crouch.............................................Left Analog Stick Button
[4] Target or Answer Cell Phone................................Left Trigger
Next Weapon...........................................Directional Pad Right
Look Behind.......................................Right Analog Stick Button
Pause..........................................................Start Button
Change Camera Mode.............................................White Button
PC Version
**********
[It should be noted that you can use the mouse for more accurate aiming
when attacking on foot.]
Move Forward................................................Arrow Up; W Key
Move Backward.............................................Arrow Down; S Key
Move Left.................................................Arrow Left; A Key
Move Right...............................................Arrow Right; D Key
[1] Run.........................................................Right Shift
Jump...................................................Right Control; Space
[3] Attack............................NP 0; Left Control; Left Mouse Button
[2] Enter Vehicle.......................................Return/Enter; F Key
Previous Weapon...............................NP Period [.]; Mouse Wheel Up
Next Weapon......................................NP Enter; Mouse Wheel Down
Crouch................................................................C Key
[4] Target.......................................Delete; Right Mouse Button
Look Behind............................NP 1; Caps Lock; Middle Mouse Button
Change Camera Mode..............................................Home; V Key
Zoom In With Sniper Rifle....................Page Up; Z Key; Mouse Wheel Up
Zoom Out With Sniper Rifle...............Page Down; X Key; Mouse Wheel Down
[Note: NP = Number Pad]
0-----------------------------------------------------------------------0
[1] - If you hold down the Run button too long, you will tire and have to
rest before you can run again. Tapping the button in rhythm will serve
to help you run a little longer. The more times you run, the better
your stamina will be. You can solve the problem of tiring out by
getting the Infinite Run feature which is acquired by successfully
completing the Ambulance Mission (detailed later).
[2] - When doing this to motorcycles, depending on how close you are, you can
either knock the rider off with a elbow to the face or jumpkick them to
the chest. If you jack a car that has a passenger and you are fast
enough, that passenger will ride with you (and scream constantly) for
as long as you drive the car (works with police vehicles too).
[3] - When holding a melee weapon (like a bat) or using your fist, the Attack
Button is used to swing at your target.
When using Grenades or Tear Gas, the same button is used to throw your
weapon at the target. The longer you hold, the farther you throw.
When holding a gun (like a Python [.357]) or a heavy weapon (like a
Rocket Launcher), you use the Attack Button to shoot. Use the Target
Button in conjunction to aim at your enemy.
When used with a camera (later on in the game), the Attack Button is
used to take pictures.
[4] - When holding a gun, you hold down the Target Button target your enemy.
Use the Previous Weapon and Next Weapon Buttons to switch between
targets.
[5] - You can do this for precision walking (like on a steel beam) by helping
you "aim" your character in the direction you want him to face.
0-----------------------------------------------------------------------0
0============================0
| In Cars And On Motorcycles |
0============================0
PlayStation 2 Version
*********************
[1] Turn Vehicle..........................................Left Analog Stick
[1] Turn Vehicle............................................Directional Pad
Accelerate.........................................................X Button
Reverse.......................................................Square Button
[2] Attack (Drive By Mode)............Circle Button (Plus L2 or R2 Buttons)
[4] Exit Vehicle............................................Triangle Button
Change Radio Stations.............................................L1 Button
Look Left (Drive By Mode).........................................L2 Button
Use Horn (Or Siren)...............................................L3 Button
[3] Handbrake.....................................................R1 Button
Look Right (Drive By Mode)........................................R2 Button
Activate Vehicle Missions.........................................R3 Button
Pause..........................................................Start Button
Change Camera Mode............................................Select Button
Look Behind.................................................L2 + R2 Buttons
Xbox Version
************
[1] Turn Vehicle..........................................Left Analog Stick
Drive By Mode/Look Around................................Right Analog Stick
Accelerate....................................................Right Trigger
Reverse/Brake..................................................Left Trigger
[2] Attack (Drive By Mode)........................Right Analog Stick Button
[4] Exit Vehicle...................................................Y Button
*Change Radio Stations.........................................Black Button
Use Horn (Or Siren)................................Left Analog Stick Button
[3] Handbrake......................................................B Button
Activate Vehicle Missions..........................................X Button
Pause..........................................................Start Button
Change Camera Mode............................................ White Button
* - To change cd/tape deck (Custom soundtrack), press and hold the Black
button while pressing up and down on the Directional Pad to select
"album"/folder. Then, while still holding the radio button, press left or
right on the Directional Pad to change songs.
PC Version
**********
Move Forward................................................Arrow Up; W Key
Move Backward.............................................Arrow Down; S Key
Move Left.................................................Arrow Left; A Key
Move Right...............................................Arrow Right; D Key
[3] Handbrake.........................Right Ctrl; Space; Right Mouse Button
[2] Attack........NP 0; Left Control; Left Mouse Button (With NP 1 or NP 2)
[4] Exit Vehicle........................................Return/Enter; F Key
Change Radio Stations.........................Insert; R Key; Mouse Wheel Up
Use Horn (Or Siren).................................Left Shift; Right Shift
Activate Vehicle Missions............................NP Plus [+]; Caps Lock
Change Camera Mode..............................................Home; V Key
Look Behind.................NP 1 + NP 2; Q Key + E Key; Middle Mouse Button
Look Left (Drive By Mode).......................................NP 1; Q Key
Look Right (Drive By Mode)......................................NP 2; E Key
Zoom Out With Sniper Rifle...............Page Down; X Key; Mouse Wheel Down
Turret Left (Rhino and Firetruck)......................................NP 4
Turret Right (Rhino and Firetruck).....................................NP 5
Turret Up (Firetruck)/Lean Up (Wheelie)................................NP 9
Turret Down (Firetruck)/Lean Down (Stoppie)............................NP 6
Go Up (Voodoo)...................................................Left Shift
Go Down (Voodoo)................................................Right Shift
Tilt Right (Voodoo)........................................NP4; Shift + NP5
Tilt Left (Voodoo).........................................NP5; Shift + NP4
Tilt Forward (Voodoo)......................................NP9; Shift + NP6
Tilt Backward (Voodoo).....................................NP6; Shift + NP9
[Note: NP = Number Pad]
0-----------------------------------------------------------------------0
[1] - Pull Back to perform a wheelie on a motorcycle. Push Up in conjunction
with the Brake Button to perform a stoppie on a motorcycle.
[2] - You can also shoot forward while riding a motorcycle. Just press the
Attack button.
[3] - Your stopping power is increased when used in conjunction with the
Reverse button.
[4] - You can jump from a moving car this time around. You will hurt yourself
a bit when you do but that is much better then getting stuck in a
flaming car that's about ready to blow up.
0-----------------------------------------------------------------------0
0===================================0
| In Helicopters And In The Skimmer |
0===================================0
PlayStation 2 Version
*********************
Move Forward (Helicopter)/Dive (Skimmer)...............Left Analog Stick Up
Move Backward (Helicopter)/Rise (Skimmer)............Left Analog Stick Down
Sidestep Left (Helicopter)/Turn Left (Skimmer).......Left Analog Stick Left
Sidestep Right (Helicopter)/Turn Right (Skimmer)....Left Analog Stick Right
*Rotate Helicopter/Turn Skimmer..........................Right Analog Stick
Ascend (Helicopter)/Accelerate (Skimmer)...........................X Button
Descend (Helicopter)Decelerate (Skimmer)......................Square Button
Fire Rockets (Hunter).........................................Circle Button
Exit Vehicle................................................Triangle Button
Change Radio Stations (Sea Sparrow, Maverick, Hunter).............L1 Button
Turn Counterclockwise (Helicopter)................................L2 Button
Hover.............................................................L3 Button
Fire MiniGun (Sea Sparrow, Hunter)................................R1 Button
Turn Clockwise (Helicopter).......................................R2 Button
Activate Vehicle Mission (Hunter).................................R3 Button
Pause..........................................................Start Button
Change Camera Mode............................................Select Button
* - Because you have to hold down X to keep altitude, this is probably not
very useful for flying.
Xbox Version
************
Move Forward (Helicopter)/Dive (Skimmer)...............Left Analog Stick Up
Move Backward (Helicopter)/Rise (Skimmer)............Left Analog Stick Down
Sidestep Left (Helicopter)/Turn Left (Skimmer).......Left Analog Stick Left
Sidestep Right (Helicopter)/Turn Right (Skimmer)....Left Analog Stick Right
Rotate Helicopter/Turn Skimmer...........................Right Analog Stick
Ascend (Helicopter)/Accelerate (Skimmer)......................Right Trigger
Descend (Helicopter)Decelerate (Skimmer).......................Left Trigger
Fire Rockets (Hunter)..............................................B Button
Exit Vehicle.......................................................Y Button
*Change Radio Stations (Sea Sparrow, Maverick, Hunter).........Black Button
Hover..............................................Left Analog Stick Button
Fire MiniGun (Sea Sparrow, Hunter)................Right Analog Stick Button
Activate Vehicle Mission (Hunter)..................................X Button
Pause..........................................................Start Button
Change Camera Mode.............................................White Button
* - To change cd/tape deck (Custom soundtrack), press and hold the Black
button while pressing up and down on the Directional Pad to select
"album"/folder. Then, while still holding the radio button, press left or
right on the Directional Pad to change songs.
PC Version
**********
Move Forward (Helicopter)/Dive (Skimmer)................................NP9
Move Backward (Helicopter)/Rise (Skimmer)...............................NP6
Sidestep Left (Helicopter)/Turn Left (Skimmer)............Arrow Left; A Key
Sidestep Right (Helicopter)/Turn Right (Skimmer).........Arrow Right; D Key
Ascend (Helicopter)/Accelerate (Skimmer)....................Arrow Up; W Key
Descend (Helicopter)Decelerate (Skimmer)..................Arrow Down; S Key
Turn Clockwise (Helicopter)...............................NP 2; NP 5; E Key
Turn Counterclockwise (Helicopter)........................NP 1; NP 4; Q Key
Fire Rockets (Hunter)...................NP 0; Left Mouse Button; Right Ctrl
Exit Vehicle............................................Return/Enter; F Key
Fire MiniGun (Sea Sparrow, Hunter).....Right Mouse Button; Space; Left Ctrl
Activate Vehicle Mission (Hunter)....................NP Plus [+]; Caps Lock
Change Radio (Sea Sparrow, Maverick, Hunter)..Insert; R Key; Mouse Wheel Up
Look Behind.............................................Middle Mouse Button
[Note: NP = Number Pad]
0-----------------------------------------------------------------------0
When playing Vice City on my PlayStation 2, I changed my control settings to
Setup #2 (the Directional Buttons handle the camera, the Select button does
the radio stations, and the L1 does the Horn and Siren).
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.11. Weapons |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
Weapons are the tools of the trade for any professional criminal. There are
32 different weapons, in ten different categories, that can be found and used
to create mayhem and abuse. However, you can only have one of each type at a
time so you can only carry a maximum of nine weapons (one slot is used for a
camera later in the game).
Some of the weapons listed here go by more than one name depending on what
version of the game you have. Below are the ten slots and the weapons for
each one.....
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0=================0
| Slot 1 - Camera |
0=================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
There is only one mission in the game in which this is used, "Martha's Mug
Shot" (Interglobal Films Asset). This is not a weapon but it has it's own
slot so you can use the item during that particular mission.
/XXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0===============0
| Slot 2 - Fist |
0===============0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXX/
Good for hands-on fisticuffs but you can increase your damage potential by
acquiring the Brass Knuckles in the alleyway behind the Ocean View Hotel
not far from the Baseball Bat. You can also take them from the guards at
the Malibu Club.
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0========================0
| Slot 3 - Melee Weapons |
0========================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
These weapons are used for pounding, stabbing, and slicing your enemies.
There are quite a lot of choices here for the discriminating psychotic.....
0==============0
| Baseball Bat |
0==============0
Great for batting practice (on somebody's head) or breaking kneecaps.....
Locations:
**********
--At the following Tool Store after completion of "Riot" (Ken
Rosenberg):
--Washington Beach (Bunch Of Tools) [Cost: $80].
--Behind the Ocean View Hotel.
0============0
| Nightstick |
0============0
This can be acquired from a dead cop which is just as well, he won't be
needing it anyway (or the locker room of the Washington Beach Police
Station). Perfect for use in playing "Bad Cop, Naughty Prisoner".....
0===========0
| Golf Club |
0===========0
Can be acquired in or around Leaf Links Golf Club (usually by mugging a
golfer) or by swiping a Caddy. You can improve your swing and work
somebody over at the same time.....
0=============0
| Screwdriver |
0=============0
Use this to add some literalism to the statement, "Screw you!".....
Locations:
**********
--At the following Tool Stores:
--North Point Mall (Tooled Up) [Cost: $10].
--Washington Beach (Bunch Of Tools) [Cost: $10].
--Little Havana (Screw This) [Cost: $10].
0==============0
| Meat Cleaver |
0==============0
Slice, dice, and make giblets out of anyone that gets in your way.....
Locations:
**********
--At the following Tool Stores:
--North Point Mall (Tooled Up) [Cost: $50].
--Washington Beach (Bunch Of Tools) [Cost: $50].
--Little Havana (Screw This) [Cost: $50].
--Behind Well Stacked Pizza (Vice Point).
0=======0
| Knife |
0=======0
"This knife killed over 25,000 people in Cambodia. Now you can too!"
Locations:
**********
--At the following Tool Store:
--North Point Mall (Tooled Up) [Cost: $90].
--Behind restaurant in south Ocean Beach.
0========0
| Hammer |
0========0
Pound them and then rip out certain body parts with the claw.....
Locations:
**********
--At the following Tool Stores:
--North Point Mall (Tooled Up) [Cost: $20].
--Washington Beach (Bunch Of Tools) [Cost: $20].
--Little Havana (Screw This) [Cost: $20].
0=========0
| Machete |
0=========0
"That's not a knife, mate. Now this, this is a big ass m-----------g
knife!"
Locations:
**********
--At the following Tool Stores after completion of "Treacherous
Swine" (Colonel Cortez):
--Washington Beach (Bunch Of Tools) [Cost: $100].
--Little Havana (Screw This) [Cost: $100].
--On east end of bridge going into Starfish Island.
0========0
| Katana |
0========0
While overhead swings can be effective, running anyone through with this
sword will kill instantly. "Wow! You look like a psycho!"......
Locations:
**********
--At the following Tool Store after completion of "The Chase"
(Ricardo Diaz):
--North Point Mall (Tooled Up) [Cost: $300].
--Inside off at the Tarbrush Cafe (North Point Mall).
--Inside garage of house next door west of the Mansion on Starfish
Island.
0==========0
| Chainsaw |
0==========0
Be careful using this weapon, you move slowly while using it so you are
vulnerable to being attacked or busted. Therefore, it has limited
strategic potential. Good for some sick thrills though.....
Locations:
**********
--At the following Tool Store after completion of "Phnom Penh '86"
(Ricardo Diaz):
--Little Havana (Screw This) [Cost: $500].
--At Ocean View Hotel, Hyman Condo, and the Mansion after acquiring
20 Hidden Packages.
--Apartment 3c (south of Ocean Beach Pay N' Spray).
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0=============================0
| Slot 4 - Projectile Weapons |
0=============================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
These weapons are meant to be thrown at your targets. The longer you hold
the Attack button, the farther you throw.
0==========0
| Grenades |
0==========0
Toss one of these and watch the crowds scatter (in more ways than
one).....
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation:
--North Point Mall [Cost: $300].
--Basketball court in Little Havana east of Little Havana Streetwear.
--Behind the Washington Beach Police Station (Xbox, PC, PS2 Double
Pack (3.00), PS2 Haitian-Friendly (3.00, 3.01) versions only).
0==========0
| Tear Gas |
0==========0
[Note: This weapon is NOT available in either the PC or Xbox versions. It
is still available in the PS2 Original Version (1.40) and PS2 Double
Pack version (2.01).]
This weapon can wear out your armor and health quickly if you stay in the
cloud for too long. Outside of a kick to the groin or forcing him to play
"Stuntman" (PS2), this is probably the best way to make a grown man
cry......
Locations:
**********
--Behind the Washington Beach Police Station.
0=========0
| Molotov |
0=========0
Can be used to flambe' your enemies and yourself if you're too careless
in where you throw one. Best used when you acquire the Fireproof Feature
(by doing the Firetruck Mission) to keep yourself cool when everybody
else is not.....
Locations:
**********
--Tacopalypse restaurant (Downtown - next to the Hyman Condo)
0================0
| Remote Grenade |
0================0
[PS2 Original Version only: NOT to be used when Infinite Ammo is
acquired at 100% Completion (see section I.24 - Bugs for details).]
Use this like a Hand Grenade and detonate it at your leisure. Good for
ambushes.
Locations:
**********
--At Phil's Place in Little Haiti after completion of Phil Cassidy's
Asset Missions [Cost: $1,000].
--East side of blue colored hotel in Vice Point (at the end of the
road leading to Leaf Links Golf Club.
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0===================0
| Slot 5 - Handguns |
0===================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
There are only two pistols available for use in Vice City.....
0===================0
| Colt .45 [Pistol] |
0===================0
A decent handgun that can be bought or acquired from dead cops. You can
use this while running to make yourself harder to hit while taking out
someone at the same time.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nations:
--Ocean Beach [Cost: $100].
--North Point Mall [Cost: $100].
--On patio across from the Piers (Ocean Beach).
--On first floor of building under construction (near the back) next
door to the SpandEx building (north of Bunch of Tools).
0===============0
| Python [.357] |
0===============0
The best handgun around and one of the best weapons to use period. This
is practically a one-kill weapon (except on SWAT members) making this
very effective on most missions. You can't run while shooting with this
gun but if you are quick with your targeting, you can still make fast
work of a group of gunmen with little damage.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "Rub Out" (Ricardo
Diaz):
--Downtown [Cost: $2,000].
--At Ocean View Hotel, Hyman Condo, and the Mansion after acquiring
30 Hidden Packages.
--Tucked in little alleyway in the corner where the "Welcome to Hell"
sign is in Little Haiti.
--In the rec room near the main entrance of the Mansion on Starfish
Island (after completion of "Keep Your Friends Close....." (Tommy
Vercetti)).
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0===================0
| Slot 6 - Shotguns |
0===================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
These ridiculously powerful weapons will make short work of anything
(including vehicles - even the Hunter). You can't run while holding one but
that doesn't make you any less dangerous.....
0=========0
| Shotgun |
0=========0
Just a standard pump action double barreled shotgun. Slow on the fire
rate but still effective.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "Mall Shootout"
(Colonel Cortez):
--Ocean Beach [Cost: $500].
--By one of the benches on the sidewalk by the beach (east of the
main intersection that divides Washington Beach and Vice Point).
--On top parking level (southeast side) at the Washington Mall.
--In the small room on the lower level of the Mansion on Starfish
Island (after completion of "Keep Your Friends Close....."
(Tommy Vercetti)).
0================0
| Stubby Shotgun |
0================0
This Shotgun has had the barrels sawn off to make it easier to conceal.
However, this greatly reduces it's range.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "The Chase"
(Ricardo Diaz):
--North Point Mall [Cost: $600].
--Behind hangar in the north part of the Junkyard in Little Haiti.
0============================0
| Spaz Shotgun [S.P.A.S. 12] |
0============================0
A much cooler looking rapid-fire shotgun. This is the best shotgun in the
game. Great against Mafia bosses.....
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "Bar Brawl" (Tommy
Vercetti):
--Downtown [Cost: $4,000].
--Behind the Vice Surf billboard across from the main Escobar
International Airport terminal (this is also Unique Stunt Jump
EIA-J29).
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0==========================0
| Slot 7 - Submachine Guns |
0==========================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
These lightweight weapons can take out anyone very quickly. These are the
only weapons that can be used while in a car or on a motorcycle.....
0=======0
| Tec-9 |
0=======0
This has the largest magazine of this group but is less accurate and has
a slower rate of fire. But you can run and aim at the same time like you
can with the Pistol.
Locations:
**********
--Behind a house near the end of the cul-de-sac across the bridge
west of the Well Stacked Pizza in Vice Point.
0=====================0
| Ingram Mac 10 [Mac] |
0=====================0
This gun is a little bit better than the Tec-9 but has about half the
clip capacity. Like the Pistol and the Tec-9, you can also aim and run at
the same time using the Mac 10.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation:
--Ocean Beach [Cost: $300].
--Across from the Boatyard in Viceport.
0================0
| Uzi 9mm [Uz-I] |
0================0
One of the better guns here, it has a good rate of fire and accuracy. It
also has a slightly faster reload than the other guns. Because you have
to use two hands when firing, you can't aim and run at the same time
while using the Uzi.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation:
--North Point Mall [Cost: $400].
--By tall pink building just northeast of the Washington Mall.
--Behind the Pay N' Spray in Ocean Beach.
--Under the stairs in the southeast part of Downtown northeast of the
Greasy Chopper.
--On front porch of abandoned house on the north part of Prawn
Island.
0==========0
| MP5 [MP] |
0==========0
The best submachine gun in the group. Has a high rate of accuracy and
fire making it perfect for drive-bys. You can either get one off an FBI
agent (good luck) or purchase one from the Ammu-Nation in Downtown. Like
the Uzi, you can't aim and run at the same time because you have to use
both hands to fire this weapon.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "Rub Out" (Ricardo
Diaz):
--Downtown [Cost: $3,000].
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0=========================0
| Slot 8 - Assault Rifles |
0=========================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
These weapons are very good for getting rid of a crowd. Use Target to
properly aim the weapon.
0================0
| Ruger [Kruger] |
0================0
This has a decent rate of fire and your targeting sight remains steady.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "Guardian Angels"
(Colonel Cortez):
--Ocean Beach [Cost: $1,000].
--On top of roof behind El Swanko Casa (Vice Point).
0====0
| M4 |
0====0
This has a very fast rate of fire but your sight will jump all around the
screen. Good for quick work once you manage to compensate for the
unsteadiness of the gun.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "Rub Out" (Ricardo
Diaz):
--Downtown [Cost: $5,000].
--In Studio B (behind the moon lander) in the Interglobal Films
complex (Prawn Island).
--Behind the buildings west of the Cafe Robina in Little Havana.
--In the middle of a cluster of shacks by Auntie Poulet's house in
Little Haiti.
--In the small room on the lower level of the Mansion on Starfish
Island (after completion of "Keep Your Friends Close....."
(Tommy Vercetti)).
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0========================0
| Slot 9 - Heavy Weapons |
0========================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
These are some of the most powerful weapons in the game. However, you walk
slowly while carrying them thus making you an easy target for law
enforcement.
0=====0
| M60 |
0=====0
An Army-style large caliber machine gun. It has a moderate rate of fire
and the sight will jump around the screen. But it will make quick work of
anything that gets in it's way.
Locations:
**********
--At Phil's Place in Little Haiti after completion of Phil Cassidy's
Asset Missions [Cost: $8,000].
--In west guard tower at Fort Baxter Air Base.
0==============0
| Flamethrower |
0==============0
Better than the Molotov for roasting nearby enemies because you can aim
where the flames go. Its main use is against the Rhino since fire is the
only thing that can destroy it. For maximum carnage value, try using it
in the Malibu Club.
Locations:
**********
--At Ocean View Hotel, Hyman Condo, and the Mansion after acquiring
40 Hidden Packages.
--In swimming pool of the Rockstar House northwest of the Mansion on
Starfish Island.
--By the building near the road in the southwest part of Viceport.
0=========0
| MiniGun |
0=========0
Although quite powerful (you can shred anything that is in front of it),
it is a pain to use because you can't lock onto anything and the camera
doesn't get a very good angle behind you (most times).
Locations:
**********
--At Phil's Place in Little Haiti after completion of Phil Cassidy's
Asset Missions [Cost: $10,000].
--At Ocean View Hotel, Hyman Condo, and the Mansion after acquiring
60 Hidden Packages.
--On the top floor of the remains of the drug processing plant in the
west part of Little Haiti (available after "Trojan Voodoo" (Umberto
Robina)).
0=================0
| Rocket Launcher |
0=================0
This very destructive weapon can be made more powerful when you get the
Fast Load feature ("Rifle Range") for it will make this into a rapid-fire
weapon.
Locations:
**********
--At Phil's Place in Little Haiti after completion of Phil Cassidy's
Asset Missions [Cost: $8,000].
--At Ocean View Hotel, Hyman Condo, and the Mansion after acquiring
70 Hidden Packages.
--In the swimming pool of the Hooker Inn east of the Airport.
/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\
0=========================0
| Slot 10 - Sniper Rifles |
0=========================0
\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/
Excellent for taking long range target practice and zooming in on various
features (they make excellent binoculars) and *ahem* body parts (like the
bartender at the Malibu Club).
0==============0
| Sniper Rifle |
0==============0
This fires one shot at a time and reloads slowly but it is effective. You
can make this into a rapid-fire weapon when you acquire the Fast Load
feature.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "Phnom Penh '86"
(Ricardo Diaz):
--North Point Mall [Cost: $1,500].
--On the ledge at the base of the south bridge housing of the west
end of the southmost bridge in Vice City that connects Ocean Beach
and Little Havana.
--In the ledge maze on the west part of the Mansion.
0=====================0
| PSG-1 [.308 Sniper] |
0=====================0
The best sniper rifle around. It has a laser scope and multi-round
capability.
Locations:
**********
--At the following Ammu-Nation after completion of "Shakedown" (Tommy
Vercetti):
--Downtown [Cost: $6,000].
--At Ocean View Hotel, Hyman Condo, and the Mansion after acquiring
50 Hidden Packages.
--On roof by Kaufman Cabs billboard east of the Cafe Robina.
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.12. Health, Body Armor, Police Bribe, and Adrenaline Icons |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
But Weapon Icons aren't the only things you will find scattered around Vice
City. You will also find these other icons that you can use to help you
out.....
0=============0
| Health Icon |
0=============0
This heart-shaped icon is used to restore your health to its maximum of
100. When you complete the Pizza Delivery Mission, the maximum will
increase to 150. When you get 100% Completion, the maximum will go to 200.
Locations:
**********
--At any Hospital:
--Vice Point (Shady Palms Hospital) [Cost: $20].
--Ocean Beach (Ocean View Hospital) [Cost: $20].
--Little Havana (West Haven Community Healthcare Center) [Cost:
$20].
--Downtown (Schuman Healthcare Center) [Cost: $20].
--At any Pharmacy:
--Vice Point (Dispensary) [Cost: $20].
--Little Havana (Ryton Aid) [Cost: $20].
--Downtown (Dispensary) [Cost: $20].
--By fountain at the north part of Prawn Island.
--In giant cup display in northwest part of North Point Mall.
--By the dumpster two blocks south of El Swanko Casa (Vice Point).
--On west foot bridge on the north part of Leaf Links Golf Club.
--On top of building east of the Washington Beach Police Station.
--In the middle of pathways in the small park north of the Piers in
Ocean Beach.
--In the small room on the lower level of the Mansion on Starfish
Island.
--In the rec room near the main entrance of the Mansion on Starfish
Island (after completion of "Keep Your Friends Close....." (Tommy
Vercetti)).
--At the east end of the west bridge connecting Starfish Island to
Little Havana.
--In the middle of the North Dirt Track north of Downtown.
--On top of building across from Unique Stunt Jump DTN-J22 (you'll see
it when you complete the jump).
--On top of Schuman Healthcare Center in Downtown.
--On top of the crusher in the middle of the Junkyard in the west
part of Little Haiti.
--Near the stairs leading up and out of the Haitian Drug Processing
Plant (on the south side near the gated entrance).
--In the Airport near Gate 1-8.
--On top of building west of the Deli in Little Havana.
--Under the north bridge leading up to the large ship docked at the
east part of Viceport.
--By the west set of stairs leading down at the Boatyard.
0=================0
| Body Armor Icon |
0=================0
This armor-shaped icon will increase your armor rating to its maximum of
100. When you complete Level 12 of a Vigilante Mission, your maximum will
increase to 150. When you get 100% Completion, the maximum will go to 200.
You can unlock the Body Armor Icons at your main hideouts by collecting 10
Hidden Packages.
Locations:
**********
--At any Ammu-Nation after completion of "Jury Fury" (Ken Rosenberg):
--Ocean Beach [Cost: $200].
--North Point Mall [Cost: $200].
--Downtown [Cost: $200].
--At Ocean View Hotel, Hyman Condo, and the Mansion after acquiring 10
Hidden Packages.
--Tucked in small yard east of Interglobal Films on Prawn Island.
--North side of orange-and-white building east and across from the
North Point Mall.
--On the top level in the middle of the blue-and-white building south
and across from the North Point Mall.
--In the small hut in the middle of the pool of the house south of El
Swanko Casa (Vice Point).
--In the basketball courts (west side - behind north wall of west
entrance) northeast of Well Stacked Pizza in Vice Point.
--Near entrance of the Standing Vice Point Hotel south of the Malibu
Club.
--Behind north wall (ground floor) of large building under construction
by the bridge connecting Washington Beach to Starfish Island.
--By pool at the back of the large pink building northeast of the
Washington Mall.
--At the top of the stairs behind the blue-and-white stilt building
north of the Ocean Beach Pay N' Spray.
--In the small room on the lower level of the Mansion on Starfish
Island.
--In the rec room near the main entrance of the Mansion on Starfish
Island (after completion of "Keep Your Friends Close....." (Tommy
Vercetti)).
--In a bunker of Hole 12 in the northwest area of Leaf Links Golf
Club.
--Near the top of the metal stairs of the building south of the North
Dirt Track in Downtown (after completion of "G-Spotlight"
(Interglobal Films Asset).
--In the west section of the looping alleyway by Well Stacked Pizza
in Downtown.
--At the southeast section of the building that also houses the
Greasy Chopper in Downtown.
--On top of the roof (northeast part) of the Print Works in Little
Havana.
--In the east guard tower of Fort Baxter Air Base.
--Tucked between crates in the north part of the parking lot east of
the Airport.
--By the east part of the building across the street of the large ship
docked at the east side of Viceport.
0===================0
| Police Bribe Icon |
0===================0
These star-shaped icons will drop your wanted rating by one star when
picked up. It is best to know where all the bribe icons are located before
doing any missions so you can quickly deal with any law enforcement
pursuit.
Locations:
**********
--On the road in the southeast corner of Prawn Island.
--On the ground outside of North Point Mall (south lower level).
--On pathway east of Links View Apartments (Vice Point).
--Between trees just southeast of Well Stacked Pizza (Vice Point).
--Behind the white-and-yellow building across the bridge and southwest
of Well Stacked Pizza (Vice Point).
--In alleyway north of DBP Security in Washington Beach.
--In lower shopping area just west of the Ocean View Hotel.
--Near your save point at the Hyman Condo.
--In the air in front of Unique Stunt Jump LHI-J25 in Little Haiti.
--In alleyway by the big building just south of Auntie Poluet's house.
--In the air above drainage ditch in front of Unique Stunt Jump
LHI-J27.
--In narrow alleyway by the building with the Rockstar billboard
across the street from the Screw This tool store in Little Havana.
--In the air by ramp just east of Sunshine Autos in Little Havana.
0=================0
| Adrenaline Icon |
0=================0
This pill-shaped icon will slow things down and give you super strength.
Good for tight situations when you need a little extra help.
Locations:
**********
--At any Pharmacy:
--Vice Point (Dispensary) [Cost: $10].
--Little Havana (Ryton Aid) [Cost: $10].
--Downtown (Dispensary) [Cost: $10].
--By the yellow-and-white building south of North Point Mall (near the
Police Bribe).
--On upper porch of apartment on the east end of the road leading to
Leaf Links Golf Course.
--Behind the condo north of the Malibu Club.
--In the north-south alleyway east of the Washington Beach Police
Station (near the Health Icon).
--On the ground floor (west end) of the Washington Mall.
--In the southeast corner of the roof of the Mansion.
--Behind the fence north of the main entrance of the Mansion.
--By the south side of the west end of the bridge that connects
Downtown to Prawn Island.
--By stairs of building southeast of Auntie Poulet's house.
--Tucked behind wall on the north side of building across the street
of Well Stacked Pizza (Little Haiti).
--Tucked by small house in the row of houses that run north-south on
the west side of drainage ditch in Little Haiti (fifth one down
when heading south down the row).
--Tucked in corner (southeast side) of clearing with large number of
trees south of Little Havana Streetwear.
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.13. Motorcycles |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
One of the cooler additions to Vice City are the motorcycles you can drive
around. These vehicles are great for exploration, jumping, and looking cool
on. Perhaps the single biggest advantage to these bikes is the fact that you
can shoot forward (using a submachine gun) while riding one. You can then
take out anyone that tries to cut in front of you (like a police car).
However, there are a couple of disadvantages. First, it is much easier for a
cop to knock you off and bust you than if he busts you in a car. Second, you
can easily wipe out or get knocked off by other motorists if you're not
careful.
And all of bikes listed below can handle two people (so you can do what you
saw in the beginning credits). You can also do wheelies and stoppies with
these vehicles but I have no information on the best way to do them since I
have not played around and tried them.
Here is a rundown of all of the motorcycles.....
0========0
| Faggio |
0========0
The Faggio is nothing more than a moped. It is the slowest bike and
certainly the uncoolest in the game. But in the early going, it is the best
vehicle to have. It is great for exploring Vice City and will get you from
place to place much faster than just running (and tiring and running and
tiring.....). It is also small enough to let you into small areas so you
don't constantly have to get off and get back on when exploring. Perfect
for getting most of the Hidden Packages.
0=========0
| Sanchez |
0=========0
This is a sleek looking dirtbike that is best used offroad. It makes a good
onroad vehicle for exploration purposes and is a very good platform for
doing drive-bys.
0===================0
| Angel and Freeway |
0===================0
These two bikes fall under the Harley-Davidson type category. Big and
noisy, these bikes have less than perfect handling especially at high speed
(there is a reason they call these things "hogs"). The best of the Harley
bikes is the one I call the "Steel Angel" and can only be used on the
"Alloy Wheels Of Steel" (Big Mitch Baker) mission.
But racing or chasing isn't the reason you have one - it is to cruise and
look positively badass on. Ahh yes, the roar of the engine, the wind in
your hair, the bugs in your teeth.....
0=========0
| PCJ-600 |
0=========0
The sleekest and fastest of all road vehicles. Has very good handling too.
This is best used for fast getaways and Unique Stunt Jumps.
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.14. Helicopters And The Skimmer |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
When you finally get to the West Side, officially or unofficially, you can
have access to the helicopters in the game. Look at the flying controls
setup, based on what version you have, and then practice basic flying
maneuvers.
I use the Clockwise / Counterclockwise controls to turn the chopper like I
would turn a car. Whenever I fly, I always switch to first person mode so I
can better control the helicopter.
Take the time to practice basic flying, creeping over buildings, hovering,
and turning on a dime. When you get the hang of it, go and get any Hidden
Packages that require a helicopter to get at (more details in the Hidden
Packages section of the guide).
When you get at least 80 packages and unlock the Sea Sparrow, you may want to
fly to Starfish Island and get one so you can practice strafing with the
mounted machine gun. That skill will definitely come in very handy in some of
the missions.
You can also bail out of a chopper while still in the air. Be warned though,
it will leave a mark.....
There is also a full winged seaplane (the Skimmer) that you can fly also but
that will not appear until you get to "Dildo Dodo" (Interglobal Films Asset).
Here's a rundown of all of the helicopters (plus the seaplane).....
0==========0
| Maverick |
0==========0
This plain chopper comes in several flavors depending on where you get one.
A police version (green and white) can be found on the top of the Downtown
police station.
A TV station version (blue and white) can be found on the top of the VCN
Building (TV station - where Hidden Package DTN-H55 is).
A plain one (comes in several colors) can be found at the top of the Hyman
Condo or at the top of the Mansion when you acquire them.
This chopper is a little slow but it will get you where you need to go.
However, it not very durable and can easily be destroyed.
0=============0
| Sea Sparrow |
0=============0
This helicopter will spawn behind the mansion on Starfish Island after
getting 80 Hidden Packages. This chopper is perhaps one of the most
versatile vehicles in the game. In addition to being able to float on
water, the Sea Sparrow also has an unlimited use machine gun mounted
underneath which is fired using the Fire MiniGun button.
It also has what I call a "subtle auto-aim" feature which allows the gun to
lock-on to various targets near the center of the screen regardless of
whether you see the target or not. This makes the gun quite accurate and
powerful. By unlocking the Sea Sparrow as soon as possible, you can use
this chopper in a wide array of missions, even some of the very early ones.
There is also a plain version of the Sparrow that will spawn in four
locations for the express purpose of the Chopper Checkpoint Missions
(unlocked after "Rub Out" (Ricardo Diaz)) plus one that is used for the
mission "Martha's Mug Shot" (Interglobal Films Asset). Both are durable and
maneuverable choppers.
0========0
| Hunter |
0========0
This Apache-like attack helicopter is spawned after you collect all 100
Hidden Packages and is situated at the back of Fort Baxter Air Base north
of the Airport. This causes a problem since the soldiers that spawn there
will shoot at civilians (especially you) and you have to go through a maze
of fences to get to the chopper. The best way to get to it on foot is to
first get a cop uniform because they won't shoot at law enforcement.
However, that opportunity won't happen until deep into the Main Story
Missions. But you can still get it, you just have to be fast and a little
lucky.
The Safe Way
************
Wait until you have played through the Story Missions up to "Copland"
(Tommy Vercetti). There you can unlock the Police Uniform Outfit so you
can dress up as a cop. The soldiers won't shoot you while you are in the
uniform so you can just stroll through the maze of fences to the Hunter.
The Not-So-Safe Way
*******************
Get a helicopter and and fly to Little Havana and turn west toward the
base. Fly low and when you get over the wall, jump out as close to the
Hunter as possible but without hitting it with your chopper. Get into
the Hunter as quickly as possible and fly out. Hopefully, you can do
this fast enough before the game spawns enough soldiers to shoot at you.
If there are some soldiers and they shoot you (damaging the Hunter in
the process), use the Health Code (I.20 - Advanced Tips And Information)
to fix it up. The odds of getting it this way is about 50-50 but your
odds will improve slightly if you try at night.
However, a gentleman by the name of Leandro Nantes wrote me telling me
that 12:00 is also a good time to get the Hunter because that is when
the soldiers go to lunch (supposedly).
The first thing you will notice when flying the Hunter is that it is fast.
Perhaps a little too fast since you can easily overshoot any target that
you are trying to hit on the ground so you will have to adjust to its
speed. It is also much tougher than either the Maverick or Sea Sparrow but
it can still be shot down. Like the Sea Sparrow, the Hunter also has a
machine gun.
On the PS2 versions the Hunter's machine gun is less accurate than the Sea
Sparrow's machine gun. However, according to Rich Williams, the Hunter's
machine gun is far more accurate and devastating on the PC version.
In addition to the machine gun, the Hunter has rockets which are launched
with the Attack button. The rockets can really wreak havoc on the traffic
down below. Be careful not to be too close to trees or lightposts when
firing rockets - you may blow yourself up in the process.
Strangely enough, even though you are in a military helicopter, you can
listen to the radio stations while flying. Which is not a bad thing,
considering the time you might spend in the air doing the "Brown Thunder"
mission (later in the guide), you might as well have something good to
listen to.
I recently had a reader, Michael Furman, write to me about what I wrote in
the previous paragraph concerning listening to radio stations in the
Hunter.....
"Interestingly enough, I've done my time serving our nation in the US
Army, and my job was actually taking care of those bad birds, the
Apaches. Although you might find it strange, they actually DO get radio
stations, and the pilots DO actually listen to them...helps calm their
nerves =), or so they say, lol."
0=========0
| Skimmer |
0=========0
This full-winged seaplane is used during and unlocked after doing "Dildo
Dodo" (Interglobal Films Asset). It handles sluggishly but it is not too
bad once you get it to top speed. I don't have much more details on it
since I rarely use it (I strongly prefer helicopters).
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.15. Other Useful Vehicles |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
Listed below are vehicles that can be of most use depending on certain
situations.....
0==================================0
| Comet, Banshee, Stinger, Phoenix |
0==================================0
These sports cars can be used to get from one place to another really fast
and are fairly durable. They can take a few whacks from police cars and
other vehicles before succumbing. The Cheetah can also be used but is a bit
more fragile and the Inferus can only take a couple of hits before
exploding.
0===========================================================0
| Taxi, Washington, Admiral, Sentinel, Hermes, Cuban Hermes |
0===========================================================0
These are middle of the road vehicles. Not too fast, not too slow, and are
quite durable cars. These cars can also be used to transport passengers
(such as in "Cannon Fodder" (Umberto Robina)).
0=======0
| Coach |
0=======0
This long silver bus is slow and not as durable as one might think. But it
is still a very useful vehicle because of its size and shape. It's large
size makes it perfect for roadblocking in various missions such as "Psycho
Killer" (Love Fist).
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.16. The (Almost) Everything-Proof Admiral |
0===========================================================================0
\=========================================================================/
One of the most interesting and useful vehicles in the game is what is known
as the Everything-Proof Admiral (aka EP-Admiral). The Admiral is a car that
resembles a BMW with decent speed, handling, and durability (see above).
This very special Admiral makes an appearance in the mission "Guardian
Angels" (Colonel Cortez). This white Admiral is the car that Ricardo Diaz
drives up in during the mission.
In one of the last versions of the guide, I had mentioned that you had to
fail the mission to get the Admiral. But a gentleman by the name of Matthew
Dean informed me that this wasn't necessary.....
"Sorry to inform you you can acquire this admiral by passing the mission as
well. After giving the money to diaz, you get the mission passed display.
If you go back towards the street and make a left towards the traffic
light on ocean drive the bullet proof admiral is there sitting under the
traffic light. (I did this a few times in a few different games to make
sure it worked)..."
And sure enough, it works like a charm in both the PS2 and Xbox versions.
Glen T. Winstein recently wrote to me letting me know that you can get the
EP-Admiral without failing the mission in the PC version.....
"I just learned, from someone named mgssnakes of the PC VC message boards
of gamefaqs, that you can get the EP Admiral in the PC Vice City at the
end of "Guardian Angels." When Tommy returns the briefcase to Diaz, have
him enter the pink shaft of light from the north facing south. During the
cutscene, have the keys pressed to have Tommy run, so he'll run south as
soon as the game will let him. THEN when he goes south and around the
corner to the east, the Admiral will be waiting. I just tried it, and it
works."
When you drive around in it, it doesn't feel any more different that a
regular Admiral. But when you smack it into something you will notice that it
has no damage. You can smack it into everything and not even get a scratch.
You can shoot it up with guns and even hit it with a Rocket Launcher with no
effect on it whatsoever. Even the tires are bulletproof. As you can see, this
Admiral is very special indeed (make sure that you have either the Ocean
Beach or El Swanko Casa properties before trying to get the Admiral so you
can save it).
However, it is NOT truly everything-proof. When you first get it, the tires
are bullet and spike strip proof. But when you place it in a garage and let
the door close, the tire status changes. When you open the garage door again
and use a Sniper Rifle, you can blow out the tires. However, because of the
overall toughness of the car, the chances of either the bad guys or the cops
shooting out your tires are very low (almost zero).
In addition, there are four ways to actually destroy the car:
X=======================================================================X
| Flipping it over. |
|=======================================================================|
| Dunking it into the water. |
|=======================================================================|
| Getting hit by a Rhino. |
|=======================================================================|
| Getting shot up by the Haitian "super weapons" during "Cannon Fodder" |
| (Umberto Robina) |
X=======================================================================X
During the previous revisions I managed to use this car in a lot of missions
and some of the strategies have been revised to take advantage of the
EP-Admiral.
/=========================================================================\
0===========================================================================0
| I.17. Law Enforcement |
0===========================================================================0
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Every metropolis has a police force and Vice City is no different. The cops
here are as aggressive and incompetent as the cops in Liberty City. They can
bust you much easier than in GTA3 especially if you are riding a bike. And
they can also lay out spike strips to blow your tires to make your getaways
difficult.
But they will also run over pedestrians and their own colleagues trying to
chase you. And any spike strips that are laid down tend to blow out the tires
of your pursuers (much amusement there).
When you do something bad near a cop, like mugging a person, one of the stars
will light up indicating a wanted level. The cops will then try to bust you.
The more stars you have, the more aggressive they will be. There are several
ways to get rid of a wanted rating.....
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| Hiding out somewhere for a bit (only works at 1-Star). |
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| Changing clothes (up to 2-Star). |
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| Getting a Police Bribe Icon (drops the level down a notch). |
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| Completing the current mission (if you get a rating during one). |
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| Getting busted or wasted. |
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| Driving a car (excluding rescue and most police vehicles) into a Pay N' |
| Spray. |
X=========================================================================X
There are six wanted levels. The higher you go, the more aggressive the
pursuit. Below are the wanted ratings and what you can expect.....
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| 1-Star |
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You are of mild interest to the cops. They will chase you on foot and will
whack you with their nightsticks when close enough. They would rather not
be chasing you ("Don't make me run!", "I'd chase you if I didn't have too
many doughnuts!") but will be more than happy to bust you if you're stupid
enough to let them ("I hope you like the words 'pick up the soap'!").
Hiding out somewhere for awhile will get rid of a 1-Star rating.
If you want to amuse yourself for awhile, try this. When in a car and a cop
is chasing you on foot, slow down to his foot speed and make him run behind
you. See how long you keep this up. A great way for him to work off those
doughnuts and stale coffee!
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| 2-Star |
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Things get a bit more serious here. The number of cops increase a bit and
they will start shooting you instead of whacking you with their clubs. You
can't wait things out this time but you can still switch out clothes to get
rid of a 2-Star rating.
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| 3-Star |
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At this level, the cops will start laying out spike strips (although
sometimes they lay them away from the the street and into nearby buildings)
to blow out your tires. A helicopter will start pursuing you and will shoot
at you if you stand still long enough for it to do so. And the Vice Squad,
with their Crockett and Tubbs look-alikes, will now join in the chase (in
their high-priced Cheetahs).
In a fit of inspiration, I decided to jack a Police Cheetah during one of
my city wide rampages. I killed "Crockett" and took off in the car. As I
was heading to a nearby Pay N' Spray to get rid of my wanted rating so I
can save the car, I wondered to myself: "Wasn't there another guy that came
with his car? I didn't remember seeing him as I jacked the car."
I clipped the corner of a building as I turned onto a street and it slowed
me down a bit. When this happened, a figure went flying out of the
passenger side of the car. It was "Tubbs"! He was in the car the whole time
and didn't even make a sound. And at the first opportunity, he threw
himself out of the vehicle.
How sorry is this police force anyway? In real life he would have put a gun
to my head before I even put on the seat belt. I wonder what his
performance review looked like afterwards.....
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| 4-Star |
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Now the SWAT team joins in. They will try to blockade the road with their
Enforcers and rappel down from the helicopter ("Ohhhh! I'm really
scared!"). This is in addition to everything else being thrown at you. This
is the highest wanted level you can obtain while (officially) confined to
the East Side.
I decided to jack a police car during one of my rampages and wouldn't you
know it, I jacked one with a cop still in the passenger seat so I got an
unwilling guest.
I finally found out the biggest difference between Vice Squad cops and
regular cops - Vice Squad cops are too cool to squeal like a little girl
when their police car gets jacked unlike the poor cop who took the ride
with me. But I had to give this guy credit - he didn't try to fling himself
out the car at a high rate of speed unlike his Vice Squad counterpart.
He waited until I got smacked into a signal post (and came to a stop)
before exiting the vehicle. Then, before I had a chance to get away, he
calmly turned around and busted my sorry ass.....
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| 5-Star |
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The FBI will now lend their assistance in hopes of bringing you down. They
will ride in large FBI Ranchers and carry four agents, all packing MP5s and
they are not afraid to use them.
The FBI Ranchers are nice vehicles to have and can be had once you kill the
agents nearby (assuming they don't kill you first - there's an easier
method listed in the Advanced Tips section later in the guide).
You can max out at 5-Star after unlocking the east side of Starfish Island
(After "Guardian Angels" (Colonel Cortez) - to do Ricardo Diaz's missions).
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| 6-Star |
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After making mincemeat of the police force, including the FBI, the city
will now call in the Army to deal with you. They will come in with Rhinos
and trucks and will mainly try to kill you (but they will arrest you if the
opportunity presents itself).
The soldiers will kill you quickly with their M4's and barely getting
touched (while in a vehicle) by a Rhino will spell certain death. It will
be quite difficult to survive at this level for very long.
If you want a little fun during a 6-Star Wanted Rating, try out the "6-Star
Lap Challenge" at the end of this guide.
You can achieve this maximum rating after completing "Rub Out" (Ricardo
Diaz).
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| I.18. Police Vehicles |
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Like in GTA3, you can also grab police vehicles and use them in Vigilante
Missions. And there are a lot of police vehicles you can use for that
purpose. In addition, most of the police cars won't let you listen to the
radio stations.
Instead, they have the standard Police Band. Most of the time you hear
silence but every now and then you hear something like dispatches to parts of
Vice City or requests for backup. Some of it is also amusing like the
following examples.....
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| Officer Miller: "Anyone got any jokes? I'm bored already!" |
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| Dispatcher: "Message from the Captain: Crime is up! We need more |
| arrests! Just bag anyone!" |
| |
| Officer Miller: "I'm on it!" |
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| Dispatcher: "Message from the Captain: Whoever stole his personal |
| magazines better make themselves known. They were for |
| investigative purposes only!" |
| |
| --then later..... |
| |
| Dispatcher: "Message from the Captain: He really needs those magazines |
| back!" |
| |
| Officer Miller: "Hey Jackson! Tell the Captain I saw his wife. No wonder |
| he likes them magazines!" |
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In addition, there are also notices about stolen police cars and "some
maniac" that keeps stealing ambulances.....
Below is the list of police vehicles in Vice City.....
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| Police Car (found anywhere. Bonus: you get 5 Shotgun shells when entering |
| one (if you don't already have a Shotgun you can get a Shotgun with 5 |
| shells.)) |
|===========================================================================|
| Vice Squad Cheetah (at 3-Star Wanted Rating) |
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| SWAT Enforcer (at 4-Star Wanted Rating. Bonus: you can get Body Armor |
| when entering an Enforcer.) |
|===========================================================================|
| FBI Rancher (at 5-Star Wanted Rating. Bonus: can be used at a Pay N' |
| Spray to get rid of a wanted rating (PS2 version ONLY. Won't work in the |
| Xbox version). |
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| FBI Washington (in the alleyway behind Rock City in Downtown. Bonus: can |
| be used at a Pay N' Spray to get rid of a wanted rating.) |
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| Rhino (unlocked at Fort Baxter Air Base - listed below) |
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| Hunter (unlocked at Fort Baxter Air Base - listed above in the Helicopter |
| section) |
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When in a police vehicle, press Activate Vehicle Mission to begin a Vigilante
Mission. You will be prompted to chase and destroy a selected target, which
is another car. You have to kill all the criminals in the car before moving
onto the next level. Sometimes, if you damage the criminal's car enough, the
criminals may exit the car to confront you. Drive-by or run them over to get
rid of them. The higher you go up the levels, the more criminals you will
have to deal with (up to a maximum of three cars per level). After completing
Level 12, you will be rewarded with a permanent increase in your armor (going
up to 150 maximum).
It should be noted that the Pause Trick from GTA3 does NOT work in Vice City.
The Pause Trick worked something like this: get close enough to the criminal
then hit Pause, wait a few seconds and then unpause. The criminal then
stopped and got out of his car in which case you could either drive-by or run
him over. This made the Vigilante Missions in GTA3 a lot easier.
The Hunter is definitely the best vehicle to use for the Vigilante Missions
in Vice City and there is a whole section dedicated to that, "Brown Thunder",
later in the guide.
The Rhino (from GTA3) is back and is as destructive as before. The Rhino will
spawn at Fort Baxter Air Base after getting 90 Hidden Packages. You will
still have to deal with the soldiers if you want to get the Rhino. However,
it is much easier to get the Rhino than it is to get the Hunter because the
tank is parked near the front gate. To get the tank (without the use of a
police uniform), get a fast vehicle and run through the gate and stop near
the Rhino. Get out of the car and into the tank as fast as you can, then gun
it while hanging a sharp left to exit the base. You should be almost out of
the base by the time the game generates any soldiers to shoot at you in which
case you should be safe.
Use the Attack button to fire the cannon and the Right Analog Stick (PS2,
Xbox) or Number Pad (PC) to rotate the cannon. Outside of the Hunter (attack
helicopter), this is probably the easiest vehicle to get to Level 12 in the
Vigilante Missions (for max armor).
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| I.19. "Brown Thunder" |
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The Hunter attack helicopter is by far the best vehicle to do the Vigilante
Mission in. If you're lucky enough to acquire a Hunter without the benefit of
a cop uniform (or wait until you reach far enough into the Main Story
Missions to get the Police Uniform Outfit Icon) you can do what is known as
"Brown Thunder".
When you press Activate Vehicle Mission the words "Brown Thunder" will come
up on your screen. This is just a name for the Hunter Vigilante Mission. This
does NOT make it a separate vehicle based mission. In this section, I will go
over on how you can use the Hunter to not only get max armor but lots (and I
mean lots) of money quickly (It should be noted that if you have the
PlayStation 2 (Original) version you can take advantage of the Cone Crazy
Glitch (explained later) which will let you make a lot more money than "Brown
Thunder").
However, if you try to do the mission while still officially considered to be
on the East Side (if you did "The Jump" or "The Bus" methods of getting to
the West Side before you officially open it (by beating "Phnom Penh '86"
(Ricardo Diaz) and went and got the Hunter), you will notice that there are
no targets generated. You will have to fly back to the East Side before you
are provided with anything to shoot at (the same problem exists for the
Firetruck Mission). It is more difficult to do "Brown Thunder" on the East
Side than it is on the West Side. This is because of the narrow streets and
other obstacles (trees, lightposts, signal lights) which can prove deadly
when using rockets.
If you get to the West Side early and do "Brown Thunder" on the East Side you
may want to do enough to get the max armor (at level 12) then stop and wait
until the West Side is officially opened to do it again for money.
When you start the mission, there is just one car you have to destroy, at
first. If you do enough damage to the car, the occupants will get out and try
to attack you. Most times this is not a problem except if they are carrying
shotguns. Even though the Hunter is one tough bird, a couple of good shots
from a shotgun will still bring you down. Ridiculous, yes. So if they come
out packing shotguns, quickly fly away before they get a good shot and if
they do, use the Health Code to fix your machine. Then try another, more
careful approach and blast them.
Later on in the mission, there will be two cars (grouped together) and then,
as you approach Level 12, three cars (grouped together). Then at Level 13,
two cars will be spawned in one area and the third car will be spawned away
from the other group. This is the way it will be for the remainder of the
mission regardless of how many levels you choose to go. Note where the two
car part of the group spawns at. Where it spawns is where it will spawn at
EVERY level for the remainder of the mission regardless of where the third
car spawns. For example, if it spawns in front of the Deli at Level 13, then
it will spawn there at Level 14, 15, 16 and so on until you end the mission.
This information is very important if you want to make millions here.
Another important thing to know is that as you progress through the levels,
your level rewards will increase. More importantly, there is no max on the
rewards. It won't max out at $10,000 per level, $50,000 per level, or even
$100,000 per level. The longer you go, the higher your rewards will be. To
make my point, I will list the stats for the "Brown Thunder" mission I did
for this guide:
Levels Completed: 120
Kills: 1,378
Time Left: about 3 hours and 37 minutes
Reward for completing Level 120: $720,000
Cash Score: $29 million plus
As you can see, you can rack up some serious cash. If I completed Level 121,
my reward for that level would've been around $750,000. Who knows how much
your reward would be for Level 200 or even Level 300 if you decide to push it
that far? You may have also noticed the amount of time left which is also
pretty substantial (The time rolls over at 99:99. During my mission I rolled
it over twice plus additional time beyond that). Because of the speed of the
Hunter plus the rockets (which make quick work of your targets), you can
progress very quickly allowing you to accumulate a lot of time.
Now that you know this, the next question would be: where would the best
place be to set Level 13 at? The answer to that is: the airport tarmac. It
has wide open space with few obstructions to fly into and it has no civilian
and cop cars so you can keep the wanted ratings under control.
Unfortunately, I have no method to get Level 13 set at the airport 100% of
the time. The best thing I can do is to keep the action as close to the
airport as possible to increase the chances of setting Level 13 there. You
can start by pressing Activate Vehicle Mission over the airport instead of
any other part of the city. If the cars look like they are heading toward the
airport, wait until they get as close as possible before destroying them.
But there is also something else that happens if you set Level 13 at the
airport that is very interesting. You will notice that the third car will
disappear almost as quickly as it appears. It seems that if you set Level 13
at the airport tarmac, the third car will end up being spawned over the water
somewhere near Viceport! This makes things even easier for you but I should
note that this occurs roughly 80% of the time not 100% so every so often you
will have to leave the airport to chase the third car. That's fine with me
since it will give the game a chance to clean up the mess you are making over
the airport. If you're good at piloting, you can just sit near where the
first group spawns and destroy them as they appear. You can progress very
quickly through the levels this way. You can probably do 8 to 12 levels
before being forced away to get the third car that has spawned on land
instead of over the water.
So far, I have identified three spawn points on the tarmac.....
X==============================================================X
| Near the planes parked at the west terminal. |
|==============================================================|
| To the west of the small radar post (near the west terminal) |
|==============================================================|
| Near the helicopter pad (south of the west terminal) |
X==============================================================X
In addition, the cars will go on a circular path within the tarmac area
making them easy to destroy or leave behind to go chase after the third car
(or getting rid of a wanted rating). If the spawn point is by the radar post,
there is a glitch that I have to tell you about. Every so often the third car
is spawned on land. But on a couple of occasions, the third car is spawned
INSIDE one of