San Andreas

[Erkki]

Did anyone else find the shooting / fighting missions difficult? I'm in the first mission where you have to shoot (while rescuing Sweet) and I've failed miserably 3 times.

Well, I have 2 issues that make it more difficult for me personally:

1. it seems my TV sucks because the picture is quite blurry most of the time. I can barely read the smallest font text and I can barely make out what the icons are on the map. And sometimes identifying enemies is difficult.

2. the controller I bought isn't perfectly responsive.

[Lechimp]

I kinda suck at the fighting mission since I'm so used to the keyboard and mouse controls that I used for GTA 3 and Vice City. Whenever I have trouble with a fighting mission, I always go to ammunation first and buy body armor. If you didn't do that, it helps a lot.

[Chris]

I wasn't good at the shooting in this game because I didn't realize that you now have shooting skill, and you actually get better at it as the game progresses. There are just certain auto-aiming things that you can't do at first. I'm not being very helpful because I haven't played the games for a couple months but I don't really remember what you can and can't do. I do remember though that it wasn't too hard to get the hang of it and it didn't bother me after I Figured it out.

This completely unhelpful and probably confusion-increasing post courtesy of Idle Thumbs.

[Erkki]

Ok, thanx. I solved that mission by driving over the niggas though (and switching cars when one got too damaged).

Another one I find damn hard is where you pick up OG Loc from jail and have to chase a guy on a motorcycle.

[Erkki]

The game is pretty good. I'm not sure I like it better than VC so far, but I've only explored so little. And I'd certainly like the PC port better.

I think those missions I had trouble probably with weren't especially difficult compared to other PS2 games -- it's just that I'm not used to the PS2 controller. I keep forgetting what button does what and even things like changing radio stations take my focus away from driving.

I'm getting better and have learned my way around the hood. I should find some kind of place for the paper map where I can glance at it during playing, so I could keep better track of where I am.

Actually, if I think about it, I didn't fully memorize Vice City's layout either before getting a helicopter.

[SoccerDude28]

The game is pretty good. I'm not sure I like it better than VC so far, but I've only explored so little. And I'd certainly like the PC port better.

I think those missions I had trouble probably with weren't especially difficult compared to other PS2 games -- it's just that I'm not used to the PS2 controller. I keep forgetting what button does what and even things like changing radio stations take my focus away from driving.

I'm getting better and have learned my way around the hood. I should find some kind of place for the paper map where I can glance at it during playing, so I could keep better track of where I am.

Actually, if I think about it, I didn't fully memorize Vice City's layout either before getting a helicopter.

I heard you have some lock on mode now in this new one compared to vice city, so targetting should be easier. Also like Chris said, San Andreas is a little of an RPG, so the more you use something the better you become with it. Run or swim a lot, and you'll have higher stamina. drive a lot and you'll have more control over the cars. And shoot a lot, and you'll have better aiming

[Erkki]

I heard you have some lock on mode now in this new one compared to vice city, so targetting should be easier. Also like Chris said, San Andreas is a little of an RPG, so the more you use something the better you become with it. Run or swim a lot, and you'll have higher stamina. drive a lot and you'll have more control over the cars. And shoot a lot, and you'll have better aiming

Yeah, I wasn't expecting this RPG stuff actually affecting the driving. But I already noticed it does. I've been working out every day, my muscles are already maximised. Should practice the shooting though.

[loonyboi]

Another one I find damn hard is where you pick up OG Loc from jail and have to chase a guy on a motorcycle.

Yeah, that one's a bit tough at first. A tip: before triggering the mission, go grab a bike and practice the same route. Then when you actually do the mission, just take your time and you'll get it.

[ysbreker]

I want the PC version dammit :/

I've installed vice city yesterday and I had endless fun racing around aimlessly and still could find my way around the town

I want san andreas :cries:

[Erkki]

San Andreas gets a lot better for me as I progress and get used to the controls. I played it a lot today and yesterday and I can handle the shooting pretty well now. Driving has become easier too, I don't hit as many posts as I used to.

I found the motorcycle mission was actually better handled driving a bit more slowly and carefully instead of full speed, as the chasee stopped every now and again to wait for us.

So far the only other mission I've got a real problem with is the one where you're on the back seat of a motorcycle with Big Smoke driving and have to shoot the Russians chasing you. The shooting before that was actually easy for me by now.

I have to say, the missions have been pretty varied so far. Probably more than in any previous GTA game. The first GTA of 1998 some people said that in the end, all the missions were about driving from A to B. That was true to a point, and alot less true in GTA 3 and Vice City (if at all), but San Andreas is totally beyond that accusation. So far I've:

- set fire to a house and then rescued a girl from it (with the help of a fire-extinguisher), who later became my girlfriend and likes to do drive-bys.

- robbed some kind of colonels house

- operated a forklift to load crates of weapons from an army warehouse into our truck

- sneaked into a mansion to steal a rhyme book

- survived a gang war

- impressed a DJ with my dancing

ETC.

Finally the non-driving gameplay is as interesting as in Mafia or True Crime (true crime sucked though, but GTA has many of the same concepts done better)

In conclusion, so far this game is everything I was hoping for, if not more.

[MrHoatzin]

I just hope that they don't do a shitty port of the game, forsaking the visual style. I am willing to wait two years if it means that I will see the same shaders and light bloom and like doohickies that stand in stead of true radiosity, instead of the big NOTHING that was ported in the PC version of Vice City, for example. Ooooohkay, that was a weird sentence... but I like it.

[Erkki]

I am willing to wait two years if it means that I will see the same shaders and light bloom and like doohickies that stand in stead of true radiosity, instead of the big NOTHING that was ported in the PC version of Vice City, for example. Ooooohkay, that was a weird sentence... but I like it.

Didn't Vice City have any of those effects? I thought it did. Maybe it was your graphics drivers? Not that I've actually played the PS2 version, but San Andreas doesn't look that different from Vice City regarding to visual effects.

Then again, it might be just that I don't pay much attention to that.

[MrHoatzin]

It's not the drivers. GTAIII looks the same on the PC as it does on the PS, Vice City on the other hand looks like crap.

[MrHoatzin]

Here's an illustration. Note the water and also the refracting droplets on the "camera" (in the pc version they are just little images that look like droplets but don't refract the image behind them... but I can't find pc droplets screenshot):

pc:

ps:

If the pictures don't work here are the respective links:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/grandtheftautovicecity/screens.html?page=48

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/grandtheftautovicecity/screens.html?page=80

[Erkki]

Hmm, yeah those look quite different.

[Erwin_Br]

Those look different on my PC as well. Haven't they (GameSpot) heard of enabling anti-aliasing on your video card, for starters?

--Erwin

[Erwin_Br]

Hmmm, the screenshots on other sites for the PC look much better than the GameSpot ones. I pity their rigs.

Here's one from GameSpy:

(Link: http://media.pc.gamespy.com/media/493/493118/imgs_1.html)

No drops, though.

--Erwin

[Erkki]

So far the only other mission I've got a real problem with is the one where you're on the back seat of a motorcycle with Big Smoke driving and have to shoot the Russians chasing you. The shooting before that was actually easy for me by now.

I've tried this more than 10 times now. No luck. The manual aiming is nearly impossible for me, whenever I try to move the analog stick just a little, I end up with too long jerky movement. Similarly the shooting range in ammunation is hard.

This is now the only mission available for me. Well, it gives me time to do other things then while I practice my manual aim -- like make some money, take over territories from other gangs.

[ysbreker]

I wanna cruise around san andreas Stop teasing me! I can't play this game till the 10th of fscking june :\ :\ :\

[Erwin_Br]

I still haven't finished that damn motorcycle mission in which you have to shoot some idiots on top of a train.

--Erwin

[Erkki]

I still haven't finished that damn motorcycle mission in which you have to shoot some idiots on top of a train.

Yeah, that one was difficult too, but quite fun. I succeeded on the 5th try or so, on the last minute. You are talking about the one where Big Smoke does the shooting, right?

That was right before the one where I'm stuck, I think. But you are further than that overall though, aren't you? So at some point other missions should become available for me to progress?

[MrHoatzin]

Hmmm, the screenshots on other sites for the PC look much better than the GameSpot ones. I pity their rigs.....

I don't think that is a pc screenshot. They just used one of the PS screenshots for the PC page. And the look of it has nothing to do with antialiasing. My rig is quite close to top of the line today and it just doesn't show any signs of the visual aesthetic the PS version does. The Rockstars chose not to port shaders and things for whatever retarded reason.

[Redwall]

I still haven't finished that damn motorcycle mission in which you have to shoot some idiots on top of a train.

--Erwin

I still haven't finished Vice City.

More specifically, the racing mission for the nightclub.

[SoccerDude28]

I've tried this more than 10 times now. No luck. The manual aiming is nearly impossible for me, whenever I try to move the analog stick just a little, I end up with too long jerky movement. Similarly the shooting range in ammunation is hard.

This is now the only mission available for me. Well, it gives me time to do other things then while I practice my manual aim -- like make some money, take over territories from other gangs.

I just started playing this game Erkki are you having problems looking at the darn small map. The resoultion is so low, I can't tell what each of the spots on the map are. I have to sit right in front of the TV to be able to see what's going on.

[Erkki]

I just started playing this game Erkki are you having problems looking at the darn small map. The resoultion is so low, I can't tell what each of the spots on the map are. I have to sit right in front of the TV to be able to see what's going on.

Exactly! At times I practically push my face against the screen to find out what an icon is. What kind of TV do you have? I thought it was my TV's fault -- it's kind of old and relatively small and some time ago it had some color patches in the corner where the map is.

Maybe I have to start wearing glasses while playing. I've never needed them to look at something that close before.