Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas

[ascender]

Sorry guys, another couple of questions!

I've just started on the second part of the map and have been told to take pictures of a snitch who's hiding out on Mt Chiliad. But for some reason I can't find any sort of red gate/blip to start the mission. I've been all the way up the mountain and can't see a lodge or anything. Am I missing something obvious?

And finally, any tips on how to make money as I seem to be pretty poor at the moment and am very good at losing my cash on the gee gees!

[JohnMcL7]

Been so long since I played that mission - from what I remember, you have to take a dirt bike down a small dirt path on the outer edge of the small town which leads you straight across a main road and starting up the mountain. Don't recall ever have any issues with the blip not showing though.

John

[Ciaran]

I've just started on the second part of the map and have been told to take pictures of a snitch who's hiding out on Mt Chiliad. But for some reason I can't find any sort of red gate/blip to start the mission. I've been all the way up the mountain and can't see a lodge or anything. Am I missing something obvious?

There is a split in the road pretty low down on the mountain. Take the one to the left and you should come to a shack guarded by FBI agents.

[ascender]

Thanks guys, I'll give that a go today!

Got it sorted. I was being an idiot.

What I'm loving about this game is the sense of scale and even though you don't have to get in to the whole rpg-lite side of developing your character, it really feels like a living and breathing world. I think I might take a break from missions and do some work as a trucker. Its also amazing how you can get side-tracked from what you originally set out to do and just end up on some totally different mission, playing about on a bike or just causing chaos.

[ascender]

Well I'm still plugging away at this as I've just got time to play a bit each night. Am at about 55% complete and have just returned to the family home to find the riots going on.

I now find myself in two minds about what I want from a new GTA game. At first I found the sheer scale of SA too daunting but now I think I'd find it hard to go back to a smaller gaming area set in just the one large city. No rural areas? No long and winding roads along the coast or up in to the hills? No need for planes or 'copters to shrink the map when you can't be bothered driving?

I'm sure the new GTA won't disappoint, but I do wonder just how big they could take the SA concept if that was the direction they decided to go.

[Simmy]

From write-ups it seems that the single Liberty in GTA4 could be of a similar scale to the total map in SA, but we will have to wait and see on that one though. I completely agree though that I will sorlely miss the countryside aspect of the game, and still feel disapointed when I think 4 is not growing the SA concept, even if it looks to be doing other things really well.

Have to wonder if we will see a game of San Andrea's ilk again

[cohen205]

I'm sure i read some where that there will be a central park similar to the actual one in New York. I know its not full on country side, but it may please the people who are looking for greener pastures.

At the end of the day, we'll just have to wait and see!

[JohnMcL7]

Thanks guys, I'll give that a go today!

Got it sorted. I was being an idiot.

What I'm loving about this game is the sense of scale and even though you don't have to get in to the whole rpg-lite side of developing your character, it really feels like a living and breathing world. I think I might take a break from missions and do some work as a trucker. Its also amazing how you can get side-tracked from what you originally set out to do and just end up on some totally different mission, playing about on a bike or just causing chaos.

I found the sense of scale amazing, it's not just the size of map and variety but the simple fact that there's so much you can do - my brother didn't have any interest in the main missions but spent hours mucking about with planes and even longer customising (and then usually crashing) cars for which there are extensive options. I played the game in a completely different mainly sticking with the missions but racing along I'd catch a glimpse of something interesting and go off trying a new helicopter or driving a motorbike off a mountain.

I can't say I'm looking forward to GTA4 as I can't see it having any thing like the scale of its predecesssor which is what made it particularly enjoyable for me.

John

[Wools]

What I'm loving about this game is the sense of scale and even though you don't have to get in to the whole rpg-lite side of developing your character, it really feels like a living and breathing world. I think I might take a break from missions and do some work as a trucker. Its also amazing how you can get side-tracked from what you originally set out to do and just end up on some totally different mission, playing about on a bike or just causing chaos.

I could not agree with you more.

I did enjoy San Andreas upon its release but after selling it, and recently completing Grand Theft Auto 4 and its 2 Episodes, I had built up a mental image of San Andreas. It was bloated, had Jetpacks and other atmosphere destroying mechanics, was full of technical issues and had a poor and incomparable story.

After picking up a PS2 Slim last summer along with San Andreas, I can confirm it has all those things but so much more. Whereas previous GTA's were attempts to build a world and GTA4 and beyond reigned it all in to create a believable story, San Andreas was an exercise in expansion and freedom. Despite the next generation bells and whistles, San Andreas is still breath taking. The sheer size and scale has only Oblivion as a comparison but even then, the complexity and variety of towns, cities, villages, outposts, mountain ranges, forests and freeways are almost incomparable.

I started playing the game on a new save last summer and although I really enjoyed it, it was showing its age and I completed Episodes from Liberty City during the playtime. However I was at the beginning and still exploring the east coast ghettos where CJ was born. Over the Christmas break I was thrown into the wilderness in a hillbilly town on the outskirts of a mountain and I was reminded just how large San Andreas is. This weekend I put the game on just to have a drive around and was lost for hours in the State, there's just so much to explore and discover that, like Ascender and many of you reading this already know, San Andreas is brilliant and I'm having a bit of a re-awakening in regards to its qualities.

Has anyone else put this on recently through Live Arcade or fancied playing it after Episodes from Liberty City?