Bike, Car, Boat, Air schools. How they're done!

[oli_86]

I can't get gold in basic seamenship either! I think I have 9.72s. Not really possible to do it faster. This seems like a glitch, cuz all the guides for ps2 say under 10s gets gold.

Yeah i have the same problem Has anyone gotten gold in Basic Seamanship on the PC? and what in the Grove did you do to make it???

yes i have got the gold medal at basic seamanship @ PC, the thing is to stop exactlyyy when the stopping zone begins, thats the hard part, but i managed to do this by turning a little and ramming a buoy, going up on it, turns down your speed much faster but again, its hard to do it without damage...

[Emericaskater]

I know this is sad but i cant beat the 360im using a pc and it says hold w and s to begin, so i hold a different direction and it spins it like.0001 mph and you have 4 second to be correct? i only spin about 1 degree and fails me. Getting me really mad

[antaresprime]

The boat school guide says that stopping between the pylons in under 10 seconds will get you a gold in "Basic Seamanship", but I still got a silver even with 9.72 seconds. I tried higher like 9.80 , but it made no difference.

 

I think this is a glitch. I play the PC version of San Andreas; totally legitmate and purchased on the first day it came out.

 

Please email me at "[email protected]" if you have a solution. I thank you for your help in advance.

[antaresprime]

Possible solution for Gold in "Basic Seamanship"

 

Accelerate to 6 seconds and steer towards the second buoy (left or right, shouldn't matter) that is closest to your starting point. Reverse throttle at or slightly after 6 seconds and run yourself into that second buoy.

 

My resulting time was 9.68 seconds --> Gold.

 

I figured out that "Basic Seamanship" is pretty lenient with damage.

 

Good luck.

[ISuck]

I GOT ALL GOLDS! IN EVERYTHING! Yea it took 2 days and probably over 6 hours of gameplay, yea it was pretty much worthless because bronze, silver, or gold doesn't matter in terms of getting 100%, but damnit, I GOT IT!

 

I think the greatest tip for any of these is this: If you're getting frustrated, put down the controller and do something else. If you've done the same one for an hour, try a new test and go back to the other one later or put down the controller and do something else.

 

The hardest ones for me were

-Burn and Lap(impossible +1?)

-The 90(not that frustrating, but still hard)

-City Slicking(probably spent 3 hours all together on this one alone-completed it last night at 3:15 in the morning)

-Jump and Stoppie(got it completely out of luck, wasn't even looking at the friggin screen)

-Circle Airstrip and Land(not really that hard, I was just making it too tough)

[Spiritualized]

This thread was invaluable in helping me get gold in all schools over the past few days. Some of the golds were very lucky though and there are some tasks I never, ever want to do again. Namely:

 

Burn And Lap - The person that devised this challenge needs to be beaten round the face with a huge fish, repeatedly. And then he should be locked in a room with a keyboard glued to his fingers, where he will be forced to play Burn And Lap over and over for eternity. 35.99 seconds was my time after 3 billion attempts, I nearly wept with joy.

 

Wheelie Weave - Somebody please kill this challenge in its stupid face.

 

Alley Oop - So I have to spin my car in mid-air AND land completely straight in a certain spot. Riiiight. I still don't know how I did this one.

 

I would've put City Slicking here too, but once I found a certain route using the comments in this thread it wasn't too bad. It was just dependent on whether some idiot would cut across me at an intersection.

 

Didn't have too many problems with Bike and Boat schools.

 

Flight School, hmmm, my achilles heel here was Circle Airstrip and Land. Circling I was ok with but landing perfectly after approaching at an angle was tough. I lost count of the amount of times the game stiffed me on 1-5% damage. I had a 99% rating for so long. Destroy Targets was difficult too but the tip about using the machine gun helped me a lot, in fact I never used the missiles. So in conclusion without doubt the hardest school for me was the Driving one--too much luck needed to get gold in this one.

 

 

 

 

[duncans_pumpkin]

alley oop was the easiest in all the things i did first time gold just by doing what was told but i cant do the PC version of jump onto target as it is different to ps2 in that you dont move distances qwickly at all

[sa74]

For the guy struggling to spin 360 on PC

The game neglects to mention you need to also use a sideways arrow key in order to rotate the car in your spin..

 

 

I'm also finding destroying target impossible on PC...

There are literally like 9 or 10 keys needed for this on PC all in a short span controlling a chopper that is in this game's physics a 10 ton flying elephant.

very frustrating, I'm considering posting a save file for someone to just complete this silly mission so I can play the game instead of wasting my time!

[ThaddeusMcKlown]

 

Damn, this topic is old.

-TM-

 

[Ooze27]

Ok by now i´m almost destroying my pc!

 

In the damn whellie weave test i get 100% in both things and 1% or 2% damage and it gives me the silver,i´m going insane over here.Anyone has some tip for this?

 

Great post btw Cerby.

[TRELOXELO]

I've passe3d flying school yesterday!

Man what a bitch!

Don't ask me how i've done it but thatnk God i did it!

At driving school i'm stuck where u have the taxi!

[duncans_pumpkin]

Add the bug on the pc which makes parachute onto target possible. Turn framelimiter off.

[mothball]

Why isn't this a sticky yet?

[Beamboom]

I just want to make sure the following hint is getting as widespread as possible by adding it here too. It's mentioned in another post but this hint was such a radical lifechanger to me, it should be written in huge capitals all over the forum

 

GO FIRST PERSION VIEW WHEN FLYING!

 

The change in handling the planes/helicopters is radical!

 

I was totally stuck in flying school, I was about to give up. Actually I had given up. The "circle airstrip" mission was IMPOSSIBLE for me. I was reading this forum and planned on posting the savegame and beg for help.

 

Then I read about the first persion view that made it easier for someone else on this forum, changed to first person, and whoohah - I fly like a dream! It took a minute to get used to the limited view, but flying is a smooth ride now, and I did all the flying school tests in just a very few attempts, several of them on first attempt even.

 

So, dear friend, if you are like me and almost breaking your GTA-dvd in two and swearing to never ever touch GTA again, GO FIRST PERSON VIEW WHEN FLYING.

 

When you are in first person view you also get a crosshair target for the rockets on the "destroy targets" flying school mission.

 

So, again:

 

GO FIRST PERSION VIEW WHEN FLYING!

 

[oli_86]

f*ck this, nothing helps, ive got all the gold medals in driving school exept for the mother f*cking burn and lap, nothing helps, its just impossible!!!! i've done it 80-100 times and the best i got is something like 98%....the f*cking cocksucker camera is bullsh*t you cant see where the f*ck you're going, if someone knows how to complete it on PC please send a private message to me or something. i dont know how to do the turns, ive heard all different suggestions, handbrake or no handbrake?

Edited July 3, 2005 by oli_86

[GTA_kev]

damn everytime I go to the bike school which I have all gold medals..ther's only 2 bikes there!!!

[Ooze27]

f*ck this, nothing helps, ive got all the gold medals in driving school exept for the mother f*cking burn and lap, nothing helps, its just impossible!!!! i've done it 80-100 times and the best i got is something like 98%....the f*cking cocksucker camera is bullsh*t you cant see where the f*ck you're going, if someone knows how to complete it on PC please send a private message to me or something. i dont know how to do the turns, ive heard all different suggestions, handbrake or no handbrake?

Same here m8,but finally i managed to do it,had to do really tight corners using the handbrake,don´t give up m8,take it easy and you´ll make it.I don´t want to play that crap again though

[EricT]

I just did Burn and Lap after 6.5 hours!!!!!!!!

I used ussual brakes instead of hand brakes and pinned them to \ button (below Enter) cuz it's really handy for me. And first person view works great for me (before 1st person view I couldn't get even 38 seconds).

Btw: I did it in 36.04 and got gold!!!

@oooZ

To complete wheelie weave use first person, just after getting on two wheels slightly turn => and nanosecond before you start falling down turn <= and try to steer to marker. Damage is cuz you steer too much in one direction so try to steer both ways (a sense of ballance is really needed)

Edited July 10, 2005 by EricT

[DWatch]

For those stuck on a particular school mission, and are playing the PC version.... turning frame limiter off helped me.

 

The first mission at the boat school was impossible to get Gold with it on (9.6 seconds or quicker), on my computer. I kept getting a time of 9.71 as the fastest time, even after trying it for probably 30 to 40 tries. I had gold in everything else, but this. As soon as I turned frame limiter off, I made it on the first try with 9.5 seconds.

 

Note: I have completed all schools and completed the game's final mission without having to turn it off. Now I am trying to get gold in all the schools. I got through flight, bike and most of boat school without turning it off. I thought it was just a rumor that it helped, but tt definately does help in some situations.

 

And to the guy screaming 'use first person camera view for flying'. That never helped me at all, I did worse. Finally finished flying school with all gold using the standard camera view (3rd person).

[g33k]

Whats so hard about the Jump and Stoppie? Flying School was alot harder than Bike School. Bike School is the easiest one there is.

[Onanist]

i have gold in all schools so this is my tips:

 

Burn and Lap: i did with handbrake and with almost hooking buoys (lol i don't know this word u probably know i want to write ). it's really hard and i was doing it around half hour so be patient . "buoys" can be hooked without losing %. just do it carefuly (hmmm but don't really try to hook them, just try to take corners the best u can and the closest to "buoys".

 

The 90: i was using handbrake and a lot of luck try, try and try one more time. use ur last traces and correct them some.

 

City Slicking: just drive good. i wasn't using handbrake here, cause super gt isn't the best car on corners. just use normal brake and only brake, without gas on corners. on straight roads u must drive at max speed.

 

here's map with my optimal road: (sorry for number, but it's photo ops map and i had not any other maps)

A - important corner http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/6103/10xj2.jpg

B - also important, push ur gas off here

 

Destroy Targets: i was pressing alt (minigun) and touching ctrl (rockets). it wasn't very hard for me.

 

Parachute and Land: open ur parachute in around 23th second and land in the middle of circle. steer CJ like that:

1,2,2,1,2,2,1,2,2,1,2,2,1,2,2...

 

1 - push "down" down (slower but further)

2 - don't push down anything

each number = around 1 sec

 

Jump and Stoppie: simple - just jump and push "up" down a bit. push "W' also if u don't want stop endo (stoppie) too early.

 

 

i'm sorry if u didn't understand something

[Interstate]

I found that if you head straight for the train station and up the tracks, then hook left down the grass hill as soon as there is a spot to go left out of the tunnel, then you can cruise at top speed down the Esplanade then you only have to go up the hill and back down the main street with the trolly tracks halfway down. Also do it in the middle of the night 0000 - 0530 and there will be less traffic.

 

 

 

City Slicking: Difficulty 5/5

**WARNING** this test may make you very frustrated, you may want to take a break

I am not kidding when I say this is the worst of them all, many disagree, that’s why we all have opinions. When I first started, I used to follow the tram road all the way to the church, and work my way through the grassy area, and down the hill. Pull a quick 180, and come back. This is fine for a silver, but heres the Route for a gold:

Head down the main road, follow the tram line. You want to turn right where the first single tram turns right, you will be very near a chicken place. Its easiest if you cut that corner, and then take the next immediate left. You are now on the road that goes straight down the hill, no more stupid turns involved. Working this road is remarkably easy, just keep angling the camera up to see any traffic ahead of you. When you come to the hill, SLOW DOWN, and coast down the hill, avoiding obstacles. Hit the point, pull a quick 180 WITHOUT stopping, and go back the same route.

Getting Gold: Finish the route in under 100 seconds, with no damage. A few quick tips, you can hit 1 pedestrian, your bumper looks gibbed, but its ok, no damage has registered. You can also take 1 minor sideswipe. Any more and its all over. When going for 100 seconds, let up on the gas at 2 points, when going down the hill, and when making the 2 turns to get back to the main road. I tried this one at least 30 times, and totally hated it.

[!nF3rnuZ]

Whats so hard about the Jump and Stoppie? Flying School was alot harder than Bike School. Bike School is the easiest one there is.

how true...i'd say that the bike school was the easiest...even "wheelie weave" is harder than "jump&stoppie" And the flying school is the b*tch of them all

[BartD]

Bike School is EASY..

 

I played it n 5 minutes (REALLY, not 10, not 15, 5) and I had gold.

 

I had 98% first try with jump and stoppie and 100 % second try.

 

 

 

[soleil]

On the Destroy Targets, use your machine gun. That way you dont have to incorporate timing with your aiming as you do with the missles. Lighting up the whole area with missles takes longer than pointing the helicopter at the vehicles (you don't have to be perfect, just "pretty" accurate) and firing the machine gun.

[teh roxxors]

PC gamers need advice specific to their platform. Here's something I came up with for Driving School:

 

Driving School

 

Driving School tests rely heavily on dumb luck, which means you’ll have to repeat some tests many times over if you want the gold medal. Prepare yourself for frustration. Frame Limiter is generally unnecessary. Difficulty ratings reflect getting a gold medal, not simply passing the test.

 

The 360

 

• Time Limit: 0:10

• Vehicle: Infernus

• Difficulty: 1/10

• Gold Medal: Complete a 360 and stop in your original position in under ten seconds.

 

Either first or third-person camera view is fine for this test. Accelerate and brake simultaneously, while cranking the analogue (joystick or game pad) controls left or right to complete a full circle.

 

The 180

 

• Time Limit: 0:10

• Vehicle: Blista Compact

• Difficulty: 4/10

• Gold Medal: Complete the 180 in time, parking perfectly at the end of the track—without damage.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Use the handbrake to power slide through the turn, then floor it through the straightaway. The hardest part of this test is parking, but the third-person camera angle helps a bit.

 

Whip and Terminate

 

• Time Limit: 0:05s

• Vehicle: Banshee

• Difficulty: 4/10

• Gold Medal: Finish under five seconds with perfect parking—and no damage.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Power slide through the turns. Again, the hardest part of the mission is parking.

 

Pop and Control

 

• Time Limit: 0:05

• Vehicle: Police

• Difficulty: 5/10

• Gold Medal: Complete the course in time with no damage and perfect parking.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Control your speed. Lay off the gas after your tires pop but do not brake through the turns. Steer gently and watch the speed. Use as little braking as necessary to stop properly at the end.

 

Burn and Lap

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Banshee

• Difficulty: 6/10

• Gold Medal: Beat the course in the low 35’s without damage.

 

Use the first-person camera view. Aim somewhat toward the outside corners as you head down each straightaway, rather than dead-center or tight to the inside. Aiming slightly toward the outside corners minimizes the impact of power slides on your speed and makes recovery after each slide very easy work.

 

Cone Coil

 

• Time Limit: 0:10

• Vehicle: Banshee

• Difficulty: 6/10

• Gold Medal: Complete the course in the allotted time without any damage and perfect parking.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Turn Frame Limiter off. You can’t whip past all three rows of cones at full speed without hitting something, and power sliding around them bleeds off too much speed. Release the acceleration just enough to control your turns around the three rows. Power slide into a sharp turn around the single cone at the middle of the course. On your return, zip past the first row, but release the acceleration around the second and third rows. Watch your speed going into the parking zone, or you’ll not straighten out very well.

 

The ‘90’

 

• Time Limit: 0:05

• Vehicle: Banshee

• Difficulty: 10/10

• Gold Medal: Power slide into a perfect parking position between two parked cars without damaging yourself.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Turn Frame Limiter off. This test relies largely on dumb luck, so be prepared to repeat it many, many times. While simple in concept, it’s almost impossible in execution. Keep your speed moderate. Align your rear view mirror with the hood of the rear car, between its front tire well and its windshield. Turn left and handbrake simultaneously to power slide just before hitting the back car. Success is an equal balance of velocity and power slide timing.

 

Wheelie Weave

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Banshee

• Difficulty: 10/10

• Gold Medal: Cross the lot on two wheels, coming to a perfect stop in the red zone, with no damage.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Steer into the ramp, then quickly away from it, to lift the car up onto two wheels without rolling over. Don’t hit the wall beside the ramp, and don’t lift up so far that you grind away the side of your car. Develop a feel for how long you need to hold the acceleration down; the Banshee will come to a stop quickly once you release it. You don’t need a whole lot of steering if you come off the ramp properly. But, most often, you will drop & stop well before the red zone. Damage is very, very hard to avoid—and any damage will keep you from the gold.

 

This test relies too heavily on dumb luck, so be prepared to repeat it many, many times. You don’t have to come to a stop on all four tires, so concentrate on your direction coming off the ramp and timing the release of your acceleration control.

 

Cheat by changing the Banshee’s mass from 3000 to 4000 in handling.cfg—this helps the car go a little farther with less input from you, which is the biggest obstacle you face. Back the file up before editing, and be sure to restore it before going on to the next challenge.

 

Spin and Go

 

• Time Limit: 0:05

• Vehicle: Taxi

• Difficulty: 4/10

• Gold Medal: Complete the course in the time allotted without any damage—stopping perfectly at the end, of course.

 

Use the third-person camera view. This is a reverse power slide through a tight turn at full speed. Before backing up, use the mouse to turn the camera around, so you have a good view of the course.

 

P.I.T. Maneuver

 

• Time Limit: none, unless a car leaves the testing zone

• Vehicle: Police

• Difficulty: 8/10

• Gold Medal: Spin the other car around before it escapes the test zone, keeping both cars touching—all without any damage.

 

Use the third-person camera view. This test gives you a lot to think about in a very short time. Pull up along side the target vehicle, close, but not quite touching. With roughly the front half of your cruiser beside the back half of the target vehicle, turn hard into the target to put him into a spin. As your opponent rolls around the front of your cruiser to the other side, turn into him—otherwise the vehicles will separate. Brake hard at the end of the maneuver to maintain contact. Doing all of this without damaging your cruiser takes equal parts finesse and luck.

 

Alley OOP

 

• Time Limit: 0:05

• Vehicle: Banshee

• Difficulty: 8/10

• Gold Medal: Barrel roll off a ramp, over two cars, landing squarely on your tires and stopping perfectly at the end—without damaging your car.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Your approach is paramount. Accelerate hard throughout. Use the outside lines of the hood or trunk to align yourself with the edge of the ramp. You need to hit the ramp with a slight angle toward its middle.

 

The instant you leave the ramp, release the acceleration and steer hard into the roll. This spins the car around faster, increasing the chance of landing on the tires.

 

You won’t have much opportunity to straighten out at the end. If your approach wasn’t perfect, it will show in your landing. But it’s not an impossible test, once you figure out how to hit the ramp and turn while airborne.

 

Cheat by changing the Banshee’s mass from 3000 to 2000 in handling.cfg—this gives the car more time in the air to complete its roll before landing. Be sure you have a backup before editing, and restore the default handling.cfg before going on to the next challenge.

 

City Slicking

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Super GT

• Difficulty: 7/10

• Gold Medal: Finish the course within 1:40 without the slightest bit of damage.

 

The first-person camera view will not help you on this one, and leaving Frame Limiter on only makes the test harder. Do this one during daylight and good weather. Do not use the handbrake to slow down; use decelerate or just release the acceleration.

 

The Super GT is a fast car with poor traction, so it rips through the straights but can easily spin out of control in turns. All the while, you still have traffic to deal with, which adds completely random failure to the mix.

 

If you come to a stop at any time, the test ends.

 

In front of the San Fierro Fire Department, pick up and follow the trolley tracks. They will make a right turn off the main drag, and you can shave some time off by cutting that corner —but watch your speed! The trolley tracks then drop down a hill, before turning left. Watch your speed! The tracks turn right after a helipad and go downhill again. You will find yourself on a wide highway headed north toward the first checkpoint. Cut as straight a path as you can across sidewalks and the median to keep your speed up. Slow down as you near the checkpoint and a sharp left turn.

 

You can be more aggressive through turns that take you uphill, but don’t get carried away. Take the curvy road uphill, avoiding pedestrians who may jump in front of you. Pass through one intersection, turn right at the next. Take the first left at the top of the hill. This puts you back on a long straightaway heading back toward the Driving School.

 

Slow down at the end for a zig-zag turn into the checkpoint in the Driving School parking lot.

 

Cheat by matching the Super GT’s traction features (fTractionMultiplier, fTractionLoss, and fTractionBias) to those of a Sanchez dirt bike in handling.cfg. Increase acceleration and top speed if you continue having problems. Be sure you have a backup before editing, and restore the default handling.cfg before going on to the next challenge.

Edited August 15, 2005 by teh roxxors

[teh roxxors]

Pilot School

 

You can kill yourself easily at flight school, so stop and save your game every time you score a gold medal on a test—unless hospital visits appeal to you. Turn that nasty Frame Limiter off, as aircraft handle better without it. Flying is best done with a joystick or game pad. You have little chance of getting all gold medals without one. Difficulty ratings reflect getting a gold medal, not simply passing the test; they also assume you’re using some sort of analogue controls. You don’t have to pass through coronas like you’re threading a needle; just hit them and you’re good to go.

 

Takeoff

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Rustler

• Difficulty: 3/10

• Gold Medal: Finish under 30 seconds without damage.

 

Use the first-person camera view. Do not roll right or left; if you have to turn at all, use rudder controls (look left or right). Have something on your controller bound to sub-mission, as this operates your landing gear, and you don’t want to fumble with a keyboard while flying.

 

Anything that bleeds off speed can keep you from a gold medal, so try not to overcorrect as you change direction. Pull back on the stick at the five second mark, retracting your gear the instant you’re in the air. Climb steadily toward the first corona. Start your dive toward the second as you pass through the first. Level out gently to reach the third and final corona as quickly as possible.

 

Land Plane

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Rustler

• Difficulty: 1/10

• Gold Medal: Finish under 25 seconds, stopping perfectly inside the marker—without any damage.

 

Use the first-person camera view. Fly as straight as possible; do not roll. Use the rudder if you have to adjust your course left or right. Dive toward the corona as soon as you have control. Drop your landing gear as you pass through the corona. With its gear down, your plane will quickly lose speed. In fact, the plane will fairly land itself without any help from you. Pull gently out of the dive and enjoy the ride in. Do not be hasty; in fact, you’ll want to pass over a lot of runway before you decelerate. Tap the deceleration control as you near the red zone. When your wheels hit dirt, push the stick forward, as if you wanted to dive into the runway—this keeps you from bouncing back into the air. Hold the deceleration control down until the plane comes to a stop in the red zone. Twenty-five seconds is a generous amount of time, so don’t be afraid to take it easy.

 

Circle Airstrip

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Rustler

• Difficulty: 4/10

• Gold Medal: Pass the last corona in 60 seconds or less, without taking damage.

 

Use the first-person camera view. Take off as before, retracting your gear to instant you leave dirt. The climb toward the first corona is important, so get it right. Be sure to reach the first corona no more than twenty seconds into your flight. The Rustler can turn on a dime. Roll and pull back on the stick a little to make most turns between coronas. A slight touch of the rudder makes turning even faster. Remember that a straight line is the shortest—and fastest—path between two points. Big, lazy turns will keep the gold out of your hands.

 

It will take a few tries to get used to the controls. While you need to turn quickly, use no more force than necessary to swing the nose around toward the next corona. Don’t fall into the trap of making sloppy movements you need to correct.

 

 

Circle Airstrip and Land

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Rustler

• Difficulty: 7/10

• Gold Medal: Complete the course within 80 seconds and stop in the marker—without damaging your plane.

 

It’s the landing that will kill you.

 

Use first-person perspective. You already know how to take off and climb, so things are easy to the first corona. The turning probably seems easier than in the previous test. However, things take a quick turn for the worse when you have to land, because you’re not lined up with the runway.

 

You’ll have to work for this landing. As you pass through the final corona, bank and dive while mashing the decelerate control. Aim for the end of the runway already dangerously close to your current position. Get that landing gear out! It slows you down and steadies the approach. With your gear down, you can tap the deceleration control, rather than mash it, as you work the rudder to steady yourself through a quick touchdown. If you come in too fast, your plane will bounce along the runway, taking terrible damage. Success at this point hinges on your ability to slow down quickly. Decelerate according to how much runway remains between you and the red zone. You don’t have to stop parallel to the runway, but you do have to stop in the red zone.

 

It’s worth noting how different these tests are from those in Driving School. Every time you fly, you get better at it. Your success so far has depended more on you and less on dumb luck. Be sure to save your game after getting the gold.

 

Helicopter Takeoff

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Hunter

• Difficulty: 1/10

• Gold Medal: Finish in 45 seconds without damage.

 

This time, use the third-person camera view. Flying a chopper in first person is tough, because you look down to go forward, which takes your eyes off the target corona. The Hunter can be a little touchy. Remember that it doesn’t take much stick to move her, and you’ll be fine. Follow the directions on screen, and the gold is yours.

 

Land Helicopter

 

• Time Limit: Unlimited

• Vehicle: Hunter

• Difficulty: 2/10

• Gold Medal: Finish in 30 seconds without damage.

 

Use the third-person camera view. You can follow the directions on screen, but you’ll want to be a little quicker on the draw if you want gold. Head in fast, but release the stick early. Nearing the red zone, you don’t want to end up yanking the stick all the way back in a desperate attempt to stop. Have something on your controller bound to the horn; while you hold it down, this control helps the Hunter stay level. You start the test lined up for the landing, so this one is not very difficult.

 

Destroy Targets

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Hunter

• Difficulty: 6/10

• Gold Medal: Finish within 80 seconds without damage.

 

You’ll want something on your controller bound to change camera. Start out using the first-person camera view. It gives you a box-style crosshair needed to aim rockets well. Start out fast, but ease back on the stick and accelerator as you spam the semis with as many rockets as possible. Watch your altitude—get too close to the action, and you may end up kissing a semi those rockets put into orbit. Abort if you don’t destroy all three trucks on the first pass.

 

Rely on your rudder to turn you around for the two moving vehicles. Banking tends to cost a lot of altitude and may leave you disoriented. Head west as fast as possible. Spam those rockets, but lead your targets, because they’re moving along at a good clip. It’s not necessary to take both out in one pass. Destroy one, orient on the other using those rudder controls, and spam more rockets.

 

Switch to a third-person camera view for the landing. You’re not lined up perfectly as before. Make sure the Hunter is parallel to the runway before you touch down in the red zone.

 

Loop-The-Loop

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Stunt Plane

• Difficulty: 1/10

• Gold Medal: Finish within 21 seconds without smashing into the earth in a fiery ball of death.

 

Use the first-person camera view. Follow the simple directions on screen. Pull back on the stick until you come around to see the second corona. Straighten out and fly into it to claim the gold.

 

Barrel Roll

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Stunt Plane

• Difficulty: 1/10

• Gold Medal: Finish within 25 seconds without killing yourself.

 

Use the first-person camera view. Follow the directions on screen. Do not start the maneuver before passing through the first corona. Lean the stick left gently to help maintain altitude. You have the gold as soon as you hit the second corona. Your finish does not need to be pretty.

 

Parachute onto Target

 

• Time Limit:

• Vehicle: Parachute

• Difficulty: 2/10

• Gold Medal: Land in the bull’s-eye alive.

 

The default camera view works fine. If you use the left or right controls as suggested in the game’s directions, this becomes the chanciest mission at Plane School. So don’t use them. You start lined up perfectly for this test—don’t mess that up. Instead, just hold the forward control down until the message appears telling you to open your chute. Release the forward control, but wait until 23-24 seconds in to pop the chute. This gives you all the room you need to adjust your final approach. Press the backwards control as necessary to keep CJ headed for the tiny bull’s-eye. You actually have a lot of control over your landing this way.

Edited August 9, 2005 by teh roxxors

[teh roxxors]

More love for PC gamers.

 

Boat School

 

Boat school is the shortest of the four schools, and the easiest. Be sure Frame Limiter is off, as it reduces handling and performance of water craft. Difficulty ratings reflect getting a gold medal, not simply passing the test.

 

Basic Seamanship

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Coastguard

• Difficulty: 1/10

• Gold Medal: Stop between the buoys within 10 seconds and don’t hit anything.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Follow the directions on screen.

 

Plot a Course

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Coastguard

• Difficulty: 2/10

• Gold Medal: Finish in 25 seconds without hitting anything.

 

Use the third-person camera view. Sharpen your turns with the hand brake. Keep an eye on the radar to track upcoming buoys.

 

Fresh Slalom

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Dinghy

• Difficulty: 3/10

• Gold Medal: Finish in 80 seconds without hitting anything.

 

Use the third-person camera view. This test is much like the last, but a little longer and features a different boat. Use the handbrake to sharpen your turns. Keep an eye on the radar to help plan for upcoming buoys.

 

Flying Fish

 

• Time Limit: 0:45

• Vehicle: Vortex

• Difficulty: 5/10

• Gold Medal: Jump over 67 meters without hitting anything—before the timer runs out.

 

Use the third-person camera view. This is the hardest test in boat school, because it is the most reliant on dumb luck. Specifically, if you happen to have the good fortune of lining up with the ramp at the start, you will likely go far enough. A lot of course correction will have a negative impact on speed and jump distance. Cut to the right past the lighthouse, heading for the far north end of Gant Bridge. Near the enormous concrete base, turn toward the buoy markers. Line up as best you can early on, and you may not have to turn much as you near the jump. Lean forward as you hit the ramp, but lean back as you leave it. Then quickly oscillate between leaning forward and backward. This rocking motion balances lift and forward momentum for the longest jump possible. It may take several tries, but you only need one good run at the ramp to get a gold medal. With practice, jumps in the middle to high sixties will be common.

 

Land, Sea and Air

 

• Time Limit: none

• Vehicle: Vortex

• Difficulty: 4/10

• Gold Medal: Finish in 130 seconds without hitting anything.

 

Use the third-person camera view. This is only a little harder than Plot a Course, because it is longer and has a very sharp turn after the third jump. Sharpen turns by leaning forward—do not use that handbrake! Do not go for a big jump off the third ramp; instead, lean forward so you come down quickly and are positioned for a sharp turn through the next set of buoys.

 

[teh roxxors]

More PC gamer love.

 

Bike School

 

Bike school is easier than driving school, which really isn’t saying much. There are, however, some tough controls to master. Thankfully, it is short. Be sure to turn Frame Limiter on, because bike animations are linked to frame rates, and some tricks are almost impossible at high frame rates. You can use the third-person camera view for all bike tests without a problem. Difficulty ratings reflect getting a gold medal, not simply passing the test. Be aware that a glitch in the game may keep the FCR-900 award bike from ever spawning outside the school, and there doesn't seem to be any way to avoid this; it will spawn if you hold a silver medal, but stops spawning if you hold all gold medals.

 

 

The 360

 

• Time Limit: 0:15

• Vehicle: FCR 900

• Difficulty: 1/10

• Gold Medal: Pull off a 360 and stop where you started.

 

Either first or third-person camera view will work for you. As before, you need that analogue controller to manage a 360. Accelerate and decelerate simultaneously. Crank the stick left or right to spin. Release the stick to stop.

 

The 180

 

• Time Limit: 0:10

• Vehicle: PCJ 600

• Difficulty: 3/10

• Gold Medal: Don’t hit any cones and park perfectly.

 

Speed is not necessary for this one. In fact, excess speed only lessens your chance at gold. You cannot come to a complete stop through the 180—release the brake and hit the gas quicker than you probably do out on the streets. Again, you don’t need to run through this a full speed, which helps a lot. You must park dead-center where you started, facing the opposite direction, of course. Cruise in slowly, and timing your stop will be easier. Parking is the only challenging part of this test, and may require several tries to win gold.

 

The Wheelie

 

• Time Limit: 0:08

• Vehicle: FCR 900

• Difficulty: 4/10

• Gold Medal: Wheelie between the cones and park perfectly at the end—without damaging your bike.

 

Not surprisingly, the wheelie isn’t the problem here; rather, the parking at the end is the real challenge. Stomp on the gas, lean back to get the front tire up, and hold the wheelie through the cones. Let the front wheel drop the instant you pass the wheelie zone and release the gas. Slow down with the decelerate control, not the hand brake; otherwise, your bike will twist sideways. You must stop dead-center in the box, as you did in the previous test.

 

Jump and Stop

 

• Time Limit: 0:08

• Vehicle: Sanchez

• Difficulty: 1/10

• Gold Medal: Jump off the ramp and park perfectly at the end—without damaging your bike.

 

Just take it easy. You have more than enough time, and do not need to jump far. Cruise over the ramp and right into the pocket at the end. Parking is the only challenge, and it isn’t much of one when you go slow.

 

The Stoppie

 

• Time Limit: 0:08

• Vehicle: FCR 900

• Difficulty: 5/10

• Gold Medal: Stoppie between the cones and park perfectly at the end—without damaging your bike.

 

One would assume that a stoppie includes riding on the front tire until the bike comes to a complete stop. However, in this test, it does not. The stoppie is held only through the twin cone rows; you will drop back onto two tires immediately afterwards and coast to a perfect stop.

 

To pull this off, accelerate right up to the cones. Lean forward. Simultaneously tap decelerate and hand brake to get up on the front wheel. Immediately switch back to the accelerate control to stay up on the front wheel all the way between the cones. As you exit the stoppie zone, release the lean forward control and lay off the gas. You can coast to a perfect stop at the end, provided you remember to release the stoppie and control your speed. Once you get the timing down and can switch controls quickly, this becomes a very easy test.

 

Jump & Stoppie

 

• Time Limit: 0.08

• Vehicle: NRG 500

• Difficulty: 7/10

• Gold Medal: Jump off the ramp, landing on the front tire to ride a stoppie into a perfect parking position—without damaging your bike.

 

This is a tricky one. Fortunately, speed is not much of an issue. You do not need to hit the ramp at full speed; in fact, that would just make stopping in time quite troublesome. However, if you go too slowly, you will run out of time before reaching the pocket at the end. Moderation is key. Get a healthy jump off the ramp. Lean forward in the air, so your front tire lands first. When it does, tap decelerate and hand brake together, then quickly switch back to accelerate. You have to be quick! This time, ride the stoppie all the way to the end. If the back tire comes down, the test ends. This is harder than riding in on two tires, and takes practice. Expect to repeat this test many times before getting it down.

 

Often, you will end the test early by riding on both tires or rolling end over end. It is tough to get the timing down, braking for an instant after landing, only to switch right back to accelerating. And it is hard to stop on a dime while riding on one wheel. But you have more control over your vehicle here than in driving school, and it is a short test. Repeating it is not so frustrating, because all the while your skills are improving—you’re not just rolling the dice.

Edited August 20, 2005 by teh roxxors

[//ghost]

Whats so hard about the Jump and Stoppie?    Flying School was alot harder than Bike School. Bike School is the easiest one there is.

how true...i'd say that the bike school was the easiest...even "wheelie weave" is harder than "jump&stoppie" And the flying school is the b*tch of them all

You're wrong there, mate. Boat school is the easiest.