Stuck with Side Missions

[riker71]

Hey folks Ive been enjoying Vice City on my PC, managed to sort out the problems I was having with the Ice Cream factory save problem by going back to a previous save and used it to buy sunshine autos instead, and changing the settings as described in help section (changed to make it win 98 compatible which solved the freezing at start of game thank god!), but Ive only done 30% of the game and I seem to be stuck in side missions, last 3 missions done were Autocide, Trojan Voodoo and Dirty Lickins. Have done all the Haitian+Cuban missions. Latest property bought was Sunshine Autos. But am I missing something? shouldnt there be a "main mission" I need to do to keep things "on track"? Lance has disappeared although Im expecting him to return at some point....Theres no icons on the maps to say I need to go anywhere, it seems all Ive got to choose from is side missions-any advice you can give?

Thanks

Edited February 22, 2006 by riker71

[Demarest]

I will assume you've not played the game before. That's just how VC was made. After you pass Shakedown, you're instructed twice that you can buy properties. You mention Cherry Poppers and Sunshine Autos, but there's still the Boatyard, Print Works, Kaufman, Pole Position, The Malibu, and the Film Studio.

[Spuds725]

Completing the businesses (getting them to generate money) advances the story...

 

Also their should be Vercetti missions at the mansion available-- the last being copland (in case you have done them already)-- the Mansion will genreate moeny too after that mission...

 

Don't get bogged down in percentage part of you progress-- very frequently you can complete the story with under 50% completed--- its possible to complete the story with only 22% done if you do the absolute minimum

[riker71]

Thanks for the replies guys, Ive got the Vercetti missions done too, but 22% to do the whole game now thats something!

[Original GTA Master]

well what other GTA games have you played and beat the main storyline in

[Justin]

Not sure if you're still stuck, but this post should/would have helped a fair bit. If you find anything to add to it, give me a shout and I'll gladly sort it out.

 

Also, I don't think you've finished the story-line with just 22% completion. Refer to this post and you'll notice that 22% seems to be the bare minimum necessary - and it's rather unlikely that you've done just that. Possible, but unlikely.

[Demarest]

Well I just tested it and it's true. Tips for people looking to pass with bare minimum but need cash to buy the assets involved in bare minimum (thanks to Fuzzy Juzzy and pdescobar for making the list as complete as possible):

 

• Steal any cab you encounter. If you want to, do Taxi Driver with it. Go up to 99 if you want, but don't do 100. Remember that more in a row mean bigger cash advantages.

• Vigilante or Firefighter. But don't complete level 12.

• Pizza Boy. But don't complete level 10 with it.

• Store robberies. So long as you don't do all 15, you won't increase your percentage.

• When in the Downtown area, smash the parking meters. They give as much as $150 each (varies).

• Use a bike when possible. Do wheelies and stoppies as you stop and go.

• Do insane stunts when possible, but NOT Unique Jumps.

• As you complete assets, watch the clock. Be sure to pick up money before every 24 hours of game time.

• After you complete car list #1, you can do up to 5 more of the next list.

• Do Rampages. You'll get money for completing and from your prey and unless you do them ALL, they won't add to your percent complete.

• If you see a gang member running, punch him for a good citizen bonus.

• Never visit Pay N Spray.

• Don't buy any weapons/armor.

• Don't use health pickups at hospitals. They cost money.

• Don't buy any properties not needed for asset completion. They cost money AND add to your percentage.

Edited February 25, 2006 by Demarest

[Justin]

• Steal any cab you encounter.

But don't start the sub-mission.

 

Also, check out my easy money guide. It's choc-full of random ways to make cash quickly ([/cheap plug]). Obviously, if you're going for the minimum percentage story-line completion, stay clear of tricks that involve things which are going to up your completion stat (eg. Vigilante).

 

Also, what's the deal with Cone Crazy? Does it add a whole percentage itself? It'd seem unlikely as it's hardly a one hundredth of the total game. It'd add a 'mission point', though, right? So perhaps doing the Cone Crazy trick a few times would be a viable option to get stacks of cash quick smart, as long as you really stick to the bare necessities for everything else...

[Demarest]

• Steal any cab you encounter.

But don't start the sub-mission.

Actually, DO if you feel like it. Rack them up to 99 if you have the patience. Taxi Driver is like the Rampages in that you won't get a single mission point until you do them all.

 

For that matter, you're capable of picking up 9 Hidden Packages without getting a single mission point. I guess too that it should be noted that you can do Vigilante or Firefighter so long as you don't complete level 12. Or Pizza Boy too, just don't pass level 10. Vigilante would be nice because then you can even profit from your prey.

 

 

Also, check out my easy money guide. It's choc-full of random ways to make cash quickly ([/cheap plug]). Obviously, if you're going for the minimum percentage story-line completion, stay clear of tricks that involve things which are going to up your completion stat (eg. Vigilante).

Well, that was supposed to be the point of my list But you've helped me to expand it. Not only with the above two omissions, but also with the good citizen bonus that I originally meant to include. In regards to your shameless plug, you might want to mention that there's a Caddy parked very close to the lighthouse, so even an unarmed person can have fun (since you mentioned golf club).

 

 

Also, what's the deal with Cone Crazy? Does it add a whole percentage itself? It'd seem unlikely as it's hardly a one hundredth of the total game. It'd add a 'mission point', though, right? So perhaps doing the Cone Crazy trick a few times would be a viable option to get stacks of cash quick smart, as long as you really stick to the bare necessities for everything else...

You are right about mission points and it's a good idea. But I just tested it with my minimal save and it did in fact click over to 23%. No surprises though. With 154 mission points, that means 2 out of every 3 with have conspicuous impact on your percentage complete. Edited February 25, 2006 by Demarest

[Justin]

• Steal any cab you encounter.

But don't start the sub-mission.

Actually, DO if you feel like it. Rack them up to 99 if you have the patience. Taxi Driver is like the Rampages in that you won't get a single mission point until you do them all.

 

For that matter, you're capable of picking up 9 Hidden Packages without getting a single mission point. I guess too that it should be noted that you can do Vigilante or Firefighter so long as you don't complete level 12. Or Pizza Boy too, just don't pass level 10. Vigilante would be nice because then you can even profit from your prey.

In that case, Vigilante is indeed a very good option. Although it's generally most profitable (well, least frustrating due to the time saved) with the Hunter - which you wouldn't have in any case if you're going for a minimal percentage completion. The Rhino is obtainable via 'Sir Yes Sir' though, which is a necessary mission to progress in the story line (as it unlocks 'Death Row'). So that's definitely an option.

 

Hidden packages are viable because you could grab nine that are in close proximity to each other. Pizza Boy and Paramedic probably aren't worth the hassle, but the consecutive fare bonus in cabs might well be.

 

 

Also, check out my easy money guide. It's choc-full of random ways to make cash quickly ([/cheap plug]). Obviously, if you're going for the minimum percentage story-line completion, stay clear of tricks that involve things which are going to up your completion stat (eg. Vigilante).

Well, that was supposed to be the point of my list But you've helped me to expand it. Not only with the above two omissions, but also with the good citizen bonus that I originally meant to include. In regards to your shameless plug, you might want to mention that there's a Caddy parked very close to the lighthouse, so even an unarmed person can have fun (since you mentioned golf club).

I know. And certainly, I'll add the details about the Caddy ASAP, but I'm on dialup for the next 24 hours or so and frankly I couldn't be bothered at the moment. Thanks for mentioning it.

 

 

Also, what's the deal with Cone Crazy? Does it add a whole percentage itself? It'd seem unlikely as it's hardly a one hundredth of the total game. It'd add a 'mission point', though, right? So perhaps doing the Cone Crazy trick a few times would be a viable option to get stacks of cash quick smart, as long as you really stick to the bare necessities for everything else...

You are right about mission points and it's a good idea. But I just tested it with my minimal save and it did in fact click over to 23%. No surprises though. With 154 mission points, that means 2 out of every 3 with have conspicuous impact on your percentage complete.

So there's 154 mission points making up 100 percentage points. Working with the 2:1 ratio of points visibly altering your official percentage stat verse those which don't, I'm sure we could squeeze it down to removing something worth an extra point or so, to make way for Cone Crazy. But then again, if it's going to count towards completion, you'd be better off not doing it in the hope of squeezing out yet another minor detail to get a stat of 21%.

 

Or are you positive that 22% is the absolute, definite, no returns minimum required?

[Spuds725]

Or are you positive that 22% is the absolute, definite, no returns minimum required?

Pdescobar seemed pretty certain... I'm pretty sure completing anthing else will bump you up one more %--

 

Pdescobar said he completed 35 "mission points" which works out to 22.73%-- the game apparently rounds this down-- I ran this through excel real fast-- the percentage for each point is 100/154 or .649351

 

The progression for each point (I wonder if the first mission point is rounded down to 0)

 

0.649351

1.298701

1.948052

2.597403

3.246753

3.896104

4.545455

5.194805

5.844156

6.493506

7.142857

7.792208

8.441558

9.090909

9.740260

10.389610

11.038961

11.688312

12.337662

12.987013

13.636364

14.285714

14.935065

15.584416

16.233766

16.883117

17.532468

18.181818

18.831169

19.480519

20.129870

20.779221

21.428571

22.077922

22.727273

 

Anything else that gives you a mission point would bump you over 23%

 

Any other save point would add another mission point I'm pretty certain (it does in SA).

 

And apparently each unique jump is 1 mission point too... I had always estimated it to be about that much 24% for all 36... its actually 23.37662338

 

 

[Demarest]

Or are you positive that 22% is the absolute, definite, no returns minimum required?

That is correct. The only hard part to it is picking out the assets, but Spuds already has here and correctly so as Malibu has more missions than Kaufman for example and the Film Studio forces you to complete 3 UJ's usually, etc...

[pdescobar]

 

Or are you positive that 22% is the absolute, definite, no returns minimum required?

Pdescobar seemed pretty certain... I'm pretty sure completing anthing else will bump you up one more %--

Yep. I listed exactly which 35 mission points they were in the code box on that other thread. (post link) I couldn't see a way to get any less and Dem's confirmation pretty well removes any tiny lingering doubts I had.

 

 

Pdescobar said he completed 35 "mission points" which works out to 22.73%-- the game apparently rounds this down-- I ran this through excel real fast-- the percentage for each point is 100/154 or  .649351

 

The progression for each point (I wonder if the first mission point is rounded down to 0)

 

Yep. I brute-forced the hell out of it with experimentation on a couple of playthroughs. (start a game, do something I know equals one mission point, check stats, repeat ad nauseum.) Both GTA3 and VC simply truncate the decimal portion of the calculated pct and display the integer portion. So, for example, after two mission points the actual pct of "1.948052" would become simply "1."

 

Thus, the 35 mission points (22.73%) is listed as 22% and any additional point will take you to 23.38% or 23% on the stats. So in order to finish with 22% you have to make sure you don't do any unique jumps, buy any extra properties (including save houses), or do any extraneous missions. You can do side jobs, rob stores, and do rampages so long as you don't complete them. (i.e. don't finish the last level, leave one store untouched, etc.) Of course, when I did it I was being extremely minimalistic and did absolutely none of those.

 

One final note, on Dem's above tip list, "robbing stores so long as you leave 1 of the 15 unrobbed" could be added as I'm fairly certain that mission point isn't credited until all 15 are hit.

[Demarest]

 

One final note, on Dem's above tip list, "robbing stores so long as you leave 1 of the 15 unrobbed" could be added as I'm fairly certain that mission point isn't credited until all 15 are hit.

Correct. Another oversight of mine. I thought each store was its own, but code reveals it requires them all. That's nice too because there's another $14,000 to the pot Well, $12,600 if you use Pay N Sprays. Which was another thing I meant to mention at first but didn't: Don't ever get sprayed, don't buy weapons, don't use health pickups from hospitals, etc.