Enemies get "lost" while fighting me

[aragond]

This might already be raised, but I thought I would ask anyway. Please, if it has, just point me to the relevant thread and I'll see if that's what I mean. It's kinda hard to search for because what do you search for? "Guys get lost"??

 

When I am fighting the gang battles with the Ballas or Azteca, regardless whether at the start of the game (after "Doberman") or the end, sometimes, particularly in the hilly east where the Aztecas rule, my enemies get "lost".

 

Now, I don't just mean they get lost in the city and I simply ought to wait for them to come back to me, I mean they get LOST in the sense of the tv show or "lost in Space" sense. They exist, but they're stuck in a space warp in the game -- huh, perhaps I should have searched for "space warp"?

 

The programming seems to be that my enemies will head straight for me but some, if they're on the opposite side of the street, will -- diligent citizens they are -- go to the end of the block or somewhere similar and cross the road at what would be a street crossing. It is this latter bunch that will sometimes get "lost" by going SO FAR away from me that they end up in a space warp.

 

You'll see them on the radar appearing as above you, then below you, then above you, then below... etc... If I've got the camera or a sniper rifle, and they're in sight, I can see them constantly falling, always falling, appearing above the ground and then falling, presumably below the ground and to below my level (so says the radar). Got plenty of shots of this, if you'd like.

 

They will do this constant falling routine until I go drive and see them, but usually (as it was tonight) that's fraught with risk because the game will accuse YOU of running away from the fight.

 

Now, I've put up with this for... well, since I got the game. I was on the original, but am now on the hot coffee-patched version, I think. What inspired me to mention this is that I saw something different this time in their behaviour that I'd not seen before. It's not that I am within range of them that they stop falling, it's that I SEE them that stops them falling. It's like the ground solidifies when I get near them.

 

As I said, normally I'll go see them, attack them, and they'll reset, attack me, and I'll race back into the fight zone so that the game doesn't accuse me of cowardice. But on this occasion, I was able to see them, entirely, unobscured by the terrain, and could see the ground they would have been falling through... so they stopped falling through it.

 

I guess the programming is such that I'm not allowed to see that the ground is sometimes immaterial.

 

And so, keeping watch on them, they ran toward me... only to get stuck somewhere else that I could not see. Useless prats!

 

So, anyway.... I'm wondering whether (a) anyone has the faintest idea WTF I am talking about and (b) whether it was ever figured out, by R*, or hackers, or © whether anyone figured out strategies for countering it.

 

And, once again, apologies if this is something already reported.

[Gta_Sailer]

This happen to me on PS2 the enemies just ran away also aztecas can't attack you or be attacked . I just killed the vagos or ballas quick so they don't escape.

[Girish]

First of all, this does not belong in Troubleshooting. Moved to Gameplay.

 

Secondly, as far as my experience with gang wars go, I have never seen enemies get lost in space warp. I've never even heard anyone mention that term. Some of them do venture far away from the territory under attack but they do come back if you can wait long enough or you just follow them and shoot them. Sometimes they just get stuck behind a wall or a fence. That's a little bad directional programming, but that can be excused; it's no biggie.

 

So, could I just see these shots of space warp that you speak of.

[aragond]

 

First of all, this does not belong in Troubleshooting. Moved to Gameplay.

I'm just going to go ahead and assume that's an administrative function that I cannot perform but that someone else did. I'll take your word for it -- I mean, no, this isn't me NOT being able to play the game, but I took "gameplay" to be strategy stuff, not "hey, wtf" stuff.

C'est la vie.

 

Secondly, as far as my experience with gang wars go, I have never seen enemies get lost in space warp. I've never even heard anyone mention that term. Some of them do venture far away from the territory under attack but they do come back if you can wait long enough or you just follow them and shoot them. Sometimes they just get stuck behind a wall or a fence. That's a little bad directional programming, but that can be excused; it's no biggie.

Yeah, I've had that happen numerous times, but that's not what I'm referring to. These ones do get lost in a space warp.

 

I'm coining a new phrase, of course; I have NO idea what else to call it. Plus, it's just occured to me that there is two types: the falling type and the static type. You'll know what I mean from the screenshots.

 

So, could I just see these shots of space warp that you speak of.

Yep, will pull them together forthwith. Stay tuned.

[lil weasel]

I always have that happen during the zone wars.

 

I call the one 'waterfall' as I watch them through the sniper-rifle scope and for longer distances through the Camera Zoom. It's terribly frustrating to see them fall over and over again. I try to keep a vehicle parked near by when I start the fight in certain zones. Hoping that I can drive up fast enough to cut them loose before losing the zone to 'running away' failure. Warping is a good discription, too.

 

Strangly when in the waterfall glitch Sniping shots don't hit. That's where the warping factor makes it impossible, as I have never made the shot good.

 

The second type is when they get caught behind a fence or wall. That is almost impossible to clear.

 

The first time it happened (In my first game) I waited half an hour hoping that it would clear itself, but it didn't. The buggers kept running into a wall and wouldn't move lateral to it. I tried moving CJ to different parts of the zone, but no help in that. Finally lost the zone by leaving it to chase them down.

 

A real Glitch in the games program, both PC and PS2.

Edited November 29, 2008 by lil weasel

[Steve Crook]

Yes, it's useful to keep a vehicle handy because once the gang wars start you won't see any - except maybe the gang car and it's hard to get that without blowing it up.

 

If you run towards the gang members caught in the "waterfall" then they get unstuck as you get close to them. If you then run back towards the war zone you might get back there before you're told you've abandoned the gang war.

 

The other thing that can happen is that gang members can get stuck in strange places - like inside a hedge. You often can't shoot them there, even though they seem to be being targeted. But something like a satchel charge, grenade or Molotov will soon deal with them

 

Steve

 

[!!GC!!]

This has happened quite a few times for me, more so the running around the block one, rather than the 'space warp'.

If you can see them through the sniper scope, why not just shoot them?

I thought that'd be obvious.

 

This always happens in Los Flores area, which is Vagos, not Aztecas territory, OP.

 

This isn't a particularly big deal for me, though.

[aragond]

At last, proof I'm not crazy!

 

 

This has happened quite a few times for me, more so the running around the block one, rather than the 'space warp'.

If you can see them through the sniper scope, why not just shoot them?

I thought that'd be obvious.

Oh, noooooowwww we're talking.

Of course I shoot them if I have a sniper rifle, but I don't always.

 

 

This always happens in Los Flores area, which is Vagos, not Aztecas territory, OP.

Sorry, right you are, Vagos.

But, it doesn't happen exclusively there, of course.

 

For the benefit of girishb, pictures. Sorry I can't find a better one of the space warp (I like the term "waterfall", btw, Steve) than the one I took recently. I have over 7,000 screenshots from SA, so it takes awhile to find what you're after.

 

 

That's the "waterfall" or space warp. You can see them ever falling, and I cropped the photo so that you can see they're not falling from something. They just appear, fall out of view, then re-appear, etc.

 

The second type I was referring to are the LOST gang-bangers who get trapped in a solid object when the space warp appears there. Funny thing is, I've never solved HOW they got sucked into it in the first place.

 

 

The final one I include for kicks because it was just so damn cool: It was some sort of multi-point space warp. Nah, I reckon they were all just mesmerized by the poster up there, not noticing me sink my... well, anyway.

 

[Steve Crook]

If you can see them through the sniper scope, why not just shoot them?

I thought that'd be obvious.

 

 

When they're doing what lil weasel describes so well as the "waterfall", there are a few of them some distance away. They appear in mid-air, fall to the ground and vanish only to appear in mid-air again. They all "cascade" down like they're in a waterfall.

 

They are only visible for a fraction of a second each. I've tried shooting them with the sniper rifle and I'm quite good at shooting people some distance away, even when they're moving across my line of sight. But I've never managed to hit one in the waterfall as yet.

 

They only do it when they're 3 or 4 blocks away from you. If you move towards them, when you get to within about a block of them then they stop doing it and start moving towards you. Then you can shoot them. But by the time you've run those few blocks, if you stop to shoot them from there, then you won't make it back to the war zone in time and that war will be aborted.

 

There is usually just enough time to sprint towards them and then as soon as they stop doing the waterfall, sprint straight back and wait for them to come to you

 

Steve

 

[Forcefield]

Have seen the so called waterfall effect numerous times, very frustrating. Not quite as frustrating, however, as when the Ballas by the beach spawn on the seabed, but I digress.

[aragond]

Have seen the so called waterfall effect numerous times, very frustrating. Not quite as frustrating, however, as when the Ballas by the beach spawn on the seabed, but I digress.

Oh now THAT is just plain COOL. (Alright, annoyingly cool.)

I've never had THAT happen before.

 

I've been able to sniper them before, though not when they're as hidden as my photo shows. I "deserted" the battle before I returned.

 

And, yes, to all who've noted it, I also get them unhook from the waterfall and chase me if I get within a certain range or if I can see the ground through which they've been falling, say, through my camera zoom or sniper rifle.

 

Is there a thread for "Weird sh!t" cuz going through my 7,000 screenshots has reminded me of some very weird effects I've seen over the years.

 

Heh. I wonder what weirdnesses GTA4 has. Is there a thread for that?

[Steve Crook]

Is there a thread for "Weird sh!t" cuz going through my 7,000 screenshots has reminded me of some very weird effects I've seen over the years.[/color]

You'll have to start one

 

I've never seen a gang member stuck in a wall like in your picture, but I have had them stuck in a hedge! I once had a couple of them stuck in a hedge on the winding road up to the Vinewood sign. When I pointed a gun at them it targeted on them, but shooting them had no effect. They seemed to be protected by the hedge. So I finally put some satchel charges on the hedge and exploded them

 

Steve

 

[!!GC!!]

Have seen the so called waterfall effect numerous times, very frustrating. Not quite as frustrating, however, as when the Ballas by the beach spawn on the seabed, but I digress.

Yeah, i extremely hate how they spawn on the bottom of the ocean.

You move towards the edge and they will shoot you. When you try to shoot back, you cannot

lock on and the bullets just stop on the surface of the water.

Using a Sniper doesn't work either.

The only way i have found to get the ones on the bottom, without you being shot of course, is to

throw a Molotov Cocktail in there. It will go right down to the seabed and take care of them.

 

@Steve: If there is enough time to take a screenie, then repetitive shots out of any rifle

(assault or other) will have to hit at least one.

[Steve Crook]

@Steve: If there is enough time to take a screenie, then repetitive shots out of any rifle

(assault or other) will have to hit at least one.

That screenshot was by aragond, and it's from quite close to them.

If you run to get that close to them and then shoot at them (or photograph them) then you don't have time to run back to the war zone before the gang war is aborted.

 

The sniper rifle can shoot at them from much closer to your war zone. The assault rifles don't have the range to do that. I'm not saying that it's impossible to hit them with the sniper rifle, just that I haven't managed it yet.

 

Or maybe they're immune to all bullets when they're in the "waterfall"

 

Steve

 

[aragond]

 

@Steve: If there is enough time to take a screenie, then repetitive shots out of any rifle

(assault or other) will have to hit at least one.

That screenshot was by aragond, and it's from quite close to them.

If you run to get that close to them and then shoot at them (or photograph them) then you don't have time to run back to the war zone before the gang war is aborted.

Actually, I was a long way away from them, um... how do I describe this... at the bottom of a downhill east-to-west street that has the apartments that are over the parking garage, and they were doing the falling at the top of the hill. I used the full-extent of the camera zoom and I cropped the 1920x1200 picture.

 

 

The sniper rifle can shoot at them from much closer to your war zone. The assault rifles don't have the range to do that. I'm not saying that it's impossible to hit them with the sniper rifle, just that I haven't managed it yet. Or maybe they're immune to all bullets when they're in the "waterfall" 

Steve

I've shot them with the sniper rifle -- they're not immune -- but the trick is HITTING them. To even get the screenshot, I fired off a dozen shots in my camera. So, hitting them with the sniper rifle is not very easy. But, is possible.

 

I'm expecting IV in the mail within the week (which is my subtle way of saying "I'll be very busy for the next six months ), but I'll get compiling on the "Weird sh!t" thread! I like that idea and I'm surprised there isn't already one.

 

And, yes, I'll put it in the gameplay section.

[loczek47]

What the hell ? This never ocurred to me. Do you try to reinstall SA ?

[Rhoda]

I remember a problem I had while doing gang wars on the PS2, enemies would run around in circles or run away from me, so as Steve said, it was nigh impossible for me to stay in the war area and successfully take over the territory. I was forced to use my sniper rifle and hope they were close enough, or edge my bets and go after them on a bike, which seemed to be the most convenient method of transport as I could shoot while moving.

[aragond]

 

I remember a problem I had while doing gang wars on the PS2, enemies would run around in circles or run away from me, so as Steve said, it was nigh impossible for me to stay in the war area and successfully take over the territory. I was forced to use my sniper rifle and hope they were close enough, or edge my bets and go after them on a bike, which seemed to be the most convenient method of transport as I could shoot while moving.

Yes, we've all had them go off and get lost, PARTICULARLY when you're fighting on uneven terrain (like the Vagos' hills) and you climb onto the roof of a building to avoid getting hammered.

 

But this is different -- here they not only go away but get permanently lost, trapped in the "human (well, sprite?) waterfall of dooooooooom"

 

 

 

.... unless you go and get them.

 

 

@loczek47: It is bizarre to me that it happens to some people and not others. because it oozes "programming error" (well, not "error" so much as "loops of code we really didn't expect the sprites to find").

 

And, no, reinstalling didn't help (pfft, not that I did it for this reason). Oh, and the fact it happens on the PS2 as well really does suggest it wasn't an install problem.

But, thx for the sugg.

[Dr_Zero]

I had the same issue on the iOS version. They just simply escape at the beginning. And if I go after them I loose the territory as I ran away.

I think the solution will be to take these fights on jetpack. 

[OrionSR]

Carry a sniper rifle, it's bound to come in handy for situations like this. The game will give you some time to go after the escaping targets; it helps a lot to have a vehicle, but those can be hard to find or maintain during a gang war. As I understand it though, the targets are not trying to escape, but are searching for a good path to get at CJ. You can reduce the chance that targets will run off by positioning CJ so they have more direct access. Turn your back on where you want them to spawn at the beginning of the wave.

 

The jetpack is an awesome tool for gang wars. It's easy to escape a crowd and give CJ an advantage in positioning. But best of all, at the end of the war when things tend to get a bit crazy, CJ can't be run over and crushed to death by random vehicles.

 

Try dropping the jetpack and strafe-firing to pick it up again without equipping it. As long as you keep aiming you have good ground control, and when aim is released the jetpack is instantly equipped.

Edited June 29, 2020 by OrionSR