"In the Beginning" is not really a name of a mission

[lol232]

I remember people saying that GTA San Andreas' first mission is called "In the Beginning", I never really felt like that was the case, but rather just a "placeholder" since it is in fact, in the very beginning of the game. No mission was really done before but it's better than it being blank. It feels like it's simply there to say something, not really to name the "mission" but rather for it to say something.

 

It was the same case with GTA Vice City, "In the Beginning" is the name of the save file if you save the game before doing any missions on the map. Because GTA San Andreas and Vice City didn't really start with any missions, you're going straight to free roam from the start. It's just a "statement" rather than a mission name, a way to name your save, from a dev standpoint, and even from a human standpoint you'd think "huh, yeah there wasn't a mission before so that's how they named it".

 

Even going forwards to GTA V, "In the Beginning" name persists, but it can only be seen via glitches if you manage to make a save before the Prologue and Franklin and Lamar missions begin (brief moment, Prologue immediately begins if you load that save). It's a placeholder text in case no missions here done but the game was saved.

 

Further proof to that: GTA III did not have this, but there was a way to glitch yourself out of the mission and free roam before starting it (gave you a mission attempt, however), you could start the mission as there was an invisible marker, but without starting it you could save the game. If you'd save the game, it would just say, in lowercase letters, "missing", as no missions were done before as devs didn't expect someone to save the game that point, there's no text to load so the game just displays an error that the text is missing.

Edited August 18, 2021 by lol232

[Flymystical-DJ]

Ah sh*t, here we go again...

[CynicalMexican]

In the beginning the Housers created the heavens and the Earth

[OrionSR]

11 minutes ago, lol232 said:

Bingo, "In the Beginning" is how the game handles when you save when no missions were complete. 

There's a stat field that stores a text key when a "latest mission passed" command is issued. The standard scripts never record a stat for ITBEG, which uses the text  string "In the Beginning" when playing in English. There's a special pointer that links to the ITBEG text key if that stat has an empty key. This routine is probably a fix for the GTA III bug with a missing save name.

[ArmanCan]

Quote

@lol232 Is there any way I could get that save file for GTA III with a name "missing" where I could roam freely with a prison clothes?

 

 

It is kinda annoying but possible 

[lol232]

13 minutes ago, ArmanCan said:

 

 

It is kinda annoying but possible 

There is a way easier method, just flip the car upside down where the stunt jump on the bridge is, then jump down the same gap as it explodes, you can flip it by pushing it off the "raised area" then just jump off.

  

1 hour ago, OrionSR said:

There's a stat field that stores a text key when a "latest mission passed" command is issued. The standard scripts never record a stat for ITBEG, which uses the text  string "In the Beginning" when playing in English. There's a special pointer that links to the ITBEG text key if that stat has an empty key. This routine is probably a fix for the GTA III bug with a missing save name.

In which case it further proves my point with ITBEG just being the text displayed when there isn't a "latest mission passed".

Edited August 22, 2021 by lol232

[lol232]

Edit: Sorry for the double post, I thought it would get merged.

 

Update:

Here's the easiest way to do it:

1. Park the car this way near the gap

2. Push it off sideways so it gets flipped upside down

3. When you see this message on the screen, jump off

Now try to avoid hitting the invisible marker, best done if you just go back and try to jump off the same gap again. The marker is probably twice or thrice the size of a regular mission marker and also works below the bridge. Keep that in mind, but other than that it's like every regular marker e.g. vehicles won't activate it.

 

Here's the save:

https://gtasnp.com/aHCxd9

 

Now a small catch is, the Portland safehouse's door will be locked. You can fix it by getting inside to save (you don't actually have to save either). You can get inside through various glitches but the simplest one is to use the DP conversion trick which allows cars to drive through walls. You can save in other safehouses as well.

Edited August 23, 2021 by lol232