Wanted Level in GTA IV Era: Difference between revisions

Police officers can arrest the player by holding them at gunpoint — if the player is in a vehicle, the protagonist surrenders immediately; if on foot, the player can resist arrest by running away and/or fighting back, however this immediately escalates a one-star wanted level to two-stars (three if the player chooses to retaliate with a firearm) and causes the officer to open fire, a risky endeavor at close range. It is better to simply give up if the cop attempting to arrest you has a shotgun or a carbine rifle especially at low health because the guns are much more deadly at close range.

As the player's Wanted Level increases, law enforcement spends less energy trying to arrest the player and more trying to kill the player at all costs. As such, it is almost impossible to get arrested at a Wanted Level of four stars or higher, although police will attempt vehicular arrests if the opportunity arises.

GTA IV gives the player the opportunity to swap vehicles while in the radius. This makes the cops less likely to find the player as the police dispatcher relies on the color, make, and model of the vehicle the player was last seen driving when tracking the player. Like the Pay 'n' Spray, swapping a vehicle can only be done if the player is out of the sight of the police. If possible, the player should obtain a replacement vehicle in a secluded area. At higher wanted levels, swapping vehicles is essential in order to keep police confused and to ensure that the player has a fresh getaway vehicle. The player must be careful not to stay in the area too long, as the police will eventually recognize the player, causing the wanted radius to refocus to the player's current location.

Police use their available weapons intelligently -- an officer with a [[Pump Action Shotgun]] will move in closer to the player to compensate for the weapon's short range, while a NOOSE agent with a [[Carbine Rifle]] will hang back to take advantage of distance. During a chase, police officers will coordinate themselves and will attempt to box the player in with several cars, driving faster, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PIT_maneuver PIT maneuver] and trying harder as the players' wanted level increases. Also, police can commandeer civilian vehicles (parked or occupied) if their vehicles are destroyed, or if a police car is unavailable; they may even commandeer the cars parked in front of the player's [[safehouse]]s.

Police radio messages are an additional audio indicator of a player having one or more police stars. These messages reflect the crimes being committed by the player; for example, firing a pistol will lead to mentions of "firearm discharge" over the radio, and firing an assault rifle (or successfully hitting an individual with any gun) is described as "a shooting".

At a one-star Wanted Level, any [[LCPD in GTA IV Era|LCPD]] [[police]] patrols will give chase and attempt to arrest the player on sight. Officers only shoot at one star if they feel threatened (for example, if the player aims a firearm in their direction), and most commonly attempt to arrest the player. [[Police Car|Police cars]] follow the player at relatively low speeds. The search radius for one star is approximately two city blocks wide. The player is unable to buy any items (weapons, clothes, or food [except from vending machines]), enter a [[taxi]] as a passenger (except for Roman's Car Service), enter bars or clubs, or partake in activities like [[TV Shows in GTA IV|TV]], [[darts]], [[bowling]], etc., while wanted by police.

:*Attacking and/or killing civilians (explosives may result in higher levels)

:*Damaging or destroying a vehicle (explosives may result in higher levels)

:*Hitting a pedestrian or a police officer with a vehicle (if the police officer is significantly hurt the player will receive Two Stars).

:*Carjacking or stealing a parked vehicle

At a three-star Wanted Level, police vehicles become more aggressive in their pursuit, attempting to pin the player's vehicle against buildings and run them off the road. [[NOOSE]] now begin to assist the LCPD in setting up roadblocks on main roads and bridges; they also send [[NOOSE Cruiser]]s and [[NOOSE Patriot]]s in pursuit of the player. NOOSE Patriots may attempt to ram the player from the front, putting the player at risk of [[Involuntary Ejection|a windshield ejection from their vehicle]]. Strong, fast vehicles are recommended — motorcycles are not suggested, due to the aggressive driving of the police. Officers on foot now use [[Pump Action Shotgun]]s against the player.

A [[Police Maverick|police helicopter]] is now called in, which can be heard on the radio as "Dispatch air unit from _______", The helicopter will shine a spotlight on the player at night and opening fire if officers on board get a clear shot. The helicopter, however, has limited fuel and periodically breaks off from pursuit. The helicopter retreats if the player goes underground or kills both sharpshooters on board. In the Ballad of Gay Tony, sharpshooters are equipped with [[M249|Advanced Machine Guns]] instead of [[AR-15|Carbine Rifles]]. [[Predator|Police boats]] are dispatched if the player is in or near water. Like the Police Maverick, the Predator has a sharpshooter on board. The player is now unable to board the [[Subway in GTA IV|subway]].

:*Continuing to cause collateral damage (killing civilians and destroying vehicles)

At five wanted stars, the [[Police Maverick]] is accompanied by a [[Annihilator|NOOSE Annihilator]]. In the main game and The Lost and Damned, all law enforcement officers [[Drive-By|fire upon]] the player while in pursuit (In [[The Ballad of Gay Tony]] they will do this at Four Stars), making getaways difficult — FIB or NOOSE are particularly perilous to engage, as their SMGs are likely to make short work of the player's getaway vehicle. Due the increased risk of being shot to death, use of a motorcycle as a getaway vehicle especially not recommended. All officers employ more advanced driving techniques, such as the PIT maneuver, as they try to make the player spin out of control and crash. NOOSE/FIB cooperation is more apparent at this level, both forces spawning and pursuing the player in equal numbers.

At six wanted stars, the [[Police Maverick]] is replaced with a second Annihilator, making escape from the search radius extremely difficult. The search area is approximately the size of the Broker-Dukes island in Liberty City. More NOOSE Cruisers, Patriots, Enforcers and FIB Buffaloes pursue the player, with only a smattering of LCPD cruisers and patrol cars. Survival and escape is most difficult, and a very fast and/or durable vehicle is recommended. All law enforcement vehicles fire upon and ram the player relentlessly with very little regard for collateral damage. On foot, the player must move and/or retaliate quickly to avoid being cut down by gunfire.

* At higher levels, the best way to escape is to shoot down the police helicopters, and sneak into a Pay 'n' Spray before they respawn. Another good strategy is to enter the subway system with a vehicle and follow the underground routes until out of the search radius, but the player must be careful not to get lost in the system or getting hit by the oncoming Subway Trains.

* The player can listen to the police radio while being chased; it will indicate which vehicles the police are sending after the protagonist. The "dispatched from [location]" gives the general spawning point for police vehicles. Some are: "Dispatch X (number of police units (2-7)) units from __", "Dispatch Air Unit from __", "Dispatch FIB team from __" and "Dispatch the NOOSE team from __".