Wanted Level in GTA III Era: Difference between revisions

If the player has one or more wanted stars, nearby [[police]] will give chase and attempt to arrest the player. If the police have successfully arrested the player, the message "[[Busted]]!" will appear on the player's screen. An arrest is executed by either knocking or throwing (in the case of vehicular arrests) the player onto the ground and holding him at gunpoint, or by opening the player's car door and holding him at gunpoint. In both cases, the player has no choice but to give up. If arrested, the player is transported to the nearest police station and is released some time later. After the player is released, he will lose $100 and all of his weapons and armor will be confiscated (except in GTA San Andreas after [[Girlfriends in GTA San Andreas|dating]] [[Barbara Schternvart]] in which case your weapons will not be confiscated. In GTA Vice City Stories, you can buy back the weapons for $2000. In the [[iOS]] and [[Android]] versions of [[Grand Theft Auto III|GTA III]], getting busted does not remove your weapons, only $1000 and armor)

It is notoriously difficult to survive higher wanted levels without the use of [[Cheats|cheats]] or modifications. In all [[GTA III Era]] games, there are cheats to raise and lower wanted levels. In [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|GTA San Andreas]] and [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories|GTA Vice City Stories]], there is a cheat to prevent the player from even obtaining a wanted level at all. However, the player can still get attacked by the police at the police impound stations.

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 three stars or higher, although police will still attempt vehicular arrests if the opportunity arises.  

 

:* Selling multiple ice cream cones during the mission [[Distribution]] ([[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City|GTA Vice City]])

:* Killing many people in a short period of time

:* Destroying any aircraft in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|San Andreas]]

:* Attacking a police officer by [[knife]], [[machete]], [[katana]], [[chainsaw]], [[flamethrower]], or explosives

At a three-star wanted level, pursuing police vehicles become more aggressive, driving at maximum speed, and the police will also begin to set up armed roadblocks on main roads. A [[Police Maverick|police helicopter]] is also called in to assist and its crew follows the player, putting a spotlight on the protagonist (at night), and shoots at the player via an invisible machine gun on the fuselage if they get a clear shot and yell various humourous remarks over a loudspeaker. Additionally, in GTA Vice City, the police helicopter may occasionally deploy a [[SWAT]] unit onto the ground to attack the player. Police officers begin to deploy spike strips to puncture the player's tires, making driving difficult. In GTA San Andreas, from this wanted level on, officers who come out of either a [[Police Car]] or [[Ranger]] will also ocassionally wield [[Pump Action Shotgun|shotguns]]. Additionally, in [[Grand Theft Auto Vice City|GTA Vice City]] and [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories|GTA Vice City Stories]], undercover [[Vice Squad]] detectives armed with Uzis and driving [[VCPD Cheetah|Cheetahs]] also give chase.

At a five-star wanted level, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] takes over the chase and completely replaces local police on the ground (local police will still chase the player if they see him) and the streets begin to clear of civilians (In GTA Liberty City Stories, however, there are still lots of pedestrians in the streets). Four-FBI teams of heavily armed and armored FBI agents drive armored cars and SUVs and make for formidable opponents. The FBI agents are armed with [[AK-47|AK-47s]] and 9mm handguns in [[Grand Theft Auto III|GTA III]] and [[MP5|MP5s]] in later games. Their driving is even more aggressive and they usually opt to ram the player's vehicle head on at high speed and then batter it to pieces before he/she can recover. In [[Grand Theft Auto III|GTA III]], the pursuing police helicopter is joined by a second, and both stick to the player doggedly and fire at the protagonist whenever they get the chance. The roadblocks now consist of FBI vehicles, which are easier to ram through, but the FBI agents' MP5s tear through most [[vehicles]] fairly quickly. The waters are saturated with [[Predator|Predators]] at this wanted-level. Trespassing inside a military base will release a five star wanted level and cops swarm in and attempt to kill the player. The FBI 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 is 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.

:* Entering or flying over a restricted area,such as over the [[Easter Basin Naval Station]] in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]

At six stars, the National Guard will take over from the FBI and will give chase in [[Barracks OL]] trucks and [[Rhino]] tanks, making travel in ordinary vehicles extremely hazardous. Civilians have almost completely disappeared from the streets at this point (In GTA Liberty City Stories, however, there are still lots of pedestrians in the streets), and the soldiers drive with total disregard for anything but ramming the player into oblivion. Roadblocks now consist of Barracks OL trucks. At six stars, police helicopters rule the skies, the sea is thick with police boats and in addition to the army, police officers are everywhere - appearing from all directions in large numbers. If the player cannot get to a [[Pay 'n' Spray]] with a suitable vehicle, stealing a [[Rhino|tank]] or taking to the skies in a helicopter and trying to pick up police bribes around the city are often the only practical options for reducing a six-star wanted level. The Army soldiers carry [[M16|M16s]], [[MP5|MP5s]] or [[M16|M4s]] depending on the game. Unlike in the story mode where enemies often miss, the soldiers are pinpoint crackshots, and a gunfight is considered suicide as the army will take the player down very fast. 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; however, fleeing is the better option when pitted against several officers.  

* At a one star wanted level, go to an alleyway or remote place that people don't usually hang out and wait; within a couple of minutes the star will go away on its own. (However, this becomes more difficult in the later stages of GTA: San Andreas when there is a greater police presence in Los Santos; sometimes the only way to get rid of a one-star wanted level in this part of the game while in that city is to use a safehouse, drive a vehicle into a Pay 'n' Spray, or head for the country.)

* [[Pay n Spray|Respray]] a [[vehicles|vehicle]] in any [[Pay 'n' Spray]] garage. (certain vehicles, however, like Military, police, SWAT, FBI and emergency vehicles cannot be resprayed). Also, committing crimes while the stars are flashing will reinstate the full wanted level.

* In [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|GTA San Andreas]], [[Mod Garages|mod]] a vehicle at [[TransFender]], [[Loco Low Co.]] and [[Wheel Arch Angels]]; one modification (such as one respray) will suspend the wanted level. Any other modifications done while the stars are flashing will make them disappear.

* In GTA San Andreas, if the player enters a region that has not yet been unlocked, receiving the 4-star level, and then re-enters the unlocked region, the wanted level drops to 3 stars and can be reduced further using bribes, saving, etc. However the wanted rating cannot be reduced while the player remains in the locked region: picking up a bribe will briefly drop the rating to 3 stars, and taking a vehicle to a pay n' spray will reduce the level, but then the game re-registers the player's trespass and reinstates the 4-star rating; safehouses are not available until a region is officially unlocked.

* Before unlocking [[Vice City Mainland]] in GTA Vice City or [[Staunton Island]] in GTA III, the player can only attain 4 star wanted level at maximum.

* At high wanted levels, prioritize escaping from or killing [[Military|soldiers]] (six stars), [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agents (five stars) , [[SWAT]] soldiers (four stars onwards, sometimes three in the case of GTA Vice City) and  [[Vice Squad]] Agents (three stars onwards, GTA VC and GTA VCS only) over killing regular police officers, as they can kill a player with with their weapons in a short amount of time.

* There are instances in GTA San Andreas that if you do not stop running while your 2-star Wanted Level changes into a 3-star, a police chopper can appear on the ground as if its rotors are the only thing revealed.  

* Also, in all GTA III Era games (except GTA San Andreas), if the player uses the "Play as Pedestrian" cheat to play as a law enforcement officer, committing even one crime far away from any AI-controlled police officer can already trigger a wanted level.