Wanted Level in GTA III Era

Revision as of 02:42, 13 October 2011 by MrLanceVanceDance (talk | contribs) (added images)
The wanted level of the player is indicated by the row of highlighted stars on the player's Heads-Up Display.
Hostile police officers in GTA Vice City, upon reaching a three-star wanted level.

Wanted Level tells the player how much he is wanted by the law enforcement. As the player's wanted level increases, more powerful forms of law enforcement will pursue him. In GTA III Era games, wanted level is measured on a six-star scale.

Committing several minor crimes in quick succession - such as beating pedestrians up, destroying cars, etc - will earn him one star. Continuing to commit crimes or resisting arrest will often lead to a second star, and will increase. Committing serious crimes (for example, throwing a grenade into a large crowd of bystanders) often earns the player multiple wanted stars outright.

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 you, a message "Busted" will pop up. An arrest is executed by either knocking 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, his cash will decrease about $100 and his weapons will be confiscated (unless in GTA: San Andreas, after dating Barbara Schternvart, your weapons will not be confiscated and in GTA: Vice City Stories,you can buy back the weapons but you will need $2000 to do it.)

The player's wanted level can be decreased various ways. A one-star wanted level will disappear on its own if the player "lies low" for a while (stays out of sight and doesn't commit a crime). Higher wanted levels can be lost through picking up Police Bribes (each one reduces the player's wanted level by one star), running a vehicle through a Pay 'n' Spray or going to airport and buying a plane ticket to another city in San Andreas. You can also see Lowering Your Stars for more ways.

It is notoriously difficult to survive higher wanted levels without the use of cheats or modifications. In all GTA III Era games, there are cheats to raise and lower wanted levels. In GTA San Andreas, there is a cheat to prevent the player from ever obtaining a wanted level. However, the player can still get attacked at police impound stations.

A wanted level is cumulative and it is possible to reach a six-star wanted level by simply shooting a lot of pedestrians, but some crimes are more serious than others, and some can earn more stars outright.

One Star

A one-star wanted level in Grand Theft Auto:Vice City.

At a one star wanted level, any police officer that spots the player will give chase and attempt to arrest him. The police will attempt to knock the player down with their fists (in GTA III) and nightsticks (in other GTA III Era games). They also do not shoot unless they are threatened by the player (in GTA San Andreas, if you are holding a gun or a thrown weapon, officers will shoot at you, and also if you run over an officer but not getting killed). An exception to this rule is if you are inaccessible to the police officer; for example if you are standing on top of a vehicle, he will pull out his gun and start shooting. Police cars will follow the player, but they can be easily outrun. If the player stays out of sight and does not commit anymore crimes, a one-star wanted level expires on its own. If the player is on foot, police will exit their vehicle and chase you on foot. Only one police officer will give chase on foot at a time even if there are multiple officers in the vicinity.

A one-star wanted level is attained by committing the following minor crimes. Many of these will not immediately result in a wanted level unless a police officer(even the corpse of a police) is around to witness them or multiple offences are committed in quick succession:

  • Attacking and/or killing pedestrians
  • Damaging and/or destroying a vehicle
  • Attacking or shooting a police vehicle (always results in a wanted level even when out of sight, doesn't trigger with the Police Maverick or FBI/Army vehicles)
  • Crashing into a police vehicle (crashing into an empty/parked police car will not result in a wanted level)
  • Firing a weapon in public
  • Revving a chainsaw in public (Except GTA San Andreas & Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories)
  • Using a Molotov Cocktail in public
  • Carjacking or stealing parked vehicles within a certain proximity from a police officer (no wanted level is given if the vehicle is locked, including police cars)
  • Attempting to steal a police vehicle (except GTA San Andreas)
  • Driving a vehicle with the alarm going off
  • Selling multiple ice cream cones during Distribution (GTA Vice City)
  • Robbing stores for the minimum amount of cash (GTA Vice City)
  • Killing several people in a short time (usually more than 3)

Two Stars

File:HUD-GTAVC-TwoStar.png
A two star wanted level in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

At a two-star wanted level, the police start actively searching for the player. Officers now shoot to kill, including when you're unarmed, and each patrol car is occupied by two officers. Officers in cars now give chase rather than simply follow behind and often try to overtake or spin the player out. On water, armed police boats give chase.

Two wanted stars are attained by:

  • Aiming a gun at a police officer (In GTA San Andreas you will get a one star)
  • Injuring 2 or more police officers
  • Destroying many cars at once
  • Killing many people in a short period of time
  • Displaying a firearm inside a police station in San Andreas (a melee weapon will not warrant a wanted level)
  • Destroying any aircraft in San Andreas
  • Trespassing in the Washington Beach Police Station (GTA Vice City) (unless wearing the cop uniform)
  • Run over a police officer with a vehicle in fast speed(GTA Vice City)
  • Attacking a police officer by knife, machete, katana, chainsaw, flame thrower, explosives

Three Stars

File:HUD-GTAVC-ThreeStar.png
A three-star wanted level in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

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 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 (GTA III Era) or armed officers on the helicopter shoot at you (GTA IV Era) if they get a clear shot and yell various humourous remarks over a loudspeaker. Police officers begin to deploy spike strips to puncture the player's tires, making driving difficult (GTA III Era). In GTA San Andreas, if you are on foot and a police car spots you, one of the two officers will use a shotgun instead of a handgun. Additionally, in Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories, undercover 'Vice Squad' detectives armed with Uzis and driving Cheetahs also give chase.

Three wanted stars are attained by:

  • Continuing to retaliate against law enforcement (evading capture or death by any means)
  • Continuing to cause collateral damage (killing civilians and destroying vehicles)
  • Entering police impound garages in GTA San Andreas
  • Trucking hot goods in San Andreas
  • Obtained in the mission The Job in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Four Stars

File:HUD-GTAVC-Four star.png
A four-star wanted level in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

At a four-star wanted level, the police will drive more aggressively and SWAT teams join the chase. SWAT members wear body armor and are armed with Uzi sub-machine guns. Roadblocks now consist of the heavier and larger SWAT vans, making them more difficult to ram through. The pursuing police helicopter fires at the player more frequently and, from GTA Vice City onwards, rappels SWAT members down to the player's location. In GTA San Andreas, the police helicopter is often joined by a News Chopper, and military jets now pursue and attempt to shoot down the player if he is flying an aircraft. Note: In The Ballad of Gay Tony, all law enforcement officers start firing upon the player while in pursuit at this level, and NOOSE and FIB officers use Assault SMGs and Automatic Shotguns as well as the aforementioned weapons against the player. Also, rooftop snipers start to appear.

Four wanted stars are attained by:

Five Stars

File:HUD-GTAVC-Five star.png
A five-star wanted level in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

At a five-star wanted level, the 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-47s and 9mm handguns in GTA III and 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 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 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.


Five stars are attained by:


Six Stars

A six-star wanted level in Grand Theft Auto III.

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 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 M16s, MP5s or 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.


Six stars are attained by:

Tips

Lowering Your Stars

  • Go to any nearest safehouse and save the game. Then, load it again.
  • Find a bribe while being chased.
  • If you have one wanted level star, go to any alley or places that people don't usually hang out.
  • Enter a safehouse and change your outfit. (GTA: Vice City onwards)
  • Go to a clothing shop and change your clothes. (GTA: San Andreas)
  • Respray your car in any Pay 'n' Spray garage.
  • In GTA San Andreas, you can modify your car in TransFender, Loco Low Co. and Wheel Arch Angels; one modification (such as one respray) will make the stars flashing. Any other modifications done while the stars are flashing will make them disappear.
  • In GTA San Andreas, start the freight train challenge and your wanted level will instantly clear

Others

  • Your getaway vehicle you're driving in is important:
    • On a 2 to 4 star wanted level, a sport (also a muscle or a tuner) car is a better vehicle to be used as it's speed easily outruns any police vehicles or you could go into any restaurant or anything you could go inside and lay low for a while.
    • On a 5 star wanted level, where FBI Ranchers tend to knock you off road, large vehicles like Dumper, Bus, Barracks or other large vehicles are recommended since its size means it isn't easy to be pushed around.
    • On a 6 star wanted level, a Rhino is your last hope of running away from being "Busted" since any vehicles that runs into it will simply explode (except motorbikes in GTA San Andreas, but you can be knocked off of one easily). Even Rhinos themselves are not all that durable against other Rhinos, as this vehicle can only be damaged by hitting another Rhino, or fire (making Molotov Cocktails an unlikely, but practical choice of weapon if one has good cover).
    • A slow vehicle is NOT be recommended for a 3 to 6 wanted star level.
  • 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 Vice Squad Agents (three star wanted level), FBI agents (five star), SWAT agents (four star) and/or the Military (six star), as they can kill a player with with their weapons in a short amount of time.
  • At higher levels, the best way to clear the wanted level 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 (Liberty City only) system with a vehicle (preferrably a motorbike) and follow the underground routes until they reach a Pay 'n' Spray (or lose the wanted level, if the player has a one star), but the player must be careful not to get lost in the system or getting hit by the oncoming Subway Trains.
  • Stunt jumping gives the player considerable distance from the police but may not guarantee total escape, as certain factors, such as wanted level radius, environment of the stunt jump, "projectile" motion concept of physics, and the position of other police units, come into play.
  • 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, usually 2-6) units from __", "Dispatch Air Unit from __", "Dispatch FBI team from __" and "Dispatch SWAT team from __".
  • Run through alleys and narrow streets to give the cops the slip.
  • To save money, only use the Pay 'n' Spray if you have a wanted level of at least 4 stars, as it is easy to escape 1 and 2 star wanted levels (and occasionally 3 stars, depending on the location of the Police Maverick).
  • Hijack a law enforcement vehicle whenever a wanted level of at least 3 stars is obtained. That way, you can hear where the LCPD, FIB and NOOSE will send reinforcments and where they are waiting to ambush you.


Trivia

  • In Vice City Stories, you can get arrested without having any stars; punch the air in front of a cop, and he will think you hit him. while no stars appear, the cop will kick you to the ground and bust you.


Retrieved from ‘https://www.grandtheftwiki.com/index.php?title=Wanted_Level_in_GTA_III_Era&oldid=332425’