Rhino

File:Rhino (GTA3) (front).jpg
A Rhino in GTA III.

The Rhino is the name of an armored fighting vehicle since Grand Theft Auto III, commonly referred to by players simply as a tank. The Rhino has since appeared in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

Description

Like its predecessor from the earlier games, the Rhino appears when the player attains a six star wanted rating. In all games, the Rhino can be avoided without much difficulty because of its slow speed and bad handling, but it's extremely deadly if the player attempts engaging one and the soldier driving always carries strong weapons. Also, when successfully stolen, authorities can bust the player due to the Rhino's slow speed. When it hits a vehicle, the vehicle most of the time explodes straight away; if not, it starts to burn instead.

Design

In GTA III, GTA Vice City, GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories, the Rhino resembles a modified M3 tank, but it is very unrealistic. It is tall, with doors on both sides that can be easily damaged with even the slightest hit, and a truck-style 3-axle drivetrain with easily seen wheels. The turret was rotated by pressing buttons, which made precise shooting almost impossible. In its original appearance in GTA III, the Rhino assumes a start appearance with little details on its armored body. The GTA Vice City rendition, however, added various equipment on the vehicle, as well as enlarging the turret's barrel. While the GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories would follow design ques of the GTA III and GTA Vice City renditions, the turret barrel of GTA Liberty Stories rendition is of the same size and length as that in GTA Vice City, while the GTA Vice City Stories' is even longer.

In GTA San Andreas, the Rhino looks like an M1 Abrams and it is much more realistic. It is colored beige (desert camouflage), has a normal tank entrance in front and a new drivetrain with smaller wheels, which look almost like tracks. It also has a new steering system, that finally allows the player to make very tight turns. The turret is operated with the mouse or right thumbstick (PS2), which allows the player to shoot directly at the target. The GTA Advance rendition, which was in development simultaneously as GTA San Andreas, featured a Rhino design more alike those from GTA III and GTA Vice City, with a noticeably larger turret and additional detailing.

Interestingly enough, neither the GTA San Andreas nor non-GTA San Andreas versions have caterpillar tracks as their their real life counterparts. The reason for this is probably due to the limits of the game's engine.

The Rhino does not appear in Grand Theft Auto IV. This is assumed to be because of Rockstar's goal of making GTA IV more realistic than previous games. However, GTA Chinatown Wars reintroduces the Rhino with an appearance similar to the original Rhino but depicts threads.

Durability

In GTA III and GTA Vice City, the Rhino is bullet-proof and explosion-proof and as such it is immune to all weapons minus the flamethrower and molotovs. In GTA San Andreas the Rhino is still a tough veichle, but after a while of sustained fire from other tanks it will eventually blow up, and you cannot see any flames. While driving the Rhino one should be careful not to drive through the flames left behind by vehicles that have exploded, as these will set the Rhino on fire doing massive damage and usually destroying it.

Comparison

First Rhino Second Rhino
Color Green camouflage Desert camouflage
Handling Handling of this tank is terrible. Even at low speeds its turns are horribly wide. Unlike the normal tank it has very poor acceleration, when maximum speed is normal for this kind of tank. It has a working handbrake, but because of its wide turning radius and dual rear axles it is difficult to tighten turns with it. Tank is quite bouncy, so its wheels easily lose contact with ground. Its small ground clearance, bouncy suspension and low torque makes this tank very poor when driving off-road, or even through small barriers. This tank has 2 steering modes: normal allows it to make turns a little better than trucks, and extra, activated with handbrake button, allows to make extra tight turns. It has little better off-road abilities, but it is still far from perfect. It has better acceleration and grip, but it still cannot go through high obstacles. It handles better on road. The turret now points to where the player's camera is pointed, making it difficult to aim in some circumstances.It has no lights.It has no sirens either.
Tricks
  • When you rotate your turret back and start shooting you will be able to reach very high speeds and also if you enable the flying vehicles cheat while doing this trick then you will be able to fly extremely high and notice things such as that you can fly through the airship and that the tallest building in the game is 'very hollow'.
  • Touching a normal vehicle, even slightly, will make it explode, so you can destroy cars not only by ramming into it at high speed, but with little hits as well.
  • Because you've got doors and the Rhino is slow you can be easily busted by a police officer sticking his gun into your tank. It is even more dangerous when you lose doors.
  • Hitting other tanks will damage you.
  • The tank is rocketproof, but not flameproof. Set it on fire a few times and it will explode.
  • You can still use shooting behind you to accelerate, but you won't be able to see anything in front of you.
  • Now damage caused to other cars is determined from the power you hit it. Slight touch will only push other cars, harder hits will make a car smoke or set in on fire, and the hardest hits will immediately make it explode.
  • Now it is difficult to arrest you in tank, but it is still possible.
  • Hitting other tanks will damage you.
  • The tank is rocketproof, but not flameproof. Set it on fire few times and it will explode.

Missions

In the tank you can perform vigilante missions, which means catching and killing suspects. The Rhino isn't necessarily the best vehicle to do this mission because sooner or later you will be chased by the army, which means other tanks ramming your tank and damaging it. On the other hand, if you cannot complete the missions with the other, comparatively flimsy police vehicles, the Rhino might be better. If you can intercept the enemy vehicles, rather than chasing them, you may be able to strike the targets with the tank instead of firing on them. This method cuts down on the wanted level you receive, which may help you avoid having to fight the military.

In GTA Vice City there is a mission in which you have to steal a tank, Sir, Yes Sir!. Its doors are closed, so you need to wait until the driver hops out to buy some doughnuts, or kill guy on top of the tank. This tank has a self-destruct mechanism which you must have disabled before it destroys the tank. In GTA Liberty City Stories, during the mission "Shogun Showdown", the Yakuza are storing weapons in a warehouse and along with that Toni Cipriani finds a Rhino which he later destroys by detonating it with a bomb. In Chinatown Wars, Xin Shan has you use a Rhino parked at Francis International Airport to create havoc, diverting the police from his own machinations.

Locations

GTA III

GTA Vice City

GTA San Andreas

  • Available inside Area 69, but when the base is entered 5 stars wanted level is automatically gained.
  • Will spawn underneath the bridge going above Ganton after 100% is achieved.

GTA Liberty City Stories

GTA Vice City Stories

  • Inside the Fort Baxter military base, it is there from the beginning of the game but unlocked only when the mission Over The Top is done.

GTA Chinatown Wars

  • Available for purchase at the auto shop when story is complete

Gallery

See also