Archived from groups: alt.games.grand-theft-auto (More info?)
Some of you guys are gonna love this one -- those of you into "messing with
the missions". I'd like to be able to say I was the first to find this, but
a googling shows that to be untrue. However, I don't remember reading about
this one in this group.
Here's the deal. There's an ultra-cool glitch in the mission Snail Trail.
I'll describe how you can "discover" it for yourself, then, after spoiler
space, I'll tell you what I know and guess about it.
Start the mission and follow the train until you pass an opposing train.
Turn around and follow the passing train back to Cranberry Station.
Something very unusual happens as the train pulls into Cranberry, something
that will occupy, oh, say, a Cleve, with hours of exploration and
experimentation (staying up way past his bed time, and dreaming about it
when he did finally go to bed).
Try it. Once you've messed with it yourself (or decided you just want to
hear about it), read my comments after the spoiler space.
SPOILER SPACE
I call it the Sky Train.
As it pulls into Cranberry, the train suddenly takes a wicked right turn,
passes through a wall, and proceeds eastward, airborne! I absolutely
freaked, standing on the hillside east of the station, watching it disappear
into the distance in the air.
I have a Sea Sparrow in the garage at CJ's SF place west of Cranberry
Station. (Yes, it fits, and saves. You can steal one from the Dam, if you
brave the 4-star.) So, I started the mission again and followed the train
with the copter. It went through a hillside a couple of times, emerging
again when the ground got lower, and then I lost it.
I soon found that the jet pack is the way to go. (Yes, the cheat. Don't
save.) After much examination and experimentation, here's what I've found
(and also some guesses).
Picture the train track as a loop around SA. For the most part, the track
is double. (There are a couple of short stretches of single track in LV.)
Normally, trains use the INNER track; you're pretty safe when you follow the
tracks if you stay on the outer track - if you're not on a mission. The
OUTER track seems to be reserved for opposing trains during missions. The
outer one APPEARS to follow the same route as the inner one -- but,
operationally, it does not. Technically, it "ends" at Cranberry Station in
SF and "begins" at a point just south of the bridge to LV on the east side
of SA. However, the opposing trains in Snail Trail seem to be programmed to
never stop. Trains move from vertex to vertex along a prescribed path.
When an "outer track" train gets to the terminal vertex at Cranberry, it
"wraps": the "next vertex" is the initial vertex north east of LS, and the
train just makes a bee-line toward it, eventually coming onto the track
again at that point, proceeding south to LS. It follows that loop over and
over, never stopping, as long as you stay with it. (It will vanish
(unspawn), of course, if you get too far away.) When it's "off track" you
don't hear the sound of the rails any more -- the program knows it's not on
the track!
In the process of following that loop-completing line, the train passes
through the wall at Cranberry, out over the SF airport, over part of the
bay, over Blueberry, under that overhang just south of Catalina's cabin,
over the water just south of the pier that has the wheelchair on it, across
a highway (mostly submerged), finally connecting with an abrupt,
greater-than-90-degree turn onto the tracks again NE of LS. It travels
straight as an arrow, passing through and emerging from hillsides several
times. It's a fascinating trip. The jack-knifing at the termini is quite
cool.
Use the jet pack cheat to follow it. You can land on the train and ride it
for much of the journey. When It goes into a hillside, quickly follow along
above ground until it emerges again. When it's above ground or partially
embedded, it's an amazing sight from anywhere nearby. Land on buildings and
hills and just watch it go by.
During all of this, you'll fail the mission, but that doesn't matter. The
train will roll on.
You can stop the train -- on the ground or in the air -- by sniping the
engineer. Get in front of the train in the jet pack, hover, and start
shooting at the engineer's window. (It MAY be possible to carefully stand
on the front of the engine to snipe him. I haven't tried that yet.) Once
he's dead, the train comes to a stop.
Those of you with PC's should be able to get some amazing screen captures.
There seems to be a choice of at least four "opposing" trains:
(1) An engine and two passenger cars.
(2) An engine and one flatbed.
(3) An engine and FIVE flatbeds.
(4) TWO engines and three flatbeds (one engine on each end).
I don't think (2) - (4) ever appear as "normal" trains that arrive at the
stations for you to use. (3) is an amazingly long train -- I think one car
longer than the longest "normal" train. (4) is a real oddball. Pretty sure
I've never seen that one before.
Some of them have Brown Streak engines, and others have a very different
engine with black and white stripe markings on the front and back (freight,
I'm guessing). If you stop the latter kind, CJ makes no attempt to enter
it. It's apparently not a "drivable" engine. (He TRIES the door on the
Brown Streaks, but it's always locked -- even if you've sniped the engineer
and the door is open. He makes all of the "locked door" motions, even if
the door is wide open.)
So, I guess CJ can't jack any of 'em. They're all either locked or not even
accessible.
By the way, as you follow the train with the reporter, you usually pass at
least three opposing trains. So, if you're looking for a certain one of the
four types of trains, just keep cruising if you pass any of the ones you
don't want. The long ones look great in the sky.
Oh. Another weirdity. If you're far away from Market Station, the reporter
will appear in some odd places (near wherever you are), like the SF airport,
or just somewhere out in the wilderness. When his blip appears and you
check the map, you may see his marker at Market if you're still on the bike.
Get off the bike and check again. When he appears at one of the oddball
locations, go find him. (You can get on the bike again; he won't go back to
Market.) Nothing special. He'll just be walking around. Proximity won't
"spook" him. (Any aggressive action will, however.) Sooner or later, he'll
fall off a cliff or into the ocean and the die, ending the mission. While
he's alive, if you go to Market station, he'll teleport there, and the
mission can be continued, as normal. Strange.
I'm trying to think of other missions with opposing trains. Wrong Side of
the Tracks came to mind. I followed the train that passes the Vagos train.
It cruises right through Unity and Market without stopping, so I was
hopeful, but it stops at the barricade at the end of the tunnel.
Is there an opposing train in Green Goo? I can't remember. It'll take me
awhile to get there again during my current play-through.
Man, I had a lot of fun with this one -- probably more fun than with any
other mission, so far!
Enjoy the Sky Train.
--cleve
Some of you guys are gonna love this one -- those of you into "messing with
the missions". I'd like to be able to say I was the first to find this, but
a googling shows that to be untrue. However, I don't remember reading about
this one in this group.
Here's the deal. There's an ultra-cool glitch in the mission Snail Trail.
I'll describe how you can "discover" it for yourself, then, after spoiler
space, I'll tell you what I know and guess about it.
Start the mission and follow the train until you pass an opposing train.
Turn around and follow the passing train back to Cranberry Station.
Something very unusual happens as the train pulls into Cranberry, something
that will occupy, oh, say, a Cleve, with hours of exploration and
experimentation (staying up way past his bed time, and dreaming about it
when he did finally go to bed).
Try it. Once you've messed with it yourself (or decided you just want to
hear about it), read my comments after the spoiler space.
SPOILER SPACE
I call it the Sky Train.
As it pulls into Cranberry, the train suddenly takes a wicked right turn,
passes through a wall, and proceeds eastward, airborne! I absolutely
freaked, standing on the hillside east of the station, watching it disappear
into the distance in the air.
I have a Sea Sparrow in the garage at CJ's SF place west of Cranberry
Station. (Yes, it fits, and saves. You can steal one from the Dam, if you
brave the 4-star.) So, I started the mission again and followed the train
with the copter. It went through a hillside a couple of times, emerging
again when the ground got lower, and then I lost it.
I soon found that the jet pack is the way to go. (Yes, the cheat. Don't
save.) After much examination and experimentation, here's what I've found
(and also some guesses).
Picture the train track as a loop around SA. For the most part, the track
is double. (There are a couple of short stretches of single track in LV.)
Normally, trains use the INNER track; you're pretty safe when you follow the
tracks if you stay on the outer track - if you're not on a mission. The
OUTER track seems to be reserved for opposing trains during missions. The
outer one APPEARS to follow the same route as the inner one -- but,
operationally, it does not. Technically, it "ends" at Cranberry Station in
SF and "begins" at a point just south of the bridge to LV on the east side
of SA. However, the opposing trains in Snail Trail seem to be programmed to
never stop. Trains move from vertex to vertex along a prescribed path.
When an "outer track" train gets to the terminal vertex at Cranberry, it
"wraps": the "next vertex" is the initial vertex north east of LS, and the
train just makes a bee-line toward it, eventually coming onto the track
again at that point, proceeding south to LS. It follows that loop over and
over, never stopping, as long as you stay with it. (It will vanish
(unspawn), of course, if you get too far away.) When it's "off track" you
don't hear the sound of the rails any more -- the program knows it's not on
the track!
In the process of following that loop-completing line, the train passes
through the wall at Cranberry, out over the SF airport, over part of the
bay, over Blueberry, under that overhang just south of Catalina's cabin,
over the water just south of the pier that has the wheelchair on it, across
a highway (mostly submerged), finally connecting with an abrupt,
greater-than-90-degree turn onto the tracks again NE of LS. It travels
straight as an arrow, passing through and emerging from hillsides several
times. It's a fascinating trip. The jack-knifing at the termini is quite
cool.
Use the jet pack cheat to follow it. You can land on the train and ride it
for much of the journey. When It goes into a hillside, quickly follow along
above ground until it emerges again. When it's above ground or partially
embedded, it's an amazing sight from anywhere nearby. Land on buildings and
hills and just watch it go by.
During all of this, you'll fail the mission, but that doesn't matter. The
train will roll on.
You can stop the train -- on the ground or in the air -- by sniping the
engineer. Get in front of the train in the jet pack, hover, and start
shooting at the engineer's window. (It MAY be possible to carefully stand
on the front of the engine to snipe him. I haven't tried that yet.) Once
he's dead, the train comes to a stop.
Those of you with PC's should be able to get some amazing screen captures.
There seems to be a choice of at least four "opposing" trains:
(1) An engine and two passenger cars.
(2) An engine and one flatbed.
(3) An engine and FIVE flatbeds.
(4) TWO engines and three flatbeds (one engine on each end).
I don't think (2) - (4) ever appear as "normal" trains that arrive at the
stations for you to use. (3) is an amazingly long train -- I think one car
longer than the longest "normal" train. (4) is a real oddball. Pretty sure
I've never seen that one before.
Some of them have Brown Streak engines, and others have a very different
engine with black and white stripe markings on the front and back (freight,
I'm guessing). If you stop the latter kind, CJ makes no attempt to enter
it. It's apparently not a "drivable" engine. (He TRIES the door on the
Brown Streaks, but it's always locked -- even if you've sniped the engineer
and the door is open. He makes all of the "locked door" motions, even if
the door is wide open.)
So, I guess CJ can't jack any of 'em. They're all either locked or not even
accessible.
By the way, as you follow the train with the reporter, you usually pass at
least three opposing trains. So, if you're looking for a certain one of the
four types of trains, just keep cruising if you pass any of the ones you
don't want. The long ones look great in the sky.
Oh. Another weirdity. If you're far away from Market Station, the reporter
will appear in some odd places (near wherever you are), like the SF airport,
or just somewhere out in the wilderness. When his blip appears and you
check the map, you may see his marker at Market if you're still on the bike.
Get off the bike and check again. When he appears at one of the oddball
locations, go find him. (You can get on the bike again; he won't go back to
Market.) Nothing special. He'll just be walking around. Proximity won't
"spook" him. (Any aggressive action will, however.) Sooner or later, he'll
fall off a cliff or into the ocean and the die, ending the mission. While
he's alive, if you go to Market station, he'll teleport there, and the
mission can be continued, as normal. Strange.
I'm trying to think of other missions with opposing trains. Wrong Side of
the Tracks came to mind. I followed the train that passes the Vagos train.
It cruises right through Unity and Market without stopping, so I was
hopeful, but it stops at the barricade at the end of the tunnel.
Is there an opposing train in Green Goo? I can't remember. It'll take me
awhile to get there again during my current play-through.
Man, I had a lot of fun with this one -- probably more fun than with any
other mission, so far!
Enjoy the Sky Train.
--cleve
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram