question about buddies/deaths (poss. spoilers)

[bubbahotep7]

I recently purchased this excellent game, and so far have reached the mission police chief assassination.  Buddy Paul calls and I accept his co-mission, I get the ledger, then ace the deputy chief, then head over to where Paul is ambushing a convoy of weapons (maybe, can't remember exactly what he's doing). 

Anyway, I have tried 3-4 times, but Paul ends up dying despite I think 3 med administrations. Those PKM armed thugs slow my movement to his popped smoke. Is this part of the plot, or do I need to give it a couple more goes/try different tactic to end the mission w/ Paul intact?  I like him as a buddy, so would like to keep him around, unless this cannot be avoided at this point in the game. Thanks.  Great website BTW!

[PZ]

Welcome to OWG bubbahotep7, and thanks for the comment.

From my personal experience if a buddy is administered 2 syrettes and does not recover, he/she is going to die.  In fact, if I give them one syrette and they do no recover, I am often reluctant to administer a second one.

It is not scripted into that part of the game for your buddy to die on the Police chief mission, but we discussed the buddy death issue some time ago (can't remember where though) and I seem to recall discussion centering around how many times the buddy had been injured as to the success of syrette rejuvenation.

However, just in case the mercs had shot Paul too many times, you might use a prior save (if you haven't already) to have another go - I've sometimes managed to save a buddy with repeated attempts.

[Art Blade]

indeed - sometimes those buddies manage to stay healthy and unharmed, sometimes they get injured, sometimes they die. Reload would be the simplest thing, else redo the mission.

You can see if your buddy is going to survive by hitting ESC and check the pics of your buddies down the page, if one is going to die or has died, the picture will be (already) missing. Below the pic is their status, ie alive or wounded. Also the buddy list: see if the name is missing in the top and shows up with a line through the name...

If they need a syrette, one has to revive them, else they're doomed to croak.

Now that you know where to find your buddy, replay (or reload) the mission and take precautions. Like, park your car in the direction you're going to drive to meet him, check the area for obstacles, check where you last found your buddy (might be in the same spot next time). Like that you should increase your chances of rescueing him.

[spaceboy]

If they need a syrette, one has to revive them, else they're doomed to croak.

Is that for sure Art?  I know I haven't booted up a single player round of FC2 in a while, but I swear it did sometimes take 2 or 3 syrettes , but they did revive.  Or am I hallucinating?  Maybe I've got Malaria...

[Art Blade]

I "played" around with many of my rescue buddies until death and again (see funny tactics #27). Every time they demanded "more," they died. Usually two syrettes, maybe three, and they pass away. I've never seen a buddy stand up again after more than one syrette. So yes, I am pretty sure :) Oh, same goes for best buddy. Never more than one syrette or they died.

[Art Blade]

just checked again, the best way to tell if a wounded buddy is going to survive is checking the buddy list. Just now I heard my buddy say "more" before receiving his first syrette, the pic in the notebook was not missing and his stats showed he was wounded. On the list, however, he was already struck out. He indulged himself in three syrettes before passing away. Reload... ;)

[TopHat01]

Plus, the next alive buddy (usually your rescue buddy) will become your best buddy, and an new one will become your rescue buddy.  It also depends on which buddies you like (IE if certain buddies are downed/die I don't really care, but say if Marty dies in a subverted mission, I'll reload the save and try to save him, just my preference.  I've had a buddy fall over wounded before, and a stray bullet came out of my G3 while firing at enemy mercs and nailed him while he was down. xD)

But we all know what happens in end... (most of us do, I won't spoil it if you don't)

[Art Blade]

funny you should mention it - "the next alive buddy (usually your rescue buddy) will become your best buddy" - I just found out a way to influence that, see the funny tips topic with the freshly edited version here  ;)

[PZ]

I like Nasreen as my best buddy in Bowa so I often kill my buddies until she ends up as my friend ;)

[Art Blade]

Hehe, in Bowa I just made Frank my best buddy without killing anybody :) Nasreen is now my rescue girl  ;D

[fragger]

If they need a syrette, one has to revive them, else they're doomed to croak.

Is that for sure Art?  I know I haven't booted up a single player round of FC2 in a while, but I swear it did sometimes take 2 or 3 syrettes , but they did revive.  Or am I hallucinating?  Maybe I've got Malaria...

You're not imagining things spaceboy, I have seen them recover after a few syrettes. I once thought Frank was a goner after I'd already pumped two syrettes into him, but lo and behold after the third one he came around. Only seen this happen once - as has been mentioned earlier, they usually cash in their chips if one syrette doesn't do the trick.

I didn't know about the way the buddy status is immediately updated in the list when one is about to croak. Another cool little nugget of helpful info from Art Blade, thanks mate! :-X

[bubbahotep7]

Well, I just took a different route from the police station to the ambush site, and was able to prevent Paul from even receiving a scratch.  Thanks for the info regardless!

[Art Blade]

fragger, thanks for the confirmation of spaceboy's observation  :-X

bubbahotep7, glad you made it :)

[spaceboy]

good to know a piece of my memory is still intact fragger!  I know it didn't happen often so I wasn't sure. 

[Art Blade]

I'd like to see it myself, a buddy coming back to life after three syrettes. I think I'll kill him right away then, for being a greedy addict  ;D

[DKM2]

yeah I've seen them come back after 3, and that how I felt.
Never liked walking around with so few left.

[Art Blade]

My strategy for this part of the m

I think your post is missing the important part  ::) :)

[Midway]

My strategy for this part of the mission is to "commandeer" the Datsun that patrols the west side of the bridge.  Then I stop before crossing the bridge and eliminate the guards on the west side (I stop at this point because I believe the battle doesn't start until after you cross the bridge).  I use my dart gun to kill the guys across the river so they won't interfere with the run I am about to make.  I then get into the Datsun and make a beeline to the battle, scooting under the fallen tree (the reason I picked the Datsun in the first place) and running over as many guys I can before jumping out and taking out the rest.  I haven't lost a buddy yet using this method.

[EDIT: sorry about the partial post before, I am having probs with this site this evening  :-[ ]

[PZ]

That's a great method Midway - thanks for posting  :-X

I have always just used an AT which doesn't fit under the tree, so the battle is always the same.  I'll use your method next time because I love running over the mercs, and there are plenty of them at this battle site.

[Midway]

Thanks, PZ.

That mission can be frustrating at times as half the time you arrive you already see the blue smoke going and you got ten guys that start after you as soon as you get a shot off.  During this time the buddy is calling out for help, cursing you, and whatever while you are fighting.  I usually say to myself "Hang on, I get to you in one blanking minute!" lol

I usually get to run over 4 or 5 baddies before getting out of the car.  You do have to listen for an AT to start up and watch for it.  I got out of the car one time and one ran over me (you know--the VROOM! VROOM! and then blackness, lol).

[Art Blade]

Hehe, Midway :)

I'm not completely sure, but I believe you can squeeze your AT through at the right side of that tree trunk, a little slow though.

The last time I got there I used my M79 and splattered a couple of mercs to the left, that made most of the rest go after me, which I gladly welcomed with my MP5 (aimed high, headshots mostly). My buddy of course was in dire need of some chemicals, so I let him have a syrette. I remember that bloody ATP starting up, I had just enough time to blow them up with my M79 before they could do anything silly  ;D

[Midway]

Art, I thought I tried it a few times with an AT but remember the truck just stopping as soon as I got to the tree.  I may try it again on my next uh, cycle  ;D.

I am mostly in "stealth mode" when I play especially when I go to the Police Station so I don't have the luxury of the M-79 at that time.  At that time in the game I would be carrying an AK-47 (Reg. or Gold), Dart gun, and 6P9 (the silenced MP-5 is only good in head shots, I resort to the AK after all hell breaks loose). 

[Art Blade]

haha, "cycle" is good :) If you were looking for a term, we use "(play)through" a lot :)

Chuckling again at "silent" combined with deafening silent golden AK-47  ;D But I know exactly what you mean, I used to play 6P9+MP5+Dart mostly, only this through (my third) I started to experiment with different loadouts, though the only change is M79 instead of 6P9. So much more power to the mp5+dart combo now :)

[PZ]

I too have used many different load outs, with the dart as my one weapon to always have on hand.  I too like the golden AK, and I find that the MP5 works fine for me as well.  I used several other secondary weapons, but am back to the 6P9 again partly because it obstructs so little of my view, and partly because I love to do the single head shots on the console.  One of the reasons for the gold AK/MP5/6P9 combinations is that almost all of the mercs carry that type of ammunition, and I rarely need to visit ammo dumps.

[Midway]

"Playthrough", I will have to remember that, lol.  I have played it so many times I call them cycles  ;D

To me it takes a lot of MP-5 rounds to the body to take a man down in the game.  It seems like I am constantly chucking clips in a battle.  It was a lot more deadly in COD4:MW when I played it (can't wait for MW2 when it comes out in Nov.).

Only thing I don't like about the AK-47 is the sound.  It resembles my mother's old Singer sewing machine, lol.  In the southern district I use the AR15/Dart/6P9 though sometimes I use the Desert Eagle.  It is something about having a large chrome pistol in your hand  ;D

But everynow and then I get a wild hair and go out Rambo-ing with the MGL-140, SAW, and Uzi.