Lets see...

[Binnatics]

Indeed, Trevor indeed ;D

[Art Blade]

Trevor loves both men and women.
[smg id=8490 type=preview align=center caption="good morning Trevor"]

And occasionally he loves them well cooked and made into stew.
[smg id=8489 type=preview align=center caption="stew"]

I once switched characters and watched Trevor puke his guts out into a well. Under his breath he mumbled something along the line of, "never eat Indian! You never know what they had for dinner."

[fragger]

 

I remember that bowl of stew scene, and the way Trevor recoiled from the smell in the fridge when he opened it. Ewww... I hate to think what was in that stew! Whatever it was, if it was enough to make Trevor hurl you can bet it was something pretty unspeakable :-\\

Yet some more screenies... I just keep seeing stuff I want to take pictures of :-()

Actually, this one's for D_B, the map location of the hedge maze. If you drive to the furthest end of the car park in the Kortz Center then get out and walk straight ahead (south) you'll find it. The maze actually has one of those confession fragments in it, you'll hear the sound when you get close, like a piece of paper rustling. Then it's a just a matter of finding your way to it by homing in on the sound.

[smg id=8491 align=center width=600]

Trevor being Trevor.

[smg id=8492 align=center width=600]

Just another typical day in Los Santos, nothing unusual.

[smg id=8493 align=center width=600]

Cruisin' wid da dog.

[smg id=8494 align=center width=600]

Chemtrails? I wasn't able to take notice at the time as I was in the middle of something, but next time I see these I'm going to watch and see what they do, i.e. see if they gradually spread all over the sky like the ones I see in reality over my part of the world 8-X

[smg id=8495 align=center width=600]

[Art Blade]

I never watched them disintegrate so let us know what you find :)

OK, so now you've got that dog. Remember? Have him hunt living stuff that you aim at and throw a hard ball at windscreens.. now that you can.  :-()

My favourite pastime used to be the "ball game" with Chop. Just get to a very big and busy intersection with multiple lanes, then throw the ball as far across as you can. Then place your bet.. "will he survive it and return the ball or will he imprint his surprised face into the next best grille?"  >:D

[Art Blade]

By the way, I had M edit: F stand alone for some time and he only focussed on female passers-by.  :)

[smg id=8496 type=preview align=center caption="M's observations"]

[fragger]

 :-D

Well, we know M is straight. T, though...

Or did you mean Michael didn't look at any cars? Your guy will only ogle cars if there aren't any ladies around.

Agree, Chop is fun to play with :-X

When I was in school we would sometimes play a game called "Brandings". One kid would have a tennis ball and had to throw it at other kids as they ran around dodging it. If a kid got hit he was "it" and he would then have the ball and try to hit the others (us tough kids would play the game with a soaking wet tennis ball and throw it as hard as we could. We called that variant "Bruisings" >:D).

So I've been playing brandings with the dog vs. random people on the beach in GTA V. The results are hilarious :-() Except of course sooner or later somebody will get stroppy with me for beaning them with a baseball (go figure) and Chop will feel the need to defend his master by mauling his assailant. Some killjoy will then call the cops and I'll have to go on the run. Usually I hide at one of the lifeguard stations on the beach, out of sight, till things calm down. The cops never seem to venture on to the beach, or at least not very far.

I once threw the ball at an oncoming car right outside the house in the hills. There were too guys in it and they weren't happy with me for doing that. The car stopped and they both got out, spoiling for some fisticuffs. Chop took one down and I took the other. We made a good team 8)

Must try that busy-intersection thing, that sounds like fun >:D

[Art Blade]

I don't know why I said M while it was actually F. And he didn't look out for vehicles as on that part of Del Perro Pier weren't any.  :-D

The intersection is a lot of fun. You'll see Chop dash away straight after the ball while you are likely going, "WHOA! That was close. There, another car! WOW HAHAHAHA how the F did Chop survi.. oh. This time the car finished him off, then, MUAHAHAhahah.." :-D

[Dweller_Benthos]

Thanks for the map, I'll have to look that up sometime.

You guys getting the dog in trouble, someone is going to call animal protection on you....

[Art Blade]

nah, it's OK. We don't need protection. Throw us a rare steak once in a while and we're all good.

[Art Blade]

A submarine adventure
The minimap shows bottom left the distance to the surface and bottom right the distance to the seabed.

[smg id=8500 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 01"]
[smg id=8501 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 02"]
[smg id=8502 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 03"]
[smg id=8503 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 04"]
[smg id=8504 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 05"]
[smg id=8505 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 06"]
[smg id=8506 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 07"]
[smg id=8507 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 08"]
[smg id=8508 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 09"]
[smg id=8509 type=preview align=center caption="submarine 10"]

[fragger]

nah, it's OK. We don't need protection. Throw us a rare steak once in a while and we're all good.

lol

Nice series of pics Art :-X

Cool find, that wreck. The minisub is fun to pilot around (well, in SP I've only been able to play with it when I've had access to it for a couple of missions). Like everything else in the game, they've done a terrific job with the underwater environment. The dark murkiness, the underwater landscape and the feeling of really being - well, underwater, is fantastic :-X I loved it in the first SP mish (to get the sub) when a couple of Orcas swam past, making their song. That was awesome 8)

[Art Blade]

Thank you. :)

Yes, incredible how they put stuff even into the ocean. I don't think that many people have seen wrecks like the one I depicted or that pipeline with the rotten scaffolding which was quite a bit away from the shore. It has to be by accident -- erm, that is a bad word regarding the fact that you're in a submarine when you find stuff  :-D -- rephrase: It can only be by coincidence that you're just there where there are wrecks if you see them at all. Yet still they planted those. :-X :)

[fragger]

 :-D :-X

Well, I finished the story part of the game (71%, so there's still a lot of non-story stuff for me to do). I have to say I'm glad I'm finished with the story missions. The story itself is terrific, but the missions are just too rigidly linear and heavily scripted for my liking. They are well done if you don't mind that kind of thing, but I prefer things where I can experiment and plan strategies, as opposed to following a tightly scripted path. You do get a bit of leeway (sometimes) regarding which weapons you use and how you switch between characters when there's more than one on the mission, but overall I found it very limiting and restrictive.

A couple of the missions I didn't mind too much, but I can't say I really enjoyed any of them - and some of them drove me to distraction. Man, I lost count of how many times I had to chase someone, lose the cops, or race against time in some way. And a lot of the missions are very unforgiving - often one mistake can be enough to bring on a fail and it's back to the last checkpoint. There were a few places where it took me numerous tries before I finally got through.

But I'm in love with the game world and the free-roam side of things, and there's still tons to do beyond the story. I'd like to see if I can track down as many confession fragments and spaceship parts as I can (got 5 out of 50 confession fragments so far, and 2 of 50 spaceship parts). There appears to be a grand mystery of some sort hidden throughout the game, which is intriguing.

I'm trying to nut out what this means. It appears to be some kind of map or puzzle guide, with a flying saucer, what looks like the egg from Alien, and a jet pack. At the top is something that resembles an Illuminati "Eye in the Pyramid" (The Illuminati is referenced several times during the game by various oddball characters):

[smg id=8512 align=center width=600]

There is a shop or store of some kind in the north of the city with a flying saucer half-stuck in the roof, like an advertising gimmick. Can't remember the name of the place, but you hear what sounds like stock B-grade sci-fi "weird sound" when you're near it. There was also that sequence where Michael hallucinates himself getting beamed up into a flying saucer. Then there's a big cartoony rocket by the side of the road in the countryside, like a kind of touristy advertising thing, but it makes a noise like a Geiger counter if you stand near it. Whether any of these things relate I don't know. They may be like red herrings. Possibly if you collect all the spaceship parts, something will be revealed.

I'm willing to bet this creepy place has something to do with the puzzle (if there is a puzzle, and not just the devs messing with people's heads):

[smg id=8513 align=center width=600]

This little village is bizarre (it looks like an old western ghost town, which may be the intention - by that I mean the town itself is like a ghost). There are guys here (no women) who mainly just stand around, a few clothed but most in their underwear and a few buck naked. Most of them are wearing some odd kind of head covering, like a balaclava-type thing. Whenever you walk into the place, this weird and kind of unsettling music fades in (even if you have music turned off) and keeps playing until you leave, when it fades out. The music seems to get louder in certain parts of the village. The place is surrounded by a western fort-style stockade fence with a big locked gate but there's a couple of sneaky ways in. At first, the guys there didn't do anything while I walked around, but when I got too close one of them pulled a pistol and it was on. They do talk, in a hillbilly-type way, and when they start fighting they'll call you rude names. But this is the creepy part - after I shot a few and took cover, the rest seemed to just disappear. But shortly after I'd emerged from cover and started walking around again, they reappeared - quite a few of them, and some just appeared right in my line of sight, like Philadelphia Experiment victims. Dunno what the story is with the place, but it weirded me out.

The military base may hold a secret too (if I can get into it without getting shot). Maybe there's like a Hanger 18 there or something. If any of you guys do know anything, please don't tell me - I'd like to investigate for myself :-D

Yep, lots more of the game to explore yet :-X

[Art Blade]

You found the camp of the Altruists. They take strangers in (as food supply for them) and pay you on delivery. They keep spawning, better stay out. I went in as Franklin and brought Trevor for the fun part while taking screenshots for you.  :-()

[smg id=8514 type=preview align=center caption="ghost town 01"]
[smg id=8515 type=preview align=center caption="ghost town 02"]

[Dweller_Benthos]

Yeah I dropped off a few unsuspecting hitchhikers to that place, but never went back.

The painting on the wall of the mountain is a mystery, I think. I read something about it in the wiki but I don't recall it ever being solved. There is a UFO sighting, I think, you have to be in the right place at the right time. Same goes for bigfoot and the ghost of that girl, who I think is the murder victim from the confession scraps you find? Something like that.

[JRD]

(...) And a lot of the missions are very unforgiving - often one mistake can be enough to bring on a fail and it's back to the last checkpoint. (...)

Ha!

In GTA: SA there were no checkpoints or retry. Screw up and you have to start over... from the very beginning. And you are left at the location where you fail so there's the drive back to whomever gave you the mission if you want to do it again. In GTA IV, if I'm not mistaken, they implemented the "retry" option but still with no checkpoint system (either that or the checkpoints were very far away from eachother)......... talk about an ordeal to finish the game in SP!


By the way... I just got the game. HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!

[PZ]

That's great, JRD - looking forward to your impressions!

[Binnatics]

YESSS!!!! JRD is in!!!!! Tell us your SC nick, we add you to the crew :)

@ Fragger and the mystery; I won't tell you anything. I searched a lot on the net while I was on holiday ( couldn't play GTA so I started reading about it :-D) and I know close to what there is to know about it. If you want info, ask. I will tell you.

PZ posted a map here where you can find the locations of all findables (like the spaceship parts, the letter scraps and more). You may want to take a look at these

Great that you finished the story missions Fragger, kudo for holding on to them, although they are scripted too much for your liking. The more I think about it the more I'm sure you will enjoy the online world. The missions there, and the freemode events, such as gang attacks, will give you so much more freedom of approach, I bet you're going to love them.  ;)

[PZ]

I forgot about that map - looks really cool with the POIs listed.  Might be fun to free-roam and go to the places indicated on the map.  I become kind of bored just driving around, and am not fond of the main mission mechanics at all.  The other day I did something where I had to ride a motorcycle on top of a train.  Unfortunately for me it seemed like the left/right control arrows were hypersensitive, and I can't count the number of times I had to start over because I fell off  >:((

Doing some of the side things where you are taken to new areas of the map might be just the ticket to enjoying free roam  :-X

[Binnatics]

PZ I think you should try online too. I bet you're going to like the way the game world is organized there. Check whenever you're online if we are playing. I'm more than happy to give you a hand getting you started there, and I bet Art will be too :)

[fragger]

PZ, that was one of the missions that ticked me off too I think it took me about ten tries to get that done (after about six tries to jump the trail bike onto the train to start with). And you have to ride quickly along the train - go too slow and you can fall between the carriages. Doesn't help that the train is curving to one side the whole time. That was what I meant by "fiddly" - I don't like things like that at all.

Thanks Binn :) I'll check out online soon, first I want to explore some more in SP and catch up on some of the side missions and activities I haven't done yet.

I like the random stuff that pops up like the bag-snatchers, hitch-hikers, etc. I usually chase the bag-snatchers in a car and run their sorry butts over, then take the wallet or purse back to whoever it belongs to - you can never catch those buggers on foot anyway. I'd love to do that in reality >:D

Had a first last night. I pulled in to this diner-type place off the freeway at night and two people came running towards me, a guy and a girl. The girl was leading and I thought they were running from a cop shootout or something. But the girl ran straight up to me and biffed me one ??? Then I saw the guy and realised they were Lost bikers (I was Trevor at the time) so they attacked me on sight. First time I've been attacked by a woman in the game. So what could I do? What Trevor would do - I smacked her out, then shot her boyfriend (I had to, he pulled a pistol on me, the fool). Then I trashed their choppers which I found nearby.

[Art Blade]

 :-D

In short: online (invitation only session for that matter) is my absolute greatest gaming experience ever. I only play with friends and only in private (invitation only) sessions.

Before I knew what "online" was about, I played SP until I was fed up with it (got boring after finishing the main missions and a good bunch of side missions still available) and then the transition was at first horrible because I didn't expect to be thrown into the "zoo" (we call the public sessions that because of all those players that act like animals out there who kill you for no reason other than they can and else don't know what to do plus those cheaters and hackers that blow up everyone at once even when you're in your own garage and so forth) -- the online experience starts (after creating your character) with some type of tutorial which ends with a race against random players and some mission to play with them cooperatively. After the mission we all were released into the zoo and instantly I got shot dead by the very same player who rammed me when I was leading the race (I therefore didn't win) and whom I helped and rescued during the mission because he was too stupid to realise what to do. Thank you very much. >:((

I learned that in order to have some freedom and peace, you need to start SP first, there go to the pause menu and click "online" which opens a sub-menu from which to choose an "invite only" session. That will put you alone into the online world and from there you can invite friends into your private session. Or accept their invitation (given that you know that they play private/invite only) and enjoy the open world without random idiots spoiling it for you. Best gaming time ever since, with friends only. Always a good laugh together  ^-^

The game principles online are different. You start from scratch, no money, no house, just a pistol and the gear you got when creating your character. Best start with friends who help you level up. Voice chat in my opinion is essential or you could as well solve crossword puzzles. Steal your first car and make it your personal vehicle. Earn money to buy weapons and ammo. Then buy your first apartment. Then become a millionaire :-D

Lots of stuff to do with friends online. Make money, level up, buy the stuff you want  :)
The crew rank message bottom left shows more or less my total level. I split it between two characters. The higher ranking one is what I was playing with when taking the screenshot. So you can indeed create two independent characters and swap them when you feel like it :)
[smg id=8517 type=preview align=center caption="random online moment"]
[smg id=8518 type=preview align=center caption="two characters 1"]
[smg id=8519 type=preview align=center caption="two characters 2"]

[Art Blade]

oh, one more. In case you thought it was lacking action.  :-D
[smg id=8520 type=preview align=center caption="random online moment 2"]

[fragger]

You found the camp of the Altruists.

Thanks for the shots Art :-X

Bunch of inbred flipping weirdos, these Altruists. I did the world a favour, got up on top of the nearby peak and sniped a bucketload of them, just for the hell of it. They couldn't get at me >:D I had tons of ammo looking for a new home anyway, so why not?

* * * * *

Art related an underwater adventure, here's an underground one!

I found this group of people who looked like they were having a barbie in a sewage canal (uh, nothing  for me thanks, I'm good...)

At right you can see some more people with their cars. Just to the right of those (not visible here) is a large opening in the canal wall, big enough to drive a car into.

So I went down there, stole one of their cars and drove into the opening.

[smg id=8521 align=center width=600]

Venturing into Los Santos' underworld.

[smg id=8522 align=center width=600]

Oops, wrong turn! No room to dodge any trains that might come through here. Back...

[smg id=8523 align=center width=600]

Getting interesting. Note the bullet holes in the car. When I stole it from those guys, I didn't exactly get off scot-free with it...

[smg id=8524 align=center width=600]

Shades of The Italian Job. Which is fitting for this game, I guess.

[smg id=8525 align=center width=600]

This looks like the area where we'd carried out a gold bullion heist earlier on, but if it is, it's changed since then. There was the same big grated opening in the roof though, like the one in the heist area.

[smg id=8526 align=center width=600]
[smg id=8527 align=center width=600]

Poking around, I found this pit. It's hard to see, but there is a free weapon and an armour vest here.

[smg id=8528 align=center width=600]

An underground railway station under construction. Had to watch out for trains passing through.

[smg id=8529 align=center width=600]

The exit, in the wall of a freeway underpass.

[smg id=8530 align=center width=600]

I think I might of dinged the car up a little while I was negotiating the sewers... Might need a lick of paint and a slight dent or two beaten out.

[smg id=8531 align=center width=600]
[smg id=8532 align=center width=600]

There's so much unobtrusively tucked away in this game if you keep your eyes open, I keep coming across of all sorts of cool things like this.

[Dweller_Benthos]

That's not a sewage canal, that's what passes for a river in LA errrr. Los Santos.....