NEED FOR SPEED CARBON
REWARD CARDS GUIDE
Copyright FFVIITattoo, a.ka. Acid Angel 13 2009
ver 1.2
THIS DOCUMENT IS BEST VIEWED IN "COURIER" TYPE FONT (SIZE 10).
EVERYTHING LINES UP RIGHT THAT WAY.
THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT COVER ONLINE CONTENT; HOWEVER, IT IS BASED ON THE
"COLLECTOR'S EDITION" VERSION...I can list the Online Reward Cards, but I
cannot offer any strategy for them. Further, this guide was written using,
and thus is based upon, the PS2 version. While the strategies for obtaining
the Reward Cards presented should apply to all versions of the game, certain
information contained herein, specifically "cheats" may or may not apply to
all platforms.
CONTENTS***********************************************************************
-I'm integrating the search feature (ctrl+F) for this guide, as you probably
don't care about most of the content anyway, right? In parentheses next to
the content listing is the search keyword. Beyond that, specific goals are
referred to by their game-name multiple times, so if you know EXACTLY what you
want, "Time Shift", for example, type in that and you should get what you need
eventually.
i INTRODUCTION (intr)
ii FAQ's (faqs)
iii THE REWARD CARDS (rwrd)-NOTE: Will go directly to Card list, skip intro.
iv STRATEGIES (strt)
-CHALLENGE SERIES GOALS:
A New Challenger
Challenge Novice
Challenge Journeyman
Challenge Champion
Challenge Master
Bronze Medal
Silver Medal
Gold Medal
-CAREER RACE GOALS
First Blood
Making Your Name
Street Racer
Road To Victory
Street Legend
Street King
1/4 Mile
Consolation Award
Downtown Turf
Conqueror
-GENERAL CAREER GOALS
Defender
Iron Wall
All Your Bases
Leader Of The Pack
Fabricator
Time Shift
Small Car Lot
Large Car Lot
Number 1
-QUICK RACE GOALS
50 Tracks
80 Tracks
Arcade Level 1
Arcade Level 2
Arcade Level 3
Arcade Level 4
Rivals
-RACE TYPE/SCORE GOALS
--CANYON DUELS
Canyon Run
Downhill Dynamo
Canyon Conqueror
--DRIFT RACES
Drift Novice
Burnt Rubber
Drifter
Drift Pro
Drift King
--SPEEDTRAP RACES
Speed Freak
Cannonball
Speed Demon
Need For Speed
--FREE ROAM CHALLENGES
Free Ride
Urban Combat
Urban Warfare
Head To Head
Urban Battle
-CAR OWNERSHIP RELATED GOALS
--ACQUIRING/ SELLING CARS
Cuttin' Deals
Big Biz
3 Rides
5 Rides
8 Rides
Full House
--CAR TYPE BASED GOALS
Tuner Addict
Exotic Aficianado
Muscle Head
--THE FINAL CAR GOAL
Collector
-MONEY RELATED GOALS
Makin' Money
Stash
100K
Big Bucks
Career Mogul
v PURSUIT-RELATED GOALS AND STATEGY (prst)
-HONORABLE MENTION
--THE FIRST PURSUIT GOAL
Hard Time
-MULTI-GOAL STRATEGY
Getaway
Vandal
Fender Bender
Reckless
Brake For No One
Public Enemy No. 1
Battering Ram
Unstoppable
Crusher
Block Breaker
Unblockable
8 Minute Exit
12 Minute Exit
Baiter
Troublemaker
20K Bounty
50K Bounty
Wrecking Ball
Moving Disaster
Fast Wheels
-PURSUIT EVASION GOALS
Getaway
Quick Exit
Escape Artist
Untouchable
Houdini
8 Minute Exit
12 Minute Exit
-VEHICLE HEAT LEVEL GOALS
Baiter
Troublemaker
Most Wanted
-FINES, BOUNTY, AND COST TO STATE
20K Bill
Wolfshead
20K Bounty
50K Bounty
Wrecking Ball
Moving Disaster
Fast Wheels
-ADVANCED PURSUIT GOALS
Stone Wheels
Wheels Of Steel
Iron Tires
Diamond Tires
Big Game Hunter
-THE LAST PURSUIT GOAL
--INFRACTIONS
Crime Spree
vi HOW THIS GAME WORKS-TIPS AND TRICKS (hwrk)
-RAMMING AND AVOIDING
-INFRACTIONS
-HEAT
--ZONE HEAT
--VEHICLE HEAT
-PURSUIT TACTICS
--VEHICLES DEPLOYED
--MEASURES EMPLOYED
vii CHEATS (chts)
-BUTTON-PRESS CODES
-CAREER RESTART
-AVOIDING DEFENSIVE RACES
viii LEGAL STUFF
ix VERSION HISTORY/AUTHORIZED SITES
************************************ i *************************************
INTRODUCTION (intr)
I suppose this first section should be FAQ's, as your first question is no
doubt "why do a guide for such an old game?" The answer is rather simple,
actually: Because it's a good game, and people still play it. Further, I
don't see any guides centering specifically around the Reward Cards, which is
a rather involved and daunting task (if you want them all).
By now you know the Reward Cards are a number of specific tasks the game
wants you to complete in order to unlock certain things, be it new vehicles,
visual parts, or... Well, it's pretty much that. There are 25 Reward Cards
total, each consisting of 4 separate conditions, for a grand total of 100
required goals to get all the cards.
In this guide, I will begin by outlining each of the cards and the tasks
required, then I will give you my best strategy for completing the tasks.
Sometimes multiple tasks can be completed in a single "run", so I'll group
the tasks in a way that (hopefully), makes sense in regards to that.
Lastly, in a semi-related note: My name is Ryan Goss, FFVII Tattoo on the
boards, formerly known as Acid Angel 13. If you've read any of my previous
guides, you know I have a very strict "compose guide while playing" policy;
However, in this case, I'm going to have to break that. I am currently
replaying Carbon, so I'm not just pulling this out of thin air, but with the
nature of the cards and the ability to complete multiple tasks at a go, it's
tough to lay out a specific game plan for each and every card. I hope that
makes sense.
************************************ ii *************************************
FAQS (that I made up) (faqs)
1. Q: Why a guide for such an old game?
A: Well, I answered that in the intro. It's a good game, and people still
play it. Further, GameFAQs doesn't have a Reward Card guide.
2. Q: Do you know any Cheet Kodez?
A: Actually, yes. They're down in the "Cheats" section.
3. Q: How do I get 1,000,000 cash?
A: Read this guide.
4. Q: How do I Ram 100 Police cars in a pursuit?
A: See above.
5 Q: I get [x reward] a different way than you!
A: That's not a question... But, good for you. Nobody HAS to do things my
way, so if your way's better, use it. Or, even better, send it to
me, so I can add it and we can ALL use it.
************************************ iii ************************************
THE REWARD CARDS
Need for Speed: Carbon introduces to the series a new, integrated game
achievements system in the form of Reward Cards. Each of the 25 cards,
when gained, will open a new feature for the player, in the form of new
cars or visual upgrades.
To view the Reward Cards, scroll across in the Main Menu to "Reward Cards".
Here, you will see the cards laid out in a 5x5 grid, with a yellow cursor that
can be used to move throughout the grid in order to see each of the 100 tasks
required to complete the cards. When a task is completed, it will appear
filled in with blue; Unfinished tasks remain black. Therefore, it is pretty
easy to see where you stand in regards to finishing all the cards, and how
close you are to a specific goal.
The game will also tell you, on the right side, the reward you will get for
the currently highlighted card, and all 4 tasks required to finish the card.
Since each card has 4 goals, the name of currently highlighted goal will
also be given, and the conditions for achieving that particular goal will
appear in yellow on the list, as well as a difficulty level (easy, medium, or
hard) for the selected goal.
I will list below the Reward Cards, the reward gained, and what the reward
is in the first column; The 4 goals and the goals' difficulty (according to
the game; I don't agree on some of these, but you'll see) in the next column,
and the task for each goal in the last column.
(rwrd)
CARD___________ GOALS__________ TASK______________________________
REWARD CARD 1: First Blood (Easy) Win a single race in Career
American Racing Makin' Money (Easy) Earn 30,000 cash in Career
Torq-Thrust ST Getaway (Easy) Escape a police pursuit
(Wheel) A New Challenger (Easy) Beat a Challenge Series event
REWARD CARD 2: Street Racer (Easy) Win 15 races in Career
TSW Laguna Time Shift (Easy) Use Speedbreaker once
(Wheel) 100 K (Easy) Earn 100,000 cash in Career
Quick Exit (Easy) Escape a police pursuit in under
2 minutes
REWARD CARD 3: Defender (Easy) Win a Defensive race in Career
Work Euroline FE Stash (Easy) Earn 50,000 cash in Career
(Wheel) Making Your Name (Easy) Win 5 races in Career
Fender Bender (Easy) Disable a police vehicle
REWARD CARD 4: Downhill Dynamo (Easy) Win 5 Canyon Duels
HRE 549R Consolation Award (Easy) Lose a race in Career
(Wheel) Reckless (Easy) Disable 5 police vehicles
Brake For No One (Easy) Disable 20 police vehicles
REWARD CARD 5: Canyon Conqueror (Hard) Win 10 Canyon Duels
Chevrolet Street King (Hard) Win 65 races in Career
Chevelle SS Public Enemy No.1 (Hard) Disable 50 police vehicles
(Car) Career Mogul (Hard) Earn 1,000,000 cash in Career
REWARD CARD 6: Speed Freak (Easy) Hit 130 MPH in a Speedtrap
Giovanna Ararat Urban Combat (Easy) Win 5 Free Roam Challenges
(Wheel) Vandal (Easy) Use 1 Pursuit Breaker
Road To Victory (Easy) Win 25 races in Career
REWARD CARD 7: Cuttin' Deals (Medium) Sell 3 cars in Career
Slingshot Cannonball (Medium) Hit 150 MPH in a Speedtrap
Autosculpt Hard Time (Easy) Get Busted in a police pursuit
(Spoiler) Escape Artist (Easy) Escape 5 police pursuits
REWARD CARD 8: 50 Tracks (Easy) Unlock 50 Quick Race tracks
Lamborghini 8 Rides (Medium) Acquire 8 cars in Career
Murcielago LP460 Challenge Champion (Easy)Beat 15 Challenge Series events
(Car)...heh,heh Houdini (Easy) Escape 25 police pursuits
REWARD CARD 9: Big Bucks (Medium) Earn 500,000 cash in Career
Slingshot Crime Spree (Medium) Commit 6 infractions in a single
Autosculpt CF police pursuit
(Spoiler) Block Breaker (Medium) Avoid 10 police roadblocks
Iron Tires (Medium) Avoid 10 police spike strips
REWARD CARD 10: Street Legend (Medium) Win 50 races in Career
Spencer Urban Warfare (Easy) Win 10 Free Roam challenges
Autosculpt Battering Ram (Easy) Ram 25 police vehicles
(Spoiler) All Your Bases (Medium) Unlock all Safe Houses in the
game
REWARD CARD 11: Burnt Rubber (Easy) Win 5 Drift events
Spencer Canyon Run (Easy) Win a Canyon Duel
Autosculpt CF 5 Rides (Easy) Acquire 5 vehicles in Career
(Spoiler) Challenge Novice (Easy) Win 3 Challenge Series events
REWARD CARD 12: 8 Minute Exit (Medium) Escape after an 8 minute pursuit
Mystic Autosculpt Troublemaker (Medium) Raise the Heat on your car to 4
(Spoiler) Challenge Journeyman
(Easy) Beat 5 Challenge Series events
Leader Of The Pack
(Medium) Hire 6 different Crew Members
REWARD CARD 13: Drifter (Easy) Score 100,000 pts. in a Drift event
Dragon Vinyl 3 Rides (Easy) Acquire 3 cars in Career
(Vinyl, obviously) Bronze Medal (Easy) Beat all Bronze Challenge events
Arcade Level 1 (Easy) Play 3 Quick Races
REWARD CARD 14: 20K Bounty (Easy) Get a Bounty of 20,000 in a single
Skeleton Vinyl police pursuit
(Vinyl) Rivals (Easy) Play a multiplayer race
Baiter (Easy) Raise the Heat on your car to 2
Free Ride (Easy) Win a Free Roam challenge
REWARD CARD 15: Big Game Hunter (Hard) Immobilize a police Rhino
Jaguar Vinyl Crusher (Hard) Ram 100 police vehicles in a
(Guess...) single pursuit
Diamond Tires (Hard) Avoid 12 spike strips in a single
pursuit
Untouchable (Hard) Escape 15 police pursuits
REWARD CARD 16: 1/4 Mile (Easy) Play 5 Sprint Races
Police Civic 80 Tracks (Hard) Unlock 85 Quick Race tracks
Cruiser 50K Bounty (Easy) Get a Bounty of 50,000 in a
(Car) single pursuit
Arcade Level 2 (Easy) Play 10 Quick Races
REWARD CARD 17: Wheels Of Steel (Medium) Avoid 5 spike strips in a single
Police pursuit
Interceptor Small Car Lot (Easy) Unlock 8 cars
(Car) Arcade Level 3 (Easy) Play 25 Quick Races
Silver Medal (Medium) Beat a Silver Challenge events
REWARD CARD 18: Gold Medal (Hard) Beat all Gold Challenge events
Police Rhino 12 Minute Exit (Hard) Escape after a 12 minute pursuit
(Car...SUV, Head To Head (Hard) Win 25 Free Roam challenges in
specifically) Career
Big Biz (Hard) Sell 6 cars in Career
REWARD CARD 19: Full House (Medium) Fill your Garage in Career
Cross Corvette Arcade Level 4 (Medium) Play 50 Quick Races
(Car) Iron Wall (Medium) Win 20 Defensive races in Career
Drift Pro (Medium) Score 250,000 pts. in a Drift
event
REWARD CARD 20: Tuner Addict (Hard) Fill your Garage with Tuner cars
Dumptruck Exotic Aficionado (Hard) Fill your Garage with Exotic cars
(...a huge truck) Drift King (Hard) Score 500,000 pts. in a Drift
event
Wolfshead (Hard) Accumulate a 50,000 fine in Career
REWARD CARD 21: Unstoppable (Medium) Ram 50 police vehicles in a single
Mystic pursuit
Autosculpt CF Large Car Lot (Medium) Unlock 12 cars in Career
(Spoiler) Speed Demon (Hard) Hit 190 MPH in a Speedtrap
20K Bill (Medium) Accumulate a 20,000 fine in Career
REWARD CARD 22: Fabricator (Easy) Modify your car with Autosculpt
Carbon ST-5 Stone Wheels (Easy) Avoid a spike strip in a pursuit
Autosculpt Rims Drift Novice (Easy) Win a Drift event
(Wheels) Wrecking Ball (Easy) Cause 50,000 Cost to State in a
single pursuit
REWARD CARD 23: Need For Speed (Hard) Hit 200 MPH in a Speedtrap
Mitsubishi Muscle Head (Hard) Fill your Garage with Muscle cars
Eclipse 1999 Urban Battle (Hard) Win 50 Free Roam challenges in
(Car) Career
Unblockable (Hard) Avoid 20 police roadblocks
REWARD CARD 24: Challenge Master Complete 25 Challenge Series
Firetruck (Medium) events
(um... a Moving Disaster (Medium) Cause 100,000 Cost to State in a
firetruck...) single pursuit
Downtown Turf (Medium) Conquer all Downtown Palmont
tracks in Career
Number 1 (Medium) Finish Career mode
REWARD CARD 25: Most Wanted (Hard) Raise the Heat on your car to 5
BMW M3 GTR Fast Wheels (Hard) Cause 200,000 Cost to State in a
(Awesome car) single pursuit
Conqueror (Hard) Conquer all tracks in Career
Collector (Hard) Unlock 33 cars
#### EXCLUSIVE ONLINE CARDS ####
NOTE: As I said before, I can only list these Cards. As I do not have an
XBOX, I can't give you any strategies for obtaining these.
REWARD CARD 26: XP Level 1 (Easy) Reach Online XP Level 1
Pontiac GTO Shadow Challenge (Easy) Download a Shadow Car
(Car) Showtime (Easy) Play an 8-player online game
First Step (Easy) Finish an online ranked race
REWARD CARD 27: XP Level 6 (Easy) Reach Online XP Level 6
Inferno Vinyl Tag Master (Hard) Win 10 Ranked Pursuit Tag games
(Vinyl) Big Game Champ (Medium) Win an 8-player ranked game
Super Canyon King(Hard) Win 25 ranked online Canyon Duels
REWARD CARD 28: XP Level 18 (Easy) Reach Online XP Level 18
Rotor 4 Vinyl Rock Solid (Easy) Get a 5 game winning streak in
(Vinyl) online ranked games
Circuit Star (Medium) Win 10 ranked online Circuit Races
Super Circuit Star (Hard)Win 25 ranked online Circuit Races
REWARD CARD 29: Online General (Hard) Play 100 games online
BBS RX XP Level 29 (Medium) Reach Online XP Level 29
(Wheels) Hot Streak (Medium) Get a 4 game winning streak in
online ranked games
Super Speedtrap
Specialist (Hard) Win 25 ranked Speedtrap races
REWARD CARD 30: Super Lord Of KO (Hard) Win 25 ranked Pursuit KO races
Porsche 911 GT3 RS XP Level 50 (Hard) Reach Online XP Level 50
(Car) Moderator Challenge Beat an EA Moderator in a ranked
(Hard) online game
Iron Man (Hard) Get a 6 game winning streak in
online ranked games
REWARD CARD 31: XP Level 2 (Easy) Reach Online XP Level 2
BBS CH Online Challenge Win 5 online Challenge Series
(Wheels) Contender (Medium) events
XP Level 4 (Hard)* Reach Online XP Level 4
Sultan Of Sprint (Medium)Win 10 ranked Sprint races
REWARD CARD 32: XP Level 9 (Easy) Reach Online XP Level 9
BBS LM Lucky Break (Hard)* Get a 3 game winning streak in
(Wheels) online ranked games
Online Challenge Champ Win 15 online Challenge Series
(Hard) events
Photographer (Hard)* Use Photo Mode
REWARD CARD 33: Online Lieutenant Play 50 games online
Toyota MR 2 (Medium)
(Car) Speedtrap Specialist Win 10 ranked Speedtrap races
(Medium)
Super Sultan Of Sprint Win 25 ranked Sprint races
(Hard)
XP Level 13 (Easy) Reach Online XP Level 13
REWARD CARD 34: Canyon King (Medium) Win 10 ranked Canyon Duels
Mooo Vinyl Showboat (Medium) Cross the Finish Line in reverse
(Vinyl) to win a ranked Sprint race
Super Tag Master (Hard) Win 25 ranked Pursuit Tag games
XP Level 23 (Medium) Reach Online XP Level 23
REWARD CARD 35: Lord Of KO (Medium) Win 10 ranked Pursuit KO races
Los Colibres XP Level 35 (Medium) Reach Online XP Level 35
Vinyl XP Level 42 (Hard) Reach Online XP Level 42
(Vinyl) Online Colonel (Hard) Play 75 games online
*Not sure about these, they don't seem to make sense. Maybe a typo in
my Prima strategy guide, where this info is coming from.
************************************ iv *************************************
STRATEGIES (strt)
So, you've seen what you need to do, and it looks intimidating, doesn't
it?
Well, lucky for you, I've found some pretty failsafe ways to get these
cards (in many cases, several in a single attempt), and I'm going to share
these with you. Note that these are not the ONLY methods, but going this way
might save you some time in the long run.
First, I'll deal with the goals that have no real strategy. These goals
are really only achievable in one way.
-CHALLENGE SERIES GOALS:
A New Challenger (Beat any CS event)
Challenge Novice (Beat 3 CS events)
Challenge Journeyman (Beat 5 CS events)
Challenge Champion (Beat 15 CS events)
Challenge Master (Beat 25 CS events)
Bronze Medal (Beat all Bronze level CS events)
Silver Medal (Beat all Silver level CS events)
Gold Medal (Beat all Gold level CS events)
The only way to gain these, obviously, is by participating in the Challenge
Series events. If you need help, look elsewhere; That's a different guide.
-CAREER RACE GOALS
First Blood (Win 1 race in Career)
Making Your Name (Win 5 races in Career)
Street Racer (Win 15 races in Career)
Road To Victory (Win 25 races in Career)
Street Legend (Win 50 races in Career)
Street King (Win 65 races in Career)
1/4 Mile (Play 5 Sprint races)
Consolation Award (Lose a race in Career)
Downtown Turf (Conquer all Downtown Palmont tracks in Career)
Conqueror (Conquer all tracks in the game in Career)
Again, not much can be done for these- You just gotta do as you're told.
Except for "Downtown Turf" and "Conqueror", these are all likely to take
place over the course of your career; Unless you're a NfS vet and/or super-
competetive, in which case "Consolation Award" might be an ego-bruising
challenge for you.
-GENERAL CAREER GOALS
Defender (Win a Defensive race in Career)
Iron Wall (Win 20 Defensive races in Career)
All Your Bases (Unlock all Safe Houses in Career)
Leader Of The Pack (Hire 6 different Crew memebers in Career)
Fabricator (Modify a car with Autosculpt)
Time Shift (Use Speedbreaker once)
Small Car Lot (Unlock 8 cars)
Large Car Lot (Unlock 12 cars)
Number 1 (Finish Career mode)
And again. Most here will occur during your normal Career. The Defense
races are kind of random, however, the closer you get to the end of the game,
the more often they seem to occur (sometimes after every race, which gets old
quick). Accept them all, and if you're losing, pause and restart the race- It
still counts (as long as you win).
UPDATE: As stated by BubbaFett94- Defensive races in Silverton (Stacked
Deck territory) will occur after every other first-time win. Leaving
races unfinished until you reach this point will help, but rerunning a
previously won race will not.
For "Leader of the Pack", you need to Hire each different Crew Member one
time; The game does not care if you Hire and immediately Fire them, so long
as each different guy was part of your group. If you've customized your
crew's cars, this can be annoying because Firing resets a members' car to 0
(no mods). Just cycle everyone into the crew for a minute, then put them
back the way you like them.
For the "Car Lot" goals, you can earn 2 cars in the Challenge Series, and
several more with reward cards- Remember, you only need to unlock them, not
own.
"Fabricator" and "Time Shift" are one-shot, non-specific goals. As you're
racing, press R3 (right analog stick) to activate Speedbreaker; Do it once,
you get the reward. Autosculpt is the same way, just use it, viola, you get
the highlight. Note that either Colin or Sal MUST be on your crew to
Autosculpt; Since you gain Sal very early on, and only have Neville on your
crew anyway, Hire Sal and get it over with.
-QUICK RACE GOALS
50 Tracks (Unlock 50 QR tracks)
80 Tracks (Unlock 85 QR tracks)
Arcade Level 1 (Play 3 QR)
Arcade Level 2 (Play 10 QR)
Arcade Level 3 (Play 25 QR)
Arcade Level 4 (Play 50 QR)
Rivals (Play a multiplayer split-screen race)
"50 Tracks" and "80 Tracks" will occur naturally as you progress through
Career mode. The "Arcade Level..." goals simply require you to devote a
little time to playing Quick Races- But WAIT! Quick Races are an integral
part of some of the strategies, and you will easily accumulate Arcade Level
1 and 2.
Lastly, for "Rivals", it should be noted that the game does not care if
you have no friends that play NfS, or no friends period. The only stipulation
is a split screen race. Therefore, you can easily get this by plugging in a
second controller, picking out a track and two cars, then racing one car to
the line, picking up the other controller, and racing the second car to the
line. The game will not care. You do, however, need two controllers, as
unplugging one (or not having it attached at all), will result in an error
message.
NOW, on to the strategic part of picking up Reward Cards, which is (likely)
why you're here. Once again, I'll break these into groups relevant to
achieving the goals.
-RACE TYPE/SCORE GOALS
--CANYON DUELS
Canyon Run (Win a Canyon Duel)
Downhill Dynamo (Win 5 Canyon Duels)
Canyon Conqueror (Win 10 Canyon Duels)
It is important to note that NONE of these include the phrase "in Career
mode". What does that mean? LOOPHOLE!
You need to win enough territory in Career to make a Canyon race available
in Quick Race. Once it is, build yourself a car with good handling (either
in Career or My Cars), go to Quick Race, and race the Canyon Race on Easy
difficulty... 10 times.
I say use Easy because it makes you more likely to win by overtaking the
opponent car, thus making this take up less time, but you can do it on
whatever difficulty you like.
When you finish, you'l have all the Canyon Race cards, as well as Arcade
Levels 1 and 2!
--DRIFT RACES
Drift Novice (Win a Drift event)
Burnt Rubber (Win 5 Drift events)
Drifter (Score 100,000 pts. in a Drift event)
Drift Pro (Score 250,000 pts. in a Drift event)
Drift King (Score 500,000 pts. in a Drift event)
Ahh, Drift. This can be the bane of a lot of casual drivers; However,
the loophole returns to save the day.
Start off by building yourself a drift car. I prefer the RX-8, but it's up
to you; Using a Tier 1 car will make things MUCH easier, though. Customize
your tires and set them to "grip", as this allows you a much greater margin
of error.
Now, in Quick Race (again), select your track; I like Kimie Temple in
Downtown, it's a rather wide track with gentle turns and wide bonus zones.
In the settings for the race, set the Number of Laps to 8. Yes, 8! Now run
the race. EVEN IF you're eating walls constantly, you should still end up
with almost 1,000,000 points! The only one of the above cards you won't gain
with this is "Burnt Rubber", in which case, redo the same race (in case you
fell short of 500,000), or reduce the number of laps to 1, so you can make
quick work of it. Or ignore it, as there are plenty of Drifts to run in your
Career.
--SPEEDTRAP RACES
Speed Freak (Hit 130 MPH in a Speedtrap race)
Cannonball (Hit 150 MPH in a Speedtrap race)
Speed Demon (Hit 190 MPH in a Speedtrap race)
Need For Speed (Hit 200 MPH in a Speedtrap race)
It is advisable to wait until you have Colin available to you to go for
these, as he will make it loads easier. Why not Nikki? Colin gives you a
wider draft area.
Find a Speedtrap race you like, there are several with decent straight
areas for massive speed. Go into Quick Race and select that track. Set the
competition to 1 car, on Easy (so you don't have to worry about them, only
your ridiculous velocity). Under "Custom Cars", grab the Porsche Carrera GT,
it's fully tuned, handles spectacularly, and can reach unholy speeds by
itself. Pick Colin as your crew member (or Nikki, I don't care), and use
your drafter to break the sound barrier! Note that if you were, say, to
break 200 MPH in the first trap, you gain ALL cards below your posted speed
as well. Walk in the park!
If you're having trouble, especially with 200 MPH, check below for the
"Infinite NOS" and "Infinite Crew Charge" cheats, which will make this
super simplistic.
--FREE ROAM CHALLENGES
Free Ride (Win a Free Roam challenge in Career)
Urban Combat (Win 5 Free Roam challenges in Career)
Urban Warfare (Win 10 Free Roam challenges in Career)
Head To Head (Win 25 Free Roam challenges in Career)
Urban Battle (Win 50 Free Roam challenges in Career)
Also known as the "Rival Crew Challenge", this type of race only occurs
when you're out cruising town in freeroam. While you will easily see a few
of these during your career, there is a more efficient way to get to 50, and
stack the odds in your favor while you're at it.
NOS will make this a lot quicker for you. Infinite NOS is even better.
Rival cars will be whatever Tier relates to the stage of the game you are
in; In your first territory, they will be Tier 1 (no matter what you're
driving; See the Cheats section for more), in the secind and third territories
they will be Tier 2, and in Silverton, Tier 3. Opening a new territory
upgrades all freeroam cars, so once you get to Silverton, the other crews
all have Tier 3 cars (as in, you can't return to the first territory and race
Tier 1's with your supercar).
Here's what I like to do: Find a 4-way intersection and park your car on
the curb. Usually, a Rival racer will show up within a few seconds. If you
know where the finish line is in a particular area, you can turn this to
your advantage by parking near the goal and facing it; Often, Rivals will
approach from the front or side of your car. By choosing the goal you're
facing, you can split and be halfway to the finish before the Rival car gets
turned around to even start racing! Further, you gain a distinct advantage
by racing a given course multiple times, as you learn the quickest route,
plus you can insure that you're racing in a low Heat area (so the cops don't
invade your race), and you can stretch your power further by creating a
massive pileup in the 4-way you park at. This will really tie up the
competition while you launch like a rocket!
If you REALLY want your hand held for this, here's what you want to do:
On the map, highlight the westernmost (left) edge of the 21st Street
territory. This is an area shaped like the state of California. Now, if you
look very closely, there is actually ONLY ONE four-way intersection in this
area- All rest are three-way. The four way is on the east edge of the area,
about 3/4 of the way up; You'll know when you're in the right place. On the
northwest corner of the intersection is a fountain, and, on the northeast, a
large building with a huge "Get in the Zone" sign on it.
Get yourself over to this intersection, and park on the curb. You may want
to be facing south; Better yet, aim your car east or west. I used this method
to raise over 150,000, and it seems that, as long as you are PARKED, the rival
cars will ALWAYS approach from the rear. It is very easy to turn this to your
advantage.
That said, the rival car should turn up inside of a minute. Take the
challenge and, on the "goal select" screen, choose the finish line that
appears almost directly south of your position. Not only is this goal within
very close proximity, but, once you win, it is extremely easy to get back to
where you started and repeat the process. You can easily bring down $1000 a
minute using this method. As an added bonus, this area has inherently low
Zone Heat, so the cops will probably never show up (although they will make
radio calls about you), meaning you can terrorize this course with impunity.
At any rate, 50 races is still a lot, and Free Roams are part of a later
strategy, so don't immerse yourself too much just yet...
-CAR OWNERSHIP/TYPE RELATED GOALS
--ACQUIRING/ SELLING CARS
Cuttin' Deals (Sell 3 cars in Career)
Big Biz (Sell 6 cars in Career)
3 Rides (Acquire 3 cars in Career)
5 Rides (Acquire 5 cars in Career)
8 Rides (Acquire 8 cars in Career)
Full House (Fill your Garage in Career)
The only advice I can give you is this: Try to get Pink Slips from Boss
races, and MAKE SURE to wait until Nikki is on your crew to start moving
some serious steel. Aside from thet, this next strategy will insure you
get these cards.
--CAR TYPE BASED GOALS
Tuner Addict (Fill your Garage with only Tuner cars in Career)
Exotic Aficianado (Fill your Garage with only Exotic cars in Career)
Muscle Head (Fill your Garage with only Muscle cars in Career)
Like I just said, this will help you get the above rewards. You'll need
around 600,000 cash available to you, and Nikki in the crew won't hurt (she
gets you a 10% discount on all car purchases).
Regardless of what you're driving, we'll start with Exotics. Why? Simple:
They cost the most, meaning both a higher initial expense as well as a higher
resale return.
Sell all of your cars except 1 (you can't sell your last car). Drive down
to the nearest car lot and buy Alfa Romeo Breras over and over (it says fill
the Garage with exotics, not different exotics... Loophole!) until you get a
message saying the Garage is full (8 cars, I believe, so the one you have plus
7 Breras). Go back to the Safe House, sell your last non-exotic car, and buy
your last Brera for the highlight (unless you own an exotic, in which case
you already got it).
Now, sell all of those (and reap the "Cuttin' Deals" and "Big Biz" goals)
and buy a full stock of Chevrolet Camaro SS's, as Muscles are the second most
expensive cars. Swap your last car for a final Camaro to get the "Muscle
Head" goal.
Last, sell all of those and fill up on Mazda RX-8's (or Nissan 240SX's, if
you opened it). Swap your remaining car for one of these.
Once you recieve "Tuner Addict", you can sell off everything and repurchase
whatever you were driving to begin with. Remember to use Yumi to get 10% off
on parts!
Note that you don't HAVE to do it this way; You can easily start with
whatever car type you're initally using to gain the goal before you sell it.
I only describe it this way for financial purposes.
--THE FINAL CAR GOAL
Collector (Unlock 33 cars)
There are a number of ways to accomplish this. Completing the Career opens
6 more cars on top of everything you unlocked during the course of your
Career; The Challenge Series has two unlockable cars; The Reward Cards turn
over a total of 10 cars- One is unlocked by gaining this goal, however, so
you can contribute only 9 of these.
Last but not least, if you end your Career (see Cheats for more on this),
and restart on a different Career path, you will unlock new cars that will
be added to the total vehicles you unlocked in your previous run.
-MONEY RELATED GOALS
Makin' Money (Earn 30,000 cash in Career)
Stash (Earn 50,000 cash in Career)
100K (Earn 100,000 cash in Career)
Big Bucks (Earn 500,000 cash in Career)
Career Mogul (Earn 1,000,000 cash in Career)
If I had to guess, I'd say THIS (and the below area) are what you really
want to see.
The specific difficulty here is the 1,000,000 goal; If you can get to
Silverton, earning 100,000 can happen in 4 races... If you can get to
Silverton with one car, you've earned everything up to "Big Bucks".
"One car!" you say. Actually, it's 2, but here's how I do it:
Start your career in Kempton, Angie's 21st Street territory, by selecting
the Muscle path. Yes, I know, Muscles... Don't sweat it. Use the Camaro
to beat two of the races in the first area (I believe one is a Checkpoint,
even easier!). This will open the adjacent territories for racing, and, even
better, give you access to a car lot. And look at that, you should have just
enough cash to get an RX-8. Trade the Camaro for the Mazda, and use its
superior handling to lay waste to the Muscle cars here- they have to slow to
a near stop to make corners, while you stick to the road like velcro. Keep
Neville's car fully upgraded (it's free, choose to "View Car" then "Customize"
under "My Crew"), that way he should be able to take the win if you have any
close calls.
Now, PAY ATTENTION to what you're unlocking in the races you run. There
are two or three levels of parts: Street (Level 1), Pro (Level 2), and Race
(Level 3). Race to unlock the HIGHEST level parts first, and upgrade directly
to that level, instead of buying, say, Nitrous three times. Be aware that
Neville can carry you quite a ways, but you'll probably need a peak-performing
RX-8 to take Angie.
Speaking of which, try to get Angie's Pink Slip after the race.
On the up-side, that maxxed out RX-8 is enough to beat every single track
in Fortuna and Downtown, up to the Boss races. Also, start using Samson in
races (but keep Neville on your crew), to enjoy a helpful monetary boost.
If you got Angie's Charger, you can try that to beat Kenji and Wolf. If
you can't drive Muscles (like me), you'll likely need a new ride. Both boss'
cars are stock save a NOS package, so Tier 2 with good Acceleration and
Handling is a big help- I pick up a Porsche Cayman S ($75,000) and upgrade it.
It not only beats these guys into the ground, but, even though it seems to be
a lot of money, you can still get up to nearly $700,000 in Silverton.
Again, try to get the Slips. Sell the boss cars (or drive one), and any
other car in the Garage you don't need (goodbye, beloved RX-8.) Keep Samson's
car at peak performance, and let him win for you if you must.
When it comes time to get a Tier 3 car, try to go for the Subaru WRX or
Mitsubishi EVO IX; Both have awesome handling. Use Nikki to get a discount on
the car, then swap in Yumi for cheap parts.
You'll still be short, though. If it's only a little (as in, you drive
better than me- Not surprising), remember you have 50 Free Roam races to do,
at $1000 per win ($50 grand total).
If you're waaay short, go back to the Garage, buy up whatever you can to
blow cash (lower-level parts, visuals, whatever), until you get stupidly low
on cash (double or triple digit figures... If you spend it all down to the
last penny, good job), then go out and get yourself busted.
You will be prompted to reload your Career or Quit; Quit, and start a fresh
Career from the beginning (see Cheats if you don't know why).
Now it's just a matter of earning enough cash to get a new Tier 3 ride. If
you absolutely cannot live without visual customization, try to set an easily
replaceable budget, or figure out how much what you want costs, and race Free
Roams for the money, instead of dipping into your winnings.
Doing this should get you to 1,000,000. Or close enough that Free Roam runs
will pull you the rest of the way.
It also bears mentioning that your Crew can (and will) be a great benefit to
you in achieving any or all of these goals. Certain Crew members possess
inherent abilities that will help you fill your wallet and keep it full:
Neville- Your first Crew member earns you an extra $200 per race, so long as
he is a Crew member (must be on the Crew, but does not need to race.)
Samson- Samson, aside from being a fantastic Blocker, bestows upon you a 10%
increase to race winnings, so long as he is the 'Active' Crew member
(he races with you).
As you can see, having these two in your Crew will significantly boost your
income. For your third Crew member, you should use whichever member will
benefit your current agenda- Sal and Colin each allow you to Autosculpt
different vehicle parts when you customize. For monetary reasons:
Yumi- Having Yumi in the Crew will net you a 10% discount on all parts.
Obviously, you should Hire her on when you decide to do performance
upgrades.
Nikki- Your last Crew member, Nikki, has the semi-useful ability to get you
10% off the purchase price on any lot vehicle; If you choose to go
buy a new car, add her to the Crew beforehand.
************************************ v ************************************
PURSUIT-RELATED GOALS AND STRATEGY (prst)
If you're not trying to find out how to get 1,000,000 cash (see directly
above), then most likely you're hung up on one of these goals. This section
covers everything from raising bounty to the elusive "Ram 100" goal.
Basically, if it has to do with cops, it's here and not up there.
Let's get this out of the way first: I like pursuits. I like them A LOT.
The only difficulty I ever have with the cops is getting them to keep playing
until I want to quit. As such, I usually don't find this batch of goals all
that difficult; You may feel differently.
-HONORABLE MENTION
--THE FIRST PURSUIT GOAL
Hard Time (Get Busted in a police pursuit)
This should be one of your first (if not THE first) goals of your Career:
Get tossed in the slammer. Doing this early will save you a lot of cash in
the long run, as every pursuit you evade adds unserved infractions to your
total; Once you DO get caught, you pay EVERYTHING.
Getting the 5-0's attention is simple enough: Find the area of the current
territory with the highest Heat Level, and start raising hell. Smash into
NPC cars, knock over road signs and Pursuit Breakers, anything that's illegal
in real life. Sooner or later your radio will pipe up about a "911 call...".
Now, find yourself a cop. The map will flash when they're close, and they
show up as a red triangle (the point of the triangle indicates their direction
of travel). Once the pursuit begins, simply stop dead and wait a few seconds.
BUSTED!
-MULTI-GOAL STRATEGY
The first strategy I'm going to lay out for you is my Crown Jewel, and
pretty much the reason for this guide (I'm very proud of it, as you can tell).
It involves beginning your criminal career very early, for a good reason, and
will knock a load of goals off your chart in one go.
The goals covered by this strategy are:
Getaway (Escape a police pursuit)
Vandal (Use one Pursuit Breaker)
Fender Bender (Disable a police vehicle)
Reckless (Disable 5 police vehicles)
Brake For No One (Disable 20 police vehicles)
Public Enemy No. 1 (Disable 50 police vehicles)
Battering Ram (Ram 25 police vehicles)
Unstoppable (Ram 50 police vehicles in a single pursuit)
Crusher (Ram 100 police vehicles in a single pursuit)
Block Breaker (Avoid 10 police roadblocks)
Unblockable* (Avoid 20 police roadblocks)
8 Minute Exit (Escape after an 8 minute police pursuit)
12 Minute Exit (Escape after a 12 minute police pursuit)
Baiter* (Raise the Heat on your car to Level 2)
Troublemaker* (Raise the Heat on your car to Level 4)
20K Bounty* (Get a Bounty of 20,000 cash in a single pursuit)
50K Bounty* (Get a Bounty of 50,000 cash in a single pursuit)
Wrecking Ball* (Cause 50,000 Cost to State in a single pursuit)
Moving Disaster* (Cause 100,000 Cost to State in a single pursuit)
Fast Wheels* (Cause 200,000 Cost to State in a single pursuit)
NOTE #1: Goals marked with a * are not guaranteed, but fairly likely
NOTE #2: Attempting this strategy later in the Career will add multiple other
goals to the list, such as "Big Game Hunter", most or all involving spike
strips, fines, and Heat Levels, and "Crime Spree". As I do not do this
(it also becomes MUCH harder to escape), strategies for these goals
follow.
That's a big list, no? The basic formula is this: Get involved in a long
chase very early in your Career. Why? Simple: The police only use very basic
tactics in the beginning, plus you won't be contending with Rhinos or Spike
Strips, which can turn things south real quick, and, after you've invested a
lot of time in the chase (its the "Crusher" goal that does it), possibly
result in a shattered controller when you're busted.
Aside from that, it's very simple: Make sure you pee first, if you smoke,
have your cancer sticks handy, put at least a NOS kit on your car, and go
find a cop to play with.
On to the specifics of making this work:
-Turn off Autosave first. If the worst happens, you're out a lot of
time, but not much else.
-As I said, do this early on. You'll be dealing with Civic Cruisers,
easy to wreck with NOS on a Tier 1 (and silly putty if you restarted
and have a Tier 3) and rudimentary pursuit tactics.
-RAM EVERYTHING IN SIGHT! Plow the police cars, hit street signs, NPC
vehicles if you get the chance, kiosks... EVERYTHING!!
-HOWEVER... Be careful with Pursuit Breakers. If a new wave of cars
just dropped in, by all means, crush them. If you've only got a single
pursuer, though...
-...A single police vehicle in pursuit MUST be completely disabled to
spawn a new one before the Wave Timer counts out. If you only spin him
out or block his path, you run the risk of entering Cooldown, and then
finding a new cop to resume the chase can be difficult.
-Crash through EVERY roadblock... And not just once, multiple times!
Roadblock cars DO NOT count as deployed vehicles, so it is possible, if
you U-Turn and hit each car in the block, to cause the "Cars Diabled"
counter to exceed the "Cars Deployed" counter!
-Every vehicle (SUV's included) has a "Sweet Spot". In roadblocks, try
to hit the cars directly where the back of the front door and the front
of the back door meet, or dead-nuts center. Use NOS to increase your
velocity and Speedbreaker to increase your mass for spectacular effects!
-On the other hand, NEVER hit a car from the front. You'll stop dead
in your tracks, almost every time.
-"Ramming" and "Disabled" are NOT the same. "Disabled" is damaging a car
beyond its operating capacity, by hitting it, causing it to hit
something, or dropping a Pursuit Breaker on it. "Ramming" is making
solid car-to-car contact (often, if you ram a pursuing car, the radio
will spit out a comment, "Control, suspect just rammed me", "Vehicle
tried to force me off the road", etc.
-If you blast through a roadblock and lose the pursuit cars (your green
"Evade" meter starts filling up), simply reverse into visual range of the
roadblock (the "Evade" meter will reset to 0), and wait for the car to
follow. Civic Cruisers and their unmarked brethren are slow, so you're
in no danger. As soon as the "Evade" meter starts to go red, take off.
-Use your HUD. It will tell you how many cars have been deployed into the
current chase, how many you've disabled (NOT rammed), how long until a
new wave arrives to be turned into scrap metal, what your Heat Level is,
what your Bounty and Cost to State are, and most vitally, where you are,
where the cops are, and where things to smash the cops are.
-Infinite NOS and Speedbreaker are helpful.
That's the gist of it. As long as you persist in annihalating every
destructable item you see in the world around you and every cop car you can
(preferably by slamming into it), you'll accumulate all kinds of Heat, Bounty,
and Cost to State. Keep the pursuit up until somewhere around 200 cars have
been deployed, then wreck out your last pursuer and hide, and the glorious
bounty of rewards is yours.
-PURSUIT EVASION GOALS
Getaway (Escape a police pursuit)
Quick Exit (Escape a police pursuit in less than 2 minutes)
Escape Artist (Escape 5 police pursuits)
Untouchable (Escape 15 police pursuits)
Houdini (Escape 25 police pursuits)
8 Minute Exit (Escape after an 8 minute police pursuit)
12 Minute Exit (Escape after a 12 minute police pursuit)
I realize I just covered a couple of these, but let's say you've got most
of the above, and don't need to be involved in an hour long chase for one or
two.
"8 Minute" and "12 Minute" are just that: Pursuits that exceed a given time.
You can easily acquire both in one pursuit, since 12 minutes is obviously
longer than 8 minutes.
For the others, we once again turn to our friend, the loophole. You see,
NONE of the "Escape X number pursuits" goals specifies a time limit. Quite
simply, get the cops' attention and use your map to find a car. When
searching for the suspect (that's you), patrol cars are spread out, meaning
that one on your map is just that: ONE. Go find him, ram his car into the
recycling bin, then hide. No sweat. It doesn't take long at all to evade
25 ten-second pursuits.
-VEHICLE HEAT LEVEL GOALS
Baiter (Raise the Heat on your car to Level 2)
Troublemaker (Raise the Heat on your car to Level 4)
Most Wanted (Raise the Heat on your car to Level 5)
Again, a couple of these were just mentioned. First, note that Vehicle Heat
and Zone Heat ARE NOT the same; In fact, they aren't even related to one
another.
"Zone Heat" is the level of police activity within a given area of the map;
It varies by territory and is affected by the territory's "level" (i.e. how
far into the game you are- The first territory you race in will have the
lowest Heat, while Silverton will have Zone Heat 4 or 5 in every territory)
and by how much criminal activity (racing) takes place in the territory- In
other words, the more you race (either events or Free Roams) in an area, the
more attention the cops pay.
"Vehicle Heat", on the other hand, is related directly to a specific car.
The more you use a certain car to race and in pursuits, the more the cops
look for it. Lowering vehicle Heat can be done by modifying the appearance
of the car, not driving that car for a while, or by paying to lower it. Of
course, we're not trying to lower Heat, we're trying to raise it! Simply
apply the above in reverse: Race with one car a lot, let the cops chase that
car a lot, and drag the pursuits out as long as possible, as the vehicle Heat
will go up as the pursuit continues. Note that Vehicle Heat is also related
to your Career progress, and can only reach a certain point at given parts of
the game.
-FINES, BOUNTY, AND COST TO STATE
20K Bill (Accumulate a 20,000 Fine in Career)
Wolfshead (Accumulate a 50,000 Fine in Career)
20K Bounty (Get a Bounty of 20,000 cash in a single pursuit)
50K Bounty (Get a Bounty of 50,000 cash in a single pursuit)
Wrecking Ball (Cause 50,000 Cost to State in a single pursuit)
Moving Disaster (Cause 100,000 Cost to State in a single pursuit)
Fast Wheels (Cause 200,000 Cost to State in a single pursuit)
These three catagories are loosely related, but each has its own specific
conditions for calculation.
Let's begin with Fines- Fines, essentially, are a tally of your Infractions
(see How This Game Works, below, for more). Every time you are involved in a
pursuit, each criminal act you commit has a certain cash penalty attached to
it- Just like real life. Speeding, destroying property, and endangering the
public all calculate separately, and become one huge bill once you are finally
brought to justice. Every time you evade a pursuit, you also are Fined for
evading, and the "court" keeps track of your bill for you (how thoughtful).
Long story short, participate in as many pusuits as possible, cause as much
havoc during those pursuits as you can, and avoid capture as long as you can,
and your Fine will be... Well, fine.
Next, Bounty. Bounty is a price on your head. If you pay attention to the
story, you will know Cross is a Bounty Hunter, NOT a cop. Bounty is what the
State is willing to shell out to have you brought in, more or less. The
longer you remain "at large", the more you're worth. Bounty is raised by
disabling police vehicles in pusuit, and grows exponentially based on your
current Vehicle Heat.
Lastly, Cost To State. Cost to State is just that: How much it's costing
the "State" to fix the chaos you wreak. Every time you destroy State
property, in the form of street signs, information booths, Pursuit Breakers,
or police vehicles, your Cost To State will rise. Basically, crash into as
much stuff as you can to get this to ludicrous levels.
-ADVANCED PURSUIT GOALS
Stone Wheels (Avoid a Spike Strip in a police pursuit)
Wheels Of Steel (Avoid 5 police Spike Strips in a single pursuit)
Iron Tires (Avoid 10 police Spike Strips)
Diamond Tires (Avoid 12 police Spike Strips in a single pursuit)
Big Game Hunter (Immobilize a police Rhino)
I really enjoy the irony of "Stone Wheels"... Where else are you going to
avoid a Spike Strip, during a Drift race?
At any rate, the "Wheels" and "Tires" goals are essentially all related,
as they ask you to do the same thing, only an increasing number of times.
These goals rate an "Advanced" moniker only because they must be completed
later in the game, when the law starts employing these tactics.
Avoiding Spike Strips is basically the same as avoiding roadblocks, only
potentially more risky. Running over a Spike Strip ruins your tires and
renders you far more likely to be caught. Certain tactics can be applied to
escape these measures:
-First, pay attention to your radio. Often, the cops in the block ahead
will outright tell you where the spike strip is going to be, "Patrol members,
be advised, spikes in the road on the right/ left", etc.
-Pay attention to the road ahead. When you see the roadblock, NEVER aim
for the path of least resistance- There's a REASON there's no car in that
part of the block!! If you must break the block, go THROUGH a cop car, not
around. Note that at higher Heat Levels, the Feds get wise to this and WILL
lay spikes in the center of the road, with a car directly behind them.
-Use your Speedbreaker! For one, it gives you extra time to survey the
situation and find a safe route. Secondly, it increases your vehicle's mass,
allowing you to plow through the opposition with ease.
-Last, if the worst should happen (as in, you hit the spikes), all is not
lost. Most Tier 3 car, especially Muscles, have more than enough guts to
escape on bare rims. Your handling will be severely compromised, though,
especially if you only pop one side or a single tire. You can remedy this a
little by intentionally blowing out your remaining tires on another spike
strip.
I would advise trying to draw out the first pursuit you encounter Spikes in
and getting all 4 goals in one go, then you can simply not deal with them for
the remainder of the game.
Now, on to "Big Game Hunter". This can seem a ridiculous (or even
impossible) request, but it isn't, I assure you. In fact, it's rather easy,
if you know what to do.
Number one, never, NEVER, try to take out an SUV in pursuit- You will not
win. Those things are reenforced specifically for ramming you, which is why
they come at you like they do.
Instead, try to catch one in a Pursuit Breaker, if the opportunity presents
itself (it will, occasionally). Alternately, break through one of the rare
SUV roadblocks the game throws at you; Rhino's have the same weakness from
the side as patrol cars. Hit one smack center with NOS and Speedbreaker
applied and they launch like a rocket.
Then, there's my personal favorite: Get a good crowd of PC's in pursuit,
and lead them right into the oncoming Rhinos! Should you succesfully dodge
the heavies, they will most likely do their intended work on one of your cop
pals, demolishing not only the pursuit cars but, often, themselves as well!
-THE LAST PURSUIT GOAL
--INFRACTIONS
Crime Spree (Commit 6 Infractions in a single pursuit)
This goal bears so much explaining, it (almost) gets its own devoted
section, below.
An Infraction, at its simplest, is a criminal act. There are several that
the game recognizes, with certain prerequisites that determine what the act
qualifies as. Think of it in terms of real life, yet again: Speeding is an
infraction. Driving with an improper liscense plate is another; Without
insurance (in a lot of places), a third. Destruction of property, reckless
endangerment, fleeing and evading... All Infractions.
For instance (in real life), let's say you're blowing down the freeway at
a buck-twenty-five, weaving in and out of traffic, in the oncoming lane, with
a brew in your lap and a taillight out. When the cops do finally grab you and
drag you up in front of the man, you're going to be charged with Speeding,
Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangerment, DUI, and Fleeing and Evading ('cause
if you're doing the rest of that, you aren't likely to just pull over nicely
when the red lights come on in your rearview), and a Fix-It ticket for the
taillight to boot. All separate infractions.
It should be noted that (gamewise), for an Infraction to be added to your
total, the police MUST witness you committing the act in question. If you
eradicate a Pursuit Breaker and no one's around, no one's the wiser.
Lastly, it is easiest to get this goal when the police initiate the chase
during a Circuit race- See below, "Infractions", for why.
************************************ vi **********************************
HOW THIS GAME WORKS-TIPS AND TRICKS (hwrk)
This particular section is just going to elaborate on some of the in-game
checks and balances that figure out if you rate a reward. Since most of the
goals are really no-brainers, and you ought to be able to figure out the
physics engine yourself, the bulk of this content will be on pursuits.
Consider it an ammendment to the above section.
Before that, though:
You may notice I used the term 'loophole' a lot at the beginning of this
document. In case you don't know, and are "far too busy" to look it up, a
loophole is essentially a way of doing something in a manner that may not be
exactly consistent with another's view on the situation. Lawyers love
loopholes, and so should you, especially in this game.
Many of the goals the game requests are worded (and recognized by the
programming) in such a way that certain conditions can be met in a number
of ways that don't require you to really work for them- For example, "Score
500,000 pts. in a Drift event". Now, during the course of career, this may
seem a bit out of reach, especially if you can't get the hang of the Drift
physics. But since there's no stipulation against achieving this goal in any
specific type of race, going into Quick Race and setting your target laps to 8
suddenly makes this child's play, without any real pressure on the gamer to
build any skill at controlling their car.
The same applies for "Win 10 Canyon Duels"- It never says that they have to
be during Career, or even that they have to be 10 different Duels. Find one
track you like, and run it 10 consecutive times in Quick Race. Easy.
The point is, as you're reading the goal descriptions in-game, it can
appear to be a rather hefty undertaking... But it's actually not.
Except the Challenge Series... Damn I hate the Challenge Series...
-RAMMING AND AVOIDING
Now, pursuit goals. Some of these I elaborated on previously, such as the
"Escape X-number police pursuits" goals. Basically, more loophole-speak.
For the further goals, however, it is important to understand how the game
"thinks" in terms of its law system, particularly pursuit tactics and
Infractions.
To begin with, let's look at two terms that appear in certain goals'
descriptions: "Ram" and "Avoid".
"Ramming" (as interpreted by the game) is solid vehicle-to-vehicle contact
that generally results in visible damage but does not necessaraly incapacitate
a vehicle. It can sometimes be difficult to determine if a "Ram" has occured,
making the "Ram 100" goal particularly frustrating. In general:
-"Ramming" will usually result in some form of visual damage to the rammed
vehicle. If you connect with a PC at slower speeds, it will not show visual
indications of being hit, i.e. dents, shattered windows, etc.
-"Ramming" an active pusuit vehicle (NOT a stationary roadblock car) will
often illicit a response in the form of radio communication: "Suspect just
rammed me", "Suspect just tried to take me out", etc.
-"Ramming" will not always result in disabling the rammed vehicle.
-Although they will not acknowledge it via radio, stationary cars can and
should be rammed. They are your easiest target.
-That said, two of my favorite "Ramming" techniques: 1)Slam into stationary
roadblock cars. If possible, turn around and hit another, and another, and...
This can usually give you 3-5 "Rams" with little effort. 2)When you see a
police vehicle on the road in front of you, NOS right into his rear bumper.
Most times, he either "never saw you coming", or he's trying to fall in behind
you; Either way, he's an easy, slow moving target begging to be hit.
"Avoiding" is a poor term, in my opinion. In my interpretation, "avoiding"
something is not coming into contact with it.
For example:
I I
I I
Ix x xI---police roadblock
I I
----- -----
----- -----
I I
I I
I ^--I---your car
I I
Now, let's say this is your game scenario: You are approaching the 4-way
intersection, as above, and the police have the far side of the intersection
blocked. According to MY interpretation of the term "avoid", you could simply
turn right or left at the intersection, hence never coming into contact with
the roadblock, and, by definition, having "avoided" it.
Unfortunately, this does not hold true in the game. In order to "avoid"
the roadblock, you must successfully penetrate it and continue on. Note that
there is no prerequisite on hitting anything on the way through; If there is
a "hole" in the formation, passing through it still counts.
Also, "avoiding" Spike Strips does NOT mean that you must hit the strip
itself, only that you must pass through the roadblock in which the Spikes
are deployed.
***Thanks to BubbaFett94 for helping me understand these mechanics. The
above explainations would have been much shorter without the help, and
much less informative***
-INFRACTIONS
Another confusing term in the game, for a different reason, is "Infraction".
The game will allude to these acts, but (so far as I've seen), no one ever
bothers to enlighten you as to what qualifies. Fear not, fellow racer, I am
here to free your mind.
The following are what the game considers "Infractions", and how to commit
them:
-Speeding: When you are clocked (seen by a PC) in excess of 150 MPH
(240 KmPH), you are "Speeding".
-Excessive Speeding: When you are clocked in excess of 180 MPH (288KmPH),
it qualifies as "Excessive Speeding".
-Reckless Driving: Get clocked at more than 200 MPH (320 KmPH) and you are
driving recklessly.
-Damage to Property: Any time you destroy (by crashing into) any public
property, such as road signs, cones, information booths, or those stupid
patio tables, that's "Damage to Property".
-Driving off Roadway: Leave the road; It's that simple. The easiest way to
score this write up is to lead the cops through the park shortcuts in
Downtown.
-Hit and Run: If you somehow manage to hit a non-police vehicle (they all
seem to vanish once the chase is on), you get "Hit and Run", which is NOT
the same as...
-Ramming a Police Vehicle: Physical car-to-car contact between your own
vehicle and a PC, intentional or otherwise, qualifies.
And finally:
-Fleeing and Evading: If you end the pursuit by waiting out Cooldown mode,
you have Fled and Evaded.
Most of these are relatively easy to accomplish. The police cars are
programmed to maintain a certain distance from your own vehicle, so don't
worry about losing them when you hit the spray to go for "Reckless Driving"...
Believe me, even the level 1 Civic Cruisers can keep up at 215 MPH!
The two worst seem to be "Driving off Roadway", as the police sometimes
will not follow you when you cut through the park, and I believe it doesn't
register to them (he didn't "witness" you committing the act), and "Hit and
Run".
As I mentioned, most of the NPC vehicles seem to evaporate as soon as the
pursuit initiates, so most often you're reduced to trying to get this
infraction within the first few seconds of the chase.
There is, however, a much easier way to do this: Do your "Crime Spree" run
when the cops show up during a Circuit race. The other vehicles that
participated in the race itself WILL NOT despawn until the pursuit concludes,
and all of them (including your wingman) count as civilian vehicles. What's
more, the opponent cars will generally continue following the race course,
around and around, making them prime targets. They also register on your
radar as orange triangles, so you can easily track them down.
***Thanks to Heidar Bergsson for the "KmPH" speeds, and for pointing out to
me that some people prefer metric. I never thought about it.***
And now, thanks to Ariecos for figurung out how much each Infraction
costs. This can be particularly helpful for the "20K Bill" and "Wolfshead"
Cards:
Speeding: $350
Excessive Speeding: $150
Reckless Driving: $1000
Damage to Property: $100
Driving Off Roadway: ???
Hit and Run: $300
Ramming a Police Vehicle: $350
Fleeing and Evading: $300
"So, if you do the seven I actually KNOW, you get a fine of $2550 per
pursuit."
Excellent! I never would have taken the time to figure it out myself!
-HEAT
As previously mentioned, there are two separate and distinct types of
"Heat" found in the game: "Zone Heat", which relates directly to the area
you're currently driving in, and "Vehicle Heat", which is based solely on
the car you're occupying. These two figures are not related in any way
beyond name.
--ZONE HEAT
The most straightforward of the two, Zone Heat simply indicates the police
presence in a given area. You have no doubt noticed that the four sectors of
Palmont City are divided further into small sections, each usually containing
3 races, that you take over during your Career.
Each of these sections will have its own Zone Heat rating, which determines
how likely the cops are to raid a race while you're in it, and how quickly
the police respond during Free Roam when you start acting up. Use Zone Heat
if you're looking for trouble, or trying to avoid it.
There are a few ways to manipulate Zone Heat, the first being, quite simply,
racing within the territory. Want a Zone to cool down? Try racing somewhere
else for a while, and shift the cops' attention. Trying to warm it up? Run
any race course and Free Roam challenge you can find within the borders.
Your crew can also be used to control Heat; Certain members have inherent
abilities that allow you to pull one over on the system. They are:
-Neville: Your first Crew member, Neville has the ability to prevent Zone Heat
from increasing in the area you currently occupy. Note that he MUST be your
active Crew member for the bonus to take effect.
-Samson: The giant Muscle driver will lower the Zone Heat in any Zone you
control (in other words, the territory is blue on the map and has your Crew
logo on it). This is a Career bonus granted simply by having Samson hired
on as a Crew member.
As a general rule, the further you progress in your Career, the higher the
Zone Heat of newly opened areas will be.
--VEHICLE HEAT
Vehicle Heat is only slightly more complicated. It ties directly to the car
you're currently operating, and will increase for that car every time you take
part in a police chase.
Interestingly enough, the radio transmissions you pick up are an indicator
of your current Vehicle Heat (in case you didn't notice the Vehicle Heat
display in the lower left corner of your HUD, you know?); With a low (0-2)
Heat level on your car, when the call goes out to loose the dogs on you, most
often the operator will have "No vehicle description at this time", or "Having
difficulty with a description". As your Heat starts to rise, though, they'll
have your make and color pegged. This actually affects pursuit initiation,
as, when the call goes out for an unidentified car, you can actually pull over
and stop on the curb, and police cars will cruise right past you- They're
looking for a speeding vehicle! When they've got your number, though, it's
on- As soon as you come within visual range of a cop, he's after you no matter
what you were doing.
It is worth noting that Vehicle Heat, similar to Zone Heat, will only reach
certain levels based on you Career progression; Early on, your car's Heat
won't go higher than a certain point no matter what you do, which is exactly
why my Multi Goal strategy works as well as it does.
Once your Vehicle Heat does start skyrocketing, though, there are some ways
to handle it:
-If it's an option, stop using the current car for a while. If the vehicle
isn't spotted on the road, eventually the cops will give up on it.
-Change the visual appearance of the vehicle. Repaint it, add a spoiler or
body kit... Anything that makes it harder to recognise.
-You can spend Cash to lower Heat in the Safe House menu. It costs 1000 to
drop the Heat one level.
-Sal: The mousy Scout comes with a built-in ability to drop the Heat on your
ride every time you win a race. He MUST be the active Crew member to do so.
-PURSUIT TACTICS
An interesting and integral part of the game, Pursuit Tactics are how the
police are going to attempt to deal with you and end your fun (or reign of
terror...)
The strategies the police will employ, or try to employ, relate directly
to your current Vehicle Heat. The more they wanna stop that particular car,
the harder they'll chase you.
Pursuit Tactics fall into two basic catagories: Vehicles Deployed and
Measures Employed. We'll look at the Vehicles first.
--VEHICLES DEPLOYED
These are the police units you'll be dealing with as your noteriety grows:
HEAT LEVEL 1: Civic Cruiser
-Easy to avoid, outrun, and crush, the Civic Cruiser is the base level PC.
Drivers of this vehicle will generally not use any threatening tactics.
HEAT LEVEL 2: Civic Undercover
-Also easy to deal with, this is pretty much the same car as above, only
dark blue instead of black and white.
HEAT LEVEL 3: State Pursuit, Rhino
-This is where it starts getting serious. While the Staties are nothing
much, the occasional Rhino CAN be a problem, especially if you aren't
expecting them.
HEAT LEVEL 4: State Undercover, Rhino
-This is a good place to be to get the "Big Game Hunter" goal. Rhinos will
be out in force and the State Undercover units have a way of sticking to
you like leeches.
HEAT LEVEL 5: Federal Interceptor, Rhino Heavy
-Somebody wants you, bad! A Level 5 pursuit is not an undertaking lightly
ventured upon. Rhinos get even MORE agressive, and the Feds can dodge
almost anything you throw at 'em. Lose these guys, and you're a criminal
mastermind.
--MEASURES EMPLOYED
Now that you know what'll be chasing you, let's look at what they'll be
doing to stop you (descriptions of measures follow):
HEAT LEVEL 1: Shadow, Rolling Block
HEAT LEVEL 2: Box, Stationary Block, Ram (Rhino)
HEAT LEVEL 3: Box, Herd, PIT, Rolling and Stationary Block, Ram (Rhino)
HEAT LEVEL 4 and 5: Box, Herd, PIT, Rolling and Stationary Block, Heavy Block,
Ram, Spike Strip (more agressive at Level 5)
Shadow: The PC simply follows your car for a while, generally while he's
waiting for backup to arrive. Use quick, unexpected turns to lose him.
Box: A number of cars (2-5) will attempt to surround your car and brake
simultaneously in an effort to force you to stop. This tactic is strong
once in place, but weak during assembly; Often, there is enough space in
the formation to let you squeeze through. Also note that this formation
will break at any intersection, so just head for the nearest 4-way.
Herd: This is basically a different version of the Box, in which PCs will
surround your car and then try to force you into a certain area,
generally into a Stationary Block or Spike Strip, to end the pursuit.
Take it as a hint... If they want you to go a particular way, you
DON'T want to go that way!
Stationary Block: A number of cars will park across the road in an effort to
prevent you from going any further; Usually easy to see coming. Turn to
avoid completely, or simply crash through. The two most effective
methods of penetrating the block are to aim for two cars parked trunk to
trunk and plow through the gap, or annihilate one of the cars by hitting
it dead center, where the back of the front door and the front of the
back door meet. Speedbreaker and NOS greatly assist this effort.
Rolling Block: A number of cars (usually 3-5) will attempt to pass your own
car and create a line in front of you. Once in place, they will all
brake simultaneously in an effort to halt the pursuit. This method
has the same weaknesses as the Box maneuver, and is also easily evaded
by simply grabbing the E-brake and pulling a 180.
Heavy Block: A stationary block composed of Rhino Heavy SUVs. Can be broken
with NOS and Speedbreaker; Aim for the center of the truck.
Ram: Usually occurs with a pair of Rhinos; The vehicles (always 2) will appear
suddenly in front of you and attempt to slam into your front end. You
should always see two distinct red triangles on your map, travelling
toward you in tandem, when this tactic comes into play. Rhino's are
fast, but lack any turning ability at high speeds- Swerve to avoid them.
This maneuver can be disasterous if there is more than 1 unit following
you, as the Rhinos have the ability to bring you to a complete halt, and
another car crashing into your tailpipe with two Rhinos on your hood is
usually a party-stopper. Another, risky evasion method is to NOS into
the Rhinos; I have, on occasion, been launched end-for-end over the SUVs
from the impact... But I don't recommend it.
PIT: By now everybody knows how the PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique)
works: The pursuing vehicle pulls up next to you and turns sharply into
your rear fender, causing you to lose control and spin out. Unless used
in direct coordination with a Ram, this usually won't do much aside from
disorienting you, and getting you mad if you were heading for a Pursuit
Breaker.
Spike Strips: A flexible steel belt decorated with a row of tire-slashing
spines... Make your own! Impress your friends, piss off your neighbors,
fun for the whole family. Most of the time, the cops won't go to much
trouble trying to hide what they're up to with these; If you're at Heat
Level 4 and you see a break in a Stationary Block, you probably don't
want to go for it. Just a suggestion...
When you get to Level 5, though, those sneaky Feds play dirty by laying
one of these out in FRONT of a car in the block, so when you go for the
kill, 'POP!' goes the weasel!
At the higher Heat levels, you're best bet is probably not trying to go
through a block at all. Identify it on your map, and go somewhere else.
If you don't have a choice, though, use Speedbreaker to see if you can
pick it out (the Strip is bright yellow) and avoid it. In the worst-
case scenario, try to pop ALL your tires, so it won't screw up your
handling quite as bad. It IS still possible to lose the cops on sparky
rims, IF you're in a Tier 3 ride- I've pulleed it off in Shelby GT500's,
Skylines, and WRXs. It sucks, but it can be done.
************************************ vii ************************************
CHEATS (chts)
All button-press Cheats are entered at the Main Menu. When entered
correctly, you will get a confirmation "Infinite ________!" (press X).
Cheat codes do not save; You must reenter them each time you play. Codes
work in Career and Quick Race mode, but NOT in Challenge Series events.
Since this game appears on multiple platforms, I've decided to include
the codes for the other systems, as well; Be advised, however, that I can
only confirm the PS2 codes.
PS2 version:
Infinite Nitrous!* Left, Up, Left, Down, Left, Down, Right, Square
Infinite Speedbreaker! Down, Right, Right, Left, Right, Up, Down, Square
Infinite Crew Charge! Down, Up, Up, Right, Left, Left, Right, Square
XBox version:
Infinite Nitrous!* Left, Up, Left, Down, Left, Down, Right, X
Infinite Speedbreaker! Down, Right, Right, Left, Right, Up, Down, X
Infinite Crew Charge! Down, Up, Up, Right, Left, Left, Right, X
GameCube version:
Infinite Nitrous!* Left, Up, Left, Down, Left, Down, Right, X
Infinite Speedbreaker! Down, Right, Right, Left, Right, Up, Down, X
Infinite Crew Charge! Down, Up, Up, Right, Left, Left, Right, X
*You still have to install a Nitrous kit on your car to use this; It
doesn't just automatically give you the spray.
CAREER RESTART
This is not so much a cheat as a way to manipulate the game into giving you
an advantage.
Basically, all you do is get busted too many times and lose your last car,
or burn up all of your money, get busted and be unable to pay any fines. The
game will then ask if you want to reload your current Career or Quit. Choose
to quit, and start a new Career. The game will start over from the beginning,
but will retain ALL PREVIOUSLY UNLOCKED ITEMS!!
What does this mean? ANY and all previously earned Reward Cards, any beaten
Challenge Series events, and, most importantly, ANY race unlocks remain open
and available to you. In short, if you beat the game up to Silverton, then
restart in this manner, you can purchase a Tier 3 car and parts from the
beginning of the game!
AVOIDING DEFENSIVE RACES
Another not-a-cheat... But first, a disclaimer:
THIS TECHNIQUE HAS ONLY BEEN TRIED ON THE PS2 SPECIAL EDITION VERSION OF THE
GAME; I CANNOT VOUCH FOR ITS FUNCTIONALITY ON OTHER SYSTEMS/ VERSIONS.
FURTHER, I CAN'T EVEN CLAIM THAT THIS WORKS 100% OF THE TIME- IT IS BASICALLY
A MINOR QUIRK I HAVE NOTICED IN MY GAMES (IT HAS WORKED ON TWO DIFFERENT
COPIES OF CARBON SE, THOUGH).
That said, here's the skinny. Granted, you need to participate in at least
twenty Defensive Races (in case you, for some reason, don't know, Defensive
Races will occur immediately after you win a career race. They are always
on tracks you currently own, against worthless poser minor crews, for pathetic
amounts of cash), but let's say that you've already got that card, and find
DR's as much of a nuisance as I.
This is a very simple technique. Provided you're Autosaving, as soon as you
complete a career race, you will get a screen showing your winnings/ unlocks.
Press your 'confirm' button, then DO NOT PRESS ANYTHING, at all, when the
screen returns to the road scene, until the Autosave icon goes away. Then,
press the apropriate button to open the map (PS2 is left on the D-Pad). For
some reason, if the car is not in motion while the game Autosaves, it will not
throw up a Defensive Race; Maybe it thinks you got up and went to the bathroom
or something. I don't know WHY this works, I just know it does.
************************************ viii ***********************************
LEGAL STUFF
"Need for Speed" and all related names and terms copyright EA Games.
This guide is copyright Ryan Goss (FFVII Tattoo/Acid Angel 13), 2009.
Do not alter this document, in whole or in part, for any purpose, without
express written consent from me. If you want pieces-parts for your own
guide or something, speak up- I'll probably go for that (so long as due
credit goes where due credit belongs).
To contact me for whatever reason, e-mail me at:
[email protected]
Use Need for Speed as the subject, or I'll toss it along with all the spam I
get.
Any corrections, revisions, additional strategy, or whatever, will be
greatly appreciated and, if relevant, posted in further versions of this guide.
What's more, I love getting e-mails about my work. If you send me a mail,
even a nasty one, you WILL get a reply. If you don't I didn't get it. Check
back with GameFAQs and look at the newest version of this guide to make sure
you have my current address, and try again.
************************************ ix ***********************************
VERSION HISTORY (or, Some Stuff You Probably Don't Care About)
4/16/2009- Ver 1.0 complete
6/10/2009- Ver 1.1 (or 1.001); Added a couple tiny tidbits, nothing extreme
1/20/2010- Ver 1.2; Added extra description for the 'Rival Challnge' section,
XBox and GC codes, Infraction Costs and "Avoiding Defensive
Races."
AUTHORIZED SITES (or, People Who Didn't Rip This Off)
www.gamefaqs.com is the ONLY site that will ever carry my work. If you
find it anywhere else, it's stolen, and I'd like to know about it.
