Tips and Tricks

[PZ]

On my next play through I'm going to steal a jet and fly over every unmarked settlement right from the start.  When you walk/drive/fly closely to an "undiscovered settlement" the map icon will change to mark exactly what it is.  This could be military installations (airports, harbors, communication towers, etc.), or various civilian settlements.

The reason that a fly-by is useful is because you can quickly mark the map.  Marking the map is useful because the black market dealer will fast travel you to any point on the map as long as you have previously discovered it.

I just finished "discovering" all of the settlements on the console, and it sure is nice to be able to fast travel (extract) to anywhere I want.  As an example, airports and harbors are scattered throughout the world and I was able to go to a fantastic airport in the southwest corner of the map within seconds, steal a jet and wreak havoc on the installation.

Because this open world is so large (400 square miles/km - don't remember which) travel between points can take a long time otherwise.

[JRD]

You can tell when a guy is hooked to a game when he's barely finish with one playthrough and is already making plans for the second... and his words announce more than a second go either  ;) 8)

Good one PZ, I see JC2 is filling a slot in your heart!  :-X

[PZ]

You're correct JRD - I hadn't thought of it that way - even though technically I'm done with the main story line, I'm not even half way done with my first play through the rest of the content - only at 28%.  However, I'm playing simultaneously on two platforms so it will be lots of fun yet.

What is really exciting is that as I was flying around the map, the terrain is unique everywhere you go - I made many mental notes of "first rate" places to go; I hope I can remember where they are!

I can see that If I try to go everywhere and do everything, it will take literally months for me to get it fully completed - what a great bang for the buck.  :-X

[Art Blade]

I'd like to know how you handle those upgrades you get in form of vehicle and weapon parts. As far as I see it, there are more options and items than you get parts for, so I'd guess it to be a good idea to focus on one item and upgrade it to the max, rather than spending many parts on various items and never get them maxed out. What do you think?

[PZ]

Yes, that's a good way to get a good weapon - max it out rather than spreading your parts to thin so to speak.  I upgraded my assault rifle and sub machine gun that way and they have large magazines (240 rounds), deliver them way faster than "stock", and pack more damage punch.

I still haven't spent a single vehicle upgrade though.

The strange thing is that the vanilla black market dealer has a very limited assortment of weapons and vehicles tho choose from, maybe 8 or so of each.  The good news is that if you use a black market mod on the PC, then you have access to something like 120 vehicles, and I don't recall how many weapons.  I find that I switch between the sub machine gun and the assault rifle for 99% of what I do.

By the way, I'm at approximately 32% of the game finished and 68 hours into it.  If my progress continues at this pace then I'll have spent just pennies per hour for the fun I'm receiving in Panau.

[PZ]

On my next play through I'm going to steal a jet and fly over every unmarked settlement right from the start.  When you walk/drive/fly closely to an "undiscovered settlement" the map icon will change to mark exactly what it is.  This could be military installations (airports, harbors, communication towers, etc.), or various civilian settlements.

The reason that a fly-by is useful is because you can quickly mark the map.  Marking the map is useful because the black market dealer will fast travel you to any point on the map as long as you have previously discovered it.

I just finished "discovering" all of the settlements on the console, and it sure is nice to be able to fast travel (extract) to anywhere I want.  As an example, airports and harbors are scattered throughout the world and I was able to go to a fantastic airport in the southwest corner of the map within seconds, steal a jet and wreak havoc on the installation.

Because this open world is so large (400 square miles/km - don't remember which) travel between points can take a long time otherwise.

An update on this technique - just today I found a stronghold mission that I failed to notice (probably because there are something like 300+ items on the map) and because I have the map completed, I was able to fast travel easily to the area and start the mission.  Now I have a new base from which to travel, and completing the mission released quite a few new faction missions in the southeast section of the map - and again because the map is completely discovered, fast travel makes it much more efficient to move between places on the map.

[Art Blade]

I'll keep that in mind: First thing to do, fly over the entire map, preferrably in a military jet. :)

As to black market items, that mod, can you upgrade all those new items, too?

[PZ]

Yes, everything appears to be upgrade-able, and the "price" is far lower than in the vanilla game.  i.e., you need not "pay" so many weapons parts to do the upgrade.  Also the initial cost of the weapon is far reduced - something like $3,000 instead of $30,000

[Art Blade]

Then that mod appears to be a "must have" -- I was already wondering what good it was if you had lots of (vanilla) items but each delivery costs a fortune (a fully upgraded "vanilla" machine gun costs 70,000 per delivery...) Thanks for the reply and for finding out about that mod, very useful :) :-X

[PZ]

My pleasure - although it is technically the same game, it sure is different when playing on the PC.  As usual, some thing are way easier, while others are more difficult.

[PZ]

I'd highly recommend upgrading your explosives (frag grenades and C-4) using the weapons upgrade parts - if maxed out, you carry double the number, and their damage effect is greatly enhanced.

It now takes only a single frag to obliterate a govman vehicle  :-X

The next time I go through, I'll choose a single weapon to upgrade, and then the explosives.  Once those are maxed, I'll upgrade other weapons just for fun.

[Art Blade]

That's what I had in mind :) Apparently precision weapons are rather useless, so a few lines from our member Ceres Tauri spring to my mind (edited out some lines):

-When In doubt, empty the magazine!
-Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
-Peace thru superior firepower.
-Heavy Weaponers motto: accuracy thru volume.
-True happiness is having two ammo carriers.
-Join the Marine Corps! Travel to exotic places, meet new people. Kill them.

;D

[PZ]

Excellent quotes, and exactly applies to JC2  ;D

[eor123]

How do you hijack a helicopter...or is it possible?

I always die trying.

[spaceboy]

eor - grapple up to the helicopter and swing the left stick backwards which puts Rico in a stunt position in front of the chopper.  Shoot the passenger who is shooting at you.  If no passenger (happens sometimes or obviously in one seater choppers) you don't need to do this.  Then hit triangle on PS3 (whatever enter vehicles is) and it will start up a quick 3 button QTE where you punch the pilot and throw him out. - voila, you are the owner of a helicopter!

Not only is it possible it's almost essential at times.  If there are multiple choppers you may quickly find your new ride close to being destroyed - if you need to bail just deploy your chute, aim your grapple at the other chopper and do it again!  I've had to do like 3 or 4 choppers in a row like that!

[eor123]

That's pretty much what I've been doing but the pilot always wins the punchfest.

I'm doing something wrong. Using the wrong sequence of commands, probably.

Guess I'll have to experiment.

Just running from the choppers isn't cutting it too well.

[spaceboy]

sounds like your just not hitting the buttons fast enough.  if you miss one he gets a punch in.  I've been doing quite a few QTEs with the God of War series so I'm kind of used to them.

[PZ]

Keep at it eor123 - I was in the same boat (or helo) as you, but as spaceboy said, you need to hit the proper button sequence fast enough.  I can recall significant annoyance at failure, so I feel your pain.  ;D

[PZ]

I feel kind of stupid - I've been playing JC2 for a while now and just noticed that there is a proximity meter for weapons/vehicle upgrades in the upper left of the HUD.  At first I was only aware that when it flashed white, you were close to a part, but when I inspected it closer, I noticed that the closer you are to a part, the higher the meter reads.  Therefore it is relatively easy to find the parts by watching this meter in the HUD.

The only excuse I have is that I normally play on the console, and the TV is far enough away that I can't clearly see the HUD  ;D

[eor123]

That HUD isn't terribly helpful, I think.

I don't know how it is on the computer but the save scheme on JC2 on the console is really bizarre and annoying.

If you are free roaming and scavenging for stuff and get killed, you can end up a very long way from where you got killed. It reverts back to the save point at a previously completed mission.

It looks like the drug drops are the only way to save the game unless you have completed a mission.

I'm about 15 hours into the game on Normal difficulty.

I'm wishing I had gone with Easy. The site really hits the fan when you reach the Level 3 Heat and the choppers come. Still working on the control sequence to hijack a chopper.

[batdog]

If you are free roaming and scavenging for stuff and get killed, you can end up a very long way from where you got killed. It reverts back to the save point at a previously completed mission.

You always end up at the NEAREST captured stronghold after you die, or at the mansion owned by the guy you rescue in the first mission, if that's closer. So unless you've captured a lot of strongholds you can end up at the opposite end of the map to where you just died.  That's during free-roam.  If you're in a mission you'll end up back at the start of the mission, or occasionally at a checkpoint in some of the lengthier missions.

[PZ]

Sounds like your impressions are ones that I too had when starting the game, and it took a while plus advice from spaceboy to get it working correctly for me.

Batdog is correct - you end up at the nearest stronghold, so it is a good idea to do all the stronghold missions first.  Then I'd recommend flying a jet over at least some of the "undiscovered settlements" on each of the islands so that you can do a black market extraction right back to where you were, or close to it. (Extraction is the game's way of fast traveling to any discovered location on the map)

By the way, when entering any area, I usually check the map and make a mental check mark of the location so I can extract back if I should die.

One last bit of advice, it is plenty difficult on casual, so for people like me, that level is excellent.

[Art Blade]

Still working on the control sequence to hijack a chopper.

I can only guess here, but it sounds like the sequence is random each time. If that is correct, then "working on the control sequence" sounds like learning one particular sequence by heart; if that is the case, then there's the problem. I'd try to see the symbol and quickly hit the corresponding key, until the sequence is over. Hope that helps

[eor123]

Thanks for the insights. I wasn't aware that it reverted to a save point at the nearest captured stronghold relative to where you died. I was missing the logic behind why I was ending up where I was.

On the PS3, it looks like you have to use the circle and the square buttons in some combination in order to hijack a gov-manned vehicle. I saw the square button hint come up for split second just before I died...yet again.

I haven't tried a black market extraction. Been saving my coin for triggered explosives. I'm using a lot of them.  ;D

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to change difficulty level settings once a game is in progress. I probably should start over on casual but hate to lose all the objects I've located. I spent hours collecting all the objects in three districts of Panau City while free roaming.

[spaceboy]

when restarting at a stronghold, you don't lose anything you've done (chaos, $, etc.) it's just a "safe" place to start you.  Yes, you can't change difficulty mid-stream - I started on hard and had to switch to normal and forego some progress, but I'm glad I did!

Keep at those heli-jacks you'll get 'em!