This is a FAQ, NOT a manual. You won't learn how to play the game
with this document, and I'm NOT about to add it to ease the life
of software pirates.
This USG only covers the PC version since that's the only version
that I have. Please don't ask me about the Playstation version.
Some of you may recognize my name as the editor for the XCOM and
XCOM2: TFTD FAQ's, among others.
This version replaces any earlier versions previously released.
If you just want to know how to get past the initial "Driving
Test", see [4.6]
0.2 TERMS OF DISTRIBUTION
This document is copyrighted by Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang (c) 2000-
2003, all rights reserved excepted as noted above in the
disclaimer section.
This document is available FREE of charge subjected to the
following conditions:
1) This notice and author's name must accompany all copies of
this document: "Driver Unofficial Strategy Guide and FAQ" is
copyrighted (c) 2000-2003 by Kasey K.S. Chang, all rights
reserved except as noted in the disclaimer."
2) This document must NOT be modified in any form or manner
without prior permission of the author with the following
exception: if you wish to convert this document to a different
file format or archive format, with no change to the content,
then no permission is needed.
2a) In case you can't read, that means TXT only. No banners, no
HTML borders, no cutting up into multiple pages to get you more
banner hits, and esp. no adding your site name to the site list.
[Small exception: a SMALL toolbar framing the FAQ is acceptable
as long as the FAQ itself remains unaltered.]
3) No charge other than "reasonable" compensation should charged
for its distribution. (Free is preferred) Sale of this
information is expressly prohibited. If you see any one selling
this guide, drop me a line.
4) If you used material from this, PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE the source,
else it is plagiarism.
5) The author hereby grants all games-related web sites the right
to archive and link to this document to share among the game
fandom, provided that all above restrictions are followed.
Sidenote: The above conditions are known as a statutory contract.
If you meet them, then you are entitled to the rights I give you
in 5), i.e. archive and display this document on your website. If
you don't follow them, you did not meet the statutory contract
conditions, you have no right to display this document. If you
still do so, then you are infringing upon my copyright. This
section was added for any websites who don't seem to understand
this.
For the gamers: You are under NO obligation to send me ANY
compensation. However, I do ask for a VOLUNTARY contribution of
one (1) US Dollar if you live in the United States, and if you
believe this guide helped your game. If you choose to do so,
please make your US$1.00 check or $1.00 worth of stamp to "Kuo-
Sheng Chang", and send it to "2220 Turk Blvd. #6, San Francisco,
CA 94118 USA".
If you don't live in the US, please send me some local stamps. I
collect stamps too.
0.3 VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION
Gamers who read this guide are under NO obligation to send me ANY
compensation.
However, a VOLUNTARY contribution of one (1) US Dollar would be
very appreciated.
If you choose to do so, please make your US$1.00 check or $1.00
worth of stamps to "Kuo-Sheng Chang", and send it to "2220 Turk
Blvd. #6, San Francisco, CA 94118 USA".
If you don't live in the US, please send me some local stamps. I
collect stamps too.
For the record, out of ALL the FAQs I wrote (33 at least count)
over the past six years, I've received exactly 7 dollars and 2
sets of stamps, as of release of this guide. So I'm NOT making
any money off these guides, folks.
0.4 HOW AND WHEN TO CONTACT ME
PLEASE let me know if there's a confusing or missing remark,
mistakes, and thereof... If you find a question about this game
that is not covered in the USG, e-mail it to me at the address
specified below. I'll try to answer it and include it in the
next update.
Please do NOT write me for technical support. That is the job of
the publisher.
Please do NOT ask me to send you a list of controls, the manual,
etc. If you borrowed the game without borrowing the manual, blame
your own stupidity. If you bought the game without a manual,
blame your own stupidity. If you copied the game without copying
the manual, you're not only scum, but STUPID scum.
Please do NOT ask me to answer questions that have already
answered in this FAQ/guide. It makes you REALLY idiotic.
I will NOT answer stupid questions like the ones above unless I'm
in a really good mood. If you send questions like that, do NOT
expect a reply.
The address below is spelled out phonetically so spammers can't
use spambots on it:
Kilo-Sierra-Charlie-Hotel-Alpha-November-Golf-Seven-Seven AT
Yankee-Alpha-Hotel-Oscar-Oscar DOT Charlie-Oscar-Mike
To decipher this, simply read the first letter off each word
except for the numbers and the punctuation. This is "military
phonetics" or "aeronautical phonetics" in case you're wondering.
This document was produced on Microsoft Word 97. Some editing was
done with Editpad (editpadclassic.com).
0.5 THE AUTHOR
I am just a game player who decided to write my own FAQs when the
ones I find don't cover what I want to see. Lots of people like
what I did, so I kept doing it.
Previously, I've written Unofficial Strategy Guides (USGs) for
XCOM, XCOM2:TFTD, Wing Commander, Wing Commander 2, Wing
Commander 3, Wing Commander 4, Privateer, Spycraft, 688(I)
Hunter/Killer. Mechwarrior 3, MW3 Expansion Pack, Mechwarrior 4,
Mechwarrior 4: Black Knight, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed,
The Sting!, Terranova, Fallout Tactics, Starfleet Command Volume
II, DS9: The Fallen, DS9: Dominion War, Driver, and a few more.
To contact me, see 0.4 above.
0.6 REVISION HISTORY
10-DEC-2000 Second release, some info updated
09-DEC-2001 Updated format, updated driver test, more
details in the walkthru
29-MAR-2003 Misc. updates, updated contact address, some
info on Stuntman
0.7 THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FAQ
Q: Can you send me Driver (or portions thereof)?
A: No. If you can't afford a budget title you have no business
playing games.
Q: Can you send me the manual (or portions thereof)?
A: No. If you are dumb enough to get a game without the manual
that's your problem.
Q: Can you tell me how to play the game?
A: Read the manual.
Q: I have a question about the Playstation or Gameboy version of
Driver...
A: You need a different guy. I only know the PC version.
Q: I can't get Driver to run.
A: Go to http://www.ina-support.com Also see [2.1]
Q: How do I pass the "driving test"?
A: See [4.6]
Q: Where was I supposed to go in the mission?
A: Hit ESC, select SHOW MAP. See your current location and your
destination? Go back to the game. See the same map, smaller, in
the corner? Now follow the gray arrow!
Q: Why is your FAQ shorter than other similar FAQs?
A: I don't repeat the stuff that's already in the manual. You can
read that yourself.
Q: Why did you say the car in mission ____ is ____? It's ____!
A: The cars in Driver are BASED ON actual cars, but they are NOT
EXACT representations. Reflections did not have the budget to
license the real cars. There is no way to make positive
identification because the developer messed them up some (changed
headlights, taillights, etc.). However, for most cars Reflections
left notes in the mission script files, and that's the
description I give here. See [10.3] for the full list.
Q: Why do I see a different time limit than what you listed here?
A: Which mission? The chase missions have randomly generated
timer. These numbers are directly from the mission script files,
of those that are applicable.
Q: What is this "bonus city" I keep hearing about?
A: Reflections put their own city block on the map as a bonus
level. You can drive on it when you finish Undercover. However,
it's a pretty boring map. You can see their "replay" driving that
Jaguar around when you see the final credits.
Q: What if I have more questions?
A: See [2.0]
Q: What if I STILL have more questions?
A: See [0.4]
1 Game Information
1.1 WHAT IS DRIVER?
"The Criminal underworld has accepted you as one of their own.
You are a getaway driver for hire. Speeding through the streets
of real cities with working traffic systems, pedestrians, and
motorists on the streets and cops on patrol. You are the best
driver in the criminal community. YOU ARE THE WHEELMAN." -- from
the Driver CD Jewelcase
Basically, Driver is a driving game where you are given various
"missions" to execute. Usually it's to get here to there, though
there are occasional variations.
Driver was developed by Reflections, whose previous credits
include Demolition Derby and Demolition Derby 2.
Driver was published by GT Interactive (http://www.gtgames.com).
1.2 WHAT DO I NEED TO RUN DRIVER?
Required: WIN9X, Pentium 233, 80 MB HD space, 16 Meg RAM, 4MB 3D
accelerator, 16X CDROM.
Recommended: 350 MHz or better CPU, 165 MB HD space, 64 Meg RAM.
I personally suggest: Voodoo-based 3D accelerator with at least 8
Megs RAM onboard, or 128 Meg system RAM, and at least 400 MHz
CPU.
1.3 WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT DRIVER?
The driving model is superb. The driving "feel" is great. It's
exaggerated for sure, but it's fun! Weaving through city traffic,
running from the law, it makes the hot pursuit mode in Need for
Speed III feel like Sunday bike ride in the park...
The graphics is good enough, the four cities look close enough to
the real thing.
There's a "director's mode" that lets you edit the replays you
saved so you can create your own chase masterpiece. You'll need
Driver to view it though.
1.4 WHAT'S BAD ABOUT DRIVER?
The missions rely on time limits to be challenging, and a lot of
luck, since the police "respawn". If they respawn in a "good"
spot, you win. If they respawn in a "bad" spot, you lose.
Also, absolutely NO multiplayer at all. No Internet, no split-
screen, no modem, no network. NOTHING.
Finally... the police only knows how to SMASH, not how to stop
you... Which is not realistic.
1.5 HOW ABOUT A DEMO? BUGS? PATCHES?
Go download the demo from http://driver.gtgames.com
Patch is available from the URL for the demo. Three patches, in
fact. There is two program patches, and there's a map patch...
The US version has two patches. V1.1, and V1.2. International
versions have only one patch, specific to the language. Please
check the official game website above to links to the patches.
US V1.2 patch adds several configuration options, and is
recommended.
You can tell the versions apart by looking at the loading
"progress bar". The demo and unpatched (1.0) have a multi-colored
progress bar. V1.1 have a red progress bar, and V1.2 have a
yellow progress bar.
There are a lot of little bugs. Every once in a while you can hit
a "Driver Exception". Some people have trouble getting the video
to run... Even when everything does work, those without Voodoo
cards may have frame rate problems.
NOTE: When applying patches, PLEASE PATCH IN ORDER! You will need
ALL the patches!
1.6 HOW ABOUT A SEQUEL? OTHER VERSIONS?
Driver first came out on the Playstation.
There's supposed to be a Color Gameboy version as well. It has a
top-down view.
Driver 2 is currently available for the Playstation. There has
been NO talk about converting that to the PC at all.
There is supposed to be a semi-sequel called Stuntman, which is
already out for the PS2. No idea if it will be ported to PC or
not. It features you as a stunt driver trying to emulate various
famous movie stunts, most of them from 007 movies.
2 More Frequently Asked Questions about Driver
NOTE: GT Interactive has been folded into Infogrames. For support
on GT games, go to http://www.ina-support.com . For Forums on GT
games, go to http://www.ina-community.com
2.1 SETUP PROBLEMS AND SOME SOLUTIONS
Most problems can be solved by either finding the latest drivers
for the video card, or by using one version BEFORE the most
recent version if the latest version doesn't work that well.
2.1.1 The game hiccups during play. What do I do?
--Use GLIDE instead of Direct 3D if you have a Voodoo card
--Turn off force feedback
--Turn off EAX support
--Use lower detail levels
--Use lower resolution
--Close more programs to make more memory available to the
game
--Lower the frame limiter from AUTO to a lower value.
--Add more memory (at least 64 megs, 128 megs even better)
2.1.2 I can't see the movies... What do I do?
--If you have ATI card, see the README file for a note to you
--Install the DX6 Media runtime on the Driver CD
--If WIN98, install the DX6 Media runtime patch using Windows
Update
--Update your video drivers to latest version
--Try an older set of drivers (sometimes the latest have bugs)
--Try changing the DirectX acceleration from DXDIAG
--Try decreasing the video acceleration slider by a notch
--Install DirectX 7 from Microsoft (last ditch effort) (DX7.1
helps?)
2.1.3 The Driver Configuration says "No 3D Device Detected"!
--Make sure you have a 3D accelerator with at least 4 megs of
memory
--Make sure you have the latest MANUFACTURER'S DRIVER (not
reference!)
--Try the video chipset maker's reference drivers
--Try different resolutions (like 640x480)
--Try different color modes (usually 16-bit color is good)
--Try changing the DirectX acceleration from DXDIAG
--Install DirectX 7 from Microsoft (last ditch effort) (DX7.1
helps?)
2.1.4 The cars seem to be missing parts!
--Make sure you have latest video drivers installed
--Try an EARLIER version of video drivers, esp. if you have
ATI card
--Try changing the DirectX acceleration from DXDIAG
--Use lower resolution (which uses less memory)
--Install DirectX 7 from Microsoft (last ditch effort) (DX7.1
helps?)
2.1.5 My screen flashes or My "show map" is garbled!
--Try newer video drivers.
2.1.6 I can't hear any in-game sounds...
--If you're using SB Live!, update to latest audio drivers
--Try turn OFF the DirectSound acceleration from DXDIAG
2.1.7 I can't start the game and I use a Matrox card.
--Go to Matrox website and download a fix for it.
2.1.8 Any other problems
Leave a note on the Official Driver Forum at GT's website, and
include FULL information on your hardware and driver versions,
then describe exactly what problems are you having.
2.2 CAR QUESTIONS
2.2.1 Can we drive different cars?
Most missions have the mission already defined, one car per city.
Some missions or sub-missions may use a special car.
Between some missions you get to choose among two or three cars.
See mission tree in section 5. Those chosen cars are only used on
a few subsequent missions.
If you use the script editor, you can pick among 14 cars, though
not all cars are available in all cities.
When you finish the Undercover campaign, you can choose among the
available cars in "Take a Ride" mode for that specific city
2.2.2 Can we "tune" the cars?
No, the game cars are NOT adjustable in any way, shape, or form.
You can't even change the color.
2.2.3 Can we edit the city? Cars?
GT is not talking, neither is Reflections.
2.2.4 Do different cars perform differently?
Yes, they do. They have slightly different acceleration, top
speed, and traction values.
The "main" cars don't feel that different.
Each of the car models has a "model bonus". No one has figured
out the values yet.
2.2.5 So how DO I change the cars when given a choice?
You'll get a message on the answering machine that says something
like "come down to pick your new wheels". Pick that message, and
you'll move into the garage, where you can pick among two or
three cars. Select the one you want to drive, and you'll plop
back to the answering machine. Now pick a DIFFERENT message and
go on to the mission!
You can change your mind about the car by going back to the
"choose car" message and do it again.
2.3 GAMEPLAY QUESTIONS
2.3.1 Is there any cheat codes for the PC version?
There are no secret keystrokes you can enter to enable
invulnerability or something like that.
When you win the Undercover campaign, you will enable the "cheat"
menu, which will allow you to do things like that.
Otherwise, you can use the Driver Mission Configurator [see 10.2]
to enable the cheat menu without going through the campaign. DMC
can write an updated CONFIG.DAT which enables the cheat. You can
get the CONFIG.DAT separately, but I recommend looking at DMC.
You can also enter some special names as when you can enter a top
score of one of the driving names. However, that assumes you
actually MAKE it to the top scores... So... It's easier to use
the DMC instead.
2.3.2 What will cause police to chase me when they see me?
--ANY amount of existing felony
--speeding (speed in RED, usually 50+)
--any collision with another car (even if that car hit you)
--knocking over any signs or cones
--running a red light (yellow is okay)
--use burnout or handbrake
--driving at night with no lights
--any collision with the police (even if not by you) <<--
MAYBE?
Committing any of the activities above, except existing felony,
will raise your felony rating.
Driving on the WRONG side of the street is fine as long as you
don't hit anything. You may be honked at, but the police wouldn't
care.
Same with driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
Driving on sidewalk without hitting anything is okay
2.3.3 How do I save the game?
When you're inside the hotel room, hit left or right until you
see the VCR/TV cart. Hit Enter, then up/down to choose a save
slot.
Hit ESC to go back into the room.
See mission tree for save spots (hotels).
You cannot delete an existing savegame. You can only overwrite.
2.3.4 How do I save between missions?
If you don't see the hotel room, you can't save yet.
Maybe the Playstation can, but you're NOT using a Playstation,
are you?
2.3.5 Where was I supposed to go?
Hit ESC, select SHOW MAP. See it now? Go back to the game. See
the same map, smaller, in the corner? Good. Now follow the gray
arrow!
2.3.6 I got there, but the time runs out!
You have to stop UNDER the arrow! There should be a little black
spot (the shadow) under the huge red arrow. Stop there!
2.4 CONTROL QUESTIONS
Use left/right, ENTER, and ESC to navigate the menus.
2.4.1 Where are the controls? What key(s) do I press?
Look up the key definitions under options / controller / redefine
keys.
Don't see options? Keep hitting right arrow until the "hood" pops
up. See that huge word OPTIONS at the bottom? Now hit ENTER and
start reading!
2.4.2 Can you mix keyboard and joystick definitions?
--V1.0 and V1.1: No. Either all joystick or all keyboard.
--V1.2: Mixed keyboard and joystick is now supported. However,
joystick seems to override double-defined commands. For example,
if you map joystick to left/right, and left/right arrow keys to
left/right as well, only the joystick will steer.
2.4.3 Does Driver support steering wheels?
Yes. Configure it like a joystick.
2.4.4 Does Driver support force feedback?
Yes. Enable FF under the options / controller. However turn it
off if you get slow frame rates. The effects aren't that well
done any way.
2.4.5 Why does the throttle and brakes feel like "all or
nothing"?
Because that's the way it is in the game. There's no proportional
throttle and brakes.
2.4.6 I tried to re-map some controls and I can't exit the
screen!
Did you hear a honk? You probably double-mapped some of the
controls or some functions are conflicting. Resolve the conflict
then you can exit.
2.4.7 I can't calibrate the controller! The car keeps moving!
Apply the 1.2 patch, then define the "dead zone". If you have a
digital controller, try the "digital/analog" toggle in the
options.
2.4.8 How do I select the other controllers?
Hit ENTER on the controller type choice should toggle through the
different choices.
2.4.9 Recommend keys setup?
I recommend the following:
Left=Left arrow
Right=Right arrow
Burnout=Up Arrow
Handbrake=Down arrow
Accelerate=A
Brakes=Z
Everything else can be mapped to whatever's convenient.
I finished the game on keyboard only with the above setup. You
can use the same setup with joystick starting with V1.2.
2.5 HOW ABOUT SOME DRIVER RELATED WEBSITES?
2.5.1 DriverHQ (http://www.driverhq.com)
Probably the biggest and the best equipped Driver website. You
can find more Driver website links there.
2.6 MISC. QUESTIONS
2.6.1 How do I take a screenshot in the game?
Hit F12. It'll be saved as a huge (900+K) BMP file in your Driver
directory. Obviously, if you do this too much you'll run out of
disk space VERY quickly.
There is no way that I know of to export a whole movie/recording
except get a TV-out card and tape the output with a VCR.
3 General Driving tips
3.1 KNOW THY SELF (THE CAR)
The cars in Driver are NOT race cars. They are not even SPORTS
cars. They have terrible handling. It takes a lot practice to
handle them.
Your car, compared to the police car, is more agile, and more
durable. However, there are a lot of them, and only one of you.
They accelerate faster and have a higher top speed than you do.
Your car tends to understeer, i.e. you can't turn fast enough.
The "solution" to that is the handbrake. By locking the rear
wheels with the handbrake, you can "break lose" the tail, pushing
the nose around.
By default, auto-handbrake is ON, which means if you make a hard
turn, computer will automatically apply the handbrakes to help
you turn. However, auto-handbrake introduces a problem: instead
of UNDERSTEER, you will OVERSTEER instead. The car will fishtail
around corners, and this can be problem if you don't know how to
counter-steer it.
Practice cornering with auto-handbrake on and off, and see if you
prefer it on or off.
Of course, you can hit the brakes a little when approaching the
corner, but that's no fun!
Third-person view is probably the best viewpoint for weaving
through traffic and general driving.
Use your car wisely. Gently sideswiping a traffic car can stop
them in their tracks, while causing you minimal damage, and that
can be good obstacle for whoever chasing you.
3.2 KNOW THE CHASERS
There can be a lot of cars chasing you, from mobsters to FBI to
cops to bad cops, but the same AI controls them all. I'll just
refer to them as chasers.
The following are some tips from my observation on how the
chasers behave. They may not be all accurate.
The chasers are capable of faster acceleration than you,
sometimes a lot more. They also have a much higher top speed, as
yours is artificially limited. However, they are also more
delicate, capable of taking less damage. (The first LA mission is
a prime example) Every bit of damage they take slows them down.
(Unless they are immortal, like in the Survival driving game)
Even when they are immortal, they CAN be flipped over.
Initially, there's only X number of police on the map. Depending
on the mission, they may start at a lower state of alert (small
vision zone).
Each mission has a maximum number of police, from one to four.
The police cars are spawned around you. If you commit an
infraction in their vision zone, (infractions are listed in
2.3.2) your felony meter goes up, and they will start chasing
you. If they had reduced vision zone before, they get full vision
zone now.
If you still don't know what the vision zone is, it's that
lighter "triangle" ahead of the police on the map. That is what
they can see.
Once they are in the alerted state, they will try to crash into
you any way they can. They will try to catch up if they get left
behind. The chasers get extra speed and power depending on your
felony rating. The higher your felony rating, the faster they go.
If you manage to leave ALL of the chasers far behind (beyond say,
3 blocks), the chasers will re-spawn after the re-spawn timer
expires. The re-spawn rules are simple: the chaser must be on a
STREET (i.e. not inside a building) and in your forward
hemisphere, facing the same direction as the traffic. If they see
you (you pass within their vision cone), they switch to "pursuit
mode" and come after you.
Once the police car is in pursuit mode, it will plot the "clear"
course toward you every few seconds and follow that course. They
will attempt to steer around any obstacles in their way to the
best of their ability (so if it's snowing or raining, they can
slide out of control), until they get close (a few car lengths),
where they switch to "contact" mode.
A police in contact mode doesn't care about obstacles. It will
plot a straight-line course toward you, even with a lamp post or
a building between you and him.
Police cars will do their best to steer in pursuit mode, but in
their haste to catch up to you, they will often slide right PAST
an intersection, esp. in Survival, where their extra speed often
work against them.
The police cars don't care about each other and will plow into
each other and any other obstacles trying to get you.
Police cars do not handle that well, due to their high speed.
However, they handle well enough to chase you down on the long
straights. Use their lack of handling against them. Do slaloms
around traffic. Sideswipe a traffic car or two to create
obstacles for the cops.
Police cars tend to skid out on grass, so if you can handle
grass, run on grass as much as possible, and weave among the
trees.
3.3 KNOW THY TURF
MOST of the city is drive-able. The lawn, the median, the
sidewalk, anywhere that's flat against the ground is drive-able.
You can cut through corners by going between lampposts and the
wall, hide behind pillars on the sidewalk, cut through the
park... Anything goes. In fact, the back alleys and such are not
on the map. Learn and use the shortcuts.
Also know the routes NOT to take. Tight corners into a wall at
high speed is a good way to flip the car over, as are narrow
roads, back alleys with those huge sand mounds, steep hills, and
so on...
3.4 USE THE MAP
If the mission is of the "goto" type [See 5.1], there will be a
destination. Once the timer starts, pause the game to check the
best route between you and the destination.
Usually, you want the route with a LOT of parallel streets (to
use cop respawn against them), and a very wide street for
yourself (more room to evade). A median with lampposts is even
better as slalom will lose a lot of cops.
Otherwise, you want minimal 90 degree turns, as turns slow you
down (and they accelerate better than you do) and if you take the
corners too fast you may run into traffic.
Once you planned the route, then go execute it.
3.5 KNOW THE SPECIAL DRIVING TRICKS
Those special maneuvers you had to practice in the garage do have
their uses during getaway driving. Slalom is good to go through
traffic. The other tricks are good to quickly reverse directions
and such to get away from police.
You also need to know these tricks to pass the "Driving Test" and
start the Undercover campaign.
3.6 ANTI-CHASER TACTICS
Here's some tricks to keep the heat off of you.
3.6.1 Don't go straight
Chase cars have higher top speed than you, so if you keep going
straight, they will get you. Do slight slaloms and cause the
chasers to tip themselves over or to slam into traffic cars.
Don't go more than a few blocks straight, unless you have a clear
speed advantage, like the Superfly job.
On the other hand, if you have a durable car and the cops do not
have an overwhelming speed advantage, you may consider just head
down a wide road straight. In President's Run, a good tactic is
go straight down Broadway, which is wide, and being way in front
means the cops can only push you. Then you only need to worry
about side street and frontal kamikazes.
3.6.2 Thread the needle
Cut through the gap between the building and the lamppost is a
very good way to peel off the cops on the lampposts and such. Of
course, if you miss, you'll probably lose the mission.
There's almost always enough room for you to squeeze through the
traffic, even if you have to get on the sidewalk. Therefore, you
should use the room. Police cars tend to not be quite as careful,
and you can usually peel off close pursuit this way.
3.6.3 Use the right route
As police can re-spawn on ANY street in your forward hemisphere,
the more streets around you, the LESS likely they'll re-spawn
directly in front of you. Pick a route with a LOT of parallel
streets.
3.6.4 Keep them behind you
The police usually don't respawn until you lose the whole group,
so if you can keep ONE police behind you, and lose the rest, you
can prevent them from respawning, and that'll give you a less
painful drive in general.
This does NOT always work, as some cops respawn no matter. what.
3.6.5 Actively remove the last cop
If there's only one cop between you and the destination, and your
car is relatively undamaged, you may consider ramming the last
cop out of the game and get to the destination before the cop
respawns.
3.6.6 Create Obstacles
Here's a way to peel off someone right on your tail... Find a
traffic car, and when the chaser falls back, sideswipe the
traffic car and cut in front of it, so the traffic car is between
you and the chaser, and the chaser will ram the traffic car while
you get away.
3.7 WHAT TO DO IF POLICE IS...
Here is some tactical advice for you being chased... Know these
by heart, as you can't take time to think about it once the
sirens go off.
3.7.1 ... In front, sirens on, and heading toward me?
If there's room on the far right, go for it, and hope you can
blow past him. If not, use handbrake to make a left turn into the
wall when he's close, so when the police hit your tail on the
right, he'll spin you, hopefully just enough so you keep going
straight down the road.
Don't let him hit you head-on or T-bone you. He'll likely flip
you over.
3.7.2 ... In front, sirens off, and heading toward me?
If you don't have any felony, slow down below 50 mph and just let
him go by. Once he's past, speed back up.
If you do have felony, he'll steer toward you as soon as you're
in range, so you may as well blow by him, stay as far right as
possible.
3.7.3 ... In front, sirens off, and heading away from me?
If you have a time limit, you'll need to blow past him. See if
you can go down a side street. If you can, do it.
If you must do it on the same street, you must then pick the side
of attack. Get about two cars behind him, on the side close to
the wall, and tap the burnout. He should see it, try to turn
toward you, and smack into the wall, and you can blow past him by
going the other side. If he doesn't react, head closer and repeat
the burnout bait.
If you don't have a time limit, just stay behind him and take a
slow ride. Then you're pretty much free, unless another cop shows
up and you have a felony.
If you are in a little hurry, just drive by him at 50 mph. You'll
pass him but he won't notice, unless you run a red or do any
other infractions, that is...
3.7.4 ... behind, sirens on, coming up fast?
If you are going at top speed or close to it, you two should be
evenly matched, so he can barely gain on you. Find some traffic
or light poles to peel him off.
If you're going quite slow, keep the car straight so he "center-
punches" you. That should help you get up to speed. Don't let him
spin you. Then you can find some traffic to peel him off.
3.7.5 ... behind, sirens on, coming up fast, only one, and
I'm near the end?
Police cars are more delicate than you are, so you may have to
take an ACTIVE approach to disable that last police car... Lure
him out of visual range (about 2 blocks), slam each other (don't
flip over!) until he's toast, and get to mission end before he
respawns.
4 Mission Types
Here are some notes on the various mission types and approach to
each type. Note that this is "per mission", not per driving
session. Your "jobs" will involve two or more "mission"
objective.
4.1 GOTO MISSION (GOTO)
Objective: Take your car from starting point to specified
destination point
Variations: Timed or free, start with or without felony, start
with or without damage, no tail at destination or don't care,
damage carry-over
Comments: 90% of the missions in Driver are of this type, go
somewhere, then go somewhere else. Just avoid damage and avoid
police. You can practice this with Cross-town Checkpoint driving
game, and "take a ride".
As explained before, the police re-spawns randomly, so there is
no point in giving a "best route", because what works for me may
not work for you, and vice versa. Any one who claims they have a
route that will always work... Probably does not understand the
game.
4.2 CHASE MISSION (CHASE)
Objective: Chase the target to its destination, remain within a
certain distance of it.
Variations: if the target is another car, you can ram the other
car to a stop and end the mission early, otherwise, follow close.
If the target is another car, there's no police. Otherwise police
may appear.
Comments: these are some of the most frustrating ones, the trick
is not to let the target retreat beyond a 1.5-block distance, but
it could be in ANY direction, not just in front. Use Pursuit
driving game to practice. Practice both follow and smash.
4.3 SMASH MISSION (SMASH)
Objective: Ram the target car(s) multiple times until the target
is "destroyed".
Variations: The target may be stationary or moving slowly, there
can be multiple targets.
Comments: Rare mission type, this requires you to use your car as
a weapon. Multiple small bumps works as well as one huge crash,
and it will cause less damage on you overall. Usually you need to
tap the other car like 8 times. Try pursuit in smash mode to
practice. .
4.4 TAXI MISSION (TAXI)
Objective: Perform as many tricks as you can to scare the
passenger.
Comments: Only a single mission in San Francisco... This is quite
hard for a lot of people, but it's actually quite easy. Just
perform speed test, then 180 turn three times, then continuous
360 doughnuts.
4.5 CRATE MISSION (CRATE)
Objective: Carry a crate, which has its own damage level, but
otherwise it's same as a "goto mission".
Variations: the crate may be explosive, you may start with
felony.
Comments: Only a single mission in San Francisco, this one
requires a LOT of evasive driving, and a lot of luck. Avoiding
cops and losing them with a bomb in the bed of the truck bouncing
around is almost impossible, so try not to get caught in the
first place!
4.6 DRIVER TEST (TEST)
This occurs exactly once: at the start of Undercover, and it's
probably the MOST asked question about Driver and one of the most
exasperating missions around.
Basically, you need to perform ALL the tricks in this list in 60
seconds, any order you can.
Burnout -- hit the burnout button
Handbrake -- hit the handbrake button
Slalom -- slalom among the columns in the garage
180 turn -- wheel hard over and handbrakes simultaneously
360 turn -- wheel hard over combined with burnout, hold for
one full circle
reverse 180 turn -- backup at full speed, wheel hardover
speed -- maximum RPMs, about 50 mph
brake test -- both brakes and handbrakes together from high
speed
lap -- one lap around the garage
You can do them in ANY order you want. Here's one suggested order
that works for most people.
Hit burnout to the columns to start, then hit handbrake. Do a 180
to line up for the slalom. Do the slalom, then turn into middle
of garage and do the 360. Forward so you're almost touching the
wall, then full reverse, get up to speed, then do the reverse
180. Continue turn and do the full lap now. When lap is complete,
speed should also be done. Turn into the middle empty area and do
the brake test (get as close to the wall as you can), and that
should be it. If any are missed, repeat maneuver now.
5 Undercover: Miami Missions
NOTE: The cops are softer/slower in Miami to give you an easier
time.
Recommended path is M1, M2, M4/M401/M402, M6, M7, M11/M12, M13
Why M2 instead of M3? You need the practice to chase non-car
targets in M402. While it is difficult, you need the practice for
M13 before you leave Miami.
Why M8 instead of M9? Less missions in that branch.
Miami has very good weather except for the final mission. There
was one dawn mission and one dusk mission, but most of the
missions occur during daytime.
In most of the Miami missions, you'll drive a Buick Skylark,
though there's three missions with special cars.
5.1 THE BANK JOB
5.1.1 M1: Miami Bank Job
a) Goto [Difficulty 1/10]: Get to the bank in 80 seconds
NOTE: Take few seconds at the beginning to check the route first
with the "show map" command.
b) Goto [Difficulty 1/10]: Get to the lockup, no time limit, no
tail!
NOTE: If you can do part A without any felony, this one is too
easy. Just drive at the normal speed and you don't even have to
worry about police.
5.2 HIDE THE EVIDENCE
5.2.1 M2: Super Hot Car
You drive a Buick Regal (red with white roof) on this mission.
It's a pretty lousy car.
Goto [Difficulty 2/10]: Take the car to chop shop, no time limit,
1/8 felony. No tail!
NOTE: You'll only see one cop on this mission. On the narrow
highway, stay BEHIND the cop the whole way would be a good idea.
Losing the cop around that final corner may be difficult. Try not
to attract police attention. Remember, NO TIME LIMIT!
5.3 CASE FOR A KEY
This is your first three-part mission. Try to conserve your car
as much as possible in the first two parts. You'll need it for
the final part.
5.3.1 M4: Go Meet Them
Weather is dawn, dry.
Goto [Difficulty 3/10]: You have 160 seconds to get to get to the
Marina Bar to get your mission. No tail at destination!
NOTE: Take the most direct route and you should have plenty of
time to lose the cop if you need to. Police start at reduced
alert state (small visual cone) but if you start accumulating
felony they'll go to full alert mode. There's a long way to go so
don't waste time.
5.3.2 M401: Make the Exchange
Goto [Difficulty 4/10]: Get to Bayside to exchange the suitcase
for the Key, you have 140 secs. No tail at destination!
NOTE: Get to the Marina with time to spare, so you can BACK INTO
the spot you need. You will need those extra seconds in the next
part.
5.3.3 M402: Chase the Boat
Chase [Difficulty 7/10]: Someone just ripped you off, pursue the
boat to find out who...
NOTE: Difficult to avoid the cops on the narrow highways, a bit
of luck is required. If you see cop coming head-on, go for the
right side edge to avoid them, get between the traffic and the
right wall. Once you head into the warehouses to the T section,
make a left, then follow the road, which turns right, then turn
LEFT again and follow the "coast" to the warehouse.
5.4 TICCO'S RIDE
This is another three-part mission. Try to conserve the car in
the early parts.
5.4.1 M3: Pick up Ticco
a) Goto [Difficulty 4/10]: 90 seconds to get to Ticco's place, no
tail
b) Goto [Difficulty 5/10]: Deliver Ticco to his friend's place
5.4.2 M5: The Clean Up
Goto [Difficulty 5/10]: Go to Coral Gables, you have 120 seconds,
no tail
5.4.3 M53: Get the hell out of there!
You drive a Pontiac Grand Prix coupe on this one (white car)
Goto [Difficulty 6/10]: The cops got your car. Take another and
get outta here! (No time limit, no tail)
5.5 TANNER MEETS RUFUS
5.5.1 M6: Go and meet Rufus
Goto: [Difficulty 4/10] You have 180 seconds to get to the bar
and meet Rufus there.
5.6 BUST OUT JEAN-PAUL
Rufus has a job for you... A two-part mission, this one can be
quite difficult if you try to ram the van. Instead, save the car
for the next part, just follow it close and it'll run into a
parking lot.
5.6.1 M7: Ram the armored Car
Chase [Difficulty 3/10]: Pursue/ram the armored van carrying Jean-
Paul.
NOTE: it's debatable whether you want to ram this armored van, or
just chase it till the end. I'd vote for chasing since it's hard
to damage that van, and you may need your car undamaged for the
second part.
5.6.2 M54: Get Jean-Paul outta there...
Goto [Difficulty 4/10]: You got him. Go for the safehouse, and no
tail! Drive to the safehouse and enter the garage with no police
around.
5.7 PAYBACK
Another job from Rufus... Take care of some of his rival's
businesses.
5.7.1 M8: Get to the first restaurant
Goto [Difficulty 4/10]: You have 250 seconds to "visit" all the
restaurants... Through the front window. Watch for the cops.
You'll get a little more time if you smash a window...
NOTE: Smash all restaurants within the time limit. You should
have plenty of time. Use cross-town checkpoint as practice.
5.7.2 M10: A shipment's coming in
a) Goto [Difficulty 4/10] : Get to jetty arrival in under 200
seconds
NOTE: Look at the map and figure out your route first!
b) Goto [Difficulty 6/10]: It's a police ambush! Run for it! No
tail!
NOTE: It's hard to make it back into the city from the warehouses
through those narrow freeways. If you make it, you're home free.
Cut through the warehouses to avoid the cops.
5.8 SUPERFLY DRIVE
5.8.1 M9: Take this puppy home
Weather is dusk, and dry. You drive a superfast car. ID is a
little iffy. The script says it's a Dodge Charger, but other
people insist it's a '66 Chevy Camaro or a Ford Mustang.
Goto [Difficulty 5/10]: You have 230 seconds to arrive at the
drop-off point with the "hot" car without a tail...
NOTE: This car is extra fast, well over 100 mph... Just make sure
you use it right. It is VERY easy to flip over while taking a
turn too fast. Pick the straightest roads, watch for cross-
traffic, and go for it! Watch for reduced visibility as the sun
falls below the horizon...
5.9 BAIT FOR A TRAP
5.9.1 M11: Wreck his car
a) Goto [Difficulty 3/10]: 250 seconds to make it to the bait
location,
b) Smash [Difficulty 4/10]: wreck the target car.
c) Goto [Difficulty 4/10]: make it back to the lockup.
Really not much to it...
5.10 TAKE OUT DI'ANGIO'S CAR
5.10.1 M12: Ram him!
Chase [Difficulty 4/10]: Pursue and smash (if possible) the
target car...
5.11 THE INFORMANT
5.11.1 M13: Catch Jesse
Chase [Difficulty 5/10]: Jesse is on the monorail. We must follow
the train and be ready to pick her up before she talk to the
cops... Follow it!
Note: It's raining, which affects your handling. Cut through
grass and sidewalks to stay close to the monorail and don't spin
out. You should be able to stay close.
6 Undercover: San Francisco
Note: There is NO save point between Miami and San Francisco.
When you get to SF, you have to immediately go on a mission
without a chance to save.
Hx = Hotel Save Points, Mx = Mission Number (see below)
Recommended path is M14, M16/M161, M18/M20, M22/M221/M222/M223,
M24, M25.
M16 is easier than M15 or M17. While M17 seems shorter, the
second part can involve up to 4 cops, which is quite difficult in
San Francisco. M18 is easy. Getting Ross is quite easy if you
figure out the fastest route.
The default car in San Francisco is a black Ford Fairlane
San Francisco starting spot is pretty lousy. You start in this
little alley that has only one way out, and then only two streets
that leads to places you need to go.
6.1 THE CASINO JOB
6.1.1 M14: Get to the casino
a) Goto [Difficulty 5/10]: Get to Casino within 90 seconds
NOTE: This one is tough as the streets are narrow, just pick a
good route and hope you don't run into police too often.
NOTE: It is possible to NOT get any felony in this part, which
makes next part VERY easy.
b) Goto [Difficulty 6/10]: Make it back to the warehouse... No
time limit.
NOTE: the Warehouse entrance is in the BACK.
6.2 THE BRIEFCASE
6.2.1 M15: Get to Levy's
a) Goto [Difficulty 6/10]: Go through the checkpoints with 280
seconds, watch out for the cops!
b) Goto [Difficulty 5/10]: no time limit to meet the client, no
tail...
6.2.2 M151: Go make the exchange
a) Goto [Dif 6/10]: 200 seconds to make it to the exchange point,
no tail!
b) Goto [Dif 6/10]: 320 seconds to make it to the drop-off point,
no tail!
6.3 GUNS IN THE TRUNK
6.3.1 M16: Get to Fisherman's Wharf
Goto [Difficulty 5/10]: Make it to pickup point in 200 seconds...
6.3.2 M161: Go make the drop
Goto: Make it to the destination with no time limit, but felony
on.
NOTE: Unmarked brown sedans come after you with a vengeance!
Think of this as practice run for "President's Run" (final
mission) with only two cops.
6.4 VISIT TO THE MALL
6.4.1 M17: Go shopping
a) Goto [Difficulty 5/10]: Go pick them up inside 100 seconds
b) Goto [Difficulty 7/10]: Take them to the warehouse, no tail!
6.5 TAXI!
6.5.1 M18: Scare him!
Taxi [Difficulty 7/10]: Gotta scare the "associate" complete
s**tless.
NOTE: Accelerate to maximum speed. Once he goes "What do you
want!?!?" do a 180-degree handbrake spin. He should be 30%
freaked. Repeat two more times, and he's 90+% freaked. Do 360-
degree donuts (burnout with wheel turned to one side) until he
freaks out completely.
6.5.2 M20: Cosy to the chopper
a) Goto [Difficulty 6/10]: 120 seconds to arrive at Cosy's place,
no tail
b) Goto [Difficulty 7/10]: take him to the chopper!
6.6 IN THE PICKUP
6.6.1 M19: Get out of there, watch the crate!
Crate [Difficulty 9/10]: Explosive crate in the back, slight
felony. Can you make it without going KABOOM... No time limit,
but slight felony.
NOTE: Find big streets, preferably with street car or cable car
tracks, where you can drive without hitting anyone.
NOTE: Watch out for that BIG bump inside the destination alley...
Take it VERY slowly.
6.6.2 M21: The Chinatown pick up
a) Goto [Difficulty ?/10]: 120 seconds to pickup some passengers
(no tail)
b) Goto [Difficulty ?/10]: Go to the destination, no time limit,
no tail!
NOTE: the streets are narrow and dodging police cars can be very
difficult. Consider ducking into narrow alleys if possible, but
that has its own trade-offs.
6.7 THE MERCY MISSION
This is probably the most frustrating of all series of missions,
except for the President's run. This four-part mission has
damages that carry over from one part to the next. Preserving the
car in the early parts is essential, but time limit is VERY
tight. You'll finish each section with only seconds to spare,
which is why the early parts have higher difficulty rating than
the later parts.
6.7.1 M22: Callbox 1
Goto [Difficulty 8/10]: You have 90 seconds to make it to the
first phone...
6.7.2 M221: Callbox 2
Goto [Difficulty 8/10]: And 80 seconds to the second...
6.7.3 M222: Callbox 3
Goto [Difficulty 7/10]: 160 seconds for the third...
6.7.4 M223: Callbox 4
Goto [Difficulty 7/10]: And 140 seconds for the final callbox...
6.8 THE SET UP
6.8.1 M23: Get to the garage
a) Goto [Difficulty 6/10]: You have 110 seconds to get to the
garage...
NOTE: This is in the Chinatown garage. Get there early and make
your way up.
NOTE: In reality... This garage is now called "Police Garage" at
Vallejo street. It IS in the same building as the Police district
HQ...
b) Goto [Difficulty 7/10]: It's a setup! Get out of there... No
time limit.
NOTE: Make your way down slowly, watch the map for cops. Once
they're past, go up behind them and then find a big street and
make your way home.
6.9 THE HYDE STREET PICK UP
6.9.1 M24: Go get Ross
a) Chase [Difficulty 5/10]: Ross is on a Cable Car, and cops are
waiting near the Hyde street corner. 90 seconds to get there
first and get Ross...
NOTE: Chase the cable car, but just follow it. Should be easy as
you follow the tracks. As the cable car approaches the corner,
you should see your destination arrow change from the cable car
to a spot near it. Stop there, and wait for Ross to get into your
car.
b) Goto [Difficulty 7/10]: take Ross back to the hideout...
Expect cops.
6.10 TANNER AND SLATER
6.10.1 M25: Stop Slater, smash him.
Chase [Difficulty 7/10]: Pursue/ram Slater so you can take his
place and head for LA!
NOTE: Chasing him should be quite simple, but he's pretty fast.
The cop car is fragile, so you must practice evasive driving
more, but the missions are shorter and simpler, same reason for
Test Run (M33).
Your default LA car is a Chevy Nova or a Chevy Chevelle... All LA
missions take place in the evening.
7.1 STEAL A COP CAR
7.1.1 M26: Get the car to the lockup
Goto [Difficulty 8/10]: You got the cop car... You have 165
seconds to take it to the lockup... Avoid all cops, and don't
bang it up too hard.
NOTE: Try the horn/siren! Losing the cop around the final corner
can be difficult, so get there fast with some time left to lose
the tail. You can get there with over 40 seconds to spare.
7.1.2 M28: The Chase
Chase [Difficulty 5/10] : Pursue/ram Duval's car!
NOTE: Standard pursuit, just follow and bounce him when you can.
7.2 LUCKY TO THE DOC'S
7.2.1 M27: Go get Lucky
Note: TOTAL of 180 seconds for BOTH parts. [Dif 6/10]
a) Goto: Go get Lucky! He's in big trouble!
b) Goto: Lucky's been shot! Drop Lucky off at the hospital fast!
NOTE: get there early enough so you have time to lose the tail
around the destination.
7.2.2 M29: Maya
Note: TOTAL of 200 seconds for BOTH parts. [Dif 6/10]
a) Goto: Maya's overdosed... Pickup at Maya's location
b) Goto: Take her to the hospital, no tail!
NOTE: In b) get there early enough so you have time to lose the
tail around the destination.
7.3 THE MADDOX HIT
Maddox Hit is one of the toughest missions in LA. Getting to the
garage is messy enough, getting to the Chinese Theater is worse!
7.3.1 M30: Pickup the Hitmen
a) Goto: Go to the garage to pickup the hitmen in 120 seconds,
NOTE: Guys are on the TOP floor of the garage, keep making the
turns on the INSIDE (left) and you'll get there. The trick is how
NOT to attract too much attention getting there, as time is
short.
b) Goto: Take them to the Mann's Chinese Theater in 140 seconds.
NOTE: Time is a little tight, but you don't have to lose the cops
around the final turn.
7.3.2 M301: Make it to the lockup
Goto: The hit's done... Run for the safehouse!
Note: This one is tough because there will be four cops after you
if you don't lose them FAST. It's tough to avoid them on the
freeway.
7.4 LUCKY TO THE CRIB
7.4.1 M31: Pick up the Gangsters
a) Goto: pickup the gangsters at pickup point under 60 seconds...
b) Goto: Make it to Lucky's place with no tail...
c) Goto: Take Lucky home...
NOTE: getting onto the highway can be a problem. Getting into the
warehouses at the very end can also be a problem due to narrow
roads. Stay near the right wall when going down, scrape the
walls, if police come to visit. Shove some traffic cars in their
way to slow them down.
7.5 BEVERLY HILLS GETAWAY
7.5.1 M32: Get to Beverly Hills
a) Goto: Pickup the gangsters at Beverly Hills, 60 seconds...
b) Goto: Run for the lockup...
c) Goto: The cops are watching the lockup... Go to the crib
instead.
7.6 THE TEST RUN
7.6.1 M33: The Test Run
Goto [Difficulty 3/10] : Just drive the heck out of the car...
NOTE: There are no cops in this one, so you can push the car as
far as possible. If you can make it in under 2:30 you are doing
fine. I can do it in under 2 minutes. Pick straight route and
just GO FOR IT!
Try picking the Camaro. It seems to be a good car for this race.
8 Undercover: New York
KEY: Hx = Hotel Room (Save points), Mx = Mission, AA = Ali flag
>>--> IF AA ---> M43 - WIN --> M44 --> Drive with Ali into sunset
\ \
\ - LOSE -> M44 --> Drive alone into sunset
\
-> NOT AA -> M42 ------> M44 --> Drive alone onto the
highway
Recommended path is M35/M37, M38/M40, M43, M44.
I assume that you DO want to meet Ali? Besides, M35/M37 branch is
easier than the other branch. Whether M38/M40 or M39/M41 is
easier is debatable. I prefer M38/40 because second part of M39
can be really nasty as you can't make it back to the hotel
without picking up a tail.
8.1 GRAND CENTRAL STATION SWITCH
8.1.1 M34: Meet the Contact
Goto: You have 200 seconds to see the contact...
8.1.2 M341: Get to Grand Central
Goto: The other contact is at Grand Central... Get there...
8.1.3 M342: Go Make the Drop
Goto: Take the information to the destination... Lose the black
sedan tail!
NOTE: Get on a straightaway, go really fast, and weave through
traffic. That guy will flip himself over in no time as he tries
to imitate you.
8.2 LUTHER'S HEAP OF JUNK
Note: This is where you meet Ali, and if you don't take this
series, you get M42 instead of M43, and a different ending.
8.2.1 M35: Take this Heap of junk to the yard
Goto [Difficulty 1/10] : No felony, no time limit, car half
damaged... Just take it to the yard. Just drive slowly and don't
hit anything. Patience, patience, patience...
8.2.2 M37: The Rescue
a) Goto: Go get the boys outta police trap, you have 140
seconds...
NOTE: Your destination is the plaza by the bay... Get on the
freeway and drive straight down the freeway...
b) Goto: Get to the lockup with no tail!
NOTE: Getting out can be a problem, as those cops are quick
following you.
8.3 THE ACCIDENT
8.3.1 M36: Cause the Accident
Chase: Run Granger's driver off the road with an "acquired"
police car.
NOTE: You have to hit the car 12 times
8.4 TAKE A CAB
8.4.1 M38: Bring the cab in
Goto: Deliver a taxi to lockup... Don't bang it up too hard, and
no tail.
Nothing special about this mission. Just drive carefully.
8.4.2 M40: Take out Granger's Boys
a) Smash: Ram and disable Granger's Boys' Cars... There are four
of them, so watch out. They don't run from you though. You have
180 seconds...
TACTICS: the cars are easy to find. Use multiple soft hits so you
don't get damaged a lot. Do it fast so you have time to find the
next target.
b) Then make it out of there with no tail.
8.5 TRASH GRANGER'S WHEELS
8.5.1 M39: Trash Granger's Wheels
a) Goto: Granger's car is near the park. Get there under 120
secs.
TACTICS: Just drive flat out, you should make it with time to
spare, and you don't need to lose the tail as cops disappear
around the park.
b) Smash: wreck Granger's car,
c) Goto: then make your way back to your hotel room.
TACTICS: Watch out for cops around your hotel, as it's a pain to
lose the cops there. You may have to actively take out that last
cop.
8.5.2 M41: The Negatives
Chase: Pursue the guy with the negatives you need...
NOTE: Not that difficult, it's just dark.
8.6 THE ALI SITUATION
8.6.1 M43: Save Ali
a) Goto: Ali is in danger, better go pick her up in under 2
minutes...
b) Goto: Get her back to the hotel room, lose the bad guys.
TACTICS: Part A is simple if you pick a good straight route with
minimum turns. Cut into the plaza to read the destination spot.
B's a bit tougher as you need to lose the chasers, and cops will
be near your final destination.
NOTE: you CAN fail this mission and still make it to M44, but
you'll get the "Driving off alone" ending.
8.7 RITE OF PASSAGE
8.7.1 M42: The Rite of Passage
Goto: We want to test how fast can you drive. Get there in under
340 seconds.
NOTE: This is a long run but a lot of time, so just be careful
and pick good routes... You need to make several turns. You may
see some cops. You can probably do under 280 seconds.
8.8 THE PRESIDENT'S RUN
This is the final mission of the game... And the worst mission of
them all. It's snowing so handling is horrible. The car itself
already handles quite badly to start with... And it's HEAVY. In
about 8 seconds after start, your felony goes to maximum, and
four psycho-cops come after you... Expect roadblocks to appear
soon after that...
8.8.1 M44: Get the President out of there!
Goto [Difficulty 10/10]: Make it to the underground garage...
Four extra-fast cops are after you... You have a LONG way to go.
NOTE: You're in a tough car, the cops can't do you too much
damage unless they hit you head-on or bounce you into a building.
Based on the criteria outlined in 3.6.3, the best route is
Broadway. It's wide, with lots of parallel streets, and it's
STRAIGHT. You have plenty of room to get your speed up, and when
your speed is up, the cops can't do you much damage or push you
too far off course. You just need to watch for head-on kamikazes
(where the wide street helps) or side-street attacks. Find the
gap between the cars in the roadblocks and smash through them.
Some people reports success by just going straight-ahead on
Madison and cut through the park That may get them there a little
faster, but the street is not as wide. It may be difficult to
make it through the plaza in the middle.
Do not attempt the southern route (trying to make it to the
freeway to the south). There's not enough room for you to
maneuver the heavy car onto the onramp, and once there the road
is too narrow to avoid the cops.
9 Driving Games Hints/Tips
The driving games in Driver should keep some of your
competitiveness alive even when you finish the campaign... Also
good as practice for the campaign, except carnage and dirt track.
9.1 PURSUIT
--Your mission: Stop the target car or follow it until the timer
expires.
--Win condition: a) Cause enough damage to the target car to
force it to a stop, or b) follow the the vehicle until the timer
runs out.
--Note: Pursuit top time is NOT recorded, because the timer and
the route is random.
--Lose condition: lose sight of the target, or totalling your
car.
--Tactics: As the car in front have initiative, it's usually
easier to just follow it at speed and let the time run out.
Damaging the vehicle is hard to arrange, as you'll need to hit it
multiple times (probably 10). Timer is randomly generated, and
AI's route is randomly picked from a set (usually 9). Also, turn
the traffic density to lowest.
--Note: the target car has "extra weight". You can't "spin" him.
If you hit him too hard, you will bounce off.
--Note: you will need to practice both "follow" and "ram", as you
will run into both types of missions.
9.2 GETAWAY
--Your mission: Lose the police tail as soon as possible
--Win condition: You are successful in losing the tail
--Note: Getaway top time is NOT recorded
--Lose condition: totalled your car before losing the police
--Tactics: standard anti-police driving... Find some traffic and
peel him off. Turn up the traffic density may help. Some police
have problems going through garages.
9.3 CROSS-TOWN RALLY
--Premise: Hit X checkpoints in the minimum amount of time, no
police.
--Note: PSX version has 5 checkpoints, PC version has 6
checkpoints.
--End condition: hit all checkpoints, or totalling your car
--Note: Cross-town Rally top times are recorded, faster is
better.
--Tactics: Memorize the route and determine the optimum
approaches. Remember, you can drive on the grass and sidewalk.
Turn traffic density to lowest level. You only need to touch the
checkpoint sign to "count" it, not run into it.
9.4 SURVIVAL
--Premise: 4 super-cops are after you. They are invincible, and
they are extra fast and super-aggressive. Survive for as long as
you can...
--Note: Survival times are recorded, longer is better.
--End condition: totalling your car
--Tactics
--Turn traffic density to lowest. Extra cars hurt more than any
slowdown they can cause the police.
--Cops are extra fast on straights, so you must make periodic
turns to throw them off.
--Drive slow enough to keep them bunched up behind you, since
it's harder to dodge ramming attacks from multiple directions.
They will get into each other's way. However, stay fast enough
not to get hit.
--Listen carefully for the screaming engines... That means the
cops are coming in FAST. Keep an eye on the minimap to see which
way are they coming from.
--While the cops are invincible (i.e. they don't take damage
from collisions), they CAN flip over, and be disabled. However,
it is very difficult to arrange.
--One tactic is keep going in circles. If one cop wipes out, as
you keep circling one block, and the cop won't respawn since
you're never out of visual range. That's one less to worry about.
9.5 TRAILBLAZER
--Premise: hit 100 green cones. Every one you hit gets you an
extra second on the timer. When the time's up, and game's over.
Can you hit all cones?
--Note: Trailblazer records number of cones hit, and if all 100
were hit, the amount of time remains on the timer is recorded.
More is better.
--Tactics: Memorize the route... The cones are "ghost", so
traffics cars can't hit them, but you CAN hit the traffic cars,
so be very careful when there's other cars around the cones...
Turn down traffic density may help.
9.6 DIRT TRACK
--Premise: fastest time around the dirt tracks... Hit a cone and
lose a second off the time. How fast can you go? You have 4
tracks to play with, no traffic and no cops.
--Tactics: Know how to slide just enough NOT to hit any cones,
yet enough to clear the corner.
9.7 CARNAGE
--Premise: You are the juggernaut, cause the most amount of
"damage" in the city. Your car has "railroad" mode turned on so
it will knock anything else back completely. Every bit of damage
you cause is tallied.
--Tactics: should be obvious... Find a busy road, drive against
the traffic to bounce the cars into other lanes of traffic. The
narrower the street and the more traffic the better, as there's
more chances of "rebound".
Another possibility is turn one of the cars side-on, so you can
"push" it like a bulldozer.
10 Misc. Information
10.1 HOW DO I VIEW A DOWNLOADED REPLAY? HOW DO I SHARE MY
REPLAY FILES?
Your replay files are REPLAYx.BIN files, where X is a number
between 1 to 8. Just send that file.
Save any of your own REPLAYx.BIN that you want to keep. Then just
unzip the replay file and overwrite one of the existing
REPLAYx.BIN files. Go back into game, and try to view the chase
replays, the choice should be there.
Note: Replays among different versions of patches may not be
compatible.
Note: Replays of a mission that had its mission script modified
may not run properly on another computer that does not have the
modified script.
10.2 CAN I EDIT THE MISSIONS?
Yes, with DMC, the Driver Mission Configuration by Karlr. The
language is a bit complicated. Any mistake and you'll get 'Driver
Exception' error.
You can find a link to DMC at driverhq.com. They also have links
to other editors.
10.3 CAN I DOWNLOAD NEW MISSIONS?
Yes, those will replace one or more of the existing missions
though. See DriverHQ for some missions.
10.4 WHAT ARE THOSE CARS ANY WAY?
As explained before, the cars are BASED ON some classic American
muscle cars, but not exact duplicates (if they do they may be
sued by the auto makers unless they pay license fees). Based on
the notes inside the mission scripts, here are my best guesses.
ú PlayerCarType 0 = Black Buick Skylark (MI)
ú PlayerCarType 1 = Light Blue Pickup Truck (SF/Crate)
(Chevy?)
ú PlayerCarType 2 = Red Buick Regal (NY)
ú PlayerCarType 3 = Black Ford Fairlane (SF)
ú PlayerCarType 4 = Blue Dodge Charger/Ford Mustang
(MI/Superfly)
ú PlayerCarType 5 = Brown Buick Skylark/GSX? (NA)
ú PlayerCarType 6 = Blue Chevy Nova/Chevelle? (NA)
ú PlayerCarType 7 = Brown Cadillac Eldorado? (NA)
ú PlayerCarType 8 = four door blue sedan ??? (LA)
ú PlayerCarType 9 = Green Chevy Nova/Chevelle? (LA)
ú PlayerCarType 10 = Black/White Police car (LA) (Dodge
Diplomat?)
ú PlayerCarType 11 = White Pontiac Grand Prix? (MI)
ú PlayerCarType 12 = Brown Chevy Camaro? (LA)
ú PlayerCarType 13 = Yellow Taxi (Chevy Caprice/Monte Carlo?)
(SF)
ú PlayerCarType 14 = Blue Cadillac Eldorado? (NY)
ú PlayerCarType 15 = Red Jaguar racer (NA)
ú PlayerCarType 16 = Light green classic coupe??? (Ford T-
Bird?) (NA)
ú PlayerCarType 17 = Gold Jaguar (XJ-6?) sedan (NA)
Many of these cars do not appear in any missions. Car 17 is only
available in the "bonus city" when you win the Undercover
campaign, for example. Car 15 and 16 are extremely fast but they
are not in any mission, only as "Take a Ride" vehicles.
