Ok so I hear all these things and I have no idea what is happening anymore.

Can someone make a video or a WELL-WRITTEN post of what the strats for this mission are if swimming wasn't a thing?

Edit: S made a video tutorial. You should still read my posts for more details.

Part in italics can be skipped if you are uncurious.

This strat is a collaborative effort. "Any", Lighnat0r, Josh and myself were involved. Any had the initial idea of manipulating the D.A spawn location, Lighnat0r found out how the game determines the D.A. re-spawn location. I found out the traffic light stuff and conditions that make him re-spawn and how to satisfy them by reading the mission script and memory watching via Cheat Engine. No, this was not worth skipping.

First watch the video to get confused. The actual explanation is in text form but it helps if you have seen it once. Ded link, video gone

The D.A. can re-spawn, most of the time he does using current strats. As soon as certain conditions are true, he is re-spawned to a specific location that depends on where you look (you read right).

Spawning locations:

Where to look at: You want respawn locations 2 or 3, depending on where he has to wait less for traffic lights. For location 2, look at the right red ellipse only; for location 3, look at both.

Edit: [quote] I use a heuristic in my runs: when the valet in the ZR waits for the red light and then gets to the garage quickly, I block one spot, if he takes some time or I am slow, I block both. [/quote] It works because Rockstar doesn't want you to see him spawn so they added a check of whether you look at the place they want him to spawn. If you do, he spawns at alternative locations. They messed it up, though: Originally, they wanted him to spawn at the right ellipse so that's where they check. Then, they changed the spawn location but forgot adapting check. Good job, Rockstar! :D

Conditions

1. no-one is driving towards the parking service with the intent of using it
2. at any one point in time, both valets have to not stand, simultaneously, e.g both are running at the same time / one is driving, one is running / etc. Then the condition is met, indefinitely, period.

Satisfying the conditions About 1) Short version: During the ZR-valet waiting time, park a car into the parking space to fool the game past a delay of the D.A. re-spawn that Rockstar put in there. For it to work, it can't be a taxi/Cabbie, Bobcat, bike, or cop car [incomplete, but should be enough]. The parking space is in-between these two CJs:

About 2) This is the crazy part: if you push the valets while waiting for the valet in the ZR to enter the car park, then they won't run back "home" right away. They start running as soon as you are waiting for the D.A. This satisfies condition 1 (both are not standing). If you push them when they are facing you, they jump back, it is better if you push them from the side (you face their side, anyways). If you are too fast, you can hurt them, wasting time and risking a wanted level.

Back to the optimal re-spawn location: We want him to spawn at a location where he has to wait for traffic lights the least. He idles for 10s after spawning, so accomplishing that isn't child's play.

The visual cue for the right timing? Other traffic lights. While waiting for the ZR valet, you might be busy pushing the other valets, so use the traffic lights on the way from Doherty to the hotel:

When you see a North/South light change from green to red, then location 2 is ideal for the next 9s. After that, location 3 for the next 18s, after that, location 2 for the next 15s and then it loops. Table:

So in short:

1. I have to push the Valets
2. I have to look in a certain direction depending on traffic lights
3. I win?

You might be implying that understanding how it works is unnecessary. Think about the things that could go wrong and make that understanding pay off. If you didn't, you should still read. ^^ a car "wanting to" go to the valets gets stuck e.g. by your own car - and never arrives -> remove the obstacles, if that doesn't work, have fun waiting for the D.A. for ages. :D you didn't push the valets far enough and they just stand there -> push them and when you "let go off them" look in the right direction

you only need to look at the right spot when all conditions are met, use the rest of the time for taking photos (you can use time after he spawns to keep traffic away from him). you can find improvements

I forgot something in my first post: the reference point I use for pushing them is: push them from the side until they reach the wall.

I'm not implying anything. I asked a simple question and you didn't answer it. Instead you gave me a list of things that can happen, not things the player has to do. I didn't ask about what can go wrong, I asked about what I have to do right. Obviously if I didn't push the valets far enough, point 1 wasn't succesfully met.

So I'm going to ask again. Please answer my question. (hint: It's a yes/no question.)

1. I have to push the Valets a certain distance
2. I have to look in a certain direction depending on traffic lights
3. I win? (provided some other car doesn't want to drive in.)]

no answer = no disaggreement My fault not pointing that out.

Update: I'll call the thing in front of the valets "parking space". It is in-between these two CJs ^^ https://www.dropbox.com/s/uk5hjmspo20n7dy/555_parking_space_corner1.png?raw=1 https://www.dropbox.com/s/98a3ckm6dobn3ml/555_parking_space_corner2.png?raw=1

Short version: Park a car into the parking space to fool the game past a delay of the D.A. re-spawn that Rockstar put in there. For it to work, it can't be a taxi/Cabbie, Bobcat, bike, or cop car [incomplete, but should be enough].

There is one thing that Rockstar tries to delay the D.A. re-spawn with: As you trigger the "wait for D.A." marker, if there is no "customer" on the way or already parked in the parking space, then the D.A. re-spawn is blocked until a customer has parked there. And afaik, unless you park your car inside the underground garage when killing the valet, no customers ever spawn until triggering that marker.

The R¤ way of testing the latter ("already parked") condition is checking if there is any car inside the parking space, so you just put your own in there.

It can't be a taxi/Cabbie, Bobcat, bike, or cop car [incomplete, but should be enough]. The parking space is kept clean of them. [ They are either annihalated if they are outside of your view or stolen by magically appearing car thieves if you are looking at them. ]

So how do I know when to look at one of those spots then to respawn the DA?

What if I look the complete other way instead?

Also if I push the Valets away while waiting for the ZR to drive into the garage, they have returned to their original spot by the time I get back to enter the marker.

1/2) There was a misunderstanding. The looking positions aren't required for the re-spawn. But without looking at those places, he spawns miles away and once he has re-spawned, he never re-spawns again. The "right" location is the one where he has to wait for traffic lights the least.

3. I know they move sometimes/always/whatever. I don't know much about that since I push them so far that they are always far from home as the waiting for D.A. part starts.

Edit: Demo:

You should therefore be looking at the "right" place right from the beginning. != x means: has to not be x for the re-spawn

That video clears up everything I was wondering about. Thanks.

This could be useful for 100% then. I'll fiddle with it.

Update for traffic lights: I analyzed the traffic lights on the way to the hotel.

Results:

• Synchronization: All North to South traffic lights are in sync (every light "shows" the same colour as the others). --- The same applies to West/East traffic lights.
• 12.0sec shift: West/East lights "show" green 12.0 seconds after the North/East ones --> when one light turns green, the light for the other direction turns red at the same moment. Btw, when one light turns red, the other light is going to turn red in ~9s.

The traffic light I used in my first post is a West/East one and I used turning green as a reference. Most lights on the way to the valet car park are North/South ones and it is easier to "witness" a green to red change. So using North/South lights turning red is better.

Explained again: when you see a North/South light change from green to red, then location 2 is ideal for the next 9s. After that, location 3 for the next 18s, etc. Table:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/q2ew20gis9p90vy/table.png?raw=1 link to image

When you "witness" a light turning green, that means the other light turned red at the same time, so look at the opposite column of the table.

4 posts that belong here: http://www.speedrun.com/post/vwqzz

I use a heuristic in my runs: when the valet in the ZR waits for the red light and then gets to the garage quickly, I block one spot, if he takes some time or I am slow, I block both.

What do you do when there's an angry cadrona nearly every single time?

I cannot remember getting any spawns ever in months of running. The valets move within a very small time-frame, there is no time for customers to spawn, let alone block the "parking zone".

Can I have a video?

Edit: Nonsense, no customers spawn because I block the "parking zone" with my car. That does not prevent the D.A. from re-spawning - it never has for me, anyways. Customer cars existing does prevent it (no matter if they get stuck in the parking zone or elsewhere).

I have forgotten what turns customers into "non-customers" - killing should.

It happened in my PB aswell as 1001482194820948 other runs, it is a Cadrona killing the run everytime...? edit: i'll upload another one for you, this time the Valet somehow died (will edit in here) EDIT12843192048190248904284: Killing the driver or punching the car can get you a star ;)

For people who can't be bothered learning the proper strats, this is how you get the D.A. to come faster All you do is look at the way i look and he will respawn to the left side I don't know who found it if you care about that stuff but antistreaks sent the method to me

Making a better tutorial of the proper strat would take ages. Would you even use it?

I don't feel like analyzing that problem of your second to last post, after all, sorry.

Would i use it? Probably not.

It's okay, i love you, patrick. I didn't have any issues with 555 since i started using the method i posted anyway. This would still be a problem for all missions ,probably.

I added S' tutorial to the second post of this thread. It is good. :)

There is a better strat for the lazy people among you. You make the Valets busy by first parking your own car in the parking zone while you are waiting for the ZR valet and then later parking his ZR as a second vehicle. That makes both busy eventually but it is slower than the proper strategy.