Hotwiring
Sit in the driver seat of a car you don't have keys for and press H. The first time you try a car, you check the sun visor and glovebox and try any car keys you're carrying. Sometimes you get lucky. If not, you go for the wires.
Hotwiring is a skill with five levels. Every car you start gives you XP, and harder cars give more. Easy cars stop teaching you anything once you're good.
| Level | How it plays |
|---|---|
| Beginner | Press W A S D in order, each one while the cursor is inside the small white zone |
| Apprentice | Only A and D, and the zone is bigger |
| Adept | Hold E until the ring fills |
| Experienced | It just starts |
| Master | It just starts, silently: no alarm and no call to the police |
Backspace gives up. Getting out of the seat or getting hurt also stops you.
Harder cars
Better cars have more stages to get through and a smaller zone to hit. Cars that belong to another player count as a class harder. S class cars have an engine computer that locks out crossed wires, so you need an ECU Bypass Module for them, even as a Master.
Tools
Carry a tool and hotwiring plays one level easier:
- Screwdriver: cheap, from hardware stores. It can snap.
- Hotwire Kit: one level easier and one stage fewer. Illegal.
- ECU Bypass Module: needed for S class. Illegal.
A tool can take a Beginner up to Experienced level, but never to Master.
When it goes wrong
A failed attempt sets off the car's alarm and gives you a shock. Your tool might break, and the wiring can fry so nobody can hotwire that car for 5 seconds. Someone may report a stolen car.
The third fail on the same car always makes the engine smoke, and once in a while the first or second does too. A smoking engine blows up 10 seconds later, so get out and run.
If someone is driving the car, you don't need to hotwire it at all. Pull them out of the driver seat and the keys are still in it. But the driver might call the police and report it stolen, or fight you to get their car back. If they get back in the driver seat, they drive off with it.
Notoriety and Criminal rank
Every stolen car raises your notoriety, and being reported raises it more. It slowly drops again while you lie low.
All your crime skills also add up to your overall Criminal rank, which uses the same five levels. Pulling off a big job, like a bank or a train heist, can jump you straight to the next level.
Type /skills to see your levels.
Thanks! Staff will look at it.