Template:Infobox vehicles
The APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) is an armored assault vehicle featured in The Ballad of Gay Tony. It is commonly referred to as a NOOSE Tank.
Description
Design
As The Ballad of Gay Tony restores the over-the-top style of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the APC was created to fill a role similar to GTA San Andreas's S.W.A.T and the Rhino. The front and side of the APC bears a striking resemblance to the Soviet BRDM-2 scout car, with side doors from a Cadillac Gage Commando.
Performance
In terms of the APC's road-going abilities, the vehicle is evidently unintended for speedy travel. While the APC has a top speed of 69 mph (111 km/h), it possesses poor acceleration that dampens the APC's potential to reach its top speed and climb steep inclines. On the other hand, its soft suspensions helps in providing the APC with generally reliable steering, especially at low speeds, and its brakes are also effective even in higher speed, impressive for a large and heavy vehicle like the APC; however, the suspensions' configuration increases the APC's susceptibility to rollovers due to uneven weight distribution during sharp turns. Its excessively heavy weight also allows the APC to push aside any small vehicle without much disruption in the APC's movement.
However, the APC's true strength lies in its prowess in combat, making the APC one of the most lethal combat vehicles in-game (still a step below that of the Buzzard, but can overwhelm the lightly armed Annihilator). In place of GTA San Andreas' S.W.A.T. tank water cannon is a turret loaded with explosive rounds, which is only as powerful as an explosive round shot from an Explosive Shotgun or Advanced Sniper. About four or five shots to any part of a car, and the car will catch fire. Afterwards, any medium-force impact will instantly explode the car. This is a mixed blessing. Catching a Police Car behind you on fire can make other Police Cars run into it, causing a dynamic chain explosion. However, doing the same to Police Cars in front has a price: one can find it hard to maneuver around the burning car, resulting in the car exploding on impact. However, the APC is very durable, as covered below, and can resist up to three car explosions before catching fire itself. Despite its well-apparent power, the APC has some minor drawbacks. Due to it being a special vehicle with severely limited window space, other weapons cannot be used, preventing one from throwing Sticky Bombs or passengers helping to fend off pursuers. The turret also has a limited field of view that is incapable of shooting high up into the air where pursuing police/NOOSE helicopters may linger, although, depending on the position of the player and the pursuing helicopter(s), it is possible to hit the helicopter if the player aims the turret properly.
The APC is also the most durable vehicle in TBOGT, being able to resist high speed impacts without any noticeable body deformation. Though the APC is completely bulletproof in front of the back wheels, behind the back wheels lie the engine and air ventilation, and can take damage from that area. However, the APC itself has high durability, and can still withstand multiple magazines of LMG fire on the weak spot. If one were to destroy an APC, he should aim at behind the turret at the air vents.
Locations
The Ballad of Gay Tony
- The APC appears in the missions "Caught with your Pants Down," where the player steals one for Yusuf Amir, and "Frosting on the Cake," where the player destroys one with Sticky Bombs to escape pursuing law enforcement after killing several Lost MC bikers.
- Can be obtained from Henrique Bardas after finishing the main storyline. You cannot store the vehicle via this way.
- Parking lot of the East Holland LCPD Station in Algonquin. The vehicle can be found parked underneath in a small garage with no garage door. (Multiplayer only)
- Can be spawned via the player's phone by dialing: 272-555-8265 ("APC"-555-"TANK").
- At Yusuf Amir's construction site after shooting all 50 seagulls and after the mission For the Man Who Has Everything is completed.
Gallery
Trivia
The Ballad of Gay Tony
- The APC is the strongest vehicle in TBOGT, but is still relatively weak compared to other armored vehicles in the series. It takes about 1 RPG hit to set the APC on fire and 1 more RPG hit to destroy it.
- Although the APC is described on the official TBoGT website as an APC utilized by NOOSE, neither NOOSE nor the LCPD actually use the APC in-game to chase the player, except during "Frosting on the Cake" or when there is an APC in the area and a police or NOOSE officer gets in the vehicle.
- In the said mission, the APC has a notable difference than the APC the player can drive. Instead of a turret that shoots explosive bullets, this APC has a minigun instead of normal explosive bullets. Also, a police officer drives the vehicle.
- It is the heaviest vehicle in TBoGT. It even pulls a Bus.
- Even though the APC has small but visible windows, shooting through them will not hurt the driver inside. It is also not possible to perform 'drive by shootings' or throw sticky bombs out of the window, but the turret makes up for this.
- Despite being a (more or less) military vehicle, the second since Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the player can call Henrique Bardas so he can give Luis an APC after completing the mission "Departure Time". This probably pokes fun of NOOSE's incompetence in securely storing the vehicle.
- In GTA IV multiplayer, the APC is easily available in Free Mode, and there is a dedicated race class where all racers drive the APC, during which the player can use the cannon, albeit with a slightly slower rate of fire and less power. Given its overpowering nature, however, the APC is not available in team deathmatch, deathmatch or other competitive co-op modes not directly related to the vehicle.
- An interesting way to blow things up is to put sticky bombs on some of the sides; then drive towards the target and press down on the
. The APC will not be destroyed; instead, it will catch fire and blow up by itself soon afterwards. - The APC's main weakness is actually its own high suspension. Entering a turn quickly will result in flipping the APC over (except if it flips back again) as it's perhaps the strongest vehicle in the whole game. (i.e. The player can flip a turned car by cheating an APC, but they can't flip an APC by any means. Excluding the exploding punch cheat.) It can be turned back by constantly firing the turret straight down into the ground, however, the health cheat is vital while doing this, as the APC will take damage by the exploding projectiles.
- Even though it's considered to be a law enforcement vehicle, the player can pick up prostitutes and pay for their services.
- It's the third vehicle in the whole GTA Series to be based on a Russian one. The first is the Bulwark, the second being the Dune and the fourth being the Cargo Plane.
- The APC's horn is the same as the Firetruck's unique emergency horn.
- Despite its name, it's technically an IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle). Usually, IFV sacrifices troop capabilities to obtain firepower, while APC is a vehicle that carries an amount of people with none or low firepower.
- The only time you can activate the use of radio stations in the APC is when you are in multiplayer mode, this also applies to other emergency vehicles in GTA IV and EFLC.
- Strangely, it has a normal car start sound, as opposed to a industrial truck start sound.
GTA V
- The APC was supposed to make a return in Grand Theft Auto V but was cut for unknown reasons. In the official GTA V trailer, a burnt APC shell can be seen, but the APC does not appear in the final version.
See also
- SWAT Tank, GTA San Andreas equivalent.
- Annihilator
- Buzzard
- Rhino